Extraordinary Feats
Kudos to Musk and company. Awesome, Dude. I was reluctant to mention it until the stranded were safely on the ground. Private citizens can now conquer space — long live capitalism! Photo from Reuters:
An NYC cabbie has self-published a book about his experiences. Born in Nepal, Khakendra Pun has had 77 jobs and lived in 94 places since emigrating in 1991. He’s charging $40. Best of luck, Sir. Photos from Google Images:
I am captivated by books about the former Soviet Union, so I was happy when Alone in the Ocean by Slava Kurilov came my way, although it is atypical of the genre. Born in 1936, he grew up in a small town in Kazakhstan and became an oceanographer. In late 1974 he booked passage on a cruise that did not make stops at any port, as authorities feared defection. While his fellow passengers were drinking, cavorting and ignoring lectures on being a good communist, he was planning an escape. In the middle of the night he jumped into the sea, only snorkeling equipment in tow. He swam for three days until he reached an island in the Philippines, where he was arrested and spent six months in jail before being allowed to emigrate to Canada. That covers the first half of the book. The second details how he was able to accomplish the extraordinary feat and includes tales of his youth. He had done a lot of swimming and yoga, delving far into the latter, reaching stages few have. Although he hated the Soviet system, that was not the main motivation for his flight. He was testing himself, as is laid out in a piece by an acquaintance: “…a spiritual trial, a scientific and mystical experiment, an exercise in self-searching…in search of unity with God…” Kurilov has felt the presence of the divine. As a skeptic, someone who has never experienced a spiritual epiphany, I wondered if the rigors of his trials caused hallucinations. The reader will decide. At one point he says: “…You can only penetrate the esoteric mysteries of the world on your own, from your own experience…” And: “…the world we live in is a shadow or a part of a huge other real world, the discovery and understanding of which is beyond our notions…” And: “…Life is when death is standing right behind you…” The translation by Victor Sonkin is fine, although there are many lapses, and although I would not characterize the book as an easy read, despite it being only 215 pages. It is highly detailed and delves deep. 54 users at Amazon have rated Alone…, forging to a consensus of 4.7 on a scale of five. I’ll go with three, a reflection of my lack of spirituality. Although Christian, Kurilov eventually settled in Israel, where he perished in a diving accident in 1998. Photo from GI:
Speaking of books, I wish someone would do one ranking the hundreds of riots, all but one by the left, during Trump’s first term. I’m curious where January 6th would stand in terms of the cost of damages.
It was a picture-perfect day for curbside business. My thanks to The Quiet Man, who bought a DVD on Pearl Harbor and two volumes in the Percy Jackson Lightning Thief series by Rick Riordan; and to Ali, who purchased a used copy of A Hitch in Twilight by yours truly.
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