Sick Fertilizer Units; Delhi Airport Solution?!!

The government is planning to revive what it calls sick fertilizer units buy handing them over to private players for care taking just like it did to the airports. To me this is just another orm of quick fixes. Will it work, well, i dont think so. 

TO me airports are profitable by default. An airport in a major metro city can never go bankrupt unless the people running it are screwups. Thats what was almost happening till private companies decided to baby-sit the airports coz mama couldnt take care all by herself. But even that didnt stop the roof from flying of caused by few gusts of wind 

We need major reforms in agriculture, period!!! if companies like macdonald can sell slow poison junk because of their state of the art logistical infrastructure and quality agricultaral partners, if they can transport food accross oceans, why can we transport food across state borders on time. We need to have agricultural corporation where farmers work together,bring together each others land as a single unit (Mahila Udyog model is an example)  cultivate and share profits and liabilities. That should be the way forward.

The solutions are all there, but no one has the balls to push it forward. Who sleeps in which dalit house and who uses which 5star gym is what is debated these days. Bottom line, even if fertiliser industry is revived, who is going to buy all the fertiliser when the nation is facing floods and drought.  

Austerity in India!

No one does it like us Indians. Whether it be blessing our streets with our bodily fluids or bringing the nations infrastructure to a grinding halt just because few pilots got their expected salary but not the optional incentives. But thats not what this post is about. Its about Austerity.

I believe our politicians deserve to live in royalty. They shouldn't be flying in First Class. We should give them Choppers or Private Planes. BSNL should provide them with a dedicated network. They should be given all the food they can eat. They all should be sent to 5 star Gyms Why? So that people like me can get to our day to day live without being harassed and humiliated.

I have experienced people like Kalam and Atal Behari Vajpayee during their terms in office, gallivanting though my neighborhood. Its terrible, coz we have to stop all our work, we are not allowed to cross the barricaded streets,  while driving -we have to stop for half an hour till the VVVIPs pass by. 

They should be sent to the GYM so they have the stamina to work and travel all day.

They should be feed well, so that their lifespan gets shorter in oder to allow younger generation to take their space.

Austerity is being used by politicians as a tool for publicity because we, the cattle that we are, just stand around chewing what comes on the news papers without questioning. Another animal would have spit it out.

We cant blame the politician for these stunts. They are just a reflection of our fascination and today out fascination is not global warming, is not the extinction of tigers, is not swine flu, is not people dying of hunger or falling chimneys build by multi-million dollor companies, is not the possibility of another mumbai like attacks. Our fascination is a bunch of wise fools pretending to imitate another bunch of wiser fools hoping the real fools are going to vote for them (which they are).

If U think what Im implying is wrong, all i can say is keep sleeping!

How to Tell a Lie and make it Believeable

No one ever has a problem telling a lie. Lies have been an integral part of every species. If you dont believe me then think about this, Isnt camouflage a lie. If you have a dog and it does something wrong, you might have observed it behaving like nothing every happened. The commonly do this when they sit on the sofa when you are not around but the moment you open the door they jump and crawl underneath. If not for the fur stuck to the sofa, you would never suspect anything.

Humans got bad at telling lies when they started speaking. The response of their body and that of their speech dont match. Those who do are good liars. So how do you become a good liar? By expressing it like as if it were true. Note i said express and not just speak. Here are the steps:

1) Think of the original situation ie think of the truth which you will be replacing with a lie. Remember the place it happened, who were there, who you spoke to, what you heard, what you felt what you smelt etc etc. There are the different variables in your truthful memory with the false memory

2) Now replace, in that memory, each variable with that of the lie. If some one was there and you want to deny he or she was there, remove her out of the memory and either replace it with someone else or something else. Now go through the memory again. If you feel there are any blanks fill them up with something. Go through it again and again

3) Do step 2 for every thing in that situation you have to lie about. Imaging what you would have felt if the lie had to be actually the truth

4) If you done it correctly, you have created a new memory in yourself and your brain wont be able to distinguish between the truth and the false. You may even pass a polygraph

5) Now call the people you inserted in your new memory and tell them what they must say or do to maintain the consistency in your story. Do this with all other people and objects you've removed or added.

If you do step 4, you probable wont have to use anyone else to prove your story because the emotions on your face and body will make your story believable

Successful Employees will make you a Successful Employer

The question that pops in the minds of the employers or HRs today are, how do we retain employees? The recession has prevented people from job hopping this year but make no mistake, employees and all gearing up to exit your company. Those who aren't simply want security and are too afraid. But they are unhappy none-the-less. And that brings  be to the question that you folks should be asking yourself...

How do we help make our employees successful?

Mind you, this is totally different how do we make successful employees. You create successful employees by raising salaries, offering perks, fancy offices etc. But inorder to make employees successful you have to look for inspiration in the worlds largest organisation. I'm not talking about Microsoft or TATA, I am talking about religious institutions. What you are about to read is all done by religious institutions like the Catholic Church, Protestants, Temples etc

As a company in which your employees will spend half their non-sleeping part of a day, you are supposed to know the problems that employees have to deal with. Most of these are conflict of values. For example, if you ask someone to work extra hours without paying overtime wages there is a conflict of values and beliefs. You believe that since you are providing him job security he has to do what you say and that conflicts with his beliefs that if he has to spend time away from his family for you, he has to be compensated adequately.

The most common complaint I receive from genuinely honest and hard working employees that they don't have enough time. Yes, the dreaded To-Do list. I ask them, If I help you make time, what are you going to do in that time. The answer is obvious, to the rest of the To-DOs or add some more tasks to the To-Do list. The list never ends.

One of the goals of every organisation should be how do we make our employees financially free. In other words, what do we have to do to give our employees the knowledge to generate a monthly passive income which is higher than they monthly expenditure. This may sound weird but its not.

We seem to be stuck with the Master-Slave mentality from centuries ago when the slave is entirely dependent on the master for his or her livelihood. If more money is required the slave has to work for other masters, maybe even multiple masters simultaniously. The slave blame their masters for their misery even though they have the capacity to earn wealth.

Bottom line- the salary you pay is never enough. Help them use the money you pay them to be financially free. That way they dont have to worry about their bills, installments and others expenses during office hours.

 

Miss India Ekta Chaudhary Fails in Miss Universe

Miss Ekta Chaudhary didnt even qualify in the top 15 of the Miss Universe Pageant. I dont blame her. I knew this would happen. How?

Well, first of all-look at her. She look like a character from indian hindi soaps. Specially the ones who are against the lead character/victim. She looks bad. How could the judges even consider her for Miss India. I dont know what the Miss India judges saw live on stage but through my TV set all i could see was disproportionate facial features.

I think we have to select Miss India Judges carefully. There should be one Miss India Judges pageant.

