Biryanis Over Dead Soldiers

Great article on MediaCrooks.com

Executive Mansion,

Washington, Nov. 21, 1864.

Dear Madam,

I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.

Yours, very sincerely and respectfully,

A. Lincoln

That letter by Abraham Lincoln to Mrs. Bixbey was used as the prologue to the movie ‘Saving Private Ryan’. General George C. Marshall, on learning that 3 of 4 siblings of a family were killed in the war with Germany, quotes Lincoln and seeks that Private James Ryan be located, saved and returned home. The order to save one soldier for his family is given to a group after they survive a fierce battle during the Normandy landing. Most members of the search party are killed in saving Ryan, including their leader Captain Miller. Here’s how it ended:

Read complete article here..

Our Civil Citizen Response System - down the WELL !

As proved once again, the civil administration has just no answer to any problem but to call the ARMY ! Floods, earthquakes, riots, arson, kids in the borewell, fire and more ! Just one reaction CALL THE ARMY !

Question that should no Minister would like to be asked.

Kindness. Remember this word ?

The Book of Mean People – Toni Morrison’s children’s allegory about kindness and context, in collaboration with her son Slade.

This is a fascinating book by Toni Morrison, reminding of thw word that we seem to have forgotten. Meant for kids, but I guess ALL of us could take a leaf out of the same book as well.

Pretty illustrations and gems like "Big people are little when they are mean. But little people are not big when they are mean.", sprinkled generously, this is a MUST READ !

Here are a few excerpts....

The Book of Mean People: Toni Morrison’s Children’s Allegory about Kindness and Context

by Maria Popova

“Big people are little when they are mean. But little people are not big when they are mean.”

In 1999, Pulitzer-Prize-winning author Toni Morrison joined the ranks of other famous “adult” writers’ lesser-known and lovelychildren’s stories when she penned The Big Box — a darkly philosophical meditation on morality, imaginative freedom, justice, and self-sufficiency — in collaboration with her son, the painter and musician Slade Morrison. Three years later, the duo followed up with The Book of Mean People(public library), illustrated by the wonderfulPascal Lemaitre — a subversive allegory for the subjectivity of “good” and “evil,” how context and motive frame those, and why the power of optimism is our greatest psychological defense mechanism.

Somewhere between Twain’s irreverent advice to little girls and the faux-meanness of the facetious faux-unkindness Cat-Hater’s Handbook, the book nudges us to reconsider what “meanness” is and isn’t, and how a child’s assessment differs from a grown-up’s. The Morrisons’ dedication reads:

To brave kids everywhere
(mean people, you know who you are)

Though the book invites many interpretations, depending on your tolerance for the non-literal, its central premise returns again and again to the importance of kindness — something George Saunders would enthusiastically embrace — and reminds us that children, as well as the universal inner child in each of us, can always distinguish between “meanness” that is simply the discomfort of doing things we don’t want to do but should, and “meanness” that springs from truly mean-spirit intention, from anger, from one’s misguided attempt to feel big by making another feel small.

Pet Lovers with cramped spaces...this is for you !

Modern Fold-Out Pet Bed

For a space challenged place like NYC, this modern Fold-Out Pet Bed makes total sense. Perfect for large dogs or multiple smaller dogs.

Happy Birthday, Hubble !

Happy Birthday, Hubble: Celebrating 22 Years of Stunning Space Images

by Maria Popova

From black holes to star births, or what decades of cosmic awe have to do with the future of space exploration.

It’s a bittersweet week for space exploration. On this day in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope was carried into orbit by the Space Shuttle Discovery. Discovery has just rolled into its “new home” — a polite way to say it’s become space taxidermy — but Hubble’s legacy endures, having engendered some of the most spectacular space images humanity has ever glimpsed, and there’s hardly a better way to celebrate it than with National Geographic’s Hubble: Imaging Space and Time, the most glorious collection of space images since Michael Benson’s Far Out. With more than 120 breathtaking photographs that take us to the very edge of known space, contextualized in the Hubble’s history, the lavish tome looks back on two decades of the telescope’s service in orbit and sets the stage for its successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, scheduled to launch in 2013.

From black holes to star births to giant galaxies cannibalizing smaller ones, the images capture the thriving ecosystem of the cosmos, with all its magnificent nebulae, dazzling stars, and majestic planets.

Here are some of my favorite Hubble gems of all time.

The Cat's Eye Nebula, one of the first planetary nebulae discovered, also has one of the most complex forms known to this kind of nebula. Eleven rings, or shells, of gas make up the Cat's Eye.

The Crab Nebula is a supernova remnant, all that remains of a tremendous stellar explosion. Observers in China and Japan recorded the supernova nearly 1,000 years ago, in 1054.

Taken within minutes of Mars' closest approach to Earth in 60,000 years, on Aug. 27, 2003, this image captures the red planet some 34,647,420 miles from Earth.

