Kerala Blog Roll

Shalini: Good times!

Fri, 16 May 2008 13:32:45 +0000

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_ctRWP0DNfNQ/SC1-Vd2_dHI/AAAAAAAAAHk/_iXCsHEG6x0/s1600-h/Photo+20.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"> <img style="text-decoration: underline;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; " src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_ctRWP0DNfNQ/SC1-Vd2_dHI/AAAAAAAAAHk/_iXCsHEG6x0/s400/Photo+20.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200952051940422770" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Dennis, Lil S and, Me </div> We made it to Sydney safe and sound. Tomorrow's a shopping day, and we found a really good local joint to eat one night! Pictures to follow on Flickr, if I know you just email me and I'll add you to my Flickr account. We really miss being in a big city, so it's pretty nice. It sooooo noisy and everywhere we go (walking) Lil S covers up her ears.. but the plus side is that she likes publc transportation. Loves planes, trains, and buses!</content>

Aarathi: C'est La Fête du Pain.

aarathi — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:23:00 +0000

Fougasses (Olives & Jambons)

Ingredients
500g flour
10 g fresh yeast
1/2 glass luke warm water
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped olive
1/2 cup chopped ham
Method

Dilute yeast in luke warm water with 1 tsp sugar .
Set aside for 15 minuites.
Mix all the ingredients & knead well.
Cover the bowl with a damp cloth & keep aside for 1 hour.
Take an orange sized ball & flatten it into thick oval shaped.
Make cuts using a knife (resembles a leaf)
Preheat oven to 240°C (Th-8)
Bake for 20-30 mn.
Your Fougasse is ready to serve.

Today it's St Honoré, saint patron des boulangers .
So French celebrate "Fête du Pain" - Bread fest.

Biju Viswambaran: Of human rights

Alex Mcone — Fri, 16 May 2008 11:39:56 +0000

A cyclone devastates a South Asian country. Thousands are dead and hundreds of thousands are missing, presumed dead. The world pitches in to help but the regime that governs the country holds the supplies and then distributes the supplies to its trauma stricken citizens as propaganda. They then hold a referendum among the people to make sure they stay in power. An African country is ripped apart by civil war. A refugee crisis of unthinkable magnitude originates. Rape, murder and other acts of genocide take place on a daily basis. The refugee's are starving and wake up every day knowing that they will either die of starvation or will be killed by a state sponsored militia. What does the world do ? The world debates on whether or not it's genocide and whether or not they should interfere. A man in an Islamic country is harassed because he put up some offensive materials on his website. The website is hacked and a death threat pasted on the front page. The man is told that he will face charges but nothing is done about the death threats. A woman and her lover are killed in a remote village in India. The killers are her own father and brother. They wanted to restore the honour to their family which the woman lost when she decided to live in with her lover after divorcing her husband. The family drags her and the lover out of their house and beats them to death in broad daylight. The villagers watch and applaud. March 15th 2008. Human Rights Day. Are you kidding me ? Have you heard of the Geneva Convention ? It was supposed to make war civilized. We've had a lot of wars since the convention ... has anyone of you witnessed a civilized war ? Have you heard of the UN ? It was supposed to protect human rights. That was it's basic objective. "Never again" was the catchphrase used during the Armenian genocide. The Jewish Holoucast occured after that but there was no UN to stop that from happening right ? What about after the UN was formed ? Rwanda, Serebrenica, Darfur ... to name a few. And please dont tell me that the perpetrators were caught and put on trial. We're supposed to stop such things before they happen, not swear that we won't allow it to happen ever again. "Never again" is what everyone says. I say what the f**k were we doing when it happened the first time ? You know what's ironic ? The cavemen that we thought were dumb and stupid according to our standards are the one's who enjoyed human rights. The advanced and civilized us have none. So stop kidding yourselves. You have no rights and never will earn it ... until the day you're fellow human has it.<div class="blogger-post-footer">... Alex Mcone with V & K reporting ... live from Bangalore</div></content>

Cherian Mathew: gimme five!!

mathew — Fri, 16 May 2008 11:38:29 +0000

<div align="justify">Five people I hate?</div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify">Well such a question five years ago would have attracted a venomous spit at more than 5 people…I think most people hate child abusers, racists, incest indulgers etc. That is so obvious isn’t...I mean you wouldn’t find a guy who would write in his facebook profile...’Hi guys, I love people who kill others’. But here I am tagged by a good blogger friend <a href="http://ushadhanraj.blogspot.com/">Usha</a> to list out the people I hate… Although it sounds so unrealistic, in real life I have not yet met any particular person worthy of hate as in say, I hate ‘X’. Even if I try to convince myself to hate one particular person, I am simply not able to do it because I end up feeling guilty before I can really hate that person… …sounds strange…eh... </div><div align="justify"> I think it’s with everyone...maybe as kids we might have hated one particular person…period... for most trivial of reasons. </div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify">Although am not much of a Gandhian, I really believe that we don’t have the right to hate someone for something. Because we ourselves are never perfect and once we hate that person we are indirectly not allowing that person to change for good. It is sad that most of us don’t realise that people DO change...from good to bad, which would so easily be believed though…but to believe someone changed from bad to good...tough to believe eh!!</div><div align="justify"> Well however if I have to, say express hate at someone or a group, it might be the Nazis. I was always fascinated with the war and the Jewish angle way before I came to Germany. Probably it is the dose of war movies like ‘schindler’s’, ‘pianist’ and literature like ‘Anne Frank diary’ that attracted me to it. And now ending up in a country where it all started was strange for me considered how much I loved Germany but at the same time sympathised with the Jews. When I say I wish Nazis didn’t exist it would mean any similar gang of people who torture people like they did in Auschwitz or Dachau.I don’t have any qualms in saying that I have cried watching these movies and being at the sites and would love to believe that the people who suffered then are now somewhere happy and peaceful…</div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify">Besides that on a daily basis, I must say I get irritated with people who dont respect time and keep people waiting.. people who lie about others...and people full of themselves..</div><div align="justify"> Keeping aside that generic hate, it is easy to list out the people I hate…or maybe hated…</div><div align="justify"> Age 0-2 Doc who gave me that injection for vaccination Doc who gave me that thwack on bum to make me cry Doc who gave the bitter syrup for cold Uncle who threw me up in air and thought I was enjoying in it…man that must have been one scary ride… The diaper. Why is that always wet btw!! Age 5-12 Maths teacher Hindi teacher All the girls in class Music teacher for making 40 horrible sounding kids believe they are actually SINGING!! Manoj Prabhakar Age 14-18 Dad and Mom…Period Bro...Period Myself mm…I HATE the whole world!!!! Age 18-22 America America Capitalism People who hate communism All Malayalam movie directors of that time Age 45-55 All those kids who trying to spoil my child All those kids who are not respecting us elders My children for acting like a 16-year-old kid Tax department Age 75 Doc who gave me that insulin injection Doc who gave me that 15 pills for high blood pressure. Doc who gave me that awkward bone massage My children who think I am acting like an old man. Age80 (if it goes that far ;-P) Well….gone so far… Sadly there aint any left. …TO HATE!!! I don’t feel like tagging anyone in particular…maybe again it feels like I am spreading hate vibes...But if anyone wants to get their steam off anyone please do take it up… ;-)</div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify">aah..<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ar0ZSl11VYk">friday song</a> for all friends here...i love these kind of songs which you can listen lazing on a sofa and just keep you head moving to the rhythm...auf weidersehen!!</div></content>

Smitha Visakhan: The Pawn

Thadhagadhan — Fri, 16 May 2008 11:31:49 +0000

Once there was a pawn who wanted to be independent. He was sad, and chafed against his limitations. These rules are so unfair, said the little pawn. I can only move forward, and then only one space at a time, except for my first move. Furthermore, complained the little pawn, I cannot attack an opponent directly in front of me, nor beside me, nor behind me. I can only attack at the front angle to

Annita Joseph: I’m back !!!

Annita — Fri, 16 May 2008 10:39:30 +0000

I’m back in the U.S.I reached here yesterday only,now staying in a hotel and we’ll be moving to Pittsburg next week because of my husband’s job change. I am very excited to see many messages and emails from my friends.I couldn’t check my emails or blog for a long time as i was travelling most of [...]

