Christie, Agatha, Destination Unknown, Collins for the Crime Club; Greenway edition 1977 Amazon editorial review: 'When a number of leading scientists disappear, concern grows within the intelligence services. Are they being kidnapped? Blackmailed? Brainwashed? One woman appears to hold the key to the mystery. But she is found dead.' 
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Christie, Agatha, Ordeal by Innocence, Bantam Books 1987 Amazon book description: 'Book Description Mrs. Argyle, benevolent tyrant and mother of five, is murdered with a poker. Her son Jacko is convicted of the crime but dies in prison. Two years later, Dr. Arthur Calgary comes forward to clear Jacko, but the Argyle family is not pleased. If Jacko didn’t commit the crime, who did? Suspense mounts as the family realizes that exonerating Jacko means fingering one of them.' 
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Deighton, Len, Hope, HarperCollins Publishers 1996 From Publishers Weekly: Veteran British spy Bernard Samson returns to fight further Cold War battles in this deceptively easygoing sequel to Faith (and prequel to Charity), set in 1987. ... Deighton's carefully crafted but seemingly nonchalant narration: droll, almost deadpan fits perfectly the character of Samson, a perceptive but closed-mouthed gent who is seemingly unimpressed by events like the sudden appearance of a dead body in his ex-mistress's bedroom or the bizarre theft of a severed hand. Exciting moments are handled casually, while causal conversations are given the detail expected of important ones, resulting in a version of reality that is disjointed and emotionally distanced, as a master spy's take on things may very well be. Deighton gives readers unfamiliar with Samson's troubled life plenty of background information, so newcomers as well as old series hands should take equal pleasure in this subtly intense offering by perhaps the only author other than le Carre who deserves to be known as "spymaster."' 
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Deutsch, David, The Fabric of Reality: The Science of Parallel Universes - and its Implications, Allen Lane Penguin Press 1997 Jacket: 'Quantum physics, evolution, computation and knowledge - these four strands of scientific theory and philosophy have, until now, remained incomplete explanations of the way the universe works. . . . Oxford scholar DD shows how they are so closely intertwined that we cannot properly understand any one of them without reference to the other three. . . .' 
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Everett III (1973), Hugh, and Bryce S Dewitt, Neill Graham (editors), The Many Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics, Princeton University Press 1973 Jacket: 'A novel interpretation of quantum mechanics, first proposed in brief form by Hugh Everett in 1957, forms the nucleus around which this book has developed. The volume contains Dr Everett's short paper from 1957, "'Relative State' formulation of quantum mechanics" and a far longer exposition of his interpretation entitled "The Theory of the Universal Wave Function" never before published. In addition other papers by Wheeler, DeWitt, Graham, Cooper and van Vechten provide further discussion of the same theme. Together they constitute virtually the entire world output of scholarly commentary on the Everett interpretation.' 
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Fowles, John, The Magus, Back Bay Books: Little Brown and Co 2001 Product Description 'At the novels center is Nicholas Urfe, a young Englishman who accepts a teaching position on a remote Greek island. There he befriends a local millionaire, but the friendship soon evolves into a deadly game and Nicholas finds that he must fight not only for his sanity but for his very survival.' 
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Hee, Kim Hyun, The Tears of My Soul, WilliamMorrow Inc 1993 'When Korean Air Lines flight 858 exploded in 1987, killing 115 passengers, international law-enforcement officials immediately started searching for the hardened North Korean terrorists who could have committed such a crime. What they found was Kim Hyun Hee, an idealistic young woman transformed by her country into an obedient killing machine. The Tears of My Soul is her poignant, shocking, and utterly compelling story. 
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Humphreys, Christmas, Buddhism, 1991  
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Jammer, Max, Concepts of Space: The History of Theories of Space in Physics, Dover 1994 Jacket: 'Although the concept of space is of fundamental importance in both physics and philosophy, until the publication of this book, the idea of space had never been treated in terms of its historical development. ... Following an introductory chapter on the concept of space in antiguity, subsequent chapters consider Judeaeo-Christian ideas about space, the emancipation of the space concept from Aristotelianism, Newton's concept of absolute space and the concept of space from the 18th century to the present. ... It is essential reading for philosphers, physicists and mathematicians, but even the nonprofessional reader will find it accessible, for the author has kept the technical language and mathematical details to a minimum.' 
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Jaynes, Julian, The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, Mariner Books 2000 Jacket: 'At the heart of this book is the revolutionary idea that human consciousness did not begin far back in animal evolution but is a learned process brought into being out of an earlier hallucinatory mentality by cataclysm and catastrophe only 3000 years ago and still developing.' 
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Kolmogorov, Andrey Nikolaevich, and Nathan Morrison (Translator) (With an added bibliography by A T Bharucha-Reid), Foundations of the Theory of Probability, Chelsea 1956 Preface: 'The purpose of this monograph is to give an axiomatic foundation for the theory of probability. . . . This task would have been a rather hopeless one before the introduction of Lebesgue's theories of measure and integration. However, after Lebesgue's publication of his investigations, the analogies between measure of a set and mathematical expectation of a random variable became apparent. These analogies allowed of further extensions; thus, for example, various properties of independent random variables were seen to be in complete analogy with the corresponding properties of orthogonal functions . . .' 
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Lonergan, Bernard J F, Insight: A Study of Human Understanding (Collected Works of Bernard Lonergan : Volume 3), University of Toronto Press 1992 '. . . Bernard Lonergan's masterwork. Its aim is nothing less than insight into insight itself, an understanding of understanding' 
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Luke, and Alexander Jones (editor), in The Jerusalem Bible, Darton Longman and Todd 1966 'The third gospel's distinguishing quality is due to the attractive personality of its author, which shines through all his work. Luke is at once a most gifted writer and a man of marked sensibility. ... The originality of Luke is not in his key ideas (they are identical with those of Mark and Matthew) but in his religious mentality which, apart from slight traces of Paul's influence, is ovewhelmingly distinctive of Luke's personal temperament. Luke, in Dante's phrase, is the 'scriba mansuetudinis Christi', the faithful; recorder of Christ's lovingkindness.'  
