Farmers in India and Abroad

After todays conversation with Aswin about the lack of enthusiasm of the "educated class" in India to vote and the consequent importance of farmers in the political scheme of things....etc.. I found this article quite interesting and relevant

Rain Lashing out Mumbai

Rain is lashing out several parts of mumbai...Rediff has several accounts of how the rain has gotten the strangehold on this coastal city!!!....

And if u r in mumbai and in any way able to respond to this DO so !!!

Height of Hypocrisy

Height of Hypocrisy

Really......But one thing seems certain these days...Every mode of public transport seems to be the target of terrorist attacks... It is indeed sad that in this latest episode in London, though some of the perpetrators of these attacks were appaarently spotted none of them were actuaally stopped/held by the people in London...This first of all surprises me because every report I read after the first wave of attcks on July 7 seemed to suggest that the Londoners were a braave race, that were coping with the disaster in the best maanner possible. And i was really impressed by the Londoners response to those attacks. Nevertheless, even the bravest have let these ******(I dont intend to put any expletives openly in this page) off the hook by allowing them to escape even after being spotted in the open...

Its back to maryland time

So at 4:00 PM I gave the talk that signalled the end of my short stint at Research School of Biological Sciences at ANU. It was a reasonably good talk I guess..atleast thats what the others around told me (Unless they were just being polite.) Any way I got back to my lab and cleared all the mess I had created on the tables...Only 1 thing remains to be cleaned...My Coffee Mug...Its almost dark brown and pleading me to clean it. I will get that guy cleaned out soon too...But thats not all of it...I still have to return to my room and pack everything..and thats not going to be easy either. Lets see how that goes...

Jogging

Maybe regular joggers at Marina should join these policemen to show them how they are faring compared to some of the others who are not in the business of fighting crime. I can personally recall atleast 5 60+ Senior citizens who would be able to complete this 5km stretch in half the prescribed time limit....They should jog alongside to perk up the attitude of some of these policemen...

Data Collection

After a really long time I (HAD TO) woke up early today morning. I hurried to lab by 8 AM to set things up for the data collection. We had already drilled the parabolic mirror to the ceiling on the foyer. So all I had to do really was get the tripod up and as close to the mirror as possible then, and allign so that both the tripod and the top of the camera lens are indeed level (and horizontal). The alligning the centre of the camera with the centre of the mirror took some time. Soon by aboy 9:20 the system was up and running. For starters I have captured video for about an hour. Lets see how this video turns out...I mightv have to repeat the capture on Monday if this has any problems...But lets just wait and see...

Also, I read quite a bit of this BLOG and found it quite interesting...

Blog on Baghdad

This is a nice little blog on the life in Baghdad...
You should try and read it when you have the time

Baghdad Burning

An article worth thinking about

We cannot change the past. But the future is definitely in our hands.........

Read this article in Rediff

TO Know you

" there is nothing I can learn from you , that i can't read in a fucking book...unless you want me to know you...unless we talk about your life. But you won't do that."

Robin Williams to Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting. But thats not all

Great News

Read this astounding news article


Isnt it wonderful...The fact that some of us have this vision and are willing to do anything however impossible to realize that vision. I was one of those people who used to laugh at such cort cases and the people who go to court with such cases. But in the last few years I have become more sympathetic to their cause. I have started wondering whether or not people like these make the world a more saner and more entertaining place to live in than otherwise!. Lose these people and then all around we see similar clones with similar ideas and similar reservations and similar ideals and similar visions and similar inhibitions. Of course I am not in support of the claim of the plaintiff but, I am in support of people like this plaintiff who are willing to go the length to prove their beliefs and concerns to the world....(Even if u think their belief is just $$$$ )

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

16 Reasons Why God Never Received Tenure at the University

1. He had only one major publication
2. And it was in Hebrew
3. And it had no references
4. And it was not published in a refereed journal
5. And some even doubted that He wrote it Himself.
6. It may be true that He created the world, but what has He done since
then?
7. His cooperative efforts have been quite limited.
8. The scientific community has had a very rough time trying to
replicate His results.
9. He never applied to the Ethics Board for permission to use human
subjects.
10. When one experiment went awry, He tried to cover it up by drowning
the subjects.
11. When subjects did not behave as predicted, He often punished them,
or just deleted them from the sample.
12. He rarely came to class: He just told students to read the book.
13. He has his son teach the class.
14. He expelled His first two students for learning too much.
15. Although there were only ten requirements, most students failed His
tests.
16. His office hours were infrequent, and usually held on a mountain
top.

What to Do With Hotel Soap

What to Do With Hotel Soap

The following letters are taken from an actual incident between a London
hotel and one of its guests. The Hotel ended up submitting the letters
to the London Sunday Times! (OR SO SAYS THE WEBSITE WHERE I SAW THIS JOKE!!!)


Dear Maid,

Please do not leave any more of those little bars of soap in my bathroom
since I have brought my own bath-sized Dial. Please remove the six
unopened little bars from the shelf under the medicine chest and another
three in the shower soap dish. They are in my way.

Thank you,
S. Berman

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Room 635,

I am not your regular maid. She will be back tomorrow, Thursday, from
her day off. I took the 3 hotel soaps out of the shower soap dish as you
requested. The 6 bars on your shelf I took out of your way and put on
top of your Kleenex dispenser in case you should change your mind. This
leaves only the 3 bars I left today which my instructions from the
management is to leave 3 soaps daily. I hope this is satisfactory.

Kathy, Relief Maid

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Maid - I hope you are my regular maid.

