The End of Suburbia

Oil and the suburbs, that’s what this film is about. The End of Suburbia is a film that explores the history and future of suburban America. We are a nation that is dependent on foreign oil, but this was not always the case. When America was awash in its own oil resources the automobile was seen as a way to utilize this natural resource. The creation of the American suburbs was made possible by the car, and peak oil may be the end of it.

The film, The End of Suburbia, is a fascinating study of how the limited resource of oil an our culture of consumption may have vast and far reaching consequences on our future. Various scientists and futurist discuss how the quality of American life had declined due to suburban life and how it is likely to continue to do so because our lifestyles are not sustainable.

I would rank this a rent. It is a good film, but probably does not have a great deal of re-watch value. It is useful for any students or political scientists who are working on papers regarding our depleting natural resources, but is a little dry at times. Check it out.

Cocaine Cowboys

This is a fascinating documentary about the rise of cocaine in the United States, mostly focused on Florida. It describes how some entrepreneurial, and morally lax, people managed to turn cocaine into a multi-billion dollar industry in the U.S. It explains how Miami, Florida became a dangerous place to live because of the wars between cocaine smugglers and the drugs immense social costs. It also shows how some people profited from the suffering the drug caused.

The film does not glorify the smugglers; it simply shows how they gained their wealth, and eventually how they lost it. What you will find most interesting is the amount of jail time that these big time drug peddlers received when they were finally caught.

In any case, the documentary was very thorough, and will keep your attention throughout. There is a sequel that I will definitely have to watch. I would rate this as a rent. I liked it but doubt I would watch it very often. I highly recommend checking it out.

Unchained Memories

Who were our ancestors? We know they were slaves and that overcame a great number of difficult circumstances. We know they loved the idea of freedom and survived things that would have broken weaker people, but what about their personal stories? What about their day to day lives? HBO’s Unchained Memories is the recitation of slave narratives that were collected from former slaves during the Great Depression and has famous stars such as Samuel Jackson voicing the slave’s stories.

The actors do a brilliant job telling powerful stories from the slave perspective. The former slaves talk about their owners, losing relatives to the auction block, and their efforts to become free. I rank this a buy. It is worth owning, watching, and sharing if for no other reason than to hear the songs of our ancestors, the slave songs, and see the pictures of beaten down people, and learn about the people survived hardship so that we could be born.

The Ditchdiggers daughters

The Ditch Diggers Daughters could be called, “how to raise successful children” or “how to overcome any limitations”, or even “how to ignore naysayers and raise young people”. I’ll just call it a really good family biography. Dr. Yvonne Thornton recounts how her father raise five daughters with the belief that they could all do anything that they wanted to do. Her father, Donald Thornton, dug ditches at one point of his life and managed to get his children educated, helped them become brilliant musicians who played the Apollo, and became educated and independent women. Mr. Thornton did this by any means necessary, ignoring an and all obstacles, including his own pride, to get his children where he wanted them to be.

The book is an easy read. I rate it a buy. I started reading it in a book store and couldn’t put it down. It is rare for the story of rising from poverty to the middle class is documented in book form. Dr. Thornton does a great job recounting the life of her father, and her family. This book is a good tool for showing that determination can help one overcome racism, poverty, and many other obstacles. It’s a great book.

The Snowball

This authorized biography of Warren H. Buffett gives you insight into the mind of the greatest investor of our generation, and possibly ever. It's a long book objectively, around 900 pages, but subjectively the book breezes by. Warren from childhood to the twilight of his life is a depiction of a child who seemed like he was destined to work with money, but who also, recognized the providence of fate that allowed him to born in a nation that nurtured him.

I loved the book. It was well written, very detailed, and fun to read. I would rate this book a buy. It gives you so much information in such an easily absorbed format that one feels a little wiser after reading it. It looks great on a bookshelf, and it may even increase your investing circle of competence. Pick it up.