What is your latest read?

[Roshan]

Started on "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by 'The Kite Runner' fame Khaled Hosseini.

[kid-glove]

I was reading 'One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich' coz I'm an uptight prick. But technically it wasn't the latest as I got OUTed!

http://www.sportsgrid.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/soccerkidplayboy.jpg

Great literature. I'd not let anyone tell otherwise.

[etpuszula]

jus finished 'The wise man's fear' by Patrick Rothfuss,book 2 of the kingkiller Chronicles. terrific read, but there will be another interminably long wait for book 3 :(

still plodding through Orhan Pamuk's 'snow' can never seem to finish it though ....

[19thmay]

Started on "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by 'The Kite Runner' fame Khaled Hosseini.

Can't believe, I am reading the same. Crossed 120+ pages.

[Roshan]

Can't believe, I am reading the same. Crossed 120+ pages.

I have just started.. good that you are reading it too. We can discuss :-)

[etpuszula]

"The Unbearable Lightness of Being" - Milan Kundera
my first attempt at reading philosophical fiction
heavy with meaning, it felt like wading through layers of narrative and character and how they connect and illustrate the postulates stated by Kundera
morose, political, yet inspiring...
helps to read further analyses after reading it and makes you appreciate the author's talent that much more

hmm it felt like wading through layers of narrative and character and how they connect spot on ... but couldn't find it inspiring though, maybe ennaku puriyalaiyo ennamo ... should read it again and see if it does engage me

[etpuszula]

Glad to see the thread alive. :-D
My current read is Kafka on the Shore. I have new found respect for cats, nowadays!


remember reading this a while ago ... kinda liked the outlandish story

[AravindMano]

God of small things - Brilliance - the characters, analogies, presentation, description - wow! :clap: :clap:

Hypocrisy, backstabbing, love, caste, religion, molesting child etc.. were expressed so well without any compromise.
Half of the story was said in a view point of kids, certain sequence were truly mind blowing. A.Roy took 4 years to complete this novel. A classic and must read if you did not.

Ah, dying to revisit. One of my first books at an impressionable age and mind was blown. Immediat search operations for the book on.

[AravindMano]

Finished 'The Sense Of An Ending', the latest Booker Prize winner. Tiny, seemingly simple, elegantly written. For a book of such length, Barnes manages achieve excellent depth to the people and incidents. He talks mostly about Time and Memories - the things which I love to read about - and I almost loved every view he proposes about them. The end of the novel is yet to sink in - this is one of those books where the end didn't matter to me even though it is a twist - asI had already started liking this book. A very satisfying read.

[AravindMano]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0vWvO8znN5w/TzB04gHrM4I/AAAAAAAACaY/QfIh_0k-Yx4/s1600/12155648.jpg

Memories of a middle aged man of his first girlfriend and his best friend, Adrian.
Why did his GF's mother bequeath him 500 pounds and Adrian's diary?

A compulsive read :thumbsup:

:exactly:

[Roshan]

Done with "A Thousand Splendid Suns". Shall wait until Sridhar finishes.

[19thmay]

Done with "A Thousand Splendid Suns". Shall wait until Sridhar finishes.

Finished it. :clap: Must read and a classic!
Mariam made my heart so heavy. The character was excellently described as an innocent girl earlier, kallanalum kanavan and bit possessive wife later.Short happiness due to Laila and Azira and finally accepting the blunder for the better life of others. Mariam is more painful than Hassan :clap:
I am unable to imagine a life of so many incidents, so many heart throbbing episodes. Khaled has splendidly mixed the political events occurred in Afghanistan of past three decades with the personal life’s of two Afghan ladies, how it affected and damaged them so badly. It also shattered the chauvinism and Taliban policies in name of Islam.
I loved all the characters, Rasheed was so sneaky and cunning. Laila was clever and bold. I loved the climax, her decisions. :clap:
Roshan – You would be able to connect relatively well as you are living there.

