The mystery of the Federal Reserve leaves people wondering if it’s controlled by the mysterious Illuminati, corrupt politicians, or fat cat bankers. And it leaves people wondering what exactly it does, or not care and demand an audit. If you believe any of the foregoing then Bluff by Anjum Hoda is not the book for you. … Read more »
Category: Book reviews
Weekend Reading: The Fever of 1721
We are all familiar with the Founding Fathers and the events that lead to the American Revolution. Stephen Coss points to events in 1721 as the seeds of that revolution two generations later in his new book: The Fever of 1721. The Boston of 1721 was already full of conflicts between American colonists and the British … Read more »
Weekend Reading: Little Pink House
In 2005, the US Supreme Court was faced with a challenge on the “public use” provision of the Constitution’s eminent domain protection. We know the government can’t take private property without just compensation. The challenge was on the boundaries of the government’s intended use of that property. Kelo v. City of New London gave the government … Read more »
We The People
In We The People, Juan Williams tackles the history of the 20th century through the lens of some keys figures and tries to pin those societal changes back to the original thoughts of the founding fathers. At first glance, it looks like Mr. Williams might use the ‘great man theory‘ of history. The people he picks are … Read more »
The Only Game In Town
I’m getting caught up on reading while on April vacation. I just finished The Only Game in Town by Mohamed A. El-Erian. The book is an exploration of central banks in the economy. The brilliant Mr. El-Erian sees a coming crisis. One that can be avoided, but we must take action to avoid it. He … Read more »
Weekend Reading: Lights Out
Should we worry about an attack on the Untied States’ electrical infrastructure? Ted Koppel says “very much so” in his book: Lights Out. You probably better know Mr. Koppel as the longtime anchorman on ABC News and Nightline. In Lights Out he puts on his old school journalist hat and puts together an in depth … Read more »
Weekend Reading: Rain
Rain rain go away, Come again another day. A simple nursery rhyme for a rainy day. It also happens to be a central theme to Rain: A Natural and Cultural History by Cynthia Barnett. We need rain to survive. Too much, too little and either at the wrong time can be devastating. Ms. Barnett starts … Read more »
Weekend Reading: In The Kingdom of Ice
It’s amazing to me that we have gone from having unexplored areas on Earth to sending a spaceship to Pluto in less than 150 years. Hampton Sides’ In The Kingdom of Ice tells the story of terrible journey to find the North Pole. (If you’re interested in Pluto, New Horizons is approaching the dwarf planet … Read more »
Weekend Reading: Argo
In 1979, Iranian militants stormed the American embassy in Tehran and captured dozens of American, holding them hostage for 444 days. Six Americans escaped and hid in the home of the Canadian ambassador. A top-level CIA officer named Antonio Mendez devised an ingenious yet incredibly risky plan to rescue them before they were detected. You … Read more »
Weekend Reading: Book de Tour
Do you like cycling? Do you like watercolors? Then Book de Tour is the perfect book for you. For the past few years, Greig Leach has been painting watercolors of key events from the Tour de France. This year he decided to compile all of the artwork with a narrative description into a single book. … Read more »