I'm really looking forward to watching the documentary 'Supersize Me'. This is a funny and yet serious look at the American obsession with fast food, where the moviemaker survives on a diet of supersized McDonald's meals for a month, while doctors track his vitals with horror. Incidentally, the website www.supersizeme.com is pretty cool in itself and has many links including to this story about why the French do not face similar obesity problems. You should read the whole story, but here is one excerpt I particularly liked:
Nutritionist Dr Francoise L'Hermite says the French secret to staying slim is to do exactly as Clemence and her family do - make sure you sit down with friends or family for a meal, eat three times a day at regular intervals, don't snack, don't eat in front of the television, and finally - eat slowly and savour both the food and the company.
"For France, a meal is a very particular moment, in which you share pleasure, the food as well as the conversation," she says. "From an Anglo-Saxon point of view, food is just fuel to give energy to your muscles. If you have no pleasure in it, you are breaking all the rules of eating."
Saturday, July 31, 2004
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
Swing Voters and the Nature of the Election
I enjoyed this editorial in the New York Times - funny and yet substantive, reflecting on the nature of the Democratic convention and election year politics in general.
Sunday, July 25, 2004
Get to Work!
Well, if I betrayed a liberal bias with my previous posting, here's my attempt to reclaim the center. This article on MSNBC indicates that that bastion of workers' rights may be finally cracking. Germans who are used to insane amounts of vacation are finally realizing that young men and women in China and India are willing to work their butts off for their job (ok, that wasn't in the story). Come on guys, you don't need 37 days off in a year!!
OK, and it also talks about overgenerous unemployment benefits preventing workers from feeling the need to take low-paid jobs! Hmm, are you listening, lefties? While I'm a big supporter of certain welfare programs, including benefits for all children (legal and illegal - no kid deserves any different!), it is obvious that an overgenerous system doesn't help these people.
Reminds me of a conversation that I had with a homeless father once ... still rings in my head and troubles me. We sat and had a chat, and he shared his very moving story with me about how he was trying to do better for his daugther. But while the government and churches and all other welfare organizations had invested extensive resources in "keeping him homeless", not one of them had ever bothered to help him break the cycle. To get a job, you need a place of residence ... to rent a place, you need a job, and for a guy who is labelled a bum of the streets without a family network to depend on, well, that's gonna be one long stay!
OK, and it also talks about overgenerous unemployment benefits preventing workers from feeling the need to take low-paid jobs! Hmm, are you listening, lefties? While I'm a big supporter of certain welfare programs, including benefits for all children (legal and illegal - no kid deserves any different!), it is obvious that an overgenerous system doesn't help these people.
Reminds me of a conversation that I had with a homeless father once ... still rings in my head and troubles me. We sat and had a chat, and he shared his very moving story with me about how he was trying to do better for his daugther. But while the government and churches and all other welfare organizations had invested extensive resources in "keeping him homeless", not one of them had ever bothered to help him break the cycle. To get a job, you need a place of residence ... to rent a place, you need a job, and for a guy who is labelled a bum of the streets without a family network to depend on, well, that's gonna be one long stay!
Lil Ron's Politics
While I'm no big fan of his dad (or maybe because of that?), I quite enjoyed this interview with Ron Reagan, Jr on NPR. He was honest, witty, charming and intelligent on a number of issues. A couple of points he hit that I really liked (don't let the illusion of quotes fool you - they are still paraphrased from what I recollect!)
On Stem Cell Research: "While I accept some pols may have moral objections to stem cell research, many still use it as political football. If they were sincere in their objection to the destruction of embryos as potential life, why not object to InVitro Fertilization (IVF) where thousands of identical embryos are destroyed! Because they know such an objection would be political suicide, because 'moral' men and women still want to use technology to have babies when other methods fail. But stem cells is something they can use to 'rally the base'!"
On Gay Marriage: "My wife and I have been happily married now for almost 24 years. But I'm sorry, now we're just gonna have to break up, because Stan and Rick are getting married!"