[Roshan]

Finished it. :clap: Must read and a classic!
Mariam made my heart so heavy. The character was excellently described as an innocent girl earlier, kallanalum kanavan and bit possessive wife later.Short happiness due to Laila and Azira and finally accepting the blunder for the better life of others. Mariam is more painful than Hassan :clap:
I am unable to imagine a life of so many incidents, so many heart throbbing episodes. Khaled has splendidly mixed the political events occurred in Afghanistan of past three decades with the personal life’s of two Afghan ladies, how it affected and damaged them so badly. It also shattered the chauvinism and Taliban policies in name of Islam.
I loved all the characters, Rasheed was so sneaky and cunning. Laila was clever and bold. I loved the climax, her decisions. :clap:
Roshan – You would be able to connect relatively well as you are living there.

The initial chapters were not very engrossing to me compared to The Kite Runner (Kite Runner takes off from the very first chapter). But after a certain point it was unputdownable. I finished the 2nd half in one go on Friday. I liked the way he narrates the political events that happened in Afghanistan from early 1960s. He covers 4 decades and it is not an easy task given the complexity. In his previous book Kite Runner he mostly touched on Taliban and their atrocities but this time it was about all parties/groups who had impacted on Afghanistan, her people and their lives, especially the lives of women. From what ever I have heard and read about Afghanistan, I should say that he maintained a very good balance with his views and did not spare any one this time.

Coming to the story, as in the his previous book, the flow was amazing. Simple words, simple language yet powerful. He has very well narrated the status of women who suffer in the hands of a never changing patriarcal society of Afghanistan and if you had noticed he makes it very clear the Taliban type of oppression of women in certain regions of Afghanistan existed long before Taliban took over in mid 90s. Taliban made things worse by legalising all sort of discrimination and violence against women. They did not even spare Kabul, which was otherwise a place where women did enjoy ceratain degree of autonomy.

In his previous book main characters were a mixture of Pashtun and Hazara ethnicities and a story set exclusively in the world of men, and this time it is Pashtun and Tajik in th world of women. Since I've been here for more than 2 years now, to some extent I can understand the way of thinking, the ideologies of those ethnic groups and their views about each other and most imporatantly the patriarcal views and ideologies of men :evil: In the book he elegantly captures those aspects and I could easily relate things.

Mariam, Laila, Nana - every character is a realistic potrayal of Afghan women and thousands of real life examples of such characters still exist in Afghanistan, especially in the Southern and Eastern part. I also liked Laila's mother character Fariba and the father Hakim. The narration of Fariba's moods and as to how it keeps swinging to both extremes was quite realistic, given her situation.

Ending was as good as the ending of the Kite Runner. It left me with a heavy heart. Mariyam, Laila, Nana, Fariba, Hakim, Rasheed, Tariq, Jaleel Khan, Mullah Faziullah - Khalid Hossein once again proves that he is a master when it comes to characterisation. Every single character leaves a mark in the end.

An honest tribute to the oppressed women of Afghanistan ! :bow:

PS: In my point of view, Taliban or no Taliban, the suffering of women in Afghanistan will never end. "Oppression" is in the blood of Afghan men, no matter they are litterate or not. Any policy they implement is primarily based on women. For them everything should start with putting down women.

[Roshan]

Posting this news as it is related to the theme of the novel "A Thousand Splendid Suns"



Afghan schoolgirls 'poisoned by Taliban'

Toxic powder used to contaminate air in girls' classrooms, leaving scores of students unconscious in Takhar province.

Central & South Asia

Afghan schoolgirls 'poisoned by Taliban'

Toxic powder used to contaminate air in girls' classrooms, leaving scores of students unconscious in Takhar province.
Last Modified: 24 May 2012 08:05
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Since 2001, three million school-aged girls have returned to school [GALLO/GETTY]
More than 120 schoolgirls and three teachers have been poisoned in the second attack in as many months in Afghanistan blamed on conservative radicals in the country's north, Afghan police and education officials have said.

