Category Archives: Books

How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy

Posted on May 26, 2021 by cPaul

Book by Jenny Odell | Review by Jonah Engel Bromwich | NYT In 2015, Jenny Odell started an organization she called The Bureau of Suspended Objects. Odell was then an artist-in-residence at a waste operating station in San Francisco. As the … Continue reading →

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Project Northmoor

Posted on December 3, 2020 by cPaul

Establishing the First Centre in the World, Dedicated to all Things J.R.R. Tolkien There is no centre devoted to Tolkien studies anywhere in the world – a remarkable fact considering the writer’s importance and continuing popularity. Purchasing Tolkien’s former home … Continue reading →

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Why is the Awful Stuff Winning?

Posted on October 17, 2020 by cPaul

I’ve recently read a chapter from “Reality Lost: Markets of Attention, Misinformation and Manipulation”, by Mads Vestergaard and Vincent F. Hendricks (2018) in which they explore the phenomenon of constant (and dissonant) disinformation on the population’s shared reality. Can democracy … Continue reading →

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Will America’s Alliances Survive the Trump Era?

Posted on July 14, 2020 by cPaul

BY SAM WINTER-LEVY, NIKITA LALWANI | FOREIGN POLICY A new book advances a robust defense of the U.S. system of alliances. A post-pandemic world requires adaptation and renewed coordination against common threats. In Sept. 19, 1796, George Washington’s Farewell Address appeared in … Continue reading →

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A Scheme of Heaven is a deep investigation of astrology from a scientist’s perspective

Posted on June 26, 2020 by cPaul

Fun book review at BoingBoing: We humans are castaways on an ocean of uncertainty. Since the beginnings of history, our ancestors sought knowledge and understanding about their lives, their relationship with the cosmos, and perhaps take a peek into their … Continue reading →

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The Room Where It Happened

Posted on June 22, 2020 by cPaul

I just finished John Bolton’s latest book. All I will say is that just when you think US politics can’t sink any lower, a whole new elevator to hell opens up. I’ve sniped my thoughts about this guy several times … Continue reading →

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Beverly Cleary turns 104 today!

Posted on April 12, 2020 by cPaul

Happy 104th Birthday, Beverly Cleary! “The Mouse and the Motorcycle” changed my life. – cPaul A video interview with Beverly Cleary at Reading Rockets

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How Christian Nationalism Moved from the Fringe to the White House

Posted on March 11, 2020 by cPaul

Previously, I’ve written tangentially about the prevalence of right-wing groups that are bent on establishing a Christian theocracy in the United States, so I was interested to come across this article by Karl Richter at the Texas Observer looking at … Continue reading →

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Escaping the Rabbit Hole: How to Debunk Conspiracy Theories Using Facts, Logic, and Respect

Posted on February 24, 2020 by cPaul

Amazon Review Here is a conclusive, well-researched, practical reference on why people fall down the conspiracy theory rabbit hole and how you can help them escape. Mick West shares the knowledge and experience he’s accumulated debunking false conspiracy theories, and … Continue reading →

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What Makes Dogs So Special? Science Says Love

Posted on February 20, 2020 by cPaul

When I studied Animal Psychology at University a thousand years ago (ok… 40), the last expert word on animal empathy was that it did not exist, other than through our anthropomorphization of our animal friends. Those who have lived with … Continue reading →

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Elizabeth Wurtzel, the author of ‘Prozac Nation,’ has died at 52

Posted on January 7, 2020 by cPaul

Wurtzel was best known for her deeply confessional memoirs By EJ DICKSON @ Rolling Stone Elizabeth Wurtzel — the author of the best-selling memoir Prozac Nation: Young and Depressed in America — died in a New York City hospital on Tuesday, according to the New … Continue reading →

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“The Holy or the Broken”: The story behind Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”

Posted on January 4, 2020 by cPaul

This was going to be the expression of an indignant rant several years in the making, but instead, it’s going to be an admission that I was wrong. Several years ago, while serving as the Music Director at a Montreal … Continue reading →

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The World As It Is

Posted on September 7, 2019 by cPaul

For nearly ten years, Ben Rhodes saw almost everything that happened at the center of the Obama administration—first as a speechwriter, then as deputy national security advisor, and finally as a multipurpose aide and close collaborator. He started every morning … Continue reading →

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Educated (An NPR driveway moment)

Posted on December 31, 2018 by cPaul

Author Tara Westover on What it Means to Be “Educated” “Tara Westover was 17 the first time she set foot in a classroom. Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, she prepared for the end of the world by … Continue reading →

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