Turn of the decade

As we are all eagerly looking forward in welcoming the brand new year, one should not also forget the fact that we are at the end of the decade. Lot of happenings occurred in these past ten years the most remarkable achievements were seen in the field of technology. Not only, has the world seen a significant growth in the advancement of science and technology but also in sex and relationships. I just want to share ‘The Three’ of the decade.

Mobile Phones
Mobile phones in the early years of this decade was seen as an unnecessary element but now at end of this decade it has become a part of our lifestyle and one can’t even imagine a day without mobile phones. It has come a long way from being just a device to ‘talk and end’ to smart phones-which can do a lot than just ‘talk and end’.

Social networking
Though the Social networking sites grew only in the middle years of this decade it has seen a tremendous response in the end. Gone are those days when people used Internet only for gathering information.

Sex and relationships
The way we see ‘sex’ has changed a lot in India. Sex the word itself which was considered as a taboo has changed gradually in this decade. Words like Gay, Lesbian; heterosexuality has become common words of expressions. Another factor is the rise of Divorce cases, relationship these days soar much earlier than expected because of several factors like:
Life in Metros: People who live in the urban set up are much more egoistic than the people in rural places and one of the reasons behind this is quite obvious, education. Education has definitely helped our lifestyle to reach a new level but not our relationships; it only gives us the unwillingness to accept our faults and makes us even more egoistic. Factors like self –centeredness refuses to move away and paves way for separation.

Stressful life: We are living in an unconvincing world which always expects more from us and never let us to look after ourselves. Our modern world has given nothing but frustration and tension and gives away very less time to think about emotions. Relationship is all about spending more time with the spouse but very less time is spent for highly sensitive intimate relationship and that is the core reason for the relationship to go downward spiral.
Talking about relationships one cannot ignore about Live-In Relationship which has also become more common in recent times. The decade has shown us new a new perspective towards life and more importantly it has been a path breaking decade.

A chat with Jaishree Misra Part 3

Jaishree Misra Interview Part-III

A chat with Jaishree Misra Part 2

Jaishree Misra Interview Part-II

A chat with Jaishree Misra

Jaishree Misra Interview Part-I

The Social Network

Cast: Mark Zuckerberg, Eduardo Saverin, Justin Timberlake
Social Networking has become a major diverting element for most of the people all over the globe and Facebook plays a very crucial role in driving the people towards it than any other social networking site. Facebook has gained adorations from all sections of the society for lot many reasons and more recently Facebook beat Google as the most visited website for the very first time in USA. Undoubtedly many use the internet just for facebooking, but what sounded really strange was amidst its popularity no body actually knew about its origin until Ben Mezrich came up with a book called The Accidental Billionaires but it is mainly because of the movie The Social Network directed by well acclaimed director David Fincher who is known for popular movies like Fight club and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button many are aware of the real story behind Facebook.

PLOT:
It is set in 2003, Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg), is a Harvard student who gets into the idea of creating a website by getting all the pictures and other details of the Harvard girls through Hacking with the help from his friend Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield).Both of them together create a website called “FaceMash”, in which everyone gets the access to view the girls pictures and can rate who is more attractive. Meanwhile, the advent of this new site jeopardizes the Harvard’s network and Mark is punished for obvious reasons.

The popularity level prompts Mark to do some serious job with this, so with his friend Eduardo alters certain things and comes with new ideas for his new social networking site and name it as “thefacebook”. But the popularity of ‘facebook ‘allows both Mark and Eduardo reach new heights but unfortunately their friendship soars, and Eduardo goes to the level of suing Mark.
Since it is real and tricky, the director must have taken every trivial detail very seriously to bring it out as a perfect movie. The movie is quite interesting and the screenplay has been crafted in such a way that not even in a single scene one gets a boredom feel. All the actors have justified their roles and it is also one of the added advantages of the movie. To miss this is a Sin atleast for those who use ‘Facebook’. LOL! Cheers!!!

A let down for a proud nation-Peter Roebuck

By all accounts, the Commonwealth Games entrusted to the capital city of one of the most

influential countries around is going to be a profound disappointment. Already it has shown this mighty nation in a poor light. Admittedly Westerners can be fussy but they are entitled to expect high standards. After all they come not as curious visitors but as elite performers.
Of course it is still possible that India might pull it off. Experience with cricket grounds indicates that locals can work miracles at the last minute. Examining facilities two days before the match is due to begin is like studying an incomplete Picasso; its all squiggles and odd shapes. Somehow it comes together.

