Three Filters

Portrait of Socrates. Marble, Roman artwork (1st century), perhaps a copy of a lost bronze statue made by Lysippos. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“Sir…,” I called out a voice.

The philosopher Socrates looked up.

“I came to tell you a news,” said the man trying to tell something.

“Don’t be in a hurry, my friend…. Did you filter the news by the 3 filters?”

He did not understand.

“3 filters…?”

“The 1^st filter stops anything that is not true….Is the news you wanted to convey true?”

“I do not know about that… The others were talking…just that…”

“The second filter stops bad news. Is the news you brought a good news?”

“No.”

“The third filter stops any news which affects the others. Can the news you have brought do good to others?”

“No.”

“The news that you came to tell me is not true. It is also not a good news. It is not going to benefit or bring happiness to anyone, isn’t?”

“Yes.”

“My dear friend, why should we discuss about such a news wasting our time and energy?”

The man who came fell silent.


Translated by me from "Ullame Ulagam" by Thenkachi Ko Swaminathan (publishers Vanathi Pathipagam).

Critical Thinking Word Cloud

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Postern of Fate

Postern of Fate (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Title: Postern of Fate

Author: Agatha Christie

Main Characters: Tommy (Thomas Bresford), Tuppence (Prudence Bresford), Mr.Robinson, Mr.Pikeaway, Clarence, Issac, Mrs. Griffin, Mr. Crispin, Miss.Mullins and Hannibal.

Description of one of the main characters: Issac is an old gardener. He works for Mr. & Mrs. Bresford who had come new to the house – The Laurels. He knows so much about the house and its strange secrets. He is murdered by someone as he knew something about ‘Mary Jordan’ and was about to tell the Bresfords.

Whom I like and why: I like Mr.Robinson very much. He is a very kind man. He knows many things about the submarine case and Mary Jordan which happened before 60 years.

Whom I dislike and why: I dislike Miss. Mullins. She is the great niece of the granddaughter of the original criminal doctor who killed Mary Jordan. Miss. Mullins tries to kill Tuppence by adding poison to her drink. But Crispin and Hannibal save Tuppence from Miss. Mullins. Miss. Mullins introduces herself as a gardener, in the first, to Tommy and Tuppence.

Setting/theme of the story: Tommy and Tuppence shift to a new house called the Laurels. They get many books and they settle down in the new house. In one of the books called The Black Arrow, Tuppence finds random underlining. When she writes them out in a paper, she sees a very disturbing message: M-a-r-y  J-o-r-d-a-n  d-i-d  n-o-t  d-i-e  n-a-t-u-r-a-l-l-y. I-t  w-a-s  o-n-e  o-f  u-s. The book belonged to a boy called Alexander Parkinson. They decided to find out more about the girl Mary Jordan though they suspect that the whole thing might be a fun game or trick done by the boy, Alexander Parkinson. Tuppence gathers from her neighbours that a lot of Parkinsons had lived in the Swallow’s Nest – the old name of the Laurels. Mrs. Griffin, one of the oldest ladies says that she remembered a nursery girl who lived amidst the Parkinson family named Mary Jordan. Mrs. Giffrin also says that she knew a boy called Alexander Parkinson who died when he was eleven. Tommy and Tuppence, driven by the idea that there might be some evidence in the house, do a surgery on Mathilde, the wooden horse which was there in the house since the time of the Parkinsons. They also examine Oxford and Cambridge in the KK, a place in the garden. Then suddenly one day, Tuppence finds Issac, their gardened lying dead, coshed in the head, in the garden. The Bresfords figure out that he must have known something about Mary Jordan. After that Tommy and Tuppence start trying to find out the person responsible for Issac’s death. Tommy meets Mr. Robinson and Mr. Pikeaway who help them. One day a woman named Miss. Mullins comes and offers to be the gardener for the Laurels. Hannibal, the dog, does not like Miss. Mullins. Miss. Mullins tries to poison Tuppence but Hannibal tackles her down and Mr. Crispin alias Horsham captures Miss. Mullins. They find her to be guilty of coshing Issac. Mr. Robinson and Mr. Pikeaway explain to Tuppence and Tommy how all these thing are interconnected. Mr. Robinson also gives Hannibal the title ‘Count’ for capturing Miss.Mullins. It all ends happily.

Part I enjoyed the most: I enjoyed the part when Tuppence writes out the random underlining to find the sentence: Mary-Jordan-did-not-die-naturally. It-was-one-of-us.

That’s when the whole thing starts. 

Much Of A Muchness- My Second Novel

Last year I published my first novel Wizile. Thanks to the encouraging words by those who read Wizile, this year, I've written and published my second novel- Much Of A Muchness. This time too, my brother Sanjay has done the illustrations. Please read the novel and share your comments here. 

