Ever wondered where phrases like ‘anti-racism,’ ‘white supremacy,’ ‘post colonialism,’ ‘DEI’ and ‘systemic racism’ came from? The answer is from cultural Marxism: the political pseudoscience that divides everyone into oppressor and oppressed. How could the thoughts of a smelly, demon-possessed alcoholic and ne’re-do-well spunger – Karl Marx- who was disowned by his parents and even let his own family starve in order that he could get his next ‘fix’ – come to dominate sports events, music, Hollywood, Big Tech, law enforcement and even our hallowed institutions – universities, law courts, governments and even the Church?
Senator Ted Cruz (Texas), who’s father fled an evil Marxist regime in Cuba, outlines the sordid history of leftist ideology in western democracies and how it was promulgated by godless pseudo academics -limp-wristed leftists – who never did an honest day’s work in their lives, but who nonetheless managed to brainwash an entire generation(almost) to hate their countries and to attempt to tear down everything that brought them greatness. Cruz outlines how to defend against and defeat this wicked ideology.
The fightback against the Woketards has well and truly begun!
The Biblical End Times are laden with deception, with the plight of the Jews at the very centre of this spiritual war. While disgraceful antisemitic news outlets like the BBC, CNN and other legacy media organisations continue to peddle lies and misinformation about the Jews, Zionism and the so called ‘Palestinians,’ distinguished journalist and author, Melanie Phillips, sets the record straight by providing the essential facts to equip the Jewish people and the general public alike with valuable knowledge and skills to combat the narrative of hate we see on our streets and in the media. Learn how to confront pig ignorant firebrands such as Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, Alex Jones and Megyn Kelly, who have shamelessly gaslit their dwindling audiences with gross perversions of the truth concerning the Jews and Zionism, the likes of which we have not witnessed since the rise of Nazi Germany in the 1930s. This essential Handbook will equip you with the rhetorical skills and historical facts to quickly and effectively deal with mass brainwashing from across the political spectrum, and fanatical Islamists hell bent on destroying the Jews and their incalculable contributions to western civilisation.
A wicked, impoverishing and soul destroying ideology that deserves to be tossed into the waste basket of destructive human ideas.
An absolute must read for young adults, liberals and progressives, ignorantly peddling socialist ideas on social media, academia, and in government. Valente unpacks the many intractable problems with socialist regimes and provides very powerful arguments by means of many case studies from the former Soviet Union, China, Cambodia, Venezuela, North Korea and Cuba, which clearly illustrates its moral and economic failings, both to the individual and to society as a whole.
But even if we (or an angel from heaven) should announce any “good news” to you other than what we have proclaimed to you, let that person be cursed.
Galatians 1:8
And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
2 Corinthians 11:14
Islam is rapidly gaining influence in the West, yet its origins cannot be firmly rooted in history. In this brand new biography, the distinguished Islamic scholar, Dr Robert Spencer, outlines the mythology behind its founder, Muhammad, casting a critical eye on the alleged prophet’s ‘morality,’ as well as asking the question about whether he actually existed.
In this updated and expanded edition of climate scientist Steven Koonin’s groundbreaking book, go behind the headlines to discover the latest eye-opening data about climate change―with unbiased facts and realistic steps for the future. “Greenland’s ice loss is accelerating.” “Extreme temperatures are causing more fatalities.” “Rapid ‘climate action’ is essential to avoid a future climate disaster.” You’ve heard all this presented as fact. But according to science, all of these statements are profoundly misleading. With the new edition of Unsettled, Steven Koonin draws on decades of experience―including as a top science advisor to the Obama administration―to clear away the fog and explain what science really says (and doesn’t say). With a new introduction, this edition now features reflections on an additional three years of eye-opening data, alternatives to unrealistic “net zero” solutions, global energy inequalities, and the energy crisis arising from the war in Ukraine. When it comes to climate change, the media, politicians, and other prominent voices have declared that “the science is settled.” In reality, the climate is changing, but the why and how aren’t as clear as you’ve probably been led to believe. Koonin takes readers behind the headlines, dispels popular myths, and unveils little-known truths: Despite rising greenhouse gas emissions, global temperatures decreased from 1940 to 1970 Models currently used to predict the future do not accurately describe the climate of the past, and modelers themselves strongly doubt their regional predictions There is no compelling evidence that hurricanes are becoming more frequent―or that predictions of rapid sea level rise have any validity Unsettled is a reality check buoyed by hope, offering the truth about climate science―what we know, what we don’t, and what it all means for our future.
