...the world today wishes he hadn't!!!
An engineer by profession, Thomas Midgley took deep interest in chemistry. In 1921, while working for GM Research institute, he found that tetraethyl lead can help get over the problem of engine knocking.
The automobile industry lapped it up and by 1923 the world was beginning to get used to leaded petrol - this in spite the fact that lead was known to be poisonous.
Lead is a neuro toxin and if it gets into the system in sufficient quantities can wreck havoc on the nervous system. But it was many decades later that leaded petrol was finally banned. So what was once found only in traces in the atmosphere is now easily available to breathe in and since lead hardly de-generates, it will be around more or less forever.
Buoyed by this success, Thomas Midgley decided to devote his energies to killer refrigerators - which at that time used poisonous gases. He decided to develop a gas that was non-flammable, stable and safe to breathe - tada we have the CFCs (Chloro-Fluoro Carbons). CFCs don't like Ozone too much - basically annihilating it as it comes in contact. To add to their reputation, CFCs are amongst the worst green house gases out there...
So together these two inventions can compete for the prize of the "Worst inventions of all time".
Hmm, I wonder how many of the inventions being made today will be looked at by contempt in the coming generations...
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Saturday, October 27, 2007
UN Millennium Development Goals
...Why arent more people talking about these?? Especially in countries like ours...all governments whether at the centre or the states should be measured against these...
In September 2000, at the Millenium Summit of the UN, 189 leaders of their respective countries came together and adopted a set of 8 goals to make Earth a more welcoming place for the future generations...Of the 8 goals, 7 are time bound and measurable and the 8th is an ideal goal for our society.
The goals are -
- Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. The targets under this are -
- Reduce by half the proportion of people living on less than one U.S. dollar a day.
- Reduce by half the proportion of people who suffer from hunger.
- Achieve universal primary education. The targets under this are -
- Ensure that all boys and girls complete a full course of primary schooling.
- Increased enrollment must be accompanied by efforