Receiving un-ordered products from India Today Book Club

This article at techtree.com reminded me to write me about this incident.

I have been subscriber of India Today Book Club for last 3 years and has purchased a good amount of books from ITBC. But recently I received a parcel through VPP and as it was from ITBC I paid for the parcel. What I found in the parcels was a set of cheap CD-ROMs which I did not recall ordering.

Next month I again got same parcel and I was not present and someone inadvertently received the parcel and paid for the same. Again the same set of CD-ROMs was in it. Then I received a call from my neighbor who had received similar parcel, but wisely he did not pay and asked me first about the contents of the parcel. I told him to refuse to receive the said parcel.

Thereafter, I wrote to ITBC and not to sent any book unless I place order. Though I my subscription is about to expire and I do not intend to extend considering such incidents.

Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell (Part I)

This is my first read of famous British philosopher Bertrand Russell. I was relieved to read the preface , wherein the author says that the book is not addressed to the learned, nor any deep philosophy is to be found in the book, and the observation of the author inspired by common sense. However, as I read the book I found that the common sense of Russell is uncommon.

The book is divided in two parts, part 1 “Causes of Unhappiness” and part 2 is “Causes of Happiness”. I hope to write on both the parts at length in different posts, with necessary excerpts from the book.

PART 1 : CAUSES OF UNHAPPINESS
Chapter 1 : What makes people unhappy?

In this chapter the author states the topic and area covered by the book. The author do not make tall claims to define all kinds of unhappiness nor raise high hopes for the remedies.

I shall confine my attention to those who are not subject to any extreme cause of outward misery. I shall assume a sufficient income to secure food and shelter, sufficient health to make ordinary bodily activities possible….. My purpose is to suggest a cure for the ordinary day-to-day unhappiness from which most people in civilised countries suffer..

Russell wrote the book in 1930 keeping the people of the then modern America and Europe in view, and I believe his observations can be safely applied to present days developing countries like India who is undergoing changes in social and economic structures much like America and Europe in 1930.

The author talks about different characteristics of human nature and explains about common type of self-absorption.

The sinner… is perpetually incurring his own disapproval, which, if he is religious, he interprets as the disapproval of god. …At bottom he still accepts all the prohibitions he was taught in infancy. Swearing ins wicked; drinking is wicked;ordinary shrewdness is wicked; above all sex is wicked. He does not, of course, abstain from any of these pleasures, but they are all poisoned for him by the feeling that they degrade him.

Narcissism is, in a sense, the converse of an habitual sense of sin; it consists in the habit of admiring oneself and wishing to be admired. Up to a point it is, of course, normal , and not to be deplored; it is only it its excess that it becomes a grave evil.

The megalomaniac differs from the narcissist by the fact that he wishes to be powerful rather than charming, and seeks to be feared rather than loved. To this type belong many lunatics and most of the great men in history.

In the end of the chapter the author says that the readers would rather be happy than unhappy, he doesn’t know whether he can help them to realise this wish, but there is no harm in making the attempt.

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Tagged : Page No.123 5th/last paragraph

I have been tagged by Ramute to publish the 5th paragraph of the page number 123 of the book I am reading. But I had to get back to her to ask what if the page do not have 5th paragraph and answer was , the last paragraph in that case.

So here is the last paragraph of Page No.123….

 

from…. Commentaries on Living - Second Series, by J Krishnamurti

There is another interesting passage I was reading from the book….

and I have to tag other five …. here they are
Pr3na
Nita
Dilip
Sigma
Bentherulez
Bach
Kiran
RED
(Well that is not five but more the merrier)

publish the 5th/last paragraph of the page number
123 of the book you are reading.and yeah tag other 5

 

Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach

I had received the book, Jonathan Living Seagull by Richard Bach, in gift a year back. Thereafter, I have read it quite some time. It is quite short and simple story. But every time I read it, I found new meaning , better understanding.

