FEAST OR FAMINE

 

Viking Mania Vol. I : selected stories of kings and queens, gods and ghosts by Robert Peterson (2022) is a collection of 14 short fictional stories of ethnic mythology.   Viking Mania Vol. II   published in 2023 has 15 short stories.   The stories in both volumes have similar themes, such as war, famine, disease, monstrous creatures (e.g., trolls, goblins, and dragons), battles, bravery, fate, and the will of the gods.    In the first volume “The Man of No Fate, Odin Confounds the Norns” is about the “silent and brooding folk” who can call up storms, the carver of fate, the All-Father, the Delight of Frigg, the One-Eyed Dreamer, and a man “whose name is hidden.” Another one is “Ragnar Gets a Bride, Guile Can Win a Battle, and Sometimes a Bride” with characters such as King Shortlegs, King Hopp Thorson of Agder, and Stein Nilsson. The epilogue is also interesting and funny.   In the second volume, the characters represent “a hypermasculine, warrior society w...

  Beyond the Boarding Pass : Quirks of Global Journeys, Fun Facts and Trivia Across Various Modes of Transportation by Jaylen Hayes (2024) is a guide to what can or cannot happen when travelling.   The book has seven chapters, covering: airports, railways, ships and ferries, buses and coaches, alternative rides (bikes to balloons), taxis, and finally travel tips and hacks – all related to the types of transportation – in other words, how people get from A to B to C in a direct or indirect route.   The book is an accumulation of both facts and stories that make travel fun, frustrating, or fraught with problems.    There is much in this jam-packed book to describe all the parts that I liked, because there is an interesting, amusing, extraordinary, absurd, or revealing fact on every page.    Perhaps the chapter on alternative rides is one for me to begin with because it was an unexpected category but fits well in the theme of this book. It includes cable...

  Quantum Physics for Beginners : From Quantum Confusion to Clarity: A Beginner’s Guide to Understanding Core Concepts and Key Ideas in Quantum Physics by Orion Wells (2015) aims to simplify complex scientific principles and theories.   This is a comprehensive book with 12 chapters covering quantum principles, light and matter, the uncertainty principle, quantum entanglement, quantum tunneling, the mathematics of quantum mechanics, probability and statistics, computing and artificial intelligence (AI), cryptography, the theory of relativity, paradoxes, the big bang, and everyday life. And so much more.   The structure is easy to follow, the font is readable, the dot points are succinct, the graphics are sparse and relevant, and the use of mathematical equations is limited or simplified so as not to overwhelm readers.    I have qualifications in mathematics so I went straight to that chapter. Orion Wells states, “If you’re concerned about the complexity of these ...

 

  In Paris in February 2025, a rtist Plumya Blossomya  presents her  ZEN ART  feather-flower art  collection  called  "Birds of Paradise"  -  Les Oiseaux de Paradis .   Plumya Blossomya  composes artworks of flowers  with multi-colo u red  feathers .   Through her works, Plumya envisions a metamorphosis where the egg becomes a bird,  and the feathers becomes a flower . The exhibition invites viewers to contemplate themes of growth, change, and transcendence, resonating deeply with the Zen philosophy of transformation and enlightenment.     Infused with Asian influences,  the “ Birds of Paradise"  exhibition   embodies a   balance between vibrant energy and quiet contemplation,  which   the  artist describes as  an   "ode to serenity . "    Visually,  the exhibition of feather-flower art  is a  collection   evoking the plumag...