Stuff that caught my attention lately.
1. Its not just Indian cities, the Irish are at it too - changing names of cities and towns to ”preserve the local language‘.
Last year, a new law meant Dingle’s official name was changed to An Daingean (pronounced "on dang-un"). On maps, local authority road signs and legal documents, it’s [...]
Awarding a ‘Peace Prize‘ in a world full of conflict may sound like a twisted irony to the cynical mind like mine - but it is tough to argue against this year’s awardee. Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh has been fighting poverty where it really matters - on the ground, at the [...]
…in Literature (finally breaking the American march towards a Nobel sweep1). Pamuk, a Turkish author, was recently mired in controversy in his homeland for speaking out about Turkish atrocities against Armenians and Kurds. He was accused of being anti-Turk, and the case generated international condemnation for Turkey’s stance on freedom of speech. The charges were [...]
Perhaps most of you know about this, but still worth posting: Anousheh Ansari, the first woman ’space tourist’ (also the first Iranian and a host of other ‘firsts’) visiting the International Space Station, is blogging about her experiences
It is a nice a cozy feeling. As you may know, the station makes an complete orbit [...]
The Slate column, Human Nature, points to a news-story about a "study" that proclaims alcohol consumer earn 10-14% more than teetotalers.
People who consume alcohol earn significantly more at their jobs than non-drinkers, according to a US study that highlighted "social capital" gained from drinking.
The study published in the Journal of Labor Research Thursday concluded that [...]
Via Martini Republic, a helpful list of alcohol consumption recommended by government authorities around the world (it doesn’t say, but I guess its safe to assume they mean recommended levels for healthiness, not having fun and such).
Some interesting geographical variations e.g Australia suggest ‘40grams/day’ of alcohol (with two non-drinking days per week), [...]
Seems like there isn’t much happening around the world worth getting excited enough to blog about. Well, not absolutely true - there is this story about crazies in Mumbai getting excited about drinking ‘sweet sea-water‘ ! As I mentioned in a comment on Patrix’s blog, this event may actually qualify as the first ever [...]
Via Slashdot (and now also on Boing Boing), comes the story of Google Inc, legally trying to prevent media organizations from using ‘google’ as a verb.
Search engine giant Google, known for its mantra “don’t be evil”, has fired off a series of legal letters to media organisations, warning them against using its name [...]
While not strictly a coffee connoisseur (as yet, but working towards it), I do enjoy a fine cup of java - ideally in the morning, but a good cup after a satisfying dinner is also welcome. Having started on a coffee-discovery journey a year ago, I can now distinguish between arabica and robusta, between [...]
Last Sunday as we emerged from the neighbourhood Indian restaurant, sufficiently gorged on the excellent all-you-can-eat lunch buffet, this sign on the adjacent desi grocery drew attention:
"Due to FLUCTUATIONS in DAL prices, all DAL Sales are Final"
I wondered briefly about when it was that the ubiquitous DAL (lentils) had become such a hot commodity and [...]
This friend of mine is a walking definition of secularism (and even globalization perhaps): a desi guy, born of a Muslim mother and Hindu father, coming to the US, learning salsa (the dance, not the dip), and then teaching it to Jewish kids at a Bar Mitzvah party !
Yep - no friggin’ religion necessary to [...]
I tend to think of Recurring Decimals….. as that sleepy little town/village with a railway station consisting of a solitary building, a few benches, the single squealing hand-cranked tube-well pump and an enormous banyan tree. On first glance, one among many ubiquitous stops dotting the hinterlands, where express trains whiz through without an after-thought. Few [...]
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