50 Books 50 Countries; Book 34: The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli

My reading challenge 2022 is to finish 50 books that have been published/authored/set in 50 different countries. I shall post about the ones I have read, mention the country they are set in and where the author is based. Instead of a review, I shall open a random page in the book and quote a line/para. My reviews and ratings are available on Goodreads, for those who wish to know.

Book 34: The Prince

Author: Niccolò Machiavelli (Italy) 🇮🇹

Genre: Politics/Statecraft

Set in: Italy 🇮🇹 France 🇫🇷 Germany 🇩🇪 Greece 🇬🇷 Spain 🇪🇸

Page 112:

Because there are three classes of intellects: one which comprehends by itself; another which appreciates what others comprehend; and a third which neither comprehends by itself nor by the showing of others; the first is the most excellent, the second is good, the third is useless.

Flag Score: 🇧🇴 🇲🇸 🇬🇷 🇹🇷 🇦🇺 🇸🇪 🇪🇸 🇬🇭 🇹🇬 🇧🇫 🇳🇪 🇱🇾 🇹🇳 🇩🇿 🇲🇱 🇲🇦 🇲🇷 🇬🇦 🇧🇩 🇨🇦 🇲🇲 🇹🇭 🇵🇭 🇲🇾 🇸🇬 🇰🇷 🇯🇵 🇹🇼 🇧🇦 🇮🇶 🇳🇿 🇼🇸 🇵🇰 🇳🇬 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇬🇧 🇲🇽 🇮🇳 🇩🇪 🇦🇹 🇮🇹 🇷🇺 🇳🇵 🇦🇷 🇵🇾 🇵🇪 🇸🇷 🇮🇪 🇨🇿 🇵🇱 🇫🇮 🇱🇻 🇱🇹 🇪🇪 🇫🇷 🇧🇷 🇰🇿 🇺🇸 🇵🇹 🇸🇷 🇳🇱 🇮🇱 🇮🇷 🇵🇸 🇪🇬 🇺🇾 🇨🇱 🇯🇴 🇸🇾 🇨🇾 🇨🇭 🇸🇩 🇪🇹 🇦🇪 🇧🇪 🇧🇧

#50books50countries #readingchallenge #books #machiavelli #italy #politics #statecraft #diplomacy

Nature Reclaims 8: Bridges

Zentangled: Here I am to save the day

Everyday Objects: Ladders

Where do you go, my lovely?

Nature Reclaims Photoseries 7

50 Books 50 Countries; Book 33: The Puma Years by Laura Coleman

My reading challenge 2022 is to finish 50 books that have been published/authored/set in 50 different countries. I shall post about the ones I have read, mention the country they are set in and where the author is based. Instead of a review, I shall open a random page in the book and quote a line/para. My reviews and ratings are available on Goodreads, for those who wish to know.

Book 33: The Puma Years

Author: Laura Coleman (UK) 🇬🇧

Genre: Memoir/Wildlife

Set in: Bolivia 🇧🇴 

Page 70:

She tells me her theory that, for her, rescued animals are like onions. You work so hard to peel off one layer of anxiety, only to expose another, and then another that you had absolutely no idea was hiding underneath. And because all of us really are no different from any of the animals here, because we’re all messed up and broken in our own individual ways, we’re like onions too.

Flag Score:  🇧🇴 🇲🇸 🇬🇷 🇹🇷 🇦🇺 🇸🇪 🇪🇸 🇬🇭 🇹🇬 🇧🇫 🇳🇪 🇱🇾 🇹🇳 🇩🇿 🇲🇱 🇲🇦 🇲🇷 🇬🇦 🇧🇩 🇨🇦 🇲🇲 🇹🇭 🇵🇭 🇲🇾 🇸🇬 🇰🇷 🇯🇵 🇹🇼 🇧🇦 🇮🇶 🇳🇿 🇼🇸 🇵🇰 🇳🇬 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇬🇧 🇲🇽 🇮🇳 🇩🇪 🇦🇹 🇮🇹 🇷🇺 🇳🇵 🇦🇷 🇵🇾 🇵🇪 🇸🇷 🇮🇪 🇨🇿 🇵🇱 🇫🇮 🇱🇻 🇱🇹 🇪🇪 🇫🇷 🇧🇷 🇰🇿 🇺🇸 🇵🇹 🇸🇷 🇳🇱  🇮🇱  🇮🇷  🇵🇸 🇪🇬 🇺🇾 🇨🇱 🇯🇴 🇸🇾 🇨🇾 🇨🇭 🇸🇩 🇪🇹 🇦🇪 🇧🇪 🇧🇧