The attack occurred on Wednesday in Takhar province where police said the Taliban, who are opposed to education of women and girls, had used an unidentified toxic powder to contaminate the air in classrooms, leaving scores of students unconscious.

Afghanistan's intelligence agency, the National Directorate of Security (NDS), said the Taliban appear intent on closing schools ahead of a 2014 withdrawal by foreign combat troops.


From the perspective of one neighbourhood in Herat
"A part of their Al Farooq spring offensive operation is ... to close schools. By poisoning girls they want to create fear. They try to make families not send their children to school," NDS spokesman Lutfullah Mashal said.

Afghanistan's Ministry of Education said last week that 550 schools in 11 provinces where the Taliban have strong support had been closed down.

Last month, 150 schoolgirls were poisoned in the Takhar province after they drank contaminated water.

Since 2001, when the Taliban were toppled from power by US-backed Afghan forces, three million school-aged girls have returned to school.

Women were previously banned from work and education under Taliban rule.

There are still periodic attacks against students, teachers and school buildings, usually in the more conservative south and east of the country, where the Taliban draws most of its support


Source: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2012/05/201252451931671453.html

This is how those hooligans advocate Religion !

[pavalamani pragasam]

Finished reading 'Micro', the last novel by Michael Crichton completed by Richard Preston. I feel shell-shocked! Really a terrifying thriller. My awe about science and technology has immensely augmented. I shiver at the horrors that unfolded in the novel holding ominous forecasts about the future of our world and its countries.Two characters rightly say in the end:"...with technology, once a thing is invented, it never gets un-invented.....Killer bots and micro-drones are here to stay. People will die in terrible new ways. Terrible wars will be fought with this technology. The world will never be the same." What a ghastly prediction! The black pronouncement sends a chill down the spine. Sounds stunningly true.

Another passage that found full agreement in the novel is the thoughts in the mind of one of the characters described: "These Americans played with fire. Hydrogen bombs, megapower lasers, killer drones, shrunken micro-people...Americans were demon-raisers. Americans awakened technological demons they couldn't control, yet they to enjoy the power."

An interesting travelogue on the dangerous beauty of Hawaii- loved it tremendously being the hard-core armchair traveller that I am.

Strangely my mind recalled Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels. A vague connection found there!? Perhaps that political satire showed futuristic knowledge of technology unknowingly!!!

[19thmay]

Roshan - I was thinking like how the author is going to end this. Any normal muslim women from Afghanistan would have stayed in Pakistan considering it as the safe zone especially if they had such a dreadful past. But author likes them to come out of the shell and be bold like Laila (Her episode of visiting the hostel alone to see her daughter :notworthy:) :thumbsup: Not sure if this book was published in Afghan, but must read by all Afghan ladies.

[Roshan]

Roshan - I was thinking like how the author is going to end this. Any normal muslim women from Afghanistan would have stayed in Pakistan considering it as the safe zone especially if they had such a dreadful past. But author likes them to come out of the shell and be bold like Laila (Her episode of visiting the hostel alone to see her daughter :notworthy:) :thumbsup: Not sure if this book was published in Afghan, but must read by all Afghan ladies.

Books is available in Afghanistan. An Afghan colleague of mine (who is farily liberal and anti-Taliban) had read it but when I asked for his opinion he said it's good but exaggerated :lol: (that's the typical reply you would get from an Afghan man, however modern and liberal he is). Anyway, the real life stories I've heard from some of other male colleagues are far more worser than what is described in the book. And the above news I've posted is a proof that their way of thinking would never change.

Many people returned back to Afghanistan after NATO invasion expecting some positive changes. Certain thinks changed like reopening of schools, universities and hospitals for women, women seeking employment, not wearing burqa, et al. But these changes were largely limited to few urban areas. Irrespective of all criticisms and reservations I have for the US led NATO invasion, I should accept the fact that it created some space for women, though the NATO invasion could hardly bring any changes to the lives and life styles of people in Taliban dominated areas, especially in the south and east. And there are plenty of signs, for another civil war and a Pakistan backed Taliban regime after the withdrawal of NATO by end of 2013. Even if Talibans dont take over, Karzai will go to any extent to please Pakistan and Taliban in order for him to remain in power. Afghanistan is far beyond redemption.

