PS: If you need to make money in the range of
Friday, December 03, 2010
Making Money.... Simplified!!
Making Money and everything else... explained through flowcharts.... doogiehorner.com Gawdawesome!!
PS: If you need to make money in the range ofर 1.76 lakh crore (1,760,000,000,000 rupees or $40 Billion) contact A Raja...
PS: If you need to make money in the range of
Thursday, December 02, 2010
Leaks... with style..!!
I gotta give it to Julian Assange and WikiLeaks.... This is the new brand of investigative media and publishing... And pretty powerful at that!!
In case you have not checked it before - WikiLeaks is an international non-profit media organisation that publishes submissions of otherwise unavailable documents from anonymous sources and leaks. It was launched in 2006 and Julian Assange is quoted as its founder. WikiLeaks states that its "primary interest is in exposing oppressive regimes in Asia, the former Soviet bloc, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, but we also expect to be of assistance to people of all regions who wish to reveal unethical behavior in their governments and corporations".
WikiLeaks describes itself as “an uncensorable system for untraceable mass document leaking”. WikiLeaks is hosted by PRQ, a Sweden-based company providing “highly secure, no-questions-asked hosting services.” PRQ is said to have “almost no information about its clientele and maintains few if any of its own logs.” The servers are spread around the world with the central server located in Sweden. Julian Assange has said that the servers are located in Sweden (and the other countries) "specifically because those nations offer legal protection to the disclosures made on the site". He talks about the Swedish constitution, which gives the information providers total legal protection. It is forbidden according to Swedish law for any administrative authority to make inquiries about the sources of any type of newspaper. These laws, and the hosting by PRQ, make it difficult to take WikiLeaks offline. Furthermore, "Wikileaks maintains its own servers at undisclosed locations, keeps no logs and uses military-grade encryption to protect sources and other confidential information."
There have been quite a lot of material out there. You gotta see them....
For example, in April 2010, WikiLeaks posted video from a 2007 incident in which Iraqi civilians were killed by U.S. forces, on a website called Collateral Murder. It is gruesome.. exposes the darker side of the war and the uncouth power and the irresponsible use of it by the US armed forces.
Latest leaks correspond to more than 250K diplomatic cables from the US embassies of the world including one in which United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton apparently orders diplomats to obtain credit card and frequent flier numbers of the French, British, Russian and Chinese delegations to the United Nations Security Council. Other revelations reportedly include that several Arab nations urged the U.S. to launch a first strike on Iran, that the Chinese government was directly involved in computer hacking, and that the U.S. is pressuring Pakistan to turn over nuclear material to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. The cables also include unflattering appraisals of world leaders. US diplomacy is reeling under the impact of the expose...
Hope this brings in some accountability to the Nations and Corporations of the world. Currently the site seems to be down... Hope they come back up soon. Keep checking !!
PS: Sweden has issued an arrest warrant on Julian Assange for some supposed sexual misconduct... The powers seem to be getting up to him and the website.... Damn you, the powers!! but for how long can you hold us down??
In case you have not checked it before - WikiLeaks is an international non-profit media organisation that publishes submissions of otherwise unavailable documents from anonymous sources and leaks. It was launched in 2006 and Julian Assange is quoted as its founder. WikiLeaks states that its "primary interest is in exposing oppressive regimes in Asia, the former Soviet bloc, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, but we also expect to be of assistance to people of all regions who wish to reveal unethical behavior in their governments and corporations".
WikiLeaks describes itself as “an uncensorable system for untraceable mass document leaking”. WikiLeaks is hosted by PRQ, a Sweden-based company providing “highly secure, no-questions-asked hosting services.” PRQ is said to have “almost no information about its clientele and maintains few if any of its own logs.” The servers are spread around the world with the central server located in Sweden. Julian Assange has said that the servers are located in Sweden (and the other countries) "specifically because those nations offer legal protection to the disclosures made on the site". He talks about the Swedish constitution, which gives the information providers total legal protection. It is forbidden according to Swedish law for any administrative authority to make inquiries about the sources of any type of newspaper. These laws, and the hosting by PRQ, make it difficult to take WikiLeaks offline. Furthermore, "Wikileaks maintains its own servers at undisclosed locations, keeps no logs and uses military-grade encryption to protect sources and other confidential information."
There have been quite a lot of material out there. You gotta see them....
For example, in April 2010, WikiLeaks posted video from a 2007 incident in which Iraqi civilians were killed by U.S. forces, on a website called Collateral Murder. It is gruesome.. exposes the darker side of the war and the uncouth power and the irresponsible use of it by the US armed forces.
Latest leaks correspond to more than 250K diplomatic cables from the US embassies of the world including one in which United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton apparently orders diplomats to obtain credit card and frequent flier numbers of the French, British, Russian and Chinese delegations to the United Nations Security Council. Other revelations reportedly include that several Arab nations urged the U.S. to launch a first strike on Iran, that the Chinese government was directly involved in computer hacking, and that the U.S. is pressuring Pakistan to turn over nuclear material to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. The cables also include unflattering appraisals of world leaders. US diplomacy is reeling under the impact of the expose...
Hope this brings in some accountability to the Nations and Corporations of the world. Currently the site seems to be down... Hope they come back up soon. Keep checking !!
PS: Sweden has issued an arrest warrant on Julian Assange for some supposed sexual misconduct... The powers seem to be getting up to him and the website.... Damn you, the powers!! but for how long can you hold us down??
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Word of the Day - Cutie Patootie!
I was watching this series "Millionaire Matchmaker" on Bravo TV.. quite interesting and funny... And that's when I heard this word a couple of times from the host... I was intrigued enough to check it up...
'Cutie Patootie'
someone or something so cute that the word cute itself has to morph into something cuter, thus cutie patootie was born.
In a way, its origin is probably related to potato too and people's love for it...
