Category: books

book – the skeptical environmentalist

On By Rick McIn books, good news, health & fitness3 Comments

Wow.

This is one polarizing book.

portraet.jpgThe Skeptical Environmentalist: Measuring the Real State of the World by Bjørn Lomborg.

It’s far too dense, scientific and … long for me to read. So I’ll save time and leap straight to the review.

I like it. I like the author. Some of the graphs are incontestable.

Lomborg concludes:

“… children born today — in both the industrialized world and developing countries — will live longer and be healthier, they will get more food, a better education, a higher standard of living, more leisure time and far more possibilities — without the global environment being destroyed.

And that is a beautiful world.”

Things are not good. But they are still improving.

The world may still end. But there is no evidence it will.

Thanks Bjørn.

Bjørn Lomborg – official website

The Skeptical Environmentalist – Wikipedia

a skeptical environmentalist – that’s me

On By Rick McIn books, economics, Islam, miscellaneousLeave a comment

I had a feeling I was doing some good NOT owning a motor vehicle. That was before I found out my airline flights do far more damage.

Just watched a Penn and Teller Bullsh*t video debunking environmental hysteria. It’s not nearly as good as the others I’ve seen so I didn’t link to it here.

But Penn did have some very good points.

Some environmentalists are embarrassingly naive and uninformed. It was not difficult for Penn to film them. And cry BS.

(Turns out he was one of the protesters in the 1970s.)

The vague fear people have in 2006 regarding global warming, ozone depletion, species extinction — reminds me of the uneasy, ill-informed fear of Islam that the right wing is so quick to foster.

I’d better get schooled. I could read Al Gore.

But instead I’ll start with this book: The Skeptical Environmentalist: Measuring the Real State of the World

Measuring the Real State of the World

shop Amazon.ca, not Chapters/Indigo

On By Rick McIn books, music, product complaints, product endorsementsLeave a comment

logo_amazon.gif

Amazon is the big boy in on-line retail. I love just about everything they do.

But last year I shopped Chapters / Indigo as they are Canadian and finally matched prices and service with Amazon. It’s good for Amazon to have some competition.

This year … Amazon.

Lonely Planet Australia CDN$ 25.17
Love by the Beatles (Dlx Ed) (Digi) (W/Dvd) CDN$ 23.99

Free shipping. Hassle free shopping. Great prices.

Chapters / Indigo matched Amazon — but I had to join their loyalty card program to do so.

They should know that I am loyal only to companies that don’t require loyalty cards.

movie – Munich

On By Rick McIn books, government, Islam, movies, philosophyLeave a comment

Munich (Full Screen Edition)Just saw the film Munich , the Hollywood version of the story of Israeli retaliation after the kidnapping and murder of 11 athletes at the 1972 Olympics.

Steven Spielberg directed and the quality is excellent.

I thought it was remarkably unbiased. Both the Palestinian terrorists and the amateur Israeli retaliation team are shown as people, not heroes or villains.

Spielberg focuses on “the cyclic nature of revenge and the moral price of violence”.

Everyone is a loser in this film.

The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist TeamI might have liked the movie better if I had not read the book on which it is based, Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team by George Jonas.

Jonas attempted to document the true story of one of the Israelis, Yuval Aviv, who is played by Eric Bana in the movie.

In the book the assassinations of people on a list who may or may not be involved in Munich was much uglier than in the film.

Well … the movie is “inspired by the true story”. The book criticized as being inaccurate regarding the true story. The facts are muddled.

But one thing is clear to everyone. Assassination and counter-assassination do not work, long-term.

I recommend both film and book.

Robert J. Sawyer tribute to Randy McCharles

On By Rick McIn books, humour, McCharles familyLeave a comment

Canada’s greatest SciFi writer toasted (almost roasted) my brother who had been chosen for an award at a SciFi convention in Vancouver.

Congratulations Rand on recognition for your many years contribution to SciFi Fantasy Fiction.

In Vancouver today, the science-fiction convention VCon 31 begins. Fan Guest of Honour is my great friend Randy McCharles. I wrote the tribute to him for the convention’s program book (and will also be conducting the Guest of Honour interview with him on Saturday afternoon). Here’s the tribute:

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These days, the only ethnic jokes that can be made with impunity are those about one’s own group. Randy McCharles likes to portray himself as being thrifty, and often underscores this by saying, “I’m Scottish,” as if a certain parsimony was bred in his bones.

