subtitled dreams

Your Photo Can Save Our Home

2009-09-29T13:35:00.004+05:00

submit to POSTCARDS FROM THE FRONTLINE TODAY!

In the battle against global warming, the Maldives is at the frontline. With an average height on 1.5m we are the flattest country on earth. The UN Intergovernmental Panel in Climate Change predictions suggest that the Maldives will be facing a catastrophe of immense proportions by the end of the century if global warming continues at the rate that it is currently increasing. We will undoubtedly be one of the first and hardest hit by rising waters; our eventual fate - that of environmental refugees.

On October 24th, 2009, millions of people around the world will take action to spread the number 350, the safe level of CO2 in the atmosphere measured in parts per million, and make sure the world leaders are on the course to reach that target.

As Maldivians, we believe it is our responsibility to get our voices heard on a global scale and in turn make sure that the world is aware of our plight.

Postcards from the Frontline will give Maldivians this voice.

350 unique photographs of life from people at the very forefront of this battle. They will depict more than the usual ‘wish you were here’ tourism clichés that currently dominate the worlds vision of Maldives. These photos aim to show the world instead honest images of life in the Maldives. Real experiences, real challenges, real stories of life in our low lying islands.

We request ALL MALDIVIANS, young and old, to submit photos for the cause. Entries do not need to fit into a conventional photographic category. It can be absolutely anything that reflects what the Maldives is to you:

The view from your bedroom window. Three patterened burugas sitting side by side on a bench at the artificial beach. The sun -setting over Male’s rooftops. The silver bodies of the fish lined at the Mas maarukeytu. Nimble hands twisting rope. Hikkan alhaafa huri kula kulaige hedhunthah.Your little sister’s smile. The ripple of water on calm seas. The fothi fihaara. A mundu, a golhi jehi gamees, and a koari.. Kites over dharubaarugey fahaiy. Voshufilaas in the sun. Thoshigandu mathee thibi loabiverih.

You know all this because you are Maldivian. Now it is time the world knew too.

The point is to accommodate a wide variety of images that portray the reality of life in the Maldives, as perceived and decided by you. This is a chance to move beyond the usual, the typical, the constructed. It is a chance to show a global audience the authenticity in your Maldives the way you see it.

350 photos you send will be then made into postcards, and sent to 350 world leaders with a very special appeal. These world leaders will decide the fate of Maldives, and the world, at the crucial UN Climate Change Conference Copenhagen 2009 (COP15) this December.

Your photo can save our home. And you needn’t even be a professional photographer. Being Maldivian is all that you need to be.

For more information and to submit your photos, please visit: www.350postcards.com and www.350postcards.com/submit

For more information on the worldwide 350 initiative: www.350.org

Do your part to spread the word by linking back or pasting this on your own blog!

All star line up at the peaceday football match

2009-09-21T02:57:00.002+05:00

The 'One Day One Goal' football match (refer to my previous post) to be played on the occasion of the Peaceday later today features an all star line up of veteran football players of the Maldives. I just got hold of the teamlists and it looks like a page out of the who's who of yesteryear's football superstars. The two teams are captained by Abdulla Rasheed (Julay) and Kaaminee Pool Abdul Shakoor.

Julay's team features such stars as Andharey, Dhona, Addo, Faaiz Samad, Kiyavaa Ahmed Saleem, Mohamed Kaleem, Kentey, Hamittey and Lebbe. Abdul Shakoor's team features, amongst others, Maizan Alibe, Faaig, Paris Naseem, Heena Ahmed Saleem, Mohamed Hameed (Umarube), Ribidhoo Nasir and the goalkeeper Ali Zalif.

This match is part of the 'One Day One Goal' campaign which aims to organise football matches in every UN member state today, the UN International Day of Peace. The match will be played at the turf ground next to FAM house in Male' and is scheduled to start at 4:30pm.

In my previous post I mentioned that the match will also feature under 16 and women footballers. That is not the case. The match will only feature veteran footballers. My apologies for the mistake.

In addition to the match Peaceday activities in the Maldives also includes the screening of 'The Day After Peace' documentary at Athena Cinema tonight at 9:00pm, and a StarPeace star party at Vilingili.

Peaceday Activities in the Maldives

2009-09-19T14:24:00.003+05:00

21st September is the UN International Day of Peace (Peace Day). Peace Day was the realization of filmmaker Jeremy Gilley who launched ‘Peace One Day’ organization whose mission was to establish the first ever annual day of global ceasefire and non-violence with a fixed calendar date.

Peace Day is not only about creating peace between nations, it’s about non-violence in our homes, communities and schools. Therefore Peace Day is relevant to every human being on the planet.

Peace Day One Day One Goal Matches

'One Day One Goal' 2009 campaign aims to organise football matches in every UN member state on or around 21 September - Peace Day. Each ‘One Day One Goal’ match will celebrate cooperation, unity, and the power of football to bring people together on Peace Day.

In Male’, a football match is scheduled to be played amongst two teams that include veteran footballers, under 16 players, women footballers etc.

Location: Turf ground next to FAM House

Time: 1600 hrs

Date: 21^st September 2009

An additional 'One Day One Goal' match will be played at Hithadhu, Seenu Atoll.

‘The Day After Peace’ Screening

The Day After Peace is the latest award-winning documentary film from Peace One Day founder and chairman Jeremy Gilley.

This documentary will be screened at Athena Cinema on 21^st September night starting at 9:00pm. Entrance is free.

Jeremy Gilley was an actor before he founded Peace One Day in 1999. He had become disillusioned with his work, but understood the potential of film to positively affect people and create change in the world. So when he set out on his near impossible mission in 1999, he took a camera with him. Every journey made, every country visited and every person met – he got it all on camera. Ten years on, The Day After Peace is his story – the story of Peace One Day.

The Day After Peace is a moving testament to the power of the individual and the perseverance of the human spirit.

StarPeace Star Party

StarPeace Project is a global special project of the International Year of Astronomy. StarPeace wants to show that there are no borders in the real earth, borders are man-made and science has no border. In other words, this project wants to show the real figure of earth, not the political map of earth.

This year StarPeace following its main goals toward promoting peace and astronomy, has decided to celebrate International Day of Peace with the help of all astronomy clubs around the world who are joined StarPeace project.

StarPeace colleague are going to draw a Peace Line on Earth. On September 21, amateur astronomers will bring their telescopes between people near one of their historical sites, such as World Heritages and will show our solar system’s biggest planet, Jupiter and its Galilean moons.

The Maldives Science Society is hosting a star party at Viligili (near Wataniya antenna ground area) on 21st September night. The event will start around 9:30pm and will continue into the early hours of 22nd morning. Feel free to bring your own telescopes.

350 Appeals from Maldives

2009-09-14T10:58:00.005+05:00

The Maldives has an average height of 1.5 meters which makes it the flattest country on earth. This is significant when it comes to global warming because this makes the Maldives one of the most vulnerable places to climate change. The UN Intergovernmental Panel in Climate Change predictions suggests that the Maldives will be facing a catastrophe of immense proportions by the end of the century if global warming continues at the rate it is currently increasing.

To highlight this plight, the Maldives Photographers Association and the Maldives Science Society are organising a campaign called Postcards from the Frontline.

Postcards from the Frontline is an initiative by the Maldivian photographers to inform world leaders of our undeserved plight, and appeal to them to save us from disappearing from the earth's surface.

Postcards from the Frontline aims to give a voice to Maldivians. Depicting more than the usual 'wish you were here' cliches (a sandy beach, a turquoise sea, an idle hammock) these photos will show the world honest images of life in these low lying islands. These 350 photographic appeals of real experiences, real challenges and real stories of life in the Maldives will then be crafted as post-cards and sent to 350 world leaders who will decide the fate of the Maldives at the crucial UN Climate Change Conference Copenehagen 2009 (COP15) this December.

Call for Entries

We request all members of the public to submit photos for the cause. Entries do not need to fit into a conventional photographic category. The point is to accommodate a wide variety of images that portray the reality of life in the Maldives, as perceived and decided by you, the photographer. This is a chance to move beyond the usual, the typical, the constructed. It is a chance to show a global audience the authenticity in your Maldives the way you see it.

Application forms can be downloaded here.

350 & The Maldives

2009-09-13T10:30:00.003+05:00

This July, Bill McKibben, Amerca's leading environmentalist visited the Maldives and gave a talk on climate change in general and about his campaign called 350.org (refer to my previous post).

350.org is an international campaign dedicated to building a movement to unite the world around solutions to the climate crisis.

Its mission is to inspire the world to rise to the challenge of the climate crisis—to create a new sense of urgency and of possibility for our planet.

Its focus is on the number 350--as in parts per million (ppm), the level scientists have identified as the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere. The current level is 389 ppm.

On 24^th October 2009 350.org is cordinating an International Day of Climate Action in order to unite the public, media and political leaders behind the 350 goal. By having actions all around the world that day, 350.org plans to send a clear message to the world leaders (who will be meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark this December to craft a new global treaty on cutting emissions) that 'the solutions to climate change must be equitable, they must be grounded in science, and they must meet the scale of the crisis.'

Bill McKibben's talk, hosted by the Maldives Science Society, has inspired different individuals and groups in the Maldives to join the 350 campaign and is currently organising different actions for the International Day of Climate Action. So far, four different actions have been registered at 350.org from the Maldives:

"350 Maldives 2009" event organized by ECOCARE Maldives in affiliation with the Scouts Association of Maldives will be hosting number of events including:
- 350 Balloon's floating in midair with the number "350" lit on it
- Maldivian cultural music session with awareness programs
- Ground 350 motor vehicles (cars and motor bikes)
- Cut down energy consumption of the capital island Male' by 350KW
"350 Prayers" - 350 people reciting Quran and praying to God to save our environment

"Below 350" - An underwater demonstration by scuba divers and snorklers joining hands to show their support to reduce atmospheric carbondioxide to safer levels

"Operation Life Raft 350" – a raft made from empty PET water bottles to be rowed from Male' to Hulhule, trying to create awareness in ways to reduce, reuse and recylce in order to achieve the 350 balance.

In addition, the Maldives Photographers Association together with the Maldives Science Society is planning to send 350 unique postcards to 350 world leaders and personalities who will be attending the Copenhagen conference (COP15).

These actions from the Maldives will be part of more than 1400 currently registered actions from 111 countries happening on 24^th October 2009.

If an international grassroots movement holds the world leaders accountable to the latest climate science, we can start the global transformation we so desperately need.

Can A Number Save The World?

2009-07-20T01:39:00.002+05:00

The Maldives Science Society will be hosting a presentation by America's leading environmentalist Bill McKibben at Dharubaaruge onTuesday, 21st July 2009. Mr. McKibben is a writer who frequently writes about global warming and alternative energy. Begining in 2006, he led the largest demonstrations against global warming in American history. His first book The End of Nature is regarded as the first book for a general audience about climate change. He is the founder of 350.org.

The presentation starts at 8:30 pm. Entrance is free.

links to Bill McKibben and 350.0rg

The Eclipse and the Tsunami

2009-07-11T02:47:00.005+05:00

A hoax has been circulating on the internet for sometime now that the total solar eclipse of 22^nd July will trigger a tsunami and one of the countries that will be badly hit will be the Maldives. In fact, couple of my friends have called me up and asked me whether it was true or not. The email goes something like this:

Hello there. I just wanted to let you know that please stay away from the beaches all around in the month of July. There is a prediction that there will be another tsunami hitting on July 22nd. It is also when there will be a sun eclipse. The combined gravitational pull of the Sun and Moon pulling on the Earth's tectonic plates during the July 22 lunar eclipse will cause a major earthquake which will in turn trigger a tsunami. It is predicted that it is going to be really bad and countries like Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak)), Singapore, Maldives, Australia, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Philippines are going to be badly hit. Please try and stay away from the beaches in July. Better to be safe than sorry. Please pass the word around. Please also pray for all beings.

Well, this is a great opportunity to use one of my favourite phrases – DON’T PANIC!

Just take note of the following:

We can't predict earthquakes or tsunamis. It's not currently scientifically possible to say when an earthquake or tsunami will happen.

Earthquakes are not caused by eclipses or gravitational pulls.

Add to this a little bit of history: During the last 110 years or so, not a single earthquake has occurred on the same day as a total eclipse. There has been only two occassions where an earthquake occurred on the same day as a partial eclipse. But even those struck in totally different places from where the eclipses occurred.

And lastly, what are the chances of a tsunami in the Pacific Ocean affecting the Maldives (or any of the Indian Ocean lands) anyway?

