Describe your family, the american way

Author:Anita Satyajit      Blog :26 Letters and A Talkative Hand    Date: 4/4/2011 6:51:14 AM

It is only in the US that you will be forced to think about what kind of family you are and define it. While filling a form, the options included adoptive parents, single parent, interracial, LBGT, Grandparent caretaker, Parents with … Continue reading →

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We’re getting rich so quick, it’s scary

Author:D      Blog :Let Me Be Me    Date: 3/22/2011 5:38:00 PM

The other day I was sitting with my 70-year-old neighbour who looks nothing more than 50, and who is such a wonderful conversationalist, full of stories and anecdotes that I wish I could spend more time with her. That’s just for the perspective, not the point though. She was telling me about her grandson, who’s getting engaged to his girlfriend sometime soon. So the young chap told his mom he wanted to gift his wife-to-be a diamond solitaire on their engagement, at least a 3-carat d(...)

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Climate change, Pollution, Deforestation; Cancun - A ray of hope?

Author:Sajeev k      Blog :Astitva - Search for an Identity    Date: 1/4/2011 7:56:00 PM

Kabwe (Zambia)Its not long time back when i read the news, "earth don't care about climate change in long term". Earth may not care about climate change in long term, but human being who live here have to care about it - deforestation, environment degradation, pollution etc to make sure that we will be here for a long term.Its not long time back when we lost our southern most point of India to sea (Yes the Indira Point submerged after the 2004 Dec 24th 9.1 magnitude earthquake). If (...)

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Robert Reich: "With Nuclear Reactors, You Get What You Pay For"

Author:Abi      Blog :nanopolitan    Date: 3/19/2011 4:28:00 AM

With nuclear reactors, you get what you pay for [... snip ...] ... Reasonable precaution means spending as much on safety as the probability of a particular disaster occurring, multiplied by its likely harm to human beings and the environment if it does occur. Here’s the problem. Profit-making corporations have every incentive to underestimate these probabilities and lowball the likely harms. This is why it’s necessary to have such things as government regulators, why re(...)

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Evolution Education In The U.S. And India

Author:Suvrat Kher      Blog :Rapid Uplift    Date: 4/19/2011 11:28:00 AM

Biologist Ursula Goodenough is cautiously upbeat about high school biology portions in the U.S. She has been reviewing them and finds that evolution finds a mention in most of the standards. Human evolution however is included in the standards of just one state - Florida. Now while this may be seen as an improvement, a survey of how well evolution is actually taught in high school doesn't sound too upbeat. Some time back a number of science news outlets wrote about the results of a (...)

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Articles On The State Of Indian Science

Author:Suvrat Kher      Blog :Rapid Uplift    Date: 1/19/2011 10:46:00 AM

From Current Science (all open access)1) Sushanta Pahari - World university rankings and Indian universities2) E. Arunan - Indian science: catch up with India then worry about China3) P.J. Lavakare - Can our national laboratories become research universities?Political interference and lack of autonomy, inadequate funding, ego clashes, inadequate support for younger faculty and scientists, missing meritocracy, lack of vision and purpose in selection of research programs.. all the usu(...)

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Funding Panel Deliberations

Author:Suvrat Kher      Blog :Rapid Uplift    Date: 1/15/2011 5:45:00 AM

At RealClimate Gavin Schmidt gives an insiders look at what goes on during the science proposal review process.He wrote this post partly to counter the commonly heard accusation that "climate scientists are just in it for the money".His view on that accusation is that:....There could always be improvements (shorter proposals might be easier to get reviewed by outside specialists, calls can be clearer about what they want etc.) but none of the problems are anything like the contraria(...)

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Perceptions And Future Of Earth Sciences In India

Author:Suvrat Kher      Blog :Rapid Uplift    Date: 9/16/2010 10:14:00 AM

T.N Narasimhan writes a short correspondence in the latest issue of Current Science on the comparatively lesser importance given in India to earth sciences as compared to math, physics and chemistry.The reasons as to why earth system science is considered a poor relative of the other sciences in India may be many and complex. Among these, the following two appear credible. First is the populist perception that mathematics, physics and chemistry demand highest levels of intelligence.(...)

