Book Reviewed: Hollywood Babylon II, by Kenneth Anger
Kenneth Anger is a well-known author who wrote the best seller “Hollywood Babylon,” and revealed many interesting stories about the stars of the pre-code era. This book is a second volume with the same title and fills in the material not covered in the first book and additional info about less-known stars. The author was an insider who worked in Hollywood as a child-star and got to know many well-known personalities in movie business. His stories are reliable and they have been quoted in many articles in Wikipedia, blogs and books on the history of Hollywood.
Alexander Pantages came from Athens, Greece and made fortune during Klondike gold strike and owned vaudeville houses and about 60 theaters. He was worth $30 million in 1929 when the rest of the country was in economic turmoil. But his sexual assault on a young Eunice Pringle, a school dropout and would-be dancer dethroned him as the commander-in-chief of movie theaters. Later on her deathbed, Eunice confessed that it was a frame set by Joe Kennedy, bootlegger to the film colony and head of FBO pictures who wanted to destroy Pantages theater circuit. Joe also had eyes for beautiful females in Hollywood that led to a sensual relationship with actress Gloria Swanson. While shooting the movie “Swamp,” which later became “Queen Kelly,” Gloria Swanson was so incensed with the antics of erratic and kinky director, Eric von Stroheim, she asked Kennedy to stop the “lunatic in charge of the film.”
William (Billy) Haines was the first MGM star to face the ordeal of a microphone with Lionel Barrymore in 1928 film “Jimmy Valentine.” He was a well-known gay and had loved his ex-stand-in Jimmy Shields. Howard Strickland, the head of the publicity at MGM and studio head Luis B Mayer had to make sure that all MGM movies are box office hits at Loew’s theaters. The challenging job was to make sure that studio stars conformed to a strict image of morality is highest. Undesirable romances were discouraged, gay life style was unacceptable, and abortions arranged in Tijuana. When MGM found out that William Haines, an upcoming star of the studio was gay, studio started rumors that he was in love with actress Pola Negri and they were getting married. Things got from bad to worse as Haines was arrested in gay sex scandal at downtown Los Angeles YMCA when the house dick and vice squad appeared at his door and arrested him promptly. Later, the Klan assaulted Haines and Shields when they were coming out of a party at El Porto beach in Los Angeles. Mayer fired the “fagelah” instantly. He later became an interior decorator and worked to decorate actress Carole Lombard’s house and they became good friends. She was so sure of his “gayness,” she would strip naked and dress in front of him; he reported that often times she did not wear bras or panties. Years later when her husband Clark Gable, irked with his wife being “palsy” with mainly males, asked “don’t you have any girlfriends,” she said “yes, Mitch Leisen and Billy Haines.”
In 1939 when George Cukor was replaced by Victor Fleming to direct the epic film, “Gone with the wind,” it was widely reported that the “macho” Gable did not like to work with the gay director because of his dislike for that lifestyle. But the truth is that Cukor knew something about Gable that no one else knew except for Billy Haines. It turned out that when Clark Gable was still a bit player at MGM, he had let himself blow-serviced by Haines and seek his help to further his career at MGM. Haines, a close friend of Cukor was not “lip-lazy,” when he confided Gable’s secret. George Cukor knew that Gable was not “He-Man” after all.
In “Roman Scandals” made for Goldwyn in 1933, director Busby Berkley (Buzz), the undisputed genius of the Hollywood musical shot a scene with completely nude women who were wearing long chains and blonde wigs which fell down to their snatches. At the height of his success tragedy struck in 1935. Buzz was returning home after a party at production manager William Koening’s house. He had one too many drinks at the party and while driving at Pacific Coast Highway near Santa Monica Canyon, he lost control and careened off into the oncoming traffic which resulted in three deaths. He was charged for second degree murder. He was found not guilty.
In 1938 Buzz was sued by Irving Wheeler for seeking the affections of Irving’s wife, actress Carol Landis, and the suit was dismissed. But Landis was widely known at the Fox studio as the “available” girl in the backroom of Darryl Zanuck’s office. He was known to have a regular female companion for “fun” every working day at about 4 PM. After Buzz’ mom passed away he lost control of his senses and hit the bottle hard. He spent six weeks at a psychiatric ward in Los Angeles. He was reduced to rubbles physically and emotionally. He weighed about 107 pounds and his bank balance was $650.
Jimmy Dean was reclusive, compulsively withdrawn, promiscuous, friendless, suspicious, boorish and rude. On occasion, he would be charming and on occasions, he would be annoyingly nuts. On the eve of his death, he had attended a gay party in Malibu, and his gay friends accused him of dating women for publicity purposes.
Actor John Bowers who lost all his money when he invested in a failed flying school, he became penniless and depressed. Later he intentionally drowned in Pacific Ocean and his body recovered from the Malibu Beach in California. His death was retold in the movie “A Star is born,” starring Frederick March and Janet Gaynor. Screen writer of the movie took this story and put into the movie. In this movie, the character played by March simply walks into the Pacific Ocean in Malibu and never returns. In the last chapter entitled, “The magic of self-murder” the author has a given brief account of several Hollywood’s notable who committed suicides. This includes actor George Sanders, Jack Dougherty, husband of Barbara La Marr, Lupe Velez, Jonathan Hale, Gig Young and his young wife Kim Schmidt’s double suicide, Mae West’s lover John Indrisano, actress Peg Entwistle, Charles Boyer, Clara Blandick, Alan Ladd, Chester Morris, Inger Stevens, Margaret Sullivan, and others.
The book has plenty of rare and hard to find pictures that need to be treasured. The pictures of Joan Crawford is racy. The book is very well written and reads effortlessly. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in the history of Hollywood, especially the golden era.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Complicated Women: The fascinating history of the studio-era and pre-code Hollywood
Book Reviewed: Complicated Women: Sex and Power in Pre-Code Hollywood, by Mick LaSalle
This is a fascinating book that discusses the movies produced during pre code period of 1929-1934 and evaluates the impact it had on the careers of Hollywood's leading ladies. The movies of Norma Shearer and Greta Garbo are extensively discussed along with many other leading ladies and how it impacted the studios and the Hollywood culture. Shearer was a smiling subversive and her most characteristic film is the Divorcee and Riptide in which she portrays as woman of questionable morals in spite of being married. In Divorcee (1930) she has an affair with her husband's best friend after she finds out that he cheated on her. Her roles explored women's feelings about love, and sex with honesty. Greta Garbo's Mata Hari, Camille, and Two Faced woman were also similar in character and spirit. Garbo's Queen Christina explored bisexuality; that was the most daring examination of gender and sex the studio system ever produced. The author observes, despite some daring stuff and no matter how far off from the societal values, Garbo's movies had touching Christian allegories to assert divine faith that enriches the power of love and passion
Dorothy Mackaill, a hard drinking Ziegfeld Follies girl turned actress, was a strong contender of the roles of Jean Harlow in early 1930s, analyzed the effect of war on Hollywood and its portrayal women's sexual freedom as a logical change in values and none of the old taboos can affect them. Shearer began working with director Monta Bell; he shaped her career like Josef Von Sternberg did for Marlene Dietrich, and G.W. Pabst for Louise Brooks. Joan Crawford, Jean Harlow, Marlene Dietrich, were also in top of the pack. They were like Lindberg for speed. From New York stage, came ladies like Claudette Colbert, Barbara Stanwyck, Ann Harding, Bette Davis, and Kathryn Hepburn. Marlene Dietrich was imported from Germany by Paramount Studios as an answer to MGM's Greta Garbo.
Ruth Chatterton in the movie Female, hires young men for her firm, uses them for sexual pleasure, and then let them go. Constance Bennett played a poor girl who slept her way through to become rich in the movie, Easiest Way; she gives birth to a baby out of wedlock in Born to Love; and in Bed of Roses, she slides into the oldest profession. The most outrageous movie is the Common Law where she leaves her live in lover and becomes a nude model. Carole Lombard becomes a kept woman in Summer in the Sun to lead a luxurious life style. In Faithless, Tallulah Bankhead turns to the oldest profession when her husband becomes ill and incapable of supporting the family. All movies produced at the height of Great Depression. Ironically, some of these examples were the real life stories of the 1920's stars like Barbara La Marr and Louise Brooks who lurked into poverty. Cecil DeMill's Sign of Cross breached the boundaries of faith which annoyed the Catholic Church and Christian conservatives where in Claudette Colbert plays Nero's wife Poppeae and losses her lover to a Christian woman (Elisa Landi), and she is humiliated by pagans and aroused in a dance that contains lesbian like overtures.
In many pre-code movies women got away with murder. Most notorious example is the Ricardo Cortez. Loretta Young shoots Cortez in Midnight Glory; Kay Frances does the same in 56th Street, and poisons Cortez in Mandalay; and Dolores Del Rio stabbed Cortez in Wonder Bar. He also gets shot by Helen Twelvetrees in Bad Company and by Anita Louise in The Firebrand. Marjorie Rambeau kills blackmailer Arthur Hohl in A Man's Castle and Sally Eilers kills gigolo Ivan Lebedoff in cold blood. Ruth Chatterton kills a woman, Clair Dodd, a Broadway star for stealing her husband.
The code had significant effect on the work of many stars who built their career around uninhibited and honest portrayal of love, marriage, and womanhood. But this was not tolerated in the code era, consequently Ruth Chatterton, Constance Bennett, Miriam Hopkins, Ann Dvorak, Madge Evans, Glenda Farrell and Kay Frances faded. The code damaged stateside popularity and made Joan Blondell less important. Mae West also faded into the horizon. Ann Harding left Hollywood and triumphed on stage in London. Bernard Shaw, a caustic critique of marriage, said that Harding was the best for the role of Candida. By the end of 1942, Garbo was 36 and Shearer 40 had passed their final phase of movie business.
This book is brilliantly written and contains well researched materials. There are some rare pictures of 1930s stars, and I especially liked the pictures of Greta Garbo, Mae Clarke and Dorothy Mackaill; they are simply gorgeous.
This is a fascinating book that discusses the movies produced during pre code period of 1929-1934 and evaluates the impact it had on the careers of Hollywood's leading ladies. The movies of Norma Shearer and Greta Garbo are extensively discussed along with many other leading ladies and how it impacted the studios and the Hollywood culture. Shearer was a smiling subversive and her most characteristic film is the Divorcee and Riptide in which she portrays as woman of questionable morals in spite of being married. In Divorcee (1930) she has an affair with her husband's best friend after she finds out that he cheated on her. Her roles explored women's feelings about love, and sex with honesty. Greta Garbo's Mata Hari, Camille, and Two Faced woman were also similar in character and spirit. Garbo's Queen Christina explored bisexuality; that was the most daring examination of gender and sex the studio system ever produced. The author observes, despite some daring stuff and no matter how far off from the societal values, Garbo's movies had touching Christian allegories to assert divine faith that enriches the power of love and passion
Dorothy Mackaill, a hard drinking Ziegfeld Follies girl turned actress, was a strong contender of the roles of Jean Harlow in early 1930s, analyzed the effect of war on Hollywood and its portrayal women's sexual freedom as a logical change in values and none of the old taboos can affect them. Shearer began working with director Monta Bell; he shaped her career like Josef Von Sternberg did for Marlene Dietrich, and G.W. Pabst for Louise Brooks. Joan Crawford, Jean Harlow, Marlene Dietrich, were also in top of the pack. They were like Lindberg for speed. From New York stage, came ladies like Claudette Colbert, Barbara Stanwyck, Ann Harding, Bette Davis, and Kathryn Hepburn. Marlene Dietrich was imported from Germany by Paramount Studios as an answer to MGM's Greta Garbo.
Ruth Chatterton in the movie Female, hires young men for her firm, uses them for sexual pleasure, and then let them go. Constance Bennett played a poor girl who slept her way through to become rich in the movie, Easiest Way; she gives birth to a baby out of wedlock in Born to Love; and in Bed of Roses, she slides into the oldest profession. The most outrageous movie is the Common Law where she leaves her live in lover and becomes a nude model. Carole Lombard becomes a kept woman in Summer in the Sun to lead a luxurious life style. In Faithless, Tallulah Bankhead turns to the oldest profession when her husband becomes ill and incapable of supporting the family. All movies produced at the height of Great Depression. Ironically, some of these examples were the real life stories of the 1920's stars like Barbara La Marr and Louise Brooks who lurked into poverty. Cecil DeMill's Sign of Cross breached the boundaries of faith which annoyed the Catholic Church and Christian conservatives where in Claudette Colbert plays Nero's wife Poppeae and losses her lover to a Christian woman (Elisa Landi), and she is humiliated by pagans and aroused in a dance that contains lesbian like overtures.
In many pre-code movies women got away with murder. Most notorious example is the Ricardo Cortez. Loretta Young shoots Cortez in Midnight Glory; Kay Frances does the same in 56th Street, and poisons Cortez in Mandalay; and Dolores Del Rio stabbed Cortez in Wonder Bar. He also gets shot by Helen Twelvetrees in Bad Company and by Anita Louise in The Firebrand. Marjorie Rambeau kills blackmailer Arthur Hohl in A Man's Castle and Sally Eilers kills gigolo Ivan Lebedoff in cold blood. Ruth Chatterton kills a woman, Clair Dodd, a Broadway star for stealing her husband.
The code had significant effect on the work of many stars who built their career around uninhibited and honest portrayal of love, marriage, and womanhood. But this was not tolerated in the code era, consequently Ruth Chatterton, Constance Bennett, Miriam Hopkins, Ann Dvorak, Madge Evans, Glenda Farrell and Kay Frances faded. The code damaged stateside popularity and made Joan Blondell less important. Mae West also faded into the horizon. Ann Harding left Hollywood and triumphed on stage in London. Bernard Shaw, a caustic critique of marriage, said that Harding was the best for the role of Candida. By the end of 1942, Garbo was 36 and Shearer 40 had passed their final phase of movie business.
This book is brilliantly written and contains well researched materials. There are some rare pictures of 1930s stars, and I especially liked the pictures of Greta Garbo, Mae Clarke and Dorothy Mackaill; they are simply gorgeous.
Economics of Love, Sex and Marriage
Book Reviewed: Dollars and Sex: How Economics Influences Sex and Love, by Marina Adshade
This is a very well written book with not too much emphasis on the underlying economic theory by Professor Marina Adshade of the University of British Columbia. In fact there is no economic data; I did not find any charts or tables, but occasionally some facts and figures are given. The evaluations are purely based on the concepts of economics and not moral issues associated with dating and sex. One of the most interesting features of sex and love is that most people prefer to date, have sex and marry people of their own race because of one's belief that there is a cultural compatibility. The benefit outweighs the costs of cross-cultural dating. The dynamics of interracial dating discussed is interesting in that higher education permits more interracial relationships. One of the economic arguments presented is that the two educated people make more money and can afford better lives and hence benefit outweighs the costs. For example, in West Palm Springs Beach, Florida, A Guatemalan has seven fewer years of schooling than the rest of the population, but a one year increase in education leads to more than 5 percentage point increase in marrying person of another nationality/ethnicity.
With regards to dating, the author suggests online dating sites should be method of choice, since they are strong markets. With heavy internet use; a person should be able to find a friend for serious relationship; the supply is quite big to satisfy the demand. Besides dating services, internet provides opportunities via, the instant messenger system, blogs, discussion boards, etc. The author states that this is a theory which she has not researched yet.
With regards to unfaithful economics, consider the probability of being caught and the cost of being caught and then calculate the expected cost of cheating. Consider two scenarios; a woman working outside home and another is a homemaker. The risks and costs of cheating in these two cases are different. Calculations using observed probabilities suggest that the homemaker has a higher cost of cheating and hence it is not in her economic interest to indulge in a costly escapade.
The subject of love is large but the author could have considered discussing the economic aspects of cougar dating and May-Dec romance in a separate chapter, since this is more common now days than twenty years ago. Numerous websites emerging online is an example of its popularity. The economics of escort service is another area that deserved a serious discussion. One of the shortcomings of this book is that it has very little economic and statistical data to support the author's claims. I wished she had used charts and tables from professional journals to support her arguments.
This is a very well written book with not too much emphasis on the underlying economic theory by Professor Marina Adshade of the University of British Columbia. In fact there is no economic data; I did not find any charts or tables, but occasionally some facts and figures are given. The evaluations are purely based on the concepts of economics and not moral issues associated with dating and sex. One of the most interesting features of sex and love is that most people prefer to date, have sex and marry people of their own race because of one's belief that there is a cultural compatibility. The benefit outweighs the costs of cross-cultural dating. The dynamics of interracial dating discussed is interesting in that higher education permits more interracial relationships. One of the economic arguments presented is that the two educated people make more money and can afford better lives and hence benefit outweighs the costs. For example, in West Palm Springs Beach, Florida, A Guatemalan has seven fewer years of schooling than the rest of the population, but a one year increase in education leads to more than 5 percentage point increase in marrying person of another nationality/ethnicity.
With regards to dating, the author suggests online dating sites should be method of choice, since they are strong markets. With heavy internet use; a person should be able to find a friend for serious relationship; the supply is quite big to satisfy the demand. Besides dating services, internet provides opportunities via, the instant messenger system, blogs, discussion boards, etc. The author states that this is a theory which she has not researched yet.
With regards to unfaithful economics, consider the probability of being caught and the cost of being caught and then calculate the expected cost of cheating. Consider two scenarios; a woman working outside home and another is a homemaker. The risks and costs of cheating in these two cases are different. Calculations using observed probabilities suggest that the homemaker has a higher cost of cheating and hence it is not in her economic interest to indulge in a costly escapade.
The subject of love is large but the author could have considered discussing the economic aspects of cougar dating and May-Dec romance in a separate chapter, since this is more common now days than twenty years ago. Numerous websites emerging online is an example of its popularity. The economics of escort service is another area that deserved a serious discussion. One of the shortcomings of this book is that it has very little economic and statistical data to support the author's claims. I wished she had used charts and tables from professional journals to support her arguments.
Tracing the origins of the philosophical thought in Rig-Veda
Book Reviewed: Central Philosophy of the Rigveda, by A. Ramamurty
It has long been argued by both Indian and Western scholars that Rig-Veda is a collection of hymns that dwells in the praise of Vedic deities associated with nature. The author of this book argues that a naturalistic interpretation of the sacred hymns suffers from inadequate analysis and proper insight. The metaphysical thoughts are hidden and must be analyzed in proper context. The Vedic seers saw that life is strongly associated with nature, and they were trying to understand the world they lived, in terms of its association with matter, energy, air, water, animals, the good and the bad. The passage of Vedic period into the period of Upanishads saw a spring of metaphysical and spiritual thoughts in ancient India. Nobel physicist Erwin Schrodinger, almost 2,500 years after Upanishads came into existence, admitted that Vedanta as the true and correct description of physical reality. The teachers of Upanishads were great scholars of Vedic system and the practitioners of rituals; the philosophy did not descend into their consciousness out of the blue. It partly came from their knowledge and the understanding of the Rig-Veda. Thinkers like Sayanacarya and Aurobindo deviated from naturalistic interpretation to find the inner meaning of the Rig Veda through spiritual interpretation. The author inspired by the writings of Aurobindo, has contemplated on finding a natural path in the development of metaphysical thoughts in the Upanishads via Rig-Veda.
