Random Thoughts

Eerie

2009-03-03T14:45:00.002+05:30

"I think the Obama administration realizes that they don't want to see Pakistani trained and funded terrorists spraying bullets on Americans in their malls, hotels and parks."

As I was typing these words this morning for my earlier post, 12 terrorists armed with rockets, grenades and AK-47 assault rifles attacked a bus carrying the Sri Lankan cricket team on their way to the stadium to play Pakistan. 5 players received injuries and a match official is reported to be critical.

CNN Report

Some Americans Just Don't Get It

2009-03-03T08:43:00.005+05:30

An American reader left an interesting comment on my last post ("Pakistan Double Crossing the US"). In it I had written:

"It's nice to know that the countries of the civilized world are finally coming to their senses. Or rather they are now choosing not to ignore problems that they should have fixed or help India fix a lot time ago."

This is what the reader commented:

"By that account you are saying:

A. India is not a civilized country: What countries do you consider civilized then? Is it somehow our responsibility to clean up a mess because we are a "Civilized Country"? Do you somehow feel we owe you our help?

B. That we, as the United States, are somehow responsible to fix all the problems in the world. Americans are tired of being the world police and having our tax dollars, corporate income, and young men's lives go to fixing countries that have backward ideas about human rights, basic human decency, and we are also tired of being the scapegoat of the governments of these same countries. Perhaps India has a contingent in Afghanistan or Iraq that is commensurate to the size of the population? What? You are not helping there? But you expect us to help you? It is not our job, go ask China to help. What? They won't? Imagine that.

C. That somehow by supporting Pakistan we are not supporting India. If that were the case we would not be sending money by the truckload to India for IT and support services along with the billions given to your country by our government (and many of the jobs we used to hold as well).

I have a suggestion. Clean up your own back yard so we don't have to."

A. India is as civilized a country as the US or any other thriving democracy.

B. Not just Americans, the entire world is tired of the US being the world police. We can see the excellent police work the US has done in Iraq. They went in to fix a problem that wasn't there and now have created a much larger one. It is quite understandable if the world expects countries to fix problems they have created. For instance, the US and Pakistan created the Taliban and funded Osama bin Laden to counter the USSR during the cold war. When the cold war ended, their Frankenstein was left to grow and take a form of its own. It has now come to a point that the Pakistan military cannot let go of the Frankenstein they created and nurtured and have been using against India. Pakistan cannot fix this problem. They are the problem. We have been trying to fix them for decades now. But thanks to the backing of the US (due to its own strategic interests in the region), our efforts have been futile.

There is a sense here in India that after the 26/11 attack on Mumbai, the only reason why India has not yet attacked Pakistan is because the US has now joined in a concerted effort to root out terrorist elements in the Pakistan establishment and military. This can be seen from all the noises that US officials at the highest level have been making. Call me an optimist, but I believe that the US now believes that the time has come to fix the problem called Pakistan, which their former secretary of state Madeline Albright recently right termed as an "international migraine".

Report after report coming out from the US suggests that the next terror attack on the US will originate from Pakistan. I think the Obama administration realizes that they don't want to see Pakistani trained and funded terrorists spraying bullets on Americans in their malls, hotels and parks.

As far as helping out in Afghanistan, India was the first to open an embassy in Afghanistan after the war and our companies are busy building the much needed infrastructure there. In fact, the report I mentioned in my last post suggests that the Pakistan ISI is urging the Haqqannis to sabotage efforts by the Indian government to help Afghanistan government to build the Khost-Gardez road.

C. The reader clearly does not understand the difference between aid and trade. I guess by his logic every payment made by an Indian to a US company for its goods and services (even for something as simple as a Coke) would be considered as India giving aid to the US.

As far as losing jobs to other countries, I believe Americans should decide whether they want the free market system or communism. They cannot have both. If they want their jobs, then they should elect a government that will make their companies let them keep their jobs. This is clearly a problem that they have created and only they can solve.

And as far as cleaning of backyards is concerned, if someone throws his garbage in my backyard I expect him to clean it out. Or at least not make it difficult for me to clean it out myself.

