Brown Basmati

I wanted to spread the word about brown basmati rice. As a fairly dedicated rice eater, I eat rice most days of the week. For some time, I have been searching for a healthier alternative to traditional rice -- tasty brown rice.

I am happy to say the search is over because I have discovered brown basmati. Brown rice requires a little more water than white rice and can also be conveniently prepared in a rice cooker.

I started with a small container of Texmati and recently decided to invest in 10-pound sack of Kohinoor Brown Basmati (from an Indian store). Though I have not had a chance to try it, I think this rice has good pulau potential.

What the Bleep?

I watched an interesting movie/documentary this weekend -- What the Bleep Do We Know!? (thanks to I). It starts out with a bunch of Phd-types talking about quantum physics and the concept of reality. Nothing is solid. Now you see it and not you don't. The classic "Where is the electron conundrum?"

The movie/doc also brings in some neuroscience -- the brain sees based on experience and misses a lot. (Explains why eyewitness testimony is so unreliable). This is not a typical documentary because it also has a parallel story line involving an anxious photographer who was jilted by her husband. In addition, there is some animation that features brightly-colored talking cells that at one point break out into some rock 'n roll.

The final leap is when the movie/doc connects the idea of probabilities from quantum physics to the idea of God (yes, it is a quantum leap!). Somehow, ordinary people can "choose" their realities and find God within themselves. In the narrative, the photographer finds enlightenment and dunks her anxiety pills in the garbage.

If this description has not peaked your interest, one of the scientist-type people (can't miss her, look out for the german spy or the aged porn star) becomes increasingly dramatic in her description of people and their addictions. It turns out that she is not a scientist but J Z Knight, founder of Ramtha's School of Enlightenment. Now, that explains alot.

Overall, an entertaining show but don't take it too seriously. After you watch the movie/doc, check out this website that explains the problems. It is amazing how thought-provoking quantum mechanics can be (another plug for Copenhagen) when you let your imagination roam free . . .

The Inconvinient Truth

So, I finally watched the new Al Gore movie/documentary, An Inconvinient Truth. I have to say that even three days after watching it, the images of the ice bergs melting and the billowing smoke from industrial exhausts continues haunt me . . .

Here are my main thoughts about the movie/documentary:

1) Even though I found the flashbacks about Al Gore's life in the movie interesting, I did find them distracting during the presentation about global warming. Also, they left me with a lot of unanswered questions while I was watching the movie like: What happened to his son? (he survived, btw) and Why did Al Gore live in Washington and only spend his summers in the farm? (because his father was a senator of course), etc.

2) In general, I found his argument about global warming pretty convincing but he was essentially preaching to the choir. I have been pretty convinced that Mother Nature has gone berserk for some time with all these tsunamis, hurricanes and really hot summers. However, I have to say I was irked to find no scale on the y-axis on the CO2 graph that was shown and other potentially misleading graphs (groan) . . .

3) Even though I am convinced of the problem, unlike some other people, I have a hard time finding meaningful ways of solving it. After all, the environment is pretty fragile and influenced by forces greater than myself. As a result, I feel that Al Gore left me stranded with this feeling of impending doom with very little guidance on how to save the world.

I don't mean to sound too critical because it was a good production overall and should give people something think about (and facilitate a real change in attitudes about climate change). And who knows? It might even motivate me to cut down on my hot showers . . .

A Tourist in Bangladesh

A sneak peak.

Creepy

Today, the big news on CNN is that NSA is collecting phone records from three major phone service providers. It was a USA Today reporter who broke the story. Apparently, anyone can get these "call logs" on the internet, which is also pretty creepy.

And what happened to this inquiry?

Word puzzle not much of a puzzle

Olny srmat poelpe can.

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg.
The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at
Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it denos't mtater in waht oredr the ltetres in a
wrod are, the olny iprnoatmt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be
in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed
it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

if you can raed tihs psas it on !!

All is not as it seems. Dicussion about this here and here.

Redefining Feminism

Last week, I read some depressing statistics about "the wage gap". Looking at the historical data, it seems like this gap is unlikely to just go away (as it should) . . .


Forty-some years after the Feminine Mystique, most employers are now following equal employment opportunities, girls are outperforming boys on the SAT and women are dominating in colleges. So, how come the wage gap isn't shrinking? To explain this bizzare trend, the wage gap is being attributed to women's behaviour. A host of experts have identified a plathera problems: women are increasingly choosing family over work, women not negotiating to success to women smiling too much in the boardroom. For some of these problems, solutions are suggested like "Negogiate Damnit" and "Stop smiling", etc. However, most experts are not sure what to tell women about balancing work and family. After all, women are the social caretakers and if they do not make the sacrifices, who will?

Recently, I read a refreshing article (thanks M for the link) about what we can do to close the gender gap. The Rules for women are:

There are three rules: Prepare yourself to qualify for good work, treat work seriously, and don’t put yourself in a position of unequal resources when you marry.

Suprisingly, Hirshman (herself a beneficiary) points her finger at liberal arts education . . .

The first pitfall is the liberal-arts curriculum, which women are good at, graduating in higher numbers than men. Although many really successful people start out studying liberal arts, the purpose of a liberal education is not, with the exception of a miniscule number of academic positions, job preparation. . . So the first rule is to use your college education with an eye to career goals.

The second rule suggests women should look for more lucrative careers. . .

So the second rule is that women must treat the first few years after college as an opportunity to lose their capitalism virginity and prepare for good work, which they will then treat seriously.

The best way to treat work seriously is to find the money.

The last and possibly most controversial rule is that women should avoid being on a less powerful position in their family life (here, money is equivalent to power). The refreshing part about this article is that it contains suggestions that actually make sense.

Taking the easier path first, marry down. Don’t think of this as brutally strategic. If you are devoted to your career goals and would like a man who will support that, you’re just doing what men throughout the ages have done: placing a safe bet.

For some reason, this mercenary approach to picking a career and a husband does not mesh well with my way of thinking. However, Hirshman has a point. In this world, where money is power, women are voluntarily "choosing" the short end of the stick, even Harvard educated MBAs. On the small scale, these are individual choices but globally this brings down the value of all educated women . . .

After working for a few years, it seems to me that women have to overcome significant gender handicaps at the work place in order to succeed. While their biological clocks are racing, women often times make decisions that make it difficult for them to compete equally in the job market (and therefore make the world a better place). However, the good news is that science is on our side (with women living longer and able to have kids at an older age) and other options are becoming more socially viable (adoption). Hopefully, a redefinition of feminism and a women-friendly instutional and societal changes will ensure that the future will not be as bleak . . .

Google Update

Google has been in the news recently. From it's alliance with strategic partnership deals with the likes of Dell, Apple, Motorola to Google's defiance of the Feds and it's compromizes in China, Google news is everywhere.

As a frequent user of Google products (most recently empowered by Picasa), I am most interested in ensuring that I am not trading off my privacy for convinience. The EFF has issued this warning about new features of the Google destop search engine:

Unless you configure Google Desktop very carefully, and few people will, Google will have copies of your tax returns, love letters, business records, financial and medical files, and whatever other text-based documents the Desktop software can index. The government could then demand these personal files with only a subpoena rather than the search warrant it would need to seize the same things from your home or business, and in many cases you wouldn't even be notified in time to challenge it.

It is not clear why Google needs to transfer this data to it's servers in order to do desktop searches. I am guessing that the answer to this question may be even less unsubstantial as the reasons why Google saves "search terms":

keeping detailed records can help in identifying click fraud (faking clicks on Web ads to drive up a rival's cost), and in optimizing search results for different geographic areas. Compiling a user profile can aid in tailoring search results in products like Google Personalized Search. Also, disk storage is cheap, and engineers tend to prefer to keep data rather than delete it.

Hydrogen -- The fuel of the future

This is a popular refrain these days. However, this time it is not just fuel cell scientists trying to convince of this but an electrical engineer with a Harvard medical degree who has stirred up a heated controversy amongst physicists (link from Soumya).

Dr. Randy Mills is claiming that he can release energy from hydrogen by moving the electron closer to the nucleus (to a more stable orbital). According to quantum mechanics, the ground state (the lowest orbital) is when "n" is equal to 1. In order to explain his theory, Mills has reverted to classical theory to explain the fractional value of "n".

To commercialize this technology, Mills has started Blacklight Power and has somehow convinced investors to put in over 25 million and has set up a 50,000 square foot R&D lab in NJ. Not very suprisingly, their main focus is power generation applications.

So, what should we make of all this? I am not sure if it is possible to have a lower ground state since quantum mechanics left me kind of fuzzy. However, after some googling, my guess is that Mills must have some compelling evidence since he has been able to convince some people. This still does not rule out the possibility that there is some sort of misunderstanding or misidentification of the phenomenon. I am ruling out a deliberate scam because if that was the case, Mills would have taken the money and ran years ago.

Frankly speaking, the propaganda on the website seems too good too be true. The process of hydrino formation is supposed to generate heat (and no other harmful radiation). This energy is supposed to be signficantly higher that the energy needed for electrolysis of water (the fuel) and maintenance of the plasma for this process, which is a tall order.

So, this is either an amazing new step forward for mankind or a great blunder. You decide . . .

Fall Colours

It is just like me to post about fall colours at the end of fall. But, as they say, better late than never.

When I first moved to the Midwest, I dreaded the fall because it marked the end of sandals and served as a reminder of impending winter freeze. Slowly but surely, I have begun to look forward to the falling leaves, the earthy tones and the crisp in the air. Below, I am appreciating a fallen leaf. . .



On the flip side, I was not so appreciative while helping my dad rake the leaves on our lawn. It made me wonder how nature can be so inefficient. All the leaves change colour, shrivel up, fall and then will have to regrow again next spring. While raking millions (or was it tens of millions?) of fallen leaves, I contemplated that fall is can be a lot of wasted effort. There has to be an easier way. . .

On a random note, this is a picture I took last week of unidentified crop (some type of wild barley or oats?) swaying in the fall breeze . . .

The Living Dead

Continuing on this vein of morbid topics, I watched an excellent play last weekend, the Masrayana. This story depicts the saga of Gopal Masra, a fictional character loosely based on the true story of Lal Bihari. Bihari was involved in a protracted legal battle with the government of India to prove that he is not dead in order to regain his property.

Land disputes are often the cause of these cases of "wrongful deaths". In Bihari's case it was an evil uncle. For Misra, it was his good-for-nothing brother who had bribed the local clerk to obtain a fake death certificate. Initially, instead of excessively dwelling on his misfortune, Misra tries to present the illogic of his case in the hopes that this fraud will be exposed. A memorable scene was when Misra's wife goes to apply for widow's benefit accompanied by her husband. Unfortunately, a system that is trying to hide it's errors can be exceedingly frustrating (to say the least). Her application is denied because it is found out that she is pregnant (I wonder if that is sufficient cause to deny widow's benefit?). Suprisingly, these frustrations are used as a humorous ploy in this production.

Another endearing aspect of the play is the intermixing of indian music and dance. It is very cool to have a sitar opening each scene and traditional dancers depicting short scenes.

The play implies that Misra's journey for identity and acceptance can be compared to the struggles that many downtrodden commuties face in the modern world. Similar to Bihari, Misra travels all through India mobilizing thousands of people who have been dispossesed of their identities. The play doesn't spend too much time on this process and provides a sort of Bollywood/Hollywood ending. Apparently, a magistrate hears about their case in Delhi and decides to hear their cases immediately (can this really happen?). Another aspect the play glosses over is Misra's relationship with his good-for-nothing brother. In many such cases including Biharis, the "living dead" upon proving their case, actually gave back the land to their relatives who had stolen from them. So, all in all, it is a strange situation.

Masrayana, written by Kovacsik, is being performed by the Rasaka Theatre Company, a small Chicago-based theatre company. If you get a chance, go see it!

Knocked Out

So, I had a strange out-of-body experience yesterday. I was at the doctor's office for a routine physical exam and things were going as well as can be expected. Suddenly, I could feel my senses numbing, my vision dimming. I had fainted years ago and I realized that was probably what was happening to me. I tried to tell the nurse about it and before I knew it I was out . . .

I don't remember exactly what was going on in my head when I was unconsious. It felt like I was in a calm place and it seemed like I had been there forever (had no memory of my previous life). Waking up was a rude interruption. I saw a girl on her knees and unknown blonde nurse was asking her if she is OK. Then, I realized that that girl was me and remembered that I was at the doctor's office. I kept thinking why can't they just let me sleep?

Today, I am back to familiar well-grounded reality.

It was one of those Monday mornings. . . I woke up to my alarm and thought what is that strange noise. Sometimes, weekends have that effect on me. In a daze, I dressed and headed to work. I was driving down the familiar route (of course, all this could have been avoided if I had biked to work). . . Suddenly, the car in the adjacent lane turned into my lane and hit my vehicle. Startled, I slowed down and parked the car on the side to figure out what just happened. The driver of the other car, an old man hobbled over to me. I was still dazed and didn't know what to do when he suggested that I call the police (duh).

Anyways, to make a long story short, it turned out that this old man, who was born in 1918 was driving his wife to the hospital. He didn't see me and was just trying to change lanes. The damage to my car isn't significant but it will still take about $2,500 to repair. The old man (reminded me of my grandfather) took full responsibility, apologized and patted me on the back.

I could not help but feel sorry for him. He was driving his wife (who for all I know may have been suffering from some sort of grave illness like cancer). Do old people in this country have much of an option? Social security is only sufficient to get by and when your body fails you, there is no one to lend a hand. If you have to support yourself 20-30 years after you retire, you had to have saved a fortune during your working life and spend it wisely (avoiding the numerous scam artists that prey on the elderly). With life expectency improving world-wide, it seems to me that longevity is over-rated and I'd rather not to overextend my time.

Netflix

Do you like movies?

My roommate and I made the monumental decision to join Netflix about six months ago and, let’s just say, it was love at first sight. I should preface this by saying that I am nuts about movies. Strike that, I’m nuts about a lot of stuff: pop culture, television in all its trashy and glorious forms, “good” music, cheap clothes, half price bottles of wine, things that can make me giggle without thinking about it, the onion av club, but, above all else, I’m nuts about movies. And that makes Netflix and I a match made in heaven. With, like, a zillion movies to choose from (ok, I obviously made that number up, it’s actually “more than 50,000 titles”), almost anything you like is somewhere in there.


For example, I did a study abroad in India last year, and, after years of resistance on my part, I gave in to the totally ridiculous, exhausting yet exhilarating genre of “Hindi films.” Though they are becoming more visible in America (a nearby theatre in Chicago actually shows Hindi movies about the same time as their debut in India), they are still hard to find in backwoods. Lucky for me, Netflix fares better.

The Indian film industry is remarkably prolific, putting out thousands of movies every year. So it would be kind of difficult to really stay on top of that. Netflix stocks a lot of the newer pictures like Veer Zaara which made a huge splash while I was in India and is prominently shown in the “Indian” section of foreign cinema. Also included are some damn good picks like Salaam Bombay, Amar Akbar Anthony (seriously, this is such a funny movie), and blockbusters like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. They even have a feature titled “Best of Bollywood” where you can browse a listing of Bollywood classics from the '60’s onwards.



Another little mini-obsession of mine is Japanese cinema. Right now I’m all about this director, Takashi Miike. My friend who is into “strange” movies got me hooked with Visitor Q, the absolutely most disturbing film I’ve ever seen. Its hard to describe, on one level it’s the story of one family’s redemption; on another level, it seems more like a compendium of random, really disturbing ideas patch-worked into a movie. Another nice feature on Netflix is that movies come with the combined rating of all the people on Netflix who have rated that movie. So you can check out his four-star work (Audition, Last Life in the Universe), his three-star stuff (Dead or Alive or City of Lost Souls—which despite the violence, I found irresistible and hilarious), etc.

Even if you’re not into foreign films (I admit, sometimes subtitles are just plain annoying to have to bother with) Netflix stocks all the American fare your little heart could desire. From documentaries to TV shows to animation, you can browse and add till your fingers ache. They also have tons of lists that you can look through from Roger Ebert’s picks to the Netflix 100—which is like a stock exchange of the 100 most popular films on Netflix, as films become less or more in demand they move up and down the list. And the beauty is you queue all of it. I can go on a bender and add 50 movies and I may not see them now but one day, I’m going to open my mailbox and there’ll be a Netflix envelope and I won’t know what’s inside (well, you can check what’s on your queue or what’s up next very easily, but I find the surprise kinda fun) and it’ll be another random movie I’ve been dying to see and that moment, my dears, is brought to you by the magic and beauty of NETFLIX!

Gmail & Privacy

If you are an avid reader of this blog, you would have probably noticed that I have opinions on varied topics, which I share with the world on occasion. Strangely enough, it is my entry about Gmail that gets the most hits from first time visitors and creates some controversy.

From the responses, I can guess that most of my readers are probably Gmail users. I can't hardly blame you since I found out that my own mother, computer unsavvy as she is, has a Gmail account, which she claims to check. As she was telling me this, I was torn between encouraging her new-found online freedom and my fears of the dark side. Seriously, you know your world cannot be safe when Gmail is scouring through your loved ones’ emails. Now, call me paranoid but I can think of several unwholesome scenarios that can result. For instance, if my mom writes that she wishes her unmarried daughters to find a match in an email, will the creepy crawly dataminers pick up on that and send her targeted advertisement? If they send her a link to something like Shaadi.com, no doubt all hell will break loose!

Ok, I admit Gmail is not evil (the world cannot be broken up into such a simple dichotomy). My main excuse is that as a true Bengali, I seek out melodrama wherever I can find it. In addition, one of the tenants of Google philosophy is: "You can make money without doing evil" and associating Gmail with Evil was a temptation I could not resist . . .

Anyways, getting back on track, there are many reasons why the Gmail model puts the customer at unnecessary risk(Check out the original entry for details). Several privacy advocates have become concerned that the success of Gmail will encourage other companies to follow suit (it might be too late already). I suspect that all the desi software engineers around here are working extra long hours to create better dataminers that can extract information even more accurately and efficiently and databases that can catalog and retain this information indefinitely. This has already reduced the vastness of information online into small palatable bits (which has no doubt improved the quality of our lives). However, these same tools also make it easier for 'bad' people to get our private information and use it for 'bad' purposes.

Granted I am more worried about my personal financial information being misused rather than emails. However, there are things that can be done to improve information security online. I feel like I'm doing my part by spreading awareness about these issues. Since laws and regulations will take time to catch up to technology, it is up to responsible corporations and vigilant users to fight "evil" and keep our online world safe.

Stained Glass

It is easy to tell when I am procrastinating because those are times when I feel extra-inspired to update my blog. Right now, I would rather not think about my impending move and the associated packing/organizing, so I figured I should tell the world about my attempts at stained glass art.

Circa October 2004, I walked into a stained glass store and signed up for the beginner class. My first project (The Star) got my feet wet & was a good introduction to the basics -- scoring glass, copper foiling, soldering, etc. During that class, I also made my first 3D object, a lampshade. This blurry picture is the only picture I have since this piece is currently half-way across the world . . .


I have found that many stained glass designs are either too floral, too medival or too religious for my tastes, so I was glad to find a book of designs by Kimberlee Lynch ("Clearly Abstract Art For Glass). I brought one of these designs to life.

After this, I tried my hand at designing my own piece in a leaded window (it looks like an eye!). I had some fun with sandblasting, gluechip glass, cementing, etc. For people who are thinking about trying it, this is an expensive hobby and if you are like me you will have a hard time giving away your pieces. As for the pros, I cannot decide what factors contribute most to my enjoyment. I suspect the proximity to toxic chemicals (the lead, the solder, various agents), the danger involved in cutting glass and using the hot iron or the heady fumes all play a part.











The finale was when I was able to force all the pieces for my leaded mirror into place. . .

Home-grown Terrorists

Right after 9/11, some of my American friends asked me to explain why the terrorists hate the US so much. Not that I was an expert in this subject. . . As it happened, I was a muslim person they knew/trusted and they wanted to get in on the DL.

However, I was probably just as unprepared for 9/11 as the rest of them (the attack as well as the repercussions). Having lived many years in muslim countries, I had seen and heard some of the rhetoric of islamic fundamentalism (Palestine, US troops in the Holy Land, etc). These people organized protests, burned some flags but in general seemed to restrict themselves to unrest in their home countries. In addition, I didn't really take the small group of terrorists (like Bin Laden) as a serious threat to the US because I didn't know they were capable of such large-scale devastation. Also, it didn't occur to me that the terrorists would misdirect the issues that they have with US foreign policy and direct attacks against civilians on US soil. But, hey I wasn't the only one who didn't see it coming.

The London bombings bring up similar issues now that it turns out most of the bombers were homegrown Britishers (The Mystery Man,The Family Man,The Cricketer,The Teenager). Reading through their profiles and the state of Multiculturism in UK, I can see how these people might have been pre-disposed to the rhetoric of Islamic fundamentalism and the nihilistic philosophy of terrorism. There is a sequence of emotions that I feel when I think about the terrorists starting with disgust (how could they murder and maim innocent civilians?), anger (what right do they have to act in the name of islam?) and frustration (how does this help muslims in any way?). Finally, I settle for pity (Isn't it sad that their terrorist leaders instead of providing a constructive outlet for the energies of these young people ask them to forfeit their lives and take as many other people as they can?). Try as I might, I can not understand what illogic drives the terrorist masterminds and what kind of delusional thinking would lead them to believe that this strategy is helping anyone, particularly muslims.

In conclusion, I can think of nothing that can justify or even explain their actions . . .

Information Insecurity

Last week, I got a letter from DSW indicating that my credit card information (including the security code) and address has been "stolen" from them. Apparently, this breach came to light in March and DSW contacted the credit card companies soon afterwards.

Recently, there have been several prominent leaks where credit card and personal info (social security numbers, birthdates) of customers have been unintentionally released (citigroup, PetCo). One of the largest release of information was the security breach involving 40M credit cards. During the uncovering of this leak, it was also discovered that CardSystems was improperly holding consumer credit card data by keeping a file on credit card transactions that failed to receive authorization. In response, they released this statement:

"We were out of compliance and we recognize that file was out of compliance with the association rules," Bill Reeves, CardSystems' Senior Vice President, told CNN.

So, what exactly is going on? Why is it that the companies we are entrusting with our personal financial information are not zeaously gaurding this information (as they should)? One of the main problems, as this Economist indicates, is that the companies are not legally liable. Only a couple states like California and Illinois have laws that require companies to notify the customers when their information has been compromised.

Anyways, back to DSW . . . The state of Ohio is suing DSW in order to release information about this to the customers. But, is this enough? Companies are not doing enough to keep customer information secure. In this day and age, where information is invaluable, this insecurity is costing customers and credit card companies (as they have to pay $35 for new cards and also reimburse people in cases of fraud). I can only hope that someone is looking out for me. . .

The Veil -- A form of Rebellion?

The case of Tashnuba Hayder, a teenager who was detained on suspicion of being a potential suicide bomber and subsequently deported from the US for immigration violations, is unfortunate. Many aspects of this case is still shrouded in mystery, including the reasons why this girl first roused the interests of the FBI. But, what is clear is that Tashnuba is a rebellious teenager who found expression in religion.

From childhood, Tashnuba embraced religion with a kind of rebellion. By 10 she was praying five times a day - and reproaching her more secular father, a salesman of cheap watches. At 12, Tashnuba even explored Christianity. But at 14, she adopted a full Islamic veil. [NYT]

The Veil (Hijab, Burqah, purdah) as a form of rebellion? In addition, Tashnuba was reported to have attempted to elope with a muslim-American boy defying her parents, who were not amenable to her demands for home schooling. Why would she volunteer for a child marriage to a stranger just to avoid (supposedly raunchy) public school education?

I remember the Veil as an oppressive practice. My sojourn in the Mid East left me with a bad taste for this restrictive institution. But, maybe my rebellion against it was not so different from Tashnuba's rebellion for it. We were both longing to have the freedom to dress as we please and thereby express who we are. . . And she is not alone. Many muslim women are embracing the islamic dress to empower them against the objectification of female beauty.

Unfortunately, Tashnuba and her family has had to pay dearly for her rebellion. Just as I was lured by the promise of Western liberalism, Tashnuba echoes innocently about the utopian Islamic state . . .

What she recalled was talk of a utopian Islamic state that would follow God's will, not human desires. "You don't pay for water in an Islamic state, you don't pay for transport," she said. "There are certain rights that can't be taken away."

Growing up and closer study usually reveals that things may not be as they seem. . . My advice to Tashnuba: Start a blog and share your journey.

A picture of bliss?

Recently, I had the opportunity to add to my collection of water lily pictures. This brought me to the problem of correctly identifying the flowers -- lotus versus water lily (which are incidently the national flowers of India & Bangladesh)?

From what I can gather the pink ones are water lilies and purple ones are lotus flowers (since they are raised above the water).









Lotus flowers (specific types of water lillies) make for excellent metaphors and have been the subject of poetry in several traditions. A lotus pond in my backyard might be just what I need to inspire me to rise above the ordinary.

The Rebel Poet

One of my grandfather's favourite stories is the time when Kazi Nazrul Islam visited his house. The poet, aptly known as the Bidrohi Kobi (the Rebel Poet) inspired by his fiery poem Bidrohi (The Rebel). The following is a translated stanza from one of his popular songs, Kandari Hushiar
(Captain Beware)

The boat trembles, the water swells
The boatman’s lost his way
The sail’s in tatters, who will take hold of the rudder?
Who has the courage, ho?
Are you that youth? Hurry forth!
The future beckons
Heavy is the storm and cross we must
And land the boat on the distant shore!

Sometime in the year 1926, Nazrul was invited to visit Noakhali. To welcome the poet to her area, my great grandmother wrote a poem in his honour and sent it to the inaugural event. It is said that upon hearing the poem, Nazrul demanded to meet the author. Taking this as a hint, my great grandfather invited him over for lunch to his house. A feast was prepared. My grandfather, then a little boy, was caught up in the excitement. Those were in the days of purdah, so my great grandmother waited in the inside rooms for updates from her son, while the men were eating chicken roast. Nazrul asked to see more of her writing and after some hesitation, she sent him a novel she was working on. The following year this novel was published in a Kolkatta magazine, under a pseudonym (for proprieties sake, of course). The same year my great grandmother passed away from malaria in her late twenties.

I can’t help wondering what had inspired my great grandmother to write? Did Nazrul’s fiery rhetoric strike a chord with her? What would it be like to go through teenage angst, finding yourself married to a rural zamindar, watching your first child die in infanthood and hearing complaints that the new bouma (daughter-in-law) spends too much time reading & writing?

The Nuclear Option

With gas prices steadily rising and the frustrations created by the inequities of a world order based on oil interests, the question is: What's next? A couple of different sources suggest that the only mature technology that can replace fossil fuels is nuclear energy.

Nuclear fission is modern day alchemy and can convert small amounts of mass into immense amounts of energy (which might one day become more valuable than gold). Since nuclear proliferation seems inevitable & people will always have to live with the threat of nuclear war, it is only fair that we get some benefits from its better half (nuclear energy).

The Pros:
1)The nuclear energy industry has been around for about a half century and have had opportunity to increase efficiency and lower safety risks
2)Nuclear fission is cleaner than combustion of hydrocarbons (though there is emission of CO2 during the mining of Uranium)
3)Abundance of nuclear fuel
4)Nuclear reactors can be used for hydrogen production for use in fuel cells

The Cons:
1)The problem of nuclear waste disposal, which can take about 500 hundred years to deactivate
2)The large investments, both in time(10 years) & money required to build nuclear plants, which means that energy production will always be in the control of governments & large corporations
3)Possible misuse of nuclear fuel in weapons
4)Human negligence in this area can lead to catastrophe. In the face of nuclear pollution, no country is an island . . .

Several brave nations have already ventured forth and added nuclear energy to their energy portfolios (US: 20%; France: 75%; World: 17%). With energy demands increasing rapidly and limited fossil fuel resources, many developing countries are also being lured by the promise of nuclear energy. However, it is not clear if nuclear power is an economical option, particularly in the Third World. In addition, there is genuine concern that corruption and mismanagement in some countries might hamper the large investments needed for safe & efficient production of nuclear energy.

In the light of all this, our best hope out of the energy crisis might be to sit tight for cold fusion or the evolution of a superhuman race that is immune to radiation, whichever comes first.

25 Baishakh

In anticipation of 25 Baishakh, here is an excerpt from Tagore's poem Destination Unknown (the Bengali version):

How much farther will you lead me on, Lady beautiful?
Tell me where will you land your golden boat?
Whenever I ask you, Ogo Bideshini,
you only flash at me your dulcet smile.
I do not know what thoughts stir in your mind.
Silently you lift your finger
and point to the infinite sea which heaves.
In the far west the sun hides behind the sky.
What lies there? What is it we go to seek?

Fast Food for the Soul

When capitalism & globalization collided, time became money & success now depends on decreasing costs, increasing productivity and maximizing profit. In this day and age, who has the time to cook?

I did a quick calculation and I realized that I can't even afford my own services as a cook, especially when I compare to cheaper alternatives available in the marketplace. Anyway, why muck around with something that is not even my niche business? Micky Dees knows what people want and has found the most profitable way to provide these products and services. Plus, Ronald McDonald was astute enough to realize and demonstrate that people will come to appreciate consistency, even if the products are mediocre. I can still remember the complete relief I felt when we found a McDonalds after a long day of "being lost in translation" in Beijing. That was one yummy Big Mac.

To keep up with the changing spiritual needs of the world’s population, most major religions are gearing to give us fast food for the soul. Just like you can get a Happy Meal anywhere, you can go into a church, a mosque, a synagogue and expect to be given sustenance, condiments in nice little packets. If you are lucky, you might even get some extra something like the newest Disney figurine tucked in with your meal.

It is amazing but religious leaders have uncanny knowledge of branding. McDonalds creates brand royalty by putting effort into packaging and advertising, so that its products are attractive & easily distinguishable. Even though there is a subtle difference in taste, Coke is the Real Thing and Pepsi is the Taste of the New Generation. Not the same thing at all . . .

Similarly, modern religions like to highlight their distinctness so that they can stand out against the competition. In the global marketplace of spirituality, every religion has to market it's selling point . . . only this product will give you a ticket into heaven. . . this patented formula will work wonders and grant you forgiveness for your sins. . .

It is difficult to imagine but it was not always like this. Most religions started out with ordinary people looking to connect with the divine. Before religions became standardized, religious groups were more like bands of people trying to follow a good example. Before the concept of copyright infringement, you could conceivably take someone else’s good idea and try it out for yourself. It is only in this context, this article describing the early interaction between Islam & Christianity (which seems so vastly different now) makes sense.

Are there times when you walk into a chain restaurant and want to ask for something you can't find on the menu? Can I get some hot sauce with my Happy Meal? And some religious tolerance on the side?

Is Gmail Evil?

Just like the physical world, venturing out into cyberspace involves risk. You never know when you might get mugged, scammed or framed.

Which brings us to Gmail . . . First of all, I am huge fan of Google. It is one of those things that changed my life so completely that I can't really remember how life was without it. However, I can't help being suspicious of Gmail for the following reasons:

1) Their retention policy is creepy to say the least.
2) So, apparently "no human will read emails" which is good. However, creepy crawly dataminers going through my emails is hardly comforting.
3) We all know that there is nothing like a free lunch. You are paying for the "Free" 1GB of space by selling your personal information to unknown entities.
4) Lastly, you can't protect yourself from Gmail by just saying NO. If I reply to a gmail account (from my friends who have fallen to the dark side), Gmail will ignore my right to privacy and scour my email for sellable information.

In the face of this damning evidence, there are some who are still unphased. It is of little comfort that most of the other major players in the business (Yahoo, MSN, Hotmail) have similar policies.

So, what are the alternatives?

Bicycle Economics

I have talked on occasion about wanting a new bike. Last week, I did the deed and purchased one (the power of Mastercard). Even a cynic like myself has now come to appreciate the economics of bike ownership.

Schwinn mountain bike: $250
Bike lock: $40
Pump & pressure gauge: $30

The fuzzy feeling I get while saving the planet: Priceless

Wildflowers

This morning I woke up to find wildflowers all over my rented lawn. The rental agency mows the lawn sporadically but it is obvious that this piece of property is unloved and uncared for. I actually park my car in the backyard, if it can be termed that. So, I am no better.

Overnight, these flowers have taken over this unwanted land bringing it back to life and inspiring me to find my camera and some poetry.

APRIL is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
-- T. S. Eliot

This fish needs a bicycle

I woke up this morning with this phrase stuck in my head -- "I need you like a fish needs a bicycle". Well, the correct description would be I was "snoozing" for an hour between 10-minute dream episodes. At some point, I dreamt that my boss told me that I can't wear glasses to work (no clue why).

"I need you like a fish needs a bicycle" must be a song. So, I googled it (I need google like a FNAB"). I did find the lyrics to U2's "Tryin'to throw your arms around the world" which has the line:

A woman needs a man
Like a fish needs a bicycle

Apparently, the quote was a famous feminist punchline popularly attributed to Gloria Steinem but was actually coined by Irina Dunn. It turns out she modified a phrase from a philosophical text called Vique's Law:

Man needs Religion like a fish needs a bicycle

Anyways, this must be a song. If it isn't one, it should be.

I need you like a fish needs a bicycle
Like a cat needs a dictionary
Like a fat kid like cake (Oops, that is a 50 cents song)

I should probably stick to my day job . . .

Poetry Slam at the Green Mill

"Will you weigh me down before I wear you out?"

Communal Violence Patterns

What is obvious from this list is that the months of December and March are unusually susceptible to spells of communal violence. Is it something in the air during these winter months that leads to madness? Good thing the summer monsoons will be here soon . . .

There is no doubt that the destruction of the Babri Mosque is the mother of all reasons. Right-wing hindu idealogy claim that it started even earlier when the Emperor Babar built the Babri Mosque. Getting a clear view on this controversial issue is not easy but this Wikipedia article comes in handy. We may never know with certainty if there was a temple that pre-dated the mosque and if that was actually the birthplace of Ram. It seems to be a matter of faith.

However, what is clear is that Babri Mosque demolition had a negative impact on communal relations -- even beyond India's borders. There were widespread protests all over the subcontinent after this incident, which unfortunately culminated in the Bombay riots. Feeling slighted after the riots, the gangster Dawood Ibrahim on behalf of the muslim community, set of a series of deadly bomb blasts in Bombay.


I have yet to fit the attack on the Indian parliament into this pattern. So, let's skip that one for now. . .

The Gujrat riots started on the train carrying passengers who were Hindu activists called Kar Sevaks returning from the Hindu religious site of Ayodhya, including the Babri Mosque site. Lastly, the second set of Bombay blasts coincided with publication of a report from the Archeological survey of the Babri Mosque site (though this might have been purely coincidental).

If you have read this far, you are probably wondering where I am headed with this rant. It is true that incidents of communal violence (percieved or real) creates a cycle of violence. The curious thing in this case, is that the slanted reading of history of the Babri Mosque have been used to incite people on both sides. In this atmostphere, people consult 'communal discourse' for their perspective and historical accounts tend to segregate along communal lines.

This distorted view of history is very prevalant. The right-wing hindu perspective of father India wallowing in glory rudely interrupted with the coming of the muslim invaders followed by the British is as ludicrous as the muslim perspective that doesn't even recognize a history pre-dating the greatness of the Moghul empire. Unfortunately, the limited and extremely sanitized politically correct reading of history taught in Indian schools somehow does not go down well on most people either. I don't know about everyone else but I would like to read a more realistic recounting of history -- including the brutality, the power struggles and the dynamics involved in the creation of civilizations from chaos that flourished and then perished.