Ten Minutes of Perspective

2009-07-01T14:31:00.003+05:00

The following is an article I co-wrote (together with my good friend thy) for the annual publication 'the liveaboards of maldives' which was officially launched on 27th June at a ceremony at Ocean Breeze Restaurant.

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Ten Minutes of Perspective

The solar eclipse has been associated with wonder and mystery for centuries. Ancient Tahitian myths explain eclipses as a copulation of the sun and the moon while Native American stories say it is a result of an argument between our sun and a bear that was walking along the Milky Way.

Even today, in this neon-lit information age, where the visually jaded human eye disregards just about everything, the majestic sight of the fiery ball of the sun disappearing behind the moon remains a sight to be revered. People have struggled long and hard to explain it, through story, song or warning. We continue to possess, to this day, an inherent desire to understand how the puissant sun could be overcome, just like that, from its place in the sky. It is what comes closest to magic in our otherwise humdrum lives.

Annular 101

The annular solar eclipse (also known as a ring-formed eclipse) occurs when only a ring of the sun can still be seen around the edge of the moon. This happens when the moon's orbit is farther away from the Earth than average, making it appear too small to cover the sun completely. Even though the moon is right in front of the sun, there will still be a ring of visible sun around the edge of the moon. Think Heroes (the NBC series that depicted super heroes losing their abilities due to an eclipse) - the flat, serious text of the title logo, the O that changes into an eclipse and winks at you, pulling you in. So, think Heroes, only better. Think Heroes in real life.

The Annular Eclipse of 2010

The longest lasting annular solar eclipse of this millennium will occur on 15 January 2010. It will also be the longest annular eclipse until the year 3043.

The early morning annulus will appear over the three African nations of the Central African Republic, Uganda and Kenya. The greatest eclipse will occur in the Indian Ocean, just west of the Maldives. Shortly after that, the shadow will bring a little less than eleven minutes of annularity to the islands. It will then move over to southernmost India and across the Bay of Bengal. The shadow will make landfall in Burma and sweep into China before leaving the Earth's surface.

Why Maldives?

Being at the right place at the right time would give you the chance to witness the brilliant celestial phenomena for as long as ten minutes. Imagine it: just you, the sun, the sky and ten minutes of the realisation of the vastness of the universe, feeling as minute as the grains of sand that your toes are buried in.

The location of the Maldives, just a couple of miles east of the greatest eclipse point, makes it an ideal observation spot for this rare and unusually long eclipse. It will receive over ten minutes and fifty seconds of annularity, more than any other country in the world. It is easily accessible to visitors, and its relative peace makes it the perfect place for you to witness this historic phenomenon.

If you see only one annular eclipse in your life, make this the one. The Maldives will make sure you remember it forever.

June Bootids Meteor Shower

2009-06-24T19:22:00.001+05:00

The June Bootid Meteor Shower is upon us. This shower will remain active until July 2 and peaks June 27, 2009.

The meteor shower gets its name from its starting month and the constellation Bootes in which lies its radiant. The source of the shower is the comet parent comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke which orbits our Sun once about every six years or so. The comet reached a point closest to our Sun in September of 2008, and because of this some believe this year will be an excellent year.

In addition, the meteor shower peaks in the morning of June 27th with a waxing crescent moon in the sky; this means less moonlight will be present and the shower’s radiant will be relatively high in the sky after midnight due west. This is good news because both of these factors make the possibility for seeing more meteors streak gallantly across the sky greater.

However, the weather here in Maldives does not look promising at all. There’s nothing much to do except hope for an odd night or two of clear skies during the period.

It is not difficult to locate the radiant of the June Bootids. Bootes is located in the northern sky near the famous Big Dipper; its handle points straight at Bootes.

Celestial threesome at predawn

2009-06-18T12:02:00.004+05:00

If you are an early riser, take a look towards the eastern sky between 4:00 in the morning and dawn: the planets Mars and Venus appear side by side just below the waning crescent Moon. The two planets will be separated by just about 2°(only a finger width apart when holding your finger an arm length away). The two planets will be in conjunction (having the same celestial longitude) on the morning of Monday, 22nd June.

If you have access to a binocular then by all means do have a go at viewing in Venus and Mars. You will be able to see the two planets in the same binocular field throughout the month of June.

looking eastward around 4:00 am (19th June 2009)

Seven Sisters & the Messenger meet the Moon

2009-04-25T18:18:00.003+05:00

Don’t miss the stunning site tomorrow after sunset when a crescent Moon joins Mercury and the Pleiades (also known as the Seven Sisters; and ‘Kethi’ in Dhivehi) in the twilight. The Moon will lie 2° (about 4 moon-widths) below Mercury whilst the Pleiades cluster remains about 3° (about 6 moon-widths) above the Moon. The Moon's dark portion will be clearly visible, illuminated by sunlight reflected from Earth, known as earthshine. Binoculars will provide the best view.

Looking west right after sunset on 26th April (for viewers in the Maldives)

It’s a good photography moment. However for those viewers in Male’, I recommend a short ferry ride to Viligili for a better view.

On a different note, I got the opportunity to view the Lyrids meteor shower last Thursday night (early morning of Friday, 24th April to be precise) from a safari boat docked at Hulhumale'. Although the meteor activity was sparse (possibly because of the bright lights from the airport area), the few meteors that I was able to spot were really slow and bright. It was an amazing sight.

April Showers

2009-04-21T02:51:00.003+05:00

After a pretty quiet first quarter of the year, meteor shower activity starts in earnest in April. There are three meteor showers occurring even now: The Lyrids, the Pi Puppids and the Eta Aquarids. I will be concentrating on the first two meteor showers here and will leave the Eta Aquarids for a later post.

The Lyrids

The Lyrids meteor shower starts on 16^th April and remains active until 25^th April. The peak activity date for this shower is in the morning of Wednesday 22^nd April.

The Lyrids is the oldest documented meteor shower known to astronomers. This is probably because it is one of the best meteor showers seen from the northern hemisphere, especially from the European, Middle Eastern and Chinese regions. However it is not quite as impressive to the observers located in Male' as such meteor showers as the Orionids or the Perseids. This is mainly because Lyrid meteors appear to stream from the bright star Vega in the constellation Lyra (which is located north of Male' and hence very much dimmed because of the immense light pollution coming from the street lights of Male' as well as those of Hulhule' and the resorts and marine vessels). Vega rises from the north-east around 10:15 pm these days and will be highest in the sky sometime around 4:30 am almost straight up north at about 60° latitude. Folks in other islands will probably be able to view the Lyrid meteor shower much better than us here in Male'.

Lyrid meteors tend to be very bright and sometimes leave behind smokey debris trails that linger for minutes.

Vega is an interesting star on its own. It is about 25.3 light years away and has a luminosity of 73 suns. Although we all now know Polaris as the North Star (the star that always points to the celestial north), it wasn't always so. About 14,000 years ago Vega was the North Star. It will once again become the North Star 12,000 years later. This is because Earth's spin axis wanders causing its orientation to change over time. Those who watched Carl Sagan's movie 'Contact' would also remember that Vega was the source of the aline transmisson to Earth in the movie.

The Pi Puppids

The Puppids meteor shower starts on 19^th April and remains active until 28^th April. It peaks on 23^rd April.

Looking south-west after sunset on 23rd April

The Puppids radiant (the point in the sky from which meteors appear to originate) lies in the constellation Puppis, the Poop Deck. Once again its not an ideal meteor shower for observers in Male' because of its proximity to the horizon. However the slow and sometimes bright nature of its meteors may make them a good target for photography. Puppis lies above the horizon when the sun sets during this week and will remain above horizon until about 11:30 pm. The best time to view the showers would be about an hour after the sun sets.

Marine Biodiversity of the Maldives

2009-04-20T23:30:00.004+05:00

Maldives possess outstanding richness in marine biodiversity. Due to the lack of natural resources and wealth, marine biodiversity is the most significant and vital resource base for the country. However, relatively limited information is available in comparison to the high diversity that exists in the marine environment.

The Maldives Science Society (MSS) is now providing a great opportunity for folks in Male' to understand and get to know better this vast resource we have around us: on Thursday, 23rd of April, MSS is hosting a presentation by Marine Ecologist Dr. Norman Quinn on 'Marine Biodiversity of Maldives.'

MSS website reports that:

Dr. Norman Quinn is a Marine Ecologist with a wide range of experience in the management of conservation projects, scientific research studies, and university level teaching. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Queensland in 1984. Presently, Dr Quinn is a J.W. Fulbright Fellow assisting in the capacity building at the Maldives Marine Research Center. Previously, he was employed by the University of the West Indies as the Director of the Discovery Bay Marine Laborator.

The presentation will be held at MCSE Seminar Room and will start at 8:30 pm. Everyone is invited and attendance is free.

Can the lights be switched off?

2009-04-19T01:54:00.002+05:00

Seventh annual Dark-Sky Week celebration The International Dark-Sky Week will occur from April 20 to April 26, 2009. This year the International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009) Dark Skies Awareness Global Cornerstone Project is endorsing the event on a global level as the International Dark Skies Week (IDSW), part of IYA2009's dark skies preservation efforts.

IDSW encourages people to turn of their unnecessary outdoor lights in order to temporarily reduce light pollution. National Dark-Sky Week website states:

Light pollution is a hazy blanket of light in the atmosphere caused by improper lighting fixtures which direct light up into the sky instead of down toward the ground. Not only does light pollution waste energy, but it also creates great problems for stargazers. This "blanket of light" causes the beauty of the night sky to fade, and if the problem of light pollution is not addressed now, we are destined to lose the beauty of the cosmos that have been a part of human civilization since its beginning.

IDSW, in effect, is actually an extension of the Earth Hour that was celebrated on 28^th March as both events encourage you to switch off the lights.

Although Earth Hour was billed as an incredible success internationally, I did not particularly see any considerable difference in the number of stars seen from Male' between 8:00 – 9:00pm that night. Although a considerable amount of promotion was done leading up to the event I was dissappointed to see that only a couple of businesses and household actually turned off their lights within the hour – not enough to show any real difference to the night sky.

Different people have different opinions as to why Earth Hour did not really work here, the main three being that:

turning off the lights doesn't really help the environment;
the people are not aware or not concerned enough; and
a major portion of the youth who wants to rebel against any kind of established programmes.

I was initially planning on celebrating IDSW at some level here in the Maldives through the Maldives Science Society by associating with the Scout Association and with different schools. However the experience of Earth Hour made me hesitant. A lot of questions have been going through my head about this. Can such an event be successfully carried out in the Maldives? If so, is the involvement of the government necessary? Or can the civil society carry it out independently? What needs to be done to get the full backing of the youth and the public in general?

IYA2009 Official Product: Celestron FirstScope

2009-04-13T13:19:00.003+05:00

International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009) Coordinators and the IYA2009 Global Sponsor, Celestron, are providing its Single Points of Contacts a special discount price for its first official product, FirstScope Telescope. This offer has been given to the Maldives Science Society (the IYA2009 National Node for Maldives) and as its Single Point of Contact I will be collecting orders from interested parties in the Maldives until 10^th June.

The FirstScope is a wonderful keepsake for anyone interested in astronomy. This quality Dobsonian style telescope features a 76 mm aperture reflector optical tube.

FirstScope is an ideal entry level astronomical telescope. It is very easy to observe with, the user simply navigates the night sky by moving the tube in the direction of their desired object, making the viewing experience a snap! The compact design makes it easy enough to take with you on your next outdoor adventure.

FirstScope will be available at a special price of 24.50 USD plus shipping costs and import duty per telescope. The deadline for placing orders is 10 June.

Anyone residing in the Maldives who is interested in purchasing this telescope please mail your contact details to info@sciencemaldives.org.

SPECIFICATIONS

Item # 21024

Size 76 mm (3")

Focal Length (Focal Ratio) 300 mm (f/4)

Weight 69 oz (1.96 Kg)

Eyepieces 20 mm (15x), 4 mm (75x)

Product design and specifications are subject to change without prior notification.

Details of FirstScope

Around the World in 80 Telescopes

2009-04-03T17:57:00.000+05:00

Live Streaming by Ustream.TV

100 Hours of Astronomy starting tomorrow

2009-04-01T21:07:00.004+05:00

One of the cornerstone projects of the International Year of Astronomy, the 100 Hours of Astronomy (100HA), starts tomorrow. This is a 100-hour, round-the-clock, round-the-globe event that includes live webcasts from research observatories, public observing events and other activities around the world. Two major events of 100HA are the Science Centre Webcast and Around the World in 80 Telescopes.

