Btw...dont get confused by the title of the post below and the date mentioned above it...it was a Sunday morning where I come from!
-Ari B
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Another Sunday morning..
That's right, its yet another bright Sunday morning. With December around the corner, things are beginning to get a bit chilly around here, though I must point out, even a normally pleasant 24 degrees can be termed as "chilly" for us Navi Mumbaikars! This Sunday morning is a bit different for me....no classes, no mock tests, no exam the next day....a welcome change after a really long time. As I went through my usual holiday morning routine of reading the newspaper while sipping a cup of hot South Indian filter coffee, I thought it might be a good idea to share some of the stories that caught my eye, on my blog.
One such story featured on the front page of the Sunday Times of India. The headline mentioned the words "SNS addiction", which immediately drew my attention. Some of you may probably be wondering what on earth 'SNS' is. The answer: something which you and me are very familiar with, and indulge in extensively - Social Networking Sites. Orkut, MySpace, Facebook, Hi5 and a whole bunch of others constitute this select group of websites that have more number of registered users from India than the entire population of most European countries, I would imagine! The article mentions how these sites are increasingly becoming addictive and influencing our lives. It points out how the lives of many people revolve around their "friends list". While such sites have been a boon for most people by bringing them closer and providing a platform for discussions through communities as well, it clearly has a very disturbing negative side. SNS addiction is becoming almost as alarming as alcohol or drug addiction, in the way that it's hard to get out of once you've been trapped by it. Studies, work etc. all go for a toss, and one needs to be mentally strong and be able to exercise considerable amount of self-control to ensure that one doesn't get an overdose of SNS.
Another shocking stat revealed in the newspaper was that only 1.08% of the entire population of India has health insurance!! Ok, now obviously a substantial proportion of these people belong to urban areas and having a decent job. But what about those who are actually in the line of fire: workers working in dangerous locations like mines, refineries etc., or people in areas constantly hit by natural disasters like floods and cyclones, or even those living in epidemic-prone areas. Aren't they the ones who really need health insurance? The problem lies in the fact that most of these people cannot afford health insurance. This is where the government should step in. If anyone can help people in this regard, its the elected officials. Forget all the corruption and bureaucracy existing in the system - just for once, can you not just act like responsible human beings and do your job of assisting your people when they need help??
Hmm....lets see whats on in the sports arena....the Indian cricket team look as if they're about to defeat Pakistan in the first test, unless the middle order throws it away.....India are still actually competing in A1 GP(lol..sorry! actually they've done pretty well...6th...good job Narain!!). Coming to football, Liverpool thrash a hapless Newcastle 3-0, that too with Fernando Torres seemingly having left his shooting boots back on Merseyside for some reason! It truly was unbelievable....I counted a total of 6 chances that, on any other given day, Torres would've knocked in with absolute ease! And how about this for a result...Bolton beat ManU 1-0!!!!(mmwaaaaahahahahahaha to all the ManU fans out there!!) Rest of the results were routine stuff, no real surprises, although Everton managing to conjure up 7 against a decent Sunderland side was a bit of a shock.
I cannot help but mention one article I read in the Mumbai Mirror that had me in splits!! It was about something interesting that happened when the national anthems were being sung during the England-Croatia match at Wembley on Wednesday. A British singer was to sing both the English and the Croatian anthems, and he messed up a part of the Croatian anthem so badly, it had some of the Croatian players grinning at each other during their own anthem. Well, what happened was, he was supposed to sing a line "mila kuda si planina", which means "You know my dear how we love the mountains". Instead, inadvertently, he sang it as "mila kura si planina" which literally means "My dear, my p***s is a mountain"!!!!!! OMG!! How I wish I was Croatian and heard that live during the match, would've had a really good laugh! But what was nice to see was that the Croatian players, crowd and the media took it very sportingly and in good humour, and didnt make a fuss about it. In fact, some of the fans are calling on the singer to become their official mascot for Euro 2008, because it seemed to help their players relax!!! Imagine what would happen if something like this was done to the Indian anthem....that person would've been torn to pieces for sure!
