poli(many) ticks(blood sucking)

disclaimer: if you support DMK, or if you are a Vijay fan, or if you are in favor of telengana, this post is not for you.

"the CM of tamil nadu donates sarees and dhotis". soon, he would also start to donate underwear that has been made exclusively for the individual's size soon. Plans are on the anvil to hire a number of tailors from all across the city to take the measurements. There are also plans, that the CM is going to launch a scheme to donate free tata nanos to all people who live below the poverty line since that is exactly what they need, according to some senior researchers in the ILMCG(I love my CM group). wait, they are all above poverty line now. The CM also has offered to consider a cabinet proposal to take people to the moon when the bill for extraordinarily foolish spending is passed in the legislature. We asked the tramp on the road side for a reaction, he says: "I have a degree in BE, i have 5 years of experience in Operating systems, somebody, please give me a job, my government has ruined me with taxes...PLEASE *sobs uncontrollably, and starts to convulse*

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the finance minister has come out with a statement on the drastic reduction in the rates of inflation the last few days. figures show that the inflation rate has come down from 17.009812 to 17.009811 %, a whopping 0.00001,(or does it have another zero?). the news was greeted with cheer all across the country, as it was well received by the people living on the streets, in the slums and the workers who have been laid off. there are also reports that there is going to be a massive bust of the finance minister to be installed in the new delhi junction. It would provide a beautiful aesthetic component to the railway station which is otherwise world class in facilities-leaking toilets, improper flushes, open defecation, broken water dispensers. the bust would provide the well needed relief for the eyes, while all the other parts of the body start to rot.

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kalaignar TV has plans to broadcast latest mega hit movie vettaikaran for pongal. when asked for reasons, the officials cited the enormous hilarity of the movie, and how this is a movie that would prove to be much more comical than any of the previous movies of its ilk. the movie has Dr.(suppressing a chuckle) Vijay, and some other insignificant people.

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I am going to win next time, says actor vijaykanth. participating in the national tournament for middle aged rich but not so rich and famous but not famous enough to win politicians, after losing the "how can you cheat the people best" to a better candidate who displayed incredible knack as a poltician, vijaykanth was quoted as saying that he would definitely win the contest next time. there was also Chandrasekhar from the TDP who won "how can you destroy the national integrity" contest with his amusing antics on the road.

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i wish i could stay away from politics, but once in a while, i hear news items like this: "DG of police charged with molesting his maid". He has two kids, makes a lot of money, and oh, he has a wife too.yes, she is pretty, that is why he wanted to sleep with his maid. please, grow some brains, or just do us all a favor and retire to tibet, or the hindukush mountains, where there are less human species you can bother.

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Arrange Marriage - Is good or bad?

A great fan of vijay TV "Neeya Naana". It is important to point out because through that program Tamil people living abroad exposed to realities and contemporary issues in Tamil Nadu. Some of the issues discussed were prevalent throughout tamil history but some were contemporary. Anyway, the topic here for discussion is "Arrange Marriage". After watching a session on "Hurdles faced by Love Marriages" in Tamil Nadu. It boggles the modern mind why is the arrange system still preferred in Tamil Nadu while the literacy rate and urbanization are on rise. The veracity of violence against love marriages are undeniably horrendous. The burning question today is why isn't society comfortable with love marriages or why is arrange marriage still preferred?

Some of the reasons that come to any informed mind are caste, creed and status. Arrange marriage can be categorized as process of forced selection, could not be termed natural selection. Tamil society is not fully or partially liberated from the shackles of caste or religion. Many tamils regard caste as something bigger than life which is absurd considering if that person is educated. Caste is still prevalent in society because every basic amenities provided by government wants to know your caste. As a result people are bound to think on the lines of caste. Even education which is needed for the liberation of brain is provided on the basis of caste.

Complex issue of religion is another hurdle in a free marriage system. Religion is going to stay even if society reforms on caste issue. Every human treats faith something above themselves. Major wars were/are mainly fought on the lines of different religious faith. So changing people attitude towards other religion is very perplex. Something oblivious to common man is status symbol. Economic reason is one of the predominant factors in deciding whom to marry. In arrange marriage system, all issues are easily sorted out and parents settle on groom or bride. But in love marriage, natural selection is at work. It is really hard to woo a girl in Tamil Nadu because of the binding traditional values. Apparently tamils are ranked as most conservative among other south indian states.

Arrange marriage should be in place for tamils because of the complex issues which are disallowing people to fall in love. Tamils who are out of wedlock can use arrange marriage system to marry. If we choose to live in an utopian world of love marriage in Tamil Nadu, then better luck next time because tamils might take another century or some to drop their age old caste, creed and status. But certainly falling in love is the most pleasant period of one's life, a sorrowful end to the beautiful beginning of arrange marriage in Tamil Nadu.

