Mike, the headless chicken

Mike, the headless chicken-
Mike, a chicken with head when
his head was severed, survived
as Mike, the headless chicken.

He ran around after his head was chopped,
as all headless chicken are supposed to do-
I haven't seen one, may be you have-
but then, unlike the others that
plopped down to be made into curry,
he preened and pecked with his neck:
surviving on food dropped down his slit throat
with an ink-filler.

He lived for eighteen more months

till one day,
he choked to death.

---

This poem was composed by 'zzz' and posted here by me. N.Balajhi

Ordinary people with ordinary virtues

We are ordinary people with ordinary virtues
and less than ordinary vices.
I don't expect to come up
with or against anything memorable.

For what I have here
is a semblance of life
which animates without informing.

---

This poem was composed by 'zzz' and posted here by me. N.Balajhi

In the air

"The air was saturated all the time with the smell of burning flesh."

Ibby Davidovich was put up at Auschwitz where she was provided with a soap made of fat scraped from the ovens in which her fellow prisoners had been burnt to death.

Seeing that her captives didn't have to do this- a cruel act which gave what pleasure I don't know how- it hardly seems possible to wish away evil as the handiwork of Maya or the supposed selective pressures suggested by evolutionary psychology

---

This post is made by me on behalf of 'zzz' . N.Balajhi

In an alternate universe...

In an alternate universe, where,

Microsoft is a dry cleaner at my street corner,

Google is yet another brand of noodles,

and Keane a household name-

I drive a Wipro,

sipping McAfee,

having found what to do

with the rest of my life.

March of the Penguins

What I don't remember seeing in The March of the Penguins, a perfect film that illustrates the perfect pointlessness of human endeavor, Julian Barnes writes about.

Apparently the penguins, after the long and arduous walk back from their wives left alone in the empty, icy wilderness with their eggs, come to the shore where something nasty happens.

Faced with the potential feed of fish they need to take home, and the predators that wait for them beneath the cold waters of the sea, they dawdle.

The penguins pace back and forth, I imagine, like anxious husbands in the gynaecology wards, where they imagine what pains their wives endure...

But my imagination cannot grasp this terrible aspect of fear and desire, and tricks of survival- for, as they jostle back and forth, pulled by desire and stopped by fear,

They shoulder the one that takes a step too far, the one that is perhaps somewhat foolhardy or greedy or just out of wits-

They shoulder him in
to test the waters!

The Scooter downstairs

A cat- black, tailless- warms its haunches
on the seat.

Crows stain it white
with their incessant droppings.

One of the three dogs,
the one with glazed eyes, that walks wary,
sniffs at the back wheel,
and territorizes it.

And the neighbour downstairs,
waters it every day with his hose
though it never grows.

The Reception

Can't put a finger on what I feel-
in this hall with mild a/c and muted lights,
a self-enclosed world with silk saris,
gold, glitter, suits and coats,
voices rising and falling into weary silence,
cheery laughter, demented screech of children,
and i feel an emptiness-
would like to dine and go back home-
and there they stand on the podium:
the bride and groom, like
two outsized dolls put
out on display.

Us- You, Me and This

Us- You, Me and This

I might write poetry if
we could make a deal that
along with metre and rhyme,
we dispense with reason.

That this is nothing serious,
that this need not make sense.

If you'll promise
you won't look for meaning,
a purpose, some significance,
in any of this.

(Or even something to  appreciate,
something that will make you happy,
bring you joy,
or move to tears.)

We might agree that all these words-
abstract, polysyllabic,
redolent with meaning-
they are all not that necessary
here.

That a sense of presence
is reason enough to be-
for us- you, me, this

IS IT MATRIMONY OR ACRIMONY?

I think it is a given that marriages are made between contrarian spirits, the wife always at the loggerheads with her husband, most of the time, in most of the marriages. May be it is to do with the fact that acrimony sounds like matrimony, don't know.

