Posts on Books
On Economics
by mumbles
The thesis of The Great Inflation by Robert J Samuelson is that the inflation of the 1970s was the basis for most problems through the 1970s and early 1980s and stopping it led to the recovery of the late 1980s, the boom of the 1990s and the bubbles of today. Samuelson, an editor at Newsweek and The Washington Post, takes a readable journalistic approach to explain the causes and effects of inflation and forecasting the risk if we repeat the same mistakes.
READ MORE
Posted at 11 August 09 at 17.08 in Books
On Literature and the American Idea III
by mumbles
And another
READ MORE
Posted at 07 May 09 at 07.05 in Books
On Literature and the American Idea II
by mumbles
Another one for class
READ MORE
Posted at 07 May 09 at 07.05 in Books
On Literature and the American Idea
by mumbles
I wrote this for class but thought what the hell why not put it here
READ MORE
Posted at 22 March 09 at 00.03 in Books
The Myth of the Eastern Front
by mumbles
It’s pretty messed up how much some dudes are into the German side of the Second World War. It’s pretty messed up how much some dudes are into the Civil War, too, but that makes a little bit more sense. If your grandfather fought valiantly to keep black people down — I mean, for states’ rights — I can see why you’ld care about what he did. But very few Americans are descendants of Nazis. So why is there such a thriving culture of Wehrmacht fetishists?
READ MORE
Posted at 29 January 09 at 20.01 in Books
Team of Rivals
by mumbles
Rarely does Barack Obama miss a chance to draw parallels between himself and Abraham Lincoln, and rarely do the media fail to indulge him. The cabinent selection process was particularly ripe for comparision to Lincoln, as pundits turned frequently to Doris Kearns Goodwin’s concept of a Team of Rivals.
READ MORE
Posted at 27 January 09 at 20.01 in Politics, Books
From Iowa to the Inaugural: Campaign 1968-2008
by mumbles
A little over a year ago, the day after the Iowa caucuses, I wrote an essay called “From Iowa to the Inaugural.” But the real story of this election dates back to 1968. This was an election steeped in symbolism and parallel. Rare is it in American history that the analogies drawn and metaphors painted by politicians are as poingnant or as rich as those created by Barack Obama.
READ MORE
Posted at 25 January 09 at 22.01 in Politics, Culture, Obama 08, Books
Foxbats Over Dimona
by mumbles
In Foxbats over Dimona, two Russian Jewish authors argue that the Six-Day War between Israel and the Arab countries in 1967 was not a regional conflict, as it is generally understood, but was in fact instigated by the Soviet Union as an attempt to consolidate its position in the Middle East. The USSR immediately began to back away from its role as soon as everything collapsed (Israel bombed the crap out of Egypt’s air force, and ended the war before it began).
READ MORE
Posted at 07 January 09 at 18.01 in Books