Trial Headlines

"Lucky's trial was no big deal, and it received no coverage in the press. But the morning after, the front page of the New York Times featured a five-by eight photo of Captain Perkins in handcuffs on his way to jail" ( P 280)

Trials make headlines when crimes concern celebrities, or if the crime is heinous or sensational , These past few months, the trial of Ajmal Kasab, the sole person caught in the Terrorist attack in Mumbai has been making headlines. Today, particularly, has every newspaper screaming out the fact that this is his day of judgement. His crime is quite obvious as is his involvement in it, and the people of Mumbai have already pronounced his judgement. What waits to be seen is how the court views his actions and how it judges him.

Ivy League Colleges

"Black arrived shortly after, surrounded by6 a phalanx of young lawyers, recent graduates from Harvard, Yale and Columbia, aggressive and eager to prove themselves." (p274)

Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton and Yale , eight top

private colleges situated on the East Coast of the US constitute what is know as the

IVY LEAGUE.

These colleges are known for the excellent education they provide and the doors that

open to those graduating from these institutions. The name Ivy League comes from

ivy that normally grows on the walls of these colleges.

Joining the Dots

"But this has to be solved right now! she shouted to herself. "I need some evidence.but......."

That's when she heard Shanti's voice : "Think. They are all there. Connect them." (p269)

Children love puzzles. Joining the dots one by one and seeing the entire picture emerge is something of a magical experience. Apart from the thrill of seeing something meaningful emerge out of the dots, this simple puzzle helps us to understand how things are inter-connected........often, all we have to really do to understand life's mysteries is to join the dots

Perfect endings.

"She untied the ribbon and unwrapped the box . Inside was a glass dish of chocolate mousse, still cold , and a note with a single word on it : DESSERT. It was signed ML." ( p. 266)

A chocolate mousse especially a perfectly light and fluffy one is the perfect end to a perfect meal. However, most recipes are made of egg. This is a delightful and easy recipe made without egg. Try it!

Unfortunately for Lucky, though, receiving the mousse from Mike Lockwood was hardly a perfect ending.

ET or Aliens?

"But that-by itself- is not likely to happen. I can document a thousand cases where aliens - Canadians, Peurto Ricans, Mexicans Haitians, Guatemalans, Somalis, Cubans, Italians, Israelis, Pakistanis even other Indians - have been arrested with illegal handguns and deported." (P257)

According to the official definition of an alien as per the US Government, anyone who is not a citizen of America is considered an alien.

By this definition, aliens seem almost normal human beings unlike the Extra terrestrial beings we consider to be aliens.

"How about the thousand a month you're putting in a Swiss bank account?'

'I don't have a Swiss bank account." (P.252)

Swiss Banks are known to be the safest banks in the world largely because Switzerland is one of those rare countries that have never really waged a war. But apart from their safety, they are also valued for their secrecy .

Sometimes, the banks' obsession with privacy can have undesired results as displayed in this video clip by Michael Moore.

New England's Dutch Connection

'Perkins scratched his neck."Actually," he said," I'm and old fashioned kind of guy. My old man , he was like twelfth-generation New England sailor in the merchant marine." (p.249)

New England is in the north east corner of the United States and one of the earliest European settlements in the New World. It was named so by the English pilgrims who landed there from England.

Everybody knows that the Pilgrim Fathers who landed at Plymouth sailed across the Atlantic on the Mayflower, but how many people know that several of the original English separatists also set sail from Leiden, Holland on the Speedwell?

The English separatists left England and had settled in Leiden for almost 11 years before they set sail for the New World to practice their faith without fear of persecution.