Rian Nejar's Blog, page 7
September 25, 2016
Review: Arranging love, contemporary way!
Arranging love, contemporary way! by Poornima Dhiman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A bold exposé by a strong and independent woman.
It takes more than courage to write about troubling sociocultural issues. Cultural conservatism often suppresses free and frank expression. Truth, however valuable, is often hidden away in the recesses of the mind – because revelation can lead to embarrassment all around. A patriarchal culture invariably mutes the plaints of women. Yet some must speak and reveal, and confusion, angst, and agony do at times lend strength to such expression.
Poornima writes lucidly of such matters in millennial Indian society. She narrates the yearning and betrayal that a young girl experiences as she traverses the “marriageable age.” And of a choice made – to be true to oneself – as the protagonist learns and matures as a woman.
Male dominance and chauvinism is a topic often penned about. The patent unfairness of a society and culture that feeds and supports such attitudes, on the other hand, isn’t always clearly detailed. Poornima writes of men who take full advantage of such ways perpetuated. She details experiences of a girl, who wishes only to find her mate and true love, exploited by weak-minded males who take refuge in their families’ judgments when it suits them to do so – after taking full advantage of a girl’s hopes and desires. She writes of fence-sitters, unable to firm their cartilaginous spines, who continue to dump their emotional detritus on trusting girls. These males – who aren’t dominant, and freely exploit social bias – come across as weak and unworthy of their traditional roles as protectors of families.
Poornima’s protagonist Ananya faces such encounters as an independent girl who breaks social constraints and asks more of life. As is her right. She falls into traps, succumbs to games boys play, and goes along with contemporary methods of browsing find-your-right-mate.com pages… Though some do find mates they can live with through such methods, she finds these pathways desultory. She continues her search for a true love.
Will Ananya find what she seeks? Will she discover true love? She is brave and resolute in her quest.
An intriguing narrative written by a young writer, the book is easy to read and humorous in its treatment of difficult relationship issues. It provides a front-row seat to the malaise of millennial Indian society: the gauntlet girls face as they reach adulthood. Like making lemonade when life serves you lemons, Poornima’s story is a credit to independent girls and women.
As with any rough gem, some polishing, such as editing and proofreading, can add much to this self-published narrative. A commendable debut work!
September 18, 2016
Review: The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Inimitable.
Never have I come across a writer bridging the eager anticipation and wonder of young readers with the cynical worldview of grown-ups in such imaginative and enjoyable fashion. One simply doesn’t expect such genius, in a book, in a story, or in the narration, as is rendered in this luminous work.
Kipling possesses a rare quality; a gift that draws adults into fanciful depictions of nature, the world of animals and children, and resplendent views of human qualities and ingenuity.
At a loss for words, I’ll just say “Read this work! Read it!”
September 9, 2016
Review: The Shadow Effect: Illuminating the Hidden Power of Your True Self
The Shadow Effect: Illuminating the Hidden Power of Your True Self by Deepak Chopra
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
A strange twist on dualism and psychological metaphor.
The authors, described as “luminaries” in the cover of the book, invent their new form of dualism: light and shadow for a self (that they call “Your True Self” to boot).
Hey – good and evil, angel and devil, ‘Deva’ and ‘Asura,’ etc., are taken, and overused, so why not? Besides, such a metaphor will surely resonate with the rather large segment of humanity receptive to such differentiation.
Having split the self (that Chopda, starting his spiel, describes as a weak creation of the growing mind) into these two absolute definitions, they go on to say that wholeness requires acceptance, and unity, of these two splits they themselves defined. Duh…what? You split them in the first place…now you say join them?
The work smacks of an amateurish attempt to blend dualistic (a life force as distinct from the living mechanism) thought with a holistic life view.
