freedomhttp://transparent.blog.co.uk/en-CAhourly82000-01-01T12:00+00:00freedomhttp://transparent.blog.co.uk/http://data5.blog.de/design/preview/0c/4340778d7ecd618aee64bd603fe774_160x200.jpgOn Boredom.http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2008/04/10/title-4024160/2008-04-10T08:26:09+02:00 <p> I am what you can rightly describe as a relaxaholic.A Relaxaholic is the just opposite of a workaholic. But the relaxaholic doesn't relax himself to death. He is not bothered at all for not having something to do. I have been a relaxaholic for some time now. It requires great facility of mind to remain one. The only time I get a bit irritated is when people ask me if I don't get bored.I think it is a question born out of ignorance. One has to be really stupid to get bored when one chooses to do nothing in particular. Boredom creeps into a mind that is devoid of ideas and imagination. What happens to most people is that in their quest of whatever they think brings them happiness , be it wealth, securiy, fame, social status or just something that offers them the excuse to be busy, they forget to nourish their minds - with serious consequences when the day comes when they are not really required by others to perform the job which they foolishly believed only they could do.Then they find themselves completely at sea since they are no longer needed to do the only job they really know. It is a really pathetic situation. As I had already said only stupid people get bored.It was a wise man who said"If I am going to be a prisoner of my mind ,I prefer my cell to be well-furnished." Really wise words, those and applicable to all those workaholics out there whose minds are as blank as the wall they will be left to stare at when they no longer will become indispensable to the very job they thought will remain unfinished if it were not for them.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2008/04/10/title-4024160/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> I am what you can rightly describe as a relaxaholic.A Relaxaholic is the just opposite of a workaholic. But the relaxaholic doesn't relax himself to death. He is not bothered at all for not having something to do. I have been a relaxaholic for some time now. It requires great facility of mind to remain one. The only time I get a bit irritated is when people ask me if I don't get bored.I think it is a question born out of ignorance. One has to be really stupid to get bored when one chooses to do nothing in particular. Boredom creeps into a mind that is devoid of ideas and imagination. What happens to most people is that in their quest of whatever they think brings them happiness , be it wealth, securiy, fame, social status or just something that offers them the excuse to be busy, they forget to nourish their minds - with serious consequences when the day comes when they are not really required by others to perform the job which they foolishly believed only they could do.Then they find themselves completely at sea since they are no longer needed to do the only job they really know. It is a really pathetic situation. As I had already said only stupid people get bored.It was a wise man who said"If I am going to be a prisoner of my mind ,I prefer my cell to be well-furnished." Really wise words, those and applicable to all those workaholics out there whose minds are as blank as the wall they will be left to stare at when they no longer will become indispensable to the very job they thought will remain unfinished if it were not for them.

Comments

]]>Vegans Can Save The Planet.http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2008/04/05/vegans-can-save-the-planet-3999359/2008-04-05T16:15:24+02:00 <p> Recently, a friend of mine ,an avowed vegan ,made an extraordinary remark. He said that if a majority of the population of the planet turned vegan,it would effectively counter global warming ,the scourge of this century.Millions of cattle are bred to feed the meat eating,milk produce consuming population.These animals being ruminating, emit huge quantities of methane gas that are more lethal to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Besides, to raise these animals, an enormous quantity of fodder is required which results in the production of vast quantities of nitrous oxide that is even far more deadly than methane!Thus by a simple act of switching to an altruistic diet, if the planet can be saved besides causing less violence and bloodshed , is it not worthwhile to give this a try ? In addition to saving our Mother Earth that has sustained all kinds of life forms for millions of years,you can look at what you eat not as a plateful of pain.But then meat producers will surely come up with some wonder drug that wil stop cattle from burping and make them less flatulent. They will even claim carbon credits for their effort! </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2008/04/05/vegans-can-save-the-planet-3999359/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> Recently, a friend of mine ,an avowed vegan ,made an extraordinary remark. He said that if a majority of the population of the planet turned vegan,it would effectively counter global warming ,the scourge of this century.Millions of cattle are bred to feed the meat eating,milk produce consuming population.These animals being ruminating, emit huge quantities of methane gas that are more lethal to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Besides, to raise these animals, an enormous quantity of fodder is required which results in the production of vast quantities of nitrous oxide that is even far more deadly than methane!Thus by a simple act of switching to an altruistic diet, if the planet can be saved besides causing less violence and bloodshed , is it not worthwhile to give this a try ? In addition to saving our Mother Earth that has sustained all kinds of life forms for millions of years,you can look at what you eat not as a plateful of pain.But then meat producers will surely come up with some wonder drug that wil stop cattle from burping and make them less flatulent. They will even claim carbon credits for their effort!

Comments

]]>A Relieved Dadhttp://transparent.blog.co.uk/2008/02/28/title-3793656/2008-02-28T18:15:29+01:00 <p>A dad was taken aback when his seven year old son came home and asked what sex. was.The man was<br>  truly shaken and didn't know what to say or do.He talked this over with his wife who also didn't have a clue and was equally disturbed. The next day he asked his colleagues at   the office and one of them gave him a CD on how to break sex education gently to a youngster. Thus prepaared, he called his son next morning and broached the subject with trepidation, ' Son, about what you asked the other day... umm I mean about sex" , he began. To which the boy replied nonchalantly, " Oh that ! Miss Gardner told me all about it," and to the gaping father the little fellow continued ," there was a question in the form we had to fill and she told me to tick 'M ' on mine" </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2008/02/28/title-3793656/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>A dad was taken aback when his seven year old son came home and asked what sex. was.The man was
 truly shaken and didn't know what to say or do.He talked this over with his wife who also didn't have a clue and was equally disturbed. The next day he asked his colleagues at   the office and one of them gave him a CD on how to break sex education gently to a youngster. Thus prepaared, he called his son next morning and broached the subject with trepidation, ' Son, about what you asked the other day... umm I mean about sex" , he began. To which the boy replied nonchalantly, " Oh that ! Miss Gardner told me all about it," and to the gaping father the little fellow continued ," there was a question in the form we had to fill and she told me to tick 'M ' on mine"

Comments

]]>.The Mistakes The Mighty Make .. .. ..http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2008/02/28/the-mistakes-the-mighty-make-3792702/2008-02-28T14:10:44+01:00 <p> A black stain on a white sheet will invite instant attention and all the attendant adverse observations and reactions that go with it. The whiter the sheet, the greater the intensity of the remarks and the joy of the critics in having found a flaw in so perfect an object.This is a universal truth and it knows no religion, caste, creed, gender or nationality. In a way it is like death, the great leveller.In the place of a white sheet if it is a famous personality ,the result is the same.Critics will descend on him like so many vultures ,tear him to pieces then strut around what is left of him .<br> I found out that I am also not any different in feeling highly elated at having noticed a mistake in a person /place where a mistake is considered akin to sacrilege.The white sheet in this case is none other than the popular novelist John Grisham. The offending stain appears in his recent novel "Playing for pizza ".The word <em>flaunt </em>is used when the correct one would have been <em>flout</em> - not once but twice in successive sentences. An American football pro playing for a small town team in Italy is held in awe by his team mates for having flouted the law ( roughing up some one). It is here that the word flaunt is used. Coming as it does from as high a place as Grisham, this is all the more interesting - more so because it is not a simple printer's devil. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2008/02/28/the-mistakes-the-mighty-make-3792702/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> A black stain on a white sheet will invite instant attention and all the attendant adverse observations and reactions that go with it. The whiter the sheet, the greater the intensity of the remarks and the joy of the critics in having found a flaw in so perfect an object.This is a universal truth and it knows no religion, caste, creed, gender or nationality. In a way it is like death, the great leveller.In the place of a white sheet if it is a famous personality ,the result is the same.Critics will descend on him like so many vultures ,tear him to pieces then strut around what is left of him .
I found out that I am also not any different in feeling highly elated at having noticed a mistake in a person /place where a mistake is considered akin to sacrilege.The white sheet in this case is none other than the popular novelist John Grisham. The offending stain appears in his recent novel "Playing for pizza ".The word flaunt is used when the correct one would have been flout - not once but twice in successive sentences. An American football pro playing for a small town team in Italy is held in awe by his team mates for having flouted the law ( roughing up some one). It is here that the word flaunt is used. Coming as it does from as high a place as Grisham, this is all the more interesting - more so because it is not a simple printer's devil.

