This book's full title is SPQR, a History of Ancient Rome. SPQR is short for the Latin phrase "Senatus Populusque Romanus" or the Senate and People of Rome. What is interesting about Rome is that it gave Roman Citizenship to outsiders. They also had a permanent criminal court where even foreigners could seek redress. This is a very readable book and it is the way history should be written.
Dwight Garner writes a review for the New York Times. As always there are some good reviews at Good Reads. Natalie Haynes gives a review of this book on The Guardian. Emily Wilson also has a great review on The Atlantic.
Mary Beard talks about her book via 92nd Street Y. Mary Beard talks at the 2016 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. Mary Beard talks about misogyny in the ancient world on Women in the World. In this video Mary Beard answers the questions via BBC Newsnight of "What can ancient Rome teach us about the migrant crisis?"
An index of the books I have reviewed are on my website at Books. I have three blogs. The first talks only about specific stocks and is called Investment Talk . The second one contains information on mostly investing and is called Investing Economics Mostly. My last blog is for my book reviews and it is called Non-Fiction Mostly. Follow me on Twitter.
Friday, January 26, 2018
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
The Ends of the World by Peter Brannen
This book's full title is The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and our Quest to Understand Earth's Past Mass Extinctions. I have always been fascinated by the destruction of live in the past.
I do not think that most people know how unforgiving nature can be. There are tales each year of people getting lost in Algonquin Park. They go out for a walk but do not know how to walk in a straight line in the wilderness. People can get lost in a large area of woods quite easily. When I was a kid on my Grandparent's farm, which was mostly woodland, I meet people out for a walk but got lost and did not know how to get back to their car.
People that live in cities have no appreciation of the power of nature. I sure most people do not recognize how lucky we are that we currently live in a rather stable climatic time. It is hard to say if and when this might change.
There are some good reviews of this book on Amazon. There are some decent reviews on Good Reads, but most people knew nothing about the subject before reading this book and it shows. This site on One Wrold Publications is interesting as it pulls reviews from other sources.
Elizabeth A. Bell on Science Mag writes a review on this book. This review on the Economist looks at this book and Inheritors of the Earth: How Nature Is Thriving in an Age of Extinction by Chris Thomas.
Peter Brannen wrote an article in the The Atlantic about why we are not in a time of another mass extinction. Peter Brannen talks at Google. Peter Brannen does a talk by on C-Span . Lauren Sallan talks on TED Talks talks about mass extinctions.
An index of the books I have reviewed are on my website at Books. I have three blogs. The first talks only about specific stocks and is called Investment Talk . The second one contains information on mostly investing and is called Investing Economics Mostly. My last blog is for my book reviews and it is called Non-Fiction Mostly. Follow me on Twitter.
I do not think that most people know how unforgiving nature can be. There are tales each year of people getting lost in Algonquin Park. They go out for a walk but do not know how to walk in a straight line in the wilderness. People can get lost in a large area of woods quite easily. When I was a kid on my Grandparent's farm, which was mostly woodland, I meet people out for a walk but got lost and did not know how to get back to their car.
People that live in cities have no appreciation of the power of nature. I sure most people do not recognize how lucky we are that we currently live in a rather stable climatic time. It is hard to say if and when this might change.
There are some good reviews of this book on Amazon. There are some decent reviews on Good Reads, but most people knew nothing about the subject before reading this book and it shows. This site on One Wrold Publications is interesting as it pulls reviews from other sources.
Elizabeth A. Bell on Science Mag writes a review on this book. This review on the Economist looks at this book and Inheritors of the Earth: How Nature Is Thriving in an Age of Extinction by Chris Thomas.
Peter Brannen wrote an article in the The Atlantic about why we are not in a time of another mass extinction. Peter Brannen talks at Google. Peter Brannen does a talk by on C-Span . Lauren Sallan talks on TED Talks talks about mass extinctions.
An index of the books I have reviewed are on my website at Books. I have three blogs. The first talks only about specific stocks and is called Investment Talk . The second one contains information on mostly investing and is called Investing Economics Mostly. My last blog is for my book reviews and it is called Non-Fiction Mostly. Follow me on Twitter.
