India @ MindSay 
earthquake
Some depressing news this week... Someone who had become a friend but was actually my sales rep with the local metro daily was laid off, along with eight other middle management positions. All of their bosses now have to do their work. I'm very nervous to see what our newspaper looks like this week and how distribution goes. We'll see.
About three months ago, a high school friend's father came into the office to submit an application. After over 30 years of working for The Telegraph, he was let go when his job was sent to India. He was a graphic artist, creating local display ads.
Most of this is driven by the fact that McClatchy acquired Knight Ridder last year, and with the economic downturn, they can't pay off the $4 billion debt.
So now, local advertisers in Macon have to contend with people who speak English as a second language (and we all know how well most of them speak it thanks to mortgage companies, technical support, etc.). The culture in India is so different that they will make a lot of mistakes due to misunderstanding. One of our customers, who used to send us the ad that ran in the Telegraph, has asked if we can build his ad for him. He runs a grocery store, and things like "all beef franks" don't translate.
Even worse, at other papers, like the Kansas City Star (see this story about the layoffs), they have sent copy editing (proofing stories for content, grammar and punctuation, as well as writing headlines) and page design, for at least some of their sections, to India.
It's scary to think of what could happen without newspapers in these metro markets. The Macon city government gets away with enough with the media's eyes on them. Not everyone has access to the internet, and local TV can't cover everything.
I hope these companies can limp through tough times and rehire some of the laid off employees, but I wouldn't count on it. Corporations are not going to hire people to do something that is getting done anyway, whether it's getting done well or not.
We really need to think about how much influence we want Eastern countries to have over us. We also need to evaluate why American workers are not worth their wages to American companies. How could we improve America's economy?
STOP SENDING OUR JOBS OVERSEAS! These aren't just employees. They are families, and they have no chance living in a nation that doesn't support them.
I am just back after seeing Dasavathaaram @ Calicut!
My verdict – Kamal Hassan is a creative genious, He is a superb actor, He is a brilliant artist – but the movie could have been better!
Cast:
Kamal, Kamal, Kamal, Kamal, Kamal, Kamal, Kamal, Kamal, Kamal, Kamal
(Ok I got 10 of him 
) Asin, Asin (Thats two of her), Mallika Sherawat, Metti Oli Bhaskar, Napolean, Kavithalai Radhakrishnan, comedy time Chiiti babu, Nagesh, KR Vijaya and few others…
Story Line:
This is a big question!!?? But let me still try to make a fair attempt.
In short, the movie starts off with the bio-scientist “Govind Ramaswamy” (Kamal), working in the USA (where else!) and he is part of the team that produces bio-weapon. His boss sells the deadly virus developed for the sake of tons and tons of dollars. So the mission “Kamal” is on is to protect this deadly bio-virus from getting into the hands of the enemies “Fletcher” (Kamal again). This virus is in small chocolate-sized box and somehow gets from USA to India and the story revolves around this concept.
The story line to very complicated woven – The team has tried to highlight a lot of stuff into the single story – Religion, Bio-Weapon, Tsunami, Illegal stealing of sand, Cancer, Celebrity’s life, US supremacy and I don’t now what all I missed! Was mind boggling – a little tiring for the brain, as it had to keep working the whole 3 hrs!
Just toooooooo many things to swallow 
I have to make a mention of the damsels in the movie
Asin – sweet! Plays her character, which is actually a very irritating girl othodox Tam Braham who talks a lot. Looks good! (psst: No romance at all…..)
Mallika Sherawat – We all know why she was in the movie. Does her job perfectly fine !! 
But she is killed in the middle of the movie… 
The DASAVATHARAM (10 roles/faces) Dr. Kamal Hassan plays in the movie:
*Rangarajan – An Iyengar
*Govind Ramaswamy – Bio- Scientist 
*Fletcher – The Bad man!
*Naidu – Investigator (He truly captures the heart!!)
*Boovaragan – A down-to-earth man
*Mrs. Krishaveni – An old woman
*One Japanese Guy (I don’t remember his name!)
*Kaimal - A muslim guy
* Mr Avataar – A pop singer
*George W Bush – American President!!
Hats off to Kamal Hassan!
Salute to his HUGE effort on make –up!
Salute to the research he has done to play his characters!
Salute to tremendous effort he has taken to talk different languages rather different dialects of of the language! Truly Impressive! Hats off! Naidu character – wow!
How could I not talk about the songs by Himesh Reshammiya. Foot tapping numbers - but could have been pictured better. The only song that looks good on scene is "Mukundha Mukundha" - cute!
There are a lot of flaws in the movie, which could have been corrected, but somehow, I feel they are deliberate, which irks me more. Kamal is a perfectionist – He has to fulfill the high hopes of his fans. 