***
The story is about Jonathan Livingston Seagull , an ordinary seagull who is more interested to know about flying then just eating fish. Soon his parents grow worried that why he can’t be like other in the Flock, leaving low flying to albatross. Jonathan tries to be like other gulls but soon he is back experimenting different kinds of flying. But after many efforts he fails in flying efficiently and eventually decides to quit and join the Flock, that would make everyone happier , thinks Jonathan. While returning to the Flock, he discovers how to fly like falcon and is able to set the highest speed limit in the history of seagulls. He decides to share the discovery with the Flock, and they will be wild with joys, he thinks. Immediately, Jonathan is summoned by the Council and Jonathan declared outcast for irresponsible behaviour.

Jonathan lives alone beyond Far Cliff and learns more everyday. One day he is joined by two seagulls, bright and white as starlight, who have come to take him higher, to take him to home.

So this is heaven, thinks Jonathan , when he arrives with them and finds his feather glowed brightly and wings were smooth. He finds that there still many things to learn and he learns quickly with the help of Chiang, the Elder seagull. In time he starts teaching new seagulls coming in, but he gives thought about his Flock on the earth where some gulls who would also be able to learn and decides to return to the Flock.

When he returns he finds young Fletcher Lynd Seagull, an outcast for he too wants to learn fly higher. Jonathan gathers more student one by one who were ready to face the fury of the Flock but eager to learn fly higher. Soon the Flcok calls Jonathan as the Son of the Great Gull for his unbelievable abilities to fly. Then Jonathan tells Fletcher that he is now leaving as there may be other flocks and other Fletchers waiting for instructions and lastly Jonathan asks Fletcher, that no rumors about him is spread or make him a god.

****

Once you start reading you understand that the story can be , or is, related to human beings. We mostly live for the sake of living and do not seek the purpose of life and do not travels beyond ordinary and remains ordinary.

I am sure many of you have read this but please read if you haven’t, and re-read if you have already. You can download or read the full story in text mode here .

There are many memorable quotes in the book , I have quoted them in separate post.

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Quotes from Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach.

Here are the quotes I liked from the book ,Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. You can find my review here, and can downloand the story from here.Quotes are in the order of the progress of the story. I have given little narration where it is necessary to give background.

Most gulls don’t bother to learn more than the simplest facts of flight - how to get from shore to food and back again. For most gulls, it is not flying that matters, but eating.

Interesting dialogues between Jonathan and his parents

“Why ,Jon ,why?” His mother asked. “Why is it so hard to be like the rest of the flock, Jon? Why can’t you leave low flying to the pelicans, the albatross? Why don’t you eat? Jon, you are bone and feathers!”

“I don’t mind being bone and feathers, Mum. I just want to know what I can do in the air and what I can’t, that’s all. I just want to know”

“See here, Jonathan,” said his father, not unkindly. “Winter isn’t far away. Boats will be few, and the surface fish will be swimming deep. If you must study, then study food, and how to get it. This flying business is all very well, but you can’t eat a glide, you know. Dont’t you forget that the reason you fly is to eat”

After the failures Jonathn is disappointed :

As he sank low in the water, a strange hollow voice sounded within him. There’s no way around it. I am a seagull. I am limited by nature. If I were meant to learn so much about flying, I’d have charts for brains. If I were meant to fly at speed I’d have falcon’s short wings, and live on mice instead of fish. My father was right. I must forget this foolishness. I must fly home to the Flock and be content as I am, as a poor limited seagull.

When he discovers the technique of flying :

How much more there is now to living! Instead of our drab slogging forth and back to the fishing boats, there’s reason to life! We can lift ourselves out of ignorance, we can find ourselves as creatures of excellence and intelligence and skill. We can be free! We can learn to fly!

The Elder of the Council bashing Jonathan :

“…one day, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, you shall learn that irresponsibility does not pay. Life is the unknown and the unknowable, except that we are put into this world to eat, to stay alive as long we possibly can.”

