Book Review - Science Under Siege: How to Fight the Five Most Powerful Forces That Threaten Our World

Title: Science Under Siege: How to Fight the Five Most Powerful Forces That Threaten Our World

Author: Michael E. Mann, Peter J. Hotez
My Rating: 👍👍👍👍👍
My Review: Pending...

Description (Audible): Two of the world’s most respected scientists reveal the forces behind the dangerous anti-science movement—and show us how to fight back. 

From pandemics to the climate crisis, humanity faces tougher challenges than ever. Whether it’s the health of our people or the health of our planet, we know we are on an unsustainable path. But our efforts to effectively tackle these existential crises are now hampered by a common threat: politically and ideologically motivated opposition to science.

Michael E. Mann and Peter J. Hotez are two of the most respected and well-known scientists in the world and have spent the last twenty years on the front lines of the battle to convey accurate, reliable, and trustworthy information about science in the face of determined and nihilistic opposition.

In this powerful manifesto, they reveal the five main forces threatening science: plutocrats, pros, petrostates, phonies, and the press. It is a call to arms and a road map for dismantling the forces of anti-science. Armed with the information in this book, we can be empowered to promote scientific truths, shine light on channels of dark money, dismantle the corporations poisoning the planet, and ultimately avert disaster.

Description (ChatGPT): “Science Under Siege” is an essential read — particularly for those who care about climate, public health, science communication, or democracy. It confronts a real crisis: not just that we may lack scientific knowledge, but that our ability to accept and act on that knowledge is under systemic threat. Mann and Hotez succeed at both diagnosing the problem and offering reasons for hope. If the book has a mission, it is to push us from helplessness into action. It may feel like a rallying cry, but it’s a rallying cry grounded in science.

If you're looking for something inspirational and deeply informed, this will meet (or exceed) expectations. If you're hoping for a blueprint with all obstacles already overcome, you might find some parts frustrating. But perhaps that’s the point: the work is not done, and this book insists we become part of it.

TILOTD - Autumn Equinox

TILOTD -- Things I Learned On This Day

Autumn Equnox - Sept 22, 2025

• The autumn equinox marks the first day of fall in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of spring in the Southern Hemisphere. 
• It occurs when Earth's axis is not tilted toward or away from the sun, resulting in nearly equal day and night lengths.
• The exact date of the equinox can vary between Sept. 21 and Sept. 24 due to the Gregorian calendar's approximation of the Earth's orbit around the sun.
• Cultural celebrations take place worldwide on the equinox. That day is also a key period for observing natural phenomena like the Northern Lights due to increased geomagnetic activity
• The autumn equinox is really just a moment in time -- to be exact it's when the sun crosses the celestial equator, an imaginary line in the sky above Earth's equator.
• Normally, Earth orbits tilted on its axis by 23.5 degrees. But at the precise instant of the Autumnal equinox, its rotational axis is neither tilting toward nor away from the sun.
• The word "equinox" comes from the Latin aequus (meaning "equal") and nox (meaning "night") but day and night are not exactly 12 hours each on the day of the equinox.
• Earth takes 365.25 days to go around the sun. So, this means that the September equinox will be six hours later than it was the year before. Every four years there is a "leap year" that resets the discrepancy. 
• The equinoxes can result in auroras being more visible through to the March spring equinox.
• Auroras are caused by the interaction of solar winds with Earth's magnetic field. The solar winds are particles of plasma escaping from the sun into space. Due to Earth's axial tilt, the solar wind from the sun is better able to reach Earth's atmosphere through our geomagnetic field. These disturbances in Earth's magnetic field (called geomagnetic storms) are therefore at their strongest in the spring and fall, compared to summer and winter.
• The particles that slam into Earth's magnetic field collide with atoms of oxygen, nitrogen, and other elements in the air. These particles eventually release photons of different wavelengths and therefore the different colors of aurora you can see in the sky.
• There are several celebrations associated with the fall equinox. For instance, there's the neopagan festival of Mabon a harvest festival to celebrate the gathering of crops and the bounty of the earth.
• China and other Asian countries celebrate the moon festival which is always held in mid-September, around the time of the harvest moon. The harvest moon is the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox.

Sources -

• 5 Things You Didn't Know About the Autumnal Equinox
• Wikipedia - September equinox 

Book Review - Coming Up Short: A Memoir of My America

Title: Coming Up Short: A Memoir of My America
Author: Robert B. Reich
My Rating: 👍👍👍👍👍
My Review: Pending...

Description (Audible): A thought-provoking, principled, clear-eyed chronicle of the culture, politics, and economic choices that have landed us where we are today—with irresponsible economic bullies and corporations with immense wealth and lobbying power on top, demagogues on the rise, and increasing inequality fueling anger and hatred across the country.

Nine months after World War II, Robert Reich was born into a united America with a bright future—that went unrealized for so many as big money took over our democracy. His encounter with school bullies on account of his height—4’11” as an adult—set him on a determined path to spend his life fighting American bullies of every sort. He recounts the death of a friend in the civil rights movement; his political coming of age witnessing the Berkeley free speech movement; working for Bobby Kennedy and Senator Eugene McCarthy; experiencing a country torn apart by the Vietnam War; meeting Hillary Rodham in college, Bill Clinton at Oxford, and Clarence Thomas at Yale Law. He details his friendship with John Kenneth Galbraith during his time teaching at Harvard, and subsequent friendships with Bernie Sanders and Ted Kennedy; his efforts as labor secretary for Clinton and economic advisor to Barack Obama. Ultimately, Reich asks: What did his generation accomplish? Did they make America better, more inclusive, more tolerant? Did they strengthen democracy? Or, did they come up short? In the end, though, Reich hardly abandons us to despair over a doomed democracy. With his characteristic spirit, humor, and inherent decency, he lays out how we can reclaim a sense of community and a democratic capitalism based on the American ideals we still have the power to salvage.

Description (ChatGPT): Robert Reich's Coming Up Short is a compelling and concise exploration of the widening gap between the promises of the American Dream and the harsh economic realities facing millions of Americans. With his signature clarity and moral urgency, Reich examines how systemic inequalities, stagnant wages, and diminishing job security have eroded the financial stability of the middle and working classes.

Drawing on real-life stories and economic data, Reich highlights the frustration and disillusionment of a generation "coming up short" despite working hard and playing by the rules. The book doesn't just diagnose the problem — it calls for a reinvigoration of social trust and public investment, advocating policies that promote equity and restore dignity to American labor.

While brief, the book is sharp, accessible, and deeply human. It’s a timely reminder that economic justice is not just a policy issue but a moral imperative.