Lasantha Wickrematunge, wrote this piece in the Sri Lankan news magazine The Sunday Leader shortly before he was shot dead by assailants on his way to work on January 8, 2009. He was the editor of the magazine.
I unfortunately never heard of him and the enormous risks he took while he was alive. It was only after his death that I came to know of him and his work. People, like Lasantha, devoted to their duty above all else are extremely rare. Especially when they are ordinary folks like you and me.
Investigative journalism in the sub-continent is a very dangerous profession. While Sri Lanka seems to have an abysmal record in taking care of its journalists, other countries in the region do not fare too much better. In India, what passes off for journalism in most newspapers and news channels, is just farce, focused as it is largely on celebrities and sensationalism as an end in itself. News magazines like Tehelka are some of the few remaining bastions of true reporting in India. They may not always be right, but they fight hard to expose the truth to the public, especially in those circumstances where it has been forcibly kept under wraps. They provide us with a mirror with which to look into ourselves as a society, culture, country and citizen of the world.
In several countries, including democracies, those who report against the existing powers of the day constantly live under the threat of some sort of retaliation by those powers. Most will find it impossible to continue working under those potentially life-threatening circumstances - and rightly so too. To those few who, inspite of the risks, strive to bring us the truth, and not farce - we owe a lot.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Friday, January 09, 2009
I get knocked down...
"For sure, I am going to lose matches, but I am never going to quit." (Somdev Devvarman, 2 time NCAA mens tennis champion, after his victory over Carlos Moya in the Chennai Open 2009 round of 16.)
Monday, January 05, 2009
What after Mumbai? (Part II)
It is possible that the terrorists who staged the Mumbai attacks of November 2008 had anticipated the numerous potential consequences/fallouts of the attacks, were they to be successful. Several of those consequences may have been intended too (otherwise why carry them out - right!?). Some of the many that have been bandied about since then include: a.) destroying the so-called India-Pakistan "peace process", perhaps igniting a war between the two nuclear neighbors as well, b.) putting the brakes on India's rapid economic growth, c.) sowing even further communal disharmony within India, d.) further weakening Pakistan's democratically elected government, e.) trying out terror strategies in India to be applied elsewhere, f.) replacing Al Qaeda as the numero uno Islamic terrorist group operating in the sub-con, etc. ,
The impact however on Indian society is what we need to be most concerned about.
1. Further communal divide is probably inevitable in the short term:
India should be most concerned about the potential for further divisions being created between Muslims and non-Muslims. There is already a fair degree of polarization primarily between Hindus and Muslims. There is a general perception among non-Muslims that, Muslims, as a community have until now reacted only halfheartedly to the cause of tackling religious extremism. While the presence of any truth in that perception is highly debatable , that the perception exists and won't be going away soon is itself is a major sticking point going ahead.
The Mumbai attacks will in the short term exacerbate this communal divide. All of this can only mean further marginalization of a large percentage of Indian Muslims from the mainstream. This is bad news for a community already suffering from a fair degree of alienation within India; both of the self-imposed kind, in their reticence to adopting modernity, as well as, of the discriminatory kind practiced by their biased countrymen.
A polarized society to some extent is also ideal in the eyes of rightwing nationalists and religious extremists including and especially folks like Narendra Modi, and hardline conservative Muslim organizations, in their quest for becoming prominent national players. Rightwing Hindu nationalists, not content with pogroms such as Gujarat 2002, have also been indulging in terrorism of their own kind purportedly in response to Islamic terrorism. Some commentators have called this vigilantism but as it still involves the murder of innocents - it's just plain terrorism according to me. Investigations by the Mumbai ATS (Anti-Terrorist Squad) recently unearthed that some recently unexplained bomb blasts, most notably Malegaon, were plotted by right-wing Hindus, and the participants included, among others, ex-Indian military personnel. These were previously blamed on Muslim organizations and/or the Interservices Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan's notorious intelligence agency.
It also didn't help matters much when the ATS officer (Hemant Karkare) leading this investigation was scorned by rightwing Hindu parties for pursuing Hindu extremists, leading many Muslims to suspect a conspiracy behind his subsequent tragic killing along with those of two other police officers in a shootout early during the Mumbai terrorist attacks. That such absurd conspiracies can actually gain some credibility (expressed even at a governmental level - read A. R. Antulay) is a testimony to how little trust there exists in the impartiality of law and order enforcement in India.
2. Moderate Muslims will be more vocal:
These events and possible consequences have not escaped the notice of Indian Muslims as well. They have been hitherto silent - perhaps reluctant to voice their opinions denoucing extremism of all sorts, particularly the ones linked to Islam because of the reaction of very vocal loudmouth religious Muslim conservatives. Now is the opportunity to make themselves heard more clearly, as they are They're probably getting sicker by the day because of a.) the hijacking of their religion by brainwashed, mostly uneducated crazies around the world but particularly in India, and b.) the profiling and some discriminations they face in many places by virtue of their last names (analogous to the racial profiling and discriminations African Americans sometimes face in largely Caucasian i.e. white neighborhoods, and c.). the constant need for them to make a show of their patriotism and mainstream credentials. Expect more of them to speak out. The rise of the moderates will be crucial in averting direct confrontation between communities.
3. Elites just realized that they're just like the rest of us:
It is clear that elite Mumbaiites had believed themselves to be generally much safer when compared to the rest of the city/country, being dissociated from the bomb blasts ordinary Mumbaikars and Indian citizens as a whole had been subjected to all year. They probably thought they lived in a different country altogether. The Mumbai attacks may have changed that to some degree. The same elites who have remained largely silent and detached, are now at the forefront of social activism, loudly demanding better security and governance. While this new found awareness does reek of hypocrisy of sorts, it is critical to bringing about the necessary improvements in governance. That is because this group is highly influential, being either famous or rich or both. (The celebrity obsessed 24/7 news media outliets in India clearly lap up and continuously replay anything these guys say.) This may easily be one of the more positive fallouts of the Mumbai attacks. However, it remains to be seen if their new found political activism is shortlived or not.
4. Urban India - Middle class meltdown?:
The urban middle class however will continue to do what they have been doing all this while - trying to live quiet, decent lives in spite of being surrounded by increasing despair about the inability to control anything in their lives in any substantial fashion. As if they weren't suffering enough already because of poor governance, overcrowding of their cities, dismal infrastructure and facilities, rampant corruption at all levels, communalism, near-constant fear of war, current economic depression, etc. The fear now that they aren't even safe in their own homes will just make general stress levels go through the roof. Folks will start breaking down far more often. A new generation of children will grow up having watched those 3 days of continuous TV coverage of a horrific terrorist attack on their country/city. The impact this could have on their impressionable minds is impossible to predict.