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Matthew, and Alexander Jones (editor), in The Jerusalem Bible, Darton Longman and Todd 1966 Introduction to the Synoptic Gospels: '[Matthew is] a dramatic account in seven acts of the coming of the kingdom of heaven. 1. The preparation of the kingdom in the person of the child-Messiah. . . . 2. the formal proclamation of the charter of the Kingdom i.e. the Sermon on the Mount 3. The preaching of the kingdom by missionaries 4. The obstacles that the kingdom will meet from men 5. Its embryonic existence ... 6. The crisis . .. which is to prepare the way for the definitive coming of the kingdom . . . 7. The coming itself ... through the Passion and resurrection.' 
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Prothero, Stephen, God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions that Run the World - and Why Their Differences Matter, HarperOne 2010 'Introduction: . . . The world's religious rivals do converge when it comes to ethics, but they diverge sharply on doctrine, ritual, mythology, experience and law. These differences may not matter to mystics of philosophers of religion, but they matter to ordinary religious people.' 
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Rossano, Matt, Supernatural Selection: How Religion Evolved, Oxford University Press 2010 'In 2006, scientist Richard Dawkins published a blockbuster bestseller, The God Delusion. This atheist manifesto sparked a furious reaction from believers, who have responded with numerous books of their own. By pitting science against religion, however, this debate overlooks what science can tell us about religion. According to evolutionary psychologist Matt J. Rossano, what science reveals is that religion made us human. In Supernatural Selection, Rossano presents an evolutionary history of religion. Neither an apologist for religion nor a religion-basher, he draws together evidence from a wide range of disciplines to show the valuable--even essential--adaptive purpose served by systematic belief in the supernatural. The roots of religion stretch as far back as half a million years, when our ancestors developed the motor control to engage in social rituals--that is, to sing and dance together. Then, about 70,000 years ago, a global ecological crisis drove humanity to the edge of extinction. It forced the survivors to create new strategies for survival, and religious rituals were foremost among them. Fundamentally, Rossano writes, religion is a way for humans to relate to each other and the world around them--and, in the grim struggles of prehistory, it offered significant survival and reproductive advantages.' 
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Stern, Jessica, Denial: A Memoir of Terror, Ecco 2010 From Publisher's Weekly: 'In this skillfully wrought, powerful study, a terrorism expert, national security adviser (The Ultimate Terrorists), and lecturer at Harvard, returns to a definitive episode of terror in her own early life and traces its grim, damaging ramifications. Having grown up in Concord, Mass., in 1973, Stern, then 15, and her sister, a year younger, were forcibly raped at gunpoint by an unknown intruder; when the police reopened the case in 2006, Stern was compelled to confront the devastating experience. The police initially tied the case to a local serial rapist, who served 18 years in prison before hanging himself. Stern's painful journey takes her back to the traumatic aftershocks of the rape, when she began to affect a stern, hard veneer not unlike the stiff-upper-lip approach to survival her own German-born Jewish father had assumed after his childhood years living through Nazi persecution. Covering up her deep-seated sense of shame with entrenched silence, Stern had a classic post-traumatic stress disorder—which she was only able to recognize after her own work interviewing terrorists. Stern's work is a strong, clear-eyed, elucidating study of the profound reverberations of trauma.' Copyright © Reed Business Information 
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van Heijenoort, Jean, From Frege to Goedel: A Source Book in Mathematical Logic 1879 - 1931. , iUniverse.com 1999 Amazon book description: 'Collected here in one volume are some thirty-six high quality translations into English of the most important foreign-language works in mathematical logic, as well as articles and letters by Whitehead, Russell, Norbert Weiner and Post…This book is, in effect, the record of an important chapter in the history of thought. No serious student of logic or foundations of mathematics will want to be without it.' 
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Woodward, Bob, and Carl Berstein, All the President's Men: The Most Devastating Political Detective Story of the 20th Century, Pocket 2005 Product Description 'THIS IS THE BOOK THAT CHANGED AMERICA Beginning with the story of a simple burglary at Democratic headquarters and then continuing with headline after headline, Bernstein and Woodward kept the tale of conspiracy and the trail of dirty tricks coming -- delivering the stunning revelations and pieces in the Watergate puzzle that brought about Nixon's scandalous downfall. Their explosive reports won a Pulitzer Prize for The Washington Post and toppled the President.' 
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Zee, Anthony, Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell, Princeton University Press 2003 Amazon book description: 'An esteemed researcher and acclaimed popular author takes up the challenge of providing a clear, relatively brief, and fully up-to-date introduction to one of the most vital but notoriously difficult subjects in theoretical physics. A quantum field theory text for the twenty-first century, this book makes the essential tool of modern theoretical physics available to any student who has completed a course on quantum mechanics and is eager to go on. Quantum field theory was invented to deal simultaneously with special relativity and quantum mechanics, the two greatest discoveries of early twentieth-century physics, but it has become increasingly important to many areas of physics. These days, physicists turn to quantum field theory to describe a multitude of phenomena. Stressing critical ideas and insights, Zee uses numerous examples to lead students to a true conceptual understanding of quantum field theory--what it means and what it can do. He covers an unusually diverse range of topics, including various contemporary developments,while guiding readers through thoughtfully designed problems. In contrast to previous texts, Zee incorporates gravity from the outset and discusses the innovative use of quantum field theory in modern condensed matter theory. Without a solid understanding of quantum field theory, no student can claim to have mastered contemporary theoretical physics. Offering a remarkably accessible conceptual introduction, this text will be widely welcomed and used.  
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Chaitin, Gregory J, "Randomness and Mathematical Proof", Scientific American, 232, 5, May 1975, page 47-52. 'Although randomness can be precisely defined and can even be measured, a given number cannot be proved random. This enigma establishes a limit in what is possible in mathematics'. back

