Disorder in the American Courts - Comedy

Disorder in the American Courts - Comedy

Tags: Justice Judgement Judicial Courts Judiciary Juries Judges Law Legal Defendants Plaintiffs Lawyers Witnesses Offense Newspapers Reporters Mobile Hollywood TV Celluloid Movies Films Comical Comedy Humour Laughing Book Quotes Publishing Author Marcelle Boren Disorder in the American Courts

Sometime or the other, each one of us would have been exposed or familiar with the Judicial systems, particularly the Courts. This could have been through newspapers, mobile news alerts, watching TV shows, Hollywood movies, civil disputes or perhaps some kind of violation of law (as simple as a traffic offense or accident). Most of the times though, we see Courts and Judiciary as formidable and something that we should stay from by avoiding any kind of issues that could expose us to the Judicial system. That said, it is entertaining to watch TV shows or films on them since it captivates our minds. Of course, examination and cross-examination of witnesses is often quite interesting though the content may or may not be of good taste.

That said, we rarely consider the comical aspects of Judicial systems across the world. If you stop to think about it, you can be pleasantly surprised, though in all honesty, it may be anything but comedy, for the individuals concerned. It does not however mean that we can not smile when we hear something that tickles our sense of humour. One of the most talked about Courts are the American Courts, as you might have guessed. They have stayed in the limelight for a long time and there is no doubt that they will continue to be in the spotlight for even longer. Obviously, TV shows and Hollywood Movies have a lot to do with it. Now imagine, if all those comical examinations in Court were recorded word by word so that we could go through them and have a good laugh on the lighter side... Well, that is what actually happened!

The incidences in the American Courts are typically recorded by Court Reporters and those that were funny have been made in to a book, published by Iwahu Publishing as "Disorder in the American Courts", authored by Marcelle Boren and presented by CourtComics.com. The book captures several comical moments during examinations of witnesses that is sure to make us burst out laughing! These are actual quotes, word for word, from real court proceedings! Unbelievable as it may seem, these are things people actually said in court, word for word, under oath in legal court proceedings and are forever immortalized in the public record. They have been taken down and now published by court reporters who had the torment of staying calm while these exchanges were actually taking place. Definitely, not easy!

Take a look at some excerpts of those conversations and you will understand where we are coming from.

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          ATTORNEY  :     How far from the accident were you when it happened?
          WITNESS     :     36 feet, 2 and a quarter inches.
          ATTORNEY  :     Nonsense! How can you be so precise?
          WITNESS     :     Well, I knew some bloody fool would ask me; so I measured it.

          ATTORNEY  :     What is your date of birth?
          WITNESS     :     July Fifteenth.
          ATTORNEY  :     What year?
          WITNESS     :     Every year.

          ATTORNEY  :     What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
          WITNESS     :     Gucci Sweats and Reeboks.

          ATTORNEY  :     This myasthenia gravis... Does it affect your memory at all?
          WITNESS     :     Yes.
          ATTORNEY  :     And in what ways does it affect your memory?
          WITNESS     :     I forget.
          ATTORNEY  :     You forget? Can you give us an example of something that you've forgotten?

          ATTORNEY  :     What was the first thing your husband said to you when he woke up that morning?
          WITNESS     :     He said, "Where am I, Doris?".
          ATTORNEY  :     And why did that upset you?
          WITNESS     :     My name is Susan.

          ATTORNEY  :     She had three children, right?
          WITNESS     :     Yes.
          ATTORNEY  :     How many were boys?
          WITNESS     :     None.
          ATTORNEY  :     Were there any girls?
          WITNESS     :     Your Honour. I think I need a different attorney. Can I get a new attorney?

          ATTORNEY  :     Are you sexually active?
          WITNESS     :     No. I just lie there.

          ATTORNEY  :     Could you see him from where you were standing?
          WITNESS     :     I could see his head.
          ATTORNEY  :     And where was his head?
          WITNESS     :     Just above his shoulders.