It’s true that Randy likes to get value for his money: he loves salt-and-pepper chicken wings, and can tell you which Calgary pubs have them cheap on which nights of the week. (Still, he expects quality; I was with him recently when he lamented, “These aren’t really fifteen-cent wings; they’re more like nine-cent wings.”) But all of his apparent cheapness hides an incredible generosity of spirit. I have never seen Randy fail to provide a lift to someone, no matter how far out of his way it took him, and he’s always there to help a friend. When my travels have brought me to Calgary, Randy has often put me up at his immaculate townhouse; at times, it’s been quite the hotel for writers, with three or four of us crashing simultaneously at Chez McCharles. … read more

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Robert J. Sawyer tribute

nutrition – is corn killing me?

On By Rick McIn audiocasts, books, food, health & fitnessLeave a comment

I’m no wimp when it comes to nutrition.

But with my processed food diet, sounds like I won’t live long enough to read a 400 page book about food: The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan.

But the Slate.com book review club delivered a terrific audiocast. Stephen Metcalf is a particularly eloquent and articulate reviewer. Listen to that podcast.

For reasons historic and political, corn is used to feed American cattle. Unfortunately a corn diet can kill a cow. Thankfully we have drugs to keep the poor beasts alive until slaughter date. (About 18-months-old, I believe.)

Consider a McDonald’s lunch. Corn feeds the cow that turns into the burgers. Corn is the oil that cooks the fries. And corn syrup sweetens the shakes and the soft drinks. Corn even makes up 13 of the 38 ingredients in Chicken McNuggets.

If you wisely avoid Rotten Ronnie’s, know that a quarter of the products in your grocery store contain corn.

Avoiding corn is as easy as avoiding things made in China.

This cannot last much longer. So much petroleum is needed to keep the corn economy running that the corn economy is not sustainable long-term. Something must change.

New Zealand was held up as a non-corn-based model. They dropped all agricultural subsidies long ago.

Omnivore\'s Dilemma

book – Our Grandmothers’ Drums

On By Rick McIn booksLeave a comment

GrandmothersDrum.jpgJust finished A Portrait of Rural African Life & Culture by Mark Hudson.

It’s an astonishing insight into the lives of rural Islamic Gambian women in the 1980s.

What slice of the world do I know less about?

The female circumcision rites were less grizzly than I expected. The male circumcision rites (obviously far less traumatic) were more grizzly. Children get butchered at about age 10.

The eloquent and honest book won both Somerset Maugham and Thomas Cook book awards.

I would recommend it certainly if you planned to travel to West Africa.

I listen to Rush Limbaugh

On By Rick McIn audiocasts, books, government, humour, product endorsementsLeave a comment

Only in the States (feeling the “vibe“) and only in rent-a-cars. And only on white trash AM radio.

But I have to admit — the big, fat idiot makes the miles fly by.

Rush Limbaugh – Wikipedia

He is a master Republican defender. And gutsy. I even heard him spin the absolutely indefensible Mark Foley and make it sound like Bill Clinton’s fault.

Limbaugh’s an intelligent guy, obviously. I can’t imagine he believes everything he spouts. Perhaps he does. There is a consistency to his line of argument.

Those who listen only to Limbaugh, watch only Fox News, should check out the anti-Limbaugh — Al Franken.

Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot

book – advice on escaping

On By Rick McIn books, philosophy, travelLeave a comment

Everyone is raving about Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel.

More a philosophy book than than travel guide, Rolf Potts urges that “anyone with an adventurous spirit can achieve the feat of taking extended time off from work to experience the world.”

An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel

(via World Hum)

Dave Barry is funny

On By Rick McIn books, humourLeave a comment

Just finished Dave Barry’s Greatest Hits — absolutely hilarious. His grocery list could crack me up.

In December 2005, Barry said “he will not be resuming his weekly column, though he would continue some features such as his yearly gift guide, year in review, his weblog, as well as an occasional article or column.”

Dave Barry\'s Greatest Hits