something new

 

just when you thought what scope is there when designing another stack of matchboxes in the sky. architect jeanne gang brings us this....

Baltimore to Fort Hood

just read this on the Fort Hood shootings....and i quote.."So Army Maj. Nidal M. Hasan is a 'devout' Muslim, we are told, who prayed several days a week at a Mosque in Silver Spring, Maryland. He’s also a native born American of Palestinian parents. My Muslim friends tell me Islam is a peaceful religion, with dozens of references in the Koran rejecting violence. We don’t know if his religious beliefs played any part in his alleged murderous rampage, but the case of Maj. Hasan, who technically at this stage is only a 'suspect,' is not helping the image of peaceful Islam. While we withhold judgment awaiting more facts, it’s safe to say this terrorist act will only deepen the mistrust many Americans have for those who follow the Islamic faith. And that is a sad truth."

This made me sit up a bit....thats a place I have been to...and I have some friends who went to the very same mosque. I lived in this area for a few months and did meet a few very very religious people. Fanaticism has been growing in america nourished by a state that forgot its role of building communities and caring for all its citizens. The public area of being a benovelent daddy, vacated by the state, has been occupied by religious focus groups....

kid on bed on cow on road

 

ok...thats not a cow...thats a donkey

slight shift in perspective

 

View from the cubicle

 

Not bad .....for a view from the office..... sometimes while busy in the latest work related emergency you catch sight of the view from the window.....and its like a sudden shifting of perspective.....sweet..

visit to D Farm

 

 

 

 

dotcom entrepreneurs from roorkee....about time

this website ...is a nice idea...just like facebook allows you to stay in touch with your friends without having to jhelo them face to face... now you can do the same with your neighbours....

interesting that 25 yr old from roorkee are showing up in the young entrepreneur brigade..... the winds of change managed to sweep away some of the cobwebs in the laidback old alma mater it seems...or is this the exception that proves the rule...

Familiar College Blues

Nice stuff on the IT BHU page on facebook....would be familiar to most ex hostelers...

You know you went to ITBHU in the '90s when:
1. Mochu was the biggest food brand you knew
2. Munna Maharaj was the best chef
3. You ate aloos till you resembled one
4. Lankating was your favorite sport
5. Girls were the beings that did not resemble men (in an obvious manner) and were few and far in between
6. All your afternoons were spent at corners, Limbdi, Rajputana etc.
7. Grass was not green
8. Bhoot stories abound esp around DG and Morvi hostel
9. Everyone south of Vindhyas was a Makku
10. You had a nickname you don?t want to remember
11. Maggus were half the class population
12. Tattas were not round objects
13. Everything was arbit
14. Mandir was for drinking shakes and generally lounging
15. Jawani series movies were hot and had some decent following
16. Mastram was your fav author
17. GRE was the ticket to success and GRE scores were your achievement
18. Endless nights spent on discussing useless things
19. Career was a something you got with a job (usually with Infosys)
20. Topo was your strategy for passing sems and tests
21. At least 100 males had a crush on 1 female
22. Ayn Rand was your philosophy teacher
23. La Be La was your favorite Chinese restaurant (& for some their fav dating place)
24. Talli till death was your favorite pastime
25. PLD was a nice to have title

nice coffee architecture

http://gizmodo.com/5361661/mcdonalds-lamp-post-makes-me-doubt-my-mental-sanity-even-more

nice article about auroville

http://business.in.com/article/work-in-progress/commerce-in-a-cocoon/3722/1

how dare he have a sense of humor

?Absolutely, in cattle class out of solidarity with all our holy cows,? Mr Tharoor had replied to a question on whether he would travel ?cattle class? to Kerala the next time.

Mr. Tharoor is a minister in the Union Cabinet and an author of best selling books.

Humor and politics, can they mix ?

metro-politan

 

the heart of new gurgaon...metropolitan mall with a metro station in front.

playground images

 

playing by the side of the road...making mudcakes...

view in the rear view

 

best way to ride a scooter when you are small

view from window in gurgaon

 

bet no one would believe that one day sleepy old gurgawa would have a view from the window like this.

strange designs for sinks

http://weburbanist.com/2009/09/13/15-more-spectacular-sinks-strange-wash-basin-designs/

Street Pics - Connaught Place, Delhi

 

 

 

 

mumbai buildings going hep

amazing new shapes in poor old mumbai.... read here

street views of delhi

 

Virus kills 200 in india. no cure.