Just to name a few follies - This biotech guy works in the US Laboratory and in his meeting, he talks in Tamil and asks his colleague to translate to the rest – but thru the rest of the movie, he talks English! Damn! The American president is the only one guy in this office who attempts the US accent, the rest of the office speaks Indian accent! There are many, just enjoy them in the movie! 
Whatever said and done - Kamal thanThala !! 
Nobody to beat his talents!
| The Birth of Aikido in India |  |  |  |
| Written by Yulia Pal | |
| Friday, 28 December 2007 | |
| CMA Times. January, 2007 (New Delhi) Sensei Paritos Kar is one of the few martial art instructors in India to have the courage to start teaching aikido professionally. To come to Delhi to open an aikido dojo was undoubtedly a big decision for him to make: aikido is almost unheard of in India and it is considered to be a non-competitive "sport" and so it does not interest schools. Moreover, it requires mats and a dedicated space. However, Sensei Kar's sincerity and dedication helped him to overcome the initial difficulties and attracted like-minded people to help him in his mission. During the two years of the dojo’s existence, the active membership has grown stronger: as of now, there are about 30 adults, Indians and foreigners, men and women, all training cooperatively. Many current dojo members have a martial arts background. However it is often said that once you start practicing aikido, it is practically impossible to go back to other martial arts because aikido is so different in its approach. The uniqueness of aikido lies in its spiritual philosophy which was taught by the founder, O-Sensei Morihei Ueshiba and encompasses an attitude of peace and love for all living beings and a oneness with nature and the cosmos. As peace and love have no enemies, an aikido practitioner has no enemies, no opponents to fight. Any aggressive force directed at an aikido practitioner is redirected and effectively neutralized without doing harm to the attacker. The aikidoka's response is fast, the technique is invisible and it utilizes the aggressor's own energy and turns it against him. This normally is enough to stop the aggressor in his tracks and to prevent an escalation of the conflict. Aikido training is not soft or easy by any means. In fact, it is considered one of the most technically difficult and even "esoteric" martial arts. However, the good news is that there are no age limits in aikido. In the Hombu Dojo (The World Aikido Headquarters), Tokyo, I saw many senior people, some in their seventies and even eighties, practicing aikido on a regular basis. There was an elderly man who had knee replacement surgery who was a regular in the early morning class, always with a small foldable stool to help him to do the sitting techniques. The age factor is not a problem in aikido. On the contrary, with many years of practice the techniques become awesomely powerful and imperceptible. The practitioner does not rely on muscle strength but invisibly blends and utilizes the energy of his or her partner/opponent. I have never met a person who claimed that they had perfected their aikido. The aiki spirit is ever elusive and the search for perfection lasts a life time. It becomes a way of life for many practitioners. In our dojo we have regular visitors from abroad. This is another tradition: an aikidoka while traveling prefers to carry his keiko-gi (practice uniform) and a hakama (black traditional samurai pants) with him - just in case there is an opportunity to practice. Aikido practitioners from different counties are welcome to practice in our dojo. Through them we get exposure to different styles and, indirectly, to the teaching of various great aikido masters. In 2006 the dojo was fortunate to hold 3 seminars conducted by distinguished aikido masters: Shihan Gaku Homma Sensei, the founder and chief instructor of the Nippon Kan, Denver, USA, Shihan Terry Ezra Sensei, the founder and chief instructor of Komyokan Aikido, UK, and K. Sakurai Sensei, 6th dan from the Aikikai Hombu Dojo. Not only did these senseis came and stayed in New Delhi at their own expense, they also taught the students for free. Their mastery of the art combined with their goodwill has helped to boost the nascent art of aikido in India and give tremendous encouragement and experience to our pioneering aikido students. It is evident that after the two years of hard work and sacrifice on the part of Sensei Paritos Kar, the New Delhi Aikido Dojo has finally established itself and is poised for new growth. We hope that the year 2007 will be rich in aikido experiences and events and that the dojo will attract more dedicated, talented Indian students capable of becoming aikido instructors. Source:http://aikikaiindia.org/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1 NOTE: Gaku Homma Sensei's Nippon-Kan is where i studyied Aikido when i lived in Denver Colorado from 2005 to 2007. |
The New Delhi Aikido Dojo was opened in November 2004 by Sensei Paritos Kar, a 4th Dan Black Belt from Aikikai Hombu Dojo Tokyo, who returned to India after living for 15 years of in Japan.
India offers firearms permits for vasectomies
Rhys Blakely in Bombay
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3593874.ece
A scheme that trades one male status symbol for another has achieved a large rise in the number of men undergoing vasectomies in a bandit-ridden region of central India.