To me the formula is simple. Forget the beauty-brains balance that we look out for in Miss India. Just select the hottest, cutest, sexiest most gorgeous girl the you can find. Once she wins Miss India, but her through a brain bootcamp and make her intelligent. We cant improve on beauty but brains can be improved. After all, look at our previous Miss Indias' who've won international pageants. 

Learn To Draw - Tips and Tricks

For those who think they cant draw, think again. Some of your worst stuff maybe masterpieces. If you want to learn to draw, which i believe you should here is a good place to start. Its where I had started out

http://drawsketch.about.com/od/learntodraw/u/learn-to-draw.htm

Check this site out too

http://www.karmatoons.com/drawing/drawing.htm

This is a cool blog with some tips and tricks

http://pirateproductiontoons.blogspot.com/2007/04/drawing-poses-and-character-design-tips.html

Indias' Game of Blood

It can happen only in India. On the one side of India there are MLA politicians forcing school children to donate blood on the day of a dead guys anniversary. On the other hand we have a group suppling all the hospitals in the city of Lucknow with blood that was not tested for HIV or any other disease and get this; adulterated with animal blood. There have to be doctors and politicians involved in this racket.

If this were to happen ever in the US, Im sure the people involved would never see the light of day ever again.. Too bad this is not the US and in a land of a billion people, its amazing to see the number of innovative ways people make money.

Entrepreneurship and Patriotism at its best, where food, wine, fuel and now even blood is adulterated.

Interview with Tony Robbins, Frank Kern and John Reese

When three legends ie Anthony Robbins, Frank Kern and John Reese have a conversation, what happens to us is Inspiration.

FYI Tony is the best personal coach in the world and Frank and John made a million bucks in a day over the net,

http://tonyrobbinstraining.com/320/interview-with-frank-kern-and-john-reese/

BJP lists its reasons for Lok Sabha poll loss

• Is it just me, but the main reason that i think BJP lost the election was the frequent walkouts during parliament sessions instead of having productive debates. I don't mind, I support manmohan.

  But for your reference here are the details.

  At a closed-door meeting, a three-member committee led by party leader Bal Apte presented its report on the Lok Sabha debacle. Senior party leader Arun Jaitley though denied that such a report existed. The main reasons listed for the party's defeat were:

  • Lack of unity among party leaders.

  • Failure to connect with youth.

  BJP failed to corner the Congress on 26/11. Instead the party let the Congress and the media divert the issue and bring in to Kandhar issue.

• Party's election slogans failed.

• Varun Gandhi's hate speech also led to BJP debacle.

• Projection of Narendra Modi as the future prime minister damaged the party's prospects.

• Campaign should have been more meticulous, synchronised and effective.

• Personal attack on Manmohan Singh did not go well with people.

• In Punjab the alliance partner's attitude affected the performance of National Democratic Alliance.

• In Delhi the BJP lost the game even before it was played.

• In Haryana party failed to assess the popular mood.

• Break up of alliance in Orissa at the 11th hour left the party unawares.

H1N1: The lesson never learnt!

H1N1 is a pandemic. Whoohoo! as homer simpson would say. After all we have brought this on ourselves. India is facing huge social and economical crises because of this. 

Weren't we warned by nature before? We brought foriegn plants as decorations and now have become a menacing weed in our ecology. Plants like water hyacinth dont have enemies here which maintain ecological balance. There have been an invasion of insects and animals that feed on the domestic counterparts bringing in diseases and disrupting the ecological balance.

Human race are a bunch of morons. Its amazing they survived for so many decades. One would think that when there is a serious outbreak like the H1N1, every country would stop travel. One would think that even if people had to travel, they would be put in holding areas to check them for sighs of the virus. But alas (all ass) we never learn. 

Does anyone realize that this is another way to wage jihad? A suicide bomber, when strapped with bombs, can kill around 100 people. He also has a good chance of getting caught as bombs these days are easily available. Imaging they send someone infected with a virus and all he has to do is sneeze on people. And there u have it,global pandemic.

The argument is that countries will face financial crises if people are not allowed to travel. But is it better than half the population being wiped out. Besides haven't those people heard of the internet and conference calling. 

What we did is prove that we are too shortsighted in our policies and restraint is an alien concept. We proved that we are too childish to deserve the next millennia. Its all up to a bunch of scientists to save the human race from H1N1 and other such diseases... Diseases that never should have been to begin with. 

Cry Fowl over Slumdog

Ive just recieved this mail as a forward. It talks about the fact that
US and other citizens started calling indians slumdogs and mumbai a
slum. Aadesh Srivastava was embarrassed by it.

Before you read the mail, i have to comment on it. First of all, we
indians are the one who do all the namecalling. We use mallus, gantis,
guggus, hippis (for any foriegners), biharis etc. as insults.Second,
mumbai is a slum. We are not proud of it but comparied to any other
commercial city in the world, mumbai is a mess. The smells, the
sounds, the sights all could ruin your day if you are not used to it.
The good thing is that I hope, as a result of bad publicity, they
decide to clean the city up rather than burn effigies of danny boyle
and criticise other on national newspapers.

Mr. Aadesh Srivastava, is it so easy for you to feel embarrased if
someone calls you a slumdog? If yes, all this while you should have
also been embarrassed of the filth in our cities and spoken about it
on news papers before. It looks like you find it easy piggybacking on
AR Rehmans success thanks to slumdog millionarre and undermining his
eithics for doing a film that makes india look like a slum.

In any way, this is hollywood - which shows russia as a land of
nuclear weapons, mexico as a land of drunkards high on takila, africa
as a land of slaves, japan as a land of little people jumping around
their cities, mars as a land of little green men... i could go on. My
point is just enjoy the movie and remember it till the next one hits
the theater.

This the article i was talking about:
They've started calling Indians 'slumdogs': Aadesh Srivastava

Mumbai, Feb 20 (IANS) Bollywood composer Aadesh Srivastava says he is
embarrassed to walk on the streets of the US after Oscar-nominated
'Slumdog Millionaire' because 'they have started calling Indians
slumdogs'.

'I'm so upset. They've started calling Indians 'slumdogs', just like
'coolie' was a 'slang' in Britain. Now in the US I feel slumdog is a
'gaali' (slang) for Indians. Mumbai has given me everything,'
Srivastava told.

'To see the city being shown as a place of dirt, filth and crime only
is very humiliating. Even I can make a film on child prostitution and
paedophilia. But it won't get Oscars because I am not a 'gora'
(white),' added the composer.

Based on Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup's novel 'Q & A', 'Slumdog
Millionaire' is about an impoverished teaboy who wins a quiz show.
Directed by British director Danny Boyle, the story is set in the
slums of Mumbai. While Anil Kapoor, Freida Pinto and NRI Dev Patel
played main leads, A.R. Rahman composed the music for the movie. It
has got 10 Oscar nominations, out of which three are for Rahman.

