change Books

I purchased this book despite my skepticism on human caused global warming. I figure i need to know both sides of the argument before I formulate an opinion.

There were some great points made in the book and despite my belief that global warming is not entirely human caused, there are a lot of things where I said "ya, why not? Wouldn't hurt to reduce this or that."

I did have a problem with Al's failure to show both sides of the coin when he pointed out statistics and used charts. One chart he used pointed out recent increases of this or that, but didn't comment on the historical increases that were shown on the same chart.

I also felt like the charts and graphs were misleading in many ways. Often they used visual tips and tricks to draw the eye to the points they wanted to make while 'hiding' the counter arguments. Although I was probably especially sensitive to this as I just read a book on the visual presentation of data.

If you are interested in global warming, even if you are a conservative that is against it, I believe you need to read this book. It would be naive to argue against it if you haven't read it.

Should be read very carefully by ALL AMERICANS!
Save this earth, it could be so easy

After forcing myself to read Al's tirade, the conclusion is obvious: An Inconvenient Truth is nothing more than a loose morph of Paul Erhlich's The Population Bomb, but with one caveat. Paul Erhlich was (and continues to be) the simple village idiot, happily distracted by butterflies, thinking that what might be true for winged objects of his research is true for homo sapiens, after the application of a strong Malthusian filter. Every one of his predictions were wrong. Enough said.

Al, however, is different in one important respect: he is the consummate capitalist and entirely distinterested in peer reviewed scientific literature. When he departed the office of Vice President, his net worth was about $2M. In 2008, that number is approaching $100M. He doubled his money almost six times in eight years. Not many are able to lay claim to that return on investment. And how did he do it? By peddling enough junk science and apocalyptic rhetoric that would choke a blue whale. And raking in more $$$ from his carbon credit front companies.

Nowhere in the book will you read how Al has worked out the causal mechanism) of global warming that caused rapid continental deglaciation about 10-14 thousand years ago, long before modern humans walked the Earth. In fairness to Al, I wouldn't expect that of him: the causative agents remains to this day poorly understood. But not a single word about Quaternary climate appears in this book. Al is betting most people will not bother read the Geological Society of America Special Paper #270: The Last Interglacial-Glacial Transition in North America. Good odds, I'd say.

Even so, I hear Al replaced the incandescent bulbs in his multi-thousand square foot mansion with the energy-saving florescent variety. Good for you Al: thanks for leading the way and saving the planet!

Another junk science piece of garbage and a political stunt (that unfortunately worked with the Nobel Committee).

31,000 U.S. scientests have signed a petition refuting the claims that mankind is causing global warming and many scientests are now saying we are about to enter a period of global cooling due to changes in our sun. A British court found over 30 of Gore's claims in his movie to be false. Al Gore's home uses more energy in one month than the average home owner uses in one year and the zinc mine that was on his property was once listed by an environmental group as the most toxic mine site in America and Gore wants to reopen it. Are these the actions of a man truely concerned about the environment? Do a little searching to find out about Gore's financial interests in promoting global warming, other than his film and books, and you will find what I believe to be his true motivation.

While we do need to be better stewards of our planet the rush to stop climate change is harming millions around the world and will harm hundreds of millions more if we continue on this course. Gore and his followers say warmer temperatures will produce crop failures that will lead to starvation for millions but in our rush to develop cleaner burning bio fuels we are currently leaving millions of people around the world without enough food to eat. The move to develop bio fuels is also causing a huge price increase in foods which will harm the poorest among us. The amount of corn required to produce 25 gallons of ethanol is enough food to feed an adult for one year and that is one years worth of food someone will have to go without. When you rush into something based on emotion instead of facts you often take the wrong course and that is what I see happening with the issue of global warming.

True science has shown us the earth has been warming for thousands of years, the earth has been much warmer in the past then it is currently, and the only thing normal about climate change is it's always changing. As once scientest has said, a never changing climate would be abnormal.

In 1000 AD the Vikings sailed, sleeveless, to Greenland and Newfoundland. The Greenland glaciers were all but gone, and the valleys were verdant. Scotland's climate was similar to that of Southern France today. The Scots had vineyards and produced lots of wine. The rest of the world did not succumb to drought. The polar bears did not go extinct, and oceans did not rise to high as to flood London and (to come) New York. Lynas is stark raving mad, and so are those who fall for this literary tripe.

Global temperatures have been cycling, with a five degree Celsius amplitude, for 800 million years. We have been dealing with a peak of several of the cycles involved, and they are due to decline.

The foolish arrogance of those who presume that anthropogenic CO2 is somehow overwhelming those cycles will be looked upon as having as much intelligence as those who sank women in ponds to see if they are witches. Those who sank were innocent! Those who floated were sentenced to death for being witches.

Even if global warming caused a two degree warming it would take a century or more for significant changes to ocean levels to materialize. In such a period of time shoreline property values would be affected by the aging of buildings (to worthless) and the perception of young investors to live elsewhere. "Elsewhere" might mean 200 or 300 miles farther towards the poles in order to experience the same conditions they would now experience. Given the time frame anyone could adjust. Whereas the draconian measures presently advocated to solve this non-crisis would do far more harm than the crisis would at its worst.
Even "Chicken Little" is calm in the face of perceived crisis, compared to the scaremongering nonsense of Lynas, Gore, Suzuki (Canada) et al.

In this book, the author, Mark Lynas, has taken great effort to obtain original publications and to document the effects of climate change as the Earth warms one degree Celsius at a time. It is not a pretty picture. We do not have to go all the way to six degrees to see massive disruptions occurring. With only one or two degrees, we may see extensive droughts in many regions, the dying of coral reefs, and rising ocean levels.

As dire as the predictions are, the reality may be much worse. Climate change has accelerated beyond the predictions of only one or two years ago. Instead of increasing at the rate of 2 ppm each year as stated by Lynas in this book, the CO2 in the atmosphere increased by 2.4 ppm in 2007. The concentration of methane, a greenhouse gas, which had been stable, also increased.