[Sid_316]

Before i go to sleep - A very good engaging thriller though the plot sounds familiar

[Arvind Srinivasan]

If I could tell you - By Somya Bhattacharya....A book based on a series of letters written by a father to his 8 year old girl. Was a really good read, considering how the whole theme was handled. In a lot of places the author digresses but does it in a manner where the reader's attention or interest is not lost. Fairly autobiographical as the the protagonist is a writer too, but laced with a tinge of fiction...

[Roshan]

Bought theses two books yesterday and they are my next reads..

Taliban - Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia (By Ahmed Rashid)

Getting away with Murder - The real story behind American Taliban and what the US government had to hide (by John Walker Lindh)

[19thmay]

Aravind Adiga's "The White Tiger" - Theme is like God of small things. This novel talks about how servants are treated by Indian masters, like the rookies in the coop and how a white tiger breaks it and comes out in a most dishonest way. However the white tiger justifies his action in the climax.The mind change of Balram Halwai from a loyal servant to a cruel cheat was well captured. The bad side of India including corruption, pollution, rich-poor unfairness, caste bias and hypocrisy are explained in a detailed way. So what you get? booker prize! Something like Slumdog wins Oscars. If you are more patriotic about India, skip it!

[Roshan]

I dont know where to post this as I dont see a thread dedicated to post poetries that we have read. Hence posting it here. Loved this piece as I thought it's a never-thought-of way of expressing the love and affection for a mother. The second half is so beautiful and got me moved..

There are times of vacancy
the between of fingertip and key
thought, thought-break and thought again
the routined interruptions of routine
times of passing
when the world watches me
and I feel you watch the world;
you are resident
not so much in memory
as in eye
in gesture
and the mannerisms of humour
and feigned agitation,
and I lament
that I cannot touch my feet
in venerating you;
that much is different
yours were tender,
so tender on the eye and my hands.

[Sid_316]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0vWvO8znN5w/TzB04gHrM4I/AAAAAAAACaY/QfIh_0k-Yx4/s1600/12155648.jpg

Memories of a middle aged man of his first girlfriend and his best friend, Adrian.
Why did his GF's mother bequeath him 500 pounds and Adrian's diary?

A compulsive read :thumbsup:

Terror novel! The ending was the least fav part but it was a big shocker! The way it's written and explained is great. Justifies the booker prize award.

[etpuszula]

i'm surprised there isn't much of discussion in this thread ... i suppose that is one of the pitfalls of listing people's latest read ... u hear new things but there isn't enough to chew on ! would be good if we could pick a book of the month(like a book club), have a read n then discuss/converse about it ...

[Sid_316]

Suggest some humor themed books pls

[kid-glove]

Try some of the war chronicles by the man in Groucho's avatar. Spike Milligan.

[inazerowmo]

I am now reading Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie. Yet to complete but it has been a good and interesting read so far.

[inazerowmo]

My current read is A Stranger in the Mirror by Sidney Sheldon.

[NOV]

excellent reads AR.... now I am reading Bourne Legacy

[inazerowmo]

excellent reads AR.... now I am reading Bourne Legacy
:-D

I am about to start on Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged.

[app_engine]

This is not my latest read...but of the "most-times-read-books" during my school days :
http://www.ebook-downloader.com/downloadinfo/Mathematics-Can-Be-Fun-Perelman-46210819

Of course, I read the Thamizh translation only and never the English translation that is in this link. (Original was possibly Russian as the writer is Yakov Perelman, the Thamizh version was made in erstwhile USSR and of top-quality material, distributed by NCBH in India those days).

Go to the "pdf" tab to read in that format. I would recommend jumping to PAGE 98, for a very thrilling story!
(Old Indian King rewarding the inventor of the CHESS game)

[Arvind Srinivasan]

The Kite Runner: A really absorbing read. Got a virtual view of the Afghanistan while reading the book.

