I watched Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" and "Apocalypto" some time ago and thought that they depicted violence like never before. Today, I watched Sylvester Stallone's Rambo and found that it managed to clear the bar that the Mel Gibson movie had set. Enough said !

Currently reading : "How Markets Fail" by John Cassidy

I am currently reading the book "How Markets Fail" by John Cassidy. This book was suggested by Fareed Zakaria on his show "Fareed Zakaria GPS", which airs on CNN every sunday at 1 PM and 5 PM EST. I am a regular viewer of this show and it is one of my favorites. "How Markets Fail" deals with the current financial crisis and describes the many ways an unregulated free market can produce disastrous unintended consequences.

Book Review : The God Delusion by Prof. Richard Dawkins

I have just finished reading "The God Delusion" by Professor Richard Dawkins. It is an extensively researched and well written book packed with cogent arguments in support of atheism. The book excoriates religion and presents several thoughts and ideas that could send shock waves down the minds of believers. Mr. Dawkins makes no bones about his extreme dislike for religions and their gods and goes on the offensive right from the beginning. The second chapter of the book begins with the use of several caustic adjectives for the God of the old testament, whom Mr. Dawkins calls the most unpleasant character in all fiction. He then moves on to tackle several arguments and "proofs" raised by theists including Thomas Aquinas'proofs, Pascal's wager, Baynesian arguments ..etc. He presents counter arguments, proofs and logic to split those arguments asunder. He then moves on to address the roots of religion and morality and explains the reasons behind his avowed hostility towards religions.
I have mentioned previously in one of my other posts that I am not an atheist, but I do try hard to keep an open mind. On several occassions while reading or listening to distasteful opinions, I have had to make conscious efforts to talk myself into listening to the other side of the story. This excellent book has neither talked me into atheism nor has it drifted me away from my beliefs. I have always failed to understand hard core believers and non believers. I am humbled by the infinitude of space and time that envelops me. To take one or the other extreme positions you have to know it all. Are our puny little brains and senses ready for it ? Our species has indeed made huge leaps and we know far more about the Universe today that we did a century ago. But do we know everything yet ?


Michio Kaku in his book "Parallel Worlds" explains how physicists classify civilizations into four types - Type I, II, III and IV based on thier energy output. Type I civilization is one that has harnessed planetary forms of energy. They have the power to control or modify the weather, change the course of hurricanes or build cities on oceans. Such civilizations are truly masters of their planet. Type II civilization is one that has harnessed the power of an entire star and have the power to control solar (stellar) flares and light others stars. Type III is one that would have colonized large portions of its home galaxy. It would have exhausted the energy of a single solar system and possess the power to utilize energy from billions of stars. Type IV civilizations could use extragalactic energy sources like dark energy. The author considers our human civilization to be a "Type 0.7". We are centuries away from becoming masters of our planet and millions of years away from being masters of this universe, let alone multiverse. We are nothing more than a grain of sand in this Sahara of space and time, ergo premature to rush to conclusions about the existence or non-existence of a supreme being that is above all. My simple answer when faced with questions about divinity is that I do not know. I certainly do have my own set of beliefs, many of which fall apart when I scrutinize them, only to be back on their feet when I shift my focus. They are ideas and thoughts that are at the core of what makes me the individual that I am. I neither shove my beliefs down anybody's throat nor do I let anyone one force feed me their beliefs. But yeah, a thought provoking and engaging discussion is something I always relish.

Mr. Dawkins correctly points out that religion fills four main roles in human lives : Explanation, Exhortation, Consolation and Inspiration. In my opinion, the third role "Consolation" is the most important of it all. Pain and suffering have always provided religion the space it needed. There are many who are alive today only because of the hope that their religion provided, there are many who survive only because their religion tells them that their God loves them and will forgive their transgressions, there are many who emerge from their abysses of misery only because they believe that a supreme being is watching over them and cares for them. It is a fact that although religions have have shed much blood to turn all oceans red, they have wiped tears, fed empty stomachs, palliated suffering and been a crutch to billions across the globe. Unlike most people, Mr. Dawkins is concerned about the "truth" and correctly states that "wanting something to be true" is not the same as "it being true". But the truth is also that many people need a pacifier in life, many need a God or religion to keep going, many are not concerned about the truth and live on their truths. Someday, we humans could come up with a solution that fills all the four roles with something other than religion. Science could provide it, but we haven't reached there yet. Till then, hold on to your beliefs and let others do the same. As far as possible confine it within the walls of your homes and places or worship. Live your life the way you want and let others live theirs. Be curious, read and expand your horizons.If my reader is a strong believer and is curious about Mr.Dawkins' ideas, I would suggest him/her to read the last chapter "A much needed gap" and if that turns out to be too much to handle, read the last section titled "The Mother of all burkas" which briefly talks about how mysterious our universe is and provides good food for thought.

Hawkers on the Road to Perdition - Part II

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the alarmist nature of Glenn Beck's program on Fox News and the advertisements that dot it.