Comments

]]>Is Honesty the best or is it the easiest policy?http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/12/01/is_honesty_the_best_or_is_it_the_easiest~3379075/2007-12-01T14:19:32+01:00 <p> I have always felt that honesty is not just the best policy , it actually is the easiest policy. Most of the time, things become quite simple and easy when one is being honest not only to oneself but also to the world in general. Being honest to oneself is easier than being truthful to others but is as important. A person can be honest to oneself but not to others. But he can never be true to himself without being so to others. That is why I feel it is more difficult to be honest , I mean unreservedly honest to the world is comparitively a more demanding task.</p> <p> All this came to me when I read a news report about a commercial pilot who , by just telling the truth made so many people happy. A Pakistan Airline commander walked into the passenger area and apologised for the takeoff delay because, he said he was late in getting to the airport. Instead of handing out standard official explanations about technical snags, he chose to tell the plain truth and was warmly congratulated by his passengers who immediately recognised and appreciated the simple honesty of his statement. Isn't it surprising how very basic, simple actions can ease a tense situation and bring warmth and cheer to so many ? </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/12/01/is_honesty_the_best_or_is_it_the_easiest~3379075/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> I have always felt that honesty is not just the best policy , it actually is the easiest policy. Most of the time, things become quite simple and easy when one is being honest not only to oneself but also to the world in general. Being honest to oneself is easier than being truthful to others but is as important. A person can be honest to oneself but not to others. But he can never be true to himself without being so to others. That is why I feel it is more difficult to be honest , I mean unreservedly honest to the world is comparitively a more demanding task.

All this came to me when I read a news report about a commercial pilot who , by just telling the truth made so many people happy. A Pakistan Airline commander walked into the passenger area and apologised for the takeoff delay because, he said he was late in getting to the airport. Instead of handing out standard official explanations about technical snags, he chose to tell the plain truth and was warmly congratulated by his passengers who immediately recognised and appreciated the simple honesty of his statement. Isn't it surprising how very basic, simple actions can ease a tense situation and bring warmth and cheer to so many ?

Comments

]]>Dignity of labour - an American virtue ?http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/06/04/dignity_of_labour_an_american_virtue~2390671/2007-06-04T07:40:37+02:00 <p> Recognition of the Dignity of labour is universally acknowledged to be an American virtue.America is credited with recognising the nobility of work no matter how menial it seems to others. But I tend to see this in a different light. Any work is regarded as just work or not much importance is attached to the intrinsic quality of work. That is , in America work is graded according to the dollars it earns. This does not signal a great understanding of the nobility of labour. Elsewhere work or vocation has different scales. For example an academic earns more respect and is given a higher esteem rating in society than ,say a cab driver or a dust man. This does not mean cab driving or cleaning is not work.It is just that they do not compare equally on the social scale. But in America , the cab driver becomes an object of veneration over the Professor if the <em>cab driver happens to earn more </em>than the learned professor.This happens only if the income of the cabbie is more than that of the professor.What does this show? Certainly not the vindication of dignity of labour. It only shows a crass and shameless approval the place, not value , money occupies in American society. There money is worshipped and the man who makes more money is God. This blind confidence in money is what makes the American society consider the quality of work insignificant and the rest of the world mistakenly describes as the great American tradition of recognition of the Dignity of labour. If it was solely the dignity of labour that concerned them , then the cabbie would have earned the same respect as the man of science or culture or art <em>if the cab driver's income was less</em>. But that is not the case. Therefore, Dignity of labour in the American context is a misnomer. What it really is an abject admiration of money. There is nothing wrong with it. In fact there is a whole world of good in such a hedonistic attitude. But it should not be confused with the higher values such as dignity of labour. That is a grave mistake. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/06/04/dignity_of_labour_an_american_virtue~2390671/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> Recognition of the Dignity of labour is universally acknowledged to be an American virtue.America is credited with recognising the nobility of work no matter how menial it seems to others. But I tend to see this in a different light. Any work is regarded as just work or not much importance is attached to the intrinsic quality of work. That is , in America work is graded according to the dollars it earns. This does not signal a great understanding of the nobility of labour. Elsewhere work or vocation has different scales. For example an academic earns more respect and is given a higher esteem rating in society than ,say a cab driver or a dust man. This does not mean cab driving or cleaning is not work.It is just that they do not compare equally on the social scale. But in America , the cab driver becomes an object of veneration over the Professor if the cab driver happens to earn more than the learned professor.This happens only if the income of the cabbie is more than that of the professor.What does this show? Certainly not the vindication of dignity of labour. It only shows a crass and shameless approval the place, not value , money occupies in American society. There money is worshipped and the man who makes more money is God. This blind confidence in money is what makes the American society consider the quality of work insignificant and the rest of the world mistakenly describes as the great American tradition of recognition of the Dignity of labour. If it was solely the dignity of labour that concerned them , then the cabbie would have earned the same respect as the man of science or culture or art if the cab driver's income was less. But that is not the case. Therefore, Dignity of labour in the American context is a misnomer. What it really is an abject admiration of money. There is nothing wrong with it. In fact there is a whole world of good in such a hedonistic attitude. But it should not be confused with the higher values such as dignity of labour. That is a grave mistake.

