"Hindi film Paa online - Bachchan, Jaya, Abhishek, Amitabh, Vidya Balan"

The movie starts off with Jaya Bachchan narrating the titles and this got me real confused. I mean, what were those expressions; somewhere between giggling on an adult joke and trying to suppress the urge to go to the loo. ABCL seems to be hard selling their family package – Sign any two people in the family and the third comes as a guest appearance absolutely free.




Watch Hindi movie Paa - Jaya Bachchan, Amitabh, Abhishek, Vidya Balan on Megavideo











Enter Amitabh as Auro and my fears of him being over the top were whisked away after watching him on screen for just ten minutes. It is a relief that he gives a constrained performance. He is obviously not as cute as his class mates (and is not supposed to be either) but the good part is that he’s not repelling and he sort of grows on you through the movie. I’m not sure however about his mannerisms and the way he bends his arms while walking. But overall, he doesn’t seem to overshadow the story and that is good in a way. The other good thing is that the movie is not only about Auro and his disease or what he goes through. The harsh parts of his life have been done away with. The movie is more about his innocence, his friends and the story of his parents and that is what helps it to be refreshing rather than tiresome. It is indeed wonderful that the story focuses on the bright moments in an otherwise supposedly hard life. The best parts of the movie however are not the ones by Amitabh. The take on the media, I thought, was very comical and especially, the character of Auro’s best friend Vishnu – He has the best (funniest) lines in the movie. Children are such natural actors, they don’t really have to worry about comic timing.

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"Hindi film Paa online - Bachchan, Jaya, Abhishek, Amitabh, Vidya Balan"

The movie starts off with Jaya Bachchan narrating the titles and this got me real confused. I mean, what were those expressions; somewhere between giggling on an adult joke and trying to suppress the urge to go to the loo. ABCL seems to be hard selling their family package – Sign any two people in the family and the third comes as a guest appearance absolutely free.




Watch Hindi movie Paa - Jaya Bachchan, Amitabh, Abhishek, Vidya Balan on Megavideo











Enter Amitabh as Auro and my fears of him being over the top were whisked away after watching him on screen for just ten minutes. It is a relief that he gives a constrained performance. He is obviously not as cute as his class mates (and is not supposed to be either) but the good part is that he’s not repelling and he sort of grows on you through the movie. I’m not sure however about his mannerisms and the way he bends his arms while walking. But overall, he doesn’t seem to overshadow the story and that is good in a way. The other good thing is that the movie is not only about Auro and his disease or what he goes through. The harsh parts of his life have been done away with. The movie is more about his innocence, his friends and the story of his parents and that is what helps it to be refreshing rather than tiresome. It is indeed wonderful that the story focuses on the bright moments in an otherwise supposedly hard life. The best parts of the movie however are not the ones by Amitabh. The take on the media, I thought, was very comical and especially, the character of Auro’s best friend Vishnu – He has the best (funniest) lines in the movie. Children are such natural actors, they don’t really have to worry about comic timing.

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Thanks for Your Support!!!

To everyone who donated for the Race For the Cure, I want to Thank You! I started off trying to raise 200 dollars and as more and more generous folks added, I upped my goal. My final goal was 800 dollars. 770 was raised.

The event was a success; approximately 10,000 people came out to run or walk. It was very satisfying to be a part of something so generous and righteous. Thanks to all of you for contributing to that. 

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Oh The Memories

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My October Book Club Read

Gumbo Tales: Finding My Place at the New Orleans Table by Sara Roahen


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


View all my reviews >>

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BEN COHEN 04

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The Six Day War: Arab-Israel War 1967

The 1967 Arab-Israeli War (The Six-Day War): A summary

After a period of relative calm, border incidents between Israel and Syria, Egypt, and Jordan increased during the early 1960s, with Palestinian guerrilla groups actively supported by Syria. In May, 1967, President Nasser, his prestige much eroded through his inaction in the face of Israeli raids, requested the withdrawal of UN forces from Egyptian territory, mobilized units in the Sinai, and closed the Gulf of Aqaba to Israel. Israel (which had no UN forces stationed on its territory) responded by mobilizing.

The escalation of threats and provocations continued until June 5, 1967, when Israel launched a massive air assault that crippled Arab air capability. With air superiority protecting its ground forces, Israel controlled the Sinai peninsula within three days and then concentrated on the Jordanian frontier, capturing Jerusalem's Old City (subsequently annexed), and on the Syrian border, gaining the strategic Golan Heights. The war, which ended on June 10, is known as the Six-Day War.

The Suez Canal was closed by the war, and Israel declared that it would not give up Jerusalem and that it would hold the other captured territories until significant progress had been made in Arab-Israeli relations. The end of active, conventional fighting was followed by frequent artillery duels along the frontiers and by clashes between Israelis and Palestinian guerrillas.

Life correspondent Paul Schraeder who died covering the Six Day war with Israeli women soldiers.