Jonathan raising voice against the Council :

“Who is more responsible than a gull who finds and follows meaning, a higher purpose for life? For a thousand years we have scrabbled after fish heads, but now we have a reason to live - to learn, to discover, to be free! “

What he had once hoped for the Flock, he now gained for himself alone; he learned to fly, and was not sorry for the price that he had paid.

Jonathan Seagull discovered that boredom and fear and anger are the reasons that gull’s life is so short and with these gone from his thought, he lived a long fine life indeed.

The same rule holds for us now, of course: we choose our next world through what we learn in this one. Learn nothing , and the next is the same as this one, all the same limitations and lead weights to overcome”

When Jonathan asks, if heaven exists :

“No, Jonathan, there is no such place. Heaven is not a place, and it is not a time. Heaven is being perfect.”

The Elder explains :

“You will begin to touch heaven, Jonathan, in the moment that you touch perfect speed. And that isn’t flying a thousand miles an hour, or a million, or flying at the speed of light. Because any number is a limit, and perfection doesn’t have limits. Perfect speed, my son, is being there.”

“To fly as fast as thought, to anywhere that is,” he said,”you must begin by knowing that you have already arrived…”

Each of us is in truth an idea of the Great Gull, an unlimited idea of freedom,”

“Well sure, O.K. they’re Outcast,” said some of the younger gulls, “but hey, man, where did they learn to fly like that?”

When a handicap gull asks if he can fly :

“Come along then.” said Jonathan. “Climb with me away from the ground, and we’ll begin.”
“You don’t understand My wing. I can’t move my wing.”
“Maynard Gull, you have the freedom to be yourself, your true self, here and now, and nothing can stand in your way.It is the Law of the Great Gull, the Law that Is.”
“Are you saying I can fly?”
“I say you are free.”

Jonathan addressing his Flock

He spoke of very simple things - that it is right for a gull to fly,that freedom is the very nature of his being, that whatever stands against that freedom must be set aside, be it ritual or superstition or limitation in any form.
“Set aside,” came a voice from the multitude, “even if it be the Law of the Flock?”
“The only true law is that which leads to freedom,” Jonathan said.
“There is no other.”
“How do you expect us to fly as you fly?” came another voice. “You are special and gifted and divine, above other birds.”

Jonathan sighs :

Jonathan sighed. The price of being misunderstood, he thought. They call you devil or they call you god.

“The trick Fletcher is that we are trying to overcome our limitations in order, patiently, We don’t tackle flying through rock until a little later in the program.”
“Jonathan!”.
“Also known as the Son of the Great Gull ” his instructor said dryly,
“What are you doing here? The cliff! Haven’t I didn’t I.., die?”
“Oh, Fletch, come on. Think. If you are talking to me now, then obviously you didn’t die, did you? What you did manage to do was to change your level of consciousness rather abruptly.

“Why is it,” Jonathan puzzled, “that the hardest thing in the world is to convince a bird that he is free, and that he can prove it for himself if he’d just spend a little time practicing? Why should that be so hard?”

Farewell of Jonathan

A moment later Jonathan’s body wavered in the air, shimmering, and began to go transparent. “Don’t let them spread silly rumors about me, or make me a god. O.K., Fletch? I’m a seagull. I like to fly, maybe…”

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Deception Point by Dan Brown

After reading the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown I wanted to read his rest of previous books, and I had ordered for them and were lying unread in the shelves. The Christmas holidays provided good free time to finish them all and Deception Point [DP] was last of Dan Brown.

Infact, I was not quite impressed with the De Vinci Code [DVC] and I have my opinion for it. And when I read Angels and Demons [AD], it was clear that the most of plot of AD was recycled in DVC and I found AD better and fresher then DVC.

Same thing seems to happen with DP, if you have read Digital Fortress [DF], the first novel of Dan Brown, you will find some similarities in the plot in these two.

After reading all his four novels, one thing I can say about the author that he researches thoroughly for novels and uses realistic , actual data which excite the readers. But time and often I find this bit in overdoes. One of fellow blogger concluded the writing style of Dan Brown is like blog informative-one-time-read. But every author has its style and definitely I have put Dan Brown in my favourite author and look forward to read The Solomon Key and other 12 novels when published.

