Accidental Blogger

A general interest blog

about

Category: Current Affairs

Houston Man Is The Kissing Sailor

August 4, 2007

Alfred Eisenstaedt’s emblematic photo of a sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square in 1945 was made famous by Life magazine. The kiss is widely recognized as an event marking the end of World War II. Since the publication of the photo, there has been some dispute about the identity of the two kissers. In…
K.O. in Kabul!

August 1, 2007

They are not your typical Million Dollar Babies. They are Afghan boxers – women boxers! All I can say for now is "YOU GO GIRL !" But as with everything else in that battered and rugged country, I will wait to see how long their round lasts. The barked instructions and sounds of feet running…
Namaste, Madam President (Sujatha)

July 28, 2007

(Thanks to Ruchira for the idea and link) Ammu Joseph comments on the international media extolling the election of Pratibha Patil as the 13th President of India, and the first female to occupy that illustrious post. Is her election “a victory for women in a country where gender discrimination is deep-rooted and widespread,” as the…
One Sick And Vicious Beast

July 26, 2007

No, it is not the one on the left. Taking into account a few rare exceptions, I don’t like, watch or follow the game of football. But from time to time I catch the news of some or the other high priced, high profile athlete indulging in foul or criminal behavior. Mostly I shrug. Assault,…
Another “Offending” Cartoon

July 24, 2007

Although there have been no riots, death threats or demonstrations of protest, a cartoon published in a satirical Spanish magazine lampooning Spain’s Crown Prince and Princess has been banned and the author faces possible prison time. I suspect that the idea of "freedom of speech", even in progressive Europe, is sacrosanct as long as it…
Do You Speak Indish?

July 23, 2007

Even if you don’t know it, you speak Indish if: you wear pajamas (pai = leg, jama = garment. origin: Persian, common to most Indian languages) you shampoo your hair (champi = press or knead the head or any part of the body; origin: Hindi) your wardrobe contains khaki clothing (khak = dust; origin: Persian…
Harry Potter and the Merchants of Memes (Sujatha)

July 22, 2007

The hoopla over Year 7 has finally come to an end. Bookstore owners are gnashing their teeth that the publishing juggernaut of Harry Potter has finally rolled to a stop."What next, now that Harry Potter’s done with?", they agonize.Fans are jubilant at its arrival after the long, much hyped midnight launch parties, even stamps are…
John Edwards Interviewed By Science Blogger

July 9, 2007

Science blogger Bora Zivkovic (aka Coturnix) interviewed Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards about various issues pertaining to science, society and education. See the interview at A Blog Around The Clock. Good job, Bora!
Wake Up To The New Wonders

July 8, 2007

The people have spoken – via the internet and long distance telephone calls. Yesterday (Saturday, 7/7/7) the official 7 New Wonders of the world were declared in Lisbon, Portugal. Four of our reader Namit’s picks figure on the final list and Dean’s does not. It will be interesting to see if the "democratically" decided designations…
Wonder of Wonders

July 3, 2007

Which one would you vote for? This or this? Okay, one of them no longer exists. But you can vote for the other colossus. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Bernard Weber, a Swiss-Canadian filmmaker and author have together (the New7Wonders committee) organized a…
Trading Greenbacks for Green (Sujatha)

July 1, 2007

The current buzzword in marketing is ‘going green’ or ‘eco-friendly’. Today’s New York Times has an apropos look (subscription required)at the phenomenon ( which I had ranted about earlier in my Madness of Magazines post on my personal blog), thus confirming my suspicions that while going green might be desirable, there will always exist a…
After the Deluge: A New Literary Spark

June 27, 2007

The beguiling city of New Orleans has inspired many a literary mind. Tennessee Williams, Walker Percy, Ann Rice and John Kennedy Toole, to name only a few. In Toole’s memorable satire, A Confederacy of Dunces , New Orleans is as much a living, breathing character as the motley human crew who populate the book. (I…
The Ghost Workers

June 25, 2007

On any given day in Texas (and many other states), at intersections of busy downtown streets, outside local Home Depots and other strategic corners wait throngs of day laborers hoping to find small jobs. They are hired by businesses and home owners looking for someone to do odd jobs on the cheap. The men congregate…
Down the Rabbit Hole or Who is Lisa Tozzi? (Sujatha)

June 16, 2007

Curiouser and curiouser, as Alice in Wonderland would say. The Obama-Hillary feud has burst into new prominence, with much finger pointing going on at the Obama campaign for penning a couple of memos viciously bashing Hillary Clinton’s support of ‘outsourcing’. It started with this report about memos trashing the Clintons’ stock investments.: The Clinton Campaign…
A Method To His Madness or Madness In His Methods?

June 6, 2007

Perhaps George W. Bush has a touch of insanity. The horrendous mess in Iraq, Monica Gate at the Justice Department , Scooter Libby, Cheney’s fall guy going to jail and his presidency slated to go down in US history as the worst so far, George W. Bush is hopping mad. No wonder the trusted aides he…

Recent posts

about

Category: Current Affairs