tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87099128696864554262024-03-18T03:27:36.264-04:00PGK's BlogGet regular update on top best Movies to Watch, Books Summary, Travelogues and travel tips Pon Paulrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17285047599027189193noreply@blogger.comBlogger383125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709912869686455426.post-31044871327716518832019-03-08T10:27:00.000-05:002019-03-08T10:28:44.946-05:00Must Watch Movies: The Invisible Guest (2016) – One of the best Mystery / Crime / Suspense thrillers on Netflix<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Invisible Guest is originally a Spanish crime thriller film released in the name of Contratiempo”, is dubbed in English for Netflix. <br />
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<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Genre</span></b>: Drama, Mystery, Suspense<br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Ratings</span></b>: Rotten Tomatoes 4.1/5 ; <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMDb">IMDb</a>: 8.1/10 <br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Written by</span></b>: Oriol Paulo <br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Starring </span></b>: Mario Casas ,Ana Wagener, José Coronado, Bárbara Lennie <br />
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In the opening scene, Adrian Doria, a young successful entrepreneur wakes up in a hotel room that’s locked from inside alongside the dead body of his lover, Laura. With no possible explanation to exonerate him of the crime, Adrian hires the services of Virginia Goodman- a prestigious lawyer who prepares witnesses. <br />
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Despite Adrián’s protests that he is innocent, Virginia reveals that the prosecution has uncovered a new witness and that the judge in charge of the case will most likely call him in to testify in three hours’ time. She tells Adrián that she needs him to lay out exactly what happened with absolute truth, since they only have a limited amount of time to formulate a defense strategy. <br />
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From this moment, the movie goes back and forth between flashbacks as Adrián tells Virginia his story and the present day as she pokes holes in every version of events that make him sound like a saint who is being framed by some unknown party. But the screenplay and Virginia’s interrogation fires-up the screen, as the film piles revelation on top of revelation. <br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">There’s much to recommend in “The Invisible Guest”. For one, it looks gorgeous, cinematography is fantastic on the plot of Spanish mountains and forest roadways. Next is the screenplay, the scenes move expertly between present day and Adrián’s recounting, which gives the film a fluid feel. </span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">And, like any good thriller, it’s tense right up to the end. If you like fast paced mystery thriller, you’ll love it! 100% RECOMMENDED! Here's the trailer!</span></b><br />
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Pon Paulrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17285047599027189193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709912869686455426.post-69807739828965088032019-02-26T08:40:00.000-05:002019-02-26T08:40:06.003-05:00Must Watch Movies: Eye In The Sky review (2015) - Drama - Thriller<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There’s a good chance that many of you haven’t heard of this movie, mostly because it didn’t get a lot of publicity. “Eye in the Sky” is a British military drama that released in the UK in late 2015 but hit rest of the world nearly an year later. The film is actually pretty eye-opening and incredibly tense, and certainly worth a watch. </div>
<br />In Kenya, a group of terrorists have been located by Kenyan agents and tracking them in England is Colonel Katherine Powell (Helen Mirren) and her team. After planting a bug inside the house of the terrorists, they identify the terrorists as East Africa’s #2, #4 and #5 most wanted. Powell’s original mission to identify and capture the terrorists becomes moot as they watch the terrorists gear up for a likely suicide bombing. <br /><br />Colonel Powell immediately asks Lt. Colonel Frank Benson (Alan Rickman) for the affirmative to destroy the targets. Once given the all clear by his political advisors, Colonel Benson orders Air Force Lieutenant Steve Watts (Aaron Paul) to take out the terrorists with a drone. Just before he detonates, a Kenyan girl named Alia (Aisha Takow) begins setting up a bread stall, just outside the home of the terrorists. Watts refuses to shoot, and with time running out. What did the crew decide and execute is the thriller plot. <br /><br />The story involves a huge cast of characters—everyone from US Air Force drone operators to a British war general to the US Head of State and topping off at the British Prime Minister. Rather than an intense ground battle, this was much more political and opens viewers’ eyes to the pressure of those pulling the trigger. <div>
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Following chains of command and protocol both give structure to and inhibit military action, and leaves you a deeply disturbing question: <b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Is one certain death better than 100 probable ones? </span></b><div>
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On paper, it’s probably a pretty simple answer. But in reality, it is not!. <blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Eye in the Sky leaves you with questions you’ll likely forever be unsure about. But then again, when are there ever any simple answers in war? It’s a must watch, you’ll like every minute of it!. </b></blockquote>
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Pon Paulrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17285047599027189193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709912869686455426.post-75928880421169998572019-02-14T08:14:00.000-05:002019-02-20T10:21:47.908-05:00Must Watch Movies: The Commuter (2018) - Liam Neeson's Train Suspense Thriller <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Genre</span></b>: Drama, Mystery, Suspense<br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Rating</span></b>: PG-13 (yet a decent family entertainer with no obscene) <br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Director</span></b>: Jaume Collet-Serra<br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Writers</span></b>: Byron Willinger, Philip de Blasi and Ryan Engle <br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Stars</span></b>: Liam Neeson, Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson <br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">One-line plot: </span>A businessman is caught up in a criminal conspiracy during his daily commute home.</b><br />
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Michael MacCauley (Neeson) is a 60 years old, former NYPD detective who turned into insurance salesman. As usual, that morning he gets -up, greets his son, got dropped off by his wife, boards the train and reaches office, as he’s been doing for over 10 years. But then his life turns into hell. <br />
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He gets fired on that day. With frustrations, he boards the regular train way back to home. Things take a thrilling turn when Michael meets Joanna (Farmiga) at the train, she puts him on a task that would get Michael a 100K USD cash; failing would cost the lives of his wife & son!. <br />
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Has Michael really become capable of what Joanna is asking? Especially if the end result could mean someone getting killed What follows is how Michael deals with the powerful forces following him. That’s the simple, but very strong and fast paced story line that you can only experience it yourselves.<br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aDshY43Ol2U" width="560"></iframe><br />
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Liam Neeson, at his late 60’s is unbelievable and still proves to be the king of action genre. Arguably, he has been playing the guy from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Taken-Extended-Cut-Liam-Neeson/dp/B0026127Y8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1515729369&sr=8-2&keywords=Taken&linkCode=ll1&tag=amaall0c-20&linkId=855057ca55283efa29d396623410197d">Taken</a> with a new family and scenario for almost a decade now.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">It’s definitely a remarkable movie, the kind of energy/performances from this movie make it certainly worth checking out. It doesn’t matter whether you are a fan of Liam Neeson or not, you’ll find yourself having a good time!. It’s also one of those clean movies that you can watch with your family. </span></b>Pon Paulrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17285047599027189193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709912869686455426.post-24195221496578237492019-02-04T09:41:00.001-05:002019-02-20T10:21:59.791-05:00Must Watch Movies: Gone Girl (2014) - David Fincher - Ben Affleck - Rosamund Pike - Gillian Flynn<div class="" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNihJ0B7Z2PwOBPBRbanQWxXijWAr8mPziHO_AKIOX3y4fEeWN4I2CVNSRSDkUNyOy1JXyhFlCIhBTu97aoyWYeUKSD9xVU3Fa8MOLw80q8sJ8DP2QV5nbIeEfWFp8cndc4fnBPOVHTeA3/s1600/gone-girl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="634" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNihJ0B7Z2PwOBPBRbanQWxXijWAr8mPziHO_AKIOX3y4fEeWN4I2CVNSRSDkUNyOy1JXyhFlCIhBTu97aoyWYeUKSD9xVU3Fa8MOLw80q8sJ8DP2QV5nbIeEfWFp8cndc4fnBPOVHTeA3/s320/gone-girl.jpg" width="244" /></b></a><b>IMDb Score</b>: <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2267998/" style="text-align: center;">8,1/10</a><span style="text-align: center;"> Rotten Tomatoes: </span><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gone_girl" style="text-align: center;">88%</a><br />
<b>Genre:</b> Drama, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Psychological<br />
<b>Runtime:</b> 145 minutes<br />
<b>Rating:</b> R<br />
<b>Directed By</b>: <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/david_fincher">David Fincher</a><br />
<b>Written By</b>: <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/gillian_flynn">Gillian Flynn</a><br />
<b>Stars:</b> <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000255/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm">Ben Affleck</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0683253/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm">Rosamund Pike</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000439/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm">Neil Patrick Harris</a><br />
<b>Language:</b> English</div>
