The Mumbai attacks that began on November 26th have severely dented the confidence of Indians, as a country and a society, to continually better their overall quality of life (or existence - take your pick). A huge contributing factor in creating that dent is the increasing lack of trust among Indians in their government's will and ability in somehow bringing an end to the almost monthly terror attacks. There is a perception that major cities are being targeted on some kind of a rotation-policy basis and there seems to be nothing that anyone is doing or has been able to do about it all. The government has been feeling the heat from all quarters. They are being forced to act in improving security on all aspects, from internal policing to external threat assessments, from improving intelligence to prevent attacks even before they happen, to responding efficiently if and when they do to minimize loss to life and property. For now, it seems as if they've finally taken some positive steps in that direction, albeit steps that should have been taken five years ago.
But its also not unthinkable to believe that terrorists have made plans for what happens next and are perhaps poised somewhere, waiting to spring the next wave of attacks on an increasingly fearful populace. Or at least Indians fear as much now more than ever. The fallout of this new upgraded terror level on the country as a whole, starting or culminating with the Mumbai attacks depending on the perspective, will be tremendous.
Some economy related trends seem to be emerging and some others could perhaps be speculated. (Note: This is by no means a comprehensive list - it's primarily a first pass really.)
1. Paradigm shift towards protecting assets (Rise of security industry):
For one, big corporations based in India seem to be realizing that the economic boom of sorts that has been happening in India for the past decade or so could easily be derailed by security breaches such as Mumbai-November'08 and countless other less spectacular but as much or more devastating events that took place regularly in other Indian cities. Protection of their assets including their properties, loyal customers and most importantly their image and brands will now require a new security abstraction altogether. Failure of the government to provide this security cover has forced them to seek their own cover of sorts.
Large companies like the Tata group , the Bajaj group, the Reliance groups, and the IT companies, among several dozen others, will probably push for employing their own privately armed security guards at their installations, creating private armies of sorts with substantial weaponry and powers. There is also talk of the Tata group creating its own security and intelligence agency for securing its assets - a reaction based on its disillusionment of the systemic failures and shortcomings of the governmental agences in doing so. There is also talk of conducting much more comprehensive background checks on new and old employees to avoid hiring and employing terror-minded individuals secretly wanting to cause destruction to their employers. Expect to hear more of this sort of news in the near future. Already, there is speculation that the private security industry will grow tremendously in the coming months and years (Investors take note perhaps?). All this can only mean that a fundamental shift in the erstwhile naive and complacent approach by these companies towards security awareness and assest protection is under way - leading to the growth of new industry altogether.
2. Pullouts from India:
The continued failure to protect their installations may also mean that these corporations may resort to moving outside of India if necessary and wherever possible, especially if their security needs cannot be met adequately. This is a deal that any government of India cannot and will probably not accept without a fight however. The damage to India Inc. as the business community is broadly referred to as, from the Mumbai attacks will also impact the government of the day, who will have to bear those consequences along with the responsibility of allowing such an event to take place (and perhaps of prolonging it as well). Multinational companies will also reasses their plans in India - leading to, at the very least, a freezing of growth activities in the present. If the security situation worses, expect pullouts from them as well.
3. Economic Losses as potentially huge motivators for improvements in governance:
Losses to India Inc. would also mean loss of revenue to the government and the individuals within as well, which will hurt a lot more in the long term staring with at the ballot. Not to mention the severe loss of face, both nationally and internationally, in admitting to their inability to provide security to the rich and the influential, the common person being long excluded from that protection.It is thus entirely possible that market forces such as the situation described above will force the government to act and to be more and constantly vigilant as well.
4. Overall:
But the biggest economic consequence will arise from the denting of the confidence of the ordinary citizen. People may be fearful of their security and law and order situation in general, leading to an ultra-cautious approach with regards to money. Malls, movie houses, etc. will see fewer patrons because of the fear of terrorist attacks. Public transport will be relied upon much less for the same reasons leading to big losses in revenue. Tourism will be several affected in the short term - especially foreign tourism. With states like Rajasthan, Uttaranchal, and Kerala relying in no small amounts on internation tourism, expect several folks over there to be badly impacted by the slowdown in visitors. The lack of tourists is also a symptomatic of the general lack of confidence perhaps of the international community in being present and doing business with another country. For India, this could mean a lot less investments of foreign entities in the Indian market and economy.
People will in general go out less, buy less, travel less and feel less happy. Maybe people will end up buying more stuff online instead - the web based businesses are probably well placed for this situation. But it remains to be seen if Indians feel secure doing a whole lot of shopping with credit cards online. I know they're pretty queasy about it right now. Maybe that could change however.
So bad news for the economy in general. The government will have to show the will and produce results in reducing the security and law and order fears in the immediate future for this to not have as significant an impact to economic progress as is currenty feared.
Part II will be about socio-religious (if there is such a word) consequences of the Mumbai attacks.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Did the Indian media give away too much info to the bad guys? NDTV (India) responds
One of the many concerns voiced by several Indians ,who watched the almost 3 day attack on Mumbai, which began on Nov. 26th, 2008, was that the "too close to the action" live coverage of Indian news channels of the entire event may have communicated important information about the anti-terrorist operations conducted by the Indian military back to the terrorists. Live coverage of army operations against terrorists holed up in the Taj and the Trident (formerly Oberoi) hotels and the Nariman House apartment building in Mumbai, could have perhaps been a factor in the terrorists being able to successfully hold out against the Indian military for so long. The fact that the terrorists had Blackberrys and satellite phones supports this theory as well.
