Today, an Indian born author, Aravind Adiga won the Booker prize. In this BBC interview, he says "In India for poor there are two ways to come up, one is through Crime and the other is Politics which can be a variant of crime..". I do not think he is exaggerating at all, but I would like to make two changes; first, instead of saying poor, I would say people living in slum and slightly above that level; second change is, I would add two more routes success "Extreme talented like that of Einstein or overwhelming amount of luck".
Average intelligence would not lead to anywhere, you have to be lucky and brilliant. There are so many graduates with no job and they just wait and wait for job, languish without any hope. It is a pathetic state and one should see to believe it, and I have few friends in that state. In India it is all about being at right place at the right time, which was the case with me.
Video of award ceremony
Video of Author's interview
Audio
Booker prize for "White Tiger"
Part-nationalization of US banks
At last US treasuery seems to have cameup with a plan that looks like has been analysed well. Nature of this financial scandal makes impossible to comeup with solution in one step. This complex problem is like a web, as it untangles we may have to change our solution, so our solution should start with basic rule but flexible enought to be modified. The first move, drawn in haste to throw 700B was shabby and immature.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7668704.stm
The lastest plan to part-nationalise the banks is a good one. Govt. move to buy shares without voting rights should be seen as a gesture of respect towards free-market.
I like following aspects of this bill.
1) The US government said it would buy preference shares in the banks. Preference shares pay a fixed rate of interest instead of a dividend, which has to be paid before other shareholders receive anything, but they do not carry voting rights.
2) Banks that receive the cash injections will be subject to restrictions on executive pay.
Adage -poem Billy Collins
I heard Billy collins recite this poem twice on radio. This is a less complicated and still emphatic poem. On radio Billy collins said something to this effect "Poetry should be like the chart hung in eye doctors' clinic; starting with thick letter and getting smaller as it proceeds."
Adage - Billy Collins
When it’s late at night and branches
are banging against the windows,
you might think that love is just a matter
of leaping out of the frying pan of yourself
into the fire of someone else,
but it’s a little more complicated than that.
It’s more like trading the two birds
who might be hiding in that bush
for the one you are not holding in your hand.
A wise man once said that love
was like forcing a horse to drink
but then everyone stopped thinking of him as wise.
Let us be clear about something.
Love is not as simple as getting up
on the wrong side of the bed wearing the emperor’s clothes.
No, it’s more like the way the pen
feels after it has defeated the sword.
It’s a little like the penny saved or the nine dropped stitches.
You look at me through the halo of the last candle
and tell me love is an ill wind
that has no turning, a road that blows no good,
but I am here to remind you,
as our shadows tremble on the walls,
that love is the early bird who is better late than never.
Tainted China water sickens 450
This is one more instance of collateral damage caused by rapid industrialization; I believe the engine of this raging industrialization is usually wealthy corporates and politicians spread around the world; yes, few consumers suffering from shopping syndrome also benefit from this. Corporates in US want an unregulated environment workplace so that they multiply their profits by selling cheap consumer products. And politicians in US, China sanitize this exploitation saying we are increasing the living standard of poor, and I think they are either ignorant or not honest.
Tainted China water sickens 450
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7665193.stm
McCain & Obama debate
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7658262.stm
I listened to debate between McCain & Obama over the radio. Policy wise McCain was not honest; he again spoke as if Iran is going to repeat Holocaust. If McCain really believes that, then it highlights his bad judgement. Also, regarding health care, I am not sure how realistic it is to assume that one can buy health policy for 5K. Obama could have slammed better. I also felt that candidates were trying to stuff as many keywords as possible (like N energy, Wind energy etc..), as if it was a job interview for a technical position :-)
I cringe whenever I hear him say "my friend", and that tone sounds too personal to be presidential and feels like he is trying hard to convince.
BBC radio made an interesting point at that this debate put candidates age on the stage.
All said, I would not give much importance to debates as pundits media because ruling a country needs more than debating skills and stage presence.
Why have melamine at all?
According to this Chinese Govt. is setting threshold for melamaine in Dairy products.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=aA0__rfGpEec&refer=asia
Do we need Melamine at all?
Does milk taken from cow contain Melamine?
What is common between US & EU banking system?
Recent economic crisis has affected banks in US, EU equally. Example: Iceland, the country is teathering close to national bankruptsy; few banks in UK, France, Germany, Switgherland have been rescued from melting.
-Were the banks in EU and US were following same policies or systems?
-If so, when did EU banks started following US bank's principles?
-And who forced EU banks to follow US banking system?
-Was it WTO?
I would like to know answer to these questions, and media just keeps repeating same thing again and again. When i come across a serious article, I do not know what is the motives of writer because money is too real.
