A review of “Crashes, Booms, Panics, and Government Regulation” (audiobook)

So I was recently listening to some presentations from an audio series about investment. This installment was called “Crashes, Booms, Panics, and Government Regulation.” I found out that it was actually two presentations. One was called “Crashes, Booms, and Busts,” and the other was called “The New Deal and Government Regulation.” Both were more historical than I would have thought, which added to the appeal for someone like me.

A review of the BBC’s “The Normans” and “The Normans: The Complete Epic Saga”

There’s a reason that 1066 is the best remembered year in British history. In that year, the Normans invaded England. They are the last people ever to do so successfully. Others have tried since then (notably Napoleon and Hitler), but none of them have succeeded. This is known in English history as “the Norman Conquest” – or sometimes, just “the Conquest.” But who were the Normans? Where did they come from? How did they come to be in France – and then, later, in England? Did they engage in conquests elsewhere in the world? And why, after all of their successes, did they suddenly disappear from the pages of history?

These are complicated questions, and researching them brings a number of surprising answers. But two documentaries are especially good at delving into this subject. They are the BBC’s “The Normans” and “The Normans: The Complete Epic Saga.” I considered reviewing them separately in two different blog posts, but the overlap between them is quite considerable. Thus, it may make sense to cover them together here, and show their relative advantages and disadvantages. Each of them covers some things that the other doesn’t, and brings a unique perspective to some of the events that both of them cover.

A review of “Exploring and Mapmaking” (audiobook)

The “Age of Exploration” is today known for shameless imperialism, but it also saw many advances in our scientific understanding of the earth. As European explorers traversed the globe, they created maps of regions that had never been mapped before. They also were the first to scientifically describe some of the local flora and fauna. But the focus of this audiobook is more on advances in navigation, and how to create reliable maps of the areas that they were traveling.

Reflections on learning about history of Ancient Israel

“This book is intended for people of all faiths – and for skeptics, too. It reflects no particular religious commitments – nor is it anti-religious. The authors include Protestants, Catholics, and Jews. They live in Israel, France, and the United States.”

– Hershel Shanks, in “Ancient Israel: From Abraham to the Roman Destruction of the Temple” (Revised & Expanded Edition), page xvii – part of a section entitled “Introduction to the Original Edition”

This book is an introduction to the much-debated archeology of the Bible

The archeology of the Bible is one of the most hotly-debated areas in all of archeology. Jews, Christians, and their respective critics all seem to have something to say about it. Some Jewish and Christian scholars have gone so far as to argue that archeology “proves” the truth of either the Hebrew Bible, or the Christian Bible, or both. Some critics of these religions have done the exact opposite, arguing that archeology “disproves” one or both of these religions. The archeological evidence, they say, is “inconsistent” with the historical narrative as presented by their respective scriptures.