Ha! who would have guessed!!
'Cutie Patootie'
someone or something so cute that the word cute itself has to morph into something cuter, thus cutie patootie was born.
In a way, its origin is probably related to potato too and people's love for it...
Ha! who would have guessed!!
Monday, November 01, 2010
Change....
The time of the year... when change is not just in the air but also in every leaf that floats along... not only in the rhythm but also in the rhyme and the colorful hues that beat down the window sill... is it good or bad.... welcome or not.... what is the absolute truth.. only time will tell... but, alas! even the time is changing...!! :-)
Sunday, October 17, 2010
The Indian Movie....The Best & The Worst
I was so happy to see this movie at the very top... It deserves it!!
Disclaimer: A 7.9 rating is in the range of IMDB Top 250 movies ratings, though this movie does not figure in the list.
Best sci-fi movie made in India... most expensive Indian movie... And a lot of other superlatives too.... Endhiran. Thanks Shankar for this!
Incidently, I also saw this list.. the bottom 100... And was tickled to see an Indian movie in that list!!!
Disclaimer: A 7.9 rating is in the range of IMDB Top 250 movies ratings, though this movie does not figure in the list.
Best sci-fi movie made in India... most expensive Indian movie... And a lot of other superlatives too.... Endhiran. Thanks Shankar for this!
Incidently, I also saw this list.. the bottom 100... And was tickled to see an Indian movie in that list!!!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
Paris, je t'aime!!!
Well.. I do love Paris. But, this is about a movie by this name..
This is collection of short stories - all revolving around love and set in Paris. I have enjoyed reading books that are a collection of short stories. But, this is the first time I saw a movie that is a collection of short stories.
Paris, je t'aime (French pronunciation: [paʁi ʒə tɛm]; Paris, I love you) is a 2006 film starring an ensemble cast of actors of various nationalities including American, British and French. The two-hour film consists of eighteen short films set in different arrondissements (districts). The 22 directors include some of the best in the world: Gurinder Chadha, Sylvain Chomet, Joel and Ethan Coen, Gerard Depardieu, Wes Craven, Alfonso Cuarón, Nobuhiro Suwa, Alexander Payne, Tom Tykwer, Walter Salles and Gus Van Sant.
It is a very nice one. Check it out! For more info, here's the wiki and IMDB
-Bhaskar
This is collection of short stories - all revolving around love and set in Paris. I have enjoyed reading books that are a collection of short stories. But, this is the first time I saw a movie that is a collection of short stories.
Paris, je t'aime (French pronunciation: [paʁi ʒə tɛm]; Paris, I love you) is a 2006 film starring an ensemble cast of actors of various nationalities including American, British and French. The two-hour film consists of eighteen short films set in different arrondissements (districts). The 22 directors include some of the best in the world: Gurinder Chadha, Sylvain Chomet, Joel and Ethan Coen, Gerard Depardieu, Wes Craven, Alfonso Cuarón, Nobuhiro Suwa, Alexander Payne, Tom Tykwer, Walter Salles and Gus Van Sant.
It is a very nice one. Check it out! For more info, here's the wiki and IMDB
-Bhaskar
Saturday, August 07, 2010
A new-found hobby!
I have gotten into a new hobby these days... catching feral cats!
Well... S loves cats.. and I love S... so, by induction, I love cats! But, thats much later. I have had only a passing interest in cats in my childhood. I did not grow up with pets. On a couple of occasions when me or my siblings felt a strong bonding for a cat or a dog, the standard dialogue we would hear was "As such it is so difficult managing you brats. Why one more?".
It seems my grandpa was raising a dog (this is when my dad himself was too small). But when he died suddenly, the dog went crying uncontrollably for a couple of days and he died too. I guess the entire trauma and not to mention, the financial turmoil for the family was too much to handle.
Anyways, the only time we came close to a cat was when one of our many landladies brought a cat home and that delivered a litter of three kittens. But, soon we moved out of that house and that was the end of it.
Now, fast forward to the present - there were two or three cats roaming around in our apartment community. Initially, we thought these were cats owned some folks within the community. But, then one morning I saw four kittens playing with the mom in the backyard. These kittens seemed only a few weeks old. And at slightest sight of humans, they ran away into the woods. We left some milk/food on the porch and initially the mom and later the kittens started feeding on them. Another month or so passed, and there were three or four more kittens!
Then, we called up Animal Control and they added us to the waiting list for a humane trap - that we can use to catch and turn in these undomesticated cats to proper care. We also learned a whole new set of terms like spay, neuter etc.
One week down and we were still waiting on the call to provide us the traps. And I thought I will put some IIT education and engineering mechanics to use. After a couple of failed prototypes, we caught our first cat, Blacky [This pic is from later].
But, S was too sad to see the panicky cat that she decided to set it free. After Blacky went out, it educated all the other cats/kittens and none ever fell into the trap again. And so, I had to design a new trap.
After a few more attempts, we caught a smaller kitten - one from the latest generation of kittens, again a blacky - Blacky jr. He was so young and cute that after a few hours, he let us pet him. We turned him in and set out for the remaining ones.
We caught a few more afterwards - but the females especially are so aggressive that they keep trying for hours together to escape. Thus, a few of them got back into the wild.
One of them - Spotty, a black and white bicolor cat, had got hurt fighting with other cats. Good for him, we caught him and sent him to med attention. We also caught Tabby, a striped cat and sent her to the safe home. Here is Tabby after hours of trying to escape from the room where it was kept overnight. After waking us and our neighbors up, it retired to the box.
And this is Browny sr. He is the smartest of the lot, always cautious and never gets into any risky situation. My guess is that he will be the last man standing.
Well... S loves cats.. and I love S... so, by induction, I love cats! But, thats much later. I have had only a passing interest in cats in my childhood. I did not grow up with pets. On a couple of occasions when me or my siblings felt a strong bonding for a cat or a dog, the standard dialogue we would hear was "As such it is so difficult managing you brats. Why one more?".