Pakistan Double Crossing the US

2009-03-02T09:24:00.005+05:30

According to a Times Now news report, about the time when Pakistan went with a begging bowl to the US for more aid, and got it, one of Pakistan's top ISI officials had a meeting with Osama bin Laden's top aides.

Like I said before, I hope the Americans know what they are doing. I guess they do because Defence Secretary Robert Gates now believes that the country that his former boss, George Bush, considered be the US's strongest ally on the war on terror is now a safe haven for terror networks, something that India has been yelling hoarse for decades now. In an interview on MSNBC he said, "I think it's the safe haven on the Pakistani side of the border, not just for Al-Qaeda but for the Taliban for the Hakani network, for Gulbaddin Hekmatyar and other affiliated groups that are all working together -- they're separate groups, but they're all working together, and I think as long as they have a safe haven to operate there, it's going to be a problem for us."

It's nice to know that the countries of the civilized world are finally coming to their senses. Or rather they are now choosing not to ignore problems that they should have fixed or help India fix a lot time ago.

US is Funding the Taliban

2009-02-27T09:01:00.002+05:30

Obama proposes more military aid to Pakistan

Pak govt paid $6 mn to Taliban to agree to ceasefire

It is a known fact that Pakistan's ISI (US equivalent of the CIA) helps smuggle poppy cultivated in Afghanistan into Pakistan where it is processed and then exported.

It is a known fact that Pakistan's chief nuclear scientist proliferated nuclear technology (which he himself stole) to countries like Syria, North Korea and even talked to the Taliban. And yet, he was "pardoned" by the then President and now recently has been freed from house arrest.

One would assume that the Americans know what they are doing. From past experience I have learned to give more importance to what the US is going to get back, as opposed to what they give.

Slumdog Millionaire gets the Ultimate Recognition

2009-02-23T17:03:00.003+05:30

Amitabh Bachchan may not think so, but I think Slumdog Millionaire just got the ultimate recognition by sweeping the Oscars this year. I wonder what is the ultimate recognition according to BigB. Those studpid Indian award functions wherein people like Aamir Khan refuse to attend. Or where the hosts are insulted by winners and who in turn insult them back. I call that a circus - the ultimate circus.

Junk billboards

2008-01-29T13:50:00.000+05:30

This eyesore has been parked on the National Highway in Porvorim near Chodankar Nursing home. It's been there for many days now and doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. Apparently it belongs to Nirvana Nest Buildcom Pvt. Ltd. who have figured that instead of disposing it off decently, it would serve a better purpose as a crappy billboard.

If people start making their junked vehicles into roadside billboards like this one, it is going to be quite a sight. Is this even legal?

Mobile classified advertisement

2008-01-29T13:38:00.000+05:30

Blending billboards with nature

2008-01-29T01:47:00.001+05:30

Who said you cannot blend those ugly billboards with nature?

And no, someone did not stick a branch into the billboard.

Where do those leaves think they are going?

2008-01-28T15:17:00.000+05:30

Look who's supporting

2008-01-28T15:01:00.000+05:30

I'm not sure whether the telephone pole is supporting the cables or the other way around.

What's in a name? Especially this one.

2008-01-28T14:17:00.000+05:30

I just had to ask. FraJasFla stands for Francis, Jasmine and Flavia. If they had used the end of their names, instead of the start, it would be CisMineVia, which would sound just as weird.

Another tree gives way to house in Porvorim

2008-01-28T13:47:00.000+05:30

A Catholic Tale

2008-01-27T21:58:00.002+05:30

As I walked down the busy footpath, knowing I was late for an important meeting, my eye fell upon one of those unfortunate, homeless vagabonds that are found in every city these days.

Wearing what can only be describes as rags, carrying every worldly possession in two plastic bags, my heart was touched by this person's condition.

Some people turned to stare. Others quickly looked away as if the sight would somehow contaminate them. Recalling some long ago priest who made an admonition to "care for the sick, feed the hungry and clothe the naked," I was moved by some powerful inner urge to reach out to this unfortunate person.