Swapna Tom: Padachonte Thirakkathakal

indulekha I ഇന്ദുലേഖ — Fri, 16 May 2008 10:36:52 +0000

Collection of essays, memoirs & autobiographical notes by actor-director-script writer Sreenivasan Olive Publications, Kozhikode Pages: 137 Price: INR 75 HOW TO BUY THIS BOOK നടനും തിരക്കഥാകൃത്തും സംവിധായകനുമായ ശ്രീനിവാസന്റെ ലേഖനങ്ങള്‍, ആത്മകഥ, സംഭാഷണങ്ങള്‍ തുടങ്ങിയവയുടെ സമാഹാരമാണ് ഈ പുസ്‌തകം. അനുബന്ധമായി സത്യനും ശ്രീനിയും ചേര്‍ന്ന് ഒരു സിനിമയ്ക്ക് രൂപം കൊടുക്കുന്നതു വര്‍ണിക്കുന്ന

Rammohan Paliyath: 1, 2, 3

One Swallow — Fri, 16 May 2008 09:37:42 +0000

<a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eECfu4W_yWk/SC2ZvBh7lMI/AAAAAAAABGA/GLIU2Gtt_iw/s1600-h/double.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eECfu4W_yWk/SC2ZvBh7lMI/AAAAAAAABGA/GLIU2Gtt_iw/s200/double.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200982177826444482" /></a> ടെക്നോളജിയൊക്കെ ഇത്രയും പുരോഗമിച്ച സ്ഥിതിക്ക് എന്നെപ്പറ്റി ഞാനറിയാതെയുള്ള മറ്റുള്ളവരുടെ വാക്കുകള്‍ - നേരിട്ടും ഫോണിലൂടെയും പറഞ്ഞത്, എഴുതിയത്, ഈ-മെയിലിയത്, എസ്സെമ്മെസ്സിയത് - എല്ലാം ഓഡിയോ ഫയലുകളും വേഡ് ഫയലുകളുമായി സീഡിയില്‍ കിട്ടുമോ? സീഡി തുറന്നയുടന്‍ 1) ഒരു കരിമരുന്ന് പ്രയോഗത്തിന്റെ കൂട്ടപ്പൊരിച്ചിലിലേയ്ക്ക് ഓടിക്കയറേണ്ടി വരുമോ? ഹിപ്പോക്രസിയുടെ സഞ്ചയനം ഇഡലിയിലും ചായയിലും ഒതുങ്ങുമോ? പൊട്യേനിയുടെ ചാരം പോലെ തൂളുമോ? അതോ 2) ചെലവിന് കൊടുക്കാതെ ലവ് തരമാകുമോ? എല്ലാ പെണ്ണുങ്ങളും എന്റെ മക്കളെ പെറുമോ? എന്റെ ഏമ്പക്കങ്ങളാല്‍ ദിക്കുകള്‍ക്ക് കഴയ്ക്കുമോ? അതോ 3) ഇങ്ങനെ ഉള്ളിലൊതുക്കി കണ്ടാല്‍ വീണ്ടും ചിരിക്കുമോ? ഒരു കുപ്പി ചാരായം പങ്കുവെയ്ക്കുമോ? ആയിരം രൂപ കടം ചോദിക്കുമോ? ആത്മാവില്‍ ഗുഹ്യരോഗം ബാധിച്ചവരെപ്പോലെ മഞ്ഞ വാക്കുകള്‍ കൊണ്ട് ടെന്നീസ് കളിക്കുമോ?</content>

Ralminov: ഉബുന്ദു വിന്‍ഡോസില്‍ - എന്തിനു് ?

ralminov — Fri, 16 May 2008 08:38:43 +0000

ഞാന്‍ ഉബുന്ദു വിന്‍ഡോസില്‍ ഇന്‍സ്റ്റാള്‍ ചെയ്തു . എന്തിനു് ?

ലാപ്ടോപ് വാങ്ങിയപ്പോള്‍ വിന്‍ഡോസ് അതില്‍ ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു. കളയുന്നതെന്തിനു് ? കാശു് കൊടുത്തു് വാങ്ങിയതല്ലേ . പക്ഷെ ഓഫീസും മറ്റു സാമഗ്രികളും വാങ്ങാന്‍ ഇനിയും കാശു് കൊടുക്കണമത്രേ. എന്നാല്‍ പിന്നെ സണിന്റെ വെര്‍ച്ച്വല്‍ബോക്സ് ഡവുണ്‍ലോഡ് ചെയ്തു് ഉബുന്ദു അതില്‍ ഓടിക്കാം. ഉബുന്ദു ഒന്നു പരീക്ഷിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യാം. എന്തിനു് വിന്‍ഡോസിന്റെ മീതെ ? വേറെ പാര്‍ട്ടീഷന്‍ ഉണ്ടാക്കി അതില്‍ ഇന്‍സ്റ്റാള്‍ ചെയ്താല്‍ പോരെയെന്നു് സംശയിക്കാം. എനിക്കതില്‍ താത്പര്യമില്ല. കാരണം ഒന്നു് : ഡിസ്ക് പാര്‍ട്ടീഷന്‍ ചെയ്യണം. മെനക്കേടു് . രണ്ടു് : റീബൂട്ട് ചെയ്യണം, ഒന്നില്‍ നിന്നും മറ്റേതിലേക്കു് പോകാന്‍. മൂന്നു് : ഹാര്‍ഡ് ഡിസ്കില്‍ സ്ഥലം കമ്മി. ഇതാകുമ്പോള്‍ എക്സ്റ്റേണല്‍ ഡിസ്കില്‍ സംഭവം ഒപ്പിക്കാം. നാലു് : ലാപ്ടോപ്പിന്റെ ഡിസ്ക് ഫോര്‍മാറ്റ് ചെയ്യേണ്ടി വന്നാലും ഉബുന്ദുവിനു് ഒന്നും പറ്റുകയില്ല. അഞ്ചു് : ഉബുന്ദുവിനെ അതേ പോലെ പൊക്കിക്കൊണ്ടു് പോയി എന്റെ മറ്റേ ലാപ്ടോപ്പിലും ഉപയോഗിക്കാം. ആറു് : സിസ്റ്റം മെമ്മറി അഡ്ജസ്റ്റ് ചെയ്തു് പെര്‍ഫോമന്‍സ് ഇവാല്യുവേറ്റ് ചെയ്യാം.

ഇനി എന്തിനു് ഉബുന്ദു ? വേറെയെന്തൊക്കെ കിടക്കുന്നു . അവരെനിക്കു് സീഡി അയച്ചുതന്നു എന്നതു് ലളിതമായ ഉത്തരം.

വെര്‍ച്ച്വല്‍ബോക്സ് ഒരു നരിയാണു് കേട്ടോ .

MK Harikumar: ഊട്ടി കാഴ്‌ചകള്

എം.കെ.ഹരികുമാര്‍ — Fri, 16 May 2008 08:36:41 +0000

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_D1dxb0kd1yE/SC1ABD0rFlI/AAAAAAAAAss/CU87hVIAKZA/s1600-h/homely+and+sky+059.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 328px; height: 365px;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_D1dxb0kd1yE/SC1ABD0rFlI/AAAAAAAAAss/CU87hVIAKZA/s320/homely+and+sky+059.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200883531633071698" border="0" /></a>photo mk</content>

Najeeb Abdulrahiman: AAPL and GOOG

Najeeb — Fri, 16 May 2008 08:30:45 +0000

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://idannyb.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/10-15-07-iphone.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://idannyb.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/10-15-07-iphone.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://blog.loaz.com/media/blogs/timwang/google-phone-switch.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://blog.loaz.com/media/blogs/timwang/google-phone-switch.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> In the next few weeks, I will be attending two important events in my line of work - Apple developer conference and Google developer event. Both are exciting in its own ways. I have had hands of variety of smartphones during my stint at mobile software companies and needless to say, for a 1.0 product, Apple has done better than anyone else. Having had one for a while, jail broken and hacked to do some cool tricks, what surprised me most was the remarkable stability of the platform, thanks to the unix underpinnings of the iPhone OS. Google, on the other hand could turn out to be the first heavily subsidised smartphone, a phone built solely around Internet content. I will have more to write after the events, but for now, I am simply excited.</content>

B Pradeep Nair: Why alert only after a blast?