How important national security is to the general populace will be more quantifiably determined from the results of the upcoming national elections due anytime soon. So far terrorist attacks have largely affected the urban populace. It's difficult to image the rural population being too concerned with problems faced by big cities, especially when these big city residents can hardly be bothered to vote, much less spare a thought for the problems faced by the rural folks, and when rural India is faced with several problems of its own and where development has been percolating extremely slowly.
5. Possible watershed event?
Terrorist attacks in Indian cities have become common place. But as is frequently the case with humanity in general, and Indian society in particular, things have to get a whole lot worse to actually get better. The Mumbai attacks may have just made things a whole lot worse - surpassing the high tolerance, resignation and fatalism levels of Indian society. Indian society reacted this time by demanding government accountability and wholesale changes with immediate effect. They got it too. In the long term, it is highly likely that among the several hundred million deeply affected by these attacks, there will be some who will soon be in a position to effect large-scale improvements. There will also be still others who will be goaded out of their apathy and will end up participating in the political process to improve their security.
Fear can end up being a pretty good motivator after all.
But ultimately, no one really knows. We can only wait and see. And hope that after all this, things may just get better.
The impact however on Indian society is what we need to be most concerned about.
1. Further communal divide is probably inevitable in the short term:
India should be most concerned about the potential for further divisions being created between Muslims and non-Muslims. There is already a fair degree of polarization primarily between Hindus and Muslims. There is a general perception among non-Muslims that, Muslims, as a community have until now reacted only halfheartedly to the cause of tackling religious extremism. While the presence of any truth in that perception is highly debatable , that the perception exists and won't be going away soon is itself is a major sticking point going ahead.
The Mumbai attacks will in the short term exacerbate this communal divide. All of this can only mean further marginalization of a large percentage of Indian Muslims from the mainstream. This is bad news for a community already suffering from a fair degree of alienation within India; both of the self-imposed kind, in their reticence to adopting modernity, as well as, of the discriminatory kind practiced by their biased countrymen.
A polarized society to some extent is also ideal in the eyes of rightwing nationalists and religious extremists including and especially folks like Narendra Modi, and hardline conservative Muslim organizations, in their quest for becoming prominent national players. Rightwing Hindu nationalists, not content with pogroms such as Gujarat 2002, have also been indulging in terrorism of their own kind purportedly in response to Islamic terrorism. Some commentators have called this vigilantism but as it still involves the murder of innocents - it's just plain terrorism according to me. Investigations by the Mumbai ATS (Anti-Terrorist Squad) recently unearthed that some recently unexplained bomb blasts, most notably Malegaon, were plotted by right-wing Hindus, and the participants included, among others, ex-Indian military personnel. These were previously blamed on Muslim organizations and/or the Interservices Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan's notorious intelligence agency.
It also didn't help matters much when the ATS officer (Hemant Karkare) leading this investigation was scorned by rightwing Hindu parties for pursuing Hindu extremists, leading many Muslims to suspect a conspiracy behind his subsequent tragic killing along with those of two other police officers in a shootout early during the Mumbai terrorist attacks. That such absurd conspiracies can actually gain some credibility (expressed even at a governmental level - read A. R. Antulay) is a testimony to how little trust there exists in the impartiality of law and order enforcement in India.
2. Moderate Muslims will be more vocal:
These events and possible consequences have not escaped the notice of Indian Muslims as well. They have been hitherto silent - perhaps reluctant to voice their opinions denoucing extremism of all sorts, particularly the ones linked to Islam because of the reaction of very vocal loudmouth religious Muslim conservatives. Now is the opportunity to make themselves heard more clearly, as they are They're probably getting sicker by the day because of a.) the hijacking of their religion by brainwashed, mostly uneducated crazies around the world but particularly in India, and b.) the profiling and some discriminations they face in many places by virtue of their last names (analogous to the racial profiling and discriminations African Americans sometimes face in largely Caucasian i.e. white neighborhoods, and c.). the constant need for them to make a show of their patriotism and mainstream credentials. Expect more of them to speak out. The rise of the moderates will be crucial in averting direct confrontation between communities.
3. Elites just realized that they're just like the rest of us:
It is clear that elite Mumbaiites had believed themselves to be generally much safer when compared to the rest of the city/country, being dissociated from the bomb blasts ordinary Mumbaikars and Indian citizens as a whole had been subjected to all year. They probably thought they lived in a different country altogether. The Mumbai attacks may have changed that to some degree. The same elites who have remained largely silent and detached, are now at the forefront of social activism, loudly demanding better security and governance. While this new found awareness does reek of hypocrisy of sorts, it is critical to bringing about the necessary improvements in governance. That is because this group is highly influential, being either famous or rich or both. (The celebrity obsessed 24/7 news media outliets in India clearly lap up and continuously replay anything these guys say.) This may easily be one of the more positive fallouts of the Mumbai attacks. However, it remains to be seen if their new found political activism is shortlived or not.
4. Urban India - Middle class meltdown?:
The urban middle class however will continue to do what they have been doing all this while - trying to live quiet, decent lives in spite of being surrounded by increasing despair about the inability to control anything in their lives in any substantial fashion. As if they weren't suffering enough already because of poor governance, overcrowding of their cities, dismal infrastructure and facilities, rampant corruption at all levels, communalism, near-constant fear of war, current economic depression, etc. The fear now that they aren't even safe in their own homes will just make general stress levels go through the roof. Folks will start breaking down far more often. A new generation of children will grow up having watched those 3 days of continuous TV coverage of a horrific terrorist attack on their country/city. The impact this could have on their impressionable minds is impossible to predict.
How important national security is to the general populace will be more quantifiably determined from the results of the upcoming national elections due anytime soon. So far terrorist attacks have largely affected the urban populace. It's difficult to image the rural population being too concerned with problems faced by big cities, especially when these big city residents can hardly be bothered to vote, much less spare a thought for the problems faced by the rural folks, and when rural India is faced with several problems of its own and where development has been percolating extremely slowly.
5. Possible watershed event?
Terrorist attacks in Indian cities have become common place. But as is frequently the case with humanity in general, and Indian society in particular, things have to get a whole lot worse to actually get better. The Mumbai attacks may have just made things a whole lot worse - surpassing the high tolerance, resignation and fatalism levels of Indian society. Indian society reacted this time by demanding government accountability and wholesale changes with immediate effect. They got it too. In the long term, it is highly likely that among the several hundred million deeply affected by these attacks, there will be some who will soon be in a position to effect large-scale improvements. There will also be still others who will be goaded out of their apathy and will end up participating in the political process to improve their security.
Fear can end up being a pretty good motivator after all.
But ultimately, no one really knows. We can only wait and see. And hope that after all this, things may just get better.
Monday, December 29, 2008
What after Mumbai? Part I
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.
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.
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!
Thursday, November 15, 2007
A penny for...