Overall, well worth the time to listen to the interview!
On Stem Cell Research: "While I accept some pols may have moral objections to stem cell research, many still use it as political football. If they were sincere in their objection to the destruction of embryos as potential life, why not object to InVitro Fertilization (IVF) where thousands of identical embryos are destroyed! Because they know such an objection would be political suicide, because 'moral' men and women still want to use technology to have babies when other methods fail. But stem cells is something they can use to 'rally the base'!"
On Gay Marriage: "My wife and I have been happily married now for almost 24 years. But I'm sorry, now we're just gonna have to break up, because Stan and Rick are getting married!"
Overall, well worth the time to listen to the interview!
Monday, July 19, 2004
Graduate Student Union
The NY Times reported that the National Labor Relations Board reversed a prior decision to allow graduate students at private universities to unionize. This brings into focus the whole issue of whether students are primarily students or workers. One thing strikes me - do students WANT to be workers? As graduate students, we allow ourselves the liberties of poor research pace during our coursework deadlines ... we allow ourselves extended periods of vacation or unproductivity and indeed extended periods of productivity and overwork. What the unionization doctrine suggests is that we would have to abandon the spurts of creativity and motivation that define grad school for a professional production mode. That does not strike me as being particularly good.
That is not to say that there is no need for grad students to band together. Certainly, an aggressive graduate student body can rally the academic community to redress deficiencies that may exist, be it in pay, benefits or other issues. After all, an unhappy graduate student community would eventually reflect on the students, and would serve as warning flags to potential graduate students (who, by the way, read the entrapped community like a children's book!) It is unclear that there is a pressing case for a more legally binding resolution, especially one that opens the community to politics!
That is not to say that there is no need for grad students to band together. Certainly, an aggressive graduate student body can rally the academic community to redress deficiencies that may exist, be it in pay, benefits or other issues. After all, an unhappy graduate student community would eventually reflect on the students, and would serve as warning flags to potential graduate students (who, by the way, read the entrapped community like a children's book!) It is unclear that there is a pressing case for a more legally binding resolution, especially one that opens the community to politics!
Sunday, June 27, 2004
Numbers
US$ 60 million - Amount spent by steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal on his daughter's wedding
US$ 60 million - Amount spent by Sathya Sai Baba to bring water to an estimated 1.2 million people in the parched area of Rayalseema in southern India
US$ 12,000 - Amount spent by a friend of mine on a basement home theater system
US$ 12,000 - Cost to provide for the education and living expenses for 40 children in an orphanage from kindergarten till the end of high school
1 - The smallest positive integer
1 - The number of people needed to make a difference
US$ 60 million - Amount spent by Sathya Sai Baba to bring water to an estimated 1.2 million people in the parched area of Rayalseema in southern India
US$ 12,000 - Amount spent by a friend of mine on a basement home theater system
US$ 12,000 - Cost to provide for the education and living expenses for 40 children in an orphanage from kindergarten till the end of high school
1 - The smallest positive integer
1 - The number of people needed to make a difference
Thursday, June 24, 2004
Secret of Success
I was reading about the Ambanis, who run the Reliance Group, India's largest private conglomerate, whose revenues account for 3.5% of India's GDP ... so valued that one in four stock-owning citizens of India own this company. Much has been written about Dhirubai, son of a school-teacher who created the empire, and even his elder son Mukesh who took over as CEO. However, a story about younger son and present vice-chairman Anil highlighted one important attribute for success.
Anil finished his last exam for his MBA at Wharton, and four hours later, caught a flight back to India. After the lengthy travel (easily over 20 hrs), he came home, showered and shaved, and went to work! No vacation, no time off, nothing!! Talk about dedication!!
Anil finished his last exam for his MBA at Wharton, and four hours later, caught a flight back to India. After the lengthy travel (easily over 20 hrs), he came home, showered and shaved, and went to work! No vacation, no time off, nothing!! Talk about dedication!!
