With the havoc Trump’s tariffs have caused, with the chaos Elon Musk and DOGE have inflicted on our Government, and the sense of DOOM in the air as a result of Trump’s Iran War, David Spiegelhalter’s useful The Art of Uncertainty: Living with Chance, Ignorance, Risk and Luck (2024) brings some clarity to dealing with all this pandemonium.

David Spiegelhalter is a professor emeritus of statistics at the University of Cambridge. He was knighted in 2014 for his services to medical statistics. The key to dealing with uncertainty–which increases by the day under Trump–is understanding how to handle ignorance and risk.

One of the problems with today’s ignorance is determining what is True and what is Fake News. The Internet floods our lives with bogus facts, rumors, conspiracy theories, and bullshit. Sorting out what is Real and what is Fake requires time and energy. But, as in the old computer saying: GARBAGE IN, GARBAGE OUT. If you make decisions based on false “facts” the end result will be wrong. Just look at the people who didn’t inoculate their kids with Measles vaccine and opted for castor oil and Vitamin-A.

The other key factor to deal with is risk. Again, there’s a shitstorm of deceptive and misleading “news” flooding our computers and cell phones daily. Spiegelhalter shows how to assess risks in various instances despite the counterfeit data.

Spieglehalter believes the old adage formulated by Pascal: “Chance favors the prepared mind.” In essence, we make our own Luck by choosing the right times and places to act based on preparation. If you want some tools to deal with the current (and future) catastrophes, The Art of Uncertainty is a good guidebook. GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

INTRODUCTION — 1

Uncertainty is personal — 11

Putting uncertainty into numbers — 21

Taming chance with probability — 38

Surprises and coincidences — 65

Luck — 84

It’s all a bit random — 102

Being Bayesian — 122

Science and uncertainty — 142

How much confidence do we have in our analysis? — 164

What, or who, is to blame? : causality, climate, and crime — 174

Predicting the future — 194

Risk, failure and disaster — 214

Deep uncertainty — 232

Communicating uncertainty and risk — 241

Making decisions and managing risks — 258

The future of uncertainty — 276

Acknowledgements — 283

Notes — 285

Glossary — 299

Index — 309

Jill Lepore is one of my favorite contemporary historians. History plays a big part in The Deadline: Essays (2023) but Lepore makes it clear that her attitude towards history is a little different. “I agreed with the heroine of Jane Austen’s Northhanger Abbey, when she complains about history, ‘It tells me nothing that does not either vex or weary me. The quarrels of popes and kings, with wars or pestilences, in every page; the men all so good for nothing, and hardly any women at all–it is very tiresome: and yet I often think it odd that it should be so dull, for a great deal of it must be invention.’ I have tried to write history differently.” (p. xviii)

As an example of Lepore’s writing history differently, take “The Man in the Box.” Lepore delivers a clever and informative essay about Doctor Who. “Doctor Who was the brainchild of Sydney Newman, a Canadian who became head of the BBC’s drama department in 1963. Newman, who had created The Avengers, for ITV, in 1961, was brought in to produce television that would meet the BBC’s remit as a government-owned broadcasting service as will as its need to win viewers from ITV, a commercial rival that had begun broadcasting in 1955. By 1960, the BBC had not a single program among the top ten ratings earners. Newman had an idea for something that could be both education and entertaining: science fiction.” (p. 152)

Jill Lepore goes on to explore the beginning of the program and the various Doctors who played the iconic role. But, Lepore doesn’t stop there. She reveals the origin story for the greatest villains The Doctor has to face: The Daleks. “The Daleks were invented by Terry Nation, who was born in Cardiff in 1930. …He took a job writing for Doctor Who in 1963. He once said that he got the name ‘Dalek’ from an encyclopedia volume that ran from ‘dal’ to ‘lek.’ …He invented a race of creatures mutated by an apocalyptic nuclear war who, in order to survive, live inside robotic shells and are so convinced of their own purity that their object is to exterminate every other race.” (p. 157)

Lepore’s essays deal with books and writers, politicians and voters, crises and triumphs. I read these essays with delight! If you’re in the mood for something different, give The Deadline a try. GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction — xvii