It seems my grandpa was raising a dog (this is when my dad himself was too small). But when he died suddenly, the dog went crying uncontrollably for a couple of days and he died too. I guess the entire trauma and not to mention, the financial turmoil for the family was too much to handle.
Anyways, the only time we came close to a cat was when one of our many landladies brought a cat home and that delivered a litter of three kittens. But, soon we moved out of that house and that was the end of it.
Now, fast forward to the present - there were two or three cats roaming around in our apartment community. Initially, we thought these were cats owned some folks within the community. But, then one morning I saw four kittens playing with the mom in the backyard. These kittens seemed only a few weeks old. And at slightest sight of humans, they ran away into the woods. We left some milk/food on the porch and initially the mom and later the kittens started feeding on them. Another month or so passed, and there were three or four more kittens!
Then, we called up Animal Control and they added us to the waiting list for a humane trap - that we can use to catch and turn in these undomesticated cats to proper care. We also learned a whole new set of terms like spay, neuter etc.
One week down and we were still waiting on the call to provide us the traps. And I thought I will put some IIT education and engineering mechanics to use. After a couple of failed prototypes, we caught our first cat, Blacky [This pic is from later].
But, S was too sad to see the panicky cat that she decided to set it free. After Blacky went out, it educated all the other cats/kittens and none ever fell into the trap again. And so, I had to design a new trap.
After a few more attempts, we caught a smaller kitten - one from the latest generation of kittens, again a blacky - Blacky jr. He was so young and cute that after a few hours, he let us pet him. We turned him in and set out for the remaining ones.
We caught a few more afterwards - but the females especially are so aggressive that they keep trying for hours together to escape. Thus, a few of them got back into the wild.
One of them - Spotty, a black and white bicolor cat, had got hurt fighting with other cats. Good for him, we caught him and sent him to med attention. We also caught Tabby, a striped cat and sent her to the safe home. Here is Tabby after hours of trying to escape from the room where it was kept overnight. After waking us and our neighbors up, it retired to the box.
And this is Browny sr. He is the smartest of the lot, always cautious and never gets into any risky situation. My guess is that he will be the last man standing.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Around the world.. not really!
Oil spill makes for great photography.. only in UV light though!
Applying UV light to contaminated beaches is also a clever way to spot—and clean up—oil that might otherwise go unnoticed by notoriously flimsy human eyes. You can read more—and see more pictures— here
-------------------------------
The best chases in movies aren't about the explosions and effects: They're about great driving. Per John, these are the ten greatest car stunts or stunt sequences in cinematic history.
Applying UV light to contaminated beaches is also a clever way to spot—and clean up—oil that might otherwise go unnoticed by notoriously flimsy human eyes. You can read more—and see more pictures— here
-------------------------------
The best chases in movies aren't about the explosions and effects: They're about great driving. Per John, these are the ten greatest car stunts or stunt sequences in cinematic history.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Long long ago..
Mathematically speaking, a local minima should not be confused with the absolute or global minima.
Refer here for more Math fundas on Minima and Maxima.
But, that should NOT be confused with the international Minimma!!!
Minimma: MKKK.. The Prologue
MKKK... 1
Refer here for more Math fundas on Minima and Maxima.
But, that should NOT be confused with the international Minimma!!!
Minimma: MKKK.. The Prologue
MKKK... 1
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Weeds!
I'm addicted to Weeds... well, not literally... but the series on 'Showtime'... It is quite a show.. going strong into the Season 6 now... to be aired in Aug '10.
I also love the opening song "Little Boxes" originally sung by Malvina Reynolds and then by various artists during seasons 2 and 3.. Each episode also features some cool music... check them out!
PS: If you have a netflix account, you can see all episodes of Seasons 1 - 4 online
This version by the Individuals
The original by Malvina
More music here...
I also love the opening song "Little Boxes" originally sung by Malvina Reynolds and then by various artists during seasons 2 and 3.. Each episode also features some cool music... check them out!
PS: If you have a netflix account, you can see all episodes of Seasons 1 - 4 online
This version by the Individuals
The original by Malvina
More music here...
Monday, June 21, 2010
Where's Ronaldinho?
Quiz time!
Whats common to Zakumi, Shakira, Jabulani and $420 million?
For the answer, read on... ;-)
-----------------------------------------------
Life has been pretty busy, but fun....with quite a few pleasant surprises. But, just the other day, I got a shock from my missus... And I found a video that vividly captures my moment... so, here goes...!
-----------------------------------------------
Well... The answer to the quiz: FIFA World Cup 2010!!
Zakumi is the official mascot for the 2010 World Cup, an anthropomorphised leopard with green hair, presented on 22 September 2008. His name comes from "ZA" (the international abbreviation for South Africa) and the term kumi, which means "ten" in various African languages. The mascot's colours reflect those of the host nation's playing strip – yellow and green.
The official song of the 2010 World Cup "Waka Waka" is performed by the Colombian singer Shakira and the band Freshlyground from South Africa, and is sung in both English and Spanish. The song is based upon a traditional African soldiers' song named Zangalewa.
The match ball for the 2010 World Cup, manufactured by Adidas, is named the Jabulani, which means "bringing joy to everyone" in isiZulu.
The total prize money on offer for the tournament is $420 million, a 60 percent increase on the 2006 tournament. Before the tournament, each participating team would receive $1 million, for preparation costs. Once at the tournament, teams exiting at the group stage would receive $8 million and so on..
$9 million – Round of 16
$18 million – Quarter-finals
$20 million – Semi-finals
$24 million – Runners up
$30 million – Winners
Source: wiki
Whats common to Zakumi, Shakira, Jabulani and $420 million?
For the answer, read on... ;-)
-----------------------------------------------
Life has been pretty busy, but fun....with quite a few pleasant surprises. But, just the other day, I got a shock from my missus... And I found a video that vividly captures my moment... so, here goes...!
-----------------------------------------------
Well... The answer to the quiz: FIFA World Cup 2010!!
Zakumi is the official mascot for the 2010 World Cup, an anthropomorphised leopard with green hair, presented on 22 September 2008. His name comes from "ZA" (the international abbreviation for South Africa) and the term kumi, which means "ten" in various African languages. The mascot's colours reflect those of the host nation's playing strip – yellow and green.
The official song of the 2010 World Cup "Waka Waka" is performed by the Colombian singer Shakira and the band Freshlyground from South Africa, and is sung in both English and Spanish. The song is based upon a traditional African soldiers' song named Zangalewa.
The match ball for the 2010 World Cup, manufactured by Adidas, is named the Jabulani, which means "bringing joy to everyone" in isiZulu.
The total prize money on offer for the tournament is $420 million, a 60 percent increase on the 2006 tournament. Before the tournament, each participating team would receive $1 million, for preparation costs. Once at the tournament, teams exiting at the group stage would receive $8 million and so on..
$9 million – Round of 16
$18 million – Quarter-finals
$20 million – Semi-finals
$24 million – Runners up
$30 million – Winners
Source: wiki
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Unchained Melody
Saw the movie 'Ghost' starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore.. Pretty funny movie and romantic too..
Just love the song by the Righteous Brothers.
Oh my love my darling
I've hungered for your touch
A long lonely time
And time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine
I need your love
I need your love
God speed your love to me
Lonely rivers flow to the sea to the sea
To the open arms of the sea
Lonely rivers sigh wait for me wait for me
I'll be coming home wait for me
Oh my love my darling
I've hungered hungered for your touch
A long lonely time
And time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine
I need your love
I need your love
God speed your love to me
Just love the song by the Righteous Brothers.
Oh my love my darling
I've hungered for your touch
A long lonely time
And time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine
I need your love
I need your love
God speed your love to me
Lonely rivers flow to the sea to the sea
To the open arms of the sea
Lonely rivers sigh wait for me wait for me
I'll be coming home wait for me
Oh my love my darling
I've hungered hungered for your touch
A long lonely time
And time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine
I need your love
I need your love
God speed your love to me
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
See me at Colombo!
Oh.. did I tell you?
The next time you go to the Colombo airport, you may find me and the missus promoting one of the restaurants (bars) there!!
We were requested to pose for a photo Ad while we were waiting for our return flight from Colombo... :-)
The next time you go to the Colombo airport, you may find me and the missus promoting one of the restaurants (bars) there!!
We were requested to pose for a photo Ad while we were waiting for our return flight from Colombo... :-)
Monday, June 07, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
General 'Stuff'
If "All Indians are my brothers and sisters", what about Americans and folks from the rest of the world?!!
----------------------------------
“Kites,” the adventure film from Mumbai-based Reliance Big Pictures, took in almost $1 million during the weekend to become the first Bollywood movie to open in the top 10 in the U.S. and Canada.
The film, introduced in 207 theaters, had sales of $958,673, researcher Hollywood.com Box-Office said yesterday in an e-mail.
For more news check here
----------------------------------
The worse is not over yet.. or so it seems...
"Yes, the eurozone crisis of PIIGS [Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and Spain] is a primary cause of that—even Jean-Claude Trichet agrees with my assertion back in February that the E.U. may be facing a double-dip. But more than a few small European economies may be at stake. The recent problems faced by Greece are only the tip of a sovereign-debt iceberg in many advanced economies (and a smaller number of emerging markets). Bond-market vigilantes roiling Spain, Portugal, Ireland, and Iceland have pushed government bond yields higher and forced Germany, France, and the IMF to step in with an unprecedented array of rescue measures. But outside the eurozone, the United Kingdom, and yes, eventually Japan and the United States, will all face the same music eventually if fiscal policy remains on its current unsustainable path."
For more, read here
--------------------
From the same link above...
"One of the great ironies of the age, as I mentioned in Crisis Economics, is that fact that while the U.S. proved to be the catalyst for the global financial crisis, it has also benefited from the fact that the crisis is denominated in U.S. dollars. No end to that reality is in sight, no matter how infuriating it proves to Chinese and other emerging-market policymakers."
-----------------------------
It is tragic - the accident involving the Air India flight from Dubai to Mangalore.
In case you had not heard, check on the tragedy here
----------------------------------
“Kites,” the adventure film from Mumbai-based Reliance Big Pictures, took in almost $1 million during the weekend to become the first Bollywood movie to open in the top 10 in the U.S. and Canada.
The film, introduced in 207 theaters, had sales of $958,673, researcher Hollywood.com Box-Office said yesterday in an e-mail.
For more news check here
----------------------------------
The worse is not over yet.. or so it seems...
"Yes, the eurozone crisis of PIIGS [Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and Spain] is a primary cause of that—even Jean-Claude Trichet agrees with my assertion back in February that the E.U. may be facing a double-dip. But more than a few small European economies may be at stake. The recent problems faced by Greece are only the tip of a sovereign-debt iceberg in many advanced economies (and a smaller number of emerging markets). Bond-market vigilantes roiling Spain, Portugal, Ireland, and Iceland have pushed government bond yields higher and forced Germany, France, and the IMF to step in with an unprecedented array of rescue measures. But outside the eurozone, the United Kingdom, and yes, eventually Japan and the United States, will all face the same music eventually if fiscal policy remains on its current unsustainable path."
For more, read here
--------------------
From the same link above...
"One of the great ironies of the age, as I mentioned in Crisis Economics, is that fact that while the U.S. proved to be the catalyst for the global financial crisis, it has also benefited from the fact that the crisis is denominated in U.S. dollars. No end to that reality is in sight, no matter how infuriating it proves to Chinese and other emerging-market policymakers."
