Deighton (1992), Len , Berlin Game, Mexico Set, London Match, Cresset Press Once again Deighton has woven an ntricate and wholly satisfying plot, peopled it with covincing characters and even managed to givr a new twist or two into the spy story. But then he is a master of the form Ross Thomas, Washgington Post  
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Gaddis (2005), John Lewis, The Cold War: A New History, The Penguin Press 2005 Jacket: 'Many will remember what it was like to live under the shadow of the Cold War: the ever-present anxiety that at some point, because of some miscalculation or act of hubris, we might find ourselves in the middle of a nuclear holocaust . . . How did this terrible conflict arise? How did wartime allies so quickly become deadly foes after 1945 and divide the world into opposing camps, each armed to the teeth? And how, suddenly, did it all come to an end? Only now that the Cold War has been over for fifteen years can we begin to find a convincing perspective on it. John Lewis Gaddis's masterly book is the first full, major history of the whole conflict and explains not just what happened, but why it happened . . . Gaddis has synthesized all the most recent scholarship, but has also used minutes from Politburo meetings, startling information from recently opened Soviet and Asian archives, ... and above all the words of the leading participants themselves -- showing what was really on the mind of each, with a very dramatic immediacy. . . .' 
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Hughes (1993), Ted, Shakespeare and the Goddess of Complete Being, Faber & Faber 1993 ' Synopsis In this momentous adventure in criticism, one of the leading poets writing in English argues that our profound response to Shakespeare's great late plays is prompted by a mythic, symbolic structure that inheres in each of them, and indeed binds the entire Shakespearean corpus into one huge, complex, ever-evolving work. Ted Hughes sees Shakespeare's early poems Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece as embodying two great myths of the archaic world, that of the hero who rejects the love of the Goddess and is killed in revenge by a boar; and that of the king, or god, whose crime is rape and whose punishment is banishment. These two complexes merge as Shakespeare's work develops into what Hughes calls the Tragic Equation, a flexible formula through which the poet was able to tap into the innate power of these myths to enliven his own imagination - and through him the imagination of Elizabethan England, in which the conflicts between Catholicism and Protestantism in the "living myth" of the English Reformation never lay far from the bloody surface of events. With his characteristic mixture of erudition and immediacy, Ted Hughes traces this idea in a close reading of Shakespeare's entire work. This text originally grew out of correspondence with dramatists, and anyone for whom intimate attention to the plays is important - scholar, student, actor, or common reader - will profit greatly from Hughes's loving, intensive, engrossing, and radical analysis of the greatest writing in the language.' 
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Nielsen (2016), Michael A., and Isaac L Chuang, Quantum Computation and Quantum Information, Cambridge University Press 2016 Review: A rigorous, comprehensive text on quantum information is timely. The study of quantum information and computation represents a particularly direct route to understanding quantum mechanics. Unlike the traditional route to quantum mechanics via Schroedinger's equation and the hydrogen atom, the study of quantum information requires no calculus, merely a knowledge of complex numbers and matrix multiplication. In addition, quantum information processing gives direct access to the traditionally advanced topics of measurement of quantum systems and decoherence.' Seth Lloyd, Department of Quantum Mechanical Engineering, MIT, Nature 6876: vol 416 page 19, 7 March 2002. 
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Penrose (2007), Roger, The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe , Vintage 2007 ' Nobel Prize-winner Roger Penrose, one of the most accomplished scientists of our time, presents the only comprehensive--and comprehensible--account of the physics of the universe.
From the very first attempts by the Greeks to grapple with the complexities of our known world to the latest application of infinity in physics, The Road to Reality carefully explores the movement of the smallest atomic particles and reaches into the vastness of intergalactic space.
Here, Penrose examines the mathematical foundations of the physical universe, exposing the underlying beauty of physics and giving us one the most important works in modern science writing.
 
