BOOK REVIEW: If humanity keeps on its present course, the result may well be “The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History” (ISBN: 9781250062185). Elizabeth Kolbert's writing is delightful even as her book documents a doomsday scenario.

The post Will Humans be the Next Extinction? Welcome to Doomsday in Kolbert’s ‘The Sixth Extinction’ appeared first on MuseWire.

ARTICLE: "That's a hit song!" The speaker was Wendie Colter, complimenting fellow artist Fran Lucci on one of her warm numbers. This was just before Colter delivered one of several potential hit songs of her own. And it was near the middle of a set featuring nicely textured work by Denise (lead singer from the indie band Jacar), as well as several crowd-rousing numbers from the supremely strong-voiced Mara.

The post Singers and their Songs – they need tunes and lyrics before they step into the spotlight appeared first on MuseWire.

REVIEW: Before fleeing in horror from a book about numbers and mathematics, take a moment to consider the humor of Charles Wheelan's “Naked Statistics: Stripping the Dread from the Data” (ISBN: 978-0-393-34777-7). Odds are you'll enjoy it. Well, at least sixty or seventy percent of it.

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REVIEW: Making things go 'boom' is just one result of the incredible journey of the scientists working with Ernest O. Lawrence. His besmirch and destruction lairs -- oops, I mean research and development facilities -- shaped our modern age. Michael Hiltzik takes you up close and personal with the people of “Big Science” (ISBN: 9781451675757) who put us on the road to dealing with the dreaded military-industrial complex.

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ADSP Chapter 22: Blues guitar virtuoso Buddy Guy succeeds on every level from soul to sizzle to showmanship. Sitting in his trailer before taking the stage for a festival performance, Buddy Guy is philosophical about his place in the pantheon of blues guitarists.

The post Oh Buddy: This Guy is Great – Blues guitar virtuoso Buddy Guy succeeds on every level appeared first on MuseWire.

ADSP Chapter 25: God can be found inside many things: The sun, moon, and stars; a child's simple wisdom; a lover's kiss. And at one nightclub on one sultry summer evening in Southern California, god was in the fingers of Derek Trucks.

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REVIEW: Zephyr Teachout believes that venality has been on the minds and in the bloodstream of politicians since the founding of the nation. In "Corruption in America: From Benjamin Franklin's Snuff Box to Citizens United" (ISBN: 9780674050402) she makes the case and provides some possible resolutions to the problem.

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ADSP Chapter 23: When hired guns go solo, the results can be "meh" or "yowza," but studio great Carl Verheyen ("ver-HIGH-un") consistently wows the crowds. Los Angeles is full of guitar aces for hire and one of the best has a name you can't pronounce. You have heard quite a lot of the work of Carl Verheyen even though you may not be aware of it.

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REVIEW: Humanity triumphs on every page of Elizabeth Warren's "A Fighting Chance" (ISBN: 9781627790529). Her life story is inspirational but it's her goals -- fairness, a level playing field, justice -- that are crucial to our country's future.

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REVIEW: A strange saga filled to the brim with fear and loathing, Rick Perlstein's 'The Invisible Bridge' documents the point in US history where the rightwing began to team up with corporations, racists, and morons to begin systematically destroying this nation. Subtitled 'The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan,' the book (ISBN: 978-1-4767-8241-6) is a well-written chill ride full of ominous shudders.

The post Book Review: Onset of the Zombie Apocalypse in ‘The Invisible Bridge’ appeared first on MuseWire.