for_sv's blog

McDonald's Suspends Advertising On Hot 97

In America, the most powerful pressure comes from those that control economics.

R&R has learned that the fast-food chain's advertising was pulled from CHR/Rhythmic WQHT/New York on Tuesday. The decision was made in the wake of last week's controversial broadcasts that resulted in Emmis' suspending the entire Miss Jones Morning Show team. The controversy erupted over "The Tsunami Song" — a parody that made light of the recent tsunami tragedy in Southeast Asia — and racially charged comments made by team members before airing the song. Lauren Zacardi, a spokeswoman for MWW, the PR representative for McDonald's in the Tri-State area, says, "McDonald's did suspend advertising indefinitely until a big change is made at the station." She says the McDonald's Tri-State operators' group is aware that the morning show is off the air but hasn't decided whether that meets the standard for lifting the ad ban. Zacardi says McDonald's has been a longtime Hot 97 advertiser. Sprint previously confirmed to R&R that it has pulled its advertising from Hot 97 until further notice.

Posted by SV at 6:02:00 AM in World News | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Friday, Jan 28, 2005

Aerial Photography

Super-cool aerial photographs. Go to the "Portfolio" page and keep clicking through.

Posted by SV at 6:05:00 AM in Photography | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

NEWTON is not Newton

All the scientists die and go to heaven.

They decide to play hide-n-seek. Unfortunately Einstein is the one who has the den. He is supposed to count up to 100, and then start searching.

Everyone starts hiding except Newton.

Newton just draws a square of 1 meter and stands in it right in front of Einstein. Einstein counts 1,2,3......97,98,99.....100.

He opens his eyes and finds Newton standing in front. Einstein says "Newton's out. Newton's....out....."

Newton denies and says Newton is not out.

He claims that he is not Newton.

All the scientists come out to see how he proves that he is not Newton.

Newton says "I am standing in a square of area 1m squared. That makes me Newton per meter squared since a Newton per meter squared is one Pascal, I'm Pascal, therefore Pascal is OUT!!!!!!!!!"

Posted by SV at 6:00:00 AM in Fun, Humor | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Thursday, Jan 27, 2005

Google goes VoIP?

The Times has caught up on the rumour that Google is planning a Voice over Internet Protocol service:

The company behind the US-based internet search engine looks set to launch a free telephone service that links users via a broadband internet connection using a headset and home computer.

The technology that will enable Google to move in on the market has been around for some time. Software by the London-based company, Skype, has been downloaded nearly 54 million times around the world but no large telecommunication firms have properly exploited it.

BT, which connects seven out of ten British households, has developed its own internet-telephone service. However, the telephone giant, which has the most to lose if the new technology takes off, has been reluctant to promote it heavily.

But Google is "playing it cool", says VNUnet:

The rumours were fuelled when the company posted a job ad last week seeking a 'strategic negotiator' with experience in the "selection and negotiation of dark fibre contracts both in metropolitan areas and over long distances as part of the development of a global backbone network".

The notoriously secretive Googlists said "we are not aware of any moves to enter this arena", but that doesn't necessarily mean that there's not behind-the-scenes movement.

And nothing on the Googleblog, unsurprisingly.

Posted by SV at 6:08:00 AM in Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Twist in the Google browser saga

There have been long-standing rumours of a Google web browser, but the latest twist in the story is that the lead developer on Firefox, Ben Goodger, is now being paid by Google.

As of January 10, 2005, my source of income changed from The Mozilla Foundation to Google, Inc. of Mountain View, California. My role with Firefox and the Mozilla project will remain largely unchanged, I will continue doing much the same work as I have described above - with the new goal of successful 1.1, 1.5 and 2.0 releases.

I remain devoted full-time to the advancement of Firefox, the Mozilla platform and web browsing in general.

Add this to the "evidence" so far: (A Mozilla developer day at the Googleplex; the domain name gbrowser.com and the hiring of former IE builders.

Something's going on: is it Google simply protecting Mozilla from competitors, or is it a more complex situation?

Posted by SV at 6:03:00 AM in Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Wednesday, Jan 26, 2005

Disappearing Languages

Of the 6,000-odd languages in the world, one is said to disappear every fortnight. Should the English-speaking world care?

Somewhere on the remote Timor Sea coast of north Australia lives Patrick Nudjulu, one of three remaining speakers of Mati Ke.

It is problem enough that one of the other speakers doesn't live nearby and speaks a slightly different dialect. But the 60-year-old Aborigine also has to cope with the fact the other speaker is his sister - who traditional culture has forbidden him from speaking to since puberty.

Patrick's language then, is almost certainly going to die out. It's not the only one.

Continue reading...

Posted by SV at 6:04:00 AM in Info | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Tuesday, Jan 25, 2005

for all my Indian friends

Absolutely wonderful...

Ye degree bhi lelo ye naukri bhi lelo
Bhale cheen lo mujse US ka visa
Magar muzko lauta do college ki canteen
Vo kam chaay ka pani vo theekha samosaa
college ke canteen main hum sab the raja

vo kadi dhoop mein aapne ghar se niklna
vo project ke khatir shahar bhar bhatakna
vo lecture mein doston ki proxy lagaana
vo sir ko chidana, aeroplane udaana
vo submission ki raato ko jagna, jagaana
vo orals ki kahani vo lab-on ka kissa..

vo dusronke assignment ko apnaa bananaa
vo seminar ke din pairo ka chhtpatana
vo workshop mein din raaat pasina bahanaa
vo exam ke din ka baichain maahaul

par vo maa ka vishwas teacher ka bharosaa
college ki vo lambisi raatein
vo dosto se thele pe pyaari si baatein
vo gathering ke dinka ladna jhagadnaa

vo ladkiyon ka yuhin hamesha akadnaa
bhulaye nahi bhul saktahai koi
Jivan ka ek atoot hissa..
vo college ki yadein, vo college ke din...
Koi to lauta de mere college ke din...

