Review - "Raising Hare," Chloe Dalton

 This is a delightful book to read on early spring days when nature is re-awakening.

 

Sydney M. Williams

 

Burrowing into Books

Raising Hare, Chloe Dalton

March 21, 2026

 

“...I startled hares that ran and leapt, cresting the tops of the

grass with a smooth flowing motion, dolphins of the meadow.”

                                                                                                                                Raising Hare, Chloe Dalton

 

Ms. Dalton’s story, for which she won the 2025 Wainwright Prize (awarded for nature, conservation and environment writing), tells of her growing awareness of the natural world. She had spent ten years as a writer, political adviser and foreign policy specialist, working in Parliament and at the Foreign Commonwealth Office. While she lived in London, she also owned a renovated stone barn in the English countryside as a weekend place.

 

It was in February 2021, while she was living in and working out of her rural retreat due to the Pandemic that she found a week-old leveret, a baby hare. She picked it up. After checking with a local conservationist, and her sister who owns a small farm and who offered advice on feeding, she decided to keep the palm-sized leveret. Her story is one of discovery, not simply of how she raised the hare in such a way it would not become domesticated, but also of Ms. Dalton’s encounter with many aspects of nature – the symbiosis between prey and predator, the instinct of motherhood that transcends species, and the plant life that provides food and protection.

 

She appreciates the complexities of man: his dreams, his innovative skills, and his desire to improve his condition. But she worries how those often conflicted with nature and wildlife: “The competing imperatives of feeding the nation and protecting the environment are still unreconciled.” Raising the hare gave her a perspective on life unavailable on the pavements of London or in the hallways of Parliament.

 

Because of her wish that the hare should return to the wild, it was never given a name, despite the lapse of two and more years during which the hare would come and go from her home. It was only when the hare gave birth that she learned its sex.

 

In her last chapter she reflects on what she learned from the hare – to appreciate the world around her, to “cherish the days she [the hare] has given me of her own free will.” As to the fate of the hare, she does not know. It would sometime leave for a few days, only to return for a short visit. Hares generally live only three to five years in the wild. But Ms. Dalton ends her story poignantly: “I will remember her leaving, but will know that before she did, she always, first, looked back.”

 

This delightful book, with illustrations of hares by Denise Nestor, was first published in England in 2024.

"Artificial Intelligence vs. Individualism"

 Title of the photo: “Man In Casual Dress Who Is Ignorant of AI”

 

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The refusal of allies like Germany, Japan and Australia to aid in the re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz reminds me of the American fable, “The Little Red Hen.” Once it is re-opened, and it will be re-opened, I am sure they will want to be included in the safe passage of oil and gas. And it is my guess that President Trump will be more forgiving than the Little Red Hen.

 

At a time when partisanship runs high, I was pleased that Democrats David Boies, Mark Penn and Andrew Stein wrote two op-eds for The Wall Street Journal over the past few days, each calling out the danger and risk of extreme partisanship on the part of politicians and the media at a time when the U.S. is at war with Iran: “Partisanship on Iran is Dangerous” by Boies on March 13, and “On Iran, Is Only Bad News Fit to Print?” by Penn and Stein on March 17. It is healthy to criticize politicians and their policies, but Trump Derangement Syndrome has rendered criticism of the President by those politicians and reporters who manifest its symptoms unintelligible and harmful to our national interests.

 

I support the decision to attack Iran. When a fanatical leader who promised ‘Death to America’ and who leads a regime that pursued nuclear weapons with missiles capable of carrying them thousands of miles, pre-emption is preferred to retaliation.

 

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As for AI, I may be Panglossian about its threats. like it or not it is here to stay. No one can forecast the future. This is but one man’s opinion.

 

Sydney M. Williams

 

Thought of the Day

“Artificial Intelligence vs. Individualism”

March 18, 2026

 

“Metacognitive skills will be very important – flexibility, adaptability, experimentation, thinking

critically, being able to challenge things...For that, a traditional liberal arts education is really important.”

