Amerika Franz Kafka A Review

Amerika is a tale by Franz Kafka which follows the shifting fortunes of a Bohemian immigrant by the name of Karl Rossmann. He comes across people who abuse and exploit him and consequently show him the reality concerning his notions about the United States of America. “Only then did Karl come to understand the vastness of America.” These are the last words of Franz Kafka in his work, `Amerika’. These words may be interpreted as lastingly hopeful. This is the only Kafka work where the protagonist is a teenager. Some of the situations that Karl gets into, make the reader tense. They get a feeling of an impending doom, to the point where reading this book makes them uncomfortable, particularly the entire chapter about Pollunder’s and the interactions of Karl with Delamarche and Robinson. In comparison, it feels odd because both `The Process’ and `The Castle’ by Kafka feel rather comforting to me, but `Amerika’ is a long and sustained attack of panic. These passages have created an impact on me - ‘When Karl appeared before them and greeted them, they put away the ledgers quickly and picked up some other large books, which they opened. One of them, evidently only a clerk, said: “I should like to see your identity papers.” “Unfortunately, I don’t have them with me,” said Karl. . . . “You’re an engineer?” asked the other man, who seemed to be the chief office manager. “Not yet,” Karl said quickly, “but—” “That’s quite enough, [. . .] then you don’t belong here. I would ask that you heed the signs.” [. . .] “Take this gentleman to the office for people with technical skills.” [. . .] `In the office into which Karl was now taken, the procedure was, as Karl had foreseen, similar to that in the first office. However, on hearing that he had attended middle school, they sent him to the office for former middle school students; but once in that office, when Karl said that he had attended a European middle school, they declared that they were not responsible for such cases and requested that he be taken to the office for former European middle-school students.’ This is Franz Kafka’s first novel and a peculiar one that dabbles with a crime plot. When reading this book, we have to realise that not all crimes end up producing murderers or corpses. Some of them leave dead souls that are killed by relentless metaphysical complexity; a kind that reason cannot contend with; a kind that wipes out nations and people in a couple of generations. Stalin in Russia was the foremost example of being a gifted practitioner of such type of killing in the twentieth century. He was an expert at bringing about mass perplexity to represent unregulated power. His idolaters and followers have become somewhat of a legion, everywhere in the world. Franz Kafka brought out this kind of complex analysis from his life’s experiences. These perplexities of life were coarsely inferred after his death by interpreters and scholars who were determined to conjure a general stereotype theory of Kafka’s writings. This book is a great example of such dissection of perplexity as a criminal activity. The narrative takes place in the United States of America’s baron-robber age and is perhaps the strangest and the funniest among Kafka’s novels. From the outset, we sense a repetition of hand holding of an embarrassing nature and sweaty and intimate body contact among males, mostly involving Karl Rossmann, the sixteen-year old lad whose innocence and experiences in America are recorded in this book. Karl is actually exiled in a way to America by his domineering Bohemian father after an old housemaid tries to rape him and becomes pregnant, while young Karl has no recollection of whatever transpired to him, in her bed. The character of Rossmann not only has a complete name but he is also presented as being a transparent and a non-mysterious figure, in contrast to the antihero who is named K, of `Castle’. What Karl has in plenty is an immoderate sense of duty and order. He is an obedient child. Yet, if he is cornered, he can fight back for his life. As the narrative progresses, his survival skills develop. What is unchangeable is that despite his trials in America, Karl is convinced that if he behaves in an honourable way, the world will treat him well and would be kind to him. At the end of the book, Karl has not learnt his lessons and does not turn into a vengeful character. One of the joys of reading this book is to go through how nobody and nothing is anything but nominal under their set of larger than life rules and how all the layers get peeled off simultaneously but not in unity. Karl is mighty surprised that the citizens of USA, either by immigration or birth are not fazed by these rules and regulations such as in the case of his wealthy and obese uncle. All the natives accept those rules, both implicit and explicit and they go on with their mundane lives. Karl is tormented during the day and reflects during the night; he compares his situation in the new world with that of his life in the old world.

Lee Child Bad Luck and Trouble: A Review

This is a great narrative laced with revenge as Jack Reacher wants an eye for an eye. The plot is about seven of his friends who were once military cops. Reacher had once formed an elite unit with them. He receives a message through a coded bank transaction from one of those called Neagley which is a SOS as one of them is found dead in mysterious circumstances. It is later learnt when they start exploring that three more are dead. It is assumed that were all murdered but by people unknown to the remaining four. Reacher wants payback as it was their motto during the paramilitary unit regime that `people did not mess with special investigators’. Even though their strength has waned during the years that have passed, their philosophy has not perished. It is later learnt that all four of them were killed after being tied at their ankles and wrists and thrown out of a helicopter. Reacher and Company start investigating from California to Las Vegas in Nevada. They make mistakes and start correcting them as they edge close to the answers to their questions. Through this journey, Reacher rekindles an old affair with one of his flames from that unit. With their uncanny skills of exploring, the outline of a conspiracy starts to take shape. They have to make a choice – either to save friends or avenge dead friends or risk the lives of hundreds of thousands of innocent people. Reacher does not give up, even in a world of bad luck and trouble, as he turns the tables on his foes.

