Currently Reading

Astrophysics

• Harwit, M., 2021, Cosmic Messengers: The Limits of Astronomy in an Unruly Universe, Cambridge University Press.

  • Exceptional book that looks into what may be the limits of astronomical/astrophysical research.

History

• Schwartz, David N., 2017, The Last Man Who Knew Everything: The Life and Times of Enrico Fermi, Father of the Nuclear Age, Basic Books, NY.

  • A history of the Italian physicist Enrico Fermi who emigrated (escaped), with his family, to America via Sweden after recieving a Nobel Prize award. This was just before the second world war, and was due to the disgusting fascist state racial purity laws which would of affected his jewish wife Laura. Ironic, considering Fermi joined the fascist party, and Laura did not want to leave, because she came from a rich family and probably thought she would have some sought of immunity. Whilst conservative, he most likely joined to just continue work in science and most likely did not believe in their views. Whatever the case, it is interesting to see when the well-off middle class liberals change their tune when the fascist states start to affect them, viz., the brutal regime that stamps out unions, opposition, leftists with thugs is exceptable, but when it affects them, that's too far.. He made many contributions to various fields of physics, and was a rare type of physicist that was both an excellent theoretical and experimental physicist. Helped work on the first atom bomb - Manhattan Project. About 3/4 done. Very well researched and written.

• Menghetti, D., 2018, The Red North: The Popular Front in North Queensland, Resistance Books, Ultimo, NSW.

  • Reprint of the 1981 work published by James Cook University press. Describes the left wing movements in North Queensland in the early to mid 20th century. Queensland had strong leftist movements once, and even had an elected communist Fred Patterson for the Bowen region, that regularly fought for workers and unemployed workers rights - often doing barrister work for free. Goes into detail of the antifascist movements and the racist unions of the time. Interesting to note that even back then (still ongoing) the Liberal and Labor parties both used their powers against genuine working class movements by utilizing the police state and courts.