For my Tamil knowing friends.
Tried to create a short film by editing a set of videos and collaging them together with a piece of re-recording that features my favorite singer SPB - what a voice.
To film a hunting lion
Finally managed to release this video from the editing table.
What was a visual treat when we watched live is not the same in this video. This brief video captures those tense moments just before a hunt - the way the lioness positions itself, crawls and pounces. it's breathtaking. This was however a failed attempt as the victim was swifter and managed to escape
ps: the video with me is much clearer and vivid than what appears in the link below. i don't know how to improve the quality!! And please note this video comes in two parts - the final moments are without the re-recordings/BGM (straight lift from Hatari)
Astrology Series - My 2.4 cents
Review of 2.3: Generally in line with the predictions. Financial markets still mired in turmoil and it is now a fight between the two ugly cousins (US and EU) as to which one will bring the world to its knees. Stocks continue to underperform, Gold suffered its first downmove while Crude is a hostage to news from Libya.
Week ahead, nothing much changes. I would rather be preparing for a major upheavel in one of the major economies - US a natural choice if today's Jackson Hole is any indication. Saturn-Mars transitory imact in a few rising signs could result in earth related disasters (earthquake). More in my mid september's update.
Post Script to a call for Ban
This is about my views on the need to ban acts of fasting in a post below.
Either i didnt say it clearly enough to make it fool proof or they didnt understand it or take it in the right spirit - readers don't really appear to like my views (it would have been appreciated if i had written when sensex was at 20k or when Raja was still the Telecom King).
Well, i started on a very apologetic note and expressed my concerns how fasting could be dangerous to an old and frail person's health. And if an act like fasting led to an end of a life, it should be banned by law. I consider abstinence from consumption of food and water in protest as much the same as consuming an ounce of poison in frustration and protest.
And one reader forwarded this link below. It again lends support to my fears that a legal interference is indeed necessary now.
A Case for Banning Fasting
This could pass off as no more than a ludicrous thought - but having seen the 24x7 debate and discussion on Anna Hazare's indefinite fasting and the risk to his health, should we not consider fasting also as an attempt to commiting suicide and therefore ban it beyond a point. A team of doctors (not sure if they should be appointed by the lokpal or jan-lokpal) would decide when a faster is reaching a critical point and thereafter force him/her to call off his/her trip down the starvation lane.
This is not to question the validity of a modern-day revolution or the intent behind the protestations. The weapon employed is liable to be misused if this mission succeeds. Comparisons to the Gandhian era will be odious as the most lethal weapon available in the hands of the common man has hardly been used purposefully. Wonder what? The Vote.
What is 6+8-7+6+5....?
What is 6+8-7+6+5....?
If you know the answer is 18 without even having to pause a second, then congratulations..! You are as bright as a Shanghai kindergarten student calculating in his/her third language.
I have often rued the fact that i was not the studious, midnight oil burning, doctorate seeking student. Torn between an ambition to become a sportsman and a need to pursue studies that fetched good jobs, i took the path of least resistance perhaps.
Given a choice, i would have wanted to spend most of my life studying. And that disappointment now has been turning into a desire to see atleast my daughter become someone someday, academically. The article below has made me more disappointed about my past and more desirous about my future.
Excerpts from the impressions of Nicholas D. Kristof of New York Times after a recent visit to top Chinese Schools in Shanghai
I have met the future and it is these kids. Americans who come to China tend to be most dazzled by the glittering new skyscraper like the 1,380 feet Jin Mao Tower, but the most awesome aspect of China's modernisation is the education that children are getting in big cities like Shanghai. The greatest challenge US will face from China in the long run will not be from the army or its gigantic industrial base, but from its Superkids like Tony Xu. ( These days most chinese have adopted two names; one for the English speaking world and one for Chinese speakers. Tony Xu's Chinese name is Xu Jun. In Chinese language writing, surname is written first and first name follows. Tony's surname is Xu. Chinese president Hu Jintao's surname is Hu, not Jintao as most non-Chinese media depicts. In the case of some famous Chinese names like Chiang Kai-Shek, Mao Tse-Dung, Chou En-Lai, Zu Rongji...etc, the surname is the first part of the name.)
SAT which high school students take for college admission in the US is not offered in China. Hence Chinese School Students take a tougher exam, GRE which is actually meant for graduates who apply for admission to Master's degree programs in US universities..! What a tough exercise the young Chinese are subjected to so early in life..?? But the startling part of this exercise is in the GRE results. Chinese school students are scoring in the top percentiles in GRE..! Are you sufficiently shocked..?!
These brightest kids are not automatons ( robots ! ), but are serious performers and enthusiasts in art, music, poetry, drama, literature.....etc, both cl-assical as well as current - Western as well as Chinese - and also sports..! American students who have earned a perfect score of twin 800's on the SAT, meant for school students, should meet the 17 year old Shanghai school student who got a perfect score of three 800's on the GRE which is actually meant for graduates seeking master's degree admission..! The very same Shanghai school got 14 gold medals in International Mathematics and Science Olympiad..!
Americans say that good pupils do well because they are smarter. But Chinese say good pupils do well because they work harder..! Chinese students do consistently better and better because their parents set very high benchmarks which the children then absorb. Chinese parents demand a great deal and Chinese kids deliver..!
Chinese school students live in dormitories, going home only on the week-ends and they are mostly studying from 6:30 in the morning until lights-out at 11:00 in the night. On Saturday they attend tutory cl-asses from 9:40 in the morning till 5:10 in the evening and on Sundays they do what one girl described as 6 hours of " self assigned homework ". This she says " is extra work to improve ourselves. I read outside books to improve my ability in any subject I feel weak in ".
Chinese school students may not have a lot of fun, but they know their calculus and are driven by a work ethic and thrust for education that make them indomitable. With such school students in the pipeline and little kindergarteners like Tony Xu behind them, China will eventually lead the world in every field. A frightening scenario of future total global dominance by the Chinese, or for American students and parents ( and for other nations too..! ) to shed the lethargy and complacence and set high benchmarks for school kids to beat..! A serious point to ponder for the only Superpower before it is too late to wake up and catch up so that future Americans need not learn a new global language, Chinese..!
Will India Lose this 4-test series 5-0
No, that's not poor math. The way we have played, it should be ok to record a Five-NIL drubbing in the books of cricket history.
Today is the last day of the 4th and final test. Even if we manage a draw, i don't see any reason to change the statistics.
At last the Icon came good. Tendulkar managed to reach the 90s. He proved the point that he is afterall a human being and a winning team is basically an outcome of teamwork.
I wouldn't join the mass and criticize Dhoni and his 'boys' for this debacle. It happens. Accidents do happen even in the best regulated families. It would be foolish to sack en-masse key players like Dhoni. Rarely we see a collective failure on a sustained basis. This was one.
Let's forget this (and if required the one-day series ahead too) and look forward. I wouldn't be surprised if the team has to rush back to support a grand revolution that is taking place on home soil.
Astrology Series - My 2.3 cents
A brief vacation took away my last week's commitment. Here it comes for the week ahead:
Another interesting (somewhat scary too..) period ahead. Saturn's transit should affect some large countries/economies. Sun's close conjunction to Venus, Saturn's tenth aspect on Mars, the weakness of Jupiter (Mars' weakness impacting an Aries stationed Jupiter) - could all mean some more pain in financial markets, stocks and in areas connected with religion and spiritualism.
Mercury is retrograde until September 1st. Although we don't consider this as anything different from a direct motion, the impact of transit Rahu on Mercury could be an interesting event. Another virus attack?
Taurus and Scorpio rising signs are vulnerable (yours truly again!!). No wonder India goes through something that is mistakenly touted as a second revolution. But it is tension for the powers that be, nonetheless.
Kenya
It was a three-decade old dream that got fulfilled.
Movies like Hatari and African Safari kindled a rare desire in me to experience the wild. And in the process of realising that dream, i went through a memorable experience.
Also managed to film a real lion-hunting event. Will post that soon. Until then, pls click to see what i saw.
Viewing in 'slideshow' mode would give better results.
Been Away..
Could not do my version 2.2 of astrology as i was busy fulfilling a long awaited dream. More about it as we go by.
The proxy head of a state (a lady) had to undergo a surgery and that was part of last edtion's prediction. What my crystal box failed to predict (it could have been the easiest of all) was the crushing defeat India suffered yet again. Seriously worried if someone would file a PIL questioning the eligibility of this team to keep the world cup it won recently. The summer of 42 has its second version too i suspect.
Astrology Seires - My 2.2 cents
Review of previous edition: It was again not a bad show. Financial markets have been on a roil, indian stock market has lost close to a 1000 points and same with many other indices, that have lost fair amount of gains of the last few months. Gold tested an alltime high amid heightened volatility. Crude choppy and falling. US Debt ceiling issue got a reprieve but that's actually postponing and not averting a crisis. Overall, stressful times.
And now - Could well pass off as a less eventful week. The close aspect of Sun-Venus could imply some stress for Governments and Women (or women in government/power). Fine-arts gets some prominence - could well mean a national recognition for someone in the field of arts and music.
Indian Cricket - In Search of..
I will be extremely busy in the coming weeks so i have to convince myself to clearly state that i am not available to join the team should they require my services for the coming tests. With most of the touring gentleman-in-whites injured/likely to be injured, i had this fear of being invited and hence a heads-up to the team's selection committee (sincererly hope they are not injured)
Dhoni rightly said that for some of them it is like a 7 test series - basically that is preparing us for a 6-1 drubbing against? Could well be. He has often been found to be a visionary.
Some of the English cricketers who recently retired must be ruing their ill timed decision. This series could have given them a berth for a few more seasons. Bad luck guys.
Have been trying to give shape to my technical request to the International Cricket Council on these lines:
- Dear Sirs, When we are ill-destined to watch a bad movie on our tapes or video players, we get the option of fast-forwarding such portion that we dont like to watch. Same applies to audio tapes - we fast forward to avoid the pain of listening to disturbing music. On these lines, can we fast forward and move on to the one-day series. Or can we revoke the original plan of playing 4 tests and make it a 2 test series. Doesn't matter if Sachin is not able to score his 100th FC century - we can always invite Bangladesh for a full 5 test series back home and complete such formalities
- Dear Sirs, India is now an economic superpower - atleast it boasts of 1.2 odd billion mouths and 2.4 odd billion hands that are capable and strong and in these times of global slowdown and low consumerism, India can come in handy to avert another grand recession - so please consider such strengths as part of every decision that is subject to DRS.
- Dear Sirs, We can beat this England side for sure. With an extra bit of luck, talent, better batting and bowling, a captain who can think - we can beat this side. And quickly regain our position in world ranking. Please do not be in any hurry to change the order of supremacy
I am not in search of newer excuses. The caption for this piece is conceived to bristle with esoterism. Coming to Indian Cricket, but for that accidental era (1985-2005), we are used to defeats. I remember the times when the team strategy before toss those days was how to draw the match. From the first ball, we would play a match like those mandatory overs. Our faith in rain gods and luck has stood us in good stead for nearly a century.
They say success spoils and corrupts some. I am indeed part of that spoilt generation that has taken the 1983 and 2011 world cup wins as real.
Finally, a prayer to all the Gods in the heavens: Please endow in every indian the wisdom of not asking Sachin to score a century in every test he plays. He is a human being too. Atleast, until this series ends, we should ban tweeting and group-smsing. Better if TV coverage rights are also withdrawn and only BBC is allowed to broadcast running commentary. Even AIR is ok - atleast they have the genius of popping up advertisements at every important juncture of the game.
I have resolutely decided never to question Dhoni on his batting or wicket-keeping. Am happy with his appearances on TV commercials.
Astrology Series - My 2.1 cents
First, a review of My 2 Cents. It was not too bad afterall. Norway explosion, China's train accident (not unusual in a large country but the controversies and public outcry following this makes it an event of signficance) and then my own fever - all make up for my warnings in the first edition.
This week - it's more of financial astrology. It's now common knowledge that US is struggling to get a debt ceiling passed by the congress and the geo-political aka financial ramifications of any failure to increase the ceiling or come up with a credible spending-cut plan is likely to be a field-event for rating agencies.
What actually is the US chart looking like? Leaving aside short term transit impacts arising out of fast moving planets like Moon, Mercury, Sun and Venus, the impact of Saturn on the natal chart of Washington DC is probably of concern. Matters concerning finance and external relations are under strain. These transitory impacts could be felt well into the Summer of 2011 and therefore August is not the best of months for US financial markets. Saturn's impact could also be felt in labour intensive areas like oil and coal fields. Oil prices could continue to remain volatile before crashing out.
Arising out of the above, we could see similar impact in far eastern markets. The new development on the indo-pak relations (elusive thaw!!) could well fade as another false start. The bi-weekly period until August 22 could mark a low in indian financial markets.
Loss at Lords
Very rarely i would let go a cricket test match unseen (either directly or on TV) but on this momentous occasion - when India played its 100th Test against England and when this was also the 2000th test match in the annals of test cricket - i did not even remember to read the print media. It just passed without notice. And in retrospect, i wasn't a loser.
You don't need too many reasons to attribute to an Indian loss - it comes naturally. But with nearly three-fourth of the team ineligible to play (either due to injury or due to form), where was the need to be party to a historic moment. The best commentary on the state of affairs is when Dhoni turned in to bowl.
Yes there is still a long way to go. Three more tests to play. And before each match the nation can pray and send SMS to TV channels, wishing Sachin luck. But nothing would have been better than a victory at Lords especially if it was having some statistical significance.
Work Out - A new Paradigm
I haven't read this but many say Jay Elliot's book on Steve Jobs, "iLeadership for a New Generation: The Steve Jobs Way" is a must read.
....the author praises Jobs' approach to leadership through a singular iLeadership style, which encompasses four major principles: product, talent, organisation and marketing.
...Jobs/Apple created a programme called "Work Out" to achieve these goals. Welch said "Work Out is meant to help people stop wrestling with the boundaries, the absurdities that grow in large organisations. We are all familiar with those absurdities: too many approvals, duplication, and pomposity, waste. The programme turned the company upside down, so that the workers told the bosses what to do. That forever changed the way people at the company behaved."
Reality Check
In "My 2 Cents" i concluded by saying authentically "..heat is on".
Afterall i am not off mark - i have been running fever ever since..
Right to Information
In response to an RTI application, the Hon'ble President of India declares assets. Strangely the article in the link mentions it as 2.5 Crore (twenty five million indian rupee only). It is seriously debatable if this is a good augury and should people at high places be subjected to such public declaration (afterall the election process mandates such a declaration at the time of filing nomination).
Whatever, the sum of such declarations under RTI could lead to a different GNP for india...
My 2 cents
It's like the talkative man - i must predict something else or the other every now and then. I consider it sacrilegious if i don't predict anything having learnt astrology and living the quack life of a learning astrologer. So from today, i will predict something or the other once every week or four-times every month. Here comes the first of its kind:
Except Sun, most planets are weak in transit. The rapt and close conjunction of Mars-Ketu means accidents due to fire/heat, volcanoes, explosions. And then, it also makes the police/military, athletes vulnerable. Frayed tempers and tantrums will be noticeably impacting life for a week. And on 27th an exalted Moon goes conjunct Ketu. Service industry watch-out. In short, the heat is on.
There is Everything in a Name
People say 'What's in a name?'. As children, we have tried writing our names on the beach at some point. But whereas most people's 'sandwriting' is washed away, one super-rich Arab sheikh has ensured that his doodles will last a little longer.
Hamad Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, 63, has scrawled his name in sand on an island he owns with letters so big they can be seen from space. A man famous for owning world's most expensive cars has another feat to his name:
Reports says that the name is so massive that it's spread over three kilometers with each letter more than half a kilometer long. It doesn't stop there. The gigantic name is even visible from space. The sheikh - who goes with the first name of Hamad - carved his name in capital letters on his Al Futaisi island - near Abu Dhabi.
The reports don't say when and how the name was inscribed on the land. The project was started some time ago but was halted in between. The completed project picture was uploaded on the billionaire's Facebook site a few hours ago indicating that the project has very recently been completed. The letters, according to reports, don't wash away as they form waterways to absorb the encroaching tide.
The UAE sheikh is a known philanthropist with focus on medical causes and also owns an automobile museum in Abu Dhabi housing over 200 exotic cars. Bloomberg, earlier this month, reported that the he bought custom-made Bugatti L'Or Blanc fitted with a porcelain caviar tray. Hamad also has built the world's largest truck - Dodge Power Wagon - which is 64 times bigger than the original with a whole apartment inside in the middle of the desert.
Well, he has made a name for himself.
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