But the DOW is down over 1000 points, if Landon doesn't do something soon there will be no stock market left
On a serious note you should totally work this in to the story. Something along the lines of stock market crashes, the US has a depression part 2 and Landon gets crushed at the midterms (oh and can you work in a scene where Landon gives a speech accusing his opponents of treason for not clapping for his state of the union and having the Dow drop 400 points during the speech, no of course it's not modelled after real life what gave you that idea?)
Relevant fact, the Dow Jones was about 190 points in 1937 thanks to the Dow being a stupid way to measure stock prices, strange views on the 'correct' and par price of a stock and the fashion for stock splits in US financial circles. Even the absolute pre-Wall St Crash peak was 380 (didn't hit that level again till November 1954)
If there's another crash I think it's entirely possible NY trading and US trading as a whole will go into hibernation for quite a while (I don't think it will die unless the highly unlikely occurrence of the Union splitting up occurs and New York and California States are burnt to the ground). Everyone will become very skittish of investment in anything other than 'brick and mortar' stuff like...er...construction projects. But if not only the financial markets take a tumble but things like basic insurances and liabilities grow much harder to do as well (even if it's just in the US), it would be disastrous for international trade and the world economy in general.
Basically I'm worried that if the US economy goes down the toilet again it won't pop up for another decade or so, by which point the markets will have shifted back into Europe again (well, 'Europe'...London mostly), and n that meantime not only do we know that most of Europe will be set on fire and blown up but also that Europe of this period can't float the entire global economy on its back even if WWII wasn't going to happen. This is problematic for everyone that doesn't have a solid consumer market (or several) that they know they can sell stuff to (GB has India and to a lesser extent the rest of the Empire, for example) and downright awful to anyone who was planning on boosting their economies by ridiculous amounts over the next five years (i.e. ...well, everyone who didn't want their country to fall to communist revolutionaries). This, like all economic theory is more fantastical and 'what-if' than almost anything else we could discuss on the forum but...the idea that the US president would not only curtail manufacturing but also not bail out a crisis in the financial market just before midterm elections (which implies it's not a popular idea with the other side either, or with the public) is quite frightening in thinking about this world's future. And that all of this is dependant (basically) on whether or not it looks like the Soviet-backed republicans in Spain are winning or not (they aren't and from all evidence thus far, they won't).
Dark days indeed.
The US was a major exporter pre-Depression, that in part was why it got his so hard by the crash in world trade (net exporters have no-one to sell to, net importers at least have the option to focus back on internal demand). I genuinely think you over-estimate how important the US was at the time, the world will never be short of countries that want to export lots of stuff while protecting their home markets. I've seen more than a few sources claim that the UK decision to devalue and abandon free trade was much more of a hammer blow to trade than the much blamed US tariffs, the UK was a massive net physical goods importer and sucking all that demand out of the world economy was far more significant.
Hightemplar / TheButterflyComposer - There is a minor issue with all those walls of text, the belief that the US economy has recovered enough to crash. Things may no longer be at rock bottom but it's much worse than OTL and almost entirely domestically driven, for reasons that will be discussed in later update. The US firms that are left will live or die on US domestic demand, which is still substantial by any standard, just lacking the piles of stimulus that FDR poured on. Stimulus that didn't really fix anything, see the 1937 recession when the stimulus was turned off and the economy tanked again, but masked the problems. Unless there is a large war in Europe, or a major change in US trade policy, things aren't going to get better any time soon.
I find it amusing that you can get onto this list of brutal leaders just by being an obxious egotist.
Nice spit reference with Tiso by the way.
The world needs more Tiso references.
Putin used his connections with the Russians on the team to get trump a spot on the team (his official reason for membership read: admitted as 12th man (backup fielder) because of his amazing catching skills due to the size of his hands, the only man who can play wicketkeeper without gloves)
I admire the sarcastic trolling efforts of the Dictators cricket team.