Posted by SV at 6:18:00 AM in Reality | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)

Broken Engagement

Dear Marty,

I have been unable to sleep since I halted your engagement to my daughter. Will you forgive and forget?

I was much too sensitive about your Mohawk, tattoo and pierced nose. I now realize motorcycles aren't really that dangerous, and I really should not have reacted that way to the fact that you have never held a job.

I am also very sure that some other very nice people live under the bridge in the park. Sure my daughter is only 18 and wants to marry you instead of going to Harvard on full scholarship. After all, you can't learn everything about life from books.

I sometimes forget how backward I can be. I was wrong. I was a fool. I have now come to my senses and you have my full blessing to marry my daughter.

Sincerely,
Your future father-in-law.

P.S. Congratulations on winning the lottery!

Posted by SV at 6:05:00 AM in Humor | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Monday, Jan 24, 2005

Do you want to be a writer?

Do you want to be a writer? "Write as if you were dying. At the same time, assume you write for an audience consisting solely of terminal patients. That is, after all, the case. What would you begin writing if you knew you would die soon?... Every book has an intrinsic impossibility, which its writer discovers as soon as his first excitement dwindles. The problem is structural; it is insoluble; it is why no one can ever write this book. Complex stories, essays and poems have this problem, too -- the prohibitive structural defect the writer wishes he had never noticed. He writes it in spite of that." Luminous and wise writing advice from Annie Dillard, author of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, one of the most beautiful books written in the last hundred years (published when Dillard was 29).

Continue reading "Do you want to be a writer?"

Posted by SV at 6:03:00 AM in Info | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

Sunday, Jan 23, 2005

Green Diary

When you are exasperated by interruptions, try to remember that their very frequency may indicate the valuableness of your life. Only the people who are full of help and strength are burdened by other people's needs. The interruptions which we chafe at are the credentials of our indispensability. The greatest condemnation that anybody could incur - and it is a danger to guard against - is to be so independent, so unhelpful, that nobody ever interrupts us and we are left comfortably alone.

Posted by SV at 6:04:00 AM in Reality | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

The Rocky Flats Horror Picture Show

Ex-FBI agent charges feds with radioactive coverup at Rocky Flats
By Amanda Griscom Little 21 Jan 2005 in grist magazine

The plotline sounds as absurd as a made-for-TV movie: An FBI agent exposes deadly contamination at an old nuclear-weapons plant, but the federal government conceals the findings. Years later, Congress votes to convert the tract into a wildlife refuge and open it to school field trips and public recreation. The site becomes a poster child for eco-friendly nuclear-waste disposal -- with a dangerous radioactive secret lurking below the surface.

Fact, of course, can be stranger than fiction -- even bad Sunday-night-on-CBS fiction -- and former FBI agent Jon Lipsky is one of several insiders who say the above scenario is unfolding right beneath Uncle Sam's nose.

In 1989, Lipsky led an FBI raid on the Rocky Flats nuclear-weapons plant in Colorado after receiving reports that the plant posed a huge public-health threat. His raid, which took place over 18 days and
involved more than 100 FBI and EPA officials, gave way to a nearly three-year criminal investigation into widespread radioactive contamination of the air, water, and soil at the 6,240-acre site and the surrounding suburbs of nearby Denver.

The raid prompted the Department of Justice to assemble a special grand jury to investigate the evidence against U.S government officials and Rockwell International, the private defense contractor that managed Rocky Flats from 1975 to 1989 on behalf of the Department of Energy. Rockwell pleaded guilty to certain counts of negligence and paid a fine, but never fessed up to the full extent of the crimes Lipsky says he witnessed. The case was settled with a plea bargain agreement, and the Department of Justice sealed the contamination evidence from the public.

Next month, Lipsky will be party to a lawsuit against DOJ in conjunction with Wes McKinley, the former leader of the Rocky Flats grand jury, and Jacque Brever, a former chemical operator at the plant who suffers from radiation exposure, in an effort to unseal the documents.

The plaintiffs are concerned, in particular, about a 2001 congressional decision to turn Rocky Flats into a wildlife refuge, which may have as many as 16 miles of trails for hiking and horseback riding. On Dec. 31, Lipsky retired early from the FBI to protest the agency's orders that he keep mum about the Rocky Flats controversy. "I left so I could help expose the truth," he told Muckraker. "Without the truth there can be no real understanding of the extent of this environmental crime, and there can be no thorough cleanup."

Lipsky describes the DOE's ongoing cleanup effort at the nuke site, scheduled to be completed by 2006, as "woefully inadequate -- a farce." As for the decision to make Rocky Flats a tourist destination, he said, "There is nothing safe or sane about it."

Before the vote on the Rocky Flats designation, Lipsky wrote an open letter to Congress putting his objections in no uncertain terms: "I am an FBI agent. My superiors have ordered me to lie about a criminal investigation I headed in 1989. The Justice Department covered up the truth ... I have refused to follow the orders ... Some dangerous decisions are now being made based on that government cover-up."

He exhorted members of Congress to read the book The Ambushed Grand Jury, a chronicle of the cover-up by Colorado lawyer Caron Balkany, who is representing Lipsky et al. in their lawsuit, and McKinley, the former grand-jury member, who was just elected to the Colorado state legislature.