          ATTORNEY  :     Any suggestions as to what prevented this from being a murder trial instead of an attempted murder trial?
          WITNESS     :     The victim lived.

          ATTORNEY  :     How was your first marriage terminated?
          WITNESS     :     By death.
          ATTORNEY  :     And by whose death was it terminated?
          WITNESS     :     Take a guess.

          ATTORNEY  :     Now Doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
          WITNESS     :     Did you actually pass the Bar exam?

          ATTORNEY  :     The youngest son, the twenty-year-old, how old is he?
          WITNESS     :     He is twenty, much like your IQ.

          ATTORNEY  :     How old is your son - the one living with you.
          WITNESS     :     Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which.
          ATTORNEY  :     How long has he lived with you?
          WITNESS     :     Forty-five years.

          ATTORNEY  :     And where was the location of the accident?
          WITNESS     :     Approximately milepost 499.
          ATTORNEY  :     And where is milepost 499?
          WITNESS     :     Probably between milepost 498 and 500.

          ATTORNEY  :     Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in voodoo or the occult?
          WITNESS     :     We both do.
          ATTORNEY  :     Voodoo?
          WITNESS     :     We do.
          ATTORNEY  :     You do?
          WITNESS     :     Yes, voodoo.

          ATTORNEY  :     Trooper, when you stopped the defendant, were your red and blue lights flashing?
          WITNESS     :     Yes.
          ATTORNEY  :     Did the defendant say anything when she got out of her car?
          WITNESS     :     Yes, sir.
          ATTORNEY  :     What did she say?
          WITNESS     :     What disco am I at?

          ATTORNEY  :     I show you Exhibit 3 and ask you if you recognize that picture.
          WITNESS     :     That's me.
          ATTORNEY  :     Were you present when that picture was taken?
          WITNESS     :     Are you serious.

          ATTORNEY  :     Were you present in court this morning when you were sworn in?

          ATTORNEY  :     Do you know how far pregnant you are now?
          WITNESS     :     I'll be three months on November 8.
          ATTORNEY  :     Apparently, then, the date of conception was August 8?
          WITNESS     :     Yes.
          ATTORNEY  :     What were you doing at that time?

          ATTORNEY  :     How many times have you committed suicide?
          WITNESS     :     Four times.

          ATTORNEY  :     Have you lived in this town all your life?
          WITNESS     :     Not yet.

          ATTORNEY  :     Did you ever stay all night with this man in New York?
          WITNESS     :     I refuse to answer that question.
          ATTORNEY  :     Did you ever stay all night with this man in Chicago?
          WITNESS     :     I refuse to answer that question.
          ATTORNEY  :     Did you ever stay all night with this man in Miami?
          WITNESS     :     No.

          ATTORNEY  :     Doctor, did you say he was shot in the woods?
          WITNESS     :     No, I said he was shot in the lumbar region.

          ATTORNEY  :     Were you acquainted with the deceased?
          WITNESS     :     Yes sir.
          ATTORNEY  :     Before or after he died?

          ATTORNEY  :     And you check your radar unit frequently?
          WITNESS     :     Officer: "Yes, I do."
          ATTORNEY  :     And was your radar unit functioning correctly at the time you had the plaintiff on radar?
          WITNESS     :     Yes, it was malfunctioning correctly.

          ATTORNEY  :     Lawyer: "What happened then?
          WITNESS     :     He told me, he says, 'I have to kill you because you can identify me.'
          ATTORNEY  :     Did he kill you?
          WITNESS     :     No.

          ATTORNEY  :     Now sir, I'm sure you are an intelligent and honest man.
          WITNESS     :     Thank you. If I weren't under oath, I'd return the compliment.

          ATTORNEY  :     You say the stairs went down to the basement?
          WITNESS     :     Yes.
          ATTORNEY  :     And these stairs, did they go up also?