d'Espagnat, Bernard, "Quantum theory and reality", Scientific American, 241, 5, November 1979, page 128-140. 'Most particles or aggregates of particles that are ordinarily regarded as separate objects have interacted at some time in the past with other objects. The violation of separability seems to imply that in some sense all these objects constitute an indivisible whole. Perhaps in such a world the concept of an independently existing reality can reatain some meaning, but it will be an altered meaning and one remove from everyday experience.' (page 140). back

Goldstein, Sheldon, "Quantum Theory without Observers - Part Two", Physics Today, 51, 4, April 1998, page 38. back

Goldstein, Sheldon, "Quantum Theory without Observers - Part One", Physics Today, 51, 3, March 1998, page 42. back

Landauer, Rolf, "Dissipation and noise immunity in computation and communication ", Nature, 335, , 27 October 1988, page 779-784. 'Reversible computers which carry out each step without discarding information can, in principle, dissipate arbitrarily small amounts of energy per step if the computation is carried out sufficiently slowly. This has caused a re-examination of energy requirements in communication and measurement. There also, it is only those steps that discard information which have a lower limit on energy consumption. Such steps can be avoided in the transmission of information.'. back

Liebfried, Dietrich, Tilman Pfau,Christopher Monroe, "Shadows and Mirrors: Reconstructing the Quantum States of Atom Motion", Physics Today, 51, 4, April 1998, page 22 - 28. 'Quantum mechanics allows us only one incomplete glimpse of a wavefunction, but if systems can be identically prepared over and over, quantum equivalents of shadows and mirrors can provide the full picture.'. back

Al Jazeera, Hong Kong security law has ‘decimated’ freedoms: Amnesty, ' Authorities in Hong Kong are using the national security law that China imposed a year ago to crack down on legitimate dissent, “decimate” the territory’s freedoms and create a climate of fear, Amnesty International said in a report released on Tuesday. The broadly-worded National Security Law (NSL) punishes activities deemed subversion, terrorism, collusion with foreign forces and secession with up to life in prison. . . . But in its report, In the Name of National Security, Amnesty said at least 118 people had been arrested in relation to the NSL since it came into force and that the government had “continued to arrest and charge individuals under the NSL solely because they have exercised their rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association”.' back

