Monthly Archives: March 2024

Book Review: Xenophon’s Retreat

Posted on March 11, 2024 by nathanalbright

Xenophon’s Retreat: Greece, Persia, And The End Of The Golden Age, by Robin Waterfield What is the value of a book like this, which seeks to summarize Anabasis by Xenophon, a classic work that had world-historical importance in showing to … Continue reading →

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The Power Of A Judge: Part One

Posted on March 10, 2024 by nathanalbright

[Note: This is the prepared text of a message given to The Dalles congregation of the United Church of God on Sabbath, February 10, 2024.] When I last spoke here I talked about the power of a teacher, and how it … Continue reading →

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It’s A Mistake

Posted on March 9, 2024 by nathanalbright

In the early 1980’s, the band Men At Work became known for a radio-friendly sound that made them, at least for a while, one of the biggest bands around the world. Towards the end of their period of radio dominance, … Continue reading →

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Book Review: The Social Life Of DNA

Posted on March 9, 2024 by nathanalbright

The Social Life Of DNA: Race, Reparations, And Reconciliation After The Genome, by Alondra Nelson It would not be hard to think of ways for this book to be appealing to someone like me, nor to think of audiences (not … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Epigenetics

Posted on March 8, 2024 by nathanalbright

Epigenetics: The Ultimate Mystery Of Inheritance, by Richard C. Francis On page 32, at the very beginning of chapter four (“The Well-Socialized Gene”), the author begins his chapter this way: “The effort to secure funding for a Vietnam War Memorial … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Taste Of Persia

Posted on March 7, 2024 by nathanalbright

Taste Of Persia: A Cook’s Travels Through Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, and Kurdistan, by Naomi Duguid It is tricky to ponder the structure of a book like this one. Cookbooks in general–as this one is–are often structured based on the … Continue reading →

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Book Review: What A Plant Knows

Posted on March 6, 2024 by nathanalbright

What A Plant Knows: A Field Guide To The Senses, by Daniel Chamovitz It is testament to the wide gulf between scientists and ordinary people that the sense best known to anecdotal evidence, that plants can hear and respond to … Continue reading →

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Book Review: The Last Days Of The Dinosaurs

Posted on March 5, 2024 by nathanalbright

The Last Days Of The Dinosaurs: An Asteroid, Extinction, And The Beginning Of Our World, by Brian “Riley” Black Most of this book is perfectly fine. It is not surprising that this is the sort of book that it is … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Cultures Of The World: Iran

Posted on March 4, 2024 by nathanalbright

Cultures Of The World: Iran, by Cavendish Square This book is a short, almost 150 page, book on Iran that is filled with beautiful pictures. Normally I consider the text of a book to be far more important than any … Continue reading →

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I Will Go To Him

Posted on March 3, 2024 by nathanalbright

[Note: These are the prepared notes for a sermonette given to the Portland, Oregon congregation of the United Church of God on Sabbath, March 2, 2024.] According to Ward Lamon (as recorded by History.com), on the morning April 4, 1865, Abraham … Continue reading →

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