                                                                                Jaime Teevan

                                                                                Chief Scientist and Technical Fellow, Microsoft

                                                                                As quoted in The Wall Street Journal, March 4, 2026

                                                                                “What AI Bosses Advise Their Kids About Jobs,” Lauren Weber

 

If the adjective ‘metacognitive’ is for you as unfamiliar, as it was for me, here is the definition provided by Google for the noun Metacognition: “Often described as ‘thinking about your thinking.’ It involves understanding your own thought processes and using that awareness to direct your learning.” It sounds to me that if one has ‘metacognitive skills’ they have basically mastered the art of critical thinking.

 

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No one can tell you what the specific consequences of AI will be on employment and on lives. What can be said is that there will be ramifications. Some – perhaps many – will be negative for the employment of large numbers of people. What also can be said is that this is not the first time mankind has faced revolutionary changes. Consider those wrought by the Industrial Revolution, which saw the shift from hand/home-based production and small shops to machines and large factories – factories initially powered by coal and steam and now by natural gas, nuclear and renewables. It was a revolution that began in England in the late 18^th Century and has persisted through the current day. People adapted. Thus, we should take comfort as we look to this next stage. Despite the displacement of millions of jobs, employment and living standards increased over the last two hundred and fifty years. According to ScienceDirect.com, between 80% and 90% of the world’s population lived in “extreme poverty” in the late 18^th Century. Today the World Bank puts that number at less than ten percent.

 

That is not to say we should be blithely unconcerned about the changes that will be wrought as artificial intelligence becomes ubiquitous. We need to know its cost, the effects on existing businesses, and the opportunities it will create.

 

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Charles Darwin argued persuasively in The Descent of Man and On the Origin of Species that we have common ancestry with apes, and that all living creatures evolved from a single-celled organism. However, somewhere along the line, man became differentiated from other animals – in his capacity to think critically, to reason abstractly, in his sense of morality and ability to empathize, in his ability to plan for the future, to conceptualize, to be curious and creative. Whether that was natural selection or divine intervention, I leave to others. AI is a creation of the curious and creative. But will a machine ever have those qualities attributed to men and women? I don’t think so.

 

Lauren Weber interviewed five individuals for the Journal article quoted in the epigraph above. They all recognized that rote/routine jobs are at risk; so they emphasized the importance of critical thinking and the need for humanities, both provided by a liberal arts education – now “more than ever,” according to Ethan Mollick, management professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

 

Similarly, in the March 9, 2026 issue of The Spectator, Eamonn Butler, the British economist and co-founder of the Adam Smith Institute, wrote: “...AI augments (emphasis mine) human capabilities, creates demand for new skills in oversight, ethics and creative applications, and drives productivity gains that fuel economic expansion.” In 2025, most of our GDP growth came from productivity gains. It was not technological change that concerned Adam Smith, it was mercantilism and the protectionism it fosters. “Why,” Mr. Mr. Butler wrote, “try to make wine in rainy Scotland, when you can buy it for a thirtieth of the price from sunny France?” What would concern Adam Smith today is the scale of government: “To him, the core functions of government were defense, the administration of justice, and the provisions [that] limited the number of public goods, mostly for infrastructure, which made trade and commerce and thus wealth creation easier.” With total U.S. government spending approaching 38% of GDP in 2025, Adam Smith would be aghast.  

 

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Change is a constant. In the past, technological change eliminated many jobs but created millions more. Will AI replace many current jobs? Certainly. But think of the past. It helps one see the future. Steamships replaced sailing vessels; trains, autos, airplanes revolutionized travel; lap-top and desk-top computers did away with typewriters. When was the last time you saw a switchboard operator or an elevator man? In this time of AI’s infancy we know jobs will be lost. What we don’t know is what new industries and jobs will be created.

 

My biggest worry about AI is how it will be used by scammers. And I worry that government, in regulating it, might impose limits on individual rights. Skepticism is warranted. But I do not fear AI. Of course I am not twenty-five, just starting a job. If I were, I would try to understand how it might be utilized to improve my life. Nevertheless, it is here and will become more complex over time. Embrace it. If it becomes frightening, turn off its power source or remove its battery.[1] I have always thought Peter Drucker (1909-2005) a wise man. A quote attributed to him sums up his philosophy: “To get at the new and better, you have to throw out the old, outworn and obsolete...” He would embrace AI.

