PRENANA PRESENTS……………………..

The screening of movie “Naanu Gandhi” is at 12 pm in Room No.09 on the 31st of October 2009, Saturday.

A panel discussion with the members of the movie will be held on the 2nd of November 2009, Monday at 3 pm in the Room No. 09.

The best movie critic competition will be held and 3 best critics will be awarded on Monday.

Janani Anandan, Student Representative, Prerana

“Brand” Barack Obama

Barack Obama! Need I say more? His name generates varied thoughts among the varied population of the world. But all these thoughts have one thing in common, they are all positive. The most popular man in the world, the most powerful man in the world is now also a Nobel Laureate after winning the Nobel Prize for Peace 2009.

But all said and done, does Barack Obama deserve the award?

When one puts aside the history, emotions, and dwells on the merits on which he was awarded the prize on a cold, dark night, a few doubts do arise.

Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace for his efforts to strengthen world diplomacy and rid the world of nuclear weapons. Barack Obama’ s efforts to strengthen world diplomacy have not yet bared fruit or something noteworthy. Iran hasn’t abandoned its nuclear weapons program while pirates roam the waters off the Somalian coast like its their own backyard. Barack Obama made a speech about bringing the U.S. and the Muslim world closer, but no major treaties have been signed. He has made speeches about making Earth a nuclear free world, again no concrete agreements have been concluded. All very good intentions but nothing to show for them.

Barack Obama is the commander-in-chief of an army fighting two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Here lies the irony.

Barack Obama is just nine months into his presidency.There were 204 other contenders with at least a few who have devoted decades to further the cause of peace and have milestones to show for it.

So did “brand” Barack Obama win the award. Did his charisma win when compared to the achievements of the other contenders? Make no bones about it, I am a big supporter of Barack Obama but have a few doubts creeping into my mind whether he actually deserved the award.

Science Week – Department Activities

Schedule for Department Activities during Science Week

Chemistry (26-10-2009):

· Dumb charades

· Debate

· Periodic Table Quiz

· Fun in Chemistry

· Pencil Sketching of different Scientists

Mathematics (27-10-2009):

· Model Exhibition by I PUC students in the quadrangle

· Charts relating Mathematics and Astronomy

· Mathematics Games between 12 and 1 PM in the quadrangle

· Talk by external resource person on Mathematics and Astronomy

· Taboo to be conducted between 3 and 4 PM

Physics (28-10-2009):

· Panel debate on ‘Space Research: High Price to pay’

· Physics Quiz on Astronomy and Astrophysics

· Taboo and dumb charades

· Pick and Speak: impromptu talk on physics behind mundane things

· Why of Physics: explanations of every day physical phenomenon

· Student seminar in each physics class on aspects related to astronomy

Biology (29-10-2009):

· Popularization of biology in non-science classes

· Movie or slide show presentations by students on famous biologists and their contributions

· Seminars by external resource persons

· Pick and Speak

· Display of biological specimens

Electronics (29-10-2009):

· Electronics Exhibition in Electronics Lab

· Lecture Contest between 3 and 4 PM

Science Week – October 26-31, 2009

Science Week held every year in the last week of October witnesses a huge participation by all Science students of CJC. Each department comes up with a set of activities during the week. Here is the schedule:

26-10-2009: Monday – Department of Chemistry

27-10-2009: Tuesday – Department of Mathematics

28-10-2009: Wednesday – Department of Physics

29-10-2009: Thursday – Departments of Biology and Electronics

30-10-2009 & 31-10-2009: Friday & Saturday – Science Forum

On October 30 and 31, 2009, the investigatory projects will be displayed in the quadrangle. The winners in each subject will present their paper in the inter-collegiate paper presentation on October 31, 2009.

Valedictory Function (31-10-2009): 12 PM onwards

Dance Theatre Presentation by Chemistry Department

Theme: “Mirrors of Flame” based on concept of Thermodynamics and Darwinism

RESULTS !!!

The results of science debate are as follows :

I Place: Bhamini (ID) and Sarthak (II D)

II place: Tushar (I I) and Arjun (I I)

III Place: Jithin (II H) and Krupakaran (II G)

Sneha A Motwani, Student Representative, Science Forum

A TOTAL KNOCKOUT

Spoorthi-2009, the Jain college PU Fest was an absolute delight with spine-tingling events and hair-raising crowds. It was every bit of entertainment you could ask for, with competitions that ranged from the usual to the plain bizarre. This was one fest that’s going down in the books, you ask why so much hoopla for a fest just like another, here’s why for the soldiers are home with a fine victory and a oh too sweet souvenir ,THE OVERALL CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY to be exact0, a rapturous trophy that looks worth the fight.

Organized by Jain College V.V Puram, this PU fest was a challenging and a pleasant learning experience. It was definitely no plain sailing winning the title of the ‘Overall Champions’, but being who we are and the institution we represent, I think winning is what we do the best.

For those inquisitive few, who want a glint of the actual scorecard here’s an excerpt.

HUMAN RESOURCE MANGEMENT- II PLACE

BUSINESS QUIZ                                  – I PLACE

BRAND MAKEOVER                          – II PLACE

This was a victory that the commerce forum will indeed nail down, here’s hoping for many such treats in the times to come.

P.S: kudos to the participants for the splendiferous homecoming.

wishes from heart………

Hello……………this is janani.
congratulations to all winners of “PRERANA LANGUAGE FEST” from the prerana members and teachers and from me too………….

