Useful Guide for Aspiring Soldiers!

ASVAB Study Guide: Everything You Need to Ace the AFQT Exam First Time, with Step-by-Step Learning Hacks, 7 Full-Length Tests & Over 2500 Questions to Fully Prep Your Mind to Achieve a High Score by PrimeScore Academy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Getting into the United States armed forces is not an easy task. Apart from being passionate about serving the nation one needs to be smart, educated, and have the aptitude to succeed in the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) and particularly the Armed Forces Qualifying Test (AFQT). There are numerous guidebooks that help army aspirants prepare for this test, the one that stood out for me is the ASVAB Study Guide from the Prime Score Academy. This book is not just about test taking and succeeding but it is a personality development guide to study the right way, how to have a disciplined approach for passing the ASVAB. This book provides some valuable information on study approaches, habits, nutrition, and sleep balance to succeed in this vital test.

I got this book for my nephew who is currently preparing to enter the armed forces and is studying for this test. According to him the ASVAB Study Guide by Prime Score Academy is one of the most comprehensive test preparations guides he has studied. In the introduction the publishers make it known that this test prep guide means business. “It gives you a mix of theoretical insights, practical tips, and countless practice opportunities that will empower you to study smarter and perform better under exam conditions,” write the authors in the very first page. The introduction also gives practical tips to maximize efficiency during study time. There are tips on active learning, distributed practice and spaced repetition, time management, stress reduction, and learning hacks specific to AFQT.

Organized into 11 chapters including the introduction and conclusion, the ASVAB Study Guide gives hope to students overwhelmed by exhaustive content, and the questions they bring up. This book is a sure shot guide to success to those that are committed to following the steps detailed in here and willing to put in the work. The practice exams, self-assessment quizzes, provide important insights to the student in the form of strengths, analytical briefs on weaknesses, and how to overcome them among others. The conclusion also includes a brief pep talk to the potential soldier prepping for this all important test.

View all my reviews

Movie Review: Dirty Teacher

Pic: The Eyes of Charles Christopher

This movie examines two themes that are so commonly discussed in the popular media: 1) Childhood psychological trauma and its effects on an individual and 2) Sexual relationships between students and teachers. Dirty Teacher directed by Doug Campbell features two young teenaged lovers Jamie and Danny who come from very different backgrounds. Jamie's father has lost his job after serving at an organization for 18 years and her mom is working two jobs to keep the family going. In the process they have had to dig into Jamie's college account which makes the teenager unhappy. On the other hand, Danny's parents are well off business owners who want their son to go to Stanford.

Enter Molly a new teacher at the school who takes a particular liking to Danny and starts seducing him. Danny falls for her charms and starts a clandestine affair much to the chagrin and disappointment of Jamie. Unknown to any of the students or staff of the high school, Molly has her own childhood trauma which has left deep scars on her. She was raised by a foster parent who perpetually made her feel worthless and miserable. Outwardly pleasant and considerate Molly has a tendency to inflict pain on her unsuspecting students. 

Molly begins to make life miserable for Jamie. After a few tearful confrontations Danny decides that he had had enough with the teacher and wants to break off. Of course Molly does not want to hear anything about it. Things go really wrong and Danny is killed in a hit and run accident. All the evidence points to Jamie as the perpetrator of the crime.

Is Jamie guilty? If not is she able to prove her innocence? Are the cops able to find the real murderer? For all these answers watch the movie. It is available free on Youtube.

Movie Review: The Waterboy

Cover of The Waterboy [Blu-ray]

Most of Adam Sandler movies I have watched have a different storyline and depict some excellent acting by the leading star. The movie is also centered around one or two characters. This is no exception. Sandler plays the role of a mama's boy, Bobby working as a waterboy for a college football team. He has a bad stammer and is constantly bullied and made fun of by everyone.
At age 31 he still lives with his mother, has never been to a restaurant or dated a girl. He has no interest in college or studying. Once during a practice one of the hunky players spits into the water which makes Sandler angry but he suppresses it. The coach sees this and tells him to stand up for himself. Sandler moves with such force that it surprises everyone on the field and makes the coach plead and beg him to play football.
Of course mama is not happy about Sandler going to college or playing football. Because deep within her mind she is afraid that he is going to abandon her like his father did years ago. She has a tight grip on him which is the reason for his suppression and lack of social skills.
Coach encourages Bobby to give up his role as waterboy and start playing without his mother's knowledge. Bobby concurs and starts playing which turns the fortunes of MudDogs and earns fame and notoriety to Bobby. Meanwhile Bobby runs into an old friend, the girl of his dreams, and takes her home, Mama doesn't like her.
How Bobby manages to obtain his mother's approval to study, play football and marry his romance interest comprises the rest of the movie replete with laughter, gags and fun. It is available on Youtbe free so go ahead and enjoy the movie.