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Based on the bestselling novel of the same name and adapted for the big screen by the novel’s author, Gillian Flynn, "<b>Gone Girl</b>" stars Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike as Nick and Amy Dunne, a fantastic-looking couple who met and fell for each other in New York City. Nick, as Amy writes in her diaries, was the man of her dreams. Both were writers, in fact, until life dealt them a few hard blows.<br />
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Now they’re in Nick’s hometown of North Carthage, Missouri, where he owns a downtown bar tended by his twin sister, Margo (scene-stealer Carrie Coon). Nick’s nightmare begins when he gets a phone call and races home from the bar, only to find the cat wandering outside and his wife gone. He calls the cops and we have the pleasure of meeting Det. Rhonda Boney (Kim Dickens) and Officer Jim Gilpin (Patrick Fugit). Boney, armed with a smart pantsuit and cup of coffee, has some questions for Nick..<br />
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In the meantime, we’re treated to flashbacks to various parts of Nick and Amy’s relationship, accompanied by Amy’s diaries entries. At first, they paint a picture of a couple very much in love, but the relationship devolves, suggesting, along with many other clues, that Nick might have been behind Amy’s disappearance. <b>Is she dead? Where’s her body? Did he kill her? Why isn’t he more distraught? Once the media gets hold of the story, there’s a tidal wave of negative public opinion against Nick.</b><br />
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Gone Girl is one of the best thrillers in visual style as well as in storytelling. If you’re married, Gone Girl may well make you look at your partner in a very different way…<br />
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The movie shows you that women can be as crazy and violent as men can. This is actually a good visualization of a man's nightmare 😊. The scenes in the movie often take you aback and gives a whole new perspective about the human psychology and mind games.<br />
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A must watch for everyone with psychological and intellectual curiosities. </div>
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<b><b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;">Have you seen the movie? Or read the book? What did you think?</span></b></b></div>
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Pon Paulrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17285047599027189193noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709912869686455426.post-31302305939032059942019-01-02T04:32:00.001-05:002019-01-02T04:32:42.952-05:00Smart Home is not about the Future... It's already here !We have been watching numerous articles/videos on how the "Smart" products may change our homes into "Smart homes". But what many us do not acknowledge is that, some of such dream devices are available already in reality, and making a tangible difference to our daily life.<br />
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There are many innovative companies pouring millions of bucks into developing these smart devices/technologies – to seamlessly merge our digital and physical worlds within our homes, in to solutions. I thought I can share some of those such interesting developments/products here.<br />
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Let me try to list as I see them in a futuristic home.<br />
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<b><span style="color: orange; font-size: large;">Kitchen:</span></b><br />
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<a href="http://youtu.be/2ed3wdzM_rg">Sereneti Kitchen</a>: Cooking can be fun, but sometimes things are just too hectic to take the time to do it. So this company is building an automated cooking robot; we just have to insert the ingredients for the dish; the device turns those ingredients into delicious food and invites you on your smart phone for the dinner!. For now, the device is limited to a single motion (stirring), but they look promising for a large expansion.<br />
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<a href="http://juneoven.com/">June oven:</a> It’s a smart oven that runs machine learning and computer vision technologies (features multiple cameras inside the oven) to identify and cook food. Needless to say other app-magics and ecosystem support- this device is created by the team of ex- apple, google and GoPro engineers!<br />
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<a href="http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/neo-smart-jar#/">Smart Jar from SKE Labs</a>: The Smart Jar has built-in sensors that weigh its contents and adds that item a grocery shopping list on your smartphone when it runs low. The app on your smartphone also tells you which dishes you can make with those remaining ingredients with their nutrition information. It also keeps track of the “best used by” date, and even the developer is trying to integrate a fitness-tracker along.<br />
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<b><span style="color: orange; font-size: large;">Living Room:</span></b><br />
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There are really many devices in this space; Savant, Bidgely, SerraLux, Leeo's smart alarm, Notion (Building sensors),,,etc. One innovation, that I really liked is the “Stir”..<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG4LaixzW1v98_q3rrMIfQV5P-VRhcLroGMbSiAsexbMb6-iAPb3PnE9glr2B_PaKmnRg4GSjBQ-g07z1aTO06IkERop0taeYikmEJeYh-bPbJEk4zgPzWJ0_1N7U187v5ATzy-U-QEwYs/s1600/Home-automation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="600" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG4LaixzW1v98_q3rrMIfQV5P-VRhcLroGMbSiAsexbMb6-iAPb3PnE9glr2B_PaKmnRg4GSjBQ-g07z1aTO06IkERop0taeYikmEJeYh-bPbJEk4zgPzWJ0_1N7U187v5ATzy-U-QEwYs/s640/Home-automation.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.stirworks.com/">Stir:</a> has built a smart desk aimed at improving the users activity while using the desk. The user presets their preferred heights for standing, sitting and ideal goal for standing height. In active mode the desk will move an inch up or down after an interval, inviting the user to change position and preventing extended periods of sedentary posture. Over time the desk tracks the users burned calories and learns when its best to remind the user to change positions.<br />
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<b><span style="color: orange; font-size: large;">Bed Room:</span></b><br />
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<a href="http://www.restperformance.com/sleep-technology/">Rest</a> has developed a smart bed using its patented pressure sensing fabric. The ReST Bed senses the sleeping position using the sensor attached near the surface and makes automatic real-time adjustments in bed surface using quiet air pumps. Bed is connected to home wifi and transfers sleep data to be displayed on a tablet which is included in the package. <br />
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<a href="http://hello.is/">Hello Inc</a> has designed a product 'Sense' which includes an ambient light sensor, high sensitivity microphone, temperature sensor, humidity sensor, high quality speaker, proximity sensor, particulate sensor, WiFi and Bluetooth Low Energy and tracks user's sleep behavior. As the mobile app collects data, it can offer recommendations on things the user can fix to ensure a good night’s rest. Raised $31.6 million in funding to date.<br />
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<b><span style="color: orange; font-size: large;">Garden:</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmNgOfHXxHnTtIMvT7BwKlCL5W_2WsX7tZA9wt04C8C8wIGKvxvaqkU-NUm2PDYycQ6TIcf4vNvSdw-DMJRasI9Hd3VKTNtDITR7-_xAHV06JqVbuaS_eJoash1XAcA7a1mv6L-HJzw8Ag/s1600/GreenIQ-Smart-Garden-Hub_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="960" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmNgOfHXxHnTtIMvT7BwKlCL5W_2WsX7tZA9wt04C8C8wIGKvxvaqkU-NUm2PDYycQ6TIcf4vNvSdw-DMJRasI9Hd3VKTNtDITR7-_xAHV06JqVbuaS_eJoash1XAcA7a1mv6L-HJzw8Ag/s640/GreenIQ-Smart-Garden-Hub_2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://grovelabs.io/product">Grove </a>offers a hydroponic growing system, that consists of a cabinet with five boxes. Four of them hold plants, with LED lights that connect to the Grove OS, allowing users to control the lighting schedule, as well as monitor the temperature, humidity, and water level through WiFi. The fifth box is home to a fish aquarium, that uses fish waste to produce fertilizer for the plants, which in turn clean the fishes’ water. <br />
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<a href="http://www.clickandgrow.com/products/smart-herb-garden-white">Click and Grow</a> is building a soil less electronic flower pot that grow plants without watering and fertilizing. Each flower pot is wired with sensors, a processor and software that checks on the plant and provides it with fertilizer and water as needed. Each pot uses a combination of hydroponics and aeroponics, and requires an occasional refilling of the water reservoir, about once a month. <br />
Entrance/ Security /Surveillance<br />
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<a href="http://ring.com/">Ring Labs </a>provides a video doorbell that allows the user to answer the door at any time. Pairs with users smartphone via WiFi. Motion sensors allow better security with optional cloud recording available. The user is able to answer the visitor without opening the door, helping improve security and avoids common problems like being unable to hear the door bell. <br />
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<a href="http://august.com/products/august-smart-lock/">August Smart Lock</a> is a safe, simple and social way to manage home access. It is a lock and access system that allows home owners to grant access to trusted people for specific periods of time. Many of you would have used August locks while staying at AirBnB vacation rentals.<br />
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*The above list just a hand-pick from each category, limited to my knowledge; there are thousand other interesting products are on the way to make our homes more intelligent. Just do a google search or even the CES launches in the kitchen space, you’ll be amazed!<br />
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<b><span style="color: orange; font-size: large;"><i>Now do you believe, Smart Home is not about the future... It is already here ?</i></span></b></div>
