History and Stuff

History and Current Events

Topic List - A little bit of everything
Mark Vakkur, MD
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Topic: Description:

Abortion Abortion overview abortion_hill_0903.txt

Berlin Wall On the 10^th year Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall

Bill of Rights, Revised Bill of NON Rights: A retort to a conservative email floating around about civic responsibility.

Bush blog A critique (in blog form) of President George W. Bush.

Capital Punishment Most of us instinctively mistrust the government not to screw up our taxes; why are so many convinced it is so competent to decide issues of life or death?

China: Great Leap Forward mass starvation in China;

China: HIV and government interference; physician blocked Physician blocked from receiving reward because of her refusal to be quiet about HIV.

China: Organ Harvesting From Executed Prisoners -

China: Tiananmen Square Congressional Testimony, Village Voice article, Harry Wu's investigation; article; woman refusing sterilization beaten to death; man imprisoned for Web site critical of China; overview of Chinese history; inside a Chinese sweatshop - the Walmart Chun Si factory and labor abuses.

Chinese history Some notes, a timeline, from a Great Courses lecture series by Professor Kenneth J. Hammond.

Christianity A collection of historical developments and observations.

Christianity in America "Traditional churches are in trouble. But Christianity is doing rather well" Economist article from January, 2003

Clark, General Wesley

Communism Overview of Communo-fascism; a comparison of Hitler, Lenin, and Stalin; Stalin; Pol Pot; the Great Leap Forward and mass starvation in China; on Reagan and the Cold War. China editorial (George Will). Estonian President: Un-Soviet and Unconventional, April, 2001, New York Times article. On technological advances in Estonian elections. On the 10th year Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall; Hue (Vietnam) 1968: mass murder of over 3,000 civilians, many children, many buried alive, by the communists.

Cost of War Casualty Minimization v. Objective Attainment (an article)

D-Day

Development of the Pike Europe 1300s

Dresden, Bombing of The Bombing of Dresden: February 13-14, 1945 -> 35,000 - 135,000 deaths without achieving any military benefit.

Economic Myths of Rich and Poor are we better off than our grandparents? Anecdotes bemoan the perception we are not; raw data provide compelling evidence that we are. Unemployment Among Black Males (Article)

Economic Reality (v. Myth) The Good Life and Its Discontents. Despite a widespread perception that the average American is getting shafted at the expense of the "rich" and that we are somehow worse off economically than our grandparents, critical analysis of the data simply does not support this. Gross domestic product per capita is the highest in the world; Longitudinal studies of even low skill workers show wages doubling every decade after inflation. Income inequality, when adjusted for transfer payments, taxes, and noncash income, is actually not nearly as great as the census bureau raw data would have you believe. Life expectancy remains high and climbing in the United States. Urban sprawl: what price central planning? However, infant mortality is worse than in Cuba.

Election 2000 USA Breakdown of voter preference by income, race, gender, and education; a statistical analysis of the outcome compared to the Kennedy-Nixon race. Raw data: ElectionTotals2000_1960.xls

Elizabeth I, Queen Queen Elizabeth I

England

England Kings and Queens of England, an overview for the hopelessly confused American tourist

Estonia Estonian President: Un-Soviet and Unconventional, April, 2001, New York Times article. On Estonian elections.

Faith-Based Policies of Bush: "Without a Doubt" "Without a Doubt" by Ron Suskind, NYT, October 17, 2004

Fundamentalism: The rise of the religious right: Bush's "Jesus moment" (9/99 Economist article)

Frost, Robert Some notes on the poet's life.

Galileo

Georgia history Oglethorpe, James

German and Russian History - World War II Era

God, A History of A_History_Of_God by Karen_Armstrong: excerpts The Battle for God by Karen Armstrong excerpts and notes.

Gross domestic product per capita A comparison of several countries including the United States

Guantánamo Bay (Blog) collection of articles and observations about America's detention center.

Guderian, Heinz Heinz Guderian and the Development of Blitzkrieg

Guns and Violence: A collection of statistics and articles on firearms in America and internationally.

