With some students running out of ideas and time for their gift shopping, the following recommendations made by various Western professors will surely help some students out of a jam. Full Article at Western Courier

During the 1991 recession (if you can call it that) Bill Clinton made a campaign issue of “It’s the economy stupid.” It’s true, it is all about the economy. But it’s also a little more fundamental than that. Full Article at The Market Oracle

BRUCE LIPSKY/The Times-Union Coach Joe Graham, Baldwin Middle-Senior High teacher of the year, leads students in his Advanced Placement U.S. Government and Politics class in a discussion Friday. Full Article at Jacksonville.com

Jacob Grigolia-Rosenbaum (Sailor Man, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson), The Buccaneer is a bilingual swashbuckling comedy that transports audiences to a time when the men were strong, the women were tough and everyone was armed to the teeth. Full Article at Broadway World

[Jim Cullen teaches at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in New York. His most recent book is Essaying the Past: How to Read, Write and Think about History (Wiley-Blackwell, 2009). Full Article at History News Network

” Lincoln had put a Democrat on the ticket for crass political purposes, then been assassinated, bringing a Democrat into the White House despite Republican electoral victories.” We also need a good debunking of Lincoln. Full Article at Matthew Yglesias

How predictable that Sean Wilentz — as unapologetic a defender of Andrew Jackson as one could hope to find in the academy — should now defend Old Hickory’s protégé, James K. Polk, and with the most spurious line of reasoning. Full Article at The New York Times

In light of my recent Andrew Jackson bashing, Matt is right to note that his status as the most odious and overrated allegedly progressive president in history is far from clear-cut. Full Article at Lawyers, Guns and Money

I’ve often seen conservatives take it as a given that liberals admire Wilson, the way we admire, say, FDR or JFK or Truman, but I can’t remember reading any kind words from Wilson from liberals. Is it a generational thing? Full Article at Matthew Yglesias

WILL DICKEY/The Times-Union Andrew Jackson High School medical magnet student Akeeva West, 16, measures the blood pressure of Melva Bennett, 16, during Tuesday's lunch period. Full Article at Jacksonville.com

When Republican Congressman Ron Paul recently introduced legislation to audit the Federal Reserve, diverse sections of the political spectrum applauded. And rightfully so. Full Article at Global Research

JON M. FLETCHER/The Times-Union Kids from 11 area schools participate in the first meeting of a financial literacy program started by Clinton Bush at City Kidz Ice Cream Cafe on Main Street in Springfield. Full Article at Jacksonville.com

Offensive Player of the Year: Kellen Moore, So. , QB, Boise State. Defensive Player of the Year: Dontay Moch, Jr. , DE, Nevada. Freshman of the Year: Brandon Wimberly, WR, Nevada. Coach of the Year: Chris Petersen, Boise State. Full Article at Honolulu Star-Bulletin

Six Fresno State players were named first-team All-Western Athletic Conference this morning as voted by the conference's nine football coaches. Full Article at Fresno Bee

Even on the Volokh Comspiracy (a legal blog with a strong Libertarian flavor) opinion is fairly unaminous that HCR will not be found unconstitutional given the weight of past precedents. A. Why do you find this surprising? Full Article at Matthew Yglesias

JACKSONVILLE It's a tough road to the state football semifinals. The difficulty was reinforced by the contrast of emotion Friday from the two Pensacola area prep teams involved. Full Article at Pensacola News Journal | PNJ.com

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- After almost two centuries of wear and tear, weather damage, gnawing insects and the footsteps of millions of passing tourists, Andrew Jackson's home was ready for a face lift. Full Article at Burlington Free Press

Newsweek columnist Jonathan Alter insists the concept of populism is getting ruined by Fox News. Full Article at Newsbusters

NEW YORK (AP) ― Today is Thursday, Dec. 3, the 337th day of 2009. There are 28 days left in the year. Full Article at WCCO