The Kite Runner
by Khaled Hosseini

Overall, this book is a gem of modern storytelling, and a compelling read. It's the story of a young boy growing up in Afghanistan, and his relationship with the two main people in his life: his father and his best friend. All the while in the background you have the evolution of the country, which turns clearly violent in the 1980's and undergoes some traumatic changes as the Taliban take over. The backdrop is a culture very different from one most in this country have ever known, and the author does a fanstastic job of bringing the reader into his world. This is an intensly personal story about a little boy and his father and the journey they take through different cultures, trying to preserve integrity and value in very different ways. In the end it is also about the clash of cultures, and makes the valuable point that even when people live according to different sets of values, you can still tell good people from bad.

The prose is good, but not great. The sentences are not as tight as they could be, and he has a tendency to ramble towards the end of the book. He does not demonstrate a mastery of the english language that someone like Rushdie or Hemingway has (although that comparison is probably a bit unfair). Nevertheless he has a great talent for the art of storytelling, and in particular his writing has a rythym that moves very much like normal thought processes. In other words it strikes a good balance between having a lot to say and being thought provoking without being too dense and pretentious. I am reminded very much of The Life of Pi, although to be honest that was more theoretical whereas I feel this book can have a more immediate impact on the way people interact with the world around them.

The character development is the real strength of this book -- each one is meticulously crafted and very well thought out. There are no inconsistencies, and yet there are several surprises. Since there are only a few main characters the author is able to devote considerable time to each one, although always through the eyes of our protagonist, and as a result by the middle of the book I felt almost completely synchronized with the main character. I felt his slights, was guilty at his transgressions, and happy at his victories. Character development is at the heart of good storytelling, and it's done here really well.

IRA Renounces Violence
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LONDON, July 28 -- The Irish Republican Army, which waged a three-decade-long paramilitary struggle against British rule in Northern Ireland, formally ordered an end to its armed campaign Thursday and pledged to pursue its political aims through "exclusively peaceful means."

The outlawed organization, in a long-awaited statement, said it would participate in the democratic process and no longer engage in violent activities.

The IRA was blamed for around 1,800 of the more than 3,000 deaths during the period known as "The Troubles," an era of conflict beginning around 1970 and lasting until the mid-1990s.

"All IRA units have been ordered to dump arms," the organization said in a statement. "All Volunteers have been instructed to assist the development of purely political and democratic programmes through exclusively peaceful means. Volunteers must not engage in any other activities whatsoever."

The IRA said the order would take effect at 4 p.m. (11 a.m. EDT). It said that "two independent witnesses" from the Protestant and Catholic churches have been invited to verify the scrapping of IRA weapons. Over the years, the IRA has amassed tons of arms and explosives, and much of the arsenal is believed to hidden in bunkers in Ireland.
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This is a huge step in the right direction, and a historic moment for the decades old conflict in northern Ireland. Let's hope that the IRA is serious about this, and that it follows through on its commitment to decomission all of it's weapons and explosives. The presence of independent monitors and the absence of any contradictory signals by related groups or sub-groups lends real credibility to this. This also comes at a significant moment - so soon after the London bombings. I think the IRA realizes that it's terrorist tactics now put it in the same group as Al-Qaeda, and there's no way that is in any way good for their goals. It's a smart move.

Note that the IRA has not renounced any of its goals, and has not renounced criminal activity or other illegal operations. It simply mentions an "alternative method" of acheiving its goals, which does not include violence. Still, this is great. Anything that reduces the level of terrorism in the world is a positive thing, and the IRA is one of the oldest ones around.

Ender's Game

If you're at all into science fiction, you will no doubt recognize this as a classic. Orson Scott Card made his name with this novel, an insightful study in to human nature combined with great storytelling, a cool plot, and a great twist at the end. The sequel also got heaps of praise, but to be honest I was not nearly as impressed with it. However there is a parallel book that he wrote years later called "Ender's Shadow" which I also recommend as a companion volume. It fleshes out the original without compromising it or introducing any contradictions in plot.

I have decided to post about the books I read (quite obviously) -- I think it'll help me think critically about them, and hopefully it'll give you something interesting to read. Perhaps you'll even pick up a book or two and read it.

I decided of course to start this out with a less common genre than the fiction novels or historical studies that I'll probably post more steadily on. Science fiction has been one of my standbys for a long long time......a good sci-fi novel is a brilliant work of creation, and I take umbrage with those who don't classify good sci-fi writing as 'real literature'. I like them in particular because I can read them over and over and over and still not get tired of them (the good ones at least). They have been my escape world for many a year now, and I really do enjoy them immensly, although they do sometimes leave me a little wanting for subtelty of plot or complexity of storyline.