[pavalamani pragasam]

Finished reading 'The Lightning Thief' by Rick Riordan. My 4 grandsons(between ages 13 and 8-all avid book readers) goaded me read it! My dil warned me about it not being my cup of tea! But the kids' recommendation was overwhelming- I can't help pampering them! Well, my dil was right, after all. But it happily carried me to my college days when my subject(literature) introduced me to Greek and Roman mythology. It is awesome to see the kids learning about mythology so early, thanks to the games they play and their curiosity kindled to know more from books and net. The action novel reenacts Greek mythology in modern context. Great imagination connecting us to the past with relevance and clarity. What I liked best is the author's sarcasm about Americans. It was a revelation to me to know the bed of Mississipi is also filled with garbage and the polluted Pacific waters. The juvenile delinquency described and many other casual description of general life there made me ponder over the blindly rosy American dream of our people!
My grandsons want me to read the whole series- about 6. I firmly said NO. one sample is enough I've told them. Next they want me start reading the '39 Clues' series. Again laughter from my dil. I've promised them to read one sample, the 1st of the series-'The maze of Bones'. My endeavours to keep abreast of the new generation is challenging and adventurous! It is interesting for me and them to tease each other about how 'stupid' or 'kiddish' are the games the other loves to play online!

[pavalamani pragasam]

Finished reading 2 books of the '39 clues' series. Much better than Percy Jackson in Rick Riordan's series of Greek mythology. These books were really enjoyable- in a way resembled my pleasure of a few decades ago of reading Perry Mason, Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot novels! I'm eager to finish all the books of the series. Before that I want to finish my favourite author, Robin Cook's "Brain'.

[gaddeswarup]

A doctoral thesis about dance in pakistan. It is mostly about Indu Mitha (nee Banerjee) ai one time one of the two bharatanatyam teachers in Pakistan. There are some excerpts from it in my blog and it is available online
http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/8km963tz

[gaddeswarup]

Reading off and on 'The Sources of Social Power' by Michael Mann. Read volumes 1 and 4, parts of 2, and now reading volume 3. The first volume is impressive.

[gaddeswarup]

Just finished 'The Flaming Feet' by D.R.Nagaraj. Liked it very much.

[inazerowmo]

The Catcher in the Rye (JD Salinger),
Appointment with Death (Agatha Christie), Fifty Shades of Grey (EL James) are some of the recent reads.

[gaddeswarup]

Still reading "How Asia Works" by Joe Studwell. A review http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/e3fd267e-9b7c-11e2-a820-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2VvZXzLmT and an extract http://www.asianreviewofbooks.com/new/?ID=1463%23!#! and a log discussing the book http://howasiaworks.wordpress.com/ Though This is not about India, it seems very relevant to Indian development discussions. Even thouigh, I am only halfway through the book, I strongly recommend it.

[JamesDap]

Over the course of the last few weeks:

1. Public Enemies by Bryan Burrough. An account of the bank robbery (called yeggs) menace in 1930s America and how the fight against them made the FBI. Very racily written, very engrossing for a non fiction, non autobio book.

2. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Nothing much to say about this classic except that I was surprised by the sheer zest with which it was written, making me overlook a fairly predictable storyline.

3. Psmith in the city, Galahad at Blandings, Summer Lightning by P G Wodehouse. Again, nothing much to add if you are already a Wodehouse convert (these were re-reads for me in any case). If you haven't read his books and you love humour, it's def worth a good try.

[inazerowmo]

The Tiger's Wife-Not that great
The Room-a tale of a 19 year old abductee and her life with her 5 year old child in a small shed right behind her abductor's house. The book gets to you in a not so mushy way.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo- AWESOME!

[pavalamani pragasam]

Yesterday finished reading the 5th and last book of the 2nd series of '39 Clues'! Absolutely awesome! Loved the series very much. Pure drama interwoven with fast-paced action, suspense and thrill! Knowledge of so much history, geography and science are the basis for the plots! each book a roller coaster ride. The reason these books send me raving may be because the child in me is very much alive still! waiting to get the 3rd series from my grandson!

