Bye Bye Planet Pluto...

Pluto has been demoted from its status of ninth planet. Now we have only eight planets left. So what we have studied in the school about the nine planets in solar system no longer holds. All text books have to be corrected. Also a new category is created named "dwarf planets", that means a further burden for school kids to remember. I remember my school days when we had to learn all the planets , their names and order, too menacing.
Also in Hindu mythology nine planets are mentioned "Navagrahas"... Earlier I thought it to be so scientific...
Still my heart is not willing to accept that solar system has eight planets, its too heard to unlearn what you learned when you were kid..."dont worry Pluto, you will always be a planet for me".

5o coolest websites: - by Time

This is certainly a good list to look into. Many I never heard of before...

How long you have to work for your Big Mac

I saw this interesting survey by Swiss banking giant UBS. It shows the disparity in the time you need to work in different cities around the world to buy a Big Mac. In Delhi and Mumbai the time is six times that of Tokyo and LA... Now I can see why is there rush towrds there...I remember the old detergent cake ad "Jab wahi cheez wahi quality 10 minute main mile to hum 70 minute main kyun lein, wo na lein"

On average: 35 minutes of work buys a Big Mac, the report said. But there are big disparities. A sampling:

1. Tokyo: 10 minutes
2. Los Angeles: 11
3. Chicago: 12
4. New York: 13
5. Sydney, Australia: 14
6. Toronto: 14
7. London: 16
8. Hong Kong: 17
9. Oslo, Norway: 18
10. Nicosia, Cyprus: 19
11. Paris: 21
12. Moscow: 25
13. Beijing: 44
14. Istanbul, Turkey: 48
15. Kiev, Ukraine: 55
16. Bangkok, Thailand: 67
17. Bombay, India: 70
18. Mexico City: 82
19. Nairobi, Kenya: 91
20. Bogota, Colombia: 97

Other findings: Oslo is the most expensive city based on the cost of a basket of 122 goods and services, excluding rent.

Workers in Seoul, South Korea, work the longest. Those in Paris have the shortest workweek.

The study said a dollar earned in Los Angeles, after deducting taxes and social security contributions, is worth more than in Chicago, New York, Miami, Toronto and Montreal.

A condom a day with your daily newspaper

Pesticides story

Recent controversy over quantity of pesticides in the soft drink beverages has raised many eyebrows and stirred the country. People are carrying out protests against soft drink majors. News papers have covered the issue on their front pages. Many states banned the drinks completely in their provinces. Companies are claiming the same standards around the world and their brand embassadors justifying them.
In all this hue and cry I wonder how come only the soft drinks are targeted every time the survey is done. Is their some problem these NGOs have with PepsiCo and Coke. There are more things than these to be surveyed for instance Amul and Parag milk products which more people consume, wine and beers which are certainly more toxic, packed juices like Real and Montana and many more things which people consume daily. Or is this the case that everything is surveyed and only the PepsiCo and Coke products are the only culprit found. I bet this could not be the case. If so are these people are on some mission to eradicate India by slow poisoning :D, sounds like a James Bond story, all rubbish.
I suspect if the mineral waters are also tested they will also show similar results. The root cause lies in the ground water itself. When the water of the country itself is so polluted then how can we talk about MNCs having high level of pesticides in soft drinks. Billions of people are drinking this water. Even I remember my days in when we used to have tea at road side dhabas and stalls, the conditions were so pathetic that we used to joke that one who eats here gets immune to all other food and water borne deseases :)). So I think like us most of the Indians are immune to these level of pesticides already. Beside a drink which is not contaminated is more foreign to us and hence may prove more dangerous ;)
Politics is being played on the issue. First is that NGO which resurfaces the issue every time it wants to get in lime light. Second are the state governments. Four of them have banned them. This is a sign of complete immaturity of Indian polity. How can they ban the soft drinks while cigarettes and beer are allowed. Later are clearly more injurious to health. I suspect the government finds a solution by putting on the labels of colas that "Consuming these is injurious to health" and "not to be sold to minors" :D
These acts tarnish Indian image in a globalizing world and clearly shows how much Indian politics is poor of real good issues. This way we are planning to be developed by 2020?

Inspiring Yet Interesting

A professor stood before his Philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes." The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand.

The students laughed. "Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. "The golf balls are the important things - your God, family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions - things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. "The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. "The sand is everything else--the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. "The same goes for life. "If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. "Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. "Play with your children. "Take time to get medical checkups. "Take your partner out to dinner. "Play another 18. "There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. "Take care of the golf balls first, the
things that really matter. "Set your priorities. "The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. "It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a cup of coffee with a friend."