The basic approach of the Veda is not that it is about nature conceived in abstract terms, but to see its presence in all forms of its manifestation, and experience its ultimate source, the Creator or the God Almighty. The Vedic deities are primary and the universal manifestation of the Supreme Lord. The progression of ideas is reflected in the Upanishads which interpret of human experiences in a manifested physical reality. The attempts of Brahmanas to interpret nature divinely by the way of finding out the identities and correspondence, real or symbolic, between divine manifested as deities and the natural energies or the forces they carry. Yajna is treated as the integrating force that unifies nature with divine. For Vedic seers and other exalted individuals, the practice of yajna and penance lead to experiences that reveal divine nature. In Upanishads, the divine revelation is at the level of individual's own reality. Atman is the name given to the divine or the Brahman as it reveals itself within the being of man.
The Upanishadic understanding of Brahman as identical with the Self of a man as well as the inner controller and unity is a restatement of the Vedic concept of Brahma. When devotion transforms a devotee's vision and inspires his consciousness to see all that is a dynamic self-expression of the divine. The desire to achieve salvation and rest in the abode of God is in itself an experience of divinity. The ritualistic (yajnic) or religious approach to Vedic interpretation is to serve practical religious needs of man which was originally initiated in the Brahmanas was later developed by the Purva Mimamsa school of thought. Sayanacarya followed the method of Purva Mimamsa and interpreted certain Vedic hymns, independently of their ritualistic significance, in light of Upanishadic interpretation.
For Vedic seers, the nature is the immediate source of divine revelation to man, and they are manifestation of each other. Rig-Veda is not clear when divine nature came into existence, was it before material nature? In Rig-Veda, Agni and Indra are the principal deities and both represent energy; heat (Agni) and power (Indra) are known to exist across the cosmos. They are the primary and universal manifestations and reveal the divine within the material world. They point to an ultimate source and inner unity. The Vedic deities are of one mind and wisdom that represent the Supreme Being.
It has long been argued by both Indian and Western scholars that Rig-Veda is a collection of hymns that dwells in the praise of Vedic deities associated with nature. The author of this book argues that a naturalistic interpretation of the sacred hymns suffers from inadequate analysis and proper insight. The metaphysical thoughts are hidden and must be analyzed in proper context. The Vedic seers saw that life is strongly associated with nature, and they were trying to understand the world they lived, in terms of its association with matter, energy, air, water, animals, the good and the bad. The passage of Vedic period into the period of Upanishads saw a spring of metaphysical and spiritual thoughts in ancient India. Nobel physicist Erwin Schrodinger, almost 2,500 years after Upanishads came into existence, admitted that Vedanta as the true and correct description of physical reality. The teachers of Upanishads were great scholars of Vedic system and the practitioners of rituals; the philosophy did not descend into their consciousness out of the blue. It partly came from their knowledge and the understanding of the Rig-Veda. Thinkers like Sayanacarya and Aurobindo deviated from naturalistic interpretation to find the inner meaning of the Rig Veda through spiritual interpretation. The author inspired by the writings of Aurobindo, has contemplated on finding a natural path in the development of metaphysical thoughts in the Upanishads via Rig-Veda.
The basic approach of the Veda is not that it is about nature conceived in abstract terms, but to see its presence in all forms of its manifestation, and experience its ultimate source, the Creator or the God Almighty. The Vedic deities are primary and the universal manifestation of the Supreme Lord. The progression of ideas is reflected in the Upanishads which interpret of human experiences in a manifested physical reality. The attempts of Brahmanas to interpret nature divinely by the way of finding out the identities and correspondence, real or symbolic, between divine manifested as deities and the natural energies or the forces they carry. Yajna is treated as the integrating force that unifies nature with divine. For Vedic seers and other exalted individuals, the practice of yajna and penance lead to experiences that reveal divine nature. In Upanishads, the divine revelation is at the level of individual's own reality. Atman is the name given to the divine or the Brahman as it reveals itself within the being of man.
The Upanishadic understanding of Brahman as identical with the Self of a man as well as the inner controller and unity is a restatement of the Vedic concept of Brahma. When devotion transforms a devotee's vision and inspires his consciousness to see all that is a dynamic self-expression of the divine. The desire to achieve salvation and rest in the abode of God is in itself an experience of divinity. The ritualistic (yajnic) or religious approach to Vedic interpretation is to serve practical religious needs of man which was originally initiated in the Brahmanas was later developed by the Purva Mimamsa school of thought. Sayanacarya followed the method of Purva Mimamsa and interpreted certain Vedic hymns, independently of their ritualistic significance, in light of Upanishadic interpretation.
For Vedic seers, the nature is the immediate source of divine revelation to man, and they are manifestation of each other. Rig-Veda is not clear when divine nature came into existence, was it before material nature? In Rig-Veda, Agni and Indra are the principal deities and both represent energy; heat (Agni) and power (Indra) are known to exist across the cosmos. They are the primary and universal manifestations and reveal the divine within the material world. They point to an ultimate source and inner unity. The Vedic deities are of one mind and wisdom that represent the Supreme Being.
A sociological study of immigration
Book Reviewed: Exodus: How Migration is Changing Our World, by Paul Collier
Immigration from poverty-stricken south to the affluent north usually suggests that people migrate for better opportunities and better lives. This is partly true, but what are the consequences? Does it have cultural, racial and ethnic infiltration into the Western civilization or is it a brain drain for developing countries? Are there any advantages or disadvantages to the countries affected? Oxford University professor Paul Collier says that the current immigration policies have serious problems. He explores this volatile issue from three perspectives: that of the migrants themselves, that of the people they leave behind, and that of the host societies where they relocate. He observes that the current immigration policies are not effective; this will accelerate mass exodus and the poorest countries would suffer. The loss of national identities for both host and countries of origin would be undesirable in the long run, says the author, even though his ancestors were German migrants living in England during WW1. The author's suggestions are provocative and his evaluation of the global economy has some flaws.
Immigration from poverty-stricken south to the affluent north usually suggests that people migrate for better opportunities and better lives. This is partly true, but what are the consequences? Does it have cultural, racial and ethnic infiltration into the Western civilization or is it a brain drain for developing countries? Are there any advantages or disadvantages to the countries affected? Oxford University professor Paul Collier says that the current immigration policies have serious problems. He explores this volatile issue from three perspectives: that of the migrants themselves, that of the people they leave behind, and that of the host societies where they relocate. He observes that the current immigration policies are not effective; this will accelerate mass exodus and the poorest countries would suffer. The loss of national identities for both host and countries of origin would be undesirable in the long run, says the author, even though his ancestors were German migrants living in England during WW1. The author's suggestions are provocative and his evaluation of the global economy has some flaws.
An ethical approach to the tackling of current economic crisis
Book Reviewed: The End of Ethics and a Way Back: How To Fix a Fundamentally Broken Global Financial System, by Theodore Roosevelt Malloch
This is a mesmerizing tale about a failed financial system where corporate greed dominates the accepted norms of the society. Accountability, oversight, and the overall decline in the ethical values led to the fall of the global economic empire in 2008. The authors, scholars from Yale University, are successful in convincing the readers that a wholesome human value that calls for ethics and not mere compliance is the key in solving the current financial crisis.
The first part of the book describes as how this crisis started with heavy-handedness of the financial giants like Bernie Madoff, John Corzini's MF Global and Tyco's Ponzi schemes. In the second half of the book, the author's propose a solution to fix the deep-rooted problems of the corporate world; restructuring SEC, and devise new rules that would prevent off-balance sheet risks, better oversight of commodity markets and stronger standard for corporate governance.
There are many interesting accounts of corporate mismanagement in this book. An hour by hour account, as how over a weakened, the stock value of the giant Bear Stearns dropped from $30 per share to $2, when it was bought by JP Morgan. Few months later, the collapse of Lehman brothers, Merrill Lynch, Washington Mutual, and AIG was hastened. The short-term creditors of Wall Street decided to back off for an overnight loan since the collateral offered, mortgage backed securities, had significant risks. This crisis also revealed the monstrosity of corporate compensation system. The executives were rewarded handsomely for risking the lives of investors, and retirees. The bankers, who participated in highly immoral and unethical business of packaging toxic mortgages into securities, and selling them to unsuspecting investors, were paid generous bonuses. The irony of the whole game was that bankers should not have made those mortgages to home buyers who did not have the means to pay it back.
After pumping trillions of dollars into the Wall Street banks through bailouts and Federal Reserve's monetary easing at the expense of tax payers, we would expect everything would be "cool" with the financial system. But we are wrong to assume that, says the authors. As recently as the spring of 2012, an executive of JP Morgan lost $6 billion in a risky debt index. In late 2011, MF Global filed for bankruptcy protection and liquidated. The company could not account for $1.6 billion that disappeared mysteriously days before the liquidation.
Dennis Kelleher, president and CEO of Better Markets Inc., during a conference on Sep 12, 2013, in Washington, D.C called the federal bailouts "crazy." Fed Chair Ben Bernanke and Bank of England head Mark Carney have said that our banks are too big to fail. But they have grown even bigger since 2008 and too interconnected with the economy. Corporate boardrooms filled with greed can make this elephant fall and the economic chaos will ensue all over again. University of Vermont Law School professor, Jennifer Taub is concerned that giant firms are permitted to borrow excessively, up to $97 for every $100 in assets they own. In addition to the size and leverage, banks are still dangerously interconnected and prone to wholesale runs due to their excessive dependence on short-term, often overnight lending. She suggests that restrictions on short-term funding throughout the system are essential. Columbia University professor, John Coffee observes that the financial services lobby is most powerful interest group in the United States and doing everything possible to slow down the pace of change in the financial system. Lobbyists have prevented regulatory action to support financial stability by influencing Congress, which oversees federal agencies like SEC.
It is time that Congress, and the Wall Street executives show leadership and accountability. Their decision must be prudent and they stop gambling with investors' money.
This is a mesmerizing tale about a failed financial system where corporate greed dominates the accepted norms of the society. Accountability, oversight, and the overall decline in the ethical values led to the fall of the global economic empire in 2008. The authors, scholars from Yale University, are successful in convincing the readers that a wholesome human value that calls for ethics and not mere compliance is the key in solving the current financial crisis.
The first part of the book describes as how this crisis started with heavy-handedness of the financial giants like Bernie Madoff, John Corzini's MF Global and Tyco's Ponzi schemes. In the second half of the book, the author's propose a solution to fix the deep-rooted problems of the corporate world; restructuring SEC, and devise new rules that would prevent off-balance sheet risks, better oversight of commodity markets and stronger standard for corporate governance.
There are many interesting accounts of corporate mismanagement in this book. An hour by hour account, as how over a weakened, the stock value of the giant Bear Stearns dropped from $30 per share to $2, when it was bought by JP Morgan. Few months later, the collapse of Lehman brothers, Merrill Lynch, Washington Mutual, and AIG was hastened. The short-term creditors of Wall Street decided to back off for an overnight loan since the collateral offered, mortgage backed securities, had significant risks. This crisis also revealed the monstrosity of corporate compensation system. The executives were rewarded handsomely for risking the lives of investors, and retirees. The bankers, who participated in highly immoral and unethical business of packaging toxic mortgages into securities, and selling them to unsuspecting investors, were paid generous bonuses. The irony of the whole game was that bankers should not have made those mortgages to home buyers who did not have the means to pay it back.
After pumping trillions of dollars into the Wall Street banks through bailouts and Federal Reserve's monetary easing at the expense of tax payers, we would expect everything would be "cool" with the financial system. But we are wrong to assume that, says the authors. As recently as the spring of 2012, an executive of JP Morgan lost $6 billion in a risky debt index. In late 2011, MF Global filed for bankruptcy protection and liquidated. The company could not account for $1.6 billion that disappeared mysteriously days before the liquidation.
Dennis Kelleher, president and CEO of Better Markets Inc., during a conference on Sep 12, 2013, in Washington, D.C called the federal bailouts "crazy." Fed Chair Ben Bernanke and Bank of England head Mark Carney have said that our banks are too big to fail. But they have grown even bigger since 2008 and too interconnected with the economy. Corporate boardrooms filled with greed can make this elephant fall and the economic chaos will ensue all over again. University of Vermont Law School professor, Jennifer Taub is concerned that giant firms are permitted to borrow excessively, up to $97 for every $100 in assets they own. In addition to the size and leverage, banks are still dangerously interconnected and prone to wholesale runs due to their excessive dependence on short-term, often overnight lending. She suggests that restrictions on short-term funding throughout the system are essential. Columbia University professor, John Coffee observes that the financial services lobby is most powerful interest group in the United States and doing everything possible to slow down the pace of change in the financial system. Lobbyists have prevented regulatory action to support financial stability by influencing Congress, which oversees federal agencies like SEC.
It is time that Congress, and the Wall Street executives show leadership and accountability. Their decision must be prudent and they stop gambling with investors' money.
Miss Anne in Harlem: Jungle fever in 1920's Harlem
Book Reviewed: Miss Anne in Harlem: The White Women of the Black Renaissance, by Carla Kaplan
This book tells the story of white women in black Harlem collectively referred to as "Miss Anne," has never been told until now. White women who wrote impassioned pleas such as "A white girl's prayer" about their longings to escape the "curse" of whiteness were overlooked. The press sexualized and sensationalized their stories as sexual adventurers or lesbians. For blacks, she was unpredictable, and a "gleeful pickaninny." She is a woman of wealth who thinks she has the right to speak for blacks or a woman looking for a "sheikh," a term referred to young black men with athletic build. For most residents in Harlem, she was an intrusive guest and do not deserve a serious enquiry. Northeastern University professor Carla Kaplan has done a fascinating job of researching and writing this book about the forgotten white women who revolutionized and reformed the racial and ethnic mixing in 1920s Harlem. This story comes out of hard to get original archival material in the form of letters, journals, diaries and notebooks. Many women mentioned in this book are scarcely mentioned in other literary work although their experiences in Harlem were the most important and exciting period of these women's lives. NAACP founder Mary White Ovington, Harlem librarian Ernestine Rose, and philanthropist Amy Spingarn were most effective because they drew least attention.
The author analyzes facts to find what made these women to go to Harlem. In their days, Nancy Cunard was dismissed as bed-hopping communist, Josephine Cogdell Schuyler, and Charlotte Osgood Mason, widely regarded as a malignant force, all followed their African dreams to black New York. The race spirit of Harlem renaissance was militant rebellion born from the galvanizing return of Harlem's triumphant regiment after WWI. This historical moment largely precluded white Negrotarians flooding Harlem except for few male white philanthropists who could find their way in if insider status was their goal. White women could do no such thing, most devoted white women activists were at the sea trying to find their way in. These women were documented in every imaginable form of female identity in the Jazz age; the New Woman, the Spinster, the Flapper, the Gibson Girl, the Bachelor girl, the Bohemian, the Twenties "mannish" lesbian, the Suffragist, the inverts, and so on.
The six women discussed in this book are grouped in three parts. "Choosing blackness: Sex, Love and Passing," Repudiating Whiteness: Politics, Patronage and Primitivism," and "Rewards and Costs: Publishing, Performance, and Modern Rebellion." The women discussed in this book are; Lillian E Wood, Josephine Cogdell Schuyler, Annie Nathan Meyer, Charlotte Osgood Mason, Fannie Hurst and Nancy Cunard.
All six women had influence and impact. Schuyler married one of the most important figures of Harlem renaissance and became a Harlem voice. Mason was most influential patron of Harlem and Cunard edited most comprehensive anthology of the era. Fannie Hurst remained famous because of her successful novel, "Imitation of Life."
These six biographies are an effort to hear what "Miss Anne" had to say about herself and her involvement with most volatile issue of the day that race is not a social construction and a white woman's place is certainly not in Black Harlem. The race erotica was unthinkable and unimaginable. This book aims to provide a sense of tension that the women in this book experienced and suggest how their efforts were viewed in their day. It provides a context in which their isolation and loneliness as well as their longing to belong, and everyone understand from their perspectives.
The following poem from form "A White girl's prayer" by Edna Margaret Johnson briefly illustrates the sentiments of the six women discussed in this book and scores of others who could not be accommodated in this work.
I writhe on the self -contempt, O God -
My Nordic flesh is but curse;
The black girl loathes to clasp my hand;
She doubts my love because I'm white.
From Nancy Cunard:
Last advice to the crackers:
Bake your own white meat-
Last advice to the lynchers;
Hang your brother by the feet.
One sitting pretty Black Man
is a million-strong on heat.
This book tells the story of white women in black Harlem collectively referred to as "Miss Anne," has never been told until now. White women who wrote impassioned pleas such as "A white girl's prayer" about their longings to escape the "curse" of whiteness were overlooked. The press sexualized and sensationalized their stories as sexual adventurers or lesbians. For blacks, she was unpredictable, and a "gleeful pickaninny." She is a woman of wealth who thinks she has the right to speak for blacks or a woman looking for a "sheikh," a term referred to young black men with athletic build. For most residents in Harlem, she was an intrusive guest and do not deserve a serious enquiry. Northeastern University professor Carla Kaplan has done a fascinating job of researching and writing this book about the forgotten white women who revolutionized and reformed the racial and ethnic mixing in 1920s Harlem. This story comes out of hard to get original archival material in the form of letters, journals, diaries and notebooks. Many women mentioned in this book are scarcely mentioned in other literary work although their experiences in Harlem were the most important and exciting period of these women's lives. NAACP founder Mary White Ovington, Harlem librarian Ernestine Rose, and philanthropist Amy Spingarn were most effective because they drew least attention.
The author analyzes facts to find what made these women to go to Harlem. In their days, Nancy Cunard was dismissed as bed-hopping communist, Josephine Cogdell Schuyler, and Charlotte Osgood Mason, widely regarded as a malignant force, all followed their African dreams to black New York. The race spirit of Harlem renaissance was militant rebellion born from the galvanizing return of Harlem's triumphant regiment after WWI. This historical moment largely precluded white Negrotarians flooding Harlem except for few male white philanthropists who could find their way in if insider status was their goal. White women could do no such thing, most devoted white women activists were at the sea trying to find their way in. These women were documented in every imaginable form of female identity in the Jazz age; the New Woman, the Spinster, the Flapper, the Gibson Girl, the Bachelor girl, the Bohemian, the Twenties "mannish" lesbian, the Suffragist, the inverts, and so on.
The six women discussed in this book are grouped in three parts. "Choosing blackness: Sex, Love and Passing," Repudiating Whiteness: Politics, Patronage and Primitivism," and "Rewards and Costs: Publishing, Performance, and Modern Rebellion." The women discussed in this book are; Lillian E Wood, Josephine Cogdell Schuyler, Annie Nathan Meyer, Charlotte Osgood Mason, Fannie Hurst and Nancy Cunard.