Every nation is different. Greeks drink strong coffee, South Americans listen to jazz till dawn. Germans rise on organisation, Australians relish regulation. By the look of things Indians respond only to a crisis. In an attempt to rescue the situation Manmohan Singh is putting his shoulder to the wheel. But the involvement of an esteemed and busy leader confirms the parlous state of preparations.

Meanwhile reporters rail against the strategy of putting the Games in the hands of corrupt and sluggish public officials and not private enterprise. A proud nation feels that it has been let down. If the Games go badly then it might signify the long awaited demise of old India. In that case dismay may once again be the mother of progress.

Other countries have met the challenge of hosting major international events. Doubtless locals admired the way South Africa staged the recent football World Cup. Against most predictions, Greece held a superb Olympics. Now Brazil has been given responsibility for the next edition of the football World Cup. Of course it will be a triumph. Brazil is mad for the game and will not tolerate anything else.
Now it is India's turn to stand up. Of course it has held many previous meetings of all descriptions and ended with ribbons.
India's first cricket World Cup was the most enjoyable in memory. All the more reason to rage at the current squalor. Sometimes to smile and shrug is to patronise.

India's response to the slipshod organisation has been encouraging. In the past locals might have been offended by the bad reviews. Now they condemn not the critics but their own leaders. A modern, ambitious country has emerged in the last few years, one unwilling to tolerate third rate service.

According to McKinsey's, in the next 15 years 291 million Indians will move from poverty to a sustainable lifestyle whilst the middle class will increase from 50 million to 583 million people. That changes everything. Muddling along is no longer enough. Perhaps the Games will surpass expectations. After all there is a warmth in this country that raises the spirit even as it exhausts the body. Regardless, the setbacks are not acceptable.

Certainly cricket followers are entitled to demand that their forthcoming World Cup be a resounding success. The BCCI has plenty of money. Anything less ought to lead to widespread resignations. Top class facilities are required — for players, public and press. Brown bags and last minute rescue missions ought to be things of the past.
Sport has been a laggard in India. An abundance of scientists, economists, businessmen, writers and thinkers have emerged. Many prestigious prizes have been won. But sport continues to depend not on the excellence of the structures but on the brilliance of the individual.
Indian teams succeed despite the system not because of it. That cannot be tolerated a moment longer. A revolution is needed.
Delhi is merely an illustration of a malaise India outgrew long ago.

The Hindu

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3 of 8 - Three books in three years that I signed for.MP4

2 of 8 - Sign of a civilised society is how it looks after the weakest.MP4

1 of 8 - What is agitating me now.MP4

LSD - 4.5/5

‘Love Sex aur Dhoka’[LSD], is a 2010 Hindi movie which attracted many criticisms for obvious reasons. I saw the movie few days back and for me personally the movie is far better than any other stereotyped Indian movie. Most of our movies give us back nothing but the deja vu effect on us, but LSD has shown us something new and for that matter the director deserves full credit for his efforts.What is that aspect in this movie which is totally new?,it’s nothing but the whole movie has been made with a unique filming style.LSD, the whole movie has been shot with a handy cam and security cameras. The movie is innovative atleast from the techinical point of view, having said that LSD is not the pioneer for this kind of innovation. Hollywood makers have already done movies like Look and even the latest one Paranormal activity is similar to it’s kind. The movie looks real, the actors who have acted in LSD must have surely learnt something about 'Method acting' otherwise it might not have been possible to bring in real life emotions for their respective characters. The story of the movie is not impressive but LSD should nt be missed at any cost especially for those who wish to see something different. This movie has a lot to say about our society which does all the dirty work inside including [honor killings] but covers it with a decent cloak and more importantly it justifies everything with the help of a protective gear called ‘culture’. The director has used realism and an innovative style to express himself through this movie. Most of our film critics have given the movie a positive feedback which is healthy for our film fraternity and for all the film makers who wants to make experimental movies like LSD. It’s strictly an Adult movie is what our Censor Board says but i don’t find anything explicit in the movie except for few foul words, anyway don’t miss to check this out.

Tattoos!