          ATTORNEY  :     Can you describe the individual?
          WITNESS     :     He was about medium height and had a beard.
          ATTORNEY  :     Was this a male, or a female?
          WITNESS     :     Unless the Circus was in town, I'm going with male.

          ATTORNEY  :     Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
          WITNESS     :     No, this is how I dress when I go to work.

          ATTORNEY  :     Doctor, how many autopsies have you performed on dead people?
          WITNESS     :     All my autopsies are performed on dead people. The live ones put up too much of a fight.

          ATTORNEY  :     All your responses must be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
          WITNESS     :     Oral.

          ATTORNEY  :     Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
          WITNESS     :     The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
          ATTORNEY  :     And Mr. Dennington was dead at the time?
          WITNESS     :     If not, he was by the time I finished.

          ATTORNEY  :     Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
          WITNESS     :     No.
          ATTORNEY  :     Did you check for blood pressure?
          WITNESS     :     No.
          ATTORNEY  :     Did you check for breathing?
          WITNESS     :     No.
          ATTORNEY  :     So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
          WITNESS     :     No.
          ATTORNEY  :     How can you be so sure, Doctor?
          WITNESS     :     Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
          ATTORNEY  :     But could the patient have still been alive nevertheless?
          WITNESS     :     It is possible that he could have been alive and practising law.

          ATTORNEY  :     You were not shot in the fracas?
          WITNESS     :     No, I was shot midway between the fracas and the navel.

          ATTORNEY  :     What did the tissue samples taken from the victim's vagina show?
          WITNESS     :     There were traces of semen.
          ATTORNEY  :     Male semen?
          WITNESS     :     That's the only kind I know of.

          ATTORNEY  :     So, after the anaesthetic, when you came out of it, what did you observe with respect to your scalp?
          WITNESS     :     I didn't see my scalp the whole time I was in the hospital.
          ATTORNEY  :     It was covered?
          WITNESS     :     Yes. Bandaged.
          ATTORNEY  :     Then, later on, what did you see?
          WITNESS     :     I had a skin graft. My whole buttocks and leg were removed and put on top of my head.

          ATTORNEY  :     Please repeat after me: "I swear by Almighty God..."
          WITNESS     :     "I swear by Almighty God."
          ATTORNEY  :     "That the evidence that I give..."
          WITNESS     :     That's right.
          ATTORNEY  :     Repeat it.
          WITNESS     :     "Repeat it".
          ATTORNEY  :     No! Repeat what I said.
          WITNESS     :     What you said when?
          ATTORNEY  :     "That the evidence that I give..."
          WITNESS     :     "That the evidence that I give."
          ATTORNEY  :     "Shall be the truth and..."
          WITNESS     :     It will, and nothing but the truth!
          ATTORNEY  :     Please, just repeat after me: "Shall be the truth and..."
          WITNESS     :     I'm not a scholar, you know.
          ATTORNEY  :     We can appreciate that. Just repeat after me: "Shall be the truth and..."
          WITNESS     :     "Shall be the truth and."
          ATTORNEY  :     Say: "Nothing...".
          WITNESS     :     Okay. (Witness remains silent.)
          ATTORNEY  :     No! Don't say nothing. Say: "Nothing but the truth..."
          WITNESS     :     Yes.
          ATTORNEY  :     Can't you say: "Nothing but the truth..."?
          WITNESS     :     Yes.
          ATTORNEY  :     Well? Do so.
          WITNESS     :     You're confusing me.
          ATTORNEY  :     Just say: "Nothing but the truth...".
          WITNESS     :     Okay. I understand.
          ATTORNEY  :     Then say it.
          WITNESS     :     What?
          ATTORNEY  :     "Nothing but the truth..."
          WITNESS     :     But I do! That's just it.
          ATTORNEY  :     You must say: "Nothing but the truth..."
          WITNESS     :     I WILL say nothing but the truth!
          ATTORNEY  :     Please, just repeat these four words: "Nothing", "But", "The", "Truth".
          WITNESS     :     What? You mean, like, now?
          ATTORNEY  :     Yes! Now. Please. Just say those four words.
          WITNESS     :     "Nothing. But. The. Truth."
          ATTORNEY  :     Thank you.
          WITNESS     :     I'm just not a scholar.