The film was lauded in the West, but it has been criticised by some in
India for showing its ugly side by concentrating on grinding poverty.

'What right does the director have to show Mumbai as a slum? Now we
are considered a slum city in all parts of the world. Humlog kahin
mooh dikhane laayak nahin rahe (we're unable to show our face
anywhere),' said Srivastava, who watched the movie in Los Angeles this
week.

Srivastava applauds fellow composer Rahman's music in the movie, but
says he'd never be part of a film that makes India look like a slum.

'I'm so upset. It's a disgusting movie. Being an Indian it was doubly
humiliating to be watching the film with Americans. Even if Steven
Spielberg asked me to compose music for a film that makes fun of
India, I won't do it,' he said.

Being a diehard Amitabh Bachchan fan, Srivastava is appalled by the
way the Big B is shown in the film.

'I puked when I saw that kid smeared in shit asking for Bachchan
saab's autograph. What the f...k was that? Does Danny Boyle know what
Bachchan saab means to us Indians? Who would dare approach him like
that?

'We applaud people who come to our city and spit in our faces!' he said.

Fwd: Let the ambulance go!!! 108...

I was travelling through the city today, all of a sudden I heard the sound of an ambulance behind me. I was riding the bike so I quickly maneuvered to allow the ambulance to pass by. I was in a hurry so I decided to tail the ambulance since everyone would move aside and I would have a smooth journey, I couldn't be any more wrong. There were many arrogant jerks who didn't bother to move aside. I could see thought the window of the Maruti van doing a brave job of an ambulance. If you've seen an ambulance abroad, a Mariti van is a dwarf when compared. There was a women in labor with her husband by aside. The driver tries his best to clear the road for him.. honking all the way. 

I guess he finally made it to the hospital but I realized another area of improvement that we as a nation must achieve. It is simple... when we hear an ambulance, we must move aside and allow it to pass because a life (or two) may be in danger.

I have to end this simple post by appreciating the work of the 108 Emergency Service. Never before has ambulance services been so well equipped and so efficient in Goa and other states that this service is implemented.  I dont care about the controversy its going through (because of affiliations to Satyam). Because, as I write this listening to the Baywatch title song "I'll be ready... forever every and always Im always there", I can say for sure that those guys are saving lives everyday and someday, if needed, they will be there to save mine.

Moral Policing has gone too far!!!

Moral policing has gone too far this time. After being public humiliated for traveling with some girls and a muslim youth, a hindu girl was taken to the police station by a group of moral farts. The inspector in that station to them to another police station at Moodbidri, around 40 km from Mangalore. 

As a result of that humiliation to herself and her parents, the girls commits suicide. How can the people in the bus and outside, who probably seen them dragging the girl and her muslim friend being dragged, sleep at night. As for the police and the moral hacks- they have to be castrated for being the spineless worms of our society who can only feed on people who cant defend themselves.

Quit Coal Campaign-Victory in Greece

Another feather in its hat, Greenpeace has successfully convinced the Greece Govenment to halt its coal plant expansion plans. the Greek Minister of Development has stated that the government is not considering hard coal or nuclear power as part of Greece's energy future. Instead the Greek government will be rewriting its Long-Term Energy Plan to exclude coal and promote renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Now they are off to Indonesia where Indonesian Minister of Energy' has taken a  decision to build or expand 35 more coal-fired plants in the next 2 years - including doubling the size of the Cilacap plant. Read the whole article and support Greenpeace by clicking the link below-

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/victory_greece_quit_coal_indonesia_120209

Himachal Govt Diary says POK part of Pakistan

This story has been stirred into a controversy.The diary carries a message from governor Prabha Rao and chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, two of the top state government functionaries , who are perhaps not even aware that their signatures are part of such a glaring omission..

What every be the season behind the map on the diary, the truth is POK is a part of Pakistan. The P in POK stands for Pakistan, doesn't it? So until India goes to war to reclaim the occupied territory, I guess the territory is occupied by Pakistan. Almost all international news channels, too, show POK as a part of Pakistan.

I hope this diary incident is forgotten as a silly mistake and not dragged on in political speeches. After all the biggest mistake... our biggest mistake was to give up that part of Kashmir so easily when Pakistan first invaded it.

Be an Eye Donor Today

Eye donors donated 322 eyes to government-run hospitals in Chhattisgarh during the last one year, government functionaries said. The state have received 322 eyes in the form of eye donation during last two years and added that 160 blind persons got the vision as a result of the eye donation. That means one 160 people get to see their loved one, get to work regular jobs, watch cricket,  they even get to see the sunset.That 160 people who get to see thing that you and me take so much for granted. 

That's great news. Its very encouraging too. Blindness is one limitation that no one needs to suffer from. If everyone had to donate their eyes after they die, we would not have any blind people in our country. Its a disease that doesn't need to be.

Pledge to donate your eyes today. Do a search in google for the nearest eye bank or visit this website for more information http://www.ebai.org/html/intro.html .

We dont want Outsider Indians!!!

Over the last few months a number of Indians have been murdered in the US the last one being Rudraraju Sudheer Kumar, a mechanical engineer with Toyota Motors, who was found murdered in his flat in Atlanta Feb 3. Some newspapers and media are blaming the recession in the US and the desperation of its citizens that they resort to killing outsiders. But why are they killing Indians and not Mexicans and Cuban immigrants? Its because the jobs they occupy are largely the low end ones, whereas Indians, with their cheap and high education and with their visas find it easier to snatch lucrative jobs away from the Americans. Its was ok when the jobs were outsources, but when an outsider comes in your land and takes away the few opportunities available, anyone has a right to be pissed...

Atleast thats what we Indians believe when we have to compete against people from other states. Personally, I too resent the fact that there are fewer opportunities here in my state. Do I not want others to prosper? Of course not, everyone has a right to make a living.  I resent the fact that people from my state have to go else where to earn a living. But I reserve my greatest resentment against the pudding-headed retards who call themselves Ministers. When one starts an Industrial Estate he should first look at the level and type of qualification of those living around that area, district or state. If there are more, say computer engineers, one should focus their attention on IT and how to attract IT companies. Same goes for any other field/industry. In   Goa, there is an Industry called Verna Electronic City. When it was conceptualized, it was meant to attract electronic based companies to absorb the nearly 1500 graduate and Engineering students churned out every year by the state. The first company set up was D-Link, which is a hardware company, followed by Burbrown(medical transcription-now closed), NE-Tech and Control-Net (Now PSPL) which are Software companies. 

The problem arised when the guy who headed D-Link in Goa also became the head of Goa Chambers of Commerce, a body which sanctions the setup of all  industries in Goa. It has the power to reject any company from setting shop in Goa. Mr. D-Link prevented any other electronic hardware company from coming to Goa so he and his company. As a result the employees had no choice but to accept the Rs 1400 (aprox $40) initial monthly salary. If any employee were to protest, Mr. D-Link had the power and political influence to persuade and prevent any other company in Goa from hiring that person. I have to  mention that couple of years earlier, he did increase the employee's salary by 40-50%

Since no other industry electronic industry was allowed, a number of pharmaceutical companies have set up factories in that estate. Its no more an electronic industrial estate. There is just one pharmacy college in Goa and hence 90% of employees in those factories belong to other states.