Gun Commandments: Economist article on America's love affair with guns and religion

Gurian, Douglas B. Run in the New York Times, October 28, 2001. West Point classmate who was killed at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

Hastings, Battle of

Hitler, Lenin, and Stalin A comparison; not as different as their rhetoric would have you believe.

Holocaust Some Holocaust statistics from various sources.

Homicide and firearms Homicides and firearms: "Homicides are most often committed with guns, especially handguns. In 1998, 52% of homicides were committed with handguns, 13% with other guns, 13% with knives, 5% with blunt objects, and 17% with other weapons. " - US Department of Justice.

How Do We Forgive Our Fathers? A poem featured in the movie Smoke Signals.

International Aid I didn't do enough. An editorial by former prime minister John Major published in the UK Guardian, July 6 2005.

Hue (Vietnam) 1968 Mass murder of over 3,000 civilians, many children, many buried alive, by the communists.

Human Rights Under contstuction

Illiberal Education Excerpts from the book by Dinesh D'Souza.

Illiberal Education Excerpts from the D'Souza book documenting the "new racism" and an atmosphere of hostility and intolerance on the college campus.

Income inequality When adjusted for transfer payments, taxes, and noncash income, is actually not nearly as great as the census bureau raw data would have you believe, but it may recently have gotten worse

Infant Mortality Climbs in the United States for the first time since 1958 to 7.0; now higher than Cuba's.

Infantry, Rise of Europe 1200-1500

Integrity: Some thoughts of the historical origin of the word by General Charles C. Krulak.

Iraq Invasion and Occupation Invasion and Occupation: Analysis, News Clippings, Casualties

Islam Some brief historical notes.

Israel

Israel Fact Sheet (CIA)

Israel, US Aid to

Jefferson

Jesus Factor Frontline Special on Religion and Bush, April, 2004

Jesus: Was He a Republican? Not in any sense we would understand… you be the judge.

King, Martin Luther Martin Luther King; see also unemployment among blacks (a NYT article); and an article on racial profiling and the end of racial quotas in the University of Georgia system (7/2000)
Racial profiling: 55.2% of New York City police stops involved blacks, but 68.5% of crimes did (versus 30.5% and 24.5% for Hispanics, and 11.1% and 5.3% for whites. - New York Times I Have a Dream Letter From the Birmingham Jail

Liberty, USS, Attack on, 1967 Excerpts from Body of Evidence

Life expectancy Remains high and climbing in the United States.

Life expectancy Remains high and climbing in the United States

Mandela comments on Bush

Military History The Rise of the Infantry (Europe 1200-1500) The Battle of Hastings D-Day Dresden, Bombing of : February 13-14, 1945 -> 35,000 - 135,000 deaths without achieving any military benefit. Heinz Guderian and the Development of Blitzkrieg The Cost of War: Casualty Minimization v. Objective Attainment (an article) Why We Fight: Highlights of the movie featuring the Eisenhower family and their opposition to the military-industrial complex (a phrase coined by President Eisenhower). Somalia: Black Hawk Down - an extraordinary story of heroism, confusion, and misguided foreign policy; read the book by Mark Bowden. A poignant reminder that to what seems a historical footnote to the rest of the world can contain so much tragedy, heroism, and loss.

Morality of War On the Morality of War: An interesting Memorial Day article featuring perspectives from James Webb, among others.

Moyers, Bill Address in May, 2005, on the importance of an independent, critical press.

My Lai (March 16, 1968) one of the few incidents of documented American war crimes in which a few hundred civilians were killed by United States soldiers after the soldiers walked through a minefield (the villagers had not informed them of the trap).

New Testament: Encyclopedia Britannica excerpt on its creation

Passion of the Western Mind: Passion of the Western Mind: excerpts from the book by Richard Tarnas

Pike, development in military history (Europe 1300s)

Pol Pot "THE BUTCHER OF CAMBODIA" by Terry McCarthy, Time, April 27, 1998

Pollution Pollution by Country.doc Pollution Data.xls

Prison, United States Race in the United States Prison Population

Race in America Race in the United States Prison Population Race and Crime Victimization Rates Homicide Victimization Rates by Race Race And Hate Crimes Race and Voting Patterns, Election 2000 Unemployment Among Black Males (Article)

Reagan and the Cold War

Religion A collection of factoids and articles re comparative world religions A_History_Of_God by Karen_Armstrong: excerpts

Religion: God's Own Scholars: Economist article on one fundamentalist US school.

