SHEER ENTERTAINMENT

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Audio-book Review
By Chet Yarbrough

(Blog:awalkingdelight)
Website: chetyarbrough.com

InfernoInferno: A Novel

By Dan Brown 

Narrated by Paul Michael

DAN BROWN

DAN BROWN

Noah Charney wrote an article in “The Daily Beast” titled “Fact-Checking Dan Brown’s ‘Inferno’: 10 Mistakes, False Statements, and Oversimplifications”.  The truth is there are more than 10.  But Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code and now Inferno are terrifically entertaining fictions.  Charney’s petty criticism misses the point of reading a novel for sheer entertainment.  If one reads Alexandre Dumas (The Count of Monte Christo or The Three Musketeers), the same criticism is applicable, but great tales are told by both Dumas and Brown.

Dumas’s misogyny in The Three Musketeers is off-putting and Brown’s maudlin farewell to Dr. Sienna Brooks in Inferno is superfluous and a bit cloying.  But misrepresented historical facts, and personal nit-picking can be waged against most non-fiction; let alone Brown’s or Dumas’s fiction.

Inferno resurrects interest in the finest and most terrifying poem of all time, Dante Alighieri’s “Divine Comedy”.  The primary focus is Dante’s meaning in the “Inferno” stanzas.  “Inferno” is the sinner’s part of the “Divine Comedy”–the funneled circles of hell.  Dante meets Virgil to descend a spiral of nine narrowing circles beginning at purgatory’s gate and ending in the maws of hell. Dante returns to earth’s surface and eventually explores heaven but Brown begins and ends the Inferno in the museums of Italy.  The lowest level of Dante’s “Inferno” depicts a three mouthed Satan chewing Judas, Brutus, and Cassius as eternal punishment for the sin of betrayal.

Reference to Dante’s poem in the title of Brown’s book gives notice to a discerning listener/reader.   It has something to do with sin.  It has something to do with betrayal.  It has something to do with people who appear to be one thing but are another.  Judas loved Jesus but betrayed him.  Brutus was a friend to Caesar but stabbed him.  Cassius surrendered to Caesar in Italy’s civil war but plotted against him when promoted to general.

In an apocryphal tale of Dante’s “Inferno”, Brown manages to meld the 18th century Malthusian theory of overpopulation with 21st century genetic manipulation.  From Brown’s first chapter, listeners and readers are swept up in a shooting, a murder, and a frantic escape.  Brown’s hero iconographer, Robert Langdon, is saved by a female doctor that turns out to be much more than the doctor-on-duty.

A whirlwind of action takes Langdon and Dr. Sienna Brooks on an adventure through Italy and Turkey in pursuit of a brilliant geneticist’ experiment. The geneticist is also a scholar of the history of Dante Alighieri.  The geneticist’s plan is to save mankind from extinction caused by over population.

This deranged geneticist has a secret organization protecting him from the World Health Organization which is trying to stop him from affecting his plan.  The secret organization is trying to kill or capture Langdon because he had been hired by W.H.O. to decipher a symbolic message from the deranged scientist.

There are many twists and turns in Brown’s story that will draw its audience into the tale.  The cleverness of Brown’s writing is enhanced by some knowledge of Dante’s poem but the story rests on its own merit.  Inferno, like The Three Musketeers, is a highly entertaining story.

PHYSICS TRUTH AND FICTION

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Audio-book Review
By Chet Yarbrough

(Blog:awalkingdelight)
Website: chetyarbrough.com 

PHYSICS FOR FUTURE PRESIDENTSPhysics for Future Presidents: The Science Behind the Headlines

By Richard A. Muller 

Narrated by Peter Larkin

RICHARD A. MULLER (PROFESSOR OF PHYSICS @ UNIVERSITY OF CALIFNIA, BERKELEY)

RICHARD A. MULLER (PROFESSOR OF PHYSICS @ UNIVERSITY OF CALIFNIA, BERKELEY)

“Physics for Future Presidents” suggests that 21st century Presidents must understand some physics to be effective leaders.  Richard Muller’s premise for understanding physics gives license to explore everything from manned space flight, to satellite surveillance, to terrorist use of nuclear bombs.

Muller begins his book with the modern world’s effort to understand and contain terrorism.  Muller explores the possibility of a terrorist organization building a nuclear bomb and detonating it in the middle of an American City.  He looks at the possibility from three perspectives.  One, difficulty in acquiring fissionable material; two, difficulty of building a nuclear device and three, difficulty in delivering a weapon of mass destruction to a desired location. Miller suggests a greater danger is terrorist attack by private planes, loaded with highly flammable fuel, e.g. 9/11.  Or, for a terrorist organization to use chemical and biological agents that directly or indirectly infect population centers.

What Miller is driving at is that physics will determine what form a large terrorist attack will take.  Easiest-with-the-greatest-psychological-impact is the physics and political reality of terrorist attacks–Muller reasons that the more likely consequential (1000s killed) terrorist attack would be similar to 9/11/01; i.e. with a private plane (rather than public airline) filled with fuel that is flown into a major sports event.