Well, as I said, I am reading "Nothing to be Frightened of", by Julian Barnes. Here's his grandparents:

"Grandpa, in his male armchair, deaf aid occasionally whistling and pipe making a hubble-bubble noise as he sucked on it, would shake his head over the Daily Express, which described to him a world whre truth and justice wre constantly imperilled by the Communist Threat. In here softer, female armchair- in the red corner - -Grandma would tut-tut aya over the Daily Worker, which described to her a world where truth and justice, in their updated versions, were constantly imperilled by Capitalism and Imperialism"

This gusty pair, not only reserved opposite positions for jousting about politics, but even found a way to make provision for future differences of opinions:

"My brother remembers ritual- never witnessed by me - which he called the Reading of the Diaries. Grandma and Grandpa each kept separate diaries, and of an evening would sometimes entertain themselves by reading out loud to one another what they had recorded on that very week several years previously. The entries were apparently of considerable banality but frequent disagreement. Grandpa: "Friday. Worked in garden. Planned potatoes." Grandma: "Nonsense. "Rained all day. Too wet to work in garden."

WAY TO GO

I am in the midst of "Nothing to be Frightened of", by Julian Barnes. He is my sort of writer. The book I am reading is purportedly about his life, but it is all about death. I like it.

To get an idea of the stuff that he writes, here is something:

"One of Montaigne's key instances is the story of Pomponius Atticus, a correspondent of Cicero's. When Atticus fell ill, and medical attempts to prolong his existence merely prolonged his pain, he decided that the best solution was to starve himself to death .No need to petition a court in those days, citing the terminal detorioration in your 'quality of life': Atticus, being a Free Ancient,merely informed his friends and family of his intention, then refused food and waited for the end. In this, he was much confounded. Miraculously, abstinence turned out to be the best cure for his (unnamed) condition; and soon, the sick man was undeniably on the mend. There was much rejoicing ad feasting; perhaps the doctors even withdrew their bills. But Atticus interrupted the merriment. Since we all must die one day, he announced, and since I have already made such fine strides in that direction, I have no desire to turn around now, only to start again another time. And so, to the admiring dismay of those around him, Atticus continued to refuse the food and went to his exemplary death."

Faviki- another Bookmarking site

Faviki

I am sure this place will get increasingly popular as days go by-it is a Bookmarking Site with a nifty bookmarklet: the best thing going for this is the feature of suggested tags: you can save your bookmarklets here and send it to Delicious or to Twitter.

Check this site.

I like the idea of it.

Wish them well.

Facially Troubling, Strange and Tasteless Gifts

This happened in the course of a hearing of a case involving the rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl-

"Only after the trial did defense counsel learn that there had been unreported ex parte contacts between the jury and the judge, that jurors and a bailiff had planned a reunion, and that “either during or immediately following the penalty phase, some jury members gave the trial judge chocolate shaped as male genitalia and the bailiff chocolate shaped as female breasts.”"

Executed Today, from whom I got this news- and the link- you can read more of this at Above the Law.

Kings of Africa

His Excellency OSEADEEYO ADDO DANKWA III
King of Akropong-Akuapem
Ghana

In case you feel like sniggering, let me tell you, King  OSEADEEYO ADDO DANKWA III is a graduate from the University of London and is an economic advisor for the Ghanaian administration- he is more intelligent than you and me taken together.

Please take a look at Design You Trust where you'll find more photos of greater and lesser princes.

via African Digital Art, shared by Glenna Gordon

Mass Appeal

This, after eight hours since Bill Gates made his first tweet:

Bill Gates (BillGates) on Twitter:

"* Name Bill Gates
* Location Seattle, WA
* Web http://www.gatesf...
* Bio Sharing cool things I'm learning through my foundation work and other interests...

40 Following 104,965 Followers 3,157 Listed

* 5Tweets"

Why is Bill Gates The Richest Man...

This should be very important if you are from where i am coming from- via Why Bill Gates is the Richest Man - A Astrological Review

Martin Luther King

via Dr Shock MD PhD

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. 

We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.

We cannot turn back.

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: "For Whites Only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. 

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.

Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,

From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.

Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.

Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that:

Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.

From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

                Free at last! Free at last!

                Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

via American Rhetoric

Booksneeze

I should thank Kartikey here for bringing an interesting site to my notice- Book sneeze.

Book sneeze has a catalog of books, and if you are a blogger, and choose to write a review of one of those books, let them know- they will send the book to you, free of cost. All that the people over at Book sneeze want you to do is that you should write a honest review of the book.

Sounds great, right?

Bookward ho!