Surrendered Syrian soldiers, as a Israeli tank moves



A cartoon in a Lebanese newspaper, Al-Farida, Lebanon, shows Nasser kicking the "Jew," Israel, into the sea, with the armies of Lebanon, Syria and Iraq supporting him.

A dead Egyptian soldier and a destroyed tank in the Sinai desert

Israeli jets pound Jordanian positions

Israeli tanks moves up the Golan Heights

An Israeli soldier guards a bunch of Egyptian POWs

Israeli children play around a destroyed Syrian tank

Destroyed Egyptian airplanes in the Sinai by Israeli jets

An Egyptian prisoner in the Sinai

Egyptian POWs

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Larry & Lexi's Saturday Barbeque

After Suzy from Quorn generously sent me their new Turk’y Burgers to try we decided to have a little bbq. Larry loves to fire up the grill so he jumped at the chance.  Here’s the menu:

• 
  Quorn Turk’y Burgers on Whole Wheat Buns
  


• 
  Quorn Chik’n Cutlets
  


• 
  Annie’s Organic Mac & Cheese with lots of Broc
  


• 
  Sweet Potato Fries
  


• 
  Vegetarian Baked Beans
  


• 
  & Baked Kettle Chips
  


• 
  Larry will also be grilling some chicken legs & burgers in case he doesn’t enjoy the Turk’y burgers.
  

I tossed a veggie burger, 2 turk'y burgers, & a Quorn chik'n cutlet on the grill

Quorn Turk'y Burger, sweet potato 'fries', vegetarian baked beans, annie's organic mac & cheese & broc! yummmmm!

a little SEC football & a yummy dinner = great Saturday evening

The Quorn turk’y burgers were amazing! Great texture & flavor off of the grill. The best part is that they’re meatless and soy-free. One burger has 90 calories, 4 g fat, & an amazing 10 g protein! The Quorn naked chik’n cutlet has 80 calories, 2.5 g fat, 5 g carb, & 11 g protein. I recommend you pick some of these up asap.

***********************************************************************************

The day started great. I slept a few extra hours. I did a little cleaning while enjoying some great coffee & made Larry his morning hot cocoa . We put off the run for a few hours, but ultimately got it in. I finished 3 miles in 29:20.  I am nothing without my daily exercise. Then it was on to laundry & a little Netflix.

Speaking of exercise I forgot to tell you about my trail run yesterday. Steven picked me up around 3ish & we headed to the trail. It was gorgeous with the changing leaves all around. I love fall in Oxford. There is only 2 seasons on the Gulf Coast…this is such a pleasant change.  I ran my fastest 4 miles to date: 38:13!!! Woot. I told Steven that I was a little slow, but he stayed by my side the entire time. I decided to not take my ipod. I ran so much better just focusing on my pace and breathing. We chatted and when I started to slow down he pushed me through. Thanks for the experience Steven!

 Ramblings:

• 
  I need a tempeh recipe. Any suggestions? I’m thinking of making BLT’s for brunch tomorrow…TLT’s I guess…
  


• 
  I’m prepping tofu for our Sunday dinner. Sweet & Sour Tofu over Brown Jasmine Rice…Larry is so lucky to have a live-in chef
  


• 
  We are running 6.5 miles tomorrow. You know…a quarter marathon j/k
  


• 
  I plan to complete 10 pages of research this weekend.
  


• 
  Be prepared for a guest post from Nicole on her experience with TNT & the Nike Women’s Marathon
  

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Winter War: Soviet-Finnish War: 1939-40

Russo-Finnish War in a gist

War waged by the Soviet Union against Finland at the start of World War II, following the signing of the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact. When Finland refused to grant the Soviets a naval base and other concessions, Soviet troops attacked on several fronts in November 1939. The heavily outnumbered Finns under Carl Gustav Emil Mannerheim put up a skillful defense until February 1940, when heavy Russian bombardments breached the Finns' southern defenses. A peace treaty in March 1940 ceded western Karelia to Russia and allowed construction of a Soviet naval base on the Hanko peninsula.

The war happened because Soviet Union despite the Non-Aggression Pact with Hitler's Germany was wary of it. It wanted Finland as a bulwark against Nazi Germany.

“We cannot do anything about geography, nor can you. Since Leningrad cannot be moved away, the frontier must be further off.”
--- Stalin

Despite the difference in the size of the two armies, the Finns put up a good fight, mainly because they were better acclimatised and better prepared than the Russians.

THE FINNISH WINTER WAR (Source: Kaiku.com)

On November 30, 1939, it was Stalin's next move. 250,000 Russian troops under the cover of a coordinated air and artillery bombardment crossed into Finland to begin one of the least publicized and most costly campaigns in the annals of military history. It would be a "walk over;" General Meretskov estimated it would take only 10 to 12 days for his 26 well equipped 14,000 man divisions to reach Helsinki. Russian propaganda had been so convincing that it was felt that the Finns would be waving flags and welcoming the Red Army with open arms. Opposing him were nine poorly equipped 11,000-man Finnish divisions.

