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Category Archives: Books
Twitter as a Story Telling Medium
Twitter is the social media website that allows users to share updates on their life with others who choose to follow their updates. It’s proved useful for friends to quickly keep in touch, politicians to keep constituents updated on their … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Chris' Page, social science, Technology
Tagged dark tower, ka, katet, randall flagg, roland deschain, stephen king, the stand
2 Comments
Where have the strong women gone?
I’ve now read my first real “vampire” book. Okay, so it’s a werewolf book with vampires, but I’m told this is *the* genre these days. Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn. Not bad, not bad in a lot … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Culture, Synova's Page, Uncategorized
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Huckabee: Enemy of Libertarian Republicans Everywhere
Mike Huckabee’s new book is coming out, and in it he takes some pretty heavy shots at libertarian and economic conservatives who don’t share his populist big government views. The real threat to the Republican Party is something we saw … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Chris' Page, Domestic Politics, Libertarianism
1 Comment
Against Galt
Synova wrote a little post that gets halfway to where I would come down on this perennial parlor game of the John Galt general strike. Sy recognized that to be successful, such a revolt would realistically be a miserable experience … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Culture, Lee's Page, Libertarianism
Tagged America, Aristotle, Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand, Carl Schmitt, collectivism, Conservatism, constitutional order, Culture, democracy, epiphany, Eric Hoffer, fascism, futurism, Galt's Gulch, general will, government, group identity, guardians, ideology, individualism, John Galt, justice, liberal democracy, liberalism, Libertarianism, literary style, literature, materialism, Objectivism, Plato, popular democracy, radicalism, Randianism, revolt, revolution, Rousseau, salvation, sectionalism, seperatism, skepticism, socia, social justice, strike, war, William F Buckley
25 Comments
The Khyber Pass: A History of Empire & Invasion, by Paddy Docherty
This book was written entirely in the passive voice. The passive voice was used to avoid assigning causation or personhood to various events. As a result, we learn that places were invaded, people were slaughtered, armies were founded, but no … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Foreign affairs
Tagged Afghanistan, Books, Central Asia, History, Iran, Pakistan
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Russia’s Long Descent Into Madness: Putin’s Russia by Anna Politkovskaya, and Putin’s Labyrinth by Steve LeVine
Over the last ten years, Russia has emerged from one of the unfortunate victims of the 1998 financial crisis to become a strong, almost fearsomely assertive country. Much of this is thanks to Vladimir Putin, a man who has won … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Foreign affairs
Tagged Anna Politkovskaya, Autocracy, Books, Reviews, Russia, Soviet, Steve LeVine
2 Comments
Dirty Diplomacy: The Rough and Tumble Adventures of a Scotch Drinking, Skirt Chasing, Dictator Busting and Thoroughly Unrepentant Ambassador Stuck on the Frontline of the War Against Terror, by Craig Murray
Cross-posted to Registan.net. This is quite possibly the worst-named book ever. The UK version was the very simple, stark, and compelling Murder in Samarkand: A British Ambassador’s Controversial Defiance of Tyranny in the War on Terror. Why did that not … Continue reading
Posted in Books
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Bookends to War: Afghanistan by Louis Dupree, and Taliban by Ahmed Rashid
Cross-posted to Registan.net It is difficult to say anything useful about either of these books: after all, both have been read and discussed to death—Dupree’s because, 35 years after its publication, it remains the definitive source on Afghanistan, and Rashid’s … Continue reading
Posted in Books
11 Comments
And Who Is GK Chesterson???