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Pon Paulrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17285047599027189193noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709912869686455426.post-56296653092735533372018-06-21T09:42:00.001-04:002018-06-21T09:43:20.912-04:00Ronaldo ends the World Cup dream of Morocco<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJc57YKoC0wy3-p_kVGGKpENmgp0aP1tnRGoVDHBa2Pp3-Ur-gE0GCFjCzhFouMbhWxKb4BqzKT_sBQC7ybCJhecEbHApuwVbTqk6N85vts4wCT0hqL94srxO_grkmi8Z28DyJ1pELRuWD/s1600/Ronaldo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="620" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJc57YKoC0wy3-p_kVGGKpENmgp0aP1tnRGoVDHBa2Pp3-Ur-gE0GCFjCzhFouMbhWxKb4BqzKT_sBQC7ybCJhecEbHApuwVbTqk6N85vts4wCT0hqL94srxO_grkmi8Z28DyJ1pELRuWD/s1600/Ronaldo.jpg" /></a></div>
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Portugal is often called as a “One-man team”; and that one man - Cristiano Ronaldo proved his talent one more time!. Just before the game coach Fernando Santos said, Portugal should not solely rely on their captain but, once again, it was Ronaldo who proved to be the match winner! (though he’s not that spectacular as in the previous match against Spain). <br />
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Portugal has 4 goals so far in the tournament, and all of them were not possible without Cristiano Ronaldo. With 85 goals in total, now Ronaldo has become Europe’s all-time scorer at international tournaments, having exceeded Ferenc Puskas. Ali Daei, with 109 goals for Iron, is the only player in world football to have outscored him.<br />
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This match win has got an important edge to Portugal (progressing to the top spot of Group -B) and has put an end to the Moroccans dream. With this defeat, Morocco gets eliminated from the World Cup - 2018.Pon Paulrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17285047599027189193noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709912869686455426.post-27161799823494051172018-06-20T07:31:00.000-04:002018-06-20T07:31:36.014-04:00Colombia’s dramatic start to World Cup 2018: Carlos Sanchez gets the first red card within 3 minutes!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUI3v_xM929ZeSbFrYQCMb8qDbrf0WibeZxec1_BELhEN7N44Vd4PO7hqZMgGnZv0h0sucDVNr6Im4GQygiGyMogi4dcinEAjau0yLglE8Jv1HVFPg2agfVrM9PfgR6retgx_fWoQaoigu/s1600/FIFA_2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="479" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUI3v_xM929ZeSbFrYQCMb8qDbrf0WibeZxec1_BELhEN7N44Vd4PO7hqZMgGnZv0h0sucDVNr6Im4GQygiGyMogi4dcinEAjau0yLglE8Jv1HVFPg2agfVrM9PfgR6retgx_fWoQaoigu/s640/FIFA_2018.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />The World Cup has started dramatically for Colombia. In the meeting with Japan, Carlos Sanchez had to take a red card from the field after three minutes. The defender of Fiorentina made hands and became the first player this tournament that had to finish with red.<br /><br />Apparently, this is the 1st ever red card in the World Cup – 2018, and the 2nd faster red card ever in the World Cup (2 minutes & 56 seconds).<br /><br />In the history of the World Cup, a red card was drawn so quick only once before. It was José Batista from Uruguay on 13 June 1986. He had to leave the field in the duel with Scotland after 55 seconds.<br /><br />With this Red card upset, the game started terribly for Colombia, who already got-in without their star player - James Rodriguez (leg injury). Japan took both the advantages and won the game with 1-2 goals.<br /><br />As for Colombia, it faces what's likely a must-win game against Poland on Sunday. Pon Paulrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17285047599027189193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709912869686455426.post-65576454209298351462018-06-10T16:37:00.001-04:002018-06-10T16:37:50.868-04:00 French Open 2018: Rafael Nadal beats Dominic Thiem in the finals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkgEAgu8YgQDzOJ20n3dGlFWh1IsOiKmzN-eiess5gvmXvbsyEdZd1QnT7geSr0vGkw_M-HPVejhvfzil75aEs8PPf088YhTeCw58eT5j3nnJglhN2HuRRrKhXR3YGY85G2gSZaAyU69f/s1600/Rafel_nadal_french_open.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1240" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkgEAgu8YgQDzOJ20n3dGlFWh1IsOiKmzN-eiess5gvmXvbsyEdZd1QnT7geSr0vGkw_M-HPVejhvfzil75aEs8PPf088YhTeCw58eT5j3nnJglhN2HuRRrKhXR3YGY85G2gSZaAyU69f/s640/Rafel_nadal_french_open.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
It was in a clay-court and Rafa is on his aggressive comeback form as ever - What else one can expect? The King of Clay court grabbed his 11th French Open Title!.<br /><br />Rafael Nadal has won the 2018 French Open, besting Dominic Thiem in the finals, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2. Nadal now has 11 titles on the clay of Roland Garros, tying Margaret Court for the most titles at any one Grand Slam and once again solidifying his claim as the King of Clay.<br /><br />The tears trickle down his cheeks and he isn’t finished yet. It’s his 17th grand slam title, taking him three behind Roger Federer, who’ll have designs on extending the gap at Wimbledon next month.<div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Good luck Rafa ✌</span></b></div>
Pon Paulrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17285047599027189193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709912869686455426.post-75483362821650605322018-06-08T07:13:00.000-04:002018-06-08T07:29:22.070-04:00Planet or Plastic: Why is Plastic bad for the Ocean & the whole Environment<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbqdNvt5PhCfBG0vYp-9leu2bC2Hrx_RAMQaiNDzjf6Y4qSqbQ9Y1bOUfiFh-vQV1ufFqCoGsR3vb11fVdn-DWjxhXkH1JQILcAvH-2lh99lO9q9r2RVBfVovEhyphenhyphen0u8EB-mj8CNTFRXs7-/s1600/Planet_Plastic_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="964" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbqdNvt5PhCfBG0vYp-9leu2bC2Hrx_RAMQaiNDzjf6Y4qSqbQ9Y1bOUfiFh-vQV1ufFqCoGsR3vb11fVdn-DWjxhXkH1JQILcAvH-2lh99lO9q9r2RVBfVovEhyphenhyphen0u8EB-mj8CNTFRXs7-/s640/Planet_Plastic_3.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">"A picture is worth a thousand words"</span></b>. It is so true that some pictures can explain the truths/imports which at times are even impossible to explain by words. The June 2018 issue of National Geographic Magazine proves it once again!<br />
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The June 2018 issue features an image which <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">at first glance appears to be an iceberg – until you look closely and realize that it’s a flipped plastic carrier bag</span></b>. The whole edition of the magazine illustrates the disastrous damage we’re doing to the planet with our plastic consumption.<br />
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Here are some of the pictures from the magazine; they are not worth mere a thousand words, but is worth for the 9.2 billion tons of plastic besmirching beaches, sullying waterways, and choking hapless wildlife on land and in our oceans.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTpApCEsL50wQkztlfcqZMIitwywXOP4PCAKsmQYu-sDW5ArFfHPK_7aKSYKSQ52sCjcLr-FPAoQeMsUuB6B1_lH9FPV8RzctIVWZpPwLxr1C07YPMpZnasSJgOH5JBm4W00GfUgpfaFj8/s1600/Planet_Plastic_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="768" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTpApCEsL50wQkztlfcqZMIitwywXOP4PCAKsmQYu-sDW5ArFfHPK_7aKSYKSQ52sCjcLr-FPAoQeMsUuB6B1_lH9FPV8RzctIVWZpPwLxr1C07YPMpZnasSJgOH5JBm4W00GfUgpfaFj8/s640/Planet_Plastic_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: small;"><i>A Bangladeshi family, on a branch of the Buriganga River, removes labels from plastic bottles, to sell them to a scrap dealer – these wastes are the life for some😟; they make an average around $100 a month. (then imagine the heights of plastic wastes!)</i></span></b></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNuO5wxFz8Tntnuxl2aeqbK2l4wYYMKB5TDpomT_m-SMBzuiuRCLa9ajHsB3pfDvb1hGMUxQDPDE52hE8OYoV-0o7Wk2OJAsj_Zm_fcWiLum2yc_CdMOSxTklqKvMngUF9kCv1lCiUNM6C/s1600/Planet_Plastic_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="768" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNuO5wxFz8Tntnuxl2aeqbK2l4wYYMKB5TDpomT_m-SMBzuiuRCLa9ajHsB3pfDvb1hGMUxQDPDE52hE8OYoV-0o7Wk2OJAsj_Zm_fcWiLum2yc_CdMOSxTklqKvMngUF9kCv1lCiUNM6C/s640/Planet_Plastic_7.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: small;"><i>Plastic bottles choke the Cibeles fountain, outside city hall in central Madrid. An art collective called Luzinterruptus filled this and two other Madrid fountains with 60,000 discarded bottles last fall as a way of calling attention to the environmental impact of disposable plastics.</i></span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy71WFIa3KGSfWxslAuHwuaZJSTxf6QXkONcBWlB9DtINwL4BeTDhcFab242yujsgmCAdiYEGbV2BqAhfZfBhx9LGg-IjoU31JRyXzniMkPCvPIvuWMYyG-FKZ9hU37nCgG2Z9RHIo6lEA/s1600/Planet_Plastic_4.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy71WFIa3KGSfWxslAuHwuaZJSTxf6QXkONcBWlB9DtINwL4BeTDhcFab242yujsgmCAdiYEGbV2BqAhfZfBhx9LGg-IjoU31JRyXzniMkPCvPIvuWMYyG-FKZ9hU37nCgG2Z9RHIo6lEA/s640/Planet_Plastic_4.jpg" /></a><br />
<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: small;"><i>An old plastic fishing net snares a loggerhead turtle in the Mediterranean off Spain – it would have died had the photographer not freed it.</i></span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPPm6ZQltNT8RTRTw69sd9mnE1xyCCIh-HFGRV7xXSbfdxj08FQuOcOXkLL08ApqkUAnvvME2BpptBnAR8SYRsCjOAvp4EXVvRo30IngrWDyVpxWufwSWa_DldW3AuXHZGL3H1G8VPinRB/s1600/Planet_Plastic_5.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPPm6ZQltNT8RTRTw69sd9mnE1xyCCIh-HFGRV7xXSbfdxj08FQuOcOXkLL08ApqkUAnvvME2BpptBnAR8SYRsCjOAvp4EXVvRo30IngrWDyVpxWufwSWa_DldW3AuXHZGL3H1G8VPinRB/s640/Planet_Plastic_5.jpg" /></a><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: small;">Some animals now live in a world of plastics—like these hyenas scavenging at a landfill in Harar, Ethiopia. They listen for garbage trucks and find much of their food in the trash.</span></i></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidyvuOMZy_wrhPx5jYUyVyjwQn84NjyEVb2nqhOVq7W60s2MJQPfqyz49ftbkOtfJpJP5xwXpnWzSDqQkkXq9c_HMqMHCFpH1OqOEN8yfSPYaKGGmk8FI7kWznWo8Se0CKdzUx-blYsnhr/s1600/Planet_Plastic_2.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidyvuOMZy_wrhPx5jYUyVyjwQn84NjyEVb2nqhOVq7W60s2MJQPfqyz49ftbkOtfJpJP5xwXpnWzSDqQkkXq9c_HMqMHCFpH1OqOEN8yfSPYaKGGmk8FI7kWznWo8Se0CKdzUx-blYsnhr/s640/Planet_Plastic_2.jpg" /></a><br />
<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: small;"><i>To ride currents, seahorses clutch drifting seagrass or other natural debris. In the polluted waters off the Indonesian island of Sumbawa, this seahorse latched onto a plastic cotton swab—“ a photo I wish didn’t exist,” says photographer Justin Hofman.</i></span></b></td></tr>
