Beach Book Reports
Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 2:52 pm
Beach reading book reports
While I was investigating global warming in Puerto Rico I had the opportunity to do some reading between local evidence gathering sojourns.
1491 by Charles C. Mann
Not a completely original work. Doesn’t claim to be. But a very through compilation of others discoveries and conclusions as well as his. Pretty much blows away what we were all taught about the “Nobel Savage living lightly on the land” in North America. Turns out it is well documented that they maintained the environment via fire on a multi-hundred square mile basis. Also debunks the “Pristine Wilderness” concept of the Amazon Basin. There is evidence of large settlements from the Andes foothills to the mouth of the river. The current “Stone Age” locals are a case of a “Lord of the Flies” type regression as their world fell apart around them. The culprit? Small pox. It wiped out in the double digits of millions of people on both continents. And with them the evidence that they managed the environment. Remember that Columbus and Desoto came in the 1400’s. The first real attempts to colonize N A not until the 1600’s, not much west of the Appalachian Mountains until the 1700‘s. That is time for the proverbial 200 year old Oak to grow in a now unmanaged forest. May be hard for us Euro centric types to understand, and take the responsibility for, but the evidence is there. A recommended read
.The Battle That Stopped Rome by Peter Wells
240pages that could be half that. But still worth it if you are into European history. It is the story of the ambush, and slaughter, of 3 Roman Legions at Teutoberg Forest by a well prepared and organized Germanic alliance. It is an example of the painstaking, and detailed work done at an historically important site, and some conclusions drawn from what was found. By this, I mean we are talking about why mule skeletons were found where they were.. Bur he also backs off from the detail and tells us why this loss helped make up Augustus’s mind that the Roman Empire had reached it’s practical limits of manageable size. A bit of fluff to make a page quota, but still worth it if this part of the world at this time interests you. It does explain why the Romance languages stop where they do.
Civilization One by Christopher Knight and Alan Butler
This was my “fringe” read. Turned out to be a bit of a surprise. The title and jacket allude to the authors previous works on the edge of history and archeology, but this seems to be well researched. The basic theme is that they feel they have found, in the work of another historian, a common unit of measurment, that is easily reproduced through out time and distance. This was used in the construction of all the great structures of Europe and the Mid East. This includes Stone Hedge, Newgrange, and other “hedges” in Britain and France, to Crete, Egypt, and the Sumerians. Gets into Pi and Phi, 360 vs. 366 degree circles, and the surprising relationships between what are considered unrelated measuring systems from around the world for length, volume and weight. I was disappointed that they didn’t follow up on their hints coming from China and India. Also that the Americas seemed to be not even considered. But they are Brits on a limited budget, so I guess a little slack must be given regarding their scope. While doing a good job of side stepping any :“Pattern Finder” accusations, they do seem to find a whole lot of “coincidences” regarding this need to measure things that get into the relationships of the Earth, Sun, Moon, and Barley Corns. In the end they confess that this research may be changing their minds about Religion. You may blow it off as ‘fringe” or you may want to read it if you want to stay up to date on the “ragged edge” I found it thought provoking.
By the way, it was refreshing to get out from under the New York City / Washington DC, never ending political spin, environment. You get a refreshing chance to be on the outside, looking in. The local weather people laugh when you mention “global warming.” The local weather records go back to Columbus and don’t show much variation that cannot be explained as part of the normal cycles we all know about. One told me, “What we are seeing now, we have seen before, and will see again. It comes and goes.” Hurricanes? “There is absolutely no way to predict from year to year, what will happen next year.“ Al Gore? “He has been reduced to competing with that Moore guy, isn’t he?“ Then he passed me a glass with a little “Made in China” umbrella in it. The local climate still ferments sugar cane and the “Global Economy” is still functioning.
In the words of Doris Day “Ka sura, sura.”
While I was investigating global warming in Puerto Rico I had the opportunity to do some reading between local evidence gathering sojourns.
1491 by Charles C. Mann
Not a completely original work. Doesn’t claim to be. But a very through compilation of others discoveries and conclusions as well as his. Pretty much blows away what we were all taught about the “Nobel Savage living lightly on the land” in North America. Turns out it is well documented that they maintained the environment via fire on a multi-hundred square mile basis. Also debunks the “Pristine Wilderness” concept of the Amazon Basin. There is evidence of large settlements from the Andes foothills to the mouth of the river. The current “Stone Age” locals are a case of a “Lord of the Flies” type regression as their world fell apart around them. The culprit? Small pox. It wiped out in the double digits of millions of people on both continents. And with them the evidence that they managed the environment. Remember that Columbus and Desoto came in the 1400’s. The first real attempts to colonize N A not until the 1600’s, not much west of the Appalachian Mountains until the 1700‘s. That is time for the proverbial 200 year old Oak to grow in a now unmanaged forest. May be hard for us Euro centric types to understand, and take the responsibility for, but the evidence is there. A recommended read
.The Battle That Stopped Rome by Peter Wells
240pages that could be half that. But still worth it if you are into European history. It is the story of the ambush, and slaughter, of 3 Roman Legions at Teutoberg Forest by a well prepared and organized Germanic alliance. It is an example of the painstaking, and detailed work done at an historically important site, and some conclusions drawn from what was found. By this, I mean we are talking about why mule skeletons were found where they were.. Bur he also backs off from the detail and tells us why this loss helped make up Augustus’s mind that the Roman Empire had reached it’s practical limits of manageable size. A bit of fluff to make a page quota, but still worth it if this part of the world at this time interests you. It does explain why the Romance languages stop where they do.
Civilization One by Christopher Knight and Alan Butler
This was my “fringe” read. Turned out to be a bit of a surprise. The title and jacket allude to the authors previous works on the edge of history and archeology, but this seems to be well researched. The basic theme is that they feel they have found, in the work of another historian, a common unit of measurment, that is easily reproduced through out time and distance. This was used in the construction of all the great structures of Europe and the Mid East. This includes Stone Hedge, Newgrange, and other “hedges” in Britain and France, to Crete, Egypt, and the Sumerians. Gets into Pi and Phi, 360 vs. 366 degree circles, and the surprising relationships between what are considered unrelated measuring systems from around the world for length, volume and weight. I was disappointed that they didn’t follow up on their hints coming from China and India. Also that the Americas seemed to be not even considered. But they are Brits on a limited budget, so I guess a little slack must be given regarding their scope. While doing a good job of side stepping any :“Pattern Finder” accusations, they do seem to find a whole lot of “coincidences” regarding this need to measure things that get into the relationships of the Earth, Sun, Moon, and Barley Corns. In the end they confess that this research may be changing their minds about Religion. You may blow it off as ‘fringe” or you may want to read it if you want to stay up to date on the “ragged edge” I found it thought provoking.
By the way, it was refreshing to get out from under the New York City / Washington DC, never ending political spin, environment. You get a refreshing chance to be on the outside, looking in. The local weather people laugh when you mention “global warming.” The local weather records go back to Columbus and don’t show much variation that cannot be explained as part of the normal cycles we all know about. One told me, “What we are seeing now, we have seen before, and will see again. It comes and goes.” Hurricanes? “There is absolutely no way to predict from year to year, what will happen next year.“ Al Gore? “He has been reduced to competing with that Moore guy, isn’t he?“ Then he passed me a glass with a little “Made in China” umbrella in it. The local climate still ferments sugar cane and the “Global Economy” is still functioning.
In the words of Doris Day “Ka sura, sura.”