Friday, January 19, 2018
Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers by Robert Sapolsky
This book's full title is Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers: The Acclaimed Guide to Stress, Stress-Related Diseases, and Coping by Robert M. Sapolsky. This book is basically about how harmful stress is and what you can do about it. It talks about how the Fight or Flight response is bad for modern humans.
The full book appears to be here if you want to read it in a PDF format.
There is as always some very good reviews on Good Reads. Mark McLaughlin at Web Psychology writes and short and to the point review.
Dr. Robert Sapolsky gives lecture at Beckman Institute. Robert Sapolsky speaks on Ted Talks. The biology of our best and worst selves is the name of this talk. Stephen Daniele does a book review on You Tube.
An index of the books I have reviewed are on my website at Books. I have three blogs. The first talks only about specific stocks and is called Investment Talk . The second one contains information on mostly investing and is called Investing Economics Mostly. My last blog is for my book reviews and it is called Non-Fiction Mostly. Follow me on Twitter.
The full book appears to be here if you want to read it in a PDF format.
There is as always some very good reviews on Good Reads. Mark McLaughlin at Web Psychology writes and short and to the point review.
Dr. Robert Sapolsky gives lecture at Beckman Institute. Robert Sapolsky speaks on Ted Talks. The biology of our best and worst selves is the name of this talk. Stephen Daniele does a book review on You Tube.
An index of the books I have reviewed are on my website at Books. I have three blogs. The first talks only about specific stocks and is called Investment Talk . The second one contains information on mostly investing and is called Investing Economics Mostly. My last blog is for my book reviews and it is called Non-Fiction Mostly. Follow me on Twitter.
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
The Evangelicals by Frances Fitzgerald
This book's full title is The Evangelicals, The Struggle to Shape America. I had not realized that church attendance rose after WWII into the 1950's and 1960's. I went to church with my parents, but I did not know there was a movement towards more church attendance. This rising in attendance was among Protestants, Catholics and Jews.
It is interesting to read reviews by Evangelicals and non-Evangelicals. There is quite a difference in attitude. I find the reviews generally interesting, but they are not especially good. Some people are too set in their views.
Alan Wolfe on New York Times does an interesting review of this book. There are also interesting reviews on Good Reads. Barry Hankins on The Gospel Coalition also has an interesting review.
Discussion by Frances FitzGerald and David Gushee on C-Span. Frances FitzGerald is interviewed by Charlie Rose.
An index of the books I have reviewed are on my website at Books. I have three blogs. The first talks only about specific stocks and is called Investment Talk . The second one contains information on mostly investing and is called Investing Economics Mostly. My last blog is for my book reviews and it is called Non-Fiction Mostly. Follow me on Twitter.
It is interesting to read reviews by Evangelicals and non-Evangelicals. There is quite a difference in attitude. I find the reviews generally interesting, but they are not especially good. Some people are too set in their views.
Alan Wolfe on New York Times does an interesting review of this book. There are also interesting reviews on Good Reads. Barry Hankins on The Gospel Coalition also has an interesting review.
Discussion by Frances FitzGerald and David Gushee on C-Span. Frances FitzGerald is interviewed by Charlie Rose.
An index of the books I have reviewed are on my website at Books. I have three blogs. The first talks only about specific stocks and is called Investment Talk . The second one contains information on mostly investing and is called Investing Economics Mostly. My last blog is for my book reviews and it is called Non-Fiction Mostly. Follow me on Twitter.
Friday, January 12, 2018
A World in Disarray by Richard Haass
This book's full title is A World in Disarray, American Foreign Policy and the Crisis of the Old Order. It seems like a pretty bleak view of the world, but it says some interesting things.
For example, he talks about the Ukraine giving up nuclear weapons at independence in the 1990's. Two decades later it was attached by Russia who took the Crimea and the Eastern part of the country. Iraq was forced to give up its nuclear weapons program was invaded by the US a decade later. Libya gave up nuclear program in 2003 and less than a decade later the government was removed by the US and European countries. He says that Iran and North Korean have learned a lesson.
