Ram Viswanathan's PODCAST

Most of us are driven by inspirations in our lives. Kiruba inspired me to blog. It's been over one year now and not a day goes by without reading Kiruba's blog.

Another great person who has inspired and motivated me is Ram Viswanathan. I've known Ram for several years now and he is one of my best friends. He was also instrumental in making me a blogger thanks to his blog that I read everyday.

Ram has done a Podcast in his blog today. It's a very interesting Podcast. I won't reveal anything more than this. I've taken a few clues from it already.

Please visit Ram's Blog and leave your comments.

Electronic Umpires

I can bet on this. The 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa will definitely have Electronic Umpires, I mean Slow Motion replays to help the umpires.

I was shocked this morning at the Super duper fake act (Interesting thread) that the Italian player Fabio Grosso put up in the final seconds, to gain a penalty kick that sealed the game against Australia. Here is what SFGate wrote about the controversy.

All the games/sports (atleast 90% of them) are becoming too competitive. Too much of money. So..here comes cheating in all forms.. betting, faking in the field etc.

I am a strong supporter of electronic devices in the field to support the decision of the umpires.

Idiots

On the one hand, magazines like TIME and FOREIGN AFFAIRS are glorifying India and on the other hand such idiotic ideas... Shame!

Special on India - Foreign Affairs Magazine

I spent a couple of hours today at the local Barnes and Noble book store reading the Foreign Affairs Magazine. It is a reputed magazine published by

The Council of Foreign Affairs

This issue is a special on India.

Very interesting indeed.

Check it out.

Although the world has just discovered it, India's economic success is far from new. After three postindependence decades of meager progress, the country's economy grew at 6 percent a year from 1980 to 2002 and at 7.5 percent a year from 2002 to 2006 -- making it one of the world's best-performing economies for a quarter century. In the past two decades, the size of the middle class has quadrupled (to almost 250 million people), and 1 percent of the country's poor have crossed the poverty line every year. At the same time, population growth has slowed from the historic rate of 2.2 percent a year to 1.7 percent today -- meaning that growth has brought large per capita income gains, from $1,178 to $3,051 (in terms of purchasing-power parity) since 1980. India is now the world's fourth-largest economy. Soon it will surpass Japan to become the third-largest.

AR Rahman's Interview

Photo Courtesy: THE HINDU

India is so rich in culture and it has so much to give to the world - ethics, music, fashion... The rest of the world has been clouded by the American dream. But now we can give to America. That is very interesting. I am waiting for the day when we get an Oscar, Grammy... all simultaneously. The day is not far away.

Click for full Interview

Friday Photo - I Believe I can fly

Lagoon Valley Park
Vacaville, California
USA

Nikon D50
Tamron 70-300 f5.6
Auto

THE SOUND JUNCTION

It's been a while since I introduced someone in the Blogworld to you.
I am glad JO is doing that regularly.

I couldn't resist writing about this amazing group today. Someone left a comment in my blog yesterday and that's how I came to know about them.

Please visit their Blog and listen to their songs. You'll be spellbound.



Shyam, Praveen & Prasanna..you guys are awesome

வேண்டும்

கடலோரம் அழகான
- வீடு ஒன்று வேண்டும்
கரையோரம் இளைப்பாற
- மெத்தைகள் வேண்டும்
தினம்தோறும் உதயத்தை
- நான் காண வேண்டும்
கணம்தோறும் தென்றல் அது
- என்மீது வேண்டும்

புல்வெளி வேண்டும்
பனித்துளி வேண்டும்

கல்கண்டாய் கடல் நீர்
- என்றென்றும் வேண்டும்

==

அடிக்கடி நிறம் மாறும்
- பூக்கள் வேண்டும்
நொடிக்கொறு புது மணம்
- வீசிட வேண்டும்
மா பலா வாழை
- ஒன்றாக வேண்டும்
நான் விரும்பும் நேரம்
- என் கையில் வேண்டும்

==

பலப்பல வண்ணங்களில்
- விண்மீன்கள் வேண்டும்
புதுப் புது கோலத்தில்
- நிலவது வேண்டும்
வட்டமாய் சதுரமாய்
- வானவில் வேண்டும்
விட்டத்தில் சின்னதாய்
- சூரியன் வேண்டும்

==

கோடுகள் இல்லாத
- நாடுகள் வேண்டும்
வீடுகள் தோறும்
- காடுகள் வேண்டும்
இயற்கையை மனிதன்
- மதித்திட வேண்டும்
செயற்கையாய் வாழ்வதை
- தவிர்த்திட வேண்டும்

==

Vidya - Jazz Concert at Berkeley, California

Friday, June-09-2006

8.00 PM

Hillside Club

Berkeley, California

--------------------------------------------
I'll be there

Air Pollution in Tamil Nadu

The long term effects of these can cause devastation to the future generations. Will the TamilNadu Government please make a note of this important issue?

An air sample from the open garbage burning site in Perungudi, on the city's outskirts and positioned along the much-hyped IT corridor, contained the highest number of chemicals found in any Indian sample.


As many as 27 chemicals, including carcinogenic ones, at levels 34,782 and 2,360 times higher than those considered safe for residential air by the US Environmental Protection Agency were found in this sample.

Ilayaraja's - Reethi Gowla

One of the Tamil film hits in recent times is a song 'Sudum Nilavu' from the tamil film "Thambi". The singer is Unni Krishnan and the Music Director is Vidhya Saagar. The song is set to Raaga - Reethi GowLa.

Today I accidentally found Sujan's post on Reethi GowLa and learnt about this Masterpiece by Maestro Ilayaraja.

When I listened to it I got goosebumps. You'll notice how nicely IR has done it with some superb singing by Hariharan and Mahalakshmi Iyer.

Enjoy the song

Blogrolling

It's been a while since I blogrolled anyone!
Pardon me for that.
Will try and do it this weekend.

Friday Photo - Cat and Flash

Photo Courtesy: My Boss - Iqbal Bukhari