Now one of the Indian news channels, NDTV, has responded to these concerns via their senior correspondent/reporter Barkha Dutt.
Several statements stand out from her op-ed piece. Here's one:
Nevertheless, they provided the transparency that such things lacked in previous situations. One hopes that this transparency ensures that officialdom can no longer spin excuses in such situations. These channels, while frequently not reporting with any reasonable levels of journalistic integrity, are providing a medium for the disgruntled populace to express themselves, and ask tough questions, and for millions of others to hear them and sympathize with them, and wait, along with them for a response to those questions.
Now one of the Indian news channels, NDTV, has responded to these concerns via their senior correspondent/reporter Barkha Dutt.
Several statements stand out from her op-ed piece. Here's one:
"Please do note that at all times, the media respected the security cordon- a cordon that was determined by the police and officials on site- and NOT by the media. If, as is now being suggested, the assessment is that the media was allowed too close to the operations, here is what we say: we would have been happy to stand at a distance much further away from the encounter sites, had anyone, anyone at all, asked us to move. In the 72 hours that we stood on reporting duty, not once were we asked to move further away."It's clear that there really was no coordinated strategy on how to deal with media coverage between the various security agencies involved in the anit-terrorist operations. as she outlines in her piece:
"Across the world, and as happened in the US after 9/11, there are daily, centralized briefings by officials to avoid any inadvertent confusion that media coverage may throw up. Not so in Mumbai. There was no central point of contact or information for journalists who were often left to their own devices to hunt down news that they felt had to be conveyed to their country. No do's and don'ts were provided by officials."The op-ed piece also has a whole lot of self-congratulatory language in it as well - detailing how several important folks thanked NDTV in particular for their coverage of the whole event. I noticed the same in TV spots on the various other Indian news channels as well - congratulating or self-promoting themselves in some way or the other. Some of the accompanying stunts included: encouraging people to light candles (this is actually clever: the number of candles lit across the country would convey to that particular channel the proportion of people actually watching their channel - so much better than TRP ratings. Besides, lighting of candles is becoming off late a popular response to tragic events. This first began in response to the then fast-going-nowhere investigation on who killed Jessica Lal. The movie "Rang De Basanti", an Aamir Khan starrer earlier in 2006, may have provided the inspiration in the Lal case. I saw candles being lit in a few places across Mumbai), observing a minute of silence in respect, showing 30 second, 1 min and 2 min spots of clippings of the terror attack coverage with accompanying grim music and such, and various others.
Nevertheless, they provided the transparency that such things lacked in previous situations. One hopes that this transparency ensures that officialdom can no longer spin excuses in such situations. These channels, while frequently not reporting with any reasonable levels of journalistic integrity, are providing a medium for the disgruntled populace to express themselves, and ask tough questions, and for millions of others to hear them and sympathize with them, and wait, along with them for a response to those questions.
Monday, November 03, 2008
Rajdeep on Raj
(Link to Rajdeep Sardesai's open letter to Raj Thackeray: http://ibnlive.in.com/blogs/rajdeepsardesai/1/52784/an-open-letter-to-raj-thackeray.html )
Comments: I guess being an expat Mumbaikar/Mumbai-ite would allow me to talk about Mumbai. Raj Thackeray's (he originally of the Shiv Sena founded by his uncle Bal Thackeray, and now the leader of the breakaway Maharasthra Navnirman Sena) anti-North Indian campaign has ignited a lot of mindless violence, reactions (both violent and non-violent), and several debates.
What's important to know though is that the latest Raj Thackeray-initiated melee is not necessarily unique or unprecedented. It has happened in Mumbai before - being, as it is, a regular feature of the Thackeray family/Shiv Sena strategy. The idea is to get enough Maharashtrians worked up about them somehow having ceded "control" of Mumbai away to non-Maharashtrians/outsiders and then voting for the Shiv Sena to take back control on their behalf thereby banishing all that which ails the city, the state and its people (which people?). Never mind that Mumbai is neither the heart of Maharashtra nor has it become what it is today solely because of Maharashtrians. Through the last 50 years and more, the Sena and their offshoots have gone about targeting Gujaratis, south Indians, Muslims and most recently north Indians as those aforementioned outsiders.
But the human drama that continues to unfold is not just the Thackeray's being up to their usual shenanigans. There's more to it. Rajdeep Sardesai of CNN-IBN in the above linked open letter to Raj isn't really informing Raj of something he wouldn't already know. But he's probably making an effort to also educate the Indian public on the political machinations/endgames taking place behind the scenes - most beyond Raj's control.
Rajdeep's piece also just reinforced the feeling that it seems to require a Maharashtrian (or several of them) of some stature to take an anti-Raj Thackeray stance in this matter, to make an impact. Never mind that those stances are few and far between; these days its the familiar, insecure, "yes (he's wrong), but (there's some validity to his point of view)" argument (Rajdeep being one of the few exceptions) that other prominent Maharashtrians have been spouting. They're just riding both directions of traffic on the political highway.
The sad/crazy aspect to all this is that - by Raj's (and by extension the larger Thackeray family) definition, with the tacit approval of the 'yes-but' arguers, a Mumbaikar who is not a Maharashtrian by last name, but was born, and has lived in Mumbai now for several decades is an "outsider" and a new born Maharashtrian baby in a remote corner of Maharashtra is an "insider". That is so convoluted that even Raj cannot obviously believe in it.
I pity those Maharashtrians and non-Maharashtrians who actually do believe it.