Tattooing is an beautiful art undoubtedly but many fail to witness ‘the’ real dangers involved in it. I thought tatoos belong to India but later only i realised the truth that tattooing has been practiced for centuries world wide. In India ,I have seen tattoos only on the hands of old people but now things look a little different though. Many youngsters are quite interested in getting inked. Everything is good until it brings us some problems, in that way tattoos too carry its share of dangerous side effects on us. People who have a tatoo are at a higer risk of getting Hepatitis C than those who have none. Many medical reports have emphasised the fact that tattoos are highly risk but many are quite reluctant to accept it. During the process of tattooing, the needle punctures the skin around 80 to 150 times so that colour pigments can be injected. Skin could get infected if the tattooing machine or tattoo gun is not properly sterilized, highly dangerous diseases like HIV could also affect a person if the equipment is contaminated. Reports, say that more young people are addicted to this because they feel this is the best possible way to communicate their feelings, emotions or whatever it is. Tattooing for many is a profession as you can see in reality programmes like ‘La Ink’, i still do not know why Katherine Von Dranchenberg (Kat Von D) is so proud of having so many tattoos on her which literally covers her whole body but i guess she has not realised the fact that programmes such as these can be always be a wrong influnce on others esp youngsters. There is nothing a tattoo can do for us is a plain truth, it is like a new pair of dress which gives us that initial excitement but later it just disappears but unfortunately a tattoo once worn cannot be removed as easily as you may think,infact removal of a tattoo is more a complicated business than applying it. Tattoo removal is somewhat successful but one should’nt forget the fact that it is still a costly affair. According to a study conducted in 2006, approximately 20 percent of people want their tattoos removed. So next time when you think of getting a tattoo better look at all the negative aspects involved in it.

The Holocaust

Jews had it all with them except for the freedom to live freely. They were humble, clever and affectionate but nothing mattered for racists like Adolf Hitler. No living Jew will ever forget ‘The Holocaust’ during the regime of Hitler. For more than a decade from 1933-1945, Jews were massacred and statistics say more than 6,000,000 were murdered in which 1.5 million were children. They were not killed by some other country men during the time of war but they were brutally murdered by their own countrymen. It was Hitler’s deliberate attempt to annihilate the entire Jewish population not only from Germany but from whole of Europe.
After the World War I, Germany suffered a lot and was humiliated by the Versailles treaty and as a result, The German Empire was destroyed and a new parliamentary government called Weimar Republic was formed. The republic suffered from huge economic instability following the crash in New York stock market which forced Germany to face unemployment and poverty. On January 30, 1933 Adolf Hitler leader of the National Socialist German Workers [Nazi] party won the crucial election held in 1932. Hitler sited the incidents after math World War I as a tactic to win the elections. Hitler started to accuse the Jews for German’s failure and used Der Sturmer a weekly Nazi newspaper to spread his ideas about Jews. This paper was the powerful tool of the Nazi’s propaganda against the Jewish community and it also carried funny caricatures of Jews. Soon Hitler turned out to be a real danger not only for the Jews but for the whole of Germany. The Nazis arrested several political leaders, banned their parties and went to the extent of murdering them. Everything started to change in Germany including basic individual rights like Freedom of speech which signalled the demise of German democracy.
Hitler hated the Jews for no convincing reasons. Nazis claimed that Jews were the ones who corrupted the German culture; they even portrayed Jews as evil and cowardly whereas Germans were considered hardworking, courageous and honest. Hitler noticed that everything in Germany was dominated by Jews which probably might have made him to think about Holocaust. He hated the Jews like anything because he felt that Jews might swallow the Aryan race with their clever thinking. Jews were slowly restricted from participating in social gatherings, their books were burnt, they were removed from professions and their properties were confisticated . Jews were not allowed to marry or have sex with Aryans. Each New Year saw harsh policies against the Jews. They were alienated by their own people was the worst of all. They sensed that they were not secured enough in their own country so many Jews decided to flee but unfortunately for them they had to wait for several months to get past few immigration rules in Europe. Many countries in 1932 decided not have any refugees in their countries and blamed the Nazis for creating problems unnecessarily. After several conferences, Europe eventually decided not to have any more of these immigration problems and hence decided to not allow any more Jewish migration from Germany. In the late 1930’s saw some of the worst disasters in World History. Hershel Grynszpan a 17 year old shot Ernst vom Rath a secretary in German Embassy in Paris, Nazis used this as an opportunity to loot and destroy several Jewish homes. As a result of this thousands of Jews were killed and more than 30,000 Jews were arrested and sent to concentration camps. Germany invaded Poland in 1939 and established ghettos- compulsory residential quarter for Jews, for the Jews of Poland. Having learnt that Jews are in majority in Poland, Hitler implicated a cruel plan that is to forcibly send the Jews from their homes to specially designed ghettos. The Ghettos lacked basic necessities like food, water, shelter and not even proper sanitary facilities. Many died mainly because of deprivation and starvation.