In this book, the prediction for an ice-free Artic Ocean in the summer is for 2020. However, there were reports at the end of 2007 that NASA climate scientists are predicting the summer of 2012 as the date for an ice-free Arctic. The ice in question is floating sea ice. Its melting will not raise the level of the world's oceans. However, an ice free Arctic Ocean will absorb more sunlight, increasing the Arctic warming trend. If the Arctic Ocean is ice free, can the collapse of the Greenland ice cap be far behind? There is enough ice on Greenland to raise the world's sea level by more than 20 feet.

We may not have to wait generations to see the effects of climate change become apparent. However, we still do have time to slow greenhouse gas emissions. It will take concerted efforts on the part of all the countries of the world to change to non-carbon emitting sources and more efficient use of energy. It is still possible to save the planet.

I also recommend the books With Speed and Violence: Why Scientists Fear Tipping Points in Climate Change about recent scientific investigations and their implications for global warming, and Global Warning: The Last Chance for Change, which details the politics of climate change.

This book reads like a good mystery novel; a real page-turner. Lynas has condensed thousands of peer-reviewed scientific papers on climate history and current climate change into a riveting depiction of what is in store for the world as global-warming gasses continue to accumulate. The format documents the changes that can be expected as the global average temperature increases one degree at a time. He makes a strong case that, unless warming is confined to 2 degrees Centigrade or less, "feedback loops" will cause irreversible "runaway" warming that likely will cause mass extinction of life on the planet. This book is a "must-read," especially for leaders of government, industry and academe.

an easy read, not technical, but arguably the most scary book you will ever read - the author summarizes the research papers on global warming that never made it to the popular news media

never mind saving the cute fuzzy animals, we are on course to sterilize the entire planet, including most human life - sort of like playing Russian roulette with a loaded luger

most interesting are the projections for next 5 to 10 years - the 100 year highs and lows, droughts and storms will start comming every few years as the atmosphere and oceans destabilize as they move to a new equilibrium

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) forecasts an increase in the Earth's temperature of from 1.4 - 5.8 degrees Celsius (up to 10.6 degrees Fahrenheit) by the end of the century. Lynas then goes on to state that a six-degree rise in the Earth's average temperature would be enough to reshape our world almost beyond recognition."

Drawing upon thousands of published, peer-reviewed scientific studies, Lynas proceeds to document his conclusion. Both historic records and simulation forecasts are utilized. (Example: Eighteen thousand years ago, during the deepest freeze of the last ice age, global temperatures were about 6 degrees cooler than today, and New York City was buried under nearly a mile of ice.) The bulk of the material is categorized into what would happen at increasing levels of warming, from one degree up to six.

"Six Degrees" contains the usual warnings about rising ocean levels, droughts, cataclysmic fires, spread of tropical diseases, etc. The book's greatest impact, however, is saved for the final chapter. There we learn that business as usual envisions energy demand increasing 505 by 2030, with 80% supplied from fossil fuels. Meanwhile, CO2 reduction targets from concerned groups (stabilize CO2 at 450 ppm) still leave a 75% chance of missing a 2 degree increase target.

The difference between a 2 degree and 3 degree increase, however, can be catastrophic. A 3 degree increase may reverse the carbon-cycle. Vegetation and soils would start releasing CO2 instead of absorbing it, and thereby add another 250 ppm and still another degree of warming. This then risks releasing enormous amounts of methane (20X global-warming impact of equivalent amount of CO2) from permafrost and thaw lakes in Siberia. This, in turn, risks releasing an even greater amount sequestered on the ocean floors.

Lynas sees 2015 as the tipping point - the point of no return if we do not initiate major change. Meanwhile, we worry that China will get a free ride if we change and they don't, try to discredit the science, and mostly worry about more important things - like some Presidential candidate's latest faux pas.

This is the first and so far only book that has taken a critical look at what happened from 1989 to 2001. The substance of the book is a perfect starting point for the ongoing foreign policy debates between the left and the right.

This is a must read for any who are concerned or interested in the foreign policy of this country. Past is prologue.

I was in Jr. High and High School during the 90s and so wasn't very familiar with this period before reading this, and while interested and somewhat familiar with policy, am certainly no expert. After years of thinking I knew who neoconservatives were and what both parties "stood for", this book really put things into perspective and contextualized things for me. And though it's a "history", it draws extensively on interviews with leading policymakers & insiders during the period, so the text ends up reading more like a narrative (great for a novel-reader like myself).

In sum, this was really informative, interesting, and a quick read - perfect for anyone looking for a genuinely nonpartisan, nuanced look at how we got to where we are - both domestically and abroad. Definitely a must for your summer reading list.

This is a tremendously important book that explains what happened when the Berlin wall fell and America's foreign policy establishment was forced to confront a world that was no longer organized by the US/Soviet rivalry. As it becomes increasingly clear that the "war on terrorism" is only a part of the broader foreign policy needed to protect our nation in a complex and multi-polar world, this is the book to read if you want to understand how the next generation of policymakers will draw on the lessons of the recent past to set a new course. Chollet and Goldgeier know what they are talking about. They have done exhaustive research, and each of them has hands on experience in the foreign policy business. It's a bonus that the writing is lively and engaging. Don't miss this book.

An excellent read for someone who wants a non-partisan approach to history's impact on international relations and foreign policy. Additionally, Chollet and Goldgeier postulate how our current state of affairs will shape tomorrow's. This is a perfect book for someone who wants to understand where we were and where we are going.

America Between the Wars tells the story of 11/9 to 9/11 through informative, behind-the-scenes stories that illustrate the dynamic and contentious foreign policy debates from the fall of the Berlin wall to the fall of the twin towers. If you like the stories behind the history, you'll love America Between the Wars. And if you usually prefer novels, you may find Chollet and Goldgeier's narrative voice appealing. Rather than writing a wonky, boring foreign policy book as so many unfortunately do, the authors present a relevant and relatable book. Especially for those who lived through this period, America Between the Wars reveals critical elements of our past and our future.

