Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM)

One of my colleagues was ordained online, and performed matrimony of another colleague (who is an atheist with orthodox Christian upbringing) at his house! Fortunately, practices like this are not prevalent (at least, not yet). It is good that the TTD doesn't offer on-line Kalyanams (on accepting payments through PayPal/Visa/Amex) with Names, Gotras, and Nakshatras inserted into mantras in a synthetic voice (based on data from online application). Then, we probably will be able to buy Tirupati prasadam 24/7 in vending machines all over India (and abroad)! This would be one good way of sucking the spirit out of rituals. I think efficiency is not always a good thing.

I heard of this FSM from the guy who got married - It takes all kinds of beliefs (and non-believers) to make this world an interesting place. The following is a letter by the followers of FSM to the Kansas School Board

Open Letter to the Kansas School Board

I am writing you with much concern after having read of your hearing to decide whether the alternative theory of Intelligent Design should be taught along with the theory of Evolution. I think we can all agree that it is important for students to hear multiple viewpoints so they can choose for themselves the theory that makes the most sense to them. I am concerned, however, that students will only hear one theory of Intelligent Design.

Let us remember that there are multiple theories of Intelligent Design. I and many others around the world are of the strong belief that the universe was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster. It was He who created all that we see and all that we feel. We feel strongly that the overwhelming scientific evidence pointing towards evolutionary processes is nothing but a coincidence, put in place by Him.

It is for this reason that I’m writing you today, to formally request that this alternative theory be taught in your schools, along with the other two theories. In fact, I will go so far as to say, if you do not agree to do this, we will be forced to proceed with legal action. I’m sure you see where we are coming from. If the Intelligent Design theory is not based on faith, but instead another scientific theory, as is claimed, then you must also allow our theory to be taught, as it is also based on science, not on faith.

Some find that hard to believe, so it may be helpful to tell you a little more about our beliefs. We have evidence that a Flying Spaghetti Monster created the universe. None of us, of course, were around to see it, but we have written accounts of it. We have several lengthy volumes explaining all details of His power. Also, you may be surprised to hear that there are over 10 million of us, and growing. We tend to be very secretive, as many people claim our beliefs are not substantiated by observable evidence. What these people don’t understand is that He built the world to make us think the earth is older than it really is. For example, a scientist may perform a carbon-dating process on an artifact. He finds that approximately 75% of the Carbon-14 has decayed by electron emission to Nitrogen-14, and infers that this artifact is approximately 10,000 years old, as the half-life of Carbon-14 appears to be 5,730 years. But what our scientist does not realize is that every time he makes a measurement, the Flying Spaghetti Monster is there changing the results with His Noodly Appendage. We have numerous texts that describe in detail how this can be possible and the reasons why He does this. He is of course invisible and can pass through normal matter with ease.

I’m sure you now realize how important it is that your students are taught this alternate theory. It is absolutely imperative that they realize that observable evidence is at the discretion of a Flying Spaghetti Monster. Furthermore, it is disrespectful to teach our beliefs without wearing His chosen outfit, which of course is full pirate regalia. I cannot stress the importance of this enough, and unfortunately cannot describe in detail why this must be done as I fear this letter is already becoming too long. The concise explanation is that He becomes angry if we don’t.

You may be interested to know that global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters are a direct effect of the shrinking numbers of Pirates since the 1800s. For your interest, I have included a graph of the approximate number of pirates versus the average global temperature over the last 200 years. As you can see, there is a statistically significant inverse relationship between pirates and global temperature.

In conclusion, thank you for taking the time to hear our views and beliefs. I hope I was able to convey the importance of teaching this theory to your students. We will of course be able to train the teachers in this alternate theory. I am eagerly awaiting your response, and hope dearly that no legal action will need to be taken. I think we can all look forward to the time when these three theories are given equal time in our science classrooms across the country, and eventually the world; One third time for Intelligent Design, one third time for Flying Spaghetti Monsterism, and one third time for logical conjecture based on overwhelming observable evidence.

Sincerely Yours,

Bobby Henderson, concerned citizen.

P.S. I have included an artistic drawing of Him creating a mountain, trees, and a midget. Remember, we are all His creatures.

Geography Bee - 2007

Watched Suneil Iyer (the name sounds like that of a PIO), a 12-year old, win the second prize in National Geographic Bee 2007 last week. I noticed that PIOs do well in Spelling Bee also. As we are not big on sports, I guess this is the closest competition to Rugby that we (Desis/ABCDs) Excel at! If outcomes of wars are decided based on Bees, India will become a Super Power a lot faster! Here is the full story.

What city, divided by a river of the same name, was the imperial capital of Vietnam? The answer to this question — Hue — won 14-year-old Caitlin Snaring from Redmond, Wash., a $25,000 college scholarship Wednesday at the 19th annual National Geographic Bee. Caitlin is only the second girl to win in the bee's history.

"I don't know why more girls aren't interested in geography," she told reporters after winning the championship round. "I wanted a girl winner this year."

This was Caitlin's second time representing Washington state at the competition which challenges 10-to-14-year-old knowledge of geography, culture and geology. Last year she was eliminated in the preliminary round. Her father, David Snaring, said she started studying for the 2007 bee the day after her loss. She even studied while attending her brother's baseball games, he said.

This time around, Caitlin did not miss a single question in two days of intense competition.

During her introductory banter with the bee's moderator, "Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek, Caitlin revealed that her other passion is studying the history of pottery and making ceramic replicas. Recently, her interests have been particularly captured by Greek and Minoan pottery, she said.

Besides her father, Caitlin was joined by her mother, Traci Snaring, and 13-year-old brother, Carl. Her grandmothers, Selma Snaring and Betty Hedge, also attended.

Suneil Iyer, 12, from Olathe, Kan., came in second. He won a $15,000 college scholarship. Third-place contestant, Mark Arildsen, 13, from Nashville, Tenn., won a $10,000 college scholarship. All of the top 10 finalists won $500 for advancing beyond the preliminary round.

Fifty-five participants between fifth and eighth grade came to Washington, D.C., to compete in the national bee. They represented the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Pacific Territories and the Department of Defense dependent schools. The group was narrowed down to 10 finalists during the first round of competition Tuesday.

Paint Your Wagon

Today, enjoyed the movie Paint Your Wagon (1969) and some of the lyrics in this musical. Here are some quotes I liked from this movie.

Conversation between Mrs. Fenty (religious) and Ben (a drunkard)

Mrs. Fenty: You should read the Bible, Mr. Rumson.
Ben Rumson: I have read the Bible, Mrs. Fenty.
Mrs. Fenty: Didn't that discourage you about drinking?
Ben Rumson: No, but it sure killed my appetite for readin'!

Pardner: Ben, how's married life?
Ben Rumson: Pardner, it was so good that I forgot that I was married.

Horton: Mr. Rumson, I swore I wouldn't tell anyone. I hope that means except my father and mother.
Ben Rumson: That means especially your father and mother.
Horton: But I've never kept anything from them before.
Ben Rumson: Well, it's time you started. Because when you do, a whole new world opens up.

While a Parson was chiding the citizens of No Name City for their vices:

Parson: Ye godless jaspers! Who are ya? Freemasons? Rosicrucians? Heathen emissaries from the depths of Babylon? Boozers! Gluttons! Gamblers! Fornicators!
Steve Bull: Whassa fornicator?
Haywood Holbrook: I dunno. I ain't a religious man.