Final Solution
Several death camps were created to kill as many Jews as possible at the earliest. In the infamous Babi Yar massacre 30,000 to 35,000 Jews were killed in two days. Nazis established six Killing centres [Death camps] in Poland near railway lines so that Jews could be transported easily to these camps. All these camps were extremely brutal. The number of killings took place in these camps are still unknown. Hitler’s aim was not reduce the Jewish population in Germany alone but in other countries as well. In every country over run by Nazis, the Jews were forced to wear badges marking them as Jews; they were rounded up in ghettos or concentration camps and gradually transported to killing centres. Within a few hours of their arrival, the Jews had been stripped of their possessions and valuables and gassed to death. Later the bodies were burnt in specially designed crematoriums. Many healthy young Jews were not killed immediately. The German’s war effort and Final Solution required a great deal of man power so the Germans used them as slave labourers, Jews were not given proper food and rest even during their work and they had to work from dawn until dark. They literally worked to death by Germans. The Germans forced the starving and sick Jews to walk hundreds of miles, most died or shot along the way. Children from the Jewish camps were sent to experiments, Dr Josef Mengele was hugely responsible for this inhumane activities. Jews had to suffer all of these till 1945, when finally Nazis were defeated. After this horrible act [The Holocaust], Jewish population in Europe started to move to other countries. Now there are some Jewish communities spread all over the world continuing their silent lifestyle unable to digest their past disaster.

Trust them

I don’t show too much interest in the field of medicine because for obvious reasons, neither i can understand the terms nor the nuances involved in it, but recently i got some time to flip over the pages of a medical journal, in which i found something interesting and i wanted to share it with you guys. Gynaecology,hope you all are aware of the medical practice involed with female reproductive system. A woman being a gynaecologist is not a big deal but there are men who are equally interested to deal in this business, is something which makes people esp women to think twice. There are serious considerations whether men should be allowed to study this particular medicinal subject. In the article which i read mentioned more about the psychological aspects involved in it and it also mentions about the Gynecologist -patient relationship which is always extremely problematic irrespective of the gender of a gynecologist. ‘It is a well known fact that a great number of men have considerable psycological problems in relation to women and that the male psyche is naturally directed towards the female sex. According to Carl Jung, in men’s psychology there is the ‘anima archetype’- is the female within the male,which corresponds to the primal images of women,to the inner women who inhabit and energise male psycology’. M. Jacoby observes that ... “ she is the Eros....man’s anima manifest in the way he relates himself to women..”
A man need to understand and aquire a better knowledge of women to enter into the mysteries of female nature, this quite simply is the demand of the Anima archetype. Medicine can be one of the ways to achieve this aim. Medicinal practices grant a specifc power to the medical class and that is where omnipotence arises in many physicians and it is also possibe that many male gynecologists make use of the speciality ie the power to able to do that is desired. Having said this, the longing for omnipotence seems to have no relation to the physician’s gender, since it is found in both male and female doctors. The reasons that attract many doctors of female sex to gynecology are not clear though but possible reasons are, for better understanding , to explore more about ‘their’ own problems, but Jung claims about the interference of the Animus archetype [the male side of the female psyche] may also exert considerable influence. Apart from all these things the article also throws some light over obstetrics that a psychlogical need of male intereferance is needed during pregnancy and child birth. In the area of obstetrics, there is a psycho-social cutural factor that greatly influences both male and female doctors: it is deeply rooted and archiac view of women that they were mainly destined to have children. Male Gynecologists are professionals like lawyers and engineers and there is no doubt in that but many still doubt they are perverts and just look at this question a woman had asked, nothing wrong in it though.
I am not against doctors and medical care at all. But I believe that men have no business being gynecologists. It's just wrong. I also believe that nudity before the opposite sex should be reserved for spouse only.How can i allow men including doctors to see and access certain parts of my body that should only be reserved for my future husband. I am not against doctors or medical treatments at all. I feel like we have been brainwashed by the medical industry.
Ans: In order to preserve the dignity and privacy of female patients, it is standard procedure to give them garments and sheets that cover up anything not being examined at the moment. Women patients just do not lie naked on exam tables! Doctors go to great lengths to keep women from the intense discomfort of nakedness. In addition to that, any ethical male doctor will have a nurse in the room with him to protect both the patient and the doctor. They truly examine women's private parts without being distracted by an erotic component.God designed their brains in a way that allows them to compartmentalize, concentrating on only one thing at a time.It is their profession.

Having said all these one has every right to choose their doctor and it is their freedom and nobody can force them but still the person who wrote this article who himself a gynecologist does’nt completely ignore the claims of the patients that male gynecologists are perverts.