#50books50countries #thepumayears #readingchallenge #books #memoir #lauracoleman #bolivia #puma 

Nature Reclaims Photoseries 6

Cityscape: Vadodara

Nature Reclaims Photoseries 5

Everyday Objects: Stairway to Heaven

Nature Reclaims Photoseries 4

Nature Reclaims Photoseries 3

Nature Reclaims Photoseries 2

Nature Reclaims Photoseries 1

50 Books 50 Countries; Book 32: Mossad by Michael Bar-Zohar and Nissim Mishal

My reading challenge 2022 is to finish 50 books that have been published/authored/set in 50 different countries. I shall post about the ones I have read, mention the country they are set in and where the author is based. Instead of a review, I shall open a random page in the book and quote a line/para. My reviews and ratings are available on Goodreads, for those who wish to know.

Book 32: Mossad - The Greatest Missions of the Israeli Secret Service

Authors: Michael Bar-Zohar and Nissim Mishal (Israel) 🇮🇱

Genre: Non-fiction/Military/Middle East

Set in: Israel 🇮🇱 Iran 🇮🇷 Palestine 🇵🇸 Egypt 🇪🇬 Iraq 🇮🇶 France 🇫🇷 England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 USA 🇺🇸 Italy 🇮🇹 Uruguay 🇺🇾 Argentina 🇦🇷 Brazil 🇧🇷 Chile 🇨🇱 Jordan 🇯🇴 Syria 🇸🇾 Greece 🇬🇷 Cyprus 🇨🇾 Germany 🇩🇪 Poland 🇵🇱 Switzerland 🇨🇭 Sudan 🇸🇩 Ethiopia 🇪🇹 UAE 🇦🇪 Belgium 🇧🇪 Libya 🇱🇾 Barbados 🇧🇧

Page 5:

The dirtiest actions should be carried out by the most honest men.

Flag score:  🇲🇸 🇬🇷 🇹🇷 🇦🇺 🇸🇪 🇪🇸 🇬🇭 🇹🇬 🇧🇫 🇳🇪 🇱🇾 🇹🇳 🇩🇿 🇲🇱 🇲🇦 🇲🇷 🇬🇦 🇧🇩 🇨🇦 🇲🇲 🇹🇭 🇵🇭 🇲🇾 🇸🇬 🇰🇷 🇯🇵 🇹🇼 🇧🇦 🇮🇶 🇳🇿 🇼🇸 🇵🇰 🇳🇬 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇬🇧 🇲🇽 🇮🇳 🇩🇪 🇦🇹 🇮🇹 🇷🇺 🇳🇵 🇦🇷 🇵🇾 🇵🇪 🇸🇷 🇮🇪 🇨🇿 🇵🇱 🇫🇮 🇱🇻 🇱🇹 🇪🇪 🇫🇷 🇧🇷 🇰🇿 🇺🇸 🇵🇹 🇸🇷 🇳🇱  🇮🇱  🇮🇷  🇵🇸 🇪🇬 🇺🇾 🇨🇱 🇯🇴 🇸🇾 🇨🇾 🇨🇭 🇸🇩 🇪🇹 🇦🇪 🇧🇪 🇧🇧

#50books50countries #readingchallenge #mossad #intelligence #israel #jews #secretservice #michaelbarzohar #nissimmishal #books #booksoninstagram #bookstagram #goodreads #middleeast 

What made me a data hobbyist

My love for data started somewhere in the second year of college. We had to work with microbes and those who have worked with bacteria know well that you can never predict whether and how the cultures grow. So after a two-day experiment, I was the only one in the class with a flawless linear graph while everyone else had curls, curves or nothing. Back in the days before Excel, you had to draw the graphs by hand on green graph sheets. Those of you who have seen me in a life sciences lab know how much I struggled with the microscopes because of my cylindrical power and with pipettes because of an unsteady hand. That I should have the 'perfect' graph was not because of my lab skills but because of my stat skills 😂 I used a graph with a scale in recurring decimals (e.g. 1:1.333333) that ensured that the microbial growth will show up in a straight line with equal distribution on either side. Everyone in the class copied that 😂 

I became a data hobbyist while working as a journalist at Downtown Plus the south Bombay supplement of TOI. Tasked with reading reader's letters and contest responses, I built a database and between stories, created reader profiles (met many of them personally) and mapped the geography of responses so much so that the marketing team used the data for years after that 😀 As someone who was terrified of maths in school but loved statistics in college and taught data journalism for years, I make the case for learning things along the journey of life, even those that you didn't like much in school. You never know what you might discover. In my case, it has helped me to switch between careers. 

#data #graphs #statistics #microbiology #biochemistry #genetics #geek  #internationalrelations #datajournalism