Yes, where some people saw only rags, I saw a hidden beauty. A small voice inside my head called out, "Reach out, reach out!"

So I did...

I Won't be at Mass this week!!

Kids And Money

2008-01-24T17:15:00.000+05:30

I bank mainly with HDFC Bank. When I walk into the Porvorim branch, almost always, someone or the other tries to sell me something I don't want. Stuff like mutual funds, insurance policies, etc. I am used to it and politely decline.

Yesterday was different. I had been to the bank to make a wire transfer. As I was reaching the end of the form, my personal banker asked me how old my son was. I told her that he was four and he already had a Kids Advantage account, in the hope that the conversation would end there. What she said next shook me: "If he was eight we could give him an ATM card".

"What?", I blurted, disbelieving my ears. "You give eight year old's ATM cards?" She was about to make me a sales pitch, but I asked her to save it for someone else. I finished filling the wire transfer form and left wondering what our world was coming to.

I wonder if the next generation will know what currency notes look like, let alone understand and appreciate their value.

Mathany, Go Belt Them

2007-12-25T22:05:00.000+05:30

When I read Mathany Saldanha's statement asking tourists to leave Goa, I was disappointed and at the same time, a bit amused as well. I don't think I need to tell you why I was disappointed. The amusing part is more interesting.

Mathany Saldanha taught me Biology at Don Bosco a long time ago. In fact, 16 years ago. You tend to remember some things about your teachers, especially things that "hit" you. With Mathany the thing that "hit" us was his belt. He was notoriously known to belt the shit out of kids. When I say belt, I mean the thing you put around your pant to keep it from respecting the force of gravity. Other teachers had other instruments. For example, both our PT teachers used their whistle chords, which by the way, wasn't any better. One other guy had a specially crafted piece of wood that he carried with him at all times because he wasn't satisfied by the effectiveness of the common wooden ruler.

My sincere advice to the Goa Police is to relieve Mathany of his belt before they do anything else with him. Because once he gets it off, there's no telling where he will swing it. But every cloud has a silver lining. The good thing about him using the belt as a means of inflicting pain is that he cannot do it for long. After all, belting someone with one hand while holding your pants up with the other is not something you can do for long. Not even Sir Mathany.

I Want...

2007-12-19T13:48:00.000+05:30

Reuben, my older son, is at that age when he wants everything he sees. At times, I wonder how my wife puts up with him. Yesterday, he saw a cow on TV and proclaimed to his mother, "Mama, I want cow". My wife wasn't in the best of moods and she blurted out, "And where do you want to put it? On my head?".

Reuben gave her one of his confused looks and calmly said, "No, Mama. I put cow on the floor".

School Reunion

2007-12-16T23:42:00.001+05:30

Last night was the long awaited school reunion. It feels great to meet so many friends in one place, some after 16 years. As the night progressed and the levels of intoxication increased, things just got better and better.

The best part is that this now going to be an annual event.

click image to enlarge

The full web album can be found here.

Mumbai Nightmares

2007-12-16T23:27:00.000+05:30

I am sitting at the Mumbai airport waiting for my flight which is running half an hour late. My business travels often take me to Mumbai and every time I come back with weird experiences of that city.

At the outset I like to say that my brain doesn't work properly in Mumbai, thanks to the state of utter chaos that the city continuously finds itself in. The traffic is a bitch. The noise levels are enough to awaken the dead. This time around, most of my meetings were in the suburbs where it is faster to move around in a rickshaw than a cab. However crazy the cab drivers maybe, they simply cannot zigzag though traffic like rickshaws, while making your heart beat stop at regular intervals as you cling on to dear life and get thrown all around your seat. One rickshaw ride did wonders with my internal organs. When I was done with it, my liver found itself shaking hands with my lungs, both of them.

