Barsana Dham

The last Saturday's Austin American Statesman featured a full-page article on Barsaha Dham of Austin.

The organization said it donates millions of dollars to charity, much of it to Indian hospitals, including two it built and operates. Its umbrella organization, Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat, recently announced that it was building a university in India and had donated $448,000 to assist flood victims in India. Barsana Dham took in evacuees from Hurricane Ike.

Good to know that they are doing a lot of charity work. As I wrote before, Barsana Dham is a beautiful place, has a gorgeous interior (esp. the ceiling resembling the sky), and is filled with nice people who don't push visitors to join the organization or donate money. Also, they serve delicious lunch/prasad on Sundays!

But I just don't get the concept of Swamijis. I find it really odd when humans start behaving like they are Gods.  I feel that these Swamijis are not immune to human frailties.  Given the favorable conditions, their weaknesses probably are subdued; for the same reason why a normal person wouldn't feel compelled to steal a loaf of bread. On one side, they keep implying that they are merely mortal God's dogs.  At the same time, when people treat them like deities, they don't seem to object too much.  

In India, a decent number of sanyasis don't seem to care about their chassis (bodies), let their beard and hair grow wildly, while they are working on cleaning their engine (i.e., purifying heart).  I mean, I came across a few people who were living way more modestly when compared to the means available to them. 

In few swamijis I came across in the US (not sure if this is a representative sample), I failed to notice any signs of renunciation. They maintain well-manicured beards, wear expensive silk garments, and allow gold rings to adorn their fingers.  It is like sticking to diet coke (i.e., preaching) while consuming cheese cake and pizza as staple diet (i.e., practice)!

Anyway, like our good friend Harini rightly says (and I agree with), the bottom line is, they are helping the the poor and speaking kind words, and we should respect them for that.

Photo: Sadhu Soccer by Phronesisaical

Suspended Chronimation

Picture source: Epotpourri

Why do analog watches/clocks typically show a time of ten past ten in their commercials? According to Snopes, it is not because Lincoln or Kennedy was shot at that time; they didn't receive their lead injections around 10:10.   

A couple of (reasonable) reasons I came across are: (1) As Snopes said, the businesses typically display their logos right below 12 (XII). When an analog watch/clock shows 10:10, the name of the business will be wedged between the hands of the clock, drawing consumers' attention to it. (2) 10:10 shows the shape of a smiley face, imprinting a positive image on the viewers. Fishing lures come in all shapes and sizes!

Photo source: Wide-Eyed Designs

“Enemy fighters at two o'clock!
Roger. What should I do until then?”

The Empire Strikes Back

Microsoft (MS) recently started airing a new "I am a PC" commercial on TV (see the second 1-minute video below).  I was wondering about the message it was trying to convey through this ad.  To begin with, looks like Mr. Bill Gates (or his mob) was ticked off by Apple's ads, like the one on Vista OS (see the 30-second video below).  But shouldn't a counter ad be based on some content? Apple claims that their machines are powerful and simple.  One would think that MS would attempt to dispute that.

But the new ad appears to be focused on one thing - Most of the world (including many celebrities) uses PC, therefore, it has to be good.  Well, a few centuries ago, the church used similar logic with its geocentric doctrine!  Secondly, with its $300 million ad campaign, MS is thumping its chest gloating its size.  Again, Goliath was in this boat before:-) 

Fulton's Law of Gravity

Cartoon Source: APS Physics

Recent events started drilling in the law-law land of my brain, and began extracting all the simple laws of nature discovered by the people who assert that Murphy was an optimist! Apparently necessary band-aid bailouts, and investor's response to these measures reminded me of Fulton's Law of Gravity.

The effort to catch a falling, breakable object will produce more destruction than if the object had been allowed to fall in the first place.

Pot Calling the Kettle Black

Caricature source: Small Room

Here is something for Pravda's humor section! Dick Cheney on Russia's involvement in Georgia:-)

That is no way for a responsible power to conduct itself

Vique's Law

A man without religion is like a fish without bicycle - Vique's Law

Picture: Basscycle by Holly Berry

Boloji says,

...it may be worthwhile to analyze why and how an unorganized religion like Hinduism could survive all these thousands of years. The simple answer is because it was never organized. If religion is for realization of God, then organized religion is definitely an oxymoron which can never succeed in practice. Leave it unorganized and Hinduism shall always remain a Sanatana Dharma with no beginning and no end. All that is required is physical protection for the followers but never the faith as such.

These are pretty much my thoughts too. Once we start religious franchises, the absolute power will start corrupting absolutely.

The Best Card Trick in the World

The following video had over 10 million hits!  Though I smelled a rat on that Hindu Shuffle that I used to use while I was a kid, I couldn't figure this magic out.  The next video (below) shows how this magic was done.  But before you watch it, I suggest that you observe the trick a couple of times, and try to figure it out by yourself.  Enjoy! 

And, here is the spoiler.  This is the negative (albeit small) aspect of internet boom.  With the world at our finger tips, nothing surprises us any more.  Those great feelings of sense of wonder and awe are being eroded faster than the polar ice caps.