Brian Fagan does an excellent job, with the knowledge we have today, of illustrating what lights paleoclimatology may be able to shine on today's global warming, with sufficient warnings for the humans that are causing it.

Specifically, the flight to the Sunbelt, especially the Desert Southwest, with its low-density sprawl and little mass transit, on the one hand, and demand for air conditioning, on the other, continuing to fuel anthropogenic global warming, Fagan would be excused if he didn't serve up a whole plateful of Schadenfreude crow for the largely conservative denizens of this part of the U.S. to digest.

He didn't, but he could. Why?

Based on paleoclimatology, it appears likely that this part of the country will experience the same long-term drought that wracked the Anasazi at Chaco Canyon, then later at Mesa Verde. Of course, the nearly 20 million of Southern California's Southland, the almost 5 million of the blot called Phoenix and the moving toward 1.5 million inexplicably in the Las Vegas area are a lot more thirsty for water than the Anasazi were.

But, move beyond the U.S. The droughts of sub-Saharan Africa that started in the early 1980s are also likely to get worse in the 21st century. So, too, are problems in China, especially north China.

Beyond this, Fagan documents the variety of ways in which civilizations of this time, from 900-1300 AD or so, called the Medieval Warm Period by British paleoclimatology pioneer Hubert Lamb, tried to deal with climate change of their era, or fell apart when they were able to deal no longer.

With excellent explanatory sidebars on climatic patterns, chapter-by-chapter maps of civilizations under discussion and more, Fagan details the power of climatic change, with a sobering bit of reality for our times.

Brian Fagan explores the story of climate change between 800 and 1300 C.E. and the impact of that climate change on different regions of the world. Unlike Europe, most other regions of the world suffered from drought, not bountiful harvests during that period. Understandably, Fagan is inclined to rename the so called Medieval Warm Period into the Medieval Drought Period.

Fagan usually does a good job of explaining how proxies such as tree rings, ice borings, and deep-sea and lake cores can be used to deduce the climatic evolution during a given period in a certain area. Direct methods (instrument records and historical documents), climatic forcings (such as volcanic eruptions), and computer modeling are other techniques used to study ancient climatic change. Today's world can particularly benefit from the lessons that Fagan draws from the implosion of both lowland Maya civilization and Angkorian empire.

Unfortunately, Fagan's narration is at times confusing due to the use of side stories that slows down reading without adding too much value to his narration. Worse, Fagan makes bold, controversial statements at the beginning and end of his book that are apparently built on his exploration of climate change between 800 and 1300 C.E. and its impact on different regions of the world.

For example, Fagan states that global warming since the end of the Little Ice Age (from roughly 1300 to 1860 C.E.) is caused in large part by human activity (pp. xvi-xvii, 230). That statement flies in the face of what Fagan explores in the rest of his book. Many non-human made factors play a significant role in influencing climate change. Furthermore, Fagan quotes Al Gore and his documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" on global warming as an impartial authority on the subject without mentioning at the same time the nine significant errors found in that documentary. Fagan could benefit from reading the ruling rendered by High Court Judge Michael Burton in 2007 in London on that subject if he has not yet done it. Similarly, Fagan could find another perspective on global warming by watching the hard-hitting documentary "The Great Global Warming Swindle," which is on sale on Amazon.com.

To summarize, what the international community needs, is impartial facts instead of propaganda, and workable, economically feasible solutions instead of undue pessimism about the future of humanity.

Brian Fagan has written an interesting, very readable book. Those who are concerned about global climate change will love it. Those who are unconcerned will hate it. Those who are looking for a well-reasoned scientific argument will come away disappointed.

In 1992, Al Gore published a political treatise on global warming called Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit. Gore's argument was much the same as the Prophet Jonah's argument to the Assyrians: change your evil ways or perish. Gore supported his argument with statistics and with examples of earlier civilizations that outstripped their resources and perished. Although Gore did not claim to be writing a book of science, his book was highly acclaimed in its time.

Sixteen years later, the debate has moved on and the Great Warming adds very little to it. Fagan claims to be conducting a scientific inquiry, yet his conclusions are based more on politics and less on science than Gore's political treatise. If footnotes water the garden of knowledge, this book is an arid desert. Fagan's poor choice of where to irrigate does not help.

Here is one example: "Violence was a fact of life in medieval Europe and an integral part of politics." (P. 23.) It seems rather obvious that in a society where rent and taxes are paid by providing military service to an overlord, there will be violence. Fagan overstates his case here though. He does footnote that but not his sweeping statement that the Medieval Warm Period was less warm than today. (P. 16-17.) It does not help his credibility when he later contradicts himself, admitting that this question "is still a matter of much debate." (P. 232.) If medieval agriculture was possible during the Medieval Warm Period in places that are too cold to support crops today, such as the Swiss Alps, Trondheim (which is well north of Oslo in Norway), and even Greenland, as he notes, then why is global warming necessarily harmful? He cites numerous contrary examples from other parts of the world, but one is tempted to recall an old adage: it is an ill wind that blows no good. Whatever the change in climate, it seems to help some and hurt others. His book is full of examples.

Fagan has a tendency to make sweeping statements without proof. Some of them are clearly wrong. His lack of footnotes hurts him seriously because it causes one to question other facts within his realm of expertise that might be correct. For example, he claims that the "Capetian kings (of France), whose dynasty began in 987. . . created an ideology that proclaimed they were chosen by God." (P. 24.) This is a ridiculous statement and it is easily disproved. Hugh Capet did indeed found the Capetian dynasty when he became king in 987 but he and his heirs hardly invented the concept of the divine right of kings to rule. The preceding dynasty, the Carolingians, were named for Charlemagne, who had been crowned by the Pope in 800 as the first Holy Roman Emperor. That is as good as it gets for divine right in medieval Christendom. The Carolingians' predecessors, the Merovingian kings of the Franks, also claimed divine right. It took papal sanction for the first Carolingian king to depose the last Merovingian king. In many cultures of the ancient world as far back as the Pharaohs and perhaps even before them, rulers often claimed either to be gods or to have been descended from the gods.

