Media Dragons and Bird watcher spots first glossy black cockatoo on SA mainland in decades
Marriage has many pains, but celibacy has no pleasures.
— Samuel Johnson, 1709-1784, English writer
The Haldi Turmeric ceremony is a cleansing event during which the couple gathers with close family and friends to have turmeric paste applied to them. Also commonly known as Holud, Maiyyan or Vatna, this auspicious event is pivotal for warding off any evil spirits. The yellow or mustard hue that the turmeric emanates also signifies new beginnings. Perhaps the most fulfilling aspect of the Haldi though is the way it makes your skin feel because of its exfoliating properties.
In Indian cultures, a wedding isn't just one "big day"-it's a series of celebrationsoccurring before and after the couple exchanges vows. The Mehndi party is one of the most vibrant and essential of the parties.
People often tend to believe that dark Mehendi color on the bride’s hands tends to a loving mother-in-law. Other customs say it leads to a loving husband.
Raj on Taj - Haldi
Take a moment to picture a home with light pouring from the windows as laughter and music dances out from under the door. If you were to take a look inside, you would be able to see colors everywhere; decorating not only the furniture, but the people using that furniture as well! Smiles spread across each face as family members and friends surround two people who are clearly in love as they share delicious food and form precious memories with one another.
This fun-filled scene is what a Punjabi pre-wedding celebration may look like.
“Nouns and verbs are enough for soldiers and leaders of totalitarian countries. For the adjective is the indispensable guarantor of the individuality of people and things.”
The Best Books You Haven't Read'
Some writers try too hard to follow the Poundian injunction “Make It New” rather than the commonsensical “Make It Good.” From the reader’s perspective, there’s another sense in which novelty is overrated as a literary virtue. Blurb-heavy new books freighted with “buzz” tend to get disproportionate attention, which is more a function of marketing than literary worth. This post is not just another defense of old books over new.
Even stalwart readers have blind spots, books and writers they have not only never read but never heard of. That’s the reason I’m a sucker for features like “The Best Books You Haven’t Read …” published in the December 2009 issue of The American Conservative and recommended to me by a longtime reader. The editors ask fifteen writers to vouch for books they suspect have been ignored, forgotten or neglected. Several suggest works I know fairly well and even treasure.
AppleInsider: “New research claims that of five major Big Tech firms, Google tracks more private data about users than any other — and Apple tracks the least. Apple has previously introduced App Tracking Transparency specifically to protect the privacy of users from other companies. However, a new report says that Apple is also avoiding doing any more tracking itself than is needed to run its services. According to StockApps.com, Apple “is the most privacy-conscious firm out there.” “Apple only stores the information that is necessary to maintain users’ accounts,” it continues. “This is because their website is not as reliant on advertising revenue as are Google, Twitter, and Facebook.” The StockApps.com report does not list what it describes as the “data points” that Big Tech firms collect for every user. However, it says they include location details, browser history, activity on third-party websites, and in Google’s case, also emails in Gmail. It also doesn’t detail its methodology, but does say that it used marketing firm digitalinformationworld to investigate Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Twitter. Of these five, Google reportedly tracks 39 separate data points per user, while Apple tracks only 12. Unexpectedly, Facebook is stated as tracking only 14 data points, while Amazon tracks 23, and Twitter tracks 24. “Most people do not have the time or patience to read privacy policies that can be several pages long for each website they visit,” said StockApps.com’s Edith Reads. “As a result, users end up allowing Google to harvest all the data they need by agreeing to the privacy policy terms.” Separately, the Australian government recently fined Google $40 million over location tracking on Android…
”AppleInsider Google tracks 39 types of personal data, Apple tracks 12