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There was no plastic available until the late 19th century, the disastrous <b>plastic production started only around 1950,</b> but it went so huge that we already have more than 9.2 billion tons of plastic to deal with😟. Unfortunately, no one could really estimate how much plastic waste is actually being recycled and the rest of everything ends in the oceans.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #351c75;">The plastic-free world may look mere impossible today. But it’s just about putting things into perspective. We don’t have time to wait!. </span></b><b><span style="color: #351c75;">We need progressive policies that shape collective action (and rein in polluting businesses), alongside engaged citizens pushing for change. Let's start from the smallest step that we can make ourselves.</span></b></blockquote>
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Pon Paulrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17285047599027189193noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709912869686455426.post-24130636813402723392018-05-28T07:06:00.002-04:002018-05-28T09:33:28.146-04:00The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Animated Book Summary)Here's the short summary of one of the greatest books in the motivational / self-help genre.<br />
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Read the full summary at <span style="color: #444444; font-family: "roboto" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="https://goo.gl/4pWY56" target="_blank">https://goo.gl/4pWY56 </a></span><br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qKx7ddM6apQ?autoplay=1" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />Pon Paulrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17285047599027189193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709912869686455426.post-61909238756257402492017-05-02T10:15:00.000-04:002018-05-12T06:19:43.220-04:00How can we stop farmer suicides?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvhT1AWx2OQlMtLRXKK4jnxotRanW6oh2ulo9jGoNAn9omQMNqncratik8IMDg-VqdEc9GR_u3ZcHQ_KtusXzd6f_U7MDM6MgK7lDufLzm-XJEoxSc7QtFDSADnSKJLqbZaVry6KNd68/s1600/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvhT1AWx2OQlMtLRXKK4jnxotRanW6oh2ulo9jGoNAn9omQMNqncratik8IMDg-VqdEc9GR_u3ZcHQ_KtusXzd6f_U7MDM6MgK7lDufLzm-XJEoxSc7QtFDSADnSKJLqbZaVry6KNd68/s400/maxresdefault.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>India is an agricultural economy, which means, Agriculture is the pre-dominant sector of the Indian economy. True to this, even today, inspite of the Indian economy opening out to the world and globalization, close to 70% of the people still hang on on agriculture for their livelihood. We’ve witnessed the “5 years plans”, “Green Revolution”, and every budget says it focuses on Agriculture development. <br /><br />Does that mean everything is looking positive for Indian agriculture? A top level view on the above points would tempt anyone to say yes, but the truth is too far away from it. Behind all the growth and development lies the reality that Indian farmers have to face - extreme poverty and financial crisis driving them to suicides. <br /><br />The year 1997 saw the first few cases of farmers committing suicides, these cases steadily increased over the next decade, peaking in 2001 and reports say that as many as 6000 farmers committed suicide in the last 5 years in the state of Andhra Pradesh alone. The worst cases of farmers committing suicides come from the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra. What are the grave adversities that drive the farmers to commit suicide, at a time when Indian economy is supposed to be gearing up to take on the world? <br /><br /><h2><b>Why farmers commit suicide? </b></h2>Repeated crop failures, debt hassles, lack of alternative sources of income, absence of institutional finance have left the farmers with no other solution other than ending their lives. Another disturbing trend has been observed where farmers commit suicide in order to avail relief and benefits announced by the government to support the families of the farmers who have died. This is true in the case of several farmers in Andhra Pradesh who committed suicide so that their families could atleast benefit from the Government's relief programmes. <br /><br /><h2>What then needs to be done to prevent this sad state of affairs? </h2>There cannot be one single solution to end the woes of farmers. The solution to the farmer's plight should be directed towards enabling the farmers to help themselves and sustain on their own. Temporary measures through monetary relief would not be the solution. The efforts should be targeted at improving the entire structure of the small farmers wherein the relief is not given on a drought to drought basis, rather they are taught to overcome their difficulties through their own skills and capabilities. The Government needs to come up with pro-active solutions and the nation has to realize that farmers' suicides are not minor issues happening in remote parts of a few states, it is a reflection of the true state of the basis of our economy.<br /><br />"<b>Give a man a fish, he will eat for a day but teach him how to fish, he will eat for the rest of his life</b>", so goes the popular saying, the case of our Indian farmers is similar to this, what they need is a means to sustain throughout their lives without having the face the desperation that adversity drives them to. If India has to shine, it is these farmers that need to be empowered.<br /><div><br />Courtesy: Some of the statistics and above data are retrieved and reproduced from <a href="http://www.civilserviceindia.com/">http://www.civilserviceindia.com</a></div>Pon Paulrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17285047599027189193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709912869686455426.post-67153091923083606792017-04-06T09:59:00.000-04:002018-05-12T06:22:33.151-04:00What’s your favorite dog breed? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span lang="EN-US">What’s your favorite dog breed? Most of the Indian dog lovers would say – Labrador, Dalmatian, German Shepard or Pug; probably some odd ones might even say “Country dog” or as “Indian stray”.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">But chances are really slim that anyone would say ‘Chippiparai’, ‘Rajapalayam’, ‘Combai’ , ‘Rampur Greyhound’ or ‘Gaddi Kutta’. That’s because hardly anyone knows about these breeds that are native to India. This exactly is the primary reason for the native breeds to become the stray and getting low-numbered every year. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Yes, this is quite unfortunate that most of the Indians show interest in western dog breeds rather than Indian breeds. Foreign breeds are looked upon as exotic, and owning one is considered to be a status symbol. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Foreign Pet Food companies wanted to sell their products (start from food, medicine, toys and even their dog potty training kits) and naturally, India is the biggest market. But same as Indian bulls, Indian dogs are too very agile, they don’t need any special food, medicine or any accessory, which left the foreign companies out-of-market. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">But it took only a short while for them to understood Indian’s weakness of “Western Infatuation” and promote their breeds along with their supplies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Our dogs are survivors. They mostly survive on whatever food we give and with no extra care. I personally feel, a “Combai” that stayed with us for years was so loyal, agile, energetic and cuddly than any other foreign breed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I am happy that nowadays more and more people understand the business behind the foreign breeds; more and more people are opting for Indian dogs. I hope people realize that they're not doing the foreign breeds a favour by bringing them home. India's hot climate is not suitable for most of them, whereas the native ones thrive in this environment. </span></div>
Pon Paulrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17285047599027189193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709912869686455426.post-53699339015199903792017-03-20T11:05:00.000-04:002018-05-12T06:23:16.695-04:00Why is India unhappy?<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNB0V0aU_Mpl1TDsitzA87po70q8y04cp2jMvjgHbvoQIcp9IiE26jzMbMR-HADMQm21x0i9hNYmvtxulV-6bQYh2SVDRy6qC4lQ0WS9MqAk8W6pzb3Qt8y8S76ikOG0C_u0vHD8TUZn0/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNB0V0aU_Mpl1TDsitzA87po70q8y04cp2jMvjgHbvoQIcp9IiE26jzMbMR-HADMQm21x0i9hNYmvtxulV-6bQYh2SVDRy6qC4lQ0WS9MqAk8W6pzb3Qt8y8S76ikOG0C_u0vHD8TUZn0/s400/Capture.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.wired.co.uk/article/un-world-happiness-2017-country-list">World Happiness Report 2017</a> ranks India at position #122. What does it mean ?<br />
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I don't really believe in these rankings (any kind of comparisons for that matter), but this one tells you a different wisdom: "Money Doesn’t Buy Happiness"<br />
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This assesses happiness in terms of healthier life,social supports; freedom to make life choices; experience less corruption, more generosity, and more equality rather than mere economic figures such as GDP.<br />
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The message for India is clear: we might've achieved greater GDP (at the cost of sharply rising inequality, entrenched social exclusion, and damage to the nature/environment);but not "happiness" 😟<br />