Religious Affiliation Worldwide

Retirement statistics 401k_statistics: average account balance = $55,000 in 2001; 37 million people have invested $1.7 trillion in their 401(k) plans.

Russia Russia

SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) "The SAT's Thankless Task" - Column By George Will; Scores by race and gender, 1998.

Sex Sex and Teens Data.doc Sexual History Newspaper Notice provision of Florida’s adoption law, February, 2003

Sharon, Ariel

Somalia: Black Hawk Down an extraordinary story of heroism, confusion, and misguided foreign policy; read the book by Mark Bowden. A poignant reminder that to what seems a historical footnote to the rest of the world can contain so much tragedy, heroism, and loss.

Stalin Encyclopedia Britannica (1997) entry

Suicide rates international

Switzerland Detailed Historical Excerpts from Encyclopedia Brittanica Historical overview Versus the United States. Gross domestic product per capita shows the United States leads the world of all major countries; the United States versus Switzerland - how do the two countries stack up head-to-head?

Terrorism, War on Terrorism, War on

VA (Veterans Affairs) VA_Waste VA_secretary West_resigns

Vietnam Achilles in Vietnam - an excellent book about posttraumatic stress disorder, written by a VA psychiatrist My Lai: (March 16, 1968) one of the few incidents of documented American war crimes in which a few hundred civilians were killed by United States soldiers after the soldiers walked through a minefield (the villagers had not informed them of the trap). Medal of Honor awarded to Vietnam medic for actions 34 years ago: My Lai was often used as "proof" by communist sympathizers that American and South Vietnamese action was no more morally defensible than the butchery of the communists. What is often forgotten (besides the sheer magnitude of difference of the carnage and the fact that My Lai was an aberration whereas terrorism against civilians was official North Vietnamese doctrine) is that even in the midst of this dark day for American, there was heroism and selflessness. Hue (Vietnam) April 30-May 2, 1968: mass murder of over 3,000 civilians, many children, many buried alive, by the communists.

Violence in America;. Violence in America: Violence Statistics; the most dangerous cities - Murder per 100,000 Population in the United States, 1993-1997; homicide by gender, race and hate crimes. Race and Crime Victimization Rates

Voltaire Voltaire overview, Encyclopedia Britannica entry. Candide excerpts in both French and English

War: Casualties broken down by conflict and cause of death. Why War Does Not Work. War: Casualties broken down by conflict and cause of death. Why War Does Not Work.

West Point Absolutely American Excerpt and New York Times book review of the 2003 book by Rolling Stones reporter David Lipsky about the trials and tribulations of a West Point class. Army Navy Game Clark: General Wesley Clark Class of 1939 - US News and World Report Cover Story 7/5/99 Gurian: Douglas B. Gurian Memorial run in the New York Times, October 28, 2001. West Point classmate who was killed at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Honor Code Persian Gulf: National Public Radio Fresh Air Interview with Alex Vernon '89 and his fellow 24th Infantry Division Lieutenant, Greg Downey: http://freshair.npr.org and choose from the archived shows the one for 20 FEB 01. You get the whole interview (about 45 min) in RealPlayer format. Or, if you want to cut to the
chase, go here: http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/fa/20010220.fa.ram Rhodes Scholars, 1999: Army 3 (4 actually), Yale 3, Harvard 2 Ten Toughest Schools To Get Into: according to Princeton Review, 3/1/01. Guess what school is #4?

