Aug 7, 2005


Aug 5, 2005



Dr V Shanta

Chennai doctor wins Ramon Magsaysay award from NDTV

"In Chennai, there's a sense of quiet pride. The city has thrown up its fifth recipient of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay award - Dr V Shanta, an institution herself within the Cancer Institute in Adyar.

A day after winning the Magsaysay award for Public Service, Dr Shanta has been performing surgeries from 8 in the morning with hardly any time for congratulatory telephone calls.

The 78-year-old cancer specialist, this year's only Indian recipient, considers it an honour, not for the individual, but for the 428-bed hi-tech institute of oncological research and treatment, once a 12-bed cottage in Chennai. "

looks and good looking people

Looks Do Matter [via indiauncut]

are we really that hard wired? i don't agree.
but the more i read abt genetics or the functioning of the brain, the more i tend to think that we r preprogramed, we do not make the decisions it is all set in our heads and just do not know how the logic works.

i guess i need to read abt nurture not just nature.

Aug 4, 2005

quotes

Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.
-- Isaac Asimov

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength; loving someone deeply gives you courage.
-- Lao-Tzu


Aug 3, 2005


creation vs evolution (they r back at it)

Bush Remarks Roil Debate on Teaching of Evolution from NYtimes

"Intelligent design, advanced by a group of academics and intellectuals and some biblical creationists, disputes the idea that natural selection - the force Charles Darwin suggested drove evolution - fully explains the complexity of life. Instead, intelligent design proponents say that life is so intricate that only a powerful guiding force, or intelligent designer, could have created it."

it is one thing to not agree with the theory of evelotion as being able to explain all facts, but it is totally differnent matter to teach another theory just due to the imcompletness of the first.



Aug 2, 2005

boss ho to aisa... if it is really true :)

Scientists at the Rocket launching station in Thumba were in the habit of working for nearly 12 to 18 hours a day. There were about seventy such Scientists working on a project. All the scientists were really frustrated due to the pressure of work and the demands of their boss but everyone was loyal to him and did not think of quitting the job.

One day, one scientist came to his boss and told him - Sir, I have promised to my children that I will take them to the exhibition going on in our township. So I want to leave the office at 5:30 p.m.

His boss replied - O K, You are permitted to leave the office early today.

The Scientist started working. He continued his work after lunch. As usual he got involved to such an extent that he looked at his watch when he felt he was close to completion. The time was 8:30 p.m

Suddenly he remembered of the promise he had given to his children. He looked for his boss, He was not there. Having told him in the morning itself, he closed everything and left for home.

Deep within himself, he was feeling guilty for having disappointed his children.

He reached home. Children were not there. His wife alone was sitting in the hall and reading magazines. The situation was explosive; any talk would boomerang on him.

His wife asked him - Would you like to have coffee or shall I straight away serve dinner if you are hungry.

The man replied - If you would like to have coffee, I too will have but what about Children???

Wife replied- You don't know - Your manager came at 5:15 p.m and has taken the children to the exhibition.

What had really happened was the boss who granted him permission was observing him working seriously at 5.00 p.m. He thought to himself, this person will not leave the work, but if he has promised his children they should enjoy the visit to exhibition. So he took the lead in taking them to exhibition.

The boss does not have to do it every time. But once it is done, loyalty is established.

That is why all the scientists at Thumba continued to work under their boss even though the stress was tremendous.

By the way, can you have a guess as to who the boss was????????

He was A P J Abdul Kalam.


[via Anitha]

Aug 1, 2005

The Argumentative Indian

this is a book by Amartya Sen. and i want to get a hold of it. actually i was reading U S visit instilled a deep sense of pride in me: PM from the hindu where there is a reference to this book. so i went and checked the reviews for it and it seems to be really interesting :)
some of the essays from the book r online:

Tagore and His India
History and the enterprise of knowledge
India through its calendars

[via The Middle Stage and saMvaad ]