The Lord Of The Rings: The fellowship of the Ring

A 3D model of the One Ring (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Title: The Lord Of Rings: The fellowship of the Ring

Author: J.R.R.Tolkein.

Main characters: Frodo Baggins, Sam Gamgee, Gandalf, Aragorn, Bilbo, Merry Barandybuck, Peregrin Took, Tom Bombadil, Goldberry, Elrond, Gimli, Boromir and Sauron  

Description of one of the main characters: Gandalf is a wizard. He was the one who sent Bilbo, a hobbit, on a journey of adventure with the dwarves to retrieve lost treasures from the great dragon,  Smaug. He is called ‘Gandalf the Grey’. He protects the Shire. He is very good at fireworks. Sam Gamgee, a hobbit, always sings about Gandalf’s fireworks:

The finest rockets ever seen:

They burst in stars of blue and green

Or after thunder golden showers

Came falling like a rain of flowers

Gandalf is a wise man. He knows all abut the rings of power. He dies in Khazad – Dom while leading Frodo and the company to Mordor.

Whom I like and why: I like Aragorn very much. He is a Ranger and son of Arathorn, a great king. He is called Strider by the people of Bree. There is a song referring to him made by Bilbo when they first met and Strider told about himself. This is the song by Bilbo on Aragorn:

All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

A light from the shadows shall spring;

Renewed shall be the blade that was broken;

The crown-less shall be the king.

Aragorn’s sword’s blade is broken a foot below the hilt and it will be forged anew. Aragorn is the descendant of Elendil and Isildur (an old ring-bearer). He is very brave. He is a great friend of Gandalf.

Whom I dislike and why: I dislike Sauron, the dark Lord of Mordor. He took refuge in the Mirkwoods when Elendil and Isildur pulled him off the throne and took away the one ring of the dark lord. Sauron is the “Lord of the rings”. But Isildur takes the ring for himself and becomes the ring bearer. Sauron reforms himself in Mirkwood and takes power of Mordor. He tries to seek the friendship of the dwarves by promising them that he would give back their seven rings, which the dwarf-lords had possessed.

Setting/theme of the story: Bilbo Baggins and his heir celebrate Bilbo's eleventy-first (111^th) birthday and Frodo’s, Bilbo’s heir’s, thirty-third birthday by holding a party in the Shire and calling 144 people (111+33). Suddenly Bilbo vanishes and gives everyone a topic to talk about for the next 60 years. He wears the ring, which he won from Gollum, and which makes people who wear them invisible. He comes back into the Bag End, his house, and decides to go and stay at the House of Elrond, where the elves reside, for the rest of his life. He passes everything he has to Frodo and makes Frodo the master of Bag End. He also gives away the ring, on Gandalf’s advice, to Frodo even though it is his prized possession. He leaves telling goodbye only to Gandalf. Gandalf suddenly comes and tells Frodo that he has to leave Bag End and the Shire and embark on a dangerous quest. He tells Frodo that Frodo is the possessor of the one great ring that Sauron is searching for- that Frodo is the ring-bearer.

One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them. One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.

It is only two lines of a verse long known in Elven-lore.

Three rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,

Seven for the dwarf-lords in their hall of stone,

Nine for the mortal men doomed to die,

One for the dark lord on his dark throne.

In the land of Mordor where the shadows lie,

One Ring to rule them all, One ring to find them,

One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them,

In the land of Mordor where the shadows lie.

He explains to Frodo that the ring Frodo is having is the master-ring, the one ring to rule them all. He also explains to Frodo that this is the One Ring. When Sauron lost it  many ages ago in helped in the great weakening of his power. He also tells how much the Dark Lord desires it and that he must not get it for the good of the world. He tells  Frodo that Frodo has to leave Bag End and go to Rivendell, to the House of Elrond. Gandalf leaves Frodo to choose his companions to come along with him on the journey. Gandalf leaves Shire. Frodo chooses the faithful Sam Gamgee and his two friends Merry and Pippin. They travel through the woods after lying to the people of the shire that Mr.Frodo would be staying in Buckland forever. The stay in the house of Tom Bombadil and meet Goldberry, the daughter of River. They go to stay in The Prancing Pony, a lodge in a town called Bree. During their travel Frodo travels under the name of Mr. Underhill. They get a letter from Gandalf asking them to become friends with a man called Strider whom they fortunately meet at the Prancing Pony. They all set out to Rivendell. On their way they meet black riders, men from Mordor in search of Frodo. When they almost reach Rivendell, two black riders catch the company. But then, the river rises and they go away. Frodo, Merry, Pippin, Sam and Aragorn are welcomed by the elves of Rivendell. Frodo meets Bilbo in Rivendell. After staying there for sometime everybody hears how the possession of the ring came to Frodo: 

Isildur took it from the Dark Lord and after sometime, the ring fell into a river called Anduin, and vanished. It went to the hands of a quiet-footed little man called Deagol but his friend Smeagol killed his friend and took the ring. Smeagol is none other than Gollum fom whom Bilbo won the ring and it got passed on to Frodo.

