Monday, December 22, 2008

RPS


RPS - Rocket Propelled Shoes!!

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

George Bush - Ninja?


I dont think throwing shoes at George Bush is classy but it gave him an opportunity to show off his Ninja skills in Matrix style moves. I think he can even dodge a bullet. I guess he has found his true calling now ... Dodge ball. He did it all without losing the smile on his face ... I guess he was having fun. Looks like all the practice dodging questions from the American public paid off.

One more point of note, the shoe throwers aim was terrific. He was right on the mark with both of his throws. Was he practicing or what? Considering the distance of the target, the lack of time and the awkward shape of the weapon, the result was extra-ordinary. Anyone other than Ninja Bush would have had footprints on his face. I think Iraq has found its next Olympic Gold Medalist.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Quick Question

Watched the Miss World pageant and here is the Miss World 2008


Now, my question is: Who is officially the 2nd most beautiful woman in the world? We know that Miss Universe is supposedly the most beautiful. How does Miss World compare to runner-up Miss Universe? I think I am gonna need a ranked list of the top 10 most beautiful women in this world. Why? I don't know. Having it wont do any harm ...

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Good Shepherd

I watched "The Good Shepherd" yesterday. It was very intriguing and kept me glued for almost 3 hours. The theme of the movie is the birth of the CIA and its failure during the Cuban Missle Crisis in the Bay of Pigs.

The following is an exchange from the movie:


[Bill Sullivan visits Ed at home to let him know that they're forming the CIA as a peacetime OSS]
Bill Sullivan: I have to tell you, I have some real problems with this whole thing despite how much we need it. I'm concerned that too much power will end up in the hands of too few. It's always in somebody's best interest to promote enemies real or imagined. I see this as America's eyes and ears; I don't want it to become its heart and soul. So I told the president for this to work there is going to have to be some kind of civilian oversight.
Edward Wilson: Oversight? How can you have a covert organization if you have people looking over your shoulder?
Bill Sullivan: You know who gave Hitler his power? The clerks and the bookkeepers, the civil servants. I have this one weakness: I believe in a just God. I always seem to err on the side of democracy.

Given the goings on in the last couple of weeks following the Mumbai attacks, one thing is evident - The Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan, which is meant to be its CIA equivalent, has become the heart and soul of the country.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

India - England Test Series

The England Cricket Team arrived in Chennai last night to play 2 test matches that were scheduled as part of their tour. The team had canceled the last 2 ODIs and returned to England following the terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

I hope people recognize the bravado displayed by the English team in returning to India despite all the hoopla being made of the security situation. To people in India, this may not seem like a heroic thing - after all we live in this country without 1/100th of the security offered to them. Put yourself in Kevin Petersen's shoes, you will start to see the gravity of the decision.
  • You are touring a country that has long been a terror target weeks after the biggest attack in its history.
  • Citizens from UK were actively sought by the terrorists.
  • You are indirectly responsible for the safety of all of your teammates.
  • There is a remote threat of war with a neighboring country. Tensions are high.
  • There is no penalty for opting out of the tour - BCCI made this concession.
Considering all this, it is definitely inviting to opt out but I salute the English team for continuing the tour and help in healing a country where cricket is a religion. I hope the spectators in India realize this. The England team deserves standing ovations and cheers wherever they go.

Hugh Morris, Managing Director of English cricket team said it best: "Every now and again sportsmen and women have the chance to do something beyond their performances on the field. For very tragic reasons, the England team have that opportunity, they have made a very brave, a very courageous decision and one which will be really respected right across the world."

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Religion

Times Now today featured a conversation with one of the activists at a rally in Hyderabad ... his message was clear - Religion is the root cause of all evil in the world and the whole establishment has to be cleansed of religious beliefs. Once this is done, peace will prevail and we will all live happily thereafter.

I feel blaming religion for all the problems has become a serious trend these days. However, I know for a fact that religion teaches a lot more than that. The purpose of religion is not to give people reasons to murder each other. It is unfortunate that some people are inspired to commit heinous crimes using religion as their base, but the fault lies in the particular person and not the religion. We need to recognize this. Even if we eliminate all the religions in the world, we will still find reasons to kill each other - race, linguistic differences, whatever.

We should take a moment to look at the positive impacts that religion has. Above all, religion gives people a major incentive to lead a good and moral life. Without it, there is little penalty for being immoral and cruel.

I am looking forward to the day when we as a human race evolve beyond violence.