-----------------------------
It is tragic - the accident involving the Air India flight from Dubai to Mangalore.
In case you had not heard, check on the tragedy here
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
World War IV?
Will the great recession lead to World War IV?
by Michael Lind
Michael Lind is policy director of the Economic Growth Program at the New America Foundation and author of "The American Way of Strategy."
".. As the oversold promise of free-market globalization fades, countries large and small may turn increasingly toward state capitalism. At home, this would mean permanent state support of troubled industries like banking and the automobile industries, which all of the major industrial countries have bailed out. In trade, this would mean a retreat from global trade areas toward regional blocs and bilateral deals. Examples include agreements between energy-hungry governments like those of China and Japan and the state-owned oil or natural gas companies of Saudi Arabia and Russia. In a world of diplomatic rivalries among great powers to win contracts with state-owned corporations, the distinctions between geoeconomics and geopolitics would erode, with potentially dangerous consequences. Direct war between great powers seems unlikely, but if the Cold War was World War III, then a cold World War IV resembling Orwell’s shifting coalitions of Eurasia, Eastasia and Oceania in 1984 is all too easy to imagine.
These trends are clear but the transatlantic establishment refuses to confront them. Instead, elites on both sides of the Atlantic hope that the great recession will turn out to have been merely a particularly nasty business cycle downturn. They pray that soon we can return to something like the illusory prosperity of the late 1990s and 2000s without having to engage in any radical rethinking or reform. Our political and opinion leaders think they are leading us back home. They haven’t noticed, or refuse to admit, that what used to be home is now a large, smoking crater. "
Pretty interesting article.. Read the full article here
by Michael Lind
Michael Lind is policy director of the Economic Growth Program at the New America Foundation and author of "The American Way of Strategy."
".. As the oversold promise of free-market globalization fades, countries large and small may turn increasingly toward state capitalism. At home, this would mean permanent state support of troubled industries like banking and the automobile industries, which all of the major industrial countries have bailed out. In trade, this would mean a retreat from global trade areas toward regional blocs and bilateral deals. Examples include agreements between energy-hungry governments like those of China and Japan and the state-owned oil or natural gas companies of Saudi Arabia and Russia. In a world of diplomatic rivalries among great powers to win contracts with state-owned corporations, the distinctions between geoeconomics and geopolitics would erode, with potentially dangerous consequences. Direct war between great powers seems unlikely, but if the Cold War was World War III, then a cold World War IV resembling Orwell’s shifting coalitions of Eurasia, Eastasia and Oceania in 1984 is all too easy to imagine.
These trends are clear but the transatlantic establishment refuses to confront them. Instead, elites on both sides of the Atlantic hope that the great recession will turn out to have been merely a particularly nasty business cycle downturn. They pray that soon we can return to something like the illusory prosperity of the late 1990s and 2000s without having to engage in any radical rethinking or reform. Our political and opinion leaders think they are leading us back home. They haven’t noticed, or refuse to admit, that what used to be home is now a large, smoking crater. "
Pretty interesting article.. Read the full article here
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Stingy...
Am I so stingy in expressing myself....??
Sorry guys n gals.... just been busy... but I will see you seen!
Sorry guys n gals.... just been busy... but I will see you seen!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Indian Speed Dating Event in the Bay Area!
Sorry ladies... I'm 'taken' already... you just were not lucky enough! Anyways, I wish you the best!! ;-)
-------------------------
Are you a single from an Indian Origin and looking for your perfect Matrimonial Partner? Attend this Grand Indian Matrimonial Speed Dating Event and Meet several singles like you who will be there for the same reason as you are.
When: Sunday, May 2nd 2010
Where: Radisson Hotel, 1471 N 4th St, San Jose, CA, 95112 Time: 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Admission Criteria: Male: 27 to 38
Female: 25 to 37
Fee: $45 ($35 if you enter this special promotion code: kingm )
Dress Code: Gentlemen - Dress slacks, dress shirts. We also suggest a sport coat. If you wish to wear suits and ties or tuxedos, by all means we invite you to do so.
Ladies - Cocktail dresses, pantsuits, elegant skirts and blouses, ethnic dress!
Not permitted for ladies and gentlemen: shorts, T-shirts, beach flip-flops, bathing suit attire, jeans, cut-off jeans, sleeveless shirts for men, sportswear, and baseball hats.
Hurry!! Seats are very limited. Don’t miss this opportunity.
---------------------------
Well, I'm not going to give the organizers free publicity... But, if you are interested, leave me a comment along with your email address and I'll send you the website ;-)
And if you want it that way, I will not reveal your comment either :-)
-------------------------
Are you a single from an Indian Origin and looking for your perfect Matrimonial Partner? Attend this Grand Indian Matrimonial Speed Dating Event and Meet several singles like you who will be there for the same reason as you are.
When: Sunday, May 2nd 2010
Where: Radisson Hotel, 1471 N 4th St, San Jose, CA, 95112 Time: 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Admission Criteria: Male: 27 to 38
Female: 25 to 37
Fee: $45 ($35 if you enter this special promotion code: kingm )
Dress Code: Gentlemen - Dress slacks, dress shirts. We also suggest a sport coat. If you wish to wear suits and ties or tuxedos, by all means we invite you to do so.
Ladies - Cocktail dresses, pantsuits, elegant skirts and blouses, ethnic dress!
Not permitted for ladies and gentlemen: shorts, T-shirts, beach flip-flops, bathing suit attire, jeans, cut-off jeans, sleeveless shirts for men, sportswear, and baseball hats.
Hurry!! Seats are very limited. Don’t miss this opportunity.
