Tag Archives: Politics-CivicInterest

On the Grid

Posted on May 14, 2016 by smellincoffee

On the Grid: A Plot of Land, an Average Neighborhood, and the Systems That Make Our World Work© 2010 Scott Huler256 pages If modern humans have retained a penchant for magical thinking, little wonder. Our homes accomplish marvels seemingly by the … Continue reading →

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The First Congress

Posted on March 29, 2016 by smellincoffee

The First Congress: How James Madison, George Washington, and a Group of Extraordinary Men Invented the Government© 2016 Fergus Bordewich416 pages The first attempt at creating an American confederation resulted in a chronically bankrupt and impotent organization which no one … Continue reading →

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The Cult of the Presidency

Posted on February 14, 2016 by smellincoffee

The Cult of the Presidency: America’s Dangerous Devotion to Executive Power © 2008 Gene Healy 264 pages Every four years, men and women with permanently-fixed smiles assure us that they will end corruption in D.C, get the economy moving, and … Continue reading →

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Unstoppable

Posted on February 6, 2016 by smellincoffee

Unstoppable: the Emerging Left-Right Alliance to Dismantle the Corporate State© 2014 Ralph Nader224 pages George Carlin groused that when he heard the word bipartisanship, he knew a larger than usual deception was in the works. Ralph Nader’s Unstoppable offers a different … Continue reading →

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Ain’t My America

Posted on January 31, 2016 by smellincoffee

Ain’t My America:  The Long and Noble History of Antiwar Conservatism and Middle Class Antimperialism ©  2008 Bill Kauffman 304 pages “You can have your hometown, or you can have the empire. You can’t have both.” You don’t have to … Continue reading →

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Data and Goliath

Posted on January 20, 2016 by smellincoffee

Data and Goliath: The Hidden Battles to Collect Your Data and Control Your World© 2015 Bruce Schneier400 pages, including 160 pgs of citations. You’re being watched — all the time, no matter where you go or what you do. Not … Continue reading →

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The Grid

Posted on December 8, 2015 by smellincoffee

The Grid: A Journey Through the Heart of Our Electrified World© 2007 Phillip Schewe310 pages In every room there sits a caged beast waiting to cause mischief, but which most of the time  is put to honest work, instead.  When … Continue reading →

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We Who Dared Say No to War

Posted on November 11, 2015 by smellincoffee

We Who Dared Say No to War: American Antiwar Writing from 1812 to Now© 2008 Murray Polner, Tom Woods368 pages The image of anti-war protesters in America is of the left, especially the student left, haranguing the government for overseas … Continue reading →

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The Quartet

Posted on September 2, 2015 by smellincoffee

The Quartet: Orchestrating the Second American Revolution, 1783 – 1789 © 2015 Joseph Ellis 320 pages How many men does it take to make a revolution? The American Revolution is usually taken to include the rising animus against the political … Continue reading →

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10 Don’ts On Your Digital Devices

Posted on August 6, 2015 by smellincoffee

10 Don’ts On Your Digital Devices© 2015 Eric Rzesut, Daniel Bachrach180 pages Networked computers are no longer the hulking monsters of the 1970s,  only found in  industrial and military installations. In the second decade of the 21st century, they are … Continue reading →

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