Pradeep — Fri, 16 May 2008 07:40:45 +0000

This is something I haven't actually understood. Whenever there is an explosion, there is a nation-wide alert. Policemen and other security personnel descend on the streets, set up barricades, carry... (This is just a summary.) <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/bpradeepnair?a=yNsrs6"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/bpradeepnair?i=yNsrs6" border="0"></img></a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/bpradeepnair?a=VVVQYh"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/bpradeepnair?i=VVVQYh" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/bpradeepnair?a=ontonh"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/bpradeepnair?i=ontonh" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/bpradeepnair?a=kZOb0h"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/bpradeepnair?i=kZOb0h" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/bpradeepnair/~4/291458437" height="1" width="1"/></content>

Anita

Fri, 16 May 2008 07:17:12 +0000

This year seems good for most of my friends in love. I know atleast 4 pairs who had been waiting for a long time to get their marriage approved by families, are now either married or getting married soon. I am happy for them, to finally witness the fruit of their long painful wait !

On the personal front, I am much better off now, I am getting back to normal and focusing on things to make myself feel good. Like last weekend, I just went out and bought a Diamond ring and a pair of Diamond studs. They arent that bright or gaudy, I wanted some simple ones so that I can wear them daily without the fear of losing something very costly. Diamond being my lucky stone, is indeed bringing some positive energy or rather this thought keeps me thinking positive. Atleast I am not thinking about my credit card bills right now !

Mom is staying with bro and me for some days. Unfortunately she got sick and she is recovering now. With mom here, I am trying to learn and expand my cooking skills. I manage cooking without a mixer usually, i.e I do not take pains to actually do the real cooking. Now the mixer here is in full use :) And mom says, I should get a hand blender and do things the traditional way, it would taste better and current_independent !

Though I earlier mentioned in one of my posts, not to forgive people, I realize I fail to hate people. I end up praying for the person who caused me so much pain to realize the mistake and get back to me. This is not ego either, I actually tried to get back to the person, mush against the advice of my friends and family. But the person is unapologetic and least bothered. Finally it hurts to realize that you were nothing to the person in the first place.

Samayam: വിമര്‍ശകര്‍ക്കെല്ലാം നന്ദി പറയുന്നു

സമയം ഓണ്‍ലൈന്‍ — Fri, 16 May 2008 06:31:49 +0000

സമയം ഓണ്‍ലൈന്‍ ഏതാനും ദിവസങ്ങള്‍ക്ക് മുമ്പ് ഒരു ബ്ലോഗ് അഗ്രിഗേറ്റര്‍ (<a href="http://www.samayamonline.in/blog%20aggregator.php">http://www.samayamonline.in/blog aggregator.php</a> ആരംഭിച്ചിരുന്നു. അതില്‍ ഓരോ ബ്ലോഗും മുഴുവനായി ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു. അത് കാരണം തങ്ങളുടെ ബ്ലോഗിലേക്കുള്ള സന്ദര്‍ശകരുടെ എണ്ണം കുറയുമെന്ന ആശങ്ക ചില ബ്ലോഗര്‍മാര്‍ അറിയിച്ചതിനെ തുടര്‍ന്ന് അഗ്രിഗേറ്ററിന്‌ ചെറിയൊരു മാറ്റം വരുത്തിയിട്ടുണ്ട്. ഇപ്പോള്‍ അഗ്രിഗേറ്ററില്‍ ബ്ലോഗിന്റെ പേരും പോസ്റ്റിന്റെ തലക്കെട്ടും മാത്രമേ ഉള്ളൂ. വിമര്‍ശകര്‍ക്കെല്ലാം നന്ദി പറയുന്നു. നിങ്ങളുടെ ബ്ലോഗ് അഗ്രിഗേറ്ററില്‍ ഉള്‍ക്കൊള്ളിക്കാന്‍ <a href="mailto:samayamonline@gmail">samayamonline@gmail</a> എന്ന വിലാസത്തില്‍ ഇ-മെയില്‍ ചെയ്യുക</content>

TK Sujith: രണ്ടാം വാര്‍ഷിക മൂല്യനിര്‍ണ്ണയം

tk sujith — Fri, 16 May 2008 06:30:32 +0000

MK Harikumar: ഊട്ടി കാഴ്ചകള്

എം.കെ.ഹരികുമാര്‍ — Fri, 16 May 2008 05:34:54 +0000

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_D1dxb0kd1yE/SC0aLD0rFjI/AAAAAAAAAsc/t0nMqogNw9Y/s1600-h/homely+and+sky+050.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 321px; height: 333px;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_D1dxb0kd1yE/SC0aLD0rFjI/AAAAAAAAAsc/t0nMqogNw9Y/s320/homely+and+sky+050.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200841921989908018" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_D1dxb0kd1yE/SC0aBT0rFiI/AAAAAAAAAsU/9Vj1VD2Tqo0/s1600-h/homely+and+sky+049.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 318px; height: 371px;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_D1dxb0kd1yE/SC0aBT0rFiI/AAAAAAAAAsU/9Vj1VD2Tqo0/s320/homely+and+sky+049.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200841754486183458" border="0" /></a> photo: mk</content>

Vinod Cheriyan: Number system

Vinod — Fri, 16 May 2008 04:33:25 +0000

I read somewhere that the original Dravidian number system was base-eight. Indeed the names for our numbers reflect this. One through seven have unique roots. Eight is എട്ടു which comes from എണ്‍, which actually means 'number'. (Compare with എണ്ണുക, എണ്ണം) Nine is ഒമ്പത് which came from തൊമ്പത് = തൊള്‍ + പത് , "almost ten". Compare with 90 തൊണ്ണൂറ് , 900 തൊള്ളായിരം. (Aside: This used to be a bit confusing when I was a little kid.) Ten is പത്ത് which came from പന്തി which is a തത്ഭവം of പങ്ക്തി, meaning row. Probably derived from saying "there is a row of things". Now, we all know that our current base-ten system was a result of humans having ten fingers. So how can a base-eight system evolve "naturally"? My explanation is that early Dravidians might have used their thumbs to touch other fingers when they counted. This leaves the eight fingers to do the actual counting leading to the development of the octal system. </content>

Siva: യാത്രാമൊഴി

ശിവ — Fri, 16 May 2008 03:37:11 +0000

<div align="center">ഇനിയൊരു സംഗമമില്ല സ്നേഹിതാ ഞാനുമെന്‍ യാത്രയും ഇവിടെയവസാനിക്കുന്നു ഒരു നാളും കിട്ടാത്തസ്നേഹസൂനങ്ങള്‍ ‍ഇന്നെനിക്കു കിട്ടും നിസ്സംശയം മറക്കാനാവാത്ത എത്രയോ മുഖങ്ങള്‍ ‍ഇനിയൊരിക്കലും കാണാന്‍ കഴിയാത്തവ എവിടെയൊക്കെയോ എങ്ങിനെയൊക്കെയോ അവരും ജീവിക്കും ഒരു നാള്‍ എല്ലാമുപേക്ഷിച്ച്‌ അവരും യാത്രാമൊഴി ചൊല്ലും എന്നാലിന്നോ ഞാന്‍ മാത്രം......</div></content>

Sudheernath: സന്ന്യാസികളുടെ കഷ്ട്കാലം

cartoonist sudheer — Fri, 16 May 2008 02:39:42 +0000

<a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_ZhD3LA0Taeo/SCzpG7yTreI/AAAAAAAAB5Q/M4vj1KJZTYs/s1600-h/car_may-15.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200787975043263970" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_ZhD3LA0Taeo/SCzpG7yTreI/AAAAAAAAB5Q/M4vj1KJZTYs/s320/car_may-15.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div>May/2008/15</div><div><a href="mailto:cartoonistsudheer@gmail.com">cartoonistsudheer@gmail.com</a></div></content>

Swarnasrikrishnan Ganesan: Interesting Realisation!