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Slobodian (2025), Quinn, Hayek's Bastards: The Neoliberal Roots of the Populist Right, Penguin, Allen Lane 2025 ' In this work of historical erudition and sharp political analysis, Quinn Slobodian explains how the myth of neoliberal freedom can be sustained only through a deeply illiberal world view. Through a painstaking reconstruction of how Hayek's offspring appeal to science served to naturalize hierarchy, and resist the calls for social equality, we come to see how rightwing authoritarianism emerged not as an alternative to neoliberalism but as its brainchild. An essential read to understand the times in which we live ― Lea Ypi  
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Weinberg (1995), Steven, The Quantum Theory of Fields Volume I: Foundations , Cambridge University Press 1995 Jacket: 'After a brief historical outline, the book begins anew with the principles about which we are most certain, relativity and quantum mechanics, and then the properties of particles that follow from these principles. Quantum field theory then emerges from this as a natural consequence. The classic calculations of quantum electrodynamics are presented in a thoroughly modern way, showing the use of path integrals and dimensional regularization. The account of renormalization theory reflects the changes in our view of quantum field theory since the advent of effective field theories. The book's scope extends beyond quantum elelctrodynamics to elementary partricle physics and nuclear physics. It contains much original material, and is peppered with examples and insights drawn from the author's experience as a leader of elementary particle research. Problems are included at the end of each chapter. ' 
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Amit Seru (2025_08_12), There’s a reason India and the U.S. aren’t better friends, ' Washington and New Delhi still can’t seem to become true allies. The reasons lie in a half-century of misaligned interests — and unless both countries confront that past and stop repeating it, the future will belong to others. [. . .]
Today, the pieces are in place for something better, if both sides stop looking over their shoulders. India is no longer a slow-moving socialist state but a $3.7 trillion economy brimming with tech talent and geopolitical ambition. There is little doubt about the direction India has chosen. Yet that path comes with a hedging strategy: friend to Russia for defense, energy ties with Iran and deepening links with Israel. And when it comes to the U.S., the relationship still feels oddly transactional. Whether this balancing act is a temporary phase as India builds its strength or a permanent “multi-alignment” doctrine remains unclear. The answer will shape how far, and how fast, the two countries can move from selective cooperation to genuine strategic partnership. [. . . ]
India is now the world’s fifth-largest economy and home to the largest youth population on Earth. It produces over 4 million STEM graduates each year, more than the U.S. and China combined. Its digital economy is projected to surpass $1 trillion by 2030. Indian-born talent has reshaped American tech: Google, Microsoft, Adobe and countless Silicon Valley start-ups are run by alumni of Indian universities the U.S. barely engages with strategically.' back

Christopher Pollard (2025_08_12), How the neoliberalism of ‘Hayek’s Bastards’ changed the world – and fuelled the rise of the populist right, ' The movement’s intellectual heart was the Mont Pelerin Society, founded in 1947 by the Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek, who used the term “neoliberalism” into the 1950s. With the support of wealthy backers, neoliberalism became a global movement, its free-market principles promoted by a welter of influential institutes and think tanks. Review: Hayek’s Bastards: The Neoliberal Roots of the Populist Right – Quinn Slobodian (Allen Lane) In his new book Hayek’s Bastards, historian Quinn Slobodian explores the “neoliberal roots of the populist right”. Neoliberalism is often described as a form of market fundamentalism: the view that, as Slobodian puts it, “everything on the planet has a price tag, borders are obsolete, the world economy should replace nation-states, and human life is reducible to a cycle of earn, spend, borrow, die”.' back

Elizabeth Kolbert (2025_08_09), The Futility of Simulating Nature, ' The Devils Hole pupfish is often described—probably accurately—as the “rarest fish in the world.” The fish is about an inch long and sapphire blue, with wary-looking dark eyes. It lives in only two places on Earth. One is the real, or at least original, Devils Hole, a pool of exceptionally clear, geothermally heated water found at the bottom of a limestone cavern in the Mojave Desert. The second is the fake Devils Hole, a pool of very clear, artificially heated water found inside a large shedlike building, also in the Mojave. [. . .]
I often found myself thinking of the pupfish and their two pools as I made my way through Zed Nelson’s new book, “The Anthropocene Illusion.” [. . .] Nelson visited fourteen countries to explore our increasingly fraught relationship to what, at one point, we might have called nature. [. . .]
'“Today, social media and the internet’s ceaseless flow of visual stimulation and information have birthed a state of unreality, where we are no longer looking for truth, but only a kind of amazement,” Nelson writes. In one of the most striking images in the book, spectators gather in front of a huge tank at the Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, on the island of Hengqin, in China. They view the animals drifting by—sharks, fish, jellyfish—on the screens of the phones that they are using to film the action. [. . .] One of Nelson’s chief complaints about the simulacra that he visits is their rigidity. In a confected nature, he laments, there are “no surprises” and “nothing happens unless it’s part of the show.” A version of this same sameness holds for “The Anthropocene Illusion” itself. The volume’s power lies in its relentless impulse toward disenchantment.' back

