Life, changes, Theory of Irrelevance ! ~ புல்லின் மீது பூ வீழ்ந்தால் ஓசை

 

பறக்கும் புறா கிளிக்கு என்ன காதல் வார்த்தைகள் சொல்லி இருக்கும் என்று கொஞ்சம் யூகித்து பாருங்கள் !!  -  Do you subscribe to the theory of irrelevance !!

 

What is life about ! – remember the West Indies opener of 1980s Desmond Haynes sporting a thick chain with  a gold pendant, reading  “Live, Love, Laugh” – just a trivia ! – do you how he was dismissed in that 4^th Test, Wankhede, in Nov 1983 !! 

ராஜசேகர் ஒரு கடின உழைப்பாளி, ஏழை மெக்கானிக், வேலையில் ஒரு விபத்தில் கையில் பலத்த காயமடைந்து,    வேலையிலிருந்து தன்னை வெளியேற்றிக் கொள்கிறார். பின்னர் அவர் பாடுபட்டு வளர்த்த குடும்ப உறுப்பினர்கள் அவரை அவமதிப்பது கதை.  இந்த படத்தில் இசைதேவன் இளையராஜா  ஹம்சத்வனி ராகத்தில்  அமைத்த பாடலின் நடுவே வரும் அழகு வரிகள் : புல்லின் மீது பூ வீழ்ந்தால் ஓசை என்ன கேட்குமா ? 

Life is all about changes, and embracing such changes.   Life changes so that life can stay the same. How remarkable and bizarre is that? The journey of life is a constant interplay of change and sameness. We navigate change to preserve sameness. As humans, we are influenced by hundreds of biases that we aren’t even aware of.   

During major life changes that cause confusion, Uncertainty bias is likely to be impacting one’s thinking.   Most thinkers would emphasise on changing -   “mindset shift,” ever wondered  "change your life" ? What is a life and when does it not change? Can we ever keep our lives the same? What would a non-changing life be? Life's always changing, but sometimes we face a big or sudden change that's hard to deal with; even a positive or expected change can be difficult to deal with or cause stress, which usually lasts for just a short time.

 

Around the world, record rainfall, killer heatwaves, and raging wildfires are escalating. "Each of us, wherever we live, is experiencing the impacts of climate change today," says Scientists.  These extreme weather events, while not unprecedented, are occurring more frequently and with greater intensity than in the past.  From July 2023 to June 2024, each month set new records as the hottest for that period, consistently exceeding 1.5°C above pre-industrial norms. This trend is influenced by greenhouse gas emissions and the El Niño weather pattern, according to the European program, as reported by CBC. 

Our neighbouring Bangladesh is in the midst of political turmoil.  The rise in temperatures and changes in other meteorological variables have exposed millions of people to health risks in Bangladesh, a densely populated, hot, and humid country. To better assess the threats climate change poses to human health, the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) is an important indicator of human heat stress. A study employing Liljegren's model revealed an increase in the annual average WBGT by 0.08–0.5 °C per decade throughout the country, with a more pronounced rise in the southeast and northeast regions. Additionally, the number of days with WBGT levels associated with high and extreme risks of heat-related illnesses has shown an upward trend.   

Away, in the near future, an unmanned space probe returns from Mars to Earth orbit with soil samples potentially containing evidence of extraterrestrial life. The probe delivers the samples to the International Space Station, where exobiologist Hugh Derry revives a dormant cell that quickly grows into a multi-celled organism; a group of schoolchildren vote to name the organism "Calvin". An atmosphere change in Calvin's container causes it to enter hibernation. In an attempt to wake it, Hugh administers an electric shock. Calvin becomes hostile, wrapping itself around Hugh's hand and crushing it. Calvin escapes its enclosure and devours a lab rat, growing in size. 

that was the storyline of ‘Life’ an American Sci-fi film released in 2017,  directed by Daniel Espinosa, written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick and starring an ensemble cast consisting of Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, Ryan Reynolds, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ariyon Bakare, and Olga Dihovichnaya.  In the film, a six-member crew of the International Space Station uncovers the first evidence of extraterrestrial life on Mars.

 

காலம் மாறலாம் -  நம் காதல் மாறுமா ?

தடைகள்,   தோன்றும்  போதும்,  தலைவி பார்வை போதும் !!

இனி வரும் காலம் மாறலாம்  .. .. நம் காதல் மாறுமா ?

