Book Reviewed: Infinite Life: The Revolutionary Story of Eggs, Evolution, and Life on Earth by Jules Howard

The song of the egg This book is a biography narrating the history of the biological egg. The author calls this the most unifying and resilient life structure that this planet has ever produced. He narrates the Cambrian explosion (539 – 485 million years ago) when animal life surged into the species. In the earliest period, when eggs were first nursed and cradled, the eggs started forming from water to land through the ancestors of spiders and scorpions, insects, and fish that first walked the shores. This historical journey takes in Triassic ponds (252 - 201 million years ago), and later birds, and early mammals. The history has evolved to the mating amphibians; the rise of maggots and other insect larvae; the marsupials thriving in newly evolved pouches and the rise of the most diminutive egg of a mammal. In spite of all this, the eggs - devoid of the brain are incapable of an instructive thought. Eggs are incapable of knowing their journey, but a full species, even a single-celled organism has the basic instinct to survive, find food (prey), avoid predators, and reproduce. The author explores how evolutionary changes in the egg produced animals and their eco-systems through time. Before the Cambrian Period, before animals as we know them today existed, through the Silurian Period (444 – 419 million years ago) and Devonian Period (419 – 359 million years ago), when coastlines shifted and climates see-sawed; into the Carboniferous (359 – 259 million years ago) era, when bony land animals made advancements across continents. The author hopes that this is re-framing the story of animal evolution through the lens of the egg. Part of the book is the imagination of the author of the ancient palaeobiological times, here the author reminisces how the eggs and possibly earl life forms were evolving in the early Cambrian rivers and lakes. The writing style of the author is engaging; I recommend this book to readers who are interested in evolutionary biology, and the life in the deep past.

Book Reviewed: The Truth About Muhammad: Founder of the World's Most Intolerant Religion by Robert Spencer

The Muslim Prophet Muhammad (c. 570–632 CE) was the founder of Islam and is the final prophet sent by God (Allah) to mankind. The author gives an accurate account of Muhammad ‘s visons and revelations both from Allah (Qur’an) and the Satan (Satanic verses) to preach Islam and win over the followers during his lifetime. Allah is supposed to have revealed the Qur'an to Muhammad through the Angel Gabriel in piecemeal over his twenty-three-years of his prophetic career, which started when he was 40. He instructs that Muslim men must keep themselves pure, clean and emulate the life of Muhammad. The fragmentary quality of the Qur'anic narrative is elaborated by Hadith, the commentary, and sayings of Prophet Muhammad, and text of Sira, the biography of Muhammad. These three texts make up the Sunnah. The difficulties to tie the actual documents of the three major texts to modern day Islam is challenging, and to understand from the historical perspectives that existed in Arabian Peninsula with strong Christian and Jewish religions in the Middle East. In addition, the first copy of Qur’an became available thirty years after the death of the prophet, Hadith after 250 years, and the full-length biography (Sura) 200 years after his death. How did this fragmentary faith system become a model for the beliefs and practices of modern-day Muslims. Islam drew heavily on earlier Jewish and Christian texts that were widely prevalent in the Middle East. Many Qur’anic themes resemble apocryphal Jewish and Christian writings circulating in late antiquity. The early Islam began as a movement within the monotheistic community strongly shaped by Jewish ideas. Qur’anic narratives mirror Jewish Midrash, Talmudic legends, Gospels, Christian apocrypha, and misread Syriac Christian phrases and other Syriac Christian liturgy. The Jewish messianic and prophetic messages are found in the Qur’an. Jewish legal traditions like Rabbinic law were also adapted into early Islam. There were significant violence, raiding, and warfare during Muhammad’s time. They include raids against Meccan caravans, the battles of Badr, Uhud, and the Trench. Later campaigns against various Arabian tribes, and Muhammad encouraged this warfare, and the early caliphate expanded militarily. Within 100 years, it took over the Sassanid Empire (Persia), Egypt (Coptic Christianity), much of the Byzantine Empire that included Greece, Türkiye, Balkans, and parts of North Africa. Why and how did it happen? Because it is all found in the teachings of Muhammad; Muslim men must fight until Allah alone is worshipped. No other gods should be worshipped that includes the god of Christianity, Judaism, or the pagans of the Arabian Peninsula. Later Islamic law, based on statements of Muhammad would offer non-Muslims three options: conversion to Islam, subjugate the inferiors under Islamic law, or warfare. He strongly preached the Muslim men must band together as an army and fight for Allah. He considered himself the heir to both Christian and Jewish traditions, and early portions of the Qur'an express a clear hope that the “peoples of the Book” would accept Muhammad as a prophet. Muhammad decreed that Christians (and Jews) were to receive protection under Muslim rule, but must pay Jizya tax ensuring their protection under Islamic rule. It becomes apparent as to why Ummah, the concept of a Commonwealth of the Muslim Believers to protect each other is important. In addition to this political ideology, a military style build up was essential. What makes Muhammad produce a different view than that of Buddha, Jesus, and Moses? Jesus faced similar challenges in his life just like Muhammad, but their views are so different. Jesus focused on spiritual redemption and morality, forgiveness, and personal transformation; pacifism and non-retaliation (love your enemy), and avoid military or political leadership. His ministry was in Roman-occupied Judea; he advised his followers to "render unto Caesar what is Caesar's." Muhammad advocated the establishment of a religious, political, and military order. Sanctioned military action to force others the authority of Islam or be a secondary citizen and pay Jizya tax to practice your faith. But pagans of Arabia were not given this choice. He created an environment that was hostile to Christians and Jews that forced them to convert or be expelled. At the end of the book, the author describes as how non-Islamic countries have to protect themselves. They must stop calling Islam a religion of peace, restricting the Muslim immigration, and the sharia law that contrasts the constitution of a country should be constrained by legislative powers. A religion that focuses on sex, rape, violence, and human right violations cannot be given the first amendment protection commonly afforded to all other religions.

Book Reviewed: Veda Recitation in Varanasi by Wayne Howard

How did Varanasi become the center of Vedic recitation This book is based on the fieldwork of the author in Varanasi during 1970–71, and he systematically document and analyze the types of Vedic recitation traditions still present in Varanasi at that time. His work is descriptive (who is reciting, how, and where) and analytical (tonal transcription and structure). He emphasizes that the Vedas are not like ordinary printed books but are oral, and melodic. He argues that their full richness is only preserved through oral transmission, not simply via print. This scholarly work is largely intended for professionals and Vedic scholars. He discusses the history of Vedic recitation in Varanasi which emerged early as a major scholastic center by the late Vedic period c. 1000–600 BCE. The priestly communities like Śrauta and Gṛhya were settled in the region, and oral recitation and its preservation, the ṚgVeda, YajurVeda, and Samaveda became a central activity. The Kauśikas, Kāṇvas, and Mādhyandinas were the early Vedic schools of Varanasi. In the early modern period (c. 1500–1800 CE), following the rebuilding of the Vishvanath temple by Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar (1777), Vedic recitation gained renewed patronage, and prominent families of Vedic scholars were established with strong teaching lineages of ṚgVeda (Śākala), Yajurveda (Mādhyandina and Kāṇva), and Sāmaveda (Kauthuma). Vedic recitation was performed along the holy river Ganga on the ghāṭs, temple complexes, and among traditional families. The current lineages of Vedic reciters are traced back over twenty to thirty generations. The book explores multiple Vedas and schools (śākhās) as practiced in Varanasi: ṚgVeda (Śākala), some reciters in Varanasi have large lineages tied to Maharashtrian families; and Yajurveda, especially Mādhyandina Yajurveda is chanted by Brahmins from Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh; Kāṇva Yajurveda lineages tied to Maharashtrian families in Varanasi; Taittirīya Yajurveda, chanted by priestly communities of Tamil Nadu brought to Varanasi; Sāmaveda (Kauthuma) — preserved by priestly families from Gujarat; and Atharvaveda (Śaunaka) was recited by Maharashtrian and Gujarati families in Varanasi. The musical and structural analysis by the author try to demonstrates that North Indian Vedic recitation is not corrupted but are coherent and connected to ancient traditions and he observes that some communities in Varanasi have preserved recitation practices for many generations. He emphasizes that the human voice, memory, and oral mastery are central to Vedic tradition. In essence, Varanasi became a major Vedic center due to the migration of Vedic schools (Śākhās) into Varanasi from both North and Southern parts of India. The uniqueness of RgVeda as oral texts are due to the tonal structures (svara): udātta, anudātta, and svarita, hence the accurate memorization is critical in the Vedic chanting. Veda cannot be understood without hearing it from his guru. There are three foundational recitation modes; Saṁhitā-pāṭha, continuous recitation; Pada-pāṭha, word-by-word; and Krama-pāṭha, pairing of words (A-B, B-C, C-D…) The Presence of Śākala Śākhā is dominantly due to Maharashtrian Brahmin descent in Varanasi. Sāmaveda is the melodic Veda, and the author focuses heavily on its music structure. The Sāman chanting in the Kauthuma school is built with a pūrva-pāṭha (prose prelude), the udgītha (melodic core), and the stobha syllables (ha, oṃ, ā…) In the last chapter, he describes how Sāmaveda pitch contours that differ from the three-tone Vedic svara that includes vowel analysis in Ghana-pāṭha, pitch curves and an argument to support the oral transmissions are accurate. This book is accompanied by the audio cassettes which are important in understanding the discussion in the book. The author emphasizes that the current Vedic traditions in India must respect regional styles rather than force a single “correct” pronunciation. His observation was that the traditional Vedic learning was still thriving in 1970s Varanasi. The social fabric of gurukulas, temple priests, hereditary lineages, and Veda Patashalas have made the Vedic recitation continuous. But no effort is currently made to preserve this great human tradition that lasted nearly four millennia.