The Teaching Essence of the Bhagavad Gita

The Teaching Essence of the Bhagavad Gita Brahmavidyāyāṁ Yogaśāstre Srīkṛṣṇārjunasaṁvāde These words arise at the end of each chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. Those who do not know Sanskrit might not have even detected this. Those who know Sanskrit just take it for granted and circumvent it as something that needs to be recited at the end of each chapter, whatever the reason may be. But there is no unnecessary word in the Bhagavad Gita. There is nothing that can be circumvented or considered as preparatory, just to be buffed over; even if there is an illustrious apostrophe—śrībhagavān-uvāca—that also has a meaning in itself. What does the Bhagavad Gita teach? It teaches three things: Brahmavidyāyāṁ Yogaśāstre Srīkṛṣṇārjunasaṁvāde. It is repeatedly drummed into our ears. The commentaries on the Gita say that it teaches karma yoga, raja yoga, bhakti yoga and jnana yoga, a synthesis of yoga, the art of living; and what not! But the Gita itself tells us what it teaches by a colophon (a publisher’s emblem on the title page of a book) which is in three words only: Brahmavidyāyāṁ Yogaśāstre Srīkṛṣṇārjunasaṁvāde. Actually, these three words mean theory, practice, and realisation. There is theoretical physics, practical physics and there is the technological realisation of it. Theoretical physics is the advanced conceptualisation of the deep structure of physical reality, in whatever form. Then, with this insight gained through a methodological study of the constituents of matter, it becomes more acquiescent and one can handle it more easily. An unknown object is fearful. The more we know it and the more we become intimate with it, the easier it is for us to handle it, for any given purpose. Brahma-vidya is the science of the Absolute—the system of thinking which is made possible to understand by itself at any time, telling us about the total structure of things. To conceive the absolute is to, at once, take into consideration, in our processes of thought, all things connected with the object of thought—not only the inner constituents of the object as such, but also the relations that the object bears to other objects. The reality of a particular thing is not only in itself; it is also in that which determines it, restricts it, influences it, conditions it, defines it and makes it what it is. Every individual is an entity by itself. But this ‘being an entity by itself' is not so simple a matter as it appears on the surface. As humans, we appear to be totally secluded and we stand by ourselves, unrelated to external things. We can be in our own rooms and unconnected to things. But, we are not unconnected to things. The physical atmosphere, the social atmosphere and the psychological atmosphere establish us. So, even if we are alone in our rooms, we do not forget that our individuality is habituated by the presence of these social laws, of government and of the thoughts of people, in general. Hence, our individuality is only a fantasy and total individuality by itself is not a possibility. There is a relation of ‘A' to ‘B'. If we say that an object is red in colour, it is not a self-governing perception of the redness of that object. It is, at the same time, a characteristic that we draw between the redness and other colours which are not red. If there was only redness everywhere, we would not be able to observe the redness of things. There is a merit in the characteristic of a particular object which is red. That distinction lies in the fact that it is not about what is not red. The negative influence is exerted on this object. Our not being animals is a conditioning factor even if we are human beings. The existence that is outside us is not actually outside us. It just influences us. We have to check out into the structural pattern of the object in its relation to atmospheric conditions outside, which establishes it in quality as well as in quantity, so that to think in an absolute fashion would be to recognise the total structure of the universe even in an atom or to see the whole government in a single official. We can summon the entire government, if necessary, though no official can be called the government. In a similar manner, any object can draw sustenance from everything in the universe. Brahma-vidya is the art and the science of educating oneself in the manner of correctly perceiving the world, including one's own self, in the totality of relations, so that no partial vision of things can be regarded as an authorisation to the concept of the Absolute. Mostly, our perceptions are partial. They are limited to certain conditions. It is a condition related to a marketplace, a railway station, an airport, an office or a house. These are the things that limit our thoughts but we do not rise above the outward nature of these conditions. The human mind is restricted in terms of being sensor receptive. It is basically external in its nature and total perception is neither external nor internal. It is a blend of both the external and the internal, so that we are in the middle, between our perceiving capacity and the object that is being perceived. In a total perception of things, we are not within ourselves; we have transcended ourselves, nor are we in the object; we have transcended the object. We are in the middle as the blend—a blending consciousness which brings about a harmony between the seer and the seen or between any two faces of reality. In all situations, there are two aspects: the cause or the causative factor and the effect upon which the cause has an impact. It is very difficult for us to see the relation between cause and effect. Mostly, we see the cause as one thing and the effect as another. Brahma-vidya is a complicated subject. It is not just repeating of some words of the Upanishads or the Brahma Sutras or even the Gita. It is the entry of the consciousness into the very importance of the teaching, which is suggested in many of the verses of the Bhagavad Gita itself. मत्तः परतरं नान्यत् किञ्चिदस्ति (७.७); अहं आत्म गुडाकेश सर्वभूताशयस्थितः (१०.२०); पश्य मे पार्थ रूपाणी शतशोऽथ सहस्रशः (११.५); दिव्यं दादामि ते चक्षुः पश्य मे योगं ऐश्वरं (11.8); ज्ञेयं यत् तत् प्रवाक्ष्यामि यज ज्ञानत्वमृतं अश्नुते, अनादिमत परं ब्रह्म न सत् तन नसाद उच्यते (१३.१२); सर्वतः- पाणिपादं तत् सर्वतोऽक्षीशिरोमुखं, सर्वतःश्रुतिमल लोके सर्वम् आवृत्य तिष्ठति (१३.१३): The Total has eyes everywhere, has feet everywhere, has hands everywhere because it is neither a subject nor an object. In the total perception of things, we are not ourselves nor are we other than what we are. We are something beyond both what we are and what is other than what we are. This is the final import and learning from Brahma-vidya aspect of the Bhagavad Gita. Theoretical physics has to lead to applied physics. What is the purpose of simply knowing things? Knowledge has to be applied in practical life. Similarly, this Brahma-vidya which is the knowledge of the integrality of things has to be put into daily implementation in our activities and gestures, in our biases and prejudices, in our desires, attractions and in our repulsions. In every situation, this Brahma-vidya has to be there. We cannot be whole only at some time and a fraction at some other time. Will we be whole persons in our office and only a percentage in our houses? We are whole everywhere but if we behave in different ways at different times and convert ourselves into fractions of human personality; we are not living a wholesome life. It is not a holistic approach to life. Brahma-vidya is to be applied in the Yoga Shastra. It is the daily application of our consciousness, our mind and our attitude to anything in the world in terms of the lesson that we have learnt through Brahma-vidya. What is the purpose of this practice of yoga in terms of the wisdom that we gain through Brahma-vidya? It is Kṛṣṇārjunasaṁvāda: the conversation of the soul with God. Kṛṣṇārjunasaṁvāda is the conversation of the soul with the Absolute. The soul speaks to the Absolute. Arjuna's imagining the mighty Krishna is symbolic of the soul imagining the Cosmic Being in its daily life. Who can meet the Absolute? Who can talk with God, unless we are burnt and blazing in the purity of our spirit as God Himself is? Unless we have transcended the limitations of flesh and bone and the limitations of the psyche which are conditioned socially and politically; unless we are able to lift our consciousness above these limitations, how will we converse with God? Who can dare approach God when there is no communicating medium between ourselves and God? The wavelength of our individuality and the wavelength of God are in such contrast that there is no mingling of these two factors. The radio station of God is sending messages. We are unable to receive any message from God because our receiving sets here have a very weak wavelength and we cannot receive those messages. The Yoga Shastra or the practice of yoga is nothing but the tuning of the wavelength of our receiving sets to the wavelength of the message that comes from God's broadcasting station. This is Yoga Shastra and the purpose of this is to contact God directly. There is no use of thinking about God, praying to God, feeling God and imagining that one day we will realise God. It is necessary to confront Him every day, if it is true that He is present in every atom. In every atom, He is vibrating just like the sun is vibrating in the solar system. If that is the case, He is to be contacted. God is here and now and not an afterwards or a somewhere or someone. He is without these limitations of concept of space and time. Contact with God is contact with timelessness and with eternity. Such is the importance of the final teaching of the Bhagavad Gita, where the soul converses with God in its realisation of the perfection that it has to achieve finally through the Yoga Shastra. This is the practice of the discipline necessary in this world in the light of the knowledge of Brahma-vidya, which is the theoretical education that we receive of how the world is made. First, we have to know; then, we have to do and then we have to realise. A similar reference is made in the Eleventh Chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. It is not enough if we merely see and know, but we have to enter into it. It is necessary for us to enter into God in our daily lives. The entry into God's existence every day is the living of the divine life and we should not fear that this is a very hard thing. Who can enter into God every day? Where is God? Is He in some unimaginable infinity? It is nothing of the kind. Sarvataḥ pāṇipādaṁ tat sarvatokṣiśiromukham, sarvataḥ śrutimal loke sarvam āvṛtya tiṣṭhati (13.13); mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti (7.7): Outside God, nothing exists. If that is the case, what is the distance between us and God? Distance is abolished. It is a distance-less and timeless contact. That is possible for us, provided that we open the gates of our personality, open the windows to the sunshine of the Supreme Being that is illuminating us perpetually and melt our egos, which affirm that “I also exist together with God”. The biblical fall of Satan is nothing but the story of the affirmation of the ego in the presence of God: “If you are there, I am also there.” The devotee says, “God, Thou art, but I am also there to contemplate about you.” That devotee should not be there at all. Let that devotee melt and then God possesses him. The ocean enters into the rivers and the world melts into the consciousness which is both now and here. The Bhagavad Gita is a Brahma-vidya (knowledge), a Yoga Shastra and Srīkṛṣṇārjunasaṁvāda. It is a theoretical understanding of the structure of the cosmos, the practice of yoga and the daily contact with God in our practical affairs - which is true divine life.