When countries single-mindedly pursue individual objectives, such as economic development to the neglect of social and environmental objectives, the results can be highly adverse for human wellbeing, even dangerous for survival.<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>How can countries boost their happiness levels?</b></span> It's big task, nearly impossible; but i just wanted inform about the countries Bhutan, Ecuador, Scotland, United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. Those five countries have appointed Ministers of Happiness charged with promoting it as a goal of public policy.Pon Paulrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17285047599027189193noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709912869686455426.post-68643765857968798412017-03-11T02:54:00.000-05:002018-05-12T06:19:43.766-04:00Sins of the billion dollar plastic surgery Industry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlPmJxAreCDVmnKu-lyNFzglXLddVUhJ5xe3XNPjGbx-Q1T-5xMbYPZteYZo8AsSeG7QTaYZAPTz1rYFR_UAUgKoRccIP6qKjVFzZjQhnFWHCIk-R5XchpBnXnP7gBwolF80xFp5Ote8/s1600/bigstock-beauty-concept-skin-aging-ant-72208837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlPmJxAreCDVmnKu-lyNFzglXLddVUhJ5xe3XNPjGbx-Q1T-5xMbYPZteYZo8AsSeG7QTaYZAPTz1rYFR_UAUgKoRccIP6qKjVFzZjQhnFWHCIk-R5XchpBnXnP7gBwolF80xFp5Ote8/s400/bigstock-beauty-concept-skin-aging-ant-72208837.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>How many of us know that India is in the top-5 of nations for cosmetic surgical and non-surgical procedures. Face plastic surgery, Liposuction , breast augmentation, hair transplant are some of the huge revenue generating businesses in India.<br /><div><br />Is it something to feel proud about? I was shocked to read the news “<a href="https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2017/03/how-women-from-nepal-are-trafficked-to-india-and-disfigured-to-make-rich-men-and-women-beautiful/">Nepali women are being 'skinned' to make rich Indians beautiful</a>.”</div><div><br />It’s really scared to know that the billion dollar plastic surgery industry in India and the world is thriving on the trafficking and 'skinning' of young girls from Nepal. This latest story exclusively on YKA reveals the horrifying truth about what goes into making rich Indians beautiful.</div><div><br />The author, YKA's Soma Basu spoke not only with those who deal in this 'skin trafficking', but also with the victims who were trafficked to Mumbai, drugged, their skin surgically removed and sold for a handsome amount. These women are often then forced into sex work as a means to make ends meet. </div><div><br /></div>This story is an eye-opener, and I strongly request you to read it. Terrifying and intolerable 😡Pon Paulrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17285047599027189193noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709912869686455426.post-43539820982222016572017-02-24T10:45:00.000-05:002018-05-12T06:19:43.915-04:00Should we protest the Methane (CBM) project Should we stop the ongoing Coal Bed Methane (CBM) projects at the Tanjore Delta of Tamilnadu? Are the allegations such as the “project may the spoil environment and take away the livelihood of farmers around”, is this true? How far it is justifiable ?<br /><div><br /><div>I read a bit about the whole process. Let me share what I learnt, then you can answer the above questions yourselves!.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">HOW DOES CBM WORK :</span></b><br /><br />Naturally formed Methane in the underground coal marcels will get released when they are de-pressurized. CBM companies drill deep wells into these coal beds and pumping out all the surrounding water, so that the coal seal gets de-pressurized and lets out the methane to flow as a gas up through the pipes. Methane is then compressed and commercialized into market. It is often also necessary to stimulate the coal seam via fracking (process of fracturing the solid ground layers with high pressure chemicals/liquids) in order to maximum extract of gas.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIj_-Dg7d7HNgQ2xYb5hh19ICIRLrjsnsjFY-jPX5f_OXT7AVit8fhmThuqoGQJlzfTgEsJgm_XzCwzb4tGlmZhjsoZeLC0mHTVvh1mhJiXp-YUKg9oU1aedDeWkp-0P2z6R19TIukcE0/s1600/figureI-24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIj_-Dg7d7HNgQ2xYb5hh19ICIRLrjsnsjFY-jPX5f_OXT7AVit8fhmThuqoGQJlzfTgEsJgm_XzCwzb4tGlmZhjsoZeLC0mHTVvh1mhJiXp-YUKg9oU1aedDeWkp-0P2z6R19TIukcE0/s400/figureI-24.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>SO WHAT ARE THE IMPACTS:</b></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;">Ground Water depletion</span><br />Continuously removaing water from coal beds depletes ground water and may eventually lower farmer’s boreholes and underground waterlevel. It can also change the flow of good fresh groundwater to into the coal seams.<br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;">Waste Water Disposal</span><br />Millions of litres of produced water have to be disposed of from each well. Over time this represents a massive volume of water and toxic material released into rivers, estuaries and the sea.<br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;">Leaking Wells & Drinking water contamination</span><br />The steel and concrete pipes plunged deep into the ground will decay slowly over time. All gas wells will leak eventually. The possibility of the water used in fracking to contaminate water in rivers and other bodies of water is pretty high.<br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;">Air & Noise Pollution & Infrastructure damage</span><br />Road damage is an inevitable consequence of methane exploration due to intensive transportation of materials and machinery.<br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;">Global Warming & Earth Quakes</span><br />CBM is not green, it is not the replacement for traditional fossil fuels, it’s just another energy extraction technique, thus we ‘re only keep expanding the hydrocarbon and emissions. We’re already witnessing the bad effects interms of global warming and frequent earth quakes. <br /><br /><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">WHAT IS MY VIEW:</span></b><br />I do support technology and development; but this one is not required for our country - where there's already a huge water scarcity; poor infrastructure, corrupted environment/safety regulatory bodies, and greedy business men backed by fraud politicians. <b>Why should we risk the livelihood of our future generations for the profits of certain corporates ?</b><br /><br />In the end, I just can’t imagine the beautiful green surrounding of Cauvery delta region turning into a dark coal dump; pure breeze of air to go polluted with chemicals and dangerous gases; chirping sounds of sparrows to change into blasting bore well bombs and restless truck noises; and finally the poor people of these region will loose all they have got and become the refugee of their own land😢 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/saveneduvasal?source=feed_text&story_id=757475637751903">#SaveNeduvasal</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/banhydrocarbonproject?hc_location=ufi">#banhydrocarbonproject</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/savedarmer?hc_location=ufi">#savefarmer</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/saveagriculture?hc_location=ufi">#saveagriculture</a></div></div>Pon Paulrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17285047599027189193noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709912869686455426.post-16938359403935916282017-02-20T13:23:00.000-05:002018-05-12T06:24:39.529-04:00Stop Child Trafficking & Child AbuseI feel so powerless, hopeless and shameful when I hear terrible news like #Hasini, a 7-year-old Chennai girl who was molested and murdered by her neighbor. What kind of society we are living in? How can an educated youth commit such a brutal act?<br />
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Hasini is not the only victim, we keep hearing child trafficking and abuse cases almost everyday. The child crime rates and statistics are rocketing now more than ever, almost one in every two kid India is going thru' some sort of abuse.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">WHY? Why do these horrible abuse and hurt continue? </span></b>There’s not a single reason to cut-it down right away, there are many factors: the abuser's bad childhood, lack of (sex) education, loneliness, poverty, family issues, ...in some cases poor parenting and parent themselves.<br />
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Children in India are often very dependent on their parents and elders; they continue to have submissive and obedient roles towards all the elders, which makes them an easy prey. In most of the cases, the abuser is always a trusted neighbour, relative or even the parent., and that’s the reason for most these crimes go unreported too.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">The message I’m trying to convey here is:</span></b> Let’s do something about these non-senses. Let’s create awareness and try to educate at-least one parent by telling them the importance of their role and about the frightening issues our kids facing everyday (not to scare, but to inform them!)</div>
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Children are innocent, hence they become the most vulnerable part of our society. Their innocence needs to be protected. We, as a Society, have a bigger duty of protecting our future generation, make and lead them to a better society to live-in.<br />
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Our Children are the future. If their lives are at risk, then such a society will not be able to suffice longer. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChildAbuse?src=hash">#Childabuse</a> , #<a href="https://twitter.com/notochildabuse?lang=en">notochildabuse</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/childkidnapping?src=hash">#childkidnapping</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/childtrafficking?src=hash">#childtrafficking</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/childsafety?src=hash">#childsafety</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/india?src=hash">#india</a></div>
Pon Paulrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17285047599027189193noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709912869686455426.post-65662347217907369812017-02-14T15:28:00.000-05:002018-05-12T06:19:44.207-04:00Indian Budget and Increasing Inequality<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I am not qualified to review or even to fully-understand one of the biggest budgets of the world. However, as a common man with a common sense, I do have a concern and asking fellow Indians to think about it.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span lang="EN-US">A recent report published by Credit Suisse says, India's rich people are getting richer every year, as the top 1% of them now own 58.4% of entire India’s wealth. For instance in the year 2000 , the share of the richest 1% was comparatively low, 36.8% of the country’s wealth. The trend of “rich getting richer” has been growing multifold for the last 16 years and the rest 99% of the people doesn’t make any significant progress. What do you think is the reason ?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPv8ivgzjep5DgoCkWy0zny1J-YNecRNMgscnxTSqWSukr-FwQtAfc_KhGh2PsRqfEJBDrY54RiyVvhyphenhyphen9wHl2Y6Dg82XcwuWRgNSfNorXWXexvH5HNr_QdgECOqXZ2iAGW1QVqRCeuqOM/s1600/cse.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPv8ivgzjep5DgoCkWy0zny1J-YNecRNMgscnxTSqWSukr-FwQtAfc_KhGh2PsRqfEJBDrY54RiyVvhyphenhyphen9wHl2Y6Dg82XcwuWRgNSfNorXWXexvH5HNr_QdgECOqXZ2iAGW1QVqRCeuqOM/s200/cse.png" width="200" /></a>This only shows that rich class do so well for themselves whichever government is in power, doesn't matter #UPA or #NDA, the rich industrialists control most of the assets of whole country and <b>government policies are only to favour them. </b><br /><br />In many ways this year’s Budget may have a number of new features., but it is no different in neglecting the serious issue of economic “inequality”.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The informal sector of our economy contributes nearly half of our GDP and employs nearly 70% of our working people. This sector was worst hit by demonetization and continues to remain crippled; but there’s no mention about revival of demonetization effects in the budget. </span><br /><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US">There is not a single word on recovering the massive NPAs (non-performing assets of banks), though the budget says, the government would act*(mean?) against those have fled abroad. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">On the other hand, all the industrialists celebrate the budget; SENSEX & NIFTY surges into green. These only give an impression that this year budget is also only to woo the rich and doesn’t have any interest to address the issues of poor.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: #e06666;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><b><span style="color: #e06666;">SO WHAT IS THE POINT:</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYebv431EQ3nV8dbADUyR3pOZH4tj2jyXlTp56lOHGU6UCS0Z0xGP66Daur-QKLRgwa_-goWyPbj86X1OrowqDfeglqyHukX1KCPnQoYENJd1IM7uFe6PnK5-ogWKYaUAnSQsDlTDzx2k/s400/inequalitychess.jpg" /></div>Everyone of us want #GDP growth, But remember, the overt focus on GDP at the cost of compromising other social factors is dangerous. Policy making, such as budget should not get biased for the large corporates, while leaving out the primary concerns of the larger public.</div><b><br />When policy making gets biased for the rich, roads will be designed only for cars, not for the pedestrians. Taxation scheme will aid only the industrialists, not the salaried middle/under class of India. When primary sectors such as Health, Education, and Infrastructure are owned by private rich industrialist, these basic amenities will become accessible only for the people who can pay for it</b>.<br /><br />India of our dreams cannot be built on weak foundation of huge economic disparity. Let’s think beyond our “individual tax slab”announcements in the budget and urge the government for sincere reforms that redistribute the wealth and level the opportunities.<br /><br />Let’s spread the awareness within us and impel our policy makers towards the “real” growth of country, in terms of proper health, good education, and impartial access to opportunities to everyone, this can only be the long-term solution.Pon Paulrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17285047599027189193noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709912869686455426.post-12619088849939290782017-02-03T04:09:00.000-05:002018-05-12T06:19:44.356-04:00Meet "Balaknama" - The World's First Newspaper run by Street Children<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0XocQSf4Xjw15bI5R8UaDoYLNxv4mAnYdjXzXzbySb9Kfx-HD_nx6VJkN5wVpvHtF92Lhilq2mUmLA0YKfcHKeYBrkSLn_LCAgDosH0anrlpCXOQ-0DWxpEHjLPlzDNtIe0R9q5Dp6x0/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0XocQSf4Xjw15bI5R8UaDoYLNxv4mAnYdjXzXzbySb9Kfx-HD_nx6VJkN5wVpvHtF92Lhilq2mUmLA0YKfcHKeYBrkSLn_LCAgDosH0anrlpCXOQ-0DWxpEHjLPlzDNtIe0R9q5Dp6x0/s400/Capture.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>I just came to know about “Balaknama” - A Newspaper run by the Delhi Street Children, which focuses on the lives and struggles of street kids.<br /><br />The name says it all - Balaknama translates to “Voice of Children”; it’s an effort from a bunch of street children sharing great passion to write and reach the crowd. It’s my shame that I didn’t know about this newspaper so far, which has been in circulation since 2003. Happy that I came to know at least by now and I thought I should share it with you all.<br /><br />Delhi's slum kids are one of the most abandoned people of India. Child marriage, Forced Child labor, begging, drug, sexual abuse, police violence are some of the bad tribulations these street children battle everyday L. Thanks to the efforts of CHETNA ( NGO), now these kids have turned into amateur journalists and reporters who write articles about the struggles of being slum kids and feature them in their newspaper. <br /><br />Balaknama has a team of 60 reporters, most of them are based in the slums of Delhi and near-by states of Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. These young writers gets some basic training on story telling and composing articles from Chetna. Most of these children are working on odd jobs during the day to earn for their food, and later in the evening they spend their time to write for the newspaper.<br /><br /><b>This is a truly inspiring, these children are striving hard to bring their pressing issues into limelight, while empowering themselves through this newspaper. Good efforts like these should definitely be appreciated and supported. </b> #balaknama #delhi #streetkids #chetna<br /><br />Please see the video to know more: <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6bh4HjYRCYM/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6bh4HjYRCYM?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Pon Paulrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17285047599027189193noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709912869686455426.post-82851574216017063832017-01-28T15:51:00.000-05:002018-05-12T06:19:44.503-04:00Turmeric, Neem, Tulsi, Yoga & More - "Biopiracy of India's way of Life"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmRgp3h6HkEQ3QiVC4I9H6khui-knegqBEHtvk-QCRD3-gIoggrjJUJSWnS-XPp5jqUFHyn9rAkMzdHrEQIKnfqPuV9QEMpbipReu4DsfXJkfwVUlnVeVLDNIMYKZ8LDMeb629aEpTxxY/s1600/eco-tkdl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmRgp3h6HkEQ3QiVC4I9H6khui-knegqBEHtvk-QCRD3-gIoggrjJUJSWnS-XPp5jqUFHyn9rAkMzdHrEQIKnfqPuV9QEMpbipReu4DsfXJkfwVUlnVeVLDNIMYKZ8LDMeb629aEpTxxY/s400/eco-tkdl.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Bit shocked when I saw an article saying <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/samlemonick/2017/01/19/everybody-needs-to-quit-it-with-this-turmeric-molecule/#47474c1e2917">Everybody Needs To Stop With This Turmeric Molecule</a>. That’s not the only one, there are numerous articles making round-ups in the last few months. The irony is: these were the same journals/blogs which were advocating all goodness and medicinal use of turmeric for years. Now, suddenly what happened to them? What made them to conduct “<a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/samlemonick/2017/01/19/everybody-needs-to-quit-it-with-this-turmeric-molecule/#47474c1e2917">A new study saying turmeric has 'no specific therapeutic benefits'</a>”?<br /><br />This made me to do go-through the curious case of India-US Patent War for Turmeric.<br /><br />Here's the story: The turmeric war actually began in 1995, when the US Patent Office granted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center (#UMMC) a patent [#5,401,504] for "Use of Turmeric in Wound Healing.". Soon the US pharma companies started creating medicines using Turmeric (Curcuma), especially for Arthritis and cancer; and their media started trumpeting the goodness of turmeric all over the world.<br /><br />Fortunately The Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (#CSIR) of India submitted prior art evidences in the form of references in books from 18th century to the 20th century citing evidences that turmeric has been part of Indian life, in our food, cosmetics, medicines and tradition. <br /><br />The US Patent Office had no choice than acknowledging Indian’s prior knowledge of Turmeric in Wound healing and cancelled the patent awarded to the Mississippi Medical Centre in 1997. <br /><br />This Patent win completely disappointed the business plans of the US pharma sector; but they did not have any better exchange for the turmeric. Now after nearly 15 years of continuous research, they have reduced or almost stopped using Curcuma (turmeric) component ; and their media started to campaign against the turmeric.<br /><br />You may find it strange to link the story of 20 years old patent win, but that’s the only logical reasons for these new studies and articles looming against the use of turmeric.<br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;"><br /> SO WHAT’S THE TAKE AWAY ?</span></b><br /><br />This is not the story of just turmeric. The war against bio-piracy endures for #Neem , #Basmati Rice, #Darjeeling Tea, Indian #wheat, and even for our own #Yoga postures😦; Can you believe that we're fighting claims to <b>about 40 products</b> all over the world.<br /><br />Enough said, the whole story gives me only resolution. If we don’t appreciate and safe-guard our tradition and traditional products, foreigners will find ways to put their name and monetize it. Then we’ll end-up paying hefty royalty to a foreign company - for the knowledge that our ancestors practiced and full-grown for years!!!Pon Paulrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17285047599027189193noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709912869686455426.post-11655653952356991942017-01-24T10:30:00.000-05:002018-05-12T06:19:44.647-04:00Why Indian Media is so "biased"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqbVtWmPpaNVWyx-bjkqEXoe6HLnQ5Cn3ojq1PMW9E0pt1xCDUCbX6EYqy_-qVkqtQOKck3e9r6daf6Pbymb_RDWvOisi8O_A1dR0HhYQek9DqdkTgd6hk3Z0nVBFPIqijYJ2GkvuvII/s1600/paid_news_20091221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqbVtWmPpaNVWyx-bjkqEXoe6HLnQ5Cn3ojq1PMW9E0pt1xCDUCbX6EYqy_-qVkqtQOKck3e9r6daf6Pbymb_RDWvOisi8O_A1dR0HhYQek9DqdkTgd6hk3Z0nVBFPIqijYJ2GkvuvII/s320/paid_news_20091221.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>India is country of 70,000+ newspapers and over 500+ satellite channels, but still hard to find one genuine, unbiased, progressive Newspaper & TV channel 😞. Howmany of us get frustrated by the way, a same news is presented differently on different channels?<br /><br />The words ‘bias’ and “paid news” are inseparable from the Indian media. Even a child can understand who is batting for whom.<br /><br />It’s mainly because most of our media is dominated by corporates and political parties–for their advantage. I am not going to write about it, please do your research to find <a href="https://www.newslaundry.com/2014/02/05/who-owns-your-media-4">who owns your news company</a>; you’ll find the motives of their story! <br /><br />Remember, the media was not always wrong, their role in independence struggles was commendable. But post-independence, we diversified our media tools; there was hardly one newspaper per town earlier, but now we have thousands. Everyone of us wants to see the news in the way we like it. We abandoned genuine journals; made loyal journalist become poor and jobless. So they became loyal to the corporates and politicians who pay them.<br /><br />After all, the public is interested only in the “sensational / breaking news,” right? There’s no wonder these news media making it as a business for their profit.<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><b><span style="color: #e06666;">CAN WE FIX THE ISSUE?</span></b><span style="color: #333333;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div>No…, I say "No..not-at all", It's virtually impossible to curb the “bias” in the media because there's no such thing as "non-bias." <b>When you believe a media source as “unbiased,” it is only because it mirrors your views; all the other sources will look “biased” from your perspective.