You can measure the circumference of the Earth too! Simple experiments-I

I have an unhealthy man-crush on Eratosthenes, even though he has been dead for close to two thousand and two hundred years ( I know it sounds odd and to some people sick, but listen to what I have to say for him and therefore in my defence). He had the nickname of beta as he proved to his friends that he was the second best in any field- he was a true polymath excelling in mathematics, astronomy, cartography; he was also a poet and an athlete! He was a man to be admired. I will outline his experiment where he calculates the circumference of the earth. The best thing about this is that anyone can do it for themselves! I mean this experiment is well over two thousand years old! I'll give a slightly revised edition as Eratosthenes did not know about meridians and latitudes

Let us assume that the earth is a sphere ( It is not exactly a sphere, but let us assume it!) We know that the rays of the sun are parallel to the earth. Let us take two places on the same meridian (or longitude or actual timezones :P), during the equinox. We take two sticks of equal length and take them to two places apart on the same longitude. The shadows cast by these sticks are then measured and their angle to the vertical is determined- this is akin to finding out the latitude. This has to be done at noon, when the sun is at it's zenith and the first stick will cast no shadow- while the second stick, some distance on the meridian will do so. This is a measure of the difference in latitude (Difference in angles to the vertical the shadows make). Now find the angles made by these shadows to the vertical and find their difference! Then finding the circumference of the earth is a piece of cake! Let a hairy Eratosthenes show you (Being hairy was manly then!)





You know the distance between the sticks, X- you know the difference between the angles, which is A. All you do is plug in the arc length formula and "Voila!" Solve for the circumference, S!

Eratosthenes was a bit lucky though- he got lucky with his guess for the distance between his sticks (one was in Alexandria and the other was in Ancient Syene and the ancients had a measurement system which was as reliable as a mule is easygoing and timid). Secondly the two cities were not on the same longitude, but were close enough to each other so that the result was not distorted beyond recognition. But still it was a very good estimate and he successfully calculated the circumference of the earth!

I know that we can't travel a good 800 kms just to measure sticks' shadow lengths! Use an atlas is all I can say! Unlike Eratosthenes, we are not paid to measure lengths of a stick (or two!). But it is still fun and some nice trivia and I was in a thoroughly nerdy mood, considering I am jobless and watching a whole lot of youtube!

What should be taught in Schools and Colleges?

After all these years of studying in Singapore, what I realise is that the education system has to change drastically to meet contemporary knowledge based economy.

Starting from secondary school education, our education system focus a lot on learning from the book. Every little thing taught in our schools here are focused on getting students to perform well at the O' level. I was so worried about getting good grades that I forgot to enjoy my life and learning life skills.

Even in JCs, loads and loads of information are thrown at us and we just simply study without even understanding why we are studying.

Even now as a University student, I certainly know that given any subject, I will score well. But, what’s the point? What is the need to emphasis on grades when no one cares about it at the end of the day when you apply for a job or even when you have secured a job.

I would suggest that our education system needs to change such that we allow students to expose themselves to different aspects of life. I would prefer yoga classes in secondary schools. I would force every student to develop some skills in arts. Currently only students whose parents are interested in getting their children to all these extra circular activities enrol them in such lessons. What about others? This is where our education system has to step in.

Our schools should aim to develop critical skills and analytical skills among students. I would say this is certainly lacking currently. The most importantly they should get rid of the “students listening to teachers' lessons” practice. Instead, they should hire three teachers for each lesson to guide students to do independent learning, which is a life skill essential to become successful.

And most importantly, during secondary and Junior College, the education system should be such that the University is just a continuation of their education instead of something totally new, which is the case at present.

I believe there are loads of space for improvement in our education system and I sincerely feel that the ministry should step in quickly and alter the system to be more practical and useful.

Inhuman Ministers

Please watch this video and also forwarded it to as many people as you can. I have posted two videos one in Tamil and other one in English. If you watch this video and introspect for a minutes, you would definitely understand that India will never ever become super power or any power. When we lack basic humanity, what do you expect Indians to achieve and what for? There are lots of questions lingering in my mind but certainly I feel ashamed of being Indian/Tamilian.

why south indians are not getting attacked in Australia

Has anyone heard if anyone named Narayanan or karthik or Kannan getting attacked in Australia? What do you think are the reasons why these names don't appear in the news?

Well, anyone can easily understand that, if you behave well in a class during your primary school days, your teachers would have liked you and would have taken care of you. Well south Indians certainly have been taught this lesson and they carry forward this attitude of behaving well where ever they travel.

South Indians, especially, Tamilians, are known for adapting well to different environment, be it harsh or easy going. They certainly know the limits of living in another country and how they should behave in order to mingle with the locals well or at least stay out of trouble.

The South Indians are certainly less egoistic and more practical than their counterparts. They know the objective of their stay in a country like Australia. They are there to study and earn a living; not to show off their dominance over others like Indians from certain regions of India always indulge in.

No matter how well developed they are, most South Indians remain humble and hope to improve their existing skills, instead of trying to portray an image that they are superior to the locals in every possible way. This humbleness sets South Indians apart from others and makes them desirable people, as opposed to getting stabbed by some extremists in Australians.

One has to understand that there has to be reasons for extreme behaviours of people, especially those coming from a developed nation like Australia. As long we South Indians stay humble, we are safe where ever we are.

Happy New Year

Hi readers,
Spotalks wishes every readers, a wonderful and prosperous new year ahead.

Regards

Sathiya