Comments: I guess being an expat Mumbaikar/Mumbai-ite would allow me to talk about Mumbai. Raj Thackeray's (he originally of the Shiv Sena founded by his uncle Bal Thackeray, and now the leader of the breakaway Maharasthra Navnirman Sena) anti-North Indian campaign has ignited a lot of mindless violence, reactions (both violent and non-violent), and several debates.
What's important to know though is that the latest Raj Thackeray-initiated melee is not necessarily unique or unprecedented. It has happened in Mumbai before - being, as it is, a regular feature of the Thackeray family/Shiv Sena strategy. The idea is to get enough Maharashtrians worked up about them somehow having ceded "control" of Mumbai away to non-Maharashtrians/outsiders and then voting for the Shiv Sena to take back control on their behalf thereby banishing all that which ails the city, the state and its people (which people?). Never mind that Mumbai is neither the heart of Maharashtra nor has it become what it is today solely because of Maharashtrians. Through the last 50 years and more, the Sena and their offshoots have gone about targeting Gujaratis, south Indians, Muslims and most recently north Indians as those aforementioned outsiders.
But the human drama that continues to unfold is not just the Thackeray's being up to their usual shenanigans. There's more to it. Rajdeep Sardesai of CNN-IBN in the above linked open letter to Raj isn't really informing Raj of something he wouldn't already know. But he's probably making an effort to also educate the Indian public on the political machinations/endgames taking place behind the scenes - most beyond Raj's control.
Rajdeep's piece also just reinforced the feeling that it seems to require a Maharashtrian (or several of them) of some stature to take an anti-Raj Thackeray stance in this matter, to make an impact. Never mind that those stances are few and far between; these days its the familiar, insecure, "yes (he's wrong), but (there's some validity to his point of view)" argument (Rajdeep being one of the few exceptions) that other prominent Maharashtrians have been spouting. They're just riding both directions of traffic on the political highway.
The sad/crazy aspect to all this is that - by Raj's (and by extension the larger Thackeray family) definition, with the tacit approval of the 'yes-but' arguers, a Mumbaikar who is not a Maharashtrian by last name, but was born, and has lived in Mumbai now for several decades is an "outsider" and a new born Maharashtrian baby in a remote corner of Maharashtra is an "insider". That is so convoluted that even Raj cannot obviously believe in it.
I pity those Maharashtrians and non-Maharashtrians who actually do believe it.
Monday, October 20, 2008
$4 - Part III
... And it's now down to $3.29 or lower. Dropping real fast. Gas is cheaper because demand is down. If its cheaper, people can fill up more now. Will demand stay down? Will prices keep dropping?
More importantly though, why do I care so much anyways? That is: besides feeling threatened by the fact that my reasons for my being all-uppity at those who didn't make fuel-efficiency considerations when purchasing their personal transportation options, is under some danger?
Ok, I sort of answered that rhetorically or something. I'd say that, while the "moral" high ground is still intact (for all its usual hypocritical worth, which is basically zero - plus it pisses off other people as well), its the economic high ground that is sort of lowered at the moment, i.e. no longer can I run around saying "Hah! Hah!" to those driving gas guzzlers.
Fear not though.
Why? Is it because I expect demand to go up again and hence the prices? Is it because I believe this is only a temporary dip in consumption?
No. Because I'll find several umpteen other reasons to feel all-uppity anyway. It's in my nature. It's what I do.
More importantly though, why do I care so much anyways? That is: besides feeling threatened by the fact that my reasons for my being all-uppity at those who didn't make fuel-efficiency considerations when purchasing their personal transportation options, is under some danger?
Ok, I sort of answered that rhetorically or something. I'd say that, while the "moral" high ground is still intact (for all its usual hypocritical worth, which is basically zero - plus it pisses off other people as well), its the economic high ground that is sort of lowered at the moment, i.e. no longer can I run around saying "Hah! Hah!" to those driving gas guzzlers.
Fear not though.
Why? Is it because I expect demand to go up again and hence the prices? Is it because I believe this is only a temporary dip in consumption?
No. Because I'll find several umpteen other reasons to feel all-uppity anyway. It's in my nature. It's what I do.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Same old, same old
... gets up in the morning and says, "Man! There's a whole lot of sh*t going on and somebody needs to do something about it!"
He's been saying the same sh*t day after day, year after year. He said that same sh*t when he was in school. He said the same sh*t in college. He said the same sh*t as he got dressed in his suit for that big interview with that big firm that sucked people's blood and mis-managed their life-savings. He said the same thing as an executive while continuing that profitable mis-management for that firm.
He said the same thing when he fed the birds on Sunday mornings. He said the same thing to his old friends. He said the same thing when he prayed.
He said the same thing to his kids; the same thing the day after he retired, the day he donated 200 bucks to charity.
Until he stopped saying it anymore.
He's you. He's me.
He's been saying the same sh*t day after day, year after year. He said that same sh*t when he was in school. He said the same sh*t in college. He said the same sh*t as he got dressed in his suit for that big interview with that big firm that sucked people's blood and mis-managed their life-savings. He said the same thing as an executive while continuing that profitable mis-management for that firm.
He said the same thing when he fed the birds on Sunday mornings. He said the same thing to his old friends. He said the same thing when he prayed.
He said the same thing to his kids; the same thing the day after he retired, the day he donated 200 bucks to charity.
Until he stopped saying it anymore.
He's you. He's me.
Lunch box blues
I don't pack lunch from home to take to work. I buy it.
The last week or so - I got used to bringing lunch from home. Home cooked lunch. Tasty and wholesome. Not cooked by me. My mother-in-law's visiting us.