Finally, the lyrics of the song, the first thing you know (liked the pun with "arson"):

God made the mountains
God made the sky
God made the people
God knows why

He fixed up the planet
As best as He could
Then in come the people
And gum it up good

The first thing you know

They civilized the foothills
And every weary put hills
The mountains and valley below
They come along and take 'em

And civilize and make 'em
A place where no civilized
Person would go

The first thing you know
The first thing you know

They civilize what's pretty
By puttin' up a city
Where nothin' that's
Pretty can grow

They muddy up the winter
And civilize it, into a place
Too uncivilized
Even for snow

The first thing you know

They civilize left
They civilize right
Till nothing is left
Till nothing is right

They civilize freedom
Till no one is free
No one except
By coincidence, me

The first thing you know
The boozer's in prison
And the criminally isn't

And only the rascals have gone

When I see a parson
I gotta put my arson in
A wagon that follows the tail of a crow

The first thing you know
I pick up a growl
The first thing you know

Memorial Day (05.28.07)

I think one good way (for the leaders) of observing Memorial Day is by ensuring that the list of soldiers added to the next year's commemoration is minimized. While offering his respects today, I wish that President Bush would acquire wisdom, gather courage, admit that the war in Iraq is being fought for a wrong cause, and order the troops to pull out of Iraq ASAP. I realize that it is hard for any of us to admit our own big faults. But shouldn't the leader of the free world be a little different than the rest?

Some argue that if the troops are pulled out of Iraq now, the world would perceive the US as a coward, ergo, the status quo - stay the course. It appears that hundreds of soldiers are dying in this wrong war (along with thousands of innocent civilians on the other side of the line) predominantly to satiate the ego of the leaders (and their constituents). Here is a comic strip I loved from yesterday's Austin American Statesman about the Mission Accomplished.

Trans-Neptunian Object (TNO)

To the disappointment of many elementary school kids, Pluto was removed from the list of planets in our solar system by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in August 2006. I heard about this in the news last year and I have been thinking on checking into this a little more closely. Here is some information I gathered on Pluto, TNO, and what prompted Pluto's honorable discharge from the elite planetary group.

Pluto is different

It is smaller than they thought at first, even smaller than Mercury. Yet, yet it has a sizeable moon, Charon

Its path around the Sun is more elongated than the other planets. It is so elongated that it is closer to the Sun than Neptune for about 20 years of its 248-year orbital period.

Another oddity about Pluto is the inclination of its orbit. All the other planets follow paths in a narrow band within the boundaries of the constellations we call the zodiac, but Pluto's orbit takes it well above and below that band.

TNO

In 1992, astronomers began finding smaller Pluto-like bodies in the distant reaches of the Solar System called the Kuiper (KI-per) Belt. In 2002, when nearly 100 Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) were already known, astronomers found a particularly large one, about half the size of Pluto, that they named Quaoar (kwa-oh-wahr) after a creation god of the Native American Tongva tribe. Its discovery was especially big news since it orbits the sun once in 288 years and has a more planet-like orbit than Pluto-Charon (more circular and less inclined).

Scientists who study the way planetary systems formed have been speaking for years about a region far beyond the Kuiper Belt where many comets are born. Called the Oort Cloud, it is full of icy bodies that orbit the sun at about thirty times the distance of Pluto. In November 2003, astronomers observed a large icy body far beyond Pluto. By March 2004, they recognized that it was the first known Oort Cloud object. They named it Sedna for the Inuit goddess of the ocean, and reported a number of details about it and its orbit.

Sedna is nearly as red as Mars, but too far away and dim for scientists to determine what is is made of (besides ice). Because it is nearing its closest point to the Sun, Sedna is experiencing a warm spell. Its temperature is probably a balmy 240 degrees below zero Celsius (400 degrees below zero Fahrenheit). At its most distant point, it will be many degrees colder. The best estimate of its size is 1700 kilometers (1000 miles), halfway between Pluto and Quaoar. That's large enough for the NASA news release to call it a "planet-like body."

On July 29, 2005, Dr. Mike Brown of the California Institute of Technology announced that he and fellow astronomers Chad Trujillo (of the Gemini Observatory in Hawaii) and David Rabinowitz (of Yale University) had found a world bigger than Pluto. On October 31, 2003, they first photographed it using the Samuel Oschin Telescope at Palomar Observatory near San Diego. But it is so far from the Sun that it moves very slowly across the sky. (Its orbital period is 560 years.) The astronomers only detected that motion when they took a second look at their images in January, 2005. By early 2006, they had determined that it is approximately 3000 kilometers (nearly 1900 miles) in diameter, or almost as large as Earth's Moon.

Finally, Why isn't Pluto a Planet?

It is not a planet because it did not fit the definition of a planet per the following IAU's Resolutions 5 and 6 adopted in August 2006 in Prague.

RESOLUTION 5: Definition of a Planet in the Solar System
Contemporary observations are changing our understanding of planetary systems, and it is important that our nomenclature for objects reflect our current understanding. This applies, in particular, to the designation "planets". The word "planet" originally described "wanderers" that were known only as moving lights in the sky. Recent discoveries lead us to create a new definition, which we can make using currently available scientific information.

The IAU therefore resolves that planets and other bodies, except satellites, in our Solar System be defined into three distinct categories in the following way:
(1) A planet is a celestial body that: (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (c) has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit. (2) A "dwarf planet" is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape,(c) has not cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit, and (d) is not a satellite. (3) All other objects,except satellites, orbiting the Sun shall be referred to collectively as "Small Solar System Bodies".

RESOLUTION 6: Pluto
The IAU further resolves: Pluto is a "dwarf planet" by the above definition and is recognized as the prototype of a new category of Trans-Neptunian Objects.

Telugu PunTulu

If you cannot speak and read Telugu, sorry, this blog post will not make any sense to you.

While I was enjoying the Pun-off, I was wondering if we have the concept of puns in Telugu. Then I had a recollection of this అష్టావధానమ్ program that I attended at A.U. Assembly Hall in my previous life.

I very well remember the name of the అష్టావధాని (who was a Telugu teacher, I heard) - శ్రీ మేడసాని మొహన్. At one point in this event, while Sri. Mohan was busy counting the bell rings and the drums beats (as a part of the eight tasks that he was supposed to be performing), one of the judges asked him to describe a Brahmin meal, using the words పంది and కోడి!! As his response on pondering for a few minutes, Sri. Mohan started narrating decoration of the hall and the feast of a marriage ceremony by "ఆకాశమంత పందిరి వేసి, వేడి వేడి పకోడి పెట్ట..." (meaning: they built a sky-high mandapam for marriage, and during the feast, they served gharam gharam pakodi). I was impressed!

Azim Premji's Message to Wiproites

My childhood buddy Raama forwarded me the following information and the photograph a month or so ago. This article was published in Times of India (Bangalore) on April 12, 2007.

Over 60,000 Wiproites have received some powerful advice from their big boss, Azim Premji, chairman, Wipro Ltd. In an e-mail sent on April 9, the software czar shared his successes, setbacks and the lessons he learnt during his corporate journey. TOI brings you some excerpts from that as we believe Premji's message can cut across multiple business domains to benefit millions of employees and employers, and not just Wiproites

Dear Wiproite,

My own successes and setbacks along the way have taught me some lessons. I wish to share them with you and hope you will find them useful.

Lesson #1: Be careful to ask what you want. You may get it.

What this means is that do not ask too little either of yourself or the others around you. What you ask is what you get. When I look back at the time when I joined Wipro, I was 21. If you ask me whether I thought that Wipro would grow so by someday, the honest answer is that I did not. But neither did I think it would not. We constantly stretched ourselves to higher and higher targets. Sometimes, it seemed possible, sometimes fanciful and sometimes plain insane. But we never stopped raising limits. And we got a lot more than what we bargained for.