Comments

]]>Logic sans Common Sense is Nonsensehttp://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/04/28/logic_sans_common_sense_is_nonsense~2173925/2007-04-28T07:18:23+02:00 <p> The other day , at our usual session where almost everything ( not every one) gets scrutinised, the conversation veered round to pleasant subjects like pollution, cancer, climate change etc. A friend mentioned the hazards of smoking and its close, well established links with cancer and other debilitating conditions this habit induces. Another one , a friend I mean, who is also an inveterate smoker protested and pointed out , according to him rightly, that 379 parts per million is the CO2 already in the atmosphere and it is the highest in 6,50,000 years. There will be a 5 degree celsius rise in global temperature by 2010 which will devastate about 20 % of the bio diversity. Besides, a host of lethal enzymes and juices are released into our system each time we get emotional or angry. Against all this the threat posed by smoking is negligible and hence he sees no reason to forego a habit that gives him so much pleasure. Now this argument will seem reasonably logical to a casual observer. I have mentioned this here only to show how such a stupid argument will seem to be very logical superficially. It would seem so even if it is pondered a little deeper. This is because the argument while it appears to have been intelligently thought out ,is devoid of one main ingredient - Common sense.Without common sense any argument becomes plain nonsense. A statement may have logic but if it has to be logical common sense must be there. Common sense is pragmatic intelligence based on sound principles of observation, judgement and practicability. A person who swears by logic alone and has no common sense is at best a fool and would be ready to walk into a stream to cross it because he had calculated the mean depth to be less than his height ! My friend belongs to this category. What can one do with a mind like that? </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/04/28/logic_sans_common_sense_is_nonsense~2173925/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> The other day , at our usual session where almost everything ( not every one) gets scrutinised, the conversation veered round to pleasant subjects like pollution, cancer, climate change etc. A friend mentioned the hazards of smoking and its close, well established links with cancer and other debilitating conditions this habit induces. Another one , a friend I mean, who is also an inveterate smoker protested and pointed out , according to him rightly, that 379 parts per million is the CO2 already in the atmosphere and it is the highest in 6,50,000 years. There will be a 5 degree celsius rise in global temperature by 2010 which will devastate about 20 % of the bio diversity. Besides, a host of lethal enzymes and juices are released into our system each time we get emotional or angry. Against all this the threat posed by smoking is negligible and hence he sees no reason to forego a habit that gives him so much pleasure. Now this argument will seem reasonably logical to a casual observer. I have mentioned this here only to show how such a stupid argument will seem to be very logical superficially. It would seem so even if it is pondered a little deeper. This is because the argument while it appears to have been intelligently thought out ,is devoid of one main ingredient - Common sense.Without common sense any argument becomes plain nonsense. A statement may have logic but if it has to be logical common sense must be there. Common sense is pragmatic intelligence based on sound principles of observation, judgement and practicability. A person who swears by logic alone and has no common sense is at best a fool and would be ready to walk into a stream to cross it because he had calculated the mean depth to be less than his height ! My friend belongs to this category. What can one do with a mind like that?

Comments

]]>Only Inequality is real.http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/04/12/title~2077624/2007-04-12T12:17:15+02:00 <p> Equality is a beautiful word . When we say all men (and women ) are created equal , what a wonderful feeling it exudes! A world where every body is equal is just too great. But is this possible? Politicians of whatever hue swear by equality and want us to believe that they mean it when they say all men are created equal. They promise us a better tomorrow and keep the good today for themselves.</p> <p> But is it correct to say that all men are created equal ? I beg to differ. Ineqality is a fact and like the DNA , is etched indelibly into our system. To think otherwise is to fool ourselves. No man is created equal intellectually. As long as there is intellectual inequality , there will be no social equality or finacial equality. Even in a socialist or communist system equality among citizens is a myth - there is a wide chasm between the leader and the led. Trying to bring about equality through legislation will never succeed as it is against nature and anything against nature is artificial and is doomed to failure. It will be like making all the fingers of the hand the same length and shape. Imagine that ! The hand will become useless if all the fingrs are of the same type. Threfore all this talk about equality is just futile exercise . One may engage in it if it makes one feel noble and great . That is all it will achieve. Inequlity has always been there and will continue doing so. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/04/12/title~2077624/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> Equality is a beautiful word . When we say all men (and women ) are created equal , what a wonderful feeling it exudes! A world where every body is equal is just too great. But is this possible? Politicians of whatever hue swear by equality and want us to believe that they mean it when they say all men are created equal. They promise us a better tomorrow and keep the good today for themselves.

But is it correct to say that all men are created equal ? I beg to differ. Ineqality is a fact and like the DNA , is etched indelibly into our system. To think otherwise is to fool ourselves. No man is created equal intellectually. As long as there is intellectual inequality , there will be no social equality or finacial equality. Even in a socialist or communist system equality among citizens is a myth - there is a wide chasm between the leader and the led. Trying to bring about equality through legislation will never succeed as it is against nature and anything against nature is artificial and is doomed to failure. It will be like making all the fingers of the hand the same length and shape. Imagine that ! The hand will become useless if all the fingrs are of the same type. Threfore all this talk about equality is just futile exercise . One may engage in it if it makes one feel noble and great . That is all it will achieve. Inequlity has always been there and will continue doing so.

Comments

]]>Real turns unreal.http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/03/22/title~1951046/2007-03-22T06:49:58+01:00 <p> We say an object is there because we can see it or feel it. We know of its existence because of certain properties we perceive they have on the basis of which we say the object exists. We ,with our superior intellect which we pride ourselves so much with, have given certain units that give the object its existence - like length , breadth,shape color etc. But are these units absolute to make them real so that we can depend on them to prove the existence of any object?</p> <p> Take distance (length, breadth etc.) for example. We say a table is two meters long. But to an ant at one end of the table , it may be not so. It will say the table is one Km long or half a day long. Who is right? Both perhaps.Similar is the case with breadth and all units of distance. A man travelling by air from London to Ny will say it took him nine hrs . But another man travelling the same distance by sea would say it took him several days. Both are right . So the unit of distance which is the basis of existence of an object is not absolute - only relative and hence unreal. Now take the shape of the object which you say is real and existing before your eyes. The shape of the object depends entirely on the nature of your optic lens and attendant optic paraphernalia. If another animal has an optic lens different from man's what is round or square to us may be some other shape to that animal. Or if one has a lens of a different type than the rest of us what he sees and feels will be different from what others see. I mean he may see a round object as some other shape. Color and smell also depend entirely on the property of our respective sense organs. These vary from species to species and even person to person at times. Therefore it is clear from all this that every property or attribute that gave an object physical existence is only relative and not absolute and hence unreal. In short all this goes to show that what we see is/are not really what we think we see. This is quite unsettling. It gives man's cocksuredness a full body blow. Suddenly the real becomes unreal. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/03/22/title~1951046/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> We say an object is there because we can see it or feel it. We know of its existence because of certain properties we perceive they have on the basis of which we say the object exists. We ,with our superior intellect which we pride ourselves so much with, have given certain units that give the object its existence - like length , breadth,shape color etc. But are these units absolute to make them real so that we can depend on them to prove the existence of any object?

Take distance (length, breadth etc.) for example. We say a table is two meters long. But to an ant at one end of the table , it may be not so. It will say the table is one Km long or half a day long. Who is right? Both perhaps.Similar is the case with breadth and all units of distance. A man travelling by air from London to Ny will say it took him nine hrs . But another man travelling the same distance by sea would say it took him several days. Both are right . So the unit of distance which is the basis of existence of an object is not absolute - only relative and hence unreal. Now take the shape of the object which you say is real and existing before your eyes. The shape of the object depends entirely on the nature of your optic lens and attendant optic paraphernalia. If another animal has an optic lens different from man's what is round or square to us may be some other shape to that animal. Or if one has a lens of a different type than the rest of us what he sees and feels will be different from what others see. I mean he may see a round object as some other shape. Color and smell also depend entirely on the property of our respective sense organs. These vary from species to species and even person to person at times. Therefore it is clear from all this that every property or attribute that gave an object physical existence is only relative and not absolute and hence unreal. In short all this goes to show that what we see is/are not really what we think we see. This is quite unsettling. It gives man's cocksuredness a full body blow. Suddenly the real becomes unreal.

Comments

]]>Fantasy Flights.http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/03/20/fantasy_flights~1937374/2007-03-20T07:40:17+01:00 <p> The airline industry seems to have strange ways.Its practices are even stanger, sometimes bordering on the bizarre. British Mediterranean Airlines is operating a flight from Heathrow to Cardiff without a single passenger . It flies an empty Airbus round the trip of 240 miles emitting ten tons of carbondioxide into the atmosphere.This is the equivalent of carbon gases emission per day of a town of 2000 inhabitants. The ostensible reason given out by the airline officials is that they are forced to resort to this in order to retain their landing slot at Heathrow which once lost can be got back only at a huge cost. The going rate now is around ten million pounds. All the grand talk about strict measures taken by the airline industry in the direction of cutting down GH gas emissions is just talk when it comes aginst hard cash.</p> <p> Now we come to the bizarre part. A British Airways flight from Delhi to London strapped the corpse of a passenger who died in midflight to a seat in the first class right next to another passenger. The passenger later said he had a harrowing time sitting next to a dead body that slippd down every now and then and had to be hoisted back and strapped again by the cabin crew. All through the flight the passenger was in mortal fear that the body might decompose. When later he complained to the officials he was advised that he would recover from the experience. He is lucky that they had not pointed out how thankful he should be for getting such a quite and least troublesome copassenger next to him !</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/03/20/fantasy_flights~1937374/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> The airline industry seems to have strange ways.Its practices are even stanger, sometimes bordering on the bizarre. British Mediterranean Airlines is operating a flight from Heathrow to Cardiff without a single passenger . It flies an empty Airbus round the trip of 240 miles emitting ten tons of carbondioxide into the atmosphere.This is the equivalent of carbon gases emission per day of a town of 2000 inhabitants. The ostensible reason given out by the airline officials is that they are forced to resort to this in order to retain their landing slot at Heathrow which once lost can be got back only at a huge cost. The going rate now is around ten million pounds. All the grand talk about strict measures taken by the airline industry in the direction of cutting down GH gas emissions is just talk when it comes aginst hard cash.

Now we come to the bizarre part. A British Airways flight from Delhi to London strapped the corpse of a passenger who died in midflight to a seat in the first class right next to another passenger. The passenger later said he had a harrowing time sitting next to a dead body that slippd down every now and then and had to be hoisted back and strapped again by the cabin crew. All through the flight the passenger was in mortal fear that the body might decompose. When later he complained to the officials he was advised that he would recover from the experience. He is lucky that they had not pointed out how thankful he should be for getting such a quite and least troublesome copassenger next to him !

Comments

]]>Good Samaritan.http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/03/12/good_samaritan~1889191/2007-03-12T08:01:21+01:00 <p>Two friends were going on a bike. It was a very windy day. The </p> <p>pillion rider decided to wear his windcheater back to front to </p> <p>protect his chest more effectively. After a while the rider </p> <p>felt something amiss and looking back found to his horror the pillion </p> <p>rider missing. Flustered, he turned around and raced back to look for</p> <p>the friend. After  a couple of kilometers he saw a crowd of </p> <p>people gathered around an inert body. To his dismay he found that it </p> <p>was his friend lying quite still and dead to the world. He dismounted </p> <p>and asked what had happened. A man who seemed to be in charge </p> <p>said  , " The poor bastard had fallen off a bike . He </p> <p>seemed to be allright when we got to him . But his head was</p> <p>turned completely the wrong way. We turned it round and he had been </p> <p>like this ever since".<img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/srv/tinymce/jss/plugins/blogdeemotions/smilies/060lol.gif" border="0" alt="" width="15" height="15"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/03/12/good_samaritan~1889191/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>Two friends were going on a bike. It was a very windy day. The

pillion rider decided to wear his windcheater back to front to

protect his chest more effectively. After a while the rider

felt something amiss and looking back found to his horror the pillion

rider missing. Flustered, he turned around and raced back to look for

the friend. After  a couple of kilometers he saw a crowd of

people gathered around an inert body. To his dismay he found that it

was his friend lying quite still and dead to the world. He dismounted

and asked what had happened. A man who seemed to be in charge

said  , " The poor bastard had fallen off a bike . He

seemed to be allright when we got to him . But his head was

turned completely the wrong way. We turned it round and he had been

like this ever since".

Comments

]]>Resignation and Acceptance.http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/03/10/resignation_and_acceptance~1878364/2007-03-10T06:53:12+01:00 <p> Great suffering finally leads an individual to resignation and this is mistaken by many as acceptance. Acceptance in turn is regarded as the cure for all suffering - the eternal balm. But this kind of acceptance or resignation is seen by those who see that all events are in their efficient and unerring control,as meek submission to the vagaries of chance. To them Prostheus fighting a battle he knows he has no hope of survivung is a symbol of unflagging spirit.And Jesus hanging on a wooden cross pleading for forgiveness for his tormentors is a pitiable picture of abject surrender.</p> <p> Well, this is only one point of view. Consider Promeheus chained to a rock and quite helpless against the vulture that descends on him to peck at his open heart. He struggles against the chains and tries to free himself to fight off his adversary.This is considered by many as the last word in courage and steadfastness. But in reality this is due to his ignorance which has resulted in a sad failure to appreciate his situation. His fight is only an animal instinct to survive.<br> On the other hand Jesus did not struggle against his detractors not because he was resigned to his fate. If it were so , he also would have struggled and shouted obscenities and curses at the Roman soldiers.Instead he only said that the Centurions who had nailed him to the cross and denied him water be forgiven for they know not what they were doing.<br> How was he able to behave in such an extraordinary manner that defies human understanding? Because here was a man who accepted his situation and this was not resignation to the inevitable. He accepted the inevitable with open eyes and the awareness that the real "he" was something other than the gross body gave him the courage to ask for the forgiveness of his enemies. How was this possible? Jesus was a fully evolved man who realised that he was not just body, mind and intellect. The real "he" was something apart from these three confining entities and once a person gets that awareness he is really free because he knows that whatever is being done to his physical body can not harm his real self which is eternal and unperishable.That is why he said that his tormentors do not know what they were doing. They did not know that the real self of any man can not be crucified and what happens to the physical entity comprising of body ,mind and intellect does not affect the Self. Only such a man who has attained that awareness could have said those words in those moments of extreme physical agony. For such a man has elevated himself to be not the son of God but God Himself.Now you see the difference between Prometheus and Jesus , I hope.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/03/10/resignation_and_acceptance~1878364/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> Great suffering finally leads an individual to resignation and this is mistaken by many as acceptance. Acceptance in turn is regarded as the cure for all suffering - the eternal balm. But this kind of acceptance or resignation is seen by those who see that all events are in their efficient and unerring control,as meek submission to the vagaries of chance. To them Prostheus fighting a battle he knows he has no hope of survivung is a symbol of unflagging spirit.And Jesus hanging on a wooden cross pleading for forgiveness for his tormentors is a pitiable picture of abject surrender.

Well, this is only one point of view. Consider Promeheus chained to a rock and quite helpless against the vulture that descends on him to peck at his open heart. He struggles against the chains and tries to free himself to fight off his adversary.This is considered by many as the last word in courage and steadfastness. But in reality this is due to his ignorance which has resulted in a sad failure to appreciate his situation. His fight is only an animal instinct to survive.
On the other hand Jesus did not struggle against his detractors not because he was resigned to his fate. If it were so , he also would have struggled and shouted obscenities and curses at the Roman soldiers.Instead he only said that the Centurions who had nailed him to the cross and denied him water be forgiven for they know not what they were doing.
How was he able to behave in such an extraordinary manner that defies human understanding? Because here was a man who accepted his situation and this was not resignation to the inevitable. He accepted the inevitable with open eyes and the awareness that the real "he" was something other than the gross body gave him the courage to ask for the forgiveness of his enemies. How was this possible? Jesus was a fully evolved man who realised that he was not just body, mind and intellect. The real "he" was something apart from these three confining entities and once a person gets that awareness he is really free because he knows that whatever is being done to his physical body can not harm his real self which is eternal and unperishable.That is why he said that his tormentors do not know what they were doing. They did not know that the real self of any man can not be crucified and what happens to the physical entity comprising of body ,mind and intellect does not affect the Self. Only such a man who has attained that awareness could have said those words in those moments of extreme physical agony. For such a man has elevated himself to be not the son of God but God Himself.Now you see the difference between Prometheus and Jesus , I hope.