Science Centres Webcast

Space Observation: Past, Present and Future

Organised by the Association of Science-Technology Centre, Washington, DC, USA
Hosted by The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Date: Thursday, 2 April 2009
Starting Time: 11:00pm Maldivian time
Duration: 90 minutes

This webcast will be hosted by the Franklin Institute on the occasion of the opening of their special exhibition, "Galileo" which features the original Galileo telescope. The webcast will feature science centres from around the world discussing the importance of space observation throughout history.

Topics

Galileo's importance and what recent research tells us about the instrument he used.

A discussion of naked eye observations of the sky and the knowledge systems of indigenous peoples.

Learn why observatories and telescopes were so important to the economic evolution of our modern society, espeically for Port Cities around the world. A live demonstration will show how precision tools based on special telescopes have enormously improved our reference frames and grids of space and time (Positional Astronomy, Reference Catalogues and Navigation).

The COSMOS project www.cosmos-project.eu, a unique resource for astronomy education that offers access to numerous educational materials, animations, 3D representations and simulations, teachers resources and astronomical data.

The mechanisms of meteorite impacts.

The power and beauty of a '3D-virtual telescope" allowing us all to visualise and compare data from real telescopes in a 3 dimensional model of the observable Universe.

Around the World in 80 Telescopes

Live 24-hour webcast from astronomical observatories

Organised by ESO, the European Southern Observatory, from its HQ in Garching, Germany

Date: 3 April 2009, 02:00pm MVT to 4 April 2009, 02:00pm Maldivian time.

Duration: 24 hours

The Research Observatories webcast will be a unique live webcast over 24 hours, following night and day around the globe to some of the most advanced observatories on and off the planet.

Viewers can find out what's happening at a research observatory on the other side of the planet, and discover what astronomers are doing right now! Who is observing? What are they researching? What do they hope to discover?

The tour will show a snapshot of life at many different observatories where astronomers will present exclusive images and talk about their work. Some will be observing distant galaxies, searching for extrasolar planets around other stars or studying our own Solar System. Some will be studying the Universe in visible light, others in radio waves or other wavelengths. Some may be working at solar observatories or with telescopes out in space. All of them will have a different story to tell.

link to 100 Hours of Astronomy website

Solar Migration

2009-04-01T18:43:00.003+05:00

Dhifm invited me as a guest to their 'Wataniya Morning Maldives' show today. The main topic was astronomy and the fact that today the sun would be right above Male' at midday.

A caller from one of the northernmost atolls enquired as to when she would be able to experience an overhead sun at her location. I told her that the sun is currently moving northwards on its annual migration towards the Tropic of Cancer, and that she will be able to experience the overhead sun within the next couple of days.

So, for the residents of the northern atolls, here's a table that I made to give you an indication of the movement of the sun northwards.

Date	Declination of the Sun	Nearest Islands
Thursday, 2^nd April	4°42' N	K. Gaafaru
Friday, 3^rd April	5°05' N	B. Eydhafushi
Saturday, 4^th April	5°28' N	Lh. Naifaru, Felivaru, Madivaru, Hinnavaru; R. Iguraidhoo, Meedhoo
Sunday, 5^th April	5°51' N	N. Landhoo, Maafaru; R. Vaadhoo
Monday, 6^th April	6°13' N	Sh. Maakandoodhoo
Tuesday, 7^th April	6°36' N	HDh. Kulhudhuffushi
Wednesday, 8^th April	6°59' N	HA. Ihavandhoo, Mulhadhoo, Manafaru Resort

Once the sun reaches the Tropic of Cancer on 21^st June it will start it migration back southwards towards the Tropic of Capricorn. During this southward journey the sun will be above the Maldives from 3^rd to 25^th of September.

The Sun Overhead

2009-03-31T23:48:00.003+05:00

The sun will be almost exactly above Male' tomorrow (Wednesday, 1st April).

As you would have heard, the sun was at the vernal equinox on 21st March. That's when the sun was right overhead at the equator. The Sun now is traveling northwards along its ecliptic, the sun's daily path, until it reaches the northernmost, the Tropic of Cancer, on 21st June. This event is known as the northern solstice.

The sun, on its northern migration, will be directly overhead at latitude North 4° 18' tomorrow.

Since Male's latitude is North 4° 10', we're still a tiny bit south of the declination. The sun won't be exactly overhead, for the ecliptic at midday will actually be eight minutes north of us, but it'll be closest to our latitude on that date.

The lagoon off the north of Soneva Gili resort is where the sun will be precisely overhead during midday tomorrow.

The sun will transit tomorrow at 12:09 pm, so if you have time to spare, how about going outside and checking if you could figure out where your shadow ran off to.

Oh, and by the way, this isn't an April Fool s' prank. You will be standing on your shadow at midday tomorrow if you go outside in Male'. Trust me on this.

Why is Science Important?

2009-03-24T21:18:00.000+05:00

Why is Science Important? from Alom Shaha on Vimeo.

Physics teacher and film-maker Alom Shaha sets out to uncover a genuinely satisfying answer to his students' most common question: why is science important?

This film was made with funding from the Wellcome Trust, and is being broadcast in the UK on Teachers TV during March 2009. For more background and reaction, see the project website, www.whyscience.co.uk.

The downloadable video is Quicktime .mov format, H.264, 1280x720 resolution.

blog from space

2009-03-21T23:27:00.002+05:00

I have always wondered how it would feel to look down at earth from space, especially when the day breaks on the planet.
I probably will not be able to have that experience but NASA astronaut Sandra Magnus, who is currently on board the International Space Station (ISS), took the time, couple of days ago, to sit and watch the Earth roll underneath her as the Space Station passed silently over it at 8 kilometers per second.
The description is amazingly vivid.

Link to Sandra Magnus's post

The Simpsons and the Eclipse

2009-03-20T00:55:00.003+05:00

The latest episode of 'The Simpsons' starts with a total solar eclipse. When Homer accidentally destroys his cereal box camera obscura, Marge gives him hers. Then Marge burns out her eyes after viewing the diamond ring. The rest of the story is really a parody of 'The Da Vinci Code'.

The episode is educational in the sense that it warns you about the dangers of viewing solar eclipses directly. This is important bearing in mind the fact that there is a total solar eclipse occurring on 22nd July this year (which the Maldives MIGHT get a glimpse of the partial stage depending on the cloud cover), and an annular eclipse on 15th of January next year (which the Maldives WILL get a great view of).

Like all the other episodes, this one provides a lot of good humour. One of my favourites was when the newscaster compares a solar eclipse to a woman breast feeding.

The episode contains topics related to nuns, Freemasonry and a scene where two men kiss each other. Bearing in mind the current development here in the Maldives, I just thought of letting everyone be aware of those before they start watching the episode. For the avoidance of any doubt, I want to assure everyone that by posting about this particular episode of 'The Simpsons' I am not trying to promote Christianity or any particular denomination of it, nor have I any intention of promoting any 'immoral' behaviour. The only reason for blogging about the episode was to inform the astronomy enthusiasts in the Maldives about the solar eclipse part of the episode.

I hope I made myself clear. Happy viewing!

2013 Gone Maggie Gone

Viewing the Hunter

2009-03-15T12:56:00.008+05:00

This year's Globe at Night starts tonight (refer to my previous post). The event asks everyone to look up at the sky and count the stars in the Orion constellation to understand the effects of light pollution.

Orion, the hunter, is the most recognisable constellation in the night sky. The three bright stars in a row, that almost everyone recognises, is the 'belt' of Orion. The four bright stars surrounding the belt represent the outline of Orion's body. The smaller line of three stars below the 'belt' represents the hunter's 'sword'.

The right shoulder of Orion is made of the bright reddish star Betelgeuse. This is an orange-red supergiant about 60,000 times brighter and 630 times larger than our sun. It would overfill the orbit of Jupiter if placed at the sun's position in the solar system. It is nearing the end of its life and possibly will be the very next supernova in our galaxy.

The 'sword' of Orion is another interesting feature in the constellation. The middle 'star' of the 'sword' is in fact not a star but the Orion Nebula. Thie is one of the brightest nebulae, and the fuzziness of its lumionous gas and dust can be observed through binoculars.

The Orion Nebula

Situated just below Alnitak, the star furthest left on Orion's Belt, is the picturesque Horsehead nubula. It is one of the most identifiable nebulae because of the shape of its swirling cloud of dark dust and gases, which is similar to that of a horse's head.

Horsehead Nebula

The 6th March episode of the 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast titled 'GLOBE at Night: Shed Light on Light Pollution' gives you a good overview of the Globe at Night campaign.

The Orion these days is located high up in the sky during sunset and will stay up until around 10:00pm Maldivian time. I was able to view the constellation two nights back with very little light pollution during a night fishing trip near Vaadhoo in South Male' Atoll. I was able to count nearly forty stars in the constellation which meant that I was able to see magnitude 5 and 6 stars. Last night I looked up from a street in Male' and counted up to eighteen stars which means magnitude 4 stars are visible here.

So wherever you are, try sparing some time to look up during the next twelve nights and count the stars in Orion and report your observation online at the Globe at Night website.

Can You See the Stars?

2009-03-14T21:56:00.003+05:00

Globe at Night, a world wide collaboration to get people to look up at the sky and to understand the effects of light pollution, is about to start its 2009 campaign.

From 16th to 28^th March you can participate by observing the constellation Orion, estimating the number of stars you see, and filling in a simple report. You can do this as an individual, organise a star party with friends, get your kids and/or school involved.

This event encourages everyone to measure the darkness of their local skies and contribute their observations online to a world map. Its goal is to raise public awareness of the impact of artificial lighting on local environments by getting people involved.

To learn the five easy steps to participate in either type of GLOBE at Night program and to obtain important information on light pollution, stellar magnitudes, the mythology of Orion, how to find Orion, how to obtain your latitude and longitude, see http://www.globe.gov/GaN/. No prior experience is necessary. All information needed to participate is on the GLOBE at Night Web site, along with downloadable activity guides.

Our Sun, Yours To Discover

2009-03-12T21:56:00.003+05:00

We are currently at the end of the Solar Week (9-13 March). This event provides an opportunity mainly for students to pose questions to solar scientists via an interactive message board in the Solar Week website. The websites also provides links two very interesting websites:

Traditions of the Sun explores the world's ancient solar observatories (especially the ancestral Native Americans in New Mexico and the ancient Maya in the Yucatan). Science Magazine has this to say about the site:

Tracking the seasons was so important for the Maya of Central America and many other ancient cultures that they designed buildings and settlements around the sun's annual movements. Visit some of the sun cities of North America at Traditions of the Sun, sponsored by NASA. The site's historic and modern photos, time-lapse series, video, and other multimedia whisk you off to Chaco Culture National Historic Park in New Mexico. Watch sunlight creep over the great house of Pueblo Bonito on the summer solstice, or take a virtual reality tour of the kiva at Casa Rinconada, which aligns with the points of the compass. From there you can zoom to Mayan cities on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula such as Chichén Itzá and Dzibilchaltún. The House of the Seven Dolls in Dzibilchaltún provided a spectacular visual effect for a key Mayan ceremony. On the spring and fall equinoxes, the sun rises directly behind the building and shines through the archway.

The Space Weather Media Viewer is an application built to support Education and Public Outreach activities of NASA. Many of the images that appear in this viewer are "near-real time" and come from a variety of NASA Missions.

March 20^th, just after a week from the Solar Week, is the March Equinox. An Equinox happens each year at two specific moments in time when the centre of the Sun can be observed to be vertically above the Earth's Equator. The length of that day and night is approximately equal. This day is celebrated by NASA as the Sun-Earth Day. Each year, the Sun-Earth Day recognizes NASA's Sun-Earth Connection science, missions and cutting-edge research. This year's theme is "Our Sun, Yours to Discover."

One of the main features of this year's Sun-Earth Day is the live webcast, on 20^th March, starting at 10:00pm (Maldivian time). During the webcast, scientists will share discoveries about the sun, while students monitor the sun and prepare their own space weather forecast. New and exciting images and visualizations will be shared during the program.

Images of Venus and the Moon

2009-03-03T14:15:00.005+05:00

Dying Regime sends in these beautiful photos taken during the nights of 27th and 28th February 2009 when the crescent moon passed near Venus (refer to my previous post). Click to enlarge the photos, and you can see the earth shine on the moon and the fact that Venus had a 20% disc illumination during the period.

Friday, 27th February 2009
(taken near West Park in Male')

Saturday, 28th February 2009
(taken from the west end of Vilingili)

An Evening With Venus

2009-02-26T22:18:00.002+05:00

Venus is the brightest object, after the Moon, in the night sky. Right now it is very bright in the western sky right after sunset, so bright that no one should have any problems locating it. To add to this spectacle, on the evenings of February 27 and 28, the crescent moon will pass near Venus and will create a beautiful sight for sky watchers and photographers.

