Category Archives: history

BOOKS: “Nuclear War” by Annie Jacobsen

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Nuclear War: A ScenarioNuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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Release Date: March 28, 2024

Annie Jacobsen’s new book is fascinating and — quite frankly — horrifying from cover to cover. The book presents a hypothetical minute by minute unfolding of events that culminate in full-scale nuclear war and the end of the world as we know it. A four-hundred-page book that breaks down the events of an hour may sound like a recipe for tedium, like Joyce’s seven-hundred-plus page elaboration of the events of a single day in “Ulysses.” But, it is anything but. There is so much to explore amid the concepts like “the nuclear football” and MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction,) and EMP’s (Electromagnetic Pulse weapons.) There is also so much to go wrong, and much that is virtually certainly go wrong.

That last sentence might suggest that the book takes an excessively pessimistic view to create drama. Sadly, it does not need to. The ultra-fast timeline of nuclear calculus does the work of ensuring that many things will go terrifyingly and irreparably wrong. Decision makers have a short window to make decisions, and “use-’em-or-lose-’em” thinking plays a major role in decision making. (i.e. One can’t count on delaying a decision about a counter response because one’s delivery infrastructure — notably, the human bit of it — will likely be destroyed if one absorbs the first strike.) There is also the fact that — counter to all the abort buttons seen in the movies — once missiles are launched, there is no way to stop them. [A bit of “Dr. Strangelove” writ into the system.] At many of the points at which it may seem that Jacobsen is being pessimistic for effect, she explains the basis for her pessimism: from historical events like the failure of the nuclear hotline to commentary by experts.

Lest one think that nuclear warfare is a threat of the past, and that it’s a solved problem, Jacobsen’s scenario reminds us that it’s not just a matter of NATO v the Warsaw Pact (i.e. America v the USSR in the common conception) anymore. She does this by using North Korea as the instigator. We don’t ever learn the Kims’ theoretical motivation, but all one really needs to know to make one nervous is that the DPRK has been quite happy playing the role of pariah, engaging in a number of activities in violation of international law and norms, as well as that Kim Jong Un might just believe some of the ridiculous things his yes-men tell him. (Not to mention the famines and other destabilizing conditions that could lead some other inside actor or group of actors to take unanticipated actions.) The truly disturbing part is to see how easily a strike by the DPRK could draw Russia or possibly China into the nuclear exchange. [Russia because it’s in the path between the US and the DPRK, and China because it could suffer massive casualties from strikes on North Korean facilities near the border that send radiation to sizable Chinese population centers.]

This book is a must-read for anyone who thinks nuclear weapons are the problem of a bygone era.

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BOOKS: “Smoke and Ashes” by Amitav Ghosh

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Smoke and Ashes: A Writer's Journey through Opium's Hidden HistoriesSmoke and Ashes: A Writer’s Journey through Opium’s Hidden Histories by Amitav Ghosh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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Release Date: February 15, 2024 [NOTE: for this edition; the book is already out in some markets in some additions.]

Ghosh has written a fascinating exploration of the profound global consequences of that pretty red flower, the opium poppy. I find the events surrounding the Opium Wars to be among the most incredible stories humanity has written. It is mind-blowing that a substance could be so utterly addictive as to spur wars and global social and economic upheavals. That substance is, of course, tea. Ah, you thought I was going to say opium (or its relative, heroin,) didn’t you? But while opium is fantastically addictive, its addicts were by-and-large in peaceful stupors in (or on) their clouds during the time in question. It is the uppity Earl Grey addict who was draining Britain’s treasury of precious metals, and — as addicts do in their impoverished desperation — turned to dealing drugs.

There have been many books written on this subject, but Ghosh carves himself a niche. First, while accounts often focus tightly upon the central adversarial relationship of Britain versus China, Ghosh examines at leisure the roles of two lesser discussed players — India (not only as a subject of Great Britain but also as an autonomous actor) and America. The importance of India’s involvement, from being a major producer and processor of opium to sourcing the sepoys who actually fought the Opium Wars, has been largely ignored, and Ghosh helps to clear up distortions in the historical record. Second, the book investigates questions around America’s opioid crisis and what history can tell us about its drivers. In particular, what does the China’s explosion of addiction tell us about what might have spurred America’s crisis?

This is a readable and compelling nonfiction exploration of the influence of opium from a writer who has produced novels (e.g. the “Sea of Poppies” trilogy) set around these historical events.

I’d highly recommend this book for individuals interested in the influence of Opium, particularly if one is curious about how history relates to the recent crises and what role Indians and Americans played in events.

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BOOKS: “The Banished Immortal” by Ha Jin

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The Banished Immortal: A Life of Li Bai (Li Po)The Banished Immortal: A Life of Li Bai by Ha Jin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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Li Bai is considered to be one of China’s best poets of all time, writing during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD,) a time swole with poetic greats. However, it’s not just a prolific collection of extant masterpieces that make Li Bai worthy of a biography intended for a general audience. Li Bai was also a compelling character. He was, at once, a drunk and a genius; a swordsman of some skill and a card-carrying Daoist. It’s not just that he could edit drafts into brilliant poems, but he was said to be gifted at spontaneously spouting clever verse. He was constantly struggling to gain a post in government, but failed time and again. Even when his poetic renown became so great that he was given a post in the Imperial court, he was disappointed to find that it was largely ceremonial and that he would have no great impact on anything. He had a stunning fall from grace when he aligned with the wrong side during a civil war and was lucky to have been exiled rather than executed.

