February 28, 2006
A.Word.A.Day
Today's word from AWAD website:
adit (AD-it) noun
1. Access; entrance; admission.
2. A nearly horizontal passage leading into a mine.
[From Latin aditus (approach, entrance), from adire (to approach), from ire (to go). Ultimately from Indo-European root ei- (to go) that is also the ancestor of words such as exit, transit, circuit, itinerary, and obituary.]
February 27, 2006
Surviving the death of spouse
A very interesting article was published earlier this month in New England Journal of Medicine about mortality rates after hospitalization of a spouse. You don't have to read the full text of the article. The point that I want to make is quite obvious in the abstract.
Among men, 6.4 percent died within a year after a spouse's hospitalization for colon cancer, 6.9 percent after a spouse's hospitalization for stroke, 7.5 percent after a spouse's hospitalization for psychiatric disease, and 8.6 percent after a spouse's hospitalization for dementia. Among women, 3.0 percent died within a year after a spouse's hospitalization for colon cancer, 3.7 percent after a spouse's hospitalization for stroke, 5.7 percent after a spouse's hospitalization for psychiatric disease, and 5.0 percent after a spouse's hospitalization for dementia.
...
Overall, for men, the risk of death associated with a spouse's hospitalization was 22 percent of that associated with a spouse's death (95 percent confidence interval, 17 to 27 percent); for women, the risk was 16 percent of that associated with death (95 percent confidence interval, 8 to 24 percent)
Men get more affected by serious illness or death of their wives compared to the other way around. More than twice as many men die within a year of incapacitation or death of their wives than the women do in case of incapacitated or dead husbands.
Is it because men love their wives more, miss them and can't live without them or are they just inept and can't continue living without the helping hand of a wife?
February 21, 2006
Overheard in NY
This website has become my latest addiction. I can't help take a peek whenever I have a few minutes to spare.
Tween girl #1: Aren't you gonna wash your hands?
Tween girl #2: I don't need to. I flush with my foot
Tween girl #1: Do you also wipe with your foot?
--Union Square Regal Cinemas ladies' room
February 16, 2006
Overheard on NPR
On Morning Edition today, there was a segment about this website, OverheardInNewYork. S. Morgan Friedman and Michael Malice run this website that posts snippets of overheard conversation from all over in New York city. Initially, it was only Michael and Morgan who used to contribute to the site, but, nowadays a lot of New Yorkers send in what they overhear while they go about their day-to-day business. The website is just hilarious. It is amazing how some people can say things that they say. I am sure it is more funny because it is taken totally out of context. It is a site worth reading for a good laugh.
Suit: Hi, what's your vegetable special today?
Waitress: Ehm, let me check...Macaroni and cheese.
Suit: No, your vegetable.
Waitress: ...Macaroni and cheese.
--Applebees, West 42nd Street
Overheard by: Hot Child in the City
They have also published a book, Overheard in New York that features a collection of the best snippets.
This is an excellent idea. Hope someone starts a website like this about things overheard in Mumbai's trains and buses.
February 14, 2006
Top Ten Dick Cheney Excuses
Top Ten Dick Cheney Excuses for February 13, 2006
10. "Heart palpitation caused trigger finger to spasm"
9. "Wanted to get the Iraq mess off the front page"
8. "Not enough Jim Beam"
7. "Trying to stop the spread of bird flu"
6. "I love to shoot people"
5. "Guy was making cracks about my lesbian daughter"
4. "I thought the guy was trying to go 'gay cowboy' on me" ***my favorite
3. "Excuse? I hit him, didn't I?"
2. "Until Democrats approve medicare reform, we have to make some
tough choices for the elderly"
1. "Made a bet with Gretzky's wife"
Here is what the other late night comedians had to say:
NBC's Jay Leno said: "When the ambulance got there, out of force of habit they put Cheney on the stretcher. No, the other guy!"
"When people found out he shot a lawyer his popularity is now at 92%"
"After he shot the guy, he screamed, 'Anyone else want to call domestic wire tapping illegal?' "
Jon Stewart tackled the Cheney topic on his Comedy Central show, saying Cheney's shooting made Whittington the first person shot by a sitting vice president since Alexander Hamilton. "Hamilton, of course, shot in a duel with Aaron Burr over issues of honor, integrity and political maneuvering. Whittington? Mistaken for a bird."
