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  <title><![CDATA[The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity and the Renewal of Civilization]]></title>
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  <description><![CDATA[From the author of the #1 bestselling and Governor General&#8217;s Literary Award-winning <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong> &#8211; an essential addition to the bookshelf of every thinking person with a stake in our world and our civilization.<br/><br/>This is a groundbreaking, essential book for our times. Thomas Homer-Dixon brings to bear his formidable understanding of the urgent problems that confront our world to clarify their scope and deep causes.  <strong>The Upside of Down</strong> provides a vivid picture of the immense stresses that are simultaneously converging on our societies and threatening a breakdown that would profoundly shake civilization.  It shows, too, how we can choose a better route into the future.  <br/><br/>With the immediacy that characterized his award-winning international bestseller, <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong>, Homer-Dixon takes us on a remarkable journey &#8211; from the fall of the Roman empire to the devastation of the 9/11 attacks in New York, from Toronto in the 2003 blackout to the ancient temples of Lebanon and the wildfires of California. Incorporating the newest findings from an astonishing array of disciplines, he argues that the great stresses our world is experiencing &#8211; global warming, energy scarcity, population imbalances, and widening gaps between rich and poor &#8211; can&#8217;t be looked at independently. As these stresses combine and converge, the risk of breakdown rises. The first signs are appearing in the wastelands of the Arctic, the mud-clogged streets of Gonaïves, Haiti, and the volatile regions of the Middle East and Asia. But while the consequences of denial in our more perilous world are dire, Homer-Dixon makes clear that we can use our emerging understanding of the complex systems in which we live to avoid catastrophic collapse in a way the Roman empire could not. <br/><br/>This vitally important new book shows how, in the face of breakdown, we can still provide for the renewal of our global civilization. We are creating the conditions for catastrophe, but by understanding the underlying principles that make human and natural systems resilient &#8211; and by working together to put those principles into effect &#8211; we can still limit the severity of collapse and foster regeneration, innovation, and renewal.]]></description>
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  <original_title>The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity and the Renewal of Civilization</original_title>
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      <review>
  <id>1872350</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Emily]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity and the Renewal of Civilization]]>
  </title>
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    <![CDATA[From the author of the #1 bestselling and Governor General&#8217;s Literary Award-winning <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong> &#8211; an essential addition to the bookshelf of every thinking person with a stake in our world and our civilization.<br/><br/>This is a groundbreaking, essential book for our times. Thomas Homer-Dixon brings to bear his formidable understanding of the urgent problems that confront our world to clarify their scope and deep causes.  <strong>The Upside of Down</strong> provides a vivid picture of the immense stresses that are simultaneously converging on our societies and threatening a breakdown that would profoundly shake civilization.  It shows, too, how we can choose a better route into the future.  <br/><br/>With the immediacy that characterized his award-winning international bestseller, <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong>, Homer-Dixon takes us on a remarkable journey &#8211; from the fall of the Roman empire to the devastation of the 9/11 attacks in New York, from Toronto in the 2003 blackout to the ancient temples of Lebanon and the wildfires of California. Incorporating the newest findings from an astonishing array of disciplines, he argues that the great stresses our world is experiencing &#8211; global warming, energy scarcity, population imbalances, and widening gaps between rich and poor &#8211; can&#8217;t be looked at independently. As these stresses combine and converge, the risk of breakdown rises. The first signs are appearing in the wastelands of the Arctic, the mud-clogged streets of Gonaïves, Haiti, and the volatile regions of the Middle East and Asia. But while the consequences of denial in our more perilous world are dire, Homer-Dixon makes clear that we can use our emerging understanding of the complex systems in which we live to avoid catastrophic collapse in a way the Roman empire could not. <br/><br/>This vitally important new book shows how, in the face of breakdown, we can still provide for the renewal of our global civilization. We are creating the conditions for catastrophe, but by understanding the underlying principles that make human and natural systems resilient &#8211; and by working together to put those principles into effect &#8211; we can still limit the severity of collapse and foster regeneration, innovation, and renewal.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
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    <rating>3</rating>
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  <read_at>Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Jun 11 23:09:31 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Jul 02 22:37:03 -0700 2007</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[Unfortunately, my excitement for this book overwhelmed it's execution.  The title is promising--Upside of Down--but through and through it's mostly &quot;Down, Down, Down&quot; and a tiny bit of the upside.  Basically, we're doomed.  Homer-Dixon's proof is solid and convincing of the trouble we're i...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1872350">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1872350]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1872350]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>24150242</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Alexander]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity and the Renewal of Civilization]]>
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  <average_rating>3.81</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>62</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[From the author of the #1 bestselling and Governor General&#8217;s Literary Award-winning <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong> &#8211; an essential addition to the bookshelf of every thinking person with a stake in our world and our civilization.<br/><br/>This is a groundbreaking, essential book for our times. Thomas Homer-Dixon brings to bear his formidable understanding of the urgent problems that confront our world to clarify their scope and deep causes.  <strong>The Upside of Down</strong> provides a vivid picture of the immense stresses that are simultaneously converging on our societies and threatening a breakdown that would profoundly shake civilization.  It shows, too, how we can choose a better route into the future.  <br/><br/>With the immediacy that characterized his award-winning international bestseller, <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong>, Homer-Dixon takes us on a remarkable journey &#8211; from the fall of the Roman empire to the devastation of the 9/11 attacks in New York, from Toronto in the 2003 blackout to the ancient temples of Lebanon and the wildfires of California. Incorporating the newest findings from an astonishing array of disciplines, he argues that the great stresses our world is experiencing &#8211; global warming, energy scarcity, population imbalances, and widening gaps between rich and poor &#8211; can&#8217;t be looked at independently. As these stresses combine and converge, the risk of breakdown rises. The first signs are appearing in the wastelands of the Arctic, the mud-clogged streets of Gonaïves, Haiti, and the volatile regions of the Middle East and Asia. But while the consequences of denial in our more perilous world are dire, Homer-Dixon makes clear that we can use our emerging understanding of the complex systems in which we live to avoid catastrophic collapse in a way the Roman empire could not. <br/><br/>This vitally important new book shows how, in the face of breakdown, we can still provide for the renewal of our global civilization. We are creating the conditions for catastrophe, but by understanding the underlying principles that make human and natural systems resilient &#8211; and by working together to put those principles into effect &#8211; we can still limit the severity of collapse and foster regeneration, innovation, and renewal.