Trivia from The Matrix Trilogy

Although the movie has been around for a while now, I have to admit, I had never seen it despite so much hype around it’s special effects. But when I saw the movie, a few weeks back, I couldn’t help but go ‘WOAH!’ The film contains many references to the cyberpunk and hacker subcultures; philosophical and religious ideas; and homages to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Hong Kong action cinema, Spaghetti Westerns, dystopian fiction, and Japanese animation. All in the same movie!!

The film describes a future in which reality perceived by humans is actually the Matrix: a simulated reality created by sentient machines in order to pacify and subdue the human population while their bodies’ heat and electrical activity are used as an energy source. Upon learning this, computer programmer “Neo” is drawn into a rebellion against the machines.

Here are a few interesting facts I found on the internet about the first movie from the trilogy;

• Will Smith was approached to play Neo but turned it down in order make Wild Wild West (1999).
• There are numerous references to “Alice in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There”.
• The glyphs on the computer screens, with the exception of the call traces, consists of reversed letters, numbers, and Japanese katakana characters.
• Trinity’s room number is 303 (“trinity” 3). Neo is The One and number of his apartment is 101.
• Neo’s room number is 101. Room 101 was the place in George Orwell’s book “1984″ where people were sent to be tortured and would end up believing something that wasn’t true.
• Neo is often referred to as the “One”. One is an anagram of Neo.
• By the middle of 2002, the famous “Bullet Time” sequence had been spoofed in over 20 different movies.
• When Neo is running away from the agents, the window washers are played by the two directors of the movie.
• The movie was inspired by the Hex trilogy of books by Rhiannon Lassiter.
• The hotel and room number where Neo has to pick up the phone to get out of the Matrix (at the end) are the same where Trinity awaits the police in the beginning of the movie.

And lots more can be found at the official IMDb site: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093/trivia

I’d like to leave you with a really memorable quote from the movie which Morpheus tells Neo when the fromer is training him; “Neo, sooner or later you’re going to realize just as I did that there’s a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.“

Bhargav, Student Representative, Sedes Minerva

Did the Americans really land on the moon?

Turns out, they did!

A hoax is a deliberate attempt to deceive or trick an audience into believing, or accepting, that something is real, when the hoaxster knows it is not; or that something is true, when it is false. All of us, at one time or another, have heard of the dinner plate UFO’s and the man made crop cirlces, and probably even the greatest hoax of them all; Did the Appolo 11 Lunar Module actually land on the moon?

they did, and here are a few myths and the facts that debunk them;

Myth: There can’t be any pictures taken on the Moon because the film would melt in the 250° temperatures.

Fact: The situation on the airless Moon is much different than in your oven, for instance. Without convection or conduction, the only method of heat transfer is radiation. Radiative heat can be effectively directed away from an object by wrapping it in a material with a reflective surface, usually simply a white material. The camera casings, as well as most of the astronauts’ clothing, were indeed white.

Myth: The black sky should be full of stars, yet none are visible in any of the Apollo photographs.

Fact: The Apollo photos are of brightly lit objects on the surface of the Moon, for which fast exposure settings were required. The fast exposures simply did not allow enough starlight into the camera to record an image on the film.

Myth: If Neil Armstrong was the first man on the Moon, then who shot the video of him descending the ladder and taking his initial steps on the lunar surface?

Fact: The TV camera was stowed in an instrument pallet in the LM descent stage. When Armstrong was at the top of the ladder, he pulled a lanyard to swing open the pallet, which was hinged at the bottom. The TV camera, which was attached to it, also swung down. Buzz Aldrin then switched on the camera from the LM cabin. The camera was pointing at the ladder of the LM so that TV pictures of Armstrong’s initial steps on the Moon could be relayed to the world.

Myth: Some of the Apollo video shows the American flag fluttering. How can the flag flutter when there is no wind on the airless Moon?

Fact: I find this myth really stupid as in the video showing a fluttering flag is one in which an astronaut is grasping the flagpole. He is obviously twisting or jostling the pole, which is making the flag move.

Myth: To reach the Moon astronauts would have to travel through the Van Allen Radiation Belts, resulting in lethal doses of radiation.

Fact: This is really a gross exaggeration as it took Apollo about an hour to pass through the radiation belts – once on the outbound trip and once again on the return trip. The total radiation dose received by the astronauts was about one rem. A person will experience radiation sickness with a dose of 100-200 rem, and death with a dose of 300+ rem.

So, there you  have it, if you have anymore myths that you want debunked, please visit http://www.braeunig.us/space/hoax.htm

Bhargav, Student Representative, Sedes Minerva

‘Un’cyclopedia?

Spoofs of movies? Check! (Scary movie, Hot Shots, etc.)

Spoofs of songs? check! (‘Weird Al’ Yankovic)

Spoofs of websites! Check! Uncyclopedia (“the content-free encyclopedia”) is a website that parodies Wikipedia. It was founded in 2005, in which various different styles of humor are used as a vehicle for parody, from sophisticated satire to the apparently random.

A parody, or a spoof in contemporary usage, is a work created to mock, comment on, or poke fun at an original work, its subject, or author, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation.

This site is completely Anti-Wikipedia in every sense! Right from it’s logo hollow potato, named Sophia after the Gnostic deity, that serves as a spoof of Wikipedia’s globe logo. The articles in the site are spoofed, fabricated or parodied to such an extent that very little factual accuracy remains as Uncyclopedia has a core set of rules called the “Five pliers” ( again a parody of Wikipedia’s Five Pillars) which include “a satirical point of view”.  The project currently spans over 50 languages. The English version has over 24,000 pages of content! The site was not created to insult, but to generally have fun and that is clearly embodied in their “chill out, it’s only humour!”  policy.

Bhargav, Student Representative, Sedes Minerva