The Govt of Goa did propose an IT park, but the politicians wanted 1or 2Cr from every company that were interested. Later it was plagued by protests from the local villagers in that area due to legal  irregularities.

The Irony is that there are very few Govt Colleges in Goa that  cater to the tourism industry which dwarfs all other industries. As a result, Goans get low end jobs and most of the higher posts are filled by outsiders.

Such a small state and so much resentment. I can only Image how much the Americans must be hating the nearly 2million Indias and other nationals working there. But are the killings justified? No.

Cool India Match Boxes

If you've ever used match sticks or at any time had a match box in your hand, chances are, you've surely marveled(or hated) at the artwork on the box. Either way, personally, I've always loved to see any design other than  chavi(key) that was too common in Goa. I wish I had collected them over the years. Anyway, have a look at the collection of a guy who has...

http://www.matt-lee.com/index.php?/photos/indian-matchboxes/

Do you need a loan?

If you are a salaried employee you must have received calls asking whether you need a personal  loan or not. They will tell you that you can get a loan in less than a week. That was before the recession. Now the same people ask you if you need a credit card. No matter what way the loan is handed to you, here are some tips and thoughts to ponder about when deciding to take a loan.

1) Do you really need the loan?

Do you really need the money. In case you plan to buy yourself something like a bike or car or electronics, ask yourself "is it really important for me to have it"

2)Is it an investment or waste?

An investment is not always a mutual fund or insurance. When I say investment, it means that you use the money to become wealthy and successful. If you work for more than 12 hours a day, a holiday is an investment since it will help you recharge. If you buy clothes or make-up that help your self-esteem and builds a reputation with others, it's an investment. Similarly, if a bike can cut your traveling time, it becomes an investment provided, of course, the time you save is utilised well. 

3) Can I afford it?

Suize Orman has a segment in her show called Can I Afford It? where callers ask if they can afford something based on their income and expenditure. Some of the things in her check-list that she goes through before she gives a verdict "approved or denied" are

• Do you have any credit card debt or other loaned
  
• Do you have enough in your retirement(IRA, Provident Fund, LIC insurance etc)? That money cannot and should not be touched under any circumstances.
  
• Do you have enough saving? She also adds

"YOU SHOULD HAVE ENOUGH CASH IN YOUR SAVING TO LAST YOU 6 MONTHS IF YOU LOOSE ALL YOUR SOURCES OF INCOME"

Before taking the loan, you should keep aside atleast 6 months worth instalments, in case of emergency.

4) Read the terms and conditions

This will require some research. If you dont have the time to do it yourself, consult a lawyer or accountant. In general, you should check out the repayment options (including the duration, interest, EMI, the date of payment every month-do you get your monthly salary by then?), refinancing options, early payment and closure details etc.

Dont be fooled, the lenders are very polite and friendly when they offer you the loan but during repayment they turn into vampires or sharks waiting to suck every last rupee form your bank account at the very first mistake you make (for example, late payment). It's their job to make money off you so be cautious.

5) Learn all you can about money

If you dont know to calculate your EMI or dont know how to write a cheque or if you hate going to the bank or reading long contracts and terms and conditions or other related concepts, please do not take a loan or a credit card. You will suffer the consequences. Lots of people are in deep financial debts simply because they didn't read the fine print or have put wrong dates on their instalment cheques.

I hope this helps you when you decided to take a loan.

Tale of 2 daughters and 2 fathers

The news is gloomy these days. You've probably heard about the honor killing in Punjab where 17-year-old girl in Mandi Ahmedgarh was shot dead allegedly by her own father.Her crime - she had eloped with a boy about six months ago. This is one type of love a father has for his daughter  

In another country... one father and his daughter... a different kind of love. In china, father showered so much love on his 14 yr old daughter that when he suffered from liver cancer and has only 4 months to live, his daughter attempted suicide by taking 200 sleeping pills. She had written a note in which she wrote

"Mom, I'm sorry I couldn't stay with you any longer please give my liver to dad and save him after my death."

Fortunately, her mother found the girl before it was too late and was rushed to the hospital.

Two fathers loving their daughters in different ways. One daughter killed by the father to save his honour... another daughter tried to kill herself to save her father.

Makes you wonder, doesn't it... What kind of father would you want to be?

Modi: IPL is recession proof?!! Ya right!

Just yesterday I read an article where Lalit Modi, Commissioner of IPL said that recession will have no impact on the tournament andthat that the glitzy Twenty20 league is virtually recession proof.

I don't think Lalit Modi understands the concept of recession to well and how long it takes to affects ones business. Today I read that Michael Clarke pulled out of the IPL auction saying he wanted time with his family but the real reason being that no one was ready to pay him 1 million dollars for signing the contract. The article continued to say Modi was upset. I hope he realises that this is the start of the impact recession will have on the tournament ie no sponsor will be ready to spend lavishly on big names, first because they don't have the money and second, because big names don't guarantee big wins (as proved by Rajestan Royals).

Lalit Modi, get down to reality, smell the recession and act accordingly. Every mother or father thinks their child is special. The IPL is not, its only the first of many more leagues to come in other countries.

Advertising Insult to our injury

To the left is an article I was reading about the recent job cuts in the US. All of this started with sub-prime and credit card debts. Thats the reason why I found the Visa ad amusing and insulting at the same time. 

Credit Card companies like Visa and Mastercard and their aggressive companies lured people into the debt traps.  Now, while we read their stories, Visa is telling us to Travell Happy and Dance our way to US$3000!!! Ironic, isnt it?

Ram Sena renews V-Day threat, wants Kamasutra Day instead!

Sri Ram Sena is at it again. They are all set to disrupt valentine's day in Bangalore. "We are going to protest Valentine's Day celebrations. This is not the first time we are protesting. We have been against it for the last 10 years," said Pramod Muthalik, the chief of Sena.

Hmm... people have been killing for the last 10 years, does that justify its continuity? What do these guys want? Do they want to get political mileage in Karnataka? Doesn't look like it. They want us Indians to follow Indian culture. Problem is no on has the time to follow any culture. We have a special day to show we care for or mothers and another day for out fathers and even another day for both. That's modern life. Agreed they don't want valentine day but we need a day to tell our spouse or partner we love them. Lets have.... here it comes...

"Kamasutra Day"

Its a day of love(and more), its not western... its a part or our culture so I feel it should be acceptable to the R. Sena. And instead of card that show hearts and cupid, lets exchange card that show a Kamasutra pose, just for inspiration ;-) . If Hallmark and Archie's are reading this please contact me as soon as possible, this is a million dollor idea. In the mean time, i'll be out (or in) celebrating Kamasutra Day.

