ROMANTIC FICTION AND MOVIES I HAVE READ AND SEEN

 I started  reading romantic fiction in the early 80s when I was a teenager. I read the  romance novels published by Mills & Boon Publications, the  books authored by Barbara Cartland and books by my favorite romantic fiction author i.e. Georgette Heyer.  I also read romance comics (black and white pictures) borrowed from the circulating libraries in Bangalore. I read for several years the Archie comics which featured the romance of Archie with Veronica and Betty(Betty, Veronica, Reggi and Jughead are the characters in Archie comics)
Let me talk a little about the Mills and Boon romances. The ones I read were the ones published in the 70s and early 80s. In these books, the lady was always a virgin and always British while the gentleman(or ungentleman) was not necessarily British and definitely not a virgin! I liked the ones where the lady was spirited and spunky. I understand that,  the ladies in these books written in recent times are no longer virgin or British. There were some pretty good authors and though the stories could all be classified into categories and all were predictable, they were more fun to read than my boring textbooks!  I loved the covers which were watercolour paintings of women and men. The mills and boon books of those days followed formulas such as a whole series of doctor-nurse romances, Boss and secretary romances; British heroine falling in love with the Australian sheep farm owner when she travels there to work or the African estate owner where she gets a job; etc.  I cant recall the names  of the authors I liked. I wonder where one can get these books now? I am sure they published at least 5 books a month for years and years but who would store them? This generation wouldn't read the romantic novels of  the 'old' days as it's not their style. I wonder if there is a library or museum where all these books are stored and accessible to readers like me?
Barbara Cartland: I cannot imagine how the Barbara Cartland books had any readers at all! Her novels were sooooooo repetitive, boring, predictable and all stories were exactly the same...heroine who had a heart shaped face, 16 years old or younger, fluttering eyelashes,  trembling voice, etc. The only thing different from one book to another was the name of the heroine and the place of the story. Yet, the book's cover boasted that her books had sold in the millions! I always thought that her readers were the severely retarded!(I read Mills and Boon and I classify myself as mildly retarded!) Her romances were classified as historical romances and supposed to be written in the famous tradition of Georgette Heyer but she is as different from Heyer as chalk is from cheese.
I discovered that in Canada and USA there is a publication similar to Mills and Boon called Harlequin romances. I have not read any but I assume the books are like Mills and Boon.
Does anyone remember the digest size, about 40 page, black and white  paperback romance comics from the circulating libraries of Bangalore? I enjoyed those. The drawings were excellent but I cannot remember the name of a single book, author or illustrator. While roving on the internet, I recently discovered the drawings in those romantic comics are classified as pop-art.
At the same time, there were war-comics which were of the digest size; they were about the first and second world wars and the heroes were soldiers on bikes, etc going stealthily behind enemy (i.e.Nazi) lines and delivering or receiving secrets and some died in the war. I was so addicted to these books but as there were only limited books I had access to, I could not do anything about my addiction but reread what I had or spend my time craving and daydreaming!

I enjoyed the romance in books such as classics and the romance in movies too. For some reason, I no longer crave to read romantic books or see romantic movies... is it because I am older? Or is it that the romance hormones are dwindling  in my brain and body?  Or have I become cynical about romance in my middle age..I don't know! Now I prefer crime fiction to romance.


Love story by Eric Segal, which was probably the most loved romance fiction of my younger days is one of my all time favorites. (But I don't think I will be reading it again). Other romantic books which moved me include: The thorn birds, Gone with the wind, Pride and prejudice. I am not sure if people would call Thornbirds, Gone with the wind and Pride & prejudice as romantic novels but to me they were romantic.  
 I loved The far pavilions by M.M.Kaye intensely and have read it twice or thrice! The far pavilions depicts an India I have never known and I wish I was born then...in the Pre-independence India, in the India of the Maharajahs. 
I have enjoyed and reread a few times a book called In pursuit of love by Nancy Mitford a relatively unknown writer (unknown to my circle of friends and family!). I think this is one of the few realistic love stories I have read; the lover, Fabrice loves Linda, yet he's not blind to her faults. 

I cannot recall what other romantic books I have read.(but I will return to this piece and add them as I recall)

I have loved and reread several times a short story(in book section) of reader's digest called ? Child of my heart. I cant recall the writer's name(it's a lady). The story is that of a young boy, about 15 years old who falls in love with his 18 year old teacher; he has a father who is brutal and casts aspersions on this teacher who is in fact encouraging him to attend school and study. The student and teacher, once, went up a mountain where he shows her fish in a pond. I adored his story and wish I could track it down in some way! It probably came in a 1980s Reader's digest in India.
Another favorite short story which is also movingly romantic is the classic The gift of the Magi by O.Henry.

Another  one of my favorite love stories is that of Tristan and Isolde, ; I prefer the  version where the two are 'good' i.e. they are under the influence of the potion and din't mean to cheat Mark!
I also recall enjoying the wonderful short stories, some of which were romantic,  in Illustrated Weekly of India of the 80s and some great short stories(some of which were romantic) in, believe it or not, Debonair magazine of the 80s! Debonair a porn magazine, was actually pretty classy and 'literary' under the editorship of a great editor, whose name I cant recall now.