Lesson # 2: Respond, don't react

Always be aware of your emotions and learn to manage them. There is a huge difference between people who react impulsively and those who can disengage themselves and then respond at will. By choosing to respond differently, we can prevent another person from controlling our behaviour. I remember a small story that illustrates this well. There was once a newspaper vendor who had a rude customer. Every morning, the customer would walk by, refuse to return the greeting, grab the paper off the shelf and throw the money at the vendor. The vendor would pick up the money, smile politely and say, Thank you, Sir. One day, the vendor's assistant asked him, Why are you always so polite with him when he is so rude to you? Why don't you throw the newspaper at him when he comes back tomorrow? The vendor smiled and replied, "He can't help being rude and I can't help being polite. Why should I let his rude behaviour dictate mine?''

Lesson # 3: Intuitions are important for making decisions

It is important to realise that our intuition is a very important part of decision making. Many things are recorded by our subconscious. Use both sides of the brain. Even that is not enough. Some decisions need the use of the heart as well. When you use your mind and heart together, you may get a completely new and creative answer.

Lesson # 4: Learn to work in teams

The challenges ahead are so complex that no individual will be able to face them alone. While most of our education is focused in individual strength, teaming with others is equally important. You cannot fire a missile from a canoe. Unless you build a strong network of people with complimentary skills, you will be restricted by your own limitations. Globalisation has brought people of different origins, different upbringing and different cultures together. Ability to become an integral part of a cross-cultural team will be a must for your success.

Lesson #5: Never lose your zest and curiosity

All the available knowledge in the world is accelerating at a phenomenal rate. The whole world's codified knowledge base (all documented information in library books and electronic files) doubled every 30 years in the early 20th century. By the 1970s, the world's knowledge base doubled every seven years. Information researchers predict that by the year 2010, the world's codified knowledge will double every 11 hours. Remaining on top of what you need to know will become one of the greatest challenges for you.

The natural zest and curiosity for learning is one of the greatest drivers for keeping updated on knowledge. A child's curiosity is insatiable because every new object is a thing of wonder and mystery. The same zest is needed to keep learning new things. I personally spend at least 10 hours every week on reading. If I do not do that, I will find myself quickly outdated.

Lesson # 6: Put yourself first

This does not mean being selfish. Nor does it mean that you must become so full of yourself that that you become vain or arrogant.

It means developing your self-confidence. It means, developing an inner faith in yourself that is not shaken by external events. It requires perseverance. It shows up in the ability to rebound from a setback with double enthusiasm and energy. I came across a recent Harvard Business Review which describes this very effectively: No one can truly define success and failure for us. Only we can define that for ourselves. No one can take away our dignity unless we surrender it. No one can take away our hope and pride unless we relinquish them. No one can steal our creativity, imagination and skills unless we stop thinking. No one can stop us from rebounding unless we give up. And there is no way we can take care of others, unless we take care of ourselves.

Lesson # 7: Have a broader social vision

While there is every reason to be excited about the future, we must not forget that we will face many challenges as well. By 2015, we will have 829 million strong workforce. That will make India home to 18% of global working-age population. The key challenge is to transform that into a globally competitive work-force.

This will not be an easy task. Despite all the rapid economic expansion seen in recent years, job growth in India still trails the rise in workingage population. It is important that gains are spread across this spectrum, so that the divide between the employed and the under-employed, is minimised. Education is a crucial enabler that can make this growth as equitable as possible.

Lesson # 8: Play to win

Playing to win is not the same as playing dirty. It is not about winning all the time or winning at any cost. Playing to win is having the intensity to stretch to the maximum and bringing our best foot forward. Winning means focusing on the game. The score board tells you where you are going, but don't concentrate too much on it. If you can focus on the ball, the scores will move by themselves. I recently came across this story that I thought I would share with you. A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went into the kitchen. He returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal-some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite and asked them to help themselves to coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, you were more concerned about comparing your cups but what you really wanted was coffee. Yet you spent all your time eying each other's cups.

Now if life is coffee, then the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to contain life, but cannot really change the quality of life. Sometimes, by over concentrating on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee."

I wish you all every success in your career and your life.

B.C. and Dilbert

A couple of comics I liked from May 11, 2007 Austin American Statesman. The second one reminds me of recent tech support (for my computer) I received from HP in Chennai. Over all, I am really impressed by the knowledge and professionalism of the young and enthusiastic staff in Chennai (I called HP many times and my calls go to Chennai, every time - may be it's Tex support center!).

Once, this 22-year old (highly motivated) fresh graduate (she told me a bit of her story on the phone, while we were waiting for the machine to reboot) didn't have an answer to a compatibility issue I had with my Iomega drive. She tried really hard to find a solution - talked to a few of her colleagues and she even tried to hook me up with some HP tech support guy in Cairo, Egypt! She kept me on the phone for a couple of hours, but she found the solution. I have been making sure in such cases that their supervisors are made aware of their professionalism, by putting in a good word to the managers after the call.

O. Henry Pun-Off 2007

I had pun in the sun pretty much the whole day Saturday (05.19.07). Started the day with a 17-kilometer walk/jog on the Town Lake. In the afternoon, Rama and I went to the 30th Annual O. Henry Pun-Off World Championships (organizers called this event, Austin's thirty little secret!). We topped the day off with The Road to Austin concert sponsored by Freescale and watched Bonnie Raitt play guitar from a close distance. Though I am not too crazy about her music, we waited in a 1/2-mile long line for entry, as she is a famous singer who won nine Grammy's.

The coolest thing for the day was the Pun-off. I am impressed by the ability of some of the contestants who came up with a rapid fire of puns. The rules were simple: Two or 3 participants would go on stage. The judges give them a (random) topic and contestant #1 should fire a pun on that topic within 7 seconds or so. Then, #2 will have 7 seconds to come up with a pun on the same topic, and then it would be #3's turn. They keep taking turns - the last one standing wins.

Those who fail to come up with a pun and those who make more than two unsuccessful attempts get eliminated. They keep changing the topics very fast (the participants will not have prior knowledge of the list of topics). This event went on for about 5 hours as there were a large number contestants.

The judges and the emcees were real pundits with very keen sense of humor. They spun funny yarns on the names of the participants, pun topics, weather, ..., just about everything.

Here are some puns I liked from O.Henry Pun-off website punpunpun.com! I heard some of these b4. I provided links to a couple of items as they probably are not well known outside the US.

For a fencer to admit that he's been foiled is a hard thing touche.

When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds.

When you've seen one shopping center you've seen a mall.

Basic unit of laryngitis = 1 hoarsepower.

2000 mockingbirds = 2 kilomockingbirds.

Paradox: Two physicians.

Weight an evangelist carries with God = 1 billygram.

1,000,000 aches = 1 megahurtz.

When an actress saw her first strands of gray hair she thought she'd dye.

Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.

Ratio of an igloo's circumference to its diameter = Eskimo Pi.

A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.

A lot of money is tainted. 'Taint yours and 'taint mine.

A plateau is a high form of flattery.

The short fortuneteller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.

A bicycle can't stand alone because it is two-tired.

Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

Finally, here is a creation of Mr. Gary Hallock

We've Bin Laden him alone for years so why is George Bush so determined to kick Saddam's a#@ now? It's obvious he wants to divert America's attention from the tanking economy. I think he just wants to give Saddam a whoopin' of mass distraction.