Well thats all for now...guess I'll be back when I have something intelligent to write about! Cheers till then..
-Ari B
One such story featured on the front page of the Sunday Times of India. The headline mentioned the words "SNS addiction", which immediately drew my attention. Some of you may probably be wondering what on earth 'SNS' is. The answer: something which you and me are very familiar with, and indulge in extensively - Social Networking Sites. Orkut, MySpace, Facebook, Hi5 and a whole bunch of others constitute this select group of websites that have more number of registered users from India than the entire population of most European countries, I would imagine! The article mentions how these sites are increasingly becoming addictive and influencing our lives. It points out how the lives of many people revolve around their "friends list". While such sites have been a boon for most people by bringing them closer and providing a platform for discussions through communities as well, it clearly has a very disturbing negative side. SNS addiction is becoming almost as alarming as alcohol or drug addiction, in the way that it's hard to get out of once you've been trapped by it. Studies, work etc. all go for a toss, and one needs to be mentally strong and be able to exercise considerable amount of self-control to ensure that one doesn't get an overdose of SNS.
Another shocking stat revealed in the newspaper was that only 1.08% of the entire population of India has health insurance!! Ok, now obviously a substantial proportion of these people belong to urban areas and having a decent job. But what about those who are actually in the line of fire: workers working in dangerous locations like mines, refineries etc., or people in areas constantly hit by natural disasters like floods and cyclones, or even those living in epidemic-prone areas. Aren't they the ones who really need health insurance? The problem lies in the fact that most of these people cannot afford health insurance. This is where the government should step in. If anyone can help people in this regard, its the elected officials. Forget all the corruption and bureaucracy existing in the system - just for once, can you not just act like responsible human beings and do your job of assisting your people when they need help??
Hmm....lets see whats on in the sports arena....the Indian cricket team look as if they're about to defeat Pakistan in the first test, unless the middle order throws it away.....India are still actually competing in A1 GP(lol..sorry! actually they've done pretty well...6th...good job Narain!!). Coming to football, Liverpool thrash a hapless Newcastle 3-0, that too with Fernando Torres seemingly having left his shooting boots back on Merseyside for some reason! It truly was unbelievable....I counted a total of 6 chances that, on any other given day, Torres would've knocked in with absolute ease! And how about this for a result...Bolton beat ManU 1-0!!!!(mmwaaaaahahahahahaha to all the ManU fans out there!!) Rest of the results were routine stuff, no real surprises, although Everton managing to conjure up 7 against a decent Sunderland side was a bit of a shock.
I cannot help but mention one article I read in the Mumbai Mirror that had me in splits!! It was about something interesting that happened when the national anthems were being sung during the England-Croatia match at Wembley on Wednesday. A British singer was to sing both the English and the Croatian anthems, and he messed up a part of the Croatian anthem so badly, it had some of the Croatian players grinning at each other during their own anthem. Well, what happened was, he was supposed to sing a line "mila kuda si planina", which means "You know my dear how we love the mountains". Instead, inadvertently, he sang it as "mila kura si planina" which literally means "My dear, my p***s is a mountain"!!!!!! OMG!! How I wish I was Croatian and heard that live during the match, would've had a really good laugh! But what was nice to see was that the Croatian players, crowd and the media took it very sportingly and in good humour, and didnt make a fuss about it. In fact, some of the fans are calling on the singer to become their official mascot for Euro 2008, because it seemed to help their players relax!!! Imagine what would happen if something like this was done to the Indian anthem....that person would've been torn to pieces for sure!
Well thats all for now...guess I'll be back when I have something intelligent to write about! Cheers till then..
-Ari B
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
News channels with nothing new
This is an issue that really has been irking me over the past few months. There's no doubt that over the past 7-8 years, the rate at which 24x7 news channels have sprung up on our television screens has really taken the media scene in India by storm. Politicians, celebrities, sportspersons...everyone is under scrutiny like never before. There's hardly ever a moment in a day when u dont see the phrase "Breaking News"/"News Flash"/"Taaza Khabar" blazing across your TV screen, causing you to stare with rapt attention at the alphanumeric characters rolling across the bottom of the screen and interpret what the latest the world has to offer u is.
