Sunday, October 13, 2024

Review of Nature Wars: The Incredible Story of How Wildlife Comebacks Turned Backyards into Battlegrounds by Jim Sterba

This book review was written by Eugene Kernes   

Book can be found in: 
Genre = Science
Intriguing Connections = 1) Earth's Flora and Fauna



Watch Short Review

Excerpts

“People now share the landscape with millions of deer, geese, wild turkeys, coyotes, and beavers; thousands of bears, moose, and raptors; formerly domesticated feral pigs and cats; and uncountable numbers of small wild animals and birds.  And more are on the way, moving in among us as their populations thrive and spread to regions where they haven’t been seen for centuries – in some cases far beyond their historic ranges.” – Jim Sterba, Introduction, Page xv

 

“Stewardship means making use of a resource and at the same time leaving it to future generations in as good or better condition than before.  But this wasn’t happening.  In the 1960s and 1970s, the environmental protection movement grew out of a widespread recognition that the landscape had been abused and harmed.  It fought the overuse of agricultural herbicides and pesticides; campaigned to clean up air, water, and land fouled by those and other man-made pollutants; called for protection of wildlife threatened by overharvesting, pollution, and other forms of human abuse; and pushed to curtail such extractive eyesore industries as clear-cut logging and strip mining.” – Jim Sterba, Introduction, Page xvi

 

“It is understandable that after generations of wildlife scarcity many people might be skeptical of the idea that many wild species are now not only plentiful but overabundant enough to cause serious problems for people and ecosystems.  After decades in which wild populations had to be nurtured, the idea that creatures’ numbers needed to be reduced, by lethal means if necessary, was disturbing to them.” – Jim Sterba, Introduction, Page xix


Review

Is This An Overview?

During the 20th century, Americans recognized how the ecosystems has been harmed and damaged.  In response, various environmental organizations were born.  Culture gradually changed to become more protective of the flora and fauna.  The protection was so successful, that there are species which were near extinct, which began to flourish, and have become overpopulated.  Overpopulation of animals has negative consequences for people and the ecosystem.

 

As people have lost tacit experiences with the ecosystem, people no longer know how to properly protect and interact with the ecosystem.  The more animals there are, the more food resources are needed.  Species which have become overpopulated due to human intervention such as by giving them more food, cannot find enough food for themselves in their habitats, leading to starvation. 

 

Human intervention can be on an ecosystem scale, but often, people advance the cause of a few or a single species.  While the supported and protected species becomes overpopulated, the species competes with unprotected species, taking away resources from the unprotected species.  Protecting a single species at the expense of others damages the ecosystem, as the numbers of the unsupported species decline.  An overpopulation can pollute and degrade the ecosystem thought their consumption methods and waste, which damages the habitats of other creatures.

 

Animals which habituated to the presence of humans, and recognize that humans are not a threat, can become a threat to humans.  Those who handle animal related problems are appreciated by those whose problems they resolve, but are disapproved by those who idealize the animals. 

 

Various means of controlling species populations are discussed within communities, often with tense debates as the various interest groups do not think the means of others are appropriate.  As culture has become protective of animals, many do not want to use lethal means of controlling the population.  Even though people do not want to use lethal means, people appear to not find the frequent road kill as problematic. 

 

Who Invaded Who?

As people invaded animal regions, animals reciprocated by invading human regions.  Though developing an environment for people, certain species have benefited from these developments as well.  Species which were able to thrive in developments for people, which otherwise would have had difficulty surviving.  Within human associated regions, there are various legal protections for animals, such as laws that prohibit hunting.

 

How To Control The Population?

There are lethal methods of reducing animal populations, but they have become disapproved of.    The overpopulation of animals makes hunting seasons less effective, for they remove less animals than the reproduction rate of the animal, and there are less people willing to hunt.

 

A nonlethal method of removing animals from an environment is to relocate the animal.  Relocation is not a safe method as relocated animals have low survival odds.  The animals are relocated to strange environments and need to compete with animals already there.  The relocated animals can also carry diseases. 

 

When repopulating wild population, domesticated species to not necessarily thrive.  For their behavior has changed to be domesticated, rather than what is needed to survive.

 

Caveats?

The focus of the book is on the species which are overpopulated due to human intervention.  Not all species are overpopulated.  More research would be needed for species which have not recovered.