[pavalamani pragasam]

Just now I finished reading Robin Cook, the master of medical thriller’s novel, “Cell”. A happy, satisfying fare as usual. The last 2 pages containing the epilogue was especially satisfying with its poetic justice and settled my nagging uneasiness about the plot’s course! A veritable feast for all lovers of Cook’s novels.
In this novel Cook has woven his plot around the theme of a medicare device, a smart invention, experimented on consenting patients and an ominous ‘glitch’ which worries Dr.George endlessly. It is a gripping story about the ruthless nature of business magnates, intelligent brains and federal government working in hand-in-glove fashion to promote unethical, greedy and high-handed practices.
iDoc the wonder machine-an application- connected to the patient’s cell phone is a marvel indeed. It is heuristic which means the device learns in the process of its service to the person serving as a personal, handy doctor prescribing and monitoring round the clock. It is so hassle-free, convenient for the patient saving time, visits to clinics which are costly and time-consuming.
The story deals with how this unbelievably good device can be manipulated by parties with vested interest by becoming a death panel to terminally ill patients. The argument is to ration medical care in the last months of life. There is infinite demand for health care which only people with power and money can afford.
The germ for this wonderful invention was born in George’s brain. But he is shocked to see the potential for danger it had when put into use. I fully empathise with him and am happily impressed with his honest, idealistic, ethical approach to his profession. I am especially happy to learn that he does not allow himself to be outsmarted by powerful enemies risking his very life. A very admirable character is this doctor portrayed by Cook.
The plot dallies around the concept of euthanasia, my favourite concept, and how it is grossly abused by the manipulators of this medical device called iDoc. George neatly sums it up thus:”What would I have paid to have six more months with my fiancee. But may be, she would have wanted to avoid the pain and suffering. Still, I would much rather that the decision had been hers and not an algorithm’s..”
Cook has an expertise in exposing scams in the medical profession and its associated industries. He excels in this novel also. It is a unique pleasure to see his heroes with sincere spirits, policies and ethics undauntedly standing against all cunning, scheming giants, staunchly upholding his humane, ethical, sincere values.
P.S.As usual reading about western countries' lifestyles unfailing gave me the cultural shock and I get nauseated by their concepts about sex and marriage!

[pavalamani pragasam]

