Dubya and his posse of right-wing, neo-con cronies have decided to take a page out of the “pot, kettle, black” concept by blaming the dems for not having a plan in Iraq. Well, they had to think of something, now that “Stay the course” is not a popular policy and because the America public is (finally) seeing how clueless this administration is.
October 2006
Monthly Archive
Tue 31 Oct 2006
Tue 24 Oct 2006
Because I really cant put it any better. Kevin Tillman, the brother of Pat Tillman with his perspective on the Iraq war and the current administration.
Tue 24 Oct 2006
Punk gets into your car and threatens you with a gun? Easy, beat him up.
His buddy tries to intervene? Easy, pull him into the car and beat him up too!!
No, I am not promoting a self-defense manual, just describing what this strapping 68-year old slugger did in the same situation.
Tue 24 Oct 2006
Very interesting interview with Douglas Adams discussing atheism, agnosticism, and religion (Link via India Uncut). Made me wonder as to what I really am, no answers yet, but I am leaning towards agnosticism with a dash of atheism (and the dash keeps getting bigger as I get older). Frankly speaking, agnosticism is such a safe refuge for the non-committed isnt it? Avoid making a decision one way or another, give it an impressive sounding term, and voila, you are off the hook.
Mon 23 Oct 2006
A little background: Bangalore, the “Silicon Valley of Asia” has simultaneously thrown open its doors and shut them. In the shadow of mushrooming multinationals, a Kannada-speak movement has risen, which has already resulted in the shutdown of primary schools which use English as a medium of instruction (here’s an article for more details).
In today’s Times of India:
Write or wrong?
The Kannada versus English debate has not only generated enough political heat in the recent times, but has also sprung a few embarrassing moments for many.
At the eighth Mandya district Kannada Sahitya Sammelana held at Basaralu last week, former district Kannada Sahitya Parishat president B Jayaprakash Gowda found himself at the receiving end. When he pressed for a resolution geared at adopting Kannada as the medium of instruction in higher education too, a bombshell was dropped on him by MLC K T Srikante Gowda.
Questioning Jayaprakash’s ‘Kannadabhimana’ (love for Kananda), Srikante Gowda asked him: “When you have allowed your son to complete post-graduation in English literature and your daughter to pursue BDS, how can you advocate Kannada medium for others who want to complete higher education?’’
Even as a shocked Jayaprakash fumbled for words, Srikante Gowda hit hard on the nail with a poser: “Is this not a double-speak by a Kannadiga?’’
Good point.
Sat 21 Oct 2006
Since we posted on our blog. We have just been buried under work committments and trying to catch up with chores at home, leaving very little time to put our ramblings down. Anyway, hopefully we will be more active now.
To start with, Teju and I wish all of you a very happy Diwali and a prosperous New Year.
Secondly, Michigan State just staged the biggest comeback in Division I football by overcoming a 35-point second-half lead to beat Northwestern on the road. GO GREEN!!
Thirdly, the Detroit Tigers take on the St. Louis Cardinals in the baseball World Series today. Tigers havent been in the World series since 1984 and I havent seen the Tigers in the playoffs since I started following American sports which was way back in 1995. GO TIGERS!!
And finally, let me leave you a small article that caught my eye. In this age of ultra paranoia where we try to sanitize and shield our existence against everything in the environment, I am not surprised that a town finally passed this rule.
Mon 16 Oct 2006
Sowm has tagged us, and this slow Sunday evening demands that I respond. I won’t pass this tag on, however, coz I’m feeling lazy. Here goes:
1. I drink -
everything but beer
2. I sleep -
rolled up in our one comforter, much to Sunil’s discomfort
3.I read -
in the bathroom
4. I never -
invited someone I don’t like to my home
5. I am -
a tree hugger, and proud of it!
6. I have -
everything I need all the time and everything I want most days
7. I want -
nothing today
8. I miss -
my country and my parents
9.I dream -
vividly of impossibilities
Sat 14 Oct 2006
This years Nobel peace prize has gone to Grameen Bank founder Muhammad Yunus who pioneered the concept of microfinance. This practice has been a qualified success with big banks also emulating it. The beauty of this revolutionary concept is how it empowers the poorest sects of society to make a real difference in their lives not by giving hand outs but by providing assistance. The most startling statistic was that 98.5% of the Grameen bank loans are repaid by a populace considered to be among the poorest in the world, as compared to about 50% for regular loans provided to “richer” people by bigger banks.
Wed 11 Oct 2006
Infuriated. An appropriate word describing exactly how I felt when I heard about this movement being promoted by ultra-conservative, religious zealots. In keeping with the time-honored tradition of ignoring everything gleaned from sound scientific studies and basic common sense, certain Christian groups have decided that homosexuals can change their sexual orientation with prayer and counseling. Hmm, maybe they should try this technique with those Catholic priests they keep protecting, the ones that have a propensity towards young altar boys.
Mon 9 Oct 2006
Being a designated driver is far easier than keeping this dude from toppling over.
In fact there are a bunch of good games here to make sure you remain quite unproductive at work!!