This was a book that I had been meaning to read for a while, and since the election got me energized about politics again, this seemed like a good tim...moreThis was a book that I had been meaning to read for a while, and since the election got me energized about politics again, this seemed like a good time.
I found it interesting how little Richard Nixon shows up in the book. He is more of this terrifying specter in the background than a main character. Instead most of the focus is on the Democratic Primary and the various candidates, McGovern, Muskie, Humphrey, Wallace, and Chisholm. The campaign was interesting in how the presumptive nominee Muskie cratered early and McGovern had his success. However, even with good showings the candidate was not certainly known prior to the convention in Miami.
The Miami Convention seemed like a convoluted affair, with various protests about how many delegates should be for each candidate, and there seemed to be a lot of byzantine procedural votes that I could never wrap my head around. McGovern, by losing one vote by a wide margin, helped secure disputed Californian delegates. This convention craziness also alluded to things inside the 1968 Democratic National Convention. In addition to the protests and rioting outside, there was apparently strange goings-on inside the convention hall, or at least Hunter S. Thompson alludes to some. He is an unreliable narrator, but it has made me curious to learn more.
The book also covers McGovern's disastrous VP selection and his general election drubbing. At this point it seems like most people know that Nixon will crush McGovern, but it is interesting to read writing done at the time rather than with the benefit of hindsight. The writing may not always be lucid, but it is generally interesting in both style and substance, and so it seemed like a much breezier read than what one would expect from a 500 page book about an election 40 years ago.(less)
This book is a fantastically interesting read. The title might make it seem like it would be a philippic against the Sun Belt migration, but it is far...moreThis book is a fantastically interesting read. The title might make it seem like it would be a philippic against the Sun Belt migration, but it is far more nuanced than that. The book delves into many factors that make cities sustainable or unsustainable. Phoenix has particular issues of water scarcity and the heat island effect that pose unique challenges, especially with anthropogenic climate change, but there are many other issues that apply to all cities. In many ways Phoenix is a parable for any citizen of a developed nation, living far beyond the resources at hand.
A concise summary of the issues at play is difficult, but the author delves into the culture of the region, its politics, the tension over immigration, and social justice. All of these areas have a important place in talk about sustainability. It highlights to good work some people are doing as well as the momentous challenges that they face. The best part is how the book clearly brought to mind how I live in Ohio, and how so many of the same issues are present here, although in a slightly more forgiving natural environment.
That being said, I still do not like the idea of Americans flocking to a Sun Belt city which has so much pressure on water resources. The city could not have been built without federal water projects and even still the aquifers and rivers of the region are being siphoned out of existence.
Decided to pick up another book about the Great Lakes Water Compact after reading the engrossing The Great Lakes Water Wars. This book is written by a...moreDecided to pick up another book about the Great Lakes Water Compact after reading the engrossing The Great Lakes Water Wars. This book is written by a former staff member for the Michigan governor who has also worked with conservation groups.
The tone at time verges on philippic, and he seems to focus more on the weaknesses of the compact than the previous book. One thing which Dave Dempsey does particularly well is his explanation of the changes in water use and the degradation of public trust doctrine and legal precedent (most often due to the machinations of right-wing politicians). The issue of water use and export is very complicated, and the laws are patchwork quilts of strange legal definitions, but that is part of what makes them so fascinating.(less)
This book is an overview about the Great Lakes, water rights, and how the states and provinces in the region are working to control their own destiny...moreThis book is an overview about the Great Lakes, water rights, and how the states and provinces in the region are working to control their own destiny and protect their most notable natural resource. The book takes the events up to 2006. The politics of the issue are pretty interesting, in that most of the issues are purely geographic rather than partisan. It is also interesting how the different partners in the Compact view each other. Michigan hates any diversion of water from the drainage basin, understandably, since they are right in the middle of the watershed. Illinois wants special deals for Chicago, and actually gets them because of Supreme Court precedent on their crazy reversal of the flow of the Chicago River (originally done to ensure their waste wouldn't flow into their water intakes). The Canadian groups think everyone on the US side uses way too much and is worried that the Yankees will divert all of the water.