Now something about the story of Deception Point.
****
Senator Sedgewick Sexton is running for the US Presidency election against the elected president Zachary Herney. Rachel Sexton, the daughter of the senator, is intelligence analyst National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and loath her father.

The senator is successfully using the failure of NASA in its missions and over-budget to attack the president, who is supporter of NASA. Suddenly Rachel is summoned by the President, after receiving advice from William Pickering, Director of the National Reconnaissance Office, to refuse any proposal by the President which is anyway related to her father.

However, she does not get any option and she is sent to a huge Arctic glacier where NASA has made some discovery of a meteorite, which alleged to contains fossils of extra- terrestrial life forms. There she meets Michael Tolland, Oceanographer and host of TV Show, and other civilian scientists who are called by NASA to verify the discovery.

The President declares the newly found discovery of NASA which helps to boot his ratings, and lowered the image of the Senator who was apparently lobbying against the NASA activities as he was receiving bribes from private space companies, to allow them to expand their business in space.

However, after verifying the meteorite, the scientists find something unusual about the the discovery and decide to get into it. Soon their doubts become reality as they find out the deception about the discovery. Someone else is watching their move and try to kill them

Eventually, the President learns the felony, still wins the election and the senator wounds himself by the accidental publication of his scandal.
***

In this novel also like Digital Fortress, the head of the key government agency is villainous character , and who at same time believes that what is done is in the best interest of the nation. Again it is hard to believe that the President of only super power country, who knows what goes around the world, does not know what happens under his nose.

So, I would not recommend the novel, unless you are like me to read all the books of your favourite author.

With finishing this novel, Dan Brown is among another author with Jefferey Archer and John Grisham, whose all the novels I have read.

This is my first read of 2007 as per the resolution (1/52)

Digital Fortress by Dan Brown

When Dan Brown read Sidney Sheldon’s novel The Doomsday Conspiracy, he decided he could do better and it was Digital Fortress [DF] , his first novel.

**Spoiler ahead **

Susan Fletcher is Head Cryptographer of NSA (National Security Agency) and she receives emergency call from the Dy. Director of the operation, Commander Trevor Strathmore, who was like father to Susan.

Strathmore informed her about the emergency, TRANSLTR, a super toy of NSA able to decode toughest encrypted message within minutes, is not able to decrypt a code for more than fifteen hours. Strathmore explained that he had entered a code published by Ensei Tankado, who claims that the code is unbreakable as against the Bergofsky Principle, which states that every code is breakable. Only Tankado has pass-key to decrypt the code, he has decided to sell the unbreakable code to the highest bidder among the international computer companies.

However, TRANSLTR seems to be in endless loop, and Strathmore sends David Becker, a foreign languages expert and boyfriend of Susan, to Spain to recover the belongings of dead Tankado. Meanwhile Susan and Strathmore tries to figure out the problem.

When Phil Chartrukian , assistant System Security Division of Crypto, arrives at Crypto and believes that TRANSLTR has been attacked by a virus. Greg Hale, another Crypto of NSA also wonders why Susan and Starthmore are present on Saturday and smell the rate.

Here David find something missing from the personal belongings of Tankado and the chase begins to recover it as it contains the pass-key to decrypt the code of Tankado.
****

I find the story with too many co-incidents. Also the chase by David almost consume half of the story which becomes frustrating sometime. You left in wondering that NSA , budget of which runs in billions and which contains the most secured secrets of America appears to easy to breached. One could peep into another’s room, and one can access to the Dy. Director’s email account.

I find hard to believe that at the NSA, building of which is spread in two millions square feet and have staff of twenty six thousand, nobdy turnsup when their ultimate machine is at fire.

Having read all the novels of Dan Brown it appears that the author makes a very good head start , explaining everything necessary to understand the novel, and also state that the state-of-art technology developed and controlled by the American secret agencies, but somehow initial excitement created by the fact and figures fads away as the story progresses.