To my thinking, some books come under the "romantic" category though  there is no 'man-woman' romance as such. These books which I classify as romantic are Kim by Rudyard Kipling, Kidnapped, Robinson Crusoe, Lost Horizon by James Hilton, and other such adventure laden classics.

The romantic movie which has moved me the most is Marocharitra, a Telugu black and white movie with Kamal Hassan ( he's my favorite Indian actor) and Sarita. Believe it or not, I saw this movie three times and cried all three times! Another Indian romantic movie which cast a spell on me at the time(I was a preteen kid) was Bobby in which Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia have acted.
I enjoyed a lot of Indian romantic movies in the 70s and 80s in my childhood and teen years. But now, I have changed to such a great extent that I don't have the patience to see the movies I once enjoyed. Years ago, I saw Indian movies like Marocharitra with tears running down my eyes; today, I don't want to see them or I can only mock at them. 
 There are literally millions or movies in India Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, other languages. And at least 80% of them must be romances. But a vast majority of them are repetitive, un-original, with poor acting, poor plot, poor direction, poor everything. Yet for some reason, there are people who watch these and enjoy. I don't know if the Indian film goer is unlucky to see these slip-shod movies or lucky that he has the capacity to enjoy them.

I can't recall reading  Indian romantic books(I can read only English and I don't recall reading Indian romantic novels; there are lakhs of romantic novels in Kannada I am sure but I can't read Kannada fluently). Of course I know the classic love stories of India from mythology and history such as Prithviraj Chauhan and what's her name; Anarkali and Salim, Shahjahen and Mumtaz; Radha and Krishna, Nala  & Damayanti, Heera and Ranja, etc.


I don't know why the hell certain romances in India are considered classic romance at all as I don't find  much romance, at least not expressed by both parties !These romances are the  mythological romances of Nala- Damayanti, Sathyavan-Savitri, Shiva-Parvati, Rama-Seetha. I think these are not really famous for the romantic angle  but for the fidelity of the women in these pairs. Even Europe is full of tales of such women...women who loved their husbands even if they were treated like shit! One example is Griselda by Giovanni Boccaccio. I am sure there are several such stories from cultures all over the world...tales of  wives who loved and were loyal to their husbands, despite the hardships they faced due to their husband's harsh treatment towards them. But this is NOT ROMANCE. These are stories of wives' fidelity, loyalty, tolerating-shitty-treatment-by-being-a-doormat and in my opinion, this is quite different from a 'reciprocal romance'.
I am ashamed to admit that once upon a time, long long ago, when I was young and not yet aware that women have equal rights as men and suffering is 'not' romantic, I had  read and reread  with an orgy of tears, the sufferings of Griselda!


Googling for romantic fiction from India and elsewhere, I see that I am totally out of touch with the HUGE number of publications! Romantic fiction has also evolved and changed so greatly, and I find it difficult to like and accept the current fiction. Some of the modern stuff seems like porn; I am also so conservative in my tastes that I can't get myself to enjoy the romance going on in science fiction stories and movies or  the modern supernatural stuff involving zombies, blood sucking men, etc.

Below are a list of Georgette Heyer novels I love and read sometimes, despite my current disinterest in romantic books!
Regency buck
The Corinthian I adore this book and have read it many times, especially a few sections!
Friday's child
The reluctant widow
The foundling
Arabella
The grand Sophy I adore this book and have read it many times, especially a few sections!
The quiet gentleman'
Cotillion
The tollgate
Bath tangle
Sprig muslin
April lady
Sylvester/The wicked uncle I adore this book and have read it many times, especially a few sections!
Venetia
The unknown Ajax I adore this book and have read it many times, especially a few sections!
A civil contract
The nonesuch
False colours
Fredrica I adore this book and have read it many times, especially a few sections!
Black sheep
Cousin Kate
Lady of quality
The black moth
Powder and patch
These old shades
The masqueraders
Devil's cub(This is a sequel to These old shades) I adore this book
The convenient marriage
The talisman ring
Faro's daughter

I will add to this list all the romantic books I read or have already read as and when I recall.

I think since my 40s, I stopped reading romantic fiction and read mostly crime fiction now. Romantic fiction don't interest me much; I do see a few romantic movies ...mostly romantic comedies on TV now.

I have accepted the reality that a lot (Do I mean lot or majority?)of men out there are toads and not princes...not romantic, decent, chivalrous but the opposite....and the true 'gentlemen' exist only in the minds of authors and come alive between the covers of books!