Book Reviewed: An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood by Neal Gabler

Jews invented the American dream The Jewish domination of gentiles in the early years of Hollywood is due to the diligent and business savviness of Jewish immigrants. The opportunities were open to everyone, but they used their skills wisely. This is an illustration of making the American dream come true. They began with small businesses, nickelodeons or film distribution and gradually moved into production. They built the studio system that defined Hollywood for decades, creating stars, genres, and the modern movie business model. Most Hollywood’s early movie studios were established between 1910 and 1930. The key figures were Adolph Zukor, founded Paramount Pictures; Carl Laemmle, founded Universal Pictures; William Fox, founded Fox Film Corporation (which later became 20th Century Fox); Louis B. Mayer, co-founded Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM Studios); Samuel Goldwyn, co-founded Goldwyn Pictures, which later merged into MGM; Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack Warner, founded Warner Bros; and Harry Cohn, co-founded Columbia Pictures. They turned a new technology (motion pictures) into a mass entertainment industry; created the glamorous Hollywood image that spread American culture worldwide; and established Los Angeles as the film capital due to its good weather and distance from Edison’s patent enforcement teams on the East Coast. Once F. Scott Fitzgerald whined that Hollywood is "a Jewish holiday, and a gentile’s tragedy." He was wrong! The real tragedy was the challenges Jews faced. Their dominance became a target for vicious anti-Semites-from fire-and-brimstone evangelicals who demanded the movies' liberation from "the hands of the devil." For once the luck was on Jewish side, there were none of the impediments imposed by loftier professions and more firmly entrenched businesses to keep Jews and other undesirables out. Financial barriers were lower too. In fact, one could open a theater for less than four hundred dollars. Additionally, if new immigrant Jews were proscribed from entering the real corridors of gentility and status in America, the movies offered an ingenious option. The rich and pretentious Jews in Hollywood were perhaps the greatest misfortune that ever fell on the Jewish immigrants. Because they became the fountain of anti-Semitism. A Jew bee Americanized only in direct proportion to his becoming de-Judaized. Yearning to become an American required him to renounce everything Jewish about him. That made his whole religion conform to an elite Protestantism. Rabbi Inoye, who conducted Sabbath services for the elites at Wilshire Blvd in Los Angeles lamented that immigrant Jews assimilated into American protestant culture without guilt, but for people who had been shaped out of fear and atonement, it was precisely what the Hollywood Jews were required of their God. The book discusses how petty Harry Cohn of Columbia Pictures was. He jettisoned Judaism as he jettisoned anything he found disadvantageous. He never went to a synagogue. It was a kind of defiance for him. He exhibited active contempt toward it as if it were something repellent. The history of the movies made by each studio in the early years is quite interesting. Frank Capra, one of the greatest directors of Hollywood had an uneasy working relationship with Columbia pictures. I strongly recommend this book to readers interested in the history of Hollywood and Jewish American history.

Book Reviewed: Trump’s Triumph: America’s Greatest Comeback by Newt Gingrich

MAGA: Trump beats incredible odds in 2024 presidential race This is an excellent review of Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and the historic political comeback authored by one of the most experienced politicians, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. This is a fair, balanced and no-nonsense approach to a book that is extremely readable. Donald Trump overcame years of legal battles, impeachment attempts, media opposition, and political marginalization to reclaim the presidency. There were countless lawsuits designed to drain President Trump's assets, time, his business, and potentially put him in jail. There were two assassination attempts-one of which President Trump survived only through providential intervention. The establishment used every deceitful and disgusting tool available to crush and drive him out of public life. They feared him as a mortal threat to their careers and self-identities. Despite all these distractions Donald Trump connected with American people, and won their confidence leading to a landslide victory. The 2024 presidential also saw some of the strangest things for democrats. With just 107 days left in the campaign, Jo Biden was found to be mentally incapable of running for the presidency and the campaign was given to the Vice President Kamala Harris. In the shortest presidential campaign, Harris raised $1.5 billion, about $100 million a week for 15 weeks. But the campaign spent slightly more than that. Harris's team spent twice as much as President Trump's in the closing days of the campaign. It also had the enormous benefit of continuously biased media coverage. Despite all the advantages of the establishment news media, the huge funds pouring in, and the still significant labor union and special interest group machines, Harris lost. She may have been the worst candidate in modern times. The idea that someone who was ideologically out of step with most Americans, and utterly incompetent could win against someone who took endless questions, openly campaigned, earned the support of millions of Americans created a real sense of anxiety for the democrats and the fake news media. Millions of Americans understood that a Harris victory would mean the end of the American system of hard work and merit. The hardest things for the media to come to grips with was the reality that President Donald Trump's appeal to millions of Americans came from issues and policies rather than personality, and party affiliation. Gingrich portrays democrats failing on key issues like inflation, immigration, foreign policy, economy, law, and order, and woke ideology. The final sections of the book discusses as how Trump administration look ahead on issues like affordable living, education, immigration, healthcare, defense, Artificial Intelligence, and space technology. Regarding immigration reforms, author Gingrich supports a path to citizenship for the diligent, motivated, law-abiding Dreamers. This is an important measure to safeguard the intellectual superiority of the American system. The corporations and the higher educational institutions must have the right to select the best candidates to make progress in various fields like science, technology, engineering, agriculture, space technology, and other fields.

Book Reviewed: Becoming Earth: A Journey Through the Hidden Wonders that Bring Our Planet to Life by Ferris Jabr

Earth is a self-organizing system The author is influenced by the Gaia hypothesis; Earth is a self-organizing, co-evolving system in which living and non-living processes are inseparable, and earth itself changes because of life. Microbes help cycle minerals, generating and stabilizing continents, rocks and soil become “living archives.” Forests and oceans regulate rainfall. The author observes that life itself is made and continuously shaped; we are not just on Earth, but we are Earth. Life and the non-living components like rock, water, air have co-evolved for over four billion years making Earth a life-like self-evolving system. Cyanobacteria oxygenated the air, fungi and plants broke down rock to form soil, and marine organisms helped shape continents by precipitating calcium carbonate. The author points out that earth is a co-evolving with a vast network of feedback from rock, air, water, and biological life, the latter originated at around 3.8 billion years ago; they were bacterial prokaryotic microbes, likely anaerobic (no oxygen in atmosphere), and possibly chemoautotrophs that used chemical energy from Earth’s crust rather than sunlight for survival. Earth had five major mass-extinction events (the “Big Five”) over the past 540 million years. One of them is known to be caused by an asteroid impact and the rest are due to volcanic eruptions and rapid climate changes. For the first seven hundred million years in earth’s history, there were no living organisms, no oxygen, and extremely high CO₂ levels that kept earth warm enough to have liquid water. Because the Sun was young, seven hundred-million-year-old, and about 70% as bright as today. Author Ferris Jabr observes, “Yet our living planet has consistently demonstrated an astonishing resilience, an ability to revive itself in the wake of devastating calamities and find new forms of ecological consonance.” He continues, we also destroy part of our ecosystem, “it would be hubris to try and control such an immensely complicated system in its entirety. Instead, we must simultaneously acknowledge our disproportionate influence on the planet and accept the limitations of our abilities.” Then he goes on to say that climate crisis must be addressed by wealthy industrial and postindustrial nations. This is confounding; to start off, the author believes that Earth is a self-organizing and co-evolving system, and then he becomes the “captain planet” preaching the mantra of an environmentalist.

