Prosperity without Growth

Prosperity Without Growth: Economics for a Finite Planet by Tim Jackson

Our current economic model encourages us to consume, consume, consume. We are constantly seeking new things and disposing of old. We are using large amounts of energy to make our lives easier. Our economy depends on GDP growing. Is this the best?

This book spends a long time describing the economy and identifying the problem. The "solution" is a short bit at the end. The author advocates capping resource use and encouraging more human-scale work. It sounds reasonable, but the details can be a challenge. Will the developed companies just "import" more high energy and resource use from other countries? What about resources that we have not yet identified as valuable? The big challenge is balancing desires with environmental needs.

10 Mindful Minutes

10 Mindful Minutes: Giving Our Children - and Ourselves - the Social and Emotional Skills to Reduce Stress and Anxiety for Healthier, Happy Lives by Goldie Hawn and Wendy Holden

A celebrity wrote a book on parenting. It must be great, right? There is obviously some concern for "authority".  I head "PhD" referenced numerous times, likely as an attempt to provide authority. Other than that, the book mostly says you should pay attention to your kids and practice mindfulness.

Mao and Markets: The Communist Roots of Chinese Enterprise

Mao and Markets: The Communist Roots of Chinese Enterprise by Christopher Marquis and Kunyuan Qiao

China is not Russia. Initially, Mao was influenced by Soviet Communism. However, he later went his own way. The Chinese background was much different than that of Russia. Chinese society also has a number of underlying, primarily Confucian beliefs that differ from those of Russia. Chinese communism had started in the rural areas, rather than factories. The Chinese also had a Japanese occupation to respond to as well as another government to deal with. 

Mao's reign was defined by a number of key episodes that continue to influence business today. Many large businesses have followed a similar path of starting in rural areas and then expanding into cities. Business leaders that lived through the Great Leap Forward tend to be very frugal. Leaders that went through the cultural revolution have less respect for the rule of law. The Third Front helped launch key business hubs in remote locations. Some of these have gone on to prosper today.

Modern China has become very capitalist, while still maintaining Communist rule. There are many communist party members. To join the party, one must go through a fairly extensive process. Party membership is not a prerequisite for business leadership. However, business that have multiple party members will set up an organization. The government itself is an extension of the party. Top down control is exerted over the country. However,  individual regions have significant autonomy. Thus individual localities may compete with others and may have different policies that work for or against businesses.

Charitable giving and relationships are also a key part of Chinese business. Business leaders typically result to relationships rather than the courts to resolve disputes. Charitable giving and support of the country is seen as part of the duties of a business leader. Many charitable organizations are also tied to the communist party.

Things are not all rosy for business leaders. Prison terms are not uncommon for those that speak out against the government. Local leaders may implement anti-business policies. Some wealthy business leaders have sought to leave the country to protect their wealth.

China has achieved great economic growth while maintaining the single party leadership. There is significant autonomy within the system to support a variety of ideas. Communism and capitalism work fine together. How will they fare in an economic downturn?

Chuck Klosterman X: The Audio Companion to a Highly Specific and Defiantly Incomplete History of the Early 21st Century

Chuck Klosterman X: The Audio Companion to a Highly Specific and Defiantly Incomplete History of the Early 21st Century by Chuck Klosterman

Columnist Chuck Klosterman summarizes some of his writings from the early 21st century. This work really is his recap and analysis of things that he thought were important. There are discussions of various rock star interviews as well as other works. He goes in depth talking about the band Kiss. It is better to have a few people love and hate you than to have people just think you are ok. He includes an anecdote about a satire he wrote for a Beatles box set review that ended up getting taken seriously. He also mentions that he has not read Harry Potter and may be missing out on pop culture references. The audiobook is a good quick reference to the mind of a pop columnist.