Fagan speaks glowingly of expanding trade in the ninth century and how Charlemagne controlled important trade routes across the North Sea. This claim no doubt would come as news to the Vikings, who sacked Paris twice in the ninth century before unsuccessfully laying siege to it in 885-886. In the ninth century, the Vikings sacked coastal cities all over the North Sea, in the Irish Sea, and even as far south as Spain. They were strong enough to settle in many of the places they attacked, such as England, Scotland, and Ireland (and later, Normandy). Dublin was actually founded by the Norsemen in the middle of the ninth century. There was little trade across the North Sea in the ninth century. If anyone controlled such trade as there was, it was the Norsemen and not Charlemagne or his successors.

Fagan's French geography is questionable: "Some parts of France, such as Brittany, were in shambles. . . . Only the western, Celtic-speaking regions escaped invasion. . ." (P. 24.) Brittany is of course both the westernmost part of France. In the ninth and tenth centuries, it was perhaps the most Celtic part.

Fagan also gets into trouble by overemphasizing climate in English history after the Medieval Warm Period: "the greatest fear of England's Tudor monarchs was urban unrest caused by grain shortages." (P. 32.) Henry VII founded the Tudor dynasty by defeating his predecessor in battle and thereby ending the Wars of the Roses. His greatest fear appears to have been a renewal of civil war after his death. That may have been true also for his son and successor, Henry VIII, who left detailed instructions in his will about the succession. Henry VIII is well-known for founding the Protestant Church of England and for his many marriages. Although he concerned himself deeply in all the affairs of his realm, grain shortages do not seem to have been his biggest concern. His son, Edward VI, was a boy king with a brief reign. Mary, who attempted to restore the Catholic Church, was certainly more afraid of the Protestants than she was of grain shortages. Elizabeth was concerned about plots by Catholics within her realm, by her cousin Mary Queen of Scots, and by Philip, King of Spain. Most of Fagan's readers will have heard of the Spanish Armada, sent by Philip. That completes the Tudor dynasty so one has to wonder which Tudor monarchs Fagan meant, and where he got his information.

Fagan might be on firmer ground in discussing geological and archaeological evidence of drought in the American southwest, in the Yucatan peninsula, in Peru, in Cambodia, and in China. He seems much more comfortable here than in dealing with reported history. Even in discussing China, which has had a bureaucratic tradition for two thousand years, he relies almost solely upon archaeology and geology. He suggests that the Chinese histories tend to focus on matters other than climate. Maybe he is right, although neighboring Korea and Japan have kept records dating back more than a thousand years showing the dates when the cherry trees blossomed in the spring.

His discussion of the influence of climate on Pacific trade winds and on the monsoon is interesting, and he makes a good case for how changes in the monsoon and the trade winds led to the settlement of the Pacific islands and to the downfall of the Pueblo, the Mayans, and the Khmer (although the last one occurred after the end of the Medieval Warm Period). His argument that climate change led to the depredations of the Mongols is interesting but speculative. Since other invaders such as the Khitan, the Seljuk Turks, and the Magyars had invaded civilized lands from the Eurasian steppes over a period of several hundred years before the election of Chinggis Khan as Great Khan in 1206, and the Arabs had expanded out of Arabia in the seventh century, well before the Medieval Warm Period, his conclusion is certainly an oversimplification.

All in all this is a "good read" and perhaps even useful for its discussion of the complex relationship among the monsoon, trade winds, ENSO, La Nina, and the ITCZ. However, I cannot call it a good book.

I'm afraid this book was a little disappointing. If the subtitle, "Climate Change and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations," makes you think you're going to get some Jared-Diamond-like tour de force, you're in for a little letdown.

The book basically takes a previous climatic period of increasing warmth around the 11th to 14th centuries and shows how it affected different parts of the globe. If you've never heard any of this before, you may find the whole book rather interesting. If you've been exposed to it, however, there's simply not a lot there. Yes, drought may have gotten the Mongols on the move. Yes, Greenland wasn't once so cold. Yes, the Sahara wasn't once so dry. Beyond that, though ... The author tries to pad out each chapter with novel-like vignettes ("As soon often happens, your mind goes back deep into the past, in this case to the generations of foragers who once visited this place and looked out over the same arid vista"), tenuous connections(drought and Mande social memory), and straight conjecture (iron moving across the Canadian North, from the Bering Straight to Greenland). A lot of the material is also covered much more interstingly in Jared Diamond's Collapse.

It is well-written, however, and there is plenty of food for thought. I just wish there had been more focus, more tying together, and maybe some bigger ideas. The book was good enough, though, that I will probably try the Little Ice Age.

Climate change is a regular item in the news. Most articles and books look at the future - few address the past. While the human condition is a large consideration, real effects are not often dwelt on. Brian Fagan makes up for both these lacks in this finely researched and comprehensive study. In a framework centred on a millennium in the past, he takes us on a global tour of what is known as The Medieval Warm Period. Lasting for half a millennium, about 850 C.E. to 1300 C.E, Fagan shows us the importance of understanding the global nature of climate and its interconnected elements.

In Europe, the era was later named the High Middle Ages. Flourishing trade, wine grown in the British Isles and shipped to France [!] and the mighty cathedrals erected typified the period. Elsewhere, conditions weren't as salubrious. In the North American Southwest, drought brought to a close the civilisation of Chaco Canyon and toppled the great Mayan Empire. In Asia, the great Ankor Wat, built to symbolise a vast and rich realm, was abandoned to the jungle. China's peasant population, always at the edge of survival, was driven from their lands in many places by alternating extended droughts and torrential rainfalls stripping the soil. Even the Mongol Horde was prompted to move in what proved nearly catastrophic for Europe, driven by the need for grazing lands.