Dont regret If you haven’t read , because you will regret too after reading.

I liked a dialog of abusive Jabba , Anti-Hecker and System Security Chief of NSA …to conclude the review

“Clear like shit”

Angels and Demons by Dan Brown : better than the Da Vinci Code

Dan Brown has become famous after the Da Vinci Code as his previous novels were moderately successful having sold less than 10,000 copies. However, when I picked up Angels and Demons [AD] amazingly it turned out to be real page turner and I find it better than The Da Vinci Code[DVC], which follows mostly same plot as AD.

**Spoiler ahead some plot is revealed **

Robert Langdon ,a well known symbologist of history and professor at Harvard University, receives a phone call in early morning requiring his expertise , which he refuses. Immediately he receives a fax of a murdered man with a symbol of “Illuminati” branded on his chest.

Now Robert is forced to visit his caller , Maximilian Kohler the Director of CERN Laboratory, Geneva, Switzerland.Where he discovers that the murdered person is , Leonardo Vetra, a famous scientist of physics and involved in a secret research project. Kohler had done search on internet for “Illuminati” , an ancient secret group of scientists raising their voices against the superemecy of the Church and religion, and now he wants the assistance of Robert for finding out the murderer.

Vittoria , the daughter of Leonardo soon arrives at the scene and Kohler demands the details of the secret project on which she and her father were working on. Vittoria explains every things about their research on Anti-matter, which is has incredible resource of energy, if used constructively. As three of them reach to her storage room where they have stored large quantity ,a droplet, of the Anti-matter generated by Leonardo, in their horror find that the canister containing the droplet of Anti-matter is stolen.

Suddenly Kohler receives a phone call from the Vatican , Rome about strange canister appearing on the security monitor, but the Swiss Guards are unable to locate. Vittoria and Robert fly to the Vatican and meet the Commander Olivetti.

There is so much activities at the Vatican as the fifteen days ago the Pope has died by a stroke and now conclave is arranged and 165 cardinals from around the world have met, to elect new Pope. Four of the senior cardinals, who are chosen one, and anyone of them likely to be new Pope, are reported missing.

Robert and Vittoria met with Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca at the chamber of the late Pope where he receives phone call from Hassassin that he has kidnapped all four cardinals and they will be murdered publicly one after one.

Robert believes that he can find the venues of proposed murders if he is allowed to access to the Archives of the Vatican where a secret diary of Galileo is stored and from the diary he may be able to find clues about the places of murders.

Robert and Vittoria decode the locations one after one but they are always little late from saving the cardinals who are murdered using four elements of Illuminati , earth,air,fire and water. During the third murder Vittoria is kidnapped by Hassassin.

Then Kohler decides to arrive at the Vatican , as he may be having the location of the cannister placed, which is to be removed otherwise destroying entire Vatican. However, from the talks of Hassassin Robert suspects that infact Kohler is Janus, the head of Illuminati to finally eliminate the Camerlengo and they rush to the Vatican to save the Camerlengo.

Intense suspense is created thereafter, whether Kohler is Janus? whether Illuminati is able to infiltrate the most secure place of the Vatican? What happens to the Anti-matter?

*****

I have not described “Illuminati” in details to avoid spoiling the suspense.I must say that AD is better than the DVC and surprisingly, did not receive any attention till the DVC became famous. If you have enjoyed the DVC , then this is treat for you, the first adventure of Robert Langdon. I find the DVC storyline much similar , rather it is dull comparing with AD. Probably the name of Da Vinci caused attraction .

If you are interested in to know more about ambigrams used in the novel here is the link of John Langdon , an ambigram artist a part of inspiration , as said by Dan Brown, for the novel and the character Robert Langdon.

Timeline by Michael Crichton

This was my first novel of Michael Crichton, I heard about him after Jurassic Park and Lost World. I was lucky to get the original US Hard bound first edition from local book shop, as an unsold item.

The title itself excited me as I guessed correctly that it was something about time travel. The story is based on the concept of quantum physics and existence of many universe on a time line. The story do not simply take you back but the author also discuss the technology behind the time travel.