 

This book shares a diverse number of species which have flourished from human contact.  Sharing the biological traits of a species, a history of how they were endangered, how culture changed to support them, the consequences of their overpopulation, and the political conflict on population control.  Even with the diversity and varied details on each species, the explanations can become self-similar.  Such as the conflict over how to manage a species, from different lethal to nonlethal methods, can appear to be the same as other species but with different interest group names.

 

Questions to Consider while Reading the Book

•What is the raison d’etre of the book?  For what purpose did the author write the book?  Why do people read this book?
•What are some limitations of the book?
•To whom would you suggest this book?
•What is the American history of how they have treated flora and fauna?
•What species have seen a revival?
•How do people interact with nature?
•What is ecosystem stewardship?
•What gave rise in environmental protection movement?
•How do people in America think of nature?  
•How did would a Darwinian think of nature? 
•What are single species obsessed? 
•How have people invaded animal lands?  How have animals invaded human lands?
•How have the forested been treated?
•What is the difference between modern forests and ancient forests?
•How did trees effect settler populations? 
•How has symbol of trees changed?
•What caused a decline in the consumption of trees? 
•What is the American method of wildlife conservation?
•How does American tree consumption effect the world? 
•Why do beavers build dams? 
•What caused the beaver overpopulation? 
•What is America’s informal army?
•How has deer season effected white-tailed deer population? 
•How have deer effect the forest ecosystem?
•How did hunting for sport effect the ecosystem? 
•What effect did the buck law have? 
•What is the effect of baiting? 
•How did overpopulation of geese effect the ecosystem?
•Do geese migrate? 
•How do turkeys effect the ecosystem?
•What happened to domesticated turkeys when released into the wild? 
•Why are turkeys scapegoats? 
•How does baiting effect bears?
•What is the difference between the experience of nature and the way denatured people perceive nature?
•What is the difference between nature documentaries and what is experienced in nature? 
•What did the farming experience teach about animals?
•What happens to roadkill meat? 
•How can infrastructure be changed to be inclusive with animals? 
•Which birds were favored or unfavored by farmers? 
•How did cats become pets?
•What is the effect of bird feeders?
•What is the difference between how dogs and cats were trained on the farm and urban environments?
•How much do veterinarians know about the wildlife ecosystems? 




Book Details
Publisher:               Crown Publishers [Random House]
Edition ISBN:         9780307341969
Pages to read:          307
Publication:             2012
1st Edition:              2012
Format:                    Hardcover 

Ratings out of 5:
Readability    5
Content          5
Overall          5






Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Review of Crazy Horse by Larry McMurtry

This book review was written by Eugene Kernes   

Book can be found in: 
Genre = History
Intriguing Connections = 1) Biographies: Auto, Memoir, and Other Types


Watch Short Review

Excerpts

The Sioux peoples in the time of Crazy Horse were spread across the northern and central plains in many loosely related tribes of bands, each governed, for the most part, not by one leader but by councils composed of tribal elders, men of skill, experience, and wisdom.” – Larry McMurtry, Chapter 3, Page 14

“Red Cloud and Spotted Tail both recognized quickly that the whites were too powerful to oppose directly – much too powerful.  Whatever might be said in the parleys, and whatever was written on the papers, the whites meant to win; they were going to take what they wanted, which, in the end, was all the country that the native peoples had once inhabited.” – Larry McMurtry, Chapter 3, Page 26

“That the whites were willing, almost casually, to destroy a whole village was a new fact that the Sioux would have to come to terms with.  In the warfare between tribes such a thing did not happen; there was no such imbalance of weaponry.” – Larry McMurtry, Chapter 5, Page 40


Review

Is This An Overview?

For the Sioux, names are not permanent but earned.  Crazy Horse earned the name after being recognized for the risky behavior taken during confrontations with the opposition.  Crazy Horse was a force of resistance to American expansion.  Crazy Horse and others understood that the Americans intended to conqueror all their land.  Made possible by American power and a willingness to destroy their adversaries.  Over time, various Native Indians changed their strategy of resistance, to being part of the American administration system. 

 

Crazy Horse was someone who tended to defect from cultural obligations, and was often isolated in thought and behavior.  A mysterious person even to those close to Crazy Horse.  Crazy Horse retained a connection to the community because there were those who were dependent on Crazy Horse, with Crazy Horse having a sense of responsibility.  Crazy Horse was one of the last Sioux warriors who resisted American expansion, but joined the American administration to protect those who depended on Crazy Horse.

