The Senility Prayer

Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.

[Via email from Ingrid Srinath.]

One remembers the dancing baby

[via email from Monisha]

R.I.P. Luciano Pavarotti

Nessun Dorma

Extract from the lyrics:

ll nome suo nessun sapra
E noi dovrem, ahime! Morir! Morir!
Dilegua, o notte! Tramontate, stelle!
Tramontate, stelle! All‚alba vincero!
Vincero! Vincero!

Translated:
Nobody will discover his name
And we shall have to die, alas! Die!

Depart, o night! Set, you stars!
Set, you stars! At dawn I shall win!
I shall win! I shall win!

Thank you for the music, Maestro.

J B D'Souza on Journalism and Profit

An extract:

It is, of course, possible for publishers to argue that theirs is a business like any other; they are in the business to maximise profit and that profits come not from news of events and analysis of them, not from readers’ satisfaction, but from advertisements, and advertisers have to be kept happy. The fact is that the press is not a business like any other; it is much more. Its prime responsibility is to its readers, a responsibility to inform. It is for this reason that it enjoys the freedom protected by the Constitution. The lust for money must not be allowed to obscure this advantage. “As editors collude ever

The rest here.

J B D'Souza, R.I.P.

Mr J B D'souza, former state chief secretary and ex-municipal commissioner, and one of those very, very few individuals of whom I have heard no ill, passed away last night.

Got this message from Dilip's phone this evening.

Bain, Dilip's father, died peacefully last night. He was 86. We thought you would like to know. Vibha and Dilip.

Dilip, Vibha, the world is poorer for this. Our thoughts are with you and your family.

(Why we'll be) Back soon

Poetry@PEN – New!

This month, we launch a new feature, 'Poetry@PEN'. This will be a monthly platform where we will present emerging voices, host debates on craft and concept, and create spaces of encounter that are part reading, part workshop and part masterclass.

The first event in the Poetry@PEN series is a reading by four poets: Malavika Sangghvi, Mustansir Dalvi, Peter Griffin and Rohinton Daruwala.

Date: 13 August 2007 (Monday)
Time: 6.15 pm
Place: Theosophy Hall (3rd floor), 40 New Marine Lines, Churchgate, Mumbai

We have absolutely no clue what we'll be reading, but do come if you're in the neighbourhood.

Back soon.

Away for a couple of days. Work, I tell ya. But someone's gotta do it.

Update: It's pouring madly in Mandvi, apparently. The management suggested that it might be better to postpone for a couple of days. And what with juggling the fact that there are two—not consecutive—days next week that we just have to be in town with the airline schedule (three flights a week), we're now going there next Saturday.

Oh Dearie Me moment* of the day

Now that we have established the importance of the syllable in readability, we can move on to describe the Strain Index, which is based on the following assumptions:
1. The longer the sentence, the greater the strain.
2. The standard sentence has 17 words.
3. All syllables are equal ('ash', 'lash', 'slash' and 'splash').

The Strain Index can be calculated in three easy steps:
One: Choose the first three sentences.
Two: Count the number of syllables in the three sentences (S3).
Three: Divide S3 by 10.

Since we have assumed that a standard sentence has 17 words, it follows that in three standard sentences there are 51 words. Now if all the words are monosyllabic, then there will be just 51 syllables. The Strain Index = 51/10 = 5.1. If all are disyllabic or trisyllabic, then there will be either 102 or 153 syllables. The Strain Index will respectively be 10.2 and 15.3. Hence we can say that a text that scores 5.1 and less is very easy to read; and a text that scores 15.3 and more, is very difficult to read.

Clear? Right. Now let's look at the first three sentences in the article (in the latest issue of The Hoot's newsletter) that introduces this index.

In my M.Phil dissertation 'A Quantitative Analysis Of Media Language' (December 2006), submitted to the Madurai Kamaraj University, I have established the following hypothesis: Considering the fact that clarity and brevity are the main criteria of media language, it is possible to develop a readability tool that will be an alternative to the most popular Fog Index of Robert Gunning. This article is written to popularise the use of my alternative formula which I like to call the Strain Index.

Most readability formulae, such as Rudolph Flesch Reading Ease and Robert Gunning's Fog Index, are based on the length of the sentence measured in words and the length of words measured in syllables.

I make that 203 syllabubs. Let's call it 200 to make it easy. So, that's a Strain Index of 20.

What a salesperson you are, Nirmaldasan!

(And just by the way, on the Fog Index** , those three sentences give you a score over 34.)

* We're being all genteel like from now on this month this week today for the duration of this post.
** The Fog Index: [(number of words / number of sentences) + words three syllables and above, not counting proper nouns or words made trisyllabic with simple "-ing" type suffixes] x 0.4 = the number of years of formal education that a person requires in order to easily understand the text on the first reading.
Here'a a link to a description of the Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test for those who would like to raise the petard higher.

I love to singa

For all our pals who do. And can.

[From Jugal.]

We're gonna be rich. Just telling.

We have reason to believe that we could get our hands on the estate of our good mate Kerry Packer (may his soul rest in peace). See, we got a letter from his accountant:

I am MR.CHEN GUANGYUAN, a personal treasurer to Late Mr. Kerry Packer the Richest man in Australia and owner of the many companies. His business empire,built around Publishing and Broadcasting Ltd (PBL), includes television, magazines, Internet-related enterprises, Melbourne's Crown Casino and the Burswood Casino in Perth, beef cattle properties, petrochemicals, property investment, resources and engineering.

SOURCE OF FUNDS:
I have a profiling amount in an excess of US$65.5M, which I seek your Partnership in accommodating for me. You will be rewarded with 4% of the total sum for your partnership. Can you be my partner on this?

INTRODUCTION OF MY SELF:
As a personal treasurer to Late Mr. Kerry Packer, authority was handed over to me in transfer of money to a petrochemical merchant for his last petrochemical deal before his untimely death. Already the funds have left the shore of Australia to a European private Bank where the final crediting is expected to be carried out. While I was on the process, My Boss became ill and finally died on Monday 26th December 2005

You can catch more of the story on this website:

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/australasia/article335238.ece
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/12/26/obit.packer/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/12/27/pbl.shares/index.html
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10609426/
http://www.cnn.com/2005/BUSINESS/12/28/globaloffice.packer/index.html

YOUR ROLE:
All I need from you is to stand as the beneficiary of the above quoted Sum and I will re-profile the funds with your name, which will enable The European bank transfer the sum to you. I have decided to use this Sum to relocate to another continent where I can invest and never to be connected to any the late Packers conglomerates. This transaction has to be concluded within the shortest possible time.

As Soon as I confirm your readiness to conclude the transaction with me, I will provide you with the details.

Thank you very much.

Regards,
MR.CHEN GUANGYUAN
Reply to my Email:chen_guangyuan_ch1@yahoo.com.hk

Now none of you so-and-sos go mailing Mr Chen behind our back, y'hear?