The DOE dismisses Lipsky's charges as bunk. Department spokesperson Karen Lutz flatly denies that there's anything to be concerned about. "Our Rocky Flats cleanup effort has been going on for 15 years, and the whole time it has been meticulous, thorough, and transparent, with full community participation. We've had this under a microscope -- the oversight has been incredibly vigilant. There is nothing legitimate about these allegations." The Department of Justice did not respond to Muckraker's request for comment.

The critics counter that DOE wanted to keep the public in the dark to cut corners on cost, not to mention protect itself from criticism for environmental negligence. The department allocated $7 billion to the cleanup, a sum initially criticized as far too low to enable a thorough job. And less than 8 percent of the allocated sum is even being used to decontaminate the site, the plaintiffs say; the rest is going to administrative costs and decommissioning the plant.

Former Rocky Flats employee Jacque Brever, who claims to have read more than 16,000 documents on the cleanup, told Muckraker that the effort is "so bad you wouldn't even believe it." She said several fields and hillsides that had been dumping grounds for toxic and radioactive wastes have been excluded from the cleanup. Additionally, she said, the sampling techniques for determining contamination levels are misleading, and the standards for soil and water purification are weak.

"There is no question in my mind that the grounds are still hot [radioactive] at that site, and will be for a long time," she said. "That plant was spewing radioactive ash and effluent for nearly 40 years. We dumped radioactive stuff in areas they're not even looking at. We buried drums that corroded underground, and they're looking only at the surface of the soil." Brever worked at the plant for 10 years and her fiancé for 19 years. Both spent most of their careers in "hot" areas of the facility where they were directly exposed to plutonium. Brever now has thyroid cancer and her fiancé has a rare form of eye cancer, both illnesses associated with long-term exposure to radioactivity. They haven't been able to get financial compensation for their medical treatment, she said, because some key records pertaining to their exposure have been suppressed. "We're having difficulty proving our case. That's why we're taking it to the courts -- to get the rest of our records released."

The effort to transform Rocky Flats into a wildlife refuge was lead by Colorado Rep. Mark Udall (D) and Colorado Sen. Wayne Allard (R). But at the time, says Lipsky, Udall and Allard, like everyone else, didn't have access to all the facts. "Congress didn't know that there was midnight plutonium burning. Congress didn't know that there was extensive offsite contamination. Congress didn't know the site had an irrigation system that dispersed radioactive liquid from the holding ponds throughout the surrounding fields to skirt discharge constraints."

McKinley has announced that he will introduce a bill in the Colorado legislature that would require officials at the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge to warn visitors of the site's past. "People shouldn't visit a so-called park that for half a century has been a radioactive waste dump without knowing about the malfeasance that happened there," he said. "You get warning labels on hot coffee, why shouldn't you be warned that you could be walking on 'hot' ground?"

What concerns attorney Balkany the most is that the Rocky Flats cleanup could be used to fuel the myth that nuclear waste can be safely handled. "I believe the main goal of the DOJ and the nuke industry at Rocky Flats is greenwashing. It helps both nuclear power and the nuclear-weapons industries to convince people that industries and government can deal with their waste in a safe way," she said.

This could be of particular interest to the Bush administration, given that just last week, in President Bush's first newspaper interview since his reelection, he told The Wall Street Journal of his hopes to spark a nuclear-power renaissance, glorifying nuclear power in ways that many would deem delusional: "I believe nuclear power answers a lot of our issues," he said. "It certainly answers the environmental issue." He later added: "It's a renewable source of energy." Who's ever heard of renewable energy that creates cancer-causing waste?

"Just watch," said Brever. "They're going to hold up Rocky Flats as the nuclear-waste success story, the flagship. It's going to happen all over the country: Washington is going to make nuclear-waste dumps into plutonium playgrounds."

January 22, 2005 in World News | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Top 12 Funniest Newspaper Classifieds

(Actual excerpts from classified sections of city newspapers)

1. Illiterate? Write today for free help.
2. Our experienced Mom will care for your child. Fenced yard, meals, and smacks included.
3. Auto Repair Service. Free pick-up and delivery. Try us once; you'll never go anywhere again.
4. 3-year old teacher needed for pre-school. Experience preferred.
5. Wanted. Widower with school age children requires person to assume general housekeeping duties. Must be capable of contributing to growth of family.
6. Used Cars: Why go elsewhere to be cheated. Come here first.
7. Dog for sale: eats anything and is fond of children.
8. Man wanted to work in dynamite factory. Must be willing to travel.
9. For sale: antique desk suitable for lady with thick legs and large drawers.
10. Tired of cleaning yourself. Let me do it.
11. Wanted. Man to take care of cow that does not smoke or drink.
12. We do not tear your clothing with machinery. We do it carefully by hand.

January 22, 2005 in Humor | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

January 21, 2005

Nutrition Data

NutritionData.com is a free and very useful website for detailed nutrition information, including the in-vogue Glycemic Index; their own Fullness Factor, a measure of how filling foods are per calorie; and others. Their Better Choices Diet makes use of the Fullness Factor to make consuming less energy than you use easier to do without going hungry.

January 21, 2005 in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

January 20, 2005

Pure Entrepreneurs

Boston Globe has an article by Scott Kirsner:

Pure entrepreneurs are loopy and obsessed. They have a vision of the future, and while others are casting their lines into the water to see what will bite, pure entrepreneurs are jumping over the gunwales and swimming after the white whale.

Pure entrepreneurship, by my definition, is often driven by a belief that a major shift is coming -- and thus it's hard to find customers who already understand that they need the product a pure entrepreneur is developing.