Al Jazeera & Violet Law, China’s history wars: Controlling present, past and future, ' Hong Kong, China – Since crushing the Nationalists in China’s civil war in 1949, the ruling Communist Party has been the author, and mythmaker, of the country’s modern history. It is the Propaganda Department’s job to ensure the party’s version of history is enforced, supported by so-called “patriotic education”, which now expands into areas well beyond the classroom. It is also being extended to Hong Kong, a once-thriving marketplace for duelling versions of modern China’s history. “The Party treats history as an issue of political management in which the preservation of the Party’s prestige and power is paramount,” wrote author Richard McGregor in his book, The Party: The Secret World of China’s Communist Rulers.' back

Andrea Janku, China’s Communist Party at 100: revolution forever, ' The 100 years of the CCP’s history are full of ambiguities and contradictions, hope and joy, suffering and despair. There is a lot that is worth remembering. But the inculcation of a streamlined revolutionary tradition in an attempt to create new generations of blindly obedient followers is likely to backfire. back

Aquinas 13, Summa: I 2 3: Does God exist?, I answer that the existence of God can be proved in five ways. The first and more manifest way is the argument from motion. . . . The second way is from the nature of the efficient cause. . . . The third way is taken from possibility and necessity . . . The fourth way is taken from the gradation to be found in things. . . . The fifth way is taken from the governance of the world. back

Aquinas 13 (Latin), Summa: I 2 3: Whether God exists?, 'Respondeo dicendum quod Deum esse quinque viis probari potest. Prima autem et manifestior via est, quae sumitur ex parte motus. Certum est enim, et sensu constat, aliqua moveri in hoc mundo. Omne autem quod movetur, ab alio movetur. Nihil enim movetur, nisi secundum quod est in potentia ad illud ad quod movetur, movet autem aliquid secundum quod est actu. Movere enim nihil aliud est quam educere aliquid de potentia in actum, de potentia autem non potest aliquid reduci in actum, nisi per aliquod ens in actu, sicut calidum in actu, ut ignis, facit lignum, quod est calidum in potentia, esse actu calidum, et per hoc movet et alterat ipsum. Non autem est possibile ut idem sit simul in actu et potentia secundum idem, sed solum secundum diversa, quod enim est calidum in actu, non potest simul esse calidum in potentia, sed est simul frigidum in potentia. Impossibile est ergo quod, secundum idem et eodem modo, aliquid sit movens et motum, vel quod moveat seipsum. Omne ergo quod movetur, oportet ab alio moveri. Si ergo id a quo movetur, moveatur, oportet et ipsum ab alio moveri et illud ab alio. Hic autem non est procedere in infinitum, quia sic non esset aliquod primum movens; et per consequens nec aliquod aliud movens, quia moventia secunda non movent nisi per hoc quod sunt mota a primo movente, sicut baculus non movet nisi per hoc quod est motus a manu. Ergo necesse est devenire ad aliquod primum movens, quod a nullo movetur, et hoc omnes intelligunt Deum.' back

Aristotle (continuity), Physics V, iii, 'A thing that is in succession and touches is 'contiguous'. The 'continuous' is a subdivision of the contiguous: things are called continuous when the touching limits of each become one and the same and are, as the word implies, contained in each other: continuity is impossible if these extremities are two. This definition makes it plain that continuity belongs to things that naturally in virtue of their mutual contact form a unity. And in whatever way that which holds them together is one, so too will the whole be one, e.g. by a rivet or glue or contact or organic union. ' 227a10 sqq back

Berlin Wall - Wikipedia, Berlin Wall - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 'The Berlin Wall (German: Berliner Mauer) was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) starting August 13, 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin. The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls, which circumscribed a wide area (later known as the "death strip") that contained anti-vehicle trenches, "fakir beds" and other defenses. The Soviet-dominated Eastern Bloc officially claimed that the wall was erected to protect its population from fascist elements conspiring to prevent the "will of the people" in building a Socialist State in East Germany, however, in practice, the Wall served to prevent the massive emigration and defection that marked Germany and the communist Eastern Bloc during the post-World War II period.' back

Bernard Zuel, Scissor Sisters: Night Work, 'Scissor Sisters do disco. As in head-up, bum-out music to dance to; to wave a hand in the air rather than waggle a finger in your face to. Sure, there's a strain of gay pride but it's far less important than the camp humour and touches of mild transgression (Whole New Way has a couple of ooh-er lines that may well have been borrowed from Benny Hill).' back