Ha Jin, a prominent present-day Chinese author best known for the novel Waiting, does an excellent job of exploring Li Bai’s life. What I particularly enjoyed is that Ha Jin (a poet himself) discusses how events in Li’s life spurred some of his great poems (which are often included in whole or in part.) Ha Jin is also careful to make clear when biographical accounts diverge, and there are many unknown or disputed details of Li’s life. In fact, there is a bit of a mythology around Li Bai, as one might guess from the title – which refers to a nickname bestowed upon the poet based on the belief that he was a Daoist immortal.

I’d highly recommend this book for readers of biography, those interested in Chinese history, or those who are intrigued by rebellious poetic souls.

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St. Crispin’s Day Speech [from HENRY V] by William Shakespeare [w/ Audio]

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This day is call'd the feast of Crispian.
 He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
 Will stand a-tiptoe when this day is nam'd,
 And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
 He that shall live this day, and see old age,
 Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
 And say "Tomorrow is Saint Crispian."
 Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
 And say "These wounds I had on Crispian's day."
 Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
 But he'll remember, with advantages,
 What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
 Familiar in his mouth as household words --
 Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
 Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester --
 Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
 This story shall the good man teach his son;
 And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
 From this day to the ending of the world,
 But we in it shall be remembered --
 We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
 For he today that sheds his blood with me
 Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
 This day shall gentle his condition;
 And gentlemen in England now a-bed
 Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
 And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
 That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's Day.

PROMPT: Historical Figure

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If you could meet a historical figure, who would it be and why?

Assuming no babel fish technology – i.e. that we’d need a common language – I’d say William Blake, Walt Whitman, or Mark Twain. The latter would probably be the most fun, the middle the most uplifting, and the first the most insightful (or perhaps most mystical.)

Rampart Perspective [Common Meter]

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From atop an old stone rampart,
   one's head within the clouds,
 one expects to see an old oxcart
   through that foggy shroud.

But down below, the modern day:
   buses, cafes, and cars.
 I turn my head the other way,
   and the world 's as it was:

Back in the times when that fortress
   was besieged and battered,
 and nothing moved freely but for
   a flag -- singed and tattered. 

There's a certain romantic view
   of long-gone days of old,
 but I think I'll be heading down
   before I catch a cold.

BOOKS: Absinthe by Tania Brasseur & Tamara Berger

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Absinthe: The Forbidden Spirit: An Intoxicating History of the Green FairyAbsinthe: The Forbidden Spirit: An Intoxicating History of the Green Fairy by Tania Brasseur
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Release Date: February 27, 2024

The biography of a beverage might not seem exhilarating, but absinthe has no ordinary history. It rose from obscurity as a regional drink indigenous to parts of France and Switzerland to international celebrity by becoming popular with artistic geniuses of the era — e.g. Oscar Wilde. Some of whom credited the drink with more than just a pleasant tipsy sensation. Then it received its own prohibition while other alcoholic beverages remained perfectly legal. Of course, as with other prohibitions, Absinthe’s legend rose and taste for it didn’t disappear. Eventually, its prohibition ended, and absinthe was freed to have a second life.

This book is primarily a history of absinthe’s rollercoaster ride existence. However, it also discusses wormwood and other prominent ingredients, the distillation process, as well as the mythology that grew up around the beverage.

If you’re curious about the beverage and its mythos, I’d recommend you give this book a look.

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BOOKS: Bohemians: A Very Short Introduction by David Weir

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Bohemians: A Very Short Introduction (VERY SHORT INTRODUCTIONS)Bohemians: A Very Short Introduction by David Weir
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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This book examines the brief life of the Bohemian artistic lifestyle, exploring how it came about, what it looked like in its heyday, what led to its demise, and by what / whom it was replaced (e.g. the Beats.) It is an intriguing examination of the subject. I will say, there were points that I felt the book had become lost in the weeds, but at other points I found it fascinating. I concluded that my own calculus was to find it interesting when it discussed the lives and works of artists who are still deemed to have relevance and influence today (e.g. Baudelaire, Picasso, and Whitman,) and not so much when it was elaborating on artists and works that have fallen into obscurity among the general populace (e.g. Henry Murger’s Scenes of Bohemian Life.) So, that may be more a reflection on me than on the book.

The author touches upon the fictional influences that inspired Bohemianism, the places where the lifestyle thrived (e.g. Paris and New York,) the philosophy and – particularly – the political philosophy of the Bohemians (e.g. often Anarchists or – at least – anti-government.) One of the topics that most interested me is how the successor artistic communities differed from the Bohemians.

If you’re interested in who the Bohemians were and how they differ from other artistic communities (before and after,) this book is well worth the brief read required.

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PROMPT: Historical Event

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What historical event fascinates you the most?

It varies over time. For a long time, it was the Second World War and the Holocaust. How do you get the rise of Nazis and the horrors that sprang therefrom? Sadly, I think that question has been answered to my — for lack of a better word— satisfaction.

The execution of Socrates has spurred a great deal of thought.

In terms of what is not so much a historical event, but historical processes, I’m intrigued by the life of Buddha.

Then there are a lot of explorer / adventurer travels.

PROMPT: Historical Events

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What major historical events do you remember?

From the Iranian Hostage Crisis onward, pretty much all of them — given they were considered “major” in whatever place I was living at the time.