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Jun 10 10:01:25 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Aug 23 10:06:44 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This was a really stimulating read, and very absorbing. It gets four stars only because I felt that the concluding note of optimism wasn't entirely justified by the profound problems he identifies. Overall though, it's a must read for anyone interested in the future of civilisation...<br/><br/>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24150242]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>71183849</id>
    <user>
    <id>2737441</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Sarah]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Delmar, NY]]></location>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity and the Renewal of Civilization]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.81</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>62</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[From the author of the #1 bestselling and Governor General&#8217;s Literary Award-winning <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong> &#8211; an essential addition to the bookshelf of every thinking person with a stake in our world and our civilization.<br/><br/>This is a groundbreaking, essential book for our times. Thomas Homer-Dixon brings to bear his formidable understanding of the urgent problems that confront our world to clarify their scope and deep causes.  <strong>The Upside of Down</strong> provides a vivid picture of the immense stresses that are simultaneously converging on our societies and threatening a breakdown that would profoundly shake civilization.  It shows, too, how we can choose a better route into the future.  <br/><br/>With the immediacy that characterized his award-winning international bestseller, <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong>, Homer-Dixon takes us on a remarkable journey &#8211; from the fall of the Roman empire to the devastation of the 9/11 attacks in New York, from Toronto in the 2003 blackout to the ancient temples of Lebanon and the wildfires of California. Incorporating the newest findings from an astonishing array of disciplines, he argues that the great stresses our world is experiencing &#8211; global warming, energy scarcity, population imbalances, and widening gaps between rich and poor &#8211; can&#8217;t be looked at independently. As these stresses combine and converge, the risk of breakdown rises. The first signs are appearing in the wastelands of the Arctic, the mud-clogged streets of Gonaïves, Haiti, and the volatile regions of the Middle East and Asia. But while the consequences of denial in our more perilous world are dire, Homer-Dixon makes clear that we can use our emerging understanding of the complex systems in which we live to avoid catastrophic collapse in a way the Roman empire could not. <br/><br/>This vitally important new book shows how, in the face of breakdown, we can still provide for the renewal of our global civilization. We are creating the conditions for catastrophe, but by understanding the underlying principles that make human and natural systems resilient &#8211; and by working together to put those principles into effect &#8211; we can still limit the severity of collapse and foster regeneration, innovation, and renewal.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at>Tue Oct 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Sep 14 10:12:46 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Oct 21 11:04:37 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[The good:<br/><br/>Well-written and compelling<br/>100 pages of endnotes (I love footnotes, and endnotes are almost as good)<br/>Makes a consistent argument about energy returns on investment being fundamental to society’s functioning, historically and currently<br/><br/>The bad:<br/><br/>...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71183849">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71183849]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71183849]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>2443684</id>
    <user>
    <id>123975</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Jamie]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[New York, NY]]></location>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity and the Renewal of Civilization]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.81</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>62</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[From the author of the #1 bestselling and Governor General&#8217;s Literary Award-winning <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong> &#8211; an essential addition to the bookshelf of every thinking person with a stake in our world and our civilization.<br/><br/>This is a groundbreaking, essential book for our times. Thomas Homer-Dixon brings to bear his formidable understanding of the urgent problems that confront our world to clarify their scope and deep causes.  <strong>The Upside of Down</strong> provides a vivid picture of the immense stresses that are simultaneously converging on our societies and threatening a breakdown that would profoundly shake civilization.  It shows, too, how we can choose a better route into the future.  <br/><br/>With the immediacy that characterized his award-winning international bestseller, <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong>, Homer-Dixon takes us on a remarkable journey &#8211; from the fall of the Roman empire to the devastation of the 9/11 attacks in New York, from Toronto in the 2003 blackout to the ancient temples of Lebanon and the wildfires of California. Incorporating the newest findings from an astonishing array of disciplines, he argues that the great stresses our world is experiencing &#8211; global warming, energy scarcity, population imbalances, and widening gaps between rich and poor &#8211; can&#8217;t be looked at independently. As these stresses combine and converge, the risk of breakdown rises. The first signs are appearing in the wastelands of the Arctic, the mud-clogged streets of Gonaïves, Haiti, and the volatile regions of the Middle East and Asia. But while the consequences of denial in our more perilous world are dire, Homer-Dixon makes clear that we can use our emerging understanding of the complex systems in which we live to avoid catastrophic collapse in a way the Roman empire could not. <br/><br/>This vitally important new book shows how, in the face of breakdown, we can still provide for the renewal of our global civilization. We are creating the conditions for catastrophe, but by understanding the underlying principles that make human and natural systems resilient &#8211; and by working together to put those principles into effect &#8211; we can still limit the severity of collapse and foster regeneration, innovation, and renewal.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <read_at>Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Jun 27 09:07:28 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Jun 27 09:08:12 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Guess what, guys? We're all doomed! Just like ancient Rome! Have a good day now!]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2443684]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2443684]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>16700512</id>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity and the Renewal of Civilization]]>
