Inane Chat

Jharkhand (A state in India) Election Results

noreply@blogger.com (Blog Trotter) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 09:28:00 +0000

Former minister Enos Ekka of the Jharkhand Party-Ekka defeated BJP’s Mahendra Bhagat by over 7,000 votes in Kolibera. Ekka is currently in jail in a disproportionate assets case.

Bangers (Sausage) and Mash - where UK meets Bihar

noreply@blogger.com (Blog Trotter) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:03:00 +0000

Students - Most Effective Tool to Influence Politics?

noreply@blogger.com (Blog Trotter) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:33:00 +0000

UWMBCA, KTGD, HMRKB, DPMD, HAPW - what is the connection?

noreply@blogger.com (Blog Trotter) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

UWMBCA Welegedara

KTGD Prasad

HMRKB Herath

DPMD Jayawardene

HAPW Jayavardene

Five of the playing 11 in the Sri Lankan cricket team touring India for the 3-match test series in Nov 2009.

Nobel Prize - Does it reward intent or deed?

noreply@blogger.com (Blog Trotter) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:08:00 +0000

1st World Country, 3rd World Government - NHS

noreply@blogger.com (Blog Trotter) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:09:00 +0000

Sometimes you get surprised that a country like UK should have practices that you get to see in 3rd world countries. In fact it is worse, because in 3rd world countries jumping queues, paying bribes and other tactics works whereas in UK, under the pretext of being a 1st world nation these things are not possible. As a result you end up in a situation that neither works in the 1st world nor the 3rd world.

National Health Service
At a certain GP Practice in London, if you go in at 8:30AM for an emergency appointment, the response is your appointment is at 12 come back then. I think someone needs to explain to them that an emergency means immediate attention, and if you are telling someone to come back 3 hours later for an emergency appointment it defeats the meaning of the word. In fact to get any appointment takes forever and once you get an appointment if you want to get an expert opinion it takes 3 appointments with the GP before they can make sure it requires expert opinion and refer you to one. By then it is almost 2 months and for all that you know your ailment has cured itself or gotten worse.
What would happen in the 3rd world is:

If you are getting delayed at one hospital you can go to the other.

You or someone you know would know someone (and this can go on and one) who would know someone influential to help you get straight to the doctor in case of an emergency and promised the best treatment.

If you think you have to go to a specialist you don’t go to a GP, you go straight to a specialist, who the influential person above will arrange so that you don’t have to wait and utmost care will be given to your treatment.

1st World Country, 3rd World Government - Home Office

noreply@blogger.com (Blog Trotter) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:09:00 +0000

Sometimes you get surprised that a country like UK should have practices that you get to see in 3^rd world countries. In fact it is worse, because in 3^rd world countries jumping queues, paying bribes and other tactics works whereas in UK, under the pretext of being a 1^st world nation these things are not possible. As a result you end up in a situation that neither works in 1^st world nor the 3^rd world.
The Home Office
If you are trying to get your Indefinite Leave to Remain visa or Permanent Residency then the only way you could get this is by calling the home office at sharp 9AM. One should consider themselves lucky if they get through in the 10^th call. They take calls for appointments for 6 weeks in advance and it is inevitable that they will tell you that it is booked out. Which means you keep calling everyday until one day they tell you an appointment is available. Now here are the 3^rd world practices in the Home Office of 1^st country:

There is no call waiting facility, you will get a message that everyone is busy so we have to call back

If they cannot take booking for 6 weeks from the day you call the only other option is to call them back

There is no way to make a booking over the internet

There is no way you can go straight to the office and get the work done

There is no way you can pay someone a bribe and get the work done

The only other alternative to making numerous calls everyday with the hope you will get an appointment is to send them the application with the passport and expect to get it back anywhere between 4 to 14 weeks!!!

Peter Roebuck on the Fab 5 of Indian Team

noreply@blogger.com (Blog Trotter) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 08:26:00 +0000

"If Anil Kumble was the colossus, Sachin Tendulkar the champion, Rahul Dravid the craftsman, VVS Laxman the sorcerer, then Ganguly was the inspiration."

As published in cricinfo in an article by Peter Roebuck on the eve of Saurav Ganguly's last test match of his career at Nagpur against the Aussies.

HT: Cricinfo and Peter Roebuck

Jeev Milkha Singh at the US Masters

noreply@blogger.com (Blog Trotter) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 09:32:00 +0000

What was Jeev Milkha Singh’s target at the US Open:

“to get par”

It is a PJ which is more suitable for another blog Punny Journalist and only for those who understand Hindi for the pun is in the Hindi meaning of the word “par”.

