In the news this week, the National Coalition for History reports on the lawsuit that’s been dropped now that 22 million e-mails from the Bush administration, that were thought lost, have been found. Also, check out the China Beat blog’s roundup of China-related talks around the world and at the AHA’s upcoming 124th annual meeting. We bring you articles on a variety of topics this week, including: studying Civil War secession at the Abbeville Institute, using the economy as a teaching moment, and presenting climate change through an interactive timeline. We came across two articles on trains this week:  the New York MTA is running 1930s trains this month and the Orient Express has arrived at its final destination for good. Two links this week feature video content: the History Channel’s “The People Speak” videos feature notable actors performing famous speeches and PBS’s NewsHour has a channel on YouTube. Finally, get in the holiday spirit with the historical essay that accompanies the White House Christmas ornament and the Neediest Cases Campaign of 1912.

News

• Obama Administration Settles Lawsuits Over Missing Bush White House E-Mails
  The National Coalition for History reports that on December 14, the National Security Archive (NSA) and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) reached a settlement with the Obama administration the millions of missing e-mails from the Bush White House servers.  An estimated 22 million e-mails that were assumed lost were recovered as a result of the lawsuits.
• China-Related Talks Around the World
  The China Beat blog has put together a list of sessions at the AHA’s 124th Annual Meeting that may be of “interest to China-focused conference-goers.” They’ve also listed a few other events in California and Japan.

Articles

• Scholars Nostalgic for the Old South Study the Virtues of Secession, Quietly
  Some scholars from mainline universities are rethinking Civil War secession at the Abbeville Institute.
• Colleges Turn the Economic Crisis Into a Lesson Plan
  Professors across the country have started using the current economic climate as a backdrop for lessons across numerous disciplines, from economics, to political science, to sociology, to American history, and even to English literature.
•  Science and Politics of Climate Change
  The New York Times presents an interactive timeline that starts in 1820 and ends on December 7, 2009 with the talks in Copenhagen.

Trains

• Nostalgia Train Running On December Sundays
  The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority will be running 1930’s era trains on Sundays during the month of December. See the MTA press release here.
• The Orient Express Takes Its Final Trip
  PBS travel guide Rick Steves recounts the nostalgia associated with the Orient Express, which took its last trip this past Monday. Peruse pictures and listen to the conversation between Steves and NPR’s Scott Simon.

Video

• The People Speak
  The History Channel’s “The People Speak” videos feature famous actors performing famous speeches. Watch Matt Damon recite the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Bratt reading J.W. Loguen’s Letter to Sarah Logue, Christina Kirk and Josh Brolin performing the Susan B. Anthony Suffrage Trial, and more. Also, download the related classroom study guide (PDF).
• PBS NewsHour Comes to YouTube
  The Official Google Blog explores the PBS NewsHour channel on YouTube.

Holidays

• 2009 White House Christmas Ornament
  This year’s White House Christmas Ornament commemorates Grover Cleveland’s time as president, but if you don’t want to buy, just read the historical essay on it for free.
• The Neediest Cases: Generations of Giving  
  “The granddaughter of Adolph S. Ochs tells the story of the founding of the Neediest Cases Campaign in 1912 with images from past campaigns.”

Contributors: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Jessica Pritchard

This post first appeared on AHA Today.