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Who murdered the financial system?

An excellent but brief article which tries to identify just who is to blame for the US and now global financial crisis.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-3628394,flstry-1.cms

Chandrayaan I Successfully Launched

Chandrayaan I, India's first Mission to the Moon, was successfully launched earlier today. The 1380 kg unmanned spacecraft was launched via the 316 tonne PSLV C11 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at exactly 0622 hrs IST.

Chandrayaan I is expected to reach the moon around Nov 8 and has a life span of 2 years. Costing 80 M USD, Chandrayaan is carrying payloads for 11 scientific experiments including five from India, two from U.S. and one each from Germany, Britain, Sweden and Bulgaria.

Some of the specific areas of study to be conducted (Taken from the ISRO Website)

• High resolution mineralogical and chemical imaging of permanently shadowed north and south polar regions
  

• Search for surface or sub-surface water-ice on the moon, specially at lunar pole
  

• Identification of chemical end members of lunar high land rocks
  

• Chemical stratigraphy of lunar crust by remote sensing of central upland of large lunar craters, South Pole Aitken Region (SPAR) etc., where interior material may be expected
  

• To map the height variation of the lunar surface features along the satellite track
  

• Observation of X-ray spectrum greater than 10 keV and stereographic coverage of most of the moon's surface with 5 m resolution, to provide new insights in understanding the moon's origin and evolution

This is truly a momentous occasion for every Indian and every member of the scientific community. Three Cheers.

Indian Press Steals Images

Came across a blog today which chronicles all thieving done by the Indian press. Seems like Times of India (TOI) leads the pack.

For the complete story: visit http://indianpressarethieves.blogspot.com/

Also came across a cartoon for the same: :)
http://bellurramki18.wordpress.com/2008/10/11/blog-cartoon-60/

Sad Facts Indeed...

BARCAMP CHENNAI 2 in October

BarCamp Chennai 2 is scheduled to happen on Oct 18/19.

Looking forward to my first BarCamp. :)

For further details visit http://barcampchennai.org/index.php?title=Main_Page

Indian Sports post the Beijing Olympics

As most of you may know, India finished with its highest medal tally in the Olympics ever... Three Medals (One Gold after 28 years and Two Bronzes) @ the Beijing Olympics. WOW i am elated 3 medals for a billion people while china ran away with the top of the medals tally leaving perennial powerhouse USA far behind in second.

What will it take for us to sit up and realize that there are sports other than cricket where we can develop in? There are few teenie weenie bright spots though.

* Emergence of boxing/wrestling and shooting.
* No. 1 in Cue sports in the world (Though cue sports are not part of the olympics)
* Emergence of Saina Nehwal as a truly good badminton player
* Chess perhaps

Hopefully these spots will be allowed to flourish rather than fade away... Fingers Crossed!!!

PS: For a Nice reality check, here's our performance in the olympics

Year G S B
1900 0 2 0
1928 1 0 0
1932 1 0 0
1936 1 0 0
1948 1 0 0
1952 1 0 1
1956 1 0 0
1960 0 1 0
1964 1 0 1
1968 0 0 1
1972 0 0 1
1976 0 0 0
1980 1 0 0
1984 0 0 0
1988 0 0 0
1992 0 0 0
1996 0 0 1
2000 0 0 1
2004 0 1 0
2008 1 0 2

GOT MARRIED

Got married a few days back... Whew! Hectic stuff and Happy tidings :)

Hoaxes and Fools Galore

My previous post talks about the Talwar saga and media's obsessions with sensationalism. While i am still searching for a good news to report on, i happened to read an article about the Penpricks Media Hoax yesterday.

After some googling, i came across their blog and boy was it one amazing prank.

Here is the link to their breaking story:
http://penpricks.blogspot.com/2008/07/nazi-gate-guys-its-time-we-killed.html

As the story developed, Penpricks went on to expose all major media houses in Karnataka and some Nationwide who not only reported the story without verifying but some, went to the extent of adding more masala to it.

The link below gives the Penpricks rankings (Some of the language is a little offensive)

http://penpricks.blogspot.com/

I guess media got it right where they deserved. Hopefully this would lead to better standards in journalism.


Here are some other April Fool's Hoaxes. Just that this one came a good 10 months earlier at a time that it was needed most. Kudos to PenPricks

Other April Fools' Pranks

Until Next Time,
May the Force Be With you

The Talwar family saga

The shocking murder of teenager Arushi Talwar has gripped the news channels for quite some time now. While initially, it was believed that she was killed by the servant, he was subsequently found dead. The surprising fact was that he was killed around the same time as Arushi and the police failed to discover his body.

