Saturday, December 17, 2005

CPM in India and their 'secularism'

A fact written on the wall is that communists are atheists. They ought not believe any religion.

Communist Party of India (Marxist)
, known as CPM, are now up against India's Hindutva policy, a long and carefully thought out doctrine which while respecting other religious faiths, seeks to resurrect the Hindu ideology in India.

The different stance that CPM so daringly takes with regard to dealing with secularism in India is very shameful. Kiran Khanna, in his editorial of 10.6.2005 in indiadaily.com, raised some questions as follows:

Why is CPM not going after other religions? The communists are atheists, right? So, why not call all religions bogus?

Well, they need other religious votes (votes from other religions) and that is why (the) communists are singling Hindutva. If they can kill the trust of Hindutva, they will take over India in no time.

How about criticizing 6000 Bangladeshi Jihadists entering India illegally everyday?

How about the fact that western and middle eastern money is endlessly pouring in(to) India for decades to convert poor Hindus into other religions?

Now, do the CPM have any real answer?

(For the full editorial, go to this link: http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/3099.asp)

Thursday, December 15, 2005

Irving Wallace

One of America's best selling authors is Irving Wallace (1916-1990). He began his career as a journalist at the age of 15 years. After serving the US Army Air Forces during the Second World War, he wrote for America's leading periodicals. Later, for nearly a decade he either wrote singly or co-wrote for Hollywood productions before he fell out.

A unique feature about all Irving Wallace's novels is that the titles begin with 'The'.
His first novel was The Sins of Philip Fleming was not received well. That however was a non-fiction. With The Chapman Report Irving Wallace was noticed the world over. The daring novel was based on a true Kinsey report. The book was made into a film and expectedly received much controversy.

Subsequent novels were mostly popular. In his novels
Wallace easily blends sex, politics, life, discoveries, etc. in his own inimitable style. As is common with many American writers he is no exception to using intriguing villains from the Soviet Union!

The Man (also my favourite) received much acclaim and awards. The story is about an American President who happens to be a black. The President who was hitherto an ordinary and unpopular senator is resented by other white senators. How a serving American President is impeached and put to trial (in American history), and how he comes clean of it forms the rest of the story.

The list of fictions that he wrote include:
The R Document, The Miracle, The Man, The Almighty, The Prize, The Three Sirens, The Golden Room, The Word, The Fan Club, The Seven Minutes, The Second Lady, The Guest of Honour, The Pigeon Project, The Plot, The Celestial Bed, and The Golden Room.

Monday, December 12, 2005

Sholay facts

1. Sholay was the first film to run for five consecutive years since its release at Mumbai's (then Bombay) Minerva on August 15, 1975.

2. In the film Sholay, there is a scene where Jai brings Veeru's marriage proposal to Basanti's mausi. The scene is an interesting one and it was inspired by Javed Akhtar's (of the film's script writers Salim-Javed) real life incident. Javed Akhtar was in love with actress Honey Irani and asked his partner, Salim, to meet her mother, Perin Irani, on his behalf. Salim met and talked to Perin.

This conversation was used in the film, almost verbatim.

3. Originally actor Danny Denzongpa was thought of by script writers Salim-Javed to play the role of Gabbar Singh. Director Ramesh Sippy insisted that Amjad Khan be given the role. Salim-Javed were initially apprehensive about that. Finally, how Amjadbhai lived Gabbar Singh in the film is history.

4. It is also said that Amjadbhai remembered a dhobi from his childhood days, who used to call out his wife, "Arre, O Shanthi!" The "Arre, O Sambha!" by Gabbar Singh in the film came from this dhobi!

5. At one time Sanjeev Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan wanted to play Gabbar Singh. And Dharmendra was after the role of Thakur Baldev Singh. When the director pointed out that in that case Sanjeev Kumar would play Veeru and get Basanti (Hemamalini), he gave up because in real life he was in love with her! Sanjeev Kumar had just then proposed to her!

6. And there was Macmohan as Sambha who uttered just three words in the entire film: "Poore pachchas hazaar!" However, that brought him instant fame.

7. The last but definitely the worse thing about Sholay is that a remake of the film is on the cards and probably on the floors. Sholay has become such an obsession with almost every Indian that a true lover of the film would not quite sit quiet. Because you cannot recreate art, can you?

Saturday, December 10, 2005

Did you know? - 10/12/2005

Sound travels through water three times faster than through air.

