PXylem

Is there any movie which you can’t forget? Though, the movie is not the one that you would love to watch again and again. But, when you saw the movie a thought crossed your mind that the movie is different, very different, its taste is different.

Yes, recently I saw one such movie I couldn’t say the movie is one of my favourite. But I could say it was quite opposite to other Hollywood or Bollywood movies in its treatment and story telling. The movie was Cannibal Holocaust.

The first thought that attacked my mind was how the movie could be made available to the public viewing. It cannot be since the movie Cannibal Holocaust is all about cannibalism, barbaric acts, mindless violence and nudity.

It is not that all these shades are not in the so called Bollywood or Hollywood movies, these elements do exist. But here in this movie it was in extreme. Can’t believe a movie could be based to such extent? Cannibal Holocaust is a purely horror movie.

However, another thought that one get from the movie is that it is a real one, based on the videos taken by four enthusiasts who went to the Amazon River basin to study tribes. Videos shoot by these amateurs are part of the whole movie. But it is the not the truth. This I come to know that the whole movie is staged after I searched in internet about the movie and unraveled the truth. Such is the impact on me that I have to use internet.

The movie Cannibal Holocaust was banned in 50 countries. The director was jailed and the prints of the movie were seized when it was first released in Italy. The director had to prove that the actors were not dead. The movie saw the actors’ dead. Nevertheless, those animals killed while shooting the movie were not lucky enough.

About the movie I could say the movie Cannibal Holocaust will be the top horror film ever made. According to the Entertainment Weekly magazine, Cannibal Holocaust is the 20th century the most controversial film of all-time. Why not? There were scenes in the movie showing men and women cut to pieces.

I am not writing more you could understand why. Here are the few of the pictures available in Internet.



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Student life has an unforgettable charm of its own that besots you later when you are no longer a student. Dreams and aspirations, challenges and tribulations make it the most appending part of one’s life. It becomes more interesting when you are a part of an elite group in a dream institution like Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).

Chetan Bhagat’s debut novel “Five Point Someone” is all about three eccentric students and their tough lives in IIT, Delhi.

The novel is presented in a very hilarious and comical conversational style that narrates adventures of three engineers, Ryan Oberoi, Alok Gupta and Hari Kumar, who is the narrator of the stay.

These three are the main characters who come from different family backgrounds and yet develop bosom friendship after a heroic incident they underwent while ragging session by the seniors.

Ryan is tall, handsome and the bravest among the three. He comes from a business family and has no scarcity of money. But he hates his parents and has spent his childhood and adolescence in boarding school.

Alok has got a very poor family background. He is burdened with family responsibilities; his dream is to fetch a good job to sustain his family. Hari is the one who always felt nervous during his viva. The reason behind it, he has a disturbed family background. He falls in love with Neha, the daughter of Professor Cherian, the Head of the Mechanical Engineering department.

The funny incidents like sneaking into Neha’s bedroom to wish her birthday, Hari and Neha’s dating in a ice cream parlour and the love making between them in the absence of Cherian, has made the Chetan Bhagat’s novel “Five Point Someone” lighthearted and give one a hearty laugh.

Though serious incidents like stealing of examination papers and suicidal attempt by Alok has given very clear picture of stress and burden IITians have. Chapters like ‘Neha Speaks’ ‘Ryan Speaks’ and ‘Alok Speaks’ has given the novel emotional and realistic touch.

The novel ‘Five Point Someone’ by Chetan Bhagat has also a heart touching story about Neha’s brother Samir. He attempted suicide under the pressure due to his failure to get into IIT.

‘Five Point Someone’ has vividly highlighted loopholes and drawbacks of the system. The novel has emphasized the truth that life is not confined to grades and performance in one’s academic career. There is a life that is beyond academic grill. Life is too short and one should enjoy it to the fullest.

We all have our beautiful childhood days; days which were the loveliest and memorable to all of us. For a moment, if we close our eyes and go down the memory lane, the vivid pictures of those people come who had once been comprising the most significant part of our life whose grimaced and fun filled face now pops up from nowhere. The novel Miguel Street by V.S Naipual depicts the same. The author in the novel resurrects his life and the people around him, at such depth that each character comes alive in our eyes.

The V.S Naipual’s 1959 novel Miguel Street consists of seventeen chapters and 166 pages. Each chapter is devoted to one character who had been in relation with the author. Naipual has brilliantly described his days in Miguel Street, South Africa.