DLF, Unitech, Parsvnath Profits Down

I dont invest in realty. To me, their stock value and their underlying assets are over inflated and about to pop. Actually they did pop. How could they not. When you think of serving only a fraction of the population who want investments and brush off the rest who need a home, you are bound to suffer such consequences. 

Plagued by empty buildings, financiers turning their backs, and debt reaching its boiling point on their books, they suffered disastrously low profits. In the case of Parsvnath Developers, it was a drop of 95%.

Now they've woken up to the reality that low cost housing project are they key to sustaining growth. Premium apartments are a thing of the past, atleast for now. Its amazing that these guys with all their MBAs and certificates never look at how history has played out. They seem to get carried away by greed and began to believe that our economy will continue to grow forever. If this were not true, they would be quite diverse enough in their market segments to weather out this storm.

Better late than never, these real estate giants have realized that the people, especially couples, who need flats in urban areas are those with Rs 20k to 40K a month income working in sectors like IT, who want to put their kids in better schools and the old folks who want to live off their pension. They are the ones who need better options than living in a rented apartment. They don't need swimming pools and gyms. What they need are strong walls with a water proof ceiling in a safe locality. The recession, for greedy people like the realties, is a good wake-up call.

We want STD at 10p/min

TRAI had last year recommended unrestricted domestic telephony which would have allowed mobile subscribers in India to route their STD calls via the Internet, thus making them very cheap, nearly 10p/minute

However, the telecom operators like vodafone, idea cellular and airtel are opposing the move to allow free domestic telephony because they had paid huge licence fees of around 1600Cr that allows them to provide STD services to their customer and allowing domestic Internet telephony will cause them loss in revenues and provide an advantage to ISPs

Why should the customer have to suffer for the poor judgement on part of the cellular operators. Nobody forced them to pay such huge amounts for the licence. They didn't have foresight on the potential of the Internet for which they must pay the price but instead they are bullying the TRAI into preventing the ISPs from providing a cheaper and better option for the consumers. 

BJP:Pakistan Terror Camps will be destroyed

BJP president Rajnath Singh said on Saturday that the NDA would opt for surgical strikes to demolish their camps inside Pakistan if it came to power.

Hmm...Wait a minute, weren't the camps there when BJP was in power before? Wasn't India a target of those terrorists at that time? Why couldn't they do anything then? Instead of destroying the camps at that time, the BJP focused on testing nuclear missiles which gave an excuse for Pakistan to borrow a couple of nukes from China. The result was a deadlock or a nuclear standoff.

And now, instead of focusing on the economy, the BJP wants to begin an offencive that will definitely lead to a nuclear war. BJP can't use the economy card, afterall they lost the elections because of that. The only two cards on their table is terrorism/Pakistan and Hindutva Agenda. The problem with that is during the last tenure that lasted more than 4 years, they couldn't deal with terrorism nor could they fulfill their Hindutva agenda.

The final blow, I believe, is the success of our PM and his policies to weather the financial crises. Poor guy worked so hard that he stressed his heart out and as a result, had to undergo a heart surgery. His recovery sure won the congress my vote and I bet countless other are going to push the sympathy ballot button in favor of the congress.

Thank you for smuggling Condoms from Nepal

The new crime came to light after Indian police recently came across two suitcases stuffed with condoms at the railway station in border town Rupaidiya, Nepal's official media said Saturday.Apparently free condoms supplied by NGOs in Nepal are collected and smuggled back to India.

I don't see anything wrong in that. Nepal is doing a favour- after all it India that need condoms the most.

What are the condoms called that are smuggled from Nepal? KatManDom.

Garials-Indian Crocodiles are back

I congratulate the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department and the WWF who had started a breeding program for the Garials and now are setting them free in the banks of the Ganga at Hastinapur near Meerut. With much needed help from the villagers and fishermen, this program should become a success. This will not just give home to the Garials but also to other endangered species, like the Tigers, which need govt support, funding and a safe habitat to survive.

Womens Commission of India: Women are Women's worst Enemy!

I read two interesting articles today, somewhat unrelated but following a common theme. One article by NDTV Is there gender inequality in our society? talks about the Women's Commission of India who instead of supporting the victims of the pub attacks blamed them and the pub for the attacks. The WCI says that the pub should have provide adequate security. I don't understand why. There was no prior threat to the pub or its guests. What about the police. Why aren't they held accountable by the WCI.

Its easy to blame the girls or the pub because they wont retaliate. Heres' what I think of the Women's Commission of India. These are women from an earlier generation where women's dressing style are defined by the color and pattern on their saris. They want to be and they want others to be good house wives. Independence to them, I guess is not a priority. The don't seem to have any clear strategy on curbing home violence else they would have had a helpline number wouldn't they. I can remember all helpline numbers including 1098 for protecting children. I wonder whether the WCI can be taken seriously. Two cases in Goa where minor girls were raped (one of which was murdered), which was investigated by WCI, has faded into oblivion. Makes me wonder whether there even was an investigation.

Could it be that the WCI are jealous of the new breed of Independent and free women. Could it be that the WCI cant stand to see how easily the girls from the pub and other like them got their freedom from "the bondages of marriage, family and society" while they have fought so long and hard for it. I think the WCI doesn't want women to be independent and flaunt their sexuality, else why would they be needed anyway. Such narrow minded thinking expressed in their views makes me wonder if they are a part of the moral police too. If so, its time women move out of the country if they want to live in safety. As for the men, they can go around hitting and raping women without any consequence.

The other article I read was Mean Girls At Work . This articles highlights the plight of a working women with a family being harassed by her female boss. The boss,apparently, doesn't have a family and earns comparatively less.
Its a well known fact that women get jealous more often then men. So when it comes to women vs women, this puts them in a particularly grim situation where there will always be jealousy when one sees another is happier than her.

TN students protest Civilian Killings in Lanka

Tamil Nadu is witnessing outpourings of anger over the killing of innocent Tamil civilians by the Lankan Army.

Hundreds of students are gathering to be part of the funeral of the student who set himself on fire on Thursday in protest against the Tamil civilian killings in Sri Lanka.

I am against any human rights violation. All the protest going on in Tamil Nadu against the Lankan war is wrong. Where were these students when innocent sri lankans being killed, when the LTTE sent suicide bombers into lankan cities. The LTTE IS a terrorist organisation who popularised suicide bombing. If innocent tamils are being killed(no one would have bothered they weren't tamil) why dont tamils from india go and defend them, like human rights activists defend Palestinians in Gaza and west bank. Whats the point in protesting in India. Our govt wont take any action and be lowered in par with Pakistan who support terrorists in the name of protecting innocent kashmiris.

