Monthly Archives: October 2014

Wednesday’s Book Review: “Faith, Science, and Understanding”

Posted on October 29, 2014 by launiusr

Faith, Science, and Understanding. By John Polkinghorne. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2000. This book is a collection of lectures and essays pieced together to explore the themes exemplified in the title. At sum, each essay considers the relationship … Continue reading →

Posted in Religion, Science | Tagged and Understanding, Charles Darwin, Discovery Institute, evolution, Faith, God, irreducible complexity, John Polkinghorne, Michael Behe, religion, science, Yale University Press | Leave a comment

What is the Attraction of a Space Station?

Posted on October 27, 2014 by launiusr

There has been an international crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS) since 2000. Why? What is it about the idea of a space station that has made it so important for the nations of the world. It seems that … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Space | Tagged Almaz, Atlantic Monthly, Das Problem der Befahrung des Weltraums, Edward Everett Hale, Hermann Noordung, Hermann Oberth, History, International Space Station, Konstantin E. Tsiolkovskiy, NASA, Salyut, science, Skylab, The Brick Moon, The Problem of Space Travel, U.S. Civil Space | 6 Comments

World Series Memories: The Cardinals Beat the Detroit Tigers in 1934

Posted on October 24, 2014 by launiusr

With the World Series currently underway, I want to reflect on the 1934 World Series of eighty years ago. In that fall classic the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Detroit Tigers. That 1934 Cardinals team was one of the most … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, History, Sports | Tagged Brooklyn Dodgers, Charlie Gehringer, Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, Dizzy Dean, Frankie Frisch, Gashouse Gang, Goose Goslin, Hank Greenberg, Joe “Ducky” Medwick, Leo Durocher, Mickey Cochrane, National Major League Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Paul Dean, Rip Collins, St. Louis Cardinals, Stan Musial, World Series | 2 Comments

Wednesday’s Book Review: “Buffalo Bill on the Silver Screen”

Posted on October 22, 2014 by launiusr

Buffalo Bill on the Silver Screen: The Films of William F. Cody. By Sandra K. Sagala. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2013. Who would have thought it? We have all heard of Buffalo Bill Cody and his Wild West Show. … Continue reading →

Posted in History | Tagged Buffalo Bill on the Silver Screen: The Films of William F. Cody, kinetoscope, Sandra K. Sagala, The Indian Wars, The Life of Buffalo Bill, Thomas Edison, university of oklahoma press, Wild West Show | Leave a comment

Homer Newell and the Beginnings of the NASA Space Science Program

Posted on October 20, 2014 by launiusr

When Congress established NASA in 1958 it explicitly charged the new space agency with “the expansion of human knowledge of phenomena in the atmosphere and space.” In fulfillment of that mandateNASA created the Office of Space Sciences and installed as … Continue reading →

Posted in Science, Space | Tagged 1960s, decadal surveys, History, Homer E. Newell, NASA, National Academy of Science, Naval Research Laboratory, science, Space Science Board, Space Science Steering Committee, U.S. Civil Space, University of Wisconsin | Leave a comment

Wednesday’s Book Review: “Empire and Science in the Making”

Posted on October 15, 2014 by launiusr

Empire and Science in the Making: Dutch Colonial Scholarship in Comparative Global Perspective, 1760-1830. Edited by Peter Boomgaard. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013. As co-editor of the series, Palgrave Studies in the History of Science and Technology, my comments will … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Science | Tagged 1760-1830, Empire and Science in the Making: Dutch Colonial Scholarship in Comparative Global Perspective, Galileo, Gerry van Klinken, Islamic science, Java, Michael Laffan, Palgrave Macmillan, Palgrave Studies in the History of Science and Technology, Peter Boomgaard | Leave a comment

World Series Memories: The A’s versus the Dodgers 40 Years Ago

Posted on October 13, 2014 by launiusr

On October 12, 1974, forty years ago, the World Series opened with the Oakland A’s playing the Los Angeles Dodgers for the championship. It was a lackluster World Series, but both teams were superb. The A’s were the reigning champions … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, Charles O. Finley, Oakland A's, Sports | Tagged Bert Campaneris, Bill Russell, Catfish Hunter, Cincinnati Reds, Davy Lopes, Don Sutton, Herb “Hurricane” Washington, History, Joe Rudi, Ken Holtzman, Little Blue Bicycle, Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB, National Major League Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, New York Yankees, Oakland A's, Reggie Jackson, Rollie Fingers, Ron Cey, Sal Bando, Steve Garvey, The Big Red Machine, Vida Blue, World Series | Leave a comment

Wednesday’s Book Review: “Exit Berlin”

Posted on October 8, 2014 by launiusr

Exit Berlin: How One Woman Saved Her Family from Nazi Germany. By Charlotte R. Bonelli. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2014. This is both a fine historical study and a strikingly intimate portrait of one individual’s efforts to help … Continue reading →

Posted in History, World War II | Tagged Adolph Hitler, American Jewish Committee, Arnold Hatch, Charlotte R. Bonelli, Exit Berlin: How One Woman Saved Her Family from Nazi Germany, History, Holocaust, Kristallnacht, Luzie Hatch, Nazi, World War II, Yale University Press | Leave a comment

Wednesday’s Book Review: “The Beginning of Infinity”

Posted on October 1, 2014 by launiusr

The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations that Transform the World. By David Deutsch. New York: Viking, 2011. 496 pages. Acknowledgments, illustrations, bibliography, index. ISBN: 978-0670022755. $14.50 USD paperback. What explains the workings of the physical world? For millennia humankind has tried to … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Science | Tagged cosmology, creativity, David Deutsch, free will, liberalism, Simon Newcomb, The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations that Transform the World, United States Naval Observatory, Viking | 1 Comment