http://tspwiki.com/index.php?title=1632
Here are some one liners...
It Smells Like the New World -- I talk about the Indians creating a totally unnatural state of the forests that allows the forests to work naturally.
Notable Events this Year -- Maryland!
The War in Review -- I feel so guilty about not covering the various bloody wars that I have to do this.
It Smells Like the New World
A Dutch merchant writes that he can smell the New World before he can see it. This comes from all the smoke from burning fires. The Indian tribes maintain the forests by burning the undergrowth and clearing wide lanes for travel. They are so diligent in their work that many colonists will comment about the park-like lands. In fact, they will notice that there is nothing natural about the forests at all. This will be a complementary observation. [1]
My Take by Alex Shrugged
The Indians were keeping the underbrush down to allow game to flourish and to keep forest fires manageable. Was that natural? No. It was a human system that used nature as a tool rather than an enemy to overcome, but there was nothing natural about it in the modern sense. Some intellectuals see the American Indian as "The Noble Savage"... an idealization of primitive man... that is... man as animal in his purest state. Idealists on the left fight to keep the Eskimo in a primitive environment when the Eskimos would like are nice warm houses and some decent schools for their kids. On the right you get reality shows of hard, calloused men and women taking on the Alaskan wilderness. What is the difference? On the right, you choose your challenges. On the left, they choose your challenges for you... whether you like them or not. The Indians (and Eskimos) are protected groups but along with the benefits come some very long strings. I've danced with Indians. It is a wondrous culture, but it is one thing to keep one's culture alive because it is just flat out cool, and it is another to keep it alive to please some aging, leftist hippies who like handmade rugs. There are a lot of good things to learn from our past but if it's all the same to you, I'd like to keep running water, flush toilets and a forest that don't burst into flames every time a car backfires.
The Indians were keeping the underbrush down to allow game to flourish and to keep forest fires manageable. Was that natural? No. It was a human system that used nature as a tool rather than an enemy to overcome, but there was nothing natural about it in the modern sense. Some intellectuals see the American Indian as "The Noble Savage"... an idealization of primitive man... that is... man as animal in his purest state. Idealists on the left fight to keep the Eskimo in a primitive environment when the Eskimos would like are nice warm houses and some decent schools for their kids. On the right you get reality shows of hard, calloused men and women taking on the Alaskan wilderness. What is the difference? On the right, you choose your challenges. On the left, they choose your challenges for you... whether you like them or not. The Indians (and Eskimos) are protected groups but along with the benefits come some very long strings. I've danced with Indians. It is a wondrous culture, but it is one thing to keep one's culture alive because it is just flat out cool, and it is another to keep it alive to please some aging, leftist hippies who like handmade rugs. There are a lot of good things to learn from our past but if it's all the same to you, I'd like to keep running water, flush toilets and a forest that don't burst into flames every time a car backfires.
Notable Events this Year
- * The Maryland charter is awarded to Lord Baltimore. (Guess what the name of the new capital will be.) The "Mary" of Maryland is Queen Henrietta Maria, the wife of King Charles the 1st of England. [2]
- * The English colonize Antigua and Barbuda. The islands will remain in their control (mostly) until 1981. [3]
- * The Taj Mahal is commissioned to be the final resting place for the Sultan's favorite wife. Construction will be completed in 1653. Cost: over $800,000. Nice tombstone.[4]
- * Galileo publishes his Two Worlds Dialogue that compares the Copernicus system with the old system. He has the permission of the Inquisition who will then forget they gave him permission. [5]
The War in Review
It's been disease, rape, murder and mayhem. Let's hit the highlights.- * Count Tilly is dead. Historians make excuses for his violence. Maybe they are right. In any case he was wounded by King Gustav's army and dies at the Battle of Rain.
- * Munich is captured by Swedish forces in the 30 Years' War.
- * Several cities surrender to the Prince of Orange in the 80 Year's War.
- * The King of France crushes a rebellion led by his brother, Gaston. Gaston will live.
- * King Gustav the 2nd of Sweden is killed in battle. By all accounts he was almost joyful in his last battle against General Wallenstein.
- * Queen Christina takes the throne of Sweden at 6 years old. She is a wild one (in a good way) and sharp as a whip. Her father's old adviser will continue fighting the war while she grows up.
- * The Field Marshall for the Holy Roman Emperor dies from his wounds in battle.
This Year on Wikipedia
Year 1632, Wikipedia.
No comments:
Post a Comment