As the BBC reports....<br />
A virus, which kills children every year, in the heart of india, in the eastern part of UP. No one can cure it and no effective vaccine. Still there is no fuss about it. 900 children are sick with this virus and in hospitals, still there is no panic. 40 have died due to the swine flu H1N1 virus, and the media is full of it.....

thats how it goes....even diseases need to have glamour, a catchy name and good PR.

rather than defend its turf from the apple iphone, nokia has executed a classic counterattack ...and launched a netbook, or booklet as they call it...

ashes to ashes

England won the ashes. Its tough to understand how Australia could lose, but the answer is simple. They just ran the contest too close. When it gets down to just one game, a single standout performer can swing the game. Like Ajit Agarkar in Australia some time back, Stuart Broad got into rythmn, settled into a groove and just kept sending beautiful deliveries down, one after the other. When the dust had cleared, he had 5 wickets and Australia had folded.

on the itenerary for the next decade of wandering

Owned by a local Navajo family, the View is the only hotel in the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. It was designed with meticulous care to blend into and capitalize on the splendor of the landscape,

check the slideshow here ....

If you wanted to invest 1 lakh in Indian Stocks

Here is what I bought recently....and am sharing, in case anyone wants to figure out how to invest a lakh in indian stocks =


Stock Symbol Qty Current Market Price Value At Market Price
LICHF 25 625.20 15630 LIC HOUSING FINANCE
HINCON 200 106.00 21200 HINDUSTAN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY
JAIIRR 25 717.00 17925 JAIN IRRIGATION
APTTRA 50 215.50 10775 APTECH TRAINING
FIRSOU 250 33.50 8375 FIRSTSOURCE SOLUTIONS
BHATE 50 409.50 20475 BHARTI TELECOM
GTLINF 50 36.45 1822.5 GTL INFRASTRUCTURE
TOTAL 96202.5

lyrics to remember

Where were you when I was burned and broken
While the days slipped by from my window watching
Where were you when I was hurt and I was helpless
Because the things you say and the things you do surround me
While you were hanging yourself on someone else's words
dying to believe in what you heard
I was staring straight into the shining sun
Lost in thought and lost in time
While the seeds of live and the seeds of change were planted
Outside the rain fell dark and slow
While I pondered on this dangerous but irrestiable past-time
I took a heavenly ride through one silence
I knew the moment had arrived
For killing the past and coming back to life
I took a heavenly ride trough our silence
I knew the waiting had begin
And headed straight... into the shining sun

Pink Floyd Coming Back To Life lyrics

stocks to buy

lupin - good
cipla - good
irb - good
jain irrigation - good
walchandnagar - good
ahluwalia -good

aptech
firstsource
hcl tech
indian hotels
unitech
icicibank
bilt - ok
cairn - ok
mahindra holidays
moser>suzlon>praj

microsoft retail stores being designed.

10 Ways Microsoft Stores will be Different to Apple Stores
Microsoft announced plans to open retail stores, hoping to boost visibility of many of its products and its brand. The move seems to be an effort to mimic the success that Apple has had with its retail stores. The news is just too tempting not to have some fun with. So here are some yet-to-be-officially-revealed details about the Microsoft stores.

1) Instead of Apple's sheer walls of glass, Microsoft's stores will have brushed steel walls dotted with holes -- reminiscent of Windows security.

2) The store will have six different entrances: Starter, Basic, Premium, Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate. While all six doors will lead into the same store, the Ultimate door requires a fee of $100 for no apparent reason.

3) Instead of a "Genius Bar" (as Apple provides) Microsoft will offer an Excuse Bar. It will be staffed by Microsofties trained in the art of evading questions, directing you to complicated and obscure fixes, and explaining it's a problem with the hardware -- not a software bug.

4) The Windows Genuine Advantage team will run storefront security, assuming everybody is a thief until they can prove otherwise.