Cantor's theorem - Wikipedia, Cantor's theorem - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, ' In elementary set theory, Cantor's theorem is a fundamental result which states that, for any set A, the set of all subsets of A (the power set of A, denoted by P(A) ) has a strictly greater cardinality than A itself. For finite sets, Cantor's theorem can be seen to be true by simple enumeration of the number of subsets. Counting the empty set as a subset, a set with n members has a total of 2ⁿ subsets, so that if card (A) = n, then card (P(A)) = 2ⁿ, and the theorem holds because 2ⁿ > n for all non-negative integers.' back

Charles McGrath, Private Trauma Sheds Light on Terrorism, 'CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Though you wouldn’t necessarily know it from talking to her, Jessica Stern is a renowned expert on terrorists and terrorism. . . . And at the time she thought the subject was just something she had fallen into. “But I now see that there’s a pattern,” she said, sitting in the white farmhouse, not far from the Harvard campus, where she lives with her third husband, Chester G. Atkins, a former Massachusetts congressman, and her 8-year-old son. “I’ve really been studying perpetrators and violence all my life.” How she came to this realization is the subject of her new book, “Denial: A Memoir of Terror,” which Ecco published last week.' back

Chongyi Feng, The Communist Party claims to have brought prosperity and equality to China. Here’s the real impact of its rule , ' 1. Chinese sovereignty The top claim on the list is that the CCP unified the country and secured its independence through the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. The CCP had accused the previous government, led by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), of being a puppet of the imperialist US. Support non-profit news with a tax-deductible donation. But China had been a completely independent country on all counts before the CCP seized power by force from the Nationalists. . . . 4. Instituting a ‘people’s democracy’ . . . The recent crackdown on democratic institutions in Hong Kong are a clear example of the way the country is headed.' back

Cosmological constant problem - Wikipedia, Cosmological constant problem - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 'In cosmology, the cosmological constant problem or vacuum catastrophe is the disagreement between measured values of the vacuum energy density (the small value of the cosmological constant) and the zero-point energy suggested by quantum field theory. Depending on the assumptions[which?], the discrepancy ranges from 40 to more than 100 orders of magnitude, a state of affairs described by Hobson et al. (2006) as "the worst theoretical prediction in the history of physics." ' back

Dominicans, Dominicans: Order of Preachers, 'WWW.OP.ORG is the official international Web site of the Order of Preachers (the Dominicans). The branches of the Dominican family are multiple: brothers, contemplative nuns, congregations of contemplative and apostolic sisters, lay persons in fraternities or secular institutes, secular priests in fraternities. "Each one has its own character, its autonomy. However by taking part in the charism of saint Dominic, they share between them a single vocation to be preachers in the Church (Chapter of Mexico, 1992)."' back

Doreen Carvajal, Warning About Child Abuse Documents Led Belgian Police to Raid Its Offices, 'MECHELEN, Belgium — Four days after a series of police raids of Catholic institutions in Belgium that drew sharp criticism from the pope, the reason for the unusually aggressive operation has emerged: a formal accusation that the church was hiding information on sexual abuse lodged by the former president of an internal church commission handling such cases.' back

F9 (film) - Wikipedia, F9 (film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, ' F9 (also known as F9: The Fast Saga and Fast & Furious 9) is a 2021 American action film directed by Justin Lin, who wrote the screenplay with Daniel Casey. It is the sequel to The Fate of the Furious (2017), the ninth main installment, and the tenth full-length film in the Fast & Furious franchise. F9 stars Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, John Cena, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Michael Rooker, Helen Mirren, Kurt Russell, and Charlize Theron. In the film, Dominic Toretto and the team come together to stop a world-shattering plot headed by Toretto's brother, Jakob.' back

George Orwell, Politics and the English Languagr, ' Most people who bother with the matter at all would admit that the English language is in a bad way, but it is generally assumed that we cannot by conscious action do anything about it. Our civilization is decadent and our language – so the argument runs – must inevitably share in the general collapse. It follows that any struggle against the abuse of language is a sentimental archaism, like preferring candles to electric light or hansom cabs to aeroplanes. Underneath this lies the half-conscious belief that language is a natural growth and not an instrument which we shape for our own purposes.' back