Meretskov never suspected that his army was about to plunge into a frozen hell, the second coldest winter since 1828, and oppose Mannerheim, probably one of the greatest defensive tacticians since Robert E. Lee. So confident were the Soviets of a quick victory march to Helsinki that they came with parade bands, but without winter uniforms, without supplies for a protracted campaign and without medical services. Even more sinister was the fact that Stalin had purged most of his regular army officers two years earlier and placed most of the responsibility for the army in the hands of political commissars.

For 105 days the world held its breath and learned the word sisu, while Russians died at the incredible rate of nearly 10,000 per day and the Finns lost 250 per day. When the armistice finally came on March 13, 1940, the Finns counted 25,000 dead, 55,000 wounded, and 450,000 homeless, a terrible price for a country of only four million people. However, even the Finns did not know the devastation that they had caused the Russians until years later. All this was at the hands of an army of less than 250,000 (mostly light infantry, home guard units) with hardly any anti-tank weapons (except Molotov cocktails) and 41 operational fighter aircraft. In the words of my father-in-law, Antti Olavi, who fought in this war: "Our lakes are full of dead Russians."

 This is how American cartoonist Herb Block saw the Russian invasion of Finland


It was a grim fight. A wreck of a Soviet tank lies amidst the destroyed forest.

Russian losses were quite heavy

Finnish civilians dive to the ground as the sirens warn the arrival of Russian planes

Soviet propaganda poster. That is what the Russians thought of the Finnish.

The Russians inspect the captured Finnish defence bunkers

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Welcome to My New Home, Week Recap, and Stuff...

Enjoy the pics today…they are all of Shelli since I’ve not been taking too many photos this week.  My apologies for the repeats.  So, I’m pretty disappointed this morning because we’d planned to go hiking on Crowder’s Mountain today, and the news keeps talking about how great the fall foliage is this weekend and the weather is supposed to be totally perfect.  But we’ve had two pee incidents with Shelli in the past three days, and I’m thinking that she’s starting to feel abandoned because of how busy we are with school and stuff and how often we’re gone.  We’ve had “pee issues” with her on and off since last Christmas when she was traumatized by a pretty big Christmas party we had at the house with lots of loud kids…we got her checked and it’s not medical, so it’s how she reacts to stress (unfortunately).  Joey mentioned yesterday that it might be good for her if we just rest at home this weekend and spend Saturday with her.  I’m missing the fall colors, but I also don’t want my baby to feel neglected…it’s weird…I’ve never seen a cat so needy.  Anyway, so today will be filled with reading, a little schoolwork, knitting, planning, stuff like that.  I can’t say that I’m disappointed.  Sometimes, not leaving the house is more rejuvinating than anything else you can do.  I’m planning to try the P90X DVD that I borrowed from Cory today…I really want to get into this yoga thing.

Sneaky, sneaky kins;)…

One of my biggest issues is the ability to clear my mind, to stop it from running, and I feel like yoga would help with that…not only the brain-clearing-out thing, but the flexibility and overall feeling of wellness.  With Heather so enamored with it and Angela now getting into it, I read about it pretty often, and it seems like it would be pretty theraputic for me, both as a workout and as therapy;).  Maybe it’ll keep me from going postal at work (or at least from being passive-aggressive to get my point across..hehe).

Prarie-dog Kins…this was taken when Santa Claus was riding through our neighborhood on the back of a firetruck (with sirens blaring)  flinging candy at children…those who weren’t too terrified to leave their houses…

School is really kicking my butt lately…I think I’ve hit that point in the semester where I’m just really tired and want it to be over.  I’m looking forward to Christmas break when I can focus on books that I want to read and knitting and stuff.

Shelli modeled my handknit Christmas ornament before I went to my ornament exchange party.  She didn’t really seem to like it.

Last night, we had some of Joey’s friends from his seasonal job over…it was so nice to talk to people who are in the same place in life as we are.  I always struggle with feeling like we’re behind everyone else our age.  There are so many sacrifices that have to be made for the sake of education, especially when one of you is going all the way through the PhD level…one is knowing that you’ll likely not have any semblance of a normal life for the next ten years or so.  They’re going through a similar situation and it’s so helpful to know that other people deal with those feelings too.

The “Sock of Death,”  also known as “the reason my right arm looks like hamburger meat.”  My psychiatrist asks me every time I go if I’m a cutter.  Sometimes, I wonder if he really believes that it’s from playing “Sock of Death” with “Killer Kins.”

I’m toying with an idea for setting up on Etsy shop…more on that later once I make a final decision, but I think it could be pretty fun and maybe something people would want to have:)

So, off I go to continue watching Due South with Joey and the Kins…I leave you with this, the most precious picture that I have…

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