Today I forgot to bring it with me. I realized that I hadn't half-way to work. And work is not close-by. I almost turned around to go back and pick it up. I didn't though.
I'm at work now. Still bothers me that I forgot to bring my lunch - it was packed and ready for me.
The last time I remember being bothered about not bringing my lunch from home was back in the 7th Standard (i.e. 7th grade).
The last week or so - I got used to bringing lunch from home. Home cooked lunch. Tasty and wholesome. Not cooked by me. My mother-in-law's visiting us.
Today I forgot to bring it with me. I realized that I hadn't half-way to work. And work is not close-by. I almost turned around to go back and pick it up. I didn't though.
I'm at work now. Still bothers me that I forgot to bring my lunch - it was packed and ready for me.
The last time I remember being bothered about not bringing my lunch from home was back in the 7th Standard (i.e. 7th grade).
Sunday, September 14, 2008
More on flat worlds
Tom Friedman continues to churn out books about what the world is going to look like. I suppose he should be commended for being prolific. Can't comment too much on the quality of the content he produces in his books though. I haven't actually read any of his books. But, I do read his columns on NYTimes sometimes. I used to read back before the whole Iraq war marching drums started rolling . And then for some reason, he jumped on the Iraq war bandwagon and the fact that it was the right thing to do and it was absolutely necessary (discussed here earlier).
What does that say aboutFriedman's ability (or lack thereof) to make sense from nonsense - is really up to whoever cares a sh*t to judge.
But he's out now with another book. This one apparently drubs on about how the green revolution will be the next big industrial revolution of-sorts, the next technology driver, the next culmination of all known/hoped/wished-for messianic movements and events all wrapped into one (including the love children of Gandhi and Mandela, marrying those of MLK, and JFK before finally being crowned kings and/or queens of Mother Earth).
Slate's got a review of this one. Clearly, the man loves jumping onto the latest bandwagon - no matter what it be. Whether it's for the war when it was popular, before going against it when it was unpopular. Gotta love a weathervane.
What does that say aboutFriedman's ability (or lack thereof) to make sense from nonsense - is really up to whoever cares a sh*t to judge.
But he's out now with another book. This one apparently drubs on about how the green revolution will be the next big industrial revolution of-sorts, the next technology driver, the next culmination of all known/hoped/wished-for messianic movements and events all wrapped into one (including the love children of Gandhi and Mandela, marrying those of MLK, and JFK before finally being crowned kings and/or queens of Mother Earth).
Slate's got a review of this one. Clearly, the man loves jumping onto the latest bandwagon - no matter what it be. Whether it's for the war when it was popular, before going against it when it was unpopular. Gotta love a weathervane.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
$4 - Part II
And it's not $4 anymore for a gallon of gas. Where I'm at - its down to $3.69 or lower.
Which means, the f***ing SUV drivers have been handed a reprieve. Slowly but surely, if I may say so, speeding is back in vogue on the interstate. It's not so bad though I'm personally saving about $3.50 each time I get a refill. That comes to about $14 a month that I'm actually "getting back" from the pump! (As opposed to what I was getting back a couple of months ago - nothing really but hope that consumption habits would finally change!)
Woohoo!
And if I'm getting back enough to buy a quarter cup of coffee at Starbucks (not that they'd sell coffee for/at that size), imagine what the SUV drivers are getting back from the pump?!
You know what folks?! It's your reward for sticking by your gas guzzler through the bad times (even if you felt the need real bad to dump that fat, hi-maintenance, bitch recently!). You did the right thing. Here - go have yourself a BigMac Value Meal. Make sure you drink Diet soda though. I hear the regular stuff can make you fat and sick and stuff.
And all that money that people have been "getting back" these last couple of weeks must be great for the economy too. I mean, instead of having to spend it all on gas and then trying to save elsewhere by not splurging on expensive food, clothes, home improvement, a fresh new set of underwear - I can actually use some of that new money on the very things I've been staying away from - and on gas as well. And here's the best part - the more I spend on gas, the more I'm going to get back. F***ing beautiful!
Which means, the f***ing SUV drivers have been handed a reprieve. Slowly but surely, if I may say so, speeding is back in vogue on the interstate. It's not so bad though I'm personally saving about $3.50 each time I get a refill. That comes to about $14 a month that I'm actually "getting back" from the pump! (As opposed to what I was getting back a couple of months ago - nothing really but hope that consumption habits would finally change!)
Woohoo!
And if I'm getting back enough to buy a quarter cup of coffee at Starbucks (not that they'd sell coffee for/at that size), imagine what the SUV drivers are getting back from the pump?!
You know what folks?! It's your reward for sticking by your gas guzzler through the bad times (even if you felt the need real bad to dump that fat, hi-maintenance, bitch recently!). You did the right thing. Here - go have yourself a BigMac Value Meal. Make sure you drink Diet soda though. I hear the regular stuff can make you fat and sick and stuff.
And all that money that people have been "getting back" these last couple of weeks must be great for the economy too. I mean, instead of having to spend it all on gas and then trying to save elsewhere by not splurging on expensive food, clothes, home improvement, a fresh new set of underwear - I can actually use some of that new money on the very things I've been staying away from - and on gas as well. And here's the best part - the more I spend on gas, the more I'm going to get back. F***ing beautiful!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Who's side are you on?
Life moves along. There's money to be earned. Food needs to be put on the table. Mouths need to be fed. Babies need to be shushed - and put to bed.