Movie Review: Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

Cover of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

This is one of the most outlandish movies I have ever seen - seriously the story and screenplay is much much more far fetched and unrealistic than any Hindi or even Kannada movie I have seen. The story features the growth of Abraham Lincoln, former president of America credited with the emancipation of slaves.

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter starts off with young Abe witnessing his mother being killed by a vampire. He is constantly afraid of the dark and wants vengeance. What he doesn't know that the individual who killed his mother is a vampire. Anyway fast forward into youth, Lincoln goes after the killer and gets hurt. In the process he meets with Henry who becomes his guide, mentor and trainer in vampire hunting.

The rest of the story progresses with Lincoln's moving to Illnois and starting career as a lawyer while killing vampires for a hobby during the nights.

I think this movie has been made/ funded by some southerner who wants to redeem the image of pre-civil war plantation owners as kind, compassionate people. They want the audience to believe that those who meted out atrocities against Black people and Native Americans were not European white immigrants but the vampires. A spirited fictional effort which I sure hope doesn't become history.

In terms of entertainment value I'd give it a three stars on a five star rating.

Movie Review: Think Like A Man

I heard great reviews about this movie on National Public Radio (NPR), so I decided to go watch it. The movie is just an average entertainer which pits women against men and supposedly teaches the former how to snag the latter and make them propose marriage. I was rather disappointed that NPR promoted this movie and it was definitely not upto the praise the radio program proffered on it.

Anyway the movie is about this bunch of African-American men who are dating or living in a steady relationship. Their girlfriends want to marry and settle down but the boys are not taking the initiative. Meanwhile Steve Harvey releases a book titled Think Like a Man, Act like a lady which becomes an instant hit among women. These women who read this book will start using the strategies to play men and make them their slaves (not literally... but figuratively). Just when they are succeeding the men get hold of the book and employ the same strategies against the women and guess what happens when they come face to face. Things go wrong and the women make a big issue about the fact that the men were playing dirty and leave. This leads the men to run behind the women, seek forgiveness and get married.

What an anti-men movie directed by a Man. In terms of entertainment I would give it a 3 star rating, acting 2.5 stars, direction maybe 2.5 and overall movie 2.75.

I would say definitely not worth paying $5.50 per pop to watch this movie.

Book Review: The Offensive Internet

I read a major part of this book over the winter break. When internet exploded during the decade of 1990s it was fascinating and presented a whole new world to everyone. Specially to people like me struggling students in the third world India. Now decades later the internet is slowly and surely becoming extremely offensive. Internet is everywhere and everything about everyone seems to be online. There has been no discretion about what should and should not be posted on the internet. It is free so everyone wants to post everything over there.

Then there are those who hide behind the cloak of anonymity and post offensive stuff about people, religion, communities, laws, countries, and everything possible. The internet has become the breeding ground for illegal, unethical, and offensive behavior by people who would otherwise be law abiding and quiet citizens of the world.

This book focuses on the perils of having an unhindered internet. This kind of research that focuses on the baneful effects of the internet is perhaps first of its kind. This is one of the few volumes that I have come across that focuses on the abuses and malpractices that are possible because of the anonymity, freedom from litigation, and lack of accountability that the internet provides. The essays featured in the book are all written from scholars of law, philosophy, technology, and other humanistic fields. This concept of the book is more like how to control/ curb the frontier spirit that once upon a time resulted in the conquering, and subsequent elimination of native American tribes and formation of this country. I wonder how much of a real effect this book will have on the establishment, but it sure provides a great starting point.