My parents visited me recently. Sometimes, I saw my Dad just sitting on the sofa staring off into the distance through the large windows. I don't think he was looking at anything in particular. I do know that he was deep in thought. When he gets that way, I find myself overwhelmed with a whole lot of thoughts myself. I also feel sadness inside that I have trouble defining.
What's he's really thinking about? I have no idea. I have posed that question to him a few times. Each time, he turns towards me and flashes a warm, slightly guilty looking smile. He shakes his head and says, "No. Nothing. I'm not thinking about anything."
His response makes me feel somewhat less melancholy. I feel good about myself for having asked him to tell me what he seems to be preoccupied with. I let him know, in my own way, that I gave a damn. That I wanted to share his concerns if he so wanted it.
His response also makes me feel just a bit more sad. I don't know why. Why does the act of my parents gazing away into the emptiness make me sad? For all I know, they're probably happy and contented - now that my Dad's been semi-retired for a while now, and my Mom doesn't have young kids to look after. They have a lot more free time on their hands. Time enough for them to sit down and relax, watch TV, read their favorite books, travel a bit, do yoga every morning and go meet friends and family similarly unburdened with looking after thankless offspring 24/7.
Maybe.
Still. I can't seem to get over the sadness I feel. Especially when all they tell me is that it's nothing at all. Perhaps it's because their visit was too short and I wanted to spend more time with them. Perhaps it's because they're looking visibly older and more vulnerable with each passing year. Perhaps it's because of the guilt I feel for having left them back home by themselves - for not being around in their old age when they probably need me the most. Or perhaps seeing them deep in thought makes me feel that they're feeling the weight of many worries. Worries that I should have been able to ease somewhat by now but I have failed to do so. Perhaps it's all of these reasons put together. And I want to do something about it - if I only knew what.
My Dad saw me sitting quietly staring away into nothingness one evening. He asked me what I was thinking about. The irony didn't escape me. I took a couple of seconds to compose myself before I turned around to face him. I knew what to say - I had been learning from him apparently.
What's he's really thinking about? I have no idea. I have posed that question to him a few times. Each time, he turns towards me and flashes a warm, slightly guilty looking smile. He shakes his head and says, "No. Nothing. I'm not thinking about anything."
His response makes me feel somewhat less melancholy. I feel good about myself for having asked him to tell me what he seems to be preoccupied with. I let him know, in my own way, that I gave a damn. That I wanted to share his concerns if he so wanted it.
His response also makes me feel just a bit more sad. I don't know why. Why does the act of my parents gazing away into the emptiness make me sad? For all I know, they're probably happy and contented - now that my Dad's been semi-retired for a while now, and my Mom doesn't have young kids to look after. They have a lot more free time on their hands. Time enough for them to sit down and relax, watch TV, read their favorite books, travel a bit, do yoga every morning and go meet friends and family similarly unburdened with looking after thankless offspring 24/7.
Maybe.
Still. I can't seem to get over the sadness I feel. Especially when all they tell me is that it's nothing at all. Perhaps it's because their visit was too short and I wanted to spend more time with them. Perhaps it's because they're looking visibly older and more vulnerable with each passing year. Perhaps it's because of the guilt I feel for having left them back home by themselves - for not being around in their old age when they probably need me the most. Or perhaps seeing them deep in thought makes me feel that they're feeling the weight of many worries. Worries that I should have been able to ease somewhat by now but I have failed to do so. Perhaps it's all of these reasons put together. And I want to do something about it - if I only knew what.
My Dad saw me sitting quietly staring away into nothingness one evening. He asked me what I was thinking about. The irony didn't escape me. I took a couple of seconds to compose myself before I turned around to face him. I knew what to say - I had been learning from him apparently.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Gujarat 2002 in perspective
It's official then - well - at least more official than it has been before. A lot of you may know about this already - Tehelka.com dug it all up recently. I'm referring to, what Dr. Manmohan Singh recently referred to as, the genocide in Gujarat in 2002 that followed the horrific killings of several dozen people in a train in Godhra, Gujarat. Tehelka just brought to light what a lot of us felt that we knew already- that the whole thing had indeed been planned right from the start and had the sanction of people in high positions of power.
We also know that this wouldn't have happened however if the groundswell of tacit support for committing such atrocities hadn't existed / didn't exist. That this culture of hate is rampant - is a reality that cannot be wished away. At least, not just yet.
Warning: The report is a disturbing read.
We also know that this wouldn't have happened however if the groundswell of tacit support for committing such atrocities hadn't existed / didn't exist. That this culture of hate is rampant - is a reality that cannot be wished away. At least, not just yet.
Warning: The report is a disturbing read.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Excavation
Digging your nose on the day, or the day after, you've clipped your nails can be very frustrating - those nasty boogers seem to slip away at the last possible second.
Moral of the story: Don't clip your nails down completely. Leave a little bit on for digging in and for chewing on purposes (in any order - I don't necessarily favor a particular sequence of actions).
Moral of the story: Don't clip your nails down completely. Leave a little bit on for digging in and for chewing on purposes (in any order - I don't necessarily favor a particular sequence of actions).
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
The world is a flat circle
... going round and round.
NY Times, which a couple of years ago had made its Op-Ed section a paid access site, has finally realized the error of their ways and are now back to allowing free access to all. In case you can't make the connection - they have come full circle. That's good news - right?! Perhaps. Trouble is, most of their columnists have really lost credibility, at least in my opinion, since their blind support for the war on Iraq and the no-questions-asked clean chit to the bullcrap fed to them by the Bush administration with respect to Iraq.
One of the chief defaulters on the credibility front is Tom Friedman, columnist and author who wrote, among others, the famous "The World Is Flat" which touts outsourcing as a great positive movement. Recently he wrote this column in the NYTimes.
While the article may not signify a full circle traversal by him - it clearly implies a backtracking from his earlier position of being gung-ho on the war on Iraq. In fact, he's backtracked so much so that, off late, he has been rather apologetic about that error in judgment. Well - good for him, I say.
But it's difficult though to figure out what his true intentions are with all this - to borrow a Republican term used very effectively against John Kerry - flip-flopping. Tough to figure out if he's just trying to win back credibility and through that, readership for his next edition on outsourcing or Iraq - or that he really thinks deep-down inside that he somehow screwed up and now he's trying to make amends for it. He may be back to being on Bush's case now - but when it really mattered in the buildup to the most useless and counter-productive war in recent times, he failed f***ing miserably in exhibiting good sense.
But then again, he wasn't alone in that.
NY Times, which a couple of years ago had made its Op-Ed section a paid access site, has finally realized the error of their ways and are now back to allowing free access to all. In case you can't make the connection - they have come full circle. That's good news - right?! Perhaps. Trouble is, most of their columnists have really lost credibility, at least in my opinion, since their blind support for the war on Iraq and the no-questions-asked clean chit to the bullcrap fed to them by the Bush administration with respect to Iraq.