All that being said, read Ender's Game if you have never done so. Or if you want to get a little meatier, I can recommend many others. One of my favorite authors is Asimov (no surprises there). Read the Foundation Series.....that's really brilliant stuff. Even decades after it was written.

Lance does it again!

His seventh consecutive victory. To be so completely dominant in such a mentally and physically greuling race is nothing short of incredible. I wish I could bring to bear one small fraction of the discipline and drive he has shown to one of my many pursuits. Absolutely amazing.

India-US Nuclear Cooperation

This is a huge milestone for India, and a significant achievement by Manmohan Singh. I have a good deal of respect for that man, and so far he has not disappointed me in his leadership of the country.

Under the terms of the agreement, the US will share nuclear technologies with India, something which it has never done before with a country that does not accept international monitoring of it's nuclear facilities. India has agreed to monitoring of its civilian, but not military, nuclear complexes. It has also refused to sign on to the NPT, which requires such monitoring. Nevertheless Bush has signed the agreement, and it's now going to Congress for approval. It will face some opposition, but in the end I'm pretty sure it'll pass.

You can't blame India for not signing the NPT -- doing so is not going to get them anything that they have not been able to get without it, and it significantly restricts their development in a number of ways. India is not stupid. It knows that nuclear technology matters, but unlike Iran and North Korea, it has the backing and partnership of the US, which represents a huge edge. It now has access to not only nuclear technologies, but also advanced weapons systems. This also enhances their bid for a permanent seat on the Security Council, as the other contenders (Brazil and Japan) both have forgone the nuclear option. Oh, Musharraf is certainly unhappy right now.

The US of course is doing this in it's own interests. It knows that the only real counter-weight to China is India, and India is a lot friendlier to the US. It's in our interests to support and grow India's stature in the region as much as is reasonable in order to make China have to look over her shoulder. If she has to worry about two borders and two economies rather than just one, it will significantly hinder her ability to compete. Helping India also plays to the dynamics of power politics in South Asia. Despite press reports, I get the feeling that Bush is quite unhappy with the level of support that is being given to hunting down bin Laden in Pakistan, and this may be his way of shooting a warning shot at Musharraf.

Of course, if Musharraf gets toppled or killed, things will be much worse.

Ozymandias
by Percy Bysse Shelley

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
`My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Suicide bombings, the one thing I was dreading. Reactions on my politics blog.

Sex(y) Videos?

Recently there has been much ado about very little. I'm talking about the very little clothing women are wearing in TV commercials, performances, and music videos. I am personally in no way objecting to this display. In fact, I rather enjoy it. But that may have something to do with my current state as a young single male in San Francisco. Go figure.

From much of the country however, there has been an uproar. I admit the gratuitous and unexpected breast sighting during the Superbowl was silly and over the top, but this trend is clear across the board. Recently this has been on my mind because I just saw the new music video by Jessica Simpson to go along with her role in the upcoming movie, 'The Dukes of Hazard'. By the way, whoever thought to make that classic TV show into a movie at this point in time is a genius. Even if it sucks, it's gonna make a fortune. And this video will help.

It goes along with the Paris Hilton commercial. These two videos have become the rallying point for millions of people who say that this stuff is unsuitable for television, and that these videos are promoting the degradation of family values. I'm not sure about all that. One the one hand I think that there's nothing really wrong with these videos in terms of people seeing something they can't see easily elswhere. And it's not like the women are being exploited against their will or anything (in fact, considering how much they get paid, i'd say it the rest of us who are being exploited). On the other hand though, it's definitely not making any sort of positive contribution to society as far as I can tell, and there's no real way to argue against the fact that young girls try to imitate this stuff and it sometimes leads to regrettable situations.

All in all though, I'd say that this stuff should really have a minimal impact on a child if the parents are doing their jobs at home --- this is not true in all cases, but the vast majority of ones. I can't say what the right answer is. But this I can say: the Simpson video is much sexier than the Hilton commercial. And it's got Willie Nelson - you can't beat it.

Congratulations!!!

Ah the long weekend, how I have waited for thee.
Let me bask in your glory and stay in bed well past sunrise,
let me go out to dinner and not care what time I get home,
allow me the simple pleasure of taking a nap,
and give me time to post on blogger while listening to Mr. Marley.

Singing don't worry
About a thing
Cuz every little thing
Is gonna be all right.