Book Reviewed: Girl Warrior: On Coming of Age by Joy Harjo

A joy to read Harjo This is the inner fury, and a reflection on the challenges of an indigenous American woman who has constantly sought a philosophical and poetical expression to the callousness of European settlers that changed American landscape for the native Americans. She is the daughter of Mvskoke (Creek) Nation located in Oklahoma between Sandia mountains, the Rio Grande River, and in the sunrise and sunset. Her message is simple; believe in your own strength, have courage, and work on life’s challenges with confidence, embrace the warrior power, the divine feminine energy that fuels creation, transformation, and destruction of obstructive forces, and constructing the bridges for inner peace. Her metaphysical thoughts are similar to the primordial Adi Shakti of Hinduism whose influence is woven throughout spiritual practices, rituals, and narratives, reflecting a deep tradition of Shaktism. This parallel of indigenous American religion and Shaktism of Hindu traditions is conspicuous in Harjo’s work. I am fascinated by one of her poems, THE LAST SONG, part of which reads as follows: “It is the only way I know how to breathe An ancient chant that my mother knew came out of a history woven from wet tall grass in her womb and I know no other way than to surround my voice with the summer songs of crickets in this moist south night air.” (From: Weaving Sundown in a Scarlet Light: Fifty Poems for Fifty Years) The “warrior” here is Indigenous people’s survival. There are fifty-one essays (chapters) in this book of 162 pages, and it is fascinating to read the eloquence of Joy Harjo, it is mirrored in each and every essay. For example, in the essay, Orientation, she describes the Mvskoke belief system about sun, the planet earth, and the environment. The consequences of creating environmental challenges result in climate change, shifting shorelines, and lands disappearing. When people lose indigenous lands, they will also lose their culture. In the essay, Transform, she claims that she writes poetry to illuminate the world and making a path of beauty through uncertainty and chaos. The need for justice compels her to write and create. In one of the earlier poems, she transformed hatred into love. In the essay, Judgment, she meets a group of homeless indigenous men on the street. One of them was her classmate who got into hard times due to addictive alcohol and controlled substances. After a brief conversation about younger days, she gave them money even though she knew that it would be used for their “medications.” She mulled over the encounter, and thought these men were street warriors. They were learning to understand what it means to lose.

Book Reviewed: When Animals Dream: The Hidden World of Animal Consciousness by David M. Peña-Guzmán

Animal Vision Many animals dream! Scientific studies using brain monitoring during sleep show that mammals and some birds go through sleep stages similar to humans like REM (Rapid Eye Movement). For example, when a dog twitches its paws or whimper in its sleep, it’s likely “dreaming,” probably about chasing or playing. Dreams process memories, learning, and problem-solving. Recent studies also show that invertebrates like octopuses also experience dreaming. It is characterized by two distinct sleep stages: quiet sleep and active sleep. During quiet sleep, they are pale and still. During active sleep, their skin color rapidly changes with arms twitching and eye movements similar to REM sleep of mammals. Some of these are signs of an octopus waking experiences; hunting, exploring, and interacting with their environment. It should be recognized by the fact life does exist, and animals are independent living entities that struggle to survive, look for food (prey), avoid predators, face challenges of life, reproduce, the ability learn, think, and memorize suggest that they all have consciousness. The author overemphasizes the ethical implications of scientific studies discussed in this book. His calls for a reevaluation of our moral responsibilities toward animals oversteps the boundaries, particularly his philosophical musings.

Book Reviewed: The Atharva-Veda Saṁhitā by Maurice Bloomfield (Editor: F. Max Müller)

Atharvaveda This work is a partial English translation of the Atharvaveda (Śaunaka recension) that includes Books 1–7, 11, 12, 19, and part of twenty. This is a blend of magical, healing, and ritual hymns against demons, diseases, and sorcery. About one-sixth of Atharvaveda contains lofty hymns of Rigveda and philosophical hymns like Purusha Sūkta RV 10.90 (AV 19.6). The author makes notes about these hymns from Rigveda, but this work is a literal 19th-century style translation, and the commentary is influenced by the linguistics of Max Müller’s era. The practice of healing and sorcery was not limited to the Vedic times in ancient India, but also practiced widely in the first two centuries of Christianity (30–230 CE). The evidence from early Christian writings, Roman observers, and modern scholarship suggests that healing and curing of diseases were central to why people were drawn to the Christian movement. The Gospels present Jesus as performing acts of healing: restoring sight, curing leprosy, enabling the lame walk, exorcising demons, even raising the dead. These stories gave Christianity a strong appeal among the sick, poor, and marginalized who did not have access to the medical care. The Acts of the Apostles records the healings of Peter, and Paul.

Book Reviewed: The Accidental Homo Sapiens: Genetics, Behavior, and Free Will by Ian Tattersall and Rob DeSalle

How early Homo Sapiens became the unique modern species This book presents the ancient history of homo sapiens where culture, ideas, technology, and behavior played a significant role in their evolution: Natural Selection was not the major force. The focus is the cognitive emergence of symbolic thought, communication, languages, creating cultural values, scientific, philosophical, and theological enquiry, and making sense of the larger picture of our existence in the cosmos. According to the author, genetic influence is not wholly responsible but the cultural and environmental impact is also significant. The ecological of small and isolated population, later migrations, chance mutations, and unpredictable environmental shifts eventually led to the present hominid species. The path to us was not inevitable, because several traits and evolutionary possibilities never happened. The author has missed some key publications in recent years that are relevant to this book. The origin story of Homo Sapiens contains several partly connected populations across Africa (a metapopulation or “pan-African” model) whose interactions, local adaptations and occasional mixing produced the anatomy and behaviors were from one or more dispersals carried by the descendants from Africa. This largest continent with diverse regional ecologies provided opportunities to independently evolve into several closely related hominid species. There are several closely related “early” Home Sapiens that have not been identified because of lack of fossilized specimens. late Middle Pleistocene Africa (781,000 to 126,000 years ago) hosted several semi-isolated, closely related populations (different regions, sometimes diverged for tens to hundreds of thousands of years) that exchanged genes episodically; modern humans emerged from that structured network rather than from a single isolated population. There is no evidence for a simple “one-place, one-time” origin story for Homo sapiens. A range of behavior and choice like our moral, ethical, and personal behavior lies along a normal distribution statistic. Some sections in this book are dense due to the aspects of population genetics, statistics (Bell curve – normal distribution), and philosophy of “free will” explored in the evolution of homo sapiens. Especially the idea of “free will” which is loaded with neurobiology, physics, and philosophy addressed by several other authors recently is lightly overseen in this book.

Book Reviewed: Is a River Alive? By Robert Macfarlane

The ecological witness Rivers and poetry flow together. They have inspired poets as symbols of time, life, memory, and renewal. This book brings rivers into poetry in prose form. It is thought provoking where you feel the birth, love, life, and death all mingled in the flow. A a river is not biologically alive, it doesn’t breathe, eat, or reproduce, but it has a physical existence and a role in the greater web of survival, it is an ecological witness. Many traditions, poets, and philosophers have described a river as alive because it moves, changing course, sometimes gentle, sometimes fierce. It nurtures life, plants, animals, and human habitats that depend on it. The cycle of beginning in springs or glaciers, growing stronger with tributaries, and eventually merging into the sea. Like a living organism, it responds to changes in its environment like droughts, floods, and deforestation. The Wye River in Wordsworth’s vision is a sacred inner landscape that nourishes the soul. Others weave them into meditation on landscape and spirit. River Sarasvati is a holiest of holy rivers in Rig-Veda, the sacred scriptures of Hinduism that no longer exists because of geological and ecological excesses. It was once a goddess to the Vedic sages. Many rivers are named after goddesses: Dana (later the Danube), Deva (the Dee), Tamesa (the Thames), and Sinnann (the Shannon). The author describes the survival of three rivers under threat: in Ecuador from mining, in India from pollution, and in Canada from dams. There are numerous rivers around the globe that are under threat due to pollution why choose an Indian river for pollution for his discussion?

Book Reviewed: Quantum Cage by Davis Bunn

The interstellar communication A NASA funded physics project accidentally cracked something extraordinary, an extrasolar communication with extraterrestrials. The alien transmissions to earth included fragments of a mysterious solution to a physical phenomenon crucial to preventing Earth’s extinction. The substance of the story is around a high-tech “glass cage” in the physics laboratory where Darren Costa, an accountant with no physics or mathematical knowledge experiences dreamlike visions of the alien world and their scientists. The human scientific team had accidentally created a path in spacetime to four alien species from the “glass cage.” From Darren’s visions humans learn that the alien transmissions are fragments of an incomplete mathematical formula that is grounded in quantum physics. The human scientists are baffled by the mystery behind the coded message and get more interested in the Darren’s visons. Several authors have addressed these fictional stories about alien-human communication: Arthur C. Clarke (Childhood’s End), Stanisław Lem (Solaris), and Carl Sagan (Contact). Sagan’s work was made into a Hollywood film in 1997 starring Jodie Foster. The present work has similarities to the work of Carl Sagan where aliens give humanity a coded message with advanced physics pointing toward deeper truths about physical reality of the material world. The alien code included a recipe to build a machine, a transport system that creates a quantum wormhole or spacetime gateway to the alien world. The writing of the book is terse, and I found difficulty in connecting with the story. The story of Darren’s personal life where he mourns the demise of his wife is similar to how Jodie Foster, as Ellie Arroway connect with her late father in the movie “Contact.” The aliens try to communicate with her through her father. Darren’s memories of his late wife and his “visions in the quantum cage” may have something to do with alien communication.

