All that Glitters is not gold

Bre-X Minerals, a Canadian mining company claimed that it had discovered a huge deposit of gold, deep in the Indonesian jungle, which triggered a scramble to invest in the firm.  But question remains about the mysterious death of  Michael de Guzman, the company’s chief geologist, as on the morning of 19 March 1997 he boarded a helicopter flight to travel to a remote jungle site in Indonesia. This journey he has previously made many times, to a place where he had reported finding huge deposits of gold. But this time he never arrived. Twenty minutes into the journey, a rear door on … Continue reading All that Glitters is not gold

Singapore airlines Boeing 777 hit by severe turbulence kills one injures 30

Singapore Airlines Boeing 777, flight SQ321 carrying 134 passengers and 12 crew, experienced sudden extreme turbulence  over Myanmar, as the plane dropped 6, 000 ft and was diverted to Bangkok’s Changi Airport and landed safel7 at 15:45 local time (08:45GMT). A 73-year-0ld British man Geoff Kitchen died during severe turbulence suspected of cardiac arrest. Seven people are in a critical condition while dozens more are injured.  According to one passenger anyone not wearing a seatbelt was “launched into the ceiling”.  Flight data reveals a spike in altitude of around 275 ft (84m) at 2.49pm local time. Continue reading Singapore airlines Boeing 777 hit by severe turbulence kills one injures 30

Secret of fame

Harvard law professor, head of a department in the Obama administration, and passionate Beatles fan, already famous author, Cass Sunstein reveals in How to Become Famous, both famous and forgotten or simply overlooked  artists and luminaries in music, literature, business, science, politics, and other fields, and explores why some individuals become famous and others don’t and offers a new understanding of the roles played by greatness, luck, and contingency in the achievement of fame. Fame is light lightning. Leonard da Vinci, Jane Austen, Oprah Winfrey, Bob Dylan, Taylor Swift all of them were struck. Susntein’s How to Become Famous features  an eclectic … Continue reading Secret of fame

Embrace the power of AI as the ultimate learning tool

Salman Khan, in his twenties was working as a hedge fund analyst in Boston when his 12-year-old cousin form New Orleans asked him for  some help with maths, which prompted him to tutor Nadia over the phone and she went from the remedial class to being the top maths student in her school. Soon Khan, decides to give remote lessons in Calculus and Algebra to his other 15 cousins in Louisiana.  He created a website by writing the software that  generated practice questions and recorded videos  to put on YouTube. Soon tens of thousands of students watching his online tutorials … Continue reading Embrace the power of AI as the ultimate learning tool

How frightened teenage boys become dangerous men

David, a protagonist, who hates primary school where he has been bullied for his Iranian heritage, more recently he was beaten up and humiliated by Muslim teenagers, and has reached sixth form without any friends.  He stops studying for his A-levels and, after working in a supermarket for several months, begins spending most of his time in his bedroom on the internet. As somebody who is searching for meaning and community, David is vulnerable to charlatans peddling easy answers to complex questions and shortcuts to belonging. Music is the only that keeps him going. Inspired by his hero Karl Williams, he … Continue reading How frightened teenage boys become dangerous men

Sun Storms intensify to reveal more Northern Lights in two weeks

More Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) are on the way, as huge sunspot cluster that hurled energy and gas towards Earth will rotate back towards us in around two weeks. The Sun has continued since last Saturday, pumping out increased radiation – a huge solar flare on Tuesday disrupted high-frequency radio communications globally the Sun is approaching “ Solar Maximum” a point during an 11-year cycle when its activity is intense, when the Sun’s magnetic poles flip –  a process that creates sunspots that fire out material, generating space weather.  This solar cycle is the 25th since humans started systematically observing … Continue reading Sun Storms intensify to reveal more Northern Lights in two weeks

Short Story: The Octopus Curry

The Octopus Curry  – A Short Story by Penny Nair Price Liz and Roger worked together and were great comrades in the office – Roger had had his eye on her for some time but he was strapped for cash and when  Friday evening came,  another colleague – Chris invited him to eat locally to the office as a treat. Liz said her goodbyes and went on her way for the weekend.  The chosen restaurant was on the first floor.  Roger took his rucksack with him, found a space for it,  and the two colleagues sat down to a wonderful … Continue reading Short Story: The Octopus Curry

Death by reckless cycling is to become an offence

Cycling death or serious injury by dangerous or careless cycling is set to become an offence, after the British government agreed to a change in the law. Under the change, dangerous cyclists could face up to 14 years in prison. Rigorous campaigning by Tory MP and former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith had proposed an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill, which is currently going through Parliament. Speaking in the House of Commons, Sir iain  Duncan Smith said his proposal was not anti-cycling, it is about making sure this takes place in a safe and reasonable manner, but cyclists … Continue reading Death by reckless cycling is to become an offence

Alice Munro, master of short story and Nobel Prize winner dies aged 92

Alice Munro known for mastery of short stories and depictions of womanhood in rural settings, has died in Ontario, Canada aged 92. Born in 1931 in Wingham, Ontario, Munro grew up in a fox and mink farm, in the most disreputable part of the town. Munro found an escape in reading as a child and her favourite writers like Emily Bronte, Charles Dickens, and Lucy Maud Montgomery guided her in appreciating literature beyond her age. “Books seem to me to be magic, and I wanted to be part of the magic, Books are far more important to me than life”  … Continue reading Alice Munro, master of short story and Nobel Prize winner dies aged 92

Agony and ecstasy engulfed by desire

Provoking offbeat sexual acts, challenges the binary of marriage and explores sexuality in perimenopause.  All Fours is tender, hilarious and sexy. A semi-famous artist announces her  pan to drive cross-country, from LA  to New York. Twenty minutes after leaving her husband and child at home, she spontaneously exits the freeway, beds down in a nondescript motel, and immerses herself in a temporary reinvention that turns out to be the start of an entirely different journey. Miranda July in All Fours, a 45-year-old “semi-famous” artist who remains unnamed locks eyes with the young man who’s squeegeeing her . Their intense but … Continue reading Agony and ecstasy engulfed by desire