All six women had influence and impact. Schuyler married one of the most important figures of Harlem renaissance and became a Harlem voice. Mason was most influential patron of Harlem and Cunard edited most comprehensive anthology of the era. Fannie Hurst remained famous because of her successful novel, "Imitation of Life."
These six biographies are an effort to hear what "Miss Anne" had to say about herself and her involvement with most volatile issue of the day that race is not a social construction and a white woman's place is certainly not in Black Harlem. The race erotica was unthinkable and unimaginable. This book aims to provide a sense of tension that the women in this book experienced and suggest how their efforts were viewed in their day. It provides a context in which their isolation and loneliness as well as their longing to belong, and everyone understand from their perspectives.
The following poem from form "A White girl's prayer" by Edna Margaret Johnson briefly illustrates the sentiments of the six women discussed in this book and scores of others who could not be accommodated in this work.
I writhe on the self -contempt, O God -
My Nordic flesh is but curse;
The black girl loathes to clasp my hand;
She doubts my love because I'm white.
From Nancy Cunard:
Last advice to the crackers:
Bake your own white meat-
Last advice to the lynchers;
Hang your brother by the feet.
One sitting pretty Black Man
is a million-strong on heat.
Leadership Transformed: The arts and science of transforming a leader
Book Reviewed: Leadership Transformed: How Ordinary Managers Become Extraordinary Leaders, by Peter Fuda
The material presented in this book is for leaders of corporations and large companies although the author claims that the principles (he calls them metaphors) will help leaders of small companies too. These metaphors will motivate and inspire members of his company to do better for its growth and performance. The critical issue is the leadership. How does a leader approach this? Much of the material presented in here is a common sense approach; motivate and inspire and do the best, as most NFL players call it "put 110%" into his efforts. The author refers to this as "Fire" metaphor that is central to the seven metaphors he describes. All metaphors have fluid relationship to one another, and fire provides the context, purpose and leverages for your ambition to create and grow. The actual cases are discussed to illustrate his metaphors, and the results of the author's research shows the CEO's dramatically shift their actual impact after following his metaphors.
A CEO of a major American Corporation said that the quality of one's personal life is important. His advice was to "marry well." If your personal life is good and happy one, you can focus on leadership. Leadership transformation is a great motivational tool that many corporations look for to promote growth and productivity.
The material presented in this book is for leaders of corporations and large companies although the author claims that the principles (he calls them metaphors) will help leaders of small companies too. These metaphors will motivate and inspire members of his company to do better for its growth and performance. The critical issue is the leadership. How does a leader approach this? Much of the material presented in here is a common sense approach; motivate and inspire and do the best, as most NFL players call it "put 110%" into his efforts. The author refers to this as "Fire" metaphor that is central to the seven metaphors he describes. All metaphors have fluid relationship to one another, and fire provides the context, purpose and leverages for your ambition to create and grow. The actual cases are discussed to illustrate his metaphors, and the results of the author's research shows the CEO's dramatically shift their actual impact after following his metaphors.
A CEO of a major American Corporation said that the quality of one's personal life is important. His advice was to "marry well." If your personal life is good and happy one, you can focus on leadership. Leadership transformation is a great motivational tool that many corporations look for to promote growth and productivity.
A Life in music: The memoir of Linda Ronstadt
Book Reviewed: Simple Dreams: A Musical Memoir, by Linda Ronstadt
I came to love Linda Ronstadt's music ever since I started hearing her songs "Blue Bayou" and "You're No Good" in late 1970s. I have followed her career ever since and recently saddened to hear that she had degenerative neurological disorder for the last 12 to 15 years. "I was struggling to sing for so many years," she told AARP magazine in August, when she revealed her diagnosis. "When I wake up in the morning, I think, "I can walk and I can talk, so it's a good day, you know," she told ABC News recently. Aaron Neville her music collaborator and a close friend recalls his work with Linda Ronstadt and expresses his sadness watching Ronstadt struggle with Parkinson's disease. "It is the most hurting thing in the world," Neville says of her diagnosis.
It is very refreshing to read this memoir that focuses mainly on music. She describes in details the moment she first realized she was a singer at the age of 4 and vividly recounts the musical path she followed. "I can remember sitting at the piano," she writes in the first chapter. She made music with well-known artists like Aaron Neville, Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris. She recalls; well, Emmy and I can finish each other's sentences. We have the same taste, and same political ideas, and we read a lot of the same books. But it didn't matter, because when we were working together, we had music among the three of us as a common language. Music always started the conversation. Each girl had her own way of dealing with challenges in her music career and ultimately triumphing, as Emmy and Dolly both have done their whole lives.
The biography also makes many references to her romantic involvement with California Governor Jerry Brown. It was hard to imagine that she was a woman who was in the middle of California rock scene would be interested in a person like Brown. She explains that they "had a lot of fun for a number of years. He was smart and funny, not interested in drinking or drugs," which is "a relief" considering her musician friends.
She is currently involved with a cultural group in the East Bay that works with immigrant population that teaches children traditional Mexican music. It is an after-school program; it's absolutely brilliant, she says. It is heartwarming to read her memoir; she is full of positive spirit but also saddening to know about illness. Highly recommended to all music fans!
I came to love Linda Ronstadt's music ever since I started hearing her songs "Blue Bayou" and "You're No Good" in late 1970s. I have followed her career ever since and recently saddened to hear that she had degenerative neurological disorder for the last 12 to 15 years. "I was struggling to sing for so many years," she told AARP magazine in August, when she revealed her diagnosis. "When I wake up in the morning, I think, "I can walk and I can talk, so it's a good day, you know," she told ABC News recently. Aaron Neville her music collaborator and a close friend recalls his work with Linda Ronstadt and expresses his sadness watching Ronstadt struggle with Parkinson's disease. "It is the most hurting thing in the world," Neville says of her diagnosis.
It is very refreshing to read this memoir that focuses mainly on music. She describes in details the moment she first realized she was a singer at the age of 4 and vividly recounts the musical path she followed. "I can remember sitting at the piano," she writes in the first chapter. She made music with well-known artists like Aaron Neville, Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris. She recalls; well, Emmy and I can finish each other's sentences. We have the same taste, and same political ideas, and we read a lot of the same books. But it didn't matter, because when we were working together, we had music among the three of us as a common language. Music always started the conversation. Each girl had her own way of dealing with challenges in her music career and ultimately triumphing, as Emmy and Dolly both have done their whole lives.
The biography also makes many references to her romantic involvement with California Governor Jerry Brown. It was hard to imagine that she was a woman who was in the middle of California rock scene would be interested in a person like Brown. She explains that they "had a lot of fun for a number of years. He was smart and funny, not interested in drinking or drugs," which is "a relief" considering her musician friends.
She is currently involved with a cultural group in the East Bay that works with immigrant population that teaches children traditional Mexican music. It is an after-school program; it's absolutely brilliant, she says. It is heartwarming to read her memoir; she is full of positive spirit but also saddening to know about illness. Highly recommended to all music fans!
Understanding Leadership: The leadership and organizational dynamics
The I of Leadership: Strategies for Seeing, Being and Doing, by Nigel Nicholson
The author gives a critical message for a leader to understand himself. Who you are matters in everything you do as a leader. This book analyzes the paradoxes and dilemmas of leadership. The stories of well-known leaders who succeeded or failed are discussed. Every leader is unique and handles a given problem in his/her way, but his/her action matter to lot more people in lot more ways. The book begins with George Bush and Tony Blair's very first reaction to the news of Islamic terrorists' attack on 9/11 and 7/7 respectively. Their reaction at that time has lot to say about their leadership, says the author. This is an insightful book that puts together real life examples that blends evolutionary psychology, cognitive theory, behavioral sociology and management.
A given story could be written in many ways, and handling of a social, political or an economic crisis may be approached in several ways, but the author goes behind the story which he calls "I" of leadership. The consciousness of the leaders, their self-management and strategy impacts us all, but it is the moment they act and react also matters. If the leadership of a leader is analyzed using, the "Seeing-Being-Doing" model of psychology, interesting results emerge. The author emphasize that the leadership is not just about education, experience and overall skills but the nature of his leadership itself. We need a V.I.P leadership to lead: Vision (a realistic approach to the challenge), identity (a deep appreciation who they are, and who we are) and passion (care deeply about what they are doing and the ability to express that). V+I without P is un-communicative filled with self-absorption; V+P without I is empty sloganeering; and P+I without V is egoistic and unrealistic. Of these three I is the lynchpin and this has been the argument running throughout this book. True effectiveness comes from self-management, and he/she must have conversation with oneself. The sudden flood of thoughts that occurred in the minds of Bush/Blair after they heard about the catastrophic hit on their countries says a lot about that leader. What gives these leaders a frame of mind to do the right thing and secure our future? The author says there are five principles for good leadership is; be real, decenter, build ensembles, scan & scout, and frame the journey.
The book reads well and the author has made the subject of leadership interesting.
The author gives a critical message for a leader to understand himself. Who you are matters in everything you do as a leader. This book analyzes the paradoxes and dilemmas of leadership. The stories of well-known leaders who succeeded or failed are discussed. Every leader is unique and handles a given problem in his/her way, but his/her action matter to lot more people in lot more ways. The book begins with George Bush and Tony Blair's very first reaction to the news of Islamic terrorists' attack on 9/11 and 7/7 respectively. Their reaction at that time has lot to say about their leadership, says the author. This is an insightful book that puts together real life examples that blends evolutionary psychology, cognitive theory, behavioral sociology and management.
A given story could be written in many ways, and handling of a social, political or an economic crisis may be approached in several ways, but the author goes behind the story which he calls "I" of leadership. The consciousness of the leaders, their self-management and strategy impacts us all, but it is the moment they act and react also matters. If the leadership of a leader is analyzed using, the "Seeing-Being-Doing" model of psychology, interesting results emerge. The author emphasize that the leadership is not just about education, experience and overall skills but the nature of his leadership itself. We need a V.I.P leadership to lead: Vision (a realistic approach to the challenge), identity (a deep appreciation who they are, and who we are) and passion (care deeply about what they are doing and the ability to express that). V+I without P is un-communicative filled with self-absorption; V+P without I is empty sloganeering; and P+I without V is egoistic and unrealistic. Of these three I is the lynchpin and this has been the argument running throughout this book. True effectiveness comes from self-management, and he/she must have conversation with oneself. The sudden flood of thoughts that occurred in the minds of Bush/Blair after they heard about the catastrophic hit on their countries says a lot about that leader. What gives these leaders a frame of mind to do the right thing and secure our future? The author says there are five principles for good leadership is; be real, decenter, build ensembles, scan & scout, and frame the journey.
The book reads well and the author has made the subject of leadership interesting.
The Hindu Bali
Book Reviewed: Evolution of Hindu Culture in Bali, by I Gusti Putu Phalgunadi
This is a great book for understanding the Hindu culture of Bali. The author provides a wonderful account of how Hinduism and Buddhism impacted the culture of Indonesian archipelago, after Indian migration to the islands of Indonesia. Jainism also set foot in Java and Bali but did not survive in the long run. Hinduism and Buddhism prospered over centuries, but in modern Indonesia, only the island of Bali managed to retain and practice Hinduism as dominant religion. Bali is the only other region, besides India and Nepal, where Hinduism is the most popular religion. The book reads like a thrilling story of noble sons and daughters of India who travelled to the far off lands; the initial influx is known to have occurred in second or third century A.D., and they brought with them rich Indian culture. This constitutes a fascinating chapter in the cultural history of the world. But the Indian records have nothing to say about activities of these brave Hindu and Buddhist missionaries. However the epigraphic and literary records of islands of Indonesia suggest their selfless work in building a common civilization over centuries.
The author has studied historical documents which are scarce and scanty to analyze and interpret the historical development of two ancient religions in Indonesia. He has made a sincere and impartial effort to present facts without distorting them. The author suggests that Bali underwent Hinduisation in the early years of Christian era. It continued to be powerful until the end of the eighth century, and again rose to power in the ninth century remained strong for more than five hundred years. During the 16 and 17 centuries, Bali was divided into nine autonomous Hindu kingdoms. In the first decade of twentieth century, Bali was colonialized by the Dutch invaders; consequently the last Hindu kingdom of Bali became extinct.
Politically and culturally, the islands of Indonesia were under the influence the two major Asian powers; India and China. The Indian influence unlike the China did not have political ambitions. Hence it was accepted and gradually absorbed by the native societies. This is similar to the influence of Greece upon Western Europe. Hindu movement was peaceful movement, and Indian traders (Vaisyas), Brahmanas, and Kshatriyas, all went on separate missions but they never tried destroying or uprooting the native culture. Brahmanas who had access to all sacred texts and well versed in Sanskrit and the interpretation of scriptures were also credited to propagation of Hindu faith in Indonesia. Brahmanas were well versed with rituals and sacrifices that many local chiefs found important for self-purification and seek the protection from gods of Puranas. Emperor Asoka also sent Buddhist missionaries led by Sona and Uttara to Suvarnabhumi, and this theory is popular among Buddhists of Thailand. Centuries later, missionaries also went from Nalanda University as a part of cultural and academic exchange programs.
The earliest Hindu kingdom of Sumatra known as the Srivijaya is probably the first in Indonesia. This was established before fourth century A.D., but this dynasty rose to great powers in the eight century, A.D. Palembang became the capital of the mighty empire and was the most important port between India and China. Gradually it became the most important Buddhist center and Srivijaya University modeled after Nalanda University came into existence. This was the second largest only next to Nalanda and invited scholars from across the continent. Dhammapala, a professor from Nalanda University is known have spent his last few years at Srivijaya in 7 century A.D. Dipankara Srijnana of Vikramasila University of India also visited this university on teaching and academic assignments.
Religion was one of the most important factors in the propagation of Indian culture in Bali. The Hindu faith that became popular in Bali was not Vedic but it is post-Vedic and Puranic forms. This was introduced directly from India and not from other parts of the region. The main feature was its sectarian character as taught by Puranic scriptures. Saivite faith is the most dominant Puranic sect of Bali Hinduism. One of the distinguishing features of Balinese sects is the fusion of Saivism and Mahayana Buddhism in the 14 century A.D. during the Singhasari dynasty. Sanskrit was the first official language of Bali until about 13 century when king Udayana of Bali married princess Mahendradatta of Java. This matrimonial alliance helped the local Kavi language to replace Sanskrit as the official language of Bali. Kavi language evolved as religious language and the earliest works came in the form of epics. It closely follows the Sanskrit kavya metre. The Epics and the Puranas have always played an important role in the evolution of Kavi language. Balinese created a national culture out of Hinduism. The fall of Majaphait Empire marked a turning point for Java which underwent rapid Islamization and Hinduism found refuge in Bali which remained faithful to Hinduism until today.
Ramayana and Mahabharata are the most celebrated literary and religious works ever produced is highly respected in Bali. The epics have been flourishing since tenth century A.D., and it is widely read, studied, paraphrased and sung by Balinese. Ramayana in Kavi language was probably written in tenth century A.D., during the reign of king Sindok of East Java, 929 to 947 A.D. Among 18 Mahapuranas, only the Brhmanada Purana survived in the Balinese culture in Kavi language and the rest of 17 Purana may have been lost. It closely follows the Sanskrit version and perhaps written in tenth century A.D. There are two versions of this Purana; one is Kakvin (poetical from) and the other in prose form. The former was written by Balinese poet Mpu Astaguna.
There are about 75 photographs of Bali Hindu temples and many are spectacular including the Guha-Gajah cave (10th century) at Bhedahuiu, which has the traditional wooden carvings of Rama exiled to the forest with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana. Pictures of Rajaswala ceremony performed for a girl attaining puberty and the traditional ceremonial dress worn by Hindu women. This is an outstanding work and I highly recommend to anyone interested in Hinduism.
This is a great book for understanding the Hindu culture of Bali. The author provides a wonderful account of how Hinduism and Buddhism impacted the culture of Indonesian archipelago, after Indian migration to the islands of Indonesia. Jainism also set foot in Java and Bali but did not survive in the long run. Hinduism and Buddhism prospered over centuries, but in modern Indonesia, only the island of Bali managed to retain and practice Hinduism as dominant religion. Bali is the only other region, besides India and Nepal, where Hinduism is the most popular religion. The book reads like a thrilling story of noble sons and daughters of India who travelled to the far off lands; the initial influx is known to have occurred in second or third century A.D., and they brought with them rich Indian culture. This constitutes a fascinating chapter in the cultural history of the world. But the Indian records have nothing to say about activities of these brave Hindu and Buddhist missionaries. However the epigraphic and literary records of islands of Indonesia suggest their selfless work in building a common civilization over centuries.
The author has studied historical documents which are scarce and scanty to analyze and interpret the historical development of two ancient religions in Indonesia. He has made a sincere and impartial effort to present facts without distorting them. The author suggests that Bali underwent Hinduisation in the early years of Christian era. It continued to be powerful until the end of the eighth century, and again rose to power in the ninth century remained strong for more than five hundred years. During the 16 and 17 centuries, Bali was divided into nine autonomous Hindu kingdoms. In the first decade of twentieth century, Bali was colonialized by the Dutch invaders; consequently the last Hindu kingdom of Bali became extinct.
Politically and culturally, the islands of Indonesia were under the influence the two major Asian powers; India and China. The Indian influence unlike the China did not have political ambitions. Hence it was accepted and gradually absorbed by the native societies. This is similar to the influence of Greece upon Western Europe. Hindu movement was peaceful movement, and Indian traders (Vaisyas), Brahmanas, and Kshatriyas, all went on separate missions but they never tried destroying or uprooting the native culture. Brahmanas who had access to all sacred texts and well versed in Sanskrit and the interpretation of scriptures were also credited to propagation of Hindu faith in Indonesia. Brahmanas were well versed with rituals and sacrifices that many local chiefs found important for self-purification and seek the protection from gods of Puranas. Emperor Asoka also sent Buddhist missionaries led by Sona and Uttara to Suvarnabhumi, and this theory is popular among Buddhists of Thailand. Centuries later, missionaries also went from Nalanda University as a part of cultural and academic exchange programs.
The earliest Hindu kingdom of Sumatra known as the Srivijaya is probably the first in Indonesia. This was established before fourth century A.D., but this dynasty rose to great powers in the eight century, A.D. Palembang became the capital of the mighty empire and was the most important port between India and China. Gradually it became the most important Buddhist center and Srivijaya University modeled after Nalanda University came into existence. This was the second largest only next to Nalanda and invited scholars from across the continent. Dhammapala, a professor from Nalanda University is known have spent his last few years at Srivijaya in 7 century A.D. Dipankara Srijnana of Vikramasila University of India also visited this university on teaching and academic assignments.
Religion was one of the most important factors in the propagation of Indian culture in Bali. The Hindu faith that became popular in Bali was not Vedic but it is post-Vedic and Puranic forms. This was introduced directly from India and not from other parts of the region. The main feature was its sectarian character as taught by Puranic scriptures. Saivite faith is the most dominant Puranic sect of Bali Hinduism. One of the distinguishing features of Balinese sects is the fusion of Saivism and Mahayana Buddhism in the 14 century A.D. during the Singhasari dynasty. Sanskrit was the first official language of Bali until about 13 century when king Udayana of Bali married princess Mahendradatta of Java. This matrimonial alliance helped the local Kavi language to replace Sanskrit as the official language of Bali. Kavi language evolved as religious language and the earliest works came in the form of epics. It closely follows the Sanskrit kavya metre. The Epics and the Puranas have always played an important role in the evolution of Kavi language. Balinese created a national culture out of Hinduism. The fall of Majaphait Empire marked a turning point for Java which underwent rapid Islamization and Hinduism found refuge in Bali which remained faithful to Hinduism until today.
Ramayana and Mahabharata are the most celebrated literary and religious works ever produced is highly respected in Bali. The epics have been flourishing since tenth century A.D., and it is widely read, studied, paraphrased and sung by Balinese. Ramayana in Kavi language was probably written in tenth century A.D., during the reign of king Sindok of East Java, 929 to 947 A.D. Among 18 Mahapuranas, only the Brhmanada Purana survived in the Balinese culture in Kavi language and the rest of 17 Purana may have been lost. It closely follows the Sanskrit version and perhaps written in tenth century A.D. There are two versions of this Purana; one is Kakvin (poetical from) and the other in prose form. The former was written by Balinese poet Mpu Astaguna.
There are about 75 photographs of Bali Hindu temples and many are spectacular including the Guha-Gajah cave (10th century) at Bhedahuiu, which has the traditional wooden carvings of Rama exiled to the forest with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana. Pictures of Rajaswala ceremony performed for a girl attaining puberty and the traditional ceremonial dress worn by Hindu women. This is an outstanding work and I highly recommend to anyone interested in Hinduism.
Did a rise in female professionals solve the myth of gender gap?
Book Reviewed: The XX Factor: How the Rise of Working Women Has Created a Far Less Equal World, by Alison Wolf
This is an illuminating work of Professor Alison Wolf of King College, London who has examined the lives of modern women and their career choices to determine if it has helped the status of women in the society and narrow the myth of gender gap. In this astonishing investigation, the author observes that the gender gap is closing, but in this process, it has widened the gap among women themselves. The career woman with a good education enjoys the lifestyles of her male colleagues, but this special "breed" of women also distanced themselves from millions of non-professional women who did not fare well in education or in a career. This side of feminism has consequences. It has changed the traditional life styles of successful women; they work longer than an average woman, postpone marriage, delay having children and spend less time with kids.
A transformation of labor market in 1960s and 1970s changed women's expectations and behavior; higher education, greater job opportunities, career growth, changed family values and the arrival of the pill made all the difference. A comparative look at the college educated woman of 2013 with that of 1950s and 60s illustrate the feminist impact on gender emancipation. In this work the author has used statistical data available in professional journals to evaluate if contemporary women behave similarly or there are systematic differences among them. From the data shown in this book, the author concludes that women have grown different not only from each other but also in their careers, family patterns, daily tasks and even in their bedrooms. The differences are attributed to their education and careers that turned them into elites of the society. Spending time at the golf course is more entertaining than having a quiet evening with family and friends at home.
From the charts/tables and other statistical data reproduced from academic journals, certain interesting facts emerge; most male and female graduates are equally likely or unlikely to have kids. Graduate women are far more likely to work continuously, post birth than non-professional women. Graduate mothers are more likely to cut back on their hours at work than graduate fathers. This study also finds that highly successful women with stay-at-home male partner are small. Among poorly educated women with few prospects, they often opt for single motherhood, better a baby fathered by an unsatisfactory and absent male than no baby at all is the motto. But not many graduate women make that choice. Having studied the numerous charts/tables presented in this book, one thing that is astonishing is that the sexual behavior and its frequency among career women is not too different from those of non-professional women. Another feature of this study is, although there are numerous charts studying the sexual behavior of educated versus non-educated women at different age groups, at various periods in time, various demographics, both in USA and UK, these studies do not take political persuasion of these women into their consideration.
The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 is long marathon for Lilly Ledbetter who worked for the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in its Gadsden, Alabama location, but her ordeal in her fight for equal pay for equal work made all American women proud. Yet there is a different generation of women who did not wait for the law to pass, but made difference at work place for all women.
This is an illuminating work of Professor Alison Wolf of King College, London who has examined the lives of modern women and their career choices to determine if it has helped the status of women in the society and narrow the myth of gender gap. In this astonishing investigation, the author observes that the gender gap is closing, but in this process, it has widened the gap among women themselves. The career woman with a good education enjoys the lifestyles of her male colleagues, but this special "breed" of women also distanced themselves from millions of non-professional women who did not fare well in education or in a career. This side of feminism has consequences. It has changed the traditional life styles of successful women; they work longer than an average woman, postpone marriage, delay having children and spend less time with kids.
A transformation of labor market in 1960s and 1970s changed women's expectations and behavior; higher education, greater job opportunities, career growth, changed family values and the arrival of the pill made all the difference. A comparative look at the college educated woman of 2013 with that of 1950s and 60s illustrate the feminist impact on gender emancipation. In this work the author has used statistical data available in professional journals to evaluate if contemporary women behave similarly or there are systematic differences among them. From the data shown in this book, the author concludes that women have grown different not only from each other but also in their careers, family patterns, daily tasks and even in their bedrooms. The differences are attributed to their education and careers that turned them into elites of the society. Spending time at the golf course is more entertaining than having a quiet evening with family and friends at home.
From the charts/tables and other statistical data reproduced from academic journals, certain interesting facts emerge; most male and female graduates are equally likely or unlikely to have kids. Graduate women are far more likely to work continuously, post birth than non-professional women. Graduate mothers are more likely to cut back on their hours at work than graduate fathers. This study also finds that highly successful women with stay-at-home male partner are small. Among poorly educated women with few prospects, they often opt for single motherhood, better a baby fathered by an unsatisfactory and absent male than no baby at all is the motto. But not many graduate women make that choice. Having studied the numerous charts/tables presented in this book, one thing that is astonishing is that the sexual behavior and its frequency among career women is not too different from those of non-professional women. Another feature of this study is, although there are numerous charts studying the sexual behavior of educated versus non-educated women at different age groups, at various periods in time, various demographics, both in USA and UK, these studies do not take political persuasion of these women into their consideration.
The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 is long marathon for Lilly Ledbetter who worked for the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in its Gadsden, Alabama location, but her ordeal in her fight for equal pay for equal work made all American women proud. Yet there is a different generation of women who did not wait for the law to pass, but made difference at work place for all women.
The odyssey of Albert Camus and Jacques Monod: From French resistance to Nobel Prize
Brave Genius: A Scientist, a Philosopher, and Their Daring Adventures from the French Resistance to the Nobel Prize, by Sean B. Carroll
This book tells the story of how Albert Camus and Jacques Monod endured the most terrible episode of 20th century and blossomed into extraordinarily creative and engaged individuals. This is the story of that adventure, transformation of ordinary lives into exceptional lives by extraordinary events of courage in the face of overwhelming adversity. Years before they received Nobel Prize; Camus for literature and Monod for physiology or medicine, they were quietly pursuing separate ordinary lives in France. In 1940, the German army invaded France and plunged the country into chaos. These events acted as a catalyst and set each man a new path of future greatness and into another's lives. Each of these men were exceptional creatively but also triumphed over great odds. The adventure of Camus began in a very dark dangerous time, so dangerous, in fact that the chances of him would have ever lived to see those latter days were slim.
The first half of the book discusses as how these two men were shaped by the world and the second half describes as how they shaped the world. The dividing line is the liberation of Paris and allied forces victory in the war. Monod and Camus bear witness to the progressively harsher life under Nazi occupation. It gradually changed from oppression to enslavement, torture, deportation and mass murder. Each of these men was inspired to join the French resistance against Germans until the allied forces led them to victory. The terror of the cruelty of occupation, the slaughter of tens of a millions in the war and the horrors of holocaust brought despair and abandon any hope for the future of humanity. Denial of any meaning or purpose of life, the nihilism, was the theme of life for many affected by the war. Camus argued that that we have to live life passionately and to the fullest since one cannot escape the certainty of death. Camus offered practical philosophy for living without falling into nihilism or religion.
As Camus expounded his philosophical reasoning, Monod was exploring the biological secrets of life with François Jacob. Monod and Jacob's insights were far ahead of their time. Biologists barely had the foggy picture of what a gene was when Monod and Jacob gave a general logic behind DNA transcription and translation at the molecular level. They were explaining how a fertilized egg grows into a complex species and the genetic material is transferred from parent to the offspring with a seminal concept. This led to a rapid progress in molecular biology and genetics that paved the way for recombinant DNA technology and genetic engineering.
Professor Sean Carroll of the University of Wisconsin at Madison does a good job of researching the material for this book; but this is also a long book of about 550+ pages. Sometimes his narratives get a little boring and long-drawn.
This book tells the story of how Albert Camus and Jacques Monod endured the most terrible episode of 20th century and blossomed into extraordinarily creative and engaged individuals. This is the story of that adventure, transformation of ordinary lives into exceptional lives by extraordinary events of courage in the face of overwhelming adversity. Years before they received Nobel Prize; Camus for literature and Monod for physiology or medicine, they were quietly pursuing separate ordinary lives in France. In 1940, the German army invaded France and plunged the country into chaos. These events acted as a catalyst and set each man a new path of future greatness and into another's lives. Each of these men were exceptional creatively but also triumphed over great odds. The adventure of Camus began in a very dark dangerous time, so dangerous, in fact that the chances of him would have ever lived to see those latter days were slim.
The first half of the book discusses as how these two men were shaped by the world and the second half describes as how they shaped the world. The dividing line is the liberation of Paris and allied forces victory in the war. Monod and Camus bear witness to the progressively harsher life under Nazi occupation. It gradually changed from oppression to enslavement, torture, deportation and mass murder. Each of these men was inspired to join the French resistance against Germans until the allied forces led them to victory. The terror of the cruelty of occupation, the slaughter of tens of a millions in the war and the horrors of holocaust brought despair and abandon any hope for the future of humanity. Denial of any meaning or purpose of life, the nihilism, was the theme of life for many affected by the war. Camus argued that that we have to live life passionately and to the fullest since one cannot escape the certainty of death. Camus offered practical philosophy for living without falling into nihilism or religion.
As Camus expounded his philosophical reasoning, Monod was exploring the biological secrets of life with François Jacob. Monod and Jacob's insights were far ahead of their time. Biologists barely had the foggy picture of what a gene was when Monod and Jacob gave a general logic behind DNA transcription and translation at the molecular level. They were explaining how a fertilized egg grows into a complex species and the genetic material is transferred from parent to the offspring with a seminal concept. This led to a rapid progress in molecular biology and genetics that paved the way for recombinant DNA technology and genetic engineering.
Professor Sean Carroll of the University of Wisconsin at Madison does a good job of researching the material for this book; but this is also a long book of about 550+ pages. Sometimes his narratives get a little boring and long-drawn.
Broken Silence: Reminiscing with the movie stars from silent era
Book Reviewed: Broken Silence - Conversations with 23 Silent Film Stars, by Michael G. Ankerich
This is a book of recorded memories of film stars from silent era. There are few notable stars in this book that includes; Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Lew Ayres and Eleanor Boardman. The rest of them are less known actresses which includes; Lois Moran, Madge Bellamy, Ethylene Clair, Dorothy Revier, Patsy Ruth Miller and many others. Each star is discussed in a separate chapter and part of their biographies is also described. The book is an interesting read and does not go into depth to any degree.
Over the years, I have seen many movies of 1920s and 1930s on TCM and have become familiar with many less known stars, but I have not been able to read about them as there are no books about them. They did not dazzle like Mary Pickford, Joan Crawford, or Gloria Swanson, but offered commendable performances in the movies, and it is refreshing to read about them in this book and relate to their movies I have seen on TCM.
Some of the interesting facts about these stars may be summarized as follows: For example, actors like Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Eleanor Boardman, and Ethylene Clair did not have any ambitions to become film stars. But Lew Ayres, Marion Mack, and Dorothy Gulliver had burning ambition to be the stars of the silver screen. Lois Moran, Joyce Compton and others were pressured by their mothers to go into acting. But Gladys Walton, Patsy Ruth Miller and Dorothy Janis were discovered by talent scouts during their visits to Hollywood.
The Kiss, the last silent film of MGM starred Greta Garbo with Lew Ayres who was supposed to be a college student with whom Garbo had love interest. He recalls that she was intensely shy and was "charming in almost maternal way." Lew Ayers was married to actress Ginger Rogers for eight years and Janet Gaynor and Mary Brian were bridesmaids at their wedding.
Actress Eleanor Boardman and Greta Garbo were great friends. When Boardman was going to marry director King Vidor in August 1925, Garbo and John Gilbert were also to wed to make it double wedding. At the last minute Garbo got cold feet and never showed up for wedding. In this book Boardman recalls as how Louis B Mayer, head of MGM spoke lightly of Garbo after she didn't show up, and Gilbert was so irked by the insults about Greta Garbo, he slugged the guy. That was the end of his film career. Boardman vividly recalls this incident in the book.
Actress Ethylene Clair was almost abducted at gun point across the border to Tijuana, Mexico so that her friend Hinshaw could marry her. She refused his proposal, but apparently the fear of being killed by a gunshot; she went along and tied the knot at the office of the justice of peace. She was crying throughout, but the minister married her anyway and later told her that she was happiest bride he had ever seen. He thought she was crying out joy and happiness. Clair also recalls working with actress Louise Brooks and calls her as the "nastiest gal" she has ever seen.
Actor Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., describes how he met Joan Crawford; he marries later but to the objection of his father Doug Fairbanks, Sr. He narrates another interesting fact as how he comes in the middle of on-again-off-again romance between John Gilbert and Greta Garbo while doing the 1928 movie, "A woman of affairs" in which both Gilbert and Garbo are the main stars. Gilbert would ask him to deliver love message to sulking Garbo. He recalls that Garbo was "absolutely charming, and very friendly." Referring to his step-mother Mary Pickford, "She was very thoughtful and just absolutely charming." He was close to her until her death in 1979. He never forgot her unselfish attempts to bring the father and son together in friendship. There are numerous stories like that you can read in this book and it is definitely a fun read.
This is a book of recorded memories of film stars from silent era. There are few notable stars in this book that includes; Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Lew Ayres and Eleanor Boardman. The rest of them are less known actresses which includes; Lois Moran, Madge Bellamy, Ethylene Clair, Dorothy Revier, Patsy Ruth Miller and many others. Each star is discussed in a separate chapter and part of their biographies is also described. The book is an interesting read and does not go into depth to any degree.
Over the years, I have seen many movies of 1920s and 1930s on TCM and have become familiar with many less known stars, but I have not been able to read about them as there are no books about them. They did not dazzle like Mary Pickford, Joan Crawford, or Gloria Swanson, but offered commendable performances in the movies, and it is refreshing to read about them in this book and relate to their movies I have seen on TCM.
Some of the interesting facts about these stars may be summarized as follows: For example, actors like Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Eleanor Boardman, and Ethylene Clair did not have any ambitions to become film stars. But Lew Ayres, Marion Mack, and Dorothy Gulliver had burning ambition to be the stars of the silver screen. Lois Moran, Joyce Compton and others were pressured by their mothers to go into acting. But Gladys Walton, Patsy Ruth Miller and Dorothy Janis were discovered by talent scouts during their visits to Hollywood.
The Kiss, the last silent film of MGM starred Greta Garbo with Lew Ayres who was supposed to be a college student with whom Garbo had love interest. He recalls that she was intensely shy and was "charming in almost maternal way." Lew Ayers was married to actress Ginger Rogers for eight years and Janet Gaynor and Mary Brian were bridesmaids at their wedding.
Actress Eleanor Boardman and Greta Garbo were great friends. When Boardman was going to marry director King Vidor in August 1925, Garbo and John Gilbert were also to wed to make it double wedding. At the last minute Garbo got cold feet and never showed up for wedding. In this book Boardman recalls as how Louis B Mayer, head of MGM spoke lightly of Garbo after she didn't show up, and Gilbert was so irked by the insults about Greta Garbo, he slugged the guy. That was the end of his film career. Boardman vividly recalls this incident in the book.
Actress Ethylene Clair was almost abducted at gun point across the border to Tijuana, Mexico so that her friend Hinshaw could marry her. She refused his proposal, but apparently the fear of being killed by a gunshot; she went along and tied the knot at the office of the justice of peace. She was crying throughout, but the minister married her anyway and later told her that she was happiest bride he had ever seen. He thought she was crying out joy and happiness. Clair also recalls working with actress Louise Brooks and calls her as the "nastiest gal" she has ever seen.
Actor Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., describes how he met Joan Crawford; he marries later but to the objection of his father Doug Fairbanks, Sr. He narrates another interesting fact as how he comes in the middle of on-again-off-again romance between John Gilbert and Greta Garbo while doing the 1928 movie, "A woman of affairs" in which both Gilbert and Garbo are the main stars. Gilbert would ask him to deliver love message to sulking Garbo. He recalls that Garbo was "absolutely charming, and very friendly." Referring to his step-mother Mary Pickford, "She was very thoughtful and just absolutely charming." He was close to her until her death in 1979. He never forgot her unselfish attempts to bring the father and son together in friendship. There are numerous stories like that you can read in this book and it is definitely a fun read.
Hollywood's Babylon Women: Hollywood unsolved mysteries
Book Reviewed: Hollywood's Babylon Women, by John Austin
The author discusses the circumstances surrounding the unnatural deaths of many stars in Hollywood, which includes, Marilyn Monroe, Carol Landis, Paul Bern (Jean Harlow's husband,) Thelma Todd, Carol Wayne, Lupe Velez, Inger Stevens, Vicki Morgan, and Natalie Wood. Some of these deaths are well publicized and well theorized and this book provides additional information for some of them. But how reliable is the sources of the author? How do we know his theories are correct? For example, the death of Paul Bern in Beverly Hills is theorized as murder by his common law wife Dorothy Millette who was mentally ill. The author suggests that this murder was orchestrated by mob figure Abner "Longie" Zwillman who was intimate with Harlow and played the role of her manager. This is unlikely since there are several books and numerous evidences that show that Paul Bern's death was due to the jealous Millette who chose to shoot Bern because she couldn't have him for herself. The other theory advanced by MGM studio and its head Louis B. Mayer was that Paul Bern was impotent and to hide his shame, he committed suicide. This theory also does not hold water since many women who were intimate with Bern came forward and testified that impotence/suicide theory was untrue. There are many reports that the integrity of crime scene was also compromised by the interference of MGM studio. Many close friends and studio members said that Jean Harlow did not have a steady boyfriend from the mob. The author also contends wrongly that Harlow had a reckless sexual behavior with many partners when she was married, but this not true.