</b> It’s human nature; hardly you can do anything about it.</div><br /><b>But, what we can do is:</b> Urge the media to behave more socially responsible. Let’s raise our concern when they write/telecast some crap - just to make it “sensational.” Instead of just believing their words and getting emotional, please do a minute of your research to find the truth. Never hesitate to let them down when they telecast something only for their #TRP.<br /><br />In the end, as rational citizens, we are responsible for searching out the truth and thinking for ourselves, just as we are responsible for voting. It’s our job, not the media’s, to grasp and react to the content of the news. #biasedmedia #fakenews #Corruptmedia #pressPon Paulrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17285047599027189193noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709912869686455426.post-25832668477198481632017-01-19T02:46:00.000-05:002018-05-12T06:19:44.802-04:00Why people support Jallikattu Protests<div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Grt5CFlvaMOVh36g4WOBBYti8I2HNhUIdJNJn-h4Rl-YNacgs3IBJqmicABBH1U_7j2qkzlbMjluLSeyBzBvIKbsnVKiJKfs9v8Oj-3-wFXxXup3jGdt4DGnOJaREzbRfATGn7xRK0s/s1600/jallikattu-protests-759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Grt5CFlvaMOVh36g4WOBBYti8I2HNhUIdJNJn-h4Rl-YNacgs3IBJqmicABBH1U_7j2qkzlbMjluLSeyBzBvIKbsnVKiJKfs9v8Oj-3-wFXxXup3jGdt4DGnOJaREzbRfATGn7xRK0s/s400/jallikattu-protests-759.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>It’s disappointing to see some fellow Indians ask “<a href="https://www.quora.com/Why-are-so-many-Tamilians-supporting-Jallikattu/answers/undefined">Why are so many Tamilians shamelessly supporting Jallikattu?</a>”. Let me say it again: It’s not just the issue of Tamilnadu, what they fight is for the whole India.<br /><br />People still don’t get the fact that India is not a <b>homogeneous</b> nation, but a mosaic of cultures and nation of immense diversity. With a sheer diversity of languages, ethnic groups, religions and demography, India is an <b>One Country with many nations in it</b>. It’s everyone’s responsibility to respect each other’s tradition and culture.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">After all: <b>Not just trees, even human needs strong "roots":</b>like culture, Tradition and Language; they are your identity, you can’t afford to loose them. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><o:p>------</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><o:p><br /></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Ok, coming out of the emotional ground, let me explain the logical reasons for protecting our bulls.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">By this time, everyone aware of what is A1 and A2 milk and their effects; I am not going to write about it again. But, still many of us are not aware of the politics behind the A2 Milk yet. Let me say it again.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">There’s an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_a2_Milk_Company">A2 Milk Company</a>with its presence in the US, Australia, and in New Zealand. They own the patents on genetic tests to determine what form of beta-casein cows produce in milk, and hugely investing on research of artificial insemination of A2 gene bull’s semen.<br /><br />Not just this one company, there are numerous other western companies spending billions of euros/dollars on the research of suppressing dominant A1 gene and makes even a western cow to produce A2 milk.<br /><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">If all native breeds in India are destroyed, then we may have to survive only with A1 milk or we may have to pay a hefty royalty to A2 Milk company for using its patented technique to produce cows rich in A2 gene. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>This is what is bothering the youth and all educated, socially-aware people. When our breeds are perfectly capable of producing A2 milk, why must we force ourselves to be a slave to some other MNC company holding a patent for this. <br /><br />This is why everyone supports Jallikattu, they are not shameless nor illiterate. They are responsible citizens. These protests are not just about the tradition,<b> this is a show of everyone's fears about globalization/corporate mafias, about loss of identity, living, and culture - and against the authorities who don't care. </b><br /><br />If you're not able to understand the depth of issue, you don't need to support. But, don't talk abuse at least. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/savejallikattu?src=hash">#savejallikattu</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/saveimdiaslivestock?src=hash">#saveimdiaslivestock</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23AmendPCA&lang=en">#AmendPCA</a>Pon Paulrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17285047599027189193noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709912869686455426.post-10946872649049949012017-01-14T11:51:00.000-05:002018-05-12T06:19:44.950-04:00Save the River - Thamirabarani<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirW7RstieoCOFwAyJm5q_DVpzCsuL5LYQAzFPSP7E34rC_0hvWzWi-cYBsYGWFRSU3b6Mc-pN4-W3vPUTYxPpQ6S5SJuFR8qllRovSxywpcwuFd52JMA-jdzGQ5C8WdEHVjftxVkv7_gE/s1600/tit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirW7RstieoCOFwAyJm5q_DVpzCsuL5LYQAzFPSP7E34rC_0hvWzWi-cYBsYGWFRSU3b6Mc-pN4-W3vPUTYxPpQ6S5SJuFR8qllRovSxywpcwuFd52JMA-jdzGQ5C8WdEHVjftxVkv7_gE/s400/tit.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i>What I am writing here is not JUST about the river Thamirabarani, it’s the concern for most of the rivers/lakes/water sources all over India - which are being vandalized and moving towards the edge of extinction. So please don’t overlook because you haven't even heard of this name “Thamirabarani”, a perennial river flowing in the corner of Tamilnadu.</i><br /><br />The Thamirabarani river originates from the #pothigai hills and flows through #tirunelveli and #tuticorin districts of the Tamil Nadu. It serves as the primary source for drinking water and irrigation, for ~120 square kms of agricultural lands. But, eversince the government (SIPCOT) allowed the Coco-Cola company to tape-out water from the riverbed (1 Million litres everyday), the people of these districts started facing water scarcity, and agriculture started moving in downside.<br /><br />In this situation, the other giant Pepsi Co was also given a license to suck another 1.5 Million litres from the river for 99 years! That’s were only a small set of sensitive people& farmers woke-up and started protesting for their water.<br /><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div>The protests weren’t widespread; were in really low-lights (thanks to our paid media who doesn't have time to think about farmers), but the issue in-itself is intense, and it is a fortunate that the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court understood the danger of river extinction and ordered a stay - restraining Pepsi and Coca-Coca to use the water of the Thamirabharani river.<br /><br />But what is now shocking is: A recent RTI filed by a local resident & activist Ramiah Ariya is revealing that it’s not just the Coco-Cola and Pepsi, there 27 more industries are sucking millions of litres water everyday even now!.<br /><br /><b>Some companies are drawing out far more water than Pepsi or Coca Cola, and many of them more than their allotted limits</b><span style="color: #e06666;">. </span>Please look at the amount of water slurped every day by these industries below. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh02TLiyZDHhmaGVl9oWBBh0jVvCKhXkd56Lt9yjIbTBaKLh3dCQ_UpWq9S2x8xvltThaFH_mT0JnWBpd6XUuQnORjBxcffl59iEumlSOlExXgvnKtRmTw3TR4eZGdAJuKpPlrcmTl-RAM/s1600/25cos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh02TLiyZDHhmaGVl9oWBBh0jVvCKhXkd56Lt9yjIbTBaKLh3dCQ_UpWq9S2x8xvltThaFH_mT0JnWBpd6XUuQnORjBxcffl59iEumlSOlExXgvnKtRmTw3TR4eZGdAJuKpPlrcmTl-RAM/s640/25cos.jpg" width="332" /></a></div><br /><b><span style="color: #e06666;">WHAT I URGE YOU TO THINK:</span></b><br /><br />While I am not clear on the nature of contracts between these companies and SIPCOT, and have no solution for the loss of these companies when they are banned, still drawing more water than the allotted limits is necessarily a violation of the contracts. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Why no one ask about this violation?, why all the activism and legal action focused only on Coca Cola and Pepsi? Why not other companies are included in the trail? Why there’s no media coverage on this issue? </b><br /><br />The stay order against Pepsi, albeit a temporary, we all know the money power of giant companies, it is just a matter of dragging the case to different levels for them, but for the people, it’s the <b>lifeline</b>.<br /><br />Sucking the scarce water for business and profit, while diminishing the residents and farmers, particularly in this time of drought - is irrational and dangerous for the future of our country. <b>Can we drink Pepsi everyday instead of water?? We can’t and we should not. </b></div><div><br />#GoBackPepsi <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Thamirabarani?src=hash">#Thamirabarani</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TamilNadu?src=hash">#TamilNadu</a> #savetheriver</div></div>Pon Paulrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17285047599027189193noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709912869686455426.post-42830122036302085622017-01-05T07:42:00.000-05:002018-05-12T06:19:45.094-04:00Value your Meal - Child Malnutrition<div class="MsoNormal"><b>“Lose Weight” </b>has been one of the top New Year's resolutions all over the world every year. Isn’t it?. How many of us have been struggling to cut-down our food intake and lose a few extra kilograms ? For people like us, It’s difficult to even understand the issues of malnutrition and to realize on what a blessing it is to have a full healthy meal every day.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1cqfYwXpDVMYuNT1q3VbuwRmz20TU90iH8igytWFqrCsHMJYe9M2LMOFTcteB786MTblXRyPgl6uS3HBUbhP8rndpBNmHTcab4PUjYhWddOB0CgIQvhOlNle0BkMJFKVjaYuIc7RpPtw/s1600/281709-malnutrition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1cqfYwXpDVMYuNT1q3VbuwRmz20TU90iH8igytWFqrCsHMJYe9M2LMOFTcteB786MTblXRyPgl6uS3HBUbhP8rndpBNmHTcab4PUjYhWddOB0CgIQvhOlNle0BkMJFKVjaYuIc7RpPtw/s400/281709-malnutrition.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span lang="EN-US">It was shocking to know the tragedies and impacts of “malnourished children”; and to know that one third of them are in the world lives in India. Everyone wants India to become a “Super Power”, but the hunger and undernourishment data on Indian citizens especially among children comes as big shock. The Rapid Survey on Children (RSoC) was conducted by the ministry of women and child development with technical support from UNICEF. It found:-</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><ul><li><span style="color: #e06666;"><b>Underweight </b></span>(low in weight for their age) = 29.4 % (aged < 3 yr.)