 

என்பதுதான் முதலில் குறிப்பிடப்பட்ட பாடல். இங்கே  பறக்கும் புறா கிளிக்கு சொன்ன வார்த்தைகள். வாழ்க்கை  1984ம் ஆண்டு வெளிவந்த தமிழ்த் திரைப்படம். சி. வி. ராஜேந்திரன் இயக்கத்தில் வெளிவந்த இத்திரைப்படத்தில் சிவாஜி கணேசன், அம்பிகா மற்றும் பலரும் நடித்திருந்தனர்

 

Clive Lloyd’s mighty West Indies landed in India in 1983 wounded by that big loss in WC 1983 and were sweeping the Series.  At Bombay, in Nov 1983 in the 4^th test, a turner, India could almost defeat but dropped catches cost them badly. India made four changes after their defeat at Ahmedabad. Vengsarkar came back for Patil, and Madan Lal, Malhotra and the off-spinner Yadav, who had not played a Test match for almost two years, replaced Sandhu, Navjot Singh and Azad. Desmond Haynes was out in a rare manner, handled the ball, a fate previously suffered by only three batsmen in Test cricket at that time.  Haynes defended a Kapil Dev delivery and as the ball was rolling towards the stumps, Haynes brushed it aside with his hand -  Umpire Gothoskar  ruled Haynes out ‘handling the ball’ !!

 

Theory of irrelevance ! – in life things change so fast, that the concepts you believed, words that uttered, the people in life all lose their relevance after passage of time.  Thoughts of simple thinker – aasami sirippu sinthanaiyaan.

 
With regards – S Sampathkumar
2.9.2024

the poor President of Uruguay - Jose Alberto Mujica !

This is the car of – ‘José Alberto "Pepe" Mujica Cordano’ ~ and what is special about this ?  Uruguay is in  the southeastern region of South America. It is bordered by Argentina, Brazil and  the Atlantic Ocean; its capital is  Montevideo.

Globally, politicians are rich and famous.   In advanced countries, people are richer – many Americans grumble about the wealth of their politicians, but according to a report, they are paupers compared with their Chinese counterparts. The 50 richest members of America's Congress are worth $1.6 billion in all. In China, the wealthiest 50 delegates to the National People's Congress, the rubber-stamp parliament, control $94.7 billion. Darrell Issa, a Republican from California, is the richest man in Congress, with $355m. China's richest delegate is Zong Qinghou, boss of Hangzhou Wahaha Group, a drinks-maker, is reportedly worth almost $19 billion.   According to the Hurun Report, as cited by Bloomberg, the 70 richest delegates in China’s National People’s Congress have a combined net worth of 565.8 billion yuan or $89.8 billion. That’s more than 10 times the combined net worth of all the members of Congress, the Supreme Court and the President.  What’s more, China’s politicians are getting richer more rapidly. Last year, their combined wealth grew by about 15%.

Globally,  rich have more influence in politics !  According to a  Duke University Professor,  "If millionaires in the United States formed their own political party, that party would make up just 3% of the country," he says, "but it would have a majority in the House of Representatives, a filibuster-proof super-majority in the Senate, a 5-4 majority on the Supreme Court and a man in the White House."

India has a long list of ‘Crorepati’ politicians.  At a time, when charges of misappropriation of funds amounting to Rs. 71 lakh were leveled against the then Union Minister Salman Khurshid, another union minister reportedly quipped – ridiculing the allegations by retorting that a union minister will not do anything wrong for a petty amount of Rs. 71 lakhs.  It’s not that all politicians have made money through inappropriate means. There are many politicians who have earned good money through sheer hard work , dedication and commitment. Some have a Princely background, some are industrialists, yet some have rise to greater heights after entering politics ! ….  Mahendra Prasad, a Member of Parliament from Bihar in Rajya Sabha is  reported to be the wealthiest of the lot with total assets worth Rs 692 crore. Jagan Mohan Reddy, son of ex-Andhra Pradesh CM late Y S Rajashekhar Reddy reported to have 446 crores as declared to the EC before parliamentary elections.

In Indian democracy, poor and middle class to have their representation – however, the definition of middle class often are different between the version of politician and that of economist.  Away, the car that you saw is owned by Jose Mujica, who is touted to be the ‘poorest President’ of the World.