Here's another thing, who are tamils? Is it a race like nigros, aryans, caucasians etc. Are they people who stay in Tamil-Nadu? Or is it a group like Arabs and Eskimos? If they are than why are the Sri Lankan Tamils calling themselves Tamils?

What the LTTE (and unfortunately those in the crossfire) are facing is a retaliation as a result of years of frustration and agony of the Sri Lankan people. Any country has a right to defend its own people. Its one thing that India doesn't have to will to do so for its own people.

Bottom line: If anybody is so concerned about their clan in other countries, sent planes and ships and have them brought to India where they may be safe. The Tamil Govt has the money (and apparently the public support) to do that. Afterall, thats what Isreal did when they evacuated in a massive airlift of 15,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel in May 1991.

Fuel Prices raises fear of deflation

Its not the consumers who fear deflation. Deflation is when the prices of items don't rise significantly. With fuel prices being cut, deflation seems to be eminent and has some people worried. Who are these people, definitely not you and me?

The people who fear deflation are the very people who knock on your door, ambush you outside your office premises, make unsolicited calls on you mobile etc etc. They are the mutual fund, insurance, provident fund companies. Now that you know who they are, the question is why do they fear deflation?

For some years now these companies have been trying to convince you and me not to have our money lying in the savings account because it will loose its value due to high inflation. If the banks give an interest of 4% and inflation is 6%, a Rs 100 note in your bank will have the value of Rs 98 the next year. That why, they say, you should invest your money in (risky) mutual funds that give you more than 10% interest. Thats how they've made money for you and themselves have become giants in the financial world.

Now that inflation is down, they cannot tell you that your money is loosing its value and therefore do not have a valid reason to ask you to gamble your money in the stock market. I don't know what they'll tell you but I do know that they'll persuade the govt to decrease the interest rates to neutralize the growth effect deflation has on your savings. But for now, govt will not listen for now because elections are around the corner and prices must come down for the govt to prove that they've made progress and successfully defended and defeated the spiraling inflation that plagued our country (India) few months back.

War on Pop Culture

This year has seen a sharp rise in attacks by the so called moral police which used to limit their activities for special occasions like Valentine's day. Whether it is the Ram sena in Banglore or Shiv Sena in Mumbai, these brave hearts find it easy to pick on college kids and even school kids (MNS in Nasik). The nasik incident was the lowest one can go. Hitting small children just because they sang bhojpuri songs? And burning posters of officers who fell for the country during the Mumbai attacks.

I care a rats ass if they burn whosoever posters but when someone dies for the sons of your soil, an ounce of gratitude is expected. Where was was Raj Thackeray and his beloved MNS workers or Saniks when the Taj was being attacked. I bet the mob could have easily surrounded and defeated the terrorist. I guess they found it easier to wait for a day till soldiers arrived from North India and saved their sorry bumbs. The least they could do is not allow the North Indian Soldiers to come to Mumbai and prove to India that they really dont want any outsiders to work in Mumbai. Bloody Hypocrites!!!

And then we have people like Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot who vows to fight against pub culture.What is pop culture or western culture. Everyone knows that and the old conservatives fear it, it is the freedom to think and do whatever you want, legally, and giving a damn to what society thinks of you.

But if you want to eradicate pop culture and indianise it here is what the CM should do;

• Ban Bars, and all drinks that were originated outside india.
• Ban Trousers and shirts and stick to dhotis and kuritas Ban underwear's and use a piece of cloth to keep your family jewels in place
• Ban Cars and travel by carts. Afterall the style of a driving in a car, the car culture and the car itself is imported, just like the pop culture.
• Ban TV altogether, watching TV is not a part of indian culture.
• Dont use electricity, use lamps and wood. Electricity is foriegn and is evil.
• Dont travel by plane, Dont holliday, they are not a part of Indian culture
• Ban Hospitals. let you father mother wife kids die of something as mild as a common cold. Alopthic medicines were all born as a result of developments in the west and in their culture. You can always rub leaves and hope for the best.
  
• Let your mothers, sisters and daughters commit sati when their husband die. Shamless as this may sound, I wont be surprised if this is implemented.
• Lets ban elections, the Parliament and the Constitution. They are all foreign Ideas and part of foreign culture. In indian culture, we should be ruled by a king.
• Let ban Software companies, IT, Shipping, Crude Ould, Petrol, Gas etc they are all a part of foriegn culture.
  

I can go on and on but I've made my point and if you still dont get it, either join the pop culture and evolve like it people have throughout history or prove that you want to truely follow Indian culture and do the things Ive mentioned above.

No faculty reservation in IIT and IIM, bill soon

The HRD ministry informed the council in a meeting that their long standing demand to exempt IITs and IIMs from faculty reservations has been met.

The UPA in the last session has introduced as bill in Parliament to provide statutory framework to quotas in jobs. The bill is now with the upper house, the Rajya Sabha.

HRD ministry has informed that the bill will exclude 47 top institutes including IITs, IIMs and NITs as well as all central universities, from reservations.

So what the Govt is trying to say is "OBC faculity reservation will dilute the quality of the IIMs NITs and IITs (which I believe it will). Only the students from  top 47 IITs institutes deserve undiluted, good quality and well qualified faculty, The rest of the students, who dont rich parents or dont have the money to train for CAT and other entrance exams dont deserve good facuilty as those colleges are meant for giving jobs to the rich and well connected OBCs(which are the ones who reap the benifit of reservation) and not necessarily for churning out well trained professionals"

Dont get me wrong, Im not supporting reservation in IITs and IIMs, Im against CASTE reservation all together.

Goa Shiv Sena has a problem with Slumdog -II

Few days back I had written a post Goa Shiv Sena has a problem with Slumdog. I suggest you read the post before you continue reason.

One guy name abhinav parulakar commented on the post as follows:
"
U r the 'piso munis'and a big 'bhoto' You just repeat what the anti-hindu media says.The movie not only describe India as poor ,dirty 3rd world country but also hurt religious sentiments of Hindus by denigrating Lord Ram.
What are the Hindus suppose to do then, sit like cowards and watch our Gods being denigrated or are we suppose to protest against it? what did you feel when the movie 'Tickle My Funny Bone'was screened.
Are you going to allow your children to watch a movie which shows prostitutes using abusive and dirty language?
Where were the so called secularists , atheists , rationalists ,art admirers when churchill threatened to attack the Inox multiplex? This issue was never popularized by media.
"

I have nothing personal against abhinav but I wont assume the reverse. Even though he is only 15, I will treat him as an adult and reply to his comment.

Abhinav, first of all there is no "anti-hindu" media in India. Maybe you are reading too much from Maanoj Rahkits Blog and his views of anti-hindu media. It's because of people like him that there is silent civil war going on in India when we need peace the most. 90% of news reporters are Hindus and I honestly believe that, although they may be dramatic in their views, the are responsible. It hurts, doesn't it when they inculpate your brethren? If it's anybody else its ok, right?

