Accidental Blogger
A general interest blog
Category: Educational, Cultural & Social Matters
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Time for some comic relief. Nike has introduced Indian classical and Bollywood modern dance movements in a new exercise video. The hybrid routine is hideously funny. I am not sure if the video is for circulation in the US or meant to be a promotional tool for Nike products in India. Although well meaning, the…
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For the first time since its inception, Forbes 400 – the list of the 400 wealthiest individuals in America, includes only billionaires. So, the super rich are getting richer. I wonder who the poor little rich person is who only has $999 million. Now we’ll never know his/her name. "It’s not news that Bill Gates…
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My week long trip to Japan is over and it is nice to be home. Our flight in each direction was delayed by more than three hours. On the way up, a thunderstorm over Osaka prevented the plane from landing and we had to cool our heels on the tarmac in Nagoya until the skies…
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A couple of pertinent links to add to the discussion. Read these and form your own opinions regarding the pope’s speech. Translation of the pope’s speech It’s my considered opinion on reading the whole speech ( seemed like a form of water torture to follow the meanderings from the main idea) is that while the…
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I will be leaving for a short trip to Japan tomorrow – a little more than a week. I am eagerly looking forward to my visit . I have been to Japan before and fondly remember some incredibly enjoyable experiences there. I will therefore not be blogging for all of next week and perhaps not…
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Widely used in several blemish/skin lightening creams in the US, the FDA has proposed to ban over-the-counter sales (Thanks to Ruchira for the link and blog post idea!) of products containing hydroquinone, a drug that could be carcinogenic based on the results of tests in animals. The FDA says that the limited carcinogenicity of this…
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So, the IAU voted to bump poor Pluto off the planetary line-up! I am quite heartbroken. Well, at least, very disappointed. I was not wholly certain whether the three new planets would be inducted into the planetary family but I sure didn’t expect Pluto to be expelled unceremoniously. Henceforth school children will have to memorize…
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In my blog posts, I tend to avoid addressing personal matters and observations not rooted in concrete fact. However, PIAW left a provocative comment on my last post, Hitler and Homework. The subject is something that I have often wondered about. I decided to muse aloud instead of burying my response in the comments section.…
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Two stories from India – one about smart folks setting up to help kids and the other about the abysmally stupid. The stupid one first. Granted that one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter and that perceptions of history and world events often vary across geographical boundaries. For example, the names of Fidel Castro,…
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A little off-topic from the previous blog posts, the name Ahura (mentioned here) piqued my interest.I had faint memories of reading a primer on Zarathustra in Amar Chitra Katha comics in which he declares Ahura Mazda to be the One and Only Supreme Being. Dr. Daryoosh Vakhshoori, the founder of Ahura Corp. is listed as…
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A blogger in England has lost his job been suspended from his job with a cell phone company because of the content of his blog post on a Conservative Party website set up to discuss Tory issues. In his post, the Lefty Lexicon, Inigo Wilson undertook to define certain words and expression relating mostly to…
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Conservatives like to admonish others (especially those who are financially strapped) to stand on their own two feet, even when the feet are wobbly. Governmental assistance for education, health care, disaster relief etc. is looked down upon as handouts and quotas. Yet some of the most powerful and privileged in their class think nothing of…
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Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a passionate and garrulous leader. You know that if you have heard one or more of his public utterances, like the interview with Mike Wallace on past Sunday’s edition of "60 Minutes". But an unimpeded access to the bully pulpit of an entire nation and the nervous attention of much…
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I came across this story about three weeks ago in a South Asian tabloid, Voice of Asia, published in Texas. (I read this paper whenever I visit the local south Indian eatery where it is available to the patrons.) It was a remarkable enough tale and eminently blogworthy. But I didn’t write about it then…
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Today is the festival of "Rakhi" which stands for the more descriptive Raksha Bandhan, translated literally to mean the "Bond of Protection." Like many other Indian festivals, the event is marked by the phase of the moon, rather than a specific date on the calendar. It is celebrated during the full moon of the monsoon…
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