          ATTORNEY  :     You were there until the time you left, is that true?

          ATTORNEY  :     So you were gone until you returned?

          ATTORNEY  :     You don't know what it was and you didn't know what it looked like, but can you describe it?

          ATTORNEY  :     How far apart were the vehicles at the time of the collision?

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The above excerpts demonstrate that examination and cross-examination of witnesses in Courts is a fine art. If not done well with proper preparation, understanding and presence of mind, they can easily turn out to be foolish, comical or outright ugly. Anyway, sit back and enjoy a collection of verbatim exchanges from the halls of justice, where defendants and plaintiffs, lawyers and witnesses, juries and judges, collide to produce memorably insane comedy. Needless to say, this book is available both in paperback and Kindle version. It is definitely worth a read!

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Amazon Kindle PaperWhite - A "Must Have" for Book Lovers!

Amazon Kindle PaperWhite - Perfect Companion for Book Lovers!

Tags: Amazon Kindle PaperWhite Readers Page Books eBooks Comics Titles Library Collections Store Releases Bestsellers Samples Goodreads Download Information Content Formats Conversion Carta E-Ink Touch Screen Glare Bookerly Font Processor RAM Storage Memory Cloud Wi-Fi Grey Scale Resolution Display Pixels PPI Light Print Quality Text Whispersync Technology Synchronisation Vocabulary Word Wise Bing Translator Languages PDF Email Domain Battery Charge Rechargeable USB Cable Portability Warranty Gadget Electronics Tablets Smart Mobile Phone PC Computer Devices Shopping Performance Guide

Are you an avid reader? Do you love books? Do you maintain a library or collection of books? Then you would remember those nostalgic times with happiness. The feel of physical books naturally gives us a lot of pleasure.

However, there are downsides to hard copy books and collections. Typically, hard copy books cost more and prices of new books in the market keep going up. Further, growing book collections becomes difficult over time on account of space constraints. Additionally, book collections need to be maintained regularly and used physically else they gather dust, not to mention insects, termites, et al. These days, the quality of paper used in books is also suspect. Consequently, they deteriorate faster making it all the more painful. Importantly, such collections are not portable. When we travel, there are only so many books we can carry with us. If you suddenly feel like reading a different book unavailable with you, then there can only be disappointment.

In this context, the Amazon Kindle PaperWhite steals limelight. It is stylish and delightful to look at. It is available in black and white colours. Its slim, form-fitting flip covers are eye candy and automatically put your Kindle to sleep when it is closed and wake it upon opening. It is the perfect electronic gadget for all those looking to avoid drawbacks of hard copy books and collections.

The Paperwhite has a 1GHz processor and 512 MB of RAM for all-round faster performance. It uses 2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi to download ebooks to its 4GB of internal storage. There is no external memory support, but there is free cloud storage to carry your ebook library across a variety of devices that support Amazon's Kindle app. It supports multiple content formats namely Kindle Format 8 (AZW3), Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF (without password and DRM), unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; HTML, DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG and BMP through conversion.

For all purposes, the device feels like real paper book and allows for comfortable reading, day and night. It is equipped with a 6-inch Carta E-Ink touch screen with a high resolution of 1448 by 1072 and 300 pixels per inch for crisp, print-quality text with 16-level grey scale. Simply put, the display is terrific and has built-in adjustable light and Wi-Fi. The E-reader incorporates the Bookerly font with a choice of 8 text sizes for conducive reading. The text is incredibly sharp and dark and there is no screen glare while reading, even in bright sunlight, unlike tablets.

