rantlust

Posted by papi on May 31st 2007 in Art, Movies
::  [Print This Post]

Last night, I watched one of the oddest movies I’ve ever seen. It was “F for Fake”, the last movie that Orson Welles made, and probably his least known work. It’s a movie that defies genre, neither documentary nor fiction; but rather an account of one man’s meditation on art, life, and the nature of truth. The man is Welles playing himself, and the truth in question is that of originality in art. The movie primarily deals with the life of one of the best known art forgers of the twentieth century, Elmyr d’Hory. His forgeries are reputed to adorn most of the great museums of the world, which display their fake Matisses in blissful ignorance. It also shows the man who chronicled Elmyr’s life, and shot him to world prominence - his biographer Clifford Irving. Irving apparently picked up some tips from his dealings with Elmyr, because his next work was the “authorized autobiography” of the famous eccentric and reclusive billionaire playboy industrialist Howard Hughes. Except the autobiography turned out to be a total fake, complete with forged letters and memos written in Hughes’ handwriting. From there, reality and imitation blend in bewildering chaos.

(Read more…)

Comments(1)

Posted by anupcs on May 22nd 2007 in Disease, Health & Fitness, Medicine
::  [Print This Post]

I live in a nation full of hypochondriacs. And though I don’t consider myself one of them, I might start using a new web application called Who Is Sick?. This new “Beta” (are there any other kind of web apps these days?) site is for finding out who in your neighborhood has what. A sudden surge of the common cold in your neighborhood might tempt you to head for the mountains or take that vacation to Greece. In Who is Sick?, you can enter your own sickness(es) by zip code and you can search for the same. The results are displayed visually on a Google map for the chosen area.

Comments(0)

Posted by anupcs on May 16th 2007 in Politics, Polls
::  [Print This Post]

There’s still a while to go before we get rid of the incumbent and usher in a new president. And amidst the clutter, the greatest of all recent U.S. politicians (note I didn’t say presidents) is back. I am sure Bill Clinton is anticipating a return to the White House even if it’s for being a player behind the scenes. If Cheney can do it… (oh wait, he’s not the first lady is he?) Slowly, Slick Willie is easing into supporting his wife’s campaign. Check out this ad in which he praises Hillary’s dedication to public service among other things. More here.

Comments(0)

Posted by anupcs on May 11th 2007 in Disease, Medicine
::  [Print This Post]

About a month ago, I “enjoyed” my first journey in an ambulance. The two fine looking paramedics ripped off my shirt and attached tubes all over my body to see if I was having a heart attack. After doing some preliminary tests (including EKG), and because I was talking and breathing normally despite the incredible pain in my chest area, they didn’t turn on the lights and were going with the normal traffic flow to the nearest ER. In that agonizingly long three mile journey, I learned a lot about heart attacks and chest pain in general.

The drama began while I was at work on a Monday afternoon when a sudden but intense pain started appearing near the chest. At first I thought it was heartburn and rushed to the nearest first aid kit to chow down a few antacids. Normally, this would have immediate effect but after fifteen minutes, the pain was still there and I realized that I might be having a heart attack. After finding out that the Stanford University hospital was the closest, I decided to drive myself there. I only reached the entrance to the company campus before I realized that I was in no shape to drive. I turned back and parked near the closest building and called my friend Vanessa who was in that building. She came down and called 911.
(Read more…)

Comments(14)

Posted by anupcs on May 03rd 2007 in Food & Wine, India
::  [Print This Post]

This is big! Alfonso mangoes from India, arguably the world’s best, are now available in the US. No more stringy, dental floss requiring Latin American stuff that we get here normally. The USDA has approved the import of irradiated mangoes from India and the first shipment arrived this week. The typically finicky government agency had banned the import of Indian mangoes (hence the nasty questions directed at you by customs officials if you bring in any fruit from the motherland) because of the the mango seed weevil that is not found in North America. The irradiation that kills these pests occurs at a facility outside of Mumbai and is approved for import into the US. It remains to be seen if our neighborhood grocery store would carry these prized mangoes but one can hope.

[Source: The New York Times]

Comments(3)