Emma Graham-Harrison & Yuval Abraham (2025_08_17), Revealed: Israeli military’s own data indicates civilian death rate of 83% in Gaza war , ' Figures from a classified Israeli military intelligence database indicate five out of six Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza have been civilians, an extreme rate of slaughter rarely matched in recent decades of warfare. As of May, 19 months into the war, Israeli intelligence officials listed 8,900 named fighters from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad as dead or “probably dead”, a joint investigation by the Guardian, the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call has found. At that time 53,000 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli attacks, according to health authorities in Gaza, a toll that included combatants and civilians. Fighters named in the Israeli military intelligence database accounted for just 17% of the total, which indicates that 83% of the dead were civilians.' back

Eva F Nisa & Faried F Saenong , ‘Green Islam’: how Muslims are powering environmental action across the world, ' As the world grapples with myriad environmental problems, a growing number of studies shows the role of religion is key.
Religion influences people’s worldviews, including how we think about nature and our roles within it. This is true of Islam, one of the world’s biggest and fastest-growing religions.
Islamic teachings on protecting nature can help inform how we respond to the ecological and climate crises. In particular, Australia can look to our neighbour, Indonesia, where the “Green Islam” movement is growing.
So let’s take a closer look at how Islamic teachings promote care for nature, establishing common ground for environmental action across faiths and cultures. [. . .]
While the Qur’an and hadith have long talked about nature, the Green Islam movement emerged much more recently.
Muslim scholar Seyyed Hossein Nasr was among the first to articulate the idea. In the late 1960s, he argued environmental problems were not only physical but also spiritual and moral. He believed people, regardless of their faith, should reconnect with spiritual values that teach care and balance.
In following decades, as environmental problems worsened, more Muslim voices began calling for environmental responsibility based on Islamic principles. This was supported by a growing body of research exploring the relationship between Islam and environmental care.
Over the past 25 years or so, Green Islam has moved from theory to real-life action. Today, the ideas are practised in many Muslim nations and communities around the world. [. . . ]
In a time of mounting ecological challenges, all sources of wisdom are vital. Islamic teachings, along with that of other faiths, offer guidance for living in harmony with nature. Together, they can inspire meaningful and practical action for the planet.' back

Friedrich August von Hayek (with Gunnar Myrdal): The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 1974, Nobel Lecture: The Pretence of Knowledge, ' The particular occasion of this lecture, combined with the chief practical problem which economists have to face today, have made the choice of its topic almost inevitable. On the one hand the still recent establishment of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science marks a significant step in the process by which, in the opinion of the general public, economics has been conceded some of the dignity and prestige of the physical sciences. On the other hand, the economists are at this moment called upon to say how to extricate the free world from the serious threat of accelerating inflation which, it must be admitted, has been brought about by policies which the majority of economists recommended and even urged governments to pursue. We have indeed at the moment little cause for pride: as a profession we have made a mess of things. [. . .]
It seems to me that this failure of the economists to guide policy more successfully is closely connected with their propensity to imitate as closely as possible the procedures of the brilliantly successful physical sciences – an attempt which in our field may lead to outright error. It is an approach which has come to be described as the “scientistic” attitude – an attitude which, as I defined it some thirty years ago, “is decidedly unscientific in the true sense of the word, since it involves a mechanical and uncritical application of habits of thought to fields different from those in which they have been formed.”1 I want today to begin by explaining how some of the gravest errors of recent economic policy are a direct consequence of this scientistic error.' back