Pure entrepreneurship is often a solo enterprise, funded by credit cards, consulting projects, and second mortgages. It sparks revolutions and spawns big companies.

''Something just clicks, and you say, 'This is worth doing, and I think other people will be interested,' " Dan Bricklin says. ''It hits you that there's a need, and that pursuing it is worth the risk."

January 20, 2005 in Info | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Fractal Maze

Fractal Maze, one of the most evil puzzles I have ever encountered. It's documented briefly at mathpuzzle.com (scroll down a bit), which also features a smaller fractal maze.

January 20, 2005 in Fun, Games | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 19, 2005

Exploding the Self-Esteem Myth

Boosting people's sense of self-worth has become a national preoccupation. Yet surprisingly, research shows that such efforts are of little value in fostering academic progress or preventing undesirable behavior.

People intuitively recognize the importance of self-esteem to their psychological health, so it isn't particularly remarkable that most of us try to protect and enhance it in ourselves whenever possible. What is remarkable is that attention to self-esteem has become a communal concern, at least for Americans, who see a favorable opinion of oneself as the central psychological source from which all manner of positive outcomes spring. The corollary, that low self-esteem lies at the root of individual and thus societal problems and dysfunctions, has sustained an ambitious social agenda for decades. Indeed, campaigns to raise people's sense of self-worth abound.

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Some findings even suggest that artificially boosting self-esteem may lower subsequent academic performance.

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Read

January 19, 2005 in Info | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

January 18, 2005

The Ballerina Gallery

To the uninitiated, the world of ballet is a highbrow yawn-inspiring, tutu-laden spectacle of monumental insipidness. But Philistines of the world, unite with us in a newfound appreciation of this art form and the lithe women who practice it. From the legendary Anna Pavlova to dancers known only to balletomanes, these women display remarkable flexibility, athleticism, and grace. Then consider who could possibly fill Margot Fonteyn's well-worn size 4 shoes. In this enormous collection of photos, Jorgen Wilhelmsson has created a glorious homage to the ballerinas of yesterday and today. But as impressive as the collection is, it pales when compared to the talent and beauty of the women it celebrates.

January 18, 2005 in Art | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

January 17, 2005

Cover-Ups

Exposing "The Man's" cover-ups has long been an obsession of conspiracy theorists. Whether they're insisting the Apollo moon landings were staged or agonizing over how Small Wonder ever got the green light, this is a group that definitely takes its media coverage with a grain (or two) of salt. Cover-Ups.com allows like-minded seekers of "truth" a chance to pull back the curtain on history's more infamous conspiracies. All the classic questions are pondered: Was Big Foot a giant, furry beast or just a wandering woodsman with an aversion to photographers? Does Area 51 really house the bodies of little green men? And while we're at it, who the heck killed JFK? The site even has a section dedicated to that friend of the working man, Jimmy Hoffa -- a fella whose unsolved disappearance is still making news 28 years later. An ideal site for those who imagine they're not getting the whole story, Cover-Ups.com encourages you to indulge your suspicious side.

January 17, 2005 in History | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

FATAL CROSSROADS: A Novel of Vietnam 1945

As a child in Bombay, India I enjoyed reading international newspapers at the library. Initially it was just a desire to know what is happening in the far away land. One name that kept coming over and over again was Seymour Topping. I must have read every article of his which I could find. To me New York Times became a great newspaper when Seymour Topping joined them.

Seymour Topping has devoted much of his fifty years in journalism to covering Vietnam and China as a correspondent and editor. He became the first American correspondent to be stationed in Vietnam after World War II when in 1950 after reporting the Chinese civil war for three years he opened the Associated Press bureau in Saigon. Following two years of roaming Indochina and traveling with the French Foreign Legion along the China border, he went to posts in London and Berlin. He joined the New York Times in 1959 and after three years in Moscow as chief correspondent became Chief Correspondent Southeast Asia. He was appointed Foreign Editor in 1969 serving later as Managing Editor for ten years. He was the Administrator of the Pulitzer Prizes and is now SanPaolo Professor Emeritus of International Journalism at Columbia University and lives with his wife, Audrey, a photojournalist, in Scarsdale, New York. He has written three fiction books so far.

Today I am lucky to know the Toppings personally and to be invited for his book party of “FATAL CROSSROADS: A Novel of Vietnam 1945”. It is an historical novel and except for the story characters is historically accurate. To me this book is especially interesting to read since I can draw similarities with the current situation in Iraq.

I can proudly say that like Walter Cronkite, U.S. Broadcast Journalist, Neil Sheehan, Pulitzer Prize author, A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam, Henry F. Graff, Historian and editor, History of the Presidents, A.J. Langguth, author, Our Vietnam, David Phillips, Council on foreign relations, Dr. Andrew Economos, Chairman of RCS and many more; I know Seymour Topping and am a fan of his.

I wish the world would learn a lesson from history and from Mr. Seymour Topping!

Fatal Crossroads: A Novel of Vietnam 1945 by Seymour Topping

January 14, 2005 in Columnists, History | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack

January 13, 2005

Parachuting to Titan

Get ready for two of the strangest hours in the history of space exploration. Two hours. That's how long it will take the European Space Agency's Huygens probe to parachute to the surface of Titan on January 14th. Descending through thick orange clouds, Huygens will taste Titan’s atmosphere, measure its wind and rain, listen for alien sounds and, when the clouds part, start taking pictures. No one knows what the photos will reveal. Icy mountains? Liquid methane seas? Hot lightning? "It's anyone's guess," says Jonathan Lunine, a professor of planetary science at the University of Arizona and a member of the Huygens science team. "We might not even understand what we see, not immediately."