The following article appeared on Yahoo news yesterday :

Glenn Beck's gold-gate problem


Tue Dec 8, 3:47 pm ET
Yet another controversy appears to be brewing around Fox News host Glenn Beck. Some are accusing him of a blatant conflict of interest concerning his frequent on-air promotion of an investment sold by one of his main advertisers: Gold.
For some time Beck critics have cried foul over his relationship with Goldline International, a precious metals vendor that features the TV and radio host's endorsement prominently on their website. Critics charge that Beck is guilty of misleading his audience by often advising them to purchase gold in advance of the potential collapse of the value of the dollar on the world currency market, without disclosing that he is in fact a "paid spokesman" for Goldline. Beck's on-air promotion of gold, which includes advising viewers to construct "fruit cellars" and to rely on a "three G system" of "God, Gold, and Guns" in the event of America's collapse, dates back to his time as a host for CNN Headline News.

Glenn Beck also regularly talks up gold on his nationally syndicated radio show, where he often endorses Goldline during live commercial segments. Additionally, Beck has had the company's CEO on as a guest. Advertisements for Goldline are also featured prominently on Beck's own website, where he recently promoted gold in an audio clip warning of an apocalyptic future:

When the system eventually collapses, and the government comes with guns and confiscates, you know, everything in your home and all your possessions, and then you fight off the raving mad cannibalistic crowds that Ted Turner talked about, don't come crying to me. I told you: get gold.

Back in October, the liberal media company Air America made this video mocking the conflict of interest:

Beck's promotion of gold presents a potential problem for Fox News, which strictly prohibits on-air personalities from making paid product endorsements. When contacted by Daily Finance for a comment on the matter, Fox News senior vice-president for development Joel Cheatwood said the network "makes an exception for its commentators who are also radio hosts," adding that they knew upfront that hiring Beck came with the understanding that he was also a radio host and that they "had to be accepting of certain elements of that." Nevertheless, a Fox spokeswoman said that the company is addressing the matter with Beck's agent, George Hiltzik.

However, Beck, who responded to the conflict of interest allegations on his show last Thursday by saying "So I shouldn't make money?", isn't devoid of defenders on the matter. Business Insider called the controversy "nonsense," adding "there's nothing wrong with a commentator advising viewers, listeners, or readers to take positions that he is taking himself. In fact, you might wonder about the motivations of someone giving financial advice he wouldn't take himself."

In Beck's defense, some have also noted that the price of gold has spiked since he started at Fox News. Nevertheless, you can probably bet that any and all future Jon Stewart impressions of Beck will include numerous references to the virtues of gold.

Food for Life

Today, I had the opportunity to join volunteers from local colleges and community centers to serve meals and talk to several homeless people in Greenville county. The food is delivered by Food for Life and the expenses are borne by the church. It is held every Tuesday at the Triune Mercy Center.

Kiva

They say "Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, Teach him how to fish and he eats for the rest of his life." You can also modify the last sentence to say "Lend him some money to buy a fishing rod and some bait and he eats for the rest of his life." Ofcourse,Here you assume that the person knows how to fish and you also have reason to believe that he would repay you. What am I talking about, eh ? - Microfinance !

I first heard about Micro finance way back in 2006 when Mohammed Yunus, the founder of Bangladesh's Grameen Bank was awarded the Nobel Peace prize for his efforts to bring about socio-economic development among the poorest households in Bangladesh. "Micro credit" is one of those ideas that make sense to one's heart and mind. It gives you a sense of happiness and satisfaction in being able to give somebody an opportunity to improve their lot and by holding the borrower responsible for repayment, it makes them duty-bound to spend the money wisely.

I have always believed that opportunities and motivation can do far more good than free lunches. It builds self-esteem, self-confidence and helps people move from hopelessness to having hope to giving hope (the last one being my metric to judge true success).

I am a member of Kiva, which is a person-to-person micro lending institution, that lets you to lend money to entrepreneurs around the globe. They could range from Asian farmers wanting to try a new crop, South American fish mongers wanting to buy more fish, African self-employed women wanting to do more to educate their children and many more. Take a look for yourself on the Kiva website to read about who they are and how they work.

Also, click here to read more about Micro finance institutions in India.

A bite of Apple

I took advantage of the Thanksgiving deals and bought an iPhone 3GS. I don't think I have ever been so mesmerized by a gadget in my whole life. Ever since it arrived at my doorstep the day before yesterday, I have been glued to it. Tweaking it, Scouring iTunes store for Apps, checking out the different features and at times simply staring at it and wondering at the beauty and simplicity of its design. This is truly a revolutionary product.

Certain features that would have made me happier are :
1. The ability to multi task - Wish I could open a few safari browsers at the same time while working on an App or two.
2. Longer battery life - My Nokia would survive a trip to Mars and back.
3. Better Voice Dialling - one that understands Indian names pronounced the Indian way ! :-) Yeah, wishful thinking !!