Exit

Exit by Belinda Bauer

The Exiteers are people that assist the terminally ill in committing suicide. These exiteers work at the edge of the law.  They come in twos and assist the suicide process, but don't actively participate. They make sure everything is in order and accompany the person as they die with nitrous oxide. Then they leave for the family to take care of the loved one that appeared to die of "natural causes". Unfortunately, one time, things go massively wrong. A "veteran" male retiree and first-time young woman attempt to help an old man. In the process, the woman helps the person with the mask (a no-no in their process.) Then, after the death, they realize that the wrong person has died (the son instead of the father). The retiree offers to take the blame so the woman can live her life. However, at the last minute he realizes his dog needs to be taken care of. Most of the book deals with his struggles to come clean. He contemplates the path, goes to talk with the family and even tries to meet up with the woman. The police are also investigating. The story takes a number of twists in turn, which include gambling debts and a fake invalid. Many people appear culpable before the final perpetrator is unveiled. It makes a good book for the genre.

The Anglo-Saxons: A History of the Beginnings of England: 400 – 1066

The Anglo-Saxons: A History of the Beginnings of England: 400 – 1066 by Marc Morris

The Anglo-Saxons took leadership of England from the remnant Roman Empire. They dominated for many centuries. We do not have extensive records of their time - and some of those records we do have are not very reliable. They never referred to themselves as Anglo-Saxons. They were a diverse group from Northern Europe. Eventually they came to dominate. Their domination came to an end in 1066 with the Battle of Hastings. 

This book is fairly comprehensive, but leaves it clear that there are many unknowns. Much of what we think of Anglo-Saxon history was written in the past few centuries. Some of it is correct, while other is pure legend. Archeological records have provided new details that have confirmed some ideas and invalidated some others. In the end, the Anglo-Saxons were hoping to have alliances with other relatives in Normandy. Alas, other relatives started an invasion in the north. They won there, but were easily defeated by the Normans. The Normans ended up dominating the Anglo-Saxons, but much of the culture and language still lived on. In some sense, they were all from similar roots.

Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Capetown

Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Capetown by Paul Theroux

The author had spent some time teaching in sub-Saharan Africa earlier in life. This time he wanted to travel from the north to the south of the continent. He prefered to interact with the people of the bush. However, in the cities he would try to be with the "real" people rather than the foreigners. He observed that most of the Africans were unemployed and that those that had public jobs tended to not do much work. Many businesses were run by foreigners.

Aid workers and missionaries often have noble intentions. However, the results have been lacking. Aid workers often live in the nicer areas, while those that they help are in greater squalor. Schools are often created with foreign teachers. The students that succeed are often likely to leave Africa for greater opportunities. Without continued foreign investment, the institutions tend to fail, rather than being continued by locals. Aid money is just as likely to get siphoned away by government kleptocrats than it is to reach individuals. The aid may even make things worse as it limits the growth of internal industry.

Each country in Africa has its own culture. Some are better off than others. They often present a different face to tourists than they do to the locals. Infrastructure in general is lacking and not reliable. Some are still using early colonist railroads. Schedules come and go as available. Crime is in general a serious problem in many places. However, in spite of all the challenges, there are many positives in the continent. Perhaps the rapid western industrialization and urbanization is not what they need.

Jaws: The Story of a Hidden Epidemic

Jaws: The Story of a Hidden Epidemic by Sandra Kahn and Paul R. Erhlich

People's jaws are not healthy these days. Food is soft, so we don't have to chew as much. Babies are weaned too early to soft food. People breathe with their mouth instead of their nose. This jaw health causes problems sleeping and breathing as well as other health issues. The authors propose the solution that involves their brand of orthodontic surgery to fix it. they also propose that we do simple things like chew more and breathe through our noses instead of mouths. There seems to be some reasonable items in here along with other bits that appear fairly self-serving.

The Passenger

The Passenger by Chaney Kwak

The author was a freelance travel writer sent on a Norwegian cruise on the Viking Sky in 2019. While cruising around the Arctic Circle, the ship hit some rough seas. The engines failed. The ship started flailing in all directions and was getting close to hazards that could sink. Everyone came out to their muster stations to await orders. May passengers were evacuated via helicopter. After a day tossing and turning, the ship was able to get attached to a tugboat. With engines restarted, it was able to take the rest of the passengers back to a port to disembark. 

