Ravi S. Iyer: Spiritual

An interesting take from a USA professor of philosophy on need for religion in our times (in the West but which may apply to other parts of the world too, at least in part): What Religion Gives Us (That Science Can’t), https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/03/opinion/why-we-need-religion.html , 3rd June 2018, by Stephen T. Asma, professor of philosophy, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_T._Asma . Asma writes, "Unlike previous secular tributes to religion that praise its ethical and civilizing function, I think we need religion because it is a road-tested form of emotional management".

This post follows on the zooming text content in PDF related part in my recent post:  http://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2018/06/good-quality-of-printing-and-binding-in.html . Steps to Zoom PDF text content to particular percentage using free Foxit PDF Reader: 1. Open original PDF in Foxit PDF Reader. 2. Choose File->Print. 3. For 'Microsoft Print to PDF' (Default Printer in my PC setup) choose Properties dialog    3a. In Properties choose Advanced, and in that dialog change Paper Size to A5. Press OK.    3b. Press OK to close Properties dialog. 4. Now in Preview group of Print main dialog, Document will show 5.8 x 8.3 and Paper will also show 5.8 x 8.3. 5. Click Scale in Print Handling group of Print main dialog. Set custom scale to desired zoom, e.g. 108% 6. Click OK. This will result in Save Print Output As dialog where one can specify a new file name for the Zoomed text content PDF file. ----- Here's the link to the iami1 blog book PDF document ...

Last updated on 16th June 2018 This time around Printonweb.in (Delhi based online printing service provider) gave a good quality delivery. None of the issues I reported in my previous unsatisfactory delivery in end May (see http://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2018/05/disappointing-quality-of-latest.html ) were spotted in this delivery. I ordered 12 spiral bound copies of iami1 blogbook on 4th June 2018 at a total cost inclusive of shipping of around Rs. 1075, which comes to slightly less than Rs. 90 per copy. The printing and binding got done by June 6th and handed over to DTDC for delivery. DTDC delivered yesterday - 13th June. I called up Printonweb.in and conveyed my satisfaction with the delivery quality and told them that I would consider Printonweb.in for future such printing needs. However there is one issue that I have faced with almost all Printonweb.in deliveries of the iami1 blogbook. And that relates to a compression of text on the printed pages with the margins around ...

Last updated on 18th June 2018 Over the past few weeks, I have been working on making my Print-On-Demand book titled, 'The Ultimate Existential Reality Answer; Vedanta; God and Science', which has been self-published with Pothi.com's help at https://pothi.com/pothi/book/ravi-s-iyer-ultimate-existential-reality-answer-vedanta-god-and-science , more and more like regular paperback books that are sold in bookshops. Note that the changes are being made to a draft version which will later be updated on Pothi.com. Further note that the corresponding ebook is available for free download. One important aspect of a regular paperback book sold in bookshops is that a price is printed typically in the bottom right section of the back cover page of the book. This price is viewed as Maximum Retail Price (MRP) even if only the word Price and the figure in Rupees are printed on the back cover page without the words Maximum and Retail. So customers expect to be charged either the MRP ...

Last updated on 8th June 2018 The small extract below is from Chapter 5, 'The Easy Lie' of former USA FBI director James Comey's book, 'A Higher Loyalty', 'Truth, Lies, and Leadership': There was once a time when most people worried about going to hell if they violated an oath taken in the name of God. That divine deterrence has slipped away from our modern cultures. In its place, people must fear going to jail. They must fear their lives being turned upside down. They must fear their pictures splashed on newspapers and websites. People must fear having their name forever associated with a criminal act if we are to have a nation with a rule of law. Martha Stewart lied, blatantly, in the justice system. To protect the institution of justice, and reinforce a culture of truth-telling, she had to be prosecuted. I am very confident that, should the circumstance arise, Martha Stewart would not lie to federal investigators again. Unfortunately, many others wh...

Given below is a recent comment of mine on public FB post, https://www.facebook.com/shubha.kumar/posts/10160075269205538 , which I felt appropriate to put up as a separate post My considered view is that there are enough grounds to file an impersonation and identity theft of the HOLY IDENTITY (HOLY NAME) of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, complaint against Madhusudan Rao Naidu in the Indian law enforcement (police) and/or courts. I am NOT a lawyer but I have been reading up on such cases, including Indian academic world identity theft cases. One does NOT need to be a lawyer to understand Indian law in such matters, and follow such police complaints and/or legal cases in India. For reasons known to itself and not revealed to the Sathya Sai fraternity, the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust (SSSCT) as well as the official Sathya Sai organization in India have, so far at least, chosen NOT to file such a case against Madhusudan Rao Naidu. Note that the legal case SSSCT filed against Sri Sathy...

I am still awaiting a response from RRNA (isbn.gov.in) for my ISBN number application made to them on 31st May 2018 for Print-On-Demand (POD) copy of my iami1 blogbook with (to be) printed title 'Who am I? I am I - Ultimate Existential Reality Answer; Vedanta; God and Science conversation' (see http://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2018/06/have-applied-for-isbn-for-printed-iami1.html and http://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2018/06/sent-isbngovin-mail-on-clarifications.html for details). When I checked earlier today (6th June), the status of my application shows 'Submitted', indicating that the application has not crossed the first stage of review. Meanwhile I have been doing some reading up on ISBN for my particular context and my particular needs. The key factor in my case is that I am NOT interested in earning royalty nor in promotion of book for large sales. I simply want to make my book(s) available in printed form (using Print-On-Demand) for interested persons, quite irre...