Second, you say that The movie... ...describe India as poor ,dirty 3rd world country. But, my friend, if you come out of the luxury of your home or even look out of your window, you'll see India IS a poor, dirty 3rd world country. Why do we have to deny that. Even if we do, does it invalidate the truth? Your own blog post says "Bad Mannered Indians..". It's a blessing to have parents who provide you with clean food and clean water for bath every day. But many many of them don't have such parents and don't have anyone to tell them whats clean and whats not.

I think that the somewhat clean air of Goa has seduced you into thinking that whole of India is like that. Well wake up son, get outta Goa and smell the air. It stinks of poverty, hopelessness, hunger and despair.

What are the Hindus suppose to do then, sit like cowards and watch our Gods being denigrated or are we suppose to protest against it?

Third, please dont say what are Hindus supposed to do. Don't drag the rest of the population, who work day and night to make ends meet who are honest, non-violent and only pray for peace in their minds, food on their plates a roof on their heads and look for happiness in the eyes of their children. Dont you dare call them cowards. Maybe you are taking about yourself or/and the low - life vandals and hooligans who have nothing else to do but destroy other peoples peace and happiness so lets not pretend that the Hindus all around the world are affected.




I believe every religion, not just Hindus, are bigger than any individual or group. Almost all religions today have lasted for more than 1000 years. Not you or me or any Danny Boyle or Dan Brown can even shake it. If you believe that God created us, do you expect me to believe that a movie can denigrate it? Its like throwing a stone at a mountain and trying to break it. What do you think will be broken, if you think its the mountain, please don't read anything more because obviously you are not a sane person.

Religion is bigger than any one of us and is not affected by attacks not needs to be defended by people like you or the so called Saniks; I wont say Shiv Saniks because their actions are an insult to the king name shiva who called the wife of his sworn enemy "mata" or Mother and who was secular and respected all religions. You on the other hand only can only appreciate the violence that Shivaji displayed(one of few times in his life) while killing Afzal Khan (in your blog). He was a kind and just man, unlike those who claim to defend his honour and for some reason they always like depicting him with a sword.

Speaking of Churchill, who was fading away and needed to stir a controversy to be in the limelight. That's to your Christians who have the same mentality as you, he did get it. Although I must say he was sane enough not go ahead with his threats and they remained just that.

Anyway, people are going to forget the movie, maybe slum dog, tickle my funny bone or Da Vince's Code, next time they go to inox but what they will remember is a bunch of lunatics who vandalised the place.

Diesel and Petrol Drop and Rise, Drop and Rise... II

....Cont
I don't know when this may happen, if ever. For now, all I can think about is why, more than twice a month, when I go to the petrol pumps, there isn't any petrol available but there is the premium variety like Speed and Power from HP and BP. Its a scam. Why should I pay Rs 5 more for fuel that is no better for my engine than ordinary petrol. They claim that scientifically, engine performs better. But aren't those under standard test conditions, If standard test conditions are to be believed, karizma would give a mileage of 50km/l (actual 25-35km/l) and eterno would give a mileage of 90km/l (actual 65-75km/l maybe even 80 if ridden at 40kmph and you weigh less that 60kgs)

Bottom line, as I said, its a scam. They might as well market it like, "Sale of First thousand liters - Rs 45 and next thousand lites 55". They are creating a virtual shortage of ordinary fuel in the market where crude prices are at $40 from $140, so they can sell their so-called premium variety and make few more bucks

Want to make money, keep a record of every vehicles fuel consumption and tax them accordingly. More you consume, higher price you pay. If I can ride for 100km within a litre, why should I have to pay the same amount as someone with 20km/l.He is using 5 time more petrol right? Fuel can also be rationed. What is required is a good infrastructure to support these features that are going to support better and responsible driving.

Diesel and Petrol Drop and Rise, Drop and Rise... I

The government is all set to reduce petrol and diesel prices. But they do plan to increase taxes, therefore you and me as a consumer will not be benefited. That's great and here's is what I think about the fuel fiasco

First, there should be no decrease in fuel prices, specially petrol. Diesel may be varied to curb inflation of items that are affected by rising prices of diesel. The problem with fluctuating prices is that the demand fluctuates with in.High price- low demand and low price- high demand. This increases volatility and thus harms the economy. Now they will decrease the prices, people are going to use it liberally and then when crude oil increases as a result of high demand, they increase crude prices and thus demand slows and prices fall.

Second, all private diesel vehicles must be banned. Diesel is the fuel of the masses in India and diesel vehicles that run on cheap diesel steal the benefits (like low ticket fares and goods transportation) that are meant for everyone.

Third, petrol pumps must be run be a local public body.Why should a few benefit from by ripping holes in people's wallet. Currently, a retailer makes a profit of Rs 9.86 a litre on petrol and Rs 3.48 a litre on diesel. If it were state or municipal run, this money could be utilised to build better roads and fund other infrastructure projects (even if there is corruption).
Cont....

Shri Ram Sena, LeT, Indian Mujahedeen: Whats in the name?

If you've been watching the news you probably have seen or read about the Mangalore pub incident where some girls were dragged out of the pub by a group called Shri Ram Sena. I don't want to criticize or comment on such acts. They are the first step to Indian Talibanisation. Anyway, people in general want the group banned. Why? Does banning the group put a halt to such activities? They will just spring up with another name.

The only solution is to hold the founder accountable for the actions of the group. In this way people will think twice before they start any such group will eventually become a national security threat.

Home Loan Refinancing in India

Home Loan Refinancing simply means that, if you have an existing home loan, you can repay it by taking a new loan which has better interest rate and/or terms and conditions.

Why would you need to refinance your home loan?
1. Interest rates in the economy have dropped which is why switching from the old high cost fixed rate loan over to a new fixed rate loan at the lower rate proves profitable. You can do this provided rates have fallen enough to cover your prepayment penalty and the up front costs of initiating a new loan (like processing fee, administrative fee etc.)

2. If you plan to sell the home during the tenure of the original loan you will need to terminate the loan borrowing the remaining principal amount against the home equity or from the potential buyer.

3. Switch from a Fixed rate loan to a more flexible Floating rate / Hybrid product You may want to switch from a Floating rate loan to a fixed rate loan if interest rates start to move up.

4. You can lower your monthly installment payments by extending the tenure of the new loan. In order to improve your monthly cash flows you can prepay an existing loan with 5 years to go by taking a new 15 year loan for the remaining principal amount.

5 Minutes with Para-Military Guy In Goa

I went for a photo shoot today in Banaulim Beach, Goa or a Shack called Jonsy's. It was around 9:00pm, we had just finished clicking photos of the customers and had come out of the shack to click some panoramic shots. While my friend was busy clicking, I noticed a guy in a military suit and an automatic assault rifle gazing at us with curiosity. He came closer see what we were clicking. It was dark and like most people, he might have thought how the hell can we photograph anything in the dark without firing the flash. When he did see the photo, like most people, he was amazed.