About the Author
Dr. Steven E. Koonin is a leader in science policy in the United States. He served as Undersecretary for Science in the US Department of Energy under President Obama, where he was the lead author of the Department’s Strategic Plan and the inaugural Quadrennial Technology Review (2011). With more than 200 peer-reviewed papers in the fields of physics and astrophysics, scientific computation, energy technology and policy, and climate science, Dr. Koonin was a professor of theoretical physics at Caltech, also serving as Caltech’s Vice President and Provost for almost a decade. He is currently a University Professor at New York University, with appointments in the Stern School of Business, the Tandon School of Engineering, and the Department of Physics. Dr. Koonin’s memberships include US National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the JASON group of scientists who solve technical problems for the US government. Since 2014, he has been a trustee of the Institute for Defense Analyses and chaired the National Academies’ Divisional Committee for Engineering and Physical Sciences from 2014-2019.
He is currently an independent governor of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and has served in similar roles for the Los Alamos, Sandia, Brookhaven, and Argonne National Laboratories.
Title: The Privileged Planet (20th Anniversary Edition)
Published: 2004 & 2024
Authors: Guillermo Gonzalez & Jay W. Richards
Publisher: Regnery
434 pages
ISBN: 978-1-68451-702-2
Price: $35US
Is the Earth a unique abode of life or is life commonplace across the cosmos, with its myriad galaxies, stars and planets? Is the Earth a typical habitable planet or is it endowed with innumerable ‘just so’ features that has allowed life to flourish here for close on 4 billion years? Are we alone in the Universe?
These are big, blue sky questions for sure but the body of evidence hinting at the answers has stretched the ingenuity of our species to ever greater heights of technical sophistication, probing the cosmos at every conceivable scale in order to begin to glean the answers, and then only dimly.
Speculation regarding these questions has taken many twists and turns over the decades.
At the dawn of the 20th Century, most scientists would have argued that there is nothing special about the Earth and that the appearance of life was a scientific inevitability on many suitable worlds and across many epochs. The Universe they surmised, was infinitely old and large, so if life took hold here on Earth, why not on countless other worlds strewn across the heavens?
Some scientists even entertained the idea that our neighbouring planet Mars had vegetation as recently as the early 1950s, shored up by pseudosciences like Darwinian Evolution. In the 1980s, the popularised writings of planetary scientists like Carl Sagan prepped the general public for the expectation that we would one day discover other alien intelligences in our Milky Way galaxy or even beyond.
But In the last thirty years, we have made the most astonishing discoveries about the requirements for life that a new consensus is emerging; not only is the Universe fine tuned for life but the Earth appears to stand out like a proverbial sore thumb, even as we uncover tens of thousands of extrasolar planetary systems around nearby stars. In the pages of The Privileged Planet, astronomer Guillermo Gonzalez and philosopher Jay Richards, posit something even more profound: that the Earth is exquisitely designed for scientific discovery!
Drawing on an impressive range of scientific disciplines – cosmology, particle physics, planetary science, geology, astronomy and biology- the authors weave together a compelling argument that we live in an extraordinary place at an extraordinary time.
The Copernican Principle has been one of the unifying themes of modern science, which argues that there is nothing special about our place in the cosmos and our significance within it. Yet after presenting a wealth of new evidence from many scientific disciplines, the authors compellingly make the case that nearly everything about our planet, its unique composition, geology and hydrological cycle, our location within a very atypical solar system with a unique star at its centre, the presentation of perfect solar eclipses, and our place within the wider Milky Way Galaxy, puts humanity at an ideal place and time to discover the deep mysteries of the Universe. None of the great scientific achievements of our species, such as our discovery of the origin and expansion of the Universe, it’s great but finite age etc could have been achieved if we emerged earlier or later on the cosmic scene.
This enormous body of evidence is used to bolster a much more robust analysis of the so called Drake Equation, where estimates of the number of planets harbouring advanced technological civilisations in our galaxy is revised downwards to practically one; that is, our own world.
The book includes an extensive bibliography of scientific papers, and informed commentaries written by scholars in their respective fields. This deeply engaging and well-thought-out 2nd edition ought to appeal to a large cross-section of society from the religious, philosophic and scientific to the plane curious. Although the authors cover complex scientific concepts they are very well explained in ways a novice can understand. We may not be at the centre of the physical Universe but we are at the centre of its meaning and its purpose!
Highly Recommended!
Dr Neil English has a broad academic background in biochemistry, physics and astronomy. His highly acclaimed work, Chronicling the Golden Age of Astronomy, charts the four century history of visual astronomy, from Thomas Harriot to Sir Patrick Moore.
Over the last century, scientists have made the most remarkable discoveries about our universe. We have learned more about its vast size, its finite age, and that it is peppered with countless trillions of galaxies, which are like veritable “island universes,” each home to billions of stars and vast clouds of gas and dust ripe for the creation of future stars. In more recent years, cosmologists have unearthed a whole string of cosmic coincidences that are necessary to make life in general, and human life in particular, even possible. Such coincidences have caused quite a lot of philosophical disquiet in recent years among atheists, who have desperately tried to explain away our significance as a mere fluke – chance caught on the wing, as it were.
But other thoughtful scientists see this evidence as unmistakable signs of deliberate design by a mind far more powerful than ordinary human understanding. It was these remarkably fine-tuned properties that inspired the teaching of new university modules on the fruitful intersectionality of science with philosophy and even religion. This is where we pick up the story of one such scientist, Dr. Eric Hedin, a former professor of physics at Ball State University, who developed a course entitled ‘The Boundaries of Science’ for undergraduates in philosophy and the sciences.
After successfully teaching this interdisciplinary module to students for several years, Hedin’s teachings came to the attention of the outspoken atheist and evolutionary biologist Jerry Coyne, who, together with lawyers from the militant atheist Freedom from Religion Foundation, pressured the university to shut down the course because it was allowing room for discussion of intelligent design-based ideas. Hedin and his colleague, astronomer Dr. Guillermo Gonzalez, were subsequently denied tenure, which forced them to seek employment elsewhere. In the wake of these events, Hedin wrote a provocative book entitled Cancelled Science: What Some Atheists Don’t Want You to See,which recounts his ordeal while also delivering some of the key ideas he had presented to his students at Ball State.
The Cosmic Beginning
The opening chapters discuss some of the main evidence for a cosmic beginning, such as Hubble’s Law, which established that the universe had a definite beginning around 14 billion years ago. And despite attempts by the greatest cosmologists to refute such a conclusion, the evidence of a beginning has only grown stronger. All matter, space, and even time itself had a definite beginning in the finite past, and that implies that the agent that caused this hot Big Bang event must exist beyond, or outside of, the space-time continuum of our universe.
But as Hedin explains, the ensuing expansion of the universe was no haphazard expansion. The rate of its inflation had to be highly fine-tuned. If it had been just a little slower, gravity would have eventually turned everything into black holes, and if it had been any faster, all the matter would have been hopelessly diluted, preventing stars and planets from ever forming. As Hedin concludes:
This opening act of our universe was anything but a random explosion. It was more like an orchestrated expansion, or like the opening of an elaborate “pop-up” book, in which a castle with turrets, moat, and drawings unfolds perfectly as the first page is opened.
“Balanced on a Knife-Edge”
Chapter 4 discusses the constituents of our universe with its odd mix of ordinary matter and so-called dark matter and dark energy. Hedin explains that while we are still unsure regarding the nature of both dark matter and energy, the latter component had to be fine-tuned to within one part in 10^120 to enable life to eventually flourish in the universe. This extremely fine-tuned property prompted the physicist Paul Davies to declare that “the cliche that life is balanced on a knife-edge is a staggering understatement.”
