Mr.K’gaard may have just touched me for the second time in my life. I haven’t read much from him (Aah, the fountain of youth splashing all over the place! ), just random attention challenged readings from Either/Or a couple of years back, which added an important piece to the puzzle. Ofcourse, the b’ard wasn’t easy to read. And now, here he is again promising to add another piece.

Read K’gaard more, read K’gaard more,
The b’ard isn’t easy to read for sure.
But pull your pants and read him more,
May just add a piece, one more, to the puzzle!

So goes the title of a Nature article from September 2006.

The experimenters report electrical stimulation of a 22 year old woman with epilepsy, in the left temporo-parietal junction of the brain,  which is said be to responsible for sensory integration, self-processing, self-other distinction etc.  The subject is said to have reported the perception of an illusory shadow person immediately behind her with similar features and posture. They say, this illusory perception of a distinct person in spite of  an awareness of the similarity, is like that of deluded schizophrenic patients.

[via]

What beats me, amidst very little neutral information about the grim humanitarian situation in Srilanka, is that the Srilankan-Tamil diaspora still hold Mr.Prabhakaran as their poster-man. This, after years of human rights violations by the LTTE, including against their own people. Ofcourse, once the path of terrorism is chosen, being a human rights violator is inevitable. But the LTTE’s desperation to survive has led to a heightened selfishness, which is not new for them. This is one more case of the state putting itself above its people. Questions must be asked (to themselves) by the diaspora as to whether their only hope lies in the path of the LTTE – a path that has put their own people in peril, both indirectly and directly. Which is more important? The people or the LTTE? 

Cries of genocide have been heard. Intent is a crucial component in declaring a genocide. Sure, the current Srilankan government with its strongly nationalist coalition, may be perpetrating this highest of crimes against humanity. Extent is also a question.  Definitions vary and are driven by eventual actualities. We don’t know yet. This is why the international community must put great pressure on the Srilankan government to pre-empt this distinct possibility. What we know for sure though, is the LTTE’s willful neglect of its own people, which amounts to intent, in my book.  Precisely, whose side is the LTTE on, besides its own? If genocide is indeed happening, the LTTE is a significant actor, creating a strange case of genocide. 

The international community has missed quite a few opportunities to intervene and to put greater pressure on the Srilankan government, which while being the less evil actor of the two, has a record of suppressing media freedom with shadows over its intent, given the mandate with which it came into power. The Srilankan government has repeatedly rejected calls by other countries and aid agencies for a temporary ceasefire so that a humanitarian crisis can be averted. By its own reports, its conducting the world’s largest rescue operation. Independent agencies have not been able to verify much of the government’s reports. Once more, one is left wondering what the UN Security council is really upto. With 7 member countries reportedly denying even an ‘informal’ meeting on the matter, including 2 veto-holding members, China and Russia, an intervention seems unlikely. China having said, ‘Its an internal matter’. Recent reports by Reporters Sans Frontiers and Human Rights Watch indicating and advising otherwise, the international community must act, atleast now. Trust and hope, for a just and peaceful future for the Tamils in a post-LTTE Srilanka depend on it.

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Amnesty International’s 27th March Report [PDF]

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And… a 2-day truce!

Corporations sell their products by creating demands and desires, where none exist. The ethical aspect of this abhorrent practice has become a matter of great concern with the latest shoe-throwing incidents at the Indian finance minister Mr.P.Chidambaram and a Congress MP, Mr.Jindal. It is obvious that the shoe companies are funding this new found technique to sell more shoes. This global shoe-cialist conspiracy which started in Iraq against Mr.Bush, has now been successfully exported to India, twice now. Its also obvious that Mr.Chidambaram and Mr.Jindal have received their cuts  (no bruises) from these companies, as they seem to condone these shoecio-capitalist agents. They must be immediately fired for having been the targets of shoe-throwing incidents (shame! shame!). I also call for a joint US-India overseas contingency operation in Iraq to stop the export of such crazy ideas of mass hysteria, lest we become a nation of billion shoe-throwers.

A short advertisment from a sponsor follows:

Nike. Just throw it.

Be sure to run asap. Nike is not responsible for what happens after. 

இருந்தாலும், அண்ணனுக்கு குறும்பு ரொம்ப ஜாஸ்தி. ரத்தகளறி, இந்தியா பிளவுபட்டுரும் அப்டின்னு சும்மா லோலாய்க்கு சொன்னாராம். நான் கூட என்னவோ ஏதோனு அருவா, வெட்டுக்கத்தி எல்லாம் ரெடி பண்ண சொல்லிட்டேன். சரிப்பா, சபை கலஞ்சிருச்சு. உலகத்தமிழர்கள் எல்லாம் போய்ட்டு அப்புறம் கூப்டும் போது வாங்க. வேற மேட்டர் வந்தா சொல்றேன்.

தம்பி மீது ஒரு சிறுகீறல் விழுந்தாலும் தமிழகமே ரத்தக்களறி ஆகிவிடும்னு சிங்கள தமிழ சிங்கத்திற்க்காய் மீண்டும் குரல் கொடுத்திருக்கிறது எங்கள சிங்கம். விஷக்கிருமிகளின் நாசவேலையால் தொங்கி போன தம்பியின் நிலையை பற்றி அண்ணனும் நானும் தொலைபேசியில் உரையாடினோம். கவலைபடாதீங்க அண்ணே, தம்பியை தூக்கி நிறுத்த உலகத்தமிழ் தம்பிகள் எல்லாம் உங்கள் பின்னால் திரண்டு நிற்கிறோம், ஆணையிடுங்கள் அப்டின்னு ஆறுதலா சில வார்த்தைகள் பேசினேன்.

…is cliched as a sports movie and lacks punch, but makes its meaning through the sweetness of its rural romance, and its host of rural characters of different shades and backgrounds united by Kabadi. It is by his interest in observing the issues of his rural subjects’ lives (and Kabadi) that Susindran managed to keep my interest. I haven’t seen Lagaan or Chak De. So, I don’t know what influences were there, beyond the obvious. One could see some references to Kalloori and Kadhal.

The way the camera uses the village in the romantic cat and mouse scenes, lingers. As also, the song Lesa Parakkudhu. The music didn’t impress me otherwise. Definitely worth a watch and a decent addition to rural movies from a fresh team.

A stupid cartoon that tried to create an useless pattern, and stupid reactions that choose to see a non-existing pattern. We are monkeys, no doubt. But hey, that is speciesist!

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I have flipped positions on this, since. Read comments.

Alberta is as conservative and as oily as it can get in Canada. So post-fact, it isn’t surprising that the just former US President George W. Bush is giving (possibly) his first post-presidency private speaking event in Calgary.

“Calgary is a nice place. I feel completely at home here. Its got a lot of oil. Its got people with some really nice values and my favorite philosopher in their lives. Its like good ol’ Texas, a bit cold but what you guys really need you is some Bush. Eight momentous f***ing glorious years of peace, progress and harmony. Did I just say f***ing?”

A close friend, Prabu (who runs an IT company in Chennai called Streta) and a few of his traceur friends in Chennai, were covered recently by the Times of India Chennai Edition about Parkour. I first watched the über-cool Parkour in Breaking and Entering. Apparently, it has been featured in a few other movies too, including Casino Royale.  What is it about? Hear from the traceur himself.

 Parkour is not just about jumping walls or rocks. It is about pushing your body and mind to win over obstacles. It tests your mental strength also — to see how far you go to accomplish a task. Youstart applying that principle in life too.