Waging war in the midst of a recession is a sure fire way to put our economy into the tank. Speaking of things going into the tank, how about the price of gasoline lately? When I filled up with regular yesterday at my local Diamond ShamIraq station I sure felt sorry for the poor ethyls whose cars use premium. I'll bet they wish they would OPECed a more fuel efficient car. Even if this war is over quickly, it might still create a long termoil crisis ANWR likely to see troops drilling in Alaska soon.

The Turks are still not shore they want us to Ankara ships on their soil so Bush appears ready to take Kuwait and sea attitude. Christian soldiers in our Navy have always been able to warship freely in the open sea so I guess they may have to sortie things out for US. At any rate Bush seems pretty Syrias about pressing this war. So by April 15th I'm sure Saddam will wish he had arranged attack shelter to
cover his assets.

Why does Bush have such great attraction
To press for this bellicose action,
Our troops to amass
To kick Saddam's a#@
A whoopin' of massive distraction?

2007 O.Henry Pun-off Awards

The Good in Green Tea

An article from Parade

A cup of tea runneth over with health benefits. The antioxidants it contains—called catechins—a ppear to inhibit the growth of cancer cells and retard the development of arteriosclerosis by promoting dilation of the blood vessels and facilitating blood flow. They also may prevent the buildup of plaques in the brain, linked to Alzheimer’s. Green tea may even help you lose weight. (New metabolism-boosting energy drinks have added green tea extract.)

But scientists are perplexed by the fact that England, a nation of tea-drinkers, doesn’t report the same health benefits as other high tea-consuming nations. One recent theory: The British often add milk to tea, which may negate some of its benefits. A small study from Germany suggests that the culprit may be caseins, a group of proteins in milk, which interact with the tea to lower the concentration of catechins.

Since green tea drinkers usually don’t add milk, these findings apply primarily to those who prefer black tea. You still can drink tea with lemon, but lighten up on the milk.

Photograph extracted from TrekEarth

India - New Abode for Adobe

An interesting interview with Shantanu Narayen, COO of Adobe Systems published by Wharton on May 16, 2007. It is a long interview but it is an easy reading.

Adobe's Shantanu Narayen: India and Other Emerging Markets Are Going to Drive Trends in Software Evolution

While a number of Indian IT companies are expanding globally, several major U.S. IT firms are increasing their presence in India. Among them is Adobe Systems, which views India as an important development center and a growing market for its products.

Adobe's president and chief operating officer, Shantanu Narayen, works closely with CEO Bruce Chizen on the company's global strategy. Narayen grew up in Hyderabad, where his father ran an industrial plastics company and his mother taught American literature at Osmania University. Following the lead of his older brother, Narayen moved to the U.S. in 1984 to pursue a Master's degree in computer science at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, where he met his wife.

After graduation, Narayen and his wife moved to Silicon Valley where he landed a position at Apple. By studying nights while working at Apple, Narayen earned an MBA from Berkeley's Haas School of Business in 1993. After leaving Apple, Narayen did a stint at Silicon Graphics and then founded Pictra, an early entrant into the field of online digital photo sharing. Narayen joined Adobe Systems in 1998 and was appointed president and COO in January 2005.

In the second of a two-part interview with Knowledge@Wharton, Narayen discusses Adobe's strategy regarding India and global expansion. (In the first part, published in Knowledge@Wharton, he discusses Adobe's product strategy for the emerging trend of rich Internet applications.) An edited version of the conversation follows.

Knowledge@Wharton: Let's start with a basic question: What is Adobe doing in India, and how does that fit into the company's global strategy?

Narayen: First, we're a global company [with regard to] selling and marketing all our products. India is a huge market vis-à-vis ensuring that the publishing industry uses our product. Whether it's for newspapers or magazines or film, our products are used around the world.

In addition, we have a strong research and development facility there. We have two sites: one in Noida and one in Bangalore. We do advanced research and development -- including development of full products -- as opposed to traditional software maintenance, which is what a lot of companies do.

Third, given that we're in the enterprise business, we are increasingly partnering with other Indian companies, helping businesses automate their manual inefficient processes. Partnering with companies like TCS, Wipro and Satyam to be systems integrators for our products is also part of our strategy.

Knowledge@Wharton: What did you initially decide to do in India, and how has your strategy evolved?

Narayen: The origination of the India campus came from Naresh Gupta, our managing director in India. In 1997 he was thinking of going home, and he talked to [Adobe co-founder] John Warnock, who said, "Why don't you set something up for us in India?"

It's something we've done at other sites. We had an engineer who wanted to go back to Minnesota, so we set up a research and development site there. The original idea [for India] was Naresh saying, "I'm going home." I came on board in early 1998. There were three people on the India campus at that point. Since I was of Indian origin, I was asked to manage it -- because I don't think anybody else really knew what to make of it at that point.

That's how it started. [Gupta] always had a very clear vision of what he wanted to do, which was to hire the top talent that existed in India -- not set up yet another maintenance center, but to do advanced research and development. He has stuck to his vision. We now have close to 800 or 900 people between our two facilities, and we do great stuff there. We develop components for virtually every one of our products.

Knowledge@Wharton: What are examples of the kind of work that's being done there?

Narayen: The [Adobe] Reader for mobile devices was completely done in India. We actually now have a full-fledged business unit there.

Maybe I should take a step back and talk about the evolution of the India campus. We first started by doing individual components. It was still research and development, but for individual components. The first component that we built in India in early 1998 was a tagged text filter for InDesign. As InDesign was coming to market, we recognized that we had to import text from other page layout applications. So we built components that allowed various file formats to be imported in a consistent way across our suite of applications.

Then we evolved to do complete products. We have taken some products that were more mature and products that we may not have been able to invest in from the U.S. and completely moved them to India, like PageMaker or FrameMaker.

We've started to run a complete business unit out of India -- the Print and Classic Publishing Business Unit, which Naresh runs. So, the product strategy [and] the business strategy driving the products happen in India. It's actually evolved over the last few years.

Knowledge@Wharton: In terms of your total business, how much does India account for?

Narayen: Anytime anybody asks me how we're doing in India, I ask them, "Do you mean revenue, or do you mean market share?" In [terms of] market share we're doing great, because everybody uses InDesign, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Flash or Premiere.

Revenue is terrible because of the amount of piracy that exists in India. We like that people are using our products. The anticipation is that as the indigenous software market evolves, intellectual property will be taken more seriously, and that will drive increased revenue.

Knowledge@Wharton: What are some of the challenges of operating in India, and how have you tackled them?

Narayen: On the sales and marketing side, one of the biggest challenges is piracy. We partner with the BSA, the Business Software Alliance, to try to demonstrate the value of intellectual property and to educate people. Adobe has always been founded on the belief that people are inherently trying to do the right thing. We believe that if we can educate people [about] what they are doing, that will lead them to do the right thing. The government of India has been supportive in our efforts to use them to further this education.

On the research and development side, hiring people poses greater challenges today than it did 10 years ago because there has been a massive explosion of companies doing business in India. Having said that, our attrition rate is pretty low. The India campus has always been rated one of the best places to work in India. While hiring may be a bit difficult, we're really pleased that once we hire, the attrition rate is much lower than at other companies.

The third thing is that doing software development on a global basis [means that] you have to mature the processes to enable yourself to do that. Adobe is a company that does research and development in San Jose; San Francisco; Seattle; Boston; Minnesota; Hamburg, Germany; Ottawa, Canada; Romania; Noida and Bangalore [in India]; and Japan. The evolution and the maturity of our processes allow us to do research and development around the world. I think we have matured our communication and understanding of best practices quite well.

