Quentin Tarantino is back !
Inglourious Basterds is having its premier in Cannes.
Of course, I am quite sure that this movie cannot be seen in Theaters in India. There would be too many censorship issues. In fact, a original VCD of Jackie Brown was pathetic to watch because of too many words being blocked out.
So, time to ask someone returning from abroad for a copy !
Shyam
Posted by Unknown at 8:42 AM
LTTE Prabakharan
Now that Prabakharan is dead, a vast majority of politicians in TamilNadu are left without a poll plank and a election meeting rhetoric.
While I am maintaining a neutral stand on the whole issue, in my opinion, LTTE lost whatever international support and political backing they could get with the assassination of their targets outside the Sri Lankan soil. The first was the murder of ERPLF leader Padmanabha in Madras and the second, of Rajiv Gandhi, once again near Madras.
Fighting for your cause using terror or peace is one thing, assassinating your opponents outside your soil is another thing. These two do not mix. This is amply evident from the last few days of the war between Sri Lankan army and LTTE. I did not see any international committee or country trying to step in and stop the fighting. While many might argue that the LTTE was betrayed by India, that kind of an argument fails to pass muster.
The Tamil minority population in Sri Lanka may have suffered at the hands of the Sinhalese majority. However, it is indeed pitiful that they became a collateral in the war between LTTE and the Sri Lankan army, with either sides playing a blame game.
If history taught us anything, it did teach us that as long as you choose a sword to fight for your cause, that cause never gets fulfilled. However, there are two shining examples of what can be achieved when you choose the opposite path for your cause, Gandhi and Nelson Mandela.
There is a Samurai saying I remember reading somewhere: "History of any war is written after the battle has been fought", meaning, any history of a war is the account of the man who stands living after the war.
Go
here to know more about Black July and the real history behind the war. A more neutral account is up
here.
Shyam
Posted by Unknown at 8:53 AM
IPL 2009 - Prediction
Much to the shock and awe of most of us watching IPL, I think Royal Challengers Bangalore is going to win this edition of IPL. As for Chennai Super Kings, well, as long as Nitini warms their benches, it is going to be a tough ask for them.
Shyam
Posted by Unknown at 8:51 AM
Small vs Big
Joel on software has this
interesting article on why B&H photo video store thrives even today.
I have my simple reasoning for this. Two years ago I bought my Nikon D40 DSLR from them. Till today, I get a book catalog from them, through international mail. While many, why even I would argue that this constitutes waste of paper, on a different level, I think this is their way of saying "We remember you". No prizes for guessing the store I have been recommending to all my friends out there who want to get good stuff. It is
B&H photo video store.
Nice.
Shyam
Posted by Unknown at 9:55 AM
Sign of things to come ?
I never expected government behemoths like LIC of India to take the online route quite seriously. Paying the premium of my policy was a breeze. Good. The best thing is that I need not go to the branch and pay it.
Shyam
Posted by Unknown at 11:35 AM