Monday, August 16, 2010

2012 APOCALYPTIC BUNK

All of a sudden mankind has realized that the year 2012 is going to be the end of this planet. Why? Because of a Mayan "Long count" Calendar that supposedly ends in the year 2012 and is misrepresented now as being the end of the cycle of birth and end of the World. The poor Mayans could not predict that a white European race, with their lust for Gold would come and pounce on them one day, literally exterminating their civilization. The Mayans don't seem to have attached any importance to this, though!

And then we have this bunch of people believing religious orders, who wants everyone to think that Armageddon is just around the corner and we should all flock to their houses of worship (with lots of money to give away) in order to save themselves from this planet wide disaster. These guys suddenly put the Mayans on the map, a people whom they had discredited when decimating them in order to uphold their own “superior” religion and free the Mayans from their “primitive barbaric anti-god” rituals. So, these "barbarians" had an accurate calendar which is now the focus of attention.

Add another element of these Internet doomsday prophets that make claims about a planet called Nibiru, that unbeknownst to us, will sneak by our planet, jump across and enslave us and use us to mine our planet dry before exterminating us. We have done that already I think, the Nibirans will find an already over mined polluted planet and fly away in disgust. Another claim is that the apocalypse will be due to geomagnetic reversal caused by a massive solar flare. That's a sure fire way of closing up business on this planet, right?


Now, enter Hollywood, with their marketing skills and special effects. Their latest offering is called 2012 from Sony Pictures. Their marketing effort for this film has been so effective that many people have feared for their lives literally. They have used all sources of pseudo-science and plain fiction, to reinforce the thought of the World coming to an end. They want all of us to go and watch this movie. I watched it, it's got some great special effects and some fine acting of people generally screaming and running around. All you have to do is tell the Americans that their gallon of gas is going to be $10 bucks and they'll be screaming louder than they would if it was about the end of the World. They'd scream from now till 2012!

The Internet is often an idiotic source of absurd news, bogus claims of scientific advancements and full of predatory doomsday prophets waiting to take advantage of the millions of gullible browsers. That explains the success of these Nigerian and other Afrikans e-mail scams, promise of miraculous cures for diseases and of course the existence of our unfriendly aliens called Nibirans from planet Nibiru. Youtube is filled with Videos on this topic with a very “professorial” looking presenters who, so seriously and with a straight face, talk about this mysterious planet that NASA is hiding from all of us (Area 51,what we know until now). All of a sudden we have people getting depressed and generally apprehensive of what’s going to happen to us in December 2012 when the Mayan long count calendar runs out. I can't believe that NASA is being inundated with people inquiring about this doomsday planet with this doomsday race on it.

So, NASA and Discovery Channel had to come out with statements to make people believe that this movie and the millions of website proclaiming this so-called end of the World in 2012 is just complete rot.


As for me, I will have a garam-garam kebabs on chilly December 21st, 2012, so that when the Nibirans come, we can invite them to the party! Hope they bring the entertainment or they will have to listen to my stale jokes. Let’s be happy before we are put to work in the mines for them!

ADIOS!!!!! J

P.S: Plz suggest some other ways to welcome the Nibrians. They shouldn’t get cold shouldered…..


Monday, August 9, 2010

Your Brain Hates You!

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC9pSc85W5xsgPh11rZY9s0Il2_j6luCMi7BTSxzqKSbPab4ase-3svJ6qPAHVeuRQKW-we7MB2KlE6uhrh5TMrv-CPQ0xmgPSzFwB4GqRY5W1EmY3CgjLVoe-64JMKK5anxHg3j2B/s200/300_pain_killer.jpgI hate pain. All pain. Pain hurts. Pain is suppose to be the body's warning signal that something really bad is going on, which is fine. But why can't the body tone it down a bit, instead of us going through the agony of extreme pain? Especially over& over again over the same thing.


Pain is felt by nerves, which has to answer to the brain. They are connected to the brain through our nervous system... My problem with this is I guess our brains. Do our brains think that we're so stupid, that it's necessary to feel pain constantly when we hurt something? Think about a burn. In my opinion,there's nothing much worse than a burn. Pain can go on & on for quite some time, depending on the burns severity. Why the hell is it necessary to feel the pain of the burn consistently? Does our brain think that we'll forget about that fleshy, blistering smear stretched up the arm due to a violent accident with a toaster? Why would our brain think we'd forget? There's a conundrum for you.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjKrAp3DPc8xr3lf0Fv8Jbb-l1F6l4wH4AKVxvqAf5D52tpydzRXUbHrzATFZvDqgnSO-YRxWfaEA-Zq1ZGVGuXGejgyYtnBem6fwFSuw8DSQBvvoonh_7m2eO6VBMSSn7REPIUNnK/s320/soretooth.jpgHow about a tooth ache? Ever have one of those

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Union Carbide are serial offenders – Don’t cut them any slack...But what about the govt??