Knowledge@Wharton: How do you manage that division of labor, especially when you're doing R&D in knowledge intensive work at different locations?

Narayen: Every year we have a fairly rigorous strategic planning process, and as part of that and the operating plan, we first look at the portfolio of all our products and try to understand what the core strategy of the company is. Once the strategy is determined, and as we translate that into an operating plan, each business unit looks at it from the perspective of: Where am I building centers of excellence?

Given that most business units have a presence in multiple engineering locations, they also build a location-by-location strategy. Naresh takes the lead in trying to drive a holistic look at the India strategy in terms of where the skill sets exist and what we should do. And then the senior management team sits down and makes decisions vis-à-vis what areas of competency are we going to invest in and in which research center.

Knowledge@Wharton: As a market for Adobe's products, how does India compare with China, Eastern Europe or other emerging markets?

Narayen: The volume of publishing that happens in India is tremendous. It's a publishing powerhouse, and virtually every [publisher] uses Adobe products. When I travel to India, Adobe is a household name for people. Photoshop is well understood; PDF is well understood. That's very gratifying. But the revenue is minuscule, frankly.

The other thing that's exciting is that I think India can be one of the places, [like] China, with a number of people who will access the Internet using a non-PC device rather than a PC. There's going to be new market development that happens in some of these emerging markets. I think you're going to see a lot more innovation emerge in those countries, whether it's the telephone network [or just that] people can't afford a PC and therefore are going to use an alternate device to access the Internet.

I'm particularly excited about what we are seeing in a number of these emerging markets like China, Korea, and India -- where, I think, you're going to see more innovation associated with software evolution on these devices.

Another trend that I think is going to impact our industry in a very significant way is hosted services, where software is going to be increasingly delivered through a server, and what we're doing with Apollo [a forthcoming Adobe platform that combines HTML, Flash and PDF to take web technologies outside the confines of the browser].

Since every individual in India may not own a PC, [such technologies would offer] the ability to store your data on a "cloud" and get your environment and access to all these applications irrespective of where you are. We believe that emerging markets are going to drive some of that trend.

Knowledge@Wharton: How do you solve the revenue challenge?

Narayen: We're there for the long haul. We do expect aggressive revenue growth rates. I think we will continue to invest in making sure that as the Indian economy explodes -- and it is certainly exploding -- that will drive more revenue.

Knowledge@Wharton: You mentioned that more R&D projects are moving to India. What's the response to this among people who work for Adobe in the U.S.? Is there an anxiety that high-intellectual content work is being off-shored?

Narayen: Adobe is really focused on growth. And as long as the company is growing well, we are investing across each of our campuses. We just recently acquired a new piece of land here in San Jose. As long as we are continuing to grow across each of our campuses, and as long as we are continuing to invest in innovative products, the folks in the company are motivated. I think if the U.S. economy goes through a downturn and there's growth in one location at the expense of other locations, then that's when people tend to get anxious.

Knowledge@Wharton: But right now it's not a zero-sum game?

Narayen: We've been growing across each of our campuses. We have tremendous opportunities available to us as a company. When you look at our creative community and what's happening with the video explosion; when you look at the enterprise and the fact that we're at the nascent stages of a business opportunity; when you look at mobile; when you look at knowledge workers and the need to collaborate; [when you look at] Apollo, which we believe will enable us to deliver a brand new paradigm for our applications -- we're really investing in the future.

Knowledge@Wharton: Is there a difference between your India strategy and your China strategy?

Narayen: In terms of our own presence there, I would say China is a little bit behind India. That's just a time issue. But whether it's China or Romania, where we recently bought a company, the reality is that it's a global economy. The world is flat, and you're finding tremendous talent everywhere. It behooves us as a company to tap into this talent.

I think the other thing that is happening is a number of these engineers who traditionally may have immigrated to the U.S. are choosing to stay in their countries. So, we want our products to be more appropriate for these local [geographies], and yet we want to tap into that talent for building products for the global market.

Knowledge@Wharton: You mentioned that your colleague Naresh wanted to go back to India. Do you see a lot of people at Adobe who are moving back?

Narayen: Five years ago in the India center a big question was, "What is the criteria for me to move to the U.S.?" There were a number of engineers who were wondering what they could do to move to the U.S. [Now] the desire for Indian engineers to move to the U.S. has slowed down to a trickle.

We are seeing more senior engineers who have had experience in the U.S. go back to India. But I wouldn't say it's been a huge amount of our hiring. We are still hiring. We hire very aggressively out of school. We believe that's a great talent pool. We target the top 10 or 15 institutions in India [for this purpose].

Knowledge@Wharton: Would you personally consider moving back to India?

Narayen: I'm a U.S. citizen; I'm well ensconced in Palo Alto, [California]. This is my home now.

Knowledge@Wharton: What do you do for fun?

Narayen: In addition to my family, two of my passions are golf and tennis. I have always been very passionate about tennis. Golf is a new passion. It's a humbling game.

Knowledge@Wharton: In talking about Adobe's product strategy, we asked you to look into the future. What will Adobe be doing in India in the next two to five years?

Narayen: What we do -- whether it's in research or development or marketing or giving back to the community -- is really part of a global strategy. We're certainly giving back in terms of community. We've adopted schools in India to work with and to provide them our software. Given how passionate we feel as a company about education and equipping the next generation of children to be exposed to technology, you'll see us do that, both in India and elsewhere.

Knowledge@Wharton: Overall, how would you summarize Adobe's strategy in India?

Narayen: The explosion of the Indian economy is going to offer a myriad of opportunities for us, both in terms of the talent and in terms of the market. And it's not just India. It's China, it's Eastern Europe -- we've invested a lot in Eastern Europe. So, while India is a little bit ahead by virtue of the fact that we started there first, the way we look at it is: How do we expand globally?

Amazingly Simple Home Remedies

I received this via e-mail from my colleague Phil.

1. If you are choking on an ice cube, don't panic. Simply pour a cup of boiling water down your throat and presto! The blockage will be almost instantly removed.

2. Clumsy? Avoid cutting yourself while slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop away.

3. Avoid arguments with the Mrs. about lifting the toilet seat by simply using the sink.

4. For high blood pressure sufferers: simply cut yourself and bleed for a few minutes, thus reducing the pressure in your veins. Remember to use a timer.

5. A mouse trap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button.

6. If you have a bad cough, take a large dose of laxatives, then you will be afraid to cough.

7. Have a bad toothache? Smash your thumb with a hammer and you will forget all about the toothache.

8. Sometimes, we just need to remember what the rules of life really are: You only need two tools - WD-40 and Duct Tape. If it doesn't move and should, use the WD-40. If it shouldn't move and does, use the duct tape.

9. Remember: Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.

10. Never pass up an opportunity to go to the bathroom.

11. Thoughts for the day: If you woke up breathing, congratulations! You get another chance.

Speller Trying to Cast a Spell?

An article about this Indian kid in Seattle Times. I read this article on Austin American Statesman on May 6, 2007.

Utah spelling whiz hopes win in bee can help bring parents back from India

GREEN RIVER, Utah — Great spellers come in all types, from egotistical showoffs to loners who find sanctuary in the forest of words. Kunal Sah, 13, an eighth-grader, is an angry speller. He lives with his uncle and aunt at the family-owned Ramada Limited Motel in Green River, a tough former railroad town in eastern Utah.

Sah is making himself into a great speller by way of unhappiness and the pressure he feels to reunite his family, which was ripped apart when his parents were sent back to India last year after being denied political asylum. He said he cried every day after his parents left. But as the spelling-bee season started and he began winning — becoming one of three students from Utah who will go to Washington, D.C, this month for the Scripps National Spelling Bee — he began to put his frustration into words.

