John Brown's Notes and Essays

Two historians explore the myths and truths that sustain a nation-state. [See also ( 1 ), ( 2 )] A 1776 broadside printing of the Declaration of Independence is on display at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia from June 18, 2019, through the end of the year. (Matt Rourke) By  Carlos Lozada Book critic, The Washington Post June 27, 2019 THIS AMERICA: The Case for the Nation By Jill Lepore. Liveright. 150 pp. $16.95 THE HEARTLAND: An American History By Kristin L. Hoganson. Penguin. 399 pp. $30 There are stories Americans have long told themselves about their country, stories that — depending on the prevailing mix of cynicism, optimism and realism — still hold sway. The shining city on a hill. A nation of laws, not of men. The land of opportunity. The melting pot. With liberty and justice for all. Parsing the enduring truths and myths behind these notions (not to mention their original context) is the work of historians. The...

David Brooks, "How Artificial Intelligence Can Save Your Life: The machines know you better than you know yourself, "  The New York Times , June 24, 2019; see also ( 1 ) ( 2 ); in all fairness to D. Brooks, he does vary his vocabulary in this piece, using the word "person" (rather than "people") four times; take note of blue highlights Need I state the obvious, as someone who has struggled to write professionally for years: When you write, you have to be specific.   Brooks's "people/persons" vague references don't meet that elementary standard.  Who, specifically, is he talking about (except himself, his favorite subject, talking about anonymous "people/persons")? image (not from article) from Artificial intelligence is by turns terrifying, overhyped, hard to understand and just plain awesome. For an example of the last, researchers at the  University of California, San Francisco  were able this year to hook peopl...

Image from , with caption:   People dreamed of human spaceflight long before they actually achieved it. In the 1950s, Collier’s magazine promoted the goal of the “conquest of space,” and readers were captivated by plans for missions to the moon, Mars, and exotic worlds across the solar system. The painter and illustrator Chesley Bonestell (1888-1986) provided some of the most popular images of the coming Space Age.  ... With earth "internationalism" (some would call it colonialism) fading as a defining factor of the 21st century (Think: Trump -- Make the American homeland great again by building a humongous border wall; Central Europe's turn [return?] to racism/provincialism/nationalism; Britain and Brexit; Putin Russia's official hostility toward the West; Chinese suspicions of American intentions [and vice versa]; the "anti-European," anti-cosmopolitan reactions in the Middle East ...) To paraphrase the mass media pundits, is this not the much-proc...

Image from article, with caption:  An illustration of plane pollution. (The WorldPost) By Jack Miles, The Washington Post , November 2, 2017 According to former U.N. climate chief Christiana Figueres, we have only three years left in which to “ bend the emissions curve downward ” and forestall a terrifying cascade of climate-related catastrophes, much worse than what we’re already experiencing. Realistically, is there anything that you or I can do as individuals to make a significant difference in the short time remaining? The answer is yes, and the good news is it won’t cost us a penny. It will actually save us money, and we won’t have to leave home to do it. Staying home, in fact, is the essence of making a big difference in a big hurry. That’s because nothing that we do pumps carbon dioxide into the atmosphere faster than air travel. Cancel a couple long flights, and you can halve your carbon footprint. Schedule a couple, and you can double or triple it.  A...

Book Review By  Tina Brown, The New York Times   May 31, 2019 Image from article:  The Oak Room of the Plaza Hotel, circa 1974. Credit Credit THE PLAZA The Secret Life of America’s Most Famous Hotel By Julie Satow Donald Trump was feeling envious. New York’s foremost narcissist — whose Trump Tower, encased in fool’s gold and bogus bronze, was the very definition of ersatz — hankered for what he regarded as the real estate racket’s crown jewel of social status. There it was, tauntingly in his face every time he swiveled his desk chair and glanced out the 26th-floor window of his Fifth Avenue office: the Plaza Hotel. The imposing white chateau at 59th and Fifth, with its lordly views of Central Park, designed by the Gilded Age maestro  Henry Janeway Hardenbergh , dominates the most desirable corner of the most dynamic city in the world. Trump finally bought it in 1988 for roughly $400 million, every penny of it borrowed. In a full-page ad in N...