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.

India's Uphaar VS Chinese Tainted Milk

India wants to be like China in terms of its economic growth; everyone in India knows and accepts this. But how is it possible if the back bone of our democracy ie the Judiciary doesn't function fairly. Take the case of Uphaar Theater and the case of Chinese tainted milk.

In the Uphaar case 59 people died and many others injured as a result of "rash and negligent act" (as said by the court) by the owners of the theater. When you do not put proper exits and ventilation to let out the smoke (inorder to save some money), because of which people died it is not negligence ; it is COLD BLOODED MURDER. Negligence would be say if there were exits but the doors were jammed; if there were ventilation ducts but they weren't maintained,

The the Chinese case of tainted milk, at least six infants died and thousands fell sick as a result of melamine contamination in the milk. To give an idea on the efficiency of both the judicial systems here are a few distinctions

Uphaar case: Incident took place in 1997
Tainted milk case : Incident took place in Aug-Sep 08

Time duration from the when the incident took place till the sentencing :
Uphaar case : 9 years
Tainted milk case: around 5 months

Sentence given
Uphaar Case : 1 year for each of the two Ansal Brother (9 days in jail for killing each person)
Tainted milk case : 3 sentence to death and one sentence to life ( well deserved)

Did I mention that the Uphaar sentence was originally 2 years but the high court reduced it to one year because they were "old and respected"?

Another case closer to home is of a mine owner in Goa who was arrested in China for delivering ore that was not according to the specifications in the contract. But the same person has his filthy barge marooned at Candolim beach that is destroying the ecosystem in that area and no one had the guts to ask him to remove it. Well our politicians do have the guts to do anything, including letting a cold blooded killer go free, as long as you pay the right price!!

Wipro to postpone joining of fresh recruits to next year

In these economic times, this was expected. Companies are very pessimistic about revenues in the next few months. They don't want to strain their profit margins by taking in freshers. The decision of recruiting freshers is taken months in advance based on the trends at that time. But when there is a sudden change in the environment (for the worse) new recruits are the first victims.

Pratik Kumar, Executive VP - HR, Brand and Corporate Communication, says, “We have 6,000 campus joinees from last year. We were hoping that we should be able to absorb them during the rest of this year. But now our estimate is that it is likely to spill over to next year. For the next year, we have made 8000 offers. By the end of next year we should be able to absorb all of them.”

Kumar says, “We will put learning modules in place so they can start learning even before joining us. So when they join us finally, the period will be truncated from the mandatory 12 weeks to much lesser.”

I am not amused reading these statements. Let me explain why. Wipro decides to come for campus interviews only if it is the first or the second company. They want to take only the best. But is this the way the best are treated? By keeping them at home for a year. Those students who faithfully (or out of sheer stupidity and laziness) decided not to answer any other campus interviews after they were selected by Wipro are screwed. They would surely have got in some other company right? What an opportunity lost!

Adding insult to injury, wipro will be putting them through "learning modules". This is just a way of saying "Instead of you joining and us having to pay you while you are on training for a couple of months and while you are on the bench for another 4-8 months, you can just sit at home and get trained. In this way, we save money and if the situation turns from bad to worse, we wont call you(no hire-no layoff"

My message to wipro : Great strategy guys!
My message to Freshers : Keep all your options open till the very end!

Obama: The President from Hollywood

I just watch the President Barack Obamas' cabinet taking oath. The atmosphere in the room look so exciting and comforting at the same time. Gone are the days when the same scene used to look serious and intimidating. The funniest part was Joe Biden taking a swing at the Judge who forgot the oath while dictating it to Obama yesterday.

After the oath, Obama congratulated every member of the Cabinet. Each one has a smile on their face that extended ear to ear. Obama looked extremely friendly yet professional. His body language oozes out confidence. I watch him closely how he shook hands with each person and the other hand on their shoulder. Each one excited and looking forward to get on the job they've been assigned to(unlike in India where most minister accept only those berths in which they can steal the most money from). That's the great thing about Obama and the rest of these people. No matter how much grim the situation is, everyone is cheerful and truly believe that they are being led by a man who can get them out of it.