But for quite some time now, certain news channels have caught my eye for all the wrong reasons. I must admit, I love watching news channels almost as much as I love watching football...and whenever I switch on the TV, as a routine, a brief scan of the available sports channels is immediately followed by a skim of all the news channels for the latest happenings around us. But the sight that really irritates me during this process is that of some channels, particularly Hindi news channels, showing absolute rubbish which they proclaim proudly as "Taaza Khabar!!". I apologize for being biased in this regard, but one cannot argue the fact that such stories can only be seen on a group of channels, and all these channels happen to be Hindi channels. Let me give you an example. One of the news stories that I came across on a couple of these channels was that of "The Great Khali", an Indian wrestler in the famous WWE (formerly known as WWF). This guy is a monster, standing at more than 7 ft. tall and weighing 400 odd pounds. He seems to be making a huge impact among the wrestling audience in the US, and the news channels here have used the huge popularity of the WWE in India for advancing their "TRPs", so to speak. They carried a huge exclusive on the guy, proudly calling him "an ambassador of our nation" and describing how he is a prime example of Indians achieving success abroad. Now, I do not refute the fact that he is successful and that he has achieved a lot in the WWE. But, really, is this the best example they could garner? A WWE wrestler who is where he is just because he is "genetically unique", and not because of his Indian origin?? I can name a hundred other Indians who deserve that time and space on the screen for their achievements abroad. There are far more inspiring success stories out there than a guy who screams gibberish into the microphone and leads everyone into believing he's speaking Hindi!
This is just one example....one keeps seeing more and more such stories cropping up day-by-day and hogging our screens. How can I forget the infamous Kareena-Shahid kissing episode that was shown so distastefully on a particular news channel that it made me sick to my stomach. People, did it never occur to you that you don't have to show an ID card and prove you are 18 to watch television?? Do you not realize that news stories do not carry PG certificates with them?? I shudder to think what would have happened if a cute little kid was channel surfing that day, and came across these graphic pictures. Then he calls his mother and asks her in the most innocent of tones, "Mummy mummy, yeh log kya kar rahe hai???" How could that mother respond?? Imagine her dismay!
This is a sincere appeal to the media, not just in our country, but all over the world....stop behaving like a greedy business house and realize your role in society. Try not to take advantage of the weaknesses of certain sections of the audience, and show them what they should be shown, and not necessarily what they want to be shown. You guys are responsible for making us responsible citizens, please do not digress from that endeavour!
Until the next...
-Ari B
But for quite some time now, certain news channels have caught my eye for all the wrong reasons. I must admit, I love watching news channels almost as much as I love watching football...and whenever I switch on the TV, as a routine, a brief scan of the available sports channels is immediately followed by a skim of all the news channels for the latest happenings around us. But the sight that really irritates me during this process is that of some channels, particularly Hindi news channels, showing absolute rubbish which they proclaim proudly as "Taaza Khabar!!". I apologize for being biased in this regard, but one cannot argue the fact that such stories can only be seen on a group of channels, and all these channels happen to be Hindi channels. Let me give you an example. One of the news stories that I came across on a couple of these channels was that of "The Great Khali", an Indian wrestler in the famous WWE (formerly known as WWF). This guy is a monster, standing at more than 7 ft. tall and weighing 400 odd pounds. He seems to be making a huge impact among the wrestling audience in the US, and the news channels here have used the huge popularity of the WWE in India for advancing their "TRPs", so to speak. They carried a huge exclusive on the guy, proudly calling him "an ambassador of our nation" and describing how he is a prime example of Indians achieving success abroad. Now, I do not refute the fact that he is successful and that he has achieved a lot in the WWE. But, really, is this the best example they could garner? A WWE wrestler who is where he is just because he is "genetically unique", and not because of his Indian origin?? I can name a hundred other Indians who deserve that time and space on the screen for their achievements abroad. There are far more inspiring success stories out there than a guy who screams gibberish into the microphone and leads everyone into believing he's speaking Hindi!