But why lean on a dualistic model at all? Why not begin with a clean slate, as one author claims babies do, and build upon that with the innumerable and wonderful facets of the human persona? I think evolution favored humans with a great variety of emotions, all of which serve useful functions. Fear isn’t a bad thing, a “shadow” characteristic as the authors call it, for it is fear that often keeps one safe. Nor is anger a terrible quality, one to be suppressed, for anger gives strength to expressions, and in times of dire need, great physical strength and mental resolve as well. Fear, anger, and shame are all natural, a part of a being’s emotional makeup, a well-rounded human persona. Why split it into the two sides of a coin? Why not look at it as the multiple facets of a polished gem of a mind?
Besides, the authors’ use of ‘shadow’ as a metaphor for what they consider undesirable characteristics in a human persona doesn’t seem quite appropriate – isn’t it light that causes a shadow? Without light, without such reference, there would not be a shadow. And who is to say light is “good?” Doesn’t light burn, and dazzle? And doesn’t a shadow comfort one seeking shade?
The work does contain tolerable insights into psychology, and numerous references (read name dropping) to other “luminaries” and their thinking. But ‘collective unconscious,’ and the ‘shadow living in the collective unconscious,’ seems a stretch too far. With all due respect to C. J. Jung, who no doubt came up with brilliant insights within the limitations of knowledge available in his day, his concepts and ideas have had their utility in human learning, and have been transcended. The authors’ reliance upon such dated concepts to support their unique differentiation of the self is unwarranted and unworthy.
Not a book for diligent researchers into human psychology and self-help.
September 4, 2016
Review: The Boy Who Runs: The Odyssey of Julius Achon
The Boy Who Runs: The Odyssey of Julius Achon by Julius Achon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A compelling, inspiring narrative that takes one into the heart-rending anguish of post-colonial Uganda, the lives of outstanding runners from Africa, and the heart and mind of a boy far wiser than his years.
Julius Achon manifests the true qualities of a dano adano, a human person, as he described his friend and mentor Jim Fee.
Highly recommended.
September 2, 2016
Review: America the Anxious: How Our Pursuit of Happiness Is Creating a Nation of Nervous Wrecks
America the Anxious: How Our Pursuit of Happiness Is Creating a Nation of Nervous Wrecks by Ruth Whippman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A refreshingly honest, broad, and enlightening narrative of an immigrant’s search for happiness in a land that pursues happiness.
Ruth Whippman pulls no punches in this humor filled work. She explores, criticizes, debunks, and dispenses with a whole lot of ideas – many exploited commercially – of happiness and its pursuit in America. She spares nothing and no one – names (some changed) and organizations abound in the work with witty and insightful criticism rendering them and their wares impotent. She holds little back, in that brash, cringe-worthy American way, discussing her most private experiences and sentiments in this intriguing journey of her life.
Yes, she shocks a reader at times. With honesty, oversharing, and, occasionally, surprising wisdom.
Some minor peeves. Though religion, an ancient human institution, is explored within, Ruth does not address the vast reservoir of ancient wisdom, far beyond and set apart from religion, that offer so much insight and guidance. A simple example: “One devotes so much effort to searching, and little to finding.” Abstract, broadly applicable, and yet pithy. Applied to happiness, one may comprehend that the “pursuit” is not as important as discovering happiness in various aspects and activities of life. And, though so much contemporary research is cited within, very little exploration supports the aspirations expressed at the founding of the nation: “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Ruth writes of a founding father Jefferson’s sentiment, relating to happiness, but does not buttress it with convincing circumstances and events in Jefferson’s life and learning that could explain it.
Ruth also makes a compelling argument that the pursuit of happiness turns Americans into nervous wrecks. But ask this: how many Americans really do pursue happiness? There is a vast gulf between the pursuits of the upper 10% and the remaining 90%, just as the contemporary refrain distinguishes the greedy 1% and the struggling 99%. Most Americans, natives, occupants for centuries, and new immigrants, are engaged in a daily struggle for survival. Making enough to pay for the many expenses, such as basic healthcare, monthly bills, mortgages for homes, and daycare/college education – sometimes with multiple jobs – occupies almost all of the average working American’s attention. How much of one’s mind can one devote to consciously ‘pursuing happiness?’ Do the stresses of everyday living not contribute the most to one’s mental exhaustion?