The length of a single human DNA molecule, when extended, is 1.7 m (about the average height of a man!)

Friday, December 02, 2005

Lord Brahma Temple


The most famous Brahma Temple in Pushkar, in the state of Rajasthan, is the only temple dedicated to Lord Brahma (the creator of the universe according to Hindu mythology) in the entire India. This is an important pilgrim centre for the Hindus. It is nestled in the Pushkar valley which lies beyond Nagaparvat and the Anasagar lake.

This place is full of natural beauty and holds a special place in the hearts of the Indians for it is believed that Lord Brahma, together with all the gods and goddesses, performed a here. Legend has it that the ancient lake Sarovar had appeared miraculously, when a lotus fell from the hands of Lord Brahma and dropped into this valley. You can identify it by its red spire and by the image of a hans (the goose considered to be the sacred vehicle of Lord Brahma). This temple is built with marble and decorated with silver coins. There is also a silver turtgle on the floor of the temple.

Sunday, November 27, 2005

Did you know? - 27/11/2005

Whales, shellfish, starfish and dolphins are not fish.

If Microsoft were to pay $1 as damages to every user because of hanging of their computers using Windows, Bill Gates would be bankrupt in three years.

Friday, November 25, 2005

Did you know? - 25/11/2005

Gatsby, a novel by Ernest Vincent Wright, does not contain a word with the letter 'e'. (His name ironically starts with 'E'.)


Thursday, November 24, 2005

Did you know? - 24/11/2005

Should the amount of water in your body be reduced by just one percent, you'll feel thirsty.

The concept of zero and trigonometry originated in India.


Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Did you know? - 23/11/2005

Leonardo da Vinci could write with one hand and draw with the other, simultaneously.

Piano is known as "The King of Instruments" for its widest tonal range covering the full spectrum of any instrument in the orchestra.


Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Haydn's witty sense

Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), called the "Father of the Symphony", was once employed as Vice-Kappelmeister with the Prince Paul Anton Esterhazy in Vienna. He had composed eleven operas, sixty symphonies, five masses, thirty sonatas, one concerto, and hundreds of shorter pieces under him.

Haydn's sense of humor often came into play during his thirty-year tenure with Prince Esterhazy. The prince had become complacent when listening to Haydn's symphonies, even falling asleep at the performances. This was something that seared the feelings of the diligent composer, especially when the prince emitted a loud snore during a part of the symphony over which Haydn had especially laboured. Haydn decided to create a new symphony for the prince, a symphony that he hoped would "get Prince Esterhazy's attention." This particular symphony was written with a long slow movement, designed to be so soothing that the prince would surely fall asleep. On the evening of the performance, the prince did indeed drift off. Then, suddenly, a loud chord shattered the serenity of the murmuring movement. The prince awoke with a start and almost fell off his chair!

That was his Symphony No.94, and Haydn adeptly named it "Surprise".

Did you know? - 22/11/2005

The opposite sides of the dice cubes always add up to seven.

The very first bomb that the Allies dropped on Berlin in World War II killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo.



Monday, November 21, 2005

Did you know? - 21/11/2005

Lightning heats up the atmosphere by over 50,000 deg F.

Queen Elizabeth sent her first email in 1976.

Sunday, November 20, 2005

Did you know? - 20/11/2005

Carrots have zero fat content.

Between 1500 and 1600 urine was supposedly used as a tooth cleaning agent in Holland and Spain.

Saturday, November 19, 2005

Did you know? - 19/11/2005

An average adult human brain weighs 3 lbs.

Over 99% of the present energy in the universe was released 13.7 billion years ago when it was born.

Friday, November 18, 2005

Did you know? - 18/11/2005

An octupus' pupil (of its eye) is rectangular.

Hydrogen is the least dense substance in the world, when in gaseous state, and the most dense substance in the world, when in solid state.

Thursday, November 17, 2005

Did you know? - 17/11/2005

It takes five years for a coffee seed to yield its consumable fruit.

The word, "queueing", is the only English word with five consecutive vowels.

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Did you know? - 16/11/2005

The world's first travel agency, Thomas Cook, was founded in 1850.

A person can live without food for about a month, but can go without water only for a week.

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Did you know? - 15/11/2005

Eskimos use refrigerators to keep food from freezing.

Due to earth's gravity it is impossible for mountains to be higher than 15,000 m.


Monday, November 14, 2005

Did you know? - 14/11/2005

The names of the three wise monkeys? They are: Mizaru (See no evil), Mikazaru (Hear no evil), and Mazaru (Speak no evil).