It's a common grumble that politicians' lifestyles are far removed from those of their electorate. Not so in Uruguay – where the president lives on a ramshackle farm and gives away most of his pay. According to this report in BBC, laundry is strung outside the house. The water comes from a well in a yard, overgrown with weeds. Only two police officers and Manuela, a three-legged dog, keep watch outside. ~ and that is the residence of the president of Uruguay, Jose Mujica, whose lifestyle clearly differs sharply from that of most other world leaders.

President Mujica has shunned the luxurious house that the Uruguayan state provides for its leaders and opted to stay at his wife's farmhouse, off a dirt road outside the capital, Montevideo. The president and his wife work the land themselves, growing flowers. This austere lifestyle - and the fact that Mujica donates about 90% of his monthly salary, equivalent to $12,000 (£7,500), to charity - has led him to be labelled the poorest president in the world.

In 2010, his annual personal wealth declaration - mandatory for officials in Uruguay - was $1,800 (£1,100), the value of his 1987 Volkswagen Beetle. Later, he added half of his wife's assets - land, tractors and a house - reaching $215,000 (£135,000).  That's still only about two-thirds of Vice-President Danilo Astori's declared wealth, and a third of the figure declared by Mujica's predecessor as president, Tabare Vasquez.  Elected in 2009, Mujica spent the 1960s and 1970s as part of the Uruguayan guerrilla Tupamaros, a leftist armed group inspired by the Cuban revolution. He was shot six times and spent 14 years in jail. Most of his detention was spent in harsh conditions and isolation, until he was freed in 1985 when Uruguay returned to democracy. Those years in jail, Mujica says, helped shape his outlook on life.

Mujica played key role in transforming Tupamaros into a legitimate political party, which joined the Frente Amplio (broad front) coalition.  To him, his lifestyle is by choice and when one does not have many possessions, one does not need to work all through life like a slave to sustain them.  At the Rio+20 summit – he asked – ‘Do we want the model of development and consumption of the rich countries? I ask you now: what would happen to this planet if Indians would have the same proportion of cars per household than Germans? How much oxygen would we have left? "Does this planet have enough resources so seven or eight billion can have the same level of consumption and waste that today is seen in rich societies? It is this level of hyper-consumption that is harming our planet."  Mujica accuses most world leaders of having a "blind obsession to achieve growth with consumption, as if the contrary would mean the end of the world".

Though there are many sympathisers to his way of life, there is criticism on the Govt’s functioning.   The Uruguayan opposition says the country's recent economic prosperity has not resulted in better public services in health and education, and for the first time since Mujica's election in 2009 his popularity has fallen below 50%.  This year he has also been under fire because of two controversial moves. Uruguay's Congress recently passed a bill which legalised abortions for pregnancies up to 12 weeks. Unlike his predecessor, Mujica did not veto it. He is also supporting a debate on the legalisation of the consumption of cannabis, in a bill that would also give the state the monopoly over its trade.

So like liquor providing revenue here, cannabis is seen as source of revenue for the Government.   Uruguayan law means he is not allowed to seek re-election in 2014. Also, at 77, he is likely to retire from politics altogether before long.  When he does, he will be eligible for a state pension - and unlike some other former presidents, he may not find the drop in income too hard to get used to.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

2^nd Feb 2015.

News source on Mujica – www.bbc.com

'La Belle' ~ the luxury Yacht - exclusive females ... !!

The ways of rich and famous are often different – they have lavish and exotic life style…. They own costly cars, private jets and luxury yachts with many special features and exclusively made.  Yachts are recreational boats. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries.  There are Yacht clubs which allows only very rich people into their fold. Even among billionaire megayacht owners, there's competition to be the biggest and best.

‘and this is why I sojourn here; Alone and palely loitering; Though the sedge is withered from the lake,…… and  no birds sing.’ – lines from ‘La Belle Dame sans Merci’ meaning – ‘the beautiful lady without mercy’, a ballad written by the English poet John Keats. The poem is considered an English classic, stereotypical to other of Keats' works. It avoids simplicity of interpretation despite simplicity of structure.

Now this post is about a beautiful luxury yacht named ‘la belle’ and it is unique because ‘no boys allowed’ inside this luxury yacht, complete with Swarovski crystal chandeliers, gold mosaics, ice fountains and a spa !!!