 

According to the Worldometer there are 8.3 billion people on Earth. Each has distinct, individual traits, along with strengths and weaknesses. Among them are scientists and artists, musicians and carpenters, lawyers and plumbers, farmers and bankers. They are athletes, poets, actresses and actors. Scattered among them are a few who are evil, but more who are good. Can AI replace them and their dreams? No. So long as our rights, embedded in our Constitution, are honored, the individual will survive and thrive.

 

 

 

 

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[1] As solar-paneled-fueled data centers get placed in space (think SpaceX, Project Suncatcher and Stoke Space), with full access to net-worked computers on Earth, that may not be possible.

Review - "The War for Middle Earth," Joseph Loconte, PhD

 While familiarity with J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis will add to your appreciation of this book, that is not necessary to realize the pertinence of this story to today’s world where evil still exists in the China, Russia, North Korea and Iran axis.

 

Sydney M. Williams

 

Burrowing into Books

The War for Middle Earth, Joseph Loconte

March 14, 2026

 

“Societies cannot thrive under conditions of disorder, disorientation and degeneration. The human soul craves

meaning and purpose. The new political religions of the twentieth century promised to deliver the goods.”

                                                                                The War for Middle Earth, 2025, Joseph Loconte, PhD

                                                                                                                                

Following World War I, Europe searched for answers amidst devastation. Civilization suffered and so did religion. Why, people asked, would God permit such suffering? Dictatorships, in Russia, Italy and Germany, rose to meet the challenge, becoming the “new political religions” that Mr. Loconte refers to in the epigraph. Following the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II in 1917, Lenin became the leader of Communist Soviet Russia. The Fascist Mussolini was appointed Prime Minister by King Victor Emmanuel in 1922; eleven years later the Nazi Party leader Adolph Hitler was named Chancellor of Germany by President Paul von Hindenburg. All three men used violence in their accession to and maintenance of power. The people of those three countries, devastated by four years of war, were willing to accept totalitarian leadership.

 

It was in that environment – the end of innocence and the end of faith – that two friends, J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, both Oxford professors of English literature and both veterans of the Great War, decided a new path was necessary: a path based on the virtues embedded in their Country’s Judeo-Christian heritage and in the individual liberalism inherent to Western civilization, a path that followed ancient tales and myths of heroes and villains, of fights won against great odds. As the Second World War commenced, Loconte writes “There was a savage war of aggression devouring the European continent and threatening the survival of Great Britain. Yet there was also an ideological war: the widespread assault on the classical and Christian ideals that had nourished Western civilization for centuries.” This is the story Joseph Loconte tells.

 

He follows Tolkien and Lewis, and how the rise of tyranny influenced their careers. “They began writing their epic stories (The Lord of the Ring and The Chronicles of Narnia.) when the darkest shadow of modern history was cast over the West and, for a crucial part of that time, over England in particular.”

 

In 1939, the Allies were unprepared: “The failure to imagine the likelihood of this act of aggression (Pearl Harbor), given Japan’s brutal war in China – indeed the reluctance to believe in the capacity for human wickedness on a vast scale – remains one of the enigmas of the Second World War.”

 

By September 1945, the Fascists in Italy, Nazis in Germany and the Japanese Imperialists had been defeated. Forty-five years later the Soviet Union collapsed. Western civilization, which Tolkien and Lewis did so much to preserve during those middle years, prevailed. 

 

His tale is pertinent today. The world is not static. We must ever be mindful that there will always be those whose desire for power threatens the West – our governments, history, culture and lives. While they assume different forms, the world will never be rid of a Sauron or a White Witch. But there will always be individuals, like Frodo and the Pevensie siblings, willing to sacrifice their comforts, and there will always be a Gandolf or Aslan to guide us. This is both a compelling and pertinent read.