Ex- Coach Maradona

Diego Maradona is no longer the coach of Argentina, a news which was very much expected after the German match but somehow it took weeks for the Argentenian Football Association[AFA] to take a concrete step regarding Maradona’s future as the coach. The delay was certain because they did not want to take any hasty decisions and they were careful in their steps because they are dealing with their national hero-Maradona. Though few criticised before the World cup that Maradona won’t be a proper coach for the national side but the whole nation backed him and pined hopes on Maradona,unfortunately the former could not do much against ‘that’ match against Germany,poor Maradona’s face said it all.
Argentina were the first ones who succussfully executed their plans to reach the next level but eventually lost it to one of the best teams Germany. That particular clash not only made Argentina to move away from the tournament but much to their anguish lost it pathetically to Germans 4-0 despite their Group wins. People of Argentina still welcomed their heroes back home after their terrible exit from the world cup and immediately Maradona offered his resigination which was a quite obvious decision to make but the AFA intervend and made Maradona to reconsider his decision. Now AFA had sacked their national coach mercilessly they could have done it before or accepted his resignation quite simply, but why make him wait so long to give a shock like this is what the fans ask the AFA. There have been reports that Maradona did nt accept certain conditions like sacking the support staff;he doesn’t have any power over those issues whatsoever, but AFA could have acted much smartly by letting him go when he first offered his resignation.

Angry Driving

Anger has now become a predominant problem for the people of Chennai on the roads. Guess what, it is all because of the traffic which is the main culprit in the eruption of people’s anger. There can be many reasons behind this anger but many are not realising the fact that it can be reduced if we are sensible. Our world is set up with boundaries and every action is governed by a set of rules but unfortunately many do not even bother to consider one of the basic rules-traffic signals. They are not ignorant but they are adamant to abide the rules. One cannot deny the fact that ours is a metropolitan city, so we have signals everywhere and every time we wait for the green signal to come we may lose couple of minutes and nothing can be done about it since we live in a city. It seems that nobody is willing to accept this simple truth. Having said this there are people who are willing to accept the rules but even that is not possible these days, when a person calmly waits for the signal they call him a fool and some go a step further by persuading him to move by blowing horn constantly and sorry to say this but most of our own MTC buses does this quite often than any other vehicle.

Few weeks back while I was travelling through Nungambakkam I witnessed two people indulging in a fight. One was well dressed and looked like someone working in a corporate company and the other one was a call taxi driver, I could see their face red in anger and the reason for this rage was nothing but the call taxi driver had been blowing the horn continuously even after learning there is a traffic jam. If you go around the city you can observe scuffles like these, but do not think it cannot be prevented. Few of the important things we have to follow while driving are -Keeping anger away while driving is more important ,try to create a pleasant mood while driving some good soundtracks would do, use horn only when it is necessary remember horn sounds are not soothing and more importantly obey the traffic rules.

Pleasant Smile
Ignore people who try to get on your nerves by verbally abusing you if you drive slowly instead give way for them to go because it is not a place to show our ego. A smile speaks million words so try to throw a pleasant smile on them because people always appreciate warm gestures. Make sure your smile is pleasant enough because there are people whose smile looks sarcastic and remember a sarcastic smile would worsen things.

The most destructive habit.........................Worry

The greatest Joy...................................Giving

The worst pastime .................................Criticism

The best award ....................................Appreciation

The greatest loss..................................Loss of self-respect

The most satisfying work...........................Helping others

The ugliest personality trait......................Selfishness

The most endangered species........................Dedicated leaders

Our greatest natural resource......................Our youth

The greatest "shot in the arm".....................Encouragement

The greatest problem to overcome...................Fear

The most effective sleeping pill...................Peace of mind

The most crippling failure disease.................Excuses

The most powerful force in life....................Love

The most dangerous pariah..........................A gossiper

The most incredible computer.......................The brain

The worst company..................................Privilege seekers

The best thing to be without ......................Jealousy

The worst thing to be without......................Hope

The deadliest weapon...............................The tongue

The two most power-filled words...................."I Can"

The greatest asset.................................Faith

The most worthless emotion.........................Self-pity

The most prized possession.........................Integrity

The most powerful channel of communication.........Prayer

The most contagious spirit.........................Enthusiasm

The most beautiful attire..........................SMILE!