ROMANTIC FICTION AND MOVIES I HAVE READ AND SEEN

 I started  reading romantic fiction in the early 80s when I was a teenager. I read the  romance novels published by Mills & Boon Publications, the  books authored by Barbara Cartland and books by my favorite romantic fiction author i.e. Georgette Heyer.  I also read romance comics (black and white pictures) borrowed from the circulating libraries in Bangalore. I read for several years the Archie comics which featured the romance of Archie with Veronica and Betty(Betty, Veronica, Reggi and Jughead are the characters in Archie comics)
Let me talk a little about the Mills and Boon romances. The ones I read were the ones published in the 70s and early 80s. In these books, the lady was always a virgin and always British while the gentleman(or ungentleman) was not necessarily British and definitely not a virgin! I liked the ones where the lady was spirited and spunky. I understand that,  the ladies in these books written in recent times are no longer virgin or British. There were some pretty good authors and though the stories could all be classified into categories and all were predictable, they were more fun to read than my boring textbooks!  I loved the covers which were watercolour paintings of women and men. The mills and boon books of those days followed formulas such as a whole series of doctor-nurse romances, Boss and secretary romances; British heroine falling in love with the Australian sheep farm owner when she travels there to work or the African estate owner where she gets a job; etc.  I cant recall the names  of the authors I liked. I wonder where one can get these books now? I am sure they published at least 5 books a month for years and years but who would store them? This generation wouldn't read the romantic novels of  the 'old' days as it's not their style. I wonder if there is a library or museum where all these books are stored and accessible to readers like me?
Barbara Cartland: I cannot imagine how the Barbara Cartland books had any readers at all! Her novels were sooooooo repetitive, boring, predictable and all stories were exactly the same...heroine who had a heart shaped face, 16 years old or younger, fluttering eyelashes,  trembling voice, etc. The only thing different from one book to another was the name of the heroine and the place of the story. Yet, the book's cover boasted that her books had sold in the millions! I always thought that her readers were the severely retarded!(I read Mills and Boon and I classify myself as mildly retarded!) Her romances were classified as historical romances and supposed to be written in the famous tradition of Georgette Heyer but she is as different from Heyer as chalk is from cheese.
I discovered that in Canada and USA there is a publication similar to Mills and Boon called Harlequin romances. I have not read any but I assume the books are like Mills and Boon.
Does anyone remember the digest size, about 40 page, black and white  paperback romance comics from the circulating libraries of Bangalore? I enjoyed those. The drawings were excellent but I cannot remember the name of a single book, author or illustrator. While roving on the internet, I recently discovered the drawings in those romantic comics are classified as pop-art.
At the same time, there were war-comics which were of the digest size; they were about the first and second world wars and the heroes were soldiers on bikes, etc going stealthily behind enemy (i.e.Nazi) lines and delivering or receiving secrets and some died in the war. I was so addicited to these books but as there were only limited books I had access to, I could not do anything about my addiction but reread what I had or spend my time craving and daydreaming!

I enjoyed the romance in books such as classics and the romance in movies too. For some reason, I no longer crave to read romantic books or see romantic movies... is it because I am older? Or is it that the romance hormones are dwindling  in my brain and body?  Or have I become cynical about romance in my middle age..I don't know! Now I prefer crime fiction to romance.


Love story by Eric Segal, which was probably the most loved romance fiction of my younger days is one of my all time favorites. (But I don't think I will be reading it again). Other romantic books which moved me include: The thorn birds, Gone with the wind, Pride and prejudice. I am not sure if people would call Thornbirds, Gone with the wind and Pride & prejudice as romantic novels but to me they were romantic.  
 I loved The far pavilions by M.M.Kaye intensely and have read it twice or thrice! The far pavilions depicts an India I have never known and I wish I was born then...in the Pre-independence India, in the India of the Maharajahs. 
I have enjoyed and reread a few times a book called In pursuit of love by Nancy Mitford a relatively unknown writer (unknown to my circle of friends and family!). I think this is one of the few realistic love stories I have read; the lover, Fabrice loves Linda, yet he's not blind to her faults. 

I cannot recall what other romantic books I have read.(but I will return to this piece and add them as I recall)

I have loved and reread several times a short story(in book section) of reader's digest called ? Child of my heart. I cant recall the writer's name(it's a lady). The story is that of a young boy, about 15 years old who falls in love with his 18 year old teacher; he has a father who is brutal and casts aspersions on this teacher who is in fact encouraging him to attend school and study. The student and teacher, once, went up a mountain where he shows her fish in a pond. I adored his story and wish I could track it down in some way! It probably came in a 1980s Reader's digest in India.
Another favorite short story which is also movingly romantic is the classic The gift of the Magi by O.Henry.

Another  one of my favorite love stories is that of Tristan and Isolde, ; I prefer the  version where the two are 'good' i.e. they are under the influence of the potion and din't mean to cheat Mark!
I also recall enjoying the wonderful short stories, some of which were romantic,  in Illustrated Weekly of India of the 80s and some great short stories(some of which were romantic) in, believe it or not, Debonair magazine of the 80s! Debonair a porn magazine, was actually pretty classy and 'literary' under the editorship of a great editor, whose name I cant recall now.


To my thinking, some books come under the "romantic" category though  there is no 'man-woman' romance as such. These books which I classify as romantic are Kim by Rudyard Kipling, Kidnapped, Robinson Crusoe, Lost Horizon by James Hilton, and other such adventure laden classics.

The romantic movie which has moved me the most is Marocharitra, a Telugu black and white movie with Kamal Hassan ( he's my favorite Indian actor) and Sarita. Believe it or not, I saw this movie three times and cried all three times! Another Indian romantic movie which cast a spell on me at the time(I was a preteen kid) was Bobby in which Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia have acted.
I enjoyed a lot of Indian romantic movies in the 70s and 80s in my childhood and teen years. But now, I have changed to such a great extent that I don't have the patience to see the movies I once enjoyed. Years ago, I saw Indian movies like Marocharitra with tears running down my eyes; today, I don't want to see them or I can only mock at them. 
 There are literally millions or movies in India Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, other languages. And at least 80% of them must be romances. But a vast majority of them are repetitive, un-original, with poor acting, poor plot, poor direction, poor everything. Yet for some reason, there are people who watch these and enjoy. I don't know if the Indian film goer is unlucky to see these slip-shod movies or lucky that he has the capacity to enjoy them.

I cant recall reading  Indian romantic books(I can read only English and I don't recall reading Indian romantic novels; there are lakhs of romantic novels in Kannada I am sure but I cant read Kannada fluently). Of course I know the classic love stories of India from mythology and history such as Prithviraj Chauhan and what's her name; Anarkali and Salim, Shahjahen and Mumtaz; Radha and Krishna, Nala  & Damayanti, Heera and Ranja, etc.


I don't know why the hell certain romances in India are considered classic romance at all as I don't find  much romance, at least not expressed by both parties !These romances are the  mythological romances of Nala- Damayanti, Sathyavan-Savitri, Shiva-Parvati, Rama-Seetha. I think these are not really famous for the romantic angle  but for the fidelity of the women in these pairs. Even Europe is full of tales of such women...women who loved their husbands even if they were treated like shit! One example is Griselda by Giovanni Boccaccio. I am sure there is several such stories from cultures all over the world...tales of  wives who loved and were loyal to their husbands, despite the hardships they faced due to their husband's harsh treatment towards them. But this is NOT ROMANCE. These are stories of wives' fidelity, loyalty, tolerating-shitty-treatment-by-being-a-doormat and in my opinion, this is quite different from a 'reciprocal romance'.
I am ashamed to admit that once upon a time, long long ago, when I was young and stupid, I had  several times, read and enjoyed with an orgy of tears, the sufferings of Griselda!


Googling for romantic fiction from India and elsewhere, I see that I am totally out of touch with the HUGE number of publications! Romantic fiction has also evolved and changed so greatly, and I find it difficult to like and accept the current fiction. Some of the modern stuff seems like porn; I am also so conservative in my tastes that I can't get myself to enjoy the romance going on in science fiction stories and movies or  the modern supernatural stuff involving zombies, blood sucking men, etc.

Below are a list of Georgette Heyer novels I love and read sometimes, despite my current disinterest in romantic books!
Regency buck
The Corinthian I adore this book and have read it many times, especially a few sections!
Friday's child
The reluctant widow
The foundling
Arabella
The grand Sophy I adore this book and have read it many times, especially a few sections!
The quiet gentleman'
Cotillion
The tollgate
Bath tangle
Sprig muslin
April lady
Sylvester/The wicked uncle I adore this book and have read it many times, especially a few sections!
Venetia
The unknown Ajax I adore this book and have read it many times, especially a few sections!
A civil contract
The nonesuch
False colours
Fredrica I adore this book and have read it many times, especially a few sections!
Black sheep
Cousin Kate
Lady of quality
The black moth
Powder and patch
These old shades
The masqueraders
Devil's cub(This is a sequel to These old shades) I adore this book
The convenient marriage
The talisman ring
Faro's daughter

I will add to this list all the romantic books I read or have already read as and when I recall.

vexed...British comedy/crime show

The TV show Vexed is currently (August 2015) on Canadian netflex.

It is hilarious and a real treat to watch! Each episode lasts for about an hour  and so it's pretty long.

I love this show ! The second episode in the second season is really hilarious! I hope lots of people get to see this show! After the tensions and tears of watching serious crime shows, this is such a relaxing, delightful  laugh-aloud-pleasure !

Vancouver

Walter Palmer, Lion killer... Psychopath with an insatiable bloodlust

I am full of grief and rage since reading the death of the lion Cecil!
And I broke down completely when I saw the majestic Cecil's photos on the news. The whole of yesterday, I was disturbed and distracted, thinking about this lion and lion-killer .  I could not sleep last night, and dreamt about animals getting killed.
I am so full of anger about this dentist and I really need to vent...in this blog 
Since many years I have stopped reading newspapers because the news about animals poaching, killing and torture disturb me. And now to read about this cruel deed, done in the name of sport by a guy, who is supposedly "educated" sickens me.
The more I read about this guy, I am convinced that Walter Palmer  is definitely a psychopath and  I believe he needs to be tested. Below is the list  of symptoms of psychopathy from The Mayo Clinic website: he seems to have the highlighted symptoms in my opinion.  
Antisocial personality disorder symptoms may include:

1. Disregard for right and wrong (This shit Walter is stating that what he did was legal; he knows damn well what he is doing maybe legal but he also knows that what he does is  immoral, unethical, cruel & inhuman)
2. Persistent lying or deceit to exploit others (deceit: Asshole Walter Palmer,  cunningly lured Cecil out of his sanctuary with the scent of food)
3. Using charm or wit to manipulate others for personal gain or for sheer personal pleasure ...I am sure this is what he used to abuse his receptionist.
4. Intense egocentrism, sense of superiority and exhibitionism ...see his poses with the animals he has murdered
5. Recurring difficulties with the law ...killing the bear; sexually assaulting his receptionist.
6. Repeatedly violating the rights of others by the use of intimidation, dishonesty and misrepresentation (he's violating the rights of animals ..he may have the licence to hunt given by the government. But the ANIMALS HE KILLED DEFINITELY DID NOT  TELL HIM...'Hey kill me Walter. I want to die.' Also what he did to his receptionist, who works under him
7. Child abuse or neglect
8. Hostility, significant irritability, agitation, impulsiveness, aggression or violence ...This son of a bitch shot Cecil  who suffered for 40 hours and then again shot him and killed
9. Lack of empathy for others and lack of remorse about harming others (harming his receptionist and several animals)
10. Unnecessary risk-taking or dangerous behaviors
11. Poor or abusive relationships (sexual harassment case by his receptionist indicate he's abusive in his relationships)
12. Irresponsible work behavior (sexual harassment case against him by his receptionist in 2006)
13. Failure to learn from the negative consequences of behavior (he has pleaded guilty in 2008 for killing a bear and now he has again done the same)