Movie Review: The Eight Legged Freaks

Image via Wikipedia

I had watched part of this movie several years ago in India and had forgotten about it. Out of the blue I somehow remembered the movie about larger than life spiders and searched for it on Youtube and found it. So now I can say that I have watched the complete movie The Eight Legged Freaks.

The movie takes places in a small mining town in American heartland.  A chemical spill leads the local creek getting polluted. Close at hand is the home-cum-laboratory of spider researcher Mike. The spiders consume insects from the creek, caught by mike and grow into disproportionate sizes. They first eat the scientist himself and start attacking life in the town. Cats, dogs, chicken and other small animals begin to disappear and the people of the town are perplexed. One day the phone lines go dead and the spiders attack the town killing and eating everything moving people, cattle, even cars. Nothing and no one is spared.

How the town reacts and how they get over the spider menace forms the rest of the story. There are small sidelines which deal with the deputy sheriff's family. How her teenage daughter and geeky young son handle the situation. Her estranged lover returns and they how they make up and get together again. There are some interesting off road motorcycle riding scenes. It is definitely worth watching and a completely family movie at that.

Movie Review: Bad Reputation

High School is the age when children are undergoing transformation into adults. This is the time when students indulge in lots of reckless behavior, sexual experimentation, rebellious outbursts, etc. In the United States the High School years are held in high esteem by most people. While most people come out of high school happy and hopeful, a few unfortunate individuals suffer the brunt of bullying, exploitation, date rapes, etc and are damaged for life. The movie Bad Reputation is the story of one such girl who is wronged and branded as the 'high school slut' by peers. She embraces the Bad Reputation, transforms herself into a flirty, bold dressing individual and takes revenge on those who had wronged her.

Meet Michelle, a shy high school student who has been a nobody at her school. One day the most popular guy in school, Aaron invites her to a party at his home. She attends the party where the host Aaron is attracted by her looks. He gets her completely drunk and takes her to his room in a weakened state and rapes her. His friends Jake and Steve help him in holding her down and guarding the door. Michelle passes out and the when she comes to she is tied up to a tree in the yard and everyone is calling her a slut who slept with the three guys. Aaron's girlfriend is specially mad at Michelle for attempting to steal her boyfriend.

The next day when Michelle gets to school there is graffiti all over calling her a slut and all kinds of demeaning names. She goes to the school counsellor in a bid to get some support, but he makes a pass at her too. Michelle's depression makes her mad and she decides to embrace her new found Bad Reputation and take revenge on the people who destroyed her life.

This is not a family movie, definitely not for children under 15, at the same time a must watch for parents and high school kids. The movie convey's a social message about high school and how things go very very wrong when alcohol, and drugs are involved in unrestrained parties.

Movie Review: Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo

Cover of Deuce Bigalow - European Gigolo

This is one laughing circus of a movie. Set in Amsterdam the movie features the old favorites Rob Scheineder (Deuce Bigalow) and Eddie Griffin (T.J the Pimp). Duece is a former Gigalow who has gotten into research about fish and is living a quiet life in Los Angeles. Out of the blue he gets a call from his former Pimp TJ who is operating in Amsterdam to come and work for him. A sudden turn of events make him decide to go to Amsterdam and there things are quite different.

Drugs, and prostitution are legal and everyone seems to be in the trade. There is a university to train young men to become gigolos and there is an association to protect their rights. Male prostitutes aka gigolos pay taxes and have insurance. Just when everything is cozy and nice, a serial killer starts murdering gigolos one at a time. The association is worried, cops are after the killer.

TJ gets framed as the murderer and now it is upto Deuce to prove his innocence and secure release. The next part of the movie is fraught with hilarious scenes, one liners and other jokes. It is an R rated movie so I wouldn't advise watching with kids. Adults can watch this movie and enjoy the comedy. There is not much nudity so don't worry about getting embarrassed.

It is available free on Youtube, so you may as well take advantage of it.

Movie Review: Caught Up!

B-Grade Hollywood Action Movie
 
Caught up is a movie about how one can get stuck and fall into bad times even when the intentions are good. This is the story of Daryl Allen, a former drug peddler who is out of jail, living with mom. He has decided to go straight and do everything legal from now on. He comes to know that his girlfriend is pregnant with his child which makes him all the more motivated to turn a new leaf.
 