All About Flies

If you are looking for interesting books to read, go to Abebook

Atlas of the Fleas (Siphonaptera) of Britain and Ireland
R.S. George

The Toothpick: Technology and Culture
Henry Petroski


via Weird Book Room

V.S.Ramachandran on a very difficult, almost impossible to think about, symptom, and more

My favourite intellectual: V.S. Ramachandran- TED Talk



via Body in Mind.

Post your secrets...

This is a great blog: just one page, no archives, updated every day: Post Secret.

Clever Octopus

This could happen only in cricket

Mahanama backs Harper in controversial decision | Cricket News | South Africa v England 2009/10 | Cricinfo.com:

"Smith was on 15 when he slashed at Ryan Sidebottom and England were convinced they heard an edge. Tony Hill, the on-field official, turned down the appeal and Andrew Strauss asked for a review. Harper upheld Hill's decision because he could not hear a sound on the replay, but it later emerged that he had not increased the volume setting on his monitor. This incensed Andy Flower, the England coach, but Mahanama said the right protocols were followed."

Smith went on to score 105, remember?

Mr. Gage, I presume?

“This is the bar that was shot through the head of Mr. Phinehas P. Gage”

Read more of this brilliant piece of work at Smithsonian.com

An unintended consequence of film piracy

This is one of the best posts I read recently:

"Méliès’s early shorts were often pirated abroad, and a lot of money was being lost in the American market in particular. After the Lubin company flooded that market with bootleg copies of a 1902 film, Méliès struck back by opening his own American distribution office. Separate negatives for the domestic and foreign markets were made by the simple expedient of placing two cameras side by side. The folks at Lobster realized that those cameras’ lenses happened to be about the same distance apart as 3D camera lenses. By taking prints from the two separate versions of a film, today’s restorers could create a simulated 3D copy!"

Read more about this at The Bioscope.

Struggling to keep up....

This is an interesting blog over here- CUTE THINGS FALLING ASLEEP

An interesting blog

An interesting blog: "Photos of Chantal Biya's Hair"

Photo Credit: Alessandro Bianchi / Reuters
Photo Origin: http://www.daylife.com/photo/0bRN8kYfLA1CB

Someone had to show them some spine!

Brave of Google to take on the Chinese-

Google, earlier today made a bold decision — it stopped censoring results on Google.cn, its Chinese destination. The decision, was a direct consequence of a sophisticated attack on its infrastructure as attempts were made to penetrate Gmail accounts of human rights activists. This will most certainly get the company banned from China and it is going to cost it hundreds of millions of dollars.
This is not only brave, but a very costly decision. According to estimates by J.P. Morgan, if the Chinese government bans the search giant, then Google could be walking away from about $600 million in 2010 revenues.

 via GigaOM

Spiderman is dead, this time, for real.

Sony overhauls 'Spider-Man' sequel; Raimi, Maguire out | Company Town | Los Angeles Times:

"A few days after Sony Pictures said it was postponing production on 'Spider-Man 4' because of creative concerns, the studio on Monday said it was sending the entire franchise in for a major overhaul without star Tobey Maguire or director Sam Raimi involved."

I can't imagine anyone but Toby Maguire as Spiderman. Honestly.

I might see the film though- Jojn Malkovich will be playing the villain, Vulture, reports express.co.uk, but I am sure no matter how good the film is, I won't enjoy it.

I'll be looking for Peter Parker.

You don't have to be a hero to be a hero

We've all heard of The Diary of Anne Frank, and it comes as a news to me, that Miep Gies, the woman who gave refuge to Anne Frank's family, lived to be hundred and died recently.

There's an excellent account of her life at Rev. Danny Fisher, and what caught my eye is these words at the end of the quoted news report:

"“I don’t want to be considered a hero,” she said in a 1997 online chat with schoolchildren.

“Imagine young people would grow up with the feeling that you have to be a hero to do your human duty. I am afraid nobody would ever help other people, because who is a hero? I was not. I was just an ordinary housewife and secretary.”"

Here we go- our news channels 24x7 forcing upon us phony heroes, and here is the real hero- reminding us that you don't have to be a hero to be a hero, it is enough to be a decent human being.

She is an inspiration, right?

Postscript: and while searching for the news report that said teens see parents as role models rather than celebs., I came across this winning entry at The Serbian Spectator- written by Alexander Tham, Class 7A- "Gandhi’s relevance in the 21st century", where I found this:

 "Gandhi didn’t win all the fights. Some of his ideas went wrong and didn’t work. But he always followed his truth and beliefs. Many people in many countries follow his ideas today."