West Point Class of 1939 - US News and World Report Cover Story 7/5/99

West Point General Wesley Clark West Point General Wesley Clark

Women and the Bible Some interesting biblical quotations on women

Zell Miller:

Topic:	Description:
Abortion	Abortion overview abortion_hill_0903.txt
Berlin Wall	On the 10^th year Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall
Bill of Rights, Revised	Bill of NON Rights: A retort to a conservative email floating around about civic responsibility.
Bush blog	A critique (in blog form) of President George W. Bush.
Capital Punishment	Most of us instinctively mistrust the government not to screw up our taxes; why are so many convinced it is so competent to decide issues of life or death?
China: Great Leap Forward	mass starvation in China;
China: HIV and government interference; physician blocked	Physician blocked from receiving reward because of her refusal to be quiet about HIV.
China: Organ Harvesting From Executed Prisoners -
China: Tiananmen Square	Congressional Testimony, Village Voice article, Harry Wu's investigation; article; woman refusing sterilization beaten to death; man imprisoned for Web site critical of China; overview of Chinese history; inside a Chinese sweatshop - the Walmart Chun Si factory and labor abuses.
Chinese history	Some notes, a timeline, from a Great Courses lecture series by Professor Kenneth J. Hammond.
Christianity	A collection of historical developments and observations.
Christianity in America	"Traditional churches are in trouble. But Christianity is doing rather well" Economist article from January, 2003
Clark, General Wesley
Communism	Overview of Communo-fascism; a comparison of Hitler, Lenin, and Stalin; Stalin; Pol Pot; the Great Leap Forward and mass starvation in China; on Reagan and the Cold War. China editorial (George Will). Estonian President: Un-Soviet and Unconventional, April, 2001, New York Times article. On technological advances in Estonian elections. On the 10th year Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall; Hue (Vietnam) 1968: mass murder of over 3,000 civilians, many children, many buried alive, by the communists.
Cost of War	Casualty Minimization v. Objective Attainment (an article)
D-Day
Development of the Pike	Europe 1300s
Dresden, Bombing of	The Bombing of Dresden: February 13-14, 1945 -> 35,000 - 135,000 deaths without achieving any military benefit.
Economic	Myths of Rich and Poor are we better off than our grandparents? Anecdotes bemoan the perception we are not; raw data provide compelling evidence that we are. Unemployment Among Black Males (Article)
Economic Reality (v. Myth)	The Good Life and Its Discontents. Despite a widespread perception that the average American is getting shafted at the expense of the "rich" and that we are somehow worse off economically than our grandparents, critical analysis of the data simply does not support this. Gross domestic product per capita is the highest in the world; Longitudinal studies of even low skill workers show wages doubling every decade after inflation. Income inequality, when adjusted for transfer payments, taxes, and noncash income, is actually not nearly as great as the census bureau raw data would have you believe. Life expectancy remains high and climbing in the United States. Urban sprawl: what price central planning? However, infant mortality is worse than in Cuba.
Election 2000 USA	Breakdown of voter preference by income, race, gender, and education; a statistical analysis of the outcome compared to the Kennedy-Nixon race. Raw data: ElectionTotals2000_1960.xls
Elizabeth I, Queen	Queen Elizabeth I
England
England	Kings and Queens of England, an overview for the hopelessly confused American tourist
Estonia	Estonian President: Un-Soviet and Unconventional, April, 2001, New York Times article. On Estonian elections.
Faith-Based Policies of Bush: "Without a Doubt"	"Without a Doubt" by Ron Suskind, NYT, October 17, 2004
Fundamentalism: The rise of the religious right:	Bush's "Jesus moment" (9/99 Economist article)
Frost, Robert	Some notes on the poet's life.
Galileo
Georgia history	Oglethorpe, James
German and Russian History - World War II Era
God, A History of	A_History_Of_God by Karen_Armstrong: excerpts The Battle for God by Karen Armstrong excerpts and notes.
Gross domestic product per capita	A comparison of several countries including the United States
Guantánamo Bay	(Blog) collection of articles and observations about America's detention center.
