Saturday, January 26, 2013

~ Republic of India ~



Today India is celebrating her 64th Republic Day & I still have hope left in the system for better governance & living. I say that after reading the Justice Verma report.

The commission headed by Justice Verma was setup after the Delhi Gang Rape incident when the politicians for the first time realised that the Youth of this country will no longer sit quietly. People have been taken for granted for many years, by those who rule us.

Justice Verma - former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Leila Seth - former judge of the High Court and Gopal Subramanium - former Solicitor General of India together have done a great job in coming up with a string of amendments to the Criminal Law of India towards a safer place for Women in India. 

The three of them have spent many hours going through the public suggestions & then articulated the public sentiments into Amendments. Summary of the report can be read here.

The road ahead ?

  1. The report gets tabled in the parliament in front of the Politicians to approve these amendments to the Criminal Law. 
  2. Test for all the Politicians irrespective which party they represent to pass the bill as early as possible.
  3. Rules doesn't necessarily guarantee justice. Our Police force need to implement them to the word with due diligence towards the general public.
Lets see how long does it take to achieve the above road bumps which ensures the Laws are in place for safer place. Until Women of this country feel safe and have their rights, we might be a Republic but the Democracy is Farce

Image: Google's doodle

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

~ Tasty doesn't mean healthy ~



Popular Spanish proverb goes like "The belly rules the mind". Indeed true for most of us, at all times. Not many of us read or care to know what we eat. I feel we should cultivate awareness towards what we eat & our dietary habits, in this current age. It wouldn't have mattered much 50 years ago. Now that we have so many fast food chains {FFC} mushrooming everywhere be, it local or glocal doesn't really matter.

Not really sure how many of you have observed or paid attention to the taste of items which you get at these FFC, the tastes remains the same no matter no matter how many repeats you order or anywhere across the globe. That itself should raise some alaram bells in your head as to how could it be so consistent plate after plate across the world. This rule doesn't just limit to FFC, they apply to the juice which are served out cartons. 

Orange, Apple, Cranberry, Mango - juice was part of my morning diet for 16 months during 2007-2008. I preferred Tropicana, Real, Naturals. Tropicana tastes the same be it in India, UK or US. Then sometime in late 2008 I came across this 'The Secret Ingredient In Your Orange Juice'. After reading the article I haven't consciously had juice from a carton. 

Today morning I came across this tweet from UberFacts







Googled and found out that it indeed was true. CNN broke the news about Chicken Nuggets way back in 2010.

McDonald’s says the differences are based on the local tastes: In the United States, McNuggets are coated and then cooked, in the United Kingdom, they are cooked and then coated. As a result, the British McNuggets absorb less oil and have less fat.
Dimethylpolysiloxane is used as a matter of safety to keep the oil from foaming, [Lisa McComb, who handles global media relations for McDonald's,] says. The chemical is a form of silicone also used in cosmetics and Silly Putty. A review of animal studies by The World Health Organization found no adverse health effects associated with dimethylpolysiloxane.
TBHQ is a preservative for vegetable oils and animal fats, limited to .02 percent of the oil in the nugget. One gram (one-thirtieth of an ounce) can cause “nausea, vomiting, ringing in the ears, delirium, a sense of suffocation, and collapse,” according to “A Consumer’s Dictionary of Food Additives.”



So once again we know that most of the large scale food companies use chemicals within reasonable limits to give you the same taste every time. It might be used within reasonable limits, but in long term these chemicals might have an impact your metabolism. 

No doubt, the belly rules the mind. Use your mind before you choose the food you eat the next time. It won't be easy, but it will surely make you healthy.


Wednesday, January 16, 2013

~ Creativity ~

"Creativity does not depend on the tool, it is your vision that drives it." You can quote me on that :)


Do watch the video of Kevin Russ to know what I mean by Creativity. He shoots most of his photos on iPhone & they are beautiful.


