Richard Engel's War Journal: Five Years in Iraq

World Affairs Council of Northern California
San Francisco, CA
Jun 11th, 2008
Fluent in Arabic, he has had unrivaled access to U.S. military commanders, Sunni insurgents, Shiite militias, Iraqi families, and even President George W. Bush.
Engel, who reported as a freelance journalist for ABC News during the initial US invasion of Iraq, was NBC News' lead Iraq correspondent from 2003 until his appointment to Beirut Bureau Chief in May 2006.
He joins the Council to discuss his experiences as a reporter in Iraq and his new book War Journal - My Five Years in Iraq - The World Affairs Council of Northern California







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Judith Levine talks about Not Buying It: My Year without Shopping.

Cody's Books
San Francisco, CA
Mar 8th, 2007

Judith Levine talks about Not Buying It: My Year without Shopping.

Shocked by the commerce in everything from pet cloning to patriotism, frightened by the downward spiral of her finances and that of the trash-strewn earth, Judith Levine enlists her partner, Paul, in a radical experiment: to forgo all but the most necessary purchases for an entire year.

Without consumer goods and experiences, Judith and Paul pursue their careers, nurture relationships, and try to keep their sanity, their identities, and their sense of humor intact. Tracking their progress - and inevitable lapses - Levine contemplates need and desire, scarcity and security, consumerism and citizenship. She asks the Big Questions: Can the economy survive without shopping? Are Q-tips necessary? NOT BUYING IT is the confession of a woman any reader can identify with: someone who can't live without French roast coffee or SmartWool socks but who has had it up to here with over-consumption and its effects on the earth and everyone who dwells there. For the humor and intelligence of its insights, the refreshment of its skepticism, and the surprises of its conclusions, NOT BUYING IT is sure to be on anyone's list of necessities. Levine is also the author of "Harmful to Minors," "My Enemy, My Love" and "Do You Remember Me?" - Codys