Thoroughly enjoyed reading Dan Brown’s novel, “Inferno”. The title does full justice to the terrific tale brilliantly spun by Brown against the backdrop of the great master’s classic poem.
The story is staged in the cities of Florence and Istanbul. Both the cities are described in graphic detail making the book a tourist’s treat. The tempo of the story never slackens with nonstop action and drama.
All the characters are etched with impressive truthfulness- be it the Harvard professor Robert Langdon, a famous symbologist or Dr. Sienna Brooks, or the bright geneticist Bertrand Zobrist or Sinskey or all the rest.
It is a gripping story about a very pertinent problem the human race is facing now. The controversial nature of a viable solution is the theme. All its aspects are discussed in detail. A vivid flashback of Black Death bears relevance to the theme.
Overpopulation is seen by the geneticist, Zobrist as the danger of human race’s evolution and wellbeing. And he comes out with a smart and ruthless solution for decimating one third of the world’s population. The novel is full of surprises and suspenses from the beginning to the end, Zobrist’s master plan being the icing on the cake.
The subject of the novel is very thought-provoking and the arguments and explanations through the mouths of the leading characters are excellent. I want to quote a few excerpts:
“His(Zobrist’s) essay declared that the human race was on the brink of extinction, and that unless we had aastrophic event that precipitously decreased global population growth, our species would not survive another hundred years……It was astark thesis. The predicted time frame was substantially shorter than previous estimates, but it was supported by some very potent scientific data. He made a lot of enemies by declaring that all doctors should stop practicing medicine because extending the human life span was only exacerbating the population problem…Zobrist was immediately attacked from all sides-politicians, clergy, the World Health Organization-all of whom derided him as a doomsayer lunatic who was simply trying to cause panic….Over a few short years Zobrist went from being the toast of the medical world to being a total outcast…It’s no wonder he snapped and killed himself. Even sadder because his thesis is probably correct…..speaking from a purely scientific standpoint-all logic, no heart-I can tell you without a doubt that without some kind of drastic change, the end of our species is coming. It won’t be fire, brimstone, apocalypse, or nuclear war..it will be total collapse due to the number of people on the planet. The mathematics is indisputable…I’ve studied a fair amount of biology, and it’s quite normal for a species to go extinct simply as a result of overpopulating its environment. Picture a colony of surface algae living in a tiny pond in the forest, enjoying the pond’s perfect balance of nutrients. Unchecked, they reproduce so wildly that they quickly cover the pond’s entire surface, blotting out sun and thereby preventing the growth of the nutrients in the pond. Having sapped everything possible from their environment, the algae quickly die and disappear without a trace…A similar fate could easily await mankind. Far sooner and faster than any of us imagine…But that seems impossible. Not, impossible, Robert, just unthinkable. The human mind has a primitive ego defense mechanism that negates all realities that produce too much stress on the brain to handle. It’s called denial….In ancient mythology, a hero in denial is the ultimate manifestation of hubris and pride. No man is more prideful than he who believes himself immune to the dangers of the world. Dante clearly agreed, denouncing pride as the worst of the seven deadly sins and punished the prideful in the deepest ring of the inferno…..Robert, look, I’m not saying Zobrist is correct that a plague that kills half of the world’s people is the answer to overpopulation. Nor am I saying we should stop curing the sick. What I am saying is that our current path is a pretty simple formula for destruction. Population growth is an exponential progression occurring within a system of finite space and limited resources. The end will arrive very abruptly….Critics of Zobrist like to point out how paradoxical it is that many of the genetic technologies he developed are now extending life expectancy dramatically. Which only compounds the population problem. Exactly. Zobrist once said publicly that he wished he could put the genie back in the bottle and erase some of his contributions to human longevity….H+ is the symbol of the Transhumanist movement. Transhumanism is an intellectual movement, a philosophy of sorts, and it’s quickly taking root in the scientific community. It essentially states that humans should use technology to transcend the weaknesses inherent in our human bodies. In other words, the next step in human evolution should be that we begin biologically engineering ourselves..Technically we have been engineering ourselves for years now-developing vaccines that make children immune to certain diseases..polio, smallpox, typhoid. The difference is that now, with Zobrist’s breakthrough in germ-line level-making all subsequent generations immune to that disease….Normally, the evolutionary process-whether it be a lungfish developing feet or an ape developing opposable thumbs-takes millennia to occur. Now we can make radical genetic adaptations in a single generation. Proponents of the technology consider it the ultimate expression of Darwinian ‘survival of the fittest’-humans becoming a species that learns to improve its own evolutionary process..Sounds more like playing God…Zobrist, however, like many other Transhumanists, argued strongly that it is mankind’s evolutionary obligation to use all the powers at our disposal-germ-line genetic mutation, for one-to improve as a species. The problem is that our genetic makeup is like of cards- each piece connected to and supported by countless others-often in ways we don’t understand. If we try to remove a single human trait, we can cause hundreds of others to shift simultaneously, possibly with catastrophic effects. There’s a reason evolution is a gradual process. We’re tinkering with athat took aeons to build. These are dangerous times. We now literally have the capacity to activate certain gene sequences that will result in our descendants having increased dexterity, stamina, strength, even intelligence-essentially a super-race. These hypothetical ‘enhanced’ individuals are what Transhumanists refer to as posthumans, which some believe will be the future of our species…In the 1940s, Nazi scientists had dabbled in a technology they’d dubbed eugenics-an attempt to use rudimentary genetic engineering to increase the birth rate of those with certain “desirable” genetic traits, while decreasing the birth rate of those with “less desirable” ethnic traits. Ethnic cleansing at the genetic level. The most dangerous idea in the world from the sociocultural standpoint..How so? Well, I assume that genetic enhancements-much like cosmetic surgery-cost a lot of money, right? Of course. Not everyone could afford to improve themselves or their children. Which means that legalized genetic enhancements would immediately create a world of haves and have-nots. We already have a growing chasm between the rich and the poor, but genetic engineering would create a race of superhumans and perceived subhumans……The Black Plague thinned the herd and paved way for the Renaissance and Zobrist created Inferno as a kind of modern-day catalyst for global removal- a Transhumanist Black Death-…….You are a member of a new breed of thinkers. You can help them understand the mind-set of visionaries like Zobrist-brilliant individuals whose convictions are so strong that they take matters into their own hands….Every month, the WHO uncovers labs where scientists are dabbling in the gray areas of science-everything from manipulating human stem cells to breeding chimeras..blended species that don’t exist in nature. It’s disturbing. Science is progressing so fast that nobody knows where the lines are drawn anymore…..I believe genetic engineering is just another step in a long line of human advances….Ican’t help but question the wisdom of attempting to accelerate the natural process of evolution…genetic engineering is not an acceleration of the evolutionary process. It is the natural course of events!..it was evolution that created Bertrand Zobrist. His superior intellect was the product of the very process Darwin described ,an evolution over time. Bertrand’s rare insight into genetics did not come as a flash of divine inspiration, it was the product of years of human intellectual progress.And a Darwinist you know that nature has always found a way to keep the human population in check-plagues, famines, floods. But let me ask you this-isn’t it possible that found a different way this time? Instead of sending us horrific disasters and misery…may be nature, through the process of evolution, created a scientist who invented a different method of decreasing our numbers over time. No plagues. No death. Just a species more in tune with its environment…The end justifies the means, she said, quoting the notorious Florentine political philosopher Machiavelli…..The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis. In dangerous times, there is no sin greater than inaction.
****
Pertinent questions and treacherously convincing answers! Mind-boggling! Even scary! Anyway the book gives both pleasurable entertainment and food for thought.