Enduring climate change has been a human consideration from the beginning. Even our evolutionary roots lie in the drying of Africa and the subsequent emergence of the savannah. In one sense, climate is what brought us the role of the one bipedal ape. The development of agriculture made us yet more vulnerable to shifts in climate, Fagan reminds us. Dependence on rainfall is the foundation of raising crops, alleviated only a little by irrigation canals. Irrigated farming plays a major role in this book, with the South American and other civilisations struggling with problems of water management. Those lacking such amenities, such as California Indians, suffered drastically when the severest droughts in thousands of years killed off natural food supplies.

Fagan's talent as a writer is equalled by his feeling for the human condition. In each region he describes, it's more than weather changes that he's concerned with. It's what that meant to the local population and how it reacted. The author uses a deft ploy to capture the reader's interest at the beginning of each section. He sets up a local scene with imaginary, but carefully defined, participants. The situation reflects the weather and social conditions, indicating how those interact to produce behaviours and adjustments.

At first glance, this book may seem merely a "history" with little meaning for today's conditions or those of the future. However, it is far from that - being instead a diagnosis for what is to come. Fagan concludes by reminding us of past population dislocations resulting from the great droughts. That pressure is certain to emerge again, and he asks how ready we are to deal with it. Although climate change is "normal", as the events of the Medieval Warm Period demonstrate, the population today is vastly larger than it was then. With the human contribution to warming accelerating the process, it will be billions of people affected by what is to come. In the earlier time, some people, such as the Chaco Canyon residents, had the ability to adjust, our capacity to follow their example is curtailed by our high density centres. This book is an overdue warning of what we, or our grandchildren, will be facing. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Usually the reviews help me decide if the book is of any value. Not this time. I know there are more helpful books out there to help in this coming economic collapse.

It's not about cultural change or foraging, it's about building stuff to be more independent.

This is a concise, little book of basic techniques and mechanics for individually recreating many of the suburban comforts we have come to depend on, i.e. lights, potable water, heat, food, contact with the outside world, etc. It is pretty basic stuff for anyone who has developed skills in these areas already. However, if you are a relatively clueless urban or suburbanite who can't do without the necessities of the 21st century, American lifestyle and don't know how to produce them, you definitely need this book.

If you have never read anything about peak oil or survival perhaps this book will get you thinking. If you have any knowledge of these topics you will find this book very high level and not informative. If Mr. McBay has an understanding of survival, or in a more relevant vein self-reliance, it does not make it to these pages.

Two quick examples: The book is a very light at under 100 pages and he spends 33 of those pages talking about cooling and cooking food. In his post crash world there is a big issue with cooling or cooking food but apparently after grid crash there is no problem actually getting the food. If there is, he does not address the issue. Personally I have become accustomed to eating.

Second, he spends less than 2 pages addressing heat (in the winter). If you live in the North one would hope Mr. McBay would address the topic as a lack of fuel would definitely have an effect. His suggestions are pitiful. Light a fire (great if you live on the third floor of an apartment with no fireplace) and put on more clothes. Brilliant! I need someone to remind me to get dressed. How about a simple suggestion to prepare yourself by getting a high quality sleeping bag that can keep you alive when the temperature goes sub zero. No such common sense suggestions are to be found.

If you want a book on survival then buy one on that specific topic. May I suggest "SAS Survival Handbook". If you want a book on Self-Reliance then buy one on that specific topic. I would suggest starting with "Storey's Basic Country Skills" or "The Self-sufficient Life and How to live It" or "The Big Book of Self-Reliant Living". All these books are tomes of knowledge that may actually help you if hard times come to pass.

This book is just under 100 pages, about a fifth of which is Introduction. The author states he is hoping for a rapid collapse of industrial civilization, via deliberate attacks by a group of 'committed individuals' if necessary. He goes on to give advice on basic long term survival without electricity or plumbing, most of it intended for a rural setting. Emphasis on BASIC. He covers a handful of topics, focusing on what can be built with recycled parts and little experience. I found the writing clear and some of the information very helpful, above all the pages on water filtration and purification--a variety of methods for different situations. Good suggestions for further reading, as well.

This is an amazing book with anecdootes and resources for anyone looking for an encore to their life's adventure. I recommend this to everyone and appreciatethe focus and passion. It is a perfect complimant for Three Cups of Tea!!!

As a career counselor for individuals in the second half of life, I found Encore to be an excellent resource for seekers as well as those of us guiding the next generation of "non-retirees". Freedman aptly describes the frustrations that this pioneering group faces as they attempt to identify their next endeavor and find or create an appropriate match in the marketplace. I hope that Freeman's comprehensive work is recognized by policy-makers, funders and employers who will support the evolution of encore careers and the generation of individuals who will serve in them.

Tabloid-style headlines have infected even mainstream magazines and newspapers in recent years. Articles about the coming "Social Security Disaster" vie for attention next to those on industry's inability to overcome the "Loss Of Baby Boomer Talent" or even fears that "Baby Boomers Will Retire Into Poverty." And these are not all the ravings of radio talk show hosts trying to build audience share. Experts like the Federal Reserve's Ben Bernanke and Alan Greenspan have aired similar views on occasion.

Now comes author and social entrepreneur Marc Freedman to suggest that such doom and gloom are not necessary. In his new book Encore, Freedman insists that demography is not destiny. Sub-titled Finding Work That Matters In The Second Half Of Life, this excellent volume describes a number of alternative futures that could benefit us all. Freedman argues that actions we take today could simultaneously improve the national economy, strengthen our society, and improve the lot of aging Boomers throughout the land:
. For the sake of the economy, he asks that Boomers choose to - and be allowed to - remain productive;
. For the sake of society in general, he encourages Boomers to continue sharing their talents and experience; and
. For the sake of individual Boomers, he recommends changes that will allow them to remain gainfully employed, self-sustaining, and engaged in meaningful roles.

