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Turn Off that Buffoon and Try this Tasty Spinach Jared Diamond is a professor of geography at UCLA. This bias is evident in all the cultures he discusses. Every country has geographic limits- the location, soil fertility and weather of lands set parameters that are not easily breeched. Poor stewardship such as cutting too many trees or ruining top soil often push a territory into perilous times. Finally, a dysfunctional cultural practice such as being unwilling to abandon a destructive lifestyle (eg. sheep farming) may doom a people. Diamond describes several countries, past and present, with a compelling narrative well grounded in geography and science. He does not just write about past failures- some countries have kicked bad habits. But there are plenty of places on the planet that are pursuing courses that will lead to destruction if changes are not employed. I love books that are loaded with data. This book draws on current anthropological techniques and geological evidence to answer questions that well-informed people ought to know. Before reading this book, I would have been in doubt about the following: "Why isn't Montana the big timber producing state it used to be?" "Just why did the Anasazi abandon their cities in the Southwest?" "How come the Dominican Republic isn't in the same fix as Haiti?" "Why does Australia insist on exporting wine instead of potatoes?" Also, I learned more about fairly current news stories (Rwandan genocide and Caribbean immigration) than I ever would have from newspapers or The History Channel. I admit that the book is repetitive, even tedious in spots. At the end, I felt like the good boy who had finally swallowed the last of his spinach. But I am grateful that we have scientists who are willing to make us question how we live. There are no predictions here. Dr. Diamond is like Fox News- he provides the facts and lets you decide. I feel obliged to conclude by stating what strikes me as the book's single-most worrisome point and then its single-most optimistic revelation. Be forewarned that failed civilizations have often been ignorant of their fate. Collapse tends to occur only a decade or two after the culture is at its peak. Such is the way resources are consumed. Here's the optimistic point. More and more, the public is supplied its "stuff" by huge chains- ie. Safeway, McDonalds, Home Depot, etc. If the buying public feels that these companies should follow certain environmental practices, the stores quickly change their policy. Corporations fear customers more than government commissions. Take note global villager; you may save the world.