The Moon and Venus as seen during 27th Feb (around 7:15pm) from Male'

Venus is so bright that it is visible even before the sun sets. For people watching in Male' or nearby islands, the Moon sets around 8:00 pm and the Venus follow about 15 monutes later on 27^th February. On 28^th, Venus sets around 8:15 pm whilst the Moon will stay over the horizon until about 8:45 pm. Venus stays about 6° above the Moon on the 27^th February, whilst the objects reverses their positions the next day with the Moon being 6° above Venus. The best times to see probably would be between dusk and 7:30 pm.

Venus and the Moon, as seen during 28th Feb (around 7:15pm) from Male'

Sky watchers from all around the world are attempting to hold a public stargazing night during the nights of 27^th and 28^th February. "Beauty Without Borders" (BWB) is one of these projects. 27/28 February is a marvelous chance to show the beauties of the sky to people and this is of course one of the main goals of the BWB project.

Beauty Without Borders invites everyone to join this event wherever you are, even if you are going to watch from your terrace or near the beach. Use binoculars if you haven't got a telescope. The spectacle is amazing from the naked eye too. So tell everyone you know to go outside and look westward right after sunset.

Lulin Approaches Earth

2009-02-19T17:28:00.003+05:00

The Comet Lulin C/2007 N3 (which was discovered quite recently in 2007) is fast approaching Earth. This green coloured comet will be visible through binoculars in a dark sky during the next couple of days. It has been suggested that this is the first time the comet is entering the inner solar system which means that it might spring out some surprises (i.e. it may get brighter than expected). Furthermore, it has a very unusual orbit. It is actually moving in the opposite direction of the planets.

There is a possibility of viewing the comet with your eyes if you are located in a remote island. People in Male' and other population centres in Maldives can view it with a binocular. This is because during the next five days Comet Lulin will be about 5^th or 6^th magnitude. Magnitudes indicate the brightness of stars, planets, comets, asteroids, etc. The larger the number means the dimmer the object is. For example, Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, is now about -1.4 magnitude; Saturn now is about 0.6 magnitude; Betelgeuce is 0.4. The faintest naked-eye stars visible from places like Male' would be around 4^th magnitude. However 5^th or 6^th magnitude objects can be visible from islands with less light pollution.

The position of Comet Lulin near Saturn on 24th February (about 1:15 am mvt) - the sky as viewed overhead

When and where to see it?

Comet Lulin is currently located within the Virgo constellation and moving towards Leo. It's moving towards Saturn and away from the magnitude 1 star Spica (the brightest star in Virgo constellation). The best times to look is between midnight and 3:00 AM MVT. Comet Lulin will make its closest approach to Earth on February 24^th- at a distance of about 37 million miles. The following table provides the details.

date	location	Distance from earth	Best times (MVT)	Magnitude (approx. for Male')
19^th – 20^th Feb	In Virgo; about halfway between Spica and Saturn.	0.44 au	12:00 – 4:00 AM	5.2
20^th – 21^st Feb	In Virgo; about halfway between Spica and Saturn.	0.43 au	00:30 – 3:30 AM	5.2
21^st – 22^nd Feb	In Virgo; about 11° below Saturn	0.42 au	12:00 – 3:30 AM	5.1
22^nd – 23^rd Feb	In Virgo; about 6° below Saturn	0.41 au	11:30 PM – 3:00 AM	5
23^rd – 24^th Feb	In Leo; besides Saturn – just 2° away	0.41 au	11:30 PM – 3:00 AM	5
24^th – 25^th Feb	In Leo; about 4° above Saturn	0.41 au	11:00 PM – 2:30 AM	5

au - astronomica unit (1 au = the distance between earth and sun).

Maldives meets Hubble

2009-02-14T22:03:00.002+05:00

The inaugural event of the newly formed Maldives Science Society (MSS) was held on Wednesday, 11^th February 2009 at MCSE Seminar Room. The event was a presentation by Astronomer and Associate Research Professor Dr. Kavan Ratnatunga titled "The Universe as viewed through the Hubble Space Telescope". I was amazed at the number of people who attended the presentation. The MSS site reports:

The event …. was well-attended by students and science enthusiasts from across the city. It was an admixture of people from a broad bandwidth of backgrounds who had long waited for an event of this nature. The stunning display of ultra-sharp and breathtaking images taken from the Hubble [Space Telescope] alongside an ultra-clear expository running commentary by Dr Kavan made the whole event all the more spectacular and indeed was well-received by the audience. The presentation was followed in tandem by a Q & A session where Dr Kavan answered some challenging and inquisitive queries from the audience.

The questions put forward were indeed really ineresting and dwelled into varying topics such as dark matter and dark energy; the big bang; anti-matter; the fate of the universe; spiral galaxies; etc. I was pleasantly surprised particularly by the students (especially from Majeedhiyya School) who turned up in numbers and actively participated in the Q&A session. Judging by the response we got, the event was, without a doubt, a good start for the International Year of Astronomy activities here in the Maldives.

The Universe as viewed through the Hubble Space Telescope

2009-02-11T02:33:00.002+05:00

As their inaugural event, the Maldives Science Society is hosting a presentation by Professor Kavan Ratnatunga titled "The Universe as viewed through the Hubble Telescope" tonight at MCSE (Social Centre) Seminar Room at 8:30 PM. This presenation is the first of a seriess of events the Maldives Science Society has planned for this year to commemorate the International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009) here in the Maldives.

Professor Kavan Ratnatunga is the chairman of the IYA2009 committee in Sri Lanka. Dr. Kavan's 25 year career included research at the Institute of Advanced Study in Princeton (1984/86), Dominion Astrophysical Observatory in Victoria, Canada (1986/88), NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre in Greenbelt (1989/91), Space Telescope Science Institute and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore (1992/96), and Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh (1996/2004). Highlights of over 50 publications in refereed Journals included the First in-situ sample of Field Halo K-giants in Galactic Halo (1983), and the First Quad Gravitational Lens discovered with NASA Hubble Space Telescope (1995).

Everyone is invited to this interesting presentation. Hope to see you there.

The First Lunar Eclipse of 2009

2009-02-09T12:12:00.003+05:00

The first lunar eclipse of the year will occur tonight (February 9). However this is a penumbral lunar eclipse (which means that the moon passes through earth's penumbral shadow, and does not cause any noticeable darkening of the Moon's surface, though some may argue it turns a little yellow).

The penumbras lunar eclipse would have already started by the time the moon rises tonight at 6:11 pm Maldivian time, and will end around 9:35 pm Maldivian time. The maximum covering of the moon while passing through Penumbra (lighter shadow of earth) will occur at 8.08 pm.

The Universe, Yours to Discover

2009-01-11T12:50:00.007+05:00

You must have probably known by now that this year is the International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009). Almost all the nations of the world are collaborating to promote astronomy and its contribution to society and culture, with events at regional, national, and global levels, to bring the Universe closer to more people on Earth. IYA2009 has been launched by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and UNESCO under the central theme "The Universe, Yours to Discover."

According to the IYA2009 website,

"The International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009) will be a global celebration of astronomy and its contributions to society and culture, highlighted by the 400th anniversary of the first use of an astronomical telescope by Galileo Galilei. The aim of the Year is to stimulate worldwide interest, especially among young people, in astronomy and science..."

The goals of IYA2009 are as follows:

Increase scientific awareness.
Promote widespread access to new knowledge and observing experiences.
Empower astronomical communities in developing countries.
Support and improve formal and informal science education.
Provide a modern image of science and scientists.
Facilitate new networks and strengthen existing ones.
Improve the gender-balanced representation of scientists at all levels and promote greater involvement by underrepresented minorities in scientific and engineering careers.
Facilitate the preservation and protection of the world's cultural and natural heritage of dark skies in places such as urban oases, national parks and astronomical sites.

There are lots of ways you can follow the IYA2009 activities and general astronomy related stuff on the web. I will look into the details of these in another post, but in the meantime I recommend the following to all astronomy enthusiasts and hobby stargazers:

The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is a project that will publish one podcast per day, 5 to 10 minutes in duration, for all 365 days of 2009. The podcast will be made available through an RSS feed. The podcast episodes will be written, recorded and produced by people around the world. If you need a reminder to listen every day of 2009, you can follow the podcast's Twitter, which will send out a tweet each day of the day's topic, inviting you to listen in. Want to subscribe? Links for iTunes or RSS. Listen in and enjoy!
The National Geographic Channel is broadcasting a series of interesting documentaries under their 'Space Month' series this month. I am not a big fan of cable tv but this news has made me decide to reconnect my cable as I do not intend to miss any of the great documentaries being shown on NGC this month. Today at 7:00 PM (maldivian time) NGC will be airing 'Death of the Universe':
In the farthest reaches of space, a volatile battle is taking place between two forces so great, they may eventually destroy the very universe itself. Known as Dark Matter and Dark Energy, these opposing forces have the capacity to rip apart the universe atom-by-atom. While scientists have previously theorised about a "Big Crunch" where the universe retracts (similar to a balloon losing its air) back to its original size, the discovery of Dark Matter and Dark Energy has placed that hypothesis on the backburner. Some astronomers now believe that if Dark Matter offsets Dark Energy then as the universe slowly expands, stars will gradually fade, running out of fuel and leading to a dark, cold and lifeless universe. Others hypothesise a much more violent end where Dark Energy continues to expand the universe at a greater and greater speed. Stronger than gravity, Dark Energy would pull apart everything down to the fundamental particles – the universe's very fibres. While the universe's end may be 50 billion years away, great leaps in science will continue to alter how we believe the universe was formed – and how it will end.

The biggest full moon again

2009-01-10T10:53:00.005+05:00

Last month we missed the biggest full moon of 2008 due to bad weather. Well, get prepared for a rerun because tonight's moon is going to be the biggest full moon of 2009.

The sky does look cloudy even today, but chances are high that we might be able to see the moon free of clouds sometime during the night.

The moon will rise around 5:30 PM and set around 5:10 AM. It is going to be about 360,000 km away tonight, and will reside inside the constellation Gemini.

Are You A Film Addict?

2008-12-21T04:03:00.003+05:00

Film Addict takes the top 250 films on IMDB and quizzes you on how many you've seen. My score is a lousy 25.2%. Compare your score.

Meteor Showers and the Weather

2008-12-15T15:44:00.002+05:00

December is a good period for meteor showers. However December is also the rainy season here in the Maldives. The heavy build up of clouds we see in the sky these days means there is absolutely no chance for the meteors (or the shooting stars, as some prefer to call it) to come up with their show.

The Geminid meteor shower (one of the best meteor showers) peaked two nights back, but was totally clouded out. I was not able to spot a single meteor on the night of 13/14 December, but I did see a couple of meteors during the nights of 11-13.

The next meteor shower, the Ursids, begin on the 17th of December and will peak on the night of 22/23. The weather forecasts are not promising at all for this event.

The radiant of this meteor shower is located in the constelltion Ursa Minor (famously known as the Little Dipper) near Polaris, the North Star. This is not good news for viewers in Male' as the northern horizon is almost completely blocked by the enourmous amount of light pollution generated from Male', Hulhule and other nearby resorts.

The best place to view the Ursids in Maldives will be in the northern atolls. If you happen to be awake on or after 2:30 AM in some island in on of the northern atolls during December 22/23, do go outside and look towards the northern horizon. You might be able to see a good shower activity unless the clouds decided to spoil the whole thing.

Meeting the burqini clad inshallah surfchic in Muxlim Pal

2008-12-13T16:50:00.002+05:00

It looks like the world has, all of a sudden, stumbled across a brand new market: the Muslims.

An Australian company called Ahiida is marketing sports and swimwear "designed with the respect of Islamic values and aimed to enhance the lifestyle of the active Muslim female." Their swimwear, called burqini, is a "a full-length swim suit to make Muslim women feel more comfortable at the beach."

Phillip George, an Australian artist, has produced a range of Islamic surfboards called Inshallah surfboards, in "an attempt to fuse the Australian beach culture with the Islamic culture."

A Finnish-based company called Muxlim.com has launched the world's first Muslim-friendly virtual world, called Muxlim Pal, where users can create their own persona, design their own rooms, buy virtual items and interact with others.

Those are just a few products or services which I came across recently that are being marketed specifically to the Muslims. I wouldn't be surprised to see more to follow.

If I'm lucky enough, I might be able to meet a burqini clad inshallah surfer chic in Muxlim Pal. Who knows?

Biggest Full Moon of the Year

2008-12-11T15:09:00.004+05:00

Tomorrow's (Friday, 12th December 2008) full moon is going to be the biggest full moon of the year.