To the dealer of the drug known simply as 'the butterfly effect'
Dear sir
It has recently come to my attention that you have missed a significant opportunity to improve your product, as my company produces the finest example of this improvement I would suggest you engage with us to find a solution beneficial to both parties
Mr Pip I give you THE 1939 RUGBY WORLD CUP. Now I know what your thinking, we had plans for that year, we were going to watch Germany not invade Poland. And while I know that is a very enjoyable pastime the great thing about RWC 1939 is that it can be done at the same time as watching Germany not invade Poland
I see your interested, let talk business. RWC 1939 would be hosted by England (no one else has the requisite influstructure and isn't French) with Scotland and Wales each getting a token quarter final plus a couple of pool matches to stop them from whining. There would be eight teams: England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, South Africa, Australia (boo) and New Zealand. These would be divided into to pools, Pool A (the British Isles) and Pool 2 (the Rest). After a round robin where everyone played all the other teams in their own pool quarter finals would be played. The first place getter in Pool A (probably England) would play the forth place getter in Pool 2 (probably France), the second place getter in Pool A would play the third place getter of Pool 2 etc. The bracket would work so that the top teams in each pool would not meet until the final. The pool matches would be held all around the UK (if their very good Northern Ireland might get one). The quarter finals would be held in four locations: Twickenham, Cardiff, the winner of a fight between Glasgow and Edinburgh and finally in a marginal constituency the conservatives were worried about at the next election (so the game will be played in Southampton or a similar place (before you ask I checked that is a marginal seat it only went Tory by 31 votes). Semis and Final at Twickenham. And that's it, I anticipate a 2% drop in production during the tournament due to workers knocking off early to go watch the games, but substantial ticket revenue for the crown (plus if the broadcasting rights are sold well in the US that will bring in more money as well as possibly bringing America back to the light)
To conclude UPDATE THIS AAR then I will be to busy reading to think up stuff like this
Also update your Norway AAR, just read it and very funny (apart from one bit which I left a comment about how to repent for), but it needs an update (the last comment before mine was from 2011)
The issue with inviting the French to any future Rugby World Cup is they are fundamentally dishonest at sport. They were kicked out of the Five Nations in 1931 for incompetence and cheating (fielding professional players in an amateur contest!) If we are to have a RWC then we would need a replacement nation to make up numbers. Maybe Canada, there was something of a resurgence in Rugby during the Inter-war period so with the US being more insular we may be able to prise them back into proper sports.
Are you mad?! This is the Butterfly Effect there is no such thing as off topic!
And an update please Pip. The ripples of chaos emanating from Spain is very interesting. The question is, where will they stop?
Update half written, the delay is due to those very ripples sending me off into strange places.
Rugby Intermission.
It is a highly civilized version of "Gangs of New York", where you wear gang colors and can use two-by-fours but oddly have to be very polite about it.
"You see this knife? I'm going to instruct you in the finer points of our Anglo-Saxon language with this knife!"
"Why thank you ever so much!"
That would be an excellent spectator sport, someone should do this.
Also, welcome back Mr Appleby, you have been missed. Can I also distract the mob by mentioning your own half-started AAR.
... With Justice For All? which has failed to be updated since December last year.
'Sigh' rebels and Frenchmen could never understand the nuanced and gentlemanly game that is cricket (you Americans actually made up a game called baseball which is like cricket except with less gentlemanly conduct and more steroids)
You forgot the Human Growth Hormone and betting scandals.
I thought the traditional Commonwealth comeback against Baseball was that it was like "rounders"?
I honestly thought it was. I was under the impression that the only actually 'American' sport was Lacrosse, which was the fault of the Iroquois Indians.
Truer words were rarely spoken. Add to that that the word "cricket" in French tends to evoke locusts (possibly accompanied by magically animated wooden puppets) and you'll understand why this sport remains completely alien to my fellow and contemporary countrymen. Which is odd, since according to Wikipedia we are one of the oldest countries where some form of cricket was played.
As this AAR has mentioned, the French Revolution has much to answer for, France was showing promise at the game till that intervened and ruined everything. Frankly the Scarlett Pimpernel should have expended his efforts saving French cricketers not aristocrats.
Though if you are being beaten by Norway and Germany (
http://www.espncricinfo.com/france/content/team/34.html?template=results) maybe Cricket is not the sport for you.