Slogan for Varun Gandhi

noreply@blogger.com (Blog Trotter) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:07:00 +0000

Varun Gandhi is debuting his political life in India and in style. Varun is from the Nehru-Gandhi political family; he is the son of Sanjay Gandhi/Maneka Gandhi, grandson of Indira Gandhi and nephew of Sonia Gandhi.

Varun belongs to the Bharatiya Janata Party and the slogan raised by Bharatiya Janata Party workers for Varun caught my attention:

“Yeh Varun Nahi yeh aandhi hai, yeh doosra Sanjay Gandhi hai”

Varun in Hindi/Sanskrit means “Lord of the Seas/Waters” and Aandhi means – “dust storm”.

So when translated (and not transliterated) it means, “he is not the lord of the seas but he is a storm, he is the second Sanjay Gandhi”.

If you know about Sanjay Gandhi, you will know the significance of calling him “the second Sanjay Gandhi” as Sanjay Gandhi himself used to cause a lot of storms when he was alive.

Indian elections in general have some interesting slogans, of which I should compile another list, but this one caught my eye.

HT: Wikipedia and BJP official website

More on Himesh Reshmayya

noreply@blogger.com (Blog Trotter) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 12:54:00 +0000

You can see how much I like him but this is also an excellent piece and I couldn't help from putting it here. And guess what, this also comes from MSN who have given the award for the "Joker of the Year 2008" to Himesh. Here is an excerpt from their website on why he deserved this title:

"As is his habit, Himesh mistook facial contortions for Method Acting, and nasal acrobatics for singing! The result: The junta went into laugh riots every time he crooned "Nazron mein teri kashish ka aalam...Dil mein hai armanon ki sargam!!""

HT: MSN

Himesh Reshammiya

noreply@blogger.com (Blog Trotter) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 13:25:00 +0000

An excellent description of Himesh Reshammiya by Deepa Gahlot of MSN India Entertainment:

"Himesh Reshammiya is this generation's Jeetendra, can't act, wears bizarre clothes, but somehow appeals to the tapori class, as well as to the inverse snobbery of people who normally ought to have better sense. His success cannot be analysed or explained, he possibly has such a following of young men, because he is their wish-fulfilment fantasy-- an outsider without a star father, without Hrithik Roshan's deadly looks, Shah Rukh Khan's talent, Aamir Khan's intelligence or Salman Khan's body—if he can make it, anyone can."

HT: MSN India Entertainment

Do Bollywood movies epitomise India or are they chick flicks?

noreply@blogger.com (Blog Trotter) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:20:00 +0000

Indian Law Makers/Breakers

noreply@blogger.com (Blog Trotter) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:45:00 +0000

Below is an extract of a news article from sifynews (http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14718936) talking about trust vote in the Indian parliament on the nuclear deal. A whole section is dedicated to parliamentarians languishing in various jails. If we take the extract of that section it sounds almost like the script of a stand up comedian ridiculing MP's, yes on a serious note it does show the state of Indian politics, but it does make a good satire (also note they are all from UP or Bihar the two most populous states having the highest representation in the parliament) -

In Ghazipur jail, UP, SP MP Afzal Ansari was visited by BSP MP Akbar Ahmed Dumpy. Afzal is reported to be negotiating a BSP ticket for the next elections.

In Nani central jail, UP, expelled SP MP Atiq Ahmed was approached by Mulayam Singh's nephew and Mainpuri MP Dharmendra Yadav, to ensure that he did not walk over to the BSP.

In Fatehpur jail of UP, expelled BSP MP Umakant Yadav, received a visit from senior BSP leader and UP Minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui. The MP, who was personally handed over to police by Mayawati, was promised that his expulsions would be revoked and cases against him withdrawn if he voted against UPA.

The Delhi High Court on Thursday allowed RJD MP from Madhepura Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav to take part in the trust vote.

RJD MP from Siwan, Mohammed Shahabuddin and Lok Jan Shakti Party MP from Ballia, Suraj Bhan, have also got bail to participate in the trust vote. They are expected to go with UPA.

Is being USEFUL the same as being HELPFUL?

noreply@blogger.com (Blog Trotter) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 18:19:00 +0000

BA Terminal 5

noreply@blogger.com (Blog Trotter) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:16:00 +0000

Cost aside, it probably is a reflection of the faith that BA itself had on its T5 baggage handling system when after the fiasco they sent all the bags to Milan for dispatching to the respective passengers - BY ROAD.