Many of the mysteries of this book transpired when LAPD had corrupt police practices, but after 1950, LAPD was supposed to be cleaned and the mysteries of homicides that occurred earlier were re-examined. Tampering with homicide scene was not uncommon as in the case of Paul Bern. The studios were still trying to establish themselves and had to protect themselves from any scandals that would affect the box office. One of the most discussed stories is about Marilyn Monroe, and in this book that author reexamines coroner's medical examination and the death certificate. He suggests that her diary mysteriously disappeared along with other evidences that were crucial to the investigation.
Carol Landis's death is most probably a suicide and the author does not question that but her lover, married and much older Rex Harrison should have taken more interest in her welfare and well-being since she was in dire economic strain. Landis looked at Harrison as the only hope and he wanted him in her life, but she couldn't; but she had little choice except to end it all.
With regards to the death of actress Thelma Todd, the author does not believe that mobster "Lucky" Luciano was involved; in fact he squarely blames Jo Schenk, the cofounder of the 20th century Fox and producer Roland West with whom Todd had personal and professional relationship. The author suggests that West confessed to his friend, actor Chester Morris, on deathbed just to cleanse his soul. This does not make sense, because Thelma Todd's movies were big hits at the box office and both Schenk and West had plenty to lose by having her killed.
Actress Carol Wayne's death has been blamed on her boyfriend named Edward Durston, a used car salesman from Los Angeles, but no motive or reasons are given. He was also a suspect in the death of Diane Linkletter but later cleared. The author has not given any new evidences in the case of Lupe Velez, Carol Wayne, Natalie Wood and Vicky Morgan. Natalie Wood's death is another case much discussed in the press and recently reopened for investigation. Vicky Morgan's case is interesting since her rise from a working community into the bedrooms of some of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the world. She was a longtime lover of business tycoon Al Bloomingdale. Marvin Panacoast, a friend of Vicky was wrongly convicted for the crime someone else committed. Suspicion runs through the garbage dump of America's organized crime into the back alleys of sinister covert operations and deep into Reagan administration. The author briefly discusses the barbiturate poisoning of Swedish actress Inger Stevens who had intimate relationship with Bing Crosby, Burt Reynolds and her husband, football player Ike Jones from UCLA. Her death was ruled a suicide. Overall, the book is a good read, but the author does not shed much light, except for the cases of Paul Bern and Vicky Morgan.
The author discusses the circumstances surrounding the unnatural deaths of many stars in Hollywood, which includes, Marilyn Monroe, Carol Landis, Paul Bern (Jean Harlow's husband,) Thelma Todd, Carol Wayne, Lupe Velez, Inger Stevens, Vicki Morgan, and Natalie Wood. Some of these deaths are well publicized and well theorized and this book provides additional information for some of them. But how reliable is the sources of the author? How do we know his theories are correct? For example, the death of Paul Bern in Beverly Hills is theorized as murder by his common law wife Dorothy Millette who was mentally ill. The author suggests that this murder was orchestrated by mob figure Abner "Longie" Zwillman who was intimate with Harlow and played the role of her manager. This is unlikely since there are several books and numerous evidences that show that Paul Bern's death was due to the jealous Millette who chose to shoot Bern because she couldn't have him for herself. The other theory advanced by MGM studio and its head Louis B. Mayer was that Paul Bern was impotent and to hide his shame, he committed suicide. This theory also does not hold water since many women who were intimate with Bern came forward and testified that impotence/suicide theory was untrue. There are many reports that the integrity of crime scene was also compromised by the interference of MGM studio. Many close friends and studio members said that Jean Harlow did not have a steady boyfriend from the mob. The author also contends wrongly that Harlow had a reckless sexual behavior with many partners when she was married, but this not true.
Many of the mysteries of this book transpired when LAPD had corrupt police practices, but after 1950, LAPD was supposed to be cleaned and the mysteries of homicides that occurred earlier were re-examined. Tampering with homicide scene was not uncommon as in the case of Paul Bern. The studios were still trying to establish themselves and had to protect themselves from any scandals that would affect the box office. One of the most discussed stories is about Marilyn Monroe, and in this book that author reexamines coroner's medical examination and the death certificate. He suggests that her diary mysteriously disappeared along with other evidences that were crucial to the investigation.
Carol Landis's death is most probably a suicide and the author does not question that but her lover, married and much older Rex Harrison should have taken more interest in her welfare and well-being since she was in dire economic strain. Landis looked at Harrison as the only hope and he wanted him in her life, but she couldn't; but she had little choice except to end it all.
With regards to the death of actress Thelma Todd, the author does not believe that mobster "Lucky" Luciano was involved; in fact he squarely blames Jo Schenk, the cofounder of the 20th century Fox and producer Roland West with whom Todd had personal and professional relationship. The author suggests that West confessed to his friend, actor Chester Morris, on deathbed just to cleanse his soul. This does not make sense, because Thelma Todd's movies were big hits at the box office and both Schenk and West had plenty to lose by having her killed.
Actress Carol Wayne's death has been blamed on her boyfriend named Edward Durston, a used car salesman from Los Angeles, but no motive or reasons are given. He was also a suspect in the death of Diane Linkletter but later cleared. The author has not given any new evidences in the case of Lupe Velez, Carol Wayne, Natalie Wood and Vicky Morgan. Natalie Wood's death is another case much discussed in the press and recently reopened for investigation. Vicky Morgan's case is interesting since her rise from a working community into the bedrooms of some of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the world. She was a longtime lover of business tycoon Al Bloomingdale. Marvin Panacoast, a friend of Vicky was wrongly convicted for the crime someone else committed. Suspicion runs through the garbage dump of America's organized crime into the back alleys of sinister covert operations and deep into Reagan administration. The author briefly discusses the barbiturate poisoning of Swedish actress Inger Stevens who had intimate relationship with Bing Crosby, Burt Reynolds and her husband, football player Ike Jones from UCLA. Her death was ruled a suicide. Overall, the book is a good read, but the author does not shed much light, except for the cases of Paul Bern and Vicky Morgan.
A report on the success and failure of the "Millennium Villages Project" to end poverty
Book Reviewed: The Idealist: Jeffrey Sachs and the Quest to End Poverty, by Nina Munk
This is a brilliant story of Jeffery Sachs, a Columbia University professor who ventures into the real world to cure the illness of poverty. What happens when an abstract economic theory created in an academic environment is applied in real world? Will it succeed or will it collapse. The author is a humanist and an outstanding journalist, follows this new economic-age guru into the wilderness of Africa where he conducts his experiments of "Millennium Villages Project" to end global poverty. The author accompanies him to Sauri, a remote farming village in Kenya, the villages of Ruhira in Uganda and Dertu in Somalia.
Sachs strongly believes in an ethical choice; he is a prophet, a messiah who came to this world to end human suffering. His focus was two billion people who are scarping by when the industrialized societies continue to ignore them. He is sick and tired of academic debates and merits and de-merits of community development theories. The endless back and forth; the equivocating, the calls for more studies/research, and the delays; he wanted action. He was an angry prophet that nothing is done at global level to end poverty. The human suffering caused by the disease, hunger, war, corrupt governments run by despots, environmental destruction, and religious intolerance have all played a role in tormenting human lives. But development experts keep promoting one theory after another, publishing voluminous books and research articles. For Sachs, to dismiss Africa as a lost cause is an easy excuse for not doing anything. Looking for financiers to implement his ambitious project, he contacts billionaire, George Soros who grants his wish with $50 million to fund his project. The plan was to start the project in ten African countries with Soros's full blessings. The initial plan was shaky since the local market has to produce something so that it can sell and become self-sufficient. Labor is cheapest commodity and can be used to make something and sell it to Western nations at competitive prices. But there was a problem, the health barriers in Western nations were so high that you need a change in marketing plans; either produce something to sell to the rest of Africa or even better create safaris and tourist attractions for people in Europe and North America. In freezing winter, they would be too willing to visit the warm climate in southern Africa.
In Dertu, Somalia, the stronghold of Islamic fundamentalism, the author makes a gruesome discovery. On the wedding night of an African friend; how a bride goes through the painful experience of sexual intercourse when her vessel was sewed years ago. The actual sexual intercourse is witnessed by two women who would later come out of the "consummation hut" holding up their evidence, a bloodstained sheet which indicates that the bride was virgin, and everyone rejoice that centuries of Islamic tradition is kept alive one more time. In spite of all the advances made in uplifting the masses of Africa; did it make any difference to women's emancipation? These religious practices are most hurtful to women's rights, says the author. When Guru Sachs came out of his laboratory at Columbia University, did he evaluate the centuries of African tradition and the lack of women's right matters in his dream of economic emancipation? What about his goal of sustainability? A goal defined as the maintenance of "economic progress without a loss of momentum, a drop in living standards or a decline in social services." At the end of the project in the village of Ruhiira, the author asks; did it reach the desired goal? The answer is, painfully, no. With regards to the project in Dertu, disasters struck one after another; droughts, floods, Rift valley Fever, rinderpest, you name it, they had it. In 2011, the drought stricken areas of the Horn of Africa, the worst in modern history, left more Somalis dead than alive.
At the end, Sachs admits that the real world is more complicated, after spending more than $120 million. He says he misjudged the complex shifting realities in the African villages. Africa is not a laboratory; it is chaotic, messy and unpredictable.
This is a brilliant story of Jeffery Sachs, a Columbia University professor who ventures into the real world to cure the illness of poverty. What happens when an abstract economic theory created in an academic environment is applied in real world? Will it succeed or will it collapse. The author is a humanist and an outstanding journalist, follows this new economic-age guru into the wilderness of Africa where he conducts his experiments of "Millennium Villages Project" to end global poverty. The author accompanies him to Sauri, a remote farming village in Kenya, the villages of Ruhira in Uganda and Dertu in Somalia.
Sachs strongly believes in an ethical choice; he is a prophet, a messiah who came to this world to end human suffering. His focus was two billion people who are scarping by when the industrialized societies continue to ignore them. He is sick and tired of academic debates and merits and de-merits of community development theories. The endless back and forth; the equivocating, the calls for more studies/research, and the delays; he wanted action. He was an angry prophet that nothing is done at global level to end poverty. The human suffering caused by the disease, hunger, war, corrupt governments run by despots, environmental destruction, and religious intolerance have all played a role in tormenting human lives. But development experts keep promoting one theory after another, publishing voluminous books and research articles. For Sachs, to dismiss Africa as a lost cause is an easy excuse for not doing anything. Looking for financiers to implement his ambitious project, he contacts billionaire, George Soros who grants his wish with $50 million to fund his project. The plan was to start the project in ten African countries with Soros's full blessings. The initial plan was shaky since the local market has to produce something so that it can sell and become self-sufficient. Labor is cheapest commodity and can be used to make something and sell it to Western nations at competitive prices. But there was a problem, the health barriers in Western nations were so high that you need a change in marketing plans; either produce something to sell to the rest of Africa or even better create safaris and tourist attractions for people in Europe and North America. In freezing winter, they would be too willing to visit the warm climate in southern Africa.
In Dertu, Somalia, the stronghold of Islamic fundamentalism, the author makes a gruesome discovery. On the wedding night of an African friend; how a bride goes through the painful experience of sexual intercourse when her vessel was sewed years ago. The actual sexual intercourse is witnessed by two women who would later come out of the "consummation hut" holding up their evidence, a bloodstained sheet which indicates that the bride was virgin, and everyone rejoice that centuries of Islamic tradition is kept alive one more time. In spite of all the advances made in uplifting the masses of Africa; did it make any difference to women's emancipation? These religious practices are most hurtful to women's rights, says the author. When Guru Sachs came out of his laboratory at Columbia University, did he evaluate the centuries of African tradition and the lack of women's right matters in his dream of economic emancipation? What about his goal of sustainability? A goal defined as the maintenance of "economic progress without a loss of momentum, a drop in living standards or a decline in social services." At the end of the project in the village of Ruhiira, the author asks; did it reach the desired goal? The answer is, painfully, no. With regards to the project in Dertu, disasters struck one after another; droughts, floods, Rift valley Fever, rinderpest, you name it, they had it. In 2011, the drought stricken areas of the Horn of Africa, the worst in modern history, left more Somalis dead than alive.
At the end, Sachs admits that the real world is more complicated, after spending more than $120 million. He says he misjudged the complex shifting realities in the African villages. Africa is not a laboratory; it is chaotic, messy and unpredictable.
Migration to the Promised Land; The evolution of the American culture
Book Reviewed: Shaping Our Nation: How Surges of Migration Transformed America and Its Politics, by Michael Barone
This is an interesting book for anyone interested in American history. It is full of facts with statistical data and maps in its history right from the colonial days. Some of the results are surprising and the author makes special efforts to delineate the relationship between the migrations of a particular ethnicity to the political outcomes and shaping of American culture. The religious freedom and equal opportunities afforded to all races and nationalities have had implications in the future economic, political and social structure of this country. The nation started with slavery and then the civil war which changed the course of the country for better into a strong and powerful nation in the world. The social and political revolution was always in the works. Two of the most successful generals of the Yankee stock who imbibed Yankee values were Ulysses Grant and William Sherman. Grant abhorred the abasement of Mexicans in the 1846-48 war in which he served with distinction. William Sherman was appalled by the mores of Louisiana slaveholders when he was stationed there years before the civil war. Grants and Sherman's efforts to enforce the rights of southern blacks during reconstruction were cut short by the public outrage over heavy military spending and unsympathetic to the idea of treating blacks on equal terms with whites. But with the support of emerging German-Scandinavian population and the Scott-Irish led to the defeat of the conflicting American culture of slaveholders. The presidency was held without exception by slave holders and their sympathizers during the 60 years before the civil war. The civil war is the conflict of Yankee North America over the American culture of slave holders.
The remarkable thing about the period from civil war to WWII is not how many southern blacks and whites moved to the North, but how few did. Very few moved even though the economic incentives and formidable barriers to the movement were lessened. The facts disprove the theory that domestic American migration was primarily an economic phenomenon. For 75 years, the American majority in the North abandoned the reconstruction and let the white majority in the South to run their society without interference. The migration that did not happen shaped the nation as any other migrations, from overseas, that did occur.
The migrations from Europe, Africa and Asia created one of the greatest nations on earth, but such migrations also bought challenges and conflicts. Those who fought for the union, and those who chose confederacy had their own American dream, which resulted in conflicts of interest and civil war became inevitable. It is often said that America has become culturally diverse only in the past quarter century. But from the country's beginning, cultural variety and conflict have been a force in American politics and a crucial reason for our rise to power. The founding fathers used a simple formula of limited government, civic equality and religious tolerance amidst cultural diversity and periods of darkness in American history. This equation has worked to a large extent which essentially proves that the founders of this nation were great visionaries.
This is an interesting book for anyone interested in American history. It is full of facts with statistical data and maps in its history right from the colonial days. Some of the results are surprising and the author makes special efforts to delineate the relationship between the migrations of a particular ethnicity to the political outcomes and shaping of American culture. The religious freedom and equal opportunities afforded to all races and nationalities have had implications in the future economic, political and social structure of this country. The nation started with slavery and then the civil war which changed the course of the country for better into a strong and powerful nation in the world. The social and political revolution was always in the works. Two of the most successful generals of the Yankee stock who imbibed Yankee values were Ulysses Grant and William Sherman. Grant abhorred the abasement of Mexicans in the 1846-48 war in which he served with distinction. William Sherman was appalled by the mores of Louisiana slaveholders when he was stationed there years before the civil war. Grants and Sherman's efforts to enforce the rights of southern blacks during reconstruction were cut short by the public outrage over heavy military spending and unsympathetic to the idea of treating blacks on equal terms with whites. But with the support of emerging German-Scandinavian population and the Scott-Irish led to the defeat of the conflicting American culture of slaveholders. The presidency was held without exception by slave holders and their sympathizers during the 60 years before the civil war. The civil war is the conflict of Yankee North America over the American culture of slave holders.
The remarkable thing about the period from civil war to WWII is not how many southern blacks and whites moved to the North, but how few did. Very few moved even though the economic incentives and formidable barriers to the movement were lessened. The facts disprove the theory that domestic American migration was primarily an economic phenomenon. For 75 years, the American majority in the North abandoned the reconstruction and let the white majority in the South to run their society without interference. The migration that did not happen shaped the nation as any other migrations, from overseas, that did occur.
The migrations from Europe, Africa and Asia created one of the greatest nations on earth, but such migrations also bought challenges and conflicts. Those who fought for the union, and those who chose confederacy had their own American dream, which resulted in conflicts of interest and civil war became inevitable. It is often said that America has become culturally diverse only in the past quarter century. But from the country's beginning, cultural variety and conflict have been a force in American politics and a crucial reason for our rise to power. The founding fathers used a simple formula of limited government, civic equality and religious tolerance amidst cultural diversity and periods of darkness in American history. This equation has worked to a large extent which essentially proves that the founders of this nation were great visionaries.
Manhattan Diary: A conversation with the stars of yesterday
Book Reviewed: Manhattan Diary, by Richard Lamparski
The author gives an interesting account of his interactions with many Hollywood stars of golden era, and classic era. His interviews include such stars as; Gloria Swanson, Tallulah Bankhead, Fred Astaire, Dorothy Parker, Bette Davis, Sammy Kaye, Ruby Keeler, and others. There are some juicy stories to read, but he does not narrate the interviews in detail. The book provides some highlights of his conversations either in Manhattan or in Hollywood. Some of the personalities also include men and women from stage, radio and vaudeville, besides the Hollywood elite. The author also worked partly as a "walker," a term used to describe a single gay man who escorts wealthy women or celebrities for high-end estate auctions, during entering and exiting opera houses, dinner at high-end restaurants and during their visits to Manhattan from California. This practice existed for decades, and the author has some insight from these experiences.
A brief description of his book is as follows: Actress Dorothy Parker was an extreme political lefty and had strong contempt for dictators and despots. She went to Spain and observed the conflicts in the Spanish civil war of the 1930s and returned to United Sates and spoke publicly against Falangists and their extreme right wing backers. Parker like many historians believed that the victory of fascist Francis Franco in Spain made WWII inevitable. Parker also had been knocking publicly another conservative right wing politician, Clare Booth Luce. Parker was also a woman of sophistication who lived in the apartment buildings of Manhattan that inhabited largely gay men, for decades, and still saw the author (gay himself) as a potential sex partner; this, after experiencing disappointments, time after time. The modus operandi was that if the man and the woman (who is 30 years his senior) get drunk, they end up in bed and something sexually satisfying will happen; this was the expectation. She starred in "A star is born" and "Sweethearts" with her husband Alan Campbell, but his name was unknown to many. In one encounter she tells the author that "Allan would have like you." The author retorts, "You mean because we are both fairies?"
The book narrates an interesting conversation with Gloria Swanson, and remembers her admiration for the author's celebrity status among Hollywood and stage performers. Gloria Swanson had a lengthy conversation about the futility of marrying Hollywood actors until the author reminds her that she was once married to actor Wallace Beery which she had forgotten. She was preoccupied with "looking young" and strongly instructed cameramen, whenever she was on television, that they control the light and camera angles to make her look young. Part of Norma Desmond of "Sunset Blvd" was in fact the real Gloria Swanson.
Parker and Swanson conversations are the longest in the book and make an interesting reading. Swanson is known to be bisexual and some authors have said that she frequented gay hotels/gay bars during her visits, in 1940s-50s, to Palm Springs California, but the author of this book does not make any mention of that.
The author also observes that Fred Astaire was ill-at-ease and self-conscious during the whole interview. So was actress Ilka Chase, the wife distinguished actor Louis Calhern. Her very brief marriage ended quickly, and he wasted no time to marry actress Julia Hoyt. Still bitter at the way things turned out for her, she wittingly sent the new bride a box full of cards that said "Mrs. Louis Calhern," She added a note that said, "Dear Julia, I do hope these reach you in time."
Sammy Kaye is another interviewee who did not like the conversation with the author. In one of the parties that served Strawberries Romanoff for dessert, the gossip columnist Rona Barrett quipped, "This tastes like cum. Mmmm....."
The interview with Tallulah Bankhead was a pleasant one, says the author. She was also inebriated and expected him to make her look good. In another instance, late one night, she calls him to give "her company," but the author says he quietly hung up on her. Throughout her life, she was an exhibitionist who exposed herself in social situations, dressing rooms, swimming pools, or even on dentist's chair. When she met Joel McCrea and his wife Frances Dee, she said, "Oh my God! I don't know which one I want first." In another situation she said, "I am living proof that narcotics are not habit forming, I have given them up countless of times."
Ruby Keeler is another friend of the author whom he calls as an independent woman who walked out of her marriage to wealthy Al Jolson waiving alimony. At one time she was associated with mobster Johnny "Irish" Costello and had romantic relationship; but on the stage, she was on the level with the crew, co-workers and the media. Conversation with the first celebrity transsexual, Christine Jorgensen and her lover, and Brenda Lana Smith is discussed in an interesting fashion.
The book has many interesting features, but it also focus on the author's life itself. If you are interested in reading juicy stories, then this is not the book.
The author gives an interesting account of his interactions with many Hollywood stars of golden era, and classic era. His interviews include such stars as; Gloria Swanson, Tallulah Bankhead, Fred Astaire, Dorothy Parker, Bette Davis, Sammy Kaye, Ruby Keeler, and others. There are some juicy stories to read, but he does not narrate the interviews in detail. The book provides some highlights of his conversations either in Manhattan or in Hollywood. Some of the personalities also include men and women from stage, radio and vaudeville, besides the Hollywood elite. The author also worked partly as a "walker," a term used to describe a single gay man who escorts wealthy women or celebrities for high-end estate auctions, during entering and exiting opera houses, dinner at high-end restaurants and during their visits to Manhattan from California. This practice existed for decades, and the author has some insight from these experiences.
A brief description of his book is as follows: Actress Dorothy Parker was an extreme political lefty and had strong contempt for dictators and despots. She went to Spain and observed the conflicts in the Spanish civil war of the 1930s and returned to United Sates and spoke publicly against Falangists and their extreme right wing backers. Parker like many historians believed that the victory of fascist Francis Franco in Spain made WWII inevitable. Parker also had been knocking publicly another conservative right wing politician, Clare Booth Luce. Parker was also a woman of sophistication who lived in the apartment buildings of Manhattan that inhabited largely gay men, for decades, and still saw the author (gay himself) as a potential sex partner; this, after experiencing disappointments, time after time. The modus operandi was that if the man and the woman (who is 30 years his senior) get drunk, they end up in bed and something sexually satisfying will happen; this was the expectation. She starred in "A star is born" and "Sweethearts" with her husband Alan Campbell, but his name was unknown to many. In one encounter she tells the author that "Allan would have like you." The author retorts, "You mean because we are both fairies?"
The book narrates an interesting conversation with Gloria Swanson, and remembers her admiration for the author's celebrity status among Hollywood and stage performers. Gloria Swanson had a lengthy conversation about the futility of marrying Hollywood actors until the author reminds her that she was once married to actor Wallace Beery which she had forgotten. She was preoccupied with "looking young" and strongly instructed cameramen, whenever she was on television, that they control the light and camera angles to make her look young. Part of Norma Desmond of "Sunset Blvd" was in fact the real Gloria Swanson.
Parker and Swanson conversations are the longest in the book and make an interesting reading. Swanson is known to be bisexual and some authors have said that she frequented gay hotels/gay bars during her visits, in 1940s-50s, to Palm Springs California, but the author of this book does not make any mention of that.
The author also observes that Fred Astaire was ill-at-ease and self-conscious during the whole interview. So was actress Ilka Chase, the wife distinguished actor Louis Calhern. Her very brief marriage ended quickly, and he wasted no time to marry actress Julia Hoyt. Still bitter at the way things turned out for her, she wittingly sent the new bride a box full of cards that said "Mrs. Louis Calhern," She added a note that said, "Dear Julia, I do hope these reach you in time."
Sammy Kaye is another interviewee who did not like the conversation with the author. In one of the parties that served Strawberries Romanoff for dessert, the gossip columnist Rona Barrett quipped, "This tastes like cum. Mmmm....."
The interview with Tallulah Bankhead was a pleasant one, says the author. She was also inebriated and expected him to make her look good. In another instance, late one night, she calls him to give "her company," but the author says he quietly hung up on her. Throughout her life, she was an exhibitionist who exposed herself in social situations, dressing rooms, swimming pools, or even on dentist's chair. When she met Joel McCrea and his wife Frances Dee, she said, "Oh my God! I don't know which one I want first." In another situation she said, "I am living proof that narcotics are not habit forming, I have given them up countless of times."
Ruby Keeler is another friend of the author whom he calls as an independent woman who walked out of her marriage to wealthy Al Jolson waiving alimony. At one time she was associated with mobster Johnny "Irish" Costello and had romantic relationship; but on the stage, she was on the level with the crew, co-workers and the media. Conversation with the first celebrity transsexual, Christine Jorgensen and her lover, and Brenda Lana Smith is discussed in an interesting fashion.
The book has many interesting features, but it also focus on the author's life itself. If you are interested in reading juicy stories, then this is not the book.
Women Who Don't Wait in Line: A passionate call to women of next generation
Book Reviewed: Women Who Don't Wait in Line: Break the Mold, Lead the Way, by Reshma Saujani
This is a brilliantly written book by an activist who calls for women to enlist in re-defining themselves, and in remaking America. Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan brought women to the point of equality and it is up to the women of 21 century to walk past the door to make a difference in their own lives and for others. The author believes that women are not walking fast enough to make changes. They have to change inequities they face and must change themselves. They must really look themselves and explore what holds them back individually. Work through your aversion to risk and failure, embrace ambition, and put aside judgment of one another in a sorority of sisterhood, says the author.
This book was written as a challenge to the next generation of women to think about leadership differently. Celebrate competition, pursue failure, build and prosper sisterhood, and learn to be like yourself and not following or emulating others, pursue dreams and opportunities with all your energy. This book is the story of her experience and the experience of women of her generation. Inspiring women to think how they view leadership, how they teach children and how they can go around to making their dreams a reality. She says, women are inner activists and calls for awakening this spirit and inspire other women to do the same and remake the nation.
Congressional candidate Reshma Sujani is a young Indian American woman who audaciously ran against the eighteen year old incumbent, Representative Carolyn Maloney for New York's 12th congressional district. She lost the election but gained the insight back into what is holding women back. She thanked Congresswoman Maloney for the opportunity to find passion and dedication to Sujani's beliefs and try to make her dream a reality. Her loss made her even stronger and bolder about pursuing her dreams.
Success is rewarded not by pedigree but by personal experience; both triumphs and failures. Women must operate with 21 century mentalities in 21 century culture and not 20 century codes. She provides a new model of next generation leadership and there are seven chapters in the book that explore lessons learned by the author and the women who are narrowing the gender gap. They found right support groups to energize their enthusiasm and energy to find themselves and move forward. They didn't wait in line for their names to be called, but marched with the thoughts of being the current and next generation leaders. The old model of feminism is holding many women. The new leaders don't allow old style feminism to hold them back. They find strength in gender and not apologize for it. The book illuminates a new path to reach a goal and revolutionize the world we live in for better. If you have a dream, jump the line because waiting is over, says the author.
This is a brilliantly written book by an activist who calls for women to enlist in re-defining themselves, and in remaking America. Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan brought women to the point of equality and it is up to the women of 21 century to walk past the door to make a difference in their own lives and for others. The author believes that women are not walking fast enough to make changes. They have to change inequities they face and must change themselves. They must really look themselves and explore what holds them back individually. Work through your aversion to risk and failure, embrace ambition, and put aside judgment of one another in a sorority of sisterhood, says the author.
This book was written as a challenge to the next generation of women to think about leadership differently. Celebrate competition, pursue failure, build and prosper sisterhood, and learn to be like yourself and not following or emulating others, pursue dreams and opportunities with all your energy. This book is the story of her experience and the experience of women of her generation. Inspiring women to think how they view leadership, how they teach children and how they can go around to making their dreams a reality. She says, women are inner activists and calls for awakening this spirit and inspire other women to do the same and remake the nation.
Congressional candidate Reshma Sujani is a young Indian American woman who audaciously ran against the eighteen year old incumbent, Representative Carolyn Maloney for New York's 12th congressional district. She lost the election but gained the insight back into what is holding women back. She thanked Congresswoman Maloney for the opportunity to find passion and dedication to Sujani's beliefs and try to make her dream a reality. Her loss made her even stronger and bolder about pursuing her dreams.
Success is rewarded not by pedigree but by personal experience; both triumphs and failures. Women must operate with 21 century mentalities in 21 century culture and not 20 century codes. She provides a new model of next generation leadership and there are seven chapters in the book that explore lessons learned by the author and the women who are narrowing the gender gap. They found right support groups to energize their enthusiasm and energy to find themselves and move forward. They didn't wait in line for their names to be called, but marched with the thoughts of being the current and next generation leaders. The old model of feminism is holding many women. The new leaders don't allow old style feminism to hold them back. They find strength in gender and not apologize for it. The book illuminates a new path to reach a goal and revolutionize the world we live in for better. If you have a dream, jump the line because waiting is over, says the author.
The Bite in the Apple: A memoir of Chrisann Brennan
Book Reviewed: The Bite in the Apple - A Memoir of My Life with Steve Jobs, by Chrisann Brennan
This book tries to redefine Steve Jobs and opens up the window a little wider into his personal side. Steve Jobs pioneered the PC revolution and emerged as a great visionary and master of innovation. He is an America hero in his own rights. It is no secret that he was also an enigma as previously observed by his close friends like Nolan Bushnell, Atari's co-founder, who described him as "difficult but valuable." Author Chrisann Brennan, a longtime girlfriend and the mother of Steve Jobs' first child Lisa Jobs was closely involved in his personal life than many people who worked with him and is better equipped to understand and write about him. She understands his spiritual and metaphysical side, and his strong interest in Zen Buddhism. She understands his frustrations when his biological mother abandoned him. But he was also a ruthless dictator who can trivialize another human being for silliest reasons. Brennan describe him as a misfit who experimented with mind-altering drugs like LSD and fascinated by the by the glamour of the 1940s. He suggested that that he flew fighter planes against the Nazis in a former life, putting himself as a believer of parapsychology. He was a fan of big band music and danced like he was living in the 1940s. Quite often he would be home very late and wake Chrisann Brennan to talk or make love; he was utterly inconsiderate and felt that his lust and interest must be served first. He just played to win. Chrisann recalls that she never had a sense of emotional intimacy with him. At the Presidio house, where they were cohabiting, she chose the master bedroom and Jobs the front bedroom, but after few weeks, he moved Chrisann's stuff out of the master bedroom and made himself comfortable there: He was graceless. For many years he denied that he was the father of Lisa Jobs, suggesting that "28 percent of the male population in the United States could be her father." He was cold and heartless. Steve Jobs was not perfect and not many people argue against that, but if he had lived longer, he probably would have been a great philanthropist like Microsoft founder Bill Gates. Only during this week, the Silicon Valley home where Steve Jobs built the first Apple computer has been designated as a historical site by the city of Los Altos, California. This is just an illustration of his force as an inventor and a futurist.
This book tries to redefine Steve Jobs and opens up the window a little wider into his personal side. Steve Jobs pioneered the PC revolution and emerged as a great visionary and master of innovation. He is an America hero in his own rights. It is no secret that he was also an enigma as previously observed by his close friends like Nolan Bushnell, Atari's co-founder, who described him as "difficult but valuable." Author Chrisann Brennan, a longtime girlfriend and the mother of Steve Jobs' first child Lisa Jobs was closely involved in his personal life than many people who worked with him and is better equipped to understand and write about him. She understands his spiritual and metaphysical side, and his strong interest in Zen Buddhism. She understands his frustrations when his biological mother abandoned him. But he was also a ruthless dictator who can trivialize another human being for silliest reasons. Brennan describe him as a misfit who experimented with mind-altering drugs like LSD and fascinated by the by the glamour of the 1940s. He suggested that that he flew fighter planes against the Nazis in a former life, putting himself as a believer of parapsychology. He was a fan of big band music and danced like he was living in the 1940s. Quite often he would be home very late and wake Chrisann Brennan to talk or make love; he was utterly inconsiderate and felt that his lust and interest must be served first. He just played to win. Chrisann recalls that she never had a sense of emotional intimacy with him. At the Presidio house, where they were cohabiting, she chose the master bedroom and Jobs the front bedroom, but after few weeks, he moved Chrisann's stuff out of the master bedroom and made himself comfortable there: He was graceless. For many years he denied that he was the father of Lisa Jobs, suggesting that "28 percent of the male population in the United States could be her father." He was cold and heartless. Steve Jobs was not perfect and not many people argue against that, but if he had lived longer, he probably would have been a great philanthropist like Microsoft founder Bill Gates. Only during this week, the Silicon Valley home where Steve Jobs built the first Apple computer has been designated as a historical site by the city of Los Altos, California. This is just an illustration of his force as an inventor and a futurist.
The Vedic epistemology of the Asvamedha Sacrifice
Book Reviewed: Asvamedha: The Rite and its Logic, by Subhash Kak
This is a brilliantly written book by the Louisiana State University Professor (Emeritus) Subash Kak, a well-respected academic and a Hindu scholar. Asvamedha is described as one of the most significant rituals in the Hindu Scriptures and many commentators are intrigued by the scale of the sacrificial rites and the meaning associated with its performance. Asvamedha is a sacrifice (horse sacrifice) that is a renewal of the Sun at the New Year, and also the renewal of king's rule as well. At the spiritual level, it is a celebration to be reconnected to the "inner" Sun. It is also a celebration of the social harmony achieved by the transcendence of the fundamental conflicts between various sources of power. It is called the king of all sacrifices in Satapata Brahmana (SB. 13.2.2.1). The 13th kanda is exclusively related to the performance of this ritual.
In this book, the author suggests that the ritual is symbolic in nature and not literal. Of all the animals conceived within a body, the horse is considered as time, the Asvamedha is the most mystical and powerful celebration, because it delves into the mystery of time and immortality. In Rig-Veda 1.163.2, horse is said to symbolic of the Sun, and Tittiriya Samhita 7.5.25., says that the whole universe is the sacrificial horse. Similar meaning is conveyed in Vajasaneyi Samhita 11.12. The confusion arise when the oldest text like Rig-Veda is treated as ritualistic document and yajnas are treated as a literal performance of a rite, but Rig-Veda is more than a text of rituals. It has four languages; the metaphysics of existence (sat) and non-existence (asat), which evolved into a very mature form in the Upanishads; images and sacrifices (yajna), which illustrate the human's efforts to connect with nature that comprises both materialistic and non-materialistic forms. Hence the Vedic sacrifices operate through the languages of asat, sat, transformation and embodied vision, says the author. The Vedic ritual is also related to the ongoing struggle between devas and asuras, where devas represents the cognitive system and the asuras the material nature of the body (Chandogya Upanishad 8.-14; Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.3.1). The Aitareya Brahmana 1.14 speaks of how the devas thought of kingship in order to defeat the asuras with whom the conflict was not going well for devas. The consecration of a king was done by Rajasuya sacrifice and its further rejuvenation by the Vajapeya and Asvamedha sacrifices. The latter is performed by a consecrated king assisted by his four wives. The Vedic ritual was performed at an altar and the design is based astronomical numbers related to solar and lunar years. The Asvamedha altar consists of numbers; 21 stakes, 260 wild animals and 337 domestic animals. The enactment of this sacrifice brings fame and regenerates power for the king. When Indra lost his vital powers, it was restored by a sacrifice (Satapata Brahmana 12.8.1.1).
The author cautions that we must not read the descriptions of ritual literally The sacrifice engages the performer to bridge the disconnected spirit with body and transforms into a higher being. This is stressed clearly in Isa Upanishad 14. The Vedic scholars and historians have suggested that the original sacrifice was real and the symbolic enactment came later. In Satapata Brahmana 6.2.1.39, prior to king Syaparna Sayakayana, sacrifice of different animals were in practice, but later it was limited only to goat (aja) (Satapata Brahmana 3.2.2.9). The book has diagrams of various sacrifices and the author show how they are related to each other by numbers. This is a very interesting little book to read and I highly recommend.
This is a brilliantly written book by the Louisiana State University Professor (Emeritus) Subash Kak, a well-respected academic and a Hindu scholar. Asvamedha is described as one of the most significant rituals in the Hindu Scriptures and many commentators are intrigued by the scale of the sacrificial rites and the meaning associated with its performance. Asvamedha is a sacrifice (horse sacrifice) that is a renewal of the Sun at the New Year, and also the renewal of king's rule as well. At the spiritual level, it is a celebration to be reconnected to the "inner" Sun. It is also a celebration of the social harmony achieved by the transcendence of the fundamental conflicts between various sources of power. It is called the king of all sacrifices in Satapata Brahmana (SB. 13.2.2.1). The 13th kanda is exclusively related to the performance of this ritual.
In this book, the author suggests that the ritual is symbolic in nature and not literal. Of all the animals conceived within a body, the horse is considered as time, the Asvamedha is the most mystical and powerful celebration, because it delves into the mystery of time and immortality. In Rig-Veda 1.163.2, horse is said to symbolic of the Sun, and Tittiriya Samhita 7.5.25., says that the whole universe is the sacrificial horse. Similar meaning is conveyed in Vajasaneyi Samhita 11.12. The confusion arise when the oldest text like Rig-Veda is treated as ritualistic document and yajnas are treated as a literal performance of a rite, but Rig-Veda is more than a text of rituals. It has four languages; the metaphysics of existence (sat) and non-existence (asat), which evolved into a very mature form in the Upanishads; images and sacrifices (yajna), which illustrate the human's efforts to connect with nature that comprises both materialistic and non-materialistic forms. Hence the Vedic sacrifices operate through the languages of asat, sat, transformation and embodied vision, says the author. The Vedic ritual is also related to the ongoing struggle between devas and asuras, where devas represents the cognitive system and the asuras the material nature of the body (Chandogya Upanishad 8.-14; Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.3.1). The Aitareya Brahmana 1.14 speaks of how the devas thought of kingship in order to defeat the asuras with whom the conflict was not going well for devas. The consecration of a king was done by Rajasuya sacrifice and its further rejuvenation by the Vajapeya and Asvamedha sacrifices. The latter is performed by a consecrated king assisted by his four wives. The Vedic ritual was performed at an altar and the design is based astronomical numbers related to solar and lunar years. The Asvamedha altar consists of numbers; 21 stakes, 260 wild animals and 337 domestic animals. The enactment of this sacrifice brings fame and regenerates power for the king. When Indra lost his vital powers, it was restored by a sacrifice (Satapata Brahmana 12.8.1.1).
