History's Book List

It is now officially the season to be jolly. The season for shopping begins as we now begin our search for gifts that seem interesting & personal. I thought I would give my two cents as a gift giver. These books that I advise range in audiences, but anyone who loves history should love them all. I've narrowed it down to four genres with a book each. Eat, read, and be merry:

Political:
American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House
This is a biography, and moreover it is a good biography. If you are interested in learning about one of the most fascinating men that inhabited the White House you have your book. It is packed full of historical nuggets and very well researched. A great read for anyone interested.


Economic:
Irrational Exuberance 
by Robert Schiller

This book is for people who love economics and want to have their minds blown. The realm of economics has gone through a massive transformation. The fundamental basis that economists have rested much of their theories is that markets are rational and people are rational. Meanwhile, if you asked any psychiatrist if people were answered you would get a very different answer. People are not rational. That is a fact. But what are they then? How are markets driven by irrational forces? Robert Schiller predicted both the dot.com boom and the housing crisis in this very book. The book is quite academic. Only buy it if you like reading academic works.


Military:
Citizen Soldiers: The U. S. Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany
Stephen Ambrose

This is a book for everyone. Seriously. This book is a classic. Buy it. Stephan Ambrose is legendary in military history circles. He tells a tale that includes both the macro and the micro picture in a way that is seldom done. His book Band of Brothers was turned into a HBO series that won plenty of awards. He was the historian that was consulted for the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan. If you want a second opinion read the NYT review.


Cultural:
The Pearl: A True Tale of Forbidden Love in Catherine the Great's Russia
by Douglas Smith

This is a fantastic book. I rarely say that about books that have the words "forbidden love" in the title, but this one is an exception. It is a book about one of the principle families that literally owned thousands of serfs. It is more than a simple romance book, but rather a history of serfdom wrapped up with a true love story. I highly advise this book based on the story, but the writing is fabulous. This would be a perfect gift for a girlfriend (or boyfriend) who likes stories & fiction, but never found a passion for history.

Facebook Picks the President

Today we have a President that has an overwhelming level of support from young people. This can be reflected in the number of Facebook likes each candidate had. My question that I want to answer is what is the gap in Facebook likes between old Presidents?

Here are the numbers. The first listed name for each election is the real winner of the election:

2012:
Obama: 33,312,907                     FB Winner
Romney: 12,024,346

2008:
Obama: 33,312,907                      FB Winner
McCain: 880,891

2004:
George W. Bush: 2,088,730           FB Winner
John Kerry: 17,631

2000:
George W. Bush: 2,088,730           FB Winner
Al Gore: 86,207

1994:
Bill Clinton: 925,651                        FB Winner
Bob Dole: 3,074

1992:
Bill Clinton: 925,651                        FB Winner
George H.W. Bush: 11,737

1988:
George H.W. Bush: 11,737             FB Winner
Michael Dukakis: 317

1984:
Ronald Reagan: 81,919                    FB Winner
Walter Mondale: 317

1982:

Ronald Reagan: 81,919                    FB Winner

Jimmy Carter: 13,382

1978:

Jimmy Carter: 13,382                       FB Winner

Gerald Ford: 1,269

1974:

Richard Nixon: 9,674                        FB Winner
George McGovern: 1,849

Too lazy to do the rest......but I think I see a pattern.

*Interesting Facts

---Gerald Ford is less popular on Facebook than Gerald Ford Airport

---The winner of the Presidential Race is the winner of the Facebook Election as well.

Empires & Data

Check it out. Very Cool.

http://empires.findthedata.org/

Dictators

For some good FP reads for today I've got a theme for you: dictators.


First, I'd advise checking out the new NPR Intelligence Squared debate on dictators: Click here. The debate revolves around elected Middle East Governments and the previous dictators.


For an interesting story on the differences between the Monarchs of the Middle East: Click here.



Have Fun Mates.

Bad Move For Ukraine

It looks like Ukraine will never get into the EU or NATO the way it's been handling itself these past years. To find the latest step in a sad string of events click here.

Good Job Turkey

Breaking headline of Today: Click here. Turkey is going at it as it should. The United States is unlikely to interfere heavily in the region, so that leaves action up to regional powers such as Turkey. Turkey is well situated to help bring its style of government and democracy to the rest of the Middle East. Good job Turkey.

Economic Decline In China

China is slowing down. Its growth has gone from 10 to 7.5 percent. While this doesn't seem like such a bad thing when compared with the United States steady 3 percent growth over the past thirty years, it may be the beginning of a steady decline in growth. China's growth could stop at 6 percent, 5 percent, 4 percent, or it could drop into a depression. Fareed Zakaria states that:

"China is slowing down, dramatically. If it continues, it will have a profound impact on the rest of the world. GDP growth has dropped from about 10 percent last year to 7.6 percent in the latest quarter. Now that might not sound like much, but it might just be the beginning: like a dropping ball, we don't know if it has hit bottom yet. What we do know is that it will have widespread effects." Read the rest of the article here.

What I view as the real problem is not going to be the economic problems for China or for the West. Whatever happens in China the rest of the world will adapt. China's economy will probably not fall through the floor.

The issue is political. What will happen when the government stops providing growth to the people? What happens when the corruption, the lack of representation, and lack of opportunities come down on the government's head?