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  <average_rating>3.81</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[From the author of the #1 bestselling and Governor General&#8217;s Literary Award-winning <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong> &#8211; an essential addition to the bookshelf of every thinking person with a stake in our world and our civilization.<br/><br/>This is a groundbreaking, essential book for our times. Thomas Homer-Dixon brings to bear his formidable understanding of the urgent problems that confront our world to clarify their scope and deep causes.  <strong>The Upside of Down</strong> provides a vivid picture of the immense stresses that are simultaneously converging on our societies and threatening a breakdown that would profoundly shake civilization.  It shows, too, how we can choose a better route into the future.  <br/><br/>With the immediacy that characterized his award-winning international bestseller, <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong>, Homer-Dixon takes us on a remarkable journey &#8211; from the fall of the Roman empire to the devastation of the 9/11 attacks in New York, from Toronto in the 2003 blackout to the ancient temples of Lebanon and the wildfires of California. Incorporating the newest findings from an astonishing array of disciplines, he argues that the great stresses our world is experiencing &#8211; global warming, energy scarcity, population imbalances, and widening gaps between rich and poor &#8211; can&#8217;t be looked at independently. As these stresses combine and converge, the risk of breakdown rises. The first signs are appearing in the wastelands of the Arctic, the mud-clogged streets of Gonaïves, Haiti, and the volatile regions of the Middle East and Asia. But while the consequences of denial in our more perilous world are dire, Homer-Dixon makes clear that we can use our emerging understanding of the complex systems in which we live to avoid catastrophic collapse in a way the Roman empire could not. <br/><br/>This vitally important new book shows how, in the face of breakdown, we can still provide for the renewal of our global civilization. We are creating the conditions for catastrophe, but by understanding the underlying principles that make human and natural systems resilient &#8211; and by working together to put those principles into effect &#8211; we can still limit the severity of collapse and foster regeneration, innovation, and renewal.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
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  <read_at>Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Feb 29 10:52:55 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Feb 29 11:02:33 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I particularly enjoyed this point capitalism:<br/><br/>&quot;[Economic] growth makes the new industries and generates the new jobs needed to absorb technologically displaced workers.  The American economy, for example, must expand 3 to 5% annually--doubling in size every fifteen to twenty-five years...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/16700512">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/16700512]]></url>
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      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity and the Renewal of Civilization]]>
  </title>
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    <![CDATA[From the author of the #1 bestselling and Governor General&#8217;s Literary Award-winning <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong> &#8211; an essential addition to the bookshelf of every thinking person with a stake in our world and our civilization.<br/><br/>This is a groundbreaking, essential book for our times. Thomas Homer-Dixon brings to bear his formidable understanding of the urgent problems that confront our world to clarify their scope and deep causes.  <strong>The Upside of Down</strong> provides a vivid picture of the immense stresses that are simultaneously converging on our societies and threatening a breakdown that would profoundly shake civilization.  It shows, too, how we can choose a better route into the future.  <br/><br/>With the immediacy that characterized his award-winning international bestseller, <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong>, Homer-Dixon takes us on a remarkable journey &#8211; from the fall of the Roman empire to the devastation of the 9/11 attacks in New York, from Toronto in the 2003 blackout to the ancient temples of Lebanon and the wildfires of California. Incorporating the newest findings from an astonishing array of disciplines, he argues that the great stresses our world is experiencing &#8211; global warming, energy scarcity, population imbalances, and widening gaps between rich and poor &#8211; can&#8217;t be looked at independently. As these stresses combine and converge, the risk of breakdown rises. The first signs are appearing in the wastelands of the Arctic, the mud-clogged streets of Gonaïves, Haiti, and the volatile regions of the Middle East and Asia. But while the consequences of denial in our more perilous world are dire, Homer-Dixon makes clear that we can use our emerging understanding of the complex systems in which we live to avoid catastrophic collapse in a way the Roman empire could not. <br/><br/>This vitally important new book shows how, in the face of breakdown, we can still provide for the renewal of our global civilization. We are creating the conditions for catastrophe, but by understanding the underlying principles that make human and natural systems resilient &#8211; and by working together to put those principles into effect &#8211; we can still limit the severity of collapse and foster regeneration, innovation, and renewal.]]>
  </description>
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  <read_at>Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon May 11 09:43:34 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon May 11 09:59:34 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This is a grand book. The explanation for why there's a &quot;down&quot; fills more pages than the details of the &quot;upside,&quot; but at this point, I think that's still a necessary evil. <br/><br/>I have interviewed the author twice for the C-Realm Podcast, once before reading the book and once...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/55673845">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity and the Renewal of Civilization]]>
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    <![CDATA[From the author of the #1 bestselling and Governor General&#8217;s Literary Award-winning <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong> &#8211; an essential addition to the bookshelf of every thinking person with a stake in our world and our civilization.<br/><br/>This is a groundbreaking, essential book for our times. Thomas Homer-Dixon brings to bear his formidable understanding of the urgent problems that confront our world to clarify their scope and deep causes.  <strong>The Upside of Down</strong> provides a vivid picture of the immense stresses that are simultaneously converging on our societies and threatening a breakdown that would profoundly shake civilization.  It shows, too, how we can choose a better route into the future.  <br/><br/>With the immediacy that characterized his award-winning international bestseller, <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong>, Homer-Dixon takes us on a remarkable journey &#8211; from the fall of the Roman empire to the devastation of the 9/11 attacks in New York, from Toronto in the 2003 blackout to the ancient temples of Lebanon and the wildfires of California. Incorporating the newest findings from an astonishing array of disciplines, he argues that the great stresses our world is experiencing &#8211; global warming, energy scarcity, population imbalances, and widening gaps between rich and poor &#8211; can&#8217;t be looked at independently. As these stresses combine and converge, the risk of breakdown rises. The first signs are appearing in the wastelands of the Arctic, the mud-clogged streets of Gonaïves, Haiti, and the volatile regions of the Middle East and Asia. But while the consequences of denial in our more perilous world are dire, Homer-Dixon makes clear that we can use our emerging understanding of the complex systems in which we live to avoid catastrophic collapse in a way the Roman empire could not. <br/><br/>This vitally important new book shows how, in the face of breakdown, we can still provide for the renewal of our global civilization. We are creating the conditions for catastrophe, but by understanding the underlying principles that make human and natural systems resilient &#8211; and by working together to put those principles into effect &#8211; we can still limit the severity of collapse and foster regeneration, innovation, and renewal.]]>