He wants to start a classy club and run an honest business. He is short of money, his friend who is still in drug peddling business promises to help him and asks him to drive to the bank so he can withdraw the money. Daryl believes him and they head to the bank. The friend steps in to get the money while Daryl relaxes in the car. The next thing we see is a lot of shooting and Daryl's friend comes running with the money chased by the bank's security guard. Quite predictably there is a car chase which ends in his friend getting killed and Daryl being arrested for bank robbery. He is sentenced to 5 years in jail.
 
when Daryl gets out of jail after 5 years. things have changed. His mother has passed on, his girlfriend has moved on and married someone, and much as he tries he can't find a job. On top of all this there the probationary officer breathing down his neck, keeping track of everything he is doing. Meanwhile Daryl bumps into Vanessa, a look-alike of his former girlfriend and gets attracted to her. As he is leaving he coffee shop with Vanessa a gunman shoots at them and Daryl is scared. He thinks it is someone after Vanessa and confronts her for the truth. She says it is her former boyfriend how is psychotic and she is out of the relationship.
 
Vanessa helps Daryl find a job as a limousine driver with one of her friends. The limo service is a shady operation which offers high-priced taxi service for people to exchange goods such as drugs, contraband, etc. The gunman is still after them and Daryl doesn't understand why? Later Vanessa reveals that she is in possession of a very valuable diamond that belonged to her former boyfriend and that is why he is after her.
 
Things begin to heat up after this. There is conspiracy, treachery and action all packed in the last 20 mins of the movie. It is a movie that the directors and team hoped it would hit off with all the action, but it simply doesn't have what it takes to become a hit. So I would say it is worth watching once but not worth searching for it. You can find it on Youtube's movie channel and watch it there for FREE.

88 Minutes Movie Review

Absorbing Crime Narrative

I have always liked Al Pacino's movies because they are action packed like the Serpico, full of suspense such as Dick Tracy and of course the super crime thriller The Godfather series. 88 Minutes is available free to watch on Youtube and that helped me make a decision to watch it. The movie doesn't have a high number of votes on Rotten Tomatoes but still I decided to watch it and boy it was not a mistake at all. The hour and 47 minutes spent watching this movie doesn't have one boring moment and thrills the audience to the end.

Al Pacino plays successful forensic psychologist Jack Gramm whose professional opinion seals the fate of serial rapist and killer Jon Forster played by Neal McDonough. Fast forward nine years on the day Forster is supposed to be executed Gramm receives a phone call saying that he has only 88 minutes to live. This sets into motion a frenzy of bombing, shooting, car chases and there is no indication as to who is the real villain.

The screenplay is so well conceived that there is no hint of who the culprit could be till the very end of the movie. The twists and turns of the plot keeps the viewer guessing as to who the real killer is. Is it Gramm himself, or is it his beautiful homosexual assistant or the male student who is questioning his professor's logic, or is it one of the female students who has a crush on him.

Director Jon Avnet has done a good job in extracting great performances from all the actors. The cool jubilant exterior of Forster when his execution gets stayed even if briefly. The tension on Gramm's face and the aloofness of the FBI agents etc are all well done. Writer Gary Scott Thompson has done a good job in story telling which has been translated into visual imagery very well by Avnet.

This is definitely entertaining but does not merit any awards. Simply put I am pretty sure the producers made good of their investment and everyone involved is happy with the return on their investment. I wouldn't watch it again, simply because I know the end.

The are times during the movie when the plot seems confusing and abrupt. Apart from these little irritants 88 Minutes is a totally watchable movie and I would suggest take the opportunity to its free availability on Youtube and grab it.

A Nation of Farmers: Book Review

Food shortages have become the buzzword everywhere in the world. In a globalized world where food is no longer grown and consumed in the same place, crop failure in one nation means shortage somewhere else. In the recent years we have had instances when India had banned export of rice because crop had failed in Thailand and other rice producing nations.

The first world nations have the money power to out buy crops and food from impoverished third-world nations and leave their citizens starving. How long can this practice continue? There have been food-related rioting, protests and movements in various third-world nations and emerging economies also.

