Wednesday, February 28, 2007

car AJs


Q: If instead of running on fuel, your car were to eat food, what would you call it ?
A : carnivorous
Q: If MUL (Maruti Udyog Limited) were to manufacture such vans, what would they name it ?
A: omnivorous
Q: What kind of cars does the Pope like ?
A: convertibles

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Dr Subhash Kak

The debate seems to be heating up regarding Dr Kaks paper on Twin paradox... Going with the same line as Rajeev took on his blog, I must say, I do not have enuf theoretical physics knowledge to judge his paper...

http://rajeev2004.blogspot.com/2007/02/fwd-lets-congratulate-mr-subhas-kak.html


But I want to mention two points .. not at all related to the debate on about his paper, but related more to him as a person - two instances, and I think tells a lot about this wonderful personality

1) I first met him in december of 2001, at a Chinmaya Mission function.. that must have been just for a few minutes... I happened to suggest his name for the CM annual banquet, and so I got a reduced price student ticket for that :)

I exchanged some mails with him after that... the next time he met me was in July 2003.. I was at the Global Dharma Conf booth, Dr Kak walks to me and says, "Hi Arun, How are you ?" .. I was dumbstuck ....

2) Much before his paper actually got accepted, he had sent me the work.... I feel so lucky that some one as famous as him, actually took his time out to keep me informed !! again speaks volumes about his humility, than of course, any potential theoretical knowledge that people think I may have :) .. and even though i cud not respond (my head was spinning after reading the paper) , later when it got accepted, he again shared the good news with me as well.. and finally sent me the actual journal link



------------------------------------

From: Subhash Kak
To: arun

Arun,

You must be aware of the famous twins paradox of relativity theory.Recently I offered a resolution that allows one to determine whichobservers will age, and which won't: http://uk.arxiv.org/abs/physics/0605199 I have received positive response from several physicists. I thought you and your friends would like to know of it. Let me know what you think.

Subhash

---------- Forwarded message ----------Date: Thu, 08 Feb 2007 15:49:55 -0600From:

Subhash Kak
To: arun

Subject: Re:

Arun, here's the online link:http://www.springerlink.com/content/e4670q159464473r

S.

Musharaf the genius !

Dear Sri Raman

Quoting you from http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/feb/19raman.htm and http://www.saag.org/papers22/paper2142.html

I am strongly against the Indo-Pakistan peace process as carried on by the present government. It is playing into the hands of Gen Pervez Musharraf and his horde of jihadi terrorists whom he and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence have been using to make India bleed. At the same time, I am against postponing the so-called peace process because that would be interpreted by the terrorists as a major success for them.

Please correct me if I am wrong, but if the scenario is as follows

1) The peace process in itself is pro-pak .. oppossed by people like you

2) Musharaf uses his terrorist counterparts, to make it look like they are against it... with some blasts.. even people like you are now for not cancelling the talks, in order that the terrorists don't win

3) and so finally mush himself wins.. on the one hand, "his" peace talks now has a sympathy from even you, and on the other hand, he looks good in front of the world, for the terrorists appears to have attacked "his" peace process

-----------------------------------

Is there no counter to this genius called Mush ? Or is it because on the other side there are two players - Mush and the islamists (eventhough they ultimately want almost the same thing) , and on this side, there is only one - and that also, a weak and minority-appeasing govt ?

Saturday, February 10, 2007

Anugita

Its interesting, everytime I accidentally go thro' the Mahabharata, there are new things to learn...