 Now, that is original for a boy of fourteen, fifteen...

Good day for you.

mindfulness meditation

Mindfulness meditation as therapy in a case of depression:

"Mrs Andrews said that the course was like training to learn how to pay attention. ?It sums it up for me. Mindfulness means learning how to recognise what?s going on internally and externally. It is about learning to recognise that all these thoughts are barging in on me. But, rather than trying to shove them away or fight them, its about escorting them to one side and getting back to the breathing.

"I've got my medication down as low as it's ever been and I haven't had a major depression since doing the course. It's not that unpleasant feelings and stress don?t come, it's that I'm not engaging in them the way I used to."


via Times Online

In the comments cliff edwards writes, "I suffered from bi-polar disorder with continuous psychiatric treatment and medication including lithium. Seventeen years ago I started meditating and became a Buddhist. Now I take no medication and I haven't had any major problems."

A story of compassion

I think you need a child with asthma or wheezing problem to appreciate the quality of compassion that says "You are the number one":

"At a Shin temple in Japan, I once heard a teacher talk about his only son, who had had a terrible case of asthma since the time he was born. Hoping for a cure before the boy entered first grade so he could receive normal schooling, they moved to a warmer climate. The boy grew strong enough to enter primary school with his peers. One of the first major events in the Japanese school year is what is called Field Day, when students participate in a race according to their grade level.

Early in the morning of Field Day, the little boy went to school accompanied by his mother. As the father waited for their return home later that day, he could hear gleeful laughter and happy conversation coming from the two as they approached their home. Sensing their excitement, the father thought that his son must have done well in his race. As soon as the two entered the house, he called out to his son, asking, "Did you take first place in your race?" "No, Dad," the boy shouted, "I didn't come in first??I came in eighth!" "Oh," the father said, "And how many kids ran in your race?" "Eight!" the son shouted, clapping his hands.

The mother turned to the father with a big smile. "Isn't it wonderful that he could run just like the other children? He came in eighth place; he finished the race! Remember when he couldn't even run at all? This is cause for celebration! Our son is Number One!" With this story, the teacher reminded us that within boundless compassion each of us is Number One, whether in last place or not. In fact, it is the last-place finisher, the foolish being, who is first in the eyes of Amida Buddha.

-Taitetsu Unno via Tricycle

Japanese manholes

The Japanese should be the most aesthetic people in the world- Manholes

via urlesque

Lord Christopher Monckton

This is as good an article as you would ever read today, I bet.

It starts this way,

The climate denialism beat is kind of depressing, by and large, but it has brought me one great joy: Lord Christopher Monckton. Though I suppose there's at least as much "evidence" for his birth as there is for President Obama's, I prefer to believe that he sprang full grown into this world, after escaping from the pages of some unpublished manuscript by Flann O'Brien.

As evil or (to be quite fair) stupid as he is, it's oddly comforting that such a creature stalks abroad in our drab age. In Edith Sitwell's English Eccentrics, a certain Colonel Thornton is annoyed by a friend's claim to have suffered a "broken head," and issues this rebuke:

I am the only man in England, Sir, that ever had a broken head, to live after it. I was hunting near my place in Yorkshire, when my mare threw me, and I was pitched head foremost upon a scythe which had been left on the ground. When I was taken up, my head was literally found to be cut in two, and was spread over my shoulders like a pair of epaulettes -- that was a broken head if you please, Sir.

Monckton is the nearest thing we have to Colonel Thornton, and I can't help but admire him for it.

via  Bouphonia

Good Morning, have a great day!

Twitpic:






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Superheros

I know that some of us here are die-hard fans of Kamal Hasan the World-Hero, and here is a challenge / inspiration for them: Niccageaseveryone- Founded on the belief that everything in life would be better with a little more Nic Cage, the most unique and versatile actor of his generation.

To get an idea of the blog, take a look at Nicholas Cage as Barack Obama (he is a better Obama than our man was as Bush-

There are lots more of Cage- Nic Cage as Tiger Woods, Nic Cage as Pamela Anderson and so on.

Be entertained.

Advaniji, please note, Google is pseudo secular.