Image shown in this post is used for representation purpose © Kevin Russ

Saturday, January 12, 2013

~ Saṃsāra ~

Saṃsāra literally meaning "continuous flow", is the repeating cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth (reincarnation) within Hinduism, Buddhism, Bön, Jainism, and Yoga. 


Ron Fricke's latest silent narrative is somewhat similar to the literal meaning of Saṃsāra, where we humans over time in a continuous manner have evolved. Saṃsāra captures the  changing eco system, consumerism, automation of many industries, economic disparity, art & religion which is all related to the way we lead our lives in the current era.

A must watch movie or documentary which binds you till the end. Here are some of the visuals from the movie & the trailer.










































Monday, January 07, 2013

~ Where next? ~



The post is a trigger based on the latest Nvidia offering of Tegra 4 & CES 2013 

While we are creating devices that are getting faster, thinner, smarter. On the contrary we humans aren't evolving at the same pace in our own environment with many aspects of life.

A lot of open questions:

  • As humans beings, being more civilized with fellow earthlings and habitats
  • Providing drinking water
  • Education to the masses
  • Preserving natural resources for future sustenance
  • Bringing awareness to people towards - *balance* in what you have vs what you want
  • Many more to list

I very much agree with what Elon Musk had to say, "Sooner or later, we must expand life beyond this blue mud ball— or go extinct."^

Sunday, January 06, 2013

~ Raag Kirwani ~

While I was strolling tonight & listening to 100.1 FM. Came across this incredible sitar performance by Dr Renuka Gambhir. It was so soothing & melodic. I feel that these ancient & timeless compositions are much superior to any guitar riffs of the progressive metal bands of the current era. Listened to her perform the following:


  1. Raag Yaman
  2. Raag Rajeshwari
  3. Raag Kirwani

I managed to find only the 3rd { Raag Kirwani } one on youtube. Downloaded the 3 videos and made them into a single MP3 for listening pleasure. Hope you enjoy it.



Do let me know if you come across the remaining two of them.

~ Women in command ~

Quite an unusual title for a movie review post on Zero Dark Thirty. The story revolves around Maya, played by Jessica Chastain, the analyst who did all the hard work and never gave up against various odds including encountering the male ego.



Kathryn Bigelow has done a great work in highlighting that essence of Maya throughout the movie. Brilliant direction & editing keeps you hooked without getting bored in the 157 minutes of drama.


Am sure the movie will bag few Oscars, hope Jessica will get one for her role. I thought the movie would be about the planning and execution of Operation Geronimo as narrated by an Ex-Navy SEAL in his Autobiography No Easy Day. However, the movie starts with events as early as 2004 covering various incidents - London Bombing, Marriott Hotel explosion in Pakistan, New York TimeSquare plot - till the tracking & nailing of the messenger who leads to the Abbottabad safe house. 

I would have liked a bit of showcase of how Navy SEALS  grouped, organized & train. I guess that is off limits for an Hollywood movie maker. When I watched the hanger scene where the SEALS are introduced, I was waiting to see if they match the description - who are not your regular army soldiers, they have beards, long hair, tattoos, etc - of the men as told in the biography & they did. The casting team have done their research in fielding the actors who match the SEAL members. One of the reasons why I admire Hollywood and their movie making. Also, there isn't too much of VFX or gadgets extravaganza involved in the movie, which keeps most of the scenes real. They definitely could have done a better job for the scenes which were shot in Delhi to hide the Indian shop signage.  

Overall a great movie, watch it. For the operations by SEAL team am gonna watch this one by NGC.

P.S: I wish men across the world treat women as equals and the discrimination ends.

Saturday, January 05, 2013

~ Live your life ~

Am sure this year has a lot of changes in store for myself. At the same time have a lot of things to achieve. One amongst the many being travel & hopefully a bike ride to remember.



~ Life your life, to fulfil your dreams ~

Thanks to Dirt Track Productions for sharing this one.