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?

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?

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.

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.

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!!!

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?

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.

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."

UN Armed at Ready with a Bomb... A Nuclear Bomb

Yes its true, the UN, the body that is supposed to protect human rights has got its hand on a Nuclear Bomb and are armed and ready to use it, ironically, against those who violate human right.

News of the nuclear weapon first surfaced late last week when the United Nation's own watchdog group, the International Atomic Energy Agency, released startling new satellite photos of the uranium-based device. Shortly thereafter, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a short and brazen list of demands, calling on all nations to "bow down at once to social progress."

"Tremble before the awesome might of this cooperative assembly of appointed representatives," said Ban, boldly holding a stack of diplomatic resolutions in his hand. "At last, when the United Nations calls for the development of more sustainable agricultural practices, the world at large will listen."

Added Ban, "We will no longer be ignored."

The warhead, an Oralloy U-235 thermonuclear detonator encased in a long-range ballistic missile, is believed to be currently housed beneath the parking lot of the U.N. complex in New York. According to Pentagon officials, it is likely that the United Nations has already tested the weapon, and may in fact be prepared to deploy it if its demands for global harmony are not met.

US didnt want to be left behind :"All efforts are being made to engage this nationless threat in diplomatic talks, but so far, they remain uncooperative," U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff said. "However, I can assure you that the United States will not be pushed around. We will not be bullied into limiting our carbon-dioxide emissions or honoring the conditions established by the Geneva Conventions. The United States will not bend."

That is just plain US arrogance and pride.

Anyway Gandhigiri Farewell, looks like UN Secretory general doenst care about willing peace price. He want to act tough and he should be. We dont want to have another hitler in the world. Its time to kick butt of the Pakis, Russians and any other rough nation trying to destabalise peace.

Call it a bluff or not, but if they do have a long ranged nuclear armed missile under their parking lot and if the circumstance required, who do you think will have the balls to push the button and accept responsibility of the millions that will turn to dust. Personally, I worried about the guy or gal in the car that is the UN parking lot right above the missile as it takes off.

$50 Billion Note

Zimbabwe's central bank will introduce a $50 billion note and will be enough to buy just two loaves of bread in their attempt to cope with inflation. 

Zimbabwe is grappling with hyperinflation now officially estimated at 231 million percent, and its currency is fast losing its value. As of Friday, one U.S. dollar was trading at around ZW$25 billion.

When the government issued a $10 billion note just three weeks ago, it bought 20 loaves of bread. That note now can purchase less than half of one loaf.

What should one do when in this situation. As the worlds richest man said, "you have to invest in your self". Learn some skill, maybe cooking, carpentry etc spmething that people are ready to pay for no matter what happens to the economy. The least you can do is barter or in the case of Zimbabwe, by selling just a loaf of bread you can become a billionaire.

Pakistan Government Held Hostage?

The way the Pakistani Govt is handling the kasab and the whole attack of India incident is similar to a hostages situation where the hostages forced to give statements that are vague repeatative, illogical and inconsistent.