Ohio was always a mover and shaker in the talks, and seems to have carried itself well, regardless of the party of the governor at the time. That pleases me as a resident of Ohio, and formerly of the Lake Erie Watershed. It also showed how even a water-rich state and region has water issues. Akron and some of its neighbors got into quite a legal wrangle in the 1990s over diversion, mostly because Akron was trying to secure water ownership rights, similar to the system in place in the Western United States, rather than the riparian use model of water law which is generally used in the Eastern United States. Akron also set a precedent that if water is to be diverted out of the Great Lakes watershed, equal water must be replaced into the system. Water law is shockingly interesting to me.
The greatest thing I took away from the book is the impressive foresight of regional politicians who want to protect the greatest asset the region has. It might not be sunny all the time and has cold winters, but the Great Lakes are rich with water. It would be a shame to let short-sighted diversion plans redistribute one of the main assets of the region to populations who are foolishly living beyond their hydrological means in other parts of the nation or the world. Hopefully the plans implemented will protect the Great Lakes ecosystem so that nothing like the Aral Sea disaster can happen here.(less)
This book is a really fascinating look in to the growing partisanship of the American electorate, told in a reasonably non-partisan way (the author ad...moreThis book is a really fascinating look in to the growing partisanship of the American electorate, told in a reasonably non-partisan way (the author admits his liberal leanings, but shows how both liberals and conservatives contribute to "The Big Sort" and generally just looks at the trends and why they started).
So what is "The Big Sort?" Essentially, people beginning in the 1970s have started living in like-minded groups many. Many cities have become overwhelming Democratic and rural areas and exurbs are overwhelmingly Republican. This book looks into the trends of this polarization, and how it relates to group psychology, market research, the history of the political parties, the Social Gospel and the Great Commission philosophies of Christianity.
Some of the most interesting aspects were how there wasn't much difference in the two major parties through the 1940s and 1950s (and both were recruiting Eisenhower for a presidential candidate), but party affiliation was high and both parties had a mix of liberal, moderate, and conservative members. During 1965, public trust took a nose dive and party affiliation followed on a huge decline. Over the coming decades, the parties have realigned themselves.
The greatest value of this book is how it makes one realize how little civil discourse there is and how rare it is to have interaction with people who differ on many issues. Both sides have circled the wagons and are further polarized by a feed back loop of their own rhetoric. This makes it all the easier to vilify the "other". Looking at my own choices, of what I study, where I spend my time, my hobbies, and where I live, I see that I am part of "The Big Sort." It will be interesting to see if the trends continue.(less)
This book was endlessly fascinating, and really meticulously researched (almost 100 pages of notes). I hope everyone who has read this book walks away...moreThis book was endlessly fascinating, and really meticulously researched (almost 100 pages of notes). I hope everyone who has read this book walks away with a more realistic view of whether or not they are good drivers. In surveys, a majority feel they are better than average, which starting several years ago I realized I was not a good driver, merely one who has avoided crashes and tickets. The book also delved into really fascinating phenomena, such as why it always feels like the other lane is going faster in traffic, and how sometimes a lack of signs and bike lanes can make roads safer. The reason for this is since there is more uncertainty, people are more focused and ready to respond to the unexpected. The book also discusses the problems of communication and anonymity in cars, and the problems that causes such as misunderstood honking and hand signals, and how eye contact between drivers can seem uncomfortable while outside of a car it seems normal.
This book is perfect for reading on a plane, which I did. JEt lag really brings home the issues of time and transportation. It's odd for me to realize...moreThis book is perfect for reading on a plane, which I did. JEt lag really brings home the issues of time and transportation. It's odd for me to realize how even the standard time zones are relatively recent invention, and only really necessary once railroads and transportation developed and people could move from town to town rapidly. It was fun to learn why the Eastern Time Zone kept expanding west, and how even now there are some issues with Daylight Saving Time.
It's also interesting to note how DST was really linked to war efforts for World War I and II. It has been such a piecemeal process, and the current national level DST has only really been around 50 years.(less)
This book was a very interesting read. Nothing of its content really shocked or amazed me (I think I had heard/read/known about much of it before), bu...moreThis book was a very interesting read. Nothing of its content really shocked or amazed me (I think I had heard/read/known about much of it before), but the was Pollan writes is very approachable, without being dumbed down. It makes you look at labels in the grocery store, and think about what you eat, why you eat it, and what the consequences of those decisions are. Thanks to my brother, for giving this as a Christmas gift.(less)
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