Graham Chapman, Yellowbeard, 'Yellowbeard, a comedy cast with the all-star comedians of the 1980s, is a unique, corny spoof on pirate films. Like a Mel Brooks movie, Yellowbeard's plot is a series of ridiculous events, á la Airplane, circulating around Yellowbeard's (Graham Chapman) discovery that he has an "intellectual" son. Brain versus brawn is the film's theme, as Yellowbeard is forced to take his kid on a booty-hunt, since the pirate's ex-wife, Betty (Madeline Kahn), tattooed the treasure map on their child's head. As the bumbling British, including Harvey "Blind" Pew (John Cleese) and Gilbert Murvin (Marty Feldman), sail The Royal Navy Frigate to trail Yellowbeard's ship, The Lady Edith, The Spanish Main, captained by El Nebuloso (Tommy Chong) and El Segundo (Cheech Marin) follows in close pursuit. Three ships in constant battle on the open seas make for multiple comedic situations reminiscent of Monty Python. Directed by Mel Damski (Charmed, Lois & Clark), Yellowbeard has a made-for-TV cheesiness, though the talent of the actors, not to mention its off-kilter British humor, rescues the film from utter stupidity. --Trinie Dalton back

Gravitational redshift - Wikipedia, Gravitational redshift - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, ' In physics and general relativity, gravitational redshift (known as Einstein shift in older literature[1][2]) is that phenomenon in which electromagnetic waves or photons travelling out of a gravitational well (seem to) lose energy. This loss of energy corresponds to a decrease in the wave frequency and increase in the wavelength, known as a redshift.' back

Hamming distance - Wikipedia, Hamming distance - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 'In information theory, the Hamming distance between two strings of equal length is the number of positions at which the corresponding symbols are different. Put another way, it measures the minimum number of substitutions required to change one string into the other, or the number of errors that transformed one string into the other.' back

History of the Soviet Union (1985-1991) - Wikipedia, History of the Soviet Union (1985-1991) - Wikipedia, the free encylopedia, 'The Soviet Union's dissolution into independent nations began early in 1985. After years of Soviet military buildup at the expense of domestic development, economic growth was at a standstill. Failed attempts at reform, a stagnant economy, and war in Afghanistan led to a general feeling of discontent, especially[citation needed] in the Baltic republics and Eastern Europe. Greater political and social freedoms, instituted by the last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, created a bad atmosphere of open criticism of the Moscow regime. The dramatic drop of the price of oil in 1985 and 1986, and consequent lack of foreign exchange reserves in following years to purchase grain profoundly influenced actions of the Soviet leadership.[1] Several Soviet Socialist Republics began resisting central control, and increasing democratization led to a weakening of the central government. The USSR's trade gap progressively emptied the coffers of the union, leading to eventual bankruptcy. The Soviet Union finally collapsed in 1991 when Boris Yeltsin seized power in the aftermath of a failed coup that had attempted to topple reform-minded Gorbachev.' back

Jansenism - Wikipedia, Jansenism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 'Jansenism was a theology and a movement, condemned as a heresy by Pope Innocent X in 1655, that arose in the frame of the Counter-Reformation and the aftermath of the Council of Trent (1545–1563). It emphasized original sin, human depravity, the necessity of divine grace, and predestination. Originating in the writings of the Dutch theologian Cornelius Otto Jansen, . . . ' back

Jeffrey Nicholls (2019), Prolegomenon to Scientific Theology, ' This thesis is an attempt to carry speculative theology beyond the apogee it reached in the medieval work of Thomas Aquinas into the world of empirical science. Since the time of Aquinas, our understanding of the Universe has increased enormously. The ancient theologians not only conceived a perfect God, but they also saw the world as a very imperfect place. Their reaction was to place God outside the world. I will argue that we live in a Universe which approaches infinity in size and complexity, is as perfect as can be, and fulfils all the roles traditionally attributed to God, creator, lawmaker and judge.' back

John Chryssavgis, Alfeyev & Lavrov: A glimpse into Church-state relations in Russia, ' Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk has served as chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations since 2009. He is an outspoken critic of the independence granted to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, which—in his frequently bombastic and belligerent statements—he associates with the alleged corruption of the West and the perceived geopolitical dominance of the United States. His reactionary and parochial worldview centers on a denunciation of modern culture and a return to an imagined golden age of Russian Orthodoxy. But has the Russian Patriarchate effectively become a department of Sergey Lavrov’s Foreign Ministry? Are the Department for External Church Relations and the Russian Foreign Ministry acting on behalf of global Orthodoxy or of Russian state interests?' back