What I find appalling is that he is a fucking dentist,  one of the healing professions. How paradoxical is it  that a person who  makes a living by relieving people of pain.... in his spare time, and with his enormous amounts of spare money goes about INFLICTING PAIN on innocent animals who have DONE HIM NO HARM

I am trying to figure out what motivates him to kill animals. Speaking for myself, I find such a great joy, watching the antics and behaviours of LIVING animals; watching a pride of lions, going about their business....watching the cubs cared for by their mothers, watching the cubs gamboling in the grass, watching the lions yawn or roar or stretch or sleep...it is such a pleasure . How can this Palmer pig, find greater pleasure in the death of a lion, than it's life?
 I simply cannot understand WHAT IS SATISFYING ABOUT KILLING AN ANIMAL AND HAVING THE POOR ANIMAL'S HEAD IN THEIR LIVING ROOM AS A TROPHY?

Is this son of a bitch suffering from massive sense of inferiority and the only way he can feel superior is by killing animals and posing for photos with their dead bodies?

Are this bastard's parents, wife, children, friends, relatives and neighbours proud of each killing of his and talk about his killings at parties? Did he phone his wife from Africa and say,'Honey. guess what? I killed the most magnificent lion ever!" and his wife say, "Wow! You are an amazing hero!" I wonder if even one of his the friends or family  check him when he gloated ...Did anyone of his folks tell him off or did they all celebrate this cowardly brutal murder
I don't wish to attack the people around him but to me, people who don't stop a killer or disassociate from a killer, are as bad as the killer for condoning the murders. 

If hunting was banned all over the world, would he go around stealthily killing people because of his unsatiable blood lust?  I am sure he would, considering that he never stopped  killing, even after being caught and fined at one time. He has killed animals by stealth more than once such as the bear. Ergo, if hunting was banned, he would still hunt. Considering his past history, he's a fucking killer at heart and cannot change. 

Someone should dig in his closet and I bet that several other skletons would tumble out. HE IS AFTER ALL, A KILLER, WHO'S  PROUD OF HIS KILLINGS. Till now, he has shown off in photos and maybe in his after dinner conversations at parties.

This cowardly turd has ZERO EMPATHY. He kills without remorse or feelings. He has NO SHAME. How can a person with zero empathy be in a healing profession such as dentistry?

I hope he comes by his just desserts.
The police are protecting this inhuman, merciless, asshole at present. I wonder how they feel about protecting this lowlife scum, who ought to be punished for his present and past previous murders. This piece of shit should be watched till he dies;   He should have no chance to  go around murdering again and legalizing or buying off each murder with money.
My anger might be a little less if the Cecil had not suffered for 40 hours. 40 hours of suffering from a wound, trying to save it's life, trying to flee, being pursued by these remorseless killers and not even evenly matched! One wounded lion trying to save it's life from three thugs who are totally devoid of ethics, totally devoid of any sense of decency, and armed with all  modern technology...Cecil did not stand a chance. But his 40 hour long ordeal is making me cry again 
Killing impulsively in anger...killing because the person being killed is harmful to society...killing in self-defence...is something I can forgive.
But how do you even begin to understand Walter Palmer's, coldblooded, methodical planning to hunt and kill Cecil the lion...this asshole travelling across thousands of miles  from  another continent...armed with enormous amounts of money to smoothen his path to the murder....
What were the cold thoughts in this bastard's head as he took aim? Did he think, "This magnificent lion is more glorious than me. I can never be like him. So I will kill him."
Did he ever pause to think, "why should I kill this handsome animal, made by God? Instead of shooting him, I  will film him and show off the photos and videos to my friends."
Did Walter Palmer, dentist by profession and killer and murderer hobbyist, feel any remorse, shame, guilt, grief, regret, when he saw the wounded lion and think of  saving him instead of finishing him off?
I don't think there is any space in that shit-head's head for any decent human emotions such as empathy, remorse, kindness, decency or altruism. 
Is something biologically wrong with his brain? Is it the environment  which made him a murderous bastard?   Has this dentist been killing since childhood and got away with it? Is his family and friends covering up his other murders?
WALTER PALMER, YOU PIECE OF FILTH. Pray that the cubs of Cecil will not be killed by other lions after you deprived them of their father. If the cubs die and it's reported and I read it, I will pray and pray and pray that you are punished to the extent you deserve by both the American and Zimbabwean governments.

Thanks to this walter palmer piece of shit, people in third world countries are already commenting that the rich White men come to poor countries to do things they cannot get away with in their own places...   White criminals can brazenly commit every despicable crime in these poor countries c and  get away because of  their dollars  ...pedophilia, drugs, killing of beautiful and rare animals..
  The Walter Palmers of the rich countries swarm like locusts into third world countries and commit crimes with impunity.

