Cricket World Cup 2011!

I've been away for a while but the reading has been ongoing. After finishing Veronika Decides to Die, while perusing the book aisle at Costco (yes they have a book aisle and prices are usually half those found at bookstores), I came across The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, the Epidemic that Shaped Our History. Normally I wouldn't give it a second glance but as I started skimming through it, I realized it was extremely interesting. Starting with the African slave trade, the author had made a novel attempt to understand how yellow fever came about.

Over the years, scientists and doctors have learnt that the fever is spread through mosquitoes -- something that was impossible for people to accept earlier. They thought diseases can only be spread via bacteria and something so small killing so many people was not easy to fathom. However, it did kill. And it killed a LOT of people! More people died from yellow fever than the Civil War!

The author also traced the life and works of Major Walter Reed. Now, we've all heard of the famous hospital erected in his name, but I didn't know what role he played in the nation's history. His steadfast leadership as head of the yellow jack commission, bold ideas and fearlessly ability to experiment avenues which were hitherto dismissed as naive or a waste of time, was definitely imspiring. Along with his team members, Major Reed was instrumental in deciphering the clue that yellow fever is spread my mosquitoes. Period.

The book reads like a medical detective novel, we know what will happen; that eventually a vaccine was found and man conquered the disease. Nevertheless, it is an exciting page turner to read the folly of early man, description of life in general and to realize how in the past 100 years we've made landmark progress in science. It's a great history lesson while having some interesting reading.

That done, I've moved onto Endless Universe: Beyond the Big Bang -- more on that next time. However, I'll be MIA for a while again (probably until April 2). The cricket World Cup is on and only today India beat Australia in the quarter final. You might say, oh that's just another game. Actually no, for 2 main reasons. #1: Australia has won the World Cup past 3 times! #2: India meets Pakistan in the semi-finals! The adrenaline is high and the pulse racing for what could be a World Cup win for India after 27 long years!

I don't ask you watch the game or hold any interest in it. But please, for my sake, say a silent prayer for India. We shall do it this time. Victory will be ours! GO INDIA!!!