The Better Nature Of Our Angels - Steven Pinker
The Biology Of Belief - Bruce Lipton
The General's Son - Miko Peled
The Biology Of Belief - Bruce Lipton
The General's Son - Miko Peled
Sunday, May 21, 2017
Supernatural, S12, E22
Oh, it felt sooooooo good to watch this episode. Let me list the events that gladdened my heart.
One, Ketch is dead - shot by Mary right between his eyes. The look on his face during the last moments was simply...... priceless!
Two, Lady Bevell is dead. I would have preferred a much more painful death for her - she had tortured Sam so much - but this will do.
Three, Hess is dead. Way to go Jody! I almost jumped with joy when Sam said 'Pass'. :-)
Four, all the Winchesters are in one piece and united. I couldn't stop grinning.
Five, Hess told Sam that Crowley is dead and Lucifer is free. That should give him and Dean some head-start. At least they won't go on assuming that Lucifer is in the cage and all is well with the world.
I can only hope that the Season Finale will not dissipate whatever cheer this episode has generated. And that the British Men Of Letters won't be back in Season 13. Alas, I know that the latter is just wishful thinking :-(
One, Ketch is dead - shot by Mary right between his eyes. The look on his face during the last moments was simply...... priceless!
Two, Lady Bevell is dead. I would have preferred a much more painful death for her - she had tortured Sam so much - but this will do.
Three, Hess is dead. Way to go Jody! I almost jumped with joy when Sam said 'Pass'. :-)
Four, all the Winchesters are in one piece and united. I couldn't stop grinning.
Five, Hess told Sam that Crowley is dead and Lucifer is free. That should give him and Dean some head-start. At least they won't go on assuming that Lucifer is in the cage and all is well with the world.
I can only hope that the Season Finale will not dissipate whatever cheer this episode has generated. And that the British Men Of Letters won't be back in Season 13. Alas, I know that the latter is just wishful thinking :-(
The 14th Colony - Steve Berry
Well, well, well.....the big bad Russians are back. At least some of them are. And they are mad because Ronald Reagan along with the Pope was instrumental in causing the fall of the erstwhile USSR. The suitcase-sized nukes are ready to be deployed on American soil. At 12 noon on 20th January.
Okay, now if you will pick yourself (or your jaw!) off the floor, let me tell you that the author has woven reality and fantasy in such a fantastic manner in this novel that I had to turn to the internet to separate the fact from the fiction. Don't believe me? Take your pick from the loopholes in the presidential succession act, the US invasion plans for Canada, the burning of the White House by the Brits, an organization called the Society Of Cincinnati, a secret passageway from the White House and the meetings between Reagan and the Pope. The plot thickens to the consistency of a British fog! And it is a delight to wade through it with Cotton Malone, Cassiopeia Witt and Stephanie Nelle.
I can't help but mention that the villain's name Aleksandr comes as a breath of fresh air. I was getting tired of hearing about Viktor, Ivan, Yuri, Sasha and of course, Vladimir. :-)
P. S. Wonder it this novel ever made it to the reading list of the current POTUS. :-)
Okay, now if you will pick yourself (or your jaw!) off the floor, let me tell you that the author has woven reality and fantasy in such a fantastic manner in this novel that I had to turn to the internet to separate the fact from the fiction. Don't believe me? Take your pick from the loopholes in the presidential succession act, the US invasion plans for Canada, the burning of the White House by the Brits, an organization called the Society Of Cincinnati, a secret passageway from the White House and the meetings between Reagan and the Pope. The plot thickens to the consistency of a British fog! And it is a delight to wade through it with Cotton Malone, Cassiopeia Witt and Stephanie Nelle.
I can't help but mention that the villain's name Aleksandr comes as a breath of fresh air. I was getting tired of hearing about Viktor, Ivan, Yuri, Sasha and of course, Vladimir. :-)
P. S. Wonder it this novel ever made it to the reading list of the current POTUS. :-)
Ten Kings - Ashok Banker
I did not know of the tale of the Dasarajna from the Rig-Veda so there was no question of knowing that it has been regarded as a fact by historians and archaeologists alike. I picked up the book simply because I have come to love this genre that retells many of India's mythological tales with a fresh outlook.
This one is about an epic battle - epic not because of the scale of the armies that fought or lives that were lost on both sides. Epic because of its inequality. On one side is the small army of King Sudas, guided well by his Guru Sage Vashistha. One can also say that his side is the just one. So naturally there is the other side, the unjust side - of the Ten powerful kings of the time, all considered as allies by King Sudas. This vast army is led by King Anu and advised by Sage Vishvamitra. At stake is the fertile land that Sudas and his tribe are guarding - all the while dreaming about a united nation called the Bharata. Will the good triumph over the evil? That's a question as old as civilization itself and though we all know the answer, the path leading to it is still interesting.....and definitely worth taking.