Polar bear's struggle in Pig's world
If you have seen Planet Earth's videos on Polar bears, you may remember how Polar bears travel in ocean, by swimming for a while and then climbing on to a mound of snow, in order to rest. Bears supposedly repeat this exercise while they are crossing vast seas, which for human like me, looks like an epic journey, and the scale of this adventure demands some respect and recognition. Without these snow mounds to rest, Polar bears would drown out of exhaustion, admist these long journeys. So those tiny, snow mounds are very crucial for Polar Bear's life style, and with the rise in global temeparature, these snow mounds are depleating, and according to this BBC article Polar bears have started to die and some politians are still arguing whether the Polar Bears are endanagered species.
Based on following article
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7656871.stm
a) "Six polar bears recently drowned out in the open water. Their bodies were spotted by sailors."
b) Sarah Palin does not think Polar Bear is an endangered species.
Shallow side of 'age of information' and 'stay-connected'
Internet started this information age for good, then came Blackberry and then 'stay connected' mantra abused the system.
I believe we have too many sources of information covering same event, and every one of these starts with an introduction, and most of the readers get exhausted/distracted right at the end of introductory paragraph. This mostly because our attension span is ridiculously low and also media portal offer links with sensationalized titles.
I listen to radio and also read blogs, and in case of former I am forced to listen till the end(because there are just two source NPR and BBC), so in the end I absorb more information from radio than internet.
"Article Distraction and Democracy" http://wamu.org/programs/dr/08/06/10.php#19911This was broadcast, few months back, on NPR. Accrding to this program, we 'snack' news and know less than our parents.
Let us look at the new providers: TV/Newspapers and Bloggers. There is one news event but many Newspapers and TV channels, and in the end, just to get distinguished, media outlets dissect the news-event like a 'crime scene' and end up reporting on superficial things like clothes & gestures.
Then, Bloggers, second in chain, enter the news scene, scatter the news through out Web. So, we endup with insane amount of articles. Yes, there is nothing wrong in this but the reader should be responsible, cautious and stay focussed on one article.And media outlets should end sensationalized 'small-town' journalism :-)
I may be going beyond this subject but I should say that website design may have something to do with peoples' inability to stay till they completley read the article. Usually articles, in newsites, seem to be buried inside a pile of ads.
So, this 'information/interruption age' is affecting everything, including policies & democracies. Changing this trend of shallowness needs both the provider and consumer to change.
Just like updrading speakers
I have had two Klipsche bookshelf speakers for 2 years, and I have been happy without any regrets, but I have gotten used to this and lately feeling that I want more, so I am looking subwoofers, not with the intention of regaining lost excitement but something less drastic than that :-)
Then my thoughts drifted towards relation between two human beings and narrowed on socio-sexual couples(official-unofficial/married-unmarried); probably, even they may think in these lines, first starts with bookshelf speakers, years later surround speakers, few years later subwoofer, and then on one big day they stop listening to music all together.
Citi, Wachovia and WellsFargo
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200810031604DOWJONESDJONLINE000788_FORTUNE5.htm
Look at the haste with which Citi and Wells are moving. This is what is wrong with these bankers; and already the analysts are cheering by saying that Citi needs this deal to grow. Was not the banking industry supposed to be on death bed? How did these banks regained their guice so fast? Look at the ethical side of it, Wachovia seems to be breaking the aggreement with Citi.Bankers have not learnt anything, are back to their bi-polar days, I do not think they deserved $700b bailout. I see this squabble as slap on face of rescuing Govt.
This shows how distasteful the people are in Wall-street, I would have liked these banker crawl. One does not have to go deeper to see, that in this $700b crisis, Henry Paulson has represented wall-street. What a disgusting drama of greed.
God brain-washes devotees in to death
Fatalities in India temple crush http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7643373.stm
Well, we have another story from Northern India that shows how idiotic these f***ing god-washed devotees are. Personally, I do n't have any sympathy for these god-nuts but would have felt sad if they had died due to stampede inside a Cricket stadium instead of damn Temple. Going to temple is a sign of decayed mind and dying in a stampede inside a temple... omg...is being brain-dead :-)
Well, I certainly blame God for brain-washing these idiots in to grave
Corrupt curiosity Citi, Wells Fargo and Wachovia
Point 1)
Citigroup and Wells Fargo were locked in a bidding war on Sunday over a possible emergency takeover of the Wachovia Corporation, people involved in the talks said.
Point 2)
The government, led by the Federal Reserve and Treasury Department, has been involved in the talks as well, these people said. But so far, the government is resisting pressure to help bidders by guaranteeing a part of Wachovia’s assets the way it did for Bear Stearns when it was sold to JPMorgan Chase in March.
Point 3)
Either way, Citigroup and Wells Fargo are unlikely to bid more than a few dollars a share for Wachovia, substantially less than the $10 at which its shares were trading Friday.
Source:-http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/29/business/29bank.html?ref=business
Question:- Both Citibank and Wells Fargo must have connections to trigger a panic regarding Wachovia prospects; they may even have access to Credit rating agencies, and will Citi&Fargo, use these to drive down Wachovia shares? And we also know that FBI is investigating the banks http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7632790.stm , and by now we are well aware of wall-street's credibility :-)
Just a corrupt curiosity....