In God's Name - David Yallop : A Review

This book is an earth-shattering one! It is a result of almost three years of concentrated investigation and it reveals a narrative which is a powerful revelation in a corrupt and wicked world. David Yallop argues persuasively and shocks the world with his conclusions. He has made the Vatican and the whole world sit up and take note. On 28th September, 1978, a murder took place in the Vatican of Pope John Paul I – Albino Luciani. Such acts happen in this world ‘in God’s name’. Albino Luciani was elected as the 263rd Pope in the history of Vatican. He stayed in his office for only thirty-three days but created fear among the wolves and the wicked in that short tenure. When he died suddenly, it does not take rocket science to understand that he was removed quite cunningly and poisoned and made to look like a cardiac arrest. The autopsy was also reduced by the powers to be. There simply had not been enough time. Or had there been? As David Yallop reveals, Pope John Paul I had, by the evening of September 28, 1978, decided on disquieting changes that would affect the dogma and chain of command of the Roman Catholic Church. These changes would be opposed by many, among them six powerful men who knew that the Pope's decisions could mean the end of their careers if not their lives; unless, of course, they acted first and silenced the Pope. Early on the morning of September 29, 1978, Albino Luciani was found dead. No official death certificate was ever issued. No autopsy was performed. The cause of death referred to by the Vatican in vague terms remained unknown. At 7:27 a.m. on that fateful September day, Vatican Radio announced that John Paul I had succumbed to a heart attack sometime the previous evening, the cover-up of the true circumstances surrounding his death had already been manipulated for key hours; while a vow of silence was forced on members of the Papal household. As a result, crucial evidence disappeared. In this boldly documented, minute-by-minute account of John Paul I's last hours and the events that followed, David Yallop reveals how the elaborate web of Vatican lies was fabricated and surveys the aims of the six powerful men who stood at the axis of a lethal conspiracy. Only thirty-three days after his election, Pope John Paul I, Albino Luciani, died in strange circumstances. Almost immediately rumours of a cover-up began to circulate around the Vatican. In his researches David Yallop uncovered an extraordinary story: behind the Pope's death lay a dark and complex web of corruption within the Church that involved the Freemasons, Opus Dei and the Mafia and the murder of the 'Pope's Banker' Roberto Calvi. When first published in 1984 In God's Name was denounced by the Vatican yet became an award-winning international bestseller. In this new edition, Yallop brings the story up to date and reveals new evidence that has been long buried concerning the truth behind the Vatican cover-up. This is a classic work of investigative writing whose revelations will continue to reverberate around the world. The murder of Pope John Paul reads like fiction but David Yallop weaves a strong case for this to have happened in real life. The Catholic Church and Vatican Bank have been laid bare. This work is an excellent read from a great author which will leave you wondering as to how evil power and money dominate the proceedings in the world we live in. Yallop was inspired to write this after he received scores of `leaks’ from within the Vatican; from people who were themselves shocked with the whole affair. His research can be termed as both exhaustive and perfect while being flawless. Here are some interesting facts from this book – Pope John Paul I (Luciani) was murdered principally for his determination to excommunicate hundred top-ranked Vatican officials who were Freemasons. At the time, Church canon law still debarred membership of Freemasons (even though the Nazi Pope, Pius XII, was himself a Freemason). Besides, several of these Freemasons were co-conspirators in the Vatican Bank scandal, in which 2.4 billion US dollars were misappropriated from the bank, having been channeled into fake Panamanian accounts. The masterminds of this swindle were members of P2 - an Italian branch of the Illuminati. Pictures speak a thousand words. One enlightening picture drawn in the book by Graham Yallop is that of Luciani jovially speaking with a Cardinal, only three hours before his death--quite obviously in the pink of health. Upon his death, he was pronounced dead of a "possible myocardial infarction." "Possible?" Since when would a death in the Vatican be allowed to be interred without an autopsy? All instincts say that he was poisoned. Subsequent to the murder of Luciani, the following events took place: Karol Wojtlya, the CIA's candidate, a Marxist but anti-Russian, was elected. Wojtlya ignored the banking scandal until various European nations threatened to sue the Vatican Bank for default, on their money. Ronald Reagan then bailed out the Vatican Bank with $300 million of `discretionary CIA funds’. This was certainly illicit CIA drug money. He also signed a Concordat with the Vatican in 1983. It was the Vatican that secured the 1984 election for Ronald Reagan. About the Author David Anthony Yallop was born in London, England on 27th January, 1937. He left high school at the age of fifteen and worked a low-level job at a newspaper before two years of compulsory military service in the Royal Air Force. After his service was completed, he worked a series of odd jobs before landing at a television station, where he became a floor manager and studio director before he started writing. He wrote numerous scripts for television shows including the BBC soap opera, `East Enders’. He wrote several books about true crime and conspiracy including `Deliver Us from Evil’; `Tracking the Jackal: The Search for Carlos, the World's Most Wanted Man’; `The Power and the Glory: Inside the Dark Heart of John Paul II's Vatican’ and `Beyond Belief: The Catholic Church and the Child Abuse Scandal’. `In God's Name: An Investigation into the Murder of Pope John Paul I’ – th e book on review here, received the Crime Writers' Association's Gold Dagger award for non-fiction in 1984. He died from complications of pneumonia on 23rd August, 2018 at the age of 81.