NASA explains:

It's no illusion. Some full Moons are genuinely larger than others and this Friday's is a whopper. Why? The Moon's orbit is an ellipse with one side 50,000 km closer to Earth than the other. In the language of astronomy, the two extremes are called "apogee" (far away) and "perigee" (nearby). On Dec. 12th, the Moon becomes full a scant 4 hours after reaching perigee, making it 14% bigger and 30% brighter than lesser full Moons we've seen earlier in 2008.

The best time to look is when the Moon is near the horizon. That is when illusion mixes with reality to produce a truly stunning view. For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, low-hanging Moons look unnaturally large when they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects. On Friday, why not let the "Moon illusion" amplify a full Moon that's extra-big to begin with? The swollen orb rising in the east at sunset may seem so nearby, you can almost reach out and touch it.

This is both the brightest and (in the northern hemisphere) the highest-riding full Moon of the year. If you go outside around midnight it will be close to overhead and act like a cosmic floodlamp making the landscape absolutely brilliant.

The moon will rise around sunset on Friday and will not set until after the Saturday sunrise. Tomorrow night the moon will be about 356,000 km away from us. This is in contrast to the moon in July earlier this year which was more than 390,000 km away from us then. It'll be right overhead of us tomorrow night right around midnight.

For all the romantics out there, it's a night not to be missed.

Get ready for the heavenly threesome

2008-11-26T21:04:00.002+05:00

A friend of mine called me up sometime last week and asked me what those two bright stars in the western sky right after sunset were. I told him that they were not bright stars but the planets Venus and Jupiter, and that they are going to do something spectacular together with the moon in the coming days.

If you go out after sunset and look south-west you will see the planets Venus and Jupiter beaming almost side by side through the twilight. And they are getting closer and closer together day by day. The gap, in fact, is closing real fast. Go outside tomorrow night and you will notice that the two planets are getting even closer.

NASA reports:

On Nov. 29th the two planets will be less than 3 degrees apart and you'll think to yourself "surely it can't get any better than this."

And then it will. On Nov. 30th a slender 10% crescent Moon leaps up from the horizon to join the show. The delicate crescent hovering just below Venus-Jupiter will have cameras clicking around the world.

Dec. 1st is the best night of all. The now-15% crescent Moon moves in closer to form an isosceles triangle with Venus and Jupiter as opposing vertices. The three brightest objects in the night sky will be gathered so tightly together, you can hide them all behind your thumb held at arm's length.

I had to inform my friend, who by the way will be celebrating his birthday on November 29^th, that the heavens are going to give him a pleasant birthday show (weather permitting, of course).

Weather Spoils The Leonids

2008-11-19T18:20:00.003+05:00

The Leonids (one of the most spectacular meteor showers) hit its peak last Monday night.

The Leonids (associated with the comet Tempel-Tuttle) generally make their mark on the second and third weeks of November. On a clear dark sky you might be able to view around 10 meteors per hour during its peak. The radiant of this shower is the constellation of Leo which you will be able to view during these days from around 2:30 AM until dawn.

Leo viewed from Male' (East North-East) at 3:30AM on 20th November 2008

However like the Orionids of October, the Leonid meteor shower was spoiled by the weather (specifically the thick cloud formation that covered the whole Male' night sky on the 17^th-18^th of this Month). The moon, currently residing within the Leo constellation, does not help either. I was not able to spot a single meteor.

I was fortunate enough to view the minor Taurid meteor shower earlier this month from an uninhabited island in Vaavu Atoll (with no light pollution at all and an absolutely clear sky). Next up is the Geminids which will hit its peak on the 13/14 of December. Let's hope the weather does not spoil this one.

Indian Flag On The Moon

2008-11-18T17:28:00.002+05:00

Last Friday, India became the 4th country in the world (after America, Russia and Japan) to land a man-made object on the moon (and thereby placing its flag on the lunar surface).

It is a remarkable success for the Indians as the entire mission is carried out with technology developed from India. A proud and historic moment for the Indians.

More

Counting The Stars

2008-11-02T15:56:00.003+05:00

Stargazers worldwide are looking up at the sky and counting the stars this past two weeks (October 20^th to November 3^rd) to determine the amount of light pollution in the atmosphere.

Organised by the Windows to the Universe project, the 2^nd annual Great Worldwide Star Count will help scientists map light pollution globally and at the same time educate the participants about the stars.

This event is open to everyone to participate. All you have to do is count the number of stars in a certain constellation (Cygnus for the people in northern hemisphere; and Sagittarius for the people in the southern hemisphere) between 7:00PM till 9:00PM between October 20^th and November 3^rd.

Maldives crosses the equator giving us the opportunity to view both the constellations. People in the northern hemisphere (all the atolls except Addu and Fuah Mulak) should be looking north-west to view the Cygnus constellation. Cygnus, the Swan, looks like a big cross. The tail of the swan is marked by the bright star Deneb. The head of the swan is a star called Albireo. Three fainter stars cross the line between Deneb and Albireo, making a "t" shape. Below is an illustration of how the night sky would look like viewed from Male' tonight at around 8:30 PM (assuming there is little light pollution and no cloud cover).

People in Addu and Fuah Mulak, on the other hand, should be looking south-west to view Sagittarius the archer. Finding Sagittarius is easy. If you look south-west you should be able to see the Teapot asterism. The Teapot asterism is right in the middle of the Sagittarius constellation. In addition, the crescent moon and the brightly glowing Jupiter is currently situated inside Sagittarius making it one of the easiest constellations to spot at this time of the month. But do keep in mind to leave Jupiter out whilst counting the stars of the constellation, as it is not a star. The illustration below shows a view of the sky from Hithadhoo in Addu Atoll tonight around 7:45 PM (again assuming there is little light pollution and no cloud cover).

Today and tomorrow are the final days of this star count, so why not take just five or ten minutes of your time to count the stars up above?

For complete steps download the Activity Guide.

Visit the Great Worldwide Star Count for more info.

Wish You Were Here

2008-10-27T16:06:00.004+05:00

I was holidaying in Colombo when I heard about Fuloo Nashid endorsing Maumoon for the president. Like most of my friends, I felt saddened rather than angry at the news. To see someone, who was looked up on as a musical guru and as someone with liberal views, endorsing an autocrat who, for 30 years, blocked artistic and musical development in the country is mind-boggling in every sense.

I wonder whether he totally forgot Mohoj, his bandmate, being jailed after the August 12-13 crackdown, or about Mr. Zahir Hussein cancelling the music scholarship that Mohoj received whilst he was studying at SEC.

Anyway, during the last Saturday night's show at raalhugandu (one of the series of Unite for Change music shows) Mohoj went up on stage and did a great rendition of 'Wish You Were Here'. I'm not sure but he probably had Nashid on his mind when he sang that. It was very moving.

(photo courtsey of Two Dead Fish)

The Orionids 2008

2008-10-13T15:27:00.003+05:00

I was so looking forward to the Orionids of this year. However, it looks like it is going to be a disappointment.

What is the Orionids?

The Orionid meteor shower is the second of two showers that occur each year as a result of Earth passing through dust released by Halley's Comet. The point from where the Orionid meteors appear to radiate is located within the constellation Orion.

The Orionids generally begin on October 15 and end on October 29, with maximum generally occurring during the morning hours of October 20-22. The Orionids are barely detectable on the beginning and ending dates, but observers will see around 20-40 meteors per hour at maximum.

When can I see the Orionids?

The best time to view the Orionid meteors is after midnight when Earth's rotation aligns our line of sight with the direction of Earth's motion around the Sun. Then we're heading directly into the stream of meteors. To find the Orionids, go outside and look straight up. You won't miss it. The Orion is one of the most recognizable constellations in the sky.

The Bad News

Two things are going to work against a good viewing of the Orionids this year: (a)the weather doesn't look so promising (In fact it looks like there's going to be thunderstorms for the next 10 days or so); and (b) the moon is going to reduce the number of observable meteors and looks like it will spoil the show this year (tomorrow night is the full moon, and furthermore the moon will be residing very close to the Orion constellation during the peak of October 20-22).

Below is an indication of how the sky would look like at about 1:30 AM on Saturday, 18th of October.

1382 Votes

2008-10-10T15:41:00.003+05:00

It was a real shocker to find out that Ibra received only 0.78% of the votes in the presidential elections. I voted for him not expecting him to win the elections or even to go to the run-offs, but I was expecting him to get at least 10%.

What went wrong for him then? I've been trying to figure out the possible reasons for this, and came out with this short list (in alphabetical order):

Anti-campaigns by other parties

Did not campaign that much (specially in the atolls)

He is a cripple; and people don't want a cripple for the president

He is a good MP, but not good for the presidential position

His choice of a woman as the running mate

His policies were not popular enough

Lack of funding/financial resources

Lack of high-standing backers, endorsements, etc

Leaving MDP wasn't such a good move

People just did not want their votes to be 'wasted' (i.e. they did not believe he had a winning chance)

Proud and elitist attitude

Rumours of association with Ilyas, Gayyoom, etc.

This is what I can come up with for now. Is there any other pointers that any of you can think of? Tell me what you think.

Change We Can, Change We Shall

2008-10-07T03:50:00.003+05:00

The following is a wall post that I came across yesterday in the 'Ibra for President' group in facebook.

We see six Presidential Candidates contesting in the next Maldivian Presidential Elections of 2008 due on the 8th of October. The outcome on the 11th of November will be decided by the results of the votes which we will be casting in three days time. The decision we make on that day will decide the fate of our country.

For thirty long years, Maumoon’s regime has ruled the Maldives with an iron fist. We have had enough of thirty years of Hypocrisy, Corruption, Torture, Poverty, Nepotism, Injustice and Tyranny! The people of the Maldives want a Change! And not just any change, but a change for good.

Obsessions with bringing an end to Maumoon’s regime wont face off well. But we have to be obsessed to bring and end to Maumoon’s regime with a good change. A change that will bring this country out of the deep hole it find itself in and rebuilt it on the foundations laid by our forefathers. A change that would develop us; physically, morally, as a country and as an individual; and take it to the roads of prosperity.

We want a leader like the Dharumavantha Rasgefaanu; someone who can give up old age traditions and change ones policies without heed to opposition when the people voice out to him for change. We want a liberal leader.

We want some one like the Bodu Thakurufaanu; who can stand up to any foreign or domestic enemies, without fear and with courage. A leader who will understand the people as Bodu Thakurufaanu did. We want a Socialist leader.

We want a leader from the people, for the people. Like Dhonbandaarain.

We want a leader with a plan. With the capabilities, qualifications and caliber to achieve what is needed to be achieved in order to save this island nation of ours. We want a man who will be sincere to us the people. And serve us and be responsible.

We want a change, a change in which we can believe in, a change which is certain.

And then, we have to make an analysis. What are our problems? What are our shortcomings? Where do we lack or drawback? With this identified, we have to see what we need to do in order to solve the problems. Meet the shortcomings and patch up the drawbacks. We have to see how we can establish ourselves again and rise up as a nation, independent. We have to see how we can develop in the fast changing world. And ensure that our people are literate, educated and well off. And every single citizen can live an honest life with good health care and educational facilities, and with a high standard of living. With this done, we have to look for a man who can do it.

This is where you make a decision. For the sake of yourselves, your children and those to come and the future of our country…it is your duty to make this decision carefully and correctly. One vote can change the results, and nobody would want it to change for the worse.

I did the above analysis for myself and found an answer to the last question. Who can bring us this change that we crave for? My answer is; “He is the man who calls out; Change we can. Change we shall! He is the man who comes with no extra luggage. He is the man who has served us life long. He is the man who stood up for the people against the tyrant ruler. He is, Mr. Ibrahim Ismail, the presidential candidate of Social liberal Party for the presidential elections of 2008.

And I quote him, “This campaign is about Maldivians taking back their nation. This campaign will not sell the Maldives for a few dollars. This campaign will be from the people, by the people, and for the people.” And this is what we want to hear!

Ibrahim Ismail educated himself for service. He joined the government for service. He voiced out and got punished for the people. But he continued on for the people. He protested for the people. He got jailed for it but he continued on. He got elected to the parliament seat while under house arrest because people believed in him. The biggest anti governmental political party elected him as its head because they knew he was the answer. He left it because of some power hungry people in order to serve the people as he vowed to. He worked hard for the people and overcame many hardships and hurdles. He crossed so many obstacles tackling them successfully.