Comments

]]>Happy birthday Gabo !http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/03/06/happy_birthday_gabo~1855126/2007-03-06T08:16:36+01:00 <p> Today Gabriel Garcia Marquez turns 80. Marquez is by far the greatest living writer of his genre. His novels written in his own style of magical realism are a heady mixture of fantasy and reality. The reader gets the feeling of having woken up from a world of dream into something he can't exactly place where. His autobiography , "Living to tell the tale" is a vivid and graphic account of the world he knew and a world we all ought to know. Most of his novels carry large fragments from his own life with reality and fantasy interwoven in the most exotic way. I had been an avid reader of his books which have given me days and days of pure pleasure. Happy birth day Gabo ! May you go on and on and on giving us books that enrich our lives. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/03/06/happy_birthday_gabo~1855126/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> Today Gabriel Garcia Marquez turns 80. Marquez is by far the greatest living writer of his genre. His novels written in his own style of magical realism are a heady mixture of fantasy and reality. The reader gets the feeling of having woken up from a world of dream into something he can't exactly place where. His autobiography , "Living to tell the tale" is a vivid and graphic account of the world he knew and a world we all ought to know. Most of his novels carry large fragments from his own life with reality and fantasy interwoven in the most exotic way. I had been an avid reader of his books which have given me days and days of pure pleasure. Happy birth day Gabo ! May you go on and on and on giving us books that enrich our lives.

Comments

]]>Struggle for existence.http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/03/05/struggle_for_existence~1848797/2007-03-05T08:08:15+01:00 <p> I have many friends , successful in their respective spheres of activity such as the professions, business, services etc. All of them , when asked what they enjoy most in life , invariably replied , "The struggle for existence ". They say this in all sincerity and honestly believe that without what they perceive as struggle for existence , life will be pretty dull and not really worth living. But is this struggle for existence they say is essential to their lives the same strugle a person has to put in to save himself from the depths of poverty ? The answer is no. A daily wage earner or a peddler of small articles has to struggle so hard that a moment of relaxation will not bring food on his table. The successful businessman or the company executive when he says he has to struggle for existence, he is actually struggling for success or at worst to keep himself from what he fears is ruin. (loss of a contract or the inability to buy the latest car or to get into a swanky club).<br> But the other man who really has to struggle would not have known what financial ruin is because he never had any money to lose in the first place. When an affluent , well placed person says he loves struggle for existence, he is simply trying to give some dignity or even sanctity to the various gimmicks he has to perform to go on being successful.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/03/05/struggle_for_existence~1848797/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> I have many friends , successful in their respective spheres of activity such as the professions, business, services etc. All of them , when asked what they enjoy most in life , invariably replied , "The struggle for existence ". They say this in all sincerity and honestly believe that without what they perceive as struggle for existence , life will be pretty dull and not really worth living. But is this struggle for existence they say is essential to their lives the same strugle a person has to put in to save himself from the depths of poverty ? The answer is no. A daily wage earner or a peddler of small articles has to struggle so hard that a moment of relaxation will not bring food on his table. The successful businessman or the company executive when he says he has to struggle for existence, he is actually struggling for success or at worst to keep himself from what he fears is ruin. (loss of a contract or the inability to buy the latest car or to get into a swanky club).
But the other man who really has to struggle would not have known what financial ruin is because he never had any money to lose in the first place. When an affluent , well placed person says he loves struggle for existence, he is simply trying to give some dignity or even sanctity to the various gimmicks he has to perform to go on being successful.

Comments

]]>God flummoxed.http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/03/05/god_flummoxed~1848683/2007-03-05T07:34:45+01:00 <p> God appeared before a little boy and asked him what he wanted for He could give him anything.</p> <p> " You can do anything "? the boy wanted to know.</p> <p> " Sure,I AM God".</p> <p> " Then please create a rock which you can not lift " , said the boy.</p> <p> Caught in a catch- 22 situation , the Lord was floored and disappeared.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/03/05/god_flummoxed~1848683/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> God appeared before a little boy and asked him what he wanted for He could give him anything.

" You can do anything "? the boy wanted to know.

" Sure,I AM God".

" Then please create a rock which you can not lift " , said the boy.

Caught in a catch- 22 situation , the Lord was floored and disappeared.

Comments

]]>A little mischief.http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/02/28/a_little_mischief~1818756/2007-02-28T06:46:05+01:00 <p> I wanted to clobber the chap who narrated this to me :</p> <p> Three very attractive girls were waitng at the bus station when a young flamboyant chap came in a flashy car and offered them a lift . The girls consulted amongst themselves and agreed and got into the car. On the way he stopped the car in front of a beautiful house and told them he had to make an urgent phonecall and will be back in no time. ( this happened before cell phones were in vogue). After a while he came back and said the business he was transacting will take more time than he thouht it would and would the girls mind waiting inside as it will be more comfortable ? The girls again consulted amongst themselves and decided to go in. After all they were three, weren't they? Then they heard him talking to a friend on the phone. He was inviting the friend to his home to have a good time : he had three very wiilling and pliable girls with him. Now the girls really got scared and decided to bolt. They tried the door only to find it locked . Then they noticed the small window open and went for it. The first and the second girl squeezed through it and jumped out to safety and they were helping the third one when the chap came in rushing. He caught hold of her by her calves and pulled her legs as hard as I am pulling yours now. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/02/28/a_little_mischief~1818756/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> I wanted to clobber the chap who narrated this to me :

Three very attractive girls were waitng at the bus station when a young flamboyant chap came in a flashy car and offered them a lift . The girls consulted amongst themselves and agreed and got into the car. On the way he stopped the car in front of a beautiful house and told them he had to make an urgent phonecall and will be back in no time. ( this happened before cell phones were in vogue). After a while he came back and said the business he was transacting will take more time than he thouht it would and would the girls mind waiting inside as it will be more comfortable ? The girls again consulted amongst themselves and decided to go in. After all they were three, weren't they? Then they heard him talking to a friend on the phone. He was inviting the friend to his home to have a good time : he had three very wiilling and pliable girls with him. Now the girls really got scared and decided to bolt. They tried the door only to find it locked . Then they noticed the small window open and went for it. The first and the second girl squeezed through it and jumped out to safety and they were helping the third one when the chap came in rushing. He caught hold of her by her calves and pulled her legs as hard as I am pulling yours now.