One of the more memorable parts of the story is the exposure of the facade of the cruise ship. The passengers are mustered with the "forward" facing staff that they see. However, the author convinces the peronelle to let him go to his cabin to get something. There, he sees many of the "back of the ship" people at their muster stations. He also sees his room is a huge wreck with things tossed all over the place. Later when things return to normal and he is allowed to go back to his room. When he gets there, he finds everything is immaculate and the TV is even set to resume the show he was watching.

The drama of the story had a positive ending with everyone surviving. However, in the process, the author describes the end of his relationship, which alas didn't survive.

The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies?

The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies? by Jared Diamond

Traditional societies are not a panacea of everything good. If that were the truth, they would not so readily adopt western lifestyles when given the chance. However, they are not all bad. There are many parts of traditional society that have readily observable benefits, while others that we may not recognize now. The author primarily spent time in New Guinea, but also observes other societies. 

Traditional societies tend to be more built towards small groups. This results in a "legal system" that encourages people to come up with solutions that will allow them to continue on living together.(Alas, the "solutions" are more likely to involve death in more challenging cases.) Interactions with other groups can also be challenging. People expect everywhere to be "claimed" by some group, and a need to appropriately negotiate for usage.

Health and eating habits are different in these societies. Spending a day without food is not uncommon as is feasting later. Out bodies seem to be well adapted for this. Alas, modern society has continued with the feast part, but without the fasting. This his lead to obesity and diabetes and other diseases. We also tend to be much more sedentary. Add to this the ready availability of sugars and processed food, and we see widespread health problems in the west spreading. The New Guinea highlanders that move into the cities are likely to become obese and disease ridden.

Other areas that we may be missing are languages. In places like the New Guinea highlands, groups a few miles away may be isolated and speak totally different languages. People would need to learn multiple languages to be able to communicate. Now single languages are spread far and wide. On an individual level, there are benefits to learning new languages (possibly even staving off Alzheimer's.) For society, we loose greatly with each language extinction.

Child rearing is quite different in hunter-gatherer societies. Birthing practices may differ from society to society. Mothers typically nurse on demand. This typically leads to natural birth control, with babies about 4 years apart. (It is difficult to care for multiple babies when constantly moving.) Children typically sleep together with their family. There is not much privacy. Even sex may be observed by others. Elders are highly respected. They often have knowledge that others don't have that may be useful at a future day. 

Traditional societies have their challenges. They are more likely to be killed by wild animals or by starvation. Infant mortality is lower. Mothers are more likely to die during childbirth. Babies that cannot be cared for may be abandoned. Life expectancy is low. Conflicts may be solved by battles and death. Food variety is limited. 

The world of the hunter-gatherer is not easy. However, our western lifestyle is perhaps too easy and isolated. Did we throw too much out on the quest to modernity?

A Sound Mind: How I Fell in Love with Classical Music (and Decided to Rewrite its Entire History)

A Sound Mind: How I Fell in Love with Classical Music (and Decided to Rewrite its Entire History) by Paul Morley

This is a book that must be skimmed. Morley's style is extremely verbose and jumps all over the place. He was in to Manchester "pop" music, especially Joy Division. He wrote extensively about it. Later he was asked to join a class to learn how to compose classical music. He got very into classical - and treated it like he treated pop. He has the greatest appreciation for experimental contemporary classical. There are significant sections of the book devoted to interviews with modern composers and performers. He also covers the modern people in context of their predecessors. John Cage is perhaps the most mentioned. Though some of the "bigs" like Mozart and Debussy have their roles to play. He does try to fit them in with the context of their time. His tastes in classical are similar to those with "pop" music. He tends to shun the most popular and prefers the more experimental and obscure that means something to him personally.