And now he has decided to run for the highest office in the country, for the presidency of the Republic of the Maldives, once again, for the people. His motives are set out crystal clear. His policies are pure and strong. His stance is well made. Let us acknowledge the Franklin Delano Roosevelt of the Maldives, Mr. Ibrahim Ismail. He is a man respected by the people of the country as well as his opposition. I quote Mr. Mohamed Nasheedh (Kutti Nasheedh) : “"Ibrahim Ismail aa alhugandaa dhemeehunnakee dhe rahmaiytherinneve. Namaves ilmee bahus thakugayyai siyaasee bahus thakugai vaadhaveri dhe ekuverinneve. Dhe camp eh gai mivaguthu thibi dhe meehunneve. Dhe visnumeh hifaigen nukume konmeves eh visnumakah kaamiyaabee hoadhaidhinumah masakkai kuran jehifaivaa dhe meehunneve. Emme gina in Ibra aa jadhalu kuraa ekakah alhugandu vaane eve. Adhi alhugandah faadu kiyumakahves Ibra fahathakah jehivadaeh nugannavaane eve. Eynaage ukulhu thakun salaamaiy vaan abadhuves onnanee masakkaiy kuran jehifa eve. Ekamun alhugandumenge rahmaiytheri kamah asareh nufoara eve."

With Mrs. Fathimath Nahid Shakir as his vice presidential nominee, I am ready to vote for the SLP’s presidential ticket.

During these times, I decided to stay silent, considering my junior status and lack of experience and knowledge in the field. Due to circumstances, I really could not make a complete analysis of the campaign either. But, within the nick of time, I would like to state how I feel or how I see the situation at the moment.

The hard truth is Maumoon has the protection of considerable amount of block votes. A number of voters above the age of 65 are very committed to him. A huge percentage of the uneducated populations in (inthe sense of those who have no or a very less understanding of modern day politics) are hardcore supporters of Maumoon. As Ibra says, quote; “The biggest achievement of the past 30 years is the closing of the Maldivian mind and the creation of a mindset which is hedonistic in nature: the belief that creature comforts should be pursued at any cost.”

The rest of the population has to be shared by five other candidates. A majority is clearly in support for Mr. Mohamed Nasheedh (Anni), mostly due to his background as an established rights activist and for his enthusiasm and his image as the people’s man. But I personally and professionally doubt Anni’s sincerity and motives. It’s most regrettable that Anni is trying to place himself at the top by the use of deception against all those who were with him in his rise and journey to the freedom we experience today. His claims of MDP being his brain child and reason for all good is just like Maumoon working for a cult of personality. Sadly, many Maldivians have been indoctrinated by the deception of MDP.

In the midst, Dr. Hassan Saeed has risen. Generally, he is a capable and intelligent man. Same goes to his colleagues. But he has no credits. It’s hard to trust a man with two faces. He has done a lot in his part which he must really regret now, but which makes untrustworthy.
Mr. Gasim Ibrahim as destroyed himself by making the wrong moves. Going behind the back of the most corrupt people in the country (like ADK Naashidh) and aligning himself with the most extreme of viewers, he had lost a lot of ground. More is lost when two faced cronies joined him with likes of Mr. Jabir.

Mentioning Mr. Umar Naseer is unnecessary here. (no offence).

With all this in mind, let us think about Ibra. Maybe he does not have the status or coverage as the other candidates. But we must always remember the power of the silent voters. The gravest mistake you will make will be to underestimate the silent voices of the society. But, the government and MDP have done and will be doing its level best to make this election a two sided show. The government or shall we say DRP had made sure that they use all methods, fair and unfair to create all sorts of difficulties for SLP. MDP had joined in with their share of anti campaigning. All this has caused a lot of problems for Ibra.

I feel that the campaign effort by Ibra is a little bit too less. We must understand and accept the fact that a great deal of the Maldivian population is not literally literate. They do not understand modern world politics and diplomacy. Campaigning should be done in a way which will enable Ibra to reach out to the people and contact them and get to them, personally. Ibra’s campaign is the most professional and democratic campaign among the presidential campaigns. But it ain’t enough. We need more.

With this said, we must also accept the fact that we do not have enough time; in the sense for campaigning. How can a fair, free and professional election be held in such a short period of time? 8th of October is too soon a date for such huge process. How many voters are unregistered? How many of them are unready to decide? The candidates did not get enough time to campaign. And if the people make a mistake on that day due to this factor, only Ibra will be free from blame. For he was the only one who voiced out that we needed more time for the election.

Concluding, I would like to ask from all my fellow countrymen and women to consider your options without a biased point of view and decide for a better change. Once again remember that one vote can change the results. If that one vote changes the result for the worse, we may have to suffer a lot. So please be considerate and make the right decision.

The few more days left for the elections are very vital. Ibra must play the last cards very wisely. For it may decide his fate and also the fate of the country.

My prayer and wish to the all mighty lord above is that he be with us always. May his mercy and blessings be showered upon us and may he deliver us. May he guide our country safely to the shores of redemption. May he protect us and ensure a bright future for our country. God Bless. Amen.

Thank you for bearing with me. Please excuse my lack of knowledge and expertise. These are my personal opinions, voiced out under the right of freedom of expression. Any criticism and comments on my views will be welcomed with joy. Thank you once again.

- Hassan Ikhzaan Saleem [ H I S ]

The Liberals’ Eid Celebration

2008-10-04T13:32:00.005+05:00

The Liberal Party celebrated the Eid last Wednesday with a gig at their haruge situated north of the Olympus theatre. Although the gig was headlined by Trio, the highlights of the gig came at later stages of the night. Trio was followed by an electrifying solo performance from Mishy (Ibra's running mate Nahid's daughter) who gave the audience some great renditions including Rihanna's Umbrella, the Beatles' Let It Be and John Denver's Leaving On A Jet Plane amongst others.

Mishy's session was followed by requests from the audience for a performance from her dad, X-ray Athif, who came on stage and said that he is going to play only if it was followed by Ibra. Athif sung Elvis Presley's Good Luck Charm.

I don't think most of the crowd was expecting Ibra to walk up on stage after Athif finished his song, but that is exactly what happened next. I saw some surprised looks from the crowd as many did not know that Ibra actually used to do gigs whilst he was studying in Australia and even after coming back to Male'. Ibra covered Eric Clapton's Wonderful Tonight and Cliff Richards' Travelling Light.

Trio came up on stage to finish the night off with Bob Marley's Get Up, Stand Up. However at the end of this, requests started pouring in for the their definitive Chaaley which they had not performed so far that night. The lead singer did an acoustic version of the crowd pleaser Chaaley, part of it he left for the audience to complete.

It was quite a memorable night. After all, who would have expected the final line up to be Trio, Mishy, X-ray Athif and Ibra?

Who to vote for

2008-09-28T19:29:00.000+05:00

With the election coming up soon, Maldivians are trying to decide which Presidential ticket to vote for. While many people vote based on how they feel about the candidates, a few people do at least attempt to provide a rational assessment before they cast their ballot. This leads to the question of who to vote for.

One way to answer that question is to take the approach espoused by a conservative friend of mine. When asked about voting, he typically says something like “why should I vote for someone who isn’t going to do what is in my best interest?” While we disagree on many things, I have to admit that he has a point there. It would, from a rational standpoint, seem to make little sense to vote against your own self interest. No one, as Socrates argued, wants to be harmed and voting this way could lead to harm. So, the rational thing to do would seem to vote for the candidate you believe will act in accord with your self-interest.

While this seems simple enough, there is the obvious problem of determining what is, in fact, in your self-interest.

The most obvious answer is that it is what you think you want and need. Of course, what a person wants and thinks he needs could actually be contrary to his self-interest. After all, self-interest is intuitive supposed to be what is good for the person. For example, many people thought they wanted Maumoon to be President. Over the last thirty years, he has shown most of them that this was probably not in their self-interest.

Another obvious answer is that what is in your self-interest is what benefits you. That seems reasonable enough but does have some problems.

One problem is that people can be mistaken about what is beneficial to them. For example, a certain musician might vote for Qasim because he Qasim recently organized a show disguised as the launching of VTV. However, if Adhalath Party managed to get their conservative views made into law in a Qasim administration, then the musician might learn that he was quite mistaken. To avoid this, a person needs to be careful in determining what would really be beneficial and which candidate is most likely to bring about such benefits.

On a more philosophical level, a person could be fundamentally mistaken about what is truly beneficial. Socrates discusses the matter at great length and it is a central focus of Plato’s ethical theory. People often regard their selfish wants as being what is truly beneficial and good for them. Hence, this would seem to indicate that people should vote in a selfish manner. For example, since the very rich might be financially better off under Qasim, they should vote for him. However, acting in a selfish manner can be an error.

First, there is the moral worry that the selfish voting might lead to a morally wrong situation. For example, voting for a candidate who promises to build a harbor on some island would give the people of that island a reason to vote for him. However, if he is not considered a sincere person and has no other sound policies, then it might be the wrong thing to do. If Socrates is right, acting in this selfish manner would not be in the person’s true self interest. That would be to do what is right.

Second, there is the practical worry that the selfish voting might turn out to be harmful to the person who thought she was voting in her own best interest. For example, in America many of the people who voted for Bush because they believed he would take a “hands off” approach to the American economy have probably come to realize that they have contributed to the dire financial disaster that plagues the United States and the world.

So, when voting it is wise to consider what is really in your best interest.

* The above is a modification of an article that appeared in the talkingphilosophy blog. I've changed some bits to fit the article to a maldivian perspective.

The Charming Burka

2008-09-22T23:03:00.005+05:00

Here's something that has ingenuity and controversy written all over it.

‘Charming Burka’ is a digitally-enabled covering that gives the wearer the option of electronically displaying the face they are being made to hide. A controversial product, though not explicitly forbidden by Islamic law, the burka apparently deals with Freud’s idea that all clothes can be positioned between appeal and shame.

Markus Kison, the German designer describes the concept behind his project:

The Burka was chosen because it is often perceived in the west as a symbol of repression. Then a digital layer was added to it so that women can decide for themselves where they want to position themselves virtually. The Burka sends an image, chosen by the wearer, via bluetooth. Every person next to her can receive her picture via mobile phone and see the woman’s self-determined identity. The laws of the Koran are not broken, so the Charming Burka fulfills the desire of living a more western life, which some Muslim women desire today. the Burka is equipped with bluetooth antenna/micro-controller and uses the OBEX protocol, already working with most mobile phones.

I'm not so well-versed in religious laws, and hence am not sure if the 'moonu burka' is a must or not. But we all have to accept the fact that there are people even in Maldives that choose to wear it. And the faith they subscribe to makes it a must to go out into the public wearing it.

They would be facing difficulties at immigration checkups or with police during certain circumstances. The 'Charming Burka' may be a solution during these situations. But I have doubts as to whether the 'Charming Burka' is 'not explicitly forbidden by Islamic law' or whether 'the laws of Koran are not broken' by this. What are your thoughts?

Source: http://www.digital.udk-berlin.de/en/projects/summer07/haupt/bodytech/charmburka.html

So long, and thanks for all the psychedelia

2008-09-18T18:44:00.004+05:00

Rick Wright, keyboardist and a founding member of Pink Floyd, died last Monday after a battle with cancer. He was 65.

BBC's orbituary:

As a keyboardist and songwriter, Richard Wright helped create the pioneering psychedelic sound that made Pink Floyd one of the world's greatest groups.

His atmospheric, jazzy organs and synthesisers were at times at the forefront of their songs, and at others provided a dreamy undercurrent upon which the rest of the band could drift.

As well as providing backing vocals and keyboards, Wright wrote some of their songs.

They included the instrumental 13-minute Sysyphus on 1969's Ummagumma and Summer '68 from Meddle, their first number one album.

The 23-minute Echoes, from their next long player Meddle, centred around a single Wright piano note.

Their following release, 1973's Dark Side of the Moon, was their masterpiece.

Wright co-wrote much of the album, including Breathe, Time and Us and Them, but his most significant contribution was the piano-led The Great Gig in the Sky.

The album is one of the best-selling albums of all time and stayed in the US top 200 for 15 years.

The group became one of the biggest groups of the 1970s, and continued releasing albums, while Wright also branched out with a solo career.

After the departure of Roger Waters, they made two more Pink Floyd albums and played more than 100 shows on the Division Bell tour in 1994, the most lucrative tour in rock history at that time.

Wright joined his former bandmates, with the exception of Barrett, one last time at Live 8 in Hyde Park in 2005.

There has since been continual speculation that the group could reform to tour again.

But with Wright's passing, a hugely important chapter in the story of British music has closed.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7617583.stm

Who's Buying What

2008-09-18T07:22:00.003+05:00

Here's an interesting one. The New York Times has an illustrative graph which visualises world wide spending habits. Four categories are charted including clothing & footwear, electronics, alcohol & tobacco, household goods and recreation.