I don't know about you, but Google Search Box is an entertaining place. All you need to do is type in a search term, and suggestions from Google come up, and it is a good way to waste some of your precious time doing nothing of any importance.

For example, when I type Tendulkar is, the recommendations are: subcontinent's cricketing jewel; not a matchwinner; god.

And when you type, "dhoni is", you get a suggestion that questions his parentage- and 4580 people have explored this particular issue.

But what inspired me to make a post of this is this post at Pharyngula, where I found that  you can do this with hinduism, buddhism, christianity and atheism and Google serves up some damning suggestions, but when it comes to 'islam is..." Google is lost for words!


How's that for pseudo-secularism?

Go, man! Go! Go!

It has been some time since you have seen a story here, right? A friend of mine tells me that he will be a father soon, that sets off some thoughts and recollections, and the result is this story that you read.

I don't know how many of you know that I was childless for about three years after my marriage. We did the usual stuff, but the results were disappointing. We knew that we only got older with each day, and were afraid that soon would be compelled to reconcile ourselves to the fact that we would remain barren.

Anyway, things got so desperate, we went and consulted a homeopath. She was a woman in her fifties, with a son in college who doubled up as our Yoga teacher, and a husband whose hair was all white- but about whose fitness, she bragged to no end. She was sympathetic to our problem, too sympathetic for a doctor, perhaps, and she staked herself- if not the soul, her reputation- to the cause of making my wife pregnant.

Am I too direct? Repugnantly so, I imagine. But then, the doctor was, too.


After trying out her medicines for a few months, she decided to change course, and treat us on a more scientific basis. I learnt only later the scientific aspect of this treatment, but all I knew then was that my wife was to take an abdominal scan everyday and wait for the lab to come out with a finding.

I don't understand how I could have been so naive, but we went dutifully to a lab at T. Nagar, waited for about an hour, and then returned home worrying about the possible outcomes of these daily scans.

This happened for about ten days, and soon, since we saw the same old faces every day, we got to be friends with some of them, and the waiting was not so dreary anymore. But there was a girl, I remember her clearly, as if i saw her only yesterday, she was a slim, sleek, lithe, glowing-with-health girl- she was unimaginably beautiful, the way some of the young Marwari girls are. She came with her husband, they kept to themselves, they didn't even talk with one another. They both looked sad and forlorn. We thought it a pity that such a lovely couple were sterile the way we were.


However, one day, the lab assistant called my wife, gave her the scan reports, and advised us to go and report to the doctor. We went home, pored over the scans, figured out nothing, and then, in the evening got an appointment to see the homeopath.

She beamed at us as we entered, and opening and glancing at the report, our good doctor went literally flush with happiness.

"Go forth and procreate," she commanded us, not exactly so, but to that sense.

It was only then, in reply to our amazed queries, that we were let to know that the egg was ripe for fertilisation.

The way she urged us, we got the idea that the situation had reached a climax, it was now, this night or never- at least for another month.

Armed with the mother tincture of Agnus Castus, an aphrodisiac, we rushed home and fell upon one another in a frenzy.

But alas, I don't know why, but my performance failed to match my passion. As our doctor had suggested, I took a break every fifteen minutes to gulp a strong dose of the bitter, hot, reekingly alcoholic remedy- and then returned at it again, and again, but my flailing efforts gave way to a rapidly rising tide of frustration.

This went for about an hour, I would have quit earlier, but I didn't know how to- but luckily, my stomach rebelled- as my throat burned from the alcohol that had started now to rise up the food pipe- even my breath turned alcoholic.

So, then we agreed to quit: and gentle reader, I am afraid I have to draw the curtains on this sorry, sordid affair.

But not before offering you a thought: if I had know what we were testing for, what feelings would have been aroused by that Marwari girl, whose brooding sad eyes, I still remember?

Ponting is entitled to feel smug- this time, for once.

Sounds smug, but when something like this happens, it feels justified:

Ponting's toss decision vindicated | Cricket News | Australia v Pakistan 2009/10 | Cricinfo.com:

"At one stage during his post-mortem a relaxed Ponting teasingly asked all those in the press conference who had doubted his decision to raise their hands. All the Australian journalists' arms went up. 'I feel better now,' he said. He smiled, knowing that when it comes to Australia's Test team he knows best. 'It comes down to results and we've got a great result here,' he said. 'So I look like a genius where I didn't a couple of days ago.'"