There is a good review by Michiko Kakutani at New York Times. There are good reviews again on Good Reads.
Michael Burleigh, a British historian reviews this book and 3 others on Project Syndicate. The title of the article was The World that Made Tramp. He also reviewed The Fate Of The West The Decline and Revival of the World's Most Valuable Political Idea (Economist Books) by Bill Emmott; The End of Europe: Dictators, Demagogues, and the Coming Dark Age (Yale University Press) by James Kirchick; and Mission Failure: America and the World in the Post-Cold War Era (Oxford University Press) by Michael Mandelbaum. He says that these books reflected a morbid state of introspection in the West, sustained by the mounting political and economic challenges of their time.
Richard Haass talks on CBS This Morning. There is an excerpt and a discussion with Richard Haass on the Council on Foreign Relations site. There is a discussion with Peggy Noonan on 92nd Street Y on YouTube.
An index of the books I have reviewed are on my website at Books. I have three blogs. The first talks only about specific stocks and is called Investment Talk . The second one contains information on mostly investing and is called Investing Economics Mostly. My last blog is for my book reviews and it is called Non-Fiction Mostly. Follow me on Twitter.
For example, he talks about the Ukraine giving up nuclear weapons at independence in the 1990's. Two decades later it was attached by Russia who took the Crimea and the Eastern part of the country. Iraq was forced to give up its nuclear weapons program was invaded by the US a decade later. Libya gave up nuclear program in 2003 and less than a decade later the government was removed by the US and European countries. He says that Iran and North Korean have learned a lesson.
There is a good review by Michiko Kakutani at New York Times. There are good reviews again on Good Reads.
Michael Burleigh, a British historian reviews this book and 3 others on Project Syndicate. The title of the article was The World that Made Tramp. He also reviewed The Fate Of The West The Decline and Revival of the World's Most Valuable Political Idea (Economist Books) by Bill Emmott; The End of Europe: Dictators, Demagogues, and the Coming Dark Age (Yale University Press) by James Kirchick; and Mission Failure: America and the World in the Post-Cold War Era (Oxford University Press) by Michael Mandelbaum. He says that these books reflected a morbid state of introspection in the West, sustained by the mounting political and economic challenges of their time.
Richard Haass talks on CBS This Morning. There is an excerpt and a discussion with Richard Haass on the Council on Foreign Relations site. There is a discussion with Peggy Noonan on 92nd Street Y on YouTube.
An index of the books I have reviewed are on my website at Books. I have three blogs. The first talks only about specific stocks and is called Investment Talk . The second one contains information on mostly investing and is called Investing Economics Mostly. My last blog is for my book reviews and it is called Non-Fiction Mostly. Follow me on Twitter.
Wednesday, December 20, 2017
Money Changes Everything by William Goetzmann
This book's full title is Money Changes Everything: How Finance Made Civilization Possible by William N. Goetzmann. If reading history has taught me anything is that there is seldom anything really new and that this time it is never different.
For example, I remember reading about doing business in China that people were getting their money out because sometimes if you had a successful business the government might arrest you and take your firm away from you and all that you made. This is not new for China. Throughout China's history, the government seldom let an individual get too much money or benefit from things that they have done. The government felt that the government should be the only one to benefit from anything.
It is probably why the industrial revolution did not happen in China. The Chinese invented a lot of things throughout history. They invented the compass, the horse harness, they had paper money going back a long way. However, the Industrial Revolution was very messy. That is not how the Chinese government operated. So what does this say about China being a world power to replace the US?
Bye the way, the US way of doing things has always been quite messy. Yes, they are currently in a mess but this is nothing new. They will muddle through somehow. This could also be applied to the Brits and the Dutch.
There are some interesting reviews on Amazon. As usual there are some great reviews on Good Reads. You can also find a good review by Pietra Rivoli on Financial Times
William Goetzmann answers question on his book on the Yale site. William Goetzmann gives a talk for CFA Institute.
