Almost nobody thinks income and wealth should be distributed with perfect equality. Most of us want to see talent, creativity, and hard work rewarded, both because we think that's fairer and because we recognize the practical benefits of giving people … Continue reading
Nobel-Prize-winning Princeton University economist Paul Krugman contends that we could get out of the current economic doldrums fairly quickly—not overnight, but in less than two years—were it not for the fact that so many politicians here and in Europe have … Continue reading
Pleiades, built by the non-profit Galaxian Society, is Earth’s first starship, and nobody, not even its builders, fully understands how it works. Theory says it should be able to leap instantly from a given point in space to another one … Continue reading
The late Donald Westlake is best known as a writer of crime fiction, some serious and hard-boiled (including a series he wrote under the name Richard Stark) and others very funny, notably those starring John Dortmunder, a professional thief with … Continue reading
This is an entertaining history of the idea of a hollow Earth, from what at the time was serious scientific speculation (concentric Earths supposedly explaining why the magnetic poles don’t line up with the geographical ones) to crank theorizing to … Continue reading
This is a book full of surprisingly interesting water trivia but also with a serious purpose, describing how in many places easy access to fresh water is becoming increasingly difficult. Of course, you’d expect someone named Fishman to know something … Continue reading
David Barton is a pseudo-historian popular with some members of the Christian right because he claims that the United States was intended to be a Christian nation and the Founding Fathers, including Thomas Jefferson, were orthodox Christians who wanted Christianity … Continue reading
A hole in time in the storage room of a Maine diner allows passage to a specific instant in 1958, and after a couple of experimental trips, the protagonist embarks on a longer excursion to prevent several tragedies, including the … Continue reading
The Fifth Witness A lack of paying criminal defendants has "Lincoln Lawyer" Mickey Haller—so called because his rolling office is a chauffeur-drive Lincoln Town Car—mass-marketing his legal services to people facing foreclosure. But when one of them, a loose cannon … Continue reading
Princeton professor Paul Starr, co-founder of The American Prospect magazine, has written extensively on the healthcare and public policy and was involved in healthcare reform efforts prior to latest one. His book clearly written and concise and corrects some common … Continue reading