Such is Titan--the biggest mystery in the solar system.

Astronomers have been watching Titan, Saturn's largest moon, for centuries. What's down there? No one knows, but it's bound to be strange. Get ready.

January 13, 2005 in Tech/Science | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 12, 2005

Vietnam: Journeys of Body, Mind, and Spirit

From exuberantly flavored pho noodles to flowing ao dai dresses and festive New Year celebrations, the colorful culture of Vietnam has slowly become part of mainstream America. This American Museum of Natural History exhibit travels to the ancestral land of Vietnamese Americans to focus on journeys that embody their rich heritage. Start at the bustling marketplace where zesty, effortless cuisine reigns supreme. Walk along dusty village streets and see how the global demand for exotic ceramics, Hmong textiles, and intricate baskets affect the pace of villagers' lives. Local gods and heroes are revered -- the Gia festival honors a hero, while the Chuy Thay festival commemorates the water puppet tradition. Marriage and death rites vary by region, and mystical shamans are still active today. With more than 80 million residents and 50 ethnic groups, the country proudly faces the future while remembering the past.

January 12, 2005 in Info | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

THE PROMISE (a true story)

'How long will you be poring over that newspaper? Will you come here right away and make your darling daughter eat her food?' I tossed the paper away and rushed to the scene. My only daughter Sindu looked frightened. Tears were welling up in her eyes. In front of her was a bowl filled to its brim with Curd Rice. Sindu is a nice child, quite intelligent for her age. She has just turned eight. She particularly detested Curd Rice. My mother and my wife are orthodox, and believe firmly in the 'cooling effects' of Curd Rice!

I cleared my throat, and picked up the bowl. "Sindu, darling, why don't you take a few mouthful of this Curd Rice? Just for Dad's sake, dear. And, if you don't, your Mom will shout at me' I could sense my wife's scowl behind my back. Sindu softened a bit, and wiped her tears with the back of her hands. 'OK, Dad. I will eat - not just a few mouthfuls, but the whole lot of this. But, you should...' Sindu hesitated, 'Dad, if I eat this entire Curd Rice, will you give me whatever I ask for?'

'Oh sure, darling'.

'Promise?'

'Promise'. I covered the pink soft hand extended by my daughter with mine, and clinched the deal.

'Ask Mom also to give a similar promise', my daughter insisted. My wife slapped her hand on Sindu's, muttering 'Promise', without any emotion.

Now I became a bit anxious. 'Sindumma, you shouldn't insist on getting a computer or any such expensive items. Dad does not have that kind of money right now. OK?'

'No, Dad. I do not want anything expensive'. Slowly and painfully, she finished eating the whole quantity.

I was silently angry with my wife and my mother for forcing my child eat something that she detested. After the ordeal was through, Sindu came to me with her eyes wide with expectation. All our attention was on her.

'Dad, I want to have my head shaved off, this Sunday!' was her demand!

'Atrocious!' shouted my wife, 'a girl child having her head shaved off?

Impossible!'.

'Never in our family!' my mother rasped. 'She has been watching too much of television. Our culture is getting totally spoiled with these TV programs!'

'Sindumma, why don't you ask for something else? We will be sad seeing you with a clean-shaven head.'

'No, Dad. I do not want anything else', Sindu said with finality.

'Please, Sindu, why don't you try to understand our feelings?' I tried to plead with her.

'Dad, you saw how difficult it was for me to eat that Curd Rice'. Sindu was in tears. 'And you promised to grant me whatever I ask for. Now, you are going back on your words. Was it not you who told me the story of King Harishchandra, and its moral that we should honor our promises no matter what?' It was time for me to call the shots. 'Our promise must be kept.'

'Are you out your mind?' chorused my mother and wife.

'No. If we go back on our promises, she will never learn to honor her own. Sindu, your wish will be fulfilled.'

With her head clean-shaven, Sindu had a round-face, and her eyes looked big & beautiful On Monday morning, I dropped her at her school. It was a sight to watch my hairless Sindu walking towards her classroom. She turned around and waved.

I waved back with a smile. Just then, a boy alighted from a car, and shouted, 'Sinduja, please wait for me!'

What struck me was the hairless head of that boy.

'May be, that is the in-stuff', I thought.

'Sir, your daughter Sinduja is great indeed!'

Without introducing herself, a lady got out of the car, and continued, 'That boy who is walking along with your daughter is my son Harish. He is suffering from ... ... leukemia.'

She paused to muffle her sobs. 'Harish could not attend the school for the whole of the last month. He lost all his hair due to the side effects of the chemotherapy. He refused to come back to school fearing the unintentional but cruel teasing of the schoolmates. Sinduja visited him last week, and promised him that she will take care of the teasing issue.

But, I never imagined she would sacrifice her lovely hair for the sake of my son! Sir, you and your wife are blessed to have such a noble soul as your daughter.'

I stood transfixed. And then, I wept. 'My little Angel, will you grant me a boon? Should there be another birth for me, will you be my mother, and teach me what Love is?'

January 12, 2005 in Reality | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack

January 11, 2005

Human Ad Space!

Read eBay at it's best.

Do you think this is a right thing to do?

January 11, 2005 in Info | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack

safe computing

Let's start off the New Year by getting our systems free of the accumulated junk that various malware programs have left on them. And it is nice that the fruit of the acquisition of Giant Software by Microsoft (I know, it sounds like a redundant joke) is finally in evidence: last week, Microsoft released its first beta of its very own spyware removal tool.

I have following on my computer and am hoping am secure.