One of the chief defaulters on the credibility front is Tom Friedman, columnist and author who wrote, among others, the famous "The World Is Flat" which touts outsourcing as a great positive movement. Recently he wrote this column in the NYTimes.
While the article may not signify a full circle traversal by him - it clearly implies a backtracking from his earlier position of being gung-ho on the war on Iraq. In fact, he's backtracked so much so that, off late, he has been rather apologetic about that error in judgment. Well - good for him, I say.
But it's difficult though to figure out what his true intentions are with all this - to borrow a Republican term used very effectively against John Kerry - flip-flopping. Tough to figure out if he's just trying to win back credibility and through that, readership for his next edition on outsourcing or Iraq - or that he really thinks deep-down inside that he somehow screwed up and now he's trying to make amends for it. He may be back to being on Bush's case now - but when it really mattered in the buildup to the most useless and counter-productive war in recent times, he failed f***ing miserably in exhibiting good sense.
But then again, he wasn't alone in that.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Safe
One thing about being in school for so long means that you get used to a different kind of reality. You don't really have to watch what you say unless you're facing a committee of professors. You don't have to look and behave like a normal nine-to-fiver, unless, once again you're facing the said committee. People argue aggressively, vociferously with another and yet there's usually no ill feeling at the end of it all. Abusive language is a necessary part of making a strong case to back up your arguments and views. Basically, it's a different world where a lot of the norms that exists in the life outside of the sphere (or any other volume) of influence of a university aren't exactly adhered to. And that's putting it politely. In most circles, some of which I have been involved with and have been an active participant of, those "outside world" norms are downright derided.
But at some point, you have to leave your safe environs and step outside. Leave your cheap apartment where your roommates and neighbors consisted of other poor students, graduate or undergraduate and move to better areas so you can be closer to work. At some point, think about getting rid of your cheap car - the one you love, loathe, respect, abuse and fear in equal parts. Stop wearing crumpled T shirts, and smelly, old worn-out pairs of jeans. Stop ogling at people thinking that you're complimenting them by doing so. And most importantly - watching what you say real hard. You will have to do all of this when you leave those safe university environs and start living in what's called the real world.
It's like when you leave the theatre after a movie or a play that you really enjoyed watching, and found yourself immersed in. Once you open the wide exit doors to step out on to the street you're suddenly brought back to reality, rather rudely sometimes, with the sounds of dozens of cars and the jarring music blaring from them, people milling around in front of the ticket window talking, shouting, cell phone ringers going off. It's a "Welcome back to reality, bitch!" experience.
The longer you are in the theatre, the longer it takes for the effect of the alternate, make believe world you just escaped to, to wear off and for you to come back to reality. School's like that.
When you step in to the real world outside, you've got to start looking, dressing, acting and moving like you belong to it so that other real-worlders can accept you, and not be scared of you, and maybe even like you - although that last part is perhaps stretching it a little. And why all this is important, is because the real world is where the money is - and to make it in there you've got to make the adjustments. And sometimes it takes really long for the adjustment to be made. It's not that school doesn't equip you with the tools to adjust. It's just that the adjustment is a drastic one sometimes. Some look forward to it. Some don't. Most though are unprepared - no matter how they've prepared themselves.
I find myself at that curious transition state of having left that shade of the large tree I was living under and making my way into what's waiting for me on the outside. All that I've studied in school doesn't prepare me though for the complex terminologies spoken in outside circles, like the APRs, 401K's, etc. I pretend I know what they mean. I even understand what they speak of in those circles sometimes. But mostly I just end up realizing that I'm hopelessly out of my depth. And all I end up doing is pissing people off with my posturing that I don't care about what I don't understand, while what I'm really trying to do is get a handle on the fact that I don't know jack really.
Yup. I am hopelessly lost. Now, just where did I put my drink down.
But at some point, you have to leave your safe environs and step outside. Leave your cheap apartment where your roommates and neighbors consisted of other poor students, graduate or undergraduate and move to better areas so you can be closer to work. At some point, think about getting rid of your cheap car - the one you love, loathe, respect, abuse and fear in equal parts. Stop wearing crumpled T shirts, and smelly, old worn-out pairs of jeans. Stop ogling at people thinking that you're complimenting them by doing so. And most importantly - watching what you say real hard. You will have to do all of this when you leave those safe university environs and start living in what's called the real world.
It's like when you leave the theatre after a movie or a play that you really enjoyed watching, and found yourself immersed in. Once you open the wide exit doors to step out on to the street you're suddenly brought back to reality, rather rudely sometimes, with the sounds of dozens of cars and the jarring music blaring from them, people milling around in front of the ticket window talking, shouting, cell phone ringers going off. It's a "Welcome back to reality, bitch!" experience.
The longer you are in the theatre, the longer it takes for the effect of the alternate, make believe world you just escaped to, to wear off and for you to come back to reality. School's like that.
When you step in to the real world outside, you've got to start looking, dressing, acting and moving like you belong to it so that other real-worlders can accept you, and not be scared of you, and maybe even like you - although that last part is perhaps stretching it a little. And why all this is important, is because the real world is where the money is - and to make it in there you've got to make the adjustments. And sometimes it takes really long for the adjustment to be made. It's not that school doesn't equip you with the tools to adjust. It's just that the adjustment is a drastic one sometimes. Some look forward to it. Some don't. Most though are unprepared - no matter how they've prepared themselves.
I find myself at that curious transition state of having left that shade of the large tree I was living under and making my way into what's waiting for me on the outside. All that I've studied in school doesn't prepare me though for the complex terminologies spoken in outside circles, like the APRs, 401K's, etc. I pretend I know what they mean. I even understand what they speak of in those circles sometimes. But mostly I just end up realizing that I'm hopelessly out of my depth. And all I end up doing is pissing people off with my posturing that I don't care about what I don't understand, while what I'm really trying to do is get a handle on the fact that I don't know jack really.
Yup. I am hopelessly lost. Now, just where did I put my drink down.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Randy Executives
NYTimes ran this article,which made it to their most emailed list, and which is where I saw/found it. The piece is on Ayn Rand and her legacy - how several successful folks in higher up positions in corporate America had, in their youth, read books written by Rand and how their lives were never the same again from that moment on. That pattern (of young lives being changed irrevocably once they picked up Ayn Rand's books) is hardly unique to these guys. I first read "Atlas Shrugged" and then "The Fountainhead" while in college getting my Bachelors degree in Engineering. I identified with all her characters - both strong and weak - and, in my own way, I know I have imbibed portions of her message and rejected other portions. I daresay my life did change in some ways. I also saw others around me - around the same age as I was - who too were... well... mindf**ked a little after reading either one of the two afore mentioned books. Now, looking back, I don't really know if I couldn't have done without having read them.