Book Reviewed: A Study of The Vedanta in the Light of Brahmasutras by Shailaja Bapat

Interpretations of Vedanta sutras Vedanta is the philosophical portion of the Vedic literature that include principal Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and Brahma Sutras. It describes the nature of reality, the self (Atman), Brahman (Ultimate Reality), and liberation (moksha). Author Badarayana composed Brahmasutras in coded aphoristic (sutra) form, it is interpreted to resolve apparent contradictions between the ritualistic system of Vedas, and the metaphysical ideas of Upanishads. It is a platform for the creativity and enunciation of Vedanta Philosophy. Brahmastra is coded in 555 sutras that allowed diverse interpretations of a major Hindu philosophical system. Major commentators like Adi Shankaracharya (Advaita), Ramanujacharya (Vishishtadvaita), Madhvacharya (Dvaita) and other Vedanta schools figured prominently in the development of a rich metaphysical thought. The text explicitly rejects non-Vedic philosophical systems (like Buddhism, Jainism, Samkhya Philosophy, because they are atheistic in their tone and teachings). It should be pointed that the Brahma Sutras believe in Vedic rituals (Karma Kanda), but knowledge of Brahman (jnana), as taught in the Upanishads is superior and liberating. In this book the author has reviewed various interpretations of Vedanta philosophy, and notes that Adi Shankaracharya established Brahman as the Ultimate Reality. She also considers him an extremist Vedantin, who excluded reality and its worldly relations in contrast to other commentators. It is also stated that he accepted Sruti literature, and excluded Tantra philosophical system, and his commentaries are “trustworthy” than other schools of the Vedanta. The author may have overstepped her responsibilities as a reviewer of the various commentaries of Vedanta schools. The fact that Adi Sahnakara’s challengers like Rāmānuja and Madhva accepted Visnu-centered Tantras. The exclusion of Tantra does not make Adi Shankara’s commentary “trustworthy.” We should consider the time the commentators lived and how Tantric traditions (Śaiva, Śākta, Vaishnava, and Buddhist Tantra) were becoming progressively stronger in Hindu life. Commentators of Vedanta had to consider them in their exegesis despite the exclusion of Tantric principles in Brahma Sūtra. This is the ecclesiastical and epistemological evolution. Both Vedānta and Tantra philosophical systems discuss ultimate reality. Śaṅkara may have been personally initiated into Śākta Tantra (Śrīvidyā), but focused his formal Vedānta exegesis on strictly Upanishads excluding Tantric beliefs. Śaṅkara’s Advaita may be summarized as: non-duality, world is illusory, self = Brahman, and knowledge leads to liberation. Madhva’s Dvaita is summarized as: Duality, world is real, self ≠ Brahman (always distinct), and pure devotion (Bhakti yoga) leads to liberation. The ontology of Śaṅkara hands us a philosophical route, and Madhva’s reality is a spiritual one where devotion and not pure knowledge to be united with Brahman. In a world dominated by Abrahamic faiths, Madhva’s existentialism is meaningful and appealing. This explains why this form of Hinduism is so successful outside India. The editor of the book could have re-reviewed this book. Part of making a book appealing and interesting to the reader is the discussion of material, and the second half is the presentation of the work. The author’s frequent use of quotations from Vedanta/Upanishads is intimidating to a general reader. I would have had a consultation with someone who had good writing skills to review and edit this work. Theoretical physics has arrived at the same conclusion of Advaita Vedanta about physical reality of the material world. According to Advaita, I am not a small consciousness in a vast universe, but I am of infinite consciousness in which this vast universe appears. Physics seems to conclude that it is not the stuff that makes the cosmos, but It’s made of information, patterns, and awareness. Without consciousness, no mathematics would be known, no physics would unfold, and no cosmos would appear. The mathematical truths (like 2 + 2 = 4) are independent of space, time, or physical context. This would hold true in any possible universe, no matter what physical laws govern. Mathematics seem to be the grammar of Māyā. Physicists have found parallels between the holographic principle and of Māyā (illusion) of Advaita Vedānta. The holographic principle of quantum gravity (especially string theory) suggests that all the information contained in a 3-dimensional volume of cosmos is actually encoded on its 2-dimensional boundary. In other words, the 3D “reality” we see is a projection or reflection of information stored in 2D, which is an illusion.

Book Reviewed: Hunter-Gatherer Ireland: Making Connections in an Island World by Graeme Warren

How different were hunter gatherers of Ireland with the rest of the Europeans This is the first comprehensive study about Irish hunter-gatherers based on archaeological evidence with anthropological and ecological perspectives. This is a key contribution to understanding how Ireland was first settled by the early humans and adapted over millennia. The first humans arrived after the end of the last Ice age at around 8000 BCE. The post-glacial landscape was heavily forested with rivers and coastlines. With his studies on tool kits (microliths, stone tools), pollen records, faunal remains, geological conditions, and mobility patterns, he reconstructs the environmental context in which Mesolithic communities lived. The absence of permanent structures is interpreted as evidence of mobile lifeways. The book ends with discussion of the Neolithic transition when humans became farmers at around 4000 BCE. Hunter-gatherers are people who live by foraging by hunting wild animals, fishing, and gathering wild plants, fruits, nuts, and roots rather than farming or raising animals. Around 10,000–7,000 years ago, neolithic revolution, the farming as an alternative spread in Asia and Europe. Farming led to diets with less vitamin D from animal foods hunter gatherers were used to, and this accelerated selection for lighter skin. By about 6,000–5,000 years ago, lighter skin became common in European farming populations, partly hastened by with weaker sunlight. The author complains that archeological and historical data in the academia was interpreted in colonial frame of mind, that is, hunter-gatherers are "primitive," static, or lacking complexity when compared to agricultural societies. He assures that his approach to this study is different. But reading the book, the author doesn't systematically prove or develop this critique through the book.

Book Reviewed: Catholic Spectacle and Rome's Jews: Early Modern Conversion and Resistance by Emily Michelson

The savagery of the Roman Catholic Church A vast edifice of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century scholarship of the Roman Catholic Church was built on institutional records that portrayed it as a monolithic, uniform, and a successful religion. In this book, the author tackles antisemitism and mistreatment of Jewish population in Rome. Before 1555, Jews had lived in the city for centuries with periods of tolerance and hardship. They were allowed to practice Judaism, run small businesses, and had synagogues. The major turning point was when Pope Paul IV took over as the head of the church, and the proclaiming the Papal Bull of 1555 “Cum nimis absurdum,” which energized antisemitism. Jews were forced into a small ghetto, an overcrowded area near the Tiber River. It was walled, guarded, and locked at night. Jews were banned from owning property, practicing medicine on Christians, and holding most other professions. The Papal Bull intensified the church’s efforts to force Jewish conversion into Christianity, and allowed numerous intimidation tactics. The author focuses largely on the weekly church sermons and the way they were conducted. It was filled with hostility and theatrical zeal to assert Catholic identity, power, and global ambition. The author also highlights the Jewish resilience and community resistance like avoidance, passive resistance, formal petitions, and public protests. The sermons were staged weekly in public for roughly 250 years. Many of these events were held at the Oratory of Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini. Jews were marched under guard from the ghetto to sermon; policed, cataloged, and seated under Christian spectators. The church also organized mock processions to counter the solemn Jewish funeral march of mourners. Funerals were fraught with sadness and the threat of violence. These processions provided an occasion for Catholic church to intimidate large groups of Jews gathered together outside the ghetto. The book discusses the known case of disrupting Rabbi Tranquillo Corcos’s funeral with a satirical approach. The mock procession of local young Catholic men to counter the solemn Jewish funeral procession of mourners. At the head of the counter procession, the mock Corcos's coffin contained a live pig. The author could have focused more on Jewish chroniclers and Jewish leaders who fought against the overreaching authority of the Roman Catholic Church, and perhaps their perspectives of antisemitism. This book is an important investigative work that highlights the dangers of intolerance to minority religions like Judaism and Hinduism. Antisemitism is widely spread among Muslim population around the globe. The legacy media, the liberal politicians and the Left-wing groups are intensifying antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiments at an unprecedented level, and this make it possible the religious persecution of minority faiths.

