New Post (146) : Save planet E with Furoshiki
Furoshiki is the eco-friendly wrapping cloth.
Originating from Japanese culture where it promotes caring for the environment and reducing waste.
Using techniques similar to origami, it can be used for gift wrapping, grocery shopping or simply as decor.
Choose from a wide variety of sizes and designs to complement your lifestyle.
Why Furoshiki? It is reusable and multipurpose.
Each year billions of plastic bags end up as litter.
Reusable bags, such as Furoshiki can help reduce the impact to our environment.
Its versatility allows you to wrap almost anything regardless of its shape or size.
The idea being---imbibe the concept. That Furoshiki represents.
Save planet E from plastic bags.
We do not want to be the generation that buried itself in its own trash.
Charlie Brown
Monday, February 14, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Dev’s Charming old world.
New Post (145) : Dev’s Charming old world.
There will only ever be ONE Dev saab.
The evergreen Indian movie actor Dev Anand decided to add colour to his LAST black-and-white film and has just re-presented his 50-year-old film to the current generation.
It looks like it was shot in colour. It was 34 mm and now it has been transformed to cinemascope with latest digital sound.
Reason enough to look forward to the classic from a bygone golden era.
Two names that make Hum Dono worth a watch are (of course) heartthrob Dev Anand and his hugely talented bother writer Vijay Anand.
Set in the period of World War 2 with the backdrop of the India-Burma war, Hum Dono is NOT an out-and-out war film but …more of an emotional drama.
The central plot had classic conflicts ranging from the rich-girl-poor-boy formula to the highly memorable, stamped in time, identity interchange in the double-role premise.
However, while these may appear as clichés today; in the scheme of things in1961 these were still one of those newfangled plot-points which went on to be trendsetter and subsequently stereotypes in Hindi cinema.
Hum Dono in color brings back the “old world charm of cinema”.
Go watch it while it’s still on at a theatre near you.
But ( I catch myself asking with some sadness n hope mingled with angst ) will it bring back ---“the charming old world” ?
[…sadly no]
Watch it nevertheless !
I just did and enjoyed ...each moment.
Charlie Brown
There will only ever be ONE Dev saab.
The evergreen Indian movie actor Dev Anand decided to add colour to his LAST black-and-white film and has just re-presented his 50-year-old film to the current generation.
It looks like it was shot in colour. It was 34 mm and now it has been transformed to cinemascope with latest digital sound.
Reason enough to look forward to the classic from a bygone golden era.
Two names that make Hum Dono worth a watch are (of course) heartthrob Dev Anand and his hugely talented bother writer Vijay Anand.
Set in the period of World War 2 with the backdrop of the India-Burma war, Hum Dono is NOT an out-and-out war film but …more of an emotional drama.
The central plot had classic conflicts ranging from the rich-girl-poor-boy formula to the highly memorable, stamped in time, identity interchange in the double-role premise.
However, while these may appear as clichés today; in the scheme of things in1961 these were still one of those newfangled plot-points which went on to be trendsetter and subsequently stereotypes in Hindi cinema.
Hum Dono in color brings back the “old world charm of cinema”.
Go watch it while it’s still on at a theatre near you.
But ( I catch myself asking with some sadness n hope mingled with angst ) will it bring back ---“the charming old world” ?
[…sadly no]
Watch it nevertheless !
I just did and enjoyed ...each moment.
Charlie Brown
Saturday, February 12, 2011
An “OBAMA” and an “OSAMA”.
New Post (144) : An “OBAMA” and an “OSAMA”.
Soundex ---is a phonetic algorithm for indexing names by sound, as pronounced in English.
More…(background)…
Soundex was developed by Robert C. Russell and Margaret K. Odell and patented in 1918 and 1922. A variation called American Soundex was used in the 1930s for a retrospective analysis of the US censuses from 1890 through 1920. The Soundex code came to prominence in the 1960s when it was the subject of several articles in the Communications and Journal of the Association for Computing Machinery, and especially when described in Donald Knuth's The Art of Computer Programming. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) maintains the current rule set for the official implementation of Soundex used by the U.S. Government. These encoding rules are available from NARA, upon request, in the form of General Information Leaflet 55, "Using the Census Soundex".
Examples…
Using this algorithm, both "Robert" and "Rupert" return the same string "R163" while "Rubin" yields "R150". "Ashcraft" and "Ashcroft" both yield "A261".
Hypothetical question: How about---an “OBAMA” and an “OSAMA” ?
They only differ in a "B" & and an "S".
B -as in Bomber. S -as in suicide bomber.
Charlie Brown
Soundex ---is a phonetic algorithm for indexing names by sound, as pronounced in English.
