BArching Up The Right Tree

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/barch-students-give-lift-to-battered-park/articleshow/60149880.cms

Saying Sorry For Someone's Loss

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/24/smarter-living/condolence-letters-how-to.html?_r=0

Why Women Had Better Sex Under Socialism

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/12/opinion/why-women-had-better-sex-under-socialism.html?login=email

This reminded me of a young Polish friend who, at my request, arranged for me to speak to her mother over a VOIP call so I could get an idea of how life was in the pre 1990 days. Of course it was a short call - only 30 minutes or so. But when I read the link, I was reminded of that call with Leeloo.

Leeloo's mother told me that life was somehow better before (in the communism era than in 2010). My friend who speaks fluent English performed the role of the translator.

In The Servicing Of Women

How maulvis take money for one-night stand with divorced women trying to save marriage: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/nikah-halala-islamic-scholars-one-night-stand-divorced-muslim-women-marriage/1/1027212.html

White Goods

Warranty, Services

• http://www.lg.com/in/support/warranty
• http://serviceman.in
• All about TV Warranty And  Service: https://lcdtvbuyingguide.com/lcdtv/tv-warranty.shtml

Televisions below Rs 20000

• http://pricebaba.com/television/pricelist/televisions-below-20000-in-india?status=10&status=20&sort=popularity-desc&active=true&online_price=1-10100&online_price=9900-20100&ELEC-HMENT-TV-DSP-SZ=25-31.9&ELEC-HMENT-TV-DSP-SZ=32-39.9&ELEC-HMENT-TV-DSP-HD=OPT-1462529409983&ELEC-HMENT-TV-DSP-TP=OPT-1462529599716&start=0&limit=40

Photos Can Indicate Depression

Apparently photos from social media posts can indicate depression even before a person is clinically diagnosed :http://www.financialexpress.com/lifestyle/health/facebook-photos-may-help-diagnose-depression-study/800378/ Just like Tata Sky set top box can stop working a couple of minutes before rain starts.

Nudging Behavior Works Better Than Other Means

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/08/11/governments-are-trying-to-nudge-us-into-better-behavior-is-it-working/?utm_term=.4331b75637e0

Turning Negative Thinkers Into Positive Ones

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/03/well/live/turning-negative-thinkers-into-positive-ones.html

Cost Of Pain

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/08/07/how-much-would-you-pay-to-live-pain-free/?utm_term=.7a7adb0501b6

This is an excellent article on finding the cost of pain or the price we are willing to pay for getting rid of pain.

Anti Women Sentiments At Google

Apparently the author of the memo, James Demore, has been fired by Google.: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/on-leadership/wp/2017/08/08/the-google-memo-is-a-reminder-that-we-generally-dont-have-free-speech-at-work/?utm_term=.3967b0985053

Here is the memo: http://gizmodo.com/exclusive-heres-the-full-10-page-anti-diversity-screed-1797564320


Additional reading:

• I am not a sexist: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/08/10/im-not-a-sexist-fired-google-engineer-stands-behind-controversial-memo/?utm_term=.1a61f32f0262
• Shoot the messenger: http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/dont-shoot-the-messenger/article19504556.ece
• Women were foundational to the field of computing: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/memo-to-the-google-memo-writer-women-were-foundational-to-the-field-of-computing/2017/08/09/76da1886-7d0e-11e7-a669-b400c5c7e1cc_story.html?utm_term=.0d368a526b75
• A neutral view about the memo: https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/08/11/opinion/sundar-pichai-google-memo-diversity.html?referer=
• Google employees fear after memo incident: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/google-employees-face-fear-uncertainty-in-aftermath-of-divisive-memo/2017/08/11/5edd7a00-7ee1-11e7-83c7-5bd5460f0d7e_story.html?utm_term=.9b977c9ab9ae
• Women say they quite because of racial discrimination: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/aug/18/women-google-memo-racism-sexism-discrimination-quit - If a child says he quit because he was never nominated to the Olympic Chess championship or if a handicapped person says he was not nominated to the triathlon championships - was it because they were not yet there or because there was a discrimination? This seems to be a highly emotional issue.

Gratitude Dissolves Toxic Emotions

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_gratitude_changes_you_and_your_brain

Apparently writing a gratitude letter, even if one didn't share it, results in a positive change though it may not be immediately.