The author cautions that we must not read the descriptions of ritual literally The sacrifice engages the performer to bridge the disconnected spirit with body and transforms into a higher being. This is stressed clearly in Isa Upanishad 14. The Vedic scholars and historians have suggested that the original sacrifice was real and the symbolic enactment came later. In Satapata Brahmana 6.2.1.39, prior to king Syaparna Sayakayana, sacrifice of different animals were in practice, but later it was limited only to goat (aja) (Satapata Brahmana 3.2.2.9). The book has diagrams of various sacrifices and the author show how they are related to each other by numbers. This is a very interesting little book to read and I highly recommend.
Amsterdam: The Dutch roots of liberal philosophy is found the culture of Amsterdam
Book Reviewed: Amsterdam: A History of the World's Most Liberal City, by Russell Shorto
The book is written by John Adams Institute director Russell Shorto whose narratives about the history of Amsterdam intrigues the reader. Its rich history and the birth of modern society of liberalism that encompasses tolerance, order, coexistence and entrepreneurship in the midst of the cultural diversity is phenomenal. This is a passionate and persuasive historical document.
In Amsterdam, craziness is a value. The squatting of buildings; forcing your way into a place that is not yours and inhabiting, was legalized in 1971 provided the buildings are unoccupied for a year. It is common to see dilapidated facades hung with banners proclaiming their authority. The city also has about 7,000 licensed "street walkers" who practice the oldest profession of selling sex for money. If you don't know where the red-light district is, ask a cop, he will direct you there. At the city's coffee shops, controlled substances like marijuana and hashish are listed on the menu, and there are many brands to choose from. Drugs are technically illegal but officially tolerated; this is a unique law that exists only in Amsterdam. This book combines cultural sociology and history to discuss the origins of liberalism in a city that draws visitors from all over the world. The city is proud of its tradition of tolerance. Historically the city drew philosophers, like Spinoza, Rembrandt, sociologists, scientists and liberal groups of protestant church that paved the way for a new brand of liberalism. The book discusses in three parts and some sections are boring, but overall it is readable. Another drawback I found is that this book has no pictures of the city, past or present. I wished there were some.
The book is written by John Adams Institute director Russell Shorto whose narratives about the history of Amsterdam intrigues the reader. Its rich history and the birth of modern society of liberalism that encompasses tolerance, order, coexistence and entrepreneurship in the midst of the cultural diversity is phenomenal. This is a passionate and persuasive historical document.
In Amsterdam, craziness is a value. The squatting of buildings; forcing your way into a place that is not yours and inhabiting, was legalized in 1971 provided the buildings are unoccupied for a year. It is common to see dilapidated facades hung with banners proclaiming their authority. The city also has about 7,000 licensed "street walkers" who practice the oldest profession of selling sex for money. If you don't know where the red-light district is, ask a cop, he will direct you there. At the city's coffee shops, controlled substances like marijuana and hashish are listed on the menu, and there are many brands to choose from. Drugs are technically illegal but officially tolerated; this is a unique law that exists only in Amsterdam. This book combines cultural sociology and history to discuss the origins of liberalism in a city that draws visitors from all over the world. The city is proud of its tradition of tolerance. Historically the city drew philosophers, like Spinoza, Rembrandt, sociologists, scientists and liberal groups of protestant church that paved the way for a new brand of liberalism. The book discusses in three parts and some sections are boring, but overall it is readable. Another drawback I found is that this book has no pictures of the city, past or present. I wished there were some.
What makes humans social beings?
Book Reviewed: Social: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect, by Matthew D. Lieberman
Our desire to connect with others is an important behavior that is evolved and our brains have complex biochemical mechanisms to support this. What makes our basic need for someone to love and respect us, or we like to love and respect someone? These basic social needs are present at birth to ensure our survival and we are guided by those needs until the end, says UCLA professor Matthew Lieberman, the author of this book. For example, the mammalian young are born strongly dependent on mother for protection and survival, unlike newborn in lower strata of the evolutionary ladder. Therefore the evolutionary mechanisms provided safeguards in the brain (dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and anterior insula) which creates a painful response in the offspring, when it is separated from the mother, and consequently makes distress calls. The brain also has reward system which is sensitive both to giving and receiving care in the parent and child respectively. This results in social bonding between mother and offspring.
The social pain and pleasure make use of the same neural machinery as physical pain and pleasure, creating a powerful motivational drive to maximize our positive social experiences and minimize the negative ones. Our capacity to mind-read others allow us to consider the goals, intentions, emotions and beliefs of others. The social imagination processed via mentalizing systems allow us to take coordination to the extremes, creating various symbolic social connections like the attachment we feel to sports teams, political parties, celebrities, music, movies and many more. This capacity allow us to build social institutions like schools, government, hospitals, courts, industries, etc.
The mentalizing system is active from the moment we are born, and it comes whenever we have downtime, even when we dream. It is estimated that we need about 10,000 hours to master a skill or learn to make sense of people. Human beings also have a self-system in the brain that serves a Trojan horse sneaking in the values and beliefs of others around us. The self-system improves our odds of being liked, loved and respected by others. The neuroimaging techniques are widely used to study and measure the neural basis of people's social interactions. The author mentions two such methods; functional magnetic resonance imaging and functional near infrared spectroscopy techniques. This is very well written book and I highly recommend this to anyone interested in behavioral sciences.
Our desire to connect with others is an important behavior that is evolved and our brains have complex biochemical mechanisms to support this. What makes our basic need for someone to love and respect us, or we like to love and respect someone? These basic social needs are present at birth to ensure our survival and we are guided by those needs until the end, says UCLA professor Matthew Lieberman, the author of this book. For example, the mammalian young are born strongly dependent on mother for protection and survival, unlike newborn in lower strata of the evolutionary ladder. Therefore the evolutionary mechanisms provided safeguards in the brain (dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and anterior insula) which creates a painful response in the offspring, when it is separated from the mother, and consequently makes distress calls. The brain also has reward system which is sensitive both to giving and receiving care in the parent and child respectively. This results in social bonding between mother and offspring.
The social pain and pleasure make use of the same neural machinery as physical pain and pleasure, creating a powerful motivational drive to maximize our positive social experiences and minimize the negative ones. Our capacity to mind-read others allow us to consider the goals, intentions, emotions and beliefs of others. The social imagination processed via mentalizing systems allow us to take coordination to the extremes, creating various symbolic social connections like the attachment we feel to sports teams, political parties, celebrities, music, movies and many more. This capacity allow us to build social institutions like schools, government, hospitals, courts, industries, etc.
The mentalizing system is active from the moment we are born, and it comes whenever we have downtime, even when we dream. It is estimated that we need about 10,000 hours to master a skill or learn to make sense of people. Human beings also have a self-system in the brain that serves a Trojan horse sneaking in the values and beliefs of others around us. The self-system improves our odds of being liked, loved and respected by others. The neuroimaging techniques are widely used to study and measure the neural basis of people's social interactions. The author mentions two such methods; functional magnetic resonance imaging and functional near infrared spectroscopy techniques. This is very well written book and I highly recommend this to anyone interested in behavioral sciences.
The Stud Book: A splendid novel about the exploration of friendship and motherhood
Book Reviewed: The Stud Book, by Monica Drake
This is a beautifully written novel about four women and the challenges they face of being a woman and a mother. Author Monica Drake's style of writing is unique; it is absorbing, playful, lucid and thoughtful with words that captivates the minds and hearts of the readers. She looks at the characters she created in this story, and observes the tumultuous time of their lives. Sarah is a behavioral zoologist who studies mating behavior among zoo animals but at a loss when she wants to have her own family. Georgie is a young mother working hard and caring a young baby of her own, and Dulcet is a gym teacher. Nyla is a compassionate woman but could not deal with her own daughter who is heavily into drugs and occult. Nyla's life ends tragically due to her Ectopian pregnancy with her baby lodged in her fallopian tubes, surrounded by her friends Sarah and Dulcet in the hospital. Looking at Nyla on deathbed, Dulcet says with tears in her eyes, "We were all having such a good time." "Were we?" Sarah asks with muffled words. They couldn't talk any more, crying was their language. Death of a close friend is chilling and dying while pregnant is even harder to accept. This is a poignant story that makes you laugh, cry, sad, depressed, and dejected at the harder side of life. The novel is a good read and the story flows effortlessly.
This is a beautifully written novel about four women and the challenges they face of being a woman and a mother. Author Monica Drake's style of writing is unique; it is absorbing, playful, lucid and thoughtful with words that captivates the minds and hearts of the readers. She looks at the characters she created in this story, and observes the tumultuous time of their lives. Sarah is a behavioral zoologist who studies mating behavior among zoo animals but at a loss when she wants to have her own family. Georgie is a young mother working hard and caring a young baby of her own, and Dulcet is a gym teacher. Nyla is a compassionate woman but could not deal with her own daughter who is heavily into drugs and occult. Nyla's life ends tragically due to her Ectopian pregnancy with her baby lodged in her fallopian tubes, surrounded by her friends Sarah and Dulcet in the hospital. Looking at Nyla on deathbed, Dulcet says with tears in her eyes, "We were all having such a good time." "Were we?" Sarah asks with muffled words. They couldn't talk any more, crying was their language. Death of a close friend is chilling and dying while pregnant is even harder to accept. This is a poignant story that makes you laugh, cry, sad, depressed, and dejected at the harder side of life. The novel is a good read and the story flows effortlessly.
Is the end of the world nearer due to uncontrolled population explosion?
Book Reviewed: Countdown: Our Last, Best Hope for a Future on Earth? by Alan Weisman
Author Alan Weisman makes a rational argument in favor of lowering the birthrate so that the planet can survive with a livable environment and a long and healthy population. At the current growth rate of one million people every 4.5 days, we are going to be ten billion by the year 2100. Will there be sufficient resources on the planet to support us? Will global warming leave the planet in disarray with much of coastal cities like New York and much of state of Florida under water? The climate change's 2007 inter-governmental report says that in a worst case scenario of less than two feet rise in water level by the year 2100 will be catastrophic for our world. Hurricane Sandy riding into New York City is a grim reminder of what would happen if the polar ice melts at the current rate, thawing of methane deposits resulting in a global climate change.
The earth can't sustain our current numbers, and that must come down. The author offers a few basic ideas to combat this crisis. How about adapting one child per family policy across nations? There will be only 1.6 billion by the end of this century; the same as in the year 1900. The author has travelled extensively both in United States and foreign countries talking to people about the need to curb birthrate, and surprisingly a large number of people he met or spoke to agree with the problem but disagree with his method.
This is not to cull anyone alive but we need to take control of ourselves, and humanely bring down our numbers, otherwise nature will hand out a pile of pink slips. Watching survival of fittest on Nat Geo channel is interesting, but if it happens to your own species, especially for our grandchildren or great grandchildren, it is not pretty. Television reality shows showing survivalists who hoard food, medicine, clothes, and arming themselves to the teeth in anticipation of full economic/political demise are looking more and more like realists.
Author Alan Weisman makes a rational argument in favor of lowering the birthrate so that the planet can survive with a livable environment and a long and healthy population. At the current growth rate of one million people every 4.5 days, we are going to be ten billion by the year 2100. Will there be sufficient resources on the planet to support us? Will global warming leave the planet in disarray with much of coastal cities like New York and much of state of Florida under water? The climate change's 2007 inter-governmental report says that in a worst case scenario of less than two feet rise in water level by the year 2100 will be catastrophic for our world. Hurricane Sandy riding into New York City is a grim reminder of what would happen if the polar ice melts at the current rate, thawing of methane deposits resulting in a global climate change.
The earth can't sustain our current numbers, and that must come down. The author offers a few basic ideas to combat this crisis. How about adapting one child per family policy across nations? There will be only 1.6 billion by the end of this century; the same as in the year 1900. The author has travelled extensively both in United States and foreign countries talking to people about the need to curb birthrate, and surprisingly a large number of people he met or spoke to agree with the problem but disagree with his method.
This is not to cull anyone alive but we need to take control of ourselves, and humanely bring down our numbers, otherwise nature will hand out a pile of pink slips. Watching survival of fittest on Nat Geo channel is interesting, but if it happens to your own species, especially for our grandchildren or great grandchildren, it is not pretty. Television reality shows showing survivalists who hoard food, medicine, clothes, and arming themselves to the teeth in anticipation of full economic/political demise are looking more and more like realists.
The black book of American left: From the desk of Horowitz Freedom Center
Book Reviewed: From the desk of Horowitz Freedom Center: The Collected Conservative Writings of David Horowitz, by David Horowitz
Anyone who is familiar with the work of David Horowitz; his books, his founding of conservative movements like David Horowitz Freedom Center, Academic Bill of Rights, The Front Page Mag.com., and his relentless fight against the alliance of radical Islam and the American left on college campuses must be aware that he is one of the leading members of the conservative movement in this country.
This book is the first of a planned nine volumes to be published in the coming years that chronicles his writings about the liberal and leftists groups in this country. Many of these articles are thought provoking and shed light on the slow and steady destruction of American values. These essays describe the true nature of the American left. He expresses his desire to persuade those still on the left of the destructive consequences of the ideas they believe in; and second, the frustration with the American conservatives who do not understand the American left. They need to comprehend the Marxist foundations and religious dimensions of the radical faiths such as Islam or the hatred it inspires and propagates. Those who disagree with Horowitz's political views distort his writings and class them as malicious, racial, radical right and highly divisive.
This is a highly readable book and I recommend this to anyone who is interested in an honest discussion about the political affairs in America.
Anyone who is familiar with the work of David Horowitz; his books, his founding of conservative movements like David Horowitz Freedom Center, Academic Bill of Rights, The Front Page Mag.com., and his relentless fight against the alliance of radical Islam and the American left on college campuses must be aware that he is one of the leading members of the conservative movement in this country.
This book is the first of a planned nine volumes to be published in the coming years that chronicles his writings about the liberal and leftists groups in this country. Many of these articles are thought provoking and shed light on the slow and steady destruction of American values. These essays describe the true nature of the American left. He expresses his desire to persuade those still on the left of the destructive consequences of the ideas they believe in; and second, the frustration with the American conservatives who do not understand the American left. They need to comprehend the Marxist foundations and religious dimensions of the radical faiths such as Islam or the hatred it inspires and propagates. Those who disagree with Horowitz's political views distort his writings and class them as malicious, racial, radical right and highly divisive.
This is a highly readable book and I recommend this to anyone who is interested in an honest discussion about the political affairs in America.
The philosophy of Bhagavad-Gita; a comparative study of classical interpretations
Book Reviewed: The Hindu Gita: Ancient and Classical Interpretations of the Bhagavadgita, by Arvind Sharma
This is a scholarly work of Professor Arvind Sharma of Sydney University, Australia who presents his work discussing the metaphysical, theological and spiritual message of Bhagavad-Gita in light of commentaries of; Bhaskaracarya, Sankaracarya, Ramanujacarya and Madhvacarya, the four pillars of Hindu thought. Each of them interpret Gita along the philosophies of; bhedabheda, advaita, visistadvaita, and dvaita respectively. For each commentator, the author describes his philosophical system and his commentary on individual verses from Gita, followed by a general discussion. The book is very well organized and the literature is well reviewed.
One of the fundamental problems in understanding Gita is that it is not a systematic work that supports one philosophical school of thought, and any attempts to systematize it will produce two fold effects. Use those verses that support one philosophical system and distort those hymns that do not support it. Historically Gita has been used as a base or as a supporting structure by various commentators to elucidate their own philosophies. Apparent contradictions of Gita are real for some scholars and for others they are apparent. Charles Wilkins, Edwin Arnold, and Dr. Radhakrishnan do not give much credence to the apparent contradictions in the Gita.
Bhagavad-Gita is not only a religious text, but also has philosophical and spiritual messages. Obviously, the question is; what does Gita say about itself, is it univalent or multivalent? Does it have a coat of many colors? Is God personal or impersonal? Is God (the Ultimate Reality), active or passive? What is the relationship of God with man? Is he as well-wisher or a chastiser or is he indifferent? Does man achieve perfect union with God while alive or only after his death? Is the world real or unreal? In some verses the ritual practice is encouraged but in some discouraged, does that mean that it is against the religion of Vedas or supportive of it? Gita also has ethical dilemma; is it moral to kill? What about the verses extolling ahimsa (non-violence). The Gita also espouses several yogas which includes; buddhi yoga, abhyasa yoga, jnana yoga, and karma yoga; are they complimentary to each other, if they are, how? Not all these questions are answered with complete satisfaction to an academic mind, but if one belongs to a specific school of thought and rely on that school's interpretation, much of the discrepancies will cease to exist. For example, Sankaracarya emphasized jnana; Yamunacarya, Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, and Vallabhacarya opted for bhakti. Ramakrishna and Vivekananda regarded jnana as the quintessence of the Gita. Aurobindo emphasized bhakti supported by jnana and karma as the principal message. Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada suggested bhakti to Krishna as the essential message of Gita. Karma yoga was the theme for Tilak and Gandhi.
Examples of interesting verses are as follows: With regards to Gita 13:24, the issue is the interpretation of the Sankhya yoga. Sankaracarya identifies this with Kapila's Sankhya system; Ramanuja identifies dhyana with bhakti, and Sankhya yoga with jnana. For Madhva, Sankhya yoga means the knowledge of God as expounded in Vedas. He dismisses any association of this verse with Kapila's school of philosophy as erroneous. Gita 15:15 deals with Vedanta; Sankara and Ramanuja regard Krishna as Vedantkrt, the maker of Vedanta, but Madhva calls Vedantkrt is related to the meaning of the Vedas, thus expressing his belief in Vedic authority. According to him that Hari is only knowable through the Vedas. All these interpreters share the same fate of their classical exegetes of the Gita because they operate from within their philosophical system, while commenting on a text that does not belong to any particular system at all.
This is a scholarly work of Professor Arvind Sharma of Sydney University, Australia who presents his work discussing the metaphysical, theological and spiritual message of Bhagavad-Gita in light of commentaries of; Bhaskaracarya, Sankaracarya, Ramanujacarya and Madhvacarya, the four pillars of Hindu thought. Each of them interpret Gita along the philosophies of; bhedabheda, advaita, visistadvaita, and dvaita respectively. For each commentator, the author describes his philosophical system and his commentary on individual verses from Gita, followed by a general discussion. The book is very well organized and the literature is well reviewed.