Shivpuri district in the state of Madhya Pradesh, an overpopulated area renowned for its machismo culture, has started to offer fast-tracked gun licences for those who agree to be sterilised.
“This is a state with a high number of dacoits [bandits], where people like to keep rifles,” Manish Shrivastav, the administrative chief of Shivpuri and originator of the lateral thinking behind the plan, said.
“It also has a low level of vasectomies because of a perceived notion of manliness. I decided to match that with a bigger symbol of manliness — a gun licence. It has been a success.”
The results are impressive: 139 men have undergone vasectomies in the district since the incentive of a firearms permit was introduced a month ago, compared with only eight in 2007.
There are hopes that a vasectomy “mega-camp” planned for next month will draw in another hundred or so, Dinesh Kaussal, Shivpuri’s chief medical officer, said. “It is a simple thing. No admission into hospital is required. After a few days a farmer can go about his normal work.”
Those who undergo the operation can still have their application for a gun licence turned down, but the chance they are given to jump the queue and be considered before their fertile peers is, it seems, a powerful incentive. Up to 15,000 people apply each year for a gun permit in Shivpuri, but only about 500 are granted.
There are also suggestions that participating men are becoming vasectomy evangelists. “It was believed that a vasectomy decreases your sexual powers,” one recent out-patient said. “But there is no weakness, which is a good thing.” There is, however, some way to go before Shivpuri, which has about 1.4 million people, hits the target handed down to it by the Indian Government of 1,000 vasectomies a year.
The goal is designed to help to lower the average birth rate per couple to 2.1 children from the current five and underscores the pressure India is under to slow the growth of a population that has trebled since the 1940s.
Despite a recent economic boom, the sub-continent is still dogged by poverty. Two thirds of its 1.1 billion people live on less than £1 a day and half are under 25 years old. Economists are now giving warning that the nation’s population growth — of about 1.5 per cent a year — is outpacing its ability to increase crop yields.
Shivpuri faces several problems that are common across the country: water is scarce and family plots of land are growing smaller by the generation as they are divided equally between each father’s sons. High birth rates are also contributing to high levels of female infanticide, Mr Shrivastav said.
Bodies including the UN agree that urgent measures are needed if India is not to run out of food and water.
Mr Shrivastav shrugged off the possibility of a flood of weapons in an area where it is not unknown for minor family feuds to grow into gunfights. “I have the power to cancel gun licences, also,” he noted.
The recent death of a notorious bandit leader, Rambabu Gadaria, who was shot by police, has led to a large fall in the number of abductions and raids in Shivpuri, he added. Gadaria was being hunted by the authorities for his part in 35 murders and more than 100 kidnappings — a tally that explains why guns are so sought after in the region.
Mr Shrivastav believes that other districts should consider his scheme: “Wherever you go, you know, the psychology of men remains the same.”
Population control
— In 1969 Singapore began a policy of “population disincentives”. Parents were urged to “Stop at Two” and given priority in public services if they were sterilised
— Maternity leave was stopped for civil servants who bore more than two children and hospitals charged more for each successive birth. This was so successful that by the 1980s the Government was worried by falling population. The “Stop at Two” slogan was changed to “Have Three or More, if You Can Afford It”
— Homosexuality in Ancient Crete was, according to Aristotle, encouraged as a means of population control. He wrote: “The legislator encourages the separation of men from women, lest they should have too many children and the companionship of men with one another — whether this is a good or bad thing I shall have an opportunity of considering at another time”
Sources: Aristotle’s Politics, US Government
If we hadn't had to wait to turn the laptop back in, we wouldn't have gotten to Weinstein the precise moment that Louis was leaving, and he wouldn't have said, "Hey, Emily". (awww, he's a grown up nowwww). I also wouldn't have gotten to see Nina for the first time in 4 weeks or so.
If I hadn't left Weinstein empty handed, I wouldn't have been able to go to the printing lab to print out my student teaching final (TWENTY-SIX PAGES. SIZE 9 FONT).
If I hadn't left the lab starving and in need of getting Wendy's french fries (damn cravings), I wouldn't have had to wait on that giant line, and I wouldn't have gotten to hear the woman online behind me complain that her arm hurt from 'Guitar Hero'. Who does that?
If I hadn't stayed on the giant line before rushing to the supermarket to get some last minute things, I wouldn't have run into Richa and Rachana in the dairy aisle and I wouldn't have known that after the impending wedding, Julie and Jonathan are moving TO INDIA for 2 years to teach there.
If I hadn't ended the conversation with Richa and her mom and gotten online to pay and leave at the moment I did, I wouldn't have been crossing the street to get home and hear, "Oh My G-d, Emily?!?!" and gotten to see Heather on the street. And I am very glad indeed I got to see Heather.
All-in-all, good day.
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