From yahoo news, 17 Feb 2012
Little else may bring out moments of collective hypocrisy-hysteria like our attitudes to matters of the powerful and the sexual. In other current words, politicians or porn. Are parts of this nation being remarkably consistent in the hysteria and the hype?
India banned the most recent adapatation of Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon tattoo, a film for its adult scenes of rape and torture. Now it is also keen to go ahead in the latest porngate and ban cameras of private channels inside the Soudha or State Assembly. So shooting the messenger, what in this case has arguably not come across as an irresponsible media moment ?With what rationale? So the MLAs should not feel watched while at work ? Who will catch the shirk? The state's own cameras? A case of cracking down on the cameras and the extracurricular passions of members representing the people of Karnataka ? What do you think?And this may have opened the vault of political hypocrisy but was this the worst pornographic sex on the sly type scandal in India? See this next video and decide. And in the video after that Prasoon Joshi probably hits the nail on the head about audiences while actually talking about Indian cinema here.He says what Indians are is very very confused.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Boy genius joined college at age 8, graduated at 9 and wrote book at 14
Fromm NDTV.com, 17 Feb 2012
The one thing 14-year-old Moshe Kai Cavalin dislikes is being called a genius. All he did, after all, was enroll in college at age 8 and earn his first of two Associate of Arts degrees from East Los Angeles Community College at age 9, graduating with a perfect 4.0 grade point average.
Now at 14, he has also published the English version of his book "We Can Do".
Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/boy-genius-joined-college-at-age-8-graduated-at-9-176566
The one thing 14-year-old Moshe Kai Cavalin dislikes is being called a genius. All he did, after all, was enroll in college at age 8 and earn his first of two Associate of Arts degrees from East Los Angeles Community College at age 9, graduating with a perfect 4.0 grade point average.
Now at 14, he has also published the English version of his book "We Can Do".
Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/boy-genius-joined-college-at-age-8-graduated-at-9-176566
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Here's what Hungary does with banknotes!
Banknotes, shredded and compressed into heating fuel, are distributed at the Foundation to Help Autism in Miskolc, eastern Hungary, on February 7, 2012.
Indians among world's happiest people: poll
(From Yahoo news, 11 Feb 2012)
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Despite economic woes, wars, conflicts and natural disasters the world is a happier place today than it was four years ago and Indonesians, Indians and Mexicans seem to be the most contented people on the planet.
More than three-quarters of people around the globe who were questioned in an international poll said they were happy with their lives and nearly a quarter described themselves as very happy.
"The world is a happier place today and we can actually measure it because we have been tracking it," said John Wright, senior vice president of Ipsos Global, which has surveyed the happiness of more than 18,000 people in 24 countries since 2007.
But he added that expectations of why people are happy should be carefully weighed.
"It is not just about the economy and their well being. It is about a whole series of other factors that make them who they are today."
Brazil and Turkey rounded out the top five happiest nations, while Hungary, South Korea, Russia, Spain and Italy had the fewest number of happy people.
Perhaps proving that money can't buy happiness, residents of some of the world biggest economic powers, including the United States, Canada and Britain, fell in the middle of the happiness scale.
"There is a pattern that suggests that there are many other factors beyond the economy that make people happy, so it does provide one element but it is not the whole story," said Wright.
"Sometimes the greatest happiness is a cooked meal or a roof over your head," he explained. "Relationships remain the No. 1 reason around the world where people say they have invested happiness and maybe in those cultures family has a much greater degree of impact."
Regionally Latin America had the highest number of happy people, followed by North America, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East and Africa. Only 15 percent of Europeans said they were very happy.
On a more personal note married couples tended to be happier than singles but men seemed to be as content as women. Education and age also had an impact with more people under 35 saying they are very happy than 25-49 year olds. Higher education also equated with higher happiness.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Despite economic woes, wars, conflicts and natural disasters the world is a happier place today than it was four years ago and Indonesians, Indians and Mexicans seem to be the most contented people on the planet.
More than three-quarters of people around the globe who were questioned in an international poll said they were happy with their lives and nearly a quarter described themselves as very happy.
"The world is a happier place today and we can actually measure it because we have been tracking it," said John Wright, senior vice president of Ipsos Global, which has surveyed the happiness of more than 18,000 people in 24 countries since 2007.
But he added that expectations of why people are happy should be carefully weighed.
"It is not just about the economy and their well being. It is about a whole series of other factors that make them who they are today."
Brazil and Turkey rounded out the top five happiest nations, while Hungary, South Korea, Russia, Spain and Italy had the fewest number of happy people.
Perhaps proving that money can't buy happiness, residents of some of the world biggest economic powers, including the United States, Canada and Britain, fell in the middle of the happiness scale.
"There is a pattern that suggests that there are many other factors beyond the economy that make people happy, so it does provide one element but it is not the whole story," said Wright.
"Sometimes the greatest happiness is a cooked meal or a roof over your head," he explained. "Relationships remain the No. 1 reason around the world where people say they have invested happiness and maybe in those cultures family has a much greater degree of impact."
Regionally Latin America had the highest number of happy people, followed by North America, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East and Africa. Only 15 percent of Europeans said they were very happy.
On a more personal note married couples tended to be happier than singles but men seemed to be as content as women. Education and age also had an impact with more people under 35 saying they are very happy than 25-49 year olds. Higher education also equated with higher happiness.
Mount Etna volcano erupts in Italian island of Sicily
Mount Etna spews lava on the southern Italian island of Sicily February 9, 2012.Mount Etna is Europe's tallest and most active volcano。(Photo/Agencies; news accessed online at People's Daily at http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7725090.html)
Chief Election Commissioner writes to President against Union Law Minister
Here starts another constitutional crisis, with the CEC writing today to President Patil seeking urgent intervention over Khurshid's remarks about backward mulsim reservation during UP election.
Here goes the Yahoo story that just came online:
By Indo Asian News Service | IANS India Private Limited – (11 Feb 2012)
New Delhi, Feb 11 (IANS) Taking exception to union Law and Justice Minister Salman Khurshid sticking to his remarks about backward Muslims during campaigning in Uttar Pradesh despite a censure, Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi Saturday sought President Pratibha Patil's intervention so that polls in the state were conducted in accordance with law.
Quraishi wrote a letter to the president Saturday that the minister's fresh remarks had "created a disturbing situation".
"The full commission hence deliberated on the matter in an emergency meeting this (Saturday) afternoon while being concerned about the fact that Khurshid's action could vitiate free and fair poll in Uttar Pradesh," the letter said.
"The commission is perturbed because the undermining of its constitutionally mandated duties has come from the law minister who has a direct responsibility to uphold and strengthen the ECI rather than to denigrate it," Quraishi said in his letter.
"The Election Commission of India finds it necessary and unavoidable to turn to you at this juncture for immediate and decisive intervention so that the ongoing election to the Uttar Pradesh assembly is conducted, and this commission discharges its functions in accordance with the Constitution and the law," the letter said.
Khurshid triggered a fresh controversy Friday evening with his remarks that he will ensure rights to "pasmanda (backward Muslims)" even if he is "hanged" by the poll panel.
The poll panel had censured Khurshid over his promise to give nine percent quota to minorities, including backward Muslims, within 27 percent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) if the Congress is voted to power in Uttar Pradesh, saying it was violation of model code of conduct.
Here goes the Yahoo story that just came online:
By Indo Asian News Service | IANS India Private Limited – (11 Feb 2012)
New Delhi, Feb 11 (IANS) Taking exception to union Law and Justice Minister Salman Khurshid sticking to his remarks about backward Muslims during campaigning in Uttar Pradesh despite a censure, Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi Saturday sought President Pratibha Patil's intervention so that polls in the state were conducted in accordance with law.
Quraishi wrote a letter to the president Saturday that the minister's fresh remarks had "created a disturbing situation".
"The full commission hence deliberated on the matter in an emergency meeting this (Saturday) afternoon while being concerned about the fact that Khurshid's action could vitiate free and fair poll in Uttar Pradesh," the letter said.
"The commission is perturbed because the undermining of its constitutionally mandated duties has come from the law minister who has a direct responsibility to uphold and strengthen the ECI rather than to denigrate it," Quraishi said in his letter.
"The Election Commission of India finds it necessary and unavoidable to turn to you at this juncture for immediate and decisive intervention so that the ongoing election to the Uttar Pradesh assembly is conducted, and this commission discharges its functions in accordance with the Constitution and the law," the letter said.
Khurshid triggered a fresh controversy Friday evening with his remarks that he will ensure rights to "pasmanda (backward Muslims)" even if he is "hanged" by the poll panel.
The poll panel had censured Khurshid over his promise to give nine percent quota to minorities, including backward Muslims, within 27 percent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) if the Congress is voted to power in Uttar Pradesh, saying it was violation of model code of conduct.
Thursday, February 09, 2012
Giant whale shark washes up in Pakistan
A giant whale shark washed ashore near Karachi fisheries harbor and was sold for 1.7 million PKR. (Source: Yahoo.com, 9 Feb 2012)
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