Capturing the spotlight at the spelling bee, he said, could draw attention to his parents' case. The Indian news media have taken notice. An article in March in The Indian Express, an English-language daily newspaper, tried to capture the family's mix of pride and pain under the headline "Spelling bee whiz in U.S. motel room, parents in Bihar Village."

"What I want to do is win the nationals, and, if I do, then there is a chance that my mom and dad will have a better chance of coming back," Sah said, sitting on his bed. "The anger is pushing me," he said. "The anger is just telling me that yes, this year I have to win."

Green River played a role in the making of Sah the speller. He grew up in the town three hours southeast of Salt Lake City, after his family came in 1997 from California, where he was born a U.S. citizen. For the only boy of Indian heritage in a town of about 900 people, that might be lonely enough. But his parents, Kanhai and Sarita Sah, were strivers, bent on upward mobility, willing to work harder than the competition, staying open later, and trading up to a larger motel, the Ramada, after only five years.

How to Find If We Are "Rich" Enough?

My favorite story about knowing when you are rich is told about Joseph Heller, the novelist who wrote "Catch-22." At a fashionable party in Nantucket, someone pointed to another person at the party.

"He runs a hedge fund. He's worth $100 million or $200 million."

"He'll never have what I have," Heller responded.

"Oh? What could that be?" Heller's friend asked.

"Enough."

That story is a good thing to remember when you check where you are on my Wealth Scoreboard. You can find it on my Web site, www.scottburns.com. A search engine there can help you find columns you meant to save.

Source: Austin American Statesman, May 15, 2007

International No Pants Day

International No Pants Day was celebrated in Austin on May 4, 2007. These folks did their best to Keep Austin Weird.

Noticed that almost everyday of the year is some day. I was wondering if we should declare a "No Special Day". Unfortunately, this will beat the purpose and end up being a logical paradox like the statement "I am a liar".

Never Go Out to Eat on a Monday

A dining tip from From MSN Money

If you think that Monday, when restaurants tend not to be crowded, is a great time to eat out, think again. "You're being served all of the weekend's leftovers," says Francis, the exposé co-author. Kitchens prepare food on a first-in, first-out basis, meaning whatever is oldest gets served first. It's a way to ensure that everything on the menu is as fresh as possible.

The system works great most days, but it can run into a little glitch over the weekend. Distributors typically take Sunday off and make their last deliveries Saturday morning, which means that by Monday any food not used over the weekend is at least three to four days old. And it will be served before the same ingredients arriving in Monday's delivery.

What to do if you wish to dine out on a Monday? Ignore your instincts and go to a place that's perpetually crowded. "If you are open 24/7 and busy all the time," says New York chef Lucia Calvete, "all your ingredients are fresh all the time."

Mother's Day

My good friend Kiran thoughtfully initiated a small ceremony to celebrate and welcome Mother's Day (just noticed that the words sound similar to maatru deva!) at 12:00 AM today. We had an opportunity to offer our gratitude to all mothers in general, and to two wonderful mothers who were physically present in particular. Havish, Prapoorna and Kiran's (almost) 3-year old, graciously volunteered to blow the candle on Mother's Day cake!

From my personal experience, I strongly believe in the divinity of mothers (divinity is every where, but mothers tend to internalize it a lot better, through their unconditional love, I think). My father recently had overcome a very serious health threat, which doctor's called a miracle. I spoke to the physician and he said that my father's health recovery rate was unbelievable and that it was a pleasant surprise to him. I have a very strong feeling that my mother's prayers and positive vibes have a lot to do with his recovery. I think that transmission of positive energy by mothers have a lot to do with good things happening in children's lives. I am sure that the most of us had similar experiences.

On January 24, 1999*, my uncle, a scholar and a philosopher, took me for a walk in Tirupati, explained to me the power of Gayatri mata, and presented me the book Om Gayatri and Sandhya. Since Gayatri is considered Vedamata, I thought today would be a good day to reflect on Gayatri mantra. Here are some excerpts from an excellent book SUPER Science of Gayatri.

These four kinds of knowledge are off-shoots of that creative consciousness of Brahma which has been described in the ancient scriptures by the name of Gayatri. Thus, Gayatri is mother of four Vedas and it is, therefore, called Vedmata. Just as water manifests in four different forms of ice, vapour (cloud, dew, fog etc.), air (hydrogen,oxygen) and liquid, and fire manifests in the forms of burning, heat, light and movement, so also Gayatri manifests in the form of four Vedas, four kinds of knowledge. Gayatri is the mother and four Vedas her progeny.

It is also a blind belief promoted by retrogressive minds that Gayatri Sadhana is forbidden by shastras for women and low caste people (shoodra). All the children of God have equal rights to his gifts. Everybody uses the light of Sun and moon; air, water, river, tank, food etc. No particular caste can claim to have exclusive right in respect of any of them. God belongs to all, is all, and so His power, Gayatri,also belongs to all and is in all.

If persons living in India alone claim the right in respect of Gayatri what will happen to those Indians who have accepted citizenship of other countries? If Gayatri is regarded only for Hindus a ban will have to be imposed on those scientists who are conducting research in this respect in foreign countries. In fact, in this age of rationalism it is ridiculous to talk such absurdities.

The symbol of Gayatri Mata sitting on a swan means that the Sadhak should live a life of discriminating wisdom, purity and piety-like the royal swan (Rajhans). It is said about the Rajhans (royal swan) that it has the wisdom to discriminate good from the evil, to separate milk from water; to pick up only pearls and leave the pebbles. It never eats worms, insects etc. These are characteristics of a Rajhans. Ordinary swan lives on insects, cannot separate milk and water nor can it pick up pearls from the depths of the ocean.

Women have equal right with men to perform all Sadhanas relating to Gayatri described in this book. It has, however, been observed that housewives who are ever much busy in house-hold chores, who have small children to look after and are unable to maintain cleanliness cannot find time to take up difficult Sadhanas. They have to be provided with a technique of Sadhana which is easy and does not take much time. Those who cannot remember full Gayatri Mantra can make do with chanting the brief Panchakshari Mantra (Om bhoor bhuvaha Swaha).

Finally, here is Gayatri Mantra

ॐ भूर्भुव: स्वः ।
तत् सवितुर्वरेण्यं ।
भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि ।
धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात् ॥

Transliteration

oṃ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ
(a) tát savitúr váreniyaṃ
(b) bhárgo devásya dhīmahi
(c) dhíyo yó naḥ pracodáyāt

Translation

om The sacred sound, see Om.
bhū 'earth'
bhuvas 'atmosphere'
svar 'light, heaven, space'
tat 'that'
savitúr of Savitr the god' (genitives of savitr-, 'stimulator, rouser; name of a sun-deity' and deva- 'god' or 'demi-god')
varenyam 'Fit to be worshipped' varenya- 'desirable, excellent'
bhargo 'Glory Effulgence' (radiance, lustre, splendour, glory)
devasya 'of God'
dhīmahi 'may we attain' (1st person plural middle optative of dhā- 'set, bring, fix' etc.)
dhíyaḥ naḥ 'our prayers' (accusative plural of dhi- 'thought, meditation, devotion, prayer' and naḥ enclitic personal pronoun)
yáḥ pracodáyāt 'who may stimulate' (nominative singular of relative pronoun yad-; causative 3rd person of pra-cud- 'set in motion, drive on, urge, impel')

Meaning

In short it is a prayer to the Almighty Supreme God, the Creator of entire cosmos, the essence of our life existence, who removes all our pains and sufferings and grants happiness beseeching His divine grace to imbibe within us His Divinity and Brilliance which may purify us and guide our righteous wisdom on the right path.