The NYT reports:

People in Greece spend almost 13 times more money on clothing as they do on electronics. People living in Japan spend more on recreation than they do on clothing, electronics and household goods combined. Americans spend a lot of money on everything.

Check it out:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/09/04/business/20080907-metrics-graphic.html

McCain invented the Blackberry??

2008-09-17T17:17:00.005+05:00

What's with the American presidential candidates and technological inventions? When Al Gore was running for the top post in 2000 he once boasted about "taking the initiative to create the Internet" through technological and educational policies. He was later mocked for claiming to invent the internet.

And now, Associated Press reports that Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a McCain senior aide, has claimed that McCain has helped create the Blackberry:

Waving his BlackBerry personal digital assistant and citing McCain's work as a senator, he told reporters Tuesday, "You're looking at the miracle that John McCain helped create."

The funny thing is McCain doesn't even know how to use a computer or send mails:

The 72-year-old candidate has acknowledged he does not know how to use a computer and cannot send emails, one of the BlackBerry's prime functions

.

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/uselection2008/johnmccain/2971297/John-McCain-invented-the-BlackBerry.html

Morning Blues - Gianscore

2008-09-16T22:02:00.003+05:00

"Alright, Guitar..". That reminded me of Dylan's 'Quinn The Eskimo'.
Great job, Vitte and the gang!

Bob Dylan's 'Dreamin' of You'

2008-09-13T00:26:00.004+05:00

Bob Dylan has a new video for “Dreamin’ Of You,” from his upcoming 'Tell Tale Signs'.

You can download the song here.

Watch the video of Bob Dylan's "Dreamin' of You"

More on Tell Tale Signs here.

Large Hadron Rap

2008-09-12T21:37:00.003+05:00

If you heard about the particle accelerator experiment currently going on along the Franco-Swiss border, you've got to check out this video. Funny, informative and entertaining.

Venus meets Mars

2008-09-12T21:09:00.003+05:00

If you are not so tired after breaking the fast, go outside have a look westwards (if you are in male' it is recommended that you head to the western shores of the island sometime before 6:50 PM).

Mars and Venus are paired together above the horizon. Until the 15th of this month they will be at most less than 1½° apart. They were at their closest yesterday when they appeared to fit perfectly.

If men are from mars and women from venus, then I guess this is the time of the year when the two sexes are closest together.

And don't forget that Mercury is also quite nearby (and actually much brighter than Mars), although a bit lower in the sky. I guess the messenger is having a closer look at the coming together of these two genders.

Let's hope that the skies get clear enough for a good view. The last couple of days havn't been so promising though.

Page rules out reunion without Plant

2008-09-12T19:08:00.002+05:00

Bad news for Led Zeppelin fans! Rolling Stone reports:

Jimmy Page dodged two questions about a potential Zeppelin reunion Saturday at a Toronto International Film Festival press conference for the documentary It Might Get Loud, alongside fellow guitarists the Edge and Jack White.

But upon the announcement of "final question," another reporter gave it a shot, and didn't package it as a secondary question with one about the film. Point blank, Page was asked about rumours that he, John Bonham's son Jason and John Paul Jones are recording right now and that a reunion is on the horizon.

"We're not actually recording," Page said to part one.

"Playing at the 02, that was our reunion and it was one day and it was at the 02 in London," the guitarist said in reference to the December 10, 2007 benefit concert in honor of late Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun.

"And basically that was it because if you're going to do a reunion, you need four members. John Paul Jones, myself and Jason would sort jam afterwards but it was nothing as monumental as people are speculating."

On the other hand, maybe it is not such a bad news after all. It probably would not be a proper Led Zeppelin without Robert Plant in it.

We survived last night!

2008-09-11T15:43:00.003+05:00

The world didn't end last night. Phew! The 'switch on' for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) was successful; we were not sucked into a black hole – at least not yet. Gasworld.com reports:

As a day that was anticipated to be a pivotal moment in history, the first beam in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN was successfully steered around the full 27km of the world's most powerful particle accelerator at 10:28AM yesterday.

But then again, it seems that this was only the beginning. Gasworld.com continues:

The success of Wednesday 10th September puts a tick next to the first of those steps and over the next few weeks, as the LHC's operators gain experience and confidence with the new machine, the machine's acceleration systems will be brought into play and the beams will be brought into collision to allow the research programme to begin.

Clearly overjoyed, LHC Project Leader Lyn Evans commented, "It's a fantastic moment. We can now look forward to a new era of understanding about the origins and evolution of the universe."

But what exactly is this LHC? And what is it trying to do? I'm not that well-versed in these scientific explanations, so most of the explanations on how the LHC works went over my head. However I was able to understand that the experiment aims to recreate the conditions that brought about the creation of the universe.:

Experiments at the LHC will allow physicists to complete a journey that started with Newton's description of gravity. Gravity acts on mass, but so far science is unable to explain the mechanism that generates mass. It's hoped that experiments at the LHC will provide the answer.

LHC experiments will also try to probe the mysterious dark matter of the universe – visible matter seems to account for just 5% of what must exist, while about a quarter is believed to be dark matter.

The story of the LHC caught my attention when I read an article titled "Are we all going to die next Wednesday?". It seems that there were a significant group of scientists who are afraid that the LHC is not 100% safe. The Daily Mail reports:

A few people are convinced that it should never be turned on. A lawsuit has been lodged at the European Court For Human Rights by a small group of maverick scientists.

They claim there is a small - but not zero - chance that when the LHC is activated it will create either a mini-black hole which would fall into the ground and swallow the Earth from within (scenario one).

Or, even more bizarrely, trigger a catastrophic chain reaction in the very fabric of space and time itself, which would rip apart the entire universe like the skin of a bursting balloon (scenario two).

Bizarrely, this group, led by a German chemist called Otto Rossler, are using the European Convention on human rights to argue that, should the LHC destroy the entire Universe, it would 'violate the right to life and right to private family life'.

So far this doomsday scenario has not materialized. We are still safe and very much alive. But it's still the early days of the experiment. I guess we still have to keep our fingers crossed.

I also came across some interesting news and useful links whilst reading about the experiment. Have a look at the following:

An Indian girl killed herself upon hearing of the impending doom to be caused by the LHC experiment.

Whilst in London, a couple staged their own version of the Big Bang in their bedroom at the exact time of the launch of the experiment.

LHC: Your questions answered

On the presidential elections

2008-09-03T17:39:00.003+05:00

With the presidential elections looming over us, it's the duty of every person of the voting age to think about the responsibility on our hands. To this end I also have been thinking about the choices presented to us for this elections.

The more and more I think about it, it looks like the MDP and the Liberal Party are the only two parties with real clot in this race. DRP is the party of the last 30 years. It is similar to those 'ex-communists' in the Eastern European countries after the end of the Cold War who tried to project a new look to win the multi-party elections held in those countries for the first time. The Jumhooree Party consists of a bunch of opportunist businessmen who have this idea that they will be able to win the election showing their financial might. The IDP and the Adhalath Party are two groups of people trying to use religion to their benefit as the BJP is doing in India.

Real political parties are those that are based on political ideologies or philosophies - not on religion, language, race, etc.

The MDP and the Liberal Party, to my thinking, fall into this group of real political ideologies. MDP is leaning towards centre-right; Liberal Party towards centre-left. If you take the parties of US and UK as examples, the MDP would correspond to the Republican Party in US and the Conservative Party in the UK; and the Liberal Party would correspond to the Democratic Party in the US and the Labour Party in the UK.

To my knowledge the MDP is proposing a capitalist market economy with as less government involvement as possible, whilst the Liberal Party is proposing a mixed economy welfare state more in line with that of the Scandinavian countries (Sweden & Denmark). Both these systems look much much appealing than a possible autocracy of DRP, a plutocracy of Jumhoory Party, or a theocracy of IDP and Adhalath Party.

MDP and the Liberal Party are the two parties of the current reform movement in this country. Their leaders and members are the people that we have seen during the struggles of the last five years. They are the people who were arrested and jailed from time to time during the initial stages of the reform movement. All the so-called other reformers (such as the New Maldives, Jumhooree Party, etc) joined the bandwagon much later when things seemingly started changing.

In Ibra and Anni, we have two great leaders who have the capability and capacity to bring this country forward. Ibra has proven time and time again his statesmanship, his vision, and his patience. To me, he has all the qualities required in a great leader: He is a man of integrity who does not violate his moral code; a man who understands and identifies with others; he had gone beyond obstacles through perseverance (as we had seen during his successful campaign for the Male' Parliamentary seat which he contested under house-arrest). Ibra, to me, has the vision to be the Nelson Mandela of Maldives. After all, he has promised that if he wins this election he would only serve for one term, exactly like what the great Mandela did in South Africa.

Anni on the other hand is a great activist. He has the charisma of a revolutionary. I see the rebelliousness of Lech Walesa in him. He was and still is much needed in this time of change in this country. An excellent leader of the Opposition.

Like John Lennon said, you may say I'm a dreamer. But it would surely be absolutely great for this country to see a Liberal Party government with Ibra as the leader, and the MDP with Anni at the opposition checking on each and every action of the government. And the other parties, maybe on the fringes of the parliament just reminding the public that other alternatives do exist.

Led Zeppelin working on new album

2008-08-28T20:23:00.004+05:00

Great news for all Led Zeppelin fans! BBC reports that Led Zeppelin musicians Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham have been working on new material.

Drummer Bonham told a radio station in Detroit that the songs could be destined for a new Led Zeppelin album.

However, it is sad to hear that lead singer Robert Plant, so far, is not involved in any of their sessions. At least not yet.

I wonder how the new materials would sound like without the powerful vocal stylings of Robert Plant.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/2/hi/entertainment/7582917.stm

Gasim Exposed.

2008-08-28T19:17:00.003+05:00

A friend of mine forwarded me the new website of Gasim's Presidential Campaign (www.gasim08.com). Whilst going through the site, the Blog section caught my eye. It stated that the Blog was maintained by Gasim himself.

What caught my attention was the two entries in the blog: 'Jet Fuel Premium Set to Fall' and 'Still a bumpy ride?'

On seeing these entries, I asked myself why is he talking so much about fuel prices and American market on his blog – especially during this time when he should be concentrating on the issues here in the Maldives.

On further research I discovered that the two entries were direct copies from international news sites. The first article is by Robert Tuttle posted on Bloomberg.com (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601072&refer=energy&sid=aAmpzuEUjTOU) dated 14^th July 2008.

The second one is from The Economist (http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11918850) dated 13^th August 2008.

Bloggers throughout the world follow a basic blogging etiquette: If you are using someone else's article, you should refer to the original article in some way. And I believe someone of the status of Gasim who is running for the president of a country should have decency of at least stating where the entries were originally from .

Is he trying to prove to the people of this country that he is well versed in what is going on internationally? Or is he trying to copy the actions of Ibra who is maintaining an excellent blog (http://ibra2008.blogspot.com) with his original writings?

No Such Thing As 'Undecided' Voters?

2008-08-24T13:52:00.005+05:00

An article in National Geographic website states that most undecided voters may already have settled on a future political issue based on automatic mental associations.

People's voting decisions on a future political issue are largely determined by automatic mental associations, even when people consciously believe that they are still undecided.

This could be very true if we put this in a Maldivian perspective, as i think a lot of Maldivians currently are leaning towards one presidential candidate or the other. I did a small research asking some people I know whom they would be voting in this presidential elections, and it was surprising to find that only about 10 per cent of the people said that they have not decided yet.

However, the article states that even these 'undecided' voters should not be taken at their word.

They may either have made up their minds, or they are leaning in one direction.

Perhaps what campaigns should be doing is not persuading people to change their minds but basically getting people who are leaning in one direction out to the polls.

The problem, of course, is how to figure out who's your voter.

[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/08/080822-voter-decision.html]

The American Dwarf Planet - Part 2

2008-08-21T12:52:00.003+05:00

Since the discovery of Pluto, many have speculated that it might not be the only object in the outer Solar System. This area became famously known as the Kuiper belt (although Gerard Kuiper, after whom the belt is named, did not actually believe that such a belt existed today). The first Kuiper belt objet (KBO) was discovered in 1992, and since then the number of KBOs have increased to over a thousand, and it is believed that there are more than 70,000 KBOs residing in the region.

These discoveries led many to conclude that Pluto was not particularly different from many other members in the Kuiper belt. Some of these KBOs were of similar size, possessed satellites and were of the same composition as Pluto.

Things got really awkward for Pluto when, in 2005, a KBO 27% more massive than Pluto was discovered. This object was later named Eris. Since it was larger than Pluto, its discoverers called Eris the tenth planet in the Solar System. The discovery of Eris sparked of the great planetary debate. Was it a planet, a giant comet, an asteroid? If Pluto is a planet, then isn't Eris one too? Or if Eris was just the newly crowned "King of the Kuiper Belt," then where did that leave Pluto? Naming rights were at stake!