YOUTUBE: 10 WORST TERRORIST ATTACKS EVER-http://youtu.be/N8q2-5VIEtg  YOUTUBE: 10 FAILED TERRORIST ATTACKS-http://youtu.be/LXUbXUi-aVQ

There are a number of counter-intuitive insights in “Physics for Future Presidents”.  Muller believes manned space flight is a waste of money.  He argues that most of the greatest innovations in science have come from unmanned space flight.  Weather satellites, spy satellites, entertainment satellites, global positioning satellites, drones, exploration of planets and the solar system have all come from unmanned space flight.  Muller believes there is a time for manned space flight–but not now.  It is too dangerous and produces little new-science.

YOUTUBE: VOYAGE TO PANDORA - An unmanned space flights preparation for manned space flight-http://youtu.be/YPjXxKpM4DM

Richard Muller, at times, seems to stand at the side of fictional character Dr. Strangelove in describing historical information about radiation poisoning from nuclear bombs and accidents.  Statistical deaths from the Nagasaki and Hiroshima bombing, Three Mile Island’s shutdown, and Chernobyl’s meltdown suggest that direct attribution of death to nuclear radiation is small in comparison to other causes of death.

YOUTUBE: DR. STRANGELOVE-http://youtu.be/wxrWz9XVvls

Muller argues that nuclear power can be used as a fail-safe source of energy by using the latest technology for nuclear power plants.  The latest technology (actually first used in the 1960s by Germany) is a pebble bed reactor (PBR).  It is considered safe because it does not rely on water cooling of the nuclear core in the event of an accident.

YOUTUBE:PEBBLE-BED ADVANCED HIGH TEMPERATURE REACTOR-http://youtu.be/ATd6MbiPtCI

Muller argues that revisions of nuclear construction standards in the United States would make construction of pebble bed reactors less expensive than conventional American nuclear facilities.  The added benefit is a safer energy source that reduces the need for carbon based energy supplies that increase global warming.  A large part of Muller’s argument for the use of more nuclear power is based on the generally accepted scientific belief that global warming exists and is most likely caused by human activity.

“Physics for Future Presidents” is unlikely to be a popular book in Las Vegas, Nevada. Among other controversial subjects, Richard Muller believes Yucca Mountain is an adequately safe repository for nuclear waste and should be reopened.  His argument rests largely on the science of probability.  Muller infers that natural radiation in Colorado is as toxic and potentially lethal as the probability of radiation leaks at Yucca Mountain.

YOUTUBE: YUCCA MOUNTAIN-http://youtu.be/iv0Mivu-ceE

Muller spends a great deal of time explaining that global warming is not a 100% certainty but, in probability terms, is highly likely and significantly related to carbon-based energy use by human beings.  He notes that use of carbon-based energy is likely to increase with China and India’s continued economic growth.

YOUTUBE: GLOBAL WARMING 101-NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC-http://youtu.be/oJAbATJCugs

Muller creates a sense of urgency in creating other sources of energy to offset global warming.  He strongly urges increasing motor vehicle mileage standards but questions the long-term viability of battery operated vehicles.  Muller believes the costs of battery replacement will drive consumers back to carbon-based energy models.

Muller sees potential in solar and wind energy production but believes conservation will do more short-term good than any new source of energy.  He clearly sees that the cost of energy is the primary driver of technological innovation.  As long as oil and coal are less expensive than other sources of energy, they will remain the primary source of power.  With that realization, Muller insists on technological innovation in conservation because it motivates the consumer to become a part of the solution in the energy crisis.  Consumer’ participation in reducing energy consumption is guaranteed because of pocket-book’ savings from use of more energy-efficient devices.

YOUTUBE: ENERGY, LET’S SAVE IT!-http://youtu.be/1-g73ty9v04

The key to the world’s future is energy.  Muller believes the short-term solution to decreasing global warming is energy conservation.  He believes long-term solution revolves around nuclear fission and fusion.  Fusion is a longer term prospect but offers an infinite source of energy.  Fission is shown to work now, with probabilities of failure that can be significantly reduced.

YOUTUBE: FISSION AND FUSION-http://youtu.be/0B69RHqAfj8

This circles back to the critical importance of storing nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain and other specially designed nuclear waste sites.  Muller notes that the fragmented system of nuclear storage in the United States is a bigger risk to the environment than locating nuclear waste in a limited number of storage locations.  Yucca Mountain fits Muller’s criteria for safe storage of nuclear waste.  He acknowledges that nuclear accidents may occur but the probability of an accident at Yucca Mountain is less than the probability of accident at other relatively unsecure and fragmented sites in equally or more populated areas.

The physics that Muller insists Presidents must understand is that scientific proof is a matter of probability; not absolute certainty.  Muller warns Presidents to not be misled by cherry-picking fact finders that have political objectives that are not grounded by the truth of science.  Even if there is no certainty in science, knowing probabilities offer a basis for informed decision.