5) Store hours are undetermined. At any given time the store mysteriously shuts down instantaneously for no apparent reason. (No word yet on what happens to customers inside).

6) Stores will be named Microsoft Live Retail Store with PC Services for Digital Lifestyle Enthusiasts.

7) Fashioned after Microsoft's User Account Control (UAC) in Vista, sales personnel will ask you whether you're positive you want to purchase something at least twice.

8) Xbox 360 section of the store will be organized in a ring -- which will inexplicably go red occasionally.

9) DreamWorks will design a scary in-store theme park ride called "blue screen of death."

10) Store emergency exits will be unlocked at all times so people can get in anytime they want even if the front doors are locked

Check out China could attack India before 2012, claims analyst

I want you to take a look at: China could attack India before 2012, claims analyst 

Ronnie Cummings: How Industry Giants are Undermining the Organic Foods Movement

Ronnie Cummings: How Industry Giants are Undermining the Organic Foods Movement

Shared via AddThis

Getting on the road.

Today in suburban cities like Gurgaon, the supply of public transport is woefully inadequate for the daily commuters. Traditionally women, students and elderly have been more dependent on public transport and are hardest hit by failure of the public transport system. As our cities grow and public transport is not able to keep up, most people feel the need to own a vehicle. After a few attempts to use public transport, a daily commuter or suburban resident soon starts to evaluate which vehicle to buy and how to drive and maintain it.

In places like Gurgaon, it is not uncommon to see someone learning to drive a car that he or she has just bought. The requirement for a commuting solution is immediate and a new car owner is in a hurry to get up and running on the road. They have to quickly get up to speed on

-Learning to drive
-Getting a driving license,
-Deciding on the vehicle to buy
-Selecting and buying car insurance.
-Learning to maintain and protect your vehicle.
-Navigating and staying calm on the crowded roads of India.

The first milestone on this journey is getting your first driving license. The law is clear on this, “No person shall drive a motor vehicle in any public place unless he holds an effective Driving licence issued to him authorizing him to drive a vehicle of that particular category”.

There are two steps to acquiring a driving license and both involve a trip to the RTO office. First time you get checked for color blindness, take a simple objective type test and get a learner license issued. This license allows you to drive on the road provided you have someone with a valid driving license sitting along with you. Second time you return after learning to drive to get a Permanent license. This second visit should be within 30 days to 6 months of issue of learner license. You need to take your vehicle with you, demonstrate your driving skills, satisfy the examiners and become a proud recipient of a driving license. It is advisable to use a good professional driving school to help you through this stage.

At some point along the way you will also need to decide which vehicle to buy. Consider both second hand cars and first hand cars while comparing so that you get a full picture. While comparing various options, take into account the total cost of ownership per year to decide which fits your budget. A common mistake is to only consider fuel economy while assessing the ownership cost.

Total Cost of Ownership includes -

-Fuel Costs
-Insurance charges.
-Maintenance costs.
-Depreciation
-Interest if car loan is taken.

Take the example of a new 4 lakh rupee car, which is driven 1000 km a month with a petrol fuel economy of around 15km a litre.

-Fuel costs – about 3000 rupees a month.
-Car insurance policy would be about 10 – 12 thousand a year, or 1000 rupees a month.
-Depreciation would be 5000 – 10000 a month, considering that the car value goes down by 15% to 30% in a year.
-If you took a car loan of 75% you might be easily paying 4000 a month in interest alone.
-Servicing and maintenance charges - About 800-1000 per month.


So fuel economy though important, is just one cost among many associated with vehicle ownership. Lets compare this with a second hand car bought for 2 lakh.

-Its fuel economy would not be too different from a new car.
-Its maintenance cost might be higher, say at 2000 rupees a month,
-Its insurance would be lower at 100 - 500 rupees a month since the car is of lower IDV (insured's declared value)
-the depreciation would be lower for the same reason.
-You might be able to buy it without needing a loan.


