Category: History

Our National Bird

For all its splendor and power, the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) has a dark side: opportunist and bully. I once watched one harass an Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) until the later gave up its catch. In addition to stealing from other birds, Bald Eagles can subsist completely on carrion. In spite of the name, Bald Eagles are more closely related to vultures than true Eagles (genus Aquila).

No lesser personage than Ben Franklin thought the Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) better represented the aspirations of the young country he helped found: “…the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America…”

Norman Borlaug and the Green Revolution

Norman Borlaug

What science gives, stupidity and geopolitics may take away. Norman Borlaug is the (largely unknown) hero of the last half of the twentieth century. He is credited with saving the lives of millions by developing high-yield crops and other agricultural innovations. He is one of only five who have won the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Congressional Gold Medal.

But things may be changing. The recent spike in oil prices, coupled with a switch from food to fuel production is putting the world at risk. A series of food shortages and riots may presage what’s to come.

Norman Borlaug Quotes…

Last Days of the Incas by Kim MacQuarrie

Last Days of the Incas
Kim MacQuarrie

It is serendipitous that this book came out within a few months of my trip to South America. A history book that reads like a novel, it provided much needed context for what I’d seen. It begins and ends with Machu Picchu, from about 1400 to the present. The story really starts with Francisco Pizarro’s “discovery” of the Incas, and kidnapping of the emperor Atahualpa. The author makes the important point that the Conquistadors were not military men, but “entrepreneurs with swords.” They took over Cusco (the “navel” of the Inca world) and Saxawaman. They informed their captives of The Requirement that concludes by blaming the victims if they get hurt, “the deaths and losses which shall accrue from this are your fault.” Many pages are devoted to the rebel Manco Inca and his progressive movement to Pisac, Ollantaytambo, and beyond in an attempt to evade the Spaniards. The book concludes with a summary of recent discoveries, intrigues and fraud.