An index of the books I have reviewed are on my website at Books. I have three blogs. The first talks only about specific stocks and is called Investment Talk . The second one contains information on mostly investing and is called Investing Economics Mostly. My last blog is for my book reviews and it is called Non-Fiction Mostly. Follow me on Twitter.
For example, I remember reading about doing business in China that people were getting their money out because sometimes if you had a successful business the government might arrest you and take your firm away from you and all that you made. This is not new for China. Throughout China's history, the government seldom let an individual get too much money or benefit from things that they have done. The government felt that the government should be the only one to benefit from anything.
It is probably why the industrial revolution did not happen in China. The Chinese invented a lot of things throughout history. They invented the compass, the horse harness, they had paper money going back a long way. However, the Industrial Revolution was very messy. That is not how the Chinese government operated. So what does this say about China being a world power to replace the US?
Bye the way, the US way of doing things has always been quite messy. Yes, they are currently in a mess but this is nothing new. They will muddle through somehow. This could also be applied to the Brits and the Dutch.
There are some interesting reviews on Amazon. As usual there are some great reviews on Good Reads. You can also find a good review by Pietra Rivoli on Financial Times
William Goetzmann answers question on his book on the Yale site. William Goetzmann gives a talk for CFA Institute.
An index of the books I have reviewed are on my website at Books. I have three blogs. The first talks only about specific stocks and is called Investment Talk . The second one contains information on mostly investing and is called Investing Economics Mostly. My last blog is for my book reviews and it is called Non-Fiction Mostly. Follow me on Twitter.
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Reflections on the Revolution in Europe by Christopher Caldwell
This book's full title is Reflections on the Revolution in Europe: Immigration, Island and the West. I found it very interesting that European countries thought of themselves as immigrant countries. I had previously only thought of Canada, US, New Zealand and Australia as immigrant countries.
He says that Europeans were attracted to, signed treaty's with and settled in the Ottoman Empire and China because these places were rich and too weak and disorganized to look out for themselves. He says about Europe currently that whether or not it can defend itself it has lost sight of why it should.
David Goodhart in this review on The Guardian is quite critical of Caldwell's view of Muslim immigration into Europe, but I must admit I was reading this book to get a different view from mine on this subject. There is an interesting review of this book on by Fouad Ajami in the New York Times. As usual, there are some very good reviews on this book at Good Reads.
Conversation with Christopher Caldwell by Bill Kristol. on France 24 Christopher Caldwell is interviewed by Annette Young. This interview took place in 2011. Christopher Caldwell gave a lecture at London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) on 5 May 2009. The lecture is on can Europe be the same with different people in it?
An index of the books I have reviewed are on my website at Books. I have three blogs. The first talks only about specific stocks and is called Investment Talk . The second one contains information on mostly investing and is called Investing Economics Mostly. My last blog is for my book reviews and it is called Non-Fiction Mostly. Follow me on Twitter.
He says that Europeans were attracted to, signed treaty's with and settled in the Ottoman Empire and China because these places were rich and too weak and disorganized to look out for themselves. He says about Europe currently that whether or not it can defend itself it has lost sight of why it should.
David Goodhart in this review on The Guardian is quite critical of Caldwell's view of Muslim immigration into Europe, but I must admit I was reading this book to get a different view from mine on this subject. There is an interesting review of this book on by Fouad Ajami in the New York Times. As usual, there are some very good reviews on this book at Good Reads.
Conversation with Christopher Caldwell by Bill Kristol. on France 24 Christopher Caldwell is interviewed by Annette Young. This interview took place in 2011. Christopher Caldwell gave a lecture at London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) on 5 May 2009. The lecture is on can Europe be the same with different people in it?
An index of the books I have reviewed are on my website at Books. I have three blogs. The first talks only about specific stocks and is called Investment Talk . The second one contains information on mostly investing and is called Investing Economics Mostly. My last blog is for my book reviews and it is called Non-Fiction Mostly. Follow me on Twitter.
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