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  <date_added>Sun Aug 16 16:38:28 -0700 2009</date_added>
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    <body><![CDATA[If you are interested in the globalization phenomenon, including environmental, economic and phsychological aspects, this books offers some great food for thought.  I was particularly interested in the author's insights into the causes of society's widespread denial - the &quot;why don't we get real...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67654253">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity and the Renewal of Civilization]]>
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    <![CDATA[From the author of the #1 bestselling and Governor General&#8217;s Literary Award-winning <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong> &#8211; an essential addition to the bookshelf of every thinking person with a stake in our world and our civilization.<br/><br/>This is a groundbreaking, essential book for our times. Thomas Homer-Dixon brings to bear his formidable understanding of the urgent problems that confront our world to clarify their scope and deep causes.  <strong>The Upside of Down</strong> provides a vivid picture of the immense stresses that are simultaneously converging on our societies and threatening a breakdown that would profoundly shake civilization.  It shows, too, how we can choose a better route into the future.  <br/><br/>With the immediacy that characterized his award-winning international bestseller, <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong>, Homer-Dixon takes us on a remarkable journey &#8211; from the fall of the Roman empire to the devastation of the 9/11 attacks in New York, from Toronto in the 2003 blackout to the ancient temples of Lebanon and the wildfires of California. Incorporating the newest findings from an astonishing array of disciplines, he argues that the great stresses our world is experiencing &#8211; global warming, energy scarcity, population imbalances, and widening gaps between rich and poor &#8211; can&#8217;t be looked at independently. As these stresses combine and converge, the risk of breakdown rises. The first signs are appearing in the wastelands of the Arctic, the mud-clogged streets of Gonaïves, Haiti, and the volatile regions of the Middle East and Asia. But while the consequences of denial in our more perilous world are dire, Homer-Dixon makes clear that we can use our emerging understanding of the complex systems in which we live to avoid catastrophic collapse in a way the Roman empire could not. <br/><br/>This vitally important new book shows how, in the face of breakdown, we can still provide for the renewal of our global civilization. We are creating the conditions for catastrophe, but by understanding the underlying principles that make human and natural systems resilient &#8211; and by working together to put those principles into effect &#8211; we can still limit the severity of collapse and foster regeneration, innovation, and renewal.]]>
  </description>
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  <read_at>Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
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  <date_updated>Thu May 21 12:57:41 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[U of T professor hits another home run. Just as absorbing, thought provoking, scary and necessary reading as 'The Ingenuity Gap'. H-D is convinced the world is heading for a major breakdown as a result of the combination of the end of oil and global warming. The chapter on the philosophy of perpetua...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/56877184">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity and the Renewal of Civilization]]>
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  <average_rating>3.81</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[From the author of the #1 bestselling and Governor General&#8217;s Literary Award-winning <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong> &#8211; an essential addition to the bookshelf of every thinking person with a stake in our world and our civilization.<br/><br/>This is a groundbreaking, essential book for our times. Thomas Homer-Dixon brings to bear his formidable understanding of the urgent problems that confront our world to clarify their scope and deep causes.  <strong>The Upside of Down</strong> provides a vivid picture of the immense stresses that are simultaneously converging on our societies and threatening a breakdown that would profoundly shake civilization.  It shows, too, how we can choose a better route into the future.  <br/><br/>With the immediacy that characterized his award-winning international bestseller, <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong>, Homer-Dixon takes us on a remarkable journey &#8211; from the fall of the Roman empire to the devastation of the 9/11 attacks in New York, from Toronto in the 2003 blackout to the ancient temples of Lebanon and the wildfires of California. Incorporating the newest findings from an astonishing array of disciplines, he argues that the great stresses our world is experiencing &#8211; global warming, energy scarcity, population imbalances, and widening gaps between rich and poor &#8211; can&#8217;t be looked at independently. As these stresses combine and converge, the risk of breakdown rises. The first signs are appearing in the wastelands of the Arctic, the mud-clogged streets of Gonaïves, Haiti, and the volatile regions of the Middle East and Asia. But while the consequences of denial in our more perilous world are dire, Homer-Dixon makes clear that we can use our emerging understanding of the complex systems in which we live to avoid catastrophic collapse in a way the Roman empire could not. <br/><br/>This vitally important new book shows how, in the face of breakdown, we can still provide for the renewal of our global civilization. We are creating the conditions for catastrophe, but by understanding the underlying principles that make human and natural systems resilient &#8211; and by working together to put those principles into effect &#8211; we can still limit the severity of collapse and foster regeneration, innovation, and renewal.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
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  <read_at>Thu Dec 11 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Dec 11 13:44:54 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Dec 11 13:48:14 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Absolutely brilliant. Homer-Dixon offers a wide view of current events in the light of present global adaptive cycles and ties in the work of Tainter and Holling, distinguishes system collapse from breakdown, and provides the mechanisms for how systems regenerate. <br/>Essential reading for geopoli...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/39890699">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity and the Renewal of Civilization]]>