No letters are assigned to the numbers 1 and 0 on a phone keypad. They are called "flag numbers", kept for emergency or operator services.


Sunday, November 13, 2005

Too Much is Too Bad

This is an old Arabian tale.

Abubacker, a potter, makes a living by selling toys made of porcelain and glass. He earns very little and wanted to become rich.

One day, after a hard day’s work, he keeps the basket of unsold toys under a tree and sleaps nearby. And dreamt.

His sales improved and he made more money. He starts his own factory for making porcelain and glass wares.

The business flourishes and Abubacker amasses more wealth. The king married off his beautiful daughter, Majnu, to Abubacker.

Abubacker makes Majnu to serve him at his feet. And kicks her out of lack of love and sheer arrogance.

And in reality Abubacker had kicked at the basket. The unsold toys had all broken.

Abubacker woke up in a startle and looked at the broken toys. And wept.

He now realised that he desired to earn more than was necessary, and repented.

Saturday, November 12, 2005

Did you know? - 12/11/2005

There are more than 10,000 varieties of tomatoes.

Your mouth produces 1 litre (1.8 pints) of saliva a day.

Friday, November 11, 2005

Did you know? - 11/11/2005

The word, "set", in the English language, has the most number of definitions.

In Holland, you can be fined for not using a shopping basket at a grocery store.


Thursday, November 10, 2005

Did you know? - 10/11/2005

Israel's Dead Sea is 1,312 ft. below sea level.


Yahoo! is actually an acronym for Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle. It was originally called Jerry and David's Guide to the World Wide Web.




Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Did you know? - 09/11/2005

Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap is the longest running play in history.


The shortest war on record, between Britain and Zanzibar in 1896 lasted just 38 minutes. Zanzibar surrendered after 38 minutes.

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Mass and Weight

In simple terms, the mass of a body is the amount of matter it contains. Any body with mass has a quality known as inertia. Inertia of a body is the physical force that keeps the body at rest or in motion.

Weight is a different concept. Weight of a body can be described as the result of a force of attraction of one body on another. Every body, howsoever small or big, exerts a force of attraction on another body nearest to it. The amount of attraction varies with the sizes of the bodies and the distance they are apart. Thus, a larger body exerts a greater pull on a smaller body. And, the pull of body is greater on a nearer object than on a farther one. In order to easily and effectively measure the pull (force of attraction) of one body by another, the sizes of the bodies need to be very small and very large, such as you and the Earth.

Therefore, while mass is the quantity of matter and is constant for a given body, the weight of the same body varies depending on the pull it suffers. Thus, your weight on Jupiter is much more than you weigh here on the Earth.

The following table helps you to calculate your weight (in any unit) on different planets:

Earth = W
Mercury = W x 0.38
Venus = W x 0.91
Moon = W x 0.16
Mars = W x 0.38
Jupiter = W x 2.54
Saturn = W x 0.93
Uranus = W x 0.8
Neptune = W x 1.2
Pluto = W x 0.067
The Sun = W x 28

Did you know? - 08/11/2005

People who suffer from gum diseases are twice as likely to have a stroke or heart attack.

A blue whale's heart is of the size of a Volkswagen Beetle.

Monday, November 07, 2005

Did you know? - 07/11/2005

Napoleon died of arsenic poisoning.


Linen is actually stronger when wet.


Sunday, November 06, 2005

Did you know? - 06/11/2005

Astronauts get taller when they are in space.

Snails breathe through their feet.

Saturday, November 05, 2005

How Hindus are the Hindus?

The world over, the majority Muslims and Christians stand united and abide by what is laid down in their scriptures. Every Muslim performs the namas midday wherever he is. Islam is so dear to him. The Christians do not fail to attend the Sunday masses. Some even go all out to convert the others into their folds.

How many Hindus are proud of being a Hindu and strictly follow the dharma? On the contrary it is a common sight that a Hindu masquerades his true identity to blindly follow the west. However, mention must be made that because of the innate strength of the oldest religion, Sanatana Dharma, that is Hinduism, that many Hindu practices are still alive even today.

Hinduism has answer to every problem in the universe, if only one has the real desire to enquire. Self-discovery, meditation, yoga which are the happening things in the busy world today have their origins in the Hinduism.

I hereby call upon all the Hindus to unite and stay Hindus.