WATERGATE

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Audio-book Review
By Chet Yarbrough

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Website: chetyarbrough.com 

WATERGATEWatergate (A Novel)

By Thomas Mallon

Narrated by Joe Barrett

THOMAS MALLON

THOMAS MALLON

This novel about “Watergate” will offend

RICHARD NIXON (1913-1994)

RICHARD NIXON (1913-1994)

and entertain. It will offend those who believe Nixon was a great political leader.  It will entertain those who believe Nixon was simply a man with strengths and weaknesses, overblown by great power.  Mallon cleverly weaves a story of the  Watergate break-in that magnifies its stupidity by revealing known facts and improbable speculations.

WATERGATE BUILDING

WATERGATE BUILDING

The two most memorable characters of the novel are the least well-known, Frederick

FRED LaRUE (1928-2004)

FRED LaRUE (1928-2004)

LaRue and Alice Longworth.

ALICE ROOSEVELT LONGWORTH (1884-1980)

ALICE ROOSEVELT LONGWORTH (1884-1980)

Frederick LaRue is the bag-man that carries cash to Watergate burglars to keep them quiet.  As a counter-point to Nixon’s Watergate culpability, Mellon suggests that LaRue goes to his grave believing he murdered his father on a drunken hunting trip.  One wonders what Watergate perspective Nixon takes to the grave.

Alice Longworth, the oldest daughter of Theodore Roosevelt, is a “gadfly” and self-professed octogenarian hedonist that offers comic relief to a tragic story.  Nixon is alleged to have said that Alice Longworth is “the most interesting conversationalist of the age.”  Mallon reinforces that belief in comments he assigns to the colorful Ms. Longworth.  LaRue and Longworth are cinematographic enhancements to Watergate’s black and white story.

DOROTHY HUNT (1920-1972)

DOROTHY HUNT (1920-1972)

E. HOWARD HUNT (1918-2007)

E. HOWARD HUNT (1918-2007)

Mallon offers interesting portraits of lesser characters, like E. Howard Hunt’s wife, Dorothy.  (E. Howard Hunt is the ex-CIA operative that is in charge of the Watergate burglary.)  She is described as a tough lady; deeply loved by her husband.  Mallon’s picture of Dorothy Hunt’s dogged pursuit of hush money and her mysterious death in a plane crash revives speculation about Watergate conspiracy theories.

ELLIOT RICHARDSON (1920-1999)

ELLIOT RICHARDSON (1920-1999)

A portrait of Elliot Richardson suggests a man of great ambition that uses his patrician, Bostonian mien, and various government appointments, in a Machiavellian pursuit of the presidency.  Richardson fails in his pursuit and one wonders how much of his failure is from hubris, a quality quite evident in Nixon’s handling of Watergate.

MARTHA MITCHELL (1918-1976)

MARTHA MITCHELL (1918-1976)

Martha Mitchell is shown as an alcoholic party-going tippler that voraciously and publicly defends her husband, John

JOHN MITCHELL (1913-1988)

JOHN MITCHELL (1913-1988)

Mitchell (Nixon’s Attorney General), by accusing the administration of directing Mitchell’s Watergate involvement. Martha loves John and John loves Martha; she seems to say what Mitchell thinks but refuses to say.

JEB MAGRUDER (LIVING STATEN ISLAND-AGE 78)

JEB MAGRUDER (LIVING STATEN ISLAND-AGE 78)

Jeb Magruder appears as a people pleaser that charms LaRue, lies to government investigators, recants his testimony, implicates Mitchell and goes to prison to write a book about his trail of destruction.  LaRue has an apocryphal meeting with Magruder in prison that suggests the Watergate burglary is a misunderstood adventure, even before its beginning.

ROSEMARY WOODS (1917-2005)

ROSEMARY WOODS (1917-2005)

No surprises about Nixon’s secretary, Rosemary Woods, that is shown as a loyal follower of the Nixon family and defender of Nixon’s memory.  Mallon suggests Woods’ 18 minute Nixon’ tape-gap is not to cover up Presidential complicity in Watergate but to assuage a personal slight of Ms. Woods by H.R. Haldeman.

ALEXANDER HAIG (1924-2010)

ALEXANDER HAIG (1924-2010)

Alexander Haig appears as a cheerleader in the darkest times of the scandal; i.e. a person that looks for silver linings in every dark omen coming from subpoenaed tapes and a pending impeachment.

Aside from an unnecessary fictional side story of an extramarital affair for Mrs. Nixon, Mallon gives his audience an excellent story.  He successfully reveals how inconsequential the Watergate burglary is but how momentous the cover-up became.  Nixon did not lose the Presidency from the petty burglary; he lost it from the cover-up.  Just as LaRue is not found guilty of murdering his father, Nixon is not convicted for a petty crime.  However, both feel punished for the remainder of their lives.  As Forest Gump said, “stupid is as stupid does”.