The New York Times Almanac

my mother loves this book. facts never change except for countries in Africa and Asia (for starters). it is very handy for New York Times' crossword puzzles. a must have for everyone.

In an era when Google has made dictionaries almost obsolete, it is comforting to have a "hard copy" on hand to provide the charts and tables and detail to expand on what we find on Google.

I received this Almanac a month ago. I had anticipated loads of info, but I was surprised about the way they were so neatly organized in a manner that is very useful even when you want to access information fast and do not have much time to go through many books, or the web. I recommend this Almanac to anyone who wants to get a hold of up to date info as well as general knowledge.

It is true that the book is incredibly informative and certainly worth having; but I was very surprised to learn that Italy still uses the Italian Lira.... Strange, I am Italian and I was sure we'd been using the Euro for over 7 years... Jokes aside, I guess that part hasn't been proof-read for the last 7 years. I hope there aren't many such mistakes.

The volume provides a plethora of relevant facts on global affairs. Just in this country, the rendition reports some of the highlights of the current Bush Administration. i.e. o the trillion dollar tax cut of 6-7-2001 (kudos) o the 15 billion dollars to combat Aids in Africa (kudos) o the 15 billion dollar airline bailout ( a skeleton by today's bailouts) o the Office of Home Security (10-08-2001) (perhaps the greatest expansion of government in history) o Microsoft multi-million dollar settlement with the government o 2002 Moscow Treaty reducing nuclear warheads (kudos) o research into hydrogen and other alternative energies for the automobile industry (kudos) o 4-3-03 USA entry into Baghdad (leave this for historians to rate) o 2004 National World War II Monument opened (kudos) o Dr. Rice becomes the first African American woman to become the Secretary of State (kudos) o 1-1-07 surge in Iraq ( again leave this to historians) o Fisa surveillance ( potentially unconstitutional ) o Congress approves a badly needed increase in the national minimum wage (kudos with more to come ) o a 5 year freeze on interest rates for some mortgage holders ( kudos ) o fuel economy standards to 35 MPG by 2030 ( a downpayment on energy efficiency) The purchase would be very helpful for the serious student in the house. The contents provide a good reference point for fact checking.