February 12, 2006
Friendly fire
This just brought a smile to my face this Sunday afternoon...
Cheney accidentally shoots fellow hunter
Shooting at a lawyer by mistake. Whoa! wonder what kind of lawsuits are going to be filed against the Veep. Cheney has enough money to payoff in a settlement.
Just imagine if the parties in this incident were reversed. Secret service would have turned Esq. Whittington into a sieve.
February 06, 2006
Photo Booth
Photo Booth is quite cool. Check out....
Optical illusion
This is one of the best optical illusions I have ever seen.
If you look at the movement, you see only pink dots.
Stare at the "+" sign in the center and you see a moving green dot.
Continue staring at the "+" sign in the center and slowly the pink dots disappear.
Wonder how the brain makes up something that is not there.
via kiruba
February 05, 2006
Superbowl XL
Today, Detroit hosts the biggest football game of the season. Pittsburgh Steelers battle Seattle Seahawks for the Vince Lombardy trophy. I support the Steelers. They have a stronger team and they should win.
After this last game, there is no football till August, will have to suffer through the drudgery of baseball.
Anyway, GO STEELERS!!!
February 03, 2006
Stop it, blasphemers!!!
There hasn't been much coverage of this in the US media, but, this fight has been going on since last September. A series of 12 cartoons were published in a Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, that portray prophet Mohammad and then followed in a Norwegian paper. Everyone in the Islamic world wants the newspaper and the government of Denmark and Norway to issue an apology for disrespecting Islam. On the other side, the Danish newspaper said that 'Freedom of expression' allows the publication of those cartoons and there is no question of an apology as they haven't done anything wrong. I don't know if a fatwa (a la Salman Rushdie) has been issued but, I think it'll happen soon if it hasn't yet. The governments say that they are not responsible for what the newspapers publish, which is how it should be.
I always support 'freedom of expression'. If you don't like something, don't look at it. It is not as if the newspaper publishers are forcing people to look at those cartoons.
Check out the following link to read more about this issue and see all the cartoons...
Danish Imams Propose to End Cartoon Dispute | The Brussels Journal
This one here is just hilarious.
February 02, 2006
The World Is Flat
Finished reading (listening) this excellent book by Thomas Friedman, The World Is Flat. It is a very insightful book that tries to explain everything about globalization and outsourcing using lots of examples and anecdots. The book talks about the rise of India and China as knowledge and manufacturing powerhouses and how that is affecting the US and global economics. It interestingly theorizes that the factors that brought about the spurt of globalization, global supply chaining and outsourcing are the same ones that are helping the spurt of Islamic terrorism.
Most of us have lived through the computer and internet revolutions of 80's and 90's. It was nice to read that whole history in a nutshell in one place. The chapters about global supply chaining were quite interesting as I didn't know much about it. Next time I open a box of something that I ordered online, I'll wonder about all the wheels that turned behind the screen to make that happen.
Friedman gives career advice to the young people in USA that they should concentrate on education, especially science and engineering. They should not take it for granted that USA will remain as the richest and technologically advanced country forever. USA used to be a leader in this area but, is seriously being challenged by the rest of the world as all US college graduates are scrambling to become a lawyer or get an MBA. He provides statistics that show the reduced number of science graduates and reduced numbers of peer-reviewed scientific journal articles from US compared to the rest of the world. It is still not too late for this trend to reverse but, there needs to be a big change in the educational system and attitudes of ordinary people and politicians towards science.
Friedman talks a lot about India in the book. I was taken aback by a couple of things...
- He repeatedly says, "India, a country with almost no natural resources...". It made me wince the first time I heard it. But, later his point became clear to me. He meant that India does not have large natural resource such as oil, that she can drill and sell to the world. This activity basically doesnot require any skill. All you need is ownership of the land on which the oil-well stands. India's biggest natural resource is her talented people that can be tapped for outsourcing.
- He talked about the plight of untouchables and their lack of access to schools and other services, etc. I thought that it was true in my grandparents' generation and somewhat true in my parents' generations, but, I hadn't seen untouchables being treated badly or discriminated based on castes. Maybe, it is because of the sheltered city life that I lived.
Overall, it is a very well written book and I highly recommend it.