You have to choose between having the greater reliability of a new car versus the lower cost of ownership of an older car. The prestige value attached to a new car may tilt your decision. On the other hand you may want to commit the beginner's mistakes, minor accidents, clutch plate burnouts on an older car and so opt for the latter.
Now that you have your car and your license, its time to get on the road and drive on towards a different lifestyle. Make sure you have the contact numbers of your dealer and service network with you and don't hesitate to call for help when facing any problems on the road. Inspect your car from time to time, by walking around it, bending down and looking at the undersides, kicking the tires and lifting the bonnet and having a look at the engine.

Your car is a machine that will carry you at high speeds in dense and chaotic traffic and you should tend it with care. Avoid unnecessary manoeuvres on the road, aim to protect your car and your car will protect you. Renew your insurance on time and never drive when you don't feel fit enough. Check the engine oil and coolant levels regularly and get the tires air pressure checked routinely. Ignore distractions, keep your focus on the road, stay cool and always wear a seat belt.

When one is commuting by bus one looks at cars and thinks they have it easy. When you own a car and realize its responsibilities, you may end up looking at the people riding on buses and thinking that they have it easy. No stress of driving, no worries about accidents and maintenance and no hassles over parking. Don't worry when you sit in your own car, turn up the music and rev up the engine all these thoughts will disappear as you get on the road and get going.

times change

fake ipl player...;

amazing creative discussions happening on fake ipl player blog .... sample below ---

to go there click this ...

the blog is hilarious..specially liked the part where fakie wonders if he can stick a cable up a big eared bowlers ass and see if receives satellite tv.....

A is for Awpheesh (as in Office). This is where the average Kolkakatan goes and spends a day hard at work. And if he works for the 'Vest Bengal Gawrment' he will arrive at 10, wipe his forehead till 11, have a tea break at 12, throw around a few files at 12.30, break for lunch at 1, smoke the 7th unfiltered cigarette at 2, break for 5th cup of tea at 3, sleep sitting down at 4 and go home at 4:30. It's a hard life!

B is for Bhision. For some reason many Bengalis don't have good bhision. In fact in Kolkata most people are wearing spectacles all the time....Bhishon Bhalo and Bibhotso.... though means opposite ...used for same situations.. .depending on the Beauty of fairer sex...are close ...almost in a tie for second spot....

C is for Chappell. Currently, this is the Bengali word for the Devil, for the worst form of evil. In the night mothers put their kids to sleep saying, 'Na ghumoley ebar Chappell eshey dhorey niye jabe.'

D is for Debashish or any other name starting with Deb. By an ancient law every fourth Bengali Child has to be named Debashish. So you have a Debashish everywhere and trying to get creative they are also called Deb, Debu, Deba with variations like Debopriyo, Deboprotim, Debojyoti, etc. thrown in at times....as creations of God himself !!

E is for Eeesh. This is a very common Bengali exclamation made famous by Aishwarya Rai in the movie Devdas. It is estimated that on an average a Bengali, especially Bengali women, use eeesh 10,089 times every year. 'Ei Morechhey' is a close second to Eeesh.

F is for Feeesh. These are creatures that swim in rivers and seas and are a favourite food of the Bengalis. Despite the fact that a fish market has such strong smells, with one sniff a Bengali knows if a fish is all right. If not, he will say 'eeesh what feeesh is theesh!'

G is for Good name. Every Bengali boy will have a good name like Debashish or Deboprotim and a pet name like Motka, Bhombol, Thobla, etc. While every Bengali girl will have pet names like Tia, Tuktuki, Mishti, Khuku, et cetera.

H is for Harmonium. This Bengali equivalent of a rock guitar. Take four Bengalis and a Harmonium and you have the successors to The Bheatles!

I is for Ileesh. This is a feeesh with 10,987 bones which would kill any ordinary person, but which the Bengalis eat with releeesh!

J is for Jhola. No selfrespecting Bengali is complete without his Jhola. It is a shapeless cloth bag where he keeps all his belongings and he fits an amazing number of things in. Even as you read this there are two million jholas bobbling around Kolkata, and they all look exactly the same! Note that 'Jhol'with mysterious condiments.. . as in Maachher Jhol is a close second. Jhaamela and Jachhetai are distant 3rd and 4th

K is for Kee Kaando! It used to be the favourite Bengali exclamation till eeesh took over because of Aishwarya Rai.Kee mushkil is a close second.