On a lighter note though, the idea of Indian kings with rippling muscles is hard to stomach. :-)
Looking forward to the next offering of this series
This one is about an epic battle - epic not because of the scale of the armies that fought or lives that were lost on both sides. Epic because of its inequality. On one side is the small army of King Sudas, guided well by his Guru Sage Vashistha. One can also say that his side is the just one. So naturally there is the other side, the unjust side - of the Ten powerful kings of the time, all considered as allies by King Sudas. This vast army is led by King Anu and advised by Sage Vishvamitra. At stake is the fertile land that Sudas and his tribe are guarding - all the while dreaming about a united nation called the Bharata. Will the good triumph over the evil? That's a question as old as civilization itself and though we all know the answer, the path leading to it is still interesting.....and definitely worth taking.
On a lighter note though, the idea of Indian kings with rippling muscles is hard to stomach. :-)
Looking forward to the next offering of this series
Sunday, May 14, 2017
Supernatural, S12, E21
If I were one of the Winchesters, I would have put a bullet into Lady Bevell the moment she said that they had Mary on their team. God! She is simply insufferable! How I wish that Dean had landed a solid punch at her face at least. Later I hoped that Ketch would do the honors. But no such luck. I guess the prospect of being locked inside the bunker with her would be far more intolerable for the Winchesters than water and air being cut off. But something tells me that Mary is only pretending to have turned. I hope she finishes Ketch and Dr. Hess both by the time the Season Finale ends. I don't relish the prospect of seeing any more of the British Men Of Letters in the next season. I will prefer Lucifer any day.
Speaking of Lucifer, I didn't turn a hair when he shot Crowley. He was double-crossing the Winchesters. Plus he was getting too smug about having Lucifer under his thumb. Got his just desserts, I say. But I suspect that we haven't seen the last of the King Of Hell. He is in that rat somewhere. Wonder how he is going to explain to the Winchesters why Lucifer isn't in the cage.
As the Season Finale looms near I am getting the sinking sensation that Mary isn't going to be with us for long. Now that she has killed a fellow-hunter, who also happened to be a friend, the possibility that she will kill herself or die saving her sons is veering towards 100%. That makes me very worried about Sam - he is going to take it very hard.
P.S. I wonder if we are ever going to see, in this season, the 'consequence of cosmic proportions' that the Reaper Billie had promised.
Speaking of Lucifer, I didn't turn a hair when he shot Crowley. He was double-crossing the Winchesters. Plus he was getting too smug about having Lucifer under his thumb. Got his just desserts, I say. But I suspect that we haven't seen the last of the King Of Hell. He is in that rat somewhere. Wonder how he is going to explain to the Winchesters why Lucifer isn't in the cage.
As the Season Finale looms near I am getting the sinking sensation that Mary isn't going to be with us for long. Now that she has killed a fellow-hunter, who also happened to be a friend, the possibility that she will kill herself or die saving her sons is veering towards 100%. That makes me very worried about Sam - he is going to take it very hard.
P.S. I wonder if we are ever going to see, in this season, the 'consequence of cosmic proportions' that the Reaper Billie had promised.
Thursday, May 11, 2017
The Defence Of The Undefended Border - Richard A. Preston
Through The Eyes Of The Enemy - Stanislav Lunev
The Sword And The Shield: The Mitrokhin Archive - Christopher M. Andrew, Vasili Mitrokhin
Secret History Of The KGB
Right You Are, If You Think You Are - Luigi Pirandello
India After Gandhi: The History Of The World's Largest Democracy - Ramchandra Guha
Through The Eyes Of The Enemy - Stanislav Lunev
The Sword And The Shield: The Mitrokhin Archive - Christopher M. Andrew, Vasili Mitrokhin
Secret History Of The KGB
Right You Are, If You Think You Are - Luigi Pirandello
India After Gandhi: The History Of The World's Largest Democracy - Ramchandra Guha
आज एका मैत्रिणीने व्होट्सएप वर 'भज गोविंदम' पाठवलं. संस्कृतात लिहिलेली स्तोत्रं शब्दांची फोड करत अर्थ जुळवत वाचायला मजा आली. तेव्हढीच संस्कृतची उजळणी. कधी जमलं, कधी अजिबातच जमलं नाही. बाकी सगळ्यात तोच एक संदेश - हा भवसागर सोडा, ईश्वरभक्ती करा वगैरे. हेच करायचं होतं तर देवाने आपल्याला ह्या भवसागरात जन्माला कशाला घातलं हा माझा एकमेव प्रश्न आहे. पृथ्वीवर सगळे आश्रम ठेवायचे होते आणि त्यात जन्माला घालायचं होतं. केली असती ईशभक्ती आयुष्यभर. शिक्षण, नोकरी, लग्न, मुलंबाळं हे चक्र कशाला मग निर्माण केलं? अजून ह्याचं उत्तर मिळायचं आहे.