Alasande Kaalu Huli (Cowpea sambar)

I am putting this recipe here as I love the taste of this dish and have been cooking & eating this almost 15 days a month, for the last few years.
Ingredients:
Cowpea (half cup)
French beans-200 grams
One medium size potato, one carrot, can also be added if you like to have more vegetables in the sambar.


(Cowpeas sambhar can also be made with  one medium size egg plant and potatoes instead of beans and carrots. you can mix and match with any vegetables of your choice)


For grinding:
Green chilli-5
Dried red chilli-5
Garlic-one clove
Tomato-2
Salt-one table spoon(according to your taste)
Coriander seeds-one table spoon
Cinnamon stick- one inch by half cm piece
Clove- two or three
Fresh coconut- about 50grams(less than quarter of a whole coconut)
Coriander leaves-a few sprigs


For seasoning:
cooking oil-two-three table spoons
 curry leaves-one sprig
onion-one, medium size 
mustard seeds,-half tea spoon
cumin seeds-one tea spoon


Soak cowpeas for one day(8 hours or more). Cowpeas absorb water and more than double in quantity. Boil the cowpeas in a cooker in 4 cups of water with salt. It helps if the salt is absorbed by the cowpeas when in cooker. Switch off the stove after the cooker has whistled  5-6 times.   the Cowpeas should be  soft and fully cooked.
Boil the beans in a bit of salt water in cooker(one whistle is enough).
Roast on low to medium heat the green and red chillies, garlic, cinnamon, clove, coriander seeds and put into grinder along with tomatoes, coriander leaves, and coconut.
Heat the oil and add mustard seeds, cumin, curry leaves and after two minutes, add cut onion. When the onion is done, add the gravy from the grinder and heat on low heat for two minutes.
Then add the cowpeas and vegetables i.e. French beans and potatoes and carrot or whatever vegetables.


Heat on low heat until it boils for ten minutes and then sambar is ready.
This can be eaten with rice, chappatis, dosas, idlis. However, it tastes the best with hot ragi mudde!
This sambar tastes better after two to three days.


I love this sambar and make it almost every alternate week. I feel I get greater energy eating this when compared to the Toor dahl sambars(To-ga-ri bae-le) which means this has greater protein than Toor dhal.
I don't use the ready sambar powder but I grind the spices needed.
The same recipe can be used and the cowpea can be substituted with Kadale kaalu. The Kadale kaalu also needs to be soaked and boiled in cooker with salt and for a long time. Brinjals and potatoes go well with kadalekaalu; carrot and potato can also be used in this sambar.


The Kannada names of the ingredients are:


Cowpea -Halasande kaalu
French beans-Hurulikai
Potato-Aalugedde
Carrot-Carrot
Eggplant-Badane-kai


Green chilli-Hasi mena-sina-kai
Dried red chilli-Vana-mena-sina-kai
Garlic-Bell-ulli
Tomato-Tomato
Salt-Uppu
Coriander seeds-Ko-tum-buri-beeja
Cinnamon stick-Che-kke
Clove- Lavanga
Fresh coconut: Hasi-Kobari
Coriander leaves: Kotumburi soppu


For seasoning:
cooking oil-Yenne
 curry leaves-Karibevu
onion-one-Eerulli
mustard seeds-Sa-sa-ve
cumin seeds-Jeer-ge

I am shameless and I take bribes.

YES. I AM SHAMELESS.

I WANT BRIBES.

I WILL NOT WORK ON YOUR FILE IF YOU DONT GIVE ME BRIBE.

I DONT CARE THAT YOU ARE RETIRED AND DONT HAVE MONEY

I DONT CARE THAT YOU ARE A POOR OLD WIDOW

I WANT MY MONEY

I WANT MY CAR & MY VACATIONS ABROAD.

 I WANT GOLD FOR MY WIFE & MEDICAL DEGREES FOR MY KIDS. I WANT TO HAVE  GRAND WEDDINGS FOR MY DAUGHTERS.

I CANT DO THAT ON MY GOVERNMENT SALARY.

I CANT DO THAT WITHOUT YOUR BRIBES

SPIT AT ME. CURSE ME. HATE ME.

BUT GIVE ME MY MONEY.

This should be the framed slogan hanging behind  the chair of every single minister and MLA and corrupt bribe-demanding staff in all Indian government offices.

 I hope the prime minister Modi, sees this blog and take this suggestion. Even if the corruption does not stop, people will feel some solace when they see this written admission of shamelessness hanging behind the corrupt bastards. 
If the blood-sucking  ministers, MLAs and government staff dont want this  hanging behind their chairs, they should not take bribes. 

PS: Even if Modi takes this suggestion, the ministers are so utterly shameless, they will have this admission hanging on their walls and still demand bribes! 