Kindle PaperWhite is thinner than a pencil and lighter than a paperback thus able to hold thousands of books! You can organise eBooks into custom categories through Cloud Collections and carry your library wherever you go! The Wi-fi facility also enables readers to go the Amazon book store to download new releases and bestsellers of their choice almost instantaneously. The one key differentiating positive for the Kindle compared to Tablets is that a single battery charge can last for several weeks, based on your reading requirements. It fully charges in approximately 4 hours from a computer via USB cable so that you do not need to wait long to get back to reading.

It is complemented by a host of features. You can skim through eBooks without losing your place using features like Page Flip. You can also pick up where you left off easily through the Whispersync technology synchronisation across all your devices. Through same technology, you can read on your smartphone, tablet, or computer by just downloading Kindle app on them. Just like a real book, you can take and share notes with edit, delete, highlight and export facilities.

You can look up words and information instantly through Smart Lookup to access definitions, characters, settings and more. It has Enhanced Search, tapping in to your library, Goodreads and the Kindle Store. You can enhance your vocabulary through Vocabulary Builder and learn new words, definitions, synonyms and more through Word Wise. You can also follow your book with page numbers. There is also a Bing Translator to translate a section instantly into other languages like Spanish. Kindle can also be used in select multiple languages apart from English. Kindle is not only for adults - it supports Children's books and comics too.

With Kindle, you get access to titles of your choice at attractive prices. There are also a huge collection of free books in public domain for download. If you are unsure on buying a book or not, there are free book samples that you can download and read before actually deciding to buy. There is also Kindle Unlimited monthly paid service through which you can read as much as you want from 1 million titles. If you need more reasons, then you can use Kindle to carry and read your personal documents like MS Word and PDF by emailing them to your Kindle account.

Some other exciting features include Learn More About a Book Before You Start, In-line Footnotes, Expanded X-Ray for Books, Squeeze In That Last Chapter and Sharing with Friends on Goodreads. Kindle is also coming out soon with "Share your library with family" feature allowing you to access not only your own Kindle books, but also books from the account of a spouse or partner.

We purchased a Amazon Kindle PaperWhite (White Colour) as a gift to ourselves on an occasion and complemented it with a navy blue, slim, form-fitting flip cover. In our personal opinion, the gadget performs flawlessly and fulfills all requirements. It is also a pleasure to own one and to be no longer shackled by physical books and constraints on portability. The charging feature is awesome and once charged, the device runs smoothly for several weeks. You can even go to any place and read it without any distractions.

Kindle PaperWhite is attractively priced and if you purchase during deals or special offers, you can get it even under Rs.8,000/-. It would be nice to have a read-aloud feature - may be in future versions. The E-reader is sold with a limited warranty of one year. The box includes Kindle Paperwhite, USB 2.0 charging cable and Quick Start Guide. All in all, a wonderful device to have as one of your prized possessions!

Do you own a Kindle - any version, or any E-reader? What do you feel about their performance, versatility, features and price point? Tell us what you think in comments.

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Forward The Foundation - Isaac Asimov

Forward the Foundation - Isaac Asimov!

Tags: Magical Story Novels Epic Skills Legend Grand Master Masterpiece Science Fiction Sci-Fi Autobiography Forward Foundation Dune Series Authors H G Wells Arthur C Clarke Asimov Frank Herbert Hari Seldon Dors Venabili Eto Demerzel Daniel Merlin Spock Vulcan Android Psychohistory Emotions Life Transformation Human Alien Depression Reader Visionary Equations Brainchild

What can we say about the almost magical story telling skills of the Grand Master of Science Fiction!

Forward, The Foundation, is another master piece from one the greatest science fiction authors of all times!

True, there have been many other great sci-fi masters like H.G.Wells and Arthur C. Clarke. However, it is Asimov who is known for creating the greatest science fiction epic of all time - the Foundation Series! Perhaps, he is rivaled by only one another Master - Frank Herbert of Dune fame! It is a pity that we are deprived of both of them. They are no more with us. And we truly miss the extensions to the Foundation and Dune Series!