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Gender-Bender

Author:Deeps      Blog :Perceptions    Date: 5/28/2011 11:34:25 AM

D: Listen, I’m thinking of redoing my CV and I may need your help. I think its time I got back to work. R: Ok. D: Or wait, I don’t think I’m ready yet. R: Ok. D: I’m way too comfortable living the life of a stay at home mom to chuck it and feel [...]

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Uncontacted Tribe – Human Planet: Jungles

Author:Rohan...      Blog :ROHAN...    Date: 3/12/2011 9:06:00 AM

Uncontacted TribeHuman Planet: Jungles !!!Tags: Uncontacted Tribe, Human Planet, Jungles, BBC One =================================================== O************************O***********************OShare this blog with your friends...Please subscribe to my RSS feed! 

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French Village Bans Dying

Author:Rohan...      Blog :ROHAN...    Date: 11/14/2010 4:42:00 AM

French Village Bans Dying !!!=================================================== O************************O***********************OShare this blog with your friends...Please subscribe to my RSS feed! 

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Did You Know: War on Drugs Edition !!!

Author:Rohan...      Blog :ROHAN...    Date: 6/30/2010 3:01:00 PM

Did You Know: War on Drugs Edition !!!Tags: drug policy reform harm on Drugs did you know war drugs icsdp===================================================O************************O***********************OShare this blog with your friends...Please make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed! 

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Gender Stereotyping and its effects on young children

Author:Shruthi      Blog :Hallucinations!    Date: 4/29/2011 2:16:00 AM

Back while I was doing post-grad, a friend and I were kidding around after class, drawing things on the blackboard. My friend thought I was a fabulous artist (just compared to her) and was asking me to draw this and that. One of our classmates, a much older man (in his forties, married with children, who had taken a sabbatical from work to get a post-grad degree) walked in on us, just as I was wondering what to draw next. "Draw a kolam," he said."What's a kolam?" I asked."Rangoli(...)

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The Sociale`

Author:Tapas      Blog :Transcripts.    Date: 9/3/2010 9:59:00 PM

A Sardar is Born:Every 30 seconds God looks at all His creations, beautiful and perfect, but with discontent He says, "Kuch mazaa nahin aaya yaar!" He raises his hand, points it to the Land of Five rivers and chants. And after a few months in the Puraani Haveli, a woman squeals at the top her lungs, just the way Mary had on a bale of hay, in a stable of Jerusalem. But her pain is violent.She slaps whoever comes near her, bites every hand that reaches for comfort, and kicks and growl(...)

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Questions that defines me.

Author:Abhinav Kr. Anguria      Blog :Dreams of Perceivable Reality    Date: 7/15/2010 4:52:29 PM

Sometimes I wonder who am I?, why am I here? what is life? what is the meaning behind my existence in this chaotic fluctuating universe? Am I just an insignificant point in the whole universe? Am I meaningless? It’s these question that defines me, it’s the search of myself that defines me. I may not

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In Search Of Myself.

Author:Abhinav Kr. Anguria      Blog :Dreams of Perceivable Reality    Date: 7/13/2010 5:09:01 PM

I see these daily chores, the fights, the petty lies, hard-bound frustration, repeated irritation, I see them from a distant. I see them and pass away. Society, in it’s best interest is a chaotic regulated struggle which results in suppression of ideas only. It’s flawed like every being in this world. Society embeds everything in

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Dilemmas of Human Life.

Author:Abhinav Kr. Anguria      Blog :Dreams of Perceivable Reality    Date: 6/27/2010 8:45:10 PM

Is this life meant to be lived, or inquested. Is it journey? Or a quest for purpose? Life is a mystery rather than anything else. It something not meant to be understood but something meant to be tried. Only trial of various extreme strategies could only be the test for its existence. It’s something to

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Chetan Bhagat: Can’t this guy stick to writing crappy books?

Author:jabberwockery      Blog :Another adherent to Bloggery.    Date: 6/27/2010 12:24:10 AM

Somewhere between Five Point Someone and One Night at the Call Center, my opinion on Chetan Bhagat morphed from “entertaining author” to “yet another hack”. Imagine my surprise when I found that he has yet another forum to spew his nonsense. While I do not know if this is his first foray into the news [...]

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10 Perceptions of the Indian Kind

Author:passivepundits      Blog :The Passive Pundits    Date: 8/13/2010 5:41:54 AM

Just a few days away from India’s independence, we witness changes that have sporadically evolved throughout these years. Changes that have been truly dynamic and changes that have definitely shaped the society that we live in today. We might have evolved socially, economically and are definitely much more tougher inside than we were 63 years [...]