CRIME TV SHOWs WHICH ARE WORTH COLLECTING,

CRIME TV SHOWs WHICH ARE WORTH COLLECTING, but I won’t...because I saw them and now know the ending

• Boston Legal-comedy/lawyers & courts
• Boston Public..drama. I saw this in India years and years ago. I liked it a lot then but could not believe that schools in America were like this! In India then, I was terrified at the thought of even teaching in an American school!
• Columbo-crime-I liked it then; not sure if I will like it now! Now I may find Colombo's mannerisms annoying and maybe I may find the show a bit slow.
• Desperate housewives-good in bits-I did not see this fully; it's supposed to be a comedy but I dint find as much comedy as I think a comedy should have . So is it crime but again it doesn't have as much crime as a crime serial should have. This show will not make sense if you don't see it in order
• Harry's law-I loved this show.
• Homeland-crime-I would not miss this-fast paced/excellent acting/ great characters/realistic plot/highly intelligent. You have to see it in order, and not randomly.
• House of cards-crime-dont miss this highly intelligent show: has to be seen in order; not randomly.
• House of lies-comedy/sick ethics but entertaining. I would not miss this. you have to see this in order and not randomly;
• Justified-crime-excellent, though violent. would not miss this show. Have to see in sequence and not randomly
• Live another day-crime-fastpaced/I would not miss this show(sequel to 24, another unmissable show) Have to see in order and not randomly
• Major crimes-crime-female protoganist
• Midsomer murders..BBC crime show. I loved the chief inspector Barnaby, his deputy, his family. ( I liked the first Barnaby a wee bit more than the second one). I enjoyed the music, the scenery, the lovely houses and cottages in the British villages, I enjoyed the family of the chief inspector..it was so pleasant and enjoyable this show!
• Monk-crime/comedy. Once upon a time, I was hooked to this show, but now I wonder if I have the patience to put up with Monk.
• Primeval -science fiction/great show/saw all episodes/this show’s different from all the shows I  have seen. I am not into science fiction TV or books but I loved this one.
• Psych-comedy/crime-enjoyed this show(shot in Vancouver)
• Republic of Doyle-Crime/comedy/Canadian. I love this show and seen it fully. should buy this series for my Indian friends(it is pro-women and I like the people, relationships, scenery, etc)
• Suits:comedy/crime/drama: Fast-paced and enjoyable. Have to see sequentially or some parts don't make sense
• The Borgias-excellent/but saw only one season/BBC. see in sequence
• The closer-crime/comedic...LOVED this intelligent show and the protagonist and would not miss this show. Each episode can be seen by itself . However, there's more impact if  it's seen sequentially. Because, you can see  the evolving trust and bonding between the boss and staff...especially the first season.
• The good wife-crime/court/great plot/prowomen/I loved Eli, Kalinda and Cary! There's a lot one can learn from this show, especially those who have not had the opportunity to interact with a lot of people in real life and ergo, lack skills to judge people, interact with a range of people, be assertive and so on.
• The honorable woman-crime-BBC/Israel/Palestine..I would not miss this show/slow but great. Has to be seen in sequence.
• The mentalist-interesting protaganist, annoying lady police officer
• The playboy club-I loved this but it shut down
• The practice-great show
• The Rockford files: I loved the protoganist of this show. Unlike other PIs who are dashing and strong, he’s an old gentleman, and such a gentle sweetheart!
• The wire-crime/I would not miss this/the best TV show I have seen/but emotionally draining. I don't have what it takes to see it again(and I spent 300$ buying the entire series!). Has to be seen in sequence.
• True detective-crime-slow pace but unusual and I would not miss it. This show will not make complete sense if the episodes are seen in random order or if you don't watch it till the end.  I liked the first season but not the second. My husband liked the second season but I simply dint enjoy it. There is no humour; I hated the music; I disliked the grimness of it
• Twentyfour_I would not miss this show/my heart was pounding while watching this! My husband and I became so hooked to this, we would watch it for 5 hours at a time! Watching this was like a drug addiction ! This has to be seen in sequence.
• Twin peaks-weird but interesting and different from what I have seen. This has to be seen fully and in sequence.
• White collar-crime-unmissable & fast paced. Saw the entire series.

Looking at this list, I see that I have spent a few thousand hours watching TV but the list of unmissable shows is so small! I have seen a great many shows which I enjoyed at the time but I would not deem them worthy of this list. Some of them include the Law and Order series, the NCIS series, The CSI series, etc.

TV SHOWS I WOULD BUY AS I CAN SEE THEM OVER AND OVER AGAIN

T

TV SHOWS I WOULD BUY AS I CAN SEE THEM OVER AND OVER AGAIN

This piece was cut and pasted from  another article in this blog.
 Absolutely fabulous-comedy/BBC/

Are you being served? -comedy/BBC

Coupling-comedy/BBC/enjoyable! I love this show!

Fawlty towers--MY ALL TIME FAVORITE.

Fraiser-comedy

Just shoot me-comedy

Malcolm in the middle-I loved this show-comedy about a family

My name is Earl-comedy/I loved two people in this show(Joy and Randy).

Psych-comedy/crime-enjoyed this show(shot in Vancouver)

Reno -911-comedy/ I LOVE this show though some say it's stupid. It's relaxing and enjoyable

Republic of Doyle-Crime/comedy/Canadian. I love this show and seen it fully. should buy this series for my Indian friends(it is pro-women and I like the people, relationships, scenery, etc)

Rules of engagement: comedy/witty & enjoyable!

Seinfield-comedy/I liked this show a lot

Spin city-comedy/excellent dialogues:Excellent.