MailOnline reports - You may have thought all superyachts were created equal. But according to one designer, there is a gap in the market for vessels targeted at the fairer sex. In case the world's most powerful women don't want to splash out on the regular millionaires' toys on the market, luxury designer Lidia Bersani has created the first luxury mega yacht with a female in mind. The sleek white and gold yacht, measuring an impressive 262ft, is targeted at female buyers and is designed using crystal, gold, fur and flowers. It is even named La Belle, which translates as 'the beauty'.

Luxury designer Lidia Bersani has created the first luxury mega yacht designed for a 'lady' and measuring 262ft in length.  The master cabin is unsurprisingly lavish with a round king size double bed and baldachin and its own terrace with panoramic views. The 80-metre superyacht is not for the faint hearted, or Laura Ashley lovers. It's a riot of opulent gold mosaics, mother of pearl, Swarovski crystal chandeliers, gemstones, onyx and bespoke wooden furniture.  The boat's design revolves around soft edges, smooth lines, floral patterns and a large amount of glass, crystal and bright white.

Lidia Bersani's website says of La Belle: '[The] Yacht is in distinctive Bersani Style, romantic and warm. The colors in white, ivory and gold are predominant. Interior is full of opulent and comfortable elements.' The vessel could comfortably sleep 12 guests in six deluxe cabins. If you get bored of sunning yourself on deck there are a few lounges, dining places and facilities for live music on board. The master cabin on the second deck is unsurprisingly decadent; with a round king size double bed and baldachin (a canopy that traditionally sits over a throne or tomb of someone important), private terrace, thick curtains, gold touches and floral carpeting. There are five other guest suites spread around the boat. If you get bored of sunning yourself on deck the yacht has lounges, dining places and facilities for live music.

In place of darts boards and computer games, you'll find a spa area with hyrdromassage pool, sauna, hamman, infrared sauna, snow room and ice fountains; small fitness club with outdoor Jacuzzi; library with fireplace; beauty centre, disco club, cinema – theatre, as well as a few bars.  'The idea is to equip this Super Yacht with ultra-modern stabilizing system and state of the art machinery and equipment,' says Lidia Bersani Luxury Design.  There are five decks and a lift to get you from one to another, as well as a helicopter landing pad on the roof... although a gold helicopter is not included

Of the price, Ms Bersani told MailOnline, 'Unfortunately we do not have yet the final price. The idea is to build the most luxurious yacht on the world, and the golden decorations, Swarovski crystals, and some precious stones which we would like to use, it will be not cheap, I am sure.' 

So,  interested in bidding for one !

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

3^rd Feb 2015.

in search of true Appaloose ~ Scott Engstrom's trail

To look at her, Scott Engstrom at 71, would appear to be just a white-haired elderly woman, a grandmother to nine - and the last person in the world you’d expect to cross the world chasing a dream. That was until the day two years ago when a chance glimpse at a TV programme made her jump out of her chair.  

Centuries ago, the Nez Perce War was an armed conflict between several bands of the Nez Perce tribe of Native Americans and their allies, a small band of the Palouse tribe against the United States Army. The conflict, fought in 1877, stemmed from the refusal of several bands of the Nez Perce, dubbed "non-treaty Indians", to give up their ancestral lands in the Pacific Northwest and move to an Indian reservation in Idaho.

David Tepper's hedge fund ‘Appaloosa Management’ disclosed that the value of its equity holdings were reduced by 40% late last year, according to recent regulatory filings, as many individual stock holdings were closed or sharply reduced. The market value of Appaloosa's holdings were $4.05 billion as of Dec. 31, down from $6.79 billion at the end of September, according to a 13F filing.

~~  The connection is “Appaloosa” - an American horse breed best known for its colourful spotted coat pattern. There is a wide range of body types within the breed, stemming from the influence of multiple breeds of horses throughout its history.  Each horse's colour pattern is genetically the result of various spotting patterns overlaid on top of one of several recognized base coat colours.   Artwork depicting prehistoric horses with leopard spotting exists in prehistoric cave paintings in Europe. Images of domesticated horses with leopard spotting patterns appeared in artwork from Ancient Greece and Han Dynasty China through the early modern period; the Nez Perce people of what today is the United States Pacific Northwest developed the original American breed. Appaloosas were once referred to by settlers as the "Palouse horse", possibly after the Palouse River, which ran through the heart of Nez Perce country.