A mountain of dust and gas rising in the Carina Nebula. The top of a three-light-year tall pillar of cool hydrogen is being worn away by the radiation of nearby stars, while stars within the pillar unleash jets of gas that stream from the peaks.

Seriously....is anyone in the Govt listening ??

The noises so loud yet not being heard ! The signals so obvious yet not being seen !

The 2G Movie ! Super !

KAHANI 2G KI

POSTED BY SWARNABHA BANERJEE | AUGUST 2, 2013 IN KUNJI | 13 COMMENTS

Meet 2G and how she went from behenji to hottest item in town & stole Raja’s heart.

www.newslaundry.com

Goa Daily HERALD....sensationalist reportage ! WTF !

HERALD GETS CREATIVE

ex newslaundry.com

POSTED BY MAYABHUSHAN NAGVENKAR | AUGUST 2, 2013 IN CRITICLES, CRITIQUE | 4 COMMENTS

If you thought the announcement of the creation of Telangana by The Times of India was somewhat bizarre, you should take a look at the even more bizarre stunt by a Goa daily. Herald, one of Goa’s three largest-selling newspapers carried a re-created shocking photo-illustration of a mother jumping off a river with two children as the front page lead photo in its July 30 issue.

The crude photo illustration was perhaps meant to accentuate and convey the tragedy which had taken place the previous day — that of a 35-year-old lady doctor’s leap to death from a bridge along with her two daughters aged 2 and 5 years of age.

The illustration which carries the byline of the newspaper’s designer, Manoj Shirodkar, shows a woman wearing a pink salwar kameez and two children in the middle of a leap and in various stages of excitement. One can even see a hint of a smile on the face of the smaller child in the illustration, which has been slightly blurred for effect. But what’s unmistakable is the state’s most prominent Mandovi bridge in the backdrop, from which Dr Vaishali Kambli jumped off with her children in the wee hours of July 29. Their bodies were pulled out later in the day.

The publication of the illustration has expectedly resulted in a slew of outrage in the social media.

Writer Cecil Pinto said the newspaper owes an apology to the Kambli family and the newspaper’s readers. “This is a sad suicide and not a happy Sao Joao (a traditional Goan monsoon festival which involves jumping into wells as a mark of celebration)! I think the Editor of Herald owes not only the family of the deceased but also its readership a front page apology. Please forward this to your friends if you agree with me and also contact the Editor and convey your sentiments”, wrote Pinto on Goanet, one of the oldest mailing lists on issues related to Goa and Goans.

A small front page apology did follow on July 31.

Interestingly, the expression of regret, which was published in the top left column of the newspaper, was not attributed to the newspaper’s editor. The newspaper has also refrained from publishing a slew of emails which have been sent to it by outraged readers. Many of whom have taken recourse to sending the same letters to social media websites and other mailing lists.

As Ethel da Costa, Goa Station Head, Radio Mirchi wrote “… today’s front page photograph of the unfortunate doctor’s suicide along with her two minor girls, is completely bad in taste. For the sake of sensationalism and alleged sales in mind, it is simply not ethical to portray a horrific incident in visual graphic, without keeping the sentiments of the readers and the families in mind”.

The endemic rot which prevails in the newspaper industry to sensationalise even the most tragic or serious of incidents cannot be ignored. One could, though, expect that the editor of Herald would have displayed some journalistic integrity and apologised for this illustration.

Disclosure: The writer has worked for the Herald from 2000 to 2003.

No Kebabs = You are Fired !

The Heir Apparent....and his views !

Kingfishers caught in the act: Breathtaking pictures !!

Kingfishers caught in the act: The breathtaking pictures of nature's finest fishermen that took TWO YEARS to capture

• Philphat Suwanmon, an amateur Thai photographer, photographed rare blue-eared kingfishers fishing in a jungle
• Had to build a hide to get the pictures and the birds are so rare experts are amazed he managed to take them at all

By EMMA INNES

PUBLISHED: 09:56 GMT, 11 April 2013 | UPDATED: 10:29 GMT, 11 April 2013

An amateur photographer has captured stunningly beautiful images of one of nature's finest fishermen at work.

Phiphat Suwanmon, an amateur Thai photographer, spent two years photographing the blue-eared kingfisher in an attempt to document its extraordinary feeding habits.

His striking photographs show a family of kingfishers diving into water to hunt.

Phiphat Suwanmon, an amateur Thai photographer, spent two years photographing the blue-eared kingfisher in an attempt to document its extraordinary feeding habits

The 33-year-old roped in his family to help him create a hide in the birds’ habitat in Thailand's southern province, Satun.

After studying the animals' natural mating, feeding and living cycle the family built a studio within the wilderness and created a new feeding pond for the birds to fish in.

The photographer then encouraged the birds to continue their natural hunting while he shot exceptional pictures.