Krish — Fri, 16 May 2008 02:39:26 +0000

<div style="text-align: justify;">The other day I was listening to some old Tamil melodies, when I realized I wasn't even born when those films were released and still I loved the music and the songs and lyrics. It struck me as a surprise, that I do have a penchant for old music. I am sure these would not have gotten into my liking of my own volition- just like Roxette or Bryan Adams got into. With Roxette, I consciously decided that I liked the music, whereas with the old songs, I can't say that. Thinking about it, I realise these might have been the result of the way I grew up. Growing up in an extended family, with aunts and uncles living together, exposes you to a variety of tastes and preferences and makes you more of a liberal is what I think. You are introduced to a multitude of thoughts apart from your own parents- for ex- I can point to my uncle from whom I got the taste for old songs- especially MGR songs. My father has a very specific taste for Gemini Ganesan songs and I like them too. Possibly I wouldn't have liked MGR songs had I not had my uncle when I grew up. My penchant for books and reading can be directly attributed to my aunts, who were in themselves quite voracious readers. When I look back and compare my sister and her tastes with myself, I see her tastes are more modeled around my parent's, which can be reasoned by the fact that, when she was born many of my aunts have already gotten married and my uncle was away working. These days as the extended family is mostly out of "trend", nuclear family and two earning member families on the raise- with the time spent by the parents with the children coming down, I am afraid, children would probably end up with a rather narrower taste and outlook. Not to say it is impossible to develop a wide variety of likes, exposure and tastes- but what came to us naturally, would have to be imbibed to the next generation. Am I the only one feeling this way? </div></content>

Sasi Kumar: Yosemite National Park

sinu — Fri, 16 May 2008 02:09:04 +0000

Yosemite National Park, California US

yosemite National Park Lower Cathedral Lake

Pronounced as ‘yo – SEM – it – ee’ The Yosemite National Park is a 761266 acre wilderness reserve is thesecond national park in US after Yellowstone National Park. It is located in Mariposa and Tuolumne Counties in the State of California United States. The Yosemite Valley forms the central part of this park which is famous for its scenic locations presented by the Sierra Nevada Mountain Chain that lies as a backbone to this National Park. In 1964 the Yosemite National Park gained accreditation from the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. If about 3.5 million tourists visit a spot every year; there must be reason behind it; let us see; what are the unique selling points of the Yosemite National Park?

History

Mariposa Indian Encampment Yosemite Valley California by Albert Bierstadt

Since 6000 BC the valley was inhabited by people of Miwok Indian ancestry; who owned a very rich culture with religion, traditions, rituals, dance, music, and even politicking. They made arrow heads with obsidian that is abundantly available here, did trade with neighboring areas; pinyon pine-nuts and obsidian etc were there main article of trade (pinyon pine is a tree that produce edible fruits found in Mexico and US). These people worshipped and protected the trees especially the Giant Sequoia trees. The Giant Sequoia trees nurtured by them still exist in the Sequoia National Park coming with the administration of the Yosemite National Park Service.

Miwok Indians were of three types 1, Lake Miwok (who lived on the banks of South Clear Lake); 2, Coast Miwok (who lived on the Pacific Coast) and 3, Eastern Miwok (who lived in Central California; present Sacramento).

The gold rush

The Valley was first sighted by Joseph Walker and his team but actual entry took place years after. The discovery of gold in the Sierra Nevada Mountain slopes changed the entire scenario as fortune hunters from the surrounding areas swarmed to the valley and confronted by the natives who tried to protect their land. These conflicts were described as Mariposa Indian War and a battalion was set up to ‘tame’ the revolting Indians.

New possibilities

Yosemite National Park Half Dome

There was a brighter side to all these adversities as these strife and issues brought the attractions of the wonderful locations in this park to limelight and outside world and people began to flock to witness the natural wonders of the Yosemite area; it was the beginning of a revolution; money from tourists began to open new avenues for the local people. Hotels, restaurants, resorts etc sprung up all around and the ecology of the area began to degenerate as a result.

The park now

The Yosemite Valley forms just one percent of the National Park area but it remains the most visited part in the entire park. In 1903 US President Theodore Roosevelt camped in the Glacier Point for three days and got convinced of the taking over the entire site by the Federal Government. The National Park Service was formed in 1916 and the area from Tuolumne Meadow to Tioga Pass Road was given to the agency’s jurisdiction. Tuolumne Meadows Lodge still remains as the popular base camp for hiker to this park.

National Park Agency

Joint plane on Lembert Dome - Yosemite National Park

The park is best known for its waterfalls but this 1200 sq mile area is much more than that the towering Sierra Nevada Peaks, intimidating vertical rock formations, impressive mounts like the El Capitan, deep valleys with carpets of wild flowers, grand meadows and the ancient Giant Sequoia trees all make this site some thing exclusive; Yosemite is one of the earliest national parks in US.

The Sequoia National Park (known for the Giant Sequoia Trees) and the King’s Canyon National Park both come under the administration of this agency under a single name Sequoia and King’s Canyon National Park. The John Muir Trail –a 211 mile long road from Happy Isles to the Trailhead of Yosemite National Park connects almost all the locations of the Sierra Nevada vicinity together.

Wilderness

Yosemite Valley

Perhaps the most significant thing about this national park is that 95% of its area is left as such called ‘wilderness areas like John Muir Wilderness, Ansal Adams Wilderness, Hoover Wilderness, Emigrant Wilderness etc. This has been done as per the US Wilderness Act passed in 1890. These wilderness areas; (though the word is a bit dull) are biologically rich areas with many endemic plant varieties, animal varieties. Numerous lakes, ponds, streams, wild and scenic rivers give this place an extraordinary charm.

River Canyons

To add some depth to the beauty there are deep canyons in this park formed by the Tuolumne and Merced rivers. These river canyons are well marked as that of the Yellowstone though not as prominent like the Grand Canyon. These canyons were formed when river water licked away the rocks in a continuous process that lasted millions of years. They are about 3000 to 4000 feet deep and offer scenic beauty to the visitors. Tuolumne drains the northern portion of the park where as the Merced drains the southern part.

El Capitan

Yosemite National Park - El Capitan

It is the most prominent 3000 feet tall vertical cliff; a towering monolith (formed of a single rock) of granite. This mount is a virtual challenge for rock climbers all over the globe; conquest of El Capitan is considered as a landmark in a mountaineer’s career. It was first climbed by Warren J Harding in 1958; all there are more than one route; all of them are too hard and risky for ordinary people however experienced and well built they are. For tourists it presents a sight of magnitude that even after the visit the towering sight will not fade away from one’s mind.

Glacier Point

It is the best view point available in the Yosemite Park (elevation 7214 feet) on the South Wall of Yosemite Valley. This location enables to view almost all the magnificent sites of the park like, Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, Vernal Falls, Nevada Falls and Clouds Rest etc.

Yosemite Falls

The Yosemite Fall is the star attraction of the entire park; it is the highest in the entire North America and the 6^th largest in the world in height. There are two stages the Upper Falls is 1430 feet in height where as the Lower Fall is 320 feet in height. During the late summer the falls are in their full steam and present an exquisite show of power and beauty with deafening thunder.

The Ribbon Falls

The Ribbon Falls from a cliff of the El Capitan Mountain. With a height of 1612 feet this fall is the tallest single fall in whole of North America; as this stream is fed from the melting snow of the mountains; it is generally dry in other seasons; it is spring time when it fall in its real might. The Ribbon Falls have some surprise in store during winter also; as the falling water freeze forming a cone at the bottom; at times this cone reaches to a height of about 200 feet; a gigantic ice pyramid!

Bridalveil Falls

It is a typical example of a fall originated from a ‘hanging valley’ where the upper valley is in higher altitude and engulfed by mountains and the fall is an overflow of the upper source. It is the snow white transparency that gave the fall this beautiful name. The original source of the Bridalveil Fall is the Ostrander Lake therefore this fall does not get dried up. The Ostrander Lake is a small one (8500 sq feet in area); but a popular destination of skiers and it is located about10 km away from the Badger Ski Area.

River Merced and Lake Mc Clure

River Merced –a tributary of San Joaquin is a protected site under the ‘National Wild and Scenic Act’. It runs along High Way number 140 the main path to the Yosemite. A stone-dam by name New Exchequer has been built on this river for the purpose of irrigation and production of hydro-electricity. This dam makes the course of river behind it flooded to form a lake (Lake Mc Clure – a 1032,000 cubic feet water body). Both River Merced and Lake Mc Clure offer enough water for recreational activities like kayaking, fishing, swimming, rafting etc while its shores are favorite locations for hiking, picnicking etc.