Part one

Prodigal daughter

Prodigal daughter — 1

The deadline — 17

Easy rider — 27

The Everyman library — 36

Part two

Misjudged

It’s still alive — 43

Ahab at home — 54

The fireman — 67

The shorebird — 78

Misjudged — 93

Part three

Valley of the dolls

The oddyssey — 111

The ice man — 121

Valley of the dolls — 137

The man in the box — 150

No, we cannot — 166

Buzz — 175

Part four

Just the facts, ma’am

Just the facts, ma’am –191

Bad news — 201

After the fact — 209

Hard news — 216

Part five

Battleground America

Battleground America — 235

Blood on the green — 255

The long blue line — 268

The riot report — 282

Part 6 

The disruption machine

The cobweb — 299

The disruption machine — 314

The robot caravan — 331

Mission impossible — 343

Part seven

The rule of history

The rule of history — 355

The age of consent — 367

Benched — 381

The dark ages — 395

Drafted — 407

Part eight

The parent trap

Back to the blackboard — 413

To have and to hold — 426

The return of the pervert — 440

The parent trap — 451

Part nine 

The isolation ward

Plague years — 467

These four walls — 478

The isolation ward — 488

Burned — 496

Part ten

In every dark hour

Politics and the new machine — 507

The war and the roses — 524

You’re fired — 541

The Trump papers — 554

In every dark hour — 571

The American beast — 583

Acknowledgements — 599

Index — 601

“A record-breaking musician, Diana Krall is the only jazz singer to have eight albums debut at the top of the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. Her albums have garnered two GRAMMY® Awards, ten Juno® Awards and have earned nine Gold, three Platinum, and seven multi-Platinum status albums. Her 1999 release of When I Look in Your Eyes spent an unprecedented 52 weeks in the #1 position on Billboard’s Jazz chart, won two GRAMMY® Awards, and went Platinum in the U.S. and Canada, establishing her as a powerhouse of the genre. Her album, This Dream Of You, garnered critical acclaim and displayed the effortless virtuosity that has become Diana Krall’s musical signature. Krall’s unique artistry and musicality transcend any single musical style, making her one of the most recognizable artists of our time.”

Diane and I last saw Diana Krall in 2022 (you can read my review here). We ordered tickets months ago when we found out Diana Krall was returning. The performance was a jazz-trio format (piano, bass, and drums) with Diana Krall thrilling the audience with her fabulous piano playing.

To be honest, I prefer listening to Diana Krall backed by an orchestra. This striped-down version was more appropriate for a Jazz Club instead of a 1,748 seat theater. The 90-minute performance was punctuated by applause. Diana shared the stage with Matt Chamberlain on drums and Tony Garnier on bass. They came out and did an Encore of “Mrs. Wonderly.” GRADE: B-

SET LIST:

• We Just Couldn’t Say Goodbye
• There Ain’t No Sweet Man That’s Worth the Salt of My Tears
• On the Sunny Side of the Street
• You Know — I Know Ev’rything’s Made for Love
• California Dreamin’
• Wallflower
• Operator (That’s Not the Way It Feels)
• Temptation 
• In My Room
• The Look of Love
•  I’ve Got You Under My Skin

It all started in 2024 when I read a post on Steve Lewis’s wonderful blog (you can read it here) and that motivated me to read Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child’s first two novels in their Pendergast series (you can read that review here).

I’m a fan of origin stories, so Pendergast–The Beginning reveals more of enigmatic FBI Special Agent Aloysius X. L. Pendergast who in this novel is just beginning his crime-solving career. Pendergast is paired with a veteran, FBI Agent Dwight Chambers–who has lost his partner and his wife. Nearing retirement, Chambers hoped to coast the rest of his career at the New Orleans Field Office. But Pendergast–who has FBI “influence”–arranges to be partnered with the experienced Chambers.

Together, Pendergast and Chambers investigate a series of strange deaths where the victim’s right arm has been surgically removed. Chambers slowly learns that Pendergast operates in a unique fashion and discovers clues long ignored. The two Agents uncover a trail that leads back several years to Tulane University and a special program–that seems to have been completely erased.

Fans of Pendergast will learn more of his history and the source of his vast wealth. I was surprised to learn Pendergast’s favorite writer is Anthony Trollope! The tangled plot leads to an explosive ending and transitions into a chapter from The Relic. If you haven’t read any of the Pendergast mysteries, you’re missing out on a strange and clever series. GRADE: B+

AGENT PENDERGAST SERIES:

1 The Relic (1995)
2 Reliquary (1997)
3 The Cabinet of Curiosities (2002)
4 Still Life with Crows (2003)
5 Brimstone (2004)
6 Dance of Death (2005)
7 The Book of the Dead (2006)
8 The Wheel of Darkness (2007)
9 Cemetery Dance (2009)
10 Fever Dream (2010)
11 Cold Vengeance (2011)
12 Two Graves (2012)
12.5 Extraction (2012)
13 White Fire (2013)
14 Blue Labyrinth (2014)
15 Crimson Shore (2015)
16 The Obsidian Chamber (2016)
17 City of Endless Night (2017)
18 Verses for the Dead (2018)
19 Crooked River (2020)
20 Bloodless (2021)
21 The Cabinet of Dr. Leng (2023)
22 Angel of Vengeance (2024)
23 Pendergast: The Beginning (2026)

A lot of good music showed up in 1974 and some of it is included on Ultimate Seventies 1974. There’s “Help Me” by Joni Mitchell from her best album, Court and Spark. Eric Clapton’s classic “I Shot the Sheriff” never gets old.

Elton John gets two songs: “Bennie and The Jets” and “The Bitch is Back.” Who can forget the odd cover of “The Loco-Motion” by Grand Funk? And I’m fond of the suggestive “Midnight at the Oasis” by Maria Muldaur.