L is for Lungi, the dress for all occasions. People in Kolkata manage to play football and cricket wearing it not to mention the daily trip in the morning to the local bajaar. Now there is talk of a lungi expedition to Mt Everest.

M is for Minibaas. These are dangerous half buses whose antics would effortlessly frighten the living daylights out of all James Bond stuntmen as well as Formula 1 race car drivers.

N is for Nangto. This is the Bengali word for Naked. It is the most interesting naked word in any language!

O is for Oil. The Bengalis believe that a touch of mustard oil will cure anything from cold (oil in the nose), to earache (oil in the ear), to cough (oil on the throat) to piles (oil you know where!).

P is for Phootball. This is always a phavourite phassion of the Kolkattan. Every Bengali is born an expert in this game. The two biggest clubs there are MOHUNBAGAN and East Bengal and when they play the city comes to a stop.

Q is for Koshchen (question) as in "Mamatadi koshchens Cheap Ministaar in Writaars Buiding."

R is for Robi Thakur. Many many years ago Rabindranath got the Nobel Prize. This has given the right to all Bengalis no matter where they are to frame their acceptance speeches as if they were directly related to the great poet and walk with their head held high. This also gives Bengalis the birthright to look down at Delhi and Mumbai and of course 'all non-Bengawlees'! Note that 'Rawshogolla' comes a close second!

S is for Shourav. Now that they finally produced a genuine cricketer, that too a captain, Bengalis think that he should be allowed to play until he is 70 years old.

T is for Trams. Hundred years later there are still trams in Kolkata. Of course if you are in a hurry it's faster to walk....Trams are still existing in Paris too.......you see !

U is for Aambrela. When a Bengali baby is born he is handed one.

V is for Bhaayolence. Bengalis are the most non-violent violent people around. When an accident happens they will fold up their sleeves, shout and scream and curse and abuse, "Chherey De Bolchhi" but the last time someone actually hit someone was in 1939.

W is for Water. For three months of the year the city is underwater and every year for the last 200 years the authorities are taken by surprise by this!

X is for X'mas. It's very big in Kolkata, with Park Street fully lit up and all Bengalis agreeing that they must eat cake that day.

Y is for Yesshtaarday. Which is always better than today for a Bengali (see R for Robi Thakur)?. It is also for Jubraj Shingh and Joga.

Z is for Jebra, Joo, and Jipper.

cat pose

 

palin drome

 

uttarkashi

 

Child's Guide To United States Foreign Policy

Q: Daddy, why did we have to attack Iraq?

A: Because they had weapons of mass destruction honey.

Q: But the inspectors didn't find any weapons of mass destruction.

A: That's because the Iraqis were hiding them.

Q: And that's why we invaded Iraq?

A: Yep. Invasions always work better than inspections.

Q: But after we invaded them, we STILL didn't find any weapons of mass destruction, did we?

A: That's because the weapons are so well hidden. Don't worry, we'll find something, probably right before the 2008 election.

Q: Why did Iraq want all those weapons of mass destruction?

A: To use them in a war, silly.

Q: I'm confused. If they had all those weapons that they planned to use in a war, then why didn't they use any of those weapons when we went to war with them?

A: Well, obviously they didn't want anyone to know they had those weapons, so they chose to die by the thousands rather than defend themselves.

Q: That doesn't make sense Daddy. Why would they choose to die if they had all those big weapons to fight us back with?

A: It's a different culture. It's not supposed to make sense.

Q: I don't know about you, but I don't think they had any of those weapons our government said they did.

A: Well, you know, it doesn't matter whether or not they had those weapons. We had another good reason to invade them anyway.

Q: And what was that?

A: Even if Iraq didn't have weapons of mass destruction, Saddam Hussein was a cruel dictator, which is another good reason to invade another country.

Q: Why? What does a cruel dictator do that makes it OK to invade his country?

A: Well, for one thing, he tortured his own people.

Q: Kind of like what they do in China?

A: Don't go comparing China to Iraq. China is a good economic competitor, where millions of people work for slave wages in sweatshops to make U.S. corporations richer.

Q: So if a country lets its people be exploited for American corporate gain, it's a good country, even if that country tortures people?

A: Right.