Graph Theory: A Problem Oriented Approach

Graph Theory: A Problem Oriented Approach by Daniel A. Marcus

This is a quick introduction to graph theory loaded with problems. You can quickly read the text content in under an hour. However, the main goal is to work through the problems to understand and prove many of the basic concepts of graph theory. There are bits of "practical" application combined in the introduction to graph theory.

A Brief History of Motion

A Brief History of Motion: From the Wheel, to the Car, to What Comes Next by Tom Standage

People have had different ways of moving around on land. For most of history, humans have moved by foot. Even early people that had the wheel did not use it extensively. Animals, such as horses, provided a means of faster movement. Rails were an improvement that allowed for greater mobility, but were still pulled by horses. Then engines came about. The age of rail was started. Later engines were mounted on bicycles and carriages to launch cars. (The good roads movement made this possible.) Henry Ford's assembly line helped make cars cheap and accessible to all. People saw cars as a great improvement as they eliminated the manure problem. However, they have produced their own pollution. First the particulate matter was observed. The emissions were made cleaner, but then global warming and CO2 was seen as a big problem. Now electric cars are making in roads. Will this cause issues? the author posits that the data collected by electric cars may be a problem. Maybe. But more likely it is some issue that we have not yet brought to the forefront. The rare-earth metals needed for batteries. good be an issue. Electricity production could also be problematic. (Is anything really "full sustainable"? Wind, solar and hydro all need to be built with materials and have a lifespan.) There is also transmission cost. And this doesn't include all the infrastructure devoted to roads. We have rebuilt our cities based on how we choose to get around. We often find short term improvements, but what is the long term cost?

Blood and Ruins: The Last Imperial War, 1931-1945

Blood and Ruins: The Last Imperial War, 1931-1945 by Richard Overy

This is a very long book on World War II. It presents as a thesis that this war was the end of imperial battles. Then it goes on to cover just about every aspect of the war from this view. Japan thought they were civilizing Asia, and thus wanted to exert control everywhere. Italy wanted to have an empire because everyone else dead, and thus had some disastrous adventures in Africa. Germany's imperial ambitions were curtailed by World War I peace. These exploded in their land takings in the war.

It is interesting to hear about agreements among China, Russia, US and Britain. They were all somewhat united in the war - only to split significantly afterward. (Though Russia did seem to be upset with the priorities during the war. Maybe this was a sign of things to come.)

The book goes through various different themes of warfare and uses that to provide an entire history of World War II. The different belligerents had their own culture that they brought with them. The "rules of war" were different from one to another. The desire for empires was also different.

There was some interesting discussions on Jews and Israel from an imperial point of few. The Jews were among others that were scapegoated. They also lacked their own homeland. Britain had domain over Palestine and was concerned with the impact the Jewish homeland would have on their empire. Britain also had concerns throughout the world with the impacts on their empire.

The book concludes with the "long tails" of empire. Imperial powers reluctantly gave up their interests in ruling over vast areas of land. However, they continued to have a desire for influence. Wars in Korea and Vietnam were fought over former colonies making the "wrong" ideological concern. Both the USSR and USA exercised significant influence, yet the states still maintained their independence (aside form the ones included in the USSR) Today many groups of people have sought to seek their own land and have their own nation state.

Nuts and Bolts for the Social Sciences

Nuts and Bolts for the Social Sciences by Jon Elster

How do people act and why do they act that way? This is at the core of social science, and not something easy to answer. People may say they would behave one way, but behave differently. They may also change their behavior based on how other people act. Each person may have different desires. (though some researchers attempt to say that everyone has the same desires, but different abilities to achieve them.) 

Thing get more complex with groups. There are many cases where the collective and individual good are not in sync. Society would be better if everyone rode the bus, but an individual would be better if they drove. Benefit also changes as new people participate. The first driver has a significant speed advantage. The last driver adds to already bad congestion. On the other hand, the first social media participant can't really do anything. Those that join later get more benefit. 

Other key concepts discussed in the book include rational choice, reinforcement, emotions, equilibrium, and many more. It is a short, concise introduction to the nuts and bolts of social science. 