The whole thing sort of reminds me of those slick military commercials glamorizing military life for recruiting/propaganda purposes. They prey on young, impressionable minds, showing them all the "good parts" of being a soldier: a life full of adventure, lots of shooting automatic rifles and acting all bad-ass, and oh yes! protecting your country from "the enemy", and finally getting your Dad to show some respect to your formerly good-for-nothing ass for once. All that just to get them to sign up and do their bidding. These kids may end up seeing the life they imagined they'd be living as soldiers, or just doing just the exact opposite - depending on whether they enrolled to shoot up people or save innocent folks, parachute stealthily behind enemy lines or dig trenches for human waste, making a difference with their lives or dying needlessly. Whatever.
Ayn Rand and her books are recruiting tools for the corporations. Some examples are in the linked article. Her books justify, glamorize and deify idealism and greed to ambitious young people who believe in personal success above everything else. Corporations want and need such driven foot soldiers who will one day push the corporate agenda near and far as a means to get to their own individual, grand successes. Just as army soldiers who one day discover the difference between early perception and ground realities though, I suspect several of these future execs never prepared themselves for the fact that when naked ambition collides with naked ambition, nasty things happen. Stuff they never planned for.
And besides - if you do take me as an example - it's clear that Rand's voodoo doesn't always work. I've yet to see the personal success she inspired the other folks to accomplish. Take that - big corporation executives!
The whole thing sort of reminds me of those slick military commercials glamorizing military life for recruiting/propaganda purposes. They prey on young, impressionable minds, showing them all the "good parts" of being a soldier: a life full of adventure, lots of shooting automatic rifles and acting all bad-ass, and oh yes! protecting your country from "the enemy", and finally getting your Dad to show some respect to your formerly good-for-nothing ass for once. All that just to get them to sign up and do their bidding. These kids may end up seeing the life they imagined they'd be living as soldiers, or just doing just the exact opposite - depending on whether they enrolled to shoot up people or save innocent folks, parachute stealthily behind enemy lines or dig trenches for human waste, making a difference with their lives or dying needlessly. Whatever.
Ayn Rand and her books are recruiting tools for the corporations. Some examples are in the linked article. Her books justify, glamorize and deify idealism and greed to ambitious young people who believe in personal success above everything else. Corporations want and need such driven foot soldiers who will one day push the corporate agenda near and far as a means to get to their own individual, grand successes. Just as army soldiers who one day discover the difference between early perception and ground realities though, I suspect several of these future execs never prepared themselves for the fact that when naked ambition collides with naked ambition, nasty things happen. Stuff they never planned for.
And besides - if you do take me as an example - it's clear that Rand's voodoo doesn't always work. I've yet to see the personal success she inspired the other folks to accomplish. Take that - big corporation executives!
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Radio GaGa
A list of some of my preferred FM radio stations when driving, either in and around the Raleigh-Durham area, or on the interstate. It's good (for me at least) to know that a lot of these stations can be streamed too.
Don't know what your preferences are but I think a lot of you may find a decent station in the list below. For those thinking of finding a good contemporary pop station here, I suggest you quietly navigate away and I won't ask you what kind of music you listen to - and then make fun of you.
Note: This list is NOT a ranking of any sort.
1. WUTK New Rock 90.3 (Listen Live)
WUTK is a station based in the University of Knoxville, TN playing mostly alternative rock music (commercial free for the most part). I discovered this station while I was temporarily in Knoxville in the early part of the year. This is a great radio station playing quality rock music - super to listen to at work or while driving (if you're in the Knoxville area).
2. WKNC 88.1 The Revolution (Listen Live)
WKNC is NC State's radio station, broadcasting from the NC State campus in Raleigh, NC. I never really thought the station played any good music until Rohit really made me listen to it for a while. WKNC specializes in mostly "Underground" music. That also means that they cover a broad gamut of genres. Only it's not the usual ditzy music playing on every other station. I tend to enjoy their evening and late night material ("After Hours on WKNC") more than their daytime material however - that's when they play reggae, rap and electronica and metal. If you're listening to at work in India - chances are high that you'll be listening to their "After Hours" music.
3. WUNC 91.5 (Listen Live)
WUNC is the station for North Carolina Public Radio broadcasting from Chapel Hill, NC. During the day they mostly play NPR (National Public Radio) programs. Late nights - it's usually news from the BBC Worldservice. And on weekends it's "Backporch music", which essentially means a whole lot of Blue Grass music. Regular news and information programs during the day keep you updated with the latest happenings. Tuning in to NPR stations on long drives also helps keep sleep away, for those who haven't tried it yet. Then again if you have satellite radio, don't tell me about it and make me all jealous and mad.
4. WNCW 88.7 (Listen Live)
WNCW is a radio station broadcasting from the Isothermal Community College, Spindale, NC. They play a mix of different genres and the station itself has a pretty good range too. First discovered it on one of my several road trips to Knoxville, TN. Since then, I tune in on every trip to Knoxville and back.
5. WSHA 88.9 (Listen Live)
WSHA broadcasts from Shaw University, Raleigh, NC. They mostly play Jazz during the day, but also play the Blues, Reggae and Latino music - especially on weekends. My cousin Pradeep played this station often in his car - that's where I first heard it. WSHA's range isn't that great which is probably it's only disadvantage.
Other notable: 96 Rock (FM 96.1) , a commercial rock station playing in the Raleigh-Durham area. They play a lot of really good rock music. They also play a lot of bad rock music from a plethora of sissy rock bands. No names for now though - that's for another day. Another bad thing - the commercials, of which the first five stations have almost none.
Happy Listening!
Don't know what your preferences are but I think a lot of you may find a decent station in the list below. For those thinking of finding a good contemporary pop station here, I suggest you quietly navigate away and I won't ask you what kind of music you listen to - and then make fun of you.
Note: This list is NOT a ranking of any sort.
1. WUTK New Rock 90.3 (Listen Live)
WUTK is a station based in the University of Knoxville, TN playing mostly alternative rock music (commercial free for the most part). I discovered this station while I was temporarily in Knoxville in the early part of the year. This is a great radio station playing quality rock music - super to listen to at work or while driving (if you're in the Knoxville area).
2. WKNC 88.1 The Revolution (Listen Live)
WKNC is NC State's radio station, broadcasting from the NC State campus in Raleigh, NC. I never really thought the station played any good music until Rohit really made me listen to it for a while. WKNC specializes in mostly "Underground" music. That also means that they cover a broad gamut of genres. Only it's not the usual ditzy music playing on every other station. I tend to enjoy their evening and late night material ("After Hours on WKNC") more than their daytime material however - that's when they play reggae, rap and electronica and metal. If you're listening to at work in India - chances are high that you'll be listening to their "After Hours" music.