Dress Your Family ...
I was at the bookstore yesterday, and read part of David Sedaris' 'Dress your Family in Jeans and Courdroy'. Quite hilariousand charming ... a definite must-read!! Incidentally you can read his interview on NPR at http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1958334
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
Caste System makes India an IT Superpower??
I am read an interesting book by Gurucharan Das called 'India Unbound'. He is the former CEO of Proctor & Gamble India. One of his theories for why Indian manufacturing has historically been so shoddy is that India's caste system placed the Brahmins, and their pursuit of knowledge in all its abstractness, on a pedestal, while it undervalued the skilled trades that required dexterity. Interestingly, he argues that's precisely the reason why we are good at Information Technology (IT) ... because we've been weaned on a dietary craving for abstractness for centuries!!!
Overall, the book's worth a read!!!
Overall, the book's worth a read!!!
Saturday, June 19, 2004
Check the Fine Print!
I received a newsletter from what seemed to be an investment magazine yesterday. Not too unsual ... the usual bevy of advisors trying to get you to part with your hard-earned $$ for their hot stock tip. They were aggressively recommending an energy stock, which they prophesized was bound to skyrocket. Hmm, unfortunately for them, I love details and have developed a habit for reading fine print, so I scrolled down to their mandatory disclosures, only to discover that a) they have received tons of advertising dollars from that very company, b) they will continue to receive money for promoting the stock :-0, and c) the "advisor" personally owns 25,000 shares of stock in that company. Talk about conflict of interest ... actually, this wasn't one - the verbage made it pretty clear the firm that put out the newsletter was essentially an advertising firm. We can whine about what the heck are those folks at the SEC are doing, but I'd rather we just take matters into our own hands and stop getting conned. READ THE FINE PRINT, FOLKS!!
Friday, June 18, 2004
The Tree-Climber and Diamond Earrings
While I am often bothered by the nature of disparity, I was particularly moved by something that happened this week. I went to bed reading the story of a panaiyeri nadar, a tree-climber in my home state of Tamil Nadu, a story typical for many in his profession. His job is to extract date palm jaggery from the trees, for which purpose he has to climb the tree, extract the juice with a knife, and on to the next tree. He has no safety harness or other protective gear, and a fall guarantees death, or worse serious injury that could spiral his family into serious debt. He often has to climb upto 150 trees, each at least 15 to 20 feet in height. That's about the same as climbing 250 floors up a staircase, except he has no staircase or even ladder - just his bare palms and legs. He starts working at 3 am in the morning, and gets done about 6 in the evening. The fruits of his labor? About Rs. 5-8 (under US 20 cents!) a day ... oh and muscle pains, asthma and a host of other ailments!!
I woke up the next morning, and turned on my TV to discover it was National Splurge Day - and we were being shown how we could splurge (if we had the money!) ranging from caviar to $200,000 diamond earrings to a Merc wheels that set you back close to 400 grand! Sure, spend, revel in luxury ...
This bothers me a whole deal, and I'm no commie or leftie! I don't believe the Government should necessarily be a constant presence in our lives. But I do believe that we are humans, and humanity is what distinguishes us from the beasts of the jungle. How can people not be bothered by the extreme poverty that besets so many in the world? And I don't mean just the rich. How far would the $2000 you spent on a home theater system gone in those parts? How many palaiyeri nadars would have had access to a more supportive system?
Yes, governments are supposed to do that, but it's obvious that for many in the Third World, governments have failed them. But ask yourself, if a loved one where in need of medical attention, and the state-sponsored medical system (Medicare in the US) refused to provide any assistance, would you turn a blind eye to their plight?
Religions love to talk about the great attributes of their leaders. And yet, how is it that so many who tout the virtues of Christ, Mohammed, Rama, Buddha fail to attempt to replicate their compassion?
How about envisioning a year, nay a day as a panaiyeri nadar?
I woke up the next morning, and turned on my TV to discover it was National Splurge Day - and we were being shown how we could splurge (if we had the money!) ranging from caviar to $200,000 diamond earrings to a Merc wheels that set you back close to 400 grand! Sure, spend, revel in luxury ...
This bothers me a whole deal, and I'm no commie or leftie! I don't believe the Government should necessarily be a constant presence in our lives. But I do believe that we are humans, and humanity is what distinguishes us from the beasts of the jungle. How can people not be bothered by the extreme poverty that besets so many in the world? And I don't mean just the rich. How far would the $2000 you spent on a home theater system gone in those parts? How many palaiyeri nadars would have had access to a more supportive system?
Yes, governments are supposed to do that, but it's obvious that for many in the Third World, governments have failed them. But ask yourself, if a loved one where in need of medical attention, and the state-sponsored medical system (Medicare in the US) refused to provide any assistance, would you turn a blind eye to their plight?
Religions love to talk about the great attributes of their leaders. And yet, how is it that so many who tout the virtues of Christ, Mohammed, Rama, Buddha fail to attempt to replicate their compassion?
How about envisioning a year, nay a day as a panaiyeri nadar?
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
Wake Up, You're Just a Pretty Doll!
As I turn on my TV, I see that the Miss Universe pageant is on. Women who obsess about maintaining an unhealthy body shape by starvation and strut around in miniscule clothing is supposed to represent the progress we've made in this country and in the world. You see, guys no longer dictate what these women can do.
Ok, I for one think this is BOGUS! I certainly hate to think of the days when women had little say in their lives or destinies, and were married off to some rich (often old) lord or the other, but substituting one flawed system for another is not the answer. All the Miss Universe pageants represent are human dolls, made for the sensual excitation of men and for the highlighting of feelings of inadequacy in normal women ... many of whom will then go out and come under the knife or subject themselves with painful toxins or other torture, seeking that perfect body image, rather than recognizing how smart or charming they are.
But God forbid someone think this is not a worthwhile exercise. Protestors are narrow-minded, fundamentalist (especially if they are Muslim), whackos and the like. I mean, after all, this is what our forefathers wanted. We should be allowed to celebrate our right to be shallow and stupid. After all, it is in pursuit of this freedom that we have our young sons and daughters giving their lives ...
The pageant organizers ask stupid questions on what you would do if you win, and the trained dolls expound on how they would help the sick or the hungry or the poor children. I guess I'm naive in not realizing that it takes so many years in changing your God-given bodies and mannerisms to be prepared for a life of service. And all this time, I thought all you needed was love and compassion ... silly me!
Ok, I for one think this is BOGUS! I certainly hate to think of the days when women had little say in their lives or destinies, and were married off to some rich (often old) lord or the other, but substituting one flawed system for another is not the answer. All the Miss Universe pageants represent are human dolls, made for the sensual excitation of men and for the highlighting of feelings of inadequacy in normal women ... many of whom will then go out and come under the knife or subject themselves with painful toxins or other torture, seeking that perfect body image, rather than recognizing how smart or charming they are.
But God forbid someone think this is not a worthwhile exercise. Protestors are narrow-minded, fundamentalist (especially if they are Muslim), whackos and the like. I mean, after all, this is what our forefathers wanted. We should be allowed to celebrate our right to be shallow and stupid. After all, it is in pursuit of this freedom that we have our young sons and daughters giving their lives ...
The pageant organizers ask stupid questions on what you would do if you win, and the trained dolls expound on how they would help the sick or the hungry or the poor children. I guess I'm naive in not realizing that it takes so many years in changing your God-given bodies and mannerisms to be prepared for a life of service. And all this time, I thought all you needed was love and compassion ... silly me!
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
Embrace of Fear
OK, so I'm old school ... OK, so I didn't know what the heck a blog was, even if I peddled it in social settings to sound cool ... OK, so I don't have a clue why I want to do this ... OK, so I love the sound of my voice ... OK, so this is about standing up and being heard, overcoming fear ...
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