George F.Will (2025_08_19), Now it is the Old World’s turn to rescue the United States, ' As this is written, leaders from a continent thickly planted with military cemeteries have come to Washington, soon to go home. Then we shall learn whether, at long last, “Europe” is more than a geographical expression. Eighty-five summers ago, the United States, which began as an emanation of Europe, was saluted by Britain’s prime minister in the House of Commons. On a dark day (June 4, 1940) he anticipated the day when “the New World, with all its power and might, steps forward to the rescue and the liberation of the old.” Now it is the Old World’s turn to rescue the United States. It needs to be liberated from the chimera that it has no substantial stake in the outcome of high-intensity, state-on-state violence inflicted by a nuclear power obedient to a man who has actual beliefs: crackpot, but real, and menacing.' back

Jean-Luc Godard, Alphaville (film) - Wikipedia, ' Caution finally destroys or incapacitates Alpha 60 by telling it a riddle that involves something that it cannot comprehend: poetry. The concept of the individual self has been lost to the collectivized citizens of Alphaville, and this is the key to Caution's riddle. As the citizens collapse, Caution leaves Alphaville with Natacha, who eventually achieves an understanding of herself as an individual with desires. He tells her not to look back, and the film ends with her line "Je vous aime" ("I love you"). back

Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, What is a spinor?, ' It a great honour for me to be given the opportunity to deliver the inaugural “Atiyah Lecture” as I owe to Sir Michael a lot as a mathematician, but also more generally as a scientist active in the international scientific community in the many capacities he held. I could interact with him over a number of years and through numerous encounters, sometimes in conferences, sometimes in his various capacities such as Master of Trinity College or President of the Royal Society.
The very last one was in September 2018 at the Heidelberg Laureate Forum. I remember vividly sitting next to him for a dinner where I did not have many opportunities to say anything... The one I chose to name this lecture from refers to Sir Michael’s contribution to the conference set up in 2013 when I retired as director of the Institut des Hautes ´Etudes Scientifiques.'
Opening the lecture Sir Michael declared: “I spent most of my life working with spinors in one form or another and I do not know [what a spinor is].”
Here is a summary of the lecture Basic Facts on Spinors and Dirac Operators Spinors in General Relativity Varying the Metric Killing Spinors Perspectives back

John Preskill (1999), Battling Decoherence: The Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computer, ' Information carried by a quantum system has notoriously weird properties. Physicists and engineers are now learning how to put that weirdness to work. Quantum computers, which manipulate quantum states rather than classical bits, may someday be able to perform tasks that would be inconceivable with conventional digital technology. (See the article by Charles H. Bennett, Physics Today, October 1995, page 24, and the “Search and Discovery” report in Physics Today, March 1996, page 21.)' back

John Preskill (1999), Battling Decoherence: The Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computer, ' Information carried by a quantum system has notoriously weird properties. Physicists and engineers are now learning how to put that weirdness to work. Quantum computers, which manipulate quantum states rather than classical bits, may someday be able to perform tasks that would be inconceivable with conventional digital technology. (See the article by Charles H. Bennett, Physics Today, October 1995, page 24, and the “Search and Discovery” report in Physics Today, March 1996, page 21.)' back

John von Neumann (2014), Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, ' Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics by John von Neumann translated from the German by Robert T. Beyer (New Edition) edited by Nicholas A. Wheeler. Princeton UP Princeton & Oxford. Preface: ' This book is the realization of my long-held intention to someday use the resources of TEX to produce a more easily read version of Robert T. Beyer’s authorized English translation (Princeton University Press, 1955) of John von Neumann’s classic Mathematische Grundlagen der Quantenmechanik (Springer, 1932).'This content downloaded from 129.127.145.240 on Sat, 30 May 2020 22:38:31 UTC back