Now that the government has finally woken up to its responsibility of giving some relief to the struggling Bhopal victims, and cleaning up the poison left behind, the big question is: will there be speedy action against Carbide/Dow or will we meander through another quarter century of court hearings?

Does it really matter? It does, because Carbide and Dow have one of the dirtiest records of damaging the environment, poisoning people, animals and plants, hoodwinking and dodging the law, all across the world. If India does not act against such serial offenders, then the message will be sent to all the world’s crooks – you can play fast and loose in India because there are no comebacks. So, here is a quick recap of the environmental record of Union Carbide and Dow Chemical.

Union Carbide
1930:476 Carbide workers die of silicosis while constructing tunnel in Hawk’s Nest, West Virginia (WV). 400 death claims settled for just $130,000.

1955: At Carbide’s gas diffusion plant at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, about a million kilograms of mercury leaked into the ground, water and air. Almost half the workforce showed high levels of mercury in urine.

1973-78: Benzene gas leak at the Penuelas, Puerto Rico, propane gas leak at Institute, WV, explosion in polyethylene plant at Antwerp, Belgium, electrocution at Eveready plant in Jakarta, Indonesia.

1980: U.S. Departments of Labor and Health & Human Services report high brain cancer rates at seven petrochemical plants including Carbide's Texas City facility, where 18 workers had died of brain cancer. Carbide fined $550,000 for air pollution violations dating back to 1972 at its Yabucoa, Puerto Rico graphite electrode plant.

1981: Carbide fined $50,000 for spilling 25,600 gallons of propylene oxide into the Kanawha River, WV. Indonesian press reports high mercury levels in wells and rice fields around Carbide’s insecticide plant.

1982: Hydrogen chloride leak in Carbide's Massey yard at South Charleston, WV; several hundred residents evacuated. Tank containing acrolein explodes at the Taft, Louisiana plant; 17,000 people evacuated, property damaged in 1.5 mile radius.

1984: Carbide fined $105,000 for hazardous waste violations in West Virginia.

1985: Carbide notifies the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that since 1980, 190 chemical leaks occurred at its Institute, WV plant, including 61 leaks of methyl isocynate (MIC), 107 leaks of phosgene, and 22 leaks of both.EPA seeks $3.9 million penalty from Carbide for delayed reporting of skin cancer tests involving diethyl sulfate. The tests showed high rate of skin cancer in mice treated with the chemical. 5,700 pounds of acetone and mesityl oxide leaked from Carbide plant in South Charleston, WV; dozens of area residents taken ill. EPA fines Carbide $212,500 for producing a new chemical at its Sisterville, WV plant. Toxic leak at Institute, WV facility injures workers and local residents. $88 million in damages sought, Carbide pays $4,400 fines.

1986: The U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), inspects Carbide units at Institute, WV and finds 221 violations of 55 health and safety laws, proposes $1.4 million in fines.

1987: Carbide agrees to pay $40 million to clean up its Uravan, Colorado uranium contamination, and to pay the state $2.8 million in legal costs. Carbide pays $408,500 to settle 556 health and safety regulations violations at its Institute and South Charleston, WV plants.

1988: Carbide sues 115 insurance companies to recover the costs of cleaning up its hazardous waste sites. Explosion of 4,300 pounds of ethylene oxide at Institute, WV; tetranaphthalene spills into Kanawha River.

1989: Carbide, one of three defendants in an asbestos cancer lawsuit, settles for $900,000. EPA imposes penalty of $325,000 jointly against Union Carbide Corporation and Rhone-Poulenc Ag Company for water pollution from Institute, WV facility.

1990: Carbide's Institute, WV facility leaks methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas and muriatic acid, injuring seven workers, after which 15,000 residents ordered to remain indoors. Mexican environmental agency SEDUE takes action against Carbide's Kemet subsidiary for illegally dumping hazardous waste.

1991: Canadian government cancels registration and EPA issues warning against personal insect repellants containing ethylhexanediol (EHX) made by Carbide. Its subsidiary McGhan Nusil fined $384,000 by U.S. EPA for violations. Explosion at Carbide's plant near Port Lavaca, Texas kills one and injures 26. Carbide fined $1.5 million and pays $3.2 million compensation. 380,000 gallons of chloroform spills into Guayanilla Bay at Ponce, Puerto Rico. EPA issues enforcement order to eleven companies, including Carbide, for clean up of Middlefield-Ellis-Whisman groundwater contamination site in California. Carbide fined $151,000 for 23 health and safety violations after chemical explosion involving asbestos.