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Ejipura: “How many malls do Bangaloreans need?”

Author:Priyanka Varma      Blog :Bangalore - People & Place    Date: 1/28/2013 8:48:52 AM

I had written this article originally for The Alternative. Reblogging it here. For all those who are not aware there was the demolition of EWS quarters of around 1000 families at Ejipura just opposite the National Games Village, Kormangala in Bangalore last week. This demolition has happened for building up another mall by the builders [...]

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Renaming, rebirthing : Cartoon Tota-Myna

Author:ctaposh      Blog :India Chronicles    Date: 2/7/2013 5:28:48 AM

Filed under: Dialectics, gamblers, History, Humour, signs of times Tagged: Future, History, Humour, Politics, Society

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Einstein on Mahatma

Author:Anjaan Rahgir      Blog :Anjaanrahgir's Blog    Date: 2/8/2013 5:28:16 PM

A leader of his people, unsupported by any outward authority: a politician whose success rests not upon craft nor the mastery of technical devices, but simply on the convincing power of his personality; a victorius fighter who has always scorned the use of force; a man of wisdom and humility, armed with resolve and inflexible [...]

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death

Author:Anjaan Rahgir      Blog :Anjaanrahgir's Blog    Date: 2/9/2013 2:48:53 PM

How to reconcile the rejoicing of death; death coming in whatever manner, to whomsoever, for whichever reason. is death having myriad colours? does death sweetens our saliva sometimes? does the flower wreath on dead is more beautiful than flower bouquet for the beloved? when did obsequies become more celebratory than child-birth celebrations? Just felt like [...]

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Knowledge Is That Which Liberates

Author:manju      Blog :Of Cabbages and Kings    Date: 2/10/2013 4:40:10 AM

Knowledge Is That Which Liberates “सा विद्या या विमुक्तये|” – Most of us have heard this quote at some time or the other. This is the motto of quite a few educational institutions. The complete verse, which is from the

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to question less questioned

Author:Anjaan Rahgir      Blog :Anjaanrahgir's Blog    Date: 2/11/2013 6:13:51 PM

The recent Kumbh tragedy in Allahabad raises many questions about our society, about our media, our superstitions and above all about the question of god. On the aftermath of the tragedy, questions were raised on the efficacy or rather inefficacy of the arrangements, on the delayed response of administration and so on. But not a [...]

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Milad For Social Development

Author:Ibrahim      Blog :tamilmuslim    Date: 2/17/2013 4:28:00 PM

Muslim Murasu, February 2013The high-handedness of Wahabi, Tawheed, Islamic puritans was not so visible this year. The fervor in Milad celebrations resembled that which existed 30 years earlier. Religionists thrust apt messages through evening and night speeches spread over twelve days.The intention of these celebrations is to strengthen the religion and establish its rituals. The speeches shall support Muslims in matters related to their food, house, employment and economic growth.(...)

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Missing Guidance On Talaaq

Author:Ibrahim      Blog :tamilmuslim    Date: 2/18/2013 3:08:00 AM

Muslim Murasu, February 2013Analyses on divorce and polygamy keep getting published on English and Tamil media. As usual, religious leadership do not care, analyze or react.Healthy development of opinion is not welcome in Muslim community. One can select either rejection or complete surrender; recklessness or fake sanctity. Talaaq is casually declared. Muslim magazines publish articles on Talaaq and sexual indiscipline. Muslim religious leadership is hesitating to publish accurate, (...)

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Inviting suggestions to draft law for protection of men

Author:legalfighter      Blog :Fight for Justice    Date: 2/18/2013 7:38:45 PM

Confidare Research and INSAAF invite your views, comments and suggestions to draft India’s First ever law intended to, protect men, titled as Saving Men from Intimate Terror Act (SMITA). This Act aims at safeguarding men from the terror inflicted on them by their intimate partners in an intimate relationship. We look forward to your Valuable Suggestions for making this [...]