The worst hit in this crises are the poor in every nation, be it America or India or China or any sub-Saharan nation. The poorest of the poor always go hungry and are most affected by any price rise.

In this context Sharon Astyk and Aaron Newton have come out with this noteworthy and information-rich volume: A nation of Farmers. The main theme of the book is how American people can save themselves and their nation from the impending food shortage. The book is a fervent appeal from the authors to the common people of America urging them to convert their backyards into gardens where they can grow their own food, rear chickens and other consumable animals.

I believe that with so much land and so little population America could well become the bread basket of the world. There needs to be political will and a social change... no social transformation. After reading this book I am convinced that it should be mandatory reading for every high school and college student in the country. This is one of the sure-shot ways to attain food-self-reliance for America and today's citizens owe it to themselves and their nation to achieve this.

Movie Review: Streets of Legend

Movie Name(s): Quattro Noza/ Streets of Legend
Year: 2003
Genre: Action, Drag Racing, Gangster
Director: Joey Curtis
Cast: Brihanna Hernandez, Victor Larios and Robert Beaumont

Well! What can I say about a low budget movie with new faces? It is a good effort but doesn't have the stuff to make it into the big league. It is probably limited a few viewers on Youtube who watch the movie free and a few others who watch the flic by mistake.

Anyway the movie tells the story of illegal drag racing on the streets of East Los Angeles and on the side lines is the romance between the main protagonists of the story Noza and Quattro. Then there is the villain in the form of Noza's former boyfriend who is in prison for drug abuse and tampering with evidence. He storms out of jail when he comes to know that Noza is going out with the new guy on the block and then all hell breaks loose.

The movie ends on a rather sad note and could have been easily changed. The races could have been pictured better which would have made the movie much better. It has an R rating I don't know why? There is absolutely no scene in the movie worth an R rating.

Final Verdict: Don't watch it unless you have absolutely nothing to do. Or you are a great fan of street racing.

Book Review: Society the Basics

Text Book makes an interesting read
I had to read this book by John Macionis because it was the prescribed textbook. As I progressed through the pages of this large format volume the exciting content made me anticipate reading this as much as any other book.

Movie Review: Tooth Fairy

For lack of nothing else to do on Friday evening we decided to go to a movie at the dollar theater in Plano. The intent was to watch a Jackie Chan movie, but there was none playing at a night show. So we decided to watch The Tooth Fairy instead. This is a fairly entertaining kids movie... apart from a few minutes of fantastic ice skating and a some comedy frames there is nothing much worth watching in this movie.

The story traces the life of an aging ice hockey star who is named the tooth fairy because he knocks out teeth of his opponents. His girlfriend has two kids, the daughter just loses one of her teeth and the mother tells the story of tooth fairy. The protagonist tries to tell her the truth in a rude manner to the chagrin of the mother. The son doesn't like this guy because he is rude, and sarcastic.

The story moves on to fairyland when the player gets called to do some community service and then after some seriously boring drama and some funny scenes the movie ends with a soulful transformation of the protagonist. I definitely wouldn't pay the regular theater ticket to watch this movie....

Movie Review: Big Jake

For having nothing much to do at home I borrowed this movie from the library. I must say I kinda liked the movie set in 1909. The movie features John Wayne in the leading role of the title character Jacob "Big Jake" McCandles, an aging rancher and near-legendary gunfighter estranged from his pretty family.

The movie starts with a ruthless gang of outlaws raiding the MacCandles ranch. The gang led by John Fain (Richard Boone), runs havoc on the ranch and murders some of the workers, wounds McCandles' eldest son (Bobby Vinton) and kidnaps the youngest member of the family for a ransom of $1 million. Martha (Wife of "Big Jake" McCandles) (Maureen O'Hara) summons Jacob through some messengers and tells him to find their grandson.

Though Jacob and his wife have been separated for nearly 10 years, they still love each other dearly. Jacob arrives by train and discuss a plan to take the ransom to the kidnappers and free the boy. Jacob warns that "Pay or not, we run the risk of never seeing the boy again". Martha has what is well known as a million dollars in a big red strongbox. Jacob is to deliver the box to the kidnappers. Jacob is packed quickly and ready to go along with his trusted "Native American" gunrunner.