Interesting Forwards that are Meant to Maintain Confidence in Satyam

Dear Friends,

JUST ANOTHER DIMENSION TO LOOK AT LIFE... MAKES A HUGE IMPACT. TRUTHFULNESS APART, JUST READ ON...

I (Satyam Employee) am deputed at client location and came across a very interesting conversation in cafeteria yesterday. One of my co-workers also deputed with the same client through some lesser known two room company, mustered guts to ask me sarcastically in front of entire team, "So, Satyam is gone! What are you guys planning to do now?" In normal circumstances, I have a habit to not to reply to lose talks, but in front of entire team.... I thought I need to fix this guy's thought process. I asked him, as my military training has imbibed in me the habit to fight till last breadth, "Who says Satyam is gone when I am very much alive here and committed to create value on behalf of my company?" He shot back, "Hello Mr., your chairman has resigned, you guys are facing financial turbulence and you still have a face to say that Satyam is not gone!"

At this juncture, I thought of replying to this guy in his own language. I asked him, "Tell me, what will you do and where will you go if our country India was not there?" He was not prepared for this level of thought and asked back, "What a stupid question, How can India be gone, it is a country?" I asked him back, "Country! What makes a country? Land? Economy? Our Prime Minister? Our President? Our Geography? Or the PEOPLE? If our PM resigns, will you say India is gone? If our economy faces a slowdown, will you say India is gone? But yes, if the people of a country are lost for any reason, we will say that country has no meaning. Who cares of vast land of Antarctica today which has just one permanent resident, Father Georgy? Which country does it belongs to? Why does not it have any government? Why does not it have any economy? Or, how many countries were there when humans used to hunt for food in pre-historic times? Countries, Wealth, Infrastructures and booming economies are nothing but creations of efforts of PEOPLE, and they do not have any existence on their own. And the final blow was, "When one man can create Satyam as an organization of 53,000 people, why not 53,000 committed people can rebuild one SATYAM?"

TRULY INSPIRING...

EnJoy...

Defeat is not when you fall down; it is when you refuse to get up

Open Source For President

The article published recently (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7841486.stm) suggested that the new Obama Govt should adopt open source technology in its offices. Currently the government spends nearly a a trillion dollars on proprietary software. This is great news for the open source community although it has to be mentioned here that the proposal was from Sun Technologies and obviously there were talking about their own (open source ) Java Technology.

Personally Im neither for nor against open source since most of the softwares that I used are acquired free. However I would support a model where when you subscribe for a technology, you pay a commission on what you earn using that technology. This is of course, easier said than done.

Whether the new govt chooses proprietary or open source, one way or another companies will find a way to milk the government. In the long run, there is no doubt that open source will be the clear winner because many of the infrastructure and health care plans will run on slim budgets and open source technology is one way to save a penny or two. After all, the govt cannot get its hands on software that is acquired free.

Govt Not Selling Satyam

Govt issued a statement that it wont sell Satyam and it would rather see it stand on its own feet. This is good news for the 40000 employees, some of which will be surely axed if bought by another. I sincerely hope that the Govt has confidence in the business prospects of the company and is not just trying to save those jobs (cause if there are, they're just delaying the inevitable)
 

President Barack Obamas' Speech

Barack Obamas speech was truly inspirational, not to just the Americans, but to every citizen of the world. I'm glad that I'm here today to listen to it and hopefully act on it. This is a  history in the making that all of us will remember all our lives.

Barack the man may do great things or may not... may be perfect or may make mistakes, but Barack the Symbol for Hope, Aspirations and their Fulfillment, amidst all the obstacles, chaos and confusions in the world and our daily lives,  will remain in each of us and give us inspiration forever. In doing so, he has created a model and a template for all future leader.

The Golden Age of Obama Begins

Im infront of my PC listening to CNN playing on the TV in the other room. I don't need to see the screen to imagine the excitement at Washington. It a little over 4 hrs till the inauguration ceremony. I can here USA! USA! chants in the background while reporters ramble on about different stuff including Martin Luther Kings speech and mentioning how proud the people are going to be 40yrs from now.