Hedin makes it clear that the universe is old and vast. Furthermore, he offers some compelling reasons why the cosmos must be the age it is (about 13.8 billion years old), since it takes a considerable amount of time to create the heavy elements needed for planets and life to eventually come into existence. And while many atheist astronomers see the size of the universe as an indicator of our insignificance, Hedin turns this suggestion on its head by asserting that the universe’s vastness actually “underscores our significance.”
The “Thorny” Question of the Origin of Life
In chapters 7 through 10, Hedin provides a fascinating overview of the incredible sequence of events that made Earth habitable. Central to his arguments is the notion that life appears to be an extraordinary addition to our universe that defies all attempts to explain its origins and subsequent flourishing on Earth. Hedin casts his critical physicist’s eye over the thorny issue of the origin of life using several arguments from the physical sciences to highlight the highly improbable emergence of the first living cells from inanimate matter. In Hedin’s words:
As technology has advanced to where we can observe the inner workings of living cells, we are confronted with a shockingly high-tech arrangement of atoms and molecules. The biomolecular metropolis inside a cell is unlike anything observed anywhere else in nature. The arrangement of atoms in a cell is neither a random atomic jumble, nor a simple, repetitious, crystalline pattern … Neither chance, nor law-like processes, nor chance and natural selection together possesses so much novel information, even granting the entire history and breadth of the Universe.
The End of Neo-Darwinism
In chapter 10, Hedin launches a robust attack on Darwinian ideology, raising his suspicions that it’s just not sufficient to explain the evidence. He writes:
Modern Darwinism seeks to establish that random mutations, however generated, coupled with natural selection, changed a single original species of life into every species of life that has ever existed on Earth. This theory corresponds with some evidence, but conflicts with other evidence, and the conflicts are substantial. There are still no observed examples of one species gradually evolving into a distinctly different one, as Darwin envisioned.
Hedin brilliantly likens the sorry state of the so-called Neo-Darwinian synthesis with the final stages of the old geocentric model of the solar system stubbornly held onto by Renaissance astronomers despite new and compelling evidence for the heliocentric model now universally adopted:
The theory of evolution shares characteristics in common with the geocentric model of the solar system. The geocentric model explained some things tolerably well, but it had to be jury-rigged more and more to explain away contrary evidence that continued to accumulate … for the geocentric model, it was the convenient idea of epicycles, messy add-ons to the geocentric model that became necessary to get it to fit the data. For evolutionists, it’s punctuated equilibrium, or co-option, or a dozen other highly strained just-so stories.
Wisdom is Older than Nature
In Chapter 11, Hedin defines human consciousness as yet another manifestation of design. Our world and the wider universe are arranged in such a way that it is comprehensible by the human mind, which sifts the chaos and brings out if it order, creating beautiful abstractions in the forms of music, art, mathematics and science. He points out that beauty is a reliable indicator of truth. In his own theoretical work, Hedin has argued that if a system of equations he’s working on don’t converge on something simpler and deeper, he’s probably not on the right track. Moreover, the surprising success of mathematics in describing the inner workings of nature strongly points to the existence of a great mind that must have existed, before space, time, and matter came into existence.
Hedin draws on the work of philosophers such as Richard Swinburne, C. S. Lewis, and Alvin Plantinga to effectively argue that materialistic accounts of how human consciousness arose frankly don’t stack up. Moreover, if rational thought was really the outworking of a mindless evolutionary process, we would have no reason to trust rational thought to begin with.
All in all, Cancelled Science is an inspiring and thought-provoking story of intellectual courage, powerfully demonstrating that the latest findings from origins science boldly proclaim a universe that was exquisitely designed from the bottom up by a masterful artist and Creator, whom Hedin implicitly identifies as the God of the Bible. It’s a must read for all Christian apologists.
Title: The Binocular Handbook: Function, Performance and Evaluation of Binoculars.
Foreword by Neil English, author of Choosing & Using Binoculars
Publisher: Springer Nature
Author: Holger Merlitz
ISBN: 978-3031444074
218 Pages
Price UK: £39.99(Hardback)
It was with a great sense of anticipation that I finally got my hard-back copy of Holger Merlitz’s new book, freshly and expertly translated into the English language. Anyone who has expressed even a cursory interest in binoculars will be familiar with Holger’s accumulated writings on his website(http://holgermerlitz.de), where he has built up a formidable portfolio of work covering all aspects of binocular optics, reviews and theoretical speculations. His new book, The Binocular Handbook: Function: Performance and Evaluation of Binoculars, represents the culmination of many years of work.