 

The Sioux were composed of various related tribes.  Tribes which were governed by a council.  Native Indian governance was misunderstood by the American negotiators.  The negotiators thought that Native Indians were governed in a similar manner as the American system, with a single individual who held authority to speak for all people.  For the Native Indians, they did not obey other leaders unless their own interests were aligned with the other tribes. 

 

Governance misunderstanding was only part of the negotiation failures.  Another negotiation problem was that no treaty made by the Americans, was expected to be upheld.  There were American negotiators who made genuine claims and treaty terms that respected the local conditions to gain the trust of Native Indians.  Treaties that would have enabled cooperation and improved the political situation, but were denied by distant government officials.  Leading to further distrust of the Americans.  

 

Caveats?

The focus of the book is on a single individual.  There are various references to the culture, politics, and events that affected Crazy Horse, but to understand the era would require more research. 

 

There are various references to data gaps on what is known about Crazy Horse.  The author refrains from speculating on unverified details, but shares how others have thought of the details.  


Questions to Consider while Reading the Book

•What is the raison d’etre of the book?  For what purpose did the author write the book?  Why do people read this book?
•What are some limitations of the book?
•To whom would you suggest this book?
•Who is Crazy Horse?  What was Crazy Horse’s personality?
•Who are the Sioux?
•How were the Sioux governed? 
•How did the American negotiations think the Sioux were governed?
•What was expected from treaties and claims?
•How are the people named?
•What was the consequence of trade? 
•Why did Americans expand? 
•What did the Native Indians think of the American expansion intent?
•What is the difference between tribal warfare and American warfare? 
•What effect did dreams have on political and personal decisions for the Native Indians?
•What dream did Crazy Horse have?
•Why did American’s loss battles?  How did they react? 
•Who was Black Buffalo Woman to Crazy Horse? 
•What is a Shirt-wearer?
•How did Native Indians support the Americans? 
•What happened in the reservations?
•How was Crazy Horse treated in the reservation? 


Book Details
Publisher:               Viking [Penguin Group]
Edition ISBN:         9780670882342
Pages to read:          141
Publication:             1999
1st Edition:              1999
Format:                    Hardcover 

Ratings out of 5:
Readability    5
Content          5
Overall          5






Saturday, October 5, 2024

Review of Charlemagne by Johannes Fried

This book review was written by Eugene Kernes   

Book can be found in: 
Book Club Event = Book List (03/08/2025)
Intriguing Connections = 1) Biographies: Auto, Memoir, and Other Types


Watch Short Review

Excerpts

“A number of different tactics were employed in this conflict.  Particularly, the Saxon nobility were more amenable than the common people to being annexed to the Franks.  After all, they stood only to gain from being locked into Mediterranean culture and the Frankish system of rule.  In addition, the king appointed loyal Saxons as counts, a powerful stimulus to joining the Franks.  Indeed, the resistance was led first and foremost by the free men and the serfs; they rose up on two further occasions, in 841 and 843, during the Stellinga Rebellion.  A program of annual campaigns, castle building, and repeated overwintering by the king and his army on Saxon territory took a heavy toll on the populace and the land.  Hostages were required to be handed over on a regular basis, and deportations and mass executions were also the order of the day.” – Johannes Fried, Chapter 3: The Warrior King, Page 158

 

“Robbery – whether out of desperation or on other grounds – was widespread in the Frankish Empire.  And it was the same poor people who were its victims – a cycle that the poor in general were forced to pay for through increasing dependence on regional rulers.  Charlemagne sought in vain to find a lasting solution to this problem.  He was just as unsuccessful in this endeavor as any of his successors.  Mindful of the physical distance that separated them from the center of power, strongmen obeyed the king only when there was something in it for them in return – in the form of gifts, grace and favor, greater prestige, honor, or advancement in rank.” – Johannes Fried, Chapter 4: Power Structures, Page 231

 

“Charlemagne, though, was very fond of the foreigners in his kingdom.  He eagerly adopted the suggestions even of those who had come from far afield.  The king supported episcopal churches, monasteries, and religious houses, be they long-established foundations or recently created ones, and he put several foreigners in charge of such institutions.  An abundance of centers of culture and learning came into being as a result.  New schools, whose importance soon transcended their local region, began to flourish, and the first episcopal schools were founded at this time.  In the ensuing decades, the length and breadth of the Frankish Empire, from north to south and west to east, was covered with a network of educational institutions.” – Johannes Fried, Chapter 5: The Ruler, Page 284


Review

Is This An Overview?