Book Reviewed: Basic Concepts of Modern Physics: Quanta, Particles, Relativity by Georg Unger

Making sense out of quantum and classical realities The author explores the reconciliation of quantum and classical realities with metaphysical solutions. Consciousness is not considered as a fundamental part of the physics or mathematics that explains the physical reality, but it is relevant in understanding quantum reality. He concludes that a reductionist approach may not help us understand physical reality, because properties like quantum uncertainties, wave-particle duality of matter, and quantum entanglement are puzzling to classical experience of material world. The book grapples with ironing out these ambiguities and the conceptual problems in physics, and observes that the non-intuitive nature of quantum physics leads to misunderstandings of physical reality. For example, if you measure the position of a particle, just before the measurements, they exist in wave form, so measurement would put the particle in one place, a transition from wave to particle that has definite position (a wave has no position). This particle materializing out of uncertain “positions” of a wave (particles) which could occur faster than speed of light seemingly violating Einstein’s special theory of relativity which does not allow any signals faster than speed of light. Similarly, quantum entanglement between two particles could occur across vast cosmic distances. If you measure quantum state of one particle, the outcome is correlated with the measurement of the other particle, even if the two are separated by light years. This effect does not mean faster-than-light communication, but it does mean nature exhibits nonlocal correlations. The author suggests that quantum uncertainties and quantum statistical phenomena are signs of the incomplete manifestation of entities whose essence has may be comprehended by other cognitive methods. A possible relationship may exist between Hilbert space and consciousness; the former is a complete mathematical space to describe the state of quantum systems that may emerge from underlying consciousness. The physical reality may also be an illusion (like Maya of Advaita Vedanta philosophy of Hinduism.) The holographic principle of theories of quantum gravity (especially string theory), suggests that all the information contained in a 3-dimensional volume of cosmos is actually encoded on its 2-dimensional boundary. In other words, the 3D “reality” we see is a projection or reflection of information stored in 2D.

Book Reviewed: More Everything Forever: AI Overlords, Space Empires, and Silicon Valley's Crusade to Control the Fate of Humanity by Adam Becker

The billionaires, and their last product AI may determine the evolution of humans This book reads more like the writings of a false diviner warning us about the impending boom that will bring catastrophic end to humanity and perhaps it will be replaced by intelligent machines, the AI with no ethics or empathy. After all, what is virtue as defined by human connotations? Are we too afraid to die? The author refers to some of the billionaires engaged in the futuristic AI technologies like Musk, Bezos, Altman, Kurzweil, Thiel, Andreessen, and many others have desires for immortality. Recently a number of books have been written on futurology in AI dominated world. This is a product of the influence of tech-billionaires and venture capitalists seeking to shape the future of humanity without an oversight or ethical constraints. Long termism (prioritizing far-future outcomes over present suffering) is used to justify risky ventures like space odyssey and AI creation. Almost all these books sound like the words of false prophets sounding alarm. Here the author discusses how ethics and existential-risk reasoning are leveraged to legitimize funneling vast resources into speculative futures. Elon Musk's Martian ambitions and his vision of establishing a self-sustaining city on Mars are controversial because of technical feasibility, funding, ethics, and underlying motivations. Not long ago, Musk suggested that “if we nuke Mars we can terraform it.” It is extremely arrogant for a human being to make such an irresponsible suggestion. Recently, Eliezer Yudkowsky, a decision theorist at the Machine Intelligence Research Institute, Berkely, CA said in an open letter in Time op-ed called for all AI labs to immediately pause for at least 6 months the training of AI systems. He observed that a nuclear war could erupt at the slightest misalignment of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). But a lot of errors could happen besides nuclear Armageddon with AGI. As more Islamic countries make nuclear weapons, more likelihood that they will use for flimsiest reasons such as blasphemy, Ummah, or the destruction of Israel. Russian foreign minister has already said that Iran could buy nuclear warheads from Russia, and more Arab countries will join the frenzy of making their own nuclear warheads. During a discussion on immortality, the author seems to suggest that there is an urgent need to “grab as much low-entropy matter and energy as possible” to overcome the fear of death. This will never happen because this concept violates the second law of thermodynamics. AI has to do everything within the constraints of laws of physics in the four-dimensional spacetime. However, AI could redefine immortality and offer indirect paths like digital Immortality (mind uploading / emulation), biological extension with AI-driven therapies, cloning and memory transfer, cryonics & future AI revival. All these are currently speculative.

Book Review: Save America by Donald J Trump

America First This is a lavish, full color photo book with hundreds of images from Trump’s 2016 presidency, and the 2024 campaign trail. The images have no textual descriptions, but they speak for themselves. This book illustrates the success of his 2016 presidency, and how his 2024 campaign faced enormous odds created by the fake news media, democrats, progressives, the Leftists, socialists, feminists, LGBTQ, Antifa, Black activists, and Muslims. The cover and multiple spreads feature the dramatic photo of Trump after surviving a July 13, 2024, assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, fist raised and bloodied nose projects the president with resilience. He recalls, “When I rose, at first the crowd was confused because they thought that I was dead. And there was a great sorrow on their faces and then I raised my right arm, looked at the crowd and started shouting FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT.” He asks his voters to “Never give up and never surrender” a value highly cherished in winning of the 2024 presidential campaign in a landslide. This book underscores 2016 Trump administration’s achievements: low unemployment, stock market highs, energy independence, trade deals, military strengthening, border control, and conservative judicial appointments. He emphasizes unprecedented engagements with world leaders reminding us of his foreign policy expertise. This is not a conventional memoir, but an opulent factual narrative of Trump's legacy while strengthening the stage for the 2024 campaign and proving himself as one of the best presidents of our times. This is an appealing book to the loyal Trump supporters and MAGA followers. This is a visual tribute to the “America First” presidency and its iconic moments.

Book Reviewed: Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick

The King Philip’s War in the early American history This book examines the history of Plymouth Colony. In the early 17th century, a group of Pilgrims fled Europe making the infamous ten-week voyage to the New World. Rather than arriving in the summer months as planned, they landed in November. The Chief Massasoit and his Wampanoag indigenous population at Cape Cod were understanding and helped them survive the harsh winter. Author Nathaniel Philbrick recounts the desperate circumstances of the settlers and the native people, and how the Wampanoags saved the colony from certain destruction. They hosted the first Thanksgiving to celebrate the success. For over fifty years they lived in peace, becoming increasingly interdependent. But in 1675, fifty-six years after the colonists landed in Cape Cod, a war broke out between the European settlers for over fourteen horrifying months, and claimed 5,000 lives, a significant population of the English settlers. The Native tribes, Wampanoag, Narragansett, and Nipmuc fought on one side, and the English colonists with Native allies, the Mohegan and Pequot communities on the other. This war was named after Metacom, a Wampanoag chief known to the English as King Philip. The second half of the book describes the conflict that shattered peace and redefined relationships between Native peoples and colonists. This is not a happy Thanksgiving story other books narrate but adds to the challenges of the new colony. At the end of the war, the resistance of indigenous population ended in New England but furthered the mistrust between colonists and Native peoples and set the stage for future colonial expansion without tribal consent. The English colonists captured thousands of Native Americans during this campaign, many were executed, and women and children were shipped to the Caribbean and sold into slavery. Metacom's (King Philip's) wife and 9-year-old son were captured after his death. His son was sold into slavery. Plymouth Colony ceased to exist as an independent colony in 1691, and merged with the Province of Massachusetts Bay under a new royal charter. This book is written in a well narrated prose, but the author could have focused on the personal reflections of tribal leaders during the war. I recommend this book to readers exploring early American history.

Book Reviewed: Seeking the First Farmers in Western Sjælland, Denmark: The Archaeology of the Transition to Agriculture in Northern Europe by T. Douglas Price

Archeology of ancient humans in Denmark This work is an archaeological study of the transition from foraging to agriculture in Denmark. The author provides a scientific and personal reflection of European prehistory as he explores broader archaeological themes in Denmark such as, the local hunter-gatherer population, the farmers migrating from Germany and Eastern Europe, impact on human genetics due to the introduction of agriculture, lifestyle changes, the population fusion, the spread of agriculture, seasonality, and sedentism. One of the most interesting facts about the human evolution in Europe is the Western Hunter-Gatherers (WHG) c. 12,500 – 4,000 BCE., had dark skin, blue or green eyes, and dark hair. Then came the migration of neolithic farmers (from c. 4,000 BCE onwards) from the Anatolian/Near Eastern region via the Balkans. They had lighter skin, dark hair, and brown eyes, and brought agriculture, pottery, and new burial practices. The later arrivals, the Indo-Europeans (from c. 2,800 BCE onwards) called the Yamnaya and related Steppe population (from Ukraine), brought Indo-European languages to Europe and Denmark. They gave new genetic addition, they had light skin, light eyes, and blond hair. The original genes of Danish were diluted through interbreeding and selection pressure. The genes for lighter skin (like SLC24A5 and SLC45A2) became advantageous in northern latitudes due to better vitamin D synthesis under low sunlight and they these genes spread through natural selection. Other factors like demographic replacement also played an important role, the farming communities had higher birth rates and more stable food supplies leading to a population boom. This gradually overwhelmed smaller hunter-gatherer populations. The cultural assimilation was also prevalent as the hunter-gatherers adopted farming and merged with agricultural communities eventually losing distinct identities. The author integrates archaeological research with anthropological questions. These studies indicate that while farming groups were present in northern Germany and central Poland by 4500 BCE, agriculture was not adopted in southern Scandinavia until around 3100 BCE., which is quite significant and interesting from the point of ancient history of humans. This book is a good resource for readers interested in the neolithic transition (an archaeological period c. 10000 BCE to c. 4500 BCE), European prehistory, and archaeological methodology. Understanding the complexities of the shift from foraging to farming in northern Europe is not only exciting but also challenging.