Apparently Kathy did not tell you about my note to her concerning the
little bars of soap. When I got back to my room this evening I found you
had added 3 little Camays to the shelf under my medicine cabinet. I am
going to be here in the hotel for two weeks and have brought my own
bath-size Dial so I won't need those 6 little Camays which are on the
shelf. They are in my way when shaving, brushing teeth, etc. Please
remove them.

S. Berman

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Mr. Berman,

My day off was last Wed. so the relief maid left 3 hotel soaps which we
are instructed by the management. I took the 6 soaps which were in your
way on the shelf and put them in the soap dish where your Dial was. I
put the Dial in the medicine cabinet for your convenience. I didn't
remove the 3 complimentary soaps which are always placed inside the
medicine cabinet for all new check-ins and which you did not object to
when you checked in last Monday. Please let me know if I can of further
assistance.

Your regular maid,
Dotty

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Mr. Berman,

The assistant manager, Mr. Kensedder, informed me this morning that you
called him last evening and said you were unhappy with your maid
service. I have assigned a new girl to your room. I hope you will accept
my apologies for any past inconvenience. If you have any future
complaints please contact me so I can give it my personal attention.
Call extension 1108 between 8AM and 5PM. Thank you.

Elaine Carmen
Housekeeper

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Miss Carmen,

It is impossible to contact you by phone since I leave the hotel for
business at 7:45 AM and don't get back before 5:30 or 6PM. That's the
reason I called Mr. Kensedder last night. You were already off duty. I
only asked Mr. Kensedder if he could do anything about those little bars
of soap. The new maid you assigned me must have thought I was a new
check-in today, since she left another 3 bars of hotel soap in my
medicine cabinet along with her regular delivery of 3 bars on the
bath-room shelf. In just 5 days here I have accumulated 24 little bars
of soap. Why are you doing this to me?

S. Berman

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Mr. Berman,

Your maid, Kathy, has been instructed to stop delivering soap to your
room and remove the extra soaps. If I can be of further assistance,
please call extension 1108 between 8AM and 5PM.Thank you,

Elaine Carmen,
Housekeeper

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Mr. Kensedder,

My bath-size Dial is missing. Every bar of soap was taken from my room
including my own bath-size Dial. I came in late last night and had to
call the bellhop to bring me 4 little Cashmere Bouquets.

S. Berman

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Mr. Berman,

I have informed our housekeeper, Elaine Carmen, of your soap problem. I
cannot understand why there was no soap in your room since our maids are
instructed to leave 3 bars of soap each time they service a room. The
situation will be rectified immediately. Please accept my apologies for
the inconvenience.

Martin L. Kensedder
Assistant Manager

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Mrs. Carmen,

Who the hell left 54 little bars of Camay in my room? I came in last
night and found 54 little bars of soap. I don't want 54 little bars of
Camay. I want my one damn bar of bath-size Dial. Do you realize I have
54 bars of soap in here. All I want is my bath size Dial. Please give me
back my bath-size Dial.

S. Berman

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Mr. Berman,

You complained of too much soap in your room so I had them removed. Then
you complained to Mr. Kensedder that all your soap was missing so I
personally returned them. The 24 Camays which had been taken and the 3
Camays you are supposed to receive daily. I don't know anything about
the 4 Cashmere Bouquets. Obviously your maid, Kathy, did not know I had
returned your soaps so she also brought 24 Camays plus the 3 daily
Camays. I don't know where you got the idea this hotel issues bath-size
Dial. I was able to locate some bath-size Ivory which I left in your
room.

Elaine Carmen
Housekeeper

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Mrs. Carmen,

Just a short note to bring you up-to-date on my latest soap inventory.
As of today I possess:

- On the shelf under medicine cabinet - 18 Camay in 4 stacks of 4 and 1
stack of 2.

- On the Kleenex dispenser - 11 Camay in 2 stacks of 4 and 1 stack of 3.

- On the bedroom dresser - 1 stack of 3 Cashmere Bouquet,

- 1 stack of 4 hotel-size Ivory, and 8 Camay in 2 stacks of 4.

- Inside the medicine cabinet - 14 Camay in 3 stacks of 4 and 1 stack
of 2.

- In the shower soap dish - 6 Camay, very moist.

- On the northeast corner of tub - 1 Cashmere Bouquet, slightly used.

- On the northwest corner of tub - 6 Camays in 2 stacks of 3.

Please ask Kathy when she services my room to make sure the stacks are
neatly piled and dusted. Also, please advise her that stacks of more
than 4 have a tendency to tip. May I suggest that my bedroom window
sill is not in use and will make an excellent spot for future soap
deliveries. One more item, I have purchased another bar of bath-sized
Dial which I am keeping in the hotel vault in order to avoid further
misunderstandings.

S. Berman

You should do this too

I Took this survey....If u have a blog u probably should take it too!

Squash and Cricket

So Finally had a productive time....

Yesterday evening went to the indoor cricket stadium at Lyenhem and played cricket for sometime. Then returned back to lab and spent time reading about multi-view geometry till about 2 AM. Then went back to my room and slept. Woke up really really late today morning, had a quick lunch...What else Burger with Onion Rings and Orange Juice. Then caught up with some squash. Revantha was kind enough to agree to play with me I must say. We played about 12-15 sets of squash...Then i was almost done, I guess...So now i am back in my lab...

It really feels refreshing to play cricket and squash again!!!

Plato on Geometry

`` experience proves that anyone who has studied geometry is infinitely quicker to grasp difficult subjects than one who has not.''


Plato - The Republic, Book 7, 375 B.C.