I have long disliked soaps, and shows that follow the soap opera pattern in general. However, upon contemplation in my secret cave, i came upon a sudden realization which i am going to share with you… but first a dramatic PAUSE~!

OK, that was lame. But i think that most serials are extended thought experiments, of course funded by advertisements, but at their core they are thought experiments. Here’s my reasoning:

Soaps – at their heart, they are a way of figuring out what happens when the protagonists(mentally challenged people) are taken advantage of by the antagonists(mentally AND morally challenged people) and the advice of slightly less challenged people is often ignored, as in real life.

Crime Shows – these often sordid tales detail the banal experience of cops (ethically challenged people) trying to capture the villains(not quite entirely bonkers people) who are preying on the protagonists, but sometimes they prey on the antagonists (See above) as well

News shows – A forum where the very fabric of existence is relentlessly called into question, by continuously stoking a debate on the line between facts and truth, literally pitting people with varying degrees of mental(and linguistic) afflictions against each other to probe the depths of human morality, on either side of the viewing screen.

Now a word from our sponsors… torgo’s executive powder

GO READ ALL OF IT NOW!

Jumping headfirst into some stereotype of social activity — whether it is soup kitchens or civil disobedience — is rarely a prescription for long-term engagement. Often this ignores possibilities already present in our lives, and attempts to supplement what we are already doing with “something meaningful.” But adding another all-consuming activity to the menagerie of obligations attending work and home life is unlikely to be sustained in the longer term — with that which earns one’s livelihood prevailing in the end.

Medvedev recalled that Kalashnikov had once said that if such a weapon had been created abroad, “the state would have paid much better for this work.”

The president said: “But you must not regret that you served our country, and the love of the whole nation is the assessment of your work.”

wonder if Mr medvedev applies a similar logic to his own fortune?

BTW, this was one of the first ‘western’ songs i ever listened to. i was probably 5 or 6 at the time. It was on a cassette containing the greatest disco hits of the 80s. I think i finally understand why i turned out the way i did

I have never been a fan of the slavish neo-liberal mentality embodied by the economic wing of the present indian government. It’s reached a new low this past week when in a fit of paranoia, the home minister(and ex-finance minister) announced the ban on the use of prepaid mobile phones in all of Kashmir. that means existing numbers go blank, once their recharges run out and any new phone connection has to be tied to a service provider with monthly bills.

if there is any logic behind this(and i cannot see any) is completely and utterly ridiculous, as someone intending to be a ‘terrorist’ or ‘militant’ could just as well obtain a pre-paid SIM card from the next state over, charge it up and use it on roaming as well, and would not lack in funds to do such a thing. this is not to mention that the cost of a regularly-billed connection would also be insignificant for someone who is determined.

All this stupidity does is highlight the severely regressive approach that this government has taken to combat violent outbursts against the indian state. It has only one response to any problem, and that seems to be more violence. needless to say, all this would do is to inflame tensions even more, and will probably win no fans in the already beleaguered state of Jammu & Kashmir either.

Till the government decides that it is in the nation’s interest to address the causes of the various forms of violent extremism that pop-up in this nation for which it provides a fertile soil, it will continue to be a case of violent, citizen-killing whack-a-mole.

And it’s disgusting.

so we collected the first rent for usage of our studio today. I am sure in some way that this taints me as a capitalist, albeit with a small-c. the irony is not lost on me… “i need to make rent as well”… blah.

I am a bit late on this, but I hope all of you have a very happy Diwali (17th Oct 2009) and may you all have a great year ahead as well. no picature this time, as i have been busy with various things that i shall explain shortly

Comment by The Medium Lobster —
October 9, 2009 @ 10:03 am

Just above this headline, on the BBC News ticker, was another one reading “NASA Successfully Bombs Moon.” We have been aware of the invasion of parody into reality for quite some time, but it has now become clear we are living in occupied territory…

Welcome back to sporadic life, fafblog

i dont know what else one can make of this award…

Asked why the prize had been awarded to Mr Obama less than a year after he took office, Nobel committee head Thorbjoern Jagland said: “It was because we would like to support what he is trying to achieve”.

“It is a clear signal that we want to advocate the same as he has done,” he said.

I have thought up a brilliant strategy. now that many people are desirous of earning some environmental-friendly street cred(literally) we see claims of corporations and in some cases, prominent people claiming to be ‘carbon neutral’ i think it’s time to take it to the next level and pressure people to ‘go negative’. it’s a brilliantly simple strategy, and if implemented widely may cause people to re-think carbon credits themselves(a good thing in my opinion)

the reasoning is simple – once you have gone all the way to being neutral, it’s a small step to go negative. buy a few extra credits beyond your neutrality. if someone whines about lost profits – you can well ask if they are willing to profit AT THE COST OF THE ENTIRE PLANET! or whether ‘THE COST OF A CLEAN PLANET IS TOO MUCH TO BEAR’ some equally dire but entirely plausible sequence of words. you know, like advertising.

feel free to point out loopholes, this is a thought i had while on the pooper and though i would share (didn’t really intend to share the last part – only did it because pooper is such a great word)