For now, the mother nation (India, for me) mulls recent events. As always, thoughts and discussions have veered towards who supplies the folks within with ammunition/ bomb material to express their sentiments. Sentiments arising perhaps from displeasure at past grievances/crimes. Perhaps from interpretations of whatever it is that they believe in (for e.g. "its time to send society back into the stone age"). There's time for all that. But, more than ever - or once again, it's time to think about actions and consequences.
Sure, when you're competing for resources, its consequences on your side that matter more than reactions from the other side, i.e. those you compete with. So you don't really care about reactions from others then.
But it's time to the take the competition more seriously.
Make no mistake, with people its always "our side" and "their side". For a large section of Indians, partly frustrated by years of competition for resources and brainwashed by people who've smartly learned to play on their frustrations, its mostly Hindus and Muslims on opposing sides. And it's always been a matter of teaching the other side a lesson. (What that lesson really is however escapes me.)
In Gujarat, for the past few years, one side has been practicing a strategy of inculcating respect from the other side largely through fear. A respect that has led to an uneasy peace. Life has had to move along. It's back to bread and butter: earning money, feeding kids, watching cricket and senseless film songs and dances. There's never any choice (especially with those songs).
And then, a weekend came along and someone pissed all over the uneasy pax. Maybe people will start taking the competition more seriously now. But maybe people also need to figure out who and what the competition is. Especially, if the "other side" has already been cowered into a corner after presumably having been taught a lesson.
The whole, insane, "us and them" exercises have gone on for too long. It's time to recalibrate and choose new players to crush.
For now, the mother nation (India, for me) mulls recent events. As always, thoughts and discussions have veered towards who supplies the folks within with ammunition/ bomb material to express their sentiments. Sentiments arising perhaps from displeasure at past grievances/crimes. Perhaps from interpretations of whatever it is that they believe in (for e.g. "its time to send society back into the stone age"). There's time for all that. But, more than ever - or once again, it's time to think about actions and consequences.
Sure, when you're competing for resources, its consequences on your side that matter more than reactions from the other side, i.e. those you compete with. So you don't really care about reactions from others then.
But it's time to the take the competition more seriously.
Make no mistake, with people its always "our side" and "their side". For a large section of Indians, partly frustrated by years of competition for resources and brainwashed by people who've smartly learned to play on their frustrations, its mostly Hindus and Muslims on opposing sides. And it's always been a matter of teaching the other side a lesson. (What that lesson really is however escapes me.)
In Gujarat, for the past few years, one side has been practicing a strategy of inculcating respect from the other side largely through fear. A respect that has led to an uneasy peace. Life has had to move along. It's back to bread and butter: earning money, feeding kids, watching cricket and senseless film songs and dances. There's never any choice (especially with those songs).
And then, a weekend came along and someone pissed all over the uneasy pax. Maybe people will start taking the competition more seriously now. But maybe people also need to figure out who and what the competition is. Especially, if the "other side" has already been cowered into a corner after presumably having been taught a lesson.
The whole, insane, "us and them" exercises have gone on for too long. It's time to recalibrate and choose new players to crush.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
No... Please... Don't ...
The thing with blogs, for me, is that anyone with a semi-intelligent thought thinks they can and should blog/ write.
And thats a good thing and a bad thing. More often than not - it's a bad thing.
A friend of mine had similar thoughts about blogs and bloggers. She blogs/writes regularly - her blog being one of the few sites that I visit often enough and that I am happy to in the knowledge that I know the person behind the words. (Ok. Ok. Let's not go into what does "know a person" really mean.)
And off late, I've decided that I tend to agree with her. Sure, it's elitist to think that others shouldn't blog. And I hate to think I'm an elitist myself (I have the denial thing down pat, you see).
But I didn't always think that way before. I believed in the therapeutic abilities of writing and writing often. Perhaps still do. If people open up - maybe they can deal with their inner conflicts more rationally. Maybe they can deal with the stress of daily lives a little bit more easily. By writing a blog and letting people read what I've written, maybe it gives me a chance to let others learn something about me, as much as reading their blogs gives me a chance to learn about them.
So what if their blogs sound like the ruminations of a half-wit. So what if its so very painful to read them walk you through their most recent epiphany or self-realization (OK - so they're kinda the same thing - but what the heck!). And by painful - I don't mean in some emotional, "I feel your pain" kind of way - but painful as in "How is it even possible someone to write this crap?" way. And if I don't like what I see, I can choose to not go to their websites and ridicule their writing abilities and their acumen any more. That sounds simple - and fair.
But where's the fun in that? We've all grown up believing that the world is one unfair place - with one put-down after another lined up for us day after day after... Which makes it doubly fun to visit a half-wit's up and running blog and mock it - even if its to yourself. Nothing feels better after a put-down, than picking on someone else. I feel better after feeding the birds once in a while. And I feel better after putting someone down. It doesn't matter how I feel better - as long as I do.
I think it's OK to write. But if its on a blog, then its on there because you want others to read it. The "others" therefore are free to make up their own minds. If I don't like the way you write - I could choose to not visit it and ridicule it and enjoy putting you down to make up for my own insufficiences.
Or you could choose to not put it out there for me to read.
There. I just walked you through my most recent epiphany. That felt good. I feel better already.
And thats a good thing and a bad thing. More often than not - it's a bad thing.
A friend of mine had similar thoughts about blogs and bloggers. She blogs/writes regularly - her blog being one of the few sites that I visit often enough and that I am happy to in the knowledge that I know the person behind the words. (Ok. Ok. Let's not go into what does "know a person" really mean.)