Main character is Professor Edward Johnston an historian and archaeologists studying historical sites in French. ITC is the company who provides fund to the professor to carry out researches. ITC is run by Robert Doniger, a brilliant , wealthy  and mean scientist. Chris, Kate, David and Andre are students and associates of the professor who work with him at the site.

Suddenly the professor is called by ITC and after three days Chris, Kate, David and Andre are also called by the company. At the secret lab of ITC they are made to understand that the professor time traveled back to 14th century France and is not able to return and if they are ready to go with the experienced guard to bring him back. They decided to travel back and they have been given time of 37 hours to find the professor, after that the machines will not be able to bring them back. David decided not travel and remain at the lab of ITC.

When they reach in the past, they get separated and two of them were taken to Lord Oliver and Chris follows a boy and unwittingly identifies himself as a noble. The boy turns out to be Lady Claire.

The professor is now known as wise man, and Sir Oliver believes that the wise man knows the secret passage to the castle of La Roqueand , also knows about Greek Fire. However, the professor’ knowing’ that the Sir Oliver lost the siege carried by Arnaut de Cervole still helps him with making of ‘automatic fire’ .

They also learn that Robert de Kere is actually one of the employee of ITC and has almost become insane because of many time travels and transcription errors and has remained here , and he has been spying on them .

Eventually they all get together to return back into the present, but Andre decide to stay back and marry Lady Claire. When the return they learn that Robert was making time travel machine to develops it as biggest entertainment to offer the world.

As the story takes place in the medival France and without the knowledge of the history , that too of France it was little bit difficult for me to concentrate , but ofcourse the author is not to be blamed for that. Further the reason of making timet ravel machine is revealed at the very end of the story and until you are bit frustrated with the suspense.

I find the story getting weak at some points. But still story is basically interesting and I finished within two sessions. If you are science-fiction fan , like me, then this is good read.

The Partner by John Grisham

The Partner by John Grisham (1997,Random House Publication)

Danilo is hiding somewhere in Brazil and his victims have been looking for him for more than four years, spending nearly two millions for that. Danilo is Patrick Lanigan before he embezzled 90 million dollars from a client of his former law firm, where he was newly introduced partner.

One of the client of the firm was informer to the government about a billion dollar contract scandal and was about to receive 90 million ,the incentive amount for informing the scandal. Patrick planned very carefully and transferred the entire amount in his account and vanished with the bounty and made sure not to leave any trace behind him.

He planned for his own death, and died in a road accident. He insured himself for one million dollar eight months ago before his 'death' to ensure maintenance of his wife, whom he despised, and for his daughter Ashley , whom he was doubtful about being her father.

The plan worked as aimed, people sorrowed for his death , his wife was paid the insurance claim and everything was on its place until his death become doubtful and linked with the missing 90 millon dollars from the firm's account.

A syndicate, consisting the insurance company of his wife , of the firm and the client, invested hugh amount for finding him out. After he was brought to his home town, he became celebrity for looting the large sum and ,moreover, running away with it. All the government prosecution agency, the state and federal, sued him for every possible charges.

Every one had variable interests in Patrick, the client wanted his bounty, the firm watned its share, insurance company wanted to get their claim back, his wife wanted him dead so she could keep the money, the prosecutors wanted conviction to help them in next election.

But they all faced one of the biggest problem when it was found out that Patrick did not know where the monies are? All of them were well invested and the locations were known only to a lady friend of Patrick.

Eventually, Patrick squared up with everyone. He readily returned all the money to the government with little interest over it leaving him some handsome money, his client kept silent as the scandal would embrass some big shots in Washington, insurance company abandon the claim money, his wife got divorce and the kid.

Finally, Danilo left his hometown and waited his girlfriend to turn up with money. But did she…?

I have read most of John Grisham's and this is re-read so naturally it is recommended.

However it is not at par compared to his other highly successful novels like The Firm and The Runaway Jury etc.