That said, this book is a most informative read. The understanding Ruth comes to, in her journey toward happiness, is, to me, very much the same as my own.
A pleasant bit to me was her observation regarding society, “…society is let off the hook for taking any collective responsibility for children’s well-being or for offering any tangible practical support for families.” We are, one and all, society’s children. That contemporary society takes almost no responsibility defeats the established wisdom that it takes a village to raise a child. I’d lamented, in my own narrative of life America, that “Society takes no collective responsibility for the symptoms of its own enculturation.” It is endearing to see a similar finding from another rather different perspective.
A book recommended to every parent, culture and happiness aficionado, and would-be philosopher. Thank you for your honesty, Ruth!
A Goodreads Giveaway of an “Advance Uncorrected Proof’ received free and reviewed.
August 30, 2016
Moon Landing: Fake or Falcon True?
Snapshot of a hammer and feather dropped: YouTube Clip
Every so often, one comes across someone alluding to the moon landings as Virtual Reality, or just plain fake.
Bugs me no end.
Why, you ask? It’s the straw with which such folks prop up their sagging, desiccated camel of disbelief. It’s the fatuous hope that if they repeat it often enough, they’ll win some “believers” for their conspiracy theories. It’s hogwash. Horse manure. Bunkum, bollocks.
The simplest of physics suffices to dispel such malodors. Please – watch the minute-and-a-half YouTube clip. It’s a famous validation of dear old Galileo’s assertion. In a perfect vacuum, all objects will fall similarly: a hammer and a feather dropped simultaneously from the same height will both hit the ground at the same time. The Moon-ground in this instance, or so we are asked to believe, with the Falcon ship in the background.
But what observations and inferences do we make? First, the adventurers in the video have their entire spacesuits on. Clearly, they need air within their bubbles to carry on as they do, merrily so. And yes, the hammer and feather do fall and hit the ground simultaneously. The experiment is conducted in an environment devoid of all viscosity; nothing impedes the fall of a feather that would otherwise ‘float.’ Not too far a stretch to conclude that they are in a near perfect vacuum.
But there’s more that we see…if we look beyond just snapshots. Watch how the hammer and feather both fall. From an astronaut’s shoulder height, about a meter and a half above ground. And the fall time duration. A little less than a second and a half. From some simple calculations, we find the acceleration due to gravity in the experimental environment, g, to be about 1.6m/s^2.
That’s the moon‘s gravitational attraction!
Don’t believe me yet? We can go a bit further. The moon is about 1.23% of the earth’s mass and has 27% of the earth’s diameter. By dear old Newton’s gravitational laws,
F = (G×M×m)/r^2
and
F = m×a (where a is acceleration)
we get a, the acceleration on the moon due to gravity, as 1.23×(100/27)^2 % of that on earth, or ~1.655m/s^2. Now don’t ask me to derive this step-by-little-step.
So what do we have? The experiment verifies a vacuum, which matches the moon’s atmosphere. The gravity there is about 1.6m/s^2, the moon’s gravity, as we’ve measured and calculated from the height of drop and time of fall. The Falcon is in the background. The Falcon had headed out to the moon.
Was it all a conspiracy, now?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
August 25, 2016
Review: Authentic Creativity: How to Make the Most of Your Creative Intent, Strategy and Perspective
Authentic Creativity: How to Make the Most of Your Creative Intent, Strategy and Perspective by Cheryl R. Bezuidenhout
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A candid review of a free copy provided by the author.
The author provides a detailed and rigorous work that documents a successful process for her expressions of creativity. She focuses upon three aspects of her work flow: Intent, Strategy, and Perspective. These aspects assist in the author’s refinement of her creative effort.
I must admit to being rather surprised by the content: I’d expected an exploration of creativity, of a process that combines insight, imagination, intuition, and influence to bring about a marvelous creation of the mind, not a documentation of an approach or work flow. I’d hoped to glean some understanding of what the author meant by “Authentic Creativity.” In such expectation, the work disappointed me.
A well-written book that provides a detailed look into the author’s creative process.
August 15, 2016
Fostering Violence and Fundamentalism
U.S. Army stands guard near burning oil well in Southern Iraq.