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    <![CDATA[From the author of the #1 bestselling and Governor General&#8217;s Literary Award-winning <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong> &#8211; an essential addition to the bookshelf of every thinking person with a stake in our world and our civilization.<br/><br/>This is a groundbreaking, essential book for our times. Thomas Homer-Dixon brings to bear his formidable understanding of the urgent problems that confront our world to clarify their scope and deep causes.  <strong>The Upside of Down</strong> provides a vivid picture of the immense stresses that are simultaneously converging on our societies and threatening a breakdown that would profoundly shake civilization.  It shows, too, how we can choose a better route into the future.  <br/><br/>With the immediacy that characterized his award-winning international bestseller, <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong>, Homer-Dixon takes us on a remarkable journey &#8211; from the fall of the Roman empire to the devastation of the 9/11 attacks in New York, from Toronto in the 2003 blackout to the ancient temples of Lebanon and the wildfires of California. Incorporating the newest findings from an astonishing array of disciplines, he argues that the great stresses our world is experiencing &#8211; global warming, energy scarcity, population imbalances, and widening gaps between rich and poor &#8211; can&#8217;t be looked at independently. As these stresses combine and converge, the risk of breakdown rises. The first signs are appearing in the wastelands of the Arctic, the mud-clogged streets of Gonaïves, Haiti, and the volatile regions of the Middle East and Asia. But while the consequences of denial in our more perilous world are dire, Homer-Dixon makes clear that we can use our emerging understanding of the complex systems in which we live to avoid catastrophic collapse in a way the Roman empire could not. <br/><br/>This vitally important new book shows how, in the face of breakdown, we can still provide for the renewal of our global civilization. We are creating the conditions for catastrophe, but by understanding the underlying principles that make human and natural systems resilient &#8211; and by working together to put those principles into effect &#8211; we can still limit the severity of collapse and foster regeneration, innovation, and renewal.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
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  <read_at>Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Mar 25 13:36:08 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Mar 25 13:37:37 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This book lays out that the greatest issues effecting our generation right now are. It is factual, practical, and inspirational. The greatest issues that face the world are our generation's to fix. This provides great clarity into what needs to be done and how creative problem solving will be how th...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/50431957">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity, and the Renewal of Civilization]]>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[&lt;div&gt;Environmental disasters.  Terrorist wars.   Energy scarcity.  Economic failure.  Is this the world's inevitable fate, a downward spiral that ultimately spells the collapse of societies?  Perhaps, says acclaimed author Thomas Homer-Dixon - or perhaps these crises can actually lead to renewal for ourselves and planet earth.  <br/><br/>The Upside of Down takes the reader on a mind-stretching tour of societies' management, or mismanagement, of disasters over time. From the demise of ancient Rome to contemporary climate change, this spellbinding book analyzes what happens when multiple crises compound to cause what the author calls &quot;synchronous failure.&quot;  But, crisis doesn't have to mean total global calamity. Through catagenesis, or creative, bold reform in the wake of breakdown, it is possible to reinvent our future.<br/><br/>Drawing on the worlds of archeology, poetry, politics, science, and economics, The Upside of Down is certain to provoke controversy and stir imaginations across the globe.  The author's wide-ranging expertise makes his insights and proposals particularly acute, as people of all nations try to grapple with how we can survive tomorrow's inevitable shocks to our global system.  There is no guarantee of success, but there are ways to begin thinking about a better world, and The Upside of Down is the ideal place to start thinking.<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>&lt;/div&gt;]]>
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  <read_at>Tue Aug 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Mar 20 22:06:30 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Aug 18 23:17:27 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[This would have been 4 stars (&quot;I really liked it&quot; instead of merely &quot;I liked it&quot;) were it not for the verbose, less-than-elegant style of writing.  The content, however, is excellent, and Homer-Dixon gives a great coverage of all the current major issues while incorporating a his...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49929779">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49929779]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49929779]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity and the Renewal of Civilization]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.81</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[From the author of the #1 bestselling and Governor General&#8217;s Literary Award-winning <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong> &#8211; an essential addition to the bookshelf of every thinking person with a stake in our world and our civilization.<br/><br/>This is a groundbreaking, essential book for our times. Thomas Homer-Dixon brings to bear his formidable understanding of the urgent problems that confront our world to clarify their scope and deep causes.  <strong>The Upside of Down</strong> provides a vivid picture of the immense stresses that are simultaneously converging on our societies and threatening a breakdown that would profoundly shake civilization.  It shows, too, how we can choose a better route into the future.  <br/><br/>With the immediacy that characterized his award-winning international bestseller, <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong>, Homer-Dixon takes us on a remarkable journey &#8211; from the fall of the Roman empire to the devastation of the 9/11 attacks in New York, from Toronto in the 2003 blackout to the ancient temples of Lebanon and the wildfires of California. Incorporating the newest findings from an astonishing array of disciplines, he argues that the great stresses our world is experiencing &#8211; global warming, energy scarcity, population imbalances, and widening gaps between rich and poor &#8211; can&#8217;t be looked at independently. As these stresses combine and converge, the risk of breakdown rises. The first signs are appearing in the wastelands of the Arctic, the mud-clogged streets of Gonaïves, Haiti, and the volatile regions of the Middle East and Asia. But while the consequences of denial in our more perilous world are dire, Homer-Dixon makes clear that we can use our emerging understanding of the complex systems in which we live to avoid catastrophic collapse in a way the Roman empire could not. <br/><br/>This vitally important new book shows how, in the face of breakdown, we can still provide for the renewal of our global civilization. We are creating the conditions for catastrophe, but by understanding the underlying principles that make human and natural systems resilient &#8211; and by working together to put those principles into effect &#8211; we can still limit the severity of collapse and foster regeneration, innovation, and renewal.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
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  <date_added>Mon Oct 15 18:57:59 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Oct 20 16:25:08 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[48/308  I just can't do these social science non-fictions that try to incorporate quantitative tools that just seem so far stretched and inappropriate.  I keep on thinking, error bars must be huge, but of course they don't even consider them.  After awhile, I just can't stand reading them anymore.  ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7772781">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
  <id>61335958</id>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity and the Renewal of Civilization]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.81</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>62</ratings_count>