Im not an American but Im feeling no less proud of him being president that any US citizen. Its something that can never happen in India. I am a proud Indian and even prouder Goan but if there's ever a reason to change my nationality I would definitely be to be a part of a nation that is led by Barack Obama.

"THE MOMENT" (as they call the time Barack will be sworn in) I know I will be cursing every corrupt politician in India that has not just hindered our development but have stalled others like our PM to make any real change. I want a government who says Yes You Can and not No You Cant OR Yes You Can If you Bribe Me.

For now and the rest of the night I am sure gonna enjoy the inauguration ceremony. Hope you do/did too!!!

Subhiksha (salaries) hamara adikhar hai

Remember Subhiksha the retail store? The ad stated that Subhiksha hamara adikhar hai (Subhiksha is my right). This was a retail store chain that everything it sold was cheaper than that available anywhere else. That may be so but any company shouldn't charge so less that they dont make enough profits to pay their employees.

Salaries were not paid since October and the company sent a letter on new year day saying that the last two days of the year were "madly action packed" and they had to ensure that bank facilities of Rs 125 crore is not endangered. It further sets the time frame in which the money due for salaries and rent will be released, giving a total time frame of 3–4–5 days, not more.

Hmm. really WOW. Imaging the joy of the employees who haven't been able to celebrate Diwali and Christmas and on new year day, the employee gifts them a letter of assurance. Its been 20 days and still no salary. Management claims that they they are unaware of any such case. I wonder if they have got their salary?

I had a dejavoo when I heard this. It will be interesting to see what happens. Could this be another Satyam? Only time, pay slips and pink slips will tell.

Men Can Control Food Urges better than Women

An American research suggests that Men are more likely than women to be able to resist a plate full of tempting treats.

Guys, haven't we always known that. First it was our sisters, who in spite of being comparatively smaller in size, demanded a equal or even bigger share of sweets at home. Then it's the turn of our girlfriends. We have to take them to fancy restaurants to feed them while we stay hungry. Once one of them becomes our wives... well there is a reason why married women put on weight and at the same time men look thinner and older.

I don't think, after reading this post, any girl would want to date me anymore. But I have to say this, watch what you eat and control your weight or else let the guys help you loose it ;-)

Are your friends' friend your friend?

Just started a new business or thinking of starting one? Planning to switch your job and looking out for better opportunities? Or simply looking for a good tailor in town? It helps to know as many people as you can. Dont give the excuse that you are too shy or you dont need anybody. The truth is you do. To be successful you need to network.

Amway, QuestNet and other network franchises have become billion dollor companies by implementing the concept of network in their business model. Unfortunately over the years, these companies have focused on generating income by adding new members rather than on selling their products. This has brought a repulsive reputation to the concept of networking and is often viewed with suspicion.

To me, a network is a direct or indirect connection of friendship of individual to every other individual with the objective of helping each other out, which is also the meaning of friendship. The more connections two individuals have the more trust they have in each other. Hence the objective of a network is to make as many connections and and keeping in touch with as many people as you can in your daily life.

You can network anywhere any everywhere. It may be online on sites like facebook or Orkut. It may be offline when you attend parties and events. You dont always need a friend to introduce yourself to new people and make friends, although and intro from a mutual friend does give some credibility. In any case, you have to have a good introduction line and have even better delivery. With this, you can just walk up to anybody and make friends.

You shouldn't ignore anybody. Your gardener, milkman, shopkeeper, ex-girlfriends etc at times are respected people who know a lot of people(say their clients). Keeping good relationship with them could prove valuable in the future.

So the next time, you are on facebook and there is a friend suggestions or a "Do you know?" alert, just add them as your friend without thinking twice.

Three words that'll kill your career "I DON'T KNOW"

An hour ago I had a conversation with my friend, Alex, over the phone. He had got a call from a guy who had an opening in his company for a web designer. Alex graduated last year and has been working as a trainer at a private institute. During that time he trained students in various technologies and programming languages including HTML, JavaScript, Photoshop etc. For those who are unaware, they are used in designing webpages like the one you are viewing right now.