Since Mumbai traffic is such a pain, I usually stay in a hotel which is equidistant to all the places I have to visit. Since I am not familiar with the city, I always leave it up to my travel agent to use his best judgment, something which in this case, came back to haunt me. My travel agent booked me into a hotel close to the airport. I mean the planes literally flew above the hotel. And to add insult to injury, the hotel was bang adjacent to the railway tracks. When I arrived into Mumbai yesterday afternoon, I was already running late for my first appointment. So I dumped my things in my room, splashed some water on my face and ran out. I returned only after midnight to find what was in store for me - planes landing and taking off, and in the bargain, making unearthly noises and rattling the window panes. And the occasional silence was broken by Mumbai’s local trains yelling their guts out while passing by my window. I cannot remember how many times I was woken up last night. At one point, I dreamt of being woken up by the combination noise of a plane landing and a passing train. On second thoughts, I think it was the real thing.

I will post this when I get home to an internet connection because Café Coffee Day, where I am right now, is offline today.

A Father Once Again

2007-11-12T18:20:00.000+05:30

On 3rd November, a day before my 32nd birthday, my wife gave me the ultimate birthday gift - a brand new baby boy. I thought that becoming a father for the second time wouldn't be as exciting as the first. I was wrong. Nothing can be more thrilling than holding your newborn, whichever number, in your arms. The part I enjoy the most is when they use all their five fingers to wrap around one of yours and don't let go.

He will call himself Russell and in a few years will blog from russellmenezes.com. My elder son, Reuben, needs to increase his vocabulary a little and he will ready to blog from reubenmenezes.com.

RSS 2.0 and Atom 1.0

2007-09-22T13:38:00.000+05:30

I always wondered by RSS Bandit (the feed reader I use) could watch comments on certain blogs and not on others. The ability to watch comments is very helpful because you do not have to regularly check the post you are interested for new comments. Your feed reader alerts you everytime a new comment has been posted.

I am no web wizard, but from what I understand, this has everything to do with the type of feed that you specify for your blog. There are two main types of feeds: RSS 2.0 and Atom 1.0. If you have a blog at Blogger (as mine is) then the default is set to Atom 1.0, I guess, because it is a more basic form and widely supported. However, it does not appear to support comments. A detailed comparison of RSS 2.0 and Atom 2.0 can be found here.

I have changed the feed type of this blog (as well my CAD blog at www.deelip.com) to RSS 2.0. If you are using a feed reader to keep track of this blog you may have to update the feed address. The feed address is http://feeds.feedburner.com/deelipmenezes

Hairy Issue

2007-09-14T14:44:00.000+05:30

Since my 4 year old son cannot stand the sight of barbers, I am left do the needful at home itself. I prop him on his favorite chair in front of the TV and go about my work giving shape to his top storey. I must admit I am getting pretty good at it.

Yesterday, after giving him a crop, he looked at the mess on the floor and exclaimed, "Daddy, look, you wasted all my hair!"

Editorials For Sale

2007-09-12T13:16:00.000+05:30

Shocking!! Editorials in the Herald are for sale for 3 lakhs a piece.

Jumping To Conclusions

2007-09-06T22:29:00.000+05:30

The other day my four year old son met his two month old cousin for the first time. Like his father, he was quick to jump to conclusions. Within a couple of minutes he ran to his mother to share his findings, "Mama, Mama. Baby can't talk. He got no teeth."

Parenting Tip

2007-09-02T20:44:00.000+05:30

You know your four year old is watching too much TV when he looks at your wedding snap, calls your wife a princess and calls you Mr. Bean.

Heads I Win, Tails You Lose

2007-08-14T15:29:00.000+05:30

With Babush being the first to shaft Parrikar, I cannot help but wonder if this was part of his plan in the first place. First try and pull Digamber's pants down and help Parrikar prop his pants up. If Parrikar's pants cannot be secured properly then let go of Parrikar's pants and help bring Digamber's pants back to position. Seems like a good plan. Heads I win, tails you lose.

In the bargain, the status of the Dhavlikar brothers' pants is most interesting. Not only have they been brought down, but they have been shredded to little pieces and thrown to the wind. And by the way, they both had quite a decent set of pants.

Right now, I am feeling something beyond disgust. I have yet to figure out a word for it.