Archive for category Articles
Women Power
Posted by alibabarika in Articles on February 16, 2012
There was a news item in a newspaper some time ago about Julia Gilliard being sworn in as Australia’s first elected woman Prime Minister. Thus the world today has 17 nations having women heads of state and Government (excluding monarchs). These countries are Australia, Argentina, Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Croatia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, India, Ireland, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Lithuania, Philippines, Slovakia, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago.
Its very encouraging and interesting to see the rise in the “women power” on global basis. However, to me and may be for many among the Indian populace, the specific case of Trinidad & Tobago has a very special significance. The name of their Prime Minister is Ms Kamla Prasad Bissessar. Let me go down the memory lane. I studied in Banaras, which is on the boarder of UP Bihar and Nepal. The city is known for Bishwanath Temple and Banaras Hindu University (BHU)beside a trading town. In front of our School, across the road, there used to be a very big open field, which was called Police Maidan. On the extreme end of this field there was multiple long barracks with equally long and narrow Verandahs and low, tiled roofs. During my School days, they seemed to be abandoned and derelict. I used to get very curious. My father a professor in BHU who had a problem to be called a professor, he always loved to be called a teacher was a store house of general information.
German Memories – Volga Germans
Posted by alibabarika in Articles on February 9, 2012
Volga Germans and other ethnic German repatriates including Black Sea Germans and Germans from other regions from the former Soviet Union are a separate group in Germany.
Since 1950, about 2.2 million ethnic Germans have left the former Soviet Union for Germany, in search of better economic and social conditions and an escape from post-World War II persecution. Most of these people come from from Kazakhstan particularly the northern part near Siberia. Another 1 million Germans still remain in Russia, Kazakhstan and the Ukraine.
Chinese Food Revolution – The Infusion Of Provincial Cuisine In Big Cities
Posted by alibabarika in Articles on February 2, 2012
China’s modern history shows recent rapid changes unequalled in the West during the industrial revolution. We now think of China as “catching-up” to the Western world’s technological and social advances, but many centuries ago, it was the other way around.
China in the 13th century was leading the rest of the world with its advanced technologies. Many are surprised to learn that such devices as the sea-bearing compass, gunpowder, paper and printing were all invented in China. Due to China’s bonds to its culture and traditions though, it was hesitant to adopt any of the modern advancements which exploded in the West after that period. In some cases, such as agricultural development, it was not in the interests of the Chinese to start using harvesting machinery. The staple rice diet of China and its massive labor pool were more efficient at harvesting rice than any machines could be and to this day, it is still not financially viable for China’s rice fields to use machinery over human labor.
Borat! The Biggest Load of Rubbish You Will Ever See-a Movie Review
Posted by alibabarika in Articles on January 23, 2012
OK. I know some people think that Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Borat: The Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” is clever, funny, witty etc etc. I didn’t.
Call me a kill-joy if you want. I don’t care. I went to the cinema full of expectation. But I was sadly disappointed. I thought Borat was mildly amusing – for about 20 to 30 minutes. Then it became tedious, tiresome, boring, silly, painful, crude, rude, disgusting, stupid and… predictable. Pretty much most of the story, if you can call it that, goes nowhere.