1992: Study of cancer rates in the Kanawha Valley, WV by National Institutes for Chemical Studies (NICS), shows link between children's health and their proximity to chemical plants emitting volatile organic compounds. Carbide and other companies pay $8.2 million to settle a suit by residents near the Brio Superfund site near Houston. EPA fines Carbide $170,150 for violations of law relating to disposal of hazardous wastes.

1993: EPA seeks fine of $194,550 for spillage of benzene, methane, ethylene and "refinery by-product gases" at Texas City. Carbide one of twenty corporations named in the suit of $1 billion for 100,000 victims of exposure to asbestos.

1994: EPA fines Carbide $320,000 for failure to perform regular leak detection testing, and maintaining records of boiler wastes such as mercury, lead, and beryllium at Institute, WV, and $75,000 for not reporting a leak of ethylene oxide. Carbide to pay $138 million over two years and former subsidiary McGhan $25 million over 25 years, in $4.7 billion settlement of Dow Corning's silicone breast implant litigation.

But Bhopal gas tragedy was not completely their fault.It was the govt. which was expecting a lot from this thug company.It was kind of largest industrial investment at that time.Why would a country stop hefty investment into its own land??Think...................................

Moreover the UCIL('Union Carbide' as we say) paid nearly Rupees 800cr or $470 million in 1989,an amount that would equal the compensation paid by the Ukraine govt after the infamous Chernobyl Nuclear disaster...

So where has the money gone??Should I tell you all in detail??(india mein rehte ho..itna toh pata chal hi gaya hoga)...

In 1999, Union Carbide's merger with Dow Chemical was initiated, to be completed in 2001.Dow Chemicals completely took over Union Carbide in 2001,accepting to slay off all liabilities not including the Compensation amount of Bhopal massacre.They said they have sympathies for the victims but no compensation.They said it was their liability as Union Carbide had already paid off the amount back in 1989. E

Dow Chemicals completely took over Union Carbide in 2001,accepting to slay off all liabilities not including the Compensation amount of Bhopal massacre.They said they have sympathies for the victims but no compensation.They said it was their liability as Union Carbide had already paid off the amount back in 1989.Even I feel Dow isn't responsible for all these.Moreover,It may further harm Dow's future plans in India.


(Source: India today journal,dec,2000)


Saturday, April 10, 2010

NOSTALGIC ARCHIVES Of TV ADS

Last Saturday I had one of my friend writing about the old nostalgic movies. Even I thought of doing so but had already posted my blog earlier that evening. But hey!! Its Saturday again .But it won’t be my nostalgic movies but on similar lines its TV ads. Since childhood we’ve been glued to the idiot box and have seen 100’s and 1000’s of TV ads.

Grouping of commercials that I grew up with. Feel nostalgic about them and hope they won’t get lost forever as time moves on. I have made this collection by googling,you tubed a lot, reading market surveys/articles and also getting some information from my freinds. This is just a way you all can re-live your childhood.

I have also referred the ad using their you tube links and some pics to help you all to brush up your memories.

RASNA - I love you Rasna


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKHo-2LNDi8&feature=related



Rasna ad became a huge hit when it was played right before and during the fifteen-minute cartoon, shown on Sunday evenings, Spider-Man. It showed a lot of kids drinking Rasna, and it included the fat guy who drank a huge jug of Rasna.

Once Rasna became part of the Sunday morning line-up of ads, they added a cute female to the ad saying:
I love you Rasna! She was one more reason for the ad being a hit and her hairstyle became a huge craze.

RASNA ad sent kids scampering to parents, demanding a glassful too. Truly, a lovely drink and this ad did bring a smile on my face.


POPPINS - Goli Rainbow wali



For me, the brand evokes a feeling of nostalgia since this was among the most popular brand when I was a kid. Poppins was liked by me because of its taste, color and of course economy. Where else can you get 10 candies in a packet that too in different flavors.BOLO!!!

LIJJAT PAPAD – Karram Kurram - Kurram Karram

Majjadaar lajjadar swad swad mein lijjat lijjat papad. He he he he he he

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSqnxoHyMF0&eurl=http://india90.blogspot.com/2007/12/rememberthe-crazy-bunny.html




I distinctly remember this being one of the standard advertisements on TV until the mid 90’s. The product itself was made by a Shri Mahila Griha Udyog, a cooperative based in Gujarat. The Sri Mahila Griha Udyog story is pretty inspiring. It was founded by seven illiterate and women who borrowed Rs 80 to start a papad business which grew from a turnover of Rs 6,196 in the first year to Rs 300 crore in the next four decades, involving over 40,000 women. The ad was fairly simple, but its manic bunnies and the karram kurram jingle continue to lure people towards this multi- crore brand.

