Thursday's Notes

Patricia Cohen,"On Campus, Liberal Professors Retire," NYT, 3 July, suggests that, as a generation retires, the culture war recedes. See also: Margaret Soltan,"Superannuated Hippies," University Diaries, 3 July.

Robert Booth,"Greenaway's hi-tech gadgetry highlights da Vinci for the laptop generation," Guardian, 2 July, covers the latest hi-tech meets da Vinci. Don't miss the slide show, video clip, and interview.

Fernando Cervantes,"The Gods of New Spain," TLS, 2 July, reviews David Abulafia's The Discovery of Mankind: Atlantic encounters in the age of Columbus, J. Michael Francis's Invading Colombia: Spanish accounts of the Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada expedition of conquest, Matthew Restall's and Florine Asselbergs's Invading Guatemala: Spanish, Nahua and Maya accounts of the conquest wars, and Jaime Lara's Christian Texts for Aztecs: Art and liturgy in colonial Mexico.

Theresa Vargas,"Foundations of a Founding Father," Washington Post, 3 July, covers the archaeological discovery of George Washington's childhood home in Virginia.

David Waldstreicher,"Present at the Creation," Boston Globe, 29 June, reviews Nancy Rubin Stuart's The Muse of the Revolution: The Secret Pen of Mercy Otis Warren and the Founding of a Nation and Kevin J. Hayes's The Road to Monticello: The Life and Mind of Thomas Jefferson.

Adam Liptak,"The Case That Led to an Uneasy Shift in the Balance of Government Powers," NYT, 2 July, reviews Barry Siegel's Claim of Privilege: A Mysterious Plane Crash, a Landmark Supreme Court Case, and the Rise of State Secrets.

Andrew J. Nathan,"Medals And Rights," TNR, 9 July, reviews a half-dozen new books on Chinese sports, Beijing, and the Olympic Games. Hat tip.

Finally,"Great Moments in History: Documenting what really matters -- on the Etch a Sketch."