Now the prime suspects for the murder are none other than her own parents. Further investigation seems to reveal a mysterious love affair for Arushi's father. The parent shave been arrested and a court hearing is likely soon. They claim to be innocent. Now what is really the truth, no one really knows. We just have to wait to find out.

A couple of interesting points to note here:

Firstly would this issue have received such widespread coverage if it happened in a small town or even a small city? And secondly while all this is on, i noticed the quality and standards of news these days. Apparently, it has to be a disaster to capture the headlines (or maybe politics). A typical news bulletin these days goes like this:

Bomb blast in ABC City
Two hacked to death in XYZ City
Earthquake in HIJ City
Inflation triggers panic among consumers etc etc etc

(Shuffle. Repeat)

As you see, nothing nice to say. Are we that bad that all we see are disasters around us? Or is it that we need a state of fear to keep us going everyday? Let's hope for the best... This article will be updated once i find something nice that is written in the news.

Politics: BJP wins Karnataka Assembly polls

The votes are in, the counting has been done and the winner is ..... the BJP.

Riding on a three pronged agenda, the BJP captured 110 out of 224 seats in Karnataka. Congress was second with 80 and JD(S) finished with a dismal 23. The Independents numbering six will be crucial as the BJP aims to get to the magical 113 mark.

This victory is seen as a strategic one for BJP who will form their first ever government in the south. Further with Lok Sabha elections less than a year away and rising prices affecting everyone, the BJP looks like a sure contendor to topple the Congress led UPA government at New Delhi.

Yeddyurappa, BJPs chief minister-in-waiting was all smiles as his shrewd political campaign has finally provided the necessary results. But Karnataka politics has always been a melodrama. Lets wait and find out what happens...

The Oozing Pink Liquid....

It was a dark and stormy night. I decided that since there was gonna be a power cut anyways (as is always with dark and stormy nights in Bangalore) i might as well get my hair cut (whatever lil left on my head that is).

It went ominously well. As i walked back home, i looked up to see lightning flash across the sky. Zeus apparently had a spat with his wife. Oh well, lesser mortals had to bear the brunt every time Zeus had a family issue.

I reached home and walked into my shower. The soap was there in its usual location and so were the other things. I opened the cabinet and found this pink liquid. "Another New fangled shampoo that my mom bought, i see. " Oh well, off to my beauty bath.

The shower gave out a cool stream of water. I opened the shampoo bottle and poured some of the pink liquid on to my hand. Surprisingly it didn't lather. Muttering a quiet curse, i continued to wash my hair. Then came the soap as i approached the end of my bath. Suddenly out of nowhere.... it came.

A burning sensation in the eyes. My eyes were on fire. Water! Water! i gasped and then i realized that i was in the bathroom. I rushed to the nearest shower (the only one in the bathroom anyway) with a speed greater than that exhibited by cricketers when they rush to get endorsements. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargggggggggggghhhhh!!!! More water sprayed onto my face but the burning feeling would not dissipate. Soap and Pink liquid formed a lethal combination...

I quickly finished my bath and ran downstairs to get something for the eye. My mom stopped me on the way just like a guard would stop a speeding train.

M: What happened?
Me: My eyes are burning. What sort of new shampoo was that?
M: Which one?
Me: The pink one in my bathroom.
M: Pink one?

and so saying, she went to investigate. The seconds felt longer than hours. Then a huge sound came from above. I thought Zeus had finally lost his bearings as i rushed above only to find my mom......


......laughing. She was laughing like there was no tomorrow.

Me: What Happened?
M: That wasn't shampoo. That was Lizol (for the uninitiated, floor cleaning liquid). Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Me: (With a dazed and confused look that is but natural to me) What? Aaaaaaaarghhhhhh!!!


The rest as they say is history. My head, face and hands smelt funny for a week. My mom was proud that her son finally managed to take a proper bath and for everyone else... heres the story....

you may laugh in piece.

Random Thoughts

My previous piece on sadness has led me to write this disjointed version of a few things that ran around in my mind.

What is sadness? Is it a feeling one gets when he/she loses something or fails to get something? Everyone feels sad everyday. It is an emotion that eats you or me up incredibly. Why does it happen? Does it happen when you lose a sense of purpose? Does it happen when you miss somebody? Does it happen when you are alone?

I believe sadness is an emotion that occurs when one is lonely. One can be alone even when one is physically present in a group. Alone, an individual thinks. He feels sad. Why does sadness occur when you think? Think about the last time you were happy. Analyse it. Thinking leads to analysis. The more you probe, the more miserable you get. Hence, the more you think, the sadder you get.