This ad was quite close to me as I usually used to pass by it factory every weekend and pondered over that how come a meager Rs80 venture can turn lives of thousands of housewives(grihanis).




I used to love the way the girl presented this ad dancing around clad in a red dress.

WHEEL



This got famous as it claimed to have lemon in it but apparently I came to know that the company was later sued to just have lemon perfume. Sad for them…My sympathies…..kudos to the news agencies of that time that was public oriented and seeked for the news appropriate for the junta.


PEARS - Pure & Gentle



Remember the little girl who used to see her mom through the soap in the bath tub. Pears soap has no equal. This has been one of the all time popular soaps and is many peoples favorite. It was advertised to be gentle enough, even for baby's skin. The cause of its transparency which was its main attraction, was due to retention of glycerin.

NIRMA – Doodh si Safedi

Washing powder Nirma.
Doodh-si safedi Nirma se Aaye.
Rangeen kapda bhi khil-khil jaaye.
Sub ki pasand Nirma!
Washing powder Nirma, Washing powder Nirma.
NIRMA!!



You may remember the girl in this ad who used to swirl around in skirt. Well the company has grown,so has the brand and so has its ad sense…..



LIRIL - La la la la la la la la laa la laa

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9-1XD9VvX4&feature=related




It used to be the hottest ad. I still remember LIRIL girl drenched under the falls wearing only bikini. The ad was all about waterfalls, abundant water and the girl splashing about in total abandon singing “la…la la la laaa...”. It captured the imagination of an ultra-conservative Indian society.

Those days color TV viewing itself was bonus and Liril ad was a definite hit. I remember this ad and I also remember how parents used to frown at it.

GEMS



Who can forget the unique, brightly colored chocolate buttons with crispy shells, encased in a pack that's as colorful as the product itself? When this ad came on TV, it showed heaps of gems and I as a child would wish how I could break the TV so that all the Gems fell in the room ;o)

Did you know: The colorful world of Cadbury Gems does not include the color black.
A notable observation you see.


FEVICOL - Dum Lagake Haisha

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4FIZGpt_cg


This ad by Raju Hirani was an effective one though not as effective as is current films.I used to think how nice would this glue be later I knew that the ad was a mere exaggeration. Prahlad Kakkar ki Jai Ho!!!!

DAIRY MILK – Kuch khaas hai hum sabhi mein, asli swad zindagi ka

The pure taste of Cadbury Dairy Milk is the taste most Indians crave for when they think of Cadbury Dairy Milk. I was a real fantasy for me during my childhood.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H10V5_neQrA&feature=related

However, the one with the "girl dancing on the cricket field" has remained etched in everyone's memory, as the most spontaneous & un-inhibited expression of happiness.


Cadbury’s Dairy milk had a good line of ads aired timely.These were quite laudable.I hope Kraft’s food does maintain the glory of Cadbury’s.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6V-ExuyyJU&feature=related



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_2EEuW4r-w&NR=1



BAJAJ - Humara Bajaj

Do I need to say more..Its a glory for bajaj to create such a brand. Curse them on stopping the production of scooters.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEV8MWd1p3M&feature=related



DOODH - doodh doodh doodh doodh doodh……wonderful doodh……..

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/doodh-doodh-wonderful-doodh-amul-ad/3419253572?icid=acvsv3

How can I forget this one. Belonging to the milk city of the country I’ve been feeded this song in my memory.Though amul as a brand wasn’t promoted but it was just good field set up to boost their sales. Who else can know more about this brand????

DHAARA – Dhaara Dhaara…Shuddh Dhaara

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTuudwy0o8w&feature=related





Another Anand City product.I am proud be brought up in Anand. Any ways talking about his ad….

Another Anand City product.I am proud be brought up in Anand. Any ways talking about his ad….

Remember this cute ad where the kid left his house saying no one loves him and then his Ramu Kaka brings him back from railway station saying his mom has made jalebis. The expression on the kids was so adorable when he says….. Jalebi.Not to forget his loving ‘Ramu Kaka’ too.

COMPLAN – I am a Complan Boy…. I am a Complan girl

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-fysFHfBYM&feature=related



The complete planned food! Perhaps the most expensive milk drinks in India that came in every imaginable flavor possible. Did you ever imagine that the cast in this ad would be popular bollywood stars. Yes!! My friend the boy in this ad was none other than ‘Shahid Kapoor’ and the cutie was ‘Ayesha Takia’.


BOURNVITA

Yummy in powder form too! They call it a chocolate drink, but it’s more malty than chocolaty. Enjoyed it, both hot and cold. I used to put few spoons in a small katori and let it solidify and make a ball out of it and enjoy the hard chocolate candy in the cheek side..


BROOK BOND TEA

The tea brand in India. There is Brooke Bond Taj Mahal with the famous tabla jugal-bandi ad in which Zakir Hussain plays the tabla with his dad and says Wah! Taj, Wah! in the end. Taj Mahal tea became synonymous with all tea bags in India.

GOLD SPOT - the zing thing, gold spot!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS2n18lTCSo&feature=related


The first, orange soda in the market. Collecting gold spot caps were quite a craze at one time and were traded for Jungle Book stickers. The gold spot ads too were quite funky and focused on the latest craze of the generation.



LIMCA - Lime and Lemony Lica, Limca... Limca...

I remember this drink when the stomach got upset and mom used to give this to me. This lemony taste drink became very common and I remember at my grandmothers village people used to call all other soft drinks also as Limca. I have not heard of having any limca equivalent in other countries.


THUMS UP - Taste the thunder.....


Very distinct from the other colas owing to the stronger, fizzier, and less sweet taste. Back in the days, when Coca Cola and Pepsi were still unheard of in India, the drink overshadowed a lot of its contemporaries like Campa cola, Double seven and Dukes. Interestingly, it was marketed as a manly drink, and was deliberately packaged in chafed up bottles. My friend told me that in road side they sell masala Cola, where they add chat masala and a wedge of lime in the bottle, shake it up, it fizzes a lot and drink it. Believe me, I tried it and it really is very tasty. Now I make sure to buy thums-up from any restaurant to make this lovely masala cola.

FROOTI

mango footi..fresh and juicy...


The first Indian drink I know that came in paper boxes or to be more specific Tetra pak containers. At a time when the other sodas in glass bottles were not convenient to carry, Frooti was the only thing I used buy to take to picnics or when traveling by trains.

Sunday ho ya Monday roz Khao ANDE!!

Now the subject of eggs has been very much talked about in my home, the sheer number of eggs eaten by us, the absolutely strange routine of eating 1 in the morning and 1 in the evening and some peripheral topics like hard boil, soft boil etc etc..
NECC backed egg campaign called "Sunday ho ya Monday roz Khao ANDE" was rage and this ad resulted in quick rise in egg sales over the country. Later bird flu took its toll on all hatcheries and poultries but the egg consumption regained momentum all due to this one liner” Sunday Ho ya Monday roz Khao Ande”.



P.S:Do post your memories on this blog and help me recollect more such ads…

Adios…..have nice time reading…

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Generation Gap

Probably the new age term which every one wants to use is Generation Gap. Earlier there was a Generation Gap for every 10-15 years but now it seems there is a generation Gap for every 2-3 years and some interesting Observations I made which cause this gap show that this is so called Gap has nothing to do with Individuals but rather with the Economy and the society which has the ultimate influence on it. this i can say because

The factors which define a generation are more to do with the physical objects and things around which an individual has grown or got used to

1) The generation i grew up can be associated with things like Shaktimaan and the Landline phone .

2) For earlier people it could be the commentary of cricket on radio of and so on...

What we can strangely observe is that after 1991 in India is that this Generation gap has been expanding faster than the universe in outer space. This i believe is mostly due to the economic reforms which were brought in like a steroid to boost up our economy but what it did not consider was the human effects of it can do.
With shorter product life cycles and high growth for innovation suddenly the parameters which was used to understand the individuals has slowly been fading. people are so curious to know about Gen Y because they have never been able to study them well.

One of the key components of Gen Y(the generation following Gen X-millenial generation in simple words) is Gratification and to an extent even attrition represents gratification to me.

The individuals are so pressed for Gratification that if one is not providing they don't mind going to another group or an individual to get it. Which can explain the reason why there is a high exodus of top performers and that is because they feel the gratification which is long awaited won't come so being a go getter they move towards it.

The point of generation Gap fits in as we are confused under where we come. When i observe the "KID" who lived next doors in my old campus and the language he speaks ,am shocked as its only laced with profanity and he believes no one understands him in the whole world and this kid is barely 8. this kind of things are a big concern . To sum it up this cartoon speaks volumes


I don't know how much am i true about this topic. Any ways ... your worthy comments are most welcomed. :)
Plzz. feel free to comment.

Prasun

Note : My next blog on "Nostalgic Memories associated with TV ADS".