All the time that we had read the Foundation Novels, the legend that is Hari Seldon was always depicted as an elderly, God-fatherly figure, whose science of psychohistory knew no bounds! A modern Merlin completely free from emotions - Spock, the Vulcan! Nothing much was known about him in the earlier Foundation novels. But this book is almost an auto-biography of that legend and his extra-ordinary life, prior to his transformation to a legend. It picturises him in a completely different way than we had imagined him to be previously! He is shown as a normal human being who faces all the pit-falls in life just as any other human being! He is not exempt or alien to depression, emotion, & bureaucratic hurdles!

The reader is shocked to know that at one point of time, the science of psychohistory, that is taken for granted, may never have come into existence at all! Even more intriguing - who was the real visionary of the science of psychohistory - Hari Seldon or Eto Demerzel (Alias, Daniel the android?)? Of course, the reader knows that the equations of psychohistory were cracked by Hari Seldon, but whose brain-child was the science of psychohistory?

Asimov weaves his web of story-telling skills, and the reader is shown how all the foundation novels slowly mesh together including the non-foundation novels of Earth, dealing with characters like Daniel, the Android!

Some questions are however kept alive in the reader’s mind! Are Eto Demerzel & Dors Venabili androids? The reader is left to imagine...

Worth reading any time, esp. for sci-fi buffs! The plot is a bit slow. But, under the circumstances, it has to be that way!

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The Robots Of Dawn - Isaac Asimov

Robots of Dawn - Isaac Asimov

Tags: Terminator Matrix AI Androids Skynet Robotics Movie Celluloid Books Novels Author Writing Plots Story Masterpiece Robots of Dawn Foundation Caves of Steel Frankenstein Psychologists Psychology Psychiatrists Sociology Logic Genetics Genomics Physiology Technology Sci-fi Fantasy Laws Scientists Inventions Stars Planet Aurora Earth Earthlings Human Humanity Mankind Spacers Biospheres Colonised Exploration Population Demography Society Taboos Incest Elijah Baley Daneel Premonitions Prejudices Disease Agoraphobia Fear Crime Prison Investigator Life Insights Emperors MENSA Armageddon

On Terminators, Matrices, and the Robots of Dawn!
Why is it that we almost always have movie plots in which AI, androids, robots, and their ilk, are shown destroying the world?

Take for example, the 2 popular movies of our time - the terminator and the matrix. In both these movies and their sequels, SKYNET and MATRIX are shown as setting off on a campaign to destroy earthlings! In fact, this phenomenon is not confined to the celluloid, and spans the world of books too!

Frankenstein complex or a general complexe d'infériorité? Or simply, the fear of the Unknown? Or as the Para-psychologists would say - are we having prémonitions of what the future may portend for us, and hence, this -ve feeling?

On Asimov’s Robots!
Asimov's books largely dealt with robots of all kinds, and were modelled on a refreshing concept, ''The 3 Laws of Robotics'' that primarily guided robots' behaviour towards human beings. In fact, Asimov is credited with using the word “Robotics” for the first time in one of his short stories composed way back in the 1940s.

Asimov's writing was like a whiff of fresh air, and was a pleasant deviation from the norm! At the time that his peers were writing about robots that were essentially malevolent, he wrote about benevolent robots! He introduced robots as largely man-made inventions that functioned to the general good of mankind! To strengthen this perspective, he introduced the then novel concept of the ''The 3 Laws of Robotics'', within which all robots operated viz.,

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Subsequently, in his later novels, Asimov modified these laws further. Incidentally, these laws continue to be the subject of critiques by scientists the world over. Who knows - when we do have the kind of robots that Asimov envisages in his books, they may be imprinted with similar laws!

