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September 1, 2007
The Scoop on Poop
Dope on the Slope
An upcoming reading of "Poop Culture: How America Is Shaped by Its Grossest National Product" is likely to include the impact of Atlantic Yards on sewer infrastructure.
The Scoop on Poop
Here's an event you won't want to miss. Dave Praeger, author of "Poop Culture: How America Is Shaped by Its Grossest National Product," will be reading from his book at the Park Slope Barnes & Noble on Wednesday, September 5, 7:00 PM. Despite the cheeky title, the book is a meticulously researched treatise on how changes in human waste disposal technology have altered the broader culture. In the author's own words:
Poop Culture is a funny book, of course. Given the subject, how could it not be? But it's also a heavily researched analysis of something that rarely receives serious consideration. Poop Culture's main focus is the true origin of the flush toilet: invented not for sanitary reasons, as conventional wisdom holds, but rather as a tool to help rich Victorians separate themselves from the upwardly-mobile masses during the Industrial Revolution. From that basis, Poop Culture explores how the ideology of waste disposal affects us today in our psychology, sociology, art, economics, the environment, and more.
I'll be touching on many of those issues on during my reading. Chances are I'll even touch on the sewage issues in the Gowanus during storms and the reported potential for the Atlantic Yards to overwhelm the area's sewage capacity. It'll be a fun and fascinating (and rated PG) event.
Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend the reading. However, the author has agreed to be interviewed by me for a podcast which should air sometime next week. Stay tuned.
Posted by steve at September 1, 2007 7:45 AM