Thanks to Lance, I have a hankering to learn who this man is he is quoting… http://www.chesterton.org/discover/who.html This absent-minded, overgrown elf of a man, who laughed at his own jokes and amused children at birthday parties by catching buns in … Continue reading
Scrambling for Africa: A Conversation with John Ghazvinian
Gas flaring in the Niger Delta (photo: Ellie) John Ghazvinian is a journalist and historian of considerable insight into African affairs. He also happens to have written one of the best recent books on the emergent international struggle for African … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Developmental economics, Economics, Foreign affairs, Interviews, Lee's Page
Tagged Africa, Alberta, Angola, Arctic, Beijing, Bonga, business, Cabinda, Cameroon, Canada, Chad, Chevron, cocoa, Cold War, Congo, Domestic Politics, Dutch disease, economy, energy, Environment, ethnic nationalism, Financial Times, FPSO, Gabon, Geneva, geostrategy, ghana, guerrilla warfare, Gulf of Guinea, Houston, IMF, interview, John Ghazvinian, Joseph Kia Mboungou, kidnapping, left, memo, mercantile, Middle East, neoconservative, Niger Delta, Nigeria, offshore, oil, oil sands, oilfield trash, peak oil, petroleum engineers, post-nationalism, prostitution, reinvestment, rentier, Royal Dutch Shell, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, shale, Shell, subculture, Suez Canal, Transportation, Uganda, UK, United Nations, Washington, workers, World Bank, Zimbabwe
9 Comments
Monthly Book Roundup
A new monthly feature here at A Second Hand Conjecture, is going to be a roundup of what we’ve been reading during the past month. Feel free to discuss, or ask questions about any of the books. Joshua: Right now … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Culture
Tagged , Ahmed Rashid, Alldenata, graphic novel, John Ringo, John Scalzi, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Michael Z. Williamson, Taliban
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Love in a Foreign War
(photo: trish brunner | blog) This morning I stumbled into the story from last year of James and Lena Ahearn. James, the American officer, Lena the Iraqi woman who was apparently the first war bride in Iraq in 2003. They’d … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Culture, Lee's Page, Military Matters
Tagged , American, Baghdad, Green Zone, interracial marriage, Iraq, James Michael Ahearn, James Michener, Lena Ahearn, love, lovers, married, novel, Tales of the South Pacific, war, women
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Globalization: By Don Boudreaux
(Cross posted at Risk and Return) Cafe Hayek fans take note, it is finally out. Short review from Tyler Cowen: This is the best popular book explaining the benefits of international trade. Imagine Bastiat for 2008, or a Cajun updating … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Developmental economics, Economics, History, Lance's Page
Tagged Bastiat, Books, Don Boudreaux, Economics, globalization, trade, Tyler Cowen
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Moment of Truth in Iraq
Another excellent post by Michael Yon giving a recap of his years in Iraq, and especially this last year of the “Surge.” Some very important news, Michael is publishing a book this spring. You can pre-order it here which has … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Keith's Page, Military Matters
Tagged Book, Iraq, Michael Yon, Moment of Truth in Iraq
1 Comment
Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning
Echoing a wonderful discussion we had in the fall of 2006 on the nature of Fascism (see here, here and here) Jonah Goldberg writes a book which bristles at the use of the term by the contemporary left. I would … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Culture, Domestic Politics, History, Lance's Page
Tagged capitalism, Domestic Politics, fascism, FDR, Germany, History, Hitler, Italy, left, liberalism, Mussolini, National Socialism, right, Roosevelt, socialism
15 Comments
Cities of Men
I have not touched on the subject of the often hostile turn our culture has taken towards men, especially when it comes to their relationships with children. It is not that I don’t agree that that is a concern, in … Continue reading
The Hunter of Beer: RIP- Update
My grief knows no bounds, Michael Jackson, aka “The Beer Hunter” has passed away: “He was simply the best beer writer we’ve ever known,” said Tim Hampson, chairman of the British Guild of Beer Writers. “He told wonderful stories about … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Culture, Lance's Page, Society
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News Brief, Worry Wort Edition
Cross-posted at The Conjecturer Defense Part 2 of Danger Room’s interview with John Robb. I bought his book last night, and I’ll be posting a review of it here when I’m done. John Robb has some damned interesting ideas, and … Continue reading
News Brief, Need Your Needs Edition
Cross-posted on The Conjecturer. The Pentagon In laying out his thoroughly convincing case against widespread instant adaptation of the MRAP, the Robot Economist says something I thought profound: “One thing that I have noticed about about U.S. operations in Iraq … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Domestic Politics, Foreign affairs, Media, Military Matters, Notes on the war, Race
3 Comments
The Devil Came on Horseback by Brian Steidle and Gretchen Steidle Wallace
(photo: Sam Ouandja | Nicolas Rost | UNHCR via HDPT) The Devil Came on Horseback: Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur by Brian Steidle and Gretchen Steidle Wallace (Public Affairs, 230 pages, $16.47) Two thousand years ago, Marcus Aurelius … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Foreign affairs, Lee's Page
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News Brief, I Would Have Posted This Yesterday But Was At The Hospital Edition
Cross-posted on The Conjecturer. The Pentagon Tony Snow declared the milblogging scandal overreported, but then admitted he didn’t know what he was talking about. See for yourself if such a major change in OPSEC rules was over-done. Lockheed Martin builds … Continue reading
The Kite Runner
I have to second this recommendation from Greg Mankiw: Well, actually listening too, as I drive between my home and the office: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Highly recommended. I want to go further and suggest you listen to … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Foreign affairs
3 Comments
American Civil War led to the Creation of the Suez Canal – Who Knew?