Using AGL
Fluid Acrylic + AGL+++ stays wet for longer than Heavybody Acrylic + AGL
Praportions
1) AGL + Napthol Red Medium (Fluid Acrylic)
2) AGL + Burnt Sienna (Heavybody Acrylic)
Transperancy
1) AGL + Napthol Red Medium (Fluid Acrylic)
2) AGL + Burnt Sienna(Heavybody Acrylic)
2) AGL + Burnt Sienna(Heavybody Acrylic)
Seems AGL affects transparency least
Blending AGL mix
1) AGL + Napthol Red Medium (Fluid Acrylic)
2) AGL + Burnt Sienna (Heavybody Acrylic)
Drying of AGL mix after 30minutes
1) AGL + Burnt Sienna (Heavybody Acrylic)
Pre-election wedding?
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article4837644.ece
McCain camp prays for Palin wedding
In an election campaign notable for its surprises, Sarah Palin, the Republican vice- presidential candidate, may be about to spring a new one — the wedding of her pregnant teenage daughter to her ice-hockey-playing fiancé before the November 4 election.
Is this an election? I am confused
Golden AGL as Retarder?
It seems Golden Acrylic Glazin Liquid (AGL) can be used as Retarder without the fear of losing binding because AGL is contains Binder. This is what Golden says "Don't be fooled by the "glaze" part of the name, blends of 1:1 with most colors can still be very opaque. Adding AGL will increase working time proportionately. Don't worry about adding too much or sticking to an exact ratio, blend as needed."
Paraphrased from http://www.goldenpaints.com/justpaint/jp8article2.php
Golden Pastes
-Hard Molding Paste has self-leveling qualities not found in other Molding Pastes. High peaks formed in application will settle out before it is completely dry.
Paraphrased from http://www.goldenpaints.com/justpaint/jp6article2.php
Acrylic Glazing
GLAZE and Refractive index
Acrylic Color = Pigment + Binder
Refractive index of the Binder is 1.4 for every Acrylic color but that of Pigment varies from pigment to pigment, and closer the Refractive Index of Pigment to that of Binder(i,e. 1.7) , more is the transparency/transculency. Example: Refractive Index of TW is 2.7 so it is opaque and that of Utramarine blue is 1.7.
What light manages to pass through or between the particles is ultimately absorbed or reflected by the lighter, underlying ground, gaining a second opportunity to interact with the pigment particles before making its way towards the viewer. This complex interplay of light within the paint film creates the particular sense of glow and luminosity that is one of the prized attributes of glazes.
Why use GEL instead of WATER?
Binder 's refractive index plays a critical role in limiting the scattering of light, and having the particles well bound in a paint film becomes crucial for creating a luminous translucent glaze. For this reason a glaze needs to be made with plenty of medium to insure the pigment is fully suspended. A 10:1 ratio of binder to color is a good place to start your mixtures. A very common mistake is to simply thin the paint with water, which only leaves the pigments more exposed to the air, where the scattering of light is greatest. Rather than a smooth translucent film, the paint will also tend to create a rougher, matte surface that further dissipates the light and leaves the color feeling washed out.
Loss of Light
Lastly, it is important to remember that glazes will always lower the value of the underlying color. Less light, not more, is ultimately reflected back from a glazed surface, so it is important to keep the underpainting or ground at a higher value then you anticipate for the final result.
Mix or GLAZE?
Glazes allow for a unique development of color that cannot be achieved by any other means. A bright yellow, glazed with a transparent red, will result in an orange completely different than if they were mixed together on the palette. There is a sense of luminosity and greater saturation of color caused by the light traveling through one or more translucent films before reaching the viewer.
Paraphrased from http://www.goldenpaints.com/justpaint/jp12article2.php
Golden Fluid Acrylics
-Fuild Acrylics are produced with the same pigments at the same load as the Heavy Body paints, yielding similar tinting strength. However, many artists believe they are actually stronger than the Heavy Body colors due to their greater leveling. Formulating the Fluid Acrylics is a more difficult process, as there is a tendency for highly loaded paints at a low viscosity to thicken over time.
-Different colors can have different Gloss; one way to tackle this is to mix with appropriate Gel which would reduce the color load and other way is to apply varnish.
-Max Water to Paint ration is 1:1
-Brush strokes get evened out. Fluid colors fills the brush in an uniform way.
-Fluid colors are good for making Gel based Glaze mixtures because foaming can be avoided.
Fluid colors are strong so 2% may be enough for Glaze mixture.
Full article
http://www.goldenpaints.com/justpaint/jp4article3.php
McCain's random antics
This is an interesting observation on random punchs thrown by John McCain
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/09/tactics-v-strat.html
...that the McCain campaign is obsessed with tactics -- not strategy. The campaign is focused on winning the news cycle -- not having a larger consistent message....
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