“20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”, Saturday, May 30, 2026

Good afternoon The Moosa Slobodian Network friends,

We had a great time discussing “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”, as well as topics around book selections on today’s episode! Have a listen at the following link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/54r29Fyj4TxBkomLhi7vsb

Show Notes

Show Introduction and Timeline: Aliasgar Moosa and Macara Slobodian opened the episode on Saturday, May 30, 2026, noting that the year is progressing quickly as they reach the end of May (00:00:00). They confirmed their commitment to continuing the show throughout the upcoming holiday seasons, including Christmas and the summer holidays (00:01:10).
Regional Weather Reports: Aliasgar Moosa reported the current weather in Cambridge as 19 degrees Celsius with a high of 20 degrees, describing it as sunny with a pleasant breeze (00:02:14). Conversely, Macara Slobodian reported that Winnipeg is experiencing significantly warmer conditions at 29 degrees Celsius, with high humidity and wind gusts reaching 37 kilometers per hour. Macara Slobodian noted that these high temperatures have persisted since early in the week, with clouds expected to provide some relief on Sunday (00:08:42).
Review of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: The hosts discussed their current reading, Jules Verne’s *20,000 Leagues Under the Sea* (00:09:31). Aliasgar Moosa noted interest in the historical context regarding waters and whales, while Macara Slobodian expressed appreciation for the nautical adventure themes and the author’s ability to shift the narrative from wonder and scientific curiosity to fear as the characters encounter the mysterious object (00:24:43) (00:33:09).
Challenges of Academic Reading: Aliasgar Moosa and Macara Slobodian reflected on the difficulties of reading assigned books in school, noting that testing requirements often hindered the ability to enjoy the material (00:26:15). Aliasgar Moosa shared struggles with reading comprehension during school years, while Macara Slobodian highlighted that interpretation and thematic analysis are often more important than word-for-word recall in academic settings (00:27:30).
Academic Interests and Independent Learning: Aliasgar Moosa highlighted successful past experiences in a broadcasting course and an information technology course (00:29:37). Both hosts emphasized that while formal education provides a foundation, much of their current knowledge is derived from independent learning and pursuing personal interests outside of a structured academic environment (00:30:54).
Strategies for Selecting Reading Material: Macara Slobodian explained that when choosing books for the show, the goal is to pick titles that spark meaningful conversation, prioritizing topics that are mutually intriguing rather than books one host might enjoy while the other does not (00:44:18). For panel discussions, they noted it is often easier to facilitate broad discussions because multiple participants bring different perspectives to the analysis (00:46:02).
Individual Reading Preferences: Regarding personal reading choices, Aliasgar Moosa noted a tendency to lean toward non-fiction, including topics like business, management, and biographies of political figures (00:39:41). Macara Slobodian acknowledged a preference for fiction, particularly nautical and adventure stories, though emphasized that they sometimes select books based on the potential to explore new subjects rather than sticking strictly to personal favorites (00:31:54) (00:42:57).
Initial Rating for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Before moving to scheduling updates, both hosts discussed their initial impressions of *20,000 Leagues Under the Sea*. They tentatively assigned the book a rating between three and five, with Macara Slobodian noting they would wait to finish the book before finalizing a score (00:47:20).

Upcoming Network Schedule: The hosts provided a schedule for upcoming programming, noting that Becky Coles will return at the end of July. The Books Panel will feature a discussion on *The Huntress* by Kate Quinn on June 26, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern. Additionally, a Techstravaganza workshop covering LibreOffice on Windows and the Mac is scheduled for June 3, 2026, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern (00:49:45). The Ali and Macara Show will air on June 7, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. Eastern to discuss *Alexander Graham Bell and the First Phone Call* by W. Bernard Carlson, followed by an episode on June 8, 2026, featuring Carrie Morales to discuss content creation, artificial intelligence in the workplace, and her experience using Android (00:51:01).

Listen to last night’s Books Panel at the following link: https://themoosaslobodiannetwork.ca/2026/05/29/anxiously-attached-friday-may-29-2026/

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