असो. लिहायचं कारण की एका श्लोकात 'स्त्री ही मुक्तीच्या मार्गातली धोंड' छाप संदेश वाचून मात्र तिळपापड झाला. पुरुषांना काय बायका आमंत्रण द्यायला येतात आमच्याशी लग्न करा म्हणून? लग्न करून ह्यांचं घर, मुलं, आईवडील सगळं बघायचं. आणि वर बायको 'मुक्तीच्या मार्गातली धोंड'??? अजब न्याय आहे. मग पुरुष का नाही बायकांच्या मुक्तीच्या मार्गातली धोंड? का बाईला मुक्तीचा हक्क नाही? फुकट चडफड झाली. संस्कृत वाचताना झालेला सगळा आनंद गायब झाला. तोंडात एक कडवट चव मात्र राहिली.
मग माझ्या शाळेच्या दिवसात क्लासमध्ये शिकवणाऱ्या सरांनी 'चेन मेसेज' म्हणता येईल असा मेसेज पाठवला. अर्थात त्यांनी तो चांगल्या हेतूने पाठवला होता हे माहीत आहे पण तरी मूळ मेसेज पाठवणाऱ्याचा राग आला. काय तर म्हणे सीमेवर, अतिरेक्यांशी लढणाऱ्या जवानांच्या सुरक्षिततेसाठी साठी हा मंत्र म्हणा - महामृत्युजय मंत्राच्या ओळी होत्या त्या - आणि मी सोडून (!) दहा लोकांना फोरवर्ड करा. नसेल करायचं तर मला तसं सांगा म्हणजे चेन तुटणार नाही. मी नम्रपणे सरांना लिहिलं की मी स्वत: ही प्रार्थना म्हणेन पण मी चेन मेसेजेस फोरवर्ड करत नाही. जवानांच्या सुरक्षेची जबाबदारी ज्यांनी घ्यायची ते सरकार गायींची अभयारण्ये, गायींना आधार नंबर असल्या कामात गुंग आहे. मग महामृत्युजय मंत्र म्हणून काय होणार? 'दुनिया वेड्यांचा बाजार' आहे की नाही मला ठाऊक नाही पण माझा देश मात्र त्याच दिशेने चाललाय असं आजकाल मला वाटू लागलंय.
असो. लिहायचं कारण की एका श्लोकात 'स्त्री ही मुक्तीच्या मार्गातली धोंड' छाप संदेश वाचून मात्र तिळपापड झाला. पुरुषांना काय बायका आमंत्रण द्यायला येतात आमच्याशी लग्न करा म्हणून? लग्न करून ह्यांचं घर, मुलं, आईवडील सगळं बघायचं. आणि वर बायको 'मुक्तीच्या मार्गातली धोंड'??? अजब न्याय आहे. मग पुरुष का नाही बायकांच्या मुक्तीच्या मार्गातली धोंड? का बाईला मुक्तीचा हक्क नाही? फुकट चडफड झाली. संस्कृत वाचताना झालेला सगळा आनंद गायब झाला. तोंडात एक कडवट चव मात्र राहिली.
मग माझ्या शाळेच्या दिवसात क्लासमध्ये शिकवणाऱ्या सरांनी 'चेन मेसेज' म्हणता येईल असा मेसेज पाठवला. अर्थात त्यांनी तो चांगल्या हेतूने पाठवला होता हे माहीत आहे पण तरी मूळ मेसेज पाठवणाऱ्याचा राग आला. काय तर म्हणे सीमेवर, अतिरेक्यांशी लढणाऱ्या जवानांच्या सुरक्षिततेसाठी साठी हा मंत्र म्हणा - महामृत्युजय मंत्राच्या ओळी होत्या त्या - आणि मी सोडून (!) दहा लोकांना फोरवर्ड करा. नसेल करायचं तर मला तसं सांगा म्हणजे चेन तुटणार नाही. मी नम्रपणे सरांना लिहिलं की मी स्वत: ही प्रार्थना म्हणेन पण मी चेन मेसेजेस फोरवर्ड करत नाही. जवानांच्या सुरक्षेची जबाबदारी ज्यांनी घ्यायची ते सरकार गायींची अभयारण्ये, गायींना आधार नंबर असल्या कामात गुंग आहे. मग महामृत्युजय मंत्र म्हणून काय होणार? 'दुनिया वेड्यांचा बाजार' आहे की नाही मला ठाऊक नाही पण माझा देश मात्र त्याच दिशेने चाललाय असं आजकाल मला वाटू लागलंय.
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