Review of the Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Brown has stood up to the great expectations by his readers with this thriller of his. The adventures of Professor Langdon have created a stir once again after Angels and Demons and Da Vinci Code. You simply cannot deny being overwhelmed by the mysteries that are revealed in this gem of a work. You get to learn about the Freemasons and about their secrets and their origin. You encounter Noetic science as represented by an important character in the book, Katharine Solomon. When you are done reading, you would have soaked in a lot about the ancient mysteries and the truth concerning the adepts who have transmitted secret knowledge from Ancient Egypt to the founding Fathers of the American Constitution. This novel is following the footsteps of `Da Vinci Code’, a work that was condemned by the Vatican. Rome even denied permission for the filming of `Angels and Demons’. Brown is highlighting another powerful and ancient sect in the `Lost Symbol’ – the Freemasons. He is not trying to explain to us the secretive or bizarre rites of the Masons but he is interested in explaining their symbols and how they and the `Illuminati’ are shaping and controlling whatever that happens in the capital city of the most powerful nation in the world, ever since George Washington laid the cornerstone for the Capitol building in a Masonic ritual. Brown is certainly inspired by Steven Spielberg and his character Indiana Jones when he moulds his own Robert Langdon. He replaces the narrative and the galloping drive with fascinating pyramids and treasure maps and mythological archetypes and all those secret codes. In his books, just like Langdon needs a sexy companion to add flavour to the mystery thriller and its narrative, there has to be a deranged and demented lunatic villain. In this work, it is Mal’akh, whose eyes are shining with `feral ferocity’. With this book, Dan Brown has unleashed an unmistakable attack on all false assumptions that coat the thinking of the Western civilization. I, for one, have started to feel after reading Dan Brown’s books that our understanding of history has been manipulated and brainwashed and is perhaps based on deliberate suppression of ancient truths. In the Da Vinci Code, he had shaken the whole world by questioning and rattling the pillars of Christian faith. In `The Lost Symbol’, he points out that modern culture is suffering from a lack of understanding of competing world views; one that gives rise to the primacy to faith doctrines and the other, to logic and rationality. The reader gets a comprehensive tour of everything great and sacred in the unique city of Washington, District of Columbia. You feel that you have explored the hidden areas behind the great architectural monuments in this city, as you experience the agonising pursuit of the artifact by Professor Robert Langdon and Katharine Solomon.

Book of Enoch Explained

As per the Book of Genesis, Enoch was born to Jared. He was the father of Methuselah and great- grandfather of Noah. Enoch walked with God for over three hundred years and as in the case of Elijah, Jesus and Imam Mohammad Al Mahdi, he did not see death. He was taken away into hiding. Prophet Enoch was in the seventh generation from Adam. This Book of Enoch was regarded as authentic scripture by the early Christians. This book which was taken out of the canons was revived by James Bruce in 1773 in Ethiopia. The first English translation was published by Richard Laurence in 1821. It was proved at Qumran that this book was in existence before the advent of Christ. It is fascinating to note that many crucial concepts that were used by Jesus himself are directly linked to the ideas and terms found in the Book of Enoch. It can be concluded that Jesus was well aware of this Book and he studied it well enough to adopt specific descriptions of the Kingdom to come and the theme of final judgment that would descend upon the wicked of this world. The Old Testament uses the term wicked to describe Watchers clearly explained here. Here is an explanation on my part concerning prophecy of the ten weeks mentioned in this book, as in summary:- First Week – involves justice and righteousness (Chapter 93 Verse 3). Period covered here is approximately 16,000 B.C. – perhaps ice age. This was the time of Prophet Enoch. Second Week – involves severe injustice (Chapter 93 Verse 4) and the period covered here is between 16,000 B.C. – 10,000 B.C. This was the time of Prophet Noah and brings about the First End of the world as a result of the Great Flood. Third Week – involves the planting of righteousness (Chapter 93 Verse 5) and the period covered here is between 10,000 B.C. – 2,000 B.C. This was the time of Prophet Abraham. Fourth Week – involves the laws given through the ten commandments for all generations (Chapter 93 Verse 6) and the period covered here is between 2,000 B.C. – 1,400 B.C. This was the time of Prophet Moses and the Great Exodus. Fifth Week – involves the House of Glory (Chapter 93 Verse 7) and the period covered here is between 1,400 B.C. – 900 B.C. This was the time of Prophet Solomon. Sixth Week – involves the ascension and resurrection of Jesus (Chapter 93 Verse 8) and the period covered here is between 900 B.C. – 100 A.D. This was the time of Prophet John the Baptist and Prophet Jesus. Seventh Week – involves the apostate generations (Chapter 93 Verses 9 to 11) and the period covered here is between 100 A.D. – Present Day. This is the time of Imam Mahdi during his occultation culminating with the Day of Judgment and Trial by Fire. Eighth Week – involves the future righteousness of the new kingdom (Chapter 91 Verses 12 to 13). This is the time of the reappearance of Jesus and Imam Mahdi. Ninth Week – involves a time in future where righteous judgment is revealed (Chapter 91 Verse 14). Tenth Week – involves a time in the future where the righteous shine forever with their glory reinforced (Chapter 91 Verses 15 to 16).

Zen and the Natural Cure for Common Gum Diseases

Things You Won't Hear From your Doctor: Zen and the Natural Cure to the Common Gum Diseases by Eyal Cohen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is written by Israeli author and healer, Eyal Cohen.

He has dedicated his life to writing a revolutionary book series titled “Things You Wouldn’t Hear from Your Doctor”. It is divided into four volumes. He took a “Reiki” course; essentially about energy healing so that he could learn more about how the flow of energy can be used to treat chronic pains. The author shares this knowledge that he has acquired over twenty years in this book. Eyal Cohen cured his own gum disease using this method and shared his experience with his readers through this book.

The book consists of twenty chapters that detail different types of tooth and gum issues and their cure. It describes gum disease as one of the most extreme energy imbalance that our body copes with. In the first chapter, Eyal writes about his own personal experience of severe receding of the gum disease and how he cured it using energy healing. The book also explains how to prevent these diseases; and in case the reader is already suffering from such a disease, the book teaches the reader how to cure this ailment naturally.

This book is very well written and is organised in a manner that is easy to understand even if the reader has no prior knowledge of energy healing. It explains how energy imbalance can cause chronic pain and diseases and educates the reader on the dire consequences of neglecting energy imbalances. The author says that using the methods mentioned in this book will help decrease the need for medical services, drastically.

Despite the skepticism surrounding this technique, author Eyal does a great job of restoring trust in the reader. I would recommend this book to anyone who is suffering from such a disease and to people who are interested in or curious about alternative medical therapy.


