Sunday, November 30, 2008

And my vote goes to...

Best Other View:
Paul Cornish's, The age of 'celebrity terrorism'
These individuals indulge in terrorism simply because they can, while their audience concocts a rationale on their behalf.

Welcome to the age of celebrity terrorism.

The invitation to the world's D-list malcontents reads as follows: No matter how corrupt your moral sense, how contorted your view of the world, how vapid and inarticulate your ideas, how talentless you are and how exaggerated your grievance, an obsessive audience will watch your every move and turn you into what you most want to be, just before your death.


Link

Best Ignorant View:
Aryn Baker, India's Muslims in Crisis
Link

Best Frustrated View:
M J Akbar, Toothless leaders turn tough nation into soft state
Link

Best Cynical View/Best Black Humour:
Vilasrao Deshmukh (Chief Minister of Maharashtra)
Link

Best Hurt View:
V S Achuthanandan (Chief Minister of Kerala)
Link1, Link2, Link3

Best Obvious View:
Mark Tully, Will India heed the wake-up call?
But will India wake up? If the past is anything to go by the answer has to be "no".

Link

Best Anglo-Saxon Literal View:
BBC reports, "There is no Kasab in Faridkot"
"Only shy boys study in Jamaat school"

Best Hate View:
Pat Boone, "Hate is hate, in India or America"
What troubles me so deeply, and should trouble all thinking Americans, is that there is a real, unbroken line between the jihadist savagery in Mumbai and the hedonistic, irresponsible, blindly selfish goals and tactics of our homegrown sexual jihadists. Hate is hate, no matter where it erupts. And by its very nature, if it's not held in check, it will escalate into acts vile, violent and destructive.

Link (Via Pharyngula)
To be updated...

I don't have any opinions. I just want to support or oppose all those opinions.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Freud was completely wrong...again

I think this new study complements the previous one. The previous study discussed positive effect of mothers on daugthers; this study examines the negative effect. In both the cases, sons are immune.

From the article:
Researchers found that girls whose mothers played mental games with them like making them feel guilty or withdrawing expressions of love reported much higher levels of depressive symptoms and lower levels of personal agency.

Psychological control did not affect the psychological well-being of boys.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Egyptian Introgression?

Zeitgeist
I came across this video at "Atheism in India" forum at Orkut. The priest centric Hinduism and the development of early Greek society(Y-Haplogroup J2a), both, the long time readers of this blog might be aware that I have attributed to West Asia. Traditional wisdom ascribe them to Indo-European nomads. My belief is that most likely IEs consulted their Wise Women and Medicinal Men like most of the Shaman societies in Steppe.

To further the previous argument, we know priests were a powerful community in both West Asia and Egyptian society. Even today their society is controlled by priests. However, in European lands priesthood never appeared until Christianity. Also, it was overthrown in many societies after few centuries.

There is a Malayalam story- I have mentioned that before- of a Brahmin husband and Paria(formerly untouchable) wife whose union produced 12 children. Well, that number again alludes to astrology. I suppose many anthropologists found that story as socially very revealing about the development of caste system in Kerala. I just wonder anything IE is left in Indian traditions. I hope there would be similar studies on Indian mythology/mythical heroes and astrology.

I think Manu recreating human race with the help of a fish is very revealing. That appears to be allusion to PISCES constellation.

Okay.

In my excitement I failed to check the facts initially. Then looked up at Wikipedia.
Criticism

It does appear to have generalized few things (eg. Krishna). However, the idea that astrological symbols have something to do with many myths, appeals me. In fact, Hindutvites typical attempt to find the exact dates of Mahabharata and Ramayana based on Astrology should be scrutinized from this background.

Regarding Krishna, I have argued about Visnu's(also known as Hari) growth from a minor solar deity to a main god shows influence of West Asia where the Sun god had become supreme over time.

At least, population genetics does appear to show the reason for West Asian/Egyptian deities/cultural aspects(purity-impurity) in Hinduism. When there are so many similarities then correlative thought( I don't know what it means just suppose another academic term for convergent evolution) can't be applied.

I of course just wonder whether it is believable that many scholars would sit together and create a great body of literature due to political backing. How about the Sangam literature? If it is the case then it is indeed an admirable feat. A greater hope for mankind than the true occurrences of these events.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

position of Tulu Language - IV

I'm not fluent in Tulu, the language of my native land. And still less in Malayalam, my hereditary language. By linguistics, I am actually a Kannadiga. But when I converse in Tulu , I tend to mix Malayalam verbs and cases sometimes. Never Kannada, except for nouns. However, I haven't observed that phenomenon vice-versa(no idea if I missed noticing it). I of course don't know if this signifies anything.