Parks and Recreation

I just finished season three on Netflix.  Hilarious!!!  I will not watch this one on network tv.  I will not conform my schedule to programs and on Netflix the episodes average a bit over twenty minutes...not like television.  Thinking about checking out The League or Archer.  I am looking for the funny.

Historian Rock Star of the Week - Harlow Giles Unger

  Mr. Unger is no stranger to readers of revolutionary era biographies.  I have recently read his biography of James Monroe, The Last Founding Father, James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness.  The research was superb and the writing was even better.  I would put his readability close to that of Joseph Ellis, who is the biggest rock superstar of current living historians.  Mr. Unger just does not have that star power yet.  Both Unger and Fleming are on the cusp of the all-time hall of famer list in my library of scholarly works.  I plan toreadUngerbioof Patrick Henry, Lion of Liberty, in the near future.  I look forward to the next bio to flow from Mr. Unger's pen.

Photo is taken from Mr. Unger's website, harlowgilesunger.com 

Political View - Republican Primary

Jon Huntsman is the most qualified of the Republican field to me.  Executive experience as governor of Utah, great record of service as governor, ambassador to China, what really is there not to like?  Oh yeah, he is a moderate which dooms him in the ultra-right Republican primary that pushed candidates so far to the right of the American public they have to sprint to moderate positions after the primaries to have half of a chance.  Come on!!!  Huntsman is the only one I would consider!  Romney does not seem principled at this point.

Dr. Brian Linn - Rock Star, this week!

   If you want well researched and written volumes on the Philippine War, you can not do better. Dr. Linn is currently teaching at Texas A&M University.  He is the Ralph R. Thomas Professor of Liberal Arts and is a well respected military historian.  In addition to being a visiting professor at the Army War College , recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship, Woodrow Wilson Fellowship,he has received two book prizes from the Society for Military History. Thanks for your great research and work!  I look forward to reading Guardians of Empire, even though the UNC Press misspelled your name on front cover.  Do not worry, I have already written to them.

The photo was taken from the Texas A&M Dept. of History website.

Weekly Rock Star - Richard Beeman

Dr. Beeman recently published Plain, Honest Men (Random House, 2009) which was rightfully awarded the George Washington Book Prize..  Dr. Beeman is the John Welsh Centennial Professor of History and long-time faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a respected authority on the American Revolution Era and is currently working on a prequel to this last work which will concentrate on Continental Congress between 1774-1776. Keep up the great work, Dr. Beeman! I am looking forward to more of your insight on the founding of our great experiment in democracy!


The photo of Dr. Beeman was taken from the UPenn faculty site.