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Should Tamil Nadu taxpayer fund Tamil Chair in American Universities?
இன்று (18 ஜூன் 2022) வந்த செய்தி, “புளோரிடா பல்கலைக்கழகத்தில் தமிழ்மொழிக்குத் தனித் துறை”. இந்த முயற்சியை எடுத்துள்ள அமெரிக்கத் தமிழர்கள் சிலர், தமிழக அரசு இதற்கு தாயுள்ளத்தோடு (சில மில்லியன் டாலர்) கொடையளிக்க வேண்டும் என்று கோரிக்கை வைத்துள்ளார்கள். இது எனக்குப் புரியவில்லை. நான் தவறாகப் பார்க்கிறேனா? புரிந்தவர்கள் விளக்கினால் தெரிந்துக் கொள்வேன். உலகம் முழுவதும், குறிப்பாக அமெரிக்காவில் இருக்கும் வசதியானப் பல்கலைகளைக்கு எதற்கு தமிழக பாட்டாளி அவளது வரிப்பணத்தை நன்கொடையாகக் கொடுக்க வேண்டும்? அங்கே தமிழ் அமர்வுகள் வந்தால் நமக்கும் மகிழ்ச்சி தான். அதற்கு அங்கேயுள்ள தமிழர்கள் / இந்தியர்கள் தான் கொடையளிக்க வேண்டும்.விருப்பப்பட்ட தயவாளர்களைக் கேட்கலாம். அவர்களும் செய்கிறார்கள் என்று தான் நினைக்கிறேன். அதோடு சேர்த்து அவர்கள், இங்கே (தமிழகத்தில் /இந்தியாவில்) இருக்கும் வசதியில்லாத பல தமிழ் ஆராய்ச்சிகளுக்கு நன்கொடை தர வேண்டும், அப்படி செய்தால் நம் மாணவர்களும், வல்லுநர்களும் பல அரிய தமிழ்ப் படைப்புகளைத் தமிழுக்குத் தருவார்கள். ஏன், வெளிநாட்டில் செய்யும் ஆராய்ச்சி தான் சிறந்ததா? நம் நாட்டின் ஆராய்ச்சி…
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Sweet Magnolias (TV Series)
Maybe, it is the influence of Archie comics and Riverdale, but I am enthralled with stories that happen in small towns. I feel a sense of tranquillity to see a local community where everyone knows everyone else. Of course, any such territory is not far from having petty rivalry and anger among a few of its residents. This combination creates a fertile ground for telling engaging tales and Sweet Magnolias on Netflix is one such story. Sweet Magnolias, the TV series that has completed two seasons is a romantic drama that centres around three (almost) single women and their families & friends. The story happens in a fictional South Carolina…
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Bought Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard from the USA
I have written quite a few times here about my love for the Microsoft Ergonomic keyboard and mouse, I have been using the various models for over 15 years. The favourite model for me was the Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Desktop 7000 released nearly two decades back. After the keyboard wore down, I tried Logitech MK850 Keyboard but I quickly realised I was missing the split design of the Microsoft keyboard. Then, I bought a Microsoft Surface Ergonomic Keyboard, which initially felt fantastic but was a disappointment due to its poor connectivity with Bluetooth. I am a fast three-finger typist, so it annoys me when a keyboard lags behind my keypress…
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The Illegal (2019)
The Illegal (2019) made me sad and was painful to watch, not in a bad way but in a good sense. The pain and sufferings of a young lad landing in the USA with high hopes for a better life getting stuck in a rut due to his bad luck, and that hits you hard. The film gets a Mangoidiots rating of ‘Ripe’ mainly for brilliant acting by Suraj Sharma, but beware the film can be intense in its portrayal with little respite. Available on Amazon Prime Video. Hassan (Suraj Sharma), an aspiring film-maker, hailing from a middle-class household in Delhi gets admission to a top film school (UCLA?) in…
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Double Dad (2021)
Double Dad (2021) is a Portuguese youth comedy film from Brazil that was loveable. It is available on Netflix. Tracing the journey of a young girl living in a remote commune who comes to Rio de Janeiro in search of her biological father, the film was predictable throughout, yet I liked it. It gets a mangoidiots rating of Ripe for being a feel-good film that was unostentatious. Vicenza is living with her single mother in a nature commune. As soon as Vicenza turns eighteen her mother goes on a spiritual trip to India, and after seeing a hidden photo of a man named Paco in an embrace with her mother,…
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Coming 2 America (2021)
Sequels are sloppy works, riding on the shoulders of the first film, they turn out to be disappointing and better not made. Coming 2 America (2021) is a better work, it is not perfect, but certainly entertaining. The first film talked about Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) ailing from a wealthy African nation, travelling to America in search of true love. The sequel is about the offsprings of Prince Akeem and he taking over the kingdom from his father. The comedy film is available on Amazon Prime Video. Eddie Murphy and Shari Headley are looking good and seem to have aged gracefully in these 32 years from the original film. Jermaine…
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Blackberry Town by Chuck Howitt
With the dominance of Apple and Google on the mobile phone market in the last decade, I feel puzzled and sorry for the two earlier leaders in the space – BlackBerry and Nokia. Both were dominating mobile giants and not from the USA. BlackBerry was from Canada, a country I have travelled to briefly on a weekend trip to Vancouver from Seattle. Even today in tech circles I hear people talking with high regards for the technology chops of BB. As a result, I always wondered where the company stumbled and this book “BlackBerry Town” by Chuck Howitt will shed some light to it. As I started reading the book…
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Dr. Strangelove (1964)
After seeing 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) I have been wanting to see the other films of the legendary filmmaker Stanley Kubrick. Today I saw his earlier film Dr. Strangelove (1964), a satirical comedy made during the height of cold-war tensions between USSR and USA. Even if you are unable to step into the prevailing public fears of the day, this movie will be thoroughly enjoyable. A must-watch for every movie-lover and to understand the craziness that prevailed within the two super-powers during the 60s. This film can make you laugh in every frame while keeping you scared throughout. The story is about a US Air Force general who has…