While reading the book, one could feel the air that blows in the Miguel Street. However, they will also appreciate the sharp observation of the events and that of the person that the author paints.

Beginning with Bogart, about whom the author has ‘the most bored men’ views, each chapter is devoted to a men and women living in the Miguel Street. There is Popo, a carpenter, and a very interesting person, living in the Miguel Street. Whenever the author ask him, ‘What you making, Mr Popo?’ he has the often repeated answer, ‘Ha, boy! That’s the question. I making the thing without the name’.

In similar manner, the author goes to describe Elias, the cleanest boy in the street. ‘He bathed twice a day and scrubbed his teeth twice a day. He did all his standing up at the tap in front of the house. He swept the house every morning before going to school. He was the opposite of his father. His father was short and fat and dirty. He was tall and thin and clean. His father drank and swore. He never drank and no one ever heard him use a bad word.’ Unfortunately, Elias good manners appeared as problems for the author since his mother used to say to him, ‘Why you don’t take after Elias? I really don’t know what sort of son God give me, you hear.’ Very funny!

Going further, there is Man-man in Miguel Street. Everybody in the street said that he was mad but the writer wasn’t sure of it. According to the author, there were ‘many people much madder than Man-man ever was’. He had a curious habit. ‘He went up for every election, city council or legislative council, and then he stuck posters everywhere in the district. These posters were well printed. They just had the word ‘Vote’ and below that, Man-man’s picture. However, the funniest aspect of his life was that at every election he got exactly three votes!

And there is B. Wordsworth, a poet who goes around in the street selling poetry. The author was very impressed by his poetry and of his personality. Well, B. Wordsworth wrote only one line in one month: ‘The past is deep’! He says, ‘I hope to distill the experience of a whole month into that single line of poetry. So, in twenty-two years, I shall have written a poem that will sing to all humanity’! Very witty!

The novel doesn’t end with the description of Bogart, Popo, Elias, Man-man and B. Wordsworth. There are many enchanting, witty and humourous characters. While you read you will observe the writing style followed by V.S Naipual. The sentences are short; the names of the characters are short and very funny.

One more thing that I have observed reading the novel almost every man beat their wife and in some stories wife beating their husband. Frankly speaking leaving out some occasional witty descriptions, there is nothing in the novel that pushes you to read it in one go. It doesn't possess the captivating power of a novel. I found it ordinary and appears to me as insipid to the taste of the most of the readers but author's die hard fans might like it. Nevertheless, the clarity and simplicity of Naipaul's writing can grip the interest of the readers and push them to finish it.
Next review: Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat
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J. M Coetzee's novel 'Disgrace' deals with human flaws and frailties. It depicts the vivid picture of social and political scenario that prevails in the post-apartheid South Africa. The novel also highlights subtle nuances of human emotions and relationships, governed by differences, discrimination and disparities based on gender, generation and race.

'Disgrace' as the name suggests stigma, degradation and humiliation, the novel unfolds a pathetic story about a middle aged professor who brings disgrace on himself and had to suffer humiliation by his indiscreet involvement with one of his students.

David Lurie, the main character of the novel, is a 52 year old professor. He earns his living at the Cape Technical University. Though he is a middle aged man yet he is strongly passionate about sex and women. He has been divorced twice and strives hard to satisfy his sexual needs. He is also unhappy with his professional life. Once he was a professor of modern languages but with the closing of Classics and Modern Languages, he is demoted to the post of adjunct professor.

David visits a prostitute, Soraya who gratify his sexual needs. Under certain circumstances, Soraya quits her profession and discards him. Consequently, he feels gloomy and perplexed without his rendezvous with Soraya. But his life takes a drastic turn when one evening while returning home, he meets Melanie Issacs, one of his students from his Romantics Course. He gets 'mildly smitten' with her striking beauty. Soon they develop an affair and during their intimacy he makes love to her.

But the problem arises when the young lover of the girl comes to know about their intimacy. Forced by her family and friend, Melanie files a complain against David of sexual harassment. However, David refuses to apologize and take no step to save defend himself. Finally he resigns from his post and visits his daughter Lucy's farm in Eastern Cape.

Lucy makes her living from kennels and selling flowers and vegetables she grows. She has an African Assistant Petrus, who is also her co-proprietor, to help her in gardening and looking after her dogs.