One of the fundamental problems in understanding Gita is that it is not a systematic work that supports one philosophical school of thought, and any attempts to systematize it will produce two fold effects. Use those verses that support one philosophical system and distort those hymns that do not support it. Historically Gita has been used as a base or as a supporting structure by various commentators to elucidate their own philosophies. Apparent contradictions of Gita are real for some scholars and for others they are apparent. Charles Wilkins, Edwin Arnold, and Dr. Radhakrishnan do not give much credence to the apparent contradictions in the Gita.
Bhagavad-Gita is not only a religious text, but also has philosophical and spiritual messages. Obviously, the question is; what does Gita say about itself, is it univalent or multivalent? Does it have a coat of many colors? Is God personal or impersonal? Is God (the Ultimate Reality), active or passive? What is the relationship of God with man? Is he as well-wisher or a chastiser or is he indifferent? Does man achieve perfect union with God while alive or only after his death? Is the world real or unreal? In some verses the ritual practice is encouraged but in some discouraged, does that mean that it is against the religion of Vedas or supportive of it? Gita also has ethical dilemma; is it moral to kill? What about the verses extolling ahimsa (non-violence). The Gita also espouses several yogas which includes; buddhi yoga, abhyasa yoga, jnana yoga, and karma yoga; are they complimentary to each other, if they are, how? Not all these questions are answered with complete satisfaction to an academic mind, but if one belongs to a specific school of thought and rely on that school's interpretation, much of the discrepancies will cease to exist. For example, Sankaracarya emphasized jnana; Yamunacarya, Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, and Vallabhacarya opted for bhakti. Ramakrishna and Vivekananda regarded jnana as the quintessence of the Gita. Aurobindo emphasized bhakti supported by jnana and karma as the principal message. Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada suggested bhakti to Krishna as the essential message of Gita. Karma yoga was the theme for Tilak and Gandhi.
Examples of interesting verses are as follows: With regards to Gita 13:24, the issue is the interpretation of the Sankhya yoga. Sankaracarya identifies this with Kapila's Sankhya system; Ramanuja identifies dhyana with bhakti, and Sankhya yoga with jnana. For Madhva, Sankhya yoga means the knowledge of God as expounded in Vedas. He dismisses any association of this verse with Kapila's school of philosophy as erroneous. Gita 15:15 deals with Vedanta; Sankara and Ramanuja regard Krishna as Vedantkrt, the maker of Vedanta, but Madhva calls Vedantkrt is related to the meaning of the Vedas, thus expressing his belief in Vedic authority. According to him that Hari is only knowable through the Vedas. All these interpreters share the same fate of their classical exegetes of the Gita because they operate from within their philosophical system, while commenting on a text that does not belong to any particular system at all.
The history of Beverly Hills illustrated with images from 1878-1939,
Book Reviewed: Early Beverly Hills (CA) (Images of America), by Marc Wanamaker
This is a wonderful book for anyone who is interested in the history of Beverly Hills, and movie industry in general. The history of the city is described with still-photographs dating back to 1878 and all the way to 1939. The book is full of beautiful pictures, and some of them aerial images that give a spectacular view of the emerging Tinseltown. It is amazing that you can learn so much about this city that grew from a farming community to a busy city, the center of glamor. The "Pink Palace," also known as Beverly Hills Hotel was built in 1912 and still sits at the same spot. It is a place where some of the memorable movies were made and witnessed many real life celebrities stories; some real juicy! Beverly Wilshire Hotel is another iconic building that is located at Wilshire and Rodeo drive is also a center of modern day glamor. In early 1900s, much of Rodeo drive and other roads that run parallel to it were in fact residential areas. Beverly Drive was built much earlier and more robust than the adjacent Rodeo Drive in earlier days, and so was Wilshire Blvd in the city of Beverly Hills.
The iconic Beverly Hills shield was placed at the city limits during the 1930s. Some of the images include; 1890s view of George Hanson ranch in Beverly Hills; 1915 picture of Beverly Hills Hotel majestically tucked under the hills Santa Monica mountains, empty lots of Beverly Drive and Sunset Blvd of 1916; the first house at Beverly Drive and Parkway built in 1913 (lots priced between $1,000 to 1,500); aerial view of the developing city of Beverly Hills (1920); picture of City Hall (1925); Sunset Park (currently called Will Rogers Park) in 1915; Robinson estate (1912); the aerial view of Beverly Terrace tract and Valentino's Falcon Lair Estate (1930s); the 1924 picture of Santa Monica Blvd and Wilshire Blvd intersection; the aerial view of Beverly Hills Speedway at Wilshire and Beverly Drive (1922); the 1924 aerial view of houses on Beverly Drive (north of Santa Monica), the 1925 picture of Rodeo Drive bridle path, commercial district of Beverly Drive and Burton Way (1925); the 1926 pictures of Will Rogers, as mayor of Beverly Hills; the image of Beverly Hills High School (1935); the 1929 picture of Beverly Wilshire Hotel; The Rose Bowl Parade, 1929; the aerial view of PickFair estate (1920); the Chaplin estate (1923); Gloria Swanson estate (1922); the estate of Pola Negri (1923); the estate of Tom Mix (1924); the George Burns and Gracie Allen estate at 720 North Maple (1937); Church of Good Shepard Catholic Church on Sunset Blvd (1936); and the aerial view of much progressed Beverly Hills (1936). The photographs are very clear, beautifully illustrated, and the book makes a nice reading material on your coffee table.
This is a wonderful book for anyone who is interested in the history of Beverly Hills, and movie industry in general. The history of the city is described with still-photographs dating back to 1878 and all the way to 1939. The book is full of beautiful pictures, and some of them aerial images that give a spectacular view of the emerging Tinseltown. It is amazing that you can learn so much about this city that grew from a farming community to a busy city, the center of glamor. The "Pink Palace," also known as Beverly Hills Hotel was built in 1912 and still sits at the same spot. It is a place where some of the memorable movies were made and witnessed many real life celebrities stories; some real juicy! Beverly Wilshire Hotel is another iconic building that is located at Wilshire and Rodeo drive is also a center of modern day glamor. In early 1900s, much of Rodeo drive and other roads that run parallel to it were in fact residential areas. Beverly Drive was built much earlier and more robust than the adjacent Rodeo Drive in earlier days, and so was Wilshire Blvd in the city of Beverly Hills.
The iconic Beverly Hills shield was placed at the city limits during the 1930s. Some of the images include; 1890s view of George Hanson ranch in Beverly Hills; 1915 picture of Beverly Hills Hotel majestically tucked under the hills Santa Monica mountains, empty lots of Beverly Drive and Sunset Blvd of 1916; the first house at Beverly Drive and Parkway built in 1913 (lots priced between $1,000 to 1,500); aerial view of the developing city of Beverly Hills (1920); picture of City Hall (1925); Sunset Park (currently called Will Rogers Park) in 1915; Robinson estate (1912); the aerial view of Beverly Terrace tract and Valentino's Falcon Lair Estate (1930s); the 1924 picture of Santa Monica Blvd and Wilshire Blvd intersection; the aerial view of Beverly Hills Speedway at Wilshire and Beverly Drive (1922); the 1924 aerial view of houses on Beverly Drive (north of Santa Monica), the 1925 picture of Rodeo Drive bridle path, commercial district of Beverly Drive and Burton Way (1925); the 1926 pictures of Will Rogers, as mayor of Beverly Hills; the image of Beverly Hills High School (1935); the 1929 picture of Beverly Wilshire Hotel; The Rose Bowl Parade, 1929; the aerial view of PickFair estate (1920); the Chaplin estate (1923); Gloria Swanson estate (1922); the estate of Pola Negri (1923); the estate of Tom Mix (1924); the George Burns and Gracie Allen estate at 720 North Maple (1937); Church of Good Shepard Catholic Church on Sunset Blvd (1936); and the aerial view of much progressed Beverly Hills (1936). The photographs are very clear, beautifully illustrated, and the book makes a nice reading material on your coffee table.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
The Marmont at Sunset Strip: The playing field for the rich & famous since 1920s
Book Reviewed: Life at the Marmont: The Inside Story of Hollywood's Legendary Hotel of the Stars--Chateau Marmont, by Raymond R. Sarlot
This is a fascinating history of one of the most famous apartment turned hotel in Tinseltown that was the home of many celebrities. Currently named as Chateau Marmont is located at the Sunset strip, and it reigned as the hotspot for men and women of show business since Feb 1929. The rents which peaked at $750 a month at that time was regarded as outrageous by some, but most were too happy to take up residence. It started very nervously as the nearby Beverly Hills Hotel had closed its door because of losses, and so was the Garden of Allah situated in the same neighborhood, which was near bankruptcy after two years in business.
The setup was perfect because it was very private. Just drive into the garage, get in the elevator, go upstairs and nobody would see you. Ladies came in and out at all hours to see the famous male residents, and no questions were asked. Marmont also became a place to stay after spending nights on town at celebrity hangouts on Sunset Strip. Major attractions included nightclubs such as; Trocadero, Mocambo, Ciro's and Preston Sturges's Players.
The great stars have come and gone, replaced by newer names and faces. Many of the giant studios have dwindled and disappeared. Movie moguls; Mayer, Cohn, Zanuck, Warner and others no longer rule. The Garden of Allah and the glittering nightclubs and the famed Sunset Strip's Schwab's Pharmacy are a memory but Marmont remains. The years of glamorous highs and lows, storybook romances, fast times and wild parties, overnight success and failures and even tragedies; through them all, Marmont remained as Hollywood's Grand Hotel. It is a proud legacy of times past. The memories of Garbo, Gable, Harlow, Monroe and many others are linked by this magnificent place some called their home. Actress, Sandra Bullock once commented that "it has an incredibly seductive atmosphere, no wonder people come here to have affairs, and it has that air of mystery."
This is a fascinating history of one of the most famous apartment turned hotel in Tinseltown that was the home of many celebrities. Currently named as Chateau Marmont is located at the Sunset strip, and it reigned as the hotspot for men and women of show business since Feb 1929. The rents which peaked at $750 a month at that time was regarded as outrageous by some, but most were too happy to take up residence. It started very nervously as the nearby Beverly Hills Hotel had closed its door because of losses, and so was the Garden of Allah situated in the same neighborhood, which was near bankruptcy after two years in business.
The setup was perfect because it was very private. Just drive into the garage, get in the elevator, go upstairs and nobody would see you. Ladies came in and out at all hours to see the famous male residents, and no questions were asked. Marmont also became a place to stay after spending nights on town at celebrity hangouts on Sunset Strip. Major attractions included nightclubs such as; Trocadero, Mocambo, Ciro's and Preston Sturges's Players.
The great stars have come and gone, replaced by newer names and faces. Many of the giant studios have dwindled and disappeared. Movie moguls; Mayer, Cohn, Zanuck, Warner and others no longer rule. The Garden of Allah and the glittering nightclubs and the famed Sunset Strip's Schwab's Pharmacy are a memory but Marmont remains. The years of glamorous highs and lows, storybook romances, fast times and wild parties, overnight success and failures and even tragedies; through them all, Marmont remained as Hollywood's Grand Hotel. It is a proud legacy of times past. The memories of Garbo, Gable, Harlow, Monroe and many others are linked by this magnificent place some called their home. Actress, Sandra Bullock once commented that "it has an incredibly seductive atmosphere, no wonder people come here to have affairs, and it has that air of mystery."
Chasing Chaos: The realities of humanitarian aid
Book Reviewed: Chasing Chaos: My Decade In and Out of Humanitarian Aid, by Jessica Alexander
When Hollywood elites like George Clooney and Angelina Jolie go for the glitzy and PR-friendly side of international humanitarian aid, real aid workers go for the grit, the grind and the hard-knocks. This is the story of an idealistic young woman who goes to make a difference in the lives of less-fortunate who needed humanitarian help. After working with tens of thousands of refugees in Darfur, and in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake, the author Jessica Alexander says her idealism dwindled to cynicism. This book is an honest memoir, and her experiences at world's hotspots are horrific. She appears to have found peace by helping people from behind a desk and connections she made with countless local workers and occasional trip into the field, drunken parties and failed romances.
The author sheds light on another aspect of humanitarian aid; it is not a vehicle for the self-sacrificing anymore, but it is a growing industry where competing organizations fight for funding; the same way businesses compete for customers. Former aid workers are available as consultants for those who are going into the troubled spots. The following example would suffice to illustrate the problems in humanitarian aid: according to a report by CNN, a week after typhoon Haiyan slammed into the Philippines, food, water, and medicine started pouring into the island nation, but they arrived with no designated way to reach the storm's neediest victims. Six days after the storm hit, there were reports that most citizens in Tacloban had not received any aid and were going on a week without food, water, shelter, and other necessities. Lack of vehicles, fuel, and manpower are what's holding up the flow of aid in the Philippines. In the aftermath of the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the airport in Port-au-Prince was the problem; it was too small to handle the large numbers of aid flights. Some planes carrying rescue teams, medical personnel, and equipment were delayed or diverted. In addition to mass destruction, and loss of life, many recent natural disasters have been hampered by a less tragic but still pressing problem: a lack of logistics. With more natural and human caused disasters in the future, the aid bottlenecks are doomed to grow larger and more painful. The author's knowledge and experience is tremendously beneficial in fighting the aftermath of such disasters.
When Hollywood elites like George Clooney and Angelina Jolie go for the glitzy and PR-friendly side of international humanitarian aid, real aid workers go for the grit, the grind and the hard-knocks. This is the story of an idealistic young woman who goes to make a difference in the lives of less-fortunate who needed humanitarian help. After working with tens of thousands of refugees in Darfur, and in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake, the author Jessica Alexander says her idealism dwindled to cynicism. This book is an honest memoir, and her experiences at world's hotspots are horrific. She appears to have found peace by helping people from behind a desk and connections she made with countless local workers and occasional trip into the field, drunken parties and failed romances.
The author sheds light on another aspect of humanitarian aid; it is not a vehicle for the self-sacrificing anymore, but it is a growing industry where competing organizations fight for funding; the same way businesses compete for customers. Former aid workers are available as consultants for those who are going into the troubled spots. The following example would suffice to illustrate the problems in humanitarian aid: according to a report by CNN, a week after typhoon Haiyan slammed into the Philippines, food, water, and medicine started pouring into the island nation, but they arrived with no designated way to reach the storm's neediest victims. Six days after the storm hit, there were reports that most citizens in Tacloban had not received any aid and were going on a week without food, water, shelter, and other necessities. Lack of vehicles, fuel, and manpower are what's holding up the flow of aid in the Philippines. In the aftermath of the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the airport in Port-au-Prince was the problem; it was too small to handle the large numbers of aid flights. Some planes carrying rescue teams, medical personnel, and equipment were delayed or diverted. In addition to mass destruction, and loss of life, many recent natural disasters have been hampered by a less tragic but still pressing problem: a lack of logistics. With more natural and human caused disasters in the future, the aid bottlenecks are doomed to grow larger and more painful. The author's knowledge and experience is tremendously beneficial in fighting the aftermath of such disasters.
Veda and Torah: The holy Vedas and the holy Torah - A comparative study
Book Reviewed: Veda and Torah - Transcending the Textuality of Scripture, by Barbara A. Holdrege
This book is not meant for a general reader interested in studying religion. The subject matter is academically oriented, and it addresses questions regarding the sources of authority and legitimation of the two Holy Scriptures. It does not discuss specific hymns from either Vedas or Torah to determine if there are any similarities or differences among them. There is a discussion of epistemology of the two faiths but no evidence of any possible impact of each other's culture or if there is a common root for the two oldest faiths. In fact Hinduism and Judaism are vastly different.
The most fundamental difference being that the textual transmission in the brahmanical and Jewish traditions are different. The brahmanical tradition gave priority to oral-aural channels (utterances of scared words) as the most appropriate means of apprehending and transmitting the sacred knowledge; but the rabbinic (and Kabbalistic) traditions assigned special status to the written register. The Vedic texts were preserved for over three thousand years by brahmanical reciters and the Sefer Torah by the Jewish scribal tradition. The texts of these scriptures are fixed and not a sound or a syllable or word or letter is altered.
The method of worship of God in the Vedic tradition being mantra recitation and the oblations offered during the sacrificial fire to gods, but the Vedic deities are not represented by the images. The Vedic recitations during sacrifices are considered divine and the mantras are recited to regenerate the cosmos and nourish the gods. Similarly Torah is regarded as the living aspect of God, and its preservation, ornamentation, and veneration are the embodiment of God. The congregation traditionally stands when the scroll is taken as it is carried in procession around synagogue point to the Sefer Torah's status as an object of veneration of the divine Word.
Oral traditions are considered as personal and written traditions are impersonal. The personalized nature of oral transmission is due to a continuity that exists between the speaker and the listeners. The written tradition of Torah is considered as impersonal but rabbinic traditions regard that as the living Word of God with which Jewish people engage in discourse with its author, the God Himself. The two great religions of the world have different origin and different methods for the transmission of scriptures but both have a common denominator. They show the man's undying willingness to make connection with God Almighty, the Creator Himself.
This book is not meant for a general reader interested in studying religion. The subject matter is academically oriented, and it addresses questions regarding the sources of authority and legitimation of the two Holy Scriptures. It does not discuss specific hymns from either Vedas or Torah to determine if there are any similarities or differences among them. There is a discussion of epistemology of the two faiths but no evidence of any possible impact of each other's culture or if there is a common root for the two oldest faiths. In fact Hinduism and Judaism are vastly different.
The most fundamental difference being that the textual transmission in the brahmanical and Jewish traditions are different. The brahmanical tradition gave priority to oral-aural channels (utterances of scared words) as the most appropriate means of apprehending and transmitting the sacred knowledge; but the rabbinic (and Kabbalistic) traditions assigned special status to the written register. The Vedic texts were preserved for over three thousand years by brahmanical reciters and the Sefer Torah by the Jewish scribal tradition. The texts of these scriptures are fixed and not a sound or a syllable or word or letter is altered.
The method of worship of God in the Vedic tradition being mantra recitation and the oblations offered during the sacrificial fire to gods, but the Vedic deities are not represented by the images. The Vedic recitations during sacrifices are considered divine and the mantras are recited to regenerate the cosmos and nourish the gods. Similarly Torah is regarded as the living aspect of God, and its preservation, ornamentation, and veneration are the embodiment of God. The congregation traditionally stands when the scroll is taken as it is carried in procession around synagogue point to the Sefer Torah's status as an object of veneration of the divine Word.
Oral traditions are considered as personal and written traditions are impersonal. The personalized nature of oral transmission is due to a continuity that exists between the speaker and the listeners. The written tradition of Torah is considered as impersonal but rabbinic traditions regard that as the living Word of God with which Jewish people engage in discourse with its author, the God Himself. The two great religions of the world have different origin and different methods for the transmission of scriptures but both have a common denominator. They show the man's undying willingness to make connection with God Almighty, the Creator Himself.
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