Charlemagne was a warrior king, who became a medieval emperor.  The Franks were in a constant state of conflict to finance itself and organize the social classes.  As king, Charlemagne needed to expand territory to prove oneself worthy of leadership, and to provide the retinue with rewards.  Efforts were made towards integration of the conquered lands and people, but local laws and customs tended to be accepted and retained.   

 

During the era, there was no separation between Church and state.  Charlemagne was a defender of Christendom.  Needed to protect churches and the faithful.  Even Rome needed the Franks for defense of their independence.  Various conquests were justified for providing religious services.  Charlemagne gave the clergy wealth and power, and in return, the clergy were to bring salvation to the people.

 

Charlemagne initiated the development of an educational infrastructure.  Wanted to educated oneself and the empire.  Educational efforts which enabled literacy, that was used to improve the efficiency of Frankish bureaucracy and to understand religious matters.  Churches established schools which enabled a literate administration of power.  Knowledge was sought after no matter the source, as foreign ideas were welcomed and schools established which supported their culture and learning.

 

Caveats?

This book is difficult to read, mainly caused by the data gaps.  The author often repeats how much is not known about Charlemagne, the Franks, and the era.   Data gaps that contribute to a lack of details on many events, and reasons for the events.  


Questions to Consider while Reading the Book

•What is the raison d’etre of the book?  For what purpose did the author write the book?  Why do people read this book?
•What are some limitations of the book?
•To whom would you suggest this book?
•How much is known about Charlemagne?
•How has Charlemagne been used posthumously? 
•How was Charlemagne as a boy?
•What did Charlemagne learn on how to be a good king when Charlemagne was a boy? 
•What was the Franks class structure?
•What did the queen do?
•Who did were Charlemagne’s wives?
•What defined justice?
•What were Charlemagne’s social policies? 
•How did Frankish office holders behave? 
•What was the Franks relation with religion? 
•Did Charlemagne live in accordance with ecclesial law? 
•Who benefited from a tithe? 
•What was the conflict with images in religion?
•How did the Franks effect Rome?
•Why were the Franks in a constant state of conflict?
•How much did the Frank know of foreigners? 
•How were foreigners treated? 
•What was the purpose of hunting expeditions? 
•What were the Franks weapons of war?
•How did the Franks organize for war?
•What happened with the Lombards?
•What happened with the Saxons?
•How did Vikings effect the Franks?
•How did the decline of the classical civilizations, such as the Roman Empire, effect Europe?
•What was the state of Frankish road infrastructure? 
•What were Charlemagne’s policy towards forests and farmland?
•How did Charlemagne effect the literacy of the Franks?
•What were Charlemagne’s educational reforms?
•How was distance measured?
•How had Charlemagne become an emperor?


Book Details
Translator:              Peter Lewis
Original Language: German
Translated Into:       English
Publisher:               Harvard University Press
Edition ISBN:         9780674973411
Pages to read:          621
Publication:             2016
1st Edition:              2013
Format:                    eBook 

Ratings out of 5:
Readability    3
Content          3
Overall          3






Tuesday, October 1, 2024

Review of The Entrepreneurial State: Debunking Public vs. Private Sector Myths by Mariana Mazzucato

This book review was written by Eugene Kernes   

Book can be found in: 
Genre = Economics
Book Club Event = Book List (12/21/2024)



Watch Short Review

Excerpts

“These companies are of course helping to push the innovation frontier by further developing State-funded technologies, and, crucially, contributing to a transition to a more environmentally sustainable economy.  But all we hear in the media is the one-sided myth of the lone entrepreneur.” – Mariana Mazzucato, Introduction: Thinking Big Again, Page 43

 

“Public venture capital, for example, is very different from private venture capital.  It is willing to invest in areas with much higher risk, while providing greater patience and lower expectations of future returns.  By definition this is a more difficult situation.  Yet the returns to public versus private venture capital are compared without taking this difference into account.” – Mariana Mazzucato, Chapter 1: From Crisis Ideology to the Division of Innovative Labour, Page 61

 

“The State’s role is not just to create knowledge through national labs and universities, but also to mobilize resources that allow knowledge and innovations to diffuse broadly across sectors of the economy.  It does this by rallying existing innovation networks or by facilitating the development of new ones that bring together a diverse group of stakeholders.  Rather than fixing ‘market failures’, evolutionary economists and innovation scholars have therefore put emphasis on the State’s role in fixing ‘system failures’.” – Mariana Mazzucato, Chapter 2: Technology, Innovation and Growth, Page 83


Review

Is This An Overview?