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Is Double Education Needed

Author:Ibrahim      Blog :tamilmuslim    Date: 2/20/2013 2:52:00 AM

Muslim Murasu, February 2013Muslims do not seem to let go of two proud things. They flaunt about them in speeches and books. 1. Opposing western education 2. Pioneering scientific works.Even in the initial days of freedom struggle, Indian Muslims staunchly opposed Western Christian dress, language, governance, music, culture and education. They were rewarded with imprisonment and loss of life and property. All scientific advancements are found mentioned in Quran. Good followers have(...)

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'Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)' 57th session

Author:Sajeev k      Blog :Astitva - Search for an Identity    Date: 3/16/2013 5:45:00 AM

After a string of disputes and negotiations, countries finally agreed on UN code to promote and safeguard women rights and fighting violence against women. At this point, let’s go through major points on draft conclusions by 'Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)' in its 57th session (4 – 15 March 2013). 1. Elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls. "

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ISRO Plans New High Resolution Remote Sensing Satellite

Author:Suvrat Kher      Blog :Rapid Uplift    Date: 3/18/2013 4:13:00 PM

...but will the public have easy access to the data?Something this article does not address. India's remote sensing program is no doubt a great science and technology success and the imagery and digital data is being used by scientists for research and natural resource management.Where India and ISRO are falling short is the continued denial of the best quality images to the public at large.  Bhuvan - ISRO's  answer to Google Maps - launched a few years ago is still servin(...)

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Lack Of Data

Author:Ibrahim      Blog :tamilmuslim    Date: 3/27/2013 2:12:00 AM

Muslim Murasu, March 2013Statistics about personal life and social life in Tamilnadu Muslim community is mostly incorrect. Government is languishing with lack of adequate employees. It is a waste job to employ a person for a salary of sixty thousand rupees per month.Employees show interest to work in important income earning departments. Administration and employees don’t show much interest in planning commission or departments where there is no daily bribe. Statistics collected by (...)

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நிறம் மாறும் உரம் ..!

Author:RIYAZ AHMED      Blog :Connect The Dots    Date: 3/28/2013 8:43:34 AM

பாலையாய் போனது மருதம்; ஏழையாய் போனான் உழவன்; வாழ்கை இழந்தோம் நாங்கள்; வசதியாய் வாழ்கிறது ‘வேதியல் உரங்கள்’..! Filed under: Society Tagged: Agriculture, farmer, farming, Organic agriculture

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Ignorance is bliss!!!

Author:Sunil Ramavarapu      Blog :Sunil Speaks...    Date: 4/1/2013 3:08:48 PM

Few days back during one of our late-night brother talks, I was talking to him about the different ways of looking at things in life.  The way I look might be different from the way my brother looks. And the talk took an interesting turn when I announced “No love in this world is pure [...]

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Why we shouldn’t even think of pardoning Sanjay Dutt?

Author:legalfighter      Blog :Fight for Justice    Date: 4/2/2013 6:54:38 AM

Much ado about nothing. These are the only four words that one can possibly think of to describe what is occupying the media when it comes to the verdict passed by the Honorable Supreme Court on the 21 March 2013, upholding the conviction of Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt. Whether it is news articles, opinions, newspaper [...]

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Belief & Non-belief

Author:Anjaan Rahgir      Blog :Anjaanrahgir's Blog    Date: 4/12/2013 1:54:54 PM

An interesting debate took place on my facebook post. Reproducing the same here after rectifying the typos and grammatical errors.   My facebook post: Like within 5 seconds and your wishes will come true… Comment Jai ……. and you will hear a good news today… Like this photo, don’t ignore it otherwise something bad will [...]

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I am an idiot to have hoped for a safer tomorrow…

Author:Deeps      Blog :Perceptions    Date: 4/21/2013 7:03:06 AM

I have given up. I do not have any hope  to see a safer world around. Not even a sliver of hope left now for the humankind. I am an idiot to have believed that the promises made to respect and be more sensitive towards women and children were genuine. They were all false promises, [...]

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New Action Item For Muslims

Author:Ibrahim      Blog :tamilmuslim    Date: 5/8/2013 1:20:00 PM

Muslim Murasu, May 2013People still consider submitting pleas to government as a democratic responsibility. Solutions are not so simple in an atmosphere of privatization.First and foremost, funds reported for expense and income in the financial budget should be considered. Deficits and lapses, if any, should be identified. There should be efforts to scrutinize the financial report submitted by the government. Ten people per district shall show interest in this job. Mere allocation o(...)

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