Today individual choices are often limited either to: a) 30 years of mind-numbing TV, golf and shuffleboard in the "Golden Years;" or b) greeting bargain-seekers as glorified doormen in the "Wal-Mart Years." While such retail sector bridge jobs might provide needed sustenance, they do little to maintain self-esteem or to benefit society in general. Freedman shows many ways in which tomorrow could be better than today, through a series of individual portraits of new American pioneers. As he describes them, "Instead of the freedom from work, they are searching for the freedom to work; instead of saving for a 'secure retirement,' they are underwriting an encore career."

So what could Boomers do in Freedman's bold new world? As he shows in his examples, they could:
. Stay on in their current roles instead of retiring, perhaps with more varied schedules or lesser work demands;
. Turn to helping professions such as teaching or nursing, which desperately need staff in many parts of the country;
. Learn and grow into entirely new careers, either in new interest areas or simply in response to changes in the economy; or
. Take on social entrepreneuring activities, much as Freedman has himself, in order to improve the world around us.

He also suggests ways in which today's rules about retirement could be modified, in order to help everyone involved. For example, retirees may now earn additional Social Security benefits by working from age 65 to age 68, but gain nothing more by continuing past that point. Further, they are discouraged from doing so by being forced to pay into Social Security even when they could be receiving payments from it. Similarly, employers are forced to provide equal benefits for all, even if some could be covered by Medicare. Changes to each of these policies, among others, could encourage both employers and employees to rethink today's typical forced-retirement scenarios.

Those facing medical or other issues should certainly be protected by the same options and benefits available today. Others, however, might value the opportunity to continue as productive citizens. Many, in fact, will have no choice but what Freedman calls "the practical necessity of extending working lives" - there's certainly more than a few grains of truth in all of those stories about Boomers not being financially ready to retire. Even those who do have adequate funds might not want to be set out to pasture, however. Leading-edge Boomers today, as a group, are healthier than any such age cohort which has come before them. They are likely to remain physically and mentally able to be productive for ten, twenty or even more years into the future.

Marc Freedman, by the way, does put his own energy where his mouth is. As founder and CEO of San Francisco's Civic Ventures, he has helped establish new activities including the Experience Corps, the Next Chapter, the Lead With Experience Campaign, and the Purpose Prize. You can learn more about these and other new ideas at his website, www.civicventures.org.

His book is a clearly-written and exciting vision of an alternative future that we can begin building today. Buy it now and start own encore career!

Society may never see another demographic group like the baby boom generation - people born between 1946 and 1964. During the 1950s, their great numbers dramatically changed everything, from manufacturing and construction to education and health care. The boomers' idealism and social activism branded the 1960s and 1970s. In subsequent decades, baby boomers changed the workplace and all other areas of life. Now, as this generation enters its retirement years, it is shaking things up again. Unlike previous seniors, boomers are not content to trudge quietly off the stage. Instead, many are choosing second careers in public service. In the process, boomers are redefining not only retirement but also work. Marc Freedman discusses this phenomenon and what it means for society by presenting profiles of baby boomers who took up second, service-oriented careers when they reached retirement age. Their stories are inspiring. getAbstract recommends this book to professionals in their late 50s and beyond who want to put their hard-won expertise to work on behalf of others.

With people living longer and having the opportunity to remain in the workforce longer, this is a book that needed to be written. Americans have more options than ever upon reaching retirement age. We can continue to work, we can retire, we can travel, etc. The author, Freedman, spells out in delicious detail those choices, and the result of whatever one we choose.

The book makes a point that others have made, but perhaps spells it out more directly. That point being that you may live longer, and be healthier, than your grandparents, and even your parents. Thus you had best be prepared, financially, mentally and emotionally.

I found the book to be a rather fast read and always interesting. I'd go so far as to say it's the best book about the second half of life I've read. The FUNNIEST book on the subject is Martha Bolton's "Race You To The Fountain of Youth." Hysterical. Race You to the Fountain of Youth: I'm Not Dead Yet (But parts of me are going fast)

I think Freedman's book about the second half of life is worth reading for anyone approaching retirement age. You have important decisions to make. Make then wisely or possibly pay for them later.

An environmental book written by a statistician! 90% of all statistics can be used to show either side of the argument 50% of the time! This author uses this skill liberally.

The first chapter makes a very valid point: be aware of what you're reading and be skeptical! The rest of the book is slanted toward his OPINION and he disregards information that doesn't support his viewpoints.

Many things may not be as bad as some portray but they aren't as rosy as this author portrays either. READ WITH SKEPTICISM!!

The Skeptical Environmentalist is a wonderful book. In today's environmental debates, this is a work without peer. Nowhere else can a person obtain a truly focused and non-biased view (at least as non-biased as a person can be) on the future of our planet and how to meet its problems.

The author is a scientist who specializes not just in environmental matters but statistical research. His mathematical background shows at every step in the book. First of all, he is highly organized. There is never a doubt of where he is at or where the author is going with his thoughts. Nothing is confusing here. Next, the author is thorough in his research and his presentation. He considers every nuisance of the problem and approaches the matter with exactness.

This is a true man of science trying to show the reader how science, true science, approaches problems and works out solutions. Even if one isn't interested in the environment, if there is an interest in science, this book will show how science must work, and how it must NOT work, if there is to be thoughtful progress in the world through science.

If you are wondering what the environmental debate should sound like you must read this book. If you are wondering what the facts are behind the various environmental problems facing the world today you must read this book. If you are looking for reasonable solutions to many of the environmental problems facing humanity today you must read this book.

In short, if you care about science or the environment - read this book!

AD2

I have always considered myself to be an environmentalist since I was a child and my parents taught me not to litter or be wasteful, to be kind to animals, and to respect and appreciate nature. These are values I've maintained and am trying to pass on to my children. So, like many others, I have become increasingly worried about the condition of our planet with the constant bombardment of sound-bites bearing line after line of ever more distressing news almost on a daily basis.