3. WUNC 91.5 (Listen Live)
WUNC is the station for North Carolina Public Radio broadcasting from Chapel Hill, NC. During the day they mostly play NPR (National Public Radio) programs. Late nights - it's usually news from the BBC Worldservice. And on weekends it's "Backporch music", which essentially means a whole lot of Blue Grass music. Regular news and information programs during the day keep you updated with the latest happenings. Tuning in to NPR stations on long drives also helps keep sleep away, for those who haven't tried it yet. Then again if you have satellite radio, don't tell me about it and make me all jealous and mad.
4. WNCW 88.7 (Listen Live)
WNCW is a radio station broadcasting from the Isothermal Community College, Spindale, NC. They play a mix of different genres and the station itself has a pretty good range too. First discovered it on one of my several road trips to Knoxville, TN. Since then, I tune in on every trip to Knoxville and back.
5. WSHA 88.9 (Listen Live)
WSHA broadcasts from Shaw University, Raleigh, NC. They mostly play Jazz during the day, but also play the Blues, Reggae and Latino music - especially on weekends. My cousin Pradeep played this station often in his car - that's where I first heard it. WSHA's range isn't that great which is probably it's only disadvantage.
Other notable: 96 Rock (FM 96.1) , a commercial rock station playing in the Raleigh-Durham area. They play a lot of really good rock music. They also play a lot of bad rock music from a plethora of sissy rock bands. No names for now though - that's for another day. Another bad thing - the commercials, of which the first five stations have almost none.
Happy Listening!
Monday, August 27, 2007
Monster Truck Damn
Rising gas prices don't really bring smiles to anyone's faces. Here in the Younited states, cheap gas, for decades, has been a fundamental right of all Americans - rich and poor alike. Higher gas prices don't just mean that the wings of ordinary Americans are being clipped, but also means that their money stretches even lesser than it already does. Basically, there really isn't any good news on that front for us ordinary folks, not just in the US but all over the world. (In fact the rest of the world woke up to the bad news a long, long time ago.)
That being said most of us have been aware since childhood that the supply of fossil fuels was limited and would one day be exhausted unless we found other means to produce energy. What I don't get is that, despite this knowledge people continued/continue to buy gas-guzzling vehicles without any thought about the future, only to now complain about how the price at the pump is killing them. Cleaner, efficient vehicles have always been sold side-by-side with the gas guzzlers for about the same price. OK - they've been smaller and aren't best suited to "extreme", off-roading enthusiast types, or people anticipating a whole bunch of kids (that's another topic altogether). But they've been around.
Instead, people - especially those with no real functional need for them - continued to buy large SUVs, and now, for the most part, these SUV's hurtle around with single occupancies. Sure, driving pleasure is important. If they're happy with these vehicles - fantastic. But if these people (especially those in lower income groups) bought these vehicles thinking that pump prices would stay the same, or even drop - and now complain about how gas prices are hurting them ... well....
In some way, it makes me happy that the sales of gas guzzlers are down. Now, whenever a huge-ass SUV whizzes dangerously by me on the highway, I resist the urge to curse the driver (using my choicest Indian Maa... and Behen... gaalis) and instead laugh to myself (with an almost but not quite the Skeletor-like laugh, or the Thriller-like laugh... you know the kind I'm talking about!) thinking about how much it's going to cost the f*&^er at the pump the next time (read - an hour later) he/she's in for a refill. What can I say - I can be a vindictive mother.. sometimes.
Or maybe I'm just bitter. Oh yes - besides being occasionally vindictive, I can also be bitter about things once in a while. Usually, with my kind it's the memory of some rejection of some sort by a female somewhere that triggers the bitterness, which usually prejudices me against all things related to that person and the rejection (places, people, beds - just kidding about the beds, etc.). But, when it comes to large SUV's, I just don't know what it is about them that makes me not too happy. I mean there are several possible reasons but I'm still not sure which one of them is the prime cause.
I'm all for people getting those big machines though. It neatly categorizes humanity for me. People who drive/buy them, if not involved in landscaping, or transportation, or some commercial activity that actually requires those large vehicles, are either a.) stupid, or b.) not very visionary or imaginative, or c.) the sort that just don't give a f*&k about the rest of us, or d.) all of the above.
Not to be left behind too far behind (not) choking on my (car's) cleaner, low on carbon emissions exhaust, they too probably have categories for people like me. For them, people like me are either a.) whiny sissies, or b.) bitter f&*ks, or c.) people who care too much about everything to do anything meaningful about one particular thing, or d.) all of the above.
Hmmm...
I still don't know why I so dislike large SUV's.
Help me.
That being said most of us have been aware since childhood that the supply of fossil fuels was limited and would one day be exhausted unless we found other means to produce energy. What I don't get is that, despite this knowledge people continued/continue to buy gas-guzzling vehicles without any thought about the future, only to now complain about how the price at the pump is killing them. Cleaner, efficient vehicles have always been sold side-by-side with the gas guzzlers for about the same price. OK - they've been smaller and aren't best suited to "extreme", off-roading enthusiast types, or people anticipating a whole bunch of kids (that's another topic altogether). But they've been around.
Instead, people - especially those with no real functional need for them - continued to buy large SUVs, and now, for the most part, these SUV's hurtle around with single occupancies. Sure, driving pleasure is important. If they're happy with these vehicles - fantastic. But if these people (especially those in lower income groups) bought these vehicles thinking that pump prices would stay the same, or even drop - and now complain about how gas prices are hurting them ... well....
In some way, it makes me happy that the sales of gas guzzlers are down. Now, whenever a huge-ass SUV whizzes dangerously by me on the highway, I resist the urge to curse the driver (using my choicest Indian Maa... and Behen... gaalis) and instead laugh to myself (with an almost but not quite the Skeletor-like laugh, or the Thriller-like laugh... you know the kind I'm talking about!) thinking about how much it's going to cost the f*&^er at the pump the next time (read - an hour later) he/she's in for a refill. What can I say - I can be a vindictive mother.. sometimes.
Or maybe I'm just bitter. Oh yes - besides being occasionally vindictive, I can also be bitter about things once in a while. Usually, with my kind it's the memory of some rejection of some sort by a female somewhere that triggers the bitterness, which usually prejudices me against all things related to that person and the rejection (places, people, beds - just kidding about the beds, etc.). But, when it comes to large SUV's, I just don't know what it is about them that makes me not too happy. I mean there are several possible reasons but I'm still not sure which one of them is the prime cause.
I'm all for people getting those big machines though. It neatly categorizes humanity for me. People who drive/buy them, if not involved in landscaping, or transportation, or some commercial activity that actually requires those large vehicles, are either a.) stupid, or b.) not very visionary or imaginative, or c.) the sort that just don't give a f*&k about the rest of us, or d.) all of the above.