Josephine Ma (2025_08_04), Open Questions | Jeffrey Sachs says US sabre-rattling at China can become self-fulfilling prophecy of war, ' The United States learned that it can’t impose its will on China. The rare earths threat by itself was enough to cause the US to reconsider. So, almost immediately after putting on the high tariffs, the US backed down. And both sides know that each has some chokeholds on the other. For that reason, we might expect the two sides to maintain certain limits on the trade frictions in the years ahead. There will be, therefore, some kind of agreement, but it won’t stick in the details, and frictions will continue to wax and wane, with neither side definitively imposing its will on the other. The basic reason is that both sides have a mutual gain from continued trade. I’m hopeful that a measure of rationality will therefore prevail.
The biggest challenge, of course, is the behaviour of the US. The US started this trade war. This is not two sides fighting each other, but rather the US fighting China. We should remember that. The US needs to show some prudence at this point. I do suspect that there is a chastened view among many senior US officials. Trump himself is unpredictable. He has a very short attention span. Agreements with Trump don’t stick. So, I don’t foresee a quiet period, but I do foresee some limits to the competition because each side can do damage to the other and both sides have a strong reason to achieve some cooperation. [. . .]
The individual feuds don’t mean very much. Breaking with Musk does not mean breaking with Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley put Trump back into the White House with enormous financial backing for Trump’s campaign. There are still tens of billions of dollars of government contracts going also to Elon Musk, Peter Thiel and other Big Tech operators. [. . .]
US arrogance deeply worries me. Trump certainly is not a strategist. There’s no long-term plan. The US is playing poker, but not very well or wisely. It often bluffs. The whole approach can lead to war.' back

Leonardo da Vinci, Leonardo da Vinci, ' Explores the life and work of Leonardo da Vinci, including how the artist influenced and inspired future generations.' back

Matthew Sussex (2025_08_17), Putin got the red-carpet treatment from Trump. Where does this leave Ukraine?, ' Ultimately, the Alaska summit shows that peace in Ukraine is only part of the broader picture for the Trump administration, which is dedicated to achieving warmer ties with Moscow, if not outright alignment with it.
In that sense, it matters little to Trump how peace is attained in Ukraine, or how long it lasts. What’s important is he receives credit for it, if not the Nobel Peace Prize he craves.
And while Trump’s vision of splitting Russia away from China is a fantasy, it is nonetheless one he has decided to entertain. That, in turn, compels America’s European partners to respond accordingly.
Already there is plenty of evidence that having failed to win a trade war with China, the Trump administration is now choosing to feast on America’s allies instead. We see this in its fixation with tariffs, its bizarre desire to punish India and Japan, and the trashing of America’s soft power.
Even more sobering, Trump’s diplomatic forays continue to see him treated as sport by authoritarian leaders.
That, in turn, provides a broader lesson for America’s friends and partners: their future security may well rest on America’s good offices, but it is foolish to assume that automatically places their fortunes above the whims of the powerful.' back

Ran Porat (2025_08_22), With eyes on re-election, Netanyahu’s fights with world leaders aim to distract from many political problems, ' As the longest-serving Israeli prime minister (17 years), Benjamin Netanyahu is famous for his political wizardry and survival skills. But he is also a highly controversial figure with questionable moral standards and legacy.
His latest term in office, beginning in late 2022, has been particularly challenging, thanks to the far-right radical elements of his governing coalition and the unprecedented national disaster Israel experienced at the hands of Hamas on October 7 2023.
Yet, Netanyahu has managed to neutralise almost all immediate domestic threats to his power. At times, he has done this by manoeuvring rivals and partners into postponing moves that could topple his government. Other times, he has reshuffled his Likud Party ranks or realigned with bitter foes.
Netanyahu is also facing increased criticism from the Israeli public, with hundreds of thousands of people taking part in marches in support of a hostage deal, as well as from former senior politicians and ex-security officials.
And he has clashed with Eyal Zamir, the Israel Defence Force’s (IDF) chief of staff, who argued against the plan to expand the war into Gaza City. Zamir received clear messages to fold or resign, and chose to stay.
Yet, Netanyahu chooses to ignore all of this noise, sending his entourage and loyalists to attack anyone with dissenting views. This week’s spray at Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is just one example. [. . .]
But Netanyahu faces a dramatic dilemma over the war. On the one hand, he may decide to sign a ceasefire deal with Hamas and secure the release of the hostages. This would win the cheers of most Israelis, but risk the loss of his government, given the far-right ministers’ threats to dissolve the coalition if he accepts any deal without fully conquering the strip.
On the other hand, he could proceed with the military operation in Gaza City, which may well result in the killing of the remaining hostages – either by Hamas or as a consequence of IDF attacks.
A third option would be to continue negotiations while escalating preparations for the attack, in the hope of achieving a better deal. We will soon know what direction he will take – and what it will mean for his political future./ back