View all my reviews

Franz Kafka Metamorphosis A Review

Franz Kafka was a Czech writer and one of the most influential exponent of Existentialist works. Helmut Richter was an expert essayist on literature from the Existentialism Period and he was a Marxist. Richter was astounded by the mechanics of Kafka’s writings and the way he used his words. Richter describes the work as the protagonist’s failure at what he was doing, leading to his death. The climax of the work is hinted at, quite early in the book. When Gregor wakes up one morning, he realises that he has turned into a giant cockroach. Gregor had been working as a salesman and his job demanded much determination to succeed. Kafka proves that Gregor failed in his duty as a salesman, particularly by getting transformed into a giant vermin – suggesting a strong work force. This metaphor stresses on the mediocre work that Gregor was putting in as a salesman. Richter argues that Kafka has reflected part of his personal life in the `Metamorphosis’. It can be considered as a semi-autobiographical work. The parents of Kafka were similar to that of Gregor. He was raised up in a wealthy family and his father was quite an overbearing man. Kafka’s mother was a pleasant woman, similar to that of Gregor. Another striking resemblance of the families is that of the sister. Like Gregor’s sister, Kafka’s sister was the only one in the family who was supportive of him. Richter admired the self-depiction which was included in this work. The ‘Metamorphosis’ is one of the most regularly analysed works in literature. It documents the transformation of Gregor Samsa from a man into an enormous cockroach. The work is known to inspire various exclusive interpretations. It is considered as one of the central riddles of modern literary imagination. Kafka is praised for his symbolic portrayal of alienation that he achieves through the literalised metaphor of man as an insect. In the synopsis, Gregor is initially shocked by noticing the change in his body form but settles down to start worrying about missing his train to work, lamenting in the background the ennui and the boredom created by his job and at the place of work, which he considered necessary to pay off the debts accumulated by his parents. To do a thematic analysis of the `Metamorphosis’, we need to focus on the symbolic and the psychoanalytic side or the allegorical nature of the story. The theme of alienation from humanity has to be viewed as the central theme of the story and interprets Gregor’s transformation as something of a fulfillment of a wish or as an extended metaphor. There is a deep resentment on Gregor’s part in connection with supporting his family. Gregor turns into a parasite with the desire to be nurtured by his parents in return. This takes place in an entomological sense. Gregor’s transformation is an extended metaphor which is carried from an abstract concept into concrete reality as he is trapped in a meaningless job while being isolated from real people around him. Gregor starts to imagine himself as a vermin at some point of time in his life and finally becomes one, physically. Kafka died at a young age of forty one due to tuberculosis. He could not digest the food he was eating and could not even swallow water down his throat. There is sustained realism in his work that contrasts with the fantastic occurrence of his transformation into an insect. The problematic features of this great work continue to challenge the readers even today. A single reading of this work by Kafka will not give you a total understanding and each return to the book will encourage the study of the deep meaning hidden in it. It is an existential account of the predicament of modern man. Kafka is seen as a Jewish mystic who is drawing on the Kabbalah traditions to create texts whose meaning is revealed only to those who are initiated. `Metamorphosis’ is considered by Richter as a modern kind of reworking of the `Pilgrim’s Progress’ of John Bunyan, with the characters embarking on a spiritual journey through a secular world. To understand the work, we have to understand Kafka first. He led an alienated life as an outsider in the Jewish community. He perceived human beings as being trapped by authority in a hopeless world. He was frustrated by the drudgery of supporting his family. He had to work in a meaningless bureaucratic job and this reflected in two other masterpieces of his – The Castle and The Trial. He hated being a pencil pusher. In his character build up of Gregor Samsa, he represents a specific type of behaviour and that is the fear of being alive with all the rewards and risks involved, while embracing an authentic code of behavior which finally has to accept, even after transformation, all the vicissitudes that life offers.

Existentialism and the Role of Jean Paul Sartre

Existentialism is a movement in literature that tries to describe the intent of the writers to make decisions which are rational despite being present in a universe which is irrational. The forerunners in the concepts of Existentialism were Kierkegaard, Dostoevsky and Nietzsche. Existentialism sprang from the radical ideas of these two individuals. It was Jean Paul Sartre who declared Existentialism and he was influenced by Marxist ideologies. His interests were more inclined towards politics than on philosophical theories. Camus and Samuel Beckett diverted themselves to the Theatre of the Absurd. They felt that Existentialism was more methodological than being philosophical. Albert Camus called Existentialism a `philosophical suicide’ when pondering on the subject of life: “I call the existential attitude philosophical suicide. How else to start from the world’s lack of meaning and end up by finding a meaning and a depth to it?” - Albert Camus as paraphrased; Introducing Existentialism; Appignanesi, p. 36. What is Existentialism? It is an intellectual movement that found its expression in literature, philosophy, politics and religion just after the Second World War. It is a response to times of anxiety; a period in which collectivism and war weakened the conventional beliefs of people in progress and made them doubt the general theories of truth and goodness. This movement was an attempt to find new platforms of truth and values for people - "a lonely anguished being in an ambiguous world." The most popular and influential exponent of existentialism is Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980), a French philosopher, novelist, playwright, and political activist. Sartre and Existentialism Sartre’s approach was with a secular orientation. He took an atheist stand and rejected the belief in God or the supernatural power. The concepts stayed centred on the human situation. He rejected the abstract and the rationalistic views of the world that defined the human essence. He spent much time in the deduction of the purpose and values of human existence. He felt that existence was more important than essence. He said that the human conditions, a collection of actions and experience, defined human nature. We are what we make of ourselves. Humans, on an individual basis, are the creators of all values and whatever meaning it gives to life. Humans have to act and then exercise their choice. Individuals can be totally free by acting alone in the face of the forces of evil, death and despair. For Sartre, freedom was the greatest good. It was not a negative release. Sartre proposed a courageous and irrational affirmation of responsible truth against meaninglessness and death. He fought during the Second World War with the French resistance and was even taken prisoner by the Germans. When he was released, he wrote, `Being and Nothingness’ in 1943. This was his major philosophical work. He expounded the Existentialist concepts in several plays. The best known play is `No Exit’ of 1945. In 1964, he declined to accept the Nobel Prize for Literature for the political implications of that award. He always remained a critical supporter of the communist causes post Second World War. In 1945, he also founded the literary and the political Quarterly known as `les Temps Modernes’ (The Modern Times). In this Quarterly, he continuously derided those writers who believed in pure literary art and his primary attack was on Marcel Proust whom he called an accomplice of bourgeois propaganda’. He dismissed Gustave Flaubert as a `talented coupon clipper’. He did not like their art for art’s sake theories. He argued in favour of literature `for engagement’. His thoughts ruffled many a feather in the French literary scene. He was not well known with the English speaking audiences.