---------------------------
Well, I'm not going to give the organizers free publicity... But, if you are interested, leave me a comment along with your email address and I'll send you the website ;-)
And if you want it that way, I will not reveal your comment either :-)
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Raavan and Lankapuri
Sri Lanka is beautiful. After a long time, peace seems to be returning to the country and hopefully, tourism will also be back to its glorious days. When I visited Sri Lanka recently, I was enthralled by the natural beauty of the place. They have some great beaches too. [I dont have the pictures with me right now; will post soon as wifey gets my camera back] We spent time at Colombo, Kandy and Bentota (Beruwala) -western and south western parts of the country.
I was also intrigued by what I had heard earlier in different versions of Ramayan - the references to Lanka and Raavan, the king that abducted Sita. Though I did get to spend much time in researching about this before or during my visit, I looked up some sites after. I also saw quite a few artistic references to Ramayana - like the jataayu-like birds and craft.
According to the Ramayana, king Rāvana brought Sita Devi from India in a “Pushpaka Vimana” which is widely known in Sri Lanka as the “Dandu Monara Yanthranaya”, or Large Peacock Machine in Sinhala.
Ashok Vatika was a garden in Lanka, the Kingdom of demon king, Ravana, as mentioned in the Vishnu Purana and Hindu epic, Ramayana of Valmiki, and all subsequent versions. It was the location, where Sita, the wife of Rama was held captive by Ravana, after her abduction, also because she refused to stay in Ravana's palace, and preferred to stay under the Ashoka tree, hence the name. It was here that Ravana's wife Mandodari came to meet her and also where Hanuman met her for the first time, and identified himself with the finger ring of Rama.
Its present day location is believed to be the Hakgala Botanical Garden, the area is known as Seetha Eliya, close to the resort city of Nuwara Eliya. [Nuwara Eliya is overlooked by Pidurutalagala, the tallest mountain in Sri Lanka]. The Gardens is situated at the base of the Hakgala Rock forms, has Sita Pokuna, a barren area atop the Hakgala Rock Jungle, where Sita was supposedly held captive, the 'Sita Amman Temple' is located here. Other connected site is a spot where Sita bathed in a stream at Sita Eliya, called Sita Jharna.
You can read more interesting accounts here. Dont miss the video too!
I was also intrigued by what I had heard earlier in different versions of Ramayan - the references to Lanka and Raavan, the king that abducted Sita. Though I did get to spend much time in researching about this before or during my visit, I looked up some sites after. I also saw quite a few artistic references to Ramayana - like the jataayu-like birds and craft.
According to the Ramayana, king Rāvana brought Sita Devi from India in a “Pushpaka Vimana” which is widely known in Sri Lanka as the “Dandu Monara Yanthranaya”, or Large Peacock Machine in Sinhala.
Ashok Vatika was a garden in Lanka, the Kingdom of demon king, Ravana, as mentioned in the Vishnu Purana and Hindu epic, Ramayana of Valmiki, and all subsequent versions. It was the location, where Sita, the wife of Rama was held captive by Ravana, after her abduction, also because she refused to stay in Ravana's palace, and preferred to stay under the Ashoka tree, hence the name. It was here that Ravana's wife Mandodari came to meet her and also where Hanuman met her for the first time, and identified himself with the finger ring of Rama.
Its present day location is believed to be the Hakgala Botanical Garden, the area is known as Seetha Eliya, close to the resort city of Nuwara Eliya. [Nuwara Eliya is overlooked by Pidurutalagala, the tallest mountain in Sri Lanka]. The Gardens is situated at the base of the Hakgala Rock forms, has Sita Pokuna, a barren area atop the Hakgala Rock Jungle, where Sita was supposedly held captive, the 'Sita Amman Temple' is located here. Other connected site is a spot where Sita bathed in a stream at Sita Eliya, called Sita Jharna.
You can read more interesting accounts here. Dont miss the video too!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Time Traveler?
Reopening of the South Fork Bridge after flood in Nov. 1940. 1941
The above photo was taken in 1940. Some people say the hipster-looking fellow with the sunglasses on the right side of the photo is a time traveler because his hair, shades, clothing, and camera didn't exist at the time.
Forgetomori says 'he is not'... you decide!!
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Reception pics!
Just back in the US after my wedding and reception and celebrations and....
lo! I have 24 comments on my blog to be moderated... and 22 of them are spam... why is my blog so popular to the spammers??!
Well, guys.. Whiel I am still recovering from all that stuff, here are some pics from the reception... well, these are not my reception pics... I am only an ordinary Indian, u c..... and I need my privacy... but this is of the Indian tennis star and the Pak cricket star... ;-)
lo! I have 24 comments on my blog to be moderated... and 22 of them are spam... why is my blog so popular to the spammers??!
Well, guys.. Whiel I am still recovering from all that stuff, here are some pics from the reception... well, these are not my reception pics... I am only an ordinary Indian, u c..... and I need my privacy... but this is of the Indian tennis star and the Pak cricket star... ;-)
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Modern-day Spy Story
From the moment Mahmoud al-Mabhouh stepped off a plane in Dubai on Jan. 20, his killers—probably from Israel’s Mossad—had him in their sights. Al-Mabhouh, a senior Hamas official who had arrived from Damascus allegedly to arrange an arms shipment to Gaza, perished hours later in his room at the Al Bustan Rotana hotel, electrocuted and strangled by the seven men who were waiting for him after a day following him around Dubai. The assassins covered their tracks well. They flew in from Paris, Frankfurt, Rome, and Zurich on forged passports. They wore disguises. They switched hotels multiple times. They carried cell phones but never called each other directly.
But they were being watched, and now the video of their exploits is available online.
To read other great spy stories, check here (Newsweek)
But they were being watched, and now the video of their exploits is available online.
To read other great spy stories, check here (Newsweek)
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Whats going on?
Heya! guys
Whats going on in the world? Well... too many things, I guess.
Same with me... way too many stufff.... Anyways...