Well, some historians obviously did. Michael J Totten interviews Michael Oren, author of the book “Power, Faith, and Fantasy”, “a sweeping history of America’s involvement in the Middle East from 1776 to the present.” So, read the whole interview, it’s … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Domestic Politics, Foreign affairs, History, Keith's Page
4 Comments
Adding fuel to the Climate Change fire
We’ve recently sparked some interesting discussions on climate change and global warming here at ASHC. I’d like to add a little fuel (biodegradable, earth-friendly fuel, of course) to the fire by recommending this article on Dr. David Orrell’s new book, … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Environment, Religion and theology, The Poet Omar's Page
6 Comments
Radicals for Capitalism
From our friends at Laissez Faire we have Brian Doherty’s first chapter from his new book Radicals for Capitalism. A history of libertarianism in America that I plan on purchasing for myself. An excerpt from the new book RADICALS FOR … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Domestic Politics, History, Lance's Page, Libertarianism
1 Comment
Dinesh D’Souza and Responsibility
I haven’t addressed D’Souza’s new book The Enemy at Home: The Cultural Left and Its Responsibility for 9/11, though Robby asked me to long before it was even out. I have meant to, but at this point it seems a … Continue reading
The Diamond Age
Speaking of pumped, I should be, but I am less excited by the thought of Neal Stephenson’s The Diamond Age coming to the Sci-fi channel. However, having George Clooney behind it means maybe it will get the funding it deserves … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Culture, Lance's Page, Media
8 Comments
Song of Fire and Ice
Hat tip: Stephen Bainbridge It is being turned into an HBO series! The series will begin with the 1996 first book, “A Game of Thrones,” and the intention is for each novel (they average 1,000 pages each) to fuel a … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Culture, Lance's Page, Media
1 Comment
Mail Delivery
I just received my review copy of Clayton Cramer’s “Armed America.” It is at least in part a response to the discredited work of Michael Bellisile’s “Arming America.” I’ll have a review up in the next couple of weeks, maybe … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Domestic Politics, History, Lance's Page, Law, Libertarianism
1 Comment
P J O’Rourke does Adam Smith. I want it!
I spent an hour and a half in my wife’s AP European History class on Monday. My topic was the history of economic thought during the enlightenment. Subtopics were mercantilism, the physiocrats and Adam Smith. Brief digressions on the connection … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Economics, History, Humor, Lance's Page, Libertarianism
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Free To Choose
Thanks to Tyler at Marginal Revolution I have found out that “The Power of Choice” a biography of Milton Friedman will air Monday, January 29 on PBS. This date has also been declared as Milton Friedman Day. Right now you … Continue reading
A Collection of Thoughts on Friedman’s Passing- Continuously updated, just scroll down
Last Updated at 10:23PM Central Time For all of our coverage of the passing of Milton Friedman, and all the links you could ever want, go to our Milton Friedman Memorial page. From Pejman,”That’s right. A lecture concerning a mundane … Continue reading
On a related note
I’ve been reading quite a bit lately (big surprise, I know). In addition to re-reading TME mentioned below, I’ve also been reading a much more pop history type book (although a pretty darn good one), Team of Rivals : The … Continue reading
Posted in Books, The Poet Omar's Page
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Reflections on the past
I’m not really one to do book reviews. Frankly, I’m considered by colleagues to be overly critical. Almost every biography I’ve been asked to review I’ve rejected as shameless hagiography; every theology or comparative religious work incorrectly formatted for the … Continue reading
Posted in Books, The Poet Omar's Page
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Economics of Collusion
I heard an interview late last night on Washington Post Radio (which, for me, is fast becoming a preferable alternative to NPR) with author Timothy Carney discussing his new book, “The Big Ripoff: How Big Business and Big Government Steal … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Domestic Politics, Economics, MichaelW's Page
1 Comment