</li><li><span style="color: #e06666;"><b>Wasted </b></span>(low weight for their height) = 15 %</li><li><span style="color: #e06666;"><b>Stunted </b></span>(low in height for age) = 38.7%</li></ul>The latest NFHS (<a href="http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/INDIA-HEALTH-REPORT-NUTRITION_2015.pdf">National Family Health Survey -2015</a>) shows the malnutrition numbers are reducing; but in par with our population and GDP, the numbers are still scary and worrisome😢 .<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Reason behind such poor malnourishment figures are numerous factors, however primary among them are – <b>poor pre & post-natal care</b> of women leading to anemic women giving birth to under weight babies, <b>lack of public healthcare infrastructure</b> to give proper healthcare services to our citizens. Still most of the people in rural villages are less aware of the importance and implications of proper nutrition.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Because so much development occurs in the first few years of life, nutrient deficiencies can have major short-term implications in young children. Malnourishment can greatly <b>compromise a child’s immune system</b>, making them more susceptible to infectious diseases. Additionally, a deficiency in one nutrient may lead to a <b>deficiency </b>in another nutrient and as a result the <b>overall growth gets distorted. </b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">As these kids grow, they face a multifold of growth and cognitive issues : such as <b>Attention deficit disorder, Impaired school performance, Decreased IQ, Memory deficiency, Learning disabilities, Reduced social skills..etc. </b>Don’t we still see many unaware parents still yelling at their kids for their poor performance in schools, without checking their health & nutrition <span style="font-family: "wingdings";">👀</span></span><span lang="EN-US">.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I am not qualified to give a suggestion; but I strongly believe that any comprehensive strategy for resolving the problem of child malnutrition must include actions to address both its underlying and basic causes. Creating a lot of awareness and focus more on the Women health will have a greater improvement. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Ignoring hunger and malnutrition will have significant costs to any country’s development. Government must step-forward to allocate more funds in efficient channels to curb this dangerous issue. Every rupee invested on curbing malnutrition will definitely give a greater return to the growth of the country in future.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><b>Let’s take a resolution to contribute for curbing hunger & child malnutrition – be it through your money (donation), time (volunteering), or mere thinking and spreading the word,… every effort will help the country.</b><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/malnutrition?src=hash"><span lang="EN-US">#malnutrition</span></a><span lang="EN-US"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/hunger?src=rela"><span lang="EN-US">#hunger</span></a><span lang="EN-US"> #</span><a href="https://twitter.com/unicef"><span lang="EN-US">unicef</span></a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MakeEachMealCount?src=hash"><span lang="EN-US">#MakeEachMealCount</span></a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BeAHungerHero?src=hash"><span lang="EN-US">#BeAHungerHero</span></a> <span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FI?src=hash">#FI</a> #cry #wfp</span></div>Pon Paulrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17285047599027189193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709912869686455426.post-86099812731670743052016-12-30T05:40:00.000-05:002019-02-04T12:19:31.368-05:00பிரிவோம் சந்திப்போம் [Pirivom Santhipom] by சுஜாதா [Sujatha Rangarajan]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHpLQKoLccuiqbGRe0K2rByGcpljHrXX7tnMc60zTjnCwDQuI_rnzbmlLUZ1LvMQYw1NCM8NdfP3bg1R9_78vVfi8qxZci5CEIpKSwLyIj1D3OUuPkxebNhThRdejlcMOzbDKgtMVNX3Cw/s1600/5580.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHpLQKoLccuiqbGRe0K2rByGcpljHrXX7tnMc60zTjnCwDQuI_rnzbmlLUZ1LvMQYw1NCM8NdfP3bg1R9_78vVfi8qxZci5CEIpKSwLyIj1D3OUuPkxebNhThRdejlcMOzbDKgtMVNX3Cw/s320/5580.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
பிரிவோம் சந்திப்போம் - "ஆனந்த விகடன்" வார இதழில் தொடர்கதையாக வெளிவந்த இந்த நாவலை சுமார் முப்பது வருடங்கள் நிறைந்த நிலையில் வாசித்திருக்கிறேன். இருந்தாலும் துளியளவும் சுவாரஷ்யம் குறையவில்லை.<br />
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சமீபத்தில், ஒரு 200 பக்க அளவு கொண்ட ஒரு புத்தகத்தை இத்தனை வேகத்தில் நான் வாசித்ததில்லை. முன்னரே படித்த கதைதான், தெரிந்த முடிவுதான். இருந்தாலும் சுஜாதாவின் எழுத்துநடை நம்மைக் கட்டிப் போடுகிறது.<br />
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நமக்கு ரொம்பவும் பழக்கமான ஒரு காதல் கதை. மேல்தட்டு வகுப்பைச் சேர்ந்த வளர்ந்த குழந்தையான கதைநாயகி மதுமிதா. பாபநாசத்தில் சீனியர் எஞ்சினியர் ஆபீசரான அவள் அப்பா. அவருடைய ஜூனியர் எஞ்சினியரின் மகனான எஞ்சினியர் கதைநாயகன் ரகுபதி. பெண் வீட்டு விருப்பத்துடன் / அனுமதியுடன் காதல், எப்போதும் எச்சரிக்கை பாவனையில் இருக்கும் ரகுவின் அப்பா, வேலை கிடைத்து சென்னை விஜயம், இடையில் வந்துசேரும் அமெரிக்க ராதாகிஷன், மதுவைப் பெற்றவர்கள் செய்யும் துரோகம், சண்டை, அழுகை, வீட்டில் பிடித்துவைத்த பிள்ளையாய் அமெரிக்க மாப்பிள்ளையை மணந்துகொண்டு மது அமெரிக்கா பறப்பதற்கு ஆயத்தமாவது என்று நிறைகிறது பிரிவோம் சந்திப்போம் - பகுதி 1. <br />
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நமக்குப் பழக்கமான சுஜாதாத்தனமான எலக்ட்ரிகல், எலக்ட்ரானிக்ஸ் தகவல்கள், வவேசு ஐயர், ஆம்ஃபிட்டமின் அல்லல்கள், ஆயிரம் வயலின்கள், காதல்ங்கறது Nature's way of ensuring pregnancy என்று மகனிடம் பேசும் அப்பா, …என்று எல்லாமுமே உண்டு. இவற்றையெல்லாம் தாண்டி சுஜாதாவின் சுவாரசிய நடை என்னும் விஷயம் அந்த 200 பக்கங்களையும் நம்மை எக்ஸ்ப்ரஸ் வேகத்தில் படிக்க வைத்துவிடுகிறது. <br />
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சுஜாதா ‘காட்சிப்படுத்துதலின்’ மாஸ்டர். பிரிவோம் சந்திப்போம் திரைப்படமாக <b>"ஆனந்த தாண்டவம்" </b>என்ற பெயரில் சமீபத்தில் வெளிவந்தது . திரைப்படத்தை நான் பார்க்கவில்லை என்றாலும் சொல்கிறேன். இந்த காலகட்டத்திற்கு ஏற்ப சில மாறுதல்கல் செய்யும் தேவை தவிர்த்து அந்தத் திரைப்பட இயக்குநருக்கு திரைக்கதை எழுதுவதற்கு தனியே வேலையே இருந்திருக்காது என்பது திண்ணம். அத்தனை கச்சிதமாக திரைக்கதை, வசனம், காட்சியமைப்பு என்று எல்லாமுமே ப்ரீலோடடாக இந்தக் கதையில் உண்டு.<br />
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அசாத்திய புனைவு ஆற்றல், பல்துறை ஞானம், அதைச் சரிவர தன் கதைகளில் இடைச்செருகி படிப்போரைச் சிலாகிக்க வைத்தல், தொய்வின்றி கதை சொல்லும் மந்திரவித்தை என்று சுஜாதாவிடம் சொல்ல இருநூற்று ஐம்பது ப்ளஸ்கள் உண்டு. இது பகுதி -1’தான். அமெரிக்காவிற்கு மேல்படிப்பிற்காக ரகு பயணப்படும் பகுதி -2 இன்னமும் சுவாரசியம் மிகுந்தது. நம்ம லைப்ரரியில் அந்தப் புத்தகத்தைக் காணலை. கிடைத்தவுடன் வாசித்துவிட்டு அந்தப் புத்தகத்தையும் பார்ப்போமே. சிறு இடைவெளிக்குப் பின்....Pon Paulrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17285047599027189193noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709912869686455426.post-21820870894516634132016-12-29T15:37:00.000-05:002018-05-12T06:19:45.240-04:00How A1/A2 Milk Conspiracy relates to Jallikattu<div>Here you come, the reason of bringing-up the Jallikattu bulls are not just for the sport, but mainly for servicing the cows.<br /><br />During Jallikattu, all the healthy and strong bulls are brought and exhibited. Small farmers who cannot afford bulls, take a note of the top agile bulls and seek them for servicing their cows.<br /><br />The intricate connect between these events and Tamilnadu farming process can be seen from the chronological timeline of these events; Jallikattu happen first (where they exhibit the bulls), then the shandies’ (markets where they trade/seek the bulls) and then the main farming season starts.<br /><br />Unlike the western bull, one bull which was raised for Jallikattu can service up to 40 cows., which were a big problem for the western semen selling companies. If they are to sell semen the Bulls should die or become redundant.<br /><br />First they tried to make the bulls “redundant”, like the introduction of tractors. I am not against mechanization. But the machines should only make the work of men and animals (in this case) easier. Not make them redundant. The tractors made half the bulls unemployed. Even men don’t find a place in their house if they are unemployed. So there was no place for bulls too :)</div><div>But, still some people were caring for their long tradition of having stud bulls So the western milk & semen companies decided to kill all the native breed bulls!!!! , using the animal activist groups for campaigning and passed the “Cow slaughter law”.<br /><br />Have you ever read the rules of Cow Slaughter Law. Read the judgement <a href="https://archive.org/stream/SC_judgement_on_cow_slaughtering_2005_india/Supreme%20Court%20Judgement%20on%20GOHATYA_djvu.txt">here</a>. In summary,</div><div><ul><li>Any Bull that is incapable of reproducing and any cow that is incapable of producing milk can be killed.</li><li>Any bull that is not verified by the authorities or in other terms “The Organisation permits this Bull to reproduce on whatever grounds” should not be allowed to reproduce. Else the Organisation has the right to cut off the Bull’s balls.</li></ul>Basically the law says “If they are not useful to human, kill them”; satisfying the lobbying of western milk & semen companies. Don’t you see Coca-Cola has already started selling “Milk” in India!<br /><br /><b>Now Jallikattu is the only reason which makes a common farmer who is not well-educated, who’s not aware of A1/A2 milk, who is still unaware of the business politics behind the so called “milk revolution” – to keep his bull alive!!</b></div><div><br /></div><div>So please don’t scribble against Jallikattu, without understanding any history or reasoning behind it. If you really care for animals, please protect the native breeds which are in the edge of extinction!. I support <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/savejallikattu?lang=en">#savejallikattu</a></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTwfPQv_M6Slws4fVulHPJ4LB8iaCl1Ps7t9L17LQNl4AFga6t6TEZWxwyHRkcAjvvUzTSyjILegkMoz6HeHtXDLYgDugsckc70puhxrGoau7EEV57hvtR1P_ef-YcfHs-8Bq-tQ9DnaMZ/s1600/Capture.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTwfPQv_M6Slws4fVulHPJ4LB8iaCl1Ps7t9L17LQNl4AFga6t6TEZWxwyHRkcAjvvUzTSyjILegkMoz6HeHtXDLYgDugsckc70puhxrGoau7EEV57hvtR1P_ef-YcfHs-8Bq-tQ9DnaMZ/s400/Capture.PNG" width="400" /></a></div><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/banjallikattu">#banjallikattu</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/milkrevolution">#milkrevolution </a>#peta #lobby #tamilnadu</div>Pon Paulrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17285047599027189193noreply@blogger.com1