Please don't spy on sea lions...

The CIA is sharing its satellite imagery with environmental scientists, because it views climate change as a threat to national security. There can be two views on this, I tend to think this is good, but look at this:

"The program is not without its critics—like Senator John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican who argued that the agency should be fighting terrorists, "not spying on sea lions.""

via GOOD 



Image credit:

'sea-lion-morro-bay_L' by mikebaird via Flickr
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The enduring cost of colonialism in the Indian Physique

Indian residue of the imperial experience:

"In India, average height in males dropped at a rate of almost 2 centimeters per century in the decades following colonialism...When these small babies gain weight in childhood, though, it stresses their smaller organs, such as the pancreas and heart, making them more susceptible to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. This is the case in south India today, where many people have thrifty phenotypes with less muscle and more fat per body size. Yet they are shifting rapidly to a high-fat, high-sugar diet. As a result, India risks becoming the diabetes capital of the world."

I found this at a surprising source: Deric Bownds' MindBlog 

Image credit: Wikimedia

V. S. Ramachandran- TED Talk

This is great: V.S. Ramachandran on TED.

The Secret of S. Radhakrishnan's Genius

I remember having read this somewhere, but forgot it. I am happy this turned up.

This astonishing story is about S. Radhakrishnan, our Philosopher-President. Remember him?

Well, here is the stuff I was looking for:

"Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the world famous philosopher and one of the most illustrious Presidents of India, was Narasimham's nephew. Surprisingly enough, Dr. Radhakrishnan, who is esteemed for his erudition and wisdom, was rather dull as a child. His father was very much upset by Radhakrishnan's nature, and concerned about his future. Narasimham offered to take the boy to Vellore and take care of his education. Upon reaching Vellore, Narasimham initiated his nephew in the Ramataraka Mantram. Constant repetition of this potent Mantram resulted in the blossoming of Radhakrishnan's intellect and he grew into a brilliant student. He joined the Uris College in Vellore and passed his Intermediate course. By taking care of Radhakrishnan during the formative years of his life, and by helping him through the initial stages of his academic career, Narasimham can be said to have laid the foundation for Radhakrishnan's success in later life."

via HARE RAMA HARE KRISHNA

What do you make of it?

How to keep sharp in old age

Our brains deteriorate with age, I think, mine is on its last legs- is there anyway to rev it up?

NYT has an article from which I get the idea that the brain does not lose its capacity to learn, but only that it is too well set in its ruts, and if you want to keep your brain young and sprightly, what you need to do is find some way of getting it to jump its rails, if you see what I mean.

"Teaching new facts should not be the focus of adult education, she says. Instead, continued brain development and a richer form of learning may require that you “bump up against people and ideas” that are different. In a history class, that might mean reading multiple viewpoints, and then prying open brain networks by reflecting on how what was learned has changed your view of the world.

“There’s a place for information,” Dr. Taylor says. “We need to know stuff. But we need to move beyond that and challenge our perception of the world. If you always hang around with those you agree with and read things that agree with what you already know, you’re not going to wrestle with your established brain connections.”"

Image Credit:
'Collision between two engines,  Bay o...' by Musée McCord Museum via Flickr
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How to be happy...

This is from a book-review at WSJ:

"A University of California study, involving more than a quarter-million participants, "discovered impressive benefits of being happy." OK, fair enough. But how to arrive at this blissful condition? Mr. Wiseman's reading of the research suggests a range of strategies, such as "wearing more colorful clothing" and "talking in a more relaxed way." When others are speaking, nod your head often, he says, and when it's your turn use "positively charged emotional words" (like love and fond) and vary the pitch of your voice. When you walk, swing your arms slightly and put some spring in your step. It all sounds rather simple, if not simplistic, but Mr. Wiseman assures us that "incorporating these behaviors into your everyday actions will enhance your happiness.""

The Book is 59 Seconds, by Richard Wiseman.

Image credit:

'aew' by padlaversusmoij via Flickr
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Google Logo- Isaac Newton's birthday tribute

Google Logos- today being the 366th birthday of Sir Isaac Newton, a classy tribute:

Via Digital Inspiration - Technology Blog

How to give a great presentation (Tips from Steve Jobs)

Hope you find this useful:

Carmine Gallo, Columnist, Businessweek.com has written a book, "The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs- How to be insanely great in front of any audience". I found this at Slideshare

The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs

View more presentations from Carmine  Gallo.