 Frodo, Gandalf, Boromir, Aaragorn, Gimli, Merry, Pippin and Sam start journeying towards Mordor. On the way, in Moria, Gandalf dies trying to protect the others from Orcs. The others escape. Gollum follows them. They go to Lady Galadriel and her elves and tell them about the death of Gandalf. Then they continue their journey and come to a stop very near Mordor. Frodo gets threatened by Boromir who suddenly wants to steal the ring from him. He doesn’t want to risk his friends' lives to protect him as he is the ring-bearer. So, he decides to go away from them and complete the quest by himself. But Sam Gamgee, his faithful servant finds out his plan and accompanies Frodo in the last stage of the quest. They cross the river and search for a path that will lead them into the land of shadows.
The Fellowship Of The Ring, the first part of the Lord Of The Rings, ends here.

Part I enjoyed the most: I enjoyed the part when Frodo sings a song about Gandalf to the Elves. Here is a part of the song:

When evening in the shire was grey

His footsteps on the Hill were heard;

Before the dawn he went away

On journey long without a word.

From wilderland to western shore

From northern waste to southern hill

Through dragon-liar and hidden door

And darkling woods he walked at will.

The song explains how Gandalf moves in and out of the shire secretly and how he has travelled to many unknown parts and how he mingles with everyone. I enjoyed all the songs in the Lord of the Rings very much. One more song I liked very much is Bilbo’s:

The Road goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began

Now far ahead the road has gone

And I must follow, if I can.

Pursuing I with eager feet,

Until it joins some larger way,

Where many paths and errands meet.

And wither then? I cannot say.

Bilbo is very good at creating songs.

People Who Do Not Know The Value

English: Official portrait of J. Robert Oppenheimer, first director of Los Alamos National Laboratory. Français : Le portrait officiel de Robert Oppenheimer, alors premier directeur du Laboratoire national de Los Alamos. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

"Of all the powers in the world, which is the most powerful?"
"The most powerful is the human power."
"How?"
"For all the things in the world, it is only the humans who set the value."
"It's true."
"The humans who set high value for gold and diamonds do not understand their own value."
"So what?"
"That's why humans became cheap. Human lives have also become cheap."

A day in the past.
The world's first atom bomb comes into existence.
The power of the brain creates that super power.
It is made under the supervision of the scientist Dr. Robert Oppenheimer.
Yes.
Now it is waiting for the orders of the humans.
At this stage...
The American parliament gathers.
There the scientist talks.
He speaks in detail.
Members shoot arrows of questions.
He answers all the questions with patience.
He explains how the effects would be if the atom bomb explodes.
They listen without blinking their eyes.
A member stands up...

"Are there any truly strong and safe measures to prevent that disastrous weapon?"
"Definitely, there is," says the scientist.
Everyone stands up and asks curiously: "What is that?"

Oppenheimer slowly looks up at them.
Then he says,"That is peace."

Translated by me from "Ullame Ulagam" by Thenkachi Ko Swaminathan (publishers Vanathi Pathipagam).

39 clues: The Viper’s nest

The 39 Clues (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Title: 39 clues: The Viper’s nest

Author: Peter Lerangis

Main Characters: Amy, Dan, Nellie, Alistair Oh, Ian Kabra, Natalie Kabra, Isabel Kabra, Hamilton, Eisenhower, McIntyre and Jonah Wizard.

Description Of One Of The Main Characters: McIntyre is a lawyer and is also a Madrigal. He is a kind man. He sometimes helps Amy and Dan Cahill in their leads to the clues. He was Grace’s lawyer.

Whom I Like And Why: I like Nellie, Amy and Dan's ‘Au pair’ very much. She loves music and dance. She is twenty years old. She helps Amy and Dan travel everywhere to hunt for the clues. She also helps them out when they get into trouble.

Whom I Dislike and Why: I dislike Jonah. He is a hip-hop star singer. He thinks low of Amy and Dan. He is a liar. He always wants fame. He is a coward. He is always outsmarted by his Cahill cousins.

Setting/Theme Of The Story: Amy and Dan Cahill go in search of clues and to seek the knowledge of their partent’s branch in the Cahill family. They are always targeted by their Cahill cousins who know their own Cahill branches. They arrive at Grace’s house which is shown by one of Grace Cahill’s friends.

There they come to know that they, Amy and Dan Cahill, and their parents, Arthur Trent and Hope Cahill, and their beloved grandmother, Grace Cahill, were the deadly Madrigals whom everyone feared. Amy and Dan understand why Grace never told them their branch. She didn't tell them because all four other branches of the Cahills  – Tomas, Lucian, Ekatrina and Janus – hate and are afraid of the Madrigals.