More…(background)…
Soundex was developed by Robert C. Russell and Margaret K. Odell and patented in 1918 and 1922. A variation called American Soundex was used in the 1930s for a retrospective analysis of the US censuses from 1890 through 1920. The Soundex code came to prominence in the 1960s when it was the subject of several articles in the Communications and Journal of the Association for Computing Machinery, and especially when described in Donald Knuth's The Art of Computer Programming. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) maintains the current rule set for the official implementation of Soundex used by the U.S. Government. These encoding rules are available from NARA, upon request, in the form of General Information Leaflet 55, "Using the Census Soundex".
Examples…
Using this algorithm, both "Robert" and "Rupert" return the same string "R163" while "Rubin" yields "R150". "Ashcraft" and "Ashcroft" both yield "A261".
Hypothetical question: How about---an “OBAMA” and an “OSAMA” ?
They only differ in a "B" & and an "S".
B -as in Bomber. S -as in suicide bomber.
Charlie Brown
Friday, February 11, 2011
Malaysia has "open doors" during religious festivals.
New Post (143) : Malaysia has "open doors" during religious festivals.
Cultures have been meeting and mixing in Malaysia since the very beginning of its history. More than fifteen hundred years ago a Malay kingdom in Bujang Valley welcomed traders from China and India. With the arrival of gold and silks, Buddhism and Hinduism also came to Malaysia. A thousand years later, Arab traders arrived in Malacca and brought with them the principles and practices of Islam. By the time the Portuguese arrived in Malaysia, the empire that they encountered was more cosmopolitan than their own.
Malaysia's cultural mosaic is marked by many different cultures, but several in particular have had especially lasting influence on the country. Chief among these is the ancient Malay culture, and the cultures of Malaysia's two most prominent trading partners throughout history--the Chinese, and the Indians. These three groups are joined by a dizzying array of indigenous tribes, many of which live in the forests and coastal areas of Borneo. Although each of these cultures has vigorously maintained its traditions and community structures, they have also blended together to create contemporary Malaysia's uniquely diverse heritage.
Perhaps the easiest way to begin to understand the highly complex cultural interaction which is Malaysia is to look at the open door policy maintained during religious festivals. Although Malaysia's different cultural traditions are frequently maintained by seemingly self-contained ethnic communities, all of Malaysia's communities open their doors to members of other cultures during a religious festival--to tourists as well as neighbors. Such inclusiveness is more than just a way to break down cultural barriers and foster understanding. It is a positive celebration of a tradition of tolerance that has for millennia formed the basis of Malaysia's progress.
There is a lot we can learn from Malaysia's spirit of open doors.
Charlie Brown
Cultures have been meeting and mixing in Malaysia since the very beginning of its history. More than fifteen hundred years ago a Malay kingdom in Bujang Valley welcomed traders from China and India. With the arrival of gold and silks, Buddhism and Hinduism also came to Malaysia. A thousand years later, Arab traders arrived in Malacca and brought with them the principles and practices of Islam. By the time the Portuguese arrived in Malaysia, the empire that they encountered was more cosmopolitan than their own.
Malaysia's cultural mosaic is marked by many different cultures, but several in particular have had especially lasting influence on the country. Chief among these is the ancient Malay culture, and the cultures of Malaysia's two most prominent trading partners throughout history--the Chinese, and the Indians. These three groups are joined by a dizzying array of indigenous tribes, many of which live in the forests and coastal areas of Borneo. Although each of these cultures has vigorously maintained its traditions and community structures, they have also blended together to create contemporary Malaysia's uniquely diverse heritage.
Perhaps the easiest way to begin to understand the highly complex cultural interaction which is Malaysia is to look at the open door policy maintained during religious festivals. Although Malaysia's different cultural traditions are frequently maintained by seemingly self-contained ethnic communities, all of Malaysia's communities open their doors to members of other cultures during a religious festival--to tourists as well as neighbors. Such inclusiveness is more than just a way to break down cultural barriers and foster understanding. It is a positive celebration of a tradition of tolerance that has for millennia formed the basis of Malaysia's progress.
There is a lot we can learn from Malaysia's spirit of open doors.
Charlie Brown
Keeping those soldiers motivated
New Post (142) : Keeping those soldiers motivated
Invasions are nasty business.
Especially when the strong bully the weak.
Lacking in excitement beyond a point. Dull n boring.
Soldiers need to be kept motivated.
With imaginative canteen promos /or promotions
Such as :
--- “a beer for an (enemy) ear”.
--- “Light (burn) up a fag (an openly homosexual man) for a pack of fags (cigarettes)”
[ Make a note of the catchy n clever sing-song rhyming ]
Even die-hard war heroes need that extra something to keep them going.
Heroism does not come easy.