Obviously Alex doesn't have any hands-on "Industry" experience. But when asked whether he can design pages in Photoshop, HTML-JavaScript... should he admit that he's never done it before and therefore imply he hasn't done it. This is a universal dilemma. Does one admit to the truth or tell a lie and say that he has experience working with it before? This is the same problem most freshers (students fresh out of college) and career switchers face.

I would have never known the answer to that till I saw Barack Obama... till I experience Barack Obama. Here is a guy... a young guy with relatively less experience as compared to his opponent's, at the primaries and at the presidential election. The country is in economic turmoil, it is fighting a war with heavy human and economic casualties, jobs are moving away from the country, banks are going bankrupt, car industry is in a slump etc etc. Does Barack has any experience in all this? NO. But he believes he can do it. "Yes we can" he said.

Nobody wants an employee who boasts about his past experience but cannot adapt to the current situation. They want employees who will reply "Yes I can and I will" to any task given to him or her.

Well, Alex didn't tell the guy that. When he was asked if he could design webpages in Photoshop.He said he didn't know. He was honest. Should he have lied? No. It is like saying I know to cut with saw but I've not yet cut in the shape of a square. But by saying "I don't know", he created a perception that he doesn't know anything about photoshop and web designing. All he needed to say was I'm familiar to that, I just need to brush up on this topic OR I didn't feel the need to use that so far but if I do, I shouldn't have any problem learning and using it.

So, the next time someone asks you to do something you may not know, what will you say?

Its all about confidence and expressing, not what you can't do, but what you can do(and do it better than anyone else).

A Beer and a Christmass Tree

Sitting opposite your friends' Christmas tree this is what you'd see after drinking a glass of beer one after another.



Glass 1: Ahh, Feels Great!













Glass 2 : Isn,t the tree tilted dude?













Glass 3: Whoooo nice lights?













Glass 4 : Hey your light do neat tricks












Glass 5 : Wheres' your tree man, it was right there!!










Glass 6: Hey look, fireworks!













Glass 7: Where am I?














Glass 8 : (To friend) Merry Christmas Mama!






...
...








Glass 10 : Friend says, good morning dude, time to go home. You've been sleeping under the christmas tree all night!






This is a simulation only. No animals or humans were harmed. Kids stay away from alcohol.

Lalu to Shoot Bullet Train into India

Lalu intends to start bullet trains in India. He's recently been in a Japanese Bullet train and evidently that inspired him to start on in India. Well there's nothing wrong in that but here are a few advantages and disadvantages of having bullet trains in India

Advantages

• Fewer people will commit suicides on the railway track. Unless they dont want to die alone.
• They probably are going to have clean toilets.
• Closed windows will prevent people from spitting outside. On the downside, the guy will find it easier spiting in your bag.
• You wont have to wait too long at the gate crossing. God help you if you dont see the train coming and decide to cross anyway.
• If the brakes fail, Rajni will be able to stop it with his teeth.

Disadvantages

• You will have to eat the train food even if you dont like it because you wont be able to throw it out of the Window.
• Goondas, Army, communal fanatics etc wont be able to throw people out
• Opposition from people who like to travel free and switch boogies at every station to avoid TC
• Wont be able to get the outside smell (you get when entering say Mumbai)

Dont expect Bullet trains anytime soon though. I dont think they will ever come and this is just one of Lalus Satyamisations

The Best Job in the World!!!

The chance to be the caretaker of a tiny tropical island in Australia has sparked so much interest around the world that a rush of applications crashed the website advertising the post.

The job, which offers a salary of $105,000 to spend six months on the Great Barrier Reef island of Hamilton, has been inundated with hundreds of thousands of prospective candidates.

An official from the state of Queensland, which is offering the position, said the job was created as an antidote to the global economic slump and was being advertised in 18 countries including the United States and China.