This is just one example....one keeps seeing more and more such stories cropping up day-by-day and hogging our screens. How can I forget the infamous Kareena-Shahid kissing episode that was shown so distastefully on a particular news channel that it made me sick to my stomach. People, did it never occur to you that you don't have to show an ID card and prove you are 18 to watch television?? Do you not realize that news stories do not carry PG certificates with them?? I shudder to think what would have happened if a cute little kid was channel surfing that day, and came across these graphic pictures. Then he calls his mother and asks her in the most innocent of tones, "Mummy mummy, yeh log kya kar rahe hai???" How could that mother respond?? Imagine her dismay!
This is a sincere appeal to the media, not just in our country, but all over the world....stop behaving like a greedy business house and realize your role in society. Try not to take advantage of the weaknesses of certain sections of the audience, and show them what they should be shown, and not necessarily what they want to be shown. You guys are responsible for making us responsible citizens, please do not digress from that endeavour!
Until the next...
-Ari B
Sunday, November 18, 2007
The cat has belled the nation
Well its been more than a year, and having been perpetually involved with college activities and then preparing for the notorious CAT exam, I have decided to resume where I left off...which is basically nowhere 'cos I never really started blogging anyway! Just 2-3 posts in mid-2006 and that was the end of it.
It is kind of ironic that I decide to resume blogging due to one of the very reasons I stopped in the first place....the CAT exam. This post comes to you on the big day itself...life after CAT attempt #1 has begun. The 150-minute bomb attack on the human brain is finally over. I described it as "notorious" initially because thats exactly how it is slowly turning out to be....just when u think that the IIMs are starting to appreciate the fact that making things tougher than they already are for the candidates doesnt help, they turn around and do exactly that!! While I used my strong sections - thats PS (Problem Solving) and DI (Data Interpretation) - to my advantage, my weaker section - thats the verbal section- is bound to thoroughly weaken my overall performance.
Well, as they say, miracles do happen. And boy do I desperately need one now! Just this morning, I wake up to find a miracle had been achieved by - or rather for - the English football team. Needing Israel to defeat Russia (which many pundits couldn't see happening) or an even more unlikely (next to impossible I should say!) Macedonian win over Croatia, English hopes of qualifying for Euro 2008 were hanging by a thread and weren't even in their own hands. But, lo and behold! Israel defeat Russia 2-1 and what's more, Macedonia defeat Croatia 2-0! A miracle has indeed been achieved, and the English team can not only go through with a draw against Croatia, they may even top the group!! That's the kind of miracle that's needed here. May the Gods favour us hard-working souls!!!
Rest later. You guys will see a lot more of me from now on in this section!
-Ari B
It is kind of ironic that I decide to resume blogging due to one of the very reasons I stopped in the first place....the CAT exam. This post comes to you on the big day itself...life after CAT attempt #1 has begun. The 150-minute bomb attack on the human brain is finally over. I described it as "notorious" initially because thats exactly how it is slowly turning out to be....just when u think that the IIMs are starting to appreciate the fact that making things tougher than they already are for the candidates doesnt help, they turn around and do exactly that!! While I used my strong sections - thats PS (Problem Solving) and DI (Data Interpretation) - to my advantage, my weaker section - thats the verbal section- is bound to thoroughly weaken my overall performance.
Well, as they say, miracles do happen. And boy do I desperately need one now! Just this morning, I wake up to find a miracle had been achieved by - or rather for - the English football team. Needing Israel to defeat Russia (which many pundits couldn't see happening) or an even more unlikely (next to impossible I should say!) Macedonian win over Croatia, English hopes of qualifying for Euro 2008 were hanging by a thread and weren't even in their own hands. But, lo and behold! Israel defeat Russia 2-1 and what's more, Macedonia defeat Croatia 2-0! A miracle has indeed been achieved, and the English team can not only go through with a draw against Croatia, they may even top the group!! That's the kind of miracle that's needed here. May the Gods favour us hard-working souls!!!
Rest later. You guys will see a lot more of me from now on in this section!
-Ari B
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