Sarve jana: sukhino bhavantu

Karthigai Deepam

Karthigai Deepam is one of the oldest and important festivals of South India. It falls in the Tamil month of Karthigai.

The legend has it that once Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu challenged Lord Shiva who is said to be adi-less and mudi-less and vowed to see His head and feet. Lord Shiva had taken the form of a flaming light whose ends could not be fathomed. While Lord Brahma took the form of a swan and flew higher and higher in the sky to reach the top of Lord Shiva's head, Lord Vishnu transformed into a boar, dug the earth deeper and deeper to get to Lord Shiva's feet. Neither of them was successful. Thus it was established that Lord Shiva has no beginning or end, even in form.

It is said the very hills of Annamalai in Tamil Nadu was once the flaming light which Lord Shiva took form of. Thus even today, the hill is converted into a gigantic lamp: a large quantity of oil is poured, a long and thick wick made of many measures of cloth is prepared. The lamp is lit on the last day of the ten-day festival. The light could be seen from very far. This is called Annamalai Deepam.

It was in this month of Karthigai that Lord Muruga was born and has taken the name Karthikeya.

On this day, people clean their houses and draw Rangoli in front of their houses and in the evening place lamps (called agal) on it. The entire house is also decorated with the agals. It is a great feast to the eyes to watch the entire street with houses lined with lamps.

Sweets like pori urundai (a ball made of puffed rice and jaggery) and appam (an oil-fried dish made of flour and jaggery) are made and distributed among the neighbours.

Since this festival is an extension of Diwali, crackers are also fired during the night.

Did you know? - 05/11/2005

A scientific satellite needs only about 250W of power to operate.

One out three US women owns a gun.

Friday, November 04, 2005

Did you know? - 04/11/2005

Hot water freezes quicker than cold water.


The Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt is only one of the seven wonders of the world that still survives.


Thursday, November 03, 2005

Did you know? - 03/11/2005

The Leaning Tower of Pisa has never really been straight.

Nostradamus predicted the end of the world to be the year 3786 or 3797.

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

Did you know? - 2/11/2005

One-quarter of the human brain is used to control the eyes.


Venus, Uranus and Pluto rotate clockwise when seen from their north poles. On these planets the sun rises in the west and sets in the east.

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Did you know? - 1/11/2005

A rat can go without water longer than a camel can.

A blue whale's heart is the size of a Volkswagen Beetle.


Monday, October 31, 2005

Did you know? - 31/10/2005

The sweetest plant in the world is stevia, cultivated in Paraguay.

Onions are the most cultivated crop in the world.

Sunday, October 30, 2005

Diwali

Diwali is one of the most celebrated festivals of the Hindus. It is celebrated with great enthusiasm throughout India. This festival is associated with many lores and legends.

It marks the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana. As a matter of fact, this festival symbolizes the victory over the evil forces.
On the day of Diwali there is hectic activity all over the country. People illuminate their homes with decorative lights. New clothes are worn by young and old. The near and dear ones are invited. Sweets are made and distributed among them. People indulge in fun and frolic on this day. Lakshmi puja is performed in the evening. During the night, fire crackers are let off. The bright flames of the fireworks present an exquisite sight in the night sky.

Though Diwali is regarded as a Hindu festival, people of all communities join together in the celebration. Thus, Diwali helps in the unity of people all over India.

Did you know? - 30/10/2005

Duracell, the battery maker built parts of its new international headquarters using materials from its own waste.


Chewing on gum while cutting onions can help a person from producing tears.


Saturday, October 29, 2005

Did you know?- 29/10/2005

There are 6,000 species of reptiles, 73,000 kinds of spiders, and 3,000 types of lice. For each person there is about 200 million insects.

Is an elephant really scared of the mouse?
No. Because compared to an elephant, the mouse is so small that the elephant does not even know there is a mouse close to it.



Friday, October 28, 2005

Did you know? - 28/10/2005

Mexico city is sinking at a rate of 18 inches per year.

Fine-grained volcanic ash can be found as an ingredient in some toothpastes.

Thursday, October 27, 2005

Did you know? - 27/10/2005

Van Gogh sold only one painting in his life – to his brother.

In 1894 Lord Kelvin predicted that radio had no future.

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Monday, October 24, 2005

Saturday, October 22, 2005

Friday, October 21, 2005

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Firefox 1.0.7 update

My Firefox just updated to 1.0.7 and my nephew tells me that there are bugs in the updation. How can I possibly revert to the previous version? Help anyone!