[gaddeswarup]

Translation of a Perumal Murugan novel. "One part woman" (original 'Mathorupagan'). Impressive. More about the author http://caravanmagazine.in/books/boats-against-current?page=0%2C2

[raagadevan]

Translation of a Perumal Murugan novel. "One part woman" (original 'Mathorupagan'). Impressive.

"Perumal Murugan gives up writing"

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/perumal-murugan-gives-up-writing/article6784745.ece?homepage=true

[Russellaqi]

One More Day
Siva Trilogy
Red Lotus

These are highly recommended.

[ujeetotei]

A week back I finished reading The Science of Interstellar by Kip.S.Thorne.

[pavalamani pragasam]

Finished reading John Grisham's novel, "The confession". My first book by this author. A very good thriller, fast-paced and gripping. Full of drama till the end. Made the heart heavy to know the prevailing harsh, bitter realities in judiciary. Frustrating legalities; angering men manipulating ends for selfish gains; endearing, upright people standing steadily rooted in humane, just values. Very sobering, saddening effect to see the futile, fierce battle of innocence against injustice.

[pavalamani pragasam]

Finished reading Michael Crichton's Pirate Latitudes. My first experience of reading a sea adventure novel. Thoroughly shocked! Even though has learnt American history in school I had no idea about the rough life of the early settlers from all the nations of Europe and what a 'savage' life they led on land and sea in those early centuries of the New World. The raw, brutal, gory details startled me! Still the story was gripping and so I read it to the end in spite of revulsion at the barbarian fashion of life of those days.

[Dentgk]

My latest read was War and Peace, so thats a huge achivment for me and I've finally done it only because i'm currently having health issues so i search for https://pharmacyreviews.md in the meantime i'm sitting home doing absolutely nothing but waiting to feel better. so that's how i got the time to read it!

[Russellaqi]

Currently reading Ajaya: Roll of the Dice by Anand Neelakantan.