The birds, which are pictured diving into water to hunt, are so rare that many experts are awestruck that an amateur photographer managed to take the pictures at all

Mr Suwanmon said: 'It was important to allow the birds to see me often and build up trust in order to allow me to take their pictures while they act naturally - not an easy feat to get wild birds to do'

He said: ‘It takes them about one second to catch a fish. 

'They move so quickly that I had to try a variety of different methods to get the best shot.

‘But the pictures are definitely worth the hard work.’

Mr Suwanmon’s work has created a storm among wildlife photographers as admirers express their amazement of the high-quality work.

He is now hoping to use his gallery as a platform to propel Thailand to the forefront of natural world photography.

He said: ‘A lot of people said this is the first time they'd seen pictures of this quality and expected that they'd really been taken by a non-Thai photographer.

‘Hopefully this is only the start of the development of taking quality pictures, and I plan to take further series in the years ahead.’

The 33-year-old photographer roped in his family to help him create a hide in the birds' habitat in Thailand's southern province, Satun

After studying the animals' natural mating, feeding and living cycle the family built a studio within the wilderness and created a new feeding pond for the birds to fish in

Mr Suwanmon's work has created a storm among wildlife photographers as admirers express their amazement of the high-quality work

He is now hoping to use his gallery as a platform to propel Thailand to the forefront of natural world photography

He said: 'A lot of people said this is the first time they'd seen pictures of this quality and expected that they'd really been taken by a non-Thai photographer'

Blue-eared kingfishers are found across Asia and tend to live in shady forests where they hunt for fish in streams

Life's Manifesto ! Amazing Read !

Super-Speed Internet on Old Phone Lines !!!

New Tech Could Allow Super-Speed Internet on Old Phone Lines !!

Gigabit internet is fast and amazing. But that ""Download entire movies in mere seconds!"" line gets real old if you, like the vast majority of the country, don't have access to those lightning fast fiber lines. But thanks to a new approach from Alcatel-Lucent, your creaky old copper phone lines might be good enough. That's a really big deal if it actually works.

Alcatel-Lucent is currently in the process of perfecting a new standard called G.fast that turbocharges existing phone lines offering fiber-like speeds over twisted copper. The new technology simply broadens the range of frequencies available on the cooper lines and cuts down on interference, enabling data to fly. Over a distance of 200 meters, it can send data as fast as 1.1 gigabits per second, though that speed drops to 500 megabits at 300 feet. This is sort of like strapping a jet engine on the back of your rickety old Volvo and driving from DC to New York in 30 minutes instead of four hours.

For now, the technology works best over the distance from the telephone pole to the house which would help internet service providers clear a serious logistical hurdle when it comes to bringing ultra high speed internet into America's homes. You see, it's much easier to install fiber optic cables along the main lines instead of having to replace the wiring at every single house. As Stefaan Vanhastel, Alcatel-Lucent's director of marketing, told the Technology Review, ""Fiber-to-the-home is obviously the most suitable technology, but you are installing new infrastructure, which requires a new installation in every home. If you want to cover an entire country, it will take 10 or 20 years to do that.""

Who wants to wait 10 or 20 years just to be able to download movies in seconds instead of hours? We can barely wait the 10 or 20 minutes it takes a damn Seamless order to get here. Luckily, Alcatel-Lucent's new technology is in the testing stages and is expected to get the green light from the International Telecommunications Union by 2015. So the next time the cable guy comes to your house and offers to clear out all that copper wiring, just say no. You can use that! Just don't let a meth head steal your internet. [Technology Review]

Emails I Receive - Sharing with you !

THE YEAR 2014  !  or earlier ?? 

One sunny day  in June 2014, an old man approached 7 RCR New Delhi  residence of  India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. 
  He'd been  sitting on a park bench. He spoke to the guard and  said, 
  "I would like  to go in and meet with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.   "

The Guard looked  at the man and said, "Sir, Manmohan Singh is no longer Prime  Minister  and no longer  resides here."

The old man said, "Okay," and walked away.

The  following day the same man approached the The Lodge and said to the same  Guard, 
  "I would like  to go in and meet with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.   "

The Guard again told  the man, "Sir, as I said yesterday,
  Manmohan Singh is  no longer Prime Minister and no longer resides here."

The man thanked  him and again just walked away.

The third day the same man approached  the The Lodge and spoke to the very same Guard, 
  saying, "I  would like to go in and meet with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.  "

The Guard,  understandably agitated at this point, looked at the man and  said, 
  "Sir, this is  the third day in a row you have been here asking to speak to Manmohan Singh.  
  I've told you  already that Manmohan Singh is no longer the Prime Minister and no longer resides  here. 
  Don't you  understand?"

The old man looked at the Guard and said, "Oh, I understand. I just  love hearing it."

The Guard snapped to attention, saluted, and said,  "See you tomorrow, Sir.”

ISRO, Tata Motors develop India's first fuel cell bus

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