Read this interesting post in MailOnline about Scott Engstrom 71, travelling  to Kyrgyzstan in search of rare horse breed. Scott, 71, is horse-mad, and has been fascinated with one particular breed since she was a little girl: the Appaloosa, descendants of the horses ridden by the Nez Perce tribe of American Indians. Appaloosas are beautiful, famed for their myriad coat patterns, mottled skin, striped hooves, eerily human-looking eyes, and a graceful one-foot-on-the-ground gait, known as the Indian shuffle.

It was thought that there were fewer than 200 true Appaloosas left in the world as cross-breeding has threatened their integrity.  On her ranch in New Zealand, Scott has been breeding the real McCoy since 1996. But on one fateful Sunday in 2012, Scott settled down to watch what she thought was going to be an old movie, Around The World In 80 Days. Instead it was a repeat of Channel 4 series, Around The World In 80 Trades, in which former City analyst Conor Woodman travelled the globe buying and selling local commodities. The series, which first aired six years ago, showed him horse-trading in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan.

Conor Woodman joined Scott on her quest after she saw him horse-trading in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan on the Channel 4 program Around the World in 80 Trades  ~ she screamed stating that the horse that Conor had bought and called Martin was surely an Appaloosa.  Most breeders would say that Appaloosas arrived in Mexico with the Spanish conquistadors and made their way north. But American-born Scott always believed they came from Asia across the Bering Strait between Alaska and Russia, and that’s why there were so many in the Pacific North West, the home of the Nez Perce tribe.

She was keen to follow the trail, travel to Kyrgyzstan and find that horse. A  flurry of emails followed as the oldie was keen to keep the wonderful breed alive.  If they succeeded, she argued, then DNA tests might prove her theory about the breed’s origins.  So that was how Scott came to be flying to Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, before setting off across Central Asia to make a film, Secret Horse: Quest For The True Appaloosa, shown on BBC4 tonight. Scott is looking into importing horses from Kyrgyzstan to New Zealand where she lives.

Though her family did not agree, Scott is fiercely individual. Five-times married (her first marriage lasted only a day, number four lasted three months) refuses to stand any nonsense from husbands. ‘I wish I’d married a cowboy,’ she said. ‘I’m so horsey and none of my husbands were.’ Nor was this her first big adventure. Scott was in her 50s when she moved from her remote home in Idaho to New Zealand.  She was accompanied by two daughters, three horses including an Appaloosa mare, two old English sheepdogs, a boat, a pick-up truck and a horse trailer.  

Filmmaker Conor hadn’t a clue that Martin was special when, as one of his 80 Trades, he bought him for the equivalent of £610 from local breeder Munarbek Kuldanbaev. After an unsuccessful day trying to hack it as a horse dealer, he sold him on to a farmer for £500. But when Conor and Scott tracked down that farmer, with Munarbek’s help, it turned out Martin had been sold a month later to a man in the same village. Then he’d been sold again, this time at market to an unknown buyer. They’d reached a dead end. ‘I was so upset, I cried for three days,’ Scott said. Appaloosas in the US cost up to $100,000 (£64,000).  Scott has refused an offer of $150,000 (£99,000) for her stallion Eagleheart. But this wasn’t about money. Her dream was that by breeding from the purest Appaloosas in the world, she could strengthen the bloodline.

So someone amazingly is trying to resurrect a bloodline that was lost by Nez Perce  in 1877 wars when they lost  most of their horses.  Like polo, highly skilled riders compete to drag a goat carcass into goal. There they learned about a remote valley where there were horses that sounded like Appaloosas. They spent three days driving, then onwards on horseback, sleeping rough in wolf country. At 4,200m Scott was clearly suffering from altitude sickness, though she insists it was just the flu. But then came the moment that made it all worthwhile: the first sighting of a herd of what were clearly Appaloosas. ‘It was so wonderful. I was so relieved to know they existed,’ she said. Locally, the horses are known as chaar, which means spotted. Their nomadic owners said that during the Soviet regime, the Russians tried to eradicate them by cross-breeding; but in this remote valley they survived.

A web search revealed  ‘Appaloosa’ as  an American western based on the 2005 novel, Appaloosa, by crime writer Robert B. Parker. Directed by Ed Harris, Appaloosa stars Harris alongside Viggo Mortensen.  The film premiered in the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival and was released in selected cities in Sept 2008. 

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

16^th Feb 2015.