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) thought it had settled the matter when its members voted, two years ago, for a first-ever scientific definition of the term. A "planet," the IAU decided, must circle the Sun, has enough mass for gravity to have drawn it into a round shape, and has enough mass to have cleared out everything else in its orbital neighbourhood through impact or scattering. This last bit left Pluto and Eris, literally and formally, out in the cold.

Under this definition, the Solar System is considered now to have 8 planets. Bodies which fulfill the first two conditions but not the third (such as Pluto, Makemake and Eris) are classified as dwarf planets or plutoids.

In the aftermath of this decision, there has been criticism of the definition, and some astronomers (mostly Americans) have stated that they will not use it. Take a look at the following remarks for instance:

• Does this exclude all such objects that orbit other "suns" (stars)? About 200 are now known and the number is increasing.

• What if a Jupiter-like object is found roaming the vast space between stars? Is it not a planet?

• Pluto crosses the orbit of Neptune, which means Neptune has failed to clear its own neighborhood. Is Neptune, therefore, not a planet?

• Jupiter has thousands of asteroids, called Trojans, that share its orbit — so maybe Jupiter and, likewise, Saturn aren't planets. Earth still has to fend off stray asteroids that pass its way, so is Earth a planet?

• If Earth were orbiting the sun out in the Kuiper Belt, it would not be a planet because it had not cleared out its neighbourhood. So does the status of a planet depend on where it is situated?

Valid issues. Maybe when the IAU meets next time in 2009, they will work on this and hopefully come up with some satisfactory answers.

But what amuses me most is this American rage at the demotion of Pluto. I come across lots of Americans commenting all over the web that Pluto should keep its status for historical reasons. Well, if so, Ceres and Vesta should be reclassified as planets too – for historical reasons. Instead, maybe they should claim that Pluto should keep its status as a planet for 'American' reasons.

I will pen off with the best comment I came across regarding this debate:
“Suppose Pluto was discovered by, say a Peruvian. What would be the outcome of this debate?”

Does God Exist?

2008-08-21T11:13:00.003+05:00

I came across this interesting site which is asking the 'all important question'. The site is trying to decide this by taking a vote of every human on earth (at least every human on the internet), and settle this once and for all. Majority rules!

At the moment the non-believers have a 8% lead.

Check it out...and vote if you want to.
http://www.YesNoGod.com

The American Dwarf Planet - Part 1

2008-08-18T01:18:00.003+05:00

What, exactly, is a "planet"?

The Oxford English Dictionary says ‘a planet is a celestial body moving in an elliptical orbit round a star’. That doesn’t help much because that includes almost everything that is orbiting a star including asteroids and comets.

The definition has from time to time become an issue. The ancient people observed some ‘stars’ were moving faster than the rest and called them the ‘wandering stars’. The ancient Greeks named them ‘planets’ (meaning ‘wanderers’). The ancients were of the opinion that the earth was this solid flat disc right at the centre of the earth and that everything else revolved around it.

According to Ptolmey, the Greeks and the Romans believed that there were seven planets circling the earth: the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Remember that the definition of planets was ‘wanderers’ or ‘wandering stars’, so the Moon and the Sun fit into this description as they were wanderers of the sky too. Soon the definition changed from something that ‘wanders’ across the sky to something that orbited the earth.

In 1473 Nicolaus Copernicus, the man who is often regarded as the starting point of modern astronomy, was born. His theory of heliocentrism was published in 1543, the year of his death, in which he claimed that the Sun, and not the Earth, was the centre of the universe, and that all the celestial objects revolved around the Sun.

The Copernican theory in effect meant that Sun lost its status as a planet and it was replaced by the Earth. We just lost the status of being the centre of the universe and got downgraded to a mere planet. That caused quite a stir.

Later on the moon got demoted too – to the status of ‘satellite’ – as it was discovered that it orbited the Earth and not the Sun. With the birth of astronomical discovery, more and more objects were classified as planets.

Anything that orbited the Sun automatically became a ‘planet’. In the 19th century things became a bit awkward for the astronomers. They were discovering too many objects orbiting the Sun – and hence too many planets. And some of these ‘planets’ were situated around a certain area and were very different from the traditional ‘wanderers’. Bodies such as Ceres and Vesta were located between the traditional planets of Mars and Jupiter and had a much smaller mass. These bodies got demoted, got classified as ‘asteroids’ and the region became the asteroid belt.

By the twentieth century it seemed that the celestial bodies had been properly classified – planets, satellites, asteroids and comets. There seemed to be a considerable gap between the size and the behavior of these objects that no proper definition was needed. Satellites orbited the planets; planets orbited the Sun; asteroids were too small; and comets had a tail. Everybody was happy.

However, in the twentieth century, Pluto was discovered. And it was discovered by an American! Initially it was thought that Pluto was larger than the Earth, and hence was immediately hailed as the ninth planet – and the first one to be discovered by an American. Later observations revealed that it was much smaller than the Earth – and this led to further theories; it could be a comet, or maybe it is an escaped satellite of Neptune. Although smaller than the Earth it was still larger than any known asteroid, it seemed to have a satellite of its own (in Charon) and seemingly did not exist within a belt of other similar bodies. Hence it was able to keep its status as a planet. Hooray for the Americans! At last they had discovered a planet.

(to be continued)

Thanks for the inconvenience.

2008-08-10T19:36:00.002+05:00

The other night (12th July) there was a blackout from most of Male'. Some claimed that it was from the whole island, but the dailies didn't agree with that.

Anyway you need a situation like this to actually appreciate silence. We don't notice it but total silence or even almost total silence, you can say, is actually extinct from Male'. The sound of electricity is everywhere; the sound of fans, air cons, computers, fridges, bulbs, you name it; it surrounds us.

We have gotten so used to noise that it is kinda hard to listen to silence now - or even to tolerate it. Silence has become frighteningly eerie. I wonder how long I can stay in total or near total silence without making some sound to break it.

It seems kinda funny. Blackouts are associated with loss of sight – for obvious reasons of course. When all the lights go out that's the first thing that will naturally come to your mind; how am I going to find my way in the dark? But last night, when the electricity went out, what struck me most was the loss of noise. It was kinda cool to be without the sound of electricity for a change. I think I was able to enjoy it because I was with friends when this happened. But later I wondered whether I would be able to enjoy it if I was alone. How long can you survive an encounter with total silence?

On a different note, it has been awhile since there has been an electric failure. This was something pretty frequent when we growing up. Who could forget the first Gulf War days when we had no electricity every two hours. A funny feeling of nostalgia.

It was nice to ride around Male' during the blackout. I remember those days when there was a blackout; guys would ride in their bikes or mobikes around the dark streets of Male'; kids and the old folks and chics would be out on the streets in front of their homes, talking to their neighbours. Last night I did get a slight glimpse of that. Blackouts like this reminds you of those days.

Sometimes a little inconvenience is appreciated.

Partial Lunar Eclipse on 16th August night

2008-08-10T19:34:00.003+05:00

Half an orbit after casting its shadow onto Earth (the solar eclipse of 1^st August), the Moon passes through Earth's own shadow for a lunar eclipse on the night of 16-17 August.

When viewing a lunar eclipse there are two specific terms you need to be familiar with: penumbra and umbra.

A penumbra is the shadow cast, in an eclipse, where the light is partly, but not wholly, cut off by the intervening body, in this case, the earth.

The umbra is the completely dark portion of the shadow cast by the intervening body (in this case the earth) during the eclipse.

The Moon first enters the pale penumbra of Earth's shadow at 11:23 PM (Maldives time), but this event is unobservable. Only after much of the lunar disk has moved into the penumbra will any shading be detectable.

However, the Moon's entry into the dark umbra at 12:36 AM, when the partial eclipse begins, is much more pronounced. Mid-eclipse comes 94 minutes later, at 02:10 AM. At the that moment, 81% of the lunar disk's diameter is within the umbra. Then the slide outward begins, and the Moon leaves the last vestige of the umbra at 03:45 AM — more than 3 hours after the partial phase began. The penumbral phase ends at 04:57 AM, about an hour before the sun rises.

Too bad that 17^th is a working day here in the Maldives.

In Search of Courage

2004-09-04T13:21:00.000+05:00

Here is an excellent article written by US Senator John McCain about courage in the Fast Company magazine. Although the article is directed to the American public, I believe it has a lot of relevance to the international community at large, and in that respect to the Maldives too, especially in respect of the recent events that have occured in the Maldives.

Fast Company | In Search of Courage

What's in a name?

2004-07-27T22:06:00.000+05:00

I wonder where Google will stop in their quest to stop the so-called "confusingley similar" sites.

Google Inc.'s right to use the name "Froogle" for its online shopping service came into question Friday when an arbitration panel rejected the company's challenge of a Web site named Froogles.com. Two of the three judges on the panel of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, rejected Google's argument that Froogles.com was "confusingly similar" to Google.

So...what other words will be challenged next? Poodle? Gurgle?

http://news.findlaw.com/ap/ht/1700/7-23-2004/20040723180002_02.html

The Emotivemobile

2004-07-27T21:39:00.000+05:00

I was never interested in cars and the automobile industry at large, but the news of four inventors working for Toyota in Japan winning a patent for a car they say can help drivers communicate caught my attention. It wasn't the fact that the four workers got the Patent instead of the company, but way the car would help the drivers: they claim that the car would "glare angrily at another car cutting through traffic as well as appear to cry, laugh, wink or just look around."

The Patent described the inventions as "a car with ... an adjustable body height (so the car can crouch, like a cat about to pounce) headlights that vary in intensity, and hood slits and ornamentation designs to look like eyebrows, eyelids and tears ..."

The inventors think this will make driving simply more entertaining. Their rationale is that "as traffic grows heavier and vehicle use increases, vehicles having expression functions, such as crying and laughing, like people and other animals do, could create a joyful, organic atmosphere rather than the simple comings and goings of inorganic vehicles ... Such emotive, organic vehicles could also lead occupants to have great affinity for their vehicles..." they also point out.

The car's "nervous system" is governed by "a computer and software system that detects road and vehicle conditions ... and points are attributed based on factors such as speed, handling angle or brake pressure."

Drivers can also input mood info. Score enough points to suggest an emotion and "the computer's software will trigger a reaction in the car's appearance."

The car's headlights feature "eyelids" that "can close in any direction, as well as "eyebrows" (a pair of illuminated slits above the headlights) that can change in both shape and color. Anger and surprise is shown in red, obviously, while sadness is in greens and blues. If a car is having mechanical trouble, it "might 'cry' by displaying a dark blue hood lighting, a shaded headlight, a lit eyebrow and a blinking 'tear' light."

Happiness is shown in warmer colors. The patent "cites orange as appropriate for winking, feeling fine or looking around." And then there's the matter of the antenna. Dare we get into this? All right. It can go from limp to erect, and it can wag, too. Beep, beep, m'beep, beep, yeah.

Imagine what the industry will come up with next!

http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2004/07/26/business/26patent_jpg.html

American Association for Nude Recreation Cancels Summer Youth Camp

2004-07-23T20:42:00.000+05:00

This came as total shocker to me. The Easter Region of the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) is cancelling the youth leadership. The reason? Beacuse a new Virginia law prohibits parents from sending their children to any summer camp where their child will be "openly nude" unless a parent, grandparent, or legal guardian is also in attendance.

Is nude recreation among children so common that a law had to be passed to ban it? wow! I sure must be behind the times these days.

(http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20040716005449&newsLang=en)

(http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/dp-45119sy0jul16,0,67641.story?coll=dp-news-local-final)

The Outdoor Sex Craze

2004-07-23T20:14:00.001+05:00

Norway was once again classfied as the best place to live. (http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article828724.ece). Good for the Norwegians.

And guess what? The first news I came across after this was that an outdoor sex craze was spreading throughout Norway (http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article827597.ece).

Hmmm..! Are these two bits of news interconnected in anyway? Is it possible that the inhabitants having more sex in the public makes the place more desirable to live in? Could be. After all, one is bound to get more free shows then, isn't it?

Tea & the period

2004-07-23T19:48:00.000+05:00

I wonder how the scietists come up with ideas to do tests or research...but they sure do come up with strange ideas. One of those tests, it seems, actually is relevant for women who love drinking tea, and i bet the mojority of Maldivians will fall into this category. The study states that the age when a girl first starts her monthly menstrual periods is later among daughters of tea drinkers than among daughters of moms who typically chose coffee or another beverage.
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20040612/food.asp