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    <![CDATA[From the author of the #1 bestselling and Governor General&#8217;s Literary Award-winning <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong> &#8211; an essential addition to the bookshelf of every thinking person with a stake in our world and our civilization.<br/><br/>This is a groundbreaking, essential book for our times. Thomas Homer-Dixon brings to bear his formidable understanding of the urgent problems that confront our world to clarify their scope and deep causes.  <strong>The Upside of Down</strong> provides a vivid picture of the immense stresses that are simultaneously converging on our societies and threatening a breakdown that would profoundly shake civilization.  It shows, too, how we can choose a better route into the future.  <br/><br/>With the immediacy that characterized his award-winning international bestseller, <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong>, Homer-Dixon takes us on a remarkable journey &#8211; from the fall of the Roman empire to the devastation of the 9/11 attacks in New York, from Toronto in the 2003 blackout to the ancient temples of Lebanon and the wildfires of California. Incorporating the newest findings from an astonishing array of disciplines, he argues that the great stresses our world is experiencing &#8211; global warming, energy scarcity, population imbalances, and widening gaps between rich and poor &#8211; can&#8217;t be looked at independently. As these stresses combine and converge, the risk of breakdown rises. The first signs are appearing in the wastelands of the Arctic, the mud-clogged streets of Gonaïves, Haiti, and the volatile regions of the Middle East and Asia. But while the consequences of denial in our more perilous world are dire, Homer-Dixon makes clear that we can use our emerging understanding of the complex systems in which we live to avoid catastrophic collapse in a way the Roman empire could not. <br/><br/>This vitally important new book shows how, in the face of breakdown, we can still provide for the renewal of our global civilization. We are creating the conditions for catastrophe, but by understanding the underlying principles that make human and natural systems resilient &#8211; and by working together to put those principles into effect &#8211; we can still limit the severity of collapse and foster regeneration, innovation, and renewal.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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  <read_at>Sun Aug 16 13:37:36 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Jun 27 18:33:24 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Aug 16 13:37:36 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I've heard a couple of interviews with Thomas Homer-Dixon and have been quite impressed. He elucidates complicated ideas very clearly and succinctly. Am 50 pages into this and it's really engaging so far.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/61335958]]></url>
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      <review>
  <id>14432822</id>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity, and the Renewal of Civilization]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.71</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>7</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[ Environmental disasters.  Terrorist wars.   Energy scarcity.  Economic failure.  Is this the world's inevitable fate, a downward spiral that ultimately spells the collapse of societies?  Perhaps, says acclaimed author Thomas Homer-Dixon - or perhaps these crises can actually lead to renewal for ourselves and planet earth.  <br/><br/><br/><br/>The Upside of Down takes the reader on a mind-stretching tour of societies' management, or mismanagement, of disasters over time. From the demise of ancient Rome to contemporary climate change, this spellbinding book analyzes what happens when multiple crises compound to cause what the author calls &quot;synchronous failure.&quot;  But, crisis doesn't have to mean total global calamity. Through catagenesis, or creative, bold reform in the wake of breakdown, it is possible to reinvent our future.<br/><br/><br/><br/>Drawing on the worlds of archeology, poetry, politics, science, and economics, The Upside of Down is certain to provoke controversy and stir imaginations across the globe.  The author's wide-ranging expertise makes his insights and proposals particularly acute, as people of all nations try to grapple with how we can survive tomorrow's inevitable shocks to our global system.  There is no guarantee of success, but there are ways to begin thinking about a better world, and The Upside of Down is the ideal place to start thinking. ]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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  <read_at>Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Feb 03 06:09:45 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Feb 03 06:11:05 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Rome couldn't make it in the long run.  The US is on the same path, great historical comparisons made in this piece.  A number of key insights that our governments truely need to heed.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/14432822]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/14432822]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>6299317</id>
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    <![CDATA[The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity, and the Renewal of Civilization]]>
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  <average_rating>3.81</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>62</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[ Environmental disasters.  Terrorist wars.   Energy scarcity.  Economic failure.  Is this the world's inevitable fate, a downward spiral that ultimately spells the collapse of societies?  Perhaps, says acclaimed author Thomas Homer-Dixon - or perhaps these crises can actually lead to renewal for ourselves and planet earth.  <br/><br/><br/><br/>The Upside of Down takes the reader on a mind-stretching tour of societies' management, or mismanagement, of disasters over time. From the demise of ancient Rome to contemporary climate change, this spellbinding book analyzes what happens when multiple crises compound to cause what the author calls &quot;synchronous failure.&quot;  But, crisis doesn't have to mean total global calamity. Through catagenesis, or creative, bold reform in the wake of breakdown, it is possible to reinvent our future.<br/><br/><br/><br/>Drawing on the worlds of archeology, poetry, politics, science, and economics, The Upside of Down is certain to provoke controversy and stir imaginations across the globe.  The author's wide-ranging expertise makes his insights and proposals particularly acute, as people of all nations try to grapple with how we can survive tomorrow's inevitable shocks to our global system.  There is no guarantee of success, but there are ways to begin thinking about a better world, and The Upside of Down is the ideal place to start thinking. ]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Sep 16 18:42:55 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Sep 16 18:51:41 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[&quot;...exuberant experimentation is essential to social resillience.&quot;<br/><br/>this book dovetails well with 7 life lessons of chaos, deep economy, Ishmael, and many others.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6299317]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6299317]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>31334635</id>
    <user>
    <id>1467434</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Marie]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity and the Renewal of Civilization]]>