Comments

]]>Blackmail is Scotch ?http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/02/23/title~1789578/2007-02-23T08:44:47+01:00 <p> I am not an etymologist but the origins of words have always fascinated me.Sometimes one comes across really interesting stuff - like the word Blackmail , for instance. I was always under the impression that the 'mail' in the word owed its origin to the fact that blackmailing was a black deed usually perpetrated via the post by black guards who demanded that the receiver comply with the threats in the letter lest some damaging secret about him or her would be revealed to the world at large. But this apparently is not the case - the origin of the word I mean. The word has its genesis in mediaeval Scotland where chieftains and warlords collected rent which was called 'mail' from tenants and sharecroppers in return for protection and general safety. But they thought this was not enough and imposed an extra cess on the tenants the default of which would invite terrible retribution from the landlords in the form of plunder and pillage. The tenants referred to this illegal payment which they were forced to pay as black mail as the legal one was known as white mail. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/02/23/title~1789578/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> I am not an etymologist but the origins of words have always fascinated me.Sometimes one comes across really interesting stuff - like the word Blackmail , for instance. I was always under the impression that the 'mail' in the word owed its origin to the fact that blackmailing was a black deed usually perpetrated via the post by black guards who demanded that the receiver comply with the threats in the letter lest some damaging secret about him or her would be revealed to the world at large. But this apparently is not the case - the origin of the word I mean. The word has its genesis in mediaeval Scotland where chieftains and warlords collected rent which was called 'mail' from tenants and sharecroppers in return for protection and general safety. But they thought this was not enough and imposed an extra cess on the tenants the default of which would invite terrible retribution from the landlords in the form of plunder and pillage. The tenants referred to this illegal payment which they were forced to pay as black mail as the legal one was known as white mail.

Comments

]]>Struggle and Desire.http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/02/21/struggle_and_desire~1777354/2007-02-21T07:14:43+01:00 <p> There is a certain element of struggle or effort that is built into the chromosome of every living being including us , homo sapiens.In fact is it not because the sperm strove hard and succeded that the embryo was formed bringing us into this world?? In human beings , it is this effort that constitutes an important component of happiness. A desire fulfilled gives joy only if an amount of struggle to attain it is put into it. But modern living has reduced this struggle to a minimum that it has become possible to attain a desire with comparitive ease. This fulfilment of man's desires with moderate effort has actually made desire not really very rewarding to work for. The ease with which a desire or wish is attained makes man conclude that happiness does not lie in fulfilment of one's desires and he goes as far as to believe that desire is a wretched thing.In fact this has come about because the desire was small enough to attain with moderate effort therby rendering it not worth pursuing all the while forgetting that it is precisely his inabilty to realise all his wishes that forms an integral part of happiness.Therefore all this talk about the attainment of one's all wishes will lead to a sense of futility or hollowness in worldly possessions is really not true. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/02/21/struggle_and_desire~1777354/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> There is a certain element of struggle or effort that is built into the chromosome of every living being including us , homo sapiens.In fact is it not because the sperm strove hard and succeded that the embryo was formed bringing us into this world?? In human beings , it is this effort that constitutes an important component of happiness. A desire fulfilled gives joy only if an amount of struggle to attain it is put into it. But modern living has reduced this struggle to a minimum that it has become possible to attain a desire with comparitive ease. This fulfilment of man's desires with moderate effort has actually made desire not really very rewarding to work for. The ease with which a desire or wish is attained makes man conclude that happiness does not lie in fulfilment of one's desires and he goes as far as to believe that desire is a wretched thing.In fact this has come about because the desire was small enough to attain with moderate effort therby rendering it not worth pursuing all the while forgetting that it is precisely his inabilty to realise all his wishes that forms an integral part of happiness.Therefore all this talk about the attainment of one's all wishes will lead to a sense of futility or hollowness in worldly possessions is really not true.

Comments

]]>Warning in toilets.http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/02/19/warning_in_toilets~1764952/2007-02-19T07:34:34+01:00 <p> I read a news paper report that bars in New Mexico have toilets with urinals fitted with a gadget that warn users it is not safe to drive after having one too many. It was found that bar rest rooms were the most likely places tipplers were bound to visit just before they got into their cars. Just as a man is about to zip up after relieving himself , a sultry female voice will flirtatiously but firmly remind him that driving and drinking do not mix . The voice also pointedly says ," The future is in your hand".<br> I wonder how a woman will see it ! </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/02/19/warning_in_toilets~1764952/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> I read a news paper report that bars in New Mexico have toilets with urinals fitted with a gadget that warn users it is not safe to drive after having one too many. It was found that bar rest rooms were the most likely places tipplers were bound to visit just before they got into their cars. Just as a man is about to zip up after relieving himself , a sultry female voice will flirtatiously but firmly remind him that driving and drinking do not mix . The voice also pointedly says ," The future is in your hand".
I wonder how a woman will see it !

Comments

]]>Green House effects and world community.http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/02/15/green_house_effects_and_world_community~1744159/2007-02-15T10:18:39+01:00 <p> The Green House effect with all its frightening ramifications is the result of modern man's ceaseless quest for improving his lot. Global warming,rise in sea levels, unpredictable weather are alll due to this , we are told.Green house gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide etc. are released as aresult of heavy industrialisation which in turn has enhanced human welfare. Therefore this is a price we are paying for our comforts which modern life has afforded us.Therefore it is in our interest only to see that the release of such damaging gases is controlled. But it is easier said than done.The main impediment to this is distrust among nations and people. For instance if I do forgo some of my comforts towards this goal, what is the guarantee that the other man will also do likewise? So is the case with nations.Inorder to curb the release of carbon dioxide, if governments ask a clamp down on jet travel, it will be greeted with howls of protests from the industry which a democratic givernment can ill-afford to ignore.Moreover such a situation will be politically exploited by the opposition.Therefore in matters of such grave import, all political parties should come to a consensus and implement the agenda to save the earth. Otherwise no one can stop its inexorable journey to oblivion. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/02/15/green_house_effects_and_world_community~1744159/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> The Green House effect with all its frightening ramifications is the result of modern man's ceaseless quest for improving his lot. Global warming,rise in sea levels, unpredictable weather are alll due to this , we are told.Green house gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide etc. are released as aresult of heavy industrialisation which in turn has enhanced human welfare. Therefore this is a price we are paying for our comforts which modern life has afforded us.Therefore it is in our interest only to see that the release of such damaging gases is controlled. But it is easier said than done.The main impediment to this is distrust among nations and people. For instance if I do forgo some of my comforts towards this goal, what is the guarantee that the other man will also do likewise? So is the case with nations.Inorder to curb the release of carbon dioxide, if governments ask a clamp down on jet travel, it will be greeted with howls of protests from the industry which a democratic givernment can ill-afford to ignore.Moreover such a situation will be politically exploited by the opposition.Therefore in matters of such grave import, all political parties should come to a consensus and implement the agenda to save the earth. Otherwise no one can stop its inexorable journey to oblivion.

Comments

]]>On a lighter vein .. . ..http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/02/05/on_a_lighter_vein~1682710/2007-02-05T07:15:33+01:00 <p> An American tourist to Bangkok got off his plane in a terribly black mood after having discovered that he had lost his baggage , travel documents and passport. Understandably he was irritable, angry and came out of the airport shouting he wanted the American Consul when he was approached by the omnipresent tout.</p> <p>" Sir, You want girls ? Clean,good girls", the tout solicited.</p> <p> The angry tourist was in no mood for any thing. He shouted, " I want the American Consul "</p> <p>The tout contemplated worriedly for a while then said, "Very difficult , but I will try".</p> <p> <strong>** </strong><strong> </strong>**** </p> <p> Two young men had a breakfast appointment with their landlady who was a very proper and severe Victorian spinster.On the way one of them bet his friend fifty pounds if he said the word "rectum" twice in her formidable presence.<br> The two were ushered in ,sat for breakfast. Sole was a dish on the table.<br> " ah,soles for breakfast ", he said.</p> <p> Then, "Are soles in season?" he asked.</p> <p> And won the bet.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/02/05/on_a_lighter_vein~1682710/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> An American tourist to Bangkok got off his plane in a terribly black mood after having discovered that he had lost his baggage , travel documents and passport. Understandably he was irritable, angry and came out of the airport shouting he wanted the American Consul when he was approached by the omnipresent tout.