It is season

Yosemite National Park in Fall

Season at the Yosemite starts with the end of April when snow has just melted and the paths to numerous sites like exquisite waterfalls, steep and commanding cliffs, rivers and lakes, Giant Sequoia Groves, Glacier Point etc get cleared of the ice. These roads lead to vantage points offering great view of the valley are all there to be devoured. A single visit to this site offers a cluster of opportunities to see rare sites all packed in a park well preserved and protected. For those who are adventurous there are many possibilities like hiking, swimming, skiing etc.

Vineet Kuruvila: Problem of the "internets"

Fri, 16 May 2008 01:43:48 +0000

Bushism.

This video also has the clip of Bush talking about quiting golf.

Pooja Nair: Watch Out!!!!!!!!!!!!I am going to lose my teeth soon.

Mocha — Fri, 16 May 2008 01:36:14 +0000

There is not a single day that I don't fear that someone is going slap me and I will end up like a toothless philosopher. Yeah I live in that dangerous zone. What if people abduct me and take me as POW. I am scared. I watch each and every bush for hidden snipers. Duck , Cover , Take shelter. I am so into my summer classes on Vietnam War that even the safe beautiful peaceful coast of Florida seems like a battle ground. I am fortunate enough to have a professor who encourages everyone to say what is in their mind . Religion and Politics included. In this class the professor always talks about the others.(People different than the Americans). I am sole voice of the other . It is interesting class. Yesterday there was a discussion about why USA was in Vietnam. I could not believe that I said the personality of Americans is that of a bully who likes prove their superiority using power and other countries whether it Vietnam , Iraq or Afghanistan. I further went to say that you guys think of everyone else as under developed and barbaric if they are not like you. But it is time American rethink their policies. The whole class looked at me for minute. they had never heard an opinion like mine . Later when I started explaining my stand in context to Vietnam war, majority of class was convinced that i had spoken the truth. My teacher was impressed. After class I called my husband and said "Watch out I will lose my teeth soon". In the moment the passion I speaking out loud what I feel in my mind. I am sure these guys will think I am Anti AMerican and do something weird. All he could say was i was crazy. It feels good when you speak ur mind. Your opinion might be different than that of majority. But if it is a voice that comes from your heart it will be louder than the rest. Don't do things just because ..................................... Do what you want. Take the untrodden path. Be true to yourself and people will respect you. They will take you as their equal even though you speak their language. Dont be a sheep following to rest. Stop. On a lighter note........................................... Do you know what it feels like if you lose your teeth amidst a get together(I am speaking of an adult losing their teeth)? The situation is comical right. I lost my front two teeth when I was in tenth grade. I wear crowns . Last year I went to India and got my crowns replaced. Three months later I was amidst a gathering in Atlanta , when I felt air rushing in my month. I heard a sound . I looked down ,it was the crown . OOOPS . Astrix(My cousins Poodles name) shooo shoo. Not in my crown. I literally had to fight with dog to get my crown(teeth). I got the teeth before Astrix could chew on it. I put the crown back and stood up with embarrassing smile. My cousin asked what happened. I said "just wanted to pet Astrix. "(Irony I hate that dog and my cousin knows it) The whole situation was like that of a slapstick comedy. Hence I know exactly what it feels like losing my teeth ,so I am scared xt 4 weeks(classes go on till June 13). God only knows what all will fall out of my mouth.</content>

Vishnu Gopal: links for 2008-05-16

vishnu — Fri, 16 May 2008 00:37:47 +0000

jFlow 1.0 - The Ultra-lightweight Fluid Content Slider for jQuery | Keansphere

(tags: jquery javascript)

Lal P Thomas: മന്ത്രം, തന്ത്രം!

JamesBright — Fri, 16 May 2008 00:34:34 +0000

ബൂലോകമാ ണെന്റെ ലോകം അതിന്‍ ഭാഗ മാകുന്നെതെന്‍ കര്‍മ്മം! അമ്മയും താതനും മാതുലനും മറ്റു മിത്രങ്ങളും ചൊന്ന മന്ത്രം! പിന്നെ, ധനപാലനാണെന്റെ പേര്.. ധനംകാത്തു ഞാന്‍ പാലിച്ചിടേണം! അമ്മയും താതനും മാതുലനും മറ്റു മിത്രങ്ങളും തന്ന പേര്..! <div class="blogger-post-footer">http://cap.zliolist.com/admin/</div></content>

Macadamia: Remembering...

Macadamia The Nut — Thu, 15 May 2008 21:42:04 +0000

I find it SO much more pleasant to remember than to say Good bye ;) <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_PTwsMusqF6A/SCysdilQJ1I/AAAAAAAAA3o/CplYTOr4gUA/s1600-h/rem2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_PTwsMusqF6A/SCysdilQJ1I/AAAAAAAAA3o/CplYTOr4gUA/s320/rem2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200721293205317458" border="0" /></a>Like deciding to get drunk finally on a girls night out, only to be denied a drink because I didn’t have my ID on me :(… The incredible lighting at Gaylord Opry… Our *sick!* door buster attempt… P’s pathetic bowling, though he ruled later… <o:p> </o:p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_PTwsMusqF6A/SCysYClQJ0I/AAAAAAAAA3g/M4PpPItok7k/s1600-h/Rem1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_PTwsMusqF6A/SCysYClQJ0I/AAAAAAAAA3g/M4PpPItok7k/s320/Rem1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200721198716036930" border="0" /></a>And the feast at B’s house…. Holidaying in Fl.. The day we tried a ‘Badrakali’ act … ; <o:p> </o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Impromptu baking-attacks… <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_PTwsMusqF6A/SCytISlQJ3I/AAAAAAAAA34/_ptoMDaRcjw/s1600-h/rem3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_PTwsMusqF6A/SCytISlQJ3I/AAAAAAAAA34/_ptoMDaRcjw/s320/rem3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200722027644725106" border="0" /></a>Etta’s new home… And finally seeing what my ghost looks like at wonderworks :D Sigh! You just can't say G'bye to great memories... </content>

Pratheesh Prakash: ഞാനിത്രയ്ക്കും കിടിലമോ...