Book Reviewed: Alien Earths: The New Science of Planet Hunting in the Cosmos by Dr. Lisa Kaltenegger

An exploration of life in the cosmos The book briefly discusses the methods astronomers use to detect exoplanets and describes briefly extrasolar planets that may support life. Her narratives are not so engaging with personal anecdotes, such as drinking coffee in a European city than discussing alien life. Her drifting into personal stories is not appealing. With respect to finding alien life, certain things have to be imperative for planet formation and evolution, such as low-mass exoplanets of less than ten-Earth masses, smaller than 2.5 Earth radii that are likely to be rocky. Large mass planets are generally gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn that are unlikely to have life. But rocky planets do not guarantee life, they need to have bio-signatures in their atmosphere that support life, like carbon, water and oxygen, the other essential elements, and molecules necessary for life to form, and its gradual evolution. Planets in the habitable zones around solar-like stars are helpful to investigate, and they must have Earth-like periods like Kepler-725 c that has a period of 207.5 days around its star that must have a stable orbit (Kepler-725 c doesn’t). Surface planetary habitability requires an orbit at the right distance from the host star for liquid surface water to be present, geophysical, and geodynamic aspects, atmospheric density, radiation type and intensity, and the host star's plasma environment. The magnetosphere, like we have here on Earth, will help an extrasolar planet for sustained life evolution over hundreds of millions of years. Some of the promising alien planets also have shortcomings in terms of finding life: for example. 1. The planet Proxima Centauri b is at a distance: 4.2 light-years (closest exoplanet to Earth), Star: Proxima Centauri (a red dwarf), Size: 1.1 times Earth's mass, Orbit: Habitable zone (may allow liquid water), Promise: Rocky planet, potentially Earth-like surface temperatures, and challenges: Its star emits strong solar flares, possibly harmful to the planetary atmosphere 2. TRAPPIST-1 System, distance: 39 light-years, Star: TRAPPIST-1 (ultra-cool red dwarf), number of planets: seven Earth-sized planets, at least three in the habitable zone (TRAPPIST-1e, -f, -g), promise: High potential for rocky surfaces and stable orbits likely have water, and challenges: close orbits may cause tidal locking (same side always faces star); stellar activity may strip atmospheres 3. Planet Kepler-442b, Distance: 1,200 light-years, Star: K-type (orange dwarf), Size: 1.3 times Earth's size, Orbit: In the habitable zone, Promise: High habitability score; stable sunlight from its star, and Challenges: Far away; no atmosphere confirmed yet (1,200 light years from Earth) Our technology allows detection of alien planets only in Milky Way galaxy, but the estimated number of galaxies in the observable universe is about 2 trillion, according to data from the Hubble Space Telescope and later studies. Readers interested in the search for extraterrestrial life, I recommend articles from well-known science magazines like Scientific American, Discover, National Geographic, Journal Nature, NASA Exoplanet Archives, and other science focused magazines some of which are available at your local public libraries.

Book Reviewed: The Vedanta Sutras of Badarayana, Part 1-2 by Śaṅkara translated by George Thibaut

Adi Shankaracharya’s interpretation of the Vedanta Sutras The Brahma Sūtras are terse and cryptic words. Each Sūtra requires detailed commentary (bhāṣya) to make them comprehensible. They generally do not specify the subject or the context explicitly, but they were interpreted based on one’s philosophical views and the knowledge of the Upanishads, one of the sacred texts of Hinduism. In summary, the Vedānta Sūtras are like mirrors, and each school of Vedānta expound its own reflection on the brevity and interpretive flexibility of the sutras. They elucidate differing views on the nature of physical reality, God, liberation, and close-knit relationship with them. Hence, commentators like Śaṅkara, Rāmānuja, Madhva, Vallabha, Nimbārka and others understood Brahma Sūtras through their metaphysical and theological views. The Vedanta Sutras (Brahma Sutras) of Badarayana are one of the foundational texts of Vedanta philosophy, a major school of Hindu philosophy focused on the nature of Brahman (the Ultimate Reality) and Atman (the self or soul or jiva). The Vedanta Sutras has four chapters (adhyāyas), and each chapter has four sections (pādas). The four pādas consists of 555 Sūtras (aphoristic statements). Adhyāya One, establishes that Brahman as the central theme of all Upanishads, and it harmonizes apparent contradictions in the scriptures, and lays the foundation for metaphysical discussion. Adhyāya Four, describes the liberation (moksha) that results from realizing Brahman and achieve freedom from the cycle of birth and death and union with the Infinite (Brahman). In this book, the author discusses the Advaita philosophy of Śaṅkara that proposes Brahman is the Ultimate, Formless, Changeless Reality for the creation of the Cosmos. Atman is Brahman, and the individual soul (Atman, jiva) is not separate from the absolute (Brahman). The Liberation (moksha) comes through knowledge and realization of this non-duality. The goal is jnana (knowledge) which leads to dissolution of ego, and to the unification with Brahman. This is one of the most informative books published by the early European scholars on Vedanta and the commentary of Śaṅkara. The author discusses a brief history of Vedānta and how it evolved during post-Vedic period: The Pūrva Mīmāṁsā and Uttara Mīmāṁsā (also known as Vedānta) are two major schools of Hindu philosophy that interpret the ancient Hindu scriptures of Vedas, the most ancient and sacred Hindu scriptures. They represent different focuses and methodologies in understanding the Vedic texts. Pūrva Mīmāṁsā emphasizes Karma Kāṇḍa and follow fire ritual practices (performing yajna, homa, and material offerings to the Vedic deities), and follow the principles of Dharma. The liberation from material life is not its main concern; rather, it's about attaining worldly results leading to heaven (Svarga). But the Uttara Mīmāṁsā (Vedānta) emphasizes Jñāna Kāṇḍa that seeks the Spiritual Knowledge and Mokṣa, true liberation from the cycle of birth and death. It is focused on self-inquiry and freedom through realization of Brahman. Both schools agree on the authority of the Vedas, but they interpret their purpose very differently. Pūrva Mīmāṁsā is action-oriented, and Uttara Mīmāṁsā is knowledge-oriented. According to Śaṅkara which is described in this book, the self (jiva) and Brahman are the same, it is the illusion (Maya) that creates physical reality we see and experience. They create ego and false impression that self has separate existence, but they are not different; jīva is Brahman. The nature of physical reality, as understood from classical and quantum physics, uphold the Advaita Philosophy’s interpretation of the material reality.

Book Reviewed: Ancient Hindu Science by Alok Kumar

Science, medicine, and astronomy in ancient Hindu India This book provides a brief sketch of the scientific contributions of Hindus and reminds us of the mathematical tools perfected for astronomical and physical calculations. The author articulates the essence of Hindu science that includes mathematics, science, and medicine. He gives equal allocation of time and space for these subjects to highlight the dominance of ancient Indian Hindu science and mathematics. Often, the author uses the quotes of European authors like Florian Cajori (1859–1930), a Swiss American historian who did not specialize in the history of Indian science. The author could have considered the Indian discoveries and inventions on its merit than start off with a European view. Most Western historians of 19th and 20th centuries were Eurocentric, and Cajori’s focus was Greek and European mathematics, and often underestimated Indian contributions. However, the proudest moments for Hindu science were when Indian mathematicians like Aryabhata (fifth century CE) and Brahmagupta developed the concept of zero as a number and created the decimal system. Early Hindu scholars wrote about algebra (called Bijaganita) and trigonometric functions like sine (jya) and cosine. Aryabhata proposed that the Earth rotates on its axis and planets move in elliptical orbits long before it was “discovered” in Europe. Indian astronomers calculated the length of the solar year very precisely and developed methods to predict eclipses. In short, ancient India was a scientific powerhouse making discoveries not only in mathematics and astronomy, but also in health, medicine, surgery, chemistry, and agriculture that founded modern science. The wisdom of Hindus may be found in the earliest Hindu scriptures: "Let noble thoughts come to us from every side." Rigveda 1.89.1, a call for open-mindedness and wisdom from all directions. "Truth alone triumphs, not falsehood." Mundaka Upanishad 3.1.6a. And "You have the right to perform your duties, but not to the fruits of your actions." Bhagavad Gita 2.47. The author could have expanded on the chapters that focus on mathematics, and astronomy. But for in-depth studies, I recommend: “The History of Ancient Indian Mathematics" by C.N. Srinivas Iyengar; Works by D.D. Kosambi; and “The Crest of the Peacock" by George Verghese Joseph.

