Cashless Carnival

BMI or Body Mass Index is a popular method used to determine whether the weight of a person falls within a healthy range. There has been a lot of fuss about it oflate.

Last week, the government-run China Center of Adoption Affairs mandated that prospective adoptive parents have, among financial, educational, marital and other health requirements, a BMI rating under 40.

In Septmeber 2006, organizers of a fashion show banned five models whose BMI was below 18.5.

I do not completely agree with the way BMI works. To me, it is just a heuristic rule which coupled with a few other measurements can be interpreted to make some sense, but the BMI as such is not an absolute index to determine whether a person is healthy or overweight or obese.

Imagine this, My BMI is the same as that of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s (33) and a lil’ more than Sylvester Stallone’s (30.1). So, am I as fit as them or are they as unfit as me? Ahem!

Anyway, As I try to figure that out, you could check your BMI here.. and, if you are wondering how many pounds make a kg, here is the conversion factor:

1 kilogram = 2.20462262 pound

Image and Snippets source: The New York Times

If you are a beef steak lover like me and the next time someone bothers you with some blasphemous crap, these snippets could come handy for some verbal ding-dong.

Global livestock grazing and feed production use “30 percent of the land surface of the planet.”

Livestock — which consume more food than they yield — also compete directly with humans for water.

The drive to expand grazing land destroys more biologically sensitive terrain, rain forests especially, than anything else.

But what is even more striking, and alarming, is that livestock are responsible for about 18 percent of the global warming effect, more than transportation’s contribution. The culprits are methane — the natural result of bovine digestion — and the nitrogen emitted by manure. Deforestation of grazing land adds to the effect.

Source: The New York Times

Whenever I am asked to face a camera for a snapshot, I instruct the person behind the lens to count 1..2..and 3 before taking the picture. Why? At 2, I try to pull in my paunch as much as possible to avoid it from occupying most of the area in the snap.

TOI reports that NID, after 6 months of study has come up with a “paunch proof” collection which will help divert attention from the paunch.

NO.. I have not found an excuse to not go to the gym, and as Amit Varma very rightly says “The only way to appear not to have a paunch, I have come to believe, is to not have a paunch”. 

I generally do not make any new year resolutions, but in 2007, this is one task which I intend to keep on top of the “To Do” list. Let’s see… who knows, I may even have a blog like these Japanese ministers which will help me challenge myself.

When I look around from the top floor of my office, I see 12 commercial construction projects coming up and this is all within a kilometre’s radius (may be lesser) from my office.

According to DTZ, which is a leading global real estate consulting firm, Bangalore’s commercial space absorption rate is next only to London and Tokyo. Over the last two years, the absorption rate has ranged between 2.5 million sq.ft to 3.4 million sq.ft.

Will the dying infrastructure of Bangalore be able to support this kind of growth? It’s high time the government did something to spruce up the infrastructure scenario. I just hope the sun never sets on this huge real estate boom which Bangalore is going through.

Picture taken from the top floor of my office @ Whitefield using a Sony Cybershot @ around 6 PM.

Yesterday, as I was driving from Brigade Road towards Vellara Junction (near Show Off), I noticed a beer vending machine..YES !!.. A Beer Vending Machine. UB has set up a currency operated, unmanned vending machine which dispenses premium and strong beer cans (330 ml) for 30 bucks each.

Even before I could send my brains out on a wild run, I noticed that there were shutters right after the vending machine (click on the image to see the details).. So, I am sure these get locked at 11 PM like the other pubs and bars in Bangalore.

Definitely in the right direction Dr. Mallya.. But, I just have one concern. Considering the fact that there are so many schools in and around that area, I hope these vending machines do not encourage kids to switch over to the cold and frothy brew. You know..as such pesti cola’s are banned from school campuses.

I have my own doubts if this venture will fly high. But, as long as it is around.. I’m loving it.  Hic Hic Hurray.