An excerpt from Humbling and Humility
“If there is to be peace in the world, there must first be peace in the heart.” – Lao Tzu
Sid strove to justify the state’s approach. “It used to be different in the past, but the pendulum has now swung the other way.” He said that certain high-profile cases, that my lawyer Mindy also alluded to, the O. J. Simpson case, in particular, had prompted a number of states to act. The states provided new guidelines, to their law enforcement cadre, to err on the side of caution. This produced large numbers of undeserving instances of prosecution of men under the DV umbrella.
A pendulum? Is that what the justice––no––legal system is, here? Something that swings to an extreme, and then back the other way, passing for a fleeting moment through the middle? It may have been just an illustrative model Sid employed, but his pendulum sure had swung hard against me, knocking any expectations of fairness and equal treatment out. This pendulum was not only an unstable system, it was, in the hands of a ruthless and single-minded collection of authorities, a hammer of social injustice and repression.
That reminded me of our many unilateral actions, arrogantly undertaken, including invasions. Actions that resulted in unimaginable suffering for innocents, as in recent wars waged to liberate countries, to teach their ancient people how to govern themselves with our laws and law enforcement. And of rough statements––“Boot on BP’s throat”––from none other than the head of the country’s administration, bringing to mind an image of violence far removed from the diplomacy hoped for. I recall emailing Lauren about this––after my matter had concluded––with not a word back in response from her.
What was most troubling was the same righteousness, with which our ways, of convenience and rampant materialism, invaded other ways of life readily, overcoming and decimating them. Is this integration and inclusion, wise and considerate cultural assimilation, or is this an extreme approach that could give rise to and foster fundamentalism?
Sid did let us out early; no one seemed to be in a mood for further education by the state.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Review: Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days
Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days by Jake Knapp
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Sprinted through the book. Seemed the fair thing to do. Took five whole minutes…
First minute: Scanned cover, title, dedications, some editorial reviews, and the premise.
Second: Read a few pages at the beginning to get a heading.
Third: Hmmm…appeared that all the right ingredients have to be in place for a SPRINT.
Fourth: Must limit available time…drastically, to just five days. Cook up a pot roast in five seconds?
Fifth: Skimmed through the rest, various experiences detailed, and wrote/edited this review.
Seriously, what next? A business plan pitch in one minute? Oh wait – that’s the MO today. Wham, Bam, Thank you, Ma’am? Most unchivalrous. “Git ‘er done!” “In a jiffy, boss!” The insane world of the present, the need for speed, measured and careful approaches be damned.
Am glad the method worked/works for the authors and their numerous review buddies. Not something an author, a writer communicating change, can recommend.
Review: Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America
Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America by Ari Berman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A detailed, enlightening account of the struggle for voting rights in America.
I’d wondered about the inordinate reduction in polling stations, in 2016, in Arizona’s Maricopa County – from 200 down to 60 – by the county recorder Helen Purcell. Stations in predominantly Latino regions were either eliminated altogether or reduced drastically. All for saving costs. How so, when the Latino population is increasing in this state?
Ari Berman’s work makes Helen Purcell’s actions crystal clear. He enlightens with detailed accounts of the anti-civil rights playbook of the deep south, the Old Confederacy, the states of which invented creative ways to enforce their will, by denying the vote, upon an awakening American populace. Just as ‘race and segregation’ was coded into ‘Law and Order’ in the ’70’s, voter suppression is masked under cost savings today.
Sadder still is the ‘zombification,’ by the US Supreme Court, of Section 5 of the historic Voter Registration Act of 1965 that helped ensure the Old Confederacy did not continue to impose its discriminatory policies upon blacks and other minorities. Under the banner of equality of state sovereignty, the majority Reagan appointees to the Supreme Court have weakened provisions of the VRA that reigned in renegade southern states – something that politicians of the Grand Old Party failed to do for decades.
The merry old ways of the good old boys will continue.
A book every American citizen, old boys included, must read – not only for the factual and detailed history within, but also for some understanding of the anguish of a divided nation.