The Texas Rangers led by Buck are close at hand ready to attempt a rescue, as is Jacob's son James McCandles (John Wayne's real-life son Patrick Wayne), whose initial greeting of Jake reveals a somewhat strained relationship. Michael McCandles (Christopher Mitchum) arrives by motorcycle and tells Martha that he saw the little boy alive. He suggests the Rangers can use the automobiles and set an ambush for the kidnappers. Buck (John Doucette) and the Rangers try to get Jacob to come along with them. The Rangers take off to set the trap in their new automobiles and are themselves ambushed at the very place they were planning to ambush the kidnappers.

The rest of the story is about their journey through the stunningly scenic wild west territory of South Texas and Mexico. Their gunfighting with the villains and rescuing "Little Jake" the grandson of "Big Jake". The journey and the hunt for kidnappers also serves to unite the long lost father with this sons and family.

In my opinion this is a great movie to watch. Fast paced, straight forward narrative and stunning photography. Worth every second spent watching the DVD, I'd say.

Movie Review: Enemy at the Gates

I recently watched this 2001 movie Enemy at the Gates. The film is based on a true story of a Russian sniper Vassili Zaitsev's fight against the German army during the siege of Stalingrad. The movie begins with a very sombre note of a under equipped Soviet army getting battered by the better equipped Nazi forces.

The main reason why I am totally impressed by this movie is the way in which a relatively unknown soldier is made into a national phenomenon and his name is deified to inculcate a sense of national pride and global respect. Vassili Zaitsev is a normal soldier fighting for his country like millions of others across the world. But by making a movie and highlighting the story of achievements in an exemplary movie format he has been made a phenomenon.

I wish our Indian film makers would learn from hollywood about the type of movies to be made. Instead of sticking to the stupid love-sex-violence formula which don't provide any intellectual stimulation, Indian film makers should start thinking about making movies which create a sense of national pride, patriotism and a sense of the Indian identity among its viewers who are primarily the uneducated and undereducated masses.

Plot Summary
The initial scene is specially scary when we see groups of young Soviet recruits being pushed into the battle. They have one rifle for two men and an officer is screaming on the megaphone: "When the one with the rifle falls, the one behind picks up the rifle and fights." The motivational speeches work and unarmed and under armed soldiers rush into a confrontation with the third reich, knowing well that they are facing certain death. If they advance the enemy bullet is likely to get them and if they retreat their own officers will kill them as deserters.

Vassili Zaitsev played by Jude Law is one of the soldiers who displays exemplary marksmanship and kills five German soldiers with as many bullets. This feat gets noticed by Political officer Danilov (Joseph Fiennes) who writes about Vassili in the army newspaper and thus begins their journey to fame. Vassili goes ahead daily killing German officers and virtually creates panic among the army of the Third Reich. Not to be out done the Nazi army calls in their best sniper Major Konig (Ed Harris) to eliminate Vassili. At this point the story takes a turn and becomes a cat and mouse game between the two snipers leading to one triumphing over the other.

There is a little love triangle between Jude Law, Joseph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz which leads to some complications in the story. Jude Law plays the central character Vassili and Rachel Weisz plays his lover Tania, also a Russian soldier. Their stellar performances are very efficiently supported by Ed Harris who plays Major Konig (German sniper) and Joseph Fiennes (Political officer Danilov).

Movie Review: The Mini Skirt Mob

Story of a Manipulative Woman and Gullible Men

If you want to see to what extent a spurned female would go to take revenge on her former lover and his present partner then this movie is a much watch. The movie tells the story of Shayne, a glamorous, manipulative and sexy woman, who is head of a female motorcycle gang known as The Mini Skirt Mob. Shane and Jeff, a rodeo champion are former lovers. Trouble starts when Jeff decides to retire from rodeo, get married and settle down as a rancher.

Though outwardly Shane says that it is all over between her and Jeff, inside she is one angry and jealous woman. She wants to make life for Jeff and his new bride miserable and hence gathers up her motorcycle gang which includes former friends of Jeff, Lon and Edie (Shayne's sister), LG and others and follows Jeff's trailer as he tries to get out and spend a quiet moment with his wife.