- Spyware Doctor from PCTOOLS (best so far)
- Ad-Aware SE Personal from Lavasoft
- SpyBot
- SpywareBlaster from Java Cool Software
and now Microsoft's AntiSpyware.

January 11, 2005 in Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 10, 2005

Snafu University

​ ​​​​If you feel that there's a special circle of hell reserved for the people responsible for creating the lengthy college admissions process, Snafu University is the school for you. It's got all the essential elements of an ideal college experience, with none of the lofty standards. Emphasis on higher learning? Check. Dean Dean and the diverse faculty at Snafu pride themselves on believing that academics come first. Sports teams for the athletically inclined? Naturally. Join the varsity marbles squad or the intramural wheelbarrow-racing club. A totally hoppin' social scene? But of course. The list of extracurricular activities offers something for everyone from Tetris enthusiasts to Vegans for Violence. So go ahead and download their pre-approved online application. Not a single personal statement essay in sight.

January 10, 2005 in Humor, Info | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

January 09, 2005

Andy Goldsworthy

A new kind of poetry is created when Andy Goldsworthy works with stone, wood and water — our world never looks quite the same again.

Goldsworthy regards all his creations as temporary. He photographs each piece once right after he makes it. His goal is to understand nature by directly participating in nature as intimately as he can. He generally works with whatever he notices: twigs, leaves, stones, snow and ice, reeds and thorns.

I like all his work but one of my favorites is 'Wall'. Come walk alongside Andy Goldsworthy's extraordinary Storm King Wall. Created over a two-year period, the 2,278-foot-long site-specific sculpture was made using stones gathered from the Art Center property. The first part of the wall weaves in and out of trees, following and extending the path of an old stone wall that had existed previously on the site, meandering downhill to a nearby pond. The wall's second section emerges out from the other side of the pond, continuing its westward "walk" uphill. According to historical maps, another wall originally existed in this vicinity, but its remnants are gone. The wall's full extension physically links disparate areas of the property, from the trail overlooking Moodna creek to the south fields and the western border.

January 9, 2005 in Art, Books, Photography | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Rock On, Rock On: The Balancing Art of Bill Dan

To those of us who find it impossible to balance a teaspoon on a saucer, Bill Dan is a man of awe-inspiring skill. Somehow and for some reason, he balances rock upon rock upon rock in a gravity-defying display of virtuosity. Watch as he carefully places the tiniest point of one rock on the roundest surface of another. Bill works on the shores of San Francisco, where an occasional seagull threatens the equilibrium of his creations. But balancing rocks isn't restricted to the water's edge of northern California -- it's a worldwide phenomenon, with new practitioners joining the ranks every day. If you're inspired to try a little stone stacking yourself, Bill offers this helpful advice, "Try to place a bigger rock at the bottom."

January 9, 2005 in Art | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Top 10 bizarre e-mailed stories of 2004.

CNN has its list of Top 10 bizarre e-mailed stories of 2004. The number one story:

"Bear guzzles 36 beers, passes out at campground" (August 18)

Campground workers at the Baker Lake Resort on Washington State's Puget Sound were surprised to find a black bear passed out and surrounded by three dozen beer cans. The animal had swiped the suds from campers' coolers and seemed to take a liking to the local brew, Rainier Beer.

The bear was chased away only to return the next day, presumably looking for more beer. Wildlife agents captured the bear using honey, doughnuts and beer for bait.

January 8, 2005 in Humor | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Yum Ice cream

Ice cream flavors are not what they used to be. A few years ago, in Nice France, I experienced tasting lavender, and violet flavored ice cream, the wonderful flavors just blew me away. Later on in San Francisco, I found a wonderful Indian ice cream parlor, and fell in love with the cardamom, and rose flavors. When my travels take me back to Japan, I think I will try to avoid some of these incredibly strange ice cream flavors.

January 8, 2005 in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The Clueless Top 20

1. "How can I ..." (17,700,000 pages in Google)
2. "I don't really know." (764,000)


3. "What do I know." (399,000)


4. "What does it take to ..." (375,000)


5. "Does anyone know how to ..." (344,000)


6. "I wish I knew ..." (350,000)


7. "I don't have a clue." (132,000)


8. "If I knew how." (61,200)


9. "If only I knew." (42,400 )


10. "I still don't get it." (37,300)


11. "I forgot how to ..." (29,000)


12. "OK, but how?" (24,800")


13. "I really don't get it." (11,700)


14. "I'm totally lost." (11,400)


15. "Could someone help me with ..." (10,700)


16. "I don't have the slightest idea." (9,500)


17. "I'm desperate to find out." (694)


18. "I'm braindead now." (67)


19. "This puzzles me too." (60)


20. "I'm completely, totally lost." (10)

January 8, 2005 in Reality | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

January 07, 2005

Medieval Mystery

Medieval Mystery

This clever exhibit, sponsored by several museums in the U.S. and Europe, examines a group of eerily similar fifteenth-century paintings from the Netherlands. All of them feature a familiar pose: a beatific virgin gazing down at her lap-bound infant Messiah. In all four paintings, her head is tilted just so, her pinkie extends at just the right angle, even the folds of her dress are identical. Only the backgrounds are different. Sensibly enough, in 1926 a German art historian declared them the work of one artist, the "Master of Embroidered Foliage." But were they? Follow a detailed analysis of the four paintings, from pigment to pinkie, and see why today's curators have a different opinion.

January 7, 2005 in Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 06, 2005

Atanu Dey

I am a great fan of Dr. Dey's musings as he calls them. Below is an excerpt from his blog (reproduced with his permission).