Why Argentina celebrates May 25

May 25th is an important date in the history of Argentina. Before getti ng into this straight way let me give you a brief history about Argentina. South America was a huge attraction for the colonisers in Europe especially for the Spanish. It all started in the year 1526,Sebastin Cabot visited La Plata to make astronomical observations but somehow he lost his way and started to look into the rich resources in the country. His main objective which is to observe astranomy was overshadowed by his curiousity to learn about the country’s wealth, any human being would be tempted to be so and Cabot was not an exception. Having learnt about the the valuble resources in South America, many Spaniards decided to march towards this part of the world to explore. As a result of this, tiny colonial headquarters were formed but could not sustain long due to the internal pressures within the country. Other countries too started speculating about South American nations but Spain was determined enough to fight back for this newly found land. In 1534, Pedro de Mendoza organized an expedition and arrived at La Plata. He did try to lay a strong foundation of a Spanish Settlement in Bueno Aires in 1536 but could not hold upto the indigenious pressure and eventually suffered a great loss. Many like him tried to build a headquarters in the South America so that it would be of real help for the Spaniards but failed terribly in their attempts. Their fully fledged plans could not be executed the way they wanted it to be and the spanish empire’s attempt to capture these American nations saw a huge set back. It was only during the year 1580, the spaniards defeated the Indians. Sooner,many colonial headquarters were formed and Spanish rule was also imposed upon these people. Argentina along with other neighbouring nations like Paraguay suffered the imperial rule and was having tough times during the spanish regime. They were controlled by the viceroyalty of the Rio de la plata. This system of vice royalty was headed by Balstar Hidalgo de Cisneros. In May of 1810, things started to change in Argentina when a news reached Buenos Aires that the King of Spain, Ferdinand VII had been deposed by Napolean Bonaparte. Following this news, the government in Argentina had to face a lot of problems like unrest in Buenos Aires. When the main centre was attacked the other centres supported by the main centre was left without anything, like a ship let loose without an helmsman.

Using this oppurtinity local revolutionary parties tried to overthrow the imperial rule from their country but at the same time they were aware of the fact that every action they make will be closely monitored by the Spanish centres in Argentina so they made sure that even the slightest of their moves should not reveal anything that may affect the plan.

Amidst all these chaos in Argentina, the ruling government was forced to take some crucial decsions to prevent any further problems in Argentina. To change the whole scenario, a secret meeting was organised and it was also decided that people would request a public town meeting with Cisneros and this town meeting would later come to be called the Cabildo Abierto. On May 20, Cisneros met with the leaders of the Spanish military forces to discuss the issue but the military forces neatly clarified that they would not support him but encouraged to go ahead with the town meeting. The meeting was first held on May 22 and by May 24, a provisional ruling Junta which include Cisneros, Creole leader Juan Jose Castelli and commander Corneilo Saavedra was created.

May 25
The citizens of Buenos Aires did not want former Viceroy Cisneros to continue because was invlaid sine King Ferdinand, who had appointed the Vice royalty was not currently in power, so the original junta had to be disbanded and another Junta was created with other new members like Dr. Mariano Moreno. May 25 is the date celebrated in Argentina as the Dia de la Revolucion de Mayo or “May revolution day”. The May revolution actually started the process of independence for Argentina.On July 9, 1816 Argentina formally declared independence from Spain. Events in the week leading to the May 25th are celebrated as May week, Argentines celebrate their national holiday by abstaining from work. It is truly a huge week for Argentines.

DARK SIDE OF LEBANON

Lebanon for many is a beautiful country and it is indeed but all are not aware of the crisis it is facing. Lebanese history had some bright unoque features. It started off well for lebanon but unfortuantely it had to face the decline path. The country is located on the eastern side of the Mediterrean Sea, in the Middle East. It is a very small country spread nicely by beautiful valleys mountains and set widely with lush greenary, the country is a paradise. It is bordered by Syria in the North and East, by Israel in the South and the Mediterranean sea in the West. Adding value to the country is their culture and more importantly the mesmerizing beauty of the lebanese people. During the Stone age the inhabitants of this country like all the stone age people took shelter in the caves and the discovery of fire made them more independent.
The people living along the coast of Lebanon called themselves Cannaanites, others though identified them as Phoenicians. These people started one of the vital part in any society-trading, with middle east countries.The trading relation between Egypt is said to be a crucial one in their development path because the relation with this country was successful than any other. Phoenicians used boats to travel to Egypt which carried Pine, wood and Olive oil and in return they received gold, linen, ropes and grains. The trade between Egypt alone was not essential but also with Spain, Africa and Iraq made Phoenicians villages to grow as big cities.

Invaders

The cities of this country were prosporous until the colonisers arrived. Imperialism was a major threat for humanity even before 5000 years. East is always the centre of attraction for the West because of its rich resources. The Romans conquered the Phonecians somewhere during 64 BC. It is a naked truth that Romans were always good in architecture and to prove that they started in the process of beautification by erecting huge temples, arenas,theatres and porticos. For the Roman Empire the City of Beryte now Beirut, became the power centre.