Local media said technicians had to restore the website (www.islandreefjob.com) after it could not cope with the volume of interest and crashed for several hours. Some sections are still not up and running.

Duties for the so-called "best job in the world" include feeding ocean fish, cleaning a pool and collecting deliveries of mail that arrive by plane.

The successful candidate will have to go scuba diving, snorkeling and hiking and enjoy at least 25 nearby island resorts. Thrown in is a luxury three-bedroom home and transportation to and from the island.

No skills, nor experience is needed, and there is no age requirement. The job starts in July.

Do you think you can get this job?

Miss the morning sunrise (and dont know when the sun sets)? Take a Morning Walk

For centuries, getting up early in the morning was considered the formula for having a good day and a healthy life. We have prayers and exercises named after and performed for the rising sun. Unfortunately, in our hectic lives we get to see a lot less of it and even if we do, we never appreciate it.

During childhood,we loved to run and play whenever we get the slightest of free time.But as we grow up, things change but they don't have to. I used to sleep at 3:00am and wake up at 9 am. My work schedule didn't allow me to get up in the morning(at least that's what I believed). I was tied up in this vicious cycle where I have to complete my work before going to sleep and therefore couldn't wake up in the morning. As a result I gained weight, my allergies became quite frequent, my mood fluctuated and more. During the last week of last year(08) I had enough of it. I re-evaluated my priorities. I realised that if I have another day to live, I can have another day to work. My work should revolve around my life and not the other around. I'm in my mid 20s and I don't want to wait till my 60 to do what I have and want to do in my personal life. Mind you, I love to work and I will do the work I love all my life. And that is why, my point being, I want to live a long life.

The Wellness Industry will soon replace the Software Industry as the fastest growing and having the most number of millionaires. Why is that? Because we are made to believe that good health is not free anymore and if you want good health you must pay the price. Gadgets, cholesterol free oil, nutritional supplements, high-tech gyms etc are all fighting each other to get your attention. But all it takes to avoid back pains, cholesterol, tummy bulge, etc and build stamina and help your body absorb all the nutrient that is in the food you already eat is a 1 hr walk or jog around your jogging track or neighborhood(if you like going solo)

So if you think you don't have the time to take care of your body, think again. A doctor, if at all, can give you a cure to your disease. But if is your responsibility to avoid it in the first place. We all hope to do a lot of things like waking up early, going for a walk etc etc most of it after we retire. But the irony is how can we expect to live that long if we don't do all that now and keep ourselves healthy till then. To be honest, I am not yet a regular morning walker and sunrise watcher but the fact that I know someone like you is reading this motivates me to practice what I preach. So get up in the morning, take a family member out with you... or take your dog with you... hell take your cow with you... just get your butt up at 6, take a walk and watch the beautiful sunrise every morning( See you sometime in the neighbourhood!)

Joke of the day:Blonds, Santa and now Raju, Satyam.

The news is getting boring.Satyam Computer founder B Ramalinga Raju's fraud may have resulted in employees bailing and clients ditching Satyam but we've all heard that and it has become yesterdays news.

From the ashes of the controversy sprung out SMSs that spread like wild fire and expressions or slang that will end up in the Oxford Dictionary. Here is one such term or expression

Satyamisation: 1)inflating profits,2) finding it tough to get a job because of bad reputation of their employers(and quitting).
Examples

"Im am filing a law suit agained by employer. Working under him has caused me distress, depression and left me Satyamised"
"(On resume or in interview) Reason for Leaving the job : Ive been Satyamised (not laid off)"

Husband to the judge:"Your Honour, I want to divorse my wife. Her love for me was Satyamised" Wife : "So was his manhood"


The popular nursery rhyme, 'Johny, Johny, Yes Papa' has made way for "Raju Raju, Yes Baba, Cheating us, No Baba, Telling Lies, No Baba, Open your accounts, Ha Ha Ha".

Another rhyme, 'Humpty Dumpty, sat on a wall" has been popularized even more with its Raju version: "Raju Raju sat up on the wall, Raju Raju had a great fall, Balance sheet died, shareholders cried, Raju Raju made a big fraud."

