The first book is: The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
The White Tiger- Aravind Adiga
With only a two week period to read this book (following Jordan’s invite to be the sole male member of a women-only book club), I devoured this book. Within the first day of picking up The White Tiger, I was lured in by Adiga’s gritty, straight-forward prose. Told through the first person, Adiga’s ”protagonist” immediatedly polarizes his readers with the recounting of a murder he committed, turning this ambitious hero into a do-what-it-takes, social-climbing anti-hero. As with many books and movies using this technique, once the ball is dropped, the remaining part of the novel seeks to build up to that point and give it context. In Adiga’s book, he is not asking us whether the murder was ok. To his character, it is absolute necessity. Instead, the novel throws so many justifications your way that you are left wondering if you would have committed it yourself. Do conditions make a man’s decisions or is there always a choice? Irrelevant, the main character would say.
Utilizing the frame of letter writing (the story is compiled for the benefit of a visiting official from China, to show him about the real India) allows the story to be more natural and life-like. It also makes the main character more difficult to dissect and interpret. Can you pass judgment on what you hear about a person from that person’s own mouth? Part of the entertainment of this novel is seeing the character slip into the flaw-area and out again. Will he reveal too much?
Read it and you shall see.
Update: The book club met on June 9th to discuss The White Tiger. All enjoyed the book, the wine, and the somewhat Indian-inspired meal that accompanied it. Thoughts were: Is this the century of “the brown man and the yellow man”? Silly question, is the concensus. Does one’s life experience give them an excuse for behavior? Mixed opinion.
Next month’s book: Zenzele: A Letter for My Daughter by J. Nozipo Maraire
Since my move from 10th to 14th Street, I have been surprisingly reliant on the plasma to fulfill my evening entertainment. Instead of the usual late-night movie watching ritual that I had formerly found myself performing (a good murder mystery goes a long way for my sleeping schedule), I now find myself tuned into the digital cable that I had entirely neglected previously. I turn it on while reading emails. I watch/listen as I cook dinner. I set the volume to near-maximum when I am in the shower. It is truly getting to be my at-home obsession.
What are you watching, one may ask. Well, it is not a specific show (who has the time or the regularity that requires), but an entire network of vignettes perfectly programmed to match my irregular attention span needs. Yes, I have discovered CURRENT TV.
current TV
What is it, you ask. To be honest, I did not know myself for a time. Let me describe it as I encountered it before I tell you about the online research I did. In between the MTV channels (MTV original, MTV U., MTV 2, VH1) on my cable, I found channel 22 and this strange station called CURRENT. With miniature documentaries, seeming to range from about 3 to 7 minutes, and including every subject imaginable (submitted by viewers), this channel immediately had my attention. I was learning about different subjects (Catholic-Protestant battles in Belfast, DC Drag Race, South African fashion), but was never burdened by a full-length feature, which, if partially missed, was not worth the watching. I suppose that could be a con, too: if I really like something, I want it to last longer than 5 minutes! But if I am not interested in something, it’s over in 5 minutes anyway and a new one is presented. Watching CURRENT, I feel informed and trendy at the same time, which really motivates the I’m-20-and-my-generation-needs-to-save-the-world voice in my head.
Al Gore, creator of CURRENT
A little internet research provides some intriguing nuggets about this channel. Apparently, CURRENT was launched in 2005 by former Vice President (and American posterboy for responsible energy) Al Gore. In these four years it has existed, CURRENT has the distinct title of being the fasting growing network of all time! Wow, that is quite impressive. With content that appeals to the highly-coveted 18-34 demographic that is both inter and proactive, the channel is meant to offer a imperfect combination of CNN and MTV, all the better for the imperfection of the combination. As Mr. Gore put it, the station is for young people “who want to learn about the world in a voice they recognize and a view they recognize as their own.”
Does that imply some liberal ideals? Obviously. AND IT SHOULD: after all, we know that each generation becomes a little more liberal than the last…THANK GOODNESS! And with a home state of California, this station had little chance of being provincial with its views. As someone who agrees with many of their viewpoints, it is hard to separate myself and say this is responsible journalism. It may not be, but it is never forcing anything upon you. I believe it encourages an open mind: no judgments, no hate, just a different side of things. I enjoy that. I may have not wanted to know about it, but it is great that I have that option.
Favorite Things to Watch:
Max and Jason
Max & Jason. They usually run an hour long series concerning a particular topic, which is always very enjoyable. With good commraderie between them and a stack of knowledge larger than the disk space of CURRENT’s lengthiest video, the show is a delight. And with their Style-specific edition, they show that documentaries can be sexy.
The Rotten Tomatoes Show
These two provide some of the most enjoyable commercials in the history of television. Well, mildly amusing at the very least. Ignoring that, this show (based on the movie-rating website) is great. Using viewer-created podcast reviews of movies, they intertwine relevant video feeds to the websites greater conclusions about a movie to create the final Rotten/Fresh rating.
InfoMania
An enjoyable look-alike of mock news programs, such as The Soup and The Daily Show. But the best part of this show are the lengthier segments where heavier topics are discussed in longer 3 minute pods. AND THEY ARE HYSTERICAL! I will attach a recent favorite of mine below [the GBF]. Thanks to Ilona for posting that on my wall!