And off late, I've decided that I tend to agree with her. Sure, it's elitist to think that others shouldn't blog. And I hate to think I'm an elitist myself (I have the denial thing down pat, you see).
But I didn't always think that way before. I believed in the therapeutic abilities of writing and writing often. Perhaps still do. If people open up - maybe they can deal with their inner conflicts more rationally. Maybe they can deal with the stress of daily lives a little bit more easily. By writing a blog and letting people read what I've written, maybe it gives me a chance to let others learn something about me, as much as reading their blogs gives me a chance to learn about them.
So what if their blogs sound like the ruminations of a half-wit. So what if its so very painful to read them walk you through their most recent epiphany or self-realization (OK - so they're kinda the same thing - but what the heck!). And by painful - I don't mean in some emotional, "I feel your pain" kind of way - but painful as in "How is it even possible someone to write this crap?" way. And if I don't like what I see, I can choose to not go to their websites and ridicule their writing abilities and their acumen any more. That sounds simple - and fair.
But where's the fun in that? We've all grown up believing that the world is one unfair place - with one put-down after another lined up for us day after day after... Which makes it doubly fun to visit a half-wit's up and running blog and mock it - even if its to yourself. Nothing feels better after a put-down, than picking on someone else. I feel better after feeding the birds once in a while. And I feel better after putting someone down. It doesn't matter how I feel better - as long as I do.
I think it's OK to write. But if its on a blog, then its on there because you want others to read it. The "others" therefore are free to make up their own minds. If I don't like the way you write - I could choose to not visit it and ridicule it and enjoy putting you down to make up for my own insufficiences.
Or you could choose to not put it out there for me to read.
There. I just walked you through my most recent epiphany. That felt good. I feel better already.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
What's a meltdown?
... You ask?
According to dictionary.com it is:
"...the melting of a significant portion of a nuclear-reactor core due to inadequate cooling of the fuel elements, a condition that could lead to the escape of radiation."
Well. Now that that query has been answered have you got any more for me?
Why is your blog called "The Meltdown Chronicles"? (It's also a bit too pompous for me if I might add!)
Thats a very good question. So I guess pompous names for blogs are out, coz they're aren't all that cool anymore. It's also not very original - I searched and found several blogs that have the same title. I guess I really couldn't really think up a better one for now.
There were the usual names that I wrote on the back of paper napkins at CupAJoe - things I thought could work as sweet blog titles/names. But, I don't know where those napkins are at this moment. Probably in a landfill in Raleigh somewhere. The point being - I guess I could have thought of something better.
Then again, there just might be something of a meltdown in relation to me that would make this title somehow seem appropriate. Originally, I thought I'd be documenting some kind of downward spiral into further depravity, dementia, and stuff like that. Somehow, I've always found those conditions to be glamorous - that my life can be explained away by the spectacular nature of its failure and the depths to which it falls using those aforementioned conditions.
But the way things are going, I don't think that fate awaits me just yet. Instead, the more likely outcome is just an eventual realization that there will be no meltdown. There will be just this slow and steady slide to mediocrity in my hopes, my dreams, and my expectations - especially those of myself. Sort of like being stuck on a ledge on the vertical face of a mountain, just big enough so I can park myself here for a long while without falling off the edge anytime soon, but far enough from the top that I won't be attempting to make my way up for fear of slipping and sliding down all the way.
I'm not making any sense am I?!
Did I tell you I'm into alcohol these days?
According to dictionary.com it is:
"...the melting of a significant portion of a nuclear-reactor core due to inadequate cooling of the fuel elements, a condition that could lead to the escape of radiation."
Well. Now that that query has been answered have you got any more for me?
Why is your blog called "The Meltdown Chronicles"? (It's also a bit too pompous for me if I might add!)
Thats a very good question. So I guess pompous names for blogs are out, coz they're aren't all that cool anymore. It's also not very original - I searched and found several blogs that have the same title. I guess I really couldn't really think up a better one for now.
There were the usual names that I wrote on the back of paper napkins at CupAJoe - things I thought could work as sweet blog titles/names. But, I don't know where those napkins are at this moment. Probably in a landfill in Raleigh somewhere. The point being - I guess I could have thought of something better.
Then again, there just might be something of a meltdown in relation to me that would make this title somehow seem appropriate. Originally, I thought I'd be documenting some kind of downward spiral into further depravity, dementia, and stuff like that. Somehow, I've always found those conditions to be glamorous - that my life can be explained away by the spectacular nature of its failure and the depths to which it falls using those aforementioned conditions.
But the way things are going, I don't think that fate awaits me just yet. Instead, the more likely outcome is just an eventual realization that there will be no meltdown. There will be just this slow and steady slide to mediocrity in my hopes, my dreams, and my expectations - especially those of myself. Sort of like being stuck on a ledge on the vertical face of a mountain, just big enough so I can park myself here for a long while without falling off the edge anytime soon, but far enough from the top that I won't be attempting to make my way up for fear of slipping and sliding down all the way.
I'm not making any sense am I?!
Did I tell you I'm into alcohol these days?
Friday, June 06, 2008
Not Spanish is he?!
It's been a while since I've blogged. I've even forgotten how to do it. Not that I wrote anything of significance before anyways.
I guess its customary to apologize for absences. And I'll pretend I've had an audience that cared to visit my blog on the by and by and look it over for any new spiel, and who may have been affected (mostly positively I fear) by my hiatus. To them I apologize from the bottom of my heart. You chose to waste your precious free time by visiting my site - and then to your disappointment, ended up wasting a portion of your precious free time in looking for and not finding anything to waste it on. And that's criminal.