Then one day three African attackers loot them and rape Lucy, and kill her dogs. Consequently their life turns into hell. Lucy gets alienated with her normal life and lose all her vigour. By seeing her desperate and disheartening condition, David insists her to sell the farm. Nevertheless, Lucy insists to stays on and continue her life there.

This creates disharmony and unrest between father and daughter. Lucy says to David, "...what if that is the price one has to pay for staying on. Perhaps that is how they look at it; perhaps that is how I should look at it too. They see themselves as debt collectors, tax collectors. Why should I be allowed to live here without paying? Perhaps that is what they tell themselves?" Ultimately, David persuades himself and accepts Lucy's decision to stay on.


Disgrace wins the 1999 Booker Prize and the way Coetzee has treated many subtle issues in the novel, has made the novel worthy of it. The book is gripping and inspiring from the first go. The most striking feature of the Coetzee's creation 'Disgrace' is the intensity with which the writer presents the influence of one's deeds on one's life. Deeds follows one's destiny is what clearly depicted in the novel.

Next Book Review: Miguel Street by V.S Naipaul

Book Reviewed:

The Godfather by Mario Puzo

Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh

A Journey to Lhasa and Central Tibet by Sarat Chnadra Das

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Writing is easy! People say. Is it really so? Truth is that it is one of the most seriously done creative jobs. Those who write knows how much pain and helluva lot of skill is required to compose a good writing.

But if you are one of those who are dead serious about writing and wish to make a direct impact on the readers with its understandability and precision then Google Docs is at your service.

It has parameters in it which can tell you beforehand whether the piece you have written is really good enough! Not to mention, it even tells you if you have created the best composition: understandable and comprehensible to an average school going student.

After you have created a document and wish to know everything about it like: Words, Characters, Paragraphs, Sentences, Pages (approximate)and Readability. Click on the Tools tag and than on Word Count.

After you have clicked on the Word Count, you will something like this that I have created for one of my document.



You could see under the Readability, inside the red coloured box there are some parameters which determines readability level whether it is harder or easier to read and also the understandability of the created text.

Flesch Reading Ease:

According to Flesch Reading Ease, scores of 90.0–100.0 are considered easily understandable by an average 11-year old student.13- to 15-year old students could easily understand passages with a score of 60–70, and passages with results of 0–30 are best understood by college graduates.[citation needed] Reader's Digest magazine has a readability index of about 65, Time magazine scores about 52, and the Harvard Law Review has a general readability score in the low 30s. (courtesy: wikipedia)

Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level:

Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level is an obvious use for readability tests in the field of education. It translates the 0–100 score to a U.S. grade level, making it easier for teachers, parents, librarians, and others to judge the readability level of various books and texts. It can also mean the number of years of education generally required to understand this text. For example, a score of 8.2 would indicate that the text is expected to be understandable by an average student in 8th grade. (courtesy: wikipedia)

Automated Readability Index:

It is a readability test designed to gauge the understandability of a text. its output is an approximate representation of the U.S. grade level needed to comprehend the text. A score of 8.2, for instance, should easily be understood by the average 8th grader. (courtesy: Wikipedia)

So, next time you write any piece run this tests and beforehand come to know where does your creation falls.

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Mario Puzo's book "The Godfather" gives an insight about the world of mafia in America in the early 40's and in the 50's. The book is about a Don and his beliefs, about his struggle to establish his empire despite many obstacles that come in his way.

Don Corleone is a real 'Don' of the mafia whose hands are soaked in blood. But there is another picture of him that makes him the "Godfather" of many lives. Those who were benefited by Don's benevolent work owed their good fortune to him.

What is a mafia? Like any other organ of the society, mafia is also a organ which cements its power by originating a law but this is the law of silence, the omerta.

Who are the mafia men? Mario Puzo's novel "The Godfather" describes:

They were those rarities, men who had refused to accept the rule of organised society, men who refused the dominion of other men. There was no force, no mortal man who could bend them to their will unless they wished it. They were men who guarded their free will with wiles and murder. Their wills could be subverted only by death. Or the utmost reasonableness.

The novel gets its pace and tone right from the opening sentences of the chapter 1 with Amerigo Bonasera sitting in New York Criminal Court Number 3 and waiting for justice filled with vengeance on the men who had so cruelly hurt his daughter, who had tried to dishonour her. But hell break loose when Amerigo Bonasera who all his years in America had trusted in law and order wasn't satisfied with the pronouncement of the order of the judge. And he, like many others who didn't get justice, decides "For justice we must go on our knees to Don Corleone."

