HIST300A: First Encounters in the New World

Hey guys--Just some questions to think about (you don't necessarily need to respond directly to them; you may also add your own thoughts and questions about the readings).

Crosby: How did New World life forms challenge European understandings of the natural world during the fifteenth century and under what terms (i.e. systems of understanding) were these challenges explored?

Bradford: At the micro-level, what is Bradford's lens for understanding his new environment? How does this lens, for instance, shape his view on the indigenous populations of New England?

Anonymous: According to the author, what are the advantages of growing tobacco in the British colonies by 1775?

HIST300A: Welcome Everyone!

HIST300F: Welcome Everyone!

Tiger Summit

Through the efforts of the Global Tiger Initiative, the World Bank, and Russian Prime Minister Vladmir Putin, a Tiger Summit attended by 13 South and East Asian states is underway in St. Petersburg. These 13 states occupy the last remaining refuges of tigers in the wild. It is estimated that only 3,200 tigers remain in the wild, which is down from 100,000 over a century ago. Habitat loss and poaching for skins and body parts to feed the market for traditional Chinese medicine are the most potent factors contributing to potential tiger extinction. Many commentators hope that this summit will be the first step towards recovering tiger populations in the wild. Some of the solutions on the table are the establishment of borderland protected areas, coordinating unified transnational regimes of protection, and better enforcement against poaching. 

Geoengineering to Save the Species?

An interesting article examines the serious scientific explorations to harness the power of volcanoes as a temporary solution to solve global temperature increases until so-called "green" technologies and economies can catch up.