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  <average_rating>3.81</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[From the author of the #1 bestselling and Governor General&#8217;s Literary Award-winning <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong> &#8211; an essential addition to the bookshelf of every thinking person with a stake in our world and our civilization.<br/><br/>This is a groundbreaking, essential book for our times. Thomas Homer-Dixon brings to bear his formidable understanding of the urgent problems that confront our world to clarify their scope and deep causes.  <strong>The Upside of Down</strong> provides a vivid picture of the immense stresses that are simultaneously converging on our societies and threatening a breakdown that would profoundly shake civilization.  It shows, too, how we can choose a better route into the future.  <br/><br/>With the immediacy that characterized his award-winning international bestseller, <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong>, Homer-Dixon takes us on a remarkable journey &#8211; from the fall of the Roman empire to the devastation of the 9/11 attacks in New York, from Toronto in the 2003 blackout to the ancient temples of Lebanon and the wildfires of California. Incorporating the newest findings from an astonishing array of disciplines, he argues that the great stresses our world is experiencing &#8211; global warming, energy scarcity, population imbalances, and widening gaps between rich and poor &#8211; can&#8217;t be looked at independently. As these stresses combine and converge, the risk of breakdown rises. The first signs are appearing in the wastelands of the Arctic, the mud-clogged streets of Gonaïves, Haiti, and the volatile regions of the Middle East and Asia. But while the consequences of denial in our more perilous world are dire, Homer-Dixon makes clear that we can use our emerging understanding of the complex systems in which we live to avoid catastrophic collapse in a way the Roman empire could not. <br/><br/>This vitally important new book shows how, in the face of breakdown, we can still provide for the renewal of our global civilization. We are creating the conditions for catastrophe, but by understanding the underlying principles that make human and natural systems resilient &#8211; and by working together to put those principles into effect &#8211; we can still limit the severity of collapse and foster regeneration, innovation, and renewal.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
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    <rating>5</rating>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <date_added>Wed Aug 27 09:58:52 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Aug 27 09:59:20 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[World's Smallest Book Group review of The Upside of Down:<br/><br/><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://omaried.wordpress.com/2008/06/30/wsbg-reviews-the-devils-candy-and-the-upside-of-down/" title="http://omaried.wordpress.com/2008/06/30/wsbg-reviews-the-devils-candy-and-the-upside-of-down/">http://omaried.wordpress.com/2008/06/30/...</a><br/>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31334635]]></url>
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      <review>
  <id>18824116</id>
    <user>
    <id>1030618</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Mjewkes]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity and the Renewal of Civilization]]>
  </title>
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  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170652895s/66668.jpg</small_image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.81</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[From the author of the #1 bestselling and Governor General&#8217;s Literary Award-winning <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong> &#8211; an essential addition to the bookshelf of every thinking person with a stake in our world and our civilization.<br/><br/>This is a groundbreaking, essential book for our times. Thomas Homer-Dixon brings to bear his formidable understanding of the urgent problems that confront our world to clarify their scope and deep causes.  <strong>The Upside of Down</strong> provides a vivid picture of the immense stresses that are simultaneously converging on our societies and threatening a breakdown that would profoundly shake civilization.  It shows, too, how we can choose a better route into the future.  <br/><br/>With the immediacy that characterized his award-winning international bestseller, <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong>, Homer-Dixon takes us on a remarkable journey &#8211; from the fall of the Roman empire to the devastation of the 9/11 attacks in New York, from Toronto in the 2003 blackout to the ancient temples of Lebanon and the wildfires of California. Incorporating the newest findings from an astonishing array of disciplines, he argues that the great stresses our world is experiencing &#8211; global warming, energy scarcity, population imbalances, and widening gaps between rich and poor &#8211; can&#8217;t be looked at independently. As these stresses combine and converge, the risk of breakdown rises. The first signs are appearing in the wastelands of the Arctic, the mud-clogged streets of Gonaïves, Haiti, and the volatile regions of the Middle East and Asia. But while the consequences of denial in our more perilous world are dire, Homer-Dixon makes clear that we can use our emerging understanding of the complex systems in which we live to avoid catastrophic collapse in a way the Roman empire could not. <br/><br/>This vitally important new book shows how, in the face of breakdown, we can still provide for the renewal of our global civilization. We are creating the conditions for catastrophe, but by understanding the underlying principles that make human and natural systems resilient &#8211; and by working together to put those principles into effect &#8211; we can still limit the severity of collapse and foster regeneration, innovation, and renewal.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

    <rating>2</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <shelves>
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          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[People who want a lite introduction to collapsology]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Mar 28 00:14:32 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Mar 28 00:16:05 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I am fascinated by this topic, but aside from original research into how much energy went into the building of the coliseum, there isn't much new here.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/18824116]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/18824116]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity and the Renewal of Civilization]]>
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  <average_rating>3.81</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>62</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[From the author of the #1 bestselling and Governor General&#8217;s Literary Award-winning <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong> &#8211; an essential addition to the bookshelf of every thinking person with a stake in our world and our civilization.<br/><br/>This is a groundbreaking, essential book for our times. Thomas Homer-Dixon brings to bear his formidable understanding of the urgent problems that confront our world to clarify their scope and deep causes.  <strong>The Upside of Down</strong> provides a vivid picture of the immense stresses that are simultaneously converging on our societies and threatening a breakdown that would profoundly shake civilization.  It shows, too, how we can choose a better route into the future.  <br/><br/>With the immediacy that characterized his award-winning international bestseller, <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong>, Homer-Dixon takes us on a remarkable journey &#8211; from the fall of the Roman empire to the devastation of the 9/11 attacks in New York, from Toronto in the 2003 blackout to the ancient temples of Lebanon and the wildfires of California. Incorporating the newest findings from an astonishing array of disciplines, he argues that the great stresses our world is experiencing &#8211; global warming, energy scarcity, population imbalances, and widening gaps between rich and poor &#8211; can&#8217;t be looked at independently. As these stresses combine and converge, the risk of breakdown rises. The first signs are appearing in the wastelands of the Arctic, the mud-clogged streets of Gonaïves, Haiti, and the volatile regions of the Middle East and Asia. But while the consequences of denial in our more perilous world are dire, Homer-Dixon makes clear that we can use our emerging understanding of the complex systems in which we live to avoid catastrophic collapse in a way the Roman empire could not. <br/><br/>This vitally important new book shows how, in the face of breakdown, we can still provide for the renewal of our global civilization. We are creating the conditions for catastrophe, but by understanding the underlying principles that make human and natural systems resilient &#8211; and by working together to put those principles into effect &#8211; we can still limit the severity of collapse and foster regeneration, innovation, and renewal.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