Do you remember these songs? Any favorites here? GRADE: B+

TRACK LIST:

1	Bad Company (3)–	Can’t Get Enough
2	Al Wilson–	Show And Tell
3	Redbone–	Come And Get Your Love
4	Eric Clapton–	I Shot The Sheriff
5	Joni Mitchell–	Help Me
6	Billy Swan–	I Can Help
7	Al Green–	Sha-La-La (Make Me Happy)
8	The Hues Corporation–	Rock The Boat
9	Elton John–	Bennie And The Jets
10	Gregg Allman–	Midnight Rider
11	Lynyrd Skynyrd–	Sweet Home Alabama
12	Grand Funk*–	The Loco-Motion
13	Brownsville Station–	Smokin’ In The Boys’ Room
14	Steely Dan–	Rikki Don’t Lose That Number
15	David Essex–	Rock On
16	Maria Muldaur–	Midnight At The Oasis
17	Carl Douglas–	Kung Fu Fighting
18	Wet Willie–	Keep On Smilin’
19	Dionne Warwick and the Spinners–	Then Came You
20	Elton John–	The Bitch Is Back

Making History is a dark fantasy novella by K.J. Parker (aka, Tom Holt). A group of scholars are forced by a tyrannical King (think Trump) to invent a fake ancient civilization to justify a war with a country that the King wants to invade and pillage. The narrator of Marking History is a linguistics professor tasked with creating a fake language for the invented culture required by the King. The creation of the fake ancient civilization must be convincing enough to lead to war or the scholars will be facing execution if they fail. 

Like all of K. J. Parker’s works, Making History is witty, sardonic in tone, and suggests that history is propaganda. GRADE: B

Just a heads-up for you Star Wars fans: the 10-episode series,Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ on April 6, 2026, with two episodes being released each week until May 4.

As you might remember, Maul is a former Sith lord from the planet Dathomir who is trying to find his place following the end of the Clone Wars. You can expect a lot of action and cunning from this new Star Wars saga.

“Gated communities. Home theaters. Private schools. Private jets. Privately run public parks. Private world-saving behind the backs of those to be saved.” (p. 199)

“Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me. They possess and enjoy early, and it does something to them, makes them soft where we are hard, and cynical where we are trustful, in a way that, unless you were born rich, it is very difficult to understand. They think, deep in their hearts, that they are better than we are because we had to discover the compensations and refuges of life for ourselves. Even when they enter deep into our world or sink below us, they still think that they are better than we are. They are different. ” ― F. Scott Fitzgerald

Anand Giridharadas presents a different picture of the Rich in Winners Take All. The Rich spend massive amounts of money trying to convince the world that they are benefactors of the Planet. Their charities project Hope, but many of them are just tax write-offs.

In reality, Anand Giridharadas shows how the Rich are moulding societies to their benefit. Politicians do their bidding in order to get million dollar campaign contributions. The Rich gave an expensive RV to a Supreme Court Justice. Did that affect future Supreme Court decisions?

Currently, Trump’s pal Larry Ellison, who purchased Paramount, now is going to buy Warner Brothers and get CNN in the deal. Will that affect broadcast journalism? Soon CNN will be a clone of FOX NEWS.

Billionaires rule but pretend Democracy still works. We all know it doesn’t. Money is the root of all Evil…and Evil is growing. Winners Take All is a disturbing book by providing examples of the rot creeping over our institutions and governments. GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Prologue 3

Chapter 1 But How is the World Changed? 13

Chapter 2 Win-Win 35

Chapter 3 Rebel-Kings in Worrisome Berets 60

Chapter 4 The Critic and the Thought Leader 87

Chapter 5 Arsonists Make the Best Firefighters 129

Chapter 6 Generosity and Justice 154

Chapter 7 All That Works in the Modern World 201

Epilogue “Other People Are Not Your Children” 245

Acknowledgments 265

A Note On Sources 271

Index 277

I’ve read Edward Ashton’s Mickey 7 (you can read my review here) and its sequel Antimatter Blues (you can read my review here). Ashton’s new SF novel, The Fourth Consort (2025), introduces a new series of characters in a First Contact tale with some surprises.

Dalton Greaves, a former soldier, is recruited by an alien organization calling itself Unity to make contact with sentient species. Dalton is paired with a woman called Neera, who seems to have her own agenda. After their starship is destroyed, Dalton and Neera find themselves marooned on an alien planet until a rescue ship arrives.

Unity has a competitor in another alien federation that calls itself The Assembly. Dalton has to deal with a deadly alien he calls Breaker who is also trying to recruit the aliens on this planet to reject Unity and come to the Assembly for membership. As the title suggests, Dalton finds himself selected by the alien Queen as her Fourth Consort. This is not an appealing prospect as Dalton learns the Queen has just eaten the First Consort.

I enjoy Edward Ashton’s droll humor and clever plotting. If you’re looking for an entertaining SF novel with thrills and surprises, give The Fourth Consort a try. GRADE: B+