ഞാന്‍ — Thu, 15 May 2008 21:31:18 +0000

മുന്നറിയിപ്പ്: ഈ പോസ്റ്റ് വായിച്ചത് കൊണ്ട് നിങ്ങള്‍ ഒന്നും നേടുകയില്ല. എന്റെ പ്രതിഷേധം രേഖപ്പെടുത്തുക മാത്രമാണ് ഞാന്‍ ഈ പോസ്റ്റ് കൊണ്ട് ഉദ്ദേശിക്കുന്നത്. ഇത് കൊണ്ട് രണ്ട് ഉദ്ദേശങ്ങളുണ്ട്. അത് വഴിയെ പറയാം. "ജീവിതത്തില്‍ ഇന്നേ വരെ ഒരു വരി കവിത പോലും എഴുതാനാകാത്ത ഈ 'ഞാന്‍' ഒരു നല്ല ബ്ലോഗ്ഗര്‍ ആകുമോ എന്നറിയുവാനുള്ള ഒരു ഭാഗ്യ പരീക്ഷണം ആണിത്. ജീവിതത്തില്‍ എന്തൊക്കെയൊ ആകുവാന്‍ ശ്രമിച്ചു‍ പരാജയമറിഞ മറ്റൊരു ഹത ഭാഗ്യന്‍ എന്നു കൂടി എന്നെ വിശേഷിപ്പിക്കുന്നതില്‍ യാതൊരു ശരികേടും ഇല്ല. രക്ഷപെടാനുള്ള അവസരങളൊക്കെയും യാതൊരു യുക്തിയുമില്ലാതെ നഷ്ടപ്പെടുത്തിയ ഞാന്‍ ഇപ്പൊള്‍ എന്നെത്തന്നെ ശപിച്ച് കൊണ്ടും മറ്റൊരാള്‍ക്ക് ഈ ഗതി വരുത്തരുതെ എന്ന് സര്‍വേശ്വരനൊട് പ്രാര്‍ഥിച്ചു കൊണ്ടും കാലം കഴിക്കുന്നു...." ബ്ലോഗ്ഗിങ്ങ് തുടങ്ങിയ സമയത്ത് (2006 July) കുത്തിക്കുറിച്ച "About me" ആണ്. അന്നത്തെ സാഹചര്യവും മനോവ്യാപാരങ്ങളുമാണ് അന്നെന്നെ ഇങ്ങനെ എഴുതുവാന്‍ പ്രേരിപ്പിച്ചത്. ഭാഗ്യവശാല്‍ ഞാന്‍ ആഗ്രഹിച്ച സ്ഥലത്ത് ഞാന്‍ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്ന കാര്യം ഞാനിപ്പോള്‍ ചെയ്യുന്നു. അങ്ങനെ എന്റെ "ഞാനാര്" മാറ്റണം എന്ന് വിചാരിച്ചിരിക്കുമ്പോഴാണ് ഞാന്‍ <a href="http://udumbunthala.wordpress.com/about/">ഇത്</a> വളരെ യാദൃശ്ചികമായി കണ്ടത്. സന്തോഷമോ സന്താപമോ, എന്താണെന്നറിയല്ല എനിക്ക് വന്നത്. എന്റെ വാക്കുകള്‍ ഒരാള്‍ എഴുതിയല്ലോ എന്നതില്‍ സന്തോഷം വന്നു, പക്ഷെ അത് പുള്ളിക്കാരന്റെ "About me" ആണ് എന്നത് എന്നെ അദ്ഭുതപ്പെടുത്തി (ങ്ങേ! അതാ ഞാന്‍...) കാര്യം എന്റെ ബ്ലോഗ്ഗ് <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/in/">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5</a> അനുമതി പത്ര പ്രകാരം വിതരണം ചെയ്യാവുന്നതാണ് എങ്കിലും, എന്റെ "About Me" ടൈറ്റില്‍, (ഞാനാര്) അക്ഷരത്തെറ്റുകള്‍ അടക്കം കോപ്പി അടിച്ചിട്ടും (അതെല്ലാം അടിവര ഇട്ടിട്ടുണ്ട്, മലയാളം ടൈപ്പ് ചെയ്ത് പഠിക്കുന്ന സമയത്ത് പല അക്ഷരങ്ങളും എഴുതാന്‍ അറിയില്ലായിരുന്നു, പിന്നെയത് തിരുത്തുവാനും മുതിര്‍ന്നില്ല) അനുമതി പത്ര പ്രകാരമുള്ള Attribution ഞാന്‍ കണ്ടില്ല. ഇവിടെ, ഈ സാഹചര്യത്തില്‍ ഞാനത് പ്രതീക്ഷിക്കുന്നത് മണ്ടത്തരമാണെന്നറിയാം. എന്നിരുന്നാലും ഞാനുണ്ടാക്കിയ ഒരു കാര്യം, വളരെ പേഴ്സണലായിട്ടുള്ള കാര്യം, എന്റെ <a href="http://njaan.blogspot.com/2006/07/one-night-police-station.html?showComment=1154419380000#c115441939880114248">സിഗ്നേച്ചര്‍</a> ആയിട്ടുള്ള ഒരു കാര്യം എന്റേതല്ലാതാകുന്നു എന്നറിയുമ്പോള്‍ എനിക്ക് വിഷമം തോന്നുക സ്വാഭാവികം. ആ "About me" ഭയങ്കര നിലവാരത്തിലുള്ളതാണെന്നൊന്നും എനിക്കഭിപ്രായമില്ല, എന്നാലും ഞാന്‍ എഴുതിയത് എവിടൊയൊക്കെ പകര്‍ത്തി എഴുതിയാലും അതിന്റെ താഴെ എന്റെ പേര് കാണണം എന്നത് ഈയുള്ളവന്റെ ഒരു ചെറിയ ആഗ്രഹമാണ്. അപ്പോള്‍ ഈ പോസ്റ്റിന്റെ ഉദ്ദേശലക്ഷ്യങ്ങള്‍, 1) ലവന്റെ അടുത്ത് ഞാന്‍ മൂന്ന് നാല് തവണ പറഞ്ഞ് നോക്കി. അനക്കമില്ല. ഇതെന്റേതാണ്, നീയെടുത്തോളൂ എനിക്ക് പ്രശ്നമില്ല, എനിക്ക് അട്രിബ്യൂഷന്‍ മാത്രം മതി (മുല്ലപ്പെരിയാറില്‍ നിന്നും വെള്ളമെടുത്തോ, ഡാമിന്റെ സുരക്ഷ ഉറപ്പാക്കുക എന്ന കേരള ലൈന്‍) വെറൊരു കോപ്പും വേണ്ട എന്ന് അവനെ ഒന്നറിയിക്കുക. 2) ആ "About me" മാറ്റി ഞാന്‍ പുതിയത് എഴുതിയാലും (അടുത്ത പോസ്റ്റിന് മുമ്പ് അത് വരും) പഴയതിന്റെ അവകാശം എനിക്കായിരിക്കും എന്ന് ലോകത്തെ അറിയിക്കുക. ഞാന്‍ വീണ്ടും പറയുന്നു, ഞാന്‍ എഴുതുന്ന കാര്യങ്ങള്‍ നിങ്ങള്‍ക്കിഷ്ടമുള്ളിടത്ത് ഇഷ്ടമുള്ള പോലെ എഴുതാം, അവിടെ http://njaan.blogspot.com/ എന്ന് മാത്രം കൊടുത്താല്‍ മതി . ചെറിയ ഫോണ്ടില്‍ കൊടുത്താലും മതി, എങ്ങനെ ചെയ്താലും ഒരു ലിങ്ക് (without 'no follow') ഇങ്ങോട്ട് വേണമെന്ന് മാത്രം.<div class="blogger-post-footer">=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ഈ ലേഖനം Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 അനുമതി പത്ര പ്രകാരം വിതരണം ചെയ്യാവുന്നതാണ്. കൂടുതല്‍ വിവരങ്ങള്‍ക്ക് http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/in/.</div> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/njaan?a=yKeKNv"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/njaan?i=yKeKNv" border="0"></img></a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/njaan?a=hd4ZwH"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/njaan?i=hd4ZwH" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/njaan?a=AKYKVH"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/njaan?i=AKYKVH" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/njaan?a=TqAE7H"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/njaan?i=TqAE7H" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/njaan?a=j9y6kH"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/njaan?i=j9y6kH" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/njaan?a=ShGQLH"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/njaan?i=ShGQLH" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/njaan?a=u6Pvwh"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/njaan?i=u6Pvwh" border="0"></img></a> </div></content>

Varnachitram: Run Thulasidas, Run

vc — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:33:04 +0000

There is some brouhaha going on between Dileep and MACTA. Long story short: Dileep, it seems, took some money to act in a Thulasidas movie about four years back. Now not only has he backed out of the movie, but “Dileep had informed Thulasidas, one of the leading directors, that he would work with him only after he came out with a successful film.”

It took us some time to regain composure from excessive laughing, for any time a pot calls a kettle black, it is funny. Dileep’s career goal for the past two years has been to bring down hit makers like Joshiey, Blessy and Lal Jose to the level of Thulasidas. Dileep has not had a hit in the past two years, causing a major impact on the career of Kavya forcing her to act with people Mr. Madhavan’s age.

What is even more funny is this. Dileep’s next movie, after Siddique’s “Body Guard” (a comedy, since Dileep is acting as a bodyguard. get it?), is Deepu Karunakaran’s movie titled Run Gopala Run, about a guy who runs after Meera Jasmine to get her to act in his movie. No, we are kidding. It is about a hi-tech thief. Deepu, brother of actress Suchitra, had directed one movie before - Winter - starring Jayaram and Bhavana. The movie is still sitting in the cans, since most people have forgotten who Jayaram is.

It is sad that Dileep is not willing to bet his career with the man who gave us that immortal classic - College Kumaran - but is going to try his luck with a newcomer with no success to his credit. All we can say, is, this could be good for him - we mean, Thulasidas.