I have heard long time before that, after the war, at some point in time, Arjuna asks Krishna something like "Hey, I have forgotten most of what you told me (Gita) in the battlefield. Could you repeat"

The reply given by Krishna was like "Golden words are not repeated.. go and ask Hanuman, who too heard it sitting on the flag" .. (well, I am pretty much quoting the Swamiji who told this version)

And today, I accidentally run into the corresponding parva in the MhB.. with the caveat that KMGanguly's translations are not alyways accurate (as per one of my previous posts http://drisyadrisya.blogspot.com/2006/02/et-tu.html ) , I shall quote Krishnas reply as per KMG's translation

http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m14/m14016.htm

'Vasudeva said, 'I made thee listen to truths that are regarded as mysteries. I imparted to thee truths that are eternal. Verily, I discoursed to thee on Religion in its true form and on all the eternal regions. It is exceedingly disagreeable to me to learn that thou didst not, from folly, receive what I imparted. The recollection of all that I told thee on that occasion will not come to me now. Without doubt, O son of Pandu, thou art destitute of faith and thy understanding is not good. It is impossible for me, O Dhananjaya, to repeat, in detail, all that I said on that occasion. That religion (about which I discoursed to thee then) is more than sufficient for understanding Brahma. I cannot discourse on it again in detail. I discoursed to thee on Supreme Brahma, having concentrated myself in Yoga. I shalt now, however, recite to thee an old history upon the same topic. O foremost of all persons, observant of duty, listen to everything I now say, so that, with an understanding adapted to my teaching, thou mayst succeed in attaining to the highest end. O chastiser of foes, on one occasion, a Brahmana came to us from the regions of Heaven. Of irresistible energy, he came from the regions of the Grandsire. He was duly reverenced by us. Listen. O son of Pritha, without yielding to scruples of any kind, to what he, O chief of Bharata's race, said, in answer to our enquiries, agreeably to heavenly forms.'

And, his discourse, at that time, is whats the AnugIta !!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Anugita

Interesting !!

Thursday, February 01, 2007

not for the fainthearted

See the video at: http://video.indymedia.org/download/[Indymedia]_(2006-01-28)_baloch.wmv (warning : very graphic)

PAKISTAN: HINDUS

Iron Purdah?

A military raid in '05 killed 33 Hindus in a Baloch borough. As hush-up bids failed, it now seems the event was well-designed.

Article Source: http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20070129&fname=Hindu+%28F%29&sid=1

International Magazine Jan 29, 2007

Thirty-Three Hindus Killed in Pakistan in Attack by Government Troops. Most of the Dead Women and Children. Many More Injured. Hundreds Flee Homes...headlines like these never managed to hit the Indian media when it all happened in the neighbouring nation in March 2005.

An independent account of those killings emerged after teams from the Pakistan Human Rights Commission (PHRC) led by human rights activist and famous lawyer Asma Jahangir visited Dera Bugti town in Pakistan's Balochistan province, in January 2006, nine months after the killings there. The human rights commission published its report later last year.

..........................

The video, of which Outlook obtained a copy, has become politically sensitive after the killing of Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti late last year. The Hindus killed had been living around Bugti's house. The Baloch leader was accused by Pakistani authorities of working against national interests, and of being an 'India man' within Pakistan

...........

The video shows local people gathered in a compound scattering in panic after gunshots and explosions. Groups are seen taking shelter; among them at least one armed man as well. The attacks seem to come from behind a high wall and do not seem provoked by any immediate action from the people in the compound. Later shots show injured people, and then the dead, at places with bodies piled one above the other. Women are seen weeping, and young girls appear in a daze. The footage shows several used rockets lying around as indication of a rocket attack. It also shows extensive damage to buildings and walls, with large holes blown through them—the damage evidently caused by some form of rocket attack

...............

A local Hindu narrates an account of the killings and injuries his family suffered in the attack. He names many of the dead and injured—giving Hindu names. He speaks of an attack on a local Devi Mata ka mandir. The footage later shows signs of damage done to a local gurudwara as well—again apparently in a rocket attack. Much of the footage of the dead and injured makes gory viewing.

The PHRC report says "at least 43 non-combatants were killed by indiscriminate and excessive use of force of the security forces" that day (March 17, 2005). The report says that local Hindus "confirmed that 33 members of their community were killed, mostly women and children, who were in their homes and could not take shelter quickly enough".

( quotes from the Outlook magazine, don't think I need to add anything more - ~A )