Not to be left behind too far behind (not) choking on my (car's) cleaner, low on carbon emissions exhaust, they too probably have categories for people like me. For them, people like me are either a.) whiny sissies, or b.) bitter f&*ks, or c.) people who care too much about everything to do anything meaningful about one particular thing, or d.) all of the above.
Hmmm...
I still don't know why I so dislike large SUV's.
Help me.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
The scream rises to the top?
Watching yesterday's highlights of the Venus Williams versus Maria Sharapova Ladies Singles QF match at Wimbledon 2007, I realized more than ever that I just don't like watching Sharapova play tennis. I think she's a tough competitor and all with great mental strength, the ability to come back from behind and play well in the clutch, take her game to the next level when the chips are down, blah.. blah.. blah.. No really - I do think all those things about her.
But her guttural screaming for every play (regardless of the effort level) is just too "off-putting" for me. And if as a TV viewer it can be so distracting - I can't even imagine how her opponents feel. Even if I hit the Mute button to tune her and the accompanying commentary out, her playing style is also not very entertaining really. She doesn't really cover the court well and pretty much gets to the ball and hits it -hard. If she's in trouble, she digs deep into herself, focuses - and just hits harder. She's a champion for sure - and she wins games. But she's definitely not a looker when she's playing.
By contrast, Venus' playing style is so much more pleasing to watch. She's fast, agile and covers the court extremely well. Her movements are fluid and her long limbs allow her to reach for balls most players would let go. She also relies on the angles and slices as much as she does on raw power. Most importantly, Venus doesn't grunt anywhere close to the decibel levels of Sharapova. All that makes it fun to watch Venus play.
Both players do have one similarity however - they're both tough competitors and are potential greats in the making. In most cases, when great players play one another, I usually don't care too much who wins as long as the match was entertaining. In this case though, sadly, prejudiced ol' me preferred Venus over Maria. The result, needless to say, made me happy.
But her guttural screaming for every play (regardless of the effort level) is just too "off-putting" for me. And if as a TV viewer it can be so distracting - I can't even imagine how her opponents feel. Even if I hit the Mute button to tune her and the accompanying commentary out, her playing style is also not very entertaining really. She doesn't really cover the court well and pretty much gets to the ball and hits it -hard. If she's in trouble, she digs deep into herself, focuses - and just hits harder. She's a champion for sure - and she wins games. But she's definitely not a looker when she's playing.
By contrast, Venus' playing style is so much more pleasing to watch. She's fast, agile and covers the court extremely well. Her movements are fluid and her long limbs allow her to reach for balls most players would let go. She also relies on the angles and slices as much as she does on raw power. Most importantly, Venus doesn't grunt anywhere close to the decibel levels of Sharapova. All that makes it fun to watch Venus play.
Both players do have one similarity however - they're both tough competitors and are potential greats in the making. In most cases, when great players play one another, I usually don't care too much who wins as long as the match was entertaining. In this case though, sadly, prejudiced ol' me preferred Venus over Maria. The result, needless to say, made me happy.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Hiatus Explanation (for those who don't care)
My apologies to those regularly checking in to my blog on the very long gap in posting. Several events occurred in a very brief spell of time - such as (but not limited to) interviewing for jobs, lots of traveling, finally getting some job offers and then selecting one, then starting work, and also moving to a new apartment in a new zip code.
Relax. I still haven't left the area. Suffice to say that these last few months have been very eventful - all the ups and downs made things very interesting. I will make the effort to be on here more often than I have in these last couple of months.
Relax. I still haven't left the area. Suffice to say that these last few months have been very eventful - all the ups and downs made things very interesting. I will make the effort to be on here more often than I have in these last couple of months.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Highway Projects in India - Photos
Earlier, I posted a thread from SkyScraperCity that had some supernice pics on the Mumbai/Bombay skyline at night-time).
Here's a thread - once again from SkyScraperCity, that has some decent resolution pictures of ongoing highway and road projects in India. This thread/forum is a good example of the benefits of citizen journalism and reporting - that of providing far more information than the mainstream media. However, just to keep things in perspective, since the posters are largely India-biased - it seems that only the better looking pics have perhaps been put up. Nevertheless, it does make for informative and pleasant browsing. The discussions in the thread are also pretty balanced and informative - which reflects really well on the people participating in it. More importantly, the posters have done a remarkable job in gathering and posting the pictures.
It would do good for most people who aren't living in India currently, to contrast those pictures with the actual driving experience. Suffice to say there's a lot of work to be done. But then - a lot has been and is being done.
Drive safe. Stay protected.
(Image on top of post is a sample from the SkyscraperCity thread discussed above. The image was posted by user SunCity is a view of the Mumbai-Pune expressway.)
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
The Dream TARDIS
When I wake up in the middle of the morning, I think about how sleepy I still am. Then I decide if I just have to get up for anything in particular, or if I can afford to sleep off that sleepiness.
That's way too much thinking to do when you really just want to sleep though. Thinking kills sleep. Makes the mind wander to non-dreamsy places. No harems or space travels anymore for a few more hours.
I wish though that my dream TARDIS had a little less randomness. Perhaps it could be programmed better - maybe a few minutes before I actually formally declare to myself, "I'm now ready to go to bed". Now, here I must digress further to clarify that when I say "I'm ready to go to bed" - I'm not saying that "I get ready to go to bed". That clarification is important.
Back to dream programming. There's an important difference between watching programmes on TV and dreaming. At least from my perspective. The difference is that it's you that's making up the dreams (since there's no known scientific proof of it being broadcast from some outside-the-body source) , which means that perhaps you could control the programming somehow. Instead of looking at TV Guide to decide which shows you want to watch, and/or TiVoing your favourite shows when their timings clash with one another, you could perhaps program your dreams so you could tell your dream TARDIS where you want to go, what you want to do and how you want to be doing it all.
So, when I'm ready to go to bed, I could tell my mind:
"Allright, here's stuff that I am interested in:
(1) For the first hour of my dream, I want to relax a little bit. No nasty surprises that jolt me out of sleep. Take me somewhere where I'm playing some kinda outdoor sport. Show me doing well, playing hard. And I don't really care so much if I win or lose, as long as you show me using my real-life bad knee like there's nothing wrong with it. I'd be happy with that.
(2) Then for the next hour, take me back to my childhood. And make my nephew - who's now 6 years old - join in and play with me and my childhood friends. Show us participating in cool adventures, like the several times we'd go climbing that hill that when I was a kid. And of course, some cool adventures I never really had but would have loved to. (Don't ask me which ones those are. Just do it - damnit!) Make sure my nephew and me end up bonding together as best buddies. I'd really like that.