Peringodan: വിമതം

രാജ് നീട്ടിയത്ത് — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:31:28 +0000

ഞാൻ മരിക്കുമ്പോൾ എന്റെ ശരീരവും, തോറ്റുമടങ്ങുമ്പോൾ ഉപേക്ഷിച്ചുപോയ തോക്കുകളും, ഉറക്കത്തിൽ കോസടിക്കു പുറത്തുവച്ച സ്വപ്നങ്ങളും, നാടുവിട്ടോടുമ്പോൾ മൂത്രച്ചൂടു പകരാതെ തനിച്ചാക്കിയ കുറ്റിമുല്ലയും കണ്ടെടുത്തു ലേലത്തിനിടുക ഗൃഹാതുരപ്പെട്ടു മൂത്രത്തിന്റെ മണമുള്ള മുല്ലപ്പൂക്കൾ തിരിച്ചുപിടിക്കുവാൻ ഞാൻ വരികയുണ്ടാകാം അപ്പോൾ മരിപ്പിച്ചു് തോല്പിച്ചു് ഉറക്കത്തിൽ സ്വപ്നംകലർത്തി നാടുകടത്തുക മറക്കാതെ. <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/peringodan?a=XJ5Ax4"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/peringodan?i=XJ5Ax4" border="0"></img></a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/peringodan?a=azOxJH"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/peringodan?i=azOxJH" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/peringodan?a=qOgSuh"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/peringodan?i=qOgSuh" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/peringodan?a=r5miqH"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/peringodan?i=r5miqH" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/peringodan?a=Lpv54H"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/peringodan?i=Lpv54H" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/peringodan/~4/291172916" height="1" width="1"/></content>

Sarah

Sarah — Thu, 15 May 2008 19:38:43 +0000

I had no clue where he was going and I didn't want to lean over his shoulder and ask him. suddenly I was getting paranoid about physical contact! Still I wondered what aftershave he used. Appa was an 'Old spice' fan. He always smelled like a freshly baked Christmas fruit cake! I smiled when I realized that I was comparing my father to a fruit cake. Ok lah, may be not like a fruit cake but fresh and cinnamonish! I wondered again about Arjun's aftershave. Is he using Old spice? I gently leaned over Arjun's shoulder, making sure that I didn't touch him and sniffed and savoured his after shave A part of me was embarrassed with my own behaviour and a part of me was trying to act innocent.' hey, it isn't a crime to sniff someone's aftershave.. I am not sniffing glue you know!' Arjun parked the bike in front of a huge building and I checked the sign board outside. It was written in some script that I assumed is Gujarati or Marwari. "Come" Arjun Ok, Now I trusted Arjun, there was no doubt about that. But I still needed to know where he was taking me to. He can't just expect me to follow him without knowing where exactly we were going. How can he do that? "Where are we?" I asked again. The fence was too high and I couldn't see what was inside. There were few scooters and bikes parked outside and I noticed some Marwari women were standing near the entrance. They all wore expensive clothes and Jewelry. Is there some sort of party going on? "Oh Nina, Everyone is leaving, I hope we aren't too late" Saying that he started to walk and I was sure he expected me to follow. Oh Nina!, aventey ammentey thala! Doesn't he know yet how much I hate him saying 'Oh Nina' To hell with him. I stood next to his bike. He can go inside and do whatever he wants. I had no intention of following him. I simply would wait for him to return. I would have, if his sister had not come out of the building holding a box full of stuff. She was wearing a beautiful turquoise colour gagra choli. She saw Arjun and yelled "You are too late" Then She saw me standing near the bike. "Hi Nina how are you" She looked at me and at Arjun who was atleast 15 feet away from me. Arjun saw the look on his sisters face and he turned to look at me. Only then Arjun realized I wasn't walking with him. He looked at me bewildered. "Is everthing ok?" Preetha asked "yeah, everything is ok. I was just wondering if it was ok for me to come in. I am wearing jeans." "So? what is wrong in wearing jeans? It is only a food fair! We are raising funds for our school. Didn't he tell you?" Preetha was struggling with the box in her hand and she yelled "Hey moron, Can't you see that I need help" Arjun ran to help his sister. He took the box from her hand and looked inside "You sold everything?" "yeah, everyone loved the pav bhaji " "You didn't leave anything for me? How could you?" "hey, you were late, who asked you to come late?" I had no idea what the two of them were fighting for. I saw Arjun putting his hand inside the box and Preetha shrieked "don't you dare touch it. It is mine. I bought it with my money." "ha!" Arjun kept the box on the ground and I watched the brother and sister pulling, pushing and shoving each other. Arjun threw a small plastic bag with something pink inside towards me and shouted. "Take it and run" I caught the plastic cover and in seconds Preetha was in front of me "Give it back Nina, it is mine" Arjun was standing right behind her and he waved his hands and I threw the cover to him, he caught it, opened the plastic bag quickly and started to pull a handful of pink stuff out. "Give it back" Preetha punched her brother on his arm. "Ouch, that hurts" Arjun screamed. "Ok, ok, here, take it" He gave the plastic bag to his sister. "You took half of my cotton candy. I promise, I will make you pay" She turned and looked at me. I thought she was angry with me for not giving her the packet. But she was smiling "You too! Watch out. I will make you pay too! Both of you will get it!" She turned to her brother, who was busy eating cotton candy. "Now help me with the box, will you?" Arjun still had cotton candy in his hand. "You hold one side, I will hold the other side" he spoke while trying to swallow a mouthful of cotton candy. "Come, I will help you" I lifted one end of the box Preetha stopped an auto and together we carried the box and kept it inside. "You are coming home, right?" She asked "I think so, depends on your brother" "Arjun, bring Nina home" She ordered her brother. "See you soon, ok."She spoke to me "Ok" As the auto was about to leave, Preetha pulled something out of the box "Hey bhaiyya, see what I got?" She waved the box and shouted "Kesar Shrikhand! I will save the empty container for you!" Preetha looked out from the moving auto and grinned. "Damn" I heard Arjun mutter. "Come Nina, let us go and see if they have anything else left" It felt weird, the fact that Preetha didn't hate her brother for stealing her cotton candy. They fought, she even punched her brother. But not like my sisters and I. We always said, nasty mean things to each other and we pretty much showed each other how much we hate each other. We returned all the pinches and punches with added interest! Arjun was stronger than his sister, yet he didn't punch her back. Where did we go wrong? How did we end up hating and hurting each other so much? How did we have this much of hatred? I didn't know the answer. "You want some?" Arjun opened his hand to show me the squashed remnants of cotton candy in his hand. "Here" he pinched some and gave it to me. It was the first time I ever ate cotton candy. I have always seen people selling cotton candies in parks. Amma never allowed us to buy cotton candies. She called it "thuppal muttai". She named it so because apparently she had seen the seller wetting his hands with his saliva while mixing the candy! There was something special about doing things the first time. first bus ride, first boat ride, first this, first that.. "Want some more?" Arjun asked "Yeah" I took some more candy from his hand and together we walked around empty tables in empty booths, while eating cotton candy. There were few people sitting down on the grass field and eating. "hey Divya" Arjun called when he saw his sister sitting with other ladies. As soon as she saw him she got up holding a plate and walked towards us. "Did you guys get anything to eat?" He shook his head "Here, there is some aloo tikki and channa. You both can share! I was keeping it for Rajashree. You guys can have it. Rajeshree won't mind." She looked at me and spoke "Sorry Nina, I didn't know you were coming, otherwise I would have surely kept something for you" "Wait here, I will find spoon for you" She went to one of the ladies sitting in the group that she was in and got two spoons from her. She gave the spoon to us and spoke pointing to the two empty chairs in one of the booths. "Go, sit down and eat" The golden rule at home was 'Girl and a boy are not supposed to be together and they certainly need to be kept away from each other, so nothing untoward happens'. Yet here we were, eating from the same plate and no one batted an eye lid. Trust came as it should. I had even forgotten I was angry with Arjun few minutes ago. I knew it was time I got over my 'Oh Nina' Phobia. There were more important things to do in life than getting someone to stop saying Oh Nina.</content>

Cris: ATM machine and 3 men

Cris — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:39:50 +0000

Looks like I blog everyday I go out. Either the world has always been so happening and I just didn’t notice anything, or it must be me. I prefer to think it’s the world. Today’s trips had nothing special in them. One was to an icici atm machine, outside which I waited 15 minutes before realizing [...]