But after reading through Mr. Lomborg's incredibly detailed book I find myself more worried than before, and not because we're *not doing* enough but because we're often not doing the *right* things. Mr. Lomborg, a former Green Peace activist, analyzes the data and statistics on many of the current environmental issues, such as soil erosion, landfill capacity, amount of forest cover, ozone levels, global warming, etc. He examines the data on glaciers that are melting and those that are growing. He looks into the data behind the claims of impending catastrophe, such as the famous "hockey stick" graph, and traces it back to the sources. His conclusions are often very surprising and highlight the need to NOT base public policy on shrill and panic-inducing headlines but on rational and coherent science. For example, through detailed analysis he concludes that even if all nations agreed to abide by the Kyoto Treaty it still wouldn't make a significant impact in global warming.

But just because Al Gore is afraid to talk with him, don't assume Lomborg is dismissive of the warnings about climate change. He concludes that the earth is in fact getting warmer and that mankind's activities are most likely the primary reason. But he doesn't claim, as some do, that all results will be beneficial and therefore needn't worry us. Instead, he actually analyzes the various claims of both disaster and benefit, and concludes that the results (as near as can be determined based on currently available information) will be a mixed bag. Overall he advocates for more reasoned policies of action based on sound science rather than on simple knee-jerk reaction.

This is an exhaustively researched and detailed book that covers many environmental topics and is not limited to global warming. But it is an approach that I appreciate, not merely calling for action, but calling for action in the most beneficial ways. Most may not want to attempt reading it front to back as I tried, but it is an excellent resource and is laid out in a manner that allows easy access to selective topics for lots of helpful information. An excellent voice of reason in a very emotional and important debate.

This is the kind of book about which everyone is guaranteed to have a strong opinion.

By "everyone" I also mean to include those who have not ever read it. There will be those, hostile to the environmentalist movement, who will take the book's very existence as proof that there's no cause for any alarm (and maybe that there is no such thing as Global Warming). There will also be those, sympathetic to the environmentalist movement, who will not trouble themselves to read Lomborg's material, but will instead scour the web to find and then recite "refutations" of Lomborg's claims. To that person, it will count as a complete "refutation" if a climatologist somewhere (who may or may not have read the book himself) says that the book has made an error in one of its hundreds of references.

Actual readers of the book, who will undoubtedly feel strongly about it too (one way or the other), will at least know that Lomborg treats the matters of discussion fairly, and with integrity. I am sure that there are parts in which he errs -- I think Lomborg would easily agree to that, too -- but it is clear from both his tone and also the exhaustive and impressive depth of his research and presentation that his errors are honestly made.

Libertarians looking to adopt the work ought to know that Lomborg does not say that there is no Global Warming. Rather, he concedes that point, and points out that there are often negative consequences to problems in our environment, including Global Warming. Instead, Lomborg intends to measure the scope of these problems via scientific data, and compare their projected costs against the costs of taking other measures to combat them. He also makes the claim that, in general, things are actually getting better in the world, not worse. He does so step by step, issue by issue, datum by datum. We might be uncomfortable with such a conclusion, for whatever reason, but Lomborg's argument is substantial.

Whether Lomborg is ultimately right about every statistic he cites, and every conclusion he reaches, (and it would be remarkable if he were), this book is a thorough discussion of relevant information about a host of topics related to environmentalism. Lomborg speaks with an honest voice, and this book ought to be read by all those with a true interest in environmental policy, and a belief that true understanding means understanding all sides of a given story.

Four stars, instead of five, for being a bit too repetitious and dry at times. Still -- very readable, given that statistical analysis can be fairly dull.

I've heard Lomborg all over the corporate radio airwaves. More recently, I heard him on a community radio station (KGNU) debating the author of Boiling Point: How Politicians, Big Oil and Coal, Journalists and Activists Are Fueling the Climate Crisis--And What We Can Do to Avert Disaster. Lomberg doesn't sound as authoritative when he is challenged by a skeptic of the global warming skeptics. Nevertheless, I'll give Lomborg an additional star beyond the lowest ranking for debating the issue, and for recognizing that climate change is a serious issue. At this point, even the Department of Defense is issueing reports on global warming and its ramifications. Andrew Marshall, a leading Pentagon strategist, and others have urged that the U.S. be part of a global transformation away from fossil fuels and toward renewables and conservation Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution.
If not for the improvements we've already made in efficiency, many of Erlich's predictions would've come to pass. Moreover, many people feel there has been a population bomb and that it is creating unsustainable stresses on natural resources Maybe One: A Case for Smaller Families.
There are many weaknesses with Lomborg's positions. He regularly suggests that the "costs" of transforming our economy are too high. One problem with that argument is that transforming our economy will save most companies a lot of money, and increase profits Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage. Secondly, it is only certain sectors of the economy that will experience "costs" to their revenue growth, that is the oil and coal industries who have been manipulating markets and devastating ecosystems for generations Internal Combustion: How Corporations and Governments Addicted the World to Oil and Derailed the Alternatives. So, in a sense, it isn't the "costs" that concern them, it's the savings that other businesses and consumers will experience.
Lomborg also would rather we spend money on things like malaria reduction campaigns, instead of investing in the research and development of solar. Fortunately, our options aren't either/or proposals. We can reduce malaria by investing in bed-nets, and reintroducing predators of mosquitos (like amphibians, bats and birds that were wiped out by DDT. The Rachel Carson smear is another industry deception. See Extra! - the Newsletter of Fair). We can also shift our taxdollars away from massive subsidies for nuclear, coal and oil and towards wind, solar and tidal energy, mass transit, and "new urbanism." There are all sorts of approaches to this major threat to our security. And if Gore and others are wrong and it turns out that burning fossil fuels isn't a problem, then, we'll still end up with a cleaner and sustainable economy, and we won't have to deal with the wars for resources, the destruction of mountain tops for coal, oil spills and air pollution.
For more solutions: Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st Century.
For peak oil info:A Crude Awakening - The Oil Crash
And two magazines packed with great green stories: Plenty Magazine and Sustainable Industries Journal

David Maister did it again. For any CEO of a small business make sure you read Chapter 18.