" Sir, You want girls ? Clean,good girls", the tout solicited.

The angry tourist was in no mood for any thing. He shouted, " I want the American Consul "

The tout contemplated worriedly for a while then said, "Very difficult , but I will try".

** ****

Two young men had a breakfast appointment with their landlady who was a very proper and severe Victorian spinster.On the way one of them bet his friend fifty pounds if he said the word "rectum" twice in her formidable presence.
The two were ushered in ,sat for breakfast. Sole was a dish on the table.
" ah,soles for breakfast ", he said.

Then, "Are soles in season?" he asked.

And won the bet.

Comments

]]>Accuracy of scientific research.http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/02/02/accuracy_of_scientific_research~1666427/2007-02-02T07:07:28+01:00 <p> Man is gifted with mental and intellectual prowess which no other creature is blessed with. Or so he believes.Reasoning and thinking faculties are the foremost of these powers.These have endowed his mind and brain with such dexterity that had enabled him to formulate laws, rules, theories etc. that govern his understanding of everything around him and which he believes explain every phenomenon till he gets other data that completely debunk his previous convictions. In short, sometimes yesterday's heresy becomes today's credo and vice versa.<br> Now let us look at a purely conjectural situation. Imagine that some cataclysmic event like a nuclear holocaust (God forbid),meteor collision or plain global warming destroys the world leaving no trace of the present civilisation.Further imagine that it was the modern man and his civilisation that got wiped out first. Marginalised people who live in the pale of civilisation as we know it (such as aborigines, Amazon Indians )somehow escape the disaster and manage to survive intact for some more time till they also become extinct. After a very long time,say five thousand years or so,new life slowly sprouts and spawns a civilsation more developed and advanced than any hitherto known. With superior knowledge and the equipment such knowledge gives they start to delve into the kind of life their ancestors led. After years of research they come across remnants of the aborigine and Amazon Basin Indian civilisation which causes great excitement prompting vigorous research by archaeologists and anthropologists.Many more discoveries are made that shed light on the life style of that civilisation.Finally they succeed in replicating a model of that civilisation.With the most scientific methods in their possession they determine accurately that the Twenty First century man lived in caves , used rudimentary tools and implements and generally lived a sub human existence. Will anyone at the time be able to dispute this scientific assertion? </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/02/02/accuracy_of_scientific_research~1666427/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> Man is gifted with mental and intellectual prowess which no other creature is blessed with. Or so he believes.Reasoning and thinking faculties are the foremost of these powers.These have endowed his mind and brain with such dexterity that had enabled him to formulate laws, rules, theories etc. that govern his understanding of everything around him and which he believes explain every phenomenon till he gets other data that completely debunk his previous convictions. In short, sometimes yesterday's heresy becomes today's credo and vice versa.
Now let us look at a purely conjectural situation. Imagine that some cataclysmic event like a nuclear holocaust (God forbid),meteor collision or plain global warming destroys the world leaving no trace of the present civilisation.Further imagine that it was the modern man and his civilisation that got wiped out first. Marginalised people who live in the pale of civilisation as we know it (such as aborigines, Amazon Indians )somehow escape the disaster and manage to survive intact for some more time till they also become extinct. After a very long time,say five thousand years or so,new life slowly sprouts and spawns a civilsation more developed and advanced than any hitherto known. With superior knowledge and the equipment such knowledge gives they start to delve into the kind of life their ancestors led. After years of research they come across remnants of the aborigine and Amazon Basin Indian civilisation which causes great excitement prompting vigorous research by archaeologists and anthropologists.Many more discoveries are made that shed light on the life style of that civilisation.Finally they succeed in replicating a model of that civilisation.With the most scientific methods in their possession they determine accurately that the Twenty First century man lived in caves , used rudimentary tools and implements and generally lived a sub human existence. Will anyone at the time be able to dispute this scientific assertion?

Comments

]]>Gorilla Disposal.http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/01/27/gorilla_disposal~1630266/2007-01-27T07:06:16+01:00 <p> One morning a lady woke up to find to her horror a gorilla sitting on the branch of a tree by her window. Frantically she called the zoo and in no time a van with a gorilla disposal unit arrived. A man stepped out with a ladder, a trained dog, a pair of handcuffs and a shot gun. He placed the ladder against the tree and explained to the lady ,<br> " I will climb up this ladder, reach the branch and shake it. The gorilla will fall down and the trained dog will pounce on him and catch him by his 'you know what'.Then I will cuff the helpless fellow and take him away". He was starting to climb when the lady asked what the gun was for. The man said, " Oh , I forgot to tell you.. When I climb up, the gorilla may shake the tree and I might fall down .And if that happens YOU SHOOT THE RUDDY DOG."</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/01/27/gorilla_disposal~1630266/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> One morning a lady woke up to find to her horror a gorilla sitting on the branch of a tree by her window. Frantically she called the zoo and in no time a van with a gorilla disposal unit arrived. A man stepped out with a ladder, a trained dog, a pair of handcuffs and a shot gun. He placed the ladder against the tree and explained to the lady ,
" I will climb up this ladder, reach the branch and shake it. The gorilla will fall down and the trained dog will pounce on him and catch him by his 'you know what'.Then I will cuff the helpless fellow and take him away". He was starting to climb when the lady asked what the gun was for. The man said, " Oh , I forgot to tell you.. When I climb up, the gorilla may shake the tree and I might fall down .And if that happens YOU SHOOT THE RUDDY DOG."

Comments

]]>Human - Animal Embryohttp://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/01/26/human_animal_embryo~1624060/2007-01-26T08:19:06+01:00 <p> It is a relief to know that the British government is not likely to allow the experiments with human- rabbit embryo. The argument in favor of such a ghoulish scheme is that it will eventually result in getting a cure for terribly debilitating conditions like Motor Neuron Disesase and Alzheimer's disease and bring back some quality of life to hundreds of sufferers.<br> The experiment involves taking out all genetic information from a rabbit embryo and putting a skin cell from a person having the disease into it. The resultant embryo will be 99.5% human which the scientists hope to use to study the progress of the disease and possibly come up with a cure. They say that the human - animal embryo will be kept under the strictest security and will be studied for only fourteen days. What are they going to learn in just 14 days ? What will happen if the embryo gets stolen and falls into wrong hands ? The consequences are staggering . It has become so easy to create a monster. The spectre of Frankestein is very real and disturbingly near </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/01/26/human_animal_embryo~1624060/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> It is a relief to know that the British government is not likely to allow the experiments with human- rabbit embryo. The argument in favor of such a ghoulish scheme is that it will eventually result in getting a cure for terribly debilitating conditions like Motor Neuron Disesase and Alzheimer's disease and bring back some quality of life to hundreds of sufferers.
The experiment involves taking out all genetic information from a rabbit embryo and putting a skin cell from a person having the disease into it. The resultant embryo will be 99.5% human which the scientists hope to use to study the progress of the disease and possibly come up with a cure. They say that the human - animal embryo will be kept under the strictest security and will be studied for only fourteen days. What are they going to learn in just 14 days ? What will happen if the embryo gets stolen and falls into wrong hands ? The consequences are staggering . It has become so easy to create a monster. The spectre of Frankestein is very real and disturbingly near