Book Reviewed: Science in Ancient India by Melissa Stewart.

A brief history of ancient India for kids This is a book for kids about the scientific contributions of ancient India, which sounds interesting but also has serious errors. In the opening section, it states that “around 3,500 years ago, a group of light-skinned people called Aryans came to India through passages in the Hindu Kush mountains. Unlike the Dravidians, the Aryans were wandering herders. Over the next five hundred years, the Aryans slowly moved southward until they reached the Ganges Valley in central India. As the Aryans invaded, they pushed the Dravidians farther and farther south. Eventually, the Aryans began to settle down and farm.” This has strong racial overtones and subordination of the Indian population. 19th-century European scholars proposed this to support colonization of India by the British Empire, which claimed that Indo-European-speaking "Aryans" invaded and conquered the Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) around 1500 BCE. Suggested that this invasion led to the decline of the IVC and the rise of Vedic culture in northern India. In fact, there's no clear evidence of violent invasion or large-scale destruction in Indus Valley sites. Recent genetic evidence, such as Rakhigarhi DNA studies, shows no marker of a sudden, large-scale migration or invasion. However, there is interesting section that describes the work of Indian astronomers like Brahmagupta who described the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter long before telescope was invented in the 1600s. The work of Aryabhata describes planetary movements in great detail. It is amazing that this scientific was known long before Europeans claimed to have discovered them.

Book Reviewed: To Be a Jew Today: A New Guide to God, Israel, and the Jewish People by Noah Feldman

The Jewish identity Author Noah Feldman, a Harvard law professor with Orthodox Jewish identity offers the ways Jews relate to faith, community, and the state of Israel in the 21st century. He examines four categories of Jews: traditionalists, progressives, evolutionists, and Godless Jews, and concludes that secular or non-believing Jews are engaged in a form of spiritual struggle, and still makes them Jewish. In one section he evaluates Israel’s identity as a Jewish state and its struggle with Arabs and Palestinian population. The focus is mainly on American Jewish experiences and doesn’t address Mizrahi, Sephardic, or African Jewish perspectives. He also doesn’t examine the widespread antisemitism and anti-Israel activities on American college campuses. Antisemitism in Western Europe and North America is due to an increase in Islamist ideology, and left-wing anti-Zionism. In one section of the book, he states that “The thing I can say with confidence is that, having immersed myself in Jewish tradition and thought, and having occupied the position of bad Jew to some observers and commentators some of the time, I have come to learn that the tradition, in all its multifarious guises and unexpected manifestations, will never abandon me. That's something.” Does the author mean that other traditions/faiths, like Hinduism, Buddhism or Christianism also does not abandon its followers for being different? So, what is unique about Jewish traditions? Harvard University’s January 2024 “Antisemitism on Campus” report underscores a significant rise in both witnessed and experienced antisemitic acts on campus. It is abundant in statistics as well as anecdotes, and offers more than three hundred pages of dismal reading. Except for Alan Dershowitz, no other faculty members including this author have ever criticized or condemned the school for its divisive role. So, how can we take his analysis seriously?

Book Reviewed: Genesis: Artificial Intelligence, Hope, and the Human Spirit by Henry A. Kissinger, Eric Schmidt, and Craig Mundie

AI in our future This is a review of the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) on future human identity. It explores AI's capacity to address challenges like climate, global politics, war, and healthcare in the absence of human autonomy. The book is purely speculative and lacks concrete solutions to the challenges of AI. Some parts of the book are too speculative to the extent that the authors are more like false prophets sounding alarm if ethical component is not added to the AI development. This book is no different from other AI books I have read, lacks solutions and blindly imbibing ethics into AI-machines. These authors never addressed how AI would treat animals and lower forms of life but always worried about the interests of Homo Sapiens. It goes to show that the AI researchers couldn’t care about this issue, or that AI will not harm animals. Homo Sapiens were new kids on the block when they appeared on this planet about 300,000 years ago. Palaeobiological evidence suggests that Homo Sapiens may have contributed to the demise of their cousins Neanderthals who became extinct about 40,000 years ago. Did Neanderthals ever think that they would be better off to have Homo Sapiens eliminated, no, they didn’t. Then why is it so important to produce AI with human elements imbibed into it? This becomes a problem when we consider infusing AI with too much of our own limitations like biases, emotions, or subjective views that will reduce AI’s objectivity or clarity in certain tasks. For example, understanding fundamental truths about the cosmos or life itself would never be achieved. AI with human-like thoughts (humane AI) cloud its judgment and misinterpret raw data. Subjective thinking overrides data-driven reasoning. Science thrives on objectivity and falsifiability, the traits not always shared by humans. The book leans heavily on conjecture regarding AI’s capabilities and societal impacts without providing concrete evidence, and it lacks practical solutions.

Book Reviewed: Lost Christianities: The Battles of Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew by Bart Ehrman

How did early “chaotic” Christianity evolve into a major faith system This is a scholarly exploration of several Christian movements in the first two hundred years of the common era that did not make into the current Christian system. This period in the Biblical history was marred by theological conflicts and destruction of scriptures regarded by early bishops as heretical. These included several scriptures of Gnosticism, Marcionism, and ebonist theology. The author shows that these groups had vastly different description of the Jesus’ teachings, salvation, and the identity of God. Gospel of Mary (Mary Magdalene), Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Peter, and numerous other apocryphal acts and epistles offers alternate portrayals of Jesus, the God, and Christian beliefs and practices. In fact, Mary Magdalene, one of the closest disciples of Jesus who knew Jesus’ teachings well was instructed by Jesus to lead his ministry after his departure. This gospel clearly states that there is no such thing as Sin in this world. Author Ehrman discusses about forty-five apocryphal texts used by diverse group of Christian communities who believed and practiced Christian faith very differently. The role of early bishops and leaders of Christian communities were influential in the final outcome. By the end of the fourth century, the current version of the New Testament came into existence. The author calls early bishops who shaped the New Testament as the sacred scriptures of proto-orthodox Christians. This process included forgery, destruction of apocryphal texts that were labeled heresy, and creation of texts to uphold the proto-orthodox Christianity. The Gospels were written anonymously to begin with and later were called by the names of their reputed authors, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It is apparent that the New Testament canon was not divinely dictated, but it evolved over time through human decisions that were contentious and politically motivated. Heresiologists (who refuted heresies: beliefs or doctrines contrary to orthodox Christian teaching was regarded as false) like, Irenaeus, Hippolytus, Epiphanius, and Tertullian fought to destroy Gnosticism, Marcionism, and ebonist theology. Proto-Orthodox Bishops like Ignatius, Polycarp, Clement, Athanasius preached the early form of Christian belief system with forged texts to support their view. There are numerous books published by the “Jesus Seminar,” a team of well-respected Biblical scholars that discuss how the four canonized gospels evolved and came into existence, and which part of these gospels are fabricated. The author briefly discusses this in this book. This is a thought-provoking and well-researched work that narrates the very fluid state of early Christian belief system. This is highly readable, and I strongly recommend this to readers interested in early Christianity, biblical history, and anyone interested to know the truth about New Testament.

Book Reviewed: Amateur Hour: Kamala Harris in the White House by Charlie Spiering

Harris is the best example for an incompetent and inept presidential candidate Author Charlie Spiering, an experienced journalist at the Washington Examiner and Breitbart News, gives an investigative report of Kamala Harris's rise in politics, from her time as a California prosecutor to her role as Vice President, and 2024 presidential campaign. Her ascent was rapid and highly problematic, because of her inexperience, incompetence, and focus on personal advancement. She will go down in the history of presidential campaigns for her incoherent communication and nonsensical statements. During her trip to Guatemala, Harris sat down for an interview with NBC's Lester Holt, stated that she never visited the US-Mexico border as a Border Czar and asked if she had plans to do so. She replied ''At some point, you know, we are going to the border”' Harris said, fumbling for the right words. "You haven't been to the border;' Holt noted again, Harris responded, with a laugh, saying, “I haven't been to Europe.” "And I mean, I don't understand the point that you're making.” Harris was shockingly unprepared for a question that Republicans and reporters had been asking her for months. What alarmed her staffers was that she had recently received comprehensive media training including a prepared answer in case she was asked why she had not visited the border. The "border czar" also treated border enforcement agents like garbage. Four days later on ABC network’s “The View,” Harris expanded her thoughts, comparing the border agents to slave owners, and them treating undocumented immigrants as slaves. Governor Abbott of Texas used the occasion to send more busloads of migrants to Harris's home in Washington, DC, reminding everyone how she was failing as a border czar. At one stage she said the immigration issue is the responsibility of the United States Congress. Harris prioritized her identity as a black woman over her Indian heritage, and none of her ancestors faced the horrors of slavery or racist codes of the civil rights era like many ancestors of African American politicians. She was difficult to work with, having high staff turnover rates, and relying on polling rather than political and economic principles to guide her through. She was artificial on stage, never willing to engage or risk her brand, and constantly playing defense. Her speeches lacked conviction and spiraled into word salads. This book looks back as how Harris began as the district attorney of San Francsico and moved into local San Francisco politics and high society after dating much older California State Assembly Speaker Willie Brown. She positioned herself carefully as a politician in California, threading her social connections, her personal biography, and law enforcement record to rise quickly in state politics until she became a United States senator and ultimately vice president of the United States. She went on to spend over one billion dollars during her failed 2024 presidential campaign. Her own internal poll suggested that Donald Trump was far ahead of her in many “swing” states.