My contempt for the MUCH celebrated war heroes…who have guzzled these “blood” beers and smoked these “blood” cigarettes-----------soaked in enemy blood !
Believe it...
This had “actually” happened in Vietnam (also called NAM)…as confessed by the guilty soldiers……after "years of inglorious silence".
Wonder WHAT ELSE is being done by the army brass {and their politician masters) in present day wars to "dehumanize" their (own) fighting forces.
I hate wars. (for what they do to human civility, dignity, sanity)
Charlie Brown
Invasions are nasty business.
Especially when the strong bully the weak.
Lacking in excitement beyond a point. Dull n boring.
Soldiers need to be kept motivated.
With imaginative canteen promos /or promotions
Such as :
--- “a beer for an (enemy) ear”.
--- “Light (burn) up a fag (an openly homosexual man) for a pack of fags (cigarettes)”
[ Make a note of the catchy n clever sing-song rhyming ]
Even die-hard war heroes need that extra something to keep them going.
Heroism does not come easy.
My contempt for the MUCH celebrated war heroes…who have guzzled these “blood” beers and smoked these “blood” cigarettes-----------soaked in enemy blood !
Believe it...
This had “actually” happened in Vietnam (also called NAM)…as confessed by the guilty soldiers……after "years of inglorious silence".
Wonder WHAT ELSE is being done by the army brass {and their politician masters) in present day wars to "dehumanize" their (own) fighting forces.
I hate wars. (for what they do to human civility, dignity, sanity)
Charlie Brown
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Is running away the easier option ?
New Post (141) : Is running away the easier option ?
Lithuania has ---“the highest level of migration in the EU”.
With more and more Lithuanians heading west to find employment, this small nation is in danger of getting even smaller.
The so-called Baltic brain drain damages Lithuania ever deeper with each new day.
Young people finish their studies at home then look for a job in Western Europe, where salaries are much higher.
Preliminary government statistics for 2010 show that last year alone, an estimated 83,000 people left the country, many in search of work elsewhere.
The Department of Social Statistics is desperate to find out how many people are living in the country in this year’s major census. They expect to see the 2001 population of 3.4 million fall by almost 500,000. This exodus appears endless.
The challenge for Vilnius is to try and keep their best and brightest from being lost to the brain drain to safeguard the future.
Question: What prevents these "young, beacons of hope" from digging in at home and turning entrepreneurs ? ? ?
Interestingly,........the global financial crisis and crippling recession, means that the move abroad does not always provide the opportunities it once did.
Comment : This to me sounds like ---“an all too familiar horror story” !
One that has drained many a country. Diminishing it's potential.
Charlie Brown
Lithuania has ---“the highest level of migration in the EU”.
With more and more Lithuanians heading west to find employment, this small nation is in danger of getting even smaller.
The so-called Baltic brain drain damages Lithuania ever deeper with each new day.
Young people finish their studies at home then look for a job in Western Europe, where salaries are much higher.
Preliminary government statistics for 2010 show that last year alone, an estimated 83,000 people left the country, many in search of work elsewhere.
The Department of Social Statistics is desperate to find out how many people are living in the country in this year’s major census. They expect to see the 2001 population of 3.4 million fall by almost 500,000. This exodus appears endless.
The challenge for Vilnius is to try and keep their best and brightest from being lost to the brain drain to safeguard the future.
Question: What prevents these "young, beacons of hope" from digging in at home and turning entrepreneurs ? ? ?
Interestingly,........the global financial crisis and crippling recession, means that the move abroad does not always provide the opportunities it once did.
Comment : This to me sounds like ---“an all too familiar horror story” !
One that has drained many a country. Diminishing it's potential.
Charlie Brown
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
T.I.M.SK in the footsteps of B.R.I.C.
New Post (140) : T.I.M.SK in the footsteps of B.R.I.C.
New movers and shakers of the world economy are making their grand appearance and strong presence felt.
If BRIC is here can TIMSK be far behind ?
(.......or CRIB)
BRIC : Brazil, Russia, India, China
TIMSK : Turkey, Indonesia, Mexico, South-Korea.
(.......or MITSK)
The order you stack them in is unimportant. What's important is that more players are getting their act together and making bigger n bolder moves now.
That should balance the globe a lot better. Good.
Charlie Brown
New movers and shakers of the world economy are making their grand appearance and strong presence felt.
If BRIC is here can TIMSK be far behind ?
(.......or CRIB)
BRIC : Brazil, Russia, India, China
TIMSK : Turkey, Indonesia, Mexico, South-Korea.
(.......or MITSK)
The order you stack them in is unimportant. What's important is that more players are getting their act together and making bigger n bolder moves now.
That should balance the globe a lot better. Good.
Charlie Brown
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