Tag Archives: Politics-CivicInterest

Home from Nowhere

Posted on January 30, 2013 by smellincoffee

Home from Nowhere: Remaking Our Everyday World for the 21st Century© 1998 James Howard Kunstler320 pages “History doesn’t believe anybody’s advertising.” (p.1) James Howard Kunstler penned The Geography of Nowhere in an attempt to answer the question: why is America … Continue reading →

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Sparkly Hayek

Posted on December 31, 2012 by smellincoffee

Yesterday I finished my last read for 2012, which was…Twilight. Yes, the sparkly-vampires-playing-baseball book. I read it as a joke. It turned out to be a rather mean joke on myself, because it consisted of 400 pages of two lovesick … Continue reading →

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Flushed

Posted on October 27, 2012 by smellincoffee

Flushed: How the Plumber Saved Civilization© 2006 W. Hodding Carter241 pages So, plumbing.  You use it.  Chances are you wouldn’t be alive without it, because civilizations without plumbing tend to be miserable places rife with disease. Despite its importance, not much fuss … Continue reading →

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Thoughts on Building Strong Towns

Posted on October 20, 2012 by smellincoffee

Thoughts on Building Strong Towns, Volume I© 2012 Chuck Marohn174 pages$9.95  In California, school districts are being forced to suspend their bus routes. In Alabama,  Jefferson County – home to the state’s largest city, Birmingham – has gone bankrupt. Basic … Continue reading →

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Waste and Want

Posted on October 3, 2012 by smellincoffee

Waste and Want: A Social History of Trash© 2000 Susan Strasser368 pages      Consider your trash can. In all likelihood, you cannot imagine not using it. What else would you do all with the trash generated in the course … Continue reading →

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Conundrum

Posted on September 29, 2012 by smellincoffee

Conundrum: How Scientific Innovation, Increased Efficiency, and Good Intentions Can Make Our Energy and Climate Problems Worse© 2012 David Owen272 pages If only all big problems could be tackled with product substitution. We’re consumers at heart, and our response to … Continue reading →

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No Logo

Posted on September 29, 2012 by smellincoffee

No Logo: the Case Against the Brand Bullies  © 1999, 2009; Naomi Klein 544 pages The political and financial turmoil of the past few years have seen a rising tide of anger targeted against the political power of wealthy corporations. … Continue reading →

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They Eat Puppies, Don’t They?

Posted on August 26, 2012 by smellincoffee

They Eat Puppies, Don’t They? © 2012 Christopher Buckley335 pages They Eat Puppies, Don’t They? is a satirical novel about the power of the military-industrial congress, its lead character undertaking a mission to pose as a lobbyist to whip up anti-China … Continue reading →

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John Adams

Posted on August 18, 2012 by smellincoffee

John Adams© 2001 David McCullough751 pages The memory of some American presidents looms over the national mind like their monuments tower above the landscape. But John Adams has no monument on the National Mall: his face does not stare down … Continue reading →

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Sixty Million Frenchmen Can’t Be Wrong

Posted on July 18, 2012 by smellincoffee

Sixty Million Frenchmen Can’t Be Wrong: Why We Love France (But Not the French)© 2003 Jean-Benoît Nadeau & Julie Barlow351 pages France stymies Americans. They eat what they want, but seemingly don’t get fat. Their government is happily involved in … Continue reading →

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