Book Review: The Singularity Is Nearer: When We Merge with AI by Ray Kurzweil

The age of AI Kurzweil introduces the concept of the Law of Accelerating Returns, which states that the rate of technological progress accelerates exponentially over time. This law is based on the observation that each new technological innovation builds upon previous ones, leading to a rapid increase in advancements. Kurzweil identifies six epochs of evolution, each representing a significant milestone in the development of intelligence. Kurzweil’s ideas are based on unproven assumptions about the nature of intelligence and consciousness. It has overly optimistic predictions based on flawed assumptions about the rate of technological progress. The lack of discipline ventures into overly simplistic associations. The term "singularity" is borrowed from mathematics (like when a number is divided by zero), and physics (where matter, energy and physics laws fall into). The author uses the term as a metaphor because it captures our inability to comprehend with our current level of intelligence. But as the technological progresses, the author believes that it enhances our cognition quickly enough to adapt. He suggests that the Singularity will happen around 2045.

Book Reviewed: The Origins of Mathematics by V. Lakshmikantham and S. Leela

Mathematics and astronomy in ancient India This is a short book of ninety-two pages that focuses on Indian mathematics and astronomy very briefly. The account is not complete; the work of well-known Kerala School of Mathematics is largely ignored. The title of the book is somewhat misleading, but I recommend the authors review the material and include all important aspects to point the superiority of Indian mathematicians over Greek and European mathematics. The dates of several historical events in Indian math and astronomy are overestimated and not supported by archeological and historical evidence. Chapters 5 and 6 show a significant trigonometry which could be confusing to an average reader interested in learning about significance of Indian contribution to mathematics, astronomy, physics, cosmology, philosophy, economics, and architecture. Mathematics in ancient India has a rich and remarkable history, characterized by profound discoveries and developments that influenced mathematics worldwide. Ancient Indian mathematicians made significant contributions to arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and astronomy. Some the highlights include the decimal number system, including the concept of zero as a numeral; the Aryabhatiya by Aryabhata (476 CE) introduced techniques for solving quadratic equations, trigonometry, and approximations of π (pi); Brahmagupta (7th century CE) formalized the rules for operations involving zero and negative numbers; the Sulba Sutras (800-500 BCE) that described astronomical rules for constructing fire altars using geometric principles; Bhaskara I (7th century CE) and Bhaskara II (12th century CE) expanded algebraic understanding, solving complex equations and introducing concepts like cyclic quadrilaterals; and Bhaskara II’s Bijaganita ("Seed Counting") was a pioneering text in algebra. Indian astronomers integrated mathematics into their study of planetary motion and eclipses. The Surya Siddhanta, an ancient astronomical text, contains advanced calculations for planetary orbits. The Kerala School of Mathematics (14th–16th centuries) led by Madhava of Sangamagrama made early advancements in calculus, including power series expansions for trigonometric functions. Their work predated European calculus by centuries. Ancient scriptures like Rigveda contain mathematical ideas presented in philosophical terms: the hymn of Creation (Nasadiya Sukta) – Rigveda 10.129; The Cosmic Order Hymn Rigveda 1.164; and Purusha Sukta - Rigveda 10.90. These are the earliest philosophical concepts found in the ancient Vedic scripture that later led to six schools of Hindu philosophy culminating in Vedanta. The physical reality described by theoretical physics and is identical to Advaita Vedanta. The most fundamental entity of the cosmos is the Pure Consciousness out of which matter, and energy appears in spacetime. Guided by the laws of physics cosmos and life evolve.

Book Reviewed: Around Washington Square: An Illustrated History of Greenwich Village by Luther S. Harris

The American Bohemia This is a visually captivating exploration of one of New York City's most iconic neighborhoods, the Washington Square Park. It is a narrative of the history of Greenwich Village, a cultural and geographical landmark for three centuries. Once, this was the 17th-century Dutch settlement and progressively transformed into a fashionable residential and university district in the 19th century. And later as the epicenter of the city's bohemian, creative, and activist movements. The narrative covers a broad range of themes, the architectural evolution, the construction of row houses, and the rise of artistic communities. Greenwich Village became more involved in civil rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and anti-war protests in the 20th century. The book is illustrated with photographs, maps, and illustrations that bring the history into a proper perspective. They are informative and also visually rewarding. The narratives are effortless and engaging. Although the book covers a broad time frame, it does not cover the mid-20th century counterculture movement. This book is recommended to readers interested in the American history, history of New York City and its cultural legacy.

Book Reviewed: Empires of the Indus, the Story of a River by Alice Albinia

Indus and Saraswati Rivers This is a journey along the Indus River, downstream and back in time, from the Himalayas to the Arabian Sea. Along the way, the river wanders freely across Indian subcontinent, creating ancient cities and being a silent witness to the ancient civilization, empires and kingdoms that flourished over its banks during the last four thousand years. The Indus valley civilization has a continuous history. It was a political, religious, and literary ferment, a history of the people of Indian subcontinent. Scholars and geologists suggest that the Saraswati River was a large river that once flowed parallel to the Indus River. It was one of the most revered rivers described by the Vedic seers in ancient India. The sacred scriptures of Hinduism such as the Rigveda describe this river as Goddess Saraswati. Rigveda contains metaphysical and spiritual thoughts long before civilization was born in Europe The author wrongly identifies Saraswati River as the Indus River, but actually Indus still exists but Saraswati River has dried. This book concludes that building dams across the river might have been the cause of it. But studies have revealed that tectonic activity might have changed the earth's crust that diverted the river's course. Another possibility is the climatic shift from the gradual aridification of the region. Satellite imagery studies have identified ancient dry riverbeds in the Thar Desert indicating that once it was a mighty river. The Indus River Valley was home to thriving communities of peoples of ancient India, like the world's oldest civilizations of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro. This book documents the farming innovations, the birth of Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism, and the role of the Indus River in in supporting large cities on its bank. It is a brief exploration of their advanced urban planning, pioneering engineering feats, and social structures that supported these ancient metropolises connecting harmoniously with Mesopotamia and Persia. The author does not motivate the reader and her work contains errors.

Book Reviewed: Wheels of Her Own: American Women and the Automobile, 1893-1929 by Carla R. Lesh

Women’s place is in the driver’s seat This book explores the life of American women and the enrichment of their lives during early days of automobile, 1893-1929. It discusses the benefits of owning a vehicle that included shifting gender norms, fostering independence, and opening new opportunities for women. But there were serious challenges too. Early automobiles were difficult to operate, requiring strength and mechanical knowledge, which led many to believe driving was unsuitable for women. In addition, roads were poorly maintained, and long-distance travel was perilous. Inequities to access, safety, lodging and fuel, reliable equipment, and the racism challenged African American women significantly. The promise of any new groundbreaking "life-altering" technology was challenged by the social conditions. Women like Alice Huyler Ramsey, a 22-year-old N.J. housewife became a pioneer. In 1909, She was the first woman to drive across the United States. Accompanied by three female friends (none of whom could drive), embarked on a 3,800-mile journey from New York to San Francisco in a Maxwell automobile. They faced mechanical breakdowns, muddy roads, and navigational challenges, many roads were unpaved and lacked signs. Rural areas were most difficult since they sought the help of strangers in case of emergency. Ramsey’s successful trip proved that women were capable of handling the technical and physical challenges of driving. Automobiles also became integral to the suffrage movement. Women used cars for parades, rallies, and cross-country tours to promote, demonstrating their ability to engage with modern technology and public life. The "Votes for Women" caravan of 1913 involved women driving cars emblazoned with banners advocating for suffrage. These highly visible tours drew attention and helped reach rural and urban communities. Inez Milholland became a driving force for suffrage, and Clara Ford the wife of Henry Ford was a strong advocate for women’s driving. The mass production of the Model T by Ford in 1908 made cars more affordable, broadening access to middle-class families and women. This study is limited in its choice of subject matter, since the motoring landscape included expansive demographic than the three groups discussed here, the white, the black and indigenous population. Hispanic and Asian populations are clearly excluded and much of the discussions are about the white and black women. Another shortcoming of this book is the way the topics are discussed. There are several pictures, illustrations and diagrams of women driving, which helped me to connect with female drivers of the early 1900s.