Guderian, Heinz	Heinz Guderian and the Development of Blitzkrieg
Guns and Violence:	A collection of statistics and articles on firearms in America and internationally.
Gun Commandments:	Economist article on America's love affair with guns and religion
Gurian, Douglas B.	Run in the New York Times, October 28, 2001. West Point classmate who was killed at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
Hastings, Battle of
Hitler, Lenin, and Stalin	A comparison; not as different as their rhetoric would have you believe.
Holocaust	Some Holocaust statistics from various sources.
Homicide and firearms	Homicides and firearms: "Homicides are most often committed with guns, especially handguns. In 1998, 52% of homicides were committed with handguns, 13% with other guns, 13% with knives, 5% with blunt objects, and 17% with other weapons. " - US Department of Justice.
How Do We Forgive Our Fathers?	A poem featured in the movie Smoke Signals.
International Aid	I didn't do enough. An editorial by former prime minister John Major published in the UK Guardian, July 6 2005.
Hue (Vietnam) 1968	Mass murder of over 3,000 civilians, many children, many buried alive, by the communists.
Human Rights	Under contstuction
Illiberal Education	Excerpts from the book by Dinesh D'Souza.
Illiberal Education	Excerpts from the D'Souza book documenting the "new racism" and an atmosphere of hostility and intolerance on the college campus.
Income inequality	When adjusted for transfer payments, taxes, and noncash income, is actually not nearly as great as the census bureau raw data would have you believe, but it may recently have gotten worse
Infant Mortality	Climbs in the United States for the first time since 1958 to 7.0; now higher than Cuba's.
Infantry, Rise of	Europe 1200-1500
Integrity:	Some thoughts of the historical origin of the word by General Charles C. Krulak.
Iraq Invasion and Occupation	Invasion and Occupation: Analysis, News Clippings, Casualties
Islam	Some brief historical notes.
Israel
Israel Fact Sheet (CIA)
Israel, US Aid to
Jefferson
Jesus Factor	Frontline Special on Religion and Bush, April, 2004
Jesus: Was He a Republican?	Not in any sense we would understand… you be the judge.
King, Martin Luther	Martin Luther King; see also unemployment among blacks (a NYT article); and an article on racial profiling and the end of racial quotas in the University of Georgia system (7/2000) Racial profiling: 55.2% of New York City police stops involved blacks, but 68.5% of crimes did (versus 30.5% and 24.5% for Hispanics, and 11.1% and 5.3% for whites. - New York Times I Have a Dream Letter From the Birmingham Jail
Liberty, USS, Attack on, 1967	Excerpts from Body of Evidence
Life expectancy	Remains high and climbing in the United States.
Life expectancy	Remains high and climbing in the United States
Mandela comments on Bush
Military History	The Rise of the Infantry (Europe 1200-1500) The Battle of Hastings D-Day Dresden, Bombing of : February 13-14, 1945 -> 35,000 - 135,000 deaths without achieving any military benefit. Heinz Guderian and the Development of Blitzkrieg The Cost of War: Casualty Minimization v. Objective Attainment (an article) Why We Fight: Highlights of the movie featuring the Eisenhower family and their opposition to the military-industrial complex (a phrase coined by President Eisenhower). Somalia: Black Hawk Down - an extraordinary story of heroism, confusion, and misguided foreign policy; read the book by Mark Bowden. A poignant reminder that to what seems a historical footnote to the rest of the world can contain so much tragedy, heroism, and loss.
Morality of War	On the Morality of War: An interesting Memorial Day article featuring perspectives from James Webb, among others.
Moyers, Bill	Address in May, 2005, on the importance of an independent, critical press.
My Lai	(March 16, 1968) one of the few incidents of documented American war crimes in which a few hundred civilians were killed by United States soldiers after the soldiers walked through a minefield (the villagers had not informed them of the trap).
New Testament:	Encyclopedia Britannica excerpt on its creation
Passion of the Western Mind:	Passion of the Western Mind: excerpts from the book by Richard Tarnas
Pike, development in military history (Europe 1300s)
Pol Pot	"THE BUTCHER OF CAMBODIA" by Terry McCarthy, Time, April 27, 1998
Pollution	Pollution by Country.doc Pollution Data.xls