There is a myth that governments cannot make appropriate investments, and intervention in the market would create problems.  The myth implies that the main role of the government is to fix the private sector, to fix market failures, and to provide equitable laws.  This myth enabled the dismantling of public organizations and outsourcing responsibilities.  Leading to governments lacking tacit knowledge, and preventing long term agendas.   The myth of government’s ability, is associated with the myth of the lone entrepreneur who knows how to invent and invest in the future.

 

In practice, many entrepreneurs innovated state-funded technologies and used public funding sources.  Private sector investments tend to occur when an idea is ready for commercialization, after various failed ideas have been filtered out.  Governments tend to invest in earlier stages of an idea before commercialization.  Governments invest in the seed stage of an idea, which carries more uncertainty and higher risk than the later commercialization stage.  The private sector invests in ideas after government has transformed the uncertainty of an idea into much lower risk. 

 

Government has more patience with lower expectations of returns to ideas.  A strategy that has been effective, given that while government is spending more on Research and Development, the private sector is spending more on boosting share prices.  Government investments enabled forthcoming innovations, thereby stimulating private investments rather than crowding out investments.

.

Caveats?

In trying overcome one myth, another myth was written.  Although the author references that effective innovation is a collaboration between public and private sectors, the book prioritizes state activities.  A myth that the private sector is secondary to the state, being not as effective with financing and social functions.  Sharing only little reference to the consequences of state activities.  The bias in favor of state action, reduces the value of collaboration.



Questions to Consider while Reading the Book

•What is the raison d’etre of the book?  For what purpose did the author write the book?  Why do people read this book?
•What are some limitations of the book?
•To whom would you suggest this book?
•What are the consequences of dismantling organizations?
•What is the effect of outsourcing functions?
•What is the myth of government?
•What is the myth of the private sector?
•What is the role of the government?
•What should the government be fixing?
•What are market failures?
•What are government failures?
•Does government crowed out or crowed in investments?
•What kind of debt caused the 2008 financial crisis?
•What is the state’s self-fulfilling prophecy of being ill-equipped?
•What are the problems of regulatory capture? 
•Why do government not profit from innovation as private companies do?
•Should a government own a stake in companies that used government investments? 
•What is the difference between government and private investment strategies? 
•What happened to private sector R&D?
•How is the private sector free-riding on government investments? 
•What are the effects of inequality of growth?
•How does government mobilize resources within the sectors of the economy?
•How do companies use patents? 
•What drugs do private companies produce? 
•What makes R&D spending effective? 
•What enabled the Apple’s technology?
•What enabled the Green Industrial Revolution?  

Book Details
             
Publisher:               Penguin Books [Penguin Random House]
Edition ISBN:         9780593656945
Pages to read:          221
Publication:             2024
1st Edition:              2013
Format:                    eBook 

Ratings out of 5:
Readability    4
Content          5
Overall          4






Monday, September 30, 2024

Review of The Volunteer by Adam Haslett

This book review was written by Eugene Kernes   

Book can be found in: 
Genre = Novel
Collection = You Are Not a Stranger Here by Adam Haslett


Watch Short Review

Review

Is This An Overview?

Elizabeth has been hospitalized for a long time, due to a history of seeing the dead.  Having a visceral experience with the dead.  The dead guide Elizabeth’s behaviors.  While institutionalized, Elizabeth is being visited by Ted.  Ted is volunteering to visit Elizabeth.  Ted is in school, on the verge of adulthood.  Elizabeth feels better when Ted visits, while Ted is able to talk to Elizabeth about relationship advice.  Elizabeth and Ted bond, but Elizabeth’s past intertwines with their present.  How does Elizabeth’s past effect Ted? 


Questions to Consider while Reading the Book

•What is the raison d’etre of the book?  For what purpose did the author write the book?  Why do people read this book?
•What are some limitations of the book?
•To whom would you suggest this book?
•Who is Elizabeth?
•Who is Ted?
•What is Elizabeth’s mental status?
•Why does Ted volunteer to visit Elizabeth?
•What does Elizabeth gain from the visits?
•Who is Hester?
•What happened when Elizabeth was not allowed visitors anymore? 
•Who is Lauren? 


Book Details
Edition:                   First Anchor Books Edition
Publisher:               Anchor Books [Random House]
Edition ISBN:         0385509529
Pages to read:          237
Publication:             2003
1st Edition:              2002
Format:                    Paperback 

Ratings out of 5:
Readability    3
Content          1
Overall          1