I am an equal opportunity offender. I do not discriminate. If I see something rotten in the state of Denmark, I say it. When I see something rotten in my motherland (India, and there is a heck of a lot of rotten stuff here), I say it. It may offend patriotic Indians but that is an occupational hazard of being a patriot. So also, despite all my love for many things that the US is responsible for, when I note the horrors that US foreign policy inflicts on the weak, I am offended. I am offended not as an Indian or as an American (having lived for over 20 years in the US, I am well aware of how much American is in me), but as a human. Living in a place far away (in every sense of the term) from one's land of birth should cure anyone of the myopia common to most people which imprisons them within a parochial chauvinism. It is to that myopic viewpoint that I will address myself in this bit.

Why, some have asked me, do I always appear to criticize India and many things Indian? The reason is simple: I was born in India and I have very strong emotional attachments to the land of my ancestors. In some sense, you may even say that I love this place—however much I would like to say that this place is not very lovable. I care about what happens in here, I care about how the people of India live, I care about how India affects the world, I care about how India is perceived by others. I care about India in the same sense that I care about my friends and family. That immediately gives me the right to tell them where they screwed up and the responsibility to help them with their misfortunes. I will be fairly content to see a stranger screw up perhaps, but I will be damned if I will stand by and watch impassively my best friend behave like an idiot.

With maturity comes the realization that one is not just an Indian, or an Indian with a bit of American thrown in, but that one is a member of the extended human family. For convenience and tradition, that great family has been fragmented into so many warring groups. But in the end, we all are pretty much members of one big unhappy family. Some of us have more money, or are more educated, or have different pigmentation. But seen from a sufficiently far remove, we are fairly indistinguishable. We have the same hopes and aspirations, fears and longings, desires and dreams. Our station in life is dictated by a random draw that was made by forces beyond our imagination even, leave alone our control.

Each of us is like the turtle on top of a ten-foot pole: it did not get there by itself. Someone else put it up there. Can we really take any justifiable pride in being where we are? Do we inherit some merit because someone who lived in the same geographic area centuries ago did something great? What does it mean to say that a certain discovery was made by Einstein and therefore the average Jew feels somehow privileged for being a Jew? Or that the Buddha was born in the Indian subcontinent and gained enlightened in Bodh Gaya and therefore all present day residents of that land have reason to be proud of that fact?

As I see it, fundamentally, I neither inherit merit nor blame for what others who I claim kinship with have done or not done. But if one must, for whatever reason, inherit stuff, I think that one must expand one's kinship relationship to include the whole of humanity and become responsible for the entire bundle—the good and the bad. What I am objecting to is two-fold: first, the notion of defining one's kinship restrictively. Saying that I am an American and I will take pride in only American stuff. Second, selectively defining what one would like to inherit. I am an American and I am proud of all the great stuff that Americans have done. I reject that sort of parochial myopic hubris.

continue reading...

January 6, 2005 in Reality | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 05, 2005

Infrasound animals

"Infrasonic Symphony" Intrigued by reports of tsunami-avoidance behavior in Sri Lankan wildlife? Science News offers a timely antidote to simplistic mumbo-jumbo about the "mythical power" of animal earthquake detection with a detailed look at the latest research into low-frequency sound. The Elephant Listening Project is particularly interested in elephant rumblings that produce Rayleigh waves. "Mammals, birds, insects, and spiders can detect Rayleigh waves," notes The Explainer. "Most can feel the movement in their bodies, although some, like snakes and salamanders, put their ears to the ground in order to perceive it."

January 5, 2005 in Tech/Science | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

January 04, 2005

Andy Borowitz: pep rally shocker

IN EFFORT TO DEMORALIZE ENEMY, RUMSFELD HOLDS PEP RALLY FOR INSURGENTS by Andy Borowitz

"Charmless Offensive" Begins

In a bold attempt to undermine the insurgency prior to the Iraqi elections this month, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld hosted what was described as a "pep rally" for insurgents in Baghdad today, leaving most terrorists in attendance "totally demoralized," observers said.

With just four weeks remaining before the January 30 vote, the White House reasoned that Mr. Rumsfeld's ability to alienate and discourage large numbers of people with his curt responses and brusque manner could be a powerful weapon to attack and possibly destroy the insurgency altogether.

Over the past few weeks, U.S. planes dropped leaflets over insurgent-controlled areas in Iraq announcing today's meeting with Secretary Rumsfeld, which was billed as "a pep rally and Q & A session for all Iraqi insurgents."

At the rally today, Mr. Rumsfeld wasted no time launching into what aides called a "charmless offensive" designed to leave the insurgents feeling thoroughly discouraged.

When asked about the ragtag condition of some of the insurgent units, Mr. Rumsfeld shrugged and said, "You wage an insurgency with the terrorists you have, not the terrorists you might want."

After giving similarly dismissive responses to a handful of questions, Mr. Rumsfeld worked the crowd in a cursory way, stopping to give several insurgents his autograph with an autopen.

"Before Rumsfeld started speaking, I was dedicated to the insurgency," said terrorist Maysaloun Salim, 27. "Now I have lost the will to live."

Elsewhere, the Food and Drug Administration announced today that anyone who has taken any kind of pill in the last five years will die by the end of this week.

January 4, 2005 in Columnists, Humor | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

More than one way to help...

Global aid organisations have launched urgent appeals for donations to help survivors of Sunday's Indian Ocean earthquake disaster.

Check the complete list.

January 4, 2005 in Info | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

50 Things to Eat Before You Die.

Check it out.