---

Rapidshare

How to Diet- The Holy Way

'Bench Press' by colros via Flickr
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I don't need to diet- in fact I am positively malnutritioned, except for the pendulous belly. But then, the bloated belly is an add on to malnutrition, is that right?

Whatever. We will look into why people eat less, but now I read something that tells us why we overeat. It is because we feel too emotional and can't do anything about it except pile it in.

And it is interesting that there is a new way of dieting- the Way of the Holy Spirit.

"Prosser has turned her route to success into a method of weight loss called the Fit for Life Forever programme, the UK’s first faith-based diet. “Asking the Holy Spirit to reveal the roots of our emotional eating throws up things that have been previously unrecognised. Applying scripture, especially God’s promises, to the situation provides an appropriate antidote to the pain. This gives hope and enables a person to slim from the inside out.”"

- Times Online

I think this will work.

How to diet the right way- Paleo-diet

Do we need to turn back the clock?- Paleo-diet:

"An article in today's Washington Post style section, 'Hunter-Gatherer Gourmet' (alternatively titled 'Paleolithic diet is so easy, cavemen actually did it') profiles a young D.C. woman who follows a paleo-diet along with a rigorous exercise plan. She eats no grains, salt, sugar, legumes or dairy products (her one concession is dark chocolate from time to time). In nine months, she has lost 10 pounds, no longer gets migraines, sleeps better, is allergy-free and her mood has improved."

Then what are we to eat?- "...only lean meats, fish and seafood, nuts, fresh fruits and fresh vegetables."

Do you think this will work?

Not for me, I am a veggie by birth- too many taboos even if I found this sensible, I can't go Paleo.

Image credit:
'Saffron Chicken' by rexipe via Flickr
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How to survive the dark- a darkness that gets progressively darker

"There is no saving grace in being confined to an iron suit, cold and unforgiving. The pleasures of mental agility are much overstated, inevitably—as it now appears to me—by those not exclusively dependent upon them. Much the same can be said of well-meaning encouragements to find nonphysical compensations for physical inadequacy. That way lies futility. Loss is loss, and nothing is gained by calling it by a nicer name. My nights are intriguing; but I could do without them."

Please read this article if you have time: the author is afflicted with ALS- in the poetic words of the author, "In contrast to almost every other serious or deadly disease, one is thus left free to contemplate at leisure and in minimal discomfort the catastrophic progress of one's own deterioration."


via
Night - The New York Review of Books

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'Freshwater lakes' by kevindooley via Flickr
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thanks, Sprixi

How to be more happy- Martin Seligman has been there, done it.

You can change, you know?

Or at least, you get to know what it takes to change.

Martin Seligman, the Positive Psychologist, is the man to listen to:

"I was a grouch. I had spent fifty years mostly enduring wet weather in my soul, and the last ten years being a nimbus cloud in a household of sunshine. Any good fortune I had was probably not due to my grouchiness, but in spite of it. In that moment, I resolved to change."

Positive Psychology :: Martin Seligman :: Global Spiral

Image Credit: 'Sun rays thru hole in clouds taken f...' by (Bill and Mavis)  - B&M Photography via Flickr. Image is licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike licence. Thanks, Sprixi

Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi in happier times...

Ain't this a great photo?-

If only we could go back in time...

via jeyamohan.in

How to find if someone is interested in you: Look at the eyes...

WISH YOU A HAPPY NEW YEAR




If that is all I said, you might probably think I wasted your time, saying practically nothing much.

Well, not so.

There is a bit of a useful how to:

How to find if someone is interested in something: Look at the eyes-

"Recent research suggests that reward cues, in the absence of awareness, can enhance people's investment of physical resources (for an example, see this previous post). Bijleveld et al. make the interesting observation that pupil dilation can reveal strategic recruitment of resources when subliminal reward cues are presented. They make use of the fact that our pupils dilate with sympathetic activity and constrict with parasympathetic activity so that their size can be an unobtrusive measure of the resources invested in a task."

Via Deric Bownds' MindBlog

Now you know.

Image Credit:

'mírame - look at me' by ruurmo via Flickr

Image is licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike licence. 

Thanks, Sprixi