Prison, United States	Race in the United States Prison Population
Race in America	Race in the United States Prison Population Race and Crime Victimization Rates Homicide Victimization Rates by Race Race And Hate Crimes Race and Voting Patterns, Election 2000 Unemployment Among Black Males (Article)
Reagan and the Cold War
Religion	A collection of factoids and articles re comparative world religions A_History_Of_God by Karen_Armstrong: excerpts
Religion: God's Own Scholars:	Economist article on one fundamentalist US school.
Religious Affiliation Worldwide
Retirement statistics	401k_statistics: average account balance = $55,000 in 2001; 37 million people have invested $1.7 trillion in their 401(k) plans.
Russia	Russia
SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test)	"The SAT's Thankless Task" - Column By George Will; Scores by race and gender, 1998.
Sex	Sex and Teens Data.doc Sexual History Newspaper Notice provision of Florida’s adoption law, February, 2003
Sharon, Ariel
Somalia: Black Hawk Down	an extraordinary story of heroism, confusion, and misguided foreign policy; read the book by Mark Bowden. A poignant reminder that to what seems a historical footnote to the rest of the world can contain so much tragedy, heroism, and loss.
Stalin	Encyclopedia Britannica (1997) entry
Suicide rates international
Switzerland	Detailed Historical Excerpts from Encyclopedia Brittanica Historical overview Versus the United States. Gross domestic product per capita shows the United States leads the world of all major countries; the United States versus Switzerland - how do the two countries stack up head-to-head?
Terrorism, War on	Terrorism, War on
VA (Veterans Affairs)	VA_Waste VA_secretary West_resigns
Vietnam	Achilles in Vietnam - an excellent book about posttraumatic stress disorder, written by a VA psychiatrist My Lai: (March 16, 1968) one of the few incidents of documented American war crimes in which a few hundred civilians were killed by United States soldiers after the soldiers walked through a minefield (the villagers had not informed them of the trap). Medal of Honor awarded to Vietnam medic for actions 34 years ago: My Lai was often used as "proof" by communist sympathizers that American and South Vietnamese action was no more morally defensible than the butchery of the communists. What is often forgotten (besides the sheer magnitude of difference of the carnage and the fact that My Lai was an aberration whereas terrorism against civilians was official North Vietnamese doctrine) is that even in the midst of this dark day for American, there was heroism and selflessness. Hue (Vietnam) April 30-May 2, 1968: mass murder of over 3,000 civilians, many children, many buried alive, by the communists.
Violence in America;.	Violence in America: Violence Statistics; the most dangerous cities - Murder per 100,000 Population in the United States, 1993-1997; homicide by gender, race and hate crimes. Race and Crime Victimization Rates
Voltaire	Voltaire overview, Encyclopedia Britannica entry. Candide excerpts in both French and English
War: Casualties broken down by conflict and cause of death. Why War Does Not Work.	War: Casualties broken down by conflict and cause of death. Why War Does Not Work.
West Point	Absolutely American Excerpt and New York Times book review of the 2003 book by Rolling Stones reporter David Lipsky about the trials and tribulations of a West Point class. Army Navy Game Clark: General Wesley Clark Class of 1939 - US News and World Report Cover Story 7/5/99 Gurian: Douglas B. Gurian Memorial run in the New York Times, October 28, 2001. West Point classmate who was killed at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Honor Code Persian Gulf: National Public Radio Fresh Air Interview with Alex Vernon '89 and his fellow 24th Infantry Division Lieutenant, Greg Downey: http://freshair.npr.org and choose from the archived shows the one for 20 FEB 01. You get the whole interview (about 45 min) in RealPlayer format. Or, if you want to cut to the chase, go here: http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/fa/20010220.fa.ram Rhodes Scholars, 1999: Army 3 (4 actually), Yale 3, Harvard 2 Ten Toughest Schools To Get Into: according to Princeton Review, 3/1/01. Guess what school is #4?
West Point Class of 1939 - US News and World Report Cover Story 7/5/99
West Point General Wesley Clark	West Point General Wesley Clark
Women and the Bible	Some interesting biblical quotations on women
Zell Miller: