Comments on "1493 - Uncovering the New World Columbus Created" by Charles C. Mann
"1493" is a sequel to the author's previous book "1491 - New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus", and it also could be called an academic revolution in the study of American history.
Throughout "1493" Charles Mann continuously refers to the term "the Columbian Exchange", which is a phrase apparently coined by another writer, Alfred W. Crosby. It refers to the specific "ecosystems that had been separate for eons {that} suddenly met and mixed ..."
Charles Mann apparently coins his own new term, the "homogenocene", which means a new biological era, "homogenizing ... mixing unlike substances to creat a uniform blend", and he also writes that "places that were once ecologically distinct have become more alike."
Charles Mann tells a largely overlooked and endlessly complicated history of people; American Indians, Africans, Europeans, and Asians{primarily from the Philipines and China}; diseases, such as malaria and yellow fever; and many plants and animals; and, of course, silver, silk, tobacco and other commodities.
Especially interesting, and new to many people, are the histories of the Africans, including thousands and thousands of escaped slaves, called maroons, in Brazil, Honduras, Ecuador, Panama, and other places.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Experimental Blog #116
Comments on "In Pursuit of the Unknown - 17 Equations That Changed the World" by Ian Stewart
Besides 6 equations described by Robert P. Crease in his book, "The Great Equations" commented on in blog #98 on January 22, 2012{in that book and blog those equations were #s 1,3,5,6,7, and 9}, Ian Stewart writes about:
In the 17th century:
#s 2. The logarithimic equation of Henry Briggs and John Napier.
3. The calculus equation of Isaac Newton.
In the 18th century:
#s 5. The equation of the square root of negative 1, which led to imaginary and complex numbers.
6.The equation about faces, edges, and vertices of polyhedra by Leonhard Euler.
7. The equation of normal distribution, about patterns of chance by Abraham De Moivre.
8. The wave equation of Jean Le Rond d'Alembert.
In the 19th century:
#s 9. The {Joseph}Fourier transform equation, which has many applications in extracting and
compressing information.
10.The fluid mechanics equation of Claude-Louis Navier and George Stokes.
In the 20th century.
#s 15. The Information Theory equation of Claude Shannon.
16. The "Chaos theory" equation of Robert May. This equation describes "deterministic chaos -
apparently random behavior with no random cause" ... "apparent randomness may conceal
hidden order."
17. The "Midas formula" of Fischer Black and Myron Scholes, who was awarded the Nobel
Prize in economics along with Robert Merton in 1997. This equation has been very important
in world finance and speculation.
Besides 6 equations described by Robert P. Crease in his book, "The Great Equations" commented on in blog #98 on January 22, 2012{in that book and blog those equations were #s 1,3,5,6,7, and 9}, Ian Stewart writes about:
In the 17th century:
#s 2. The logarithimic equation of Henry Briggs and John Napier.
3. The calculus equation of Isaac Newton.
In the 18th century:
#s 5. The equation of the square root of negative 1, which led to imaginary and complex numbers.
6.The equation about faces, edges, and vertices of polyhedra by Leonhard Euler.
7. The equation of normal distribution, about patterns of chance by Abraham De Moivre.
8. The wave equation of Jean Le Rond d'Alembert.
In the 19th century:
#s 9. The {Joseph}Fourier transform equation, which has many applications in extracting and
compressing information.
10.The fluid mechanics equation of Claude-Louis Navier and George Stokes.
In the 20th century.
#s 15. The Information Theory equation of Claude Shannon.
16. The "Chaos theory" equation of Robert May. This equation describes "deterministic chaos -
apparently random behavior with no random cause" ... "apparent randomness may conceal
hidden order."
17. The "Midas formula" of Fischer Black and Myron Scholes, who was awarded the Nobel
Prize in economics along with Robert Merton in 1997. This equation has been very important
in world finance and speculation.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Experimental Blog #115
Comments on "John F. Kennedy" by Alan Brinkley
There are now 40 presidents, with 41 authors, in this "The American Presidents Series". The late Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr, who was called "the preeminent political historian of our time", was the first and primary general editor of this series. However, the book on William Howard Taft has not yet appeared, and Ronald Reagan is still not included in this list!! George W. Bush is the latest addition, and this book too, more understandably, is yet to appear.
These 38 books, that have been published so far, vary considerably in style and interest.
Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. was very much involved with Democratic Party politics and, in particular, with the Kennedy administration.
Although the list of presidents goes on and more books are expected to come out, this particular book about John F. Kennedy by Alan Brinkley is arguably the most important; maybe even a primary purpose, of the whole series.
Alan Brinkley goes into considerable revealing detail describing, among quite a few other things, the absolutely necessary importance of Joseph Kennedy, Sr., Jack's father, in the life and political career of John F. Kennedy, through his very many connections and wealth: John F. Kennedy's many "serious life long illnesses"; and "almost pathological womanizing".
There are now 40 presidents, with 41 authors, in this "The American Presidents Series". The late Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr, who was called "the preeminent political historian of our time", was the first and primary general editor of this series. However, the book on William Howard Taft has not yet appeared, and Ronald Reagan is still not included in this list!! George W. Bush is the latest addition, and this book too, more understandably, is yet to appear.
These 38 books, that have been published so far, vary considerably in style and interest.
Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. was very much involved with Democratic Party politics and, in particular, with the Kennedy administration.
Although the list of presidents goes on and more books are expected to come out, this particular book about John F. Kennedy by Alan Brinkley is arguably the most important; maybe even a primary purpose, of the whole series.
Alan Brinkley goes into considerable revealing detail describing, among quite a few other things, the absolutely necessary importance of Joseph Kennedy, Sr., Jack's father, in the life and political career of John F. Kennedy, through his very many connections and wealth: John F. Kennedy's many "serious life long illnesses"; and "almost pathological womanizing".
Monday, May 14, 2012
Experimental Blog #114
Comments on and quotes from "The Dolphin in the Mirror" - Exploring Dolphin Minds and Saving Dolphin Lives by Diana Reiss
This book is about the author's lifetime work with bottlenose dolphins; plus a well-known encounter with one humpback whale named Humphrey, although it turned out to be female.
The relationships of people, such as Diana Reiss, with dolphins and other cetaceans are uncanny and thought provoking. Especially fascinating are the many well-documented remarkable accounts of dolphins actually saving people who are exhausted and likely to drown in the ocean.
"Dolphin brains are approximately 4.2 times larger than expected for their body size - the highest ratio of any species other than humans"{which ratio is 7.0},"making them easily the second most cerebrally endowed species on the planet, way ahead of the great apes."
"Another measure of intelligence and brain complexity is based on the amount of cortical folding."
"Our brains are more convoluted than those of our primate relatives. Only one brain is known to be more heavily convoluted than ours. Again, it's the dolphin brain."
This book is about the author's lifetime work with bottlenose dolphins; plus a well-known encounter with one humpback whale named Humphrey, although it turned out to be female.
The relationships of people, such as Diana Reiss, with dolphins and other cetaceans are uncanny and thought provoking. Especially fascinating are the many well-documented remarkable accounts of dolphins actually saving people who are exhausted and likely to drown in the ocean.
"Dolphin brains are approximately 4.2 times larger than expected for their body size - the highest ratio of any species other than humans"{which ratio is 7.0},"making them easily the second most cerebrally endowed species on the planet, way ahead of the great apes."
"Another measure of intelligence and brain complexity is based on the amount of cortical folding."
"Our brains are more convoluted than those of our primate relatives. Only one brain is known to be more heavily convoluted than ours. Again, it's the dolphin brain."
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Experimental Blog #113
Comments on "1491 - New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus" by Charles C. Mann
This book is a summary of very recent, controversial, and academically revolutionary studies of American history, both North and South, before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492.
The earlier arrival of people from Asia has been discussed for a long time. However, it is increasingly argued, and supported by scientific research, that there were many more people in the Americas when Columbus arrived than was previously thought, and that they lived at a much higher level of cultural developement. They also had a very large affect on vast areas of their natural environments over many centuries: encluding even the Amazon rain forest.
The arrival of Europeans in 1492, and later, Africans, brought diseases to which the American Indians had very little resistance. The result was that the great majority of American Indian tribes lost 90%, and more, of their populations a century, and even more, before the arrival of the later European explorers and colonists who encountered them. By then even the American Indian tribes had "forgotten" about these old calamities and much of their old cultures as well.
This book is a summary of very recent, controversial, and academically revolutionary studies of American history, both North and South, before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492.
The earlier arrival of people from Asia has been discussed for a long time. However, it is increasingly argued, and supported by scientific research, that there were many more people in the Americas when Columbus arrived than was previously thought, and that they lived at a much higher level of cultural developement. They also had a very large affect on vast areas of their natural environments over many centuries: encluding even the Amazon rain forest.
The arrival of Europeans in 1492, and later, Africans, brought diseases to which the American Indians had very little resistance. The result was that the great majority of American Indian tribes lost 90%, and more, of their populations a century, and even more, before the arrival of the later European explorers and colonists who encountered them. By then even the American Indian tribes had "forgotten" about these old calamities and much of their old cultures as well.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Experimental Blog #112
Comments on "Woman in Exile" - My Life in Kazakhstan by Juliana Starosolska with forword and translation by Marie Ulanovicz
Juliana Starosolska was born in 1912 in Lviv, Ukraine. Although the first edition of these collected essays appeared in the Ukrainian diaspora press in 1969, this English translation was not published until 2011.
"Forced to endure unimaginable horrors, she retains a strong feeling of humanity, dignity, respect for others, and a sense of humour," is from the comments of Marta Dyczok at the University of Western Ontario.
Juliana Starosolska was born in 1912 in Lviv, Ukraine. Although the first edition of these collected essays appeared in the Ukrainian diaspora press in 1969, this English translation was not published until 2011.
"Forced to endure unimaginable horrors, she retains a strong feeling of humanity, dignity, respect for others, and a sense of humour," is from the comments of Marta Dyczok at the University of Western Ontario.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Experimental Blog # 111
Comments on "A Midwife's Tale" - The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785 - 1812 by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
"Historians have distinguished three general systems of labor in early America: chattel slavery in the South, indentured servitude in the mid-Atlantic region, and family labor in New England."
Laurel Ulrich describes how before the 19th century most children in America were brought into the world by "midewives", such as Martha Ballard. However, with the developement of more scientific,sometimes apparently called "heroic", medicine, the "aggressiveness of the new doctors"{male} and their poorly justified scorn of the practice of midewifery probably gradually discouraged young women from entering the profession.
When men decided that they wanted something they took over, and women deferred and ultimately yielded; as seems to be usual.
"Historians have distinguished three general systems of labor in early America: chattel slavery in the South, indentured servitude in the mid-Atlantic region, and family labor in New England."
Laurel Ulrich describes how before the 19th century most children in America were brought into the world by "midewives", such as Martha Ballard. However, with the developement of more scientific,sometimes apparently called "heroic", medicine, the "aggressiveness of the new doctors"{male} and their poorly justified scorn of the practice of midewifery probably gradually discouraged young women from entering the profession.
When men decided that they wanted something they took over, and women deferred and ultimately yielded; as seems to be usual.
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