I believe that one of the reasons for the down fall of our country is unwillingness of the learned to share their knowledge freely (probably for power and their job security). I am glad that it is freely available for everyone now.

* I don't attribute this recollection to my memory. I just noticed his signature and date on this book!

Slow Down Culture

Kumar, my fellow Yzagite sent me the following excellent write-up on Slow Down Culture. The author, a member of his REC-Warangal alumni Google group , believes that we can tap into our creative energies and produce better work product if we work at a relaxed pace. To support his belief, he shared his experience in working for Volvo for 18 years and the productivity of Swedes. I agree with him 100%. Critics of this relaxed work culture argue that slowing down would adversely affect the productivity and results in higher unemployment.

I sure think that a relaxed work culture nourishes creativity. We can clearly see the fruits of careful planning in high quality infrastructure (roads, buildings, utilities, etc.) available in the West. It is hard think from all angles and come up with a comprehensive and effective solution when jobs are done in haste. This is just one example. Most of the inventions that we are enjoying have originated in the West (at least, until now). I think slow-paced and systematic investigations have a lot to do this.

I think the West should strive to be self-sufficient (in food, energy, and basic needs) in order to preserve its relatively relaxed and distinctly superior work culture. If they are not self-sufficient, they may be forced to compete with nations where relaxed work culture is not valued. The West (mainly the US) needs to realize that they have enough resources to offer food and shelter for their citizens, and start conservation (buy smaller cars, smaller houses, build walkers/bikers-friendly roads etc.) to reduce their dependence on foreign countries (like on Saudi and Venezuela for oil).

So far, in our (esp. Desis and Chinkus) eagerness to get rich quick (which is OK), we are merely running sweat shops (for the most part) to cater to the needs of the West. I hope that we would strive for corresponding growth in the infrastructure to ensure sustenance of this growth - we have no lack of brain power.

For the most in the West, arts and entertainment are an integral part of their lives, which I think is a good thing. It is hard to be creative when we work 16 hours a day under constant deadlines. More and more in the West are in the process of realizing their mistake of identifying material wealth as the source of happiness. We don't have to be rich to be wealthy, richness is just a component of wealth. Au contraire, more and more of us (Desis) are joining the mad dash for material. Hopefully, we all (East and West) would realize the richness of simplicity soon.

Slow Down Culture

It's been 18 years since I joined Volvo, a Swedish company. Working for them has proven to be an interesting experience. Any project here takes 2 years to be finalized, even if the idea is simple and brilliant. It's a rule.

Globalize processes have caused in us (all over the world) a general sense of searching for immediate results. Therefore, we have come to posses a need to see immediate results. This contrasts greatly with the slow movements of the Swedish. They, on the other hand, debate, debate, debate, hold x quantity of meetings and work with a slowdown scheme. At the end, this always yields better results.

Said in another words:
1. Sweden is about the size of San Pablo, a state in Brazil.
2. Sweden has 2 million inhabitants.
3. Stockholm, has 500,000 people.
4. Volvo, Escania, Ericsson, Electrolux, Nokia are some of its renowned companies.

The first time I was in Sweden, one of my colleagues picked me up at the hotel every morning. It was September, bit cold and snowy. We would arrive early at the company and he would park far away from the entrance (2000 employees drive their car to work). The first day, I didn't say anything, either the second or third. One morning I asked, "Do you have a fixed parking space? I've noticed we park far from the entrance even when there are no other cars in the lot." To which he replied, "Since we're here early we'll have time to walk, and whoever gets in late will be late and need a place closer to the door. Don't you think? Imagine my face.

Nowadays, there's a movement in Europe name Slow Food. This movement establishes that people should eat and drink slowly, with enough time to taste their food, spend time with the family, friends, without rushing. Slow Food is against its counterpart: the spirit of Fast Food and what it stands for as a lifestyle. Slow Food is the basis for a bigger movement called Slow Europe, as mentioned by Business Week.

Basically, the movement questions the sense of "hurry" and "craziness" generated by globalization, fueled by the desire of "having in quantity" (life status) versus "having with quality", "life quality" or the "quality of being". French people, even though they work 35 hours per week, are more productive than Americans or British. Germans have established 28.8 hour workweeks and have seen their productivity been driven up by 20%. This slow attitude has brought forth the US's attention, pupils of the fast and the "do it now!".

This no-rush attitude doesn't represent doing less or having a lower productivity. It means working and doing things with greater quality, productivity, perfection, with attention to detail and less stress. It means reestablishing family values, friends, free and leisure time. Taking the "now", present and concrete, versus the "global", undefined and anonymous. It means taking humans' essential values, the simplicity of living.

It stands for a less coercive work environment, more happy, lighter and more productive where humans enjoy doing what they know best how to do. It's time to stop and think on how companies need to develop serious quality with no-rush that will increase productivity and the quality of products and services, without losing the essence of spirit.

In the movie, Scent of a Woman, there's a scene where Al Pacino asks a girl to dance and she replies, "I can't, my boyfriend will be here any minute now". To which Al responds, "A life is lived in an instant". Then they dance to a tango.

Many of us live our lives running behind time, but we only reach it when we die of a heart attack or in a car accident rushing to be on time. Others are so anxious of living the future that they forget to live the present, which is the only time that truly exists. We all have equal time throughout the world. No one has more or less. The difference lies in how each one of us does with our time. We need to live each moment. As John Lennon said, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans".

Congratulations for reading till the end of this message. There are many who will have stopped in the middle so as not to waste time in this globalized world.

Ethanol - Good or Bad?

I recently attended theTCEQ's Environmental Trade Fair at Austin Convention Center during May 1-3, 2007. This annual event is Texas' premier environmental educational forum, considered by many to be one of the best in the country. There were some very interesting presentations including information on methods for recovery of uranium ore without mining!

In this huge convention center with acres of indoor space, green vehicles such as hybrids and compressed hydrogen-fueled cars were displayed. People have great things to say about ethanol as a fuel additive and as an alternative. However, I recently came across an article that says that ethanol is not as good as we think.

Ethanol promoter Ethanol.org says:

Ethanol is a high octane, clean burning, American-made renewable fuel. Its production and use offer a myriad of benefits to the United States and its citizens.

The production of ethanol is an economic engine for the United States, adding value to U.S. agricultural products and bringing billions of dollars to the nation's economy each year. The use of ethanol reduces harmful auto emissions, offers consumers a cost-effective choice at the pump, and decreases the amount of expensive crude oil needed to satisfy the nation's thirst for transportation fuel.

FlyRod and Reel* says that ethanol does more harm than good

It all started in 1990 with amendments to the Clean Air Act, revolutionary in that they regulated not just how we burn gasoline but how we make it. In areas out of compliance with air-pollution standards, gasoline had to include at least two percent oxygen-containing chemicals (oxygenates), the better to combust carbon monoxide, toxic hydrocarbons, and smog-producing volatile organic compounds. There were only two choices--ethanol and the petroleum-based methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE). This was precisely what the cornbelt had fantasized about and lobbied for. Suddenly the moribund ethanol industry had a future. City air would become breathable. We'd have plenty of fuel. It was going to be a win-win-win.