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  <read_at>Wed Sep 03 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
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  <date_updated>Wed Oct 01 08:55:16 -0700 2008</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[Essential reading for anyone who gives a f**k about where we are now and where we could end up pretty soon...unless we act.  <br/><br/>Read this book.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/30782890]]></url>
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      <review>
  <id>49826205</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Natasha]]></name>
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  <isbn13>9780676977226</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">18</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity and the Renewal of Civilization]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170652895m/66668.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170652895s/66668.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/66668.The_Upside_of_Down_Catastrophe_Creativity_and_the_Renewal_of_Civilization</link>
  <average_rating>3.81</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>62</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[From the author of the #1 bestselling and Governor General&#8217;s Literary Award-winning <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong> &#8211; an essential addition to the bookshelf of every thinking person with a stake in our world and our civilization.<br/><br/>This is a groundbreaking, essential book for our times. Thomas Homer-Dixon brings to bear his formidable understanding of the urgent problems that confront our world to clarify their scope and deep causes.  <strong>The Upside of Down</strong> provides a vivid picture of the immense stresses that are simultaneously converging on our societies and threatening a breakdown that would profoundly shake civilization.  It shows, too, how we can choose a better route into the future.  <br/><br/>With the immediacy that characterized his award-winning international bestseller, <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong>, Homer-Dixon takes us on a remarkable journey &#8211; from the fall of the Roman empire to the devastation of the 9/11 attacks in New York, from Toronto in the 2003 blackout to the ancient temples of Lebanon and the wildfires of California. Incorporating the newest findings from an astonishing array of disciplines, he argues that the great stresses our world is experiencing &#8211; global warming, energy scarcity, population imbalances, and widening gaps between rich and poor &#8211; can&#8217;t be looked at independently. As these stresses combine and converge, the risk of breakdown rises. The first signs are appearing in the wastelands of the Arctic, the mud-clogged streets of Gonaïves, Haiti, and the volatile regions of the Middle East and Asia. But while the consequences of denial in our more perilous world are dire, Homer-Dixon makes clear that we can use our emerging understanding of the complex systems in which we live to avoid catastrophic collapse in a way the Roman empire could not. <br/><br/>This vitally important new book shows how, in the face of breakdown, we can still provide for the renewal of our global civilization. We are creating the conditions for catastrophe, but by understanding the underlying principles that make human and natural systems resilient &#8211; and by working together to put those principles into effect &#8211; we can still limit the severity of collapse and foster regeneration, innovation, and renewal.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
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  <read_at>Wed Apr 29 20:25:51 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Mar 19 19:25:07 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Apr 29 20:25:51 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[So far, a very compelling warning for our generation...]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49826205]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49826205]]></link>
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      <review>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">18</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity and the Renewal of Civilization]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170652895m/66668.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.81</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>62</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[From the author of the #1 bestselling and Governor General&#8217;s Literary Award-winning <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong> &#8211; an essential addition to the bookshelf of every thinking person with a stake in our world and our civilization.<br/><br/>This is a groundbreaking, essential book for our times. Thomas Homer-Dixon brings to bear his formidable understanding of the urgent problems that confront our world to clarify their scope and deep causes.  <strong>The Upside of Down</strong> provides a vivid picture of the immense stresses that are simultaneously converging on our societies and threatening a breakdown that would profoundly shake civilization.  It shows, too, how we can choose a better route into the future.  <br/><br/>With the immediacy that characterized his award-winning international bestseller, <strong>The Ingenuity Gap</strong>, Homer-Dixon takes us on a remarkable journey &#8211; from the fall of the Roman empire to the devastation of the 9/11 attacks in New York, from Toronto in the 2003 blackout to the ancient temples of Lebanon and the wildfires of California. Incorporating the newest findings from an astonishing array of disciplines, he argues that the great stresses our world is experiencing &#8211; global warming, energy scarcity, population imbalances, and widening gaps between rich and poor &#8211; can&#8217;t be looked at independently. As these stresses combine and converge, the risk of breakdown rises. The first signs are appearing in the wastelands of the Arctic, the mud-clogged streets of Gonaïves, Haiti, and the volatile regions of the Middle East and Asia. But while the consequences of denial in our more perilous world are dire, Homer-Dixon makes clear that we can use our emerging understanding of the complex systems in which we live to avoid catastrophic collapse in a way the Roman empire could not. <br/><br/>This vitally important new book shows how, in the face of breakdown, we can still provide for the renewal of our global civilization. We are creating the conditions for catastrophe, but by understanding the underlying principles that make human and natural systems resilient &#8211; and by working together to put those principles into effect &#8211; we can still limit the severity of collapse and foster regeneration, innovation, and renewal.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
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  <date_added>Wed Oct 29 18:48:44 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Dec 20 14:40:01 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[More downside than up but an interesting read particularly on the question of peak oil.]]></body>
    
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