Franklin News and Views

The Great Disruption : How the Climate Crisis Will Transform the Global Economy by Paul Gilding My rating: 4 of 5 stars An interesting book that held my interest. Paul Gilding describes the problems of the finite resources that we are using at a rate that means they can not last based on the scientific and mathematical evidence; facts that many people readily agree with. His conclusion is that we won't change until the economic consequences of this starts to come into play. He is confident that we will act and act very quickly when things become dire; virtually on a war footing. I would have liked to have had more of his views as to how some of the problems, such as population and water shortages caused by global warming, might pan out. A book well worth reading. View all my reviews

1835 The Founding of Melbourne and the Conquest of Australia by James Boyce My rating: 4 of 5 stars In many ways this book is companion of James Boyce's book Van Diemens Land. It deals with the absolute arrogance and greed for land by the invading first settlers of south east mainland Australia, in what is now Victoria. The aboriginal people were duped and mislead into believing they would not be displaced from their land, but of course the opposite was exactly what happened and did so with the connivance of the governors of Van Diemens Land and New South Wales. It is hard not to feel very grieved for the appalling treatment of the local aboriginal communities. View all my reviews