July 28, 2003

The Evolution of Civilizations

Filed under:— Chris @ 12:07 am

The Evolution of CivilizationsTitle: The Evolution of Civilizations
Author: Carroll Quigley, Harry J. Hogan
Publisher: Liberty Fund, Inc.
ISBN: 0913966568

Mentioning Carroll Quigley to someone these days will elicit a range of responses, ranging from respect to apathy to wild-eyed paranoid rantings. Mostly, however, you get blank stares. Those that have heard of him, though, tend to associate him mostly with his other books, namely Tragedy & Hope and the Anglo-American Establishment. Evidently these books lay the foundation for a lot of the right-wing paranoid "new world order" conspiracy theories. This was news to me, and seemingly in odd contrast to the tone of this book, which is very straightforward, scientific, and thoughtful. I can't speak with any authority to this slightly murkier and odd side to Quigley, but I enjoyed this book tremendously.

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July 23, 2003

The Return of Depression Economics

Filed under:— Chris @ 12:54 pm

Despite the ominous title, this book is not all doom & gloom. Instead, Krugman plainly lays out his case for the return of economic circumstances very representative of the depression-era 1930s in the emerging markets of our global economy. He hints that their fate isn't so far-removed from ours, and that there are important lessons to be learned. Krugman's straightforward and unpretentious style is as apparent and helpful as ever, making this book enjoyable by economists and laypersons alike.

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July 14, 2003

free speech

Filed under:— Chris @ 11:58 pm

image of the statue of Gen Nathan Bedford Forrest

Looks like there's a new addition to the statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest off I-65.
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