Conan O Brien's "Late Night with Conan O Brien" has a recurring segment called "Frankenstein wastes a minute of your time". Yeah well - "The Meltdown Chronicles" tries and wastes your time too. Except its not quite in the class as "Late Night with Conan O' Brien". But then - you've got to aim high - and you've also got to start somewhere - even if its a rather low place to start from.
Unlike me though, Raoul not only aims high(er), but sits on a higher plane to most us anyways. Already, he stands much taller than95 99% of humanity (not neessarily a substantiated claim), as those of us who know him, or at least have seen him, will attest to. He's also just as taller , figuratively speaking, on account of his writing.
But if I have to nitpick (and since I can't help myself from doing so - I will do so) - there are two things going against him sadly.
The first is that, although he blogs a lot more frequently than say - someone like me - he's still not as prolific as he could/should be. Which means, not all your visits to his site are equally well-wasted. Not unless you don't mind re-reading his older material. I'm a fan of re-visitations myself actually - books, movies, music albums, googling for pictures of ex-flames, etc.. So - well - this one thing is not really half as bad as it could be.
The second (and far more graver) charge against Raoul is that his blog wastes your time almost too well. It's the quality of his writing. The whole wasting your time experience borders on not being wasted at all. And to me thats very sneaky.
I mean - here I am, not really minding my own business, trying to waste my time. But then, after visiting his blog and reading his latest material - I end up with this feeling somewhere deep inside that somehow I didn't actually waste my time on his blog. Because, I actually enjoyed my time reading through it.
Anyways - my point is - thats sneaky, Raoul. Very sneaky.
Give me back my precious free time so I can actually waste it - you bastard.
I guess its customary to apologize for absences. And I'll pretend I've had an audience that cared to visit my blog on the by and by and look it over for any new spiel, and who may have been affected (mostly positively I fear) by my hiatus. To them I apologize from the bottom of my heart. You chose to waste your precious free time by visiting my site - and then to your disappointment, ended up wasting a portion of your precious free time in looking for and not finding anything to waste it on. And that's criminal.
Conan O Brien's "Late Night with Conan O Brien" has a recurring segment called "Frankenstein wastes a minute of your time". Yeah well - "The Meltdown Chronicles" tries and wastes your time too. Except its not quite in the class as "Late Night with Conan O' Brien". But then - you've got to aim high - and you've also got to start somewhere - even if its a rather low place to start from.
Unlike me though, Raoul not only aims high(er), but sits on a higher plane to most us anyways. Already, he stands much taller than
But if I have to nitpick (and since I can't help myself from doing so - I will do so) - there are two things going against him sadly.
The first is that, although he blogs a lot more frequently than say - someone like me - he's still not as prolific as he could/should be. Which means, not all your visits to his site are equally well-wasted. Not unless you don't mind re-reading his older material. I'm a fan of re-visitations myself actually - books, movies, music albums, googling for pictures of ex-flames, etc.. So - well - this one thing is not really half as bad as it could be.
The second (and far more graver) charge against Raoul is that his blog wastes your time almost too well. It's the quality of his writing. The whole wasting your time experience borders on not being wasted at all. And to me thats very sneaky.
I mean - here I am, not really minding my own business, trying to waste my time. But then, after visiting his blog and reading his latest material - I end up with this feeling somewhere deep inside that somehow I didn't actually waste my time on his blog. Because, I actually enjoyed my time reading through it.
Anyways - my point is - thats sneaky, Raoul. Very sneaky.
Give me back my precious free time so I can actually waste it - you bastard.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Lap Timing
I wonder who gave the idea to the Tibetans to launch their agitation against China a few months before the Olympics are scheduled to commence in Beijing.
It truly was/is fantastic timing.
Wonder if the Indians had something to do with it. Perhaps they gently prodded the Tibetan refugees (largely settled in India) that this was as good a time as there ever was. The world will be watching unlike these past several decades when they didn't give a f**k (as usual).
The Commonwealth Gamhes are to be held in Delhi in 2010. Will China return the favour? Could they end up prodding Pakistan to prod the Kashmiris into organizing protests and as such, cause some serious embarrassment to the central Indian government?
Are Tibet and Kashmir even related in any way?
Perhaps China's problem is that its rise coincides a little with the fall of eminence of some parts of the West. The West does express itself a lot though, doesn't it!? And not all of it is necessarily introspective. According to those representing the West, their slowdowns in economic growth (read obesity) are largely the fault of oil-starved China and India who seemingly want to strip the Earth bare and leave nothing for our fat brethren due somewhere West. Obviously, China and India wish to deprive the vibrant West, particularly America, of its rightful consumption of stupendous amounts of energy.
And while the Western xenophobe loudmouths keep ranting away, the Chinese xenophobe loudmouths remain largely quiet. It may have something to do with the lack of freedom to freely express themselves about political matters in general. It may also have to do with the fact that not all of those Chinese loudmouths who do have official sanction to fire away are fluent in English. Or French. Or German. Or Redneck for that matter.
They did have a lot to say about Mr. Spielberg though. Yup - that's right - Steven Spielberg. Apparently, he was part of the Beijing Olympic committee. Sometime ago, he decided to resign from whatever capacity he seemed to be working in. It was admirable, righteous and courageous - all at the same time. You've got to agree with him that the Chinese were wrong to not interfere in Sudan to help put an end to the genocide (which was his stated reason for resigning from being involved with Beijing 2008). It's natural for the Chinese to get pissed off at Spielberg for his principled stance. They don't care about people dying anyways. Not like the West does.