Like Amerigo Bonasera, there were people like Johnny Fontane and Nazorine for whom meeting with a man who has the power, the wisdom, came as a necessary. The man is the Godfather. Don Corleone. He who takes others problems as his own.

The next moment the plot of the story goes to Don Corleone's daughter Constanzia Corleone wedding venue in Long Island. There Don meet with Amerigo Bonasera, Johnny Fontane and Nazorine and with a stoke of genius solve their problems.

But something that would interest everybody, and I was not the exception, was to understand Don, his philosophies, his way of thinking from the conversation that took place between him and Amerigo Bonasera.

Reacting on the plea by Amerigo Bonasera to murder the two boys who had disfigured his affectionate daughter, the Don held up his hand in rage and blurt out, "No. Don't speak. You found America a paradise. You had a good trade, you made a good living, you thought the world a harmless place where you could take your pleasures as you willed. You never armed yourself with true friends. After all, the police guarded you, there were courts of law, you and yours could come to no harm. You did not need Don Corleone. Very well. ....I am not that sort of person who thrusts his friendship on those who do not value it - on those who think me of little account. However, Amerigo Bonasera wish was at last granted by the Don.

In the wedding of the Don's daughter, all the important persons of the Don's empire is introduced one after another. In his empire his three sons Sonny Corleone, Frederico Corleone, alias Fred or Fredo and Michael Corleone are also included.

After the wedding, the story goes on along with many characters. Readers come to know about the Don, his life, how his image got transformed into the stature of a kindhearted Godfather who helped many. He is adorned with the characteristic of a statesman, who sees future, who understand the interdependency of national and international politics and its affect on its empire. Owing to his farsightedness and political insightedness, his men and women didn't suffer when in US Great Depression period striked.

The story takes a chilling turn when the Don is shot, got critically injured and was unable to deliver his duties. Following with it, events started unfurling so fast in the mafia world that Michael had to go hiding in Sicily after murdering one corrupt Police Captain and Sollozzo, the man who was behind the attack on Don's life. The Corleone family had to go to war against their rival families.

During the same period Don's first son Sonny Corleone who was very much active in the family business and who had the capability to run the mafia business, is murdered. As time proceeds, the Don gets well and he relinquishes his duties allowing Michael (Don's third son) to takeover.

Well, the transition was not simple. It was interspersed with the law of silence, the omerta of many enemies and of family's member. Michael kills Tessio, the friend and strong confidante of his father and his brother-in-law as they planned treachery against them.

Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather is fantastic, gripping and very much insightful. It has got all the elements that you would love to read again and again. It is not mere a story, it is a story of a time period woven around the mafia.

Interested! Read more

Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh

Next review: Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee
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Friends, believe it or not, the Google's search browser do many jobs than what we take work from it. For example, besides churning out millions of results of your query, the search browser works as a true calculator ! and as a currency converter!

So next time if you're above your PC and using Google search button, and in the mean time you have to find out what is sin 45 degree, or the value of 4 raised to the power of 4, or the solution of any type of complex arithmetical problem - Google is there to take care of your problem!

Just type sin 45 degree in the Google's browser and press Enter. The answer you get is: 0.707106781

Just type 4^4 and press Enter. The answer for the value of 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 is equal to 256.
Complex arithmetic problem:
To solve this 2 + (2 x 3) - ((-8) - 9) + (8 / 2) + (6 x 6).
Type 2 + (2 * 3) - ((-8) - 9) + (8 / 2) + (6^2) and press Enter. You get the answer: 65

To effectively use this feature, you must know the operators and its functions. Have a look at it.

• Here "+" is the operator of the function "addition". Ex 3+44
• Same "-" is the operator of the function "subtraction". Ex 13-5
• * for multiplication. Ex 7*8
• / for division. Ex 12/3
• ^ for exponentiation (raise to a power of). Ex 8^2
• th root of calculates the nth root of a number. Ex 5th root of 32
• sqrt for square root. Ex sqrt(9)
• sin, cos, etc. trigonometric functions (numbers are assumed to be radians) sin(pi/3), tan(45 degrees)
• ln for logarithm base e ln(17)
• log for logarithm base 10 log(1,000)

Furthermore, Google's browser also helps to convert money in different currency value. Ex: 20 USD in INR.

Interested! Read

Tracking your online activities! It is easy.

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