Gemina

Gemina by Amie Kaufman

The story is set with an investigation in potential bad behavior by a corporation. It ends with somebody who they thought was dead causing huge holes in the case. In between there are some teens that deal with the battles. There is a wormhole and a multiverse. Two universes may be destroyed due to some inconsistencies (which resulted in a person dying in the wrong universe.) An AI helps people identify the problem and fix it.

I loved the style of the audiobook. The story is more of a radioplay than a book - it is told with various "reports" and communication types. The story itself was ok. It seems the multi-verse is all the rage these days.

The Great Depression: A Diary

The Great Depression: A Diary by Benjamin Roth

This is an interesting tale of the great depression as it unfolded written from a middle class point of view. The author consolidated his father's journals of the experience as a lawyer in the depression. As it unfolds, there are many "false recoveries". He compares them to previous experiences. Is this the time to jump back in? Or will things get worse. The big problem is that nobody has money to jump back in. It is interesting to see how the legal system falls apart. A potential client seeks approaches him regarding an auto accident. However, the culprit has no resources to pay a settlement. Thus there would be no point in a lawsuit. Similarly contracts become difficult to enforce because people do not have resources. 

In the process, he analyzes the best way to invest. Quality is important. There were speculators that lost huge amounts and never have a chance of recovery. Those that invested in quality have hope to preserve for the long term. Having non-leveraged reserves can give you the chance to take advantage of fire sales.

The author also has as somewhat objective view of the New Deal as it progressed. There were big concerns about removal from the gold standard. However, with other countries doing it, it becomes hard not to. Some of the work projects seem to involve "make work", while others are beyond the law. Paying promised bonuses to veterans is a key part in getting economy back together. The government became much more involved in society. The upper class often foot the bill, while the lower class got the benefits. The middle class is stuck in the middle. There were concerns about too much government dependency. Government intervention was gradually unwound, though in a piecemeal basis that left winners and losers - and kept a number of dependents.

Election

Election by Tom Perrotta

A school president election is about to take place. Tracy Flick has been trying for this for all of her life. However, a smart jock has also decided to enter the race. Then at the last minute, his sister enters. However, she seems to be more interested and getting suspended and going to a Catholic girls' school. There are a whole bunch of affairs. Tracy also manages to unintentionally get a couple teachers fired. Stylistically, it is great as the book rapidly takes us into the minds of various characters. The characters themselves are all really messed up. 

Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty by Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe

Cornelius Vanderbilt was a steamboat and railroad entrepreneur and among the richest men in the world. He accumulated a vast fortune that he passed primarily to one of his sons. His offspring continued some business ventures, but primarily conspicuous consumption. They were New York socialites. The built huge mansions. With wealth and opulence came public interest and a lack of privacy. The great consumption also lead to a gradual loss of the wealth. Today many of the descendents remain (such as the author of the book.) However, the great "Vanderbilt" wealth is no longer a thing.

Triumph of Seeds

The Triumph of Seeds: How Grains, Nuts, Kernels, Pulses & Pips Conquered the Plant Kingdom and Shaped Human History by Thor Hanson

Seeds are key to survival and propagation of life, yet they are not well understood. Seeds are "living", but capable of long periods of dormancy. Seeds have successfully sprouted after hundreds or even thousands of years. They often have internal mechanisms to come out when the time is right. They may need just the right moisture or sunlight or other factors. Some need fire to kill off the competition before they sprout.

Seeds are also adapted to their environment. A rainforest seed may need to sprout as soon as possible to outgrow the competition. Other seeds may needs adopt mechanisms to be spread further. Dandelion seeds float. Many seeds are attractive to animals. Some travel through animal digestive systems. Nuts are just hard enough to extract. Animals will carry them away to other locations to eat. Some of these seeds will not be consumed and will be the source of new plants. 