Q: Why were people in Iraq being tortured?

A: For political crimes, mostly, like criticizing the government. People who criticized the government in Iraq were sent to prison and tortured.

Q: Isn't that exactly what happens in China?

A: I told you, China is different.

Q: What's the difference between China and Iraq?

A: Well, for one thing, Iraq was ruled by the Ba'ath party, while China is Communist.

Q: Didn't you once tell me Communists were bad?

A: No, just Cuban Communists are bad.

Q: How are the Cuban Communists bad?

A: Well, for one thing, people who criticize the government in Cuba are sent to prison and tortured.

Q: Like in Iraq?

A: Exactly.

Q: And like in China, too?

A: I told you, China's a good economic competitor. Cuba, on the other hand, is not.

Q: How come Cuba isn't a good economic competitor?

A: Well, you see, back in the early 1960s, our government passed some laws that made it illegal for Americans to trade or do any business with Cuba until they stopped being communists and started being capitalists like us.

Q: But if we got rid of those laws, opened up trade with Cuba, and started doing business with them, wouldn't that help the Cubans become capitalists?

A: Don't be a smart-ass.

Q: I didn't think I was being one.

A: Well, anyway, they also don't have freedom of religion in Cuba.

Q: Kind of like China and the Falun Gong movement?

A: I told you, stop saying bad things about China. Anyway, Saddam Hussein came to power through a military coup, so he's not really a legitimate leader anyway.

Q: What's a military coup?

A: That's when a military general takes over the government of a country by force, instead of holding free elections like we do in the United States...

Q: Didn't the ruler of Pakistan come to power by a military coup?

A: You mean General Pervez Musharraf? Uh, yeah, he did, but Pakistan is our friend.

Q: Why is Pakistan our friend if their leader is illegitimate?

A: I never said Pervez Musharraf was illegitimate.

Q: Didn't you just say a military general who comes to power by forcibly overthrowing the legitimate government of a nation is an illegitimate leader?

A: Only Saddam Hussein. Pervez Musharraf is our friend, because he helped us invade Afghanistan.

Q: Why did we invade Afghanistan?

A: Because of what they did to us on September 11th.

Q: What did Afghanistan do to us on September 11th?

A: Well, on September 11th, nineteen men, fifteen of them Saudi Arabians, hijacked four airplanes and flew three of them into buildings, killing over 3,000 Americans.

Q: So how did Afghanistan figure into all that?

A: Afghanistan was where those bad men trained, under the oppressive rule of the Taliban..

Q: Aren't the Taliban those bad radical Islamics who chopped off people's heads and hands?

A: Yes, that's exactly who they were. Not only did they chop off people's heads and hands, but they oppressed women, too.

Q: Didn't the Bush administration give the Taliban 43 million dollars back in May of 2001?

A: Yes, but that money was a reward because they did such a good job fighting drugs.

Q: Fighting drugs?

A: Yes, the Taliban were very helpful in stopping people from growing opium poppies.

Q: How did they do such a good job?

A: Simple. If people were caught growing opium poppies, the Taliban would have their hands and heads cut off.

Q: So, when the Taliban cut off people's heads and hands for growing flowers, that was OK, but not if they cut people's heads and hands off for other reasons?

A: Yes. It's OK with us if radical Islamic fundamentalists cut off people's hands for growing flowers, but it's cruel if they cut off people's hands for stealing bread.

Q: Don't they also cut off people's hands and heads in Saudi Arabia?

A: That's different. Afghanistan was ruled by a tyrannical patriarchy that oppressed women and forced them to wear burqas whenever they were in public, with death by stoning as the penalty for women who did not comply.

Q: Don't Saudi women have to wear burqas in public, too?

A: No, Saudi women merely wear a traditional Islamic body covering.

Q: What's the difference?

A: The traditional Islamic covering worn by Saudi women is a modest yet fashionable garment that covers all of a woman's body except for her eyes and fingers. The burqa, on the other hand, is an evil tool of patriarchal oppression that covers all of a woman's body except for her eyes and fingers.

Q: It sounds like the same thing with a different name.

A: Now, don't go comparing Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia. The Saudis are our friends.