Lives of Many People have been changed by the ‘Secret’

The ‘Secret’ is a book written by Rhonda Byrne in 2006. Rhonda Byrne is an Australian writer for television and a film producer. She has subsequently made audio compact discs and a film on this book. Sine their release, the book and the film have become big hits and people who have a penchant for personal development have been applauding them from their roof tops. This book expands on dissertations from modern day teachers who have taught the world ways of making money. They tell us that when we are young, no one teaches us about finance and the impact it has on our lives. What we learn in schools and colleges becomes totally useless when it involves making money and getting rich. Most people are never able to accumulate sufficient wealth or create enough earnings to comfortably provide for themselves and their family during their lifetime. Yes; most of us are spending a big chunk of our lives working endlessly and struggling to pay our bills and looking after our children and dependants. The troublesome truth is that most of us do not have enough savings to last even a quarter if we lose our jobs. The message of ‘the Secret’ is for people to realize that they can be happier than they were in the past. It reminds the people that they have the power to become wealthy and successful. This book and the film have all the elements to make them classics of the modern times. One of its best taglines is that the truth is either hidden right in front of us or within us. It re-introduces the ancient treatise on the laws of attraction. There are ten chapters in the book revolving around this age old treatise that likes attract each other. The book preaches personal development to such a point that if we decide to exude positive thinking and shift our focus on positive things alone in our lives, nature will boomerang that positive force back to us. It tells us that making money is important to get that positivity in our life as money spells power and power spells realization of dreams. By propelling the idea of positive thinking, Rhonda Byrne, the author, is in turn making money by digging the ancient secrets of the laws of attraction. Byrne is part of the Global Secrets International in Australia which is a family owned business. She is definitely influenced by people and groups that make multi level marketing into a real force. She is echoing what we hear from organizations like Global Information Network, Amway, Herbalife and QuestNet. The USP of these organizations is that we can even make three thousand per cent return on our investments without leaving our homes by pure referral and multi level marketing. Influential people from secret clubs and ancient secret societies have combined to make these organizations, reminding us that having strong influential connections in life is a key to the secret of success. Who we know get us what we want. The laws of affiliate marketing are hidden in the concepts that have been developed in the book. Driven by the laws of attraction as expounded by the book, many people have realized that doing affiliate marketing would allow them to realize the potential of making money and enough of it during their lifetime to follow their desires in life. THE SECRET has changed the lives of many people.

Analysis of Correspondences by Baudelaire

This poem by Baudelaire is addressing communication between the metaphysical world and nature. It also scratches on the surface of symbolism between self and others. When you read it at first, it may seem confusing as a result of the conflicting presence of corruption and triumph. Baudelaire discloses the connection between metaphysical world and nature with direct reference to the concept of Swedenborg. Emanuel Swedenborg was a Swedish scientist and a mystic. He is famous for his Neuron Concept as well as for his interpretation of dreams. He experienced several kinds of dreams and visions; some were pleasant and others disturbing. He recorded his experiences in Regnum Animale and his Journal of Dreams and when you read these works, like Baudelaire, you will immediately feel the battle between the love of self and the love of God. Baudelaire, like Swedenborg, had a condition called Synaesthesia where the brain mingles the sensory perceptions. The colours, sounds and scents get all mixed up. They are bundled together to generate mental images. The senses are sometimes stimulated through the mind’s eyes. Baudelaire is transferring the French symbolism of art and nature on to the reader. For example, in the lines such as “corrupted, rich, triumphant, full; perfumes, colours, sound; Frankincense, musk, ambergris, Benjamin”, Baudelaire is using the rhetorical device of `asyndeton’ for pulling off the dramatic effect. It suggests the infinite list of sensory experiences that the reader can relate to. These ongoing lists are metaphorical and they connect the senses to oneself. These lines also reflect parallelism where all worlds get related to the meaning of the poem as a whole and to the symbolism behind it. The sensory experience also gets connected to the metaphysical significance. Hypo-zeugma can be identified in technical literary terms in the line with “perfumes, colours, sounds”. They correspond with each other and these perceptions are developed throughout the entire poem with interrelated examples. This is a poem about the unity of nature and human perceptions about multiple worlds. You can become aware of such unity at some rare moments in the poem. This happens when you lose the ordinary state of mind and when you no longer separate yourself from your surroundings. Ecstasy is derived when you stand outside yourself in a trancelike state. This altered state of consciousness is not induced from within and not by any superfluous induced state through hallucinogenic drugs. Baudelaire was very fond of works by Thomas De Quincy and Edgar Allan Poe because of their dreamlike stories and poems. It is important for you to know that Baudelaire was also fond of hashish and marijuana. He achieved those hallucinogenic states for the sake of writing. He was also influenced by Emanuel Swedenborg’s mystical writings by emphasising on the oneness of the devotees to attain unity with God. The antithesis is present in the poem with the contrast of `corrupted’ yet `triumphant’ senses and the `confused speech’ of the columns; it may be difficult to understand by few readers while others can crack the meanings behind the lines. Singing the `rapture of the soul’ relates to the sensory experience of humans. The `grove of symbols’ that is being walked through life is a metaphor for connection between all things external to oneself. Everything that man experiences and perceives is a gateway to the soul. The key is to observe everything and realise the connection between them. The `temple of nature’ and the `grove of symbols’ in which man walks is seen metaphorically to the relation of the body (temple which houses the soul) to what surrounds it. The use of Literary technique `chiaroscuro’ is seen when the unity of the profound and shadowy echoes is used - as `vast as the night, as sunlight’s clarity’, comparing day and night to the merging of senses. Synaesthesia is being used throughout the poem with `long echoes’ and `living columns’ that breathe `confusing speech’ with `perfumes, colours and sounds’ corresponding with `odours’ that are `fresh as a baby’s skin’; with `green meadows’ and mellow oboes’ (oboes are a wind and reed instruments like shehnai). To conclude, Baudelaire’s poem is a symbolic representation of the connection of self to its surroundings with the constant use of metaphors and esoteric language. It is an adequate reflection of rhetorical devices, poetic chiaroscuro and synaesthesia to take the reader through a journey into nature’s correspondences with human consciousness.

