Samizdat Corner

Housing Boom and Bust (Part 3 of 4) - Thomas Sowell

This book explores political and economic causes of the American housing crisis. For example, he links the Community Reinvestment Act to decreased lending standards that resulted in an increase of subprime mortgages, as the law forced banks to set up quotas of lending to minorities. As a result, "lenders had to resort to 'innovative or flexible' standards."  He also contrasts housing prices for modest middle-class homes in California and Texas and theorizes that California, with open space and various other zoning laws, had homes that were more expensive than those of similar size in Texas, which lacks such laws. Politically, Sowell targets the George W Bush administration and Congress members of both major political parties for obstructing audits of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and enabling banks to make highly risky housing loans.

Housing Boom and Bust (Part 2 of 4) - Thomas Sowell

This book explores political and economic causes of the American housing crisis. For example, he links the Community Reinvestment Act to decreased lending standards that resulted in an increase of subprime mortgages, as the law forced banks to set up quotas of lending to minorities. As a result, "lenders had to resort to 'innovative or flexible' standards."  He also contrasts housing prices for modest middle-class homes in California and Texas and theorizes that California, with open space and various other zoning laws, had homes that were more expensive than those of similar size in Texas, which lacks such laws. Politically, Sowell targets the George W Bush administration and Congress members of both major political parties for obstructing audits of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and enabling banks to make highly risky housing loans.

Housing Boom and Bust(Part 1 of 4) - Thomas Sowell

This book explores political and economic causes of the American housing crisis. For example, he links the Community Reinvestment Act to decreased lending standards that resulted in an increase of subprime mortgages, as the law forced banks to set up quotas of lending to minorities. As a result, "lenders had to resort to 'innovative or flexible' standards."  He also contrasts housing prices for modest middle-class homes in California and Texas and theorizes that California, with open space and various other zoning laws, had homes that were more expensive than those of similar size in Texas, which lacks such laws. Politically, Sowell targets the George W Bush administration and Congress members of both major political parties for obstructing audits of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and enabling banks to make highly risky housing loans.

Thus Spoke Zarathustra - Friedrich Nietzsche

This classic by Friedrich Nietzsche tells the story of the prophet Zarathustra, who returns to civilization after ten years of solitude to share his teachings with others. He tells them about his theory of the heroic “Übermensch” (over-man) and explores themes such as the death of God, the will to power, and the meaning of life.

The Art of War - Sun Tzu

The absolute classic by Sun-Tzu contains 13 chapters, each detailing specific lines of indirect and direct attack to use in different circumstances of conflict and war. Sun-Tzu explains the importance of being prepared. He points out five essential elements of war: moral influence, weather, terrain, command, and doctrine.

The Trial and Death of Socrates - Plato

This masterful work by ancient philosopher Plato (399 BC) was a trial held to determine the Socrates' guilt of two charges: impiety against the pantheon of Athens, and corruption of the youth of the city-state; the accusers cited two impious acts by Socrates: "failing to acknowledge the gods that the city acknowledges" and "introducing new deities".

Basic Economics: A Citizen's Guide to the Economy - Thomas Sowell

This book is a citizen’s guide to economics, written for those who want to understand how the economy works but have no interest in jargon or equations. He explains the general principles underlying different economic systems: capitalist, socialist, feudal, and so on. In readable language, he shows how to critique economic policies in terms of the incentives they create, rather than the goals they proclaim. With clear explanations of the entire field, from rent control and the rise and fall of businesses to the international balance of payments, this is the first book for anyone who wishes to understand how the economy functions.

Applied Economics: Thinking Beyond Stage One - Thomas Sowell

In this work by Thomas Sowell, the application of economics to major contemporary real world problems--housing, medical care, discrimination, the economic development of nations--is the theme  that tackles these and other issues head on in plain language, as distinguished from the usual jargon of economists. It examines economic policies not simply in terms of their immediate effects but also in terms of their later repercussions, which are often very different and longer lasting. 

Turner Diaries - William Pierce

This work by William Pierce depicts Earl Turner taking part in the overthrow of the United States federal government (referred to as "the System" throughout the novel). Turner and his fellow men wage a war which begins in North America and spreads to the rest of the world.  Banned by most outlets, however listen and judge for yourself.

The Epic of Gilgamesh

This very first "book" is an epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia. The literary history of Gilgamesh begins with five Sumerian poems about Bilgamesh (Sumerian for "Gilgamesh"), king of Uruk, dating from the 3rd dynasty of Ur (c. 2100 BC).  The first half of the story discusses Gilgamesh (who was king of Uruk) and Enkidu, a wild man created by the gods to stop Gilgamesh from oppressing the people of Uruk.  In the second half of the epic, distress over Enkidu's death causes Gilgamesh to undertake a long and perilous journey to discover the secret of eternal life. He eventually learns that "Life, which you look for, you will never find. For when the gods created man, they let death be his share, and life withheld in their own hands".  Unfortunately, this work is incomplete until more tablets are found and excavated.