What follows is 80 minutes of terror for the newly married couple and merriment for the viewers. The stand off ends with the death of every one of them except Jeff and his wife. It is surprising to note that the Hero (Jeff played by Jeremy Slate) has pretty much no role. He is portrayed as a gutless coward who seems to always try to avoid confrontation with his former girlfriend and her mob. I would say the movie is all about how Shayne plots trouble and manipulates the men in her gang like Lon to do her dirty work. It is worth watching once if you don't have anything to do... oh! yes it is available free on Youtube... I wouldn't pay to watch this movie....

Movie Review: Gangs of New York

The United States of America, perceived as the land of unlimited opportunities, heaven on earth, land of ultimate freedom, a place where wealth can be made, the world's most powerful nation, etc... But like every other nation in the world, it has its own share of slums, underworld gangs, thugs, crooks and prostitutes. This murky underbelly is carefully hidden away under the towering sky scrapers and grandiose buildings.

What was it to live in this land of freedom and opportunity a century and half ago? This is what the film Gangs of New York attempts to re-create and it does very successfully. Set in 1846 the movie stars Cameron Diaz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis and others. The story is pretty historical as it is a movie and there is a substantial amount of reality in this according to a National Geographic study.

The movie starts off in the year 1846 with the protagonist Leonardo DiCaprio getting released from the prison and returning to the neighborhood in Manhattan where he was born and grew up. As he approaches the five points neighborhood, DiCaprio is witness to hordes of Irish immigrants landing into the US, in a bid to escape sure starvation due to the Potato Famine and of course persecution from the British Crown and nobility. But the original settlers (who call themselves "Natives") don't want new immigrants and they are standing at the docks yelling humiliating abuses at the immigrants.

DiCaprio, himself an Irish immigrant-settler and has seen his father being murdered in cold blood by Bill the Butcher, the undisputed king of underworld in New York. Young DiCaprio is thirsting for revenge and his target is Bill the Butcher. DiCaprio starts off being a small time thief and gets into the Butcher's brotherhood of thugs. In his life of crime he tangles with Cameron Diaz who is another petty thief and pick pocket in the same gang. Love blossoms between the two much to the angst of DiCaprio's best friend, who reveals the former's true identity to Bill the Butcher.

DiCaprio's first attempt to kill Bill the Butcher fails and he is thoroughly beaten up and knifed. In retaliation DiCaprio decides to start his own gang of Irish settlers and wrest control of Five Points from the original English settlers (Natives). This coincides with the American civil war era when Irish immigrants were ordered to get drafted into the army to fight the southern states against slavery. In frustration the immigrants rebel and riot and of course there is the clash of gangs in which Irish emerge victorious.

The Gangs of New York is a brilliantly made movie and performances of all the stars are captivating and cinematography is hypnotic. It has a few subtle lessons about American history, social equations and immigration. The original British settlers who landed in the US and started killing native Americans and taking over their lands were intolerant towards Irish immigrants in the 19th century, now a substantial section of the white population of the US hates increased influx of Indian technology workers. Things are pretty much the same: American's hate immigrants, especially those whom they think are taking their jobs.

Another subtle reinforcement that the White people try to make is that America belongs to them and not to the native Americans who were here thousands of years before the settlers came in. It is common for people of color in the US to be referred to as "Asian Americans", "African Americans", "Indian Americans" but to themselves they say "Americans" implying that the country belongs to them. This movie in which the original settlers call themselves "Natives" is one such attempt. To understand these messages one must watch The Gangs of New York.

Book Review: Wanna Study in the U.S. 101 Tips to get you there!

Guide to US-bound students
Wanna Study in the U.S.? 101 Tips to get you there! by Natasha Pratap; Rupa & Co, Price: Rs.395; 302 pp

According to recently published US student enrollment statistics, India has surpassed
China as the No.1 country of origin for foreign students in American universities. Last year (2000-09) the aggregate Indian student population enrolled in institutions of higher education (95,000) topped the Chinese total. With a large and growing number of Indian students hell-bent on pursuing at least a part of their education in the US, this aggregate number is expected to grow by 20-25 percent annually. But making it into the US of A for higher study is easier said than done. With half the third world’s population fleeing communism, socialism, dictatorship and plain socio-economic mismanagement, aspiring to enter this fabled land of opportunity, the US immigration and naturalisation service is working overtime to keep out the scrambling hordes – especially after 9/11. Unsurprisingly the admission process is tedious and difficult questions are raised about adequacy of funding. Visa procedures too have become complicated.