John Paul II, Ex Corde Ecclesiae, '27. Every Catholic University, without ceasing to be a University, has a relationship to the Church that is essential to its institutional identity. As such, it participates most directly in the life of the local Church in which it is situated; at the same time, because it is an academic institution and therefore a part of the international community of scholarship and inquiry, each institution participates in and contributes to the life and the mission of the universal Church, assuming consequently a special bond with the Holy See by reason of the service to unity which it is called to render to the whole Church. One consequence of its essential relationship to the Church is that the institutional fidelity of the University to the Christian message includes a recognition of and adherence to the teaching authority of the Church in matters of faith and morals. Catholic members of the university community are also called to a personal fidelity to the Church with all that this implies. Non-Catholic members are required to respect the Catholic character of the University, while the University in turn respects their religious liberty. back

John Paul II, Fides et Ratio: On the relationship between faith and reason. , para 2: 'The Church is no stranger to this journey of discovery, nor could she ever be. From the moment when, through the Paschal Mystery, she received the gift of the ultimate truth about human life, the Church has made her pilgrim way along the paths of the world to proclaim that Jesus Christ is “the way, and the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6).' back

Kenneth Chang, A Black Hole Feasted on a Neutron Star. 10 Days Later, It Happened Again., ' In January last year, astronomers definitively observed, for the first time, a black hole swallowing a dead star, like a raven devouring roadkill. Then 10 days later, they saw the same act of scavenging happen again in a different, distant sector of the cosmos. . . . “It’s the first time that we’ve actually been able to detect a neutron star and a black hole colliding with each other anywhere in the universe,” said Patrick Brady, a professor of physics at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee who serves as the spokesman for the LIGO Scientific Collaboration.' back

LIGO Caltech, LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Finds Elusive Mergers of Black Holes with Neutron Stars , ' News Release • June 29, 2021 For the first time, researchers have confirmed the detection of a collision between a black hole and a neutron star. In fact, the scientists detected not one but two such events occurring just 10 days apart in January 2020. The extreme events made splashes in space that sent gravitational waves rippling across at least 900 million light-years to reach Earth. In each case, the neutron star was likely swallowed whole by its black hole partner.' back

Mark 16, The Great Commission, 'And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.' back

R P Feynman, Appendix F - Personal observations on the reliability of the Shuttle, 'PRESIDENTIAL COMMISSION ON THE SPACE SHUTTLE CHALLENGER ACCIDENT (Source: The Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident Report, June 6, 1986) William P. Rogers, Chairman Former Secretary of State under President Nixon (1969-1973), and Attorney General under President Eisenhower (1957-1961), currently a practicing attorney and senior partner in the law firm of Rogers & Wells. Born in Norfolk, New York, he was awarded the Medal of Freedom in 1973. He holds a J.D. from Cornell University (1937) and served as LCDR, U.S. Navy (1942-1946). Neil A. Armstrong, Vice Chairman Former astronaut, currently Chairman of the Board of Computing Technologies for Aviation, Inc. Born in Wapakoneta, Ohio, Mr. Armstrong was spacecraft commander for Apollo 11, July 16-24, 1969, the first manned lunar landing mission. He was Professor of Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Cincinnati from 1971 to 1980 and was appointed to the National Commission on Space in 1985. David C. Acheson Former Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Communications Satellite Corporation (1967-1974), currently a partner in the law firm of Drinker Biddle & Reath. Born in Washington, DC, he previously served as an attorney with the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (1948-1950) and was U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia (1961-1965). He holds an LL.B. from Harvard University (1948) and served as LT, U.S. Navy (1942-1946). Dr. Eugene E. Covert Educator and engineer. Born in Rapid City, South Dakota, he is currently Professor and Head, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Member of the National Academy of Engineering, he was a recipient of the Exceptional Civilian Service Award, USAF, in 1973 and the NASA Public Service Award in 1980. He holds a Doctorate in Science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Richard P. Feynman Physicist. Born in New York City, he is Professor of Theoretical Physics at California Institute of Technology. Nobel Prize winner in Physics, 1965, he also received the Einstein Award in 1954, the Oersted Medal in 1972 and the Niels Bohr International Gold Medal in 1973. He holds a Doctorate in Physics from Princeton (1942). Robert B. Hotz Editor, publisher. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is a graduate of Northwestern University. He was the editor-in-chief of Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine (1953-1980). He served in the Air Force in World War II and was awarded the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster. Since 1982, he has been a member of the General Advisory Committee to the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. Major General Donald J. Kutyna, USAF Director of Space Systems and Command, Control, Communications. Born in Chicago, Illinois, and graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, he holds a Master of Science degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1965). A command pilot with over 4,000 flight hours, he is a recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross, Legion of Merit and nine air medals. Dr. Sally K. Ride Astronaut. Born in Los Angeles, California, she was a mission specialist on STS-7, launched on June 18, 1983, becoming the first American woman in space. She also flew on mission 41-G launched October 5, 1984. She holds a Doctorate in Physics from Stanford University (1978) and is still an active astronaut. Robert W. Rummel Space expert and aerospace engineer. Born in Dakota, Illinois, and former Vice President of Trans World Airlines, he is currently President of Robert W. Rummel Associates, Inc., of Mesa, Arizona. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and is holder of the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal. Joseph F. Sutter Aeronautical engineer. Currently Executive Vice President of the Boeing Commercial Airplane Company. Born in Seattle, he has been with Boeing since 1945 and was a principal figure in the development of three generations of jet aircraft. In 1984, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering. In 1985, President Reagan conferred on him the U.S. National Medal of Technology. Dr. Arthur B. C. Walker, Jr. Astronomer. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he is currently Professor of Applied Physics and was formerly Associate Dean of the Graduate Division at Stanford University. Consultant to Aerospace Corporation, Rand Corporation and the National Science Foundation, he is a member of the American Physical Society, American Geophysical Union, and the American Astronomy Society. He holds a Doctorate in Physics from the University of Illinois (1962). Dr. Albert D. Wheelon Physicist. Born in Moline, Illinois, he is currently Executive Vice President, Hughes Aircraft Company. Also a member of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, he served as a consultant to the President's Science Advisory Council from 1961 to 1974. He holds a Doctorate in Physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1952). Brigadier General Charles Yeager, USAF (Retired) Former experimental test pilot. Born in Myra, West Virginia, he was appointed in 1985 as a member of the National Commission on Space. He was the first person to penetrate the sound barrier and the first to fly at a speed of more than 1,600 miles an hour. Dr. Alton G. Keel, Jr., Executive Director Detailed to the Commission from his position in the Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget, as Associate Director for National Security and International Affairs; formerly Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Research, Development and Logistics; and Senate Staff. Born in Newport News, Virginia, he holds a Doctorate in Engineering Physics from the University of Virginia (1970). back