Q: But I thought you said 15 of the 19 hijackers on September 11th were from Saudi Arabia.

A: Yes, but they trained in Afghanistan.

Q: Who trained them?

A: A very bad man named Osama bin Laden.

Q: Was he from Afghanistan?

A: Uh, no, he was from Saudi Arabia too. But he was a bad man, a very bad man.

Q: I seem to recall he was our friend once.

A: Only when we helped him and the mujahadeen repel the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan back in the 1980s.

Q: Who are the Soviets? Was that the Evil Communist Empire Ronald Reagan talked about?

A: There are no more Soviets. The Soviet Union broke up in 1990 or thereabouts, and now they have elections and capitalism like us. We call them Russians now.

Q: So the Soviets ? I mean, the Russians ? are now our friends?

A: Well, not really. You see, they were our friends for many years after they stopped being Soviets, but then they decided not to support our invasion of Iraq, so we're mad at them now. We're also mad at the French and the Germans because they didn't help us invade Iraq either.

Q: So the French and Germans are evil, too?

A: Not exactly evil, but just bad enough that we had to rename French fries and French toast to Freedom Fries and Freedom Toast.

Q: Do we always rename foods whenever another country doesn't do what we want them to do?

A: No, we just do that to our friends. Our enemies, we invade.

Q: But wasn't Iraq one of our friends back in the 1980s?

A: Well, yeah. For a while.

Q: Was Saddam Hussein ruler of Iraq back then?

A: Yes, but at the time he was fighting against Iran, which made him our friend, temporarily.

Q: Why did that make him our friend?

A: Because at that time, Iran was our enemy.

Q: Isn't that when he gassed the Kurds?

A: Yeah, but since he was fighting against Iran at the time, we looked the other way, to show him we were his friend.

Q: So anyone who fights against one of our enemies automatically becomes our friend?

A: Most of the time, yes.

Q: And anyone who fights against one of our friends is automatically an enemy?

A: Sometimes that's true, too. However, if American corporations can profit by selling weapons to both sides at the same time, all the better.

Q: Why?

A: Because war is good for the economy, which means war is good for America Also, since God is on America's side, anyone who opposes war is a godless un-American Communist. Do you understand now why we attacked Iraq?

Q: I think so. We attacked them because God wanted us to, right?

A: Yes.

Q: But how did we know God wanted us to attack Iraq?

A: Well, you see, God personally speaks to George W. Bush and tells him what to do.

Q: So basically, what you're saying is that we attacked Iraq because George W. Bush hears voices in his head?

A: Yes! You finally understand how the world works. Now close your eyes, make yourself comfortable, and go to sleep. Good night.
************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* *******

shared stuff on the net

havent been blogging....but have been reading.....

click here.....or here.....or HERE ..... to see my virtual clipboard....where i share the stuff I find interesting...

gangotri

a pal went to the source of the ganges...brought back some pics..the glacier is fast receding and so is his hairline...but whatevers there looks kinda good....see the album here

monkey see monkey do

 

on the road

 

 

 

 

streets of nepal

 

 

 

 

pokhara - nepal

 
 
 
 

happy new year !!!!!!!

 
 
 
 

still alive

alive.... but settling in....still dont have broadband.....been busy swimming n working ...will start posting again in july

outsourcing

whom would you rather believe... this ....


or the wise guys at onion....

irshad!!

And over at the tagging life blog, Westy has come up with this lyrical gem...

There is a valley in the east of spain
Where the clouds hang out, pouring rain
The valley is wiide and has a gentle slope
A fantastic place to have a dope

Boris...the spider

As the New York times says in its take on Yeltsin and his era,

No one recognized more than he how far short he fell of his goal. In his resignation speech, he told the Russian people: “I ask forgiveness for not justifying some hopes of those people who believed that at one stroke, in one spurt, we could leap from the gray, stagnant, totalitarian past into the light, rich, civilized future.”

At the end, he was a man worn down. “I feel like a runner who has just completed a supermarathon of 40,000 kilometers,” he wrote in his memoir. “I gave it my all. I put my whole heart and soul into running my presidential marathon. I honestly went the distance. If I have to justify anything, here is what I will say: If you think you can do it better, just try. Run those 40,000 kilometers. Try to do it faster, better, more elegantly, or more easily. Because I did it.”