For the swelling number of hopefuls fleeing India’s dumbed down institutions of higher education, Natasha Pratap’s maiden book Wanna Study in the US? 101 Tips To Get You There! is a boon. This easy-to-read volume written in simple English is a comprehensive compendium of accurate information and useful guidelines to students and professionals on ways and means of accessing American universities and institutions of higher education. “There is so much to be gained from a US education, that I continue to be grateful for it every day. Studying in the US is about pushing your boundaries: academically, intellectually, geographically and emotionally. The best thing is fearlessness and confidence I developed from my own experience. Choose to study in the US because it is better. Go because you will be the better for it,” writes Pratap an alumna of the blue chip Cambridge (UK), Stanford and Boston universities.

The merits of this chatty and unapologetically how-to book apart, a striking achievement is that she has persuaded Mukesh Ambani, chairman & managing director of the telecom, textile, petroleum and IT behemoth, Reliance Industries Ltd to write the foreword. “All these years, information on studying in the US was limited to a privileged class of Indian students, by virtue of their advantaged school, teacher and peer group environments. This book would democratise this advantage to a much wider cross section of Indian students,” says Ambani, himself a Stanford alumnus.

Though the information, data and procedural guidelines provided in this deliberately casually titled book is by no means novel, the fact that it has been collated, sorted and compiled into a one-point, well-laid out compendium is its unique selling proposition. “When friends asked me questions on their applications or essays I realised that what seemed obvious to me was not to others. Book stores in Mumbai had little information on the application procedure, and even prospectuses of colleges say little. The internet is too vast and some information is misleading. Since I had experienced the system first hand I decided to write this book,” says Pratap explaining her motivation to write this valuable guide.

Though the author claims to have completed this comprehensive volume in just seven weeks, this 302-page compendium is well organised into 11 main chapters each offering valuable nuggets of information and advice. The main chapters are: top 10 reasons to study in the US; 101 tips on the application process; scholarships from Indian sources; visa Q&A in consultation with the US Consulate, Mumbai; interviews with Stanford and Harvard university heads; application datelines; a special section for parents titled ‘heart to heart with indian parents’ among others.

Particularly useful is the chapter which includes the essays (SoPs) of Indian students which dazzled admission evaluators of blue-chip universities such as Harvard, Stanford, Yale and Columbia. The essays are discussed and dissected with the plus and minus points highlighted. “Many applicants tend to borrow SoPs from others and then modify it (sic). You may not be exposed to the kind of introspection and writing that applications to US universities demand. For many, the idea of writing itself is overwhelming and the nature of the questions makes them apprehensive. By including the essays of people who have gone through the process and written everything themselves, I want to illustrate that the task at hand may be different, but is not incredibly difficult,” explains the author, no mean correspondent herself who has written for publications such as The Asian Wall Street Journal, The Economic Times, The Times of India, The Indian Express, Mid-day, Verve, Man’s World and Elle.

The overwhelmingly major preoccupation of Indian students aspiring to education abroad – scholarships and bursaries – is also addressed. There seems little awareness that the natural instinct of institutions of higher education in the industrialised nations is to levy higher tuition fees on foreign students than payable by natives. Nevertheless there is widespread belief that scholarships are available in plenty. Wanna Study provides a list of trusts and foundation which offer (usually grudging) scholarships and bursaries to merit students.

Though a useful guide to the growing number of students driven to foreign universities by the abysmal and declining Indian institutions of higher education being relentlessly dumbed down by politicians and educrats, the publication and reportedly enthusiastic reception to Wanna Study is a wake-up call to Indian academia. That a rising number of Indian students are ready to pay relatively huge tuition and residential costs abroad and endure the rigours of incrementally humiliating visa and admission processes is a severe indictment of India’s higher education system. Quite evidently Indian educationists and academics need to get their act together and canalise the huge annual outflow of hard currencies into their own cash-starved institutions. But this requires the practice rather than mere preaching of excellence in Indian academia.