Birth of Jesus Christ

The birth of Jesus Christ did make a difference in these countries.Most of the Phoenicians became Christians but still Christianity was not recognized by the Empire. The split in the Roman again created an impact in the nation’s politics.

The Entry of Islam

Islam from Mecca reached the country and started to spread and by the time Christians realized that there is a immediate danger for their religion there came a war which eventually saw the victory of the Islamic Empire. Lebanon became a major part of Islamic terriotory and Arabic was made as the official language.

The Ottoman Empire

Around 1300, a Turk of Mongol founded the Ottoman Empire and invaded Lebanese and Syrian territories. Since then Lebanon was part of the Turkish Empire until France administered the League of Nations and declared independence for Lebanon in 1941.

Lebanon in the 20th Century

Diversity of Religion in Lebanon is one of the main cause of worry for the governments.Culprits use this oppurtunity to spoil the unity of the Lebanese people. It is a country which reserves members based on their religion. Civil war had disturbed the peace of this nation.The President appoints a prime ministers and other cabinet members. The President must be a Catholic Christian , the prime minister a Sunni Muslim, the speaker should be a Shi’a Muslim. This is how the Constitution of Lebanon is desihgned.
Business in Lebanon was thriving until the external forces devastated it completely.After the presence of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the country lost peace and there were only problems and sufferings all over. The Headquarters in Lebanon of this organization paved way to Israeli invasions while the country was also suffering with some internal problems. Civil war in Lebanon started in the year 1975 and lasted till 1990. This war had one of the deadliest effect on the people of Lebanon claiming more than 150,000 lives. This war saw a huge set back in the nation’s economic progress. Ceasefire was agreed in 1976 only for a shorter period just because of the intervention of UN. The incidents which followed after were even more worse, the assasination of Bachir Gemayel witnessed huge political imbalance in the country.Israel invaded Lebanon time after time because they felt the danger of PLO guerrilas. During the year 1983, United States of America organised talks between Israel and Lebanon and to ensure the withdrawal of foreighn troops from the country. Israel refused to pull its forces from the South while Syria left more than 40,000 troops in the Northern Lebanon. Hostages were also held and during 1989, Arab League intervened and an agreement also was signed by the key parties to end the civil war.In 1990 hostages were released by Pro-Iranian group in Lebanon. Though there are lot of problems exists in the country still there is hope among the people that all the problems will end in this region forever. Huge Migration also happened during these years and a estimated three million people migrated to United States of America, many left Lebanon in the early 70’s itself. Now Syrian army withdrew the troops from Lebanon in 2005 after 30 years stay. Palestinians are still living in the camps of Lebanon. Israeli troops left Lebanon in the year 2000.There is still problems with these countries for Lebanon, and because of poverty and unemployment people involved themselves in sexual businesses. Many were forced to leave the country because of the damaged economy.
The Current Scenario in Lebanon is far better, it is defenitely not dark. Lebanese began their writing and writers like Khalil Gibran are a huge inspiration for the younger generations.Another name that has received world wide recognition in literature is Karim El-Koussa. Alexandre Najjar has produced number of poems, historical novels and narratives. Mikhail Naimy is also one of the popular writers in Lebanon. Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet has been translated into more than twent languages and have also huge recognition. Elias Khoury and Amin Maalouf have also achieved international success in literature.
Lebanese indulged themselves in Music, artists like Fairuz and Haifa have taken Lebanese music to a different level. Nancy Ajram,Marcel Khalife, Najwa Karam and Fadl Shaker have helped the music industry of Lebanon to see different boundaries.There are not enough movies made though, but the few movies they have made proves their Potential. Recently Caramel, a lebanese movie recieved critical acclaimation and i watched that movie it was too good. After Shave which received many awards also proved to be a succesful project around the world. Lebanon’s development in economy is also visible despite it’s problems with neighbouring countries. The Darkest side of Lebanon is over now, now it is still having its problems but hopefully let this beautiful nation sees some change atleast in this century.

Understanding Orientalism

The term Orient was framed by political forces that brought the orient into Western learning, Western Consciousness and Western empire. What does the term Orientalism actually mean?,many may wonder Orientalism is the study of the[ non-western ]eastern societies, cultures and even about mannerisms in the east. West’s colonial aspirations was fuelled by Orientalism. It is not a modern concept as it is around us as more than thousands years. Colonialism started to peep only when westerners started to have a look into Oriental philosophy, literature, art, architecture, language, culture,people and religion. The first Orientalists were 19th century scholars who translated the writings of the Orient and from then on Orientalist Scholars began their research in everything from literature to paintings, it became the object of study for the westerners. They began to see Asian men as weak and feminine but still dangerous for the white western women.

Orientalism was seen as a backward place and East was considered as a place irrationality.The west declared east -[Orient] as ignorant and dark,and they justified their actions by claiming that colonial expedition was needed to enlighten the east. These hungry westerners did not stop there but went on to claim oriental philosophy,art ,literature etc as their own and started to use it. Orientalism is synonymous with modern Chinese films, the Hindu religion,the Islamic culture and Japanese arts. East is referred as Orient whereas West is called Occident. West was seen as the dominant force and it referred to masculinity whereas the east was seen as a weak submissive force. Edward Said’s book Orientalism is one of the most important books for Post-colonial studies.Edward said questions the oriental thinking .

"My contention is that Orientalism is fundamentally a political doctrine willed over the Orient because the Orient was weaker than the West, which elided the Orient’s difference with its weakness. . . . As a cultural apparatus Orientalism is all aggression, activity, judgment, will-to-truth, and knowledge" (Orientalism, p. 204).
Said also wrote:
"My whole point about this system is not that it is a misrepresentation of some Oriental essence — in which I do not for a moment believe — but that it operates as representations usually do, for a purpose, according to a tendency, in a specific historical, intellectual, and even economic setting" (p. 273).

Orientalism is seen as a seperate and passive force,which displays feminine penetrability and supine malleability, to put this in simple words it means that Orientalism is a weak force that can be easily controlled. For instance the contemporary image of China, India and Japan in the eyes of the west is different but they use eastern arts and architecture.M.Buttrerfly a play written by David Henry Hwang has a lot of oriental stereotypes and later it was made into a movie. Rene Gillard is a civil servant who works for French embassy in China falls in love with a beautiful Chinese opera diva, Song Liling who is actually a man masquearding as a woman because in traditional Beijing opera females were banned from the stage. And then he later finds out that she is not a woman only in France. The streotyped image is present that Feminine east is weak whereas Masculine west is strong. Lots of assumptions can be made like Is Gillard a gay? What attracted him to Rene. East is seens always seen as a submissive element, West on the other hand was active and strong.

Provenance

How a creative writer finds his sources? How these fantasy writers are able to write hundreds of pages and how they are able to bring everything in coherence is the biggest question of all. To become a writer one has to determined enough to create something new and that determination is what is essential to become a writer. There cannot be anything without an origin and for a creative writer his conscious or even unconscious thoughts for that matter are the source. Sigmund Freud one of the noted psychoanalysts found this and had given it in his essay Creative Writers and Day-dreaming.

I hope people all are well aware of Sigmund Freud. He is best known for his theories of the unconscious mind and defence mechanism of repression. He used the power of sub-conscious mind to treat the worries of patients. He gave new dimensions to sexual desires and is also known for his interpretation of dreams and he believed in the fact that dreams gives an insight of the unconscious desires. And more importantly he is also known for his Id, ego and Super ego a model which he used to divide human psyche.

Creative Writers and Day-dreaming is an essay which was published in the year 1908, which insists on one important element of -how a writer derives his source. He begins the essay stating that if someone asks a creative writer about the sources which helped him to finish his work Freud says for a writer to answer this question would be the toughest job.
..if we ask him, the writer himself gives us no explanation, or none that is satisfactory;

Freud in this essay have mentioned about childhood desires as the main reason for an ordinary person to become a creative writer. Children love to play and while they are playing they use their dreams to take a major effect in their play. He feels those are the first traces of imaginative activity. Children live in their own fantasy world with imaginative characters and that is the main reason why children are easily attracted to cartoons and other fantasy movies. They do not take up their real life seriously instead they take their play so serious.It is not that adults do not like to fantasize but are scared to do it because or rather ashamed.Wishes is what that determine our dreams and those unwished dreams make a person to build his world of fantasy. Freud says our dreams are nothing but our fantasies but he is not sure about that relation between these two though. Everyone dreams which means every single human being has desires and there are dreams which we are ashamed of but somehow we try to conceal that and pretend as if nothing has happened.These repressed wishes consequently moves back to our unconsious. Freud’s The Interpretation of Dreams gives us a detailed knowledge about dreams. In the final part of the Creative Writers and Day-dreaming, Freud goes on to explain how these writers are egoistic by nature and their intention is potrayed in the work of art they create.

Life is a gift full of surprises

Birth is life, death is pain!

time decides everything

and everything is inevitable.

Life is given to you
do not harm others
show love and make love
peace will reach you.

Do not try to harm others.
Eternity is there,
enrich your soul with ecstasy
and bind yourself with joy!

Life is a gift full of surprises
Birth is life, death is pain!
time decides everything
and everything is inevitable.