Richard Behiel, Electromagnetism as a Gauge Theory, ' "Why is electromagnetism a thing?" That's the question. In this video, we explore the answer given by gauge theory. In a nutshell, electromagnetism arises from local phase symmetry. But what does that mean, and how exactly does that work? That's what this video is all about!
This video is quite long and technical. Think of it as a video textbook, so you can skip around to different parts if you’d like. But I wanted to err on the side of rigor and thoroughness, to show comprehensively how local U(1) symmetry blossoms into electromagnetism. So the ideas are all there for you, but you don’t have to watch this in one sitting! ' back

Richard Behiel (c), Deriving the Klein Gordon Equation, ' 0:00 Intro 0:38 Three Principles for the Dirac Equation 3:12 Square Root of the Mass Shell 7:30 Anticommutation Relations 9:50 The Dirac Matrices 10:58 The Dirac Equation 13:58 Spinors' back

Ruth Schuster (2025_08_20), Human-Neanderthal Hybrid Child From 140,000 Years Ago Found in Israel's Skhul Cave, ' The body of a child found in Skhul Cave in northern Israel from 140,000 years ago changes everything we tend to think about early humans, mainly that they were a horrible lot, says Prof. Israel Hershkovitz of Tel Aviv University, director of the excavation in Skhul Cave with Anne Dambricourt-Malassé of the French National Centre for Scientific Research. Au contraire, early humans and Neanderthals had an attraction and got along beautifully, they hypothesize.
The child of Skhul died at about age 5 and its skeleton was found in 1932. But its classification was confusing to finders Theodore McCown and Arthur Keith, because they noticed it seemed part Homo sapiens and part Neanderthal. Its cranium shape was sapiens, but the lower jaw and inner ear smacked of Neanderthals. Weird! They dodged the difficulty by filing it under a new species, Palaeoanthropus palestinus.
Little palestinus wasn't an unknown species. It was a hybrid Homo sapiens-Neanderthal, according to a new paper by Hershkovitz and colleagues, published Wednesday in the journal l'Anthropologie. The conclusion is based on its skull morphology. [. . .]
So what have we so far? "We show there was a local group of pre-Neanderthals, or Neanderthal-like hominins, who originated in Africa perhaps half a million years ago and evolved here," Hershkovitz says. "They were the indigenous people." Not us. They lived here from at least 500,000 to 200,000 years ago. [. . .]
So competition isn't in our blood? What is? How did we remain the last hominin standing? We became a more social animal, capable of forming large groups, Hershkovitz suggests. Numbers count. Humans experienced self-domestication. [. . .]
Neanderthals did not undergo a parallel self-domestication experience, and big groups of humans may have absorbed the small groups of Neanderthals and that was that. We didn't bully them into capitulation, we charmed them.' back

Viva Las Vegas - Wikipedia, Viva Las Vegas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, /Viva Las Vegas is a 1964 American rock and roll musical film directed by George Sidney, written by Sally Benson, choreographed by David Winters, and starring Elvis Presley, Ann-Margret, Cesare Danova, William Demarest and Nicky Blair. Set in Las Vegas, Nevada, the film is about two competing race car drivers who also compete for the same girl. The film's theme song "Viva Las Vegas" (written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman) did well on the year's record sales and has since become a theme song for the titular city. The film is regarded by Elvis fans and film critics as one of Presley's best films, and it is noted for the real-life on-screen chemistry between Presley and Ann-Margret. back