Did I tell ya guys that quite a few of my friends all over have started on their own... It is exciting to know they are taking charge and doing all the things that matter to them and more!! Inspiring!!!!
Here is a small list of their ventures/companies...
Trefis.com
MyZingo
BerrySki
ClickIndia
Pristine Careers
Whats going on in the world? Well... too many things, I guess.
Same with me... way too many stufff.... Anyways...
Did I tell ya guys that quite a few of my friends all over have started on their own... It is exciting to know they are taking charge and doing all the things that matter to them and more!! Inspiring!!!!
Here is a small list of their ventures/companies...
Trefis.com
MyZingo
BerrySki
ClickIndia
Pristine Careers
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
WOTD - MOSH !
Word of the Day - Moshing
Moshing or Moshpitting or slamming refers to the activity in which audience members at live music performances aggressively push and/or slam into each other. Moshing is frequently accompanied by stage diving, crowd surfing, mic swinging, instrument smashing, and headbanging. It is most commonly associated with concerts featuring more aggressive genres, such as punk and heavy metal..
For more, read here
Moshing or Moshpitting or slamming refers to the activity in which audience members at live music performances aggressively push and/or slam into each other. Moshing is frequently accompanied by stage diving, crowd surfing, mic swinging, instrument smashing, and headbanging. It is most commonly associated with concerts featuring more aggressive genres, such as punk and heavy metal..
For more, read here
Friday, February 05, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Wow! these DJs...
2 cool little kids from Japan.... DJ Sara and DJ Ryusei. It seems they were brought in for the after party show - Grammys 2008. The little boy was 6 and the little girl was 9 then. And they set the party off! That was then.....
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Spread the Stupidity..
I have seen this before... some are still funny to read the second time - Thanks CU
-----------------------------------------------
***EVER WONDER...
*Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin?
------------ --------- ---------
*Why can't women put on mascara with their mouth closed?
------------ --------- ---------
*Why don't you ever see the headline 'Psychic Wins Lottery'?
------------ --------- ---------
*Why is 'abbreviated' such a long word?
------------ --------- ---------
*Why is it that doctors call what they do 'practice'?
------------ --------- ---------
*Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?
------------ --------- ---------
*Why the man who invests all your money is called a broker?
------------ --------- ---------
*Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?
------------ --------- ---------
*Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?
------------ --------- ---------
*Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?
------------ --------- ---------
*Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?
------------ --------- ---------
*You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes? Why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!
------------ --------- ---------
*Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?
------------ --------- ---------
*Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?
------------ --------- ---------
If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?
------------ --------- ---------
*If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?
------------ --------- ---------
* Only in America ......do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the
back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy
cigarettes at the front.
------------ --------- ---------
* Only in America .....do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and
a diet coke.
------------ --------- --------
*Only in America ......do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the
driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.
------------ --------- ---------
*Only in America .....do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille
lettering.
------------ --------- ---------
Now that you've smiled at least once, it's your turn to spread the stupidity and send this to someone you want to bring a smile to (maybe even a chuckle)...in other words, send it to everyone. We all need to smile every once in a while.
*Spread the Stupidity.*
-----------------------------------------------
***EVER WONDER...
*Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin?
------------ --------- ---------
*Why can't women put on mascara with their mouth closed?
------------ --------- ---------
*Why don't you ever see the headline 'Psychic Wins Lottery'?
------------ --------- ---------
*Why is 'abbreviated' such a long word?
------------ --------- ---------
*Why is it that doctors call what they do 'practice'?
------------ --------- ---------
*Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?
------------ --------- ---------
*Why the man who invests all your money is called a broker?
------------ --------- ---------
*Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?
------------ --------- ---------
*Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?
------------ --------- ---------
*Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?
------------ --------- ---------
*Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?
------------ --------- ---------
*You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes? Why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!
------------ --------- ---------
*Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?
------------ --------- ---------
*Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?
------------ --------- ---------
If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?
------------ --------- ---------
*If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?
------------ --------- ---------
* Only in America ......do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the
back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy
cigarettes at the front.
------------ --------- ---------
* Only in America .....do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and
a diet coke.
------------ --------- --------
*Only in America ......do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the
driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.
------------ --------- ---------
*Only in America .....do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille
lettering.
------------ --------- ---------
Now that you've smiled at least once, it's your turn to spread the stupidity and send this to someone you want to bring a smile to (maybe even a chuckle)...in other words, send it to everyone. We all need to smile every once in a while.
*Spread the Stupidity.*
At ignition point....
Its gonna kill me.... some day... !!
Thanking myself for surviving through another day, being away....
Being away so far... yet so near...
Ah! and you are... yet so near!!!
© 2010 Bhaskar Sreedharan
Thanking myself for surviving through another day, being away....
Being away so far... yet so near...
Ah! and you are... yet so near!!!
© 2010 Bhaskar Sreedharan
Friday, January 15, 2010
The Art of War!
Now that I am getting married soon, I wanted to build some sound knowledge and fundamentals.... so I started browsing 'The Art of War'... ;-)
You can catch some details here
Sun-tzu, The Art of War
But, here are some quotes that are enlightening!
This is supposedly the last verse of Chapter 3
故曰：知彼知己，百戰不殆；不知彼而知己，一勝一負；不知彼，不知己，每戰必殆。(故曰：知彼知己，百战不殆；不知彼而知己，一胜一负；不知彼，不知己，每战必殆。)
So it is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you can win a hundred battles without a single loss.
If you only know yourself, but not your opponent, you may win or may lose.
If you know neither yourself nor your enemy, you will always endanger yourself.
Therefore one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the most skillful. Seizing the enemy without fighting is the most skillful.
You can catch some details here
Sun-tzu, The Art of War
But, here are some quotes that are enlightening!
This is supposedly the last verse of Chapter 3
故曰：知彼知己，百戰不殆；不知彼而知己，一勝一負；不知彼，不知己，每戰必殆。(故曰：知彼知己，百战不殆；不知彼而知己，一胜一负；不知彼，不知己，每战必殆。)
So it is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you can win a hundred battles without a single loss.
