What I've read and discovered

  • Krishna and Jesus, according to ChatGPT

    Krishna and Jesus, according to ChatGPT

    There’s an amazing similarity in the accounts of the birth of Jesus and Lord Krishna (seen with Radha in the picture). I was suddenly struck by the similarity on Janmashtami, the birthday of Krishna, which was celebrated by many people on September 6 and by others on September 7 this…

    13–19 minutes
  • Singapore: A ghost town in America

    Singapore: A ghost town in America

    Singapore is a ghost town in America. Mr Lawrence Wong, deputy prime minister and finance minister of the other Singapore, the thriving city-state in Southeast Asia, remembers the ghost town. “We know that it is very easy for small cities like us to fail. I had a very vivid reminder…

    3–4 minutes
  • Singapore’s Obama moment

    Singapore’s Obama moment

    Cometh the hour, cometh the man. After recent controversies, Polling Day (September 1) was a breath of fresh air as Singaporeans came together to elect Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam as their new President. In the first presidential election broadcast by Channel NewsAsia, Mr Tharman and his opponents, Mr Ng Kok Song…

    3–5 minutes
  • Magnificent seven heroines of Shakespeare

    Magnificent seven heroines of Shakespeare

    Shakespeare’s heroines as summed up in the book, Shakespeare Basics for Grown-Ups, by E. Foley and B. Coates

    4–6 minutes
  • Pop music from the 1950s to the 1970s

    Pop music from the 1950s to the 1970s

    “I can hear music, sweet, sweet music,” sang the Beach Boys, and that’s what I am hearing, leafing through a marvellous history of pop music. Harvey Rachlin takes us on a spin down memory lane in Song and System: The Making of American Pop Music. Elvis Presley and the Beatles,…

    8–12 minutes
  • Simon Schama inspired by nature

    Simon Schama inspired by nature

    The historian Simon Schama is a wonderful writer bringing historical figures to life, vividly recounting the past. He humanises history. Like any good writer, he also has the gift of metaphor. Striking analogies are to be found in his writing. He finds inspiration in nature as he writes about history.…

    6–9 minutes
  • Clive James on empire, Naipaul, and music

    Clive James on empire, Naipaul, and music

    Books are like the web. I wanted to read more books by Clive James after reading one of his essays that led me to other authors. Along the way, James disclosed the secret of success in the arts. I will share it, too, but patience! James is celebrated for his…

    5–8 minutes
  • Bing! This chatty search engine is a writer!

    Bing! This chatty search engine is a writer!

    Bing is no longer just a search engine. It’s also a chatbot which can chat with you and write email, blog posts and articles. The new Bing is powered by GPT 4, an artificial intelligence tool developed by Open AI, an American research laboratory in which Microsoft has invested billions…

    5–7 minutes
  • How to read a poem — and fall in love with poetry

    How to read a poem — and fall in love with poetry

    How to Read a Poem: And Fall in Love with Poetry is an exceptional book – a book on poetry that is sheer poetry. The author Edward Hirsch writes about poetry with a lyrical effusion. “I have tried to be as clear as possible… but I have also tried to…

    10–16 minutes
  • T.S. Eliot and Four Women

    T.S. Eliot and Four Women

    TS Eliot was the greatest English poet of the 20th century. American-born in St Louis, Missouri, he died a British citizen in London at the age of 76 on January 4, 1965 – the year after the Beatles invaded America and made their first film, A Hard Day’s Night. The…

    9–14 minutes