(3) Keep the Shotime and Skinemax dreams out for the third hour. I think tonight I'd like to spend some time with my parents. Show me as I am right now. With a lot more hair on my head. Ok then - that's not as I am right now - but don't you start getting too cute with me now! Anyways, back to hour 3: make sure to show my parents young. Show my Dad the handsome young man he was. Show my Mom as the young, striking beauty she once was; Her hair long, free and show her laughing away carefree - like a little child watching a cartoon show. Show me as being respectful to them and make sure they're having a good time with me, not dreading the next rebellious thing I might spring on them. My sister needs to be around too - bubbly and pretty young girl that she was. Show us two getting along really good without those fights we constantly had.
(4) For hour number 4, I think I might be in the mood for spending time with my lady love. No. No. Not just that kind of time. Take us back home when we were dating then. Make sure I have a lot more money to show her a good time around town - catching a movie, eating at a nice restaurant, walking around the historical sites, perusing the books and interesting items being sold by the street vendors. Better still, make all of that not require any money. Show people around us being kind to lovers - not the suspicious, kill-joy moral police types. Then show us travelling back home in the evening - in the upper level of a double decker bus - sitting side by side, holding and squeezing each other's hands as the young lovers were were then, looking out of the window from above at the sea of humanity below us - mesmerised by the interconnectedness of millions of lives.
Ok. That's all I could think of. For the remaining hours, I'll let you decide what you want to show me. Make it interesting though. And entertaining. And while you're at it, make it illogical if you want to - I'm not a great practitioner or exponent of logic anyways.
I think that should be it for tonight. Tomorrow, we could do an all-nighter on me and my friends. I'm looking forward to it already. In fact, one of my friend's birthdays is coming up - so mix that in as well. But all that's for tomorrow.
Oh - and TiVo the stuff I enjoyed tonight, so we could do a re-run some other night!"
Unfortunately that dream machine of mine is not programmable. Or controllable in any fashion - not in any way that I really understand. I don't have any way to control where it takes me - no way to comprehend that randomness. Nor do I really understand all the stuff that seems to manifest itself into those random trips.
But then there's a lot of stuff that I don't. Including why I want the dreams I want.
P.S. In case you're wondering what the hell a TARDIS is - please read or watch Dr. Who.
That's way too much thinking to do when you really just want to sleep though. Thinking kills sleep. Makes the mind wander to non-dreamsy places. No harems or space travels anymore for a few more hours.
I wish though that my dream TARDIS had a little less randomness. Perhaps it could be programmed better - maybe a few minutes before I actually formally declare to myself, "I'm now ready to go to bed". Now, here I must digress further to clarify that when I say "I'm ready to go to bed" - I'm not saying that "I get ready to go to bed". That clarification is important.
Back to dream programming. There's an important difference between watching programmes on TV and dreaming. At least from my perspective. The difference is that it's you that's making up the dreams (since there's no known scientific proof of it being broadcast from some outside-the-body source) , which means that perhaps you could control the programming somehow. Instead of looking at TV Guide to decide which shows you want to watch, and/or TiVoing your favourite shows when their timings clash with one another, you could perhaps program your dreams so you could tell your dream TARDIS where you want to go, what you want to do and how you want to be doing it all.
So, when I'm ready to go to bed, I could tell my mind:
"Allright, here's stuff that I am interested in:
(1) For the first hour of my dream, I want to relax a little bit. No nasty surprises that jolt me out of sleep. Take me somewhere where I'm playing some kinda outdoor sport. Show me doing well, playing hard. And I don't really care so much if I win or lose, as long as you show me using my real-life bad knee like there's nothing wrong with it. I'd be happy with that.
(2) Then for the next hour, take me back to my childhood. And make my nephew - who's now 6 years old - join in and play with me and my childhood friends. Show us participating in cool adventures, like the several times we'd go climbing that hill that when I was a kid. And of course, some cool adventures I never really had but would have loved to. (Don't ask me which ones those are. Just do it - damnit!) Make sure my nephew and me end up bonding together as best buddies. I'd really like that.
(3) Keep the Shotime and Skinemax dreams out for the third hour. I think tonight I'd like to spend some time with my parents. Show me as I am right now. With a lot more hair on my head. Ok then - that's not as I am right now - but don't you start getting too cute with me now! Anyways, back to hour 3: make sure to show my parents young. Show my Dad the handsome young man he was. Show my Mom as the young, striking beauty she once was; Her hair long, free and show her laughing away carefree - like a little child watching a cartoon show. Show me as being respectful to them and make sure they're having a good time with me, not dreading the next rebellious thing I might spring on them. My sister needs to be around too - bubbly and pretty young girl that she was. Show us two getting along really good without those fights we constantly had.
(4) For hour number 4, I think I might be in the mood for spending time with my lady love. No. No. Not just that kind of time. Take us back home when we were dating then. Make sure I have a lot more money to show her a good time around town - catching a movie, eating at a nice restaurant, walking around the historical sites, perusing the books and interesting items being sold by the street vendors. Better still, make all of that not require any money. Show people around us being kind to lovers - not the suspicious, kill-joy moral police types. Then show us travelling back home in the evening - in the upper level of a double decker bus - sitting side by side, holding and squeezing each other's hands as the young lovers were were then, looking out of the window from above at the sea of humanity below us - mesmerised by the interconnectedness of millions of lives.
Ok. That's all I could think of. For the remaining hours, I'll let you decide what you want to show me. Make it interesting though. And entertaining. And while you're at it, make it illogical if you want to - I'm not a great practitioner or exponent of logic anyways.
I think that should be it for tonight. Tomorrow, we could do an all-nighter on me and my friends. I'm looking forward to it already. In fact, one of my friend's birthdays is coming up - so mix that in as well. But all that's for tomorrow.
Oh - and TiVo the stuff I enjoyed tonight, so we could do a re-run some other night!"
Unfortunately that dream machine of mine is not programmable. Or controllable in any fashion - not in any way that I really understand. I don't have any way to control where it takes me - no way to comprehend that randomness. Nor do I really understand all the stuff that seems to manifest itself into those random trips.
But then there's a lot of stuff that I don't. Including why I want the dreams I want.
P.S. In case you're wondering what the hell a TARDIS is - please read or watch Dr. Who.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Sample and Savour
(1) House, techno, electronica - and add to that heady mix the talented DJ and my buddy Rohit Sharma - and his blog (which I just belatedly discovered) called Profound Sounds (Yes - I think it's a cool name too!) You can also listen to some of his latest mixes here.
(2) ...And a dose of reality - Ketaki style - at Same Page, not a recent discovery by any means unlike Rohit's, but in fact a blog I visit often to derive cutting-edge insight from.
In case you aren't doing so already you should be get to any or all of the other people's sites I've linked to - so you can actually get to interesting things to read.
(2) ...And a dose of reality - Ketaki style - at Same Page, not a recent discovery by any means unlike Rohit's, but in fact a blog I visit often to derive cutting-edge insight from.
In case you aren't doing so already you should be get to any or all of the other people's sites I've linked to - so you can actually get to interesting things to read.
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