THE ROBOTS OF DAWN
It is here that his book, ''The Robots of Dawn'', one of his many masterpieces, took centre-stage when it was published. It was part of the Elijah Baley and Robots series. This book laid the foundation for his famous Foundation trilogy!

The Plot
The story deals with the illegal termination of a very valuable android on an advanced planet, Aurora (a.k.a Dawn). An investigator from Earth, Elijay Baley, is called in to investigate. Why from Earth? Because the advanced planets have reached a stage of development where crime of any kind is almost non-existent (idyllic?)! Hence, they do not have a mechanism that can address a crime when it really occurs! So, they turn to Earth, where crime is common ;-) Hence, the expert from Earth - shameful credits indeed! Another android Daneel is assigned to aid the Earth investigator! The investigator despite all the headaches that he encounters finally manages to solve the crime!

Simple, isn't it? Nope, it is not! There are several twists and turns between the prologue and the epilogue! This book is actually a sequel to ''Caves of Steel'', and it would be advisable to read that book too! However, it still is a sequel that stands by itself!

More Detail…
The book was a trendsetter for remarkable, but possible, thinking in several ways. In fact, seen from today's perspective, it was almost prophetic! Among its many nuances, it dealt with a futuristic mankind! A future wherein there were two classes of humans’ viz., the spacers and the earthlings!

Spacers were essentially human beings whom Earth had settled down on other planets. They were the best from Earth's gene pool, and generally, had the best genetic traits to their credit! But, once these spacers colonised on other planets, they severed their umbilical cord that connected them to their mother planet, Earth. They developed vastly, both physiologically and intellectually, and were able to virtually eliminate disease from their biospheres! Result! Long life spanning several centuries! Fantasy? Well, the fact is, humanity may well be on the way to that ideal!

On the other hand, earthlings took a totally different approach. They stopped living on the surface of the planet! Instead, they burrowed down under the planet. They built huge beehives of steel that supported them throughout their lives. Day and night lost meaning! After a point of time, it became impossible for them to even think of living on the surface of the planet as they were beset by a phenomenon that our psychiatrists would call agoraphobia or fear of open spaces! With that, they lost the advantage as they no longer could look to the stars for exploration, and were permanently cursed to live on their earth prison.

Insights
How is the population going to adjust itself with long lived humans?
Enter genetics, genomics, demography, and enforced population control by the state! The state enforces the number of people that need to be born ;-) based on the number of people that are estimated to die! When there is a requirement, the gene pool is resorted to!

But, won't the people turn rebellious?
Would they when the entire process is agreeable to them? Importantly, why would they do so when they live like emperors in huge palatial mansions blessed with longevity and youth!

How would the Gene Pool impact on blood relationships?
All blood ties have lost meaning, and are only preserved as scientific records and for genomic computations. There are no longer societal taboos like incest for the simple reason that there is no public knowledge of blood ties. Depravity? The only consideration is genomics!

If androids look and function as human beings, how would it impact their society?
Here, Asimov has explored the clash of age-old prejudices, and captured them on 2 different planets, Earth and Aurora. On Earth, robots are taboo! On Aurora, it is an entirely different story. Robots have rights, and they occupy an almost equal place as humans. They outnumber humans easily by scores! And are imbibed with the ability to... yep! LEARN! Can robots learn?

The book casts valuable insights on these and other aspects. The author's views themselves cannot be taken lightly. He was a scientist in his own right, and was a member of the MENSA!

Miscellaneous
The book also discusses the possibilities of robots not only colonising planets in place of humans, but also setting up robot colonies much like human colonies that procreate. The book is a masterpiece when it comes to the relations between human beings and robots, and deals extensively with it.

Recommendation
Must robots always be associated with Armageddon, violence, and carnage? Not necessarily! Read this book to find out the alternatives to the clichés!

A must read book! Makes very interesting reading and throws several insights into psychology, sociology, logic, genetics, genomics, and technology!

Sci-fi enthusiasts - don't miss this book!

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