Additional reading:

• Children of parents with disabilities tend to be more empathetic and emotionally intelligent: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/are_the_children_of_parents_with_disabilities_more_empathic?utm_source=Greater+Good+Science+Center&utm_campaign=ebcb5b5c2a-GG_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_08_09&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5ae73e326e-ebcb5b5c2a-51673647
• Taking the 3rd party perspective during an argument: https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/gaining_perspective_on_an_argument?utm_source=Greater+Good+Science+Center&utm_campaign=ebcb5b5c2a-GG_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_08_09&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5ae73e326e-ebcb5b5c2a-51673647

Caregivers Isolation

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/04/health/caregiving-alzheimers-isolation.html

Its All Waste Bengal

A friend sent me this article: http://www.hindustantimes.com/india/loojh-canawn/story-eyBnOp3FFBye0a0sH326TN.html about West Bengali language and pronaanshiyeshon. The East Bengali dialect is another can or waarms.

Absolutely hilareeaas, I mean hilarious, if you understand Bengali.

Flat For Rent At Alwarpet In Chennai

Beautiful flat available for rent for bachelor in an exclusive locality at East Abhiramapuram, Chennai. From Oct 2017.

The building is about 10 to 15 mins walk to Mylapore railway station, Mylapore tank. Nageswara Rao park, CP Ramaswamy Road Flyover, TTK Road and Alwarpet. Beach is about 4km. Hospital, Restaurants, Music Academy within 2km.

Area measuring 1000 sq feet, 2 BHK semi furnished flat, 3rd (top) floor, NO LIFT. And no A/c and hence may be a little warm in summer. 

This flat is not suitable:

(a) for family (this is for ONE bachelor only). I come daily to the flat. One bedroom is for me.

(b) for people who plan to cook non veg at home. If you plan to cook at home, do cook vegetarian food only.

(c) for people who can't climb three floors and 

(d) for those who have a lot of furniture, especially heavy furniture. 

It is airy, spacious, and has 4 balconies. It has fans, lights, a bed, almirah, and a gas + stove (and plenty of books). If you want, you can get your own washing machine, fridge. You cannot install an A/C. There is 2 wheeler parking and an open car park for a small car.

A maid comes to clean (maid salary Rs 1000/month is separate as is maintenance charge (Rs 1500 pm) and electricity. 

If you are interested, pls leave a comment with your number. I will get back to you. Rent Rs 15000 / month. 

Pictures of the flat below. Most furniture and fittings shown below (except couple of almirahs) can be used by the tenant. And hence this apartment would be ideal for people who travel light without much furniture.

Hall and Balcony

Entrance Door from which you enter hall

Common toilet leading away from hall

Doorway leading Balcony Outside Kitchen which can also be the wash area

Balcony outside Kitchen

Kitchen Shelves.

Mineral water cans on kitchen shelf

Gas stove (3 Burners) with cylinder

Common toilet - with anti skid tiles + wash basin outside. You can see this from hall

Inside the common toilet

Bed and bedside clock - you can see light from balcony - Master Bedroom

Writing table. No A/C here - Master Bedroom

Lots of greenery outside.

Balcony outside master bedroom. 

From the Master Bedroom looking at the hall

Attached toilet

Largish attached toilet. Washing machine can be attached. 

Book shelf with old books (fiction and non fiction) and writing table in 2nd bedroom

Almirah and balcony at the left corner in 2nd bedroom. There is no A/C. There is a spring mattress to the left which is put on top of coir mat.

This  is the same bedroom but looking in from the balcony

Balcony outside 2nd bedroom

Why People Think Germans Aren't Funny

Apparently it's because of the German language structure and its compound words: http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20170802-why-people-think-germans-arent-funny

Why Kids Can't Write

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/02/education/edlife/writing-education-grammar-students-children.html

Quotes from the link:

“You get your intuition back when you make space for it, when you stop the chattering of the rational mind,” the memoirist writes.

“Rationality squeezes out much that is rich and juicy and fascinating.”
By requiring students to learn three types of essay writing — argumentative, informational and narrative — the Core staked a claim for writing as central to the American curriculum. It represented a sea change after the era of No Child Left Behind, the 2002 federal law that largely overlooked writing in favor of reading comprehension assessed by standardized multiple-choice tests. 

The root of the problem, educators agree, is that teachers have little training in how to teach writing and are often weak or unconfident writers themselves. ... fewer than half had taken a college class that devoted significant time to the teaching of writing, while fewer than a third had taken a class solely devoted to how children learn to write. Unsurprisingly, given their lack of preparation, only 55 percent of respondents said they enjoyed teaching the subject.