The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy

Tolstoy The Death of Ivan Ilyich The Death of Ivan Ilyich was published in 1886 after a period of depression and personal intellectual turmoil (1875-1878) that ended with Tolstoy's conversion to Christianity. A Summary During an interval in a trial, some legal professionals converse in a private room. Peter Ivánovich, the protagonist’s closest friend, reads in the obituaries that Iván Ilyich has died. Iván Ilyich had been terminally ill for some time. He was the colleague of the men present. The men immediately think of how Iván Ilyich's death may result in promotion for them all. Each man thinks gratefully that Iván Ilyich is dead and not himself. They also think of how they will be forced to go through all the tedious business of paying respects and visiting the family. Flashback Iván Ilyich is the second son of a bureaucrat. He attends law school. He admires all those people who are in a high station in life and tries to imitate them, in whichever way he can. After law school, he qualifies for a position in the civil service. After a career setback, Iván Ilyich fights for a post with high salary and ends up with a job in Saint Petersburg. He throws himself into decorating. One day, when draping the hangings, he slips and bumps his side. The pain goes away before long. But then, it grows in his left side and he has a chronic unpleasant taste in his mouth. He becomes more irritable and sees a physician who diagnoses his illness as an appendix problem. He is forced to take opium to fight the pain and his mental anguish becomes more terrible as he fights the realization that he has wasted his life. He has dreams of a black sack with no bottom into which he is endlessly being pushed. (Sherlock Holmes also has dreams like these when he is in the possession of cocaine in the Seven Per Cent Solution). When the end seems near, at his wife's behest, Iván Ilyich takes communion and becomes a Protestant Christian. During the last three days of his life, Iván Ilyich screams in agony. But on the third day, he has a revelation. As his son touches his hand, Iván Ilyich finally recognizes that the way he has lived his life has been hypocritical and empty. He falls through the bottom of his dream's black sack and sees a great light. The light is comforting. He accepts that compassion is the key to correct living and tries to ask his wife for forgiveness. He feels no hatred now for others but pities them. He retreats into his inner world at the end. Though he seems to be in agony, internally Iván Ilyich is at peace when he dies. Like death or abandonment, alienation is one of the deepest-rooted fears experienced by human beings. As social creatures, humans have the need to identify themselves as one of a group, whether that group is a family, a culture, or a religion. Alienation is the central theme in Tolstoy's 'The Death of Ivan Ilyich' as it is in Kafka's `Metamorphosis' and Albert Camus’ `Stranger'. “He in his madness prays for storms, and dreams that storms will bring him peace”. “They had supper and went away, and Ivan Ilyich was left alone with the consciousness that his life was poisoned and was poisoning the lives of others, and that this poison did not weaken but penetrated more and more deeply into his whole being.” “With this consciousness, and with physical pain besides the terror, he must go to bed, often to lie awake the greater part of the night. Next morning he had to get up again, dress, go to the law courts, speak, and write; or if he did not go out, spend at home those twenty-four hours a day each of which was a torture. And he had to live thus all alone on the brink of an abyss, with no one who understood or pitied him.” As a writer, Leo Tolstoy was deeply concerned with the idea of the meaning of life. He recognised that what conventional society mistakes for life's meaning -- success, social position, political or corporate power -- were ultimately meaningless in the great scheme of things. Also, Tolstoy saw tremendous irony in the fact that our human lives are so transitory and our fortunes are subject to the whims of fate; yet, we act as if we will live forever with ultimate control over the progress of our existence. He illustrates this in his story ‘The Death of Ivan Ilyich.'

Exodus by Leon Uris

This epic work of Leon Uris went on to become a phenomenon in the world of publishing. It describes a dramatic political event in the history of twentieth century - the formation of the state of Israel. It is the tale of a Jewish freedom fighter and his family and an American nurse who are caught up in a period of anguish and struggle. The story is told in a poignant style. This particular struggle will otherwise go unnoticed in history classes of today. The screenplay for the film is very well done. The film revolves around the events leading to the formation of the state of Israel in 1948. Paul Newman plays Ari bin Canaan. He is a member of 'Haganah', a Jewish paramilitary group. Along with his uncle, he attempts to execute the exodus of six hundred Jewish refugees on a dangerous voyage from Cyprus to Palestine against resistance from the British and the Arabs. This happens on a ship named `Exodus'. The British did their best not to give permission of passage to the ship to reach its destination. The film may look like it is describing fictional events but many of them were fact-based details of the struggle for Israel as an independent country as a home for the Jews. Eva Marie Saint supports well in the role of the American nurse. Lee.J. Cobb plays Ari's father. Ralph Richardson plays General Sutherland. Jill Hayworth plays Karen. Sal Mineo plays Dov Landau. David Opatoshu plays the revolutionary uncle of Ari. Great direction by Otto Preminger. The best thing that happened to this film was the excellent music score provided by Ernest Gold. The main theme as well as Karen's theme are unforgettable. The message is very well brought out from Leon Uris' book, it is an utopia that is still being sought after - a land where the Arabs and Jews could dwell in peace and harmony - something that may never happen.

The Lost Symbol

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown is a book that should be read by every one interested in Ancient Mysteries. After reading the Deception point, Digital Fortress, Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons and now this book, I feel that Brown is perhaps the most exciting writer I have come across in the last five decades who spins great narratives around subjects that I am interested in. I still have to read his Inferno. This is one of the best books that I have read in the last decade. Another cracker of Brown's in the last decade was the `Da Vinci Code' which I enjoyed thoroughly. The thrilling book begins with a great quote from the `Secret Teachings of All Ages and ancient Mysteries', "To live in the world without becoming aware of the meaning of the world is like wandering about in a great library without touching the books." Character sketches have been woven with care by Dan Brown and the build up of all of these characters is simply a master stroke. He has developed the knack of telling a tale that is different and unique from the run of the mill thrillers. This book was completed in 2009.The story is set in Washington, D.C.and relies heavily on the world of Freemasonry. It is right up my alley as I am a Freemason. The central character is, once again, the symbologist Robert Langdon. This is his third appearance after Angels & Demons in 2000 and The Da Vinci Code in 2003. The Plot - Harvard symbologist, Langdon, is summoned unexpectedly to appear at the capitol Building in Washington, D.C. to give a lecture on Freemasonry when his life goes topsy-turvy when he finds out that there is not going to be a lecture but a chain of bizarre events that he has to experience. He comes across the severed hand of his long-time friend, Peter Solomon, with all the fingers artfully inscribed with symbols. This is actually an ancient way of inviting knowledgeable and selective people into the world of ancient mysteries. He has to accept such an invitation to save his friend. The narration will take you through a journey which plunges into deep Masonic secrets. The build up of characters is a touch of brilliance. It is an intelligent tale that has surprises for you at every turn. By the time you are done with the book, you would have realized that The Lost Symbol is within you.[Corinthians 3:16] -"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your midst?"

A Masterwork by Victor Hugo

https://youtu.be/JhhsylxYafE

When I first read this masterpiece by Victor Hugo when I was just fourteen, It had an everlasting impact on my mind and my young brain taught me that forgiveness is perhaps the strongest weapon man has been blessed with and the gift of forgiveness permeates throughout this outstanding work. This is not a book or a movie but a great lesson to learn. There are some unforgettable scenes in this book - for example, the initial scenes with the police and the priest and the final scene at River Seine. Liam Neeson has turned in one of his finest performances as Jean Valjean. He is superb in this role. I watched the entire movie on the edge of my drawing room seat. Hugo has given us a master work that shows us how dignity, power and forgiveness can mould our lives. Uma Thurman as Fantine has also done well. Claire Danes is brilliant but the standout performance in this film is that of Geoffrey Rush as Inspector Javert. I am impressed by the direction of Bille August. Rafael Yglesias has adapted this brilliant 1862 Hugo classic in the screenplay. The narrative is about the pursuit of an escaped convict, Jean Valjean by Inspector Javert. Valjean is originally an honest man who is condemned for stealing just a loaf of braed to feed his starving sister and her family. The tale picks up after twenty years of Valjean's escape from the prison and how he becomes a respectable mayor in the Village of Vigau. Compared with this well acted version, the musical that was released last year is a big joke with Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway and Amanda Seyfried. I shut the movie off after the first half an hour. Les Miserables will turn into a miserable tale if you try to make it into a musical. Only background music has an important role to play in a tale like this and Basil Pouledoris has done a great job in the Bille August version of 1998. This version of Victor Hugo's masterpiece is well acted with good production values. Geoffrey Rush as Inspector Javert is magnificent. Liam Neeson as Jean Valjean is excellent. Uma Thurman and Claire Danes are good. The drama is given its punch by excellent photography and superb music score by Basil Pouledouris. This drama is also popularly known as 'The Bishop's Candlesticks'. The Frenchman, Jean Valjean, is imprisoned for stealing bread and is paroled after nearly two decades only to be struck by twists of fortune when he tries to rob silver cutlery from a Bishop's house that changes his life forever turning him to be a rich benefactor and ultimately a Mayor. Fate does not leave him in peace there. He is hunted down by Inspector Javert and the climax of this master tale is heart wrenching. Once again, an extra ordinary performance by the master actor Geoffrey Rush. Thumbs up to Basil Pouledouris.