Pradeep: മാസസസരോവറിന്റെ പാതിവഴി

കാണാമറയത്ത് — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:35:19 +0000

മാസസസരോവറിന്റെ പാതി..:) വളരെ അപ്ര്തീക്ഷിതമായി ഞാന്‍ ഒരു യാത്ര പോയി..മാസസസരോവറിന്റെ പാതി..:)എന്നു പറയാം..ഇന്ത്യയുടെയും നേപ്പാളിന്റെയും അതിര്‍ത്തിയില്‍.യാത്രക്കു പ്രത്യേകിച്ച് അങ്ങനെ ഉദ്ദേശ്യം ഒന്നും ഇല്ലായിരുന്നു. ജീവിതത്തിന്റെ തിരക്കുകളില്‍ നിന്ന് ഒരു ഒളിച്ചോട്ടം എന്നു വേണമെന്കില്‍ പറയാം..ഉത്തരാഞ്ചലിലെ പിത്തൊര്‍ഗഡ് ജില്ലയിലെ ധാര്‍ചുള എന്ന സ്ഥലത്തേക്കായിരുന്നു യാത്ര. ഡെല്‍ഹിയില്‍ നിന്നും കാറില്‍ 52 മണിക്കൂര്‍ യാത്ര...അവിടെ ഇന്റ്റര്‍നെറ്റും,മൊബൈല് ഫോണും ഒന്നുമില്ലാതെ ഒന്നു അലഞ്ഞുതിരിയണം എന്നൊരു വട്ടന്‍ ചിന്ത.അതിന്റെ യാത്രാ വിവരണം എഴുതി ആരെയും ബോറടിപ്പിക്കുന്നില്ല..നാലു ചിത്രങ്ങള്‍ ഇടുന്നു.. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_Idu-arolzes/SCx3KJLqq_I/AAAAAAAABTQ/nijB5zaIgIs/s1600-h/IMG_0432.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_Idu-arolzes/SCx3KJLqq_I/AAAAAAAABTQ/nijB5zaIgIs/s400/IMG_0432.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200662685853330418" /></a> മാനസസരോവറില്‍ പോകണമെങ്കില്‍ ഇവിടെ 10 ദിവസം നിന്നു നടക്കണം :( <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_Idu-arolzes/SCx3K5LqrAI/AAAAAAAABTY/XvZs3I7eF5Y/s1600-h/IMG_0453.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_Idu-arolzes/SCx3K5LqrAI/AAAAAAAABTY/XvZs3I7eF5Y/s400/IMG_0453.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200662698738232322" /></a> മാനസസരോവറിലേക്കു പോകുന്ന കഴുതകള്‍..:( <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_Idu-arolzes/SCx3LpLqrBI/AAAAAAAABTg/tqH2ztAJDPM/s1600-h/IMG_0513.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_Idu-arolzes/SCx3LpLqrBI/AAAAAAAABTg/tqH2ztAJDPM/s400/IMG_0513.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200662711623134226" /></a> ഇന്ത്യയിലേക്ക് കാളി നദി മുറിച്ചു കടക്കുന്ന നേപ്പാളി സ്ത്രീ ..ഈ നദിയാണ് ഇന്ത്യയുടെയും നേപ്പാളിന്റെയും അതിര്ത്തി.. അവിടെ നിന്നും കൂലിപ്പണിക്കായി എന്നും വരുന്നവര്‍ ഇതേമാര്‍ഗത്തിലൂടെ ആണ്.!! <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_Idu-arolzes/SCx_DZLqrDI/AAAAAAAABTw/_frhqETp0z0/s1600-h/IMG_0533.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_Idu-arolzes/SCx_DZLqrDI/AAAAAAAABTw/_frhqETp0z0/s400/IMG_0533.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200671365982235698" /></a> മാനസസരോവറില്‍ പോയിരുന്നുവെങ്കില്‍ ഇതിലും ഭംഗിയായി കാണാമായിരുന്നു മഞ്ഞുമലകള്‍..പക്ഷെ ഇവിടെ നിന്നു 10 ദിവസം നടക്കണം..:( അതിനാല്‍ ഞാന്‍ സൈഡിലൂടെ എസ്കേപ്പായി പകുതി പുണ്യം മതി എനിക്ക്..നിങ്ങള്‍ എന്തു പറയുന്നു...</content>

Narayan: AIDS Jaago

Narayan — Thu, 15 May 2008 17:40:53 +0000

Came across a set of short films by four of the celebrated Indian film makers on AIDS. Conceptualized by Mira Nair, this venture is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to increase awareness of AIDS. The four short films are by Mira Nair, Vishal Bharadwaj, Santosh Sivan, and Farhan Akhtar. These are available from the movie download service <a href="http://www.jaman.com/">Jaman</a> (more on the site on my<a href="http://dscryb.blogspot.com"> </a><a href="http://dscryb.blogspot.com">tech blog</a>.) as part of their <a href="http://www.jaman.com/a/download/?f=aids-jaago">AIDS Jaago section</a>. They are available for download, or as streaming video (pretty nice quality). Just finished the first one, Migration by Mira Nair. Pretty nice short, focusing on how AIDS is a disease beyond the societal class. Decent acting by all the actors. Shiney Ahuja is a little bit too urban looking to pull off a villager though. Still its a very decent performance from him. Mira Nair's craft is very much evident albeit this being a short film. Will update the rest after watching each of the movies. Update: Finished watching Blood Brothers by Vishal Bharadwaj. An absolutely fabulous short film. Gripping. Great performances from Sidharth and Pankaj Kapoor, and an outstanding performance from Pawan Malhotra. This ones about how lives are altered with the onset of HIV. Onto the next movie. Blood Brothers is highly recommended. Update: Prarambha, the Kannada short by Santosh Sivan deals with the subject of the impact ofHIV on children. A really moving film, reminded me of the plight of two HIV positive children who were outcasted in their school sometime back in Kerala. The child actor has done a great job and Prabhudeva has excelled as the smart truck driver. One more left now. This time by Farhan Akhtar. Lets see if he hold his own with the others. Update: Farhan Akhtar does hold his own against others with Positive. The movie starts of a little peppy and settles in nicely.Yet another good short. Its about how a family copes with AIDS. Awesome performance from Boman Irani and Shabana Azmi. Easily the best acting in this series. Seems there is an issue with showing more than one film at a time in the same post/page. Go to the <a href="http://www.jaman.com/a/download/?f=aids-jaago">site</a> to watch the movies. The one I liked the most will be displayed here. All the four shorts are extremely good. Must Watch! Ranking according to me 4. Migration: Mira Nair has been eclipsed by the others here. 3. Positive: Farhan Akhtar does have a lot of talent. Hope that he will put it to good use. 2. Prarambha: I was hard pressed whether to give this the 1st place. A very strong contender. Santosh Sivan has done a brilliant job here. Boy in the movie is simply wonderful. If you are too lazy to watch it by registering in Jaman, just go <a href="http://dscryb.blogspot.com/2008/05/jaman.html">here</a>. 1. Blood Brothers: Gritty and good. May not rank that high in others lists, but this was the one which impacted me mostly. Vishal Bharadwaj takes the first spot. Watch the movie below! <a href="http://www.jaman.com/a/Blood-Brothers/video/0HsYuptHveNs">Blood Brothers</a> <object width="500" height="327"><param name="movie" value="http://www.jaman.com/a/embed/0HsYuptHveNs/"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.jaman.com/a/embed/0HsYuptHveNs/" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="327"></embed></object></content>

Ajith S: നോക്കുകൂലി

Eccentric — Thu, 15 May 2008 17:40:49 +0000

ഇന്നു രാവിലെ കിട്ടിയ ഒരു ഇ-മെയില്‍ ആണ്. സംഭവം അല്പം ഒന്നു ചിരിപ്പിക്കും... Project Managers will starve to death !!! <a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_yCzkaeE5TIY/SCxwQrp4f4I/AAAAAAAABqg/9cClOtas7qk/s1600-h/image001.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200655101604691842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 356px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 235px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="235" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_yCzkaeE5TIY/SCxwQrp4f4I/AAAAAAAABqg/9cClOtas7qk/s320/image001.jpg" width="347" border="0" /></a></content>