Seed banks store seeds for future use. We have highly protected climate controlled banks set up in various parts of the world. The soil also holds natural seed banks. Soil often holds many seeds waiting for the right time to come out. With diverse crops, many farms previously had a hidden "bank" of many seeds. These would often be traded with others. Today with industrial monoculture, the fortified seed banks often play the role of banking, with seed traders occupying a niche.

Red Star over China

Red Star over China: The Classic Account of the Birth of Chinese Communism by Edgar Snow

In the 1930s, Mao was a mystery to the west. Edgar Snow traveled up to the areas held by Red China to talk with Mao and see what was going on. At the time, Mao was far from taking full control over China. He was originally a teacher and had helped in a Communist rising in China. They were influenced by the Russian communism and hoped to set up a true peasant-based communism in China. 

The book is a journalistic story. We hear Mao's story. In this story the peasants hate the ruling "White" Chinese, but jump to the support of the Communist "Red" Chinese. The ruling Whites treat the Reds as bandits. However, the Reds realize they are fighting for a noble cause. They want democracy and rights for everyone. They advocate freedom, including religious and minority freedom. They are primarily against the Japanese imperialist and want to have a China rules by the Chinese. Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek is often portrayed as a poor leader who is too supportive of the rich and imperialists.

It is interesting to see how Mao wanted to portray himself. He thought of himself as an idealist. He may well have been. He may well have been. However, rebelling may have been quite different from actually leading. It is hard to see how the cultural revolution and great leap forward would come about. However, some of Mao's early criticisms of his education give some hints. He felt he was right and was upset about other classes (like art) that he felt were a waste of time. He wanted to be a teacher, but ended up a leader of a billion people. 

Jaws

Jaws by Peter Benchley

A Long Island resort town depends entirely on the summer tourist season for its livelihood. Early one summer, a woman goes missing after a late night swim. They discover parts of her body that were spit out by a shark. The local cop wants to close the beach, but the rest of the town does not for fear of negative impacts. Alas, this backfires as the shark goes to attack others. The book also takes us inside the "mind" of the shark as it seeks out others.

There are a few subplots in the movie regarding conflicts in the small town, marital infidelity and the mob. This mostly detracts from the primary interest of the shark. The shark is one powerful beast that is driven to attack animals that seem under stress. This results in the gruesome death of many people. The seems to be much smarter than the dumb fish that everyone things he is. The fisherman, the cop and and ocean scientist all go out to try to defeat the shark. Only one of them returns.

The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories

The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories by Ernest Hemingway

This collection has a few of Hemingway's short stories. I had trouble keeping focus. It was mostly set in century-ago time. There is bits about hunting,travel and the War experience.

Spy School: Spy School Series, Book 1

Spy School: Spy School Series, Book 1 by Stuart Gibbs

A nerdy kid thinks he is going to a science school, but ends up in a CIA spy school. The school ends up to be more challenging than he anticipated. He stumbles his way through some "practical" tests and meets a "legacy" girl. Then a "real" incident starts to occur with people starting to attack him. The book has a light hearted balance of spy and comedy.

Wonder Drug: The Secret History of Thalidomide in America and Its Hidden Victims

Wonder Drug: The Secret History of Thalidomide in America and Its Hidden Victims by Jennifer Vanderbes

Thalidomide was once seen as a wonder drug that could help with many conditions with minimal side effects. It came from German pharmaceutical companies and was used in Europe. In the US, it was never fully approved. However, it had been used extensively in "trials". It was later determined that the drug could lead to birth defects when taken during pregnancy. This was thought to be a "European problem". Alas, the "trial" in the US had a much greater scope than anyone knew. The record-keeping was lacking and the doctors had little knowledge of the drug and had spread it to many others. Many people took it without knowing what it was. The book primarily covers the history of the drug and the politics involved with regulating the drug industry. The end drags on with quests for lawsuits and the difficulty in suing many years later. (You wonder what the point is doing this decades later. Would it really help people?) Only recently has the drug been approved by the FDA for limited use cases. The book tries to set up some heroes, but tends to focus more on the facts rather than narrative.