Prince of the Romantics

I have finally read the biography of Frederic Chopin written by Adam Zamoyski. This was initially published in 1979 but was not available in English transcriptions for all these years. In his short life of thirty nine years, Chopin elicited very strong emotions. Very few composers have been cherished like him. Plenty of mushy nonsense has also been written about him. This biography was intended to commemorate the bicentenary of the birth of Chopin. This compelling account manages to cut through the myths that have sprung around Chopin's life and the enigmatic Parisian personalities who were his contemporaries. This group included Berlioz, Victor Hugo, Franz Liszt and George Sand. Zamoyski has captured the social and historical background of Chopin's native Poland and of Paris where he spent most of his days. You will come across many archives of Krakow, Paris and Warsaw in Zamoyski's pursuit of knowledge. This has resulted in a biographical account of complete authority about a man of sensitive intelligence. He was a genius when it came to musical innovation. Heinrich Heine has labelled Chopin as `a man made for intimacy'. An interesting anecdote in this account is of George Sand. She wrote, "A great piece of news is that Little Chip-Chip is going to give a great concert; He does not want any posters and any programmes; he does not want anyone to talk about it. He is afraid of so many things that I have suggested he go ahead and play without candles and without an audience on a muted piano." This was written in 1841 by a cigar smoking Sand. Chopin was a child prodigy and was an inspired improviser. The extraordinary musicality of Chopin is something that the world needs a constant reminder of. Performance of his music has become a routine now but that cannot blind the world to the revolutionary and its unique qualities. Many of the new piano prodigies can rattle off his etudes with ease and it is in times like these that we need to understand the man behind the music, as brought out poetically by Adam Zamoyski.

Puppet on a Chain

I have read this book after forty four years. Man! Did I miss a great read so far?! Alistair MacLean had style and wrote with a sophisticated art of spinning webs in his narration. This book could be the motivating precursor to the French Connection series that became popular with Gene Hackman and Fernando Rey. Major Paul Sherman is an interesting character from Interpol. He, along with Alistair Maclean, has a fair understanding of good classical music as he identifies all the strains on the candy machine music boxes. It is surprising, though, that MacLean never takes him for at least one visit to the famous Concertgebouw, the House of the Amsterdam Orchestra that grew up mostly with Maestro Bernard Haitink. Maclean could have easily inserted a scene of the Concertgebouw during his narration of this exciting tale. The famous `Puppet on a Chain' is the one resembling Astrid Lemay, a pivotal character in the book. People call Maclean the master of action and suspense. There is no doubt about it as you read this book. It is a Classic by all means. I will give it a AA (Four and a Half Stars)and recommend it to all readers of good fiction. Paul Sherman is from the Narcotics Bureau of Interpol. He is on the trail of a drug lord in Amsterdam. Maclean builds up the plot very skillfully. He writes about Amsterdam in such a fashion that you feel that you are there yourself in the city, seeing those high houses and those famous canals as you walk through the eyes of Sherman. You don't just walk there; you come across police cars, racing taxis, women in trouble, pyschos, puppets, drug junkies and ,above all, murder. Alistair Maclean was the son of a Scottish minister. He spent his childhood days in the Scottish Highlands. He enrolled in the Royal Navy in 1941. Post Second World War, he taught English at the Glasgow University and became a schoolmaster. He spent over a couple of years aboard a wartime cruiser and a submarine. It does not come as a surprise that his first novel was about a submarine, `HMS Ulysses', followed years later by another masterpiece, `Ice Station Zebra'. He met with considerable success with his `HMS Ulysses'. It was written and circulated in 1955. After that book, he has penned twenty eight more bestsellers in the world; this is one of those. Many other books of his have been turned into exciting films like this book such as `The Guns of Navarone' and `Where Eagles Dare'. You may not come across the gadgetry of Bond (Fleming)in the books of Maclean or the ingenuine finesse of a Bourne (Ludlum)in Sherman but you do have a tale spun around an interesting character that comes across as an intelligent sleuth conveying a credible sense of a menacing danger across to the modern readers.

Ice Station Z

Ice Station Zebra is a film made on the exciting novel written by Alistair MacLean. It covers the cold war period of the late nineteen sixties. The story is about a spy satellite orbiting in the atmosphere and then parachuting to a place in the Arctic near Greenland. This is observed both by Russia and the United States of America. A figure in a hood struggles through the ice storm and retrieves the capsule. He is not aware that he is being watched by another person who is hidden nearby. Soon, the world hears that Drift Ice Station Z has met with a disaster as a weather station at the North Pole. Nuclear submarine, Tigerfish, commanded by James Ferraday (Rock Hudson) is sent from Scotland to be tried out as a rescue mission. He is asked to take a band of marines and a mysterious British passenger called David Jones (Patrick McGoohan) along with a Russian defector, Boris Vaslov (Ernest Borgnine). This tale is about how the submarine manages to break through the ice caps at Drift Ice Station Z (Zebra)(Previously the expansion codes for the letter Z were Zebra as they are Zulu today). There are several mishaps. There is sabotage involved. Once they manage to break through the ice caps, they find the weather station in a wrecked state with very few survivors. Jones is looking for the capsule. There is a twist in store for the viewers here as to who is looking for what and whom. The Russian defector Vaslov plays an important part. The climax is quite exciting with Russian and American warplanes joining the party at Zebra. Captain Ferraday saves the day with his quick thinking. They are all after the capsule as it contains photographs of the locations of American missile bases that are taken from a British satellite that is stolen by the Russians. The film has been directed by John Sturges and it was released in October 1968 using the 70mm Panorama Lens and six-track stereophonic sound effects. The background music score is excellent by Michel LeGrand. This is good movie experience as the cinematography and the exciting musical score draw you into the film. The story moves at a decent pace with intelligent dialogues keeping you well engrossed. http://youtu.be/N_UFVPKfqLs http://youtu.be/8ppI0XtgdK8