January 4, 2005 in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

January 03, 2005

A Precious Case from Middle Earth

The latest issue of The British Medical Journal has a case report on Smeagol, aka "Gollum". Among their conclusions,

"He fulfils seven of the nine criteria for schizoid personality disorder (ICD F60.1), and, if we must label Gollum's problems, we believe that this is the most likely diagnosis... He is hypervigilant and does not seem to need much sleep. This, accompanied by his bulging eyes and weight loss, suggests hyperthyroidism."

Of course, it could also be the effect of the One Ring, something not yet included in the current ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases) codes.

January 3, 2005 in Humor | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

More medical humor:

Notes from actual patient medical records.

1. The patient refused autopsy.
2. The patient has no previous history of suicides.
3. Patient has left white blood cells at another hospital.
4. Patient's medical history has been remarkably insignificant with only a 40 pound weight gain in the past three days.
5. She has no rigors or shaking chills, but her husband states she was very hot in bed last night.
6. Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year.
7. On the second day the knee was better, and on the third day it disappeared.
8. The patient is tearful and crying constantly. She also appears to be depressed.
9. The patient has been depressed since she began seeing me in 1993.
10. Discharge status: Alive but without my permission.
11. Healthy appearing decrepit 69-year old male, mentally alert but forgetful.
12. Patient had waffles for breakfast and anorexia for lunch.
13. She is numb from her toes down.
14. While in ER, she was examined, x-rated and sent home.
15. The skin was moist and dry.
16. Occasional, constant infrequent headaches.
17. Patient was alert and unresponsive.
18. Rectal examination revealed a normal size thyroid.
19. She stated that she had been constipated for most of her life, until she got a divorce.
20. I saw your patient today, who is still under our car for physical therapy.
21. Both breasts are equal and reactive to light and accommodation.
22. Examination of genitalia reveals that he is circus sized.
23. The lab test indicated abnormal lover function.
24. Skin: somewhat pale but present.
25. The pelvic exam will be done later on this floor.
26. Large brown stool ambulating in the hall.
27. Patient has two teenage children, but no other abnormalities.

January 3, 2005 in Humor | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

January 02, 2005

The Great Auto Race of 1908

​ ​​​​Imagine driving in an auto race from New York to Paris in 1908, when horses were considered more reliable than cars. The Great Auto Race began in the bitter cold of winter and traveled westward to Alaska, across the Pacific Ocean to Siberia, then on to Paris; traversing areas where roads were rare. Competing teams from around the globe included France, Germany, Italy, and the United States. George Schuster Sr. from Buffalo, N.Y., won the race and still holds the world record. Follow the American Thomas Flyer on its winning journey across more than 22,000 miles and three continents in 169 days. Learn about the restoration of the Flyer in 1964, with the help of a 92-year-old George Schuster. Then sit back and enjoy the highlight of this site -- its video collection. Stay tuned for the centennial celebration in 2008.

January 2, 2005 in History | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 01, 2005

2004 Raised the "Bar" for Animal Protection Victories in the Nation's Courts

WASHINGTON (December 30, 2004) – As 2004 comes to a close, animal advocates are celebrating a historic year for animals in the courts. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and The Fund for Animals, which plan to merge on January 1st and launch a new Animal Protection Litigation section, have just published an in-depth article about this year's numerous legal victories for animals, available on The HSUS's web site.

Some of the groups' courtroom accomplishments this year include:

• Open and Shut Cases Against Pro-Trapping Groups: An assault on laws banning the use of cruel traps, poisons, baiting, and hounding was stopped dead in its tracks by rulings in Washington state and California. Judges in both states ruled that the measures in place to protect wildlife and family pets were reasonable and sensible restrictions, and are entirely consistent with state and federal law.
• Something To Crow About:
  The Oklahoma Supreme Court, without dissent, affirmed the constitutionality of the state's ban on cruel and barbaric cockfighting. Cockfighters had appealed the decision all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which declined to even consider their arguments.
  
• Bear This In Mind:
  The Supreme Court of New Jersey issued a unanimous decision to cancel the state's bear hunt just four days before it was scheduled to begin. Relying on scientific and legal arguments previously presented to the state by The Fund for Animals and The HSUS, the Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling directing the state to issue bear hunting permits, and prohibited bear hunting throughout the state.
• Getting the Lions' Share:
  The Fund for Animals, The HSUS, and six other animal protection and conservation organizations reached a settlement with the federal government in a suit challenging the killing of mountain lions to "study" the impact of those killings on bighorn sheep in the Four Peaks Wilderness Area of the Tonto National Forest in southeastern Arizona. The settlement stops the killing of lions and ensures that the Forest Service will study the real threats to bighorn sheep, such as recreational hunting and off-road vehicle use.
  
• A Whale of a Victory:
  The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth District once again refused to modify its order prohibiting the Makah Indian tribe from hunting gray whales off the coast of Washington state, citing failure to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. This is the third time that the court has said no to whale hunting.
  
• Keeping Dolphins Safe:
  In August, The HSUS and several other groups won a major ruling from the federal district court in San Francisco, which blocked the U.S. Commerce Department's attempt to weaken the Dolphin Safe tuna labeling program. Finding the department's new rules unlawfully ignored scientific evidence showing that more dolphins would be killed under the rules, the judge issued an order prohibiting the use of Dolphin
  Safe labels on tuna products caught by setting nets on dolphins.

  
  "As good as 2004 was for animals in the courts, 2005 promises to be even better," said Wayne Pacelle, president of The HSUS. "Our new Animal Protection Litigation section will boast seven full-time attorneys who will tackle new cases and seek justice for animals, will serve as a training ground for the next generation of animal lawyers and law students, and will lay the foundation for implementation of new strategies to help farm animals, wildlife, and companion animals in the courts."

  January 1, 2005 in Reality | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack