Monday, October 13, 2014

Nature doesn't need people. People need nature.




A very good campaign on nature and how humans are abusing it - I hope we wake up now and realize the responsibility each of us are having towards mother nature. 

Links:

http://natureisspeaking.org/
https://www.facebook.com/conservation.intl


It starts with our food, travel options and living standards - we are over exploiting all of these.



















Sunday, July 20, 2014

Tamizhan !! தமிழன்டா


Few years back, I was seeing a BBC documentary which found the closest DNA resemblance of ancient Human being with the people living near Theni Madurai. 

While Kumari kandam is referenced in ancient tamil literatures, currently we don't have any literature or scientific research (why is India or TN not doing any research on this ? ) that can confirm this once and for all.

Whatever be it, I'm happy and thankful to have born in to a culture and language that is one of the oldest, if not THE oldest in the world.


தமிழன் என்று சொல்லடா, தலை நிமிர்ந்து நில்லடா. தமிழனின் பெருமையை உலகம் அறிய செய்வோம் - தமிழன்டா.


Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Allergies and diseases - Thanks to GMO food

What are GMO [Genetically modified organisms] or GE [Genetically engineered food] ?  

In an earlier blog, Organic and Organic only, I attempted to explain the fundamental ways in which genetic modification or engineering of seeds are done by the so called food companies, who are in reality, chemical companies, and their actual motive. Contrary to the perception they create about the need for GM or GE food, it is not about feeding the world but driving the profits for few misguided bio-technology companies.


Please watch the below Ted video by Robyn o Brien - a mother and a food activist, whose plea about the state of food economics in US, along with the persuasion in the form of facts and evidence from around the world makes this one of the best videos on this important subject. We must address this malaise at this stage and prevent the same from happening in other parts of the world too. 




While I agree correlation between increasing allergies and health issues with the increased use of GE technology in farming doesn't mean causation, it will be foolish to turn a blind eye to the converging nature of evidence and observations.

Recent example: 

http://news.yahoo.com/study-links-pesticide-exposure-pregnancy-autism-123742370.html


Friday, May 30, 2014

A New World Order





I have been telling some of my friends and peers recently that the new world order is taking place and the power, influence and control of the world that US exerts would be distributed, rightly so, to other rising powers (parts) of the world in the next few decades. US has enjoyed the influence since world war 2 and with the acceptance of dollar as international trade currency, kick-started the dollar craze across the world. The dollar craze led to many economical changes, good and bad, across the world and none so spectacular than the valuation of the US dollar for all these years. This high valuation of dollar led to the rapid rise of the US economy since the world war 2 and gave US extra-ordinary leverage across the world, economically and politically. While the use of dollar as international currency had some minuscule disadvantages for the US in resulting in rising cost of living due to appreciation of dollar, the economical advantage led US to strengthen an already powerful army it possessed during the world war 2 days to insane levels of military might as of today.

Things are beginning to change now. The rise of China as economic powerhouse with it's dogged determination and discipline has resulted in early signs of the shift in world order - one super power to multiple powers. Alongside china, India, Russia, Brazil and South Africa, popularly known as BRICS, are also exhibiting greater economic progress and in some cases, much better management of economic and social indicators than US, which allowed market economics the free-hand. While there is nothing wrong in market economics as it's objectives are to maximize the Societal surplus ( Consumer surplus + Producer surplus), sometimes, very conspicuously as well, it has led to situations only where producer surplus is maximized. As societal surplus is just summation of consumer and producer surplus, it doesn't effectively capture whose surplus is maximized as long as societal surplus is greater. However, that is not the right way to go about it coz if Consumer's (common people) surplus is zero and Producer's (Corporations, in general, business) surplus is 100, it leads to lopsided growth. 


I had deviated from topic of changing world order to talk little bit about the economics concepts I studied recently coz I see the change in world order in this spectrum as well - excessive producer surplus to more equal consumer and producer surplus. I know very little of economics but I believe that when in doubt, always implement policies that maximizes Consumer surplus first, then look at producer surplus. Again, this is not to say the policies being implemented in the rising powers or the rest of the world is much better at maximizing the consumer surplus (Or) the US and some other market based western economies are solely focused on market based principles only - far from it. However, such a change is required and will result in new world order that is equal as well. Equality or the lack of it in the world is a different topic that I will write about in future.

A very good speech by President Obama and his pragmatic foreign policy outline which takes in to account the developments of the world: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG_hX_XM4Ks

Good articles that prompted me to write this blog: 
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/the-end-of-american-world-order/article6058148.ece

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/brics-and-the-responsibility-while-protecting-concept/article2985190.ece

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Edward Snowden


Edward Snowden - a man, who is same age as me, has assumed far greater risks for the sake of openness and privacy of world citizens.






Edward Snowden gives a TED talk in Canada, TED2014 - via telepresence robot - Here's how we take back the internet

"We don't have to give up our privacy to have good governance. We don't have to give up our liberty to have security. We can have both open government and private citizens " - Edward Snowden

http://www.ted.com/talks/edward_snowden_here_s_how_we_take_back_the_internet#

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Nanba... Ellam Konja Kaalam | Kochadaiiyaan

நண்பா.... எல்லாம் கொஞ்சம் காலம் !!! | Nanba ...Ellam Konja Kaalam !!!
A song that balances practicality and philosophy in the equal measure, "Maatrum ondruthan maaraadhadhu" is a wonderful number from the movie Kochadaiiyaan




Sunday, February 23, 2014

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Shanghai Tower Climbers





Crazy but salute the daredevilry spirit of these climbers - WOW !!  If this isn't an adventure, what is ? Moreover, they did all this without any safety harness - crazy, insane but daring !!! Some moments in the video are so palpable that it will bring out the feeling of actually climbing those cranes take the viewers. 650 meters in all and above the cloud level in the city of Shangai, China.

Oh, btw, if you are scared of heights, you shouldn't even watch this video.


Saturday, January 25, 2014

The play of stars


Time Lapse video add a different dimension to otherwise mundane subject or context. If your subject is as magnificent and expanse as the sky, the resulting time lapse video is breathtaking.


With the wonderful galaxy as our jewel, do we really need diamonds to decorate us ?

I saw this spectacular two and half minute video and was completely bowled over by the beauty of our galaxy and solar system. I can assure you it is well worth your time. This video made me appreciate what a beautiful palette the galaxy is and that we should cherish and consume every moment of this spectacle called life.




Captured by Nicholas Buer [http://vimeo.com/nicholasbuer], this video is called Ancients and is shot in Chile. For more detailed information on the stars and galactic activities that you can observe in this video, please check out
http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2014/01/25/time_lapse_video_ancients.html

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Drones




When drones can be used for wonderful activities like this, why use it for killing ?

May be it was invented for the purpose of inflicting maximum damage, but it can surely be used for other varied functionalities for the betterment of humanity.

Here is another one - Amazon Prime Air.




Monday, January 13, 2014

Typical Siblings

Haha :)

Liked that girl's singing - ba ba be ba ba be ba be.
Loved what her brother did even more !!









Sunday, January 12, 2014

What will your verse be ?



Such a wonderful, aspirational and philosophical advertisement and I love the below line:
"The powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be ?







One of the best TV Ads I had seen and in the same league as Apple's famous 1984 ad. It is aspirational advertising at it's very best and as +Robert Scoble puts it, "so few companies can do this and do it well".



Narration of the Ad:

We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering. These are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love. These are what we stay alive for.

To quote from Whitman,

“O me, O life of the questions of these recurring. Of the endless trains of the faithless. Of cities filled with the foolish. What good amid these, O me, O life?
Answer: That you are here. That life exists and identity. That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.”

“That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.”

What will your verse be?

---

Such a wonderful, aspirational and philosophical advertisement and I love the below line:
"The powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be ?

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

இனிய புத்தாண்டு !! | Happy New year

கண்ணியமான கனவுகள் யாவும் நிறைவேறிட 
எண்ணிய எண்ணங்கள் ஈடேற்றித் தந்திட 
மலர்களும் சோலை நீரோடைகளும் உள்ளத்தில் இன்பம் பரவிட 
இல்லத்தில் சுகமும் இனிதே தங்கிட 

வாடிய முகங்களில் மகிழ்ச்சி மலர்ந்திட 
குறுகிக் குனிந்தவன் நெஞ்சம் நிமிர்ந்திட 
சிரிப்பு முத்துக்கள் என்றும் கண்களில் தங்கிட 
அலைஅலையாய் உற்றம் சுற்றோரை சேர்ந்திட

நினைத்தது நினைத்தது போலவே நிறைவேறிட 
அடுத்தது அடைவதற்கு உந்துதல் கூடிட
வானமே எல்லை என்பதை மறக்காமல் செயல்பட 
அந்த இறைவன் என்றுமே துணை இருப்பான் என்று உறுதிப்பட

கடும் சொற்களை குழியில் போட்டு புதைத்திட
இனிய வார்த்தைகளை இருகரம் நீட்டி நெஞ்சுக்குள் பதித்திட 
சார்ந்தார், இயலாதவர்களை அன்போடு அணைத்து உதவிட 
சிட்டுக்குருவி போல் சிறகை விரித்து , நம்பிக்கை அளித்திட 

சிறியவர்களைப்போல் துள்ளி ஆர்ப்பரித்து மகிழ்ந்திட
அனுபவம்மிக்க பெரியவர்களைப்போல் நிதானித்து பணியாற்ற 
சரிந்தாலும், நிமிர்ந்தாலும், ஆழமாக வேரூன்றி , சிந்தித்து செயலாற்ற 
குறை ஒன்றும் இல்லை என்பதை முழுமையாக நம்பிட 

வருகிறதே இனிய புத்தாண்டு!!
வாழ்க இனிதே எல்லோரும் பல்லாண்டு!

Thanks to Indira aunty for sharing a wonderful poem as New year wish.

Happy New year to all of you !!!