Of course, Spielberg doesn't have to defend his reasons for not "pulling out" of the United States after the USA declared war on Iraq on the basis of fabricated evidence, i.e. lies. He also does not have to defend US foreign policy of propping up brutal regimes such as the Saudis and the Pakistani military (until recently), rescued the Kuwaiti autocratic regime, helped arm to the teeth Afghan militia and also (surprise! surprise!) does not interfere in Sudan on humanitarian basis. And he absolutely does not even have to defend his joining up with the Chinese in the first place for Beijing'08, despite perhaps being aware of their excellent human rights record (in particular their lovely restraint at Tiananmen Square). How dare you suggest that Steven Spielberg take a moral stand on that issue as well? He's Spielberg man!
There is a moral at the end of it all, certainly for India (and perhaps for most other developing nations around the world):
Don't bother hosting the Olympics, India. It's just a monumental waste. Not because everyone thinks you are poor and stuff, and that your air and water is so very dirty and polluted. Not just because it would be a perfect excuse for eminent Western economists to allude to that endearing, oft-repeated stat of mysterious, mythological origins that more than 50% of India still lives on less than a dollar a day and yet they wish to spend billions of dollars in hosting the Olympics. Especially not because they think:
"C'mon now! This has gone on for too long. What's with you hosting the Olympics and all? Shouldn't you be out begging on the streets, speaking in your funny accents and smelling funky? Besides, what do you expect us to do when we get there? You seriously don't expect us to sleep in thatched huts in the monsoon and crap in the open fields, like the rest of you, with those snakes and man-eating tigers around, do you?! And anyways, I'd hate to have a tiger pounce on me when I'm in such a compromising position. That's some scary sh*t!"
No. The number one reason why you shouldn't bother holding the Olympics India...
Ya obviously don't care enough about it to win a frikkin' medal!
It truly was/is fantastic timing.
Wonder if the Indians had something to do with it. Perhaps they gently prodded the Tibetan refugees (largely settled in India) that this was as good a time as there ever was. The world will be watching unlike these past several decades when they didn't give a f**k (as usual).
The Commonwealth Gamhes are to be held in Delhi in 2010. Will China return the favour? Could they end up prodding Pakistan to prod the Kashmiris into organizing protests and as such, cause some serious embarrassment to the central Indian government?
Are Tibet and Kashmir even related in any way?
Perhaps China's problem is that its rise coincides a little with the fall of eminence of some parts of the West. The West does express itself a lot though, doesn't it!? And not all of it is necessarily introspective. According to those representing the West, their slowdowns in economic growth (read obesity) are largely the fault of oil-starved China and India who seemingly want to strip the Earth bare and leave nothing for our fat brethren due somewhere West. Obviously, China and India wish to deprive the vibrant West, particularly America, of its rightful consumption of stupendous amounts of energy.
And while the Western xenophobe loudmouths keep ranting away, the Chinese xenophobe loudmouths remain largely quiet. It may have something to do with the lack of freedom to freely express themselves about political matters in general. It may also have to do with the fact that not all of those Chinese loudmouths who do have official sanction to fire away are fluent in English. Or French. Or German. Or Redneck for that matter.
They did have a lot to say about Mr. Spielberg though. Yup - that's right - Steven Spielberg. Apparently, he was part of the Beijing Olympic committee. Sometime ago, he decided to resign from whatever capacity he seemed to be working in. It was admirable, righteous and courageous - all at the same time. You've got to agree with him that the Chinese were wrong to not interfere in Sudan to help put an end to the genocide (which was his stated reason for resigning from being involved with Beijing 2008). It's natural for the Chinese to get pissed off at Spielberg for his principled stance. They don't care about people dying anyways. Not like the West does.
Of course, Spielberg doesn't have to defend his reasons for not "pulling out" of the United States after the USA declared war on Iraq on the basis of fabricated evidence, i.e. lies. He also does not have to defend US foreign policy of propping up brutal regimes such as the Saudis and the Pakistani military (until recently), rescued the Kuwaiti autocratic regime, helped arm to the teeth Afghan militia and also (surprise! surprise!) does not interfere in Sudan on humanitarian basis. And he absolutely does not even have to defend his joining up with the Chinese in the first place for Beijing'08, despite perhaps being aware of their excellent human rights record (in particular their lovely restraint at Tiananmen Square). How dare you suggest that Steven Spielberg take a moral stand on that issue as well? He's Spielberg man!
There is a moral at the end of it all, certainly for India (and perhaps for most other developing nations around the world):
Don't bother hosting the Olympics, India. It's just a monumental waste. Not because everyone thinks you are poor and stuff, and that your air and water is so very dirty and polluted. Not just because it would be a perfect excuse for eminent Western economists to allude to that endearing, oft-repeated stat of mysterious, mythological origins that more than 50% of India still lives on less than a dollar a day and yet they wish to spend billions of dollars in hosting the Olympics. Especially not because they think:
"C'mon now! This has gone on for too long. What's with you hosting the Olympics and all? Shouldn't you be out begging on the streets, speaking in your funny accents and smelling funky? Besides, what do you expect us to do when we get there? You seriously don't expect us to sleep in thatched huts in the monsoon and crap in the open fields, like the rest of you, with those snakes and man-eating tigers around, do you?! And anyways, I'd hate to have a tiger pounce on me when I'm in such a compromising position. That's some scary sh*t!"
No. The number one reason why you shouldn't bother holding the Olympics India...
Ya obviously don't care enough about it to win a frikkin' medal!
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