Comments

]]>Religion And Work culture.http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/01/22/religion_and_work_culture~1598181/2007-01-22T08:06:11+01:00 <p>A Non - Asian Muslim lady cop has refused to shake hands with the chief of London Police on the grounds of her religious belief. If one's religion prohibits certain things or acts which the world at large,particularly the society in which that person has chosen to live, normally practises, then that person should either give up the faith or choose not to impose it on others by refusing to do what is expected of that person.No religious belief should be allowed to come in the way of discharge of one's duty. If adherence to religious diktats is of such prime importance to a person, then the only decent way is at least not to insist that regulations be changed to suit one's religious pratices. Such persons should choose vocations that do not come into conflict with their professed faith. Insisting otherwise is intolerance and bigotry.If a man's faith prohibits him from handling arms it will be ridiculous for him to join the army and demand that he be exempted from touching armaments because his faith decrees so. He should become a teacher , accountant or some other professional which will be in line with his religious beliefs.<br> I sincerely wish all sects of the Islamic faith had decreed that terrorism in all its variations is an unpardonable crime and the perpetrators will be sent straight to hell. Then the world would have become a much safer and peaceful place.Is it too much to hope for ? </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/01/22/religion_and_work_culture~1598181/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>A Non - Asian Muslim lady cop has refused to shake hands with the chief of London Police on the grounds of her religious belief. If one's religion prohibits certain things or acts which the world at large,particularly the society in which that person has chosen to live, normally practises, then that person should either give up the faith or choose not to impose it on others by refusing to do what is expected of that person.No religious belief should be allowed to come in the way of discharge of one's duty. If adherence to religious diktats is of such prime importance to a person, then the only decent way is at least not to insist that regulations be changed to suit one's religious pratices. Such persons should choose vocations that do not come into conflict with their professed faith. Insisting otherwise is intolerance and bigotry.If a man's faith prohibits him from handling arms it will be ridiculous for him to join the army and demand that he be exempted from touching armaments because his faith decrees so. He should become a teacher , accountant or some other professional which will be in line with his religious beliefs.
I sincerely wish all sects of the Islamic faith had decreed that terrorism in all its variations is an unpardonable crime and the perpetrators will be sent straight to hell. Then the world would have become a much safer and peaceful place.Is it too much to hope for ?

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]]>Happiness and Money.http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/01/22/happiness_and_money~1597988/2007-01-22T06:26:12+01:00 <p>If happiness can buy money .......<br> Some inside information and a million dollars can make you go broke in a year.</p> <p> ( look up Tao of Warren Buffet and it will throw up a number of quotes like these.)</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/01/22/happiness_and_money~1597988/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>If happiness can buy money .......
Some inside information and a million dollars can make you go broke in a year.

( look up Tao of Warren Buffet and it will throw up a number of quotes like these.)

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]]>The Good And The Evil That Man And God Do.http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/01/15/the_good_and_the_evil_that_man_and_god_d~1556160/2007-01-15T07:47:18+01:00 <p>In one of our regular bull sessions, an atheist friend posed this question : Where was God when the holocaust happened? If He was full of compassion and peace for all of mankind , what was He doing when the atom bombs fell and when umpteen other horrendous things were happening around us and possibly around Him as well ? This provoked some interesting reactions. Most were likely to go along with the argument that there were indeed times when one doubted the existence of a merciful God.But the one that carried some weight of logic was that it was the same power or God that created the Polpots , Maos and Stalins that also gifted the world the many great things that sustain it even among all the chaos, violence and bloodshed.The very same power that created the ghouls was also rsponsible for the saints.<br> The atheist who was a communist fellow -traveller as well was incensed and put this poser : If God can be credited with both the good along with the evil, what is wrong in seeing the deeds of Stalin and Mao in the same light? The bloodbath that they are held responsible for was all for a great cause and resulted in the benefit of a vast majority of their people besides inspiring struggles against oppression and slavery around the world..Why can't the sufferings they caused be seen as collateral damage in the pursuit of a great world order? Well what do you think...? </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/01/15/the_good_and_the_evil_that_man_and_god_d~1556160/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>In one of our regular bull sessions, an atheist friend posed this question : Where was God when the holocaust happened? If He was full of compassion and peace for all of mankind , what was He doing when the atom bombs fell and when umpteen other horrendous things were happening around us and possibly around Him as well ? This provoked some interesting reactions. Most were likely to go along with the argument that there were indeed times when one doubted the existence of a merciful God.But the one that carried some weight of logic was that it was the same power or God that created the Polpots , Maos and Stalins that also gifted the world the many great things that sustain it even among all the chaos, violence and bloodshed.The very same power that created the ghouls was also rsponsible for the saints.
The atheist who was a communist fellow -traveller as well was incensed and put this poser : If God can be credited with both the good along with the evil, what is wrong in seeing the deeds of Stalin and Mao in the same light? The bloodbath that they are held responsible for was all for a great cause and resulted in the benefit of a vast majority of their people besides inspiring struggles against oppression and slavery around the world..Why can't the sufferings they caused be seen as collateral damage in the pursuit of a great world order? Well what do you think...?

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]]>Mt.Kailashttp://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/01/10/title~1536184/2007-01-10T08:15:43+01:00 <p><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/srv/media/media_item.php?item_ID=1089096" title="Mt.Kailas"><img src="http://data2.blog.de/media/096/1089096_36a3daf6b6_s.jpg" alt="Mt.Kailas" vspace="5" hspace="5"></a><br> In the still,cold heights of Himalayas is Siva, the Destroyer (of desire ) in the Hindu Trinity enthroned. Kailas is His abode.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/01/10/title~1536184/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>Mt.Kailas
In the still,cold heights of Himalayas is Siva, the Destroyer (of desire ) in the Hindu Trinity enthroned. Kailas is His abode.

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]]>Neelkurinji,http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/01/10/title~1536142/2007-01-10T07:55:18+01:00 <p><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/srv/media/media_item.php?item_ID=1089064" title="Neelakurinji"><img src="http://data2.blog.de/media/064/1089064_22c9c7e515_s.gif" alt="Neelakurinji" vspace="5" hspace="5"></a> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/01/10/title~1536142/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>Neelakurinji

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]]>Aping Apes Is Good Business.http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/01/10/aping_apes_is_good_business~1536089/2007-01-10T07:11:51+01:00 <p> A zoo in Australia has displayed humans in monkey cages for public to view. They behave like monkeys entertaining visitors, even checking each other for lice. In the evenings they are allowed to go home. This is a part of a study researching the behavior of primates in captivity.<br> Conversely, I wonder, if monkeys would behave the same way as humans if they are put in human conditions for a sufficient length of time. Of course there are many humans who act like apes even without being put in ape-like conditions.Many of them occupy positions of power in industry, academics, politcs shaping destinies of other people and of even whole nations.At times monkey business is good business ! </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://transparent.blog.co.uk/2007/01/10/aping_apes_is_good_business~1536089/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> A zoo in Australia has displayed humans in monkey cages for public to view. They behave like monkeys entertaining visitors, even checking each other for lice. In the evenings they are allowed to go home. This is a part of a study researching the behavior of primates in captivity.
Conversely, I wonder, if monkeys would behave the same way as humans if they are put in human conditions for a sufficient length of time. Of course there are many humans who act like apes even without being put in ape-like conditions.Many of them occupy positions of power in industry, academics, politcs shaping destinies of other people and of even whole nations.At times monkey business is good business !

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