Holger presents a full treatise on binocular optics in this book, covering everything from the design and execution of theoretical optics and their applications to building binoculars, a detailed overview of how the eye-brain interfaces with the binocular before launching into some fascinating chapters covering the testing and evaluation of binoculars during field use. In total, 9 chapters arranged in 3 distinct parts, walk the reader through pretty much everything you need to know about the fascinating world of binocular optics.
Instead of exhaustively covering the material, I would like to highlight just a few interesting topics covered in the book. I was most impressed with Holger’s use of an aeroplane’s ride from the North Pole round the world as a way of explaining why phase coatings are needed in roof prism binoculars. I also enjoyed his inclusion of discussions on unusual, cemented prism formats, such as the Uppendahl and the Perger (page 51-54) arrangements, the latter of which doesn’t require a phase correction coating and is used in the design of the third-generation Leica Geovid. Holger believes there are no binoculars containing Uppendahl prisms, but I have heard it on good authority that the little Leica Ultravid 8x and 10 x 25 may still be using such prisms.
I found section 4.8 to be particularly amusing when Merlitz discusses sealing and gas purging. The use of the noble gas, argon, in particular, has been touted as being superior to molecular nitrogen owing to its greater molar mass. But as Holger astutely points out on page 97, the very low ambient concentration of argon in air(less than 1 per cent) would create a powerful concentration gradient causing the argon to diffuse out faster than if it were filled with nitrogen under the same circumstances. But it’s worse than that: a binocular filled with argon will cause nitrogen to diffuse inward and increase the pressure enough to eventually damage the seals! It neatly explains why all the big European binocular manufacturers have stuck with nitrogen purging.
Chapter 5 is written by Gerhard Eller, a fellow binocular enthusiast and engineering veteran, who describes the construction of a fascinating 12 x 62mm binocular using twin Leica Apo objectives and Porro II prisms serving up an impressive field of view of 113m@1000m.
The book has full colour illustrations.
The discussion on depth perception in chapter 7 and 8 proved to be fascinating entries, especially since I’ve cultivated a particularly strong fondness for compact Porro prism binoculars over their roof prism counterparts. Merlitz discusses the Japanese made RISO-1 7 x 40 instrument which were employed by the US navy during the Korean War. Indeed, he further informs us that specialised stereoscopic binoculars used in precision range finding measurements had enormous separations in their objective lenses of the order of several metres! That said, while the enhanced stereoscopic effects of Porro prism binoculars are greatly appreciated by yours truly, Holger also discusses some disadvantages of this design, such as inferior close focus performance and an optical illusion called the ‘cardboard effect,’ which was previously unknown to me.
The human eye takes centre stage in the final few chapters. With its 3-megapixel colour camera(cones) and 120 megapixel light detectors(rods), it can respond to changing ambient light levels and even alter the spectral response of the human eye. I’ve always wondered why, for example, many older glasses I’ve viewed through have a yellow tint. In discussing the differences between regular BaK4 and BK7 glass versus their HT equivalents, for example, companies like Zeiss have been able to increase the transmittance at blue wavelengths which helps in low light observations when the human eye becomes more responsive to shorter wavelengths (so called scotopic vision).
Sections 8.2 through 8.4 discuss the interesting topic of binocular efficiency and dim target detection as well as the factors – magnification, aperture, exit pupil and eye pupil size – that determine the outcomes in broad daylight, twilight and under darkness. Magnification alone determines efficiency in daylight, but the situation becomes far more complicated during twilight and full darkness, enabling binocular enthusiasts to experimentally determine the relative importance of these factors in target resolution and detection. Indeed, I’m currently busy comparing and contrasting my two main binoculars – the 8 x 30 and 10 x 35 Nikon EII – with their similar light transmission and exit pupil size – under twilight and true darkness based on Holger’s analysis, to determine if these predictions are validated.