The closer-crime/comedic...LOVED this intelligent show and the protagonist and would not miss this show

The job-comedy/EXCELLENT/I see it when I want to relax and laugh/excellent acting, cast, dialogues. When my mood is low, I see any episode of this and feel better immediately!
Thirty Rock-comedy/my sister loved this show and said, each time she watched, she discovered new underlying connections to real people. I like this show, but I din't get the references they made in this show.

Two and a half men- comedy. I have seen and enjoyed this and seen many episodes a second time. (But my sister is pissed off about me enjoying this. because I am appreciating a womanizer . I know what she means...but still cant help laughing!) 
Vexed: BBC police show/comedy I love the male main character!
Life's too short...BBC mockumentary by Ricky Gervais. it's hilarious and on netflex Canada in 2016 January.

CRIME FICTION SET IN THAILAND

Garden of hell : a Father Ananda mystery

by Nick Wilgus 
    

This is the only Thailand based crime fiction which I have read. It was okay reading  though the writing is a bit dry at places.(maybe because the author was once a journalist). We get to see the seedy side of Buddhist monasteries in Thailand and that really broke my heart! I always naively thought of Buddhists as mild, gentle, good, etc and it was rather sad to discover that bad Buddhist monks & monasteries exist!
An unusual and new thing for me in this book  is that the chief 'detective' is a Buddhist monk! He's actually a retired police officer who has now become a monk. I have read books where the main protagonist in the book was a Christina monk but this is the first Buddhist monk-detective.
This was the second book in the Father Ananda series.


Mindfulness and murder is the first book in the series which I am yet to borrow from the library.

Killer Karma is the 3rd book in this series.

CRIME FICTION SET IN CHINA

January 18th 2016:

Some thing happened and my article, Crime fiction from China got erased just when I was editing to add another book I read. Damn!

This is the list of books which are from China and which I remember reading.

The only crime fiction from China I have read is The eye of the Jade by Diane Wei Liang. The main protagonist is a female PI !
The only other book by this author, with the same female PI is Paper butterfly. I read this book and liked it. It gives an angle of the Tiananmen square I did not know and gives readers a glimpse of life in China just like the first book. I am curious about China and this book gives a picture of life in China both in cities and villages, life of middle and lower classes. 

The other books set in China BUT NOT CRIME FICTION which I have read and loved  are:

The good earth by Pearl.S.Buck. I think this is one of my few all time favorites! I have read this book at least three times fully and the pages I like...hundreds of times! I adore this book...the story, the characters especially Olan, and the simplicity of the people. It reminded me a lot of Indian villagers of south India, from where I am.

Another non-crime fiction book I have read set in China is "Rickshaw boy" by Lao She. It is like the good earth, a classic and wonderfully written story about life in China especially the  life of the poor. The characters are so realistic and it broke my heart to read about a girl who was abused by her father (forgot her name) mentioned in the book.

A wonderful NON-FICTION book from China I read and enjoyed was Factory Girls: From village to City in a Changing China by Leslie T Chang.
What I found intriguing and depressing was the life of these people especially their relationships. I was so depressed to read how the loss of a phone meant, loss of all friends! The people working in factories had such impersonal relationships with people around them and the so-called friendships could disappear by the loss of a cellphone(as they din't store the numbers anywhere else). There were so many aspects of the life of factory girls which the author has just mentioned without going in depth. But thinking about what was written, I felt she had just given the tip of the iceberg and so much was left unsaid. Tons could be researched and written for each page of the book. The life of the people, who had left their families and migrated to towns for jobs was so tough, at least to me...I cannot imagine living the life these girls lead...away from families, not close to either parents or fellow-workers, not able to be on the same page with family and not close to fellow-workers with whom one may be on the same page...

I hope I have not missed out on any books from China I have read...when this article got erased by  a glitch. 
I still remember, that in India, I would hit 'save' after typing a few words as  the electricity would shut down without warning and this power failure erased everything in the computer which has not been saved! Several times, I had lost many pages which left me fuming!

I will add more books from China which I have read, as and when I recall them.
.............
I discovered the author Qiu Xiaolong who writes crime fiction based in China. The books are:
Death of a red heroine 2000
A loyal character dancer 2002
When red is black 2004
A case of two cities 2006
Red Mandarin Dress 2007
The Mao case 2009
Don't cry, Tai lake 2012
Enigma of china 2013
Shanghai Redemption 2015
I have read none of Qiu's books yet.

In August 2017 I discovered another female crime fighter...from my very own Toronto! She's a Canadian citizen of Chinese origin and a forensic accountant who fights crime or follows the money....all over Asia. She is Ava Lee created by Ian Hamilton. The style of writing is not great but I enjoy the plots and I believe I am learning the underbelly of many Asian place/countries such as Macau, China, etc.
The books include

• The Water Rat of Wanchai 2011
• The Disciple of Las Vegas 2011
• The Wild Beasts of Wuhan 2012
• The Red Pole of Macau 2012
• The Scottish Banker of Surabaya 2013
• The Two Sisters of Borneo 2013
• The Dragon Head of Hong Kong (novella) 2014
• The King of Shanghai2014
• The Princeling of Nanjing 2016
• The Couturier of Milan2017
• The Imam of Tawi-Tawi 2018 ( I don't know how it can be 2018...I got this book on Jan 2nd of 2018 from the library which means it must have been published in 2017! 2018 is printed in the   papeback of spiderline publications)