Lasting Rose

FRASIER, epitomizing the fallacy of radio as a medium for social healing, is one of my all time favourite TV shows. However, technology has now the power to render the humble FM radio a veritable social healing medium for the whole world!

FM stations, now available on line to a worldwide audience, can play a powerful role in social healing as this radio show from Dubai proves.





TV has revolutionised social interaction in communities on national levels through talk shows, reality shows, celebrity shows like X Factor and Oprah Winfry, mostly carried on the shoulders of their celebrity hosts.

Though these shows bring people together, around a common cause or interest, and have enormous entertainment value, their role in providing a reprieve for human pain and agony in day to day life is quite limited. At best, people watch them out of curiosity or boredom. Most TV shows do not leave something behind to lighten your burden, or give you the relief in opening up to someone!

This week I've been heavily focusing here on new work from my next show which opens at the Principle Gallery on June 10th. I was going to move to something other today but as I sat here contemplating what to write about, this piece just completely swallowed my attention, making me forget about anything else. I suppose that's as strong a sign of validation for a piece of work as anything.

This painting has a feeling of total contentment for me. Nirvana. In fact, I call this piece, a 14" by 24" image on illustration board, Serene One.

It's fun, chasing the sun. ...a bit expensive, but oh so colorful.

Post #100. ...figured I would go back to something I'm good at - photography.
...ok, not necessarily good, just more gooder than writing that is. It's all relative.

A few from the past 100 and a few that will be in the next 100...

From top to bottom, left to right: Axum, Ethiopia // Yankari National Park, Nigeria // Lake Lagdo, Cameroon // Niokolo-Koba National Park, Senegal // Dahab, Egypt // Bagan, Myanmar // Mt. Nebo, Jordan // Kabul, Afghanistan // Dahab, Egypt // Halong Bay, Vietnam // Northern Sudan // Lake Tana, Ethiopia // Bagan, Myanmar // Simien Mountains, Ethiopia // Axum, Ethiopia // Bagan, Myanmar // Northern Sudan // Black Desert, Egypt // Black Desert, Egypt // Niokolo-Koba National Park, Senegal // Bagan, Myanmar.

I think it's gonna be a lifetime pursuit...

This article was originally published in Wandering World as

Chasing the Sun

happypoppeye | May 24, 2011 at 12:00 am | Tags: Afghanistan, Axum, Bagan, Black Desert, Cameroon, Chasing the Sun, Dahab, Egypt, Ethiopia, Halong Bay, Jordan, Kabul, Lake Lagdo, Mt Nebo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Niokolo-Koba National Park, Photography, Sahara, Senegal, Simien Mountains, Sun, Sunrise, Sunset, Travel, Vietnam, Yankari National Park | Categories: Ramblings | URL: http://wp.me/p1krvK-13T

A few years back the question was how much human the computer can become. Now the question is how much human the internet can be.

The tabs on the Huffington post are the closest I think the Internet technology has got to eliciting human emotions and communicating to others. I discovered this accidentally.

I had wandered on to the entertainment page on HuffPo on a piece of news about Russell Brand. Though I don’t know much about Russell, as I live in the UK, I have come across some TV shows and news item about him. I guess he was a celebrity presenter on an award function for something but what remains in memory is a Radio 2 row where he and his co presenter, Jonathan Ross I suppose, said some thing weird.

Anyway “weird” is the impression I have about Russell, probably etched in my mind from his hair style. You know the first impressions always count! I have no intention to offend Russell Brand or his admirers. I must reiterate that I don’t mean to belittle Russell Brand, his achievements, his contributions to the humanity or his celebrity status, which obviously is important enough for him to figure on the front page of Huffington Post. I just didn’t get the time or opportunity or need to know more about him. That explains why the “weird” feeling stuck in my mind.

When I glanced through the news item about Russell Brand being deported from Japan on the entertainment page of the Huffington Post yesterday, I noticed for the first time, below the photo a set of tabs with labels, one of them being “weird” and a navigation title “REACT”. To my surprise I clicked on it instinctively, without even thinking what it meant or will produce as a result of the click.

Article first published as Is jupiter Really a Planet of Fortune? on Technorati.

Now before you post your birth data and questions about your fortune, let me tell you this. I am not an astrologer. Even more important, I know nothing about western astrology. Then what am I writing here? Consider these events for a moment.

• Tsunami in Japan

• Death of Osama Bin Laden

• Jasmine revolution

• Arab spring

• BP oil spill

• Strauss Kahn affair

They all represent colossal losses in fortune! One way or the other these events have caused losses of wealth, fortunes of political establishment, and heads of movements and states in a way unheard in living memory.

All of them have happened in the span of a few months!

Unusual combination of stars depicted in this chart raise interesting questions not just for astrologers.

Now where is Jupiter in all of this? Whether they are total believers in astrology or not, a lot of people believe Jupiter has something to do with your fortune.