Although Maister is writing for and about professional services companies, I think his ideas about strategy apply to almost any type of business. The "Fat Smoker" analogy is memorable, and it means that we don't always do what we know is good for us, even when it comes to running a business. In order to achieve great results, we have to break the old habits that have kept us in the same old ruts. Most of the book concentrates on ways we can develop the right attitude toward our own work, interact more effectively with co-workers, and build inspired, cohesive organizations. For some people, this book will be like preaching to the converted. But for business leaders and professionals who think the individual is more important that the organization, or who lead by intimidation, it will be a challenging read. Although Maister has an easy to read style, there is nothing easy about his ideas. He shares great wisdom obviously the result of long years grappling with organizational problems at a high level.

David Maister's newest book, Strategy and the Fat Smoker; Doing What's Obvious But Not Easy, is a good one if not a cohesive one. Written in a very engaging style, packed with stories that illustrate the point, it is both an easy read and a thought-provoking collection. While it is not a seamless, chapter-building-on-chapter "how-to-do-it," it is full of individual sections that independently are brilliant. The first section alone (on strategy in general) has several great takeaways. Particularly if you are building a personal services company, this is a very handy resource.

It's a new year and you want to lose weight. You know what to do. Odds are, however, that you will not do it.

So it goes with professional service firms strategies. Every firm knows what to do but they just don't do it. Why? Because they aren't sick. Once they have that first heart attack things will change.

That is the central point David makes in this great book. He makes the point simply and effectively and this is a must read for every person who lives by the billable hour.

Heads of firms should skip straight to the chapter titled "The Chief Executive's Speech." Take it, put it on some note cards and give it the next beginning of the fiscal year all-hands meeting. This is what you should be saying instead of the things you've been saying before.

I hope to hear that some firm has ditched their current strategy and replaced it with David's. That firm will make more money than their competition.

Maister gets a lot right: appeal to an employee's own needs, not the greater corporate good(more work, less support makes for a bad rallying cry); embrace a relationship mentality in business deverlopment not a transaction on(as he bluntly puts it, go for romance and not a one night stand although many talk the first but do the second); understand that all can be rainmakers if you speak to their needs and intererests first with the money a nice side benefit, a consequence and not a motivator. His chapter on law firms is disheartening.He says that they are so different from other PSFs that they need their own chapter. His analysis:"(law firms are made up of)bands of warlords,each with his or her followers,ruling over a group of cowed citizens and acting in temporary alliance---until a better opportunity comes along." Beacuse of billing pressures, he says many partners hoard the work that needs to be pressed down. A final point, and one I disagree with---he seems to suggest that PSFs must only cater to the elite clients and there is no room for commodity work. Yet it is the commodity work which trains newer employees and, at times, fills in the dry periods between the more margin filled engagements.

DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK IF YOU'RE SELF TEACHING!

This is book is required for my general chemistry for science majors class. What a terrible book, I hope that there is a better chemistry text out there.

My first complaint is the large number of mistakes I've found in the book, usually a missing division sign or unit. Without searching I've found at least five in the two months I've been using this book. This is a fourth edition, for the price of the book and this many reprintings I expect a better editing job.

Secondly it is written from the stance that the reader has a science background and often I find myself puzzling over a single problem for up to an hour trying to figure out how the author arrived at the conclusion (And I have a science background). The writers make too many assumptions when writing out an example problem and don't adequately explain their reasoning. Each concept has two example problems, the first has the solution written out. IF you want to know the solution for the other "example" you're going to have to buy the solutions manual for an additional $65.

Third, the solutions manual has mistakes as well, even comparing the answer from the back of the text to the solutions manual the authors are not consistent.

There are not very many simple problems to drill a student with a concept, the authors approach is the exact opposite. Assume the reader "gets it" after a single example problem and then at the end of the chapter increase the difficulty level of the problem ten fold. The problems are good if you want a challenge and want to develop problem solving abilities, but are useless for developing the fundamental concepts that the book is supposed to teach.

I would recommend the Silberberg text to someone who wants a refresher, but if you're new to chemistry, avoid at all costs!

along with chemistry the central science by brown, this is a great book. i think using both books in tandem is well worth it.

It is a very good text book and it was cheaper than the bookstores at the university.

Although this book essentially starts from scratch, I'd recommend it to people who have already had high school chemistry. If you haven't had that, you should still do okay, but you may have to spend some extra time and effort since some of the most basic concepts are only skimmed over. They spend much more time on the material that you probably didn't cover in depth in high school chemistry.

First off, I would say that the book's content is excellent. It is an introductory (sort of) textbook, but it covers most of its topics in plenty of depth (at least as much as you would expect from an introductory general chemistry textbook). Also, the book does a great job at explaining the material in a clear fashion and it provides tons of illustrations. It is a very visual text and the author is obviously aware of the fact that visualizing chemical structures is extremely useful in understanding many of the concepts. This is especially useful in the section on covalent bonding.

The book also provides tons of useful exercises at the end of each chapter. The exercises range from very easy to fairly challenging, but they never seem too frustrating. Generally, I'd say that the exercises leaned more towards "easy" and are mostly just straight-forward applications of the material. Note: If you're having trouble, check out the ChemSkill Builder site. The exercises help a lot and it gives you useful feedback.

Whether it's for a class or for self-study, I would pick this book over any other.

This book is in very good shape. It is a paper back version but the contents are exactly the same as a hardback version. The pages and chapters are the same. The cover of the book has slightly curled edges due to it being used. Other than that, the book is in good condition.