If you only know yourself, but not your opponent, you may win or may lose.
If you know neither yourself nor your enemy, you will always endanger yourself.
Therefore one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the most skillful. Seizing the enemy without fighting is the most skillful.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Help Haiti....
January 12, 2010, at 4:53pm ET
There was a terrible earthquake in Haiti.. The International Red Cross has stated that as many as 3 million people have been affected by the quake, with as many as 100,000 deaths according to the prime minister.
I saw some really saddening and gory pictures at [Warning: viewer's discretion advised]
Boston.com's Big Picture on Haiti: http://bit.ly/6Q3gMf
/via twitter @marshallk @chrismessina @brynn
--------------------------------------
Filed at 10:03 p.m. ET
Doctors Without Borders found two public hospitals in good condition after the powerful earthquake that devastated Haiti's capital, and officials with the group said Wednesday they would begin treating about 500 people who need emergency surgery.
But one of the mission's directors said the humanitarian group doesn't have enough medical staff, equipment and medicine to properly care for the injured. The mission has about 800 medical workers in Haiti, but a large number haven't been located since Tuesday's quake, Stefano Zannini said.
''Most of them are dispersed somewhere, are lost somewhere,'' he told The Associated Press in a phone interview. ''We are not sure where they are.''
About 800 injured people have come to the mission's offices for treatment, Zannini said. They've scattered themselves around a courtyard, sleeping in tents, on top of rugs, on the floor and on plastic sheeting, waiting to be transferred to one of the two hospitals identified as being safe enough to withstand the aftershocks that have rattled Haiti.
''We saw every kind of person: Women, men, young, old, children, pregnant women coming and asking for help,'' Zannini said.
More than 500 people need immediate surgical intervention. But in the next couple of days, the mission will run out of gasoline to transport patients and food and water, Zannini said.
Doctors Without Borders said earlier in the day that hundreds of Haitians were being treated in tents for broken bones, burns and other less-serious injuries.
Several area hospitals collapsed in the earthquake, and authorities haven't determined how many other hospitals were left standing around the capital.
----------------------------------------
This is how you can help: check BBC's page on how you can help the survivors in Haiti deal with the terrible loss
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8456730.stm
There was a terrible earthquake in Haiti.. The International Red Cross has stated that as many as 3 million people have been affected by the quake, with as many as 100,000 deaths according to the prime minister.
I saw some really saddening and gory pictures at [Warning: viewer's discretion advised]
Boston.com's Big Picture on Haiti: http://bit.ly/6Q3gMf
/via twitter @marshallk @chrismessina @brynn
--------------------------------------
Filed at 10:03 p.m. ET
Doctors Without Borders found two public hospitals in good condition after the powerful earthquake that devastated Haiti's capital, and officials with the group said Wednesday they would begin treating about 500 people who need emergency surgery.
But one of the mission's directors said the humanitarian group doesn't have enough medical staff, equipment and medicine to properly care for the injured. The mission has about 800 medical workers in Haiti, but a large number haven't been located since Tuesday's quake, Stefano Zannini said.
''Most of them are dispersed somewhere, are lost somewhere,'' he told The Associated Press in a phone interview. ''We are not sure where they are.''
About 800 injured people have come to the mission's offices for treatment, Zannini said. They've scattered themselves around a courtyard, sleeping in tents, on top of rugs, on the floor and on plastic sheeting, waiting to be transferred to one of the two hospitals identified as being safe enough to withstand the aftershocks that have rattled Haiti.
''We saw every kind of person: Women, men, young, old, children, pregnant women coming and asking for help,'' Zannini said.
More than 500 people need immediate surgical intervention. But in the next couple of days, the mission will run out of gasoline to transport patients and food and water, Zannini said.
Doctors Without Borders said earlier in the day that hundreds of Haitians were being treated in tents for broken bones, burns and other less-serious injuries.
Several area hospitals collapsed in the earthquake, and authorities haven't determined how many other hospitals were left standing around the capital.
----------------------------------------
This is how you can help: check BBC's page on how you can help the survivors in Haiti deal with the terrible loss
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8456730.stm
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Just be Ready!
There once was a time
when you were covered with carbon
the black diamond waiting to be discovered
I just rusted the edges
and removed what was not you
only to see you blushing!
Soon you will be
getting on the proverbial horse
fluttering in attire embroidered
Just be ready
for the ride, Ma Babe
'cos life will come gushing!!
© 2010 Bhaskar Sreedharan :-)
when you were covered with carbon
the black diamond waiting to be discovered
I just rusted the edges
and removed what was not you
only to see you blushing!
Soon you will be
getting on the proverbial horse
fluttering in attire embroidered
Just be ready
for the ride, Ma Babe
'cos life will come gushing!!
© 2010 Bhaskar Sreedharan :-)
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Ms. Capucine
A breathtaking story by Capucine. Starring baby monkeys lost in frightening trees, a witch, "krokhodeel", a tiger, a "zipopotam" and a lion, and even a "tremendously very bad mammoth". There are also magic powers and an orange ring, but sometimes, "something goes amiss".
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Saturday, January 02, 2010
May your dreams burst at the seams in 2010!!
Wish you a happy and fabulous 2010, peepul!
May ten million fireflies light up your world and may your dreams burst at the seams!!!!
I love this song.... Fireflies by Owl City
And as for me, I got my firefly... My laddoooo! :-)
May ten million fireflies light up your world and may your dreams burst at the seams!!!!
I love this song.... Fireflies by Owl City
And as for me, I got my firefly... My laddoooo! :-)
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Eternal Life!
Javeda Zindagi I love this song from the movie, Anwar... just melts my heart every time I hear it. (Courtesy: musicmania from ...