An SMS doing the rounds has a new full-form for Satyam: 'Stealing And Transferring Your All Money'.
One message points towards famous film-maker Ram Gopal Verma preparing to make a movie on the Satyam saga: It goes on to say that Varma, who was sighted inside Taj Hotel, Mumbai, after terror attacks there, was seen at Satyam headquarters in Hyderabad last week.

An age-old TV commercial of a toothpaste has also been pulled out due to a Raju connection. In its new avatar, Masterji says, "Raju tumhare daant toh motiyo se chamak rahe hain? (Raju, your teeth are sparkling like pearls), to which Raju replies "Chamke kyu na? maine apni hi company ka paisa jo khaaya hai (Why wont they sparkle, I have gobbled up my own firm's money).

And Finally : Do you feel this blog is Satyamised ?

Are Indexes like Sensex and Nifty Reflective of the Overall Markets

Indices like Sensex, Nifty are a cumulative sum of products of a group of companies and their market cap(relative). The group of companies are the best performing companies in the market. But, like in the case of Satyam, just because the stock price of the company dropped within a few weeks, does it deserve to be removed from the list that make up the index. I think not.

For one thing a share price is not a definite indicator of the company's underlying value. Share prices are inflated and deflated by greed and fear respectively. Once should have checked the quarter on quarter result before replacing a company like satyam. I don't know everything that went into the decision of replacing Satyam. But one thing I can say for sure is that, if any other company is delisted just because the prices fell over few weeks,is that the index becomes a fools index only meant to mislead the public by using the best performing stock to hide the not so well performing ones.

On a final note, if a stock, which has its price free falling, delisted, the companies that have its prices skyrocket without any explanation, should also be delisted. Any statistician will tell you that while analysing readings of an experiment(like measuring temperature), you must eliminate the lower 5% and higher 5% because they could be unexplained spikes.

President George W Bush The Under-rated Hero of Our Age

He wont will the Nobel Peace prize but he has done a lot to keep Americans and the rest of the world safe. This has been echoed by Dalai Lama who being a man of non-violence, openly stated that terrorism cannot be defeated by non-violence because the terrorist have closed minds. That is true and whoever thinks otherwise is simply delusional.

Coming back to George W Bush, he took tough decisions because of which there have been no terrorist attacks on US soil. The economic down turn was not directly his fault. He cant be help responsible for the greed of a group of people, the result of which were inflated prices.By defeating Saddam and the Taliban, he a halted, if not destroyed, a dark force that would reach other countries and cause immense damage and destruction. If a man like Bush existed in the early 20s we would never have had the second world war. A pre-emptive offense was needed and that was what he did. If india would have done the same, during the rise of Kashmiri terrorist, we would probably have be better off.

Love him or have him, this is a man whose positive impact on the world cannot be denied. But nothing is perfect and neither is he. I have to mention here that dont agree with his economic stance (companies must be allowed to fall or bought over by the Govt: No free bailouts please) and anti-environmental policies. But lets hope that the gap in his legacy is patched by the new President Barak Obama.

BJP loves Miliband

Inflation is coming down, fuel prices are down, stimulus packages are taking effect, farmer suicide count is down, money is flowing etc etc. The UPA govt has got its act right just in the nick of time. The BJP is left with very little to crib and cry about. No wonder they have taken some stupid remarks from a stupid man who no one ever heard off and no one even cares.He is British secretary of state David Miliband. In a time where Britain is falling behind in its influence of the world and sometime labeled as USs tail why are we as a nation even listening to them. Our attitude should be, if you can do something-do it else f*** off. We dont want some college grad to tell us what to do.

BJP, however, never fails to break the boundaries of stooping low.If they are calling it a diplomatic disaster then they should learn the meaning of the word disaster. When I heard Milibands comment, I thought of him as a nitt-witt, who probably read about Kashmir from history books as some reports staked in the corner of the national library. The BJP raised his credibility and joined his club of nit-wits. Sad to say but our country is full of them. My advice to BJP, you are in a country in which more than 70% of people dont know the meaning of DIPLOMATIC and DISASTER. It wont win you votes. Focus on the real issues faced by the common man. By any luck you will be able to will the Parliament election like the Congress. They have just proved themselves by turning the bad economic situation around.