In an era of manufactured political leaders, Yeltsin was the last of the old school politico's. Someone who could orate, who could mingle, who could get drunk, who could shake a leg, who would use the local transport, who would remember what it meant to be poor and disenfranchised and who would get angry at the state of things around him. Power corrupts and Yeltsin too left the stage to polite applause and muttered whispers, but for a brief moment in time, he was the man who dared raise his voice and take a hammer to the machine-state.

Perhaps it would have been better if he had been a spider, able to weave his web and hang by a thread, play the parlour games and tread lightly on the ground...
Still we must judge a man by his actions in his youth and middle age, not in his dotage. For those who remember, Boris was not a spider, but a bear of a man, poking his nose where it wasnt appreciated, shoving his way into places where he wasnt welcome and forever ready to stand up and climb on tanks and talk to the people directly.

Look, he's crawling up my wall
Black and hairy, very small
Now he's up above my head
Hanging by a little thread

Boris the spider
Boris the spider

Now he's dropped on to the floor
Heading for the bedroom door
Maybe he's as scared as me
Where's he gone now, I can't see

Boris the spider
Boris the spider

Creepy, crawly
Creepy, crawly
Creepy, creepy, crawly, crawly
Creepy, creepy, crawly, crawly
Creepy, creepy, crawly, crawly
Creepy, creepy, crawly, crawly

There he is wrapped in a ball
Doesn't seem to move at all
Perhaps he's dead, I'll just make sure
Pick this book up off the floor

Boris the spider
Boris the spider

Creepy, crawly
Creepy, crawly
Creepy, creepy, crawly, crawly
Creepy, creepy, crawly, crawly
Creepy, creepy, crawly, crawly
Creepy, creepy, crawly, crawly

He's come to a sticky end
Don't think he will ever mend
Never more will he crawl 'round
He's embedded in the ground

Boris the spider
Boris the spider

and i aint no animal....

excerpts from an article about a man from gorakhpur......full article here

"He apes buffalo's bellowing to such an extent that whenever he visits the cattle-shed, a simple call by him (Munna) makes all the buffaloes turn their attention towards him. Likewise, crows too hover around his head no sooner than he gives out a call of caw-caw," said Raju, one of Munna's friends. "

and another -

"It may be of interest to know that the famed hunter-turned naturalist, Jim Corbett had mastered the art imitating the roar of mating call given by a tigress. It is said that often, he relied on it to lure his game."

thank god for a free press.... we would be so deprived of astonishing information if not for them....

btw.. Shantaram, the book about a guy in mumbai, too had characters from Gorakhpur, the bear handlers who loved their bhaloo, went back with him to their home in Gkp.

message in a bullet

Excerpts from the video message that Cho sent to NBC

"You had 100 billion choices and ways to avoid today but you decided to spill my blood instead," Cho said in one of the more coherent passages aired by NBC. "You forced me into a corner and gave me only one option. The decision was yours. Now you have blood on your hands that will never wash off. ... I didn't have to do this. I could have left. I could have fled. But no, I will no longer run.

"Your Mercedes wasn't enough, you brats," said Cho, the son of Korean immigrants who reportedly work in a dry cleaning business, in a passage apparently addressed to his victims. "Your golden necklaces weren't enough, you snobs. Your trust funds wasn't enough. Your vodka and cognac wasn't enough. ... They weren't enough to fulfill your hedonistic needs. You had everything. "

shot through the heart...and you're to blame

Quoted from the Guardian - She said the gunman "was just a normal-looking kid, Asian, but he had on a Boy Scout-type outfit. He wore a tan button-up vest, and this black vest, maybe it was for ammo or something

In virginia tech.... 32 people killed by someone wandering around in a boy scout outfit and spraying bullets..... hmmmmmm

totally wierd.... whatever happens... theres something rotten in denmark....why are schools and colleges the best targets? ..... why not target offices ( where people may actually thank you for giving them a break ) etc...why does it happen in schools and colleges mostly.....

One theory doing the rounds is that the guy was angry coz his girlfriend had been cheating on him.

wierder...