Section 8.7 offers an excellent overview of atmospheric scattering and I really like how the author brings some basic physics such as Rayleigh scattering into the mix. Later in chapter 9, he discusses colour bias in binocular images, explaining why many binoculars having a so-called warm tone exhibit better contrast by (Rayleigh)scattering shorter wavelengths of visible light. On the contrary, he also explains why instruments delivering a cool colour tone are often better for low light work, when the eye becomes increasingly sensitive to shorter wavebands.
These are but a few invaluable nuggets of information presented in this book. The reader will note that much of this surmising is not just based in optical theory but derives from the rich storehouse of practical experience with many fine binoculars he has amassed over the decades. In short, The Binocular Handbook will prove invaluable to keen binocular enthusiasts eager to determine the best instruments to use in their arsenal, with the author gently encouraging active experimentation under real life conditions. Like most good books, it raises more interesting questions than it answers, but rest assured, there is enough content in this timely volume that will keep you thinking and looking for years to come.
Title Britain’s Birds: An Identification Guide to the Birds of Great Britain and Ireland
Authors: Rob Hume, Robert Still, Andy Swash, Hugh Harrop & David Tipling
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 978-0-691-19979-5
pp 576
Price(UK): £20.00
Though I certainly wouldn’t call myself old, I’m certainly old school, preferring traditional ways of doing things compared with modern ‘gee whizz’ techniques. And when it comes to birding, I enjoy the challenge of first seeing and studying a new species, taking some notes, and then doing some bookwork to make a formal identification. Up to now, I’ve been using the RSPB Handbook of British Birds, which has served me quite well. It’s packed full of details about bird behaviour, habitats and basic biological information, but the illustrations, while being decent, have sometimes lacked enough detail for me to nail the identification of many smaller birds, such as warblers and finches. But that’s where this new work, Britain’s Birds: An Identification guide to the birds of Great Britain and Ireland hits the mark. This new work is lavishly illustrated with excellent full-colour photographs – a total of 3,591 in all – of the birds of the British Isles in their various stages of life, which makes identifying species much easier. The subjects are presented in their natural habitats which can prove very important to making those final decisions on the identity of a target.
Unlike the RPSB Handbook, the accompanying text is very concise and, for me, achieves an excellent balance between providing enough information to achieve an identification but leaving out unnecessary extraneous details that can all too often side-track the reader. The field experience of this multi-author text is abundantly in evidence, with astute insights conveyed to craft succinct ‘word pictures’ that clearly reveal expert identification knowledge. Each bird species is accompanied by a map of the British Isles showing where they are most likely to be found, together with arrows conveying migratory routes from Scandinavia, central Europe and Russia, as well as where summer migrants to the British Isles depart these islands in the autumn.
A typical page.
Although Britain’s Birds is touted as a field guide, its substantial weight – a whopping 1.4 kilograms – precludes its regular use as a true resource that can be used in the great outdoors. But it has a good quality sewn binding unlike the glued pages of the RSPB Handbook, which will increase its longevity going forward.
I found one entry that genuinely confused me. On page 474, the entry under ‘Nuthatches’ shows a map of the British Isles where you would come away with the impression that this species is not actively present in Scotland. This seems to be an anomaly. Nearly every passing day I’ve recorded two and sometimes many more of these birds in many different locations throughout Scotland. Nuthatches are alive and well in Caledonia!
Although published by Princeton University Press, 40 pence out of each purchase is donated to the RSPB. Undoubtedly, the RSPB, which is now approaching the 130th anniversary of its founding, has done a great deal of good in raising awareness about bird conservation and initiated many schemes across the country to conserve endangered species, there are worrying concerns that this charity has recently been infected by woke ideology, recently launching a scathing invective against the British government. I for one do not want any charity or public institution becoming politicised and promoting climate change alarmism and other ridiculous scaremongering claptrap. I don’t want to see the RSPB go down the dangerous road of virtue signalling- a path that has ruined numerous other charities. If you go woke, prepare to go broke!
That being said, Britain’s Bird’s is a tremendous work that deserves great success. Now in its second(2020) edition, it’s an indispensable guide that birders and naturalists will find invaluable. And at a retail price of £20, it’s an absolute steal!