But instead of cleaning up America, ethanol has added to the mess we're making out of our water and air. Now the Bush Administration has decreed that ethanol replace the far more efficient MTBE as an oxygenate. But with current refining technologies and anti-pollution paraphernalia on motor vehicles there's no need for any oxygenate, a fact the powerful agribusiness lobby doesn't want you to know. Under its withering pressure, Congress and the executive branch have committed the nation to ethanol as both oxygenate and fuel.

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 requires that US gasoline contain 7.5 billion gallons of ethanol by 2012, up from 4 billion. One hundred and one ethanol plants are online, and 44 are under construction. Eighty million US acres were planted to corn in 2006; and the ethanol boom will require 10 million more just in 2007. Ethanol, we are being told, is going to "reduce our dependence on foreign oil" and "lead us to energy independence." "Live Green, Go Yellow," effuses General Motors, one of the major roadblocks to fuel-efficiency standards. "Fill Up, Feel Good," gushes the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council, a front for agribusiness.

How will ethanol affect your fishing, apart from possibly ruining your outboard motor? (Ethanol does this in lots of ways. Just ask David Blinken, the famous Montauk fly-fishing guide, who recen-tly spent $25,000 pulling his deck, replacing his fuel lines and tank, extracting aluminum-oxide gum from his carburetors and basically rebuilding his twin 100-horse Yamahas.) First, no crop grown in the United States consumes and pollutes more water than corn. No method of agriculture uses more insecticides, more herbicides, more nitrogen fertilizer. Needed for the production of one gallon of ethanol are 1,700 gallons of water, mostly in the form of irrigation taken from streams either directly or by snatching the water table out from underneath them. And each gallon of ethanol produces 12 gallons of sewage-like effluent.

Ethanol plants are gross polluters of air and water, and because of the exorbitant price of natural gas some of the new ones will be coal-fired, adding to the already dangerous mercury content of fish. The response of the Bush administration has been a proposal to relax pollution standards for ethanol production. Under the conservation programs of the 1985 Farm Bill and its successors, some farmers are bootstrapping their way toward sustainable agriculture, but corn production still erodes topsoil about 10 times faster than it can accrete.

The toxic, oxygen-swilling stew of nitrates, chemical poisons and dirt excreted from the corn monocultures of our Midwest pollutes the Mississippi River and its tributaries, limiting fish all the way to the Gulf where it creates a bacteria-infested, algae-clogged, anaerobic "Dead Zone" lethal to fish, crustaceans, mollusks and virtually all gill breathers. In some years, depending on seasonal heat and water conditions, the Dead Zone can cover 8,000 square miles. And it's expanding.

No habitat is more important to fish and wildlife than wetlands. They filter out pesticides and sediments, and they consume phosphates and nitrates. At least 70 percent of the wetlands in the cornbelt have already been lost. But, in order to produce surplus corn for ethanol, remaining cornbelt wetlands are being drained. In some areas--Nebraska, for instance--corn has to be irrigated by pumps that suck water from the ground faster than it percolates back in. Both pumps and the ethanol plants themselves are powered by natural gas, the frenzied production of which is creating horrendous problems for fish and wildlife in the West.

Pimentel reports that ethanol, which yields only two-thirds the energy of gasoline, gets 45 times more federal subsidy per gallon than gasoline. "That's what's attracting all the flies," he says. All told, you and I are spending at least $3 per gallon on ethanol subsidies for a total of $6 billion per year. Without all this gravy train, Pimentel has calculated that the cost for 1.33 gallons of ethanol (the equivalent in energy yield to a gallon of gasoline) would be $7.12.

We do, however, possess the technology to build fuel-efficient automobiles. In the current charade designed by and for agribusiness we're allocating 18 percent of the corn we grow to ethanol, thereby cutting our petroleum consumption by one percent. But Patzek has calculated that if we doubled automobile fuel efficiency, we'd cut petroleum consumption by 33 percent or, put another way, we'd increase our petroleum supply by a third. It's a revolutionary concept that America has never tried. Fish-and-wildlife advocates are calling it conservation.

* I don't read this magazine. I don't even know of its existence until I came across this article. My colleague Dean, a professional bass fisherman, forwarded me this link.

Commercials During American Idol

I forced myself to watch American Idol (AI) a couple of times recently. Though I enjoyed the songs, the amount of time I spent on watching the commercials bothered me. I would rather watch these songs on my computer, where I need to watch only one commercial (which can be skipped easily) per song.

I was curious about the number of 30-second commercials they broadcast during AI. While watching the show on May 2, 2007, I made a list of commercials shown during this program (see spreadsheet at the bottom). I found that they aired 47 commercials and 5 public safety messages within one hour - about 39 minutes of actual program, and 21 minutes of commercials!

Thousands of children watch this program and many programs like this throughout their childhood. According to a report by the University of California at Berkeley in 2000, the FCC restricts the number of commercials during children's programming to 10.5 minutes per hour. So, the number of commercials aired during AI is about twice the recommended limit for the children.

As these commercials typically flash rapidly within a short period of time, I think watching them for prolonged periods will reduce our attention span and our conventional intelligence. We prefer to live free of door-to-door sales and unsolicited marketing phone calls. Imagine having hundreds of marketers invading our privacy in our living rooms every day. Sure, without sponsors, it would be hard for the broadcasting companies to bring quality programs on our TVs. For them, the bottom line is making a profit. We too need to ensure that the programs we watch are worth the price we pay in the form of donating our time to learn about various products (most of which are unnecessary).

The Source Book for Teaching Science says that an average child watches 20,000 commercials every year! A Stanford University report says that television viewing has substantial negative effects on children's health and behavior. TV can be a good learning and entertainment tool, if it is used wisely - moderation is the key.

Coming back to AI, the good thing is, this program raised $70 Million for charity in one week!

Texas Roundup 2007

Along with my colleagues Peter and Martin, I participated in Texas Roundup a couple of weeks ago, and finished the 10K race. This year's runners included some Olympians who finished 10Ks under 29 minutes! Along with the fun, free food and drinks at the finish line, we get four hours of administrative leave for participating in this event! Governer Perry came up with this idea to motivate people to get into shape or maintain their shape (some argue that round is also a shape!). Here are some pictures I took during this event.

Protesters at the Capitol, about children of the illegal immigrants held in jails along with their parents.

A NASCAR race car on display at the finish line


At the start line of the race


With LaShon, Martin, and Peter

Peter posing for a picture

One More Excuse for Eating a Pie!

From May 5, 2007 edition of Austin American Statesman.

Get ready for 2-3-4-5-6-7 early Sunday morning

On Sunday, for a second, time will get a little freaky. At 02:03:04 a.m. on 05/06/07, clock and calendar will align in a perfect pattern: 2-3-4-5-6-7. May be 2-3-4-5-6-7 doesn't have the glitz of June 6, 2006, (6-6-6) or even the upcoming July 7, 2007 (7-7-7). But how often does time get so interesting?

Quite often, actually. Take it from University of Texas math professor Lorenzo Sadun, who celebrated the mathematical concept pi — 3.14159 — with pumpkin pie on March 14 at 1:59 p.m.

"You find these fun little patterns all through the calendar, and they're fun to play with," Sadun said. "None of this has any deep significance."

Au contraire! All numbers mean something, Hutto numerologist Diane Parma says.

Add up 2-3-4-5-6-7 and you get 27. And 2 plus 7 is 9. And nine signifies humanity's global need for healing and understanding, Parma said.

"It means that we as a whole need to be more compassionate with each other," she said.

So, is it time to buy a lottery ticket? Or should we all hide under our beds and keep our trash cans inside?

"I would take your trash out," Sadun said. "Especially if it's smelly."