Vanguard
After watching fifteen mini-docs at once and thinking my head is so full from forty-five minutes of varied factoids, Vanguard is what satisfies my craving for longer segments and real information. They tackle the harder subjects and give time to relfect on them. Think of a more active form of 60 minutes for the 18-34 demographic. With ebbs and flows like a real documentary, it is wonderful. Wikipedia says: “Current’s in-house journalism department, consisting of a team of young producers and correspondents who specialize in enterprising reporting on global issues. In addition to contributing original pods to Current’s daily shuffle, Vanguard airs a weekly half-hour program of longer and more in depth pieces.”
Thank goodness of the courage of the Iranian people. To take such bold actions following the (fraudulent) election results from this previous Friday, which gave current Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a resounding victory and another four year term. I talked a little bit about the election in a previous entry and described both my disbelief in the results and my disappointment in the Iranian people for submitting themselves to such scrutiny as Ahmadinejad’s actions will provide. I think I put it like this:
And THIS was Iran’s chance to tell the world truly what they think. And to tell us what to think on the outside. This election could have reintroduced the world to Iran, a modern country with more than just a narrow perspective. The promise of a revitalized (and, dare I say, better respected) Iran, starting over fresh with the energy of the Revolution but today’s mindset, was in this election. [...] I am a little disappointed. When you have the chance to end such hateful rhetoric and actions, even if it is only every four years, would you sacrifice that chance and support hate?
Time would certainly prove me wrong about the strength of these great people! Days of domestic violence and civil strife (I know I have heard those two items together before) have plagued the country, leading to today’s revelation from the (irresponsible/tyrannical/biased) Guardian Council to recount disputed votes. In such a country as this, what a power the people hold. To add, the ayatollah has already confirmed Ahmadinejad’s victory…and, yet, the Iranian people press on still to seek justice. Well done.
It does not escape my judgment that this recount will do little to change the outcome of the election. While I am sure Mousavi had plenty of the vote, the election is NOT being redone. All those lost ballots will never be found, and the disenfranchised would-be votes for him will never be counted or submitted to the Council’s review. But pacifying these citizens is vital now to the stability of the government, I suspect. We shall see how things progress.
June 16- Iran clamps down on foreign media: The authorities announced tough new restrictions on foreign media, requiring journalists to obtain explicit permission before covering any story. Journalists have also been banned from attending or reporting on any unauthorised demonstration.
June 16- Seven killed during Iran protest: The reports said the deaths came after “thugs” attacked a military post. The radio report said the attack occurred at the end of the “illegal” rally as people were heading home “peacefully”. “Several thugs wanted to attack a military post and vandalise public property in the vicinity of Azadi Square,” the radio said referring to the site of the protest.
June 15- Tensions high in Tehran: Hundreds of thousands of opposition supporters have taken to the streets of the Iranian capital.
June 14- Iran reformists held after street clashes: Up to 100 members of Iranian reformist groups have been arrested, accused of orchestrating violence after the disputed Presidential election.
Many news organizations are confirming Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s victory in the Iranian Presidential election that took place on Friday, which will extend his tenure in office another four years. A Reformist and the main opponent to Ahmadinejad, Mir Hossein Mousavi, has already claimed the occurrence of voting irregularities, asking the Guardian Council to repeal the results. Mousavi believes there was a lack of election monitors at polling stations, resulting in the disenfranchisement of many Iranian citizens. The conservative-controlled Guardian Council, which vets Presidential candidates based on the uniformity of their Islamic law values, is unlikely to invalidate the results, particularly with the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s call for an end to the race.
Since his narrow defeat of the reformist candidates in 2005, Ahmadinejad has brought his country an unprecedented amount of publicity and, more often than not, criticism. His denial of the Holocaust, his consistent refusal to close Iranian nuclear research facilities, and his belief in Israel’s extermination (not to mention a particularly aggressive hatred towards the United States and “the west”) have all contributed to his being on the United States’ shit list. Within his own country he has attempted to do some good (decreasing dependence on oil, using oil money to assist home buyers and young couples, etc). But many of his ideas have entirely collapsed upon implementation.
And THIS was Iran’s chance to tell the world truly what they think. And to tell us what to think on the outside. This election could have reintroduced the world to Iran, a modern country with more than just a narrow perspective. The promise of a revitalized (and, dare I say, better respected) Iran, starting over fresh with the energy of the Revolution but today’s mindset, was in this election.
“On the streets of Tehran, police have sealed off Mr Mousavi’s campaign HQ, preventing his supporters from holding a news conference.
There have been reports of police deploying on the streets of Tehran and beating people with truncheons as small groups gather to protest.
One opposition newspaper has been closed down and BBC websites also appear to have been blocked by the Iranian authorities.”
I am a little disappointed. When you have the chance to end such hateful rhetoric and actions, even if it is only every four years, would you sacrifice that chance and support hate?
I recently discovered this duet on YouTube, featuring Beyonce and (infamous) George Michael. In concert at London’s O2 Arena, Beyonce performs one of my favorite songs of hers, If I Were a Boy. I cannot really find a reason for George Michael to be present (considering he is male), but she seems to appreciate his presence…if eyes signify appreciation, that is. If only he could manage to use the correct lyrics and sing a bit louder to match Beyonce’s energy!
Oh, I forgot. Did I mention Beyonce had just arrived in London after her audition for a new television series, Xena: Bootylicious Princess? [Sorry, it needed to be said.]