Metcalfe's Law vs. Groucho's Law - When is a social network not worth joining?

noreply@blogger.com (Blog Trotter) — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 14:28:00 +0000

Gun Culture in India - American Influence or Sophisticated Bihari?

noreply@blogger.com (Blog Trotter) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 20:08:00 +0000

What does the crowd/queue outside an embassy tell you about the country?

noreply@blogger.com (Blog Trotter) — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 11:35:00 +0000

Average Londoner's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Blog Trotter) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 18:06:00 +0000

In an article in Heckler Spray on Angeline Jolie's wardrobe malfunction at the premiere of Beowulf at Leicester Square, the author Stuart Heritage had this comment on an average Londoner's day (Beowulf):

And, seriously, since the average Londoner's day involves standing in a dirty, sweltering, expensive, overcrowded tin can snaking underneath the city with their face rammed into a sweaty bloke's stinking armpit, constantly worrying that overzealous police marksmen will shoot them dead just because they look a bit foreign, we'd say Angelina got off lightly.

Very accurate...

Countries and Embassies

noreply@blogger.com (Blog Trotter) — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 21:24:00 +0000

Have you ever wondered how embassies are in some ways the representation of the country itself, a metaphor for the country? How closely the place, the people and the buzz at an embassy is so much like the country itself.

American Embassy - High security (everywhere); queues of immigrants (everywhere); work gets done (everywhere); and as per an American himself, whites get preference over any other skin colour (at least in London).

Australian Embassy - Big and empty (Paris); laid back attitude but work gets done once you are at the counter (London).

French Embassy - Consular/embassy office takes forever to do anything (Sydney, Australia); honorary consul does not know or do anything (Melbourne, Australia); for an office consisting of a big hall and 2 French nationals serving the consulate there are about 6-8 support staff (Mumbai, India).

Indian Embassy - Overly crowded (London); no order or queue for anything (London, Sydney); archaic such as old fashioned ceiling fans humming at low speed (London); dirty (London and Sydney).

ADDENDUM
I had to go the Indian embassy today. the counter opens at 8:30, but as I was warned I got there at 7:30AM to be 200th in the queue. The queue stretched all over the road for about 300 metres. Once inside, the queues continued, the electronic system to call each token number was one that we used 20 years ago. And when your number came up it was up to you to decide which counter to go to. The system would just say that your number is up, not which window you have to go to, nor did the window say which token number it was serving. Even after my number was called I had to wait 10 minutes before I could actually go to one as all counters were busy!!
On hindsight, I should have followed the economic principles taught to me by one Tim VZ. I should have gone at 9:30 when there were no crowds and taken a token number for later in the day. It would have avoided me standing in the queue for one hour in cold London weather and I would have had the time to do something between then and 2PM when I would have to go back to submit my application.

Zimbabwean Inflation Falls

noreply@blogger.com (Blog Trotter) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 16:01:00 +0000

Zimbabwean inflation falls to 6,592.8% in August from July's record levels, official figures show.

BBC News Report on the same. A massive 13% drop from it's July rate of 7,634.8%.

Site map

noreply@blogger.com (Blog Trotter) — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 17:26:00 +0000

The site map of the Jharkhand State Public Service Commission website.

You can also go there by clicking on the Site Map link on its homepage (scroll down the left frame on the homepage if you cannot see the link).

Jharkhand is a state in north India.

You know you are visiting...

noreply@blogger.com (Blog Trotter) — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 14:33:00 +0000

You know you are visiting a company that have wealthy customers if, the "how to get there by air" instructions in it's location map says:

Commercial Flights - Heathrow, Birmingham or Luton Airports.

Private jets or light aircraft - Kidlington Airport.

Private helicopters - Grid reference SP 345 540.

Reminded me of an entry in another blog, which was in some ways similar to this, and was posted some time ago:Techie Talk.

PS: Not that you are going to think I was going there as a customer but just in case, I was going there to visit a friend. And these directions are for Jaguar Land Rover and Aston Martin factory in UK.

Matchstick and the Internet

noreply@blogger.com (Blog Trotter) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 16:24:00 +0000

What can possibly connect the two.

Well, both these inventions are not patented. Apparently, the inventor of matchstick decided that the invention was for the wider good of mankind and patenting it would restrict its use and prevent people from expanding on its use. Internet or WWW inventor Tim Berners Lee also had a similar theory around patenting the internet.

Imagine how the world would have been had these guys patented their inventions. I would be sitting here and writing this blog or if I was I would be doing it not today but possibly 10 years later and paying for it. The water heater at my home wouldn't have started up without that elusive matchstick and anything hot really would have been too hot to handle.