Segrave, Keel & Wickes, One third of migrant and refugee women experience domestic violence, major survey reveals, The majority of women in our sample who had experienced domestic and/or family violence had experienced more than one form of harm on multiple occasions. While the majority of perpetrators were male partners or former partners, family members and the women’s in-laws were also responsible for this violence. . . . While the women generally had high trust in the institutions included in the study, religious institutions were consistently rated at the bottom. The greatest levels of trust were for Australia’s health care system and state education systems. Only 30% of the sample trusted their neighbours “a great deal” or “a lot”.' back

Sic transit gloria mundi - Wikipedia, Sic transit gloria mundi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 'Sic transit gloria mundi is a Latin phrase that means "Thus passes the glory of the world". . . . The phrase played a part in the ritual of papal coronation ceremonies until 1963. As the newly chosen pope proceeded from the sacristy of St. Peter's Basilica in his sedia gestatoria, the procession stopped three times. On each occasion a papal master of ceremonies would fall to his knees before the pope, holding a silver or brass reed bearing a piece of smoldering tow. For three times in succession, as the cloth burned away, he would say in a loud and mournful voice, "Sancte Pater, sic transit gloria mundi!" ("Holy Father, so passes worldly glory!") These words, thus addressed to the pope, served as a reminder of the transitory nature of life and earthly honors. The stafflike instrument used in the aforementioned ceremony is known as a "sic transit gloria mundi", named for the master of ceremonies' words' back

TEC, Total Environment Centre, 'Established in 1972 by pioneers of the Australian environmental movement, TEC is a veteran of more than 100 successful campaigns. For over 30 years, we have been working to protect this country's natural and urban environment, flagging the issues, driving debate, supporting community activism and pushing for better environmental policy and practice.' back

The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, 'The Commission was established on 23 May, 2000, pursuant to the “Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse Act 2000” and given three primary functions: to hear evidence of abuse from persons who allege they suffered abuse in childhood, in institutions, during the period from 1940 or earlier, to the present day; to conduct an inquiry into abuse of children in institutions during that period and, where satisfied that abuse occurred, to determine the causes, nature, circumstances and extent of such abuse; and to prepare and publish reports on the results of the inquiry and on its recommendations in relation to dealing with the effects of such abuse.' back

Wikipedia, Sheffer Stroke, 'The Sheffer stroke, also known as the NAND (Not AND) operation, is a logical operator with the following meaning: p NAND q is true if and only if not both p and q are true.' back

Zeno's paradoxes - Wikipedia, Zeno's paradoxes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 'Zeno's paradoxes are a set of problems generally thought to have been devised by Zeno of Elea to support Parmenides's doctrine that "all is one" and that, contrary to the evidence of our senses, the belief in plurality and change is mistaken, and in particular that motion is nothing but an illusion.' back