The Plane That Never Crashed

Pilot Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger is a legend. Actually, he is more like god. Against all odds, with his engines blown off, he managed to land his plane, American Airlines 1949 into the freezing Hudson river with hardly any injuries to his crew and passengers. This incident could have easily turned disastrous if he missed and crashed on land and taken out a city block. Even a couple of degrees either way when landing the plane would have shreded the plane and every one in it into fish food.

By the way, the plane does have a DITCHING SWITCH, which shut down all holes in the plane that may allow water to enter. I never heard of such a switch before but one should expect such a safety feature like this.

If an Indian pilot who was twice as skilled be able to pull this stunt off? Even if he had to land in our rivers, how much time would it take the rescue teams to reach the site. I think, without sounding pessimistic, the chances of survival would drop considerable. All we have to console our self, when we catch a flight, is that our pilots are so good that there have been no airplane crashes taking place inIndia for quite sometime. But that doesn't stop me from raising doubt over the way the planes are maintained. Kinda similar to what i say to myself when I go to a roadside restaurant "As long as the waiter looks clean I think the food is clean. I rather not look into the kitchen and spoil my appetite."

Tele-Brands, TVC and other shopping networks Selling Garbage.

Do you want to buy anything from the popular TV Information companies like Telebrands, Home Shopping Network, TVC ?. All those air lounges, eye max (eye massagers), exercisers, blender, etc; are you interested in them? Well here is my opinion. Try and guess which of these products Ive purchased(and regretted) from Almira Marketing, Porvorim Goa and post it as a comment.


If you've lived through any of the infomercials on TV (which means you don't have a happy life) you will hear the bold claims and promises made by them. The air lounge from TVC sky shop can be dragged by a jeep on road and a football team can jump on it without damaging it. If you use the eyemax you can decrease your number, if you used magnetic slippers and other crap you can regulate blood pressure and reduce pain. If you use the sauna belt (each company having its own version) you can reduce your weight, the ab exerciser can get you six packs and the Home Jogger is a better substitute for actual jogging etc etc.

The reality is very different. The air lounge (and other inflatable furniture) is made of bad material which stretched with pressure and gets holes. In 6 months it will have more patches on it then your grandmothers quilt. The eyemax is junk. Only eye surgery is proven to be effective but even that is not entirely guaranteed to improve your number. You'll have a better chance munching carrots. As for the cooling effect the EyeMax claims to give, a couple of slices from a cucumber will do a better job and the rest can be a tasty snack as you cool your eyes. Magnetic Therapy is proven scientifically to be useless. If you want blood to calculate in your body or part of your body just pour hot and cold water alternately over the required parts of the body. It does a perfect job. If you think the magnetic belts and slipper circulate iron, sorry, the magnetic field of the magnets are too weak to penetrate the skin. You'll require magnets the size of a car tire to do that and still you wont get the desired result. Don't even think you can grow tall with magnets(as the ads claim) Just play basketball for that and maintain a healthy diet.

The Sauna belt, the legendary product that everyone knows, does what the ads claim. The ads claim that the first time you use it, you will loose 2 inches off your waist. This implies that you can loose weight if you continue to use it. It works but why? The first time you use it, the sauna belt doesn't melt your fat(as shown in the animation) it makes you sweat and releases water from under your skins. So, in reality, you are loosing 2 inches of water and not fat. The next day your body replenishes the water under your skin. You measure before and after and loo again you lost 2 inches. You will assume that you are eating too much because you can see that sauna belt works but you are gaining weight again by eating and then reduces your diet intake and that reduces your weight. With the sauna belt, you are doing nothing more than extracting water and giving yourself a nasty burn mark. If you want to reduce weight, trust yourself and hit the track every morning and live oil free.

