how to be good?

In Twilight Watch, Sergei Lukyanenko's third book of the Night Watch Trilogy, Gesar, Head of the Moscow Night Watch tells Anton Gorodetsky - disillusioned field operative - why he chose the Light over the Dark:

'Preserve the part of you that is still human. Avoid falling into ecstatic raptures and trying to impose the Light on people when they don't want it. Avoid relapsing into contemptous cynicism, imagining that you are pure and perfect.

That's the hardest thing of all - never to become cynical, never to lose faith, never to become indifferent'

Maybe, just maybe, the BJP and Al Qaeda and the greedy TV evangelists should have a look at this allegoric work of fantasy

beautiful beautiful words... wish they were mine

'But as much as I want his mingling with his own age group, I fear that if he becomes too involved elsewhere, he won't be ever-available for my own needs.

what would one do if one did not have a Toph, sitting in his room, ready at a moment's notice, always willing to run errands, to be pushed against a wall and have his kidney punched...

...To not have Toph would be to not have a life'

Dave Eggers in 'a heartbreaking work of staggering genius' talking about his little brother, Chris'Toph'er

Like he says, to not have Toph would be to not have a life

- my own 'Toph' works for Microsoft, by the way

paring cheese

All research is like swiss cheese
the ability to see the holes is directly proportional to the researcher's insight-
-till it comes to a point where you do not see the cheese at all!