I turned to him and as usual I threw a conversation starter. Let me tell you a thing about me-People love to tell their whole life story to me. They just cant resist. I asked him whether he was paramilitary. He said yes. He told me he was from Gujarat and had been posted here after the Mumbai Attacks. He was supposed to leave last week but they extended his time till the mid Feb. There was a slight disheartened tone in his voice. I changed the topic to his work and why Goa need people like him. I told him there are very few police officers, many of which are guarding the ministers. He told me that the police in Goa are not capable of handling terrorists. He continued to say that even in Mumbai where the police are well-trained and equipped, they too couldn't handle it. He mentioned that the attack was supposed to take place in Goa but something happened and the plans changed and Mumbai was made the target. I said that if Goa would have been attacked, no one would care. Only Goa would suffer because tourism would halt.

He went on to tell me about his family. Unfortunately, he got a call and I had to continue my shoot. It was unfortunate because I wanted to tell him that because of people like him, we feel safe. This is something we only say after the solder.

I felt good meeting him. I don't remember his name but what strikes me was he was as old as my uncle or dad and even though he is not in the military and not treated as on, when the nation calls he leaves his job, home, wife and kids to protect us.

Greenpeace Pictures of the Year 08

Check out some Greenpeace's best pictures of the year by clicking the link below. Dont just look at the picture but imagine yourself in that moment. How does it feel?

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/year-in-pictures-2008

Goa Shiv Sena has a problem with Slum Dog Millionaire

Shiv Sena has done it again. I'm not talking about the socially and morally responsible and defender of Indian Society-Mumbai Shiv Sena. I'm talking about the "Struggling to get noticed " Goa Shiv Sena. Apparently a scene of Lord Ram and another of Hindus killing Muslims has hurt the sentiment of the Saniks and those they think they represent. They forced their way into Inox-Panjim and destroyed public property. They were arrested but as usual they are likely to be set free.

Goa was never a battle field for religious fanatics. Religious offence was never taken personally and anyone who every tried was labeled "Tho Piso" or he's mad. We are proud of our secularism because people from all religions came together and defeated the Portuguese (personally I wish they didn't and we would never be in this grim situation we are today. Today's generation has forgot the unity our forefathers had and they are blinded by political . Its not about Hindus or Catholics or Muslims. Religion has nothing to do with it.

Born in a Catholic family and brought up with liberal values, I was disgusted with Churchill Arlemao, a minister in Goa's Assembly who was an MP when he opposed Dan Browns book adaptation "Da Vinci's Code: The Movie". The amusing thing was he never even saw the movie when he began the agitation. It was pulled out of theaters in Goa and I had to wait for a year till it premiered on Star Movie. I wonder whether he though of agitation outside the Star TV office.

Obviously, Shiv Sena's 15 minutes of fame got peoples attention and hopefully labeled as "Te Pise" (They're mad). These people that claim to represent the masses have created this interesting strategy :

If there is a movie (and movies in general never represent real life- those which do are called documentaries), that stoops low to gain attention by depicting an individual or group in poor light, the only way to fight against them is to stoop even lower. The lower the better.

Amitabh Bachan in his blog commented on Slum Dog Millionaire saying "If SM projects India as Third World dirty under belly developing nation and causes pain and disgust among nationalists and patriots, let it be known that a murky under belly exists and thrives even in the most developed nations." I don't know about other nations but what do know and believe in SM the dirt is not the slums and the gutters and the huts; it is the filth in the hearts and minds of some people, who claim to represent the majority and who in the name of religions and society, destroy property and kill people.

F1 Schedule and More

F1 is my favorite sport and its back baby. Every season seems to be more exciting then the next. There are new faces and newer cars. Who will prevail; will it be Hamilton or Raikonon or Massa. Here is the schedule and dont forget to watch it:

01	2009 FORMULA 1 ING AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX (Melbourne)	27 - 29 Mar
02	2009 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX (Kuala Lumpur)	03 - 05 Apr
03	2009 FORMULA 1 CHINESE GRAND PRIX (Shanghai)	17 - 19 Apr
04	2009 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX (Sakhir)	24 - 26 Apr
05	FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE ESPANA TELEFONICA 2009 (Catalunya)	08 - 10 May
06	FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2009 (Monte Carlo)	21 - 24 May
07	2009 FORMULA 1 ING TURKISH GRAND PRIX (Istanbul)	05 - 07 Jun
08	2009 FORMULA 1 SANTANDER BRITISH GRAND PRIX (Silverstone)	19 - 21 Jun
09	FORMULA 1 GROSSER PREIS SANTANDER VON DEUTSCHLAND 2009 (Nürburgring)	10 - 12 Jul
10	FORMULA 1 ING MAGYAR NAGYDIJ 2009 (Budapest)	24 - 26 Jul
11	2009 FORMULA 1 TELEFONICA GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE (Valencia)	21 - 23 Aug
12	2009 FORMULA 1 ING BELGIAN GRAND PRIX (Spa-Francorchamps)	28 - 30 Aug
13	FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO SANTANDER D'ITALIA 2009 (Monza)	11 - 13 Sep
14	2009 FORMULA 1 SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX (Singapore)	25 - 27 Sep
15	2009 FORMULA 1 FUJI TELEVISION JAPANESE GRAND PRIX (Suzuka)	02 - 04 Oct
16	FORMULA 1 GRANDE PREMIO DO BRASIL 2009 (Sao Paulo)	16 - 18 Oct
17	2009 FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX (Yas Marina Circuit)	30 Oct - 01 Nov

Do You Have Your Class Photo?

I recently was hired to click the class photos of a popular school in my city. It was exciting but I didn't know how tough it would be to create a perfect class photo. We covered the whole school in a week(2hrs per day). We didn't care if anyone was absent. We were too confidant about our editing skills. We just had to click the absentees later and insert them in their respective class photo. When it was finished no one could tell the difference.

I remembered my school days. Class photo day was exciting. Being one of the tallest, I was always on the last row and never needed to wear shoes. When we finally get the photo, we used to show it to all our neighbours. My regret is that I never maintained any of them. Since those was film days, I don't think the photographer would keep the film. Even if he did, I don't have a clue who he was.

I spent many hours processing the photo. I wiped of scares, blackened the shoes, replace the shoes if someone wore anything other than black shoes. I didn't do it for the money. I would have saved a lot of time simply clicking them and sending it for print. I did it because after many years when the kids are all grown up, they will have a decent photo to remember the best years of their lives and those who they shared those moments with.

Make sure you have preserved all your school and class photos. If not, get them scanned right away and when you look at them, spare a thought to the guy who spend his time to capture your class and create that picture.