The exercisers are great in their designs but the materials they are made of in low in quality. You can seriously injure yourself for which you cannot demand any compensation. If you really want to buy them, get it from a branded showroom there there will be trainer to advice whats best for you and why.

Home jogger AKA Morning walker is a joke. Nothing can and ever will substitute the effect that real jogging has on every part and organ of your body and the fresh feeling it brings in the morning.

Don't even think of buying any electrical item unless you want to burn your house down. I've seen the irons and the mixers for myself and the plastic is no better than that of the toys available on sale on the streets.

I wont comment on the religious items since "I dont want to Hurt the sentiments of any individual or group". But I'm impressed with the bold claim they make about how it improved love, life, health wealth etc. Maybe I don't want all that which is why I haven't bought those items from these companies.

Did I mention, these products do not have any warranty? Seriously, they dont. A Sauna belt costing 2000 bucks will give you a nasty shock but cannot be replaces. The airlounge costing 6000 cannot be replaced. Wait a minute, that reminds me of some other business that work on no replacement- no guarantee: drugs, scrapyard, prostitution, con-artists, gambling etc

Bottom line, these shopping networks have no accountability. In the US the claims can be challenged in the court of law. The companies have to maintain a good standard of quality because the compensation they'll have to pay if they loose even one case if good enough to take them out of business for the next 3 generations.In India, you will be screwed. The distributors dont accept liability, the TV channels flash their disclaimers during the infomercials, the manufacturers are not India so they cannot be sued. When toys exported form China to the US were found to be coated with lead paint that can cause brain damage, cancer and even death in people US reacted strongly and banned them. When the same Chinese products enter India the FDA and other Govt organisations don't even bother testing them. They are in fact in denial. We cant expect anything from anyone but ourselves, therefore we need to be smart customers and not lazy couch potatoes.

So dont be an ignorant by buying anything from teleshopping Network, TVC sky shop, and other infomercials on TV. Just get out ass out of your house preferably with your family and have a great time with them as you check your options before selecting a good quality, trustworthy and more importantly "a safe" product.

News Channels : To Be or Not to Be Censored

No one want censorship let alone censorship of the press media. The controversy is back and this time the UPA Government seems to have a valid reason. The new bill that effectively hands control of the content shown on the News Channels wherein the Govt can block a program that is shown(like a sting operation or a documentary that put the government in bad light) in the name of national security, has been introduced in parliament. It is a facist law similar to those introduced by Hitler. The only difference in this case is that our leaders claim they will use it only in genuine circumstances like war, terrorist attacks, etc. Hmmm...... Wait a minute, didn't Hitler say the same thing. When this act was introduced some months back, it was rejected by the media and the general public alike. Politicians didnt have any reason for introducing this act except the hidden agenda of controlling sting operation. The media on its part made a promise of self regulation. The act was pulled out.

During the Mumbai attacks in November, things changed. During the war of the terrorist there was another war that was simultaneously taking place. This was on TV. Every channel scrambled to get viewers attention and increase their ratings. The banner "Breaking News", meant for extremely important news fact was used, miss used and abused every 3rd minute. When that didnt work, they brought guests in their stdio discussing and speculating what will happen, should happen, could happen etc. And when that got boring they started interviewing the relatives of people trapped in the hotel, effectively giving away their number and location to the terrorist. They then brought the senior reporters on ground zero to repeat the whole thing. They did put the people at risk and may even be responsible for their deaths.Afterall, the terrorist did want publicity. Except for Doordarshan, every other channel behaved irresponsibly and were out of control. By doing so they handed their freedom of reporting on a plate to our politicians to were looking for a good reason to reintroduce their act.

So this time, if the freedom of press is restricted it is the press media and not the politicians to be blamed. Either way, the real victims are the citizens of this country

Fear of loosing job drives man to commit suicide

Do you love a job? If you loose it will you feel like a loser and commit suicide? That just what a 23 year man from Satyam did. Its sad.

Everyone should understand that money, job, companies, scams are all virtual. They dont exists and are merely created to make things more challenging and tempting.Whereas life, family, happiness etc are real. How can you give up something real for something virtual that never exited