The great people have once said that sadness has led to inspiring creations. Artists, Storytellers, Inventors even have all created masterpieces when they were perhaps sad or when they thought (which is pretty much the same thing). So, People say that inspiration comes from within the sadness, from within the thought, from within they said. I’d say resolve comes from within, inspiration comes from around. The reason these people thought was that they felt something from around themselves that affected them within. They probed and resolved to do something about it. Resolve came from within; the thought from without.

Summary

Well, its been a while since i wrote. So let me summarize a few things that have been happening to me... In one word --> SADNESS

It all began when Raghuvaran passed away. For those who dont know, He is one of the doyens of South Indian Cinema. He started a long time back as a bits and pieces actor, then a family guy and slowly developed into A cold, mean, calculating villain. For a long time, i believed that this guy was nearly the best at being an anti-hero. He las left a void that is difficult to fill. Saw many of his movies from Anjali to Sivaji. May his soul rest in peace. AMEN!

Then my favourite football team, Arsenal FC, decided that that they would not win anymore. Draw after painful draw came and slowly came the occasional loss as well. The football they played continued to be attractive but they were just messing up too many chances. The straw that broke the camel's back was when they lost to Liverpool 4-2 and knocked themselves out of the Champions League. The weekend came and they lost to arch rivals Manchster United as well. And now rumours of in-fighting. A sad ending to great start. May you wake up soon. AMEN!

Then i realized that i was at the fag end of my MBA. A year just sped by with everyone hanging onto the Great Lakes train with their fingers and screaming. A year of many highs and some lows but a year to remember nonetheless, A year of many learnings and new friends, a year of winning and losing and finally a year that leads to the parting of ways. I really believe that many will be able to stay in touch but i also believe that the sands of time work in only one way. All the best to me and everyone else in the batch for the fight ahead. May God shower HIS blessings on us and may our paths be interwined in each other's always. AMEN!

Blurred Reality...Part 2

Part 1: http://smileysays.blogspot.com/2007/10/story-blurred-reality.html

Part 2:
As the carriage sped away, I had no way of doing anything except screaming. My already dead count had since disappeared from view. I felt lonely. I guess I loved him. As I wondered what to do, I noticed that we were in a forest which was growing thicker every minute. “That’s strange”, I thought. “There are no forests near my house”. Little did I realize that the carriage was traveling downward slowly as well.

I looked out of the front screen. I could see the vague outline of a coachman. I asked him where we were going. He looked back, peered down and saw me. I nearly shrieked. The coachman almost looked like a skeleton. But then I realized that there was a thin layer of skin on his face and the past remnants of a moustache. The coachman bellowed, “Soon my dear. You have broken a few rules. Judgment is near”.

I shuddered. I didn’t know what was happening. There was nothing which could have been done and so I waited. I waited for whatever was waiting for me at the end of this journey. I slowly drifted into sleep. A few moments passed.

I woke up with a start and realized that the coach had since stopped. I opened the door and stepped out into the mists. There was no coachman. I walked forward trying to find out where I was. Soon enough I found myself standing on a plain which was red in colour. At the end of the plain, probably a hundred yards away was a gate. I began to walk towards the gate. It began to get hot and so I removed my coat and trudged on towards the gate. I looked in all directions but there was nothing as far as the human eye could see. And soon, I reached the gate.

The gate was a tall hideous structure and seemed to be locked. I looked through the gate and saw a set of golden stairs with red carpeting. The gate suddenly swung open and invisible hands carried me forth up the stairs and into a great hall. I looked around and saw rich tapestries and ahead was a magnificent throne. Seated on the throne was a young lady. She seemed nice enough and so I asked her “Where am I? Who are you?”

“Why? I am the Devil herself and you are in Hell.” I staggered back, fell over and landed hard. “You are here because you have broken some cardinal rules. Number 1: You spoke to one of the dead during his waking. Number 2: You actually seem to have fallen in love with the dead Count and Number 3: There cannot be any alliance between the living and the dead. So now, you have been brought here to make a choice. Do you love the Count?”

Surprised at the bluntness of the question, I stayed silent for a while. The Devil roared again. “Do you love the Count?” “Yes”, I replied. “Then make a choice. Stay alive and forget the Count or die to live with the Count in the afterlife.” Having found the love of my life, I had no intention of letting go. “I will die”, I said. “Very well! You may now join the Count”.

I woke up and felt myself die. The Count stood over me with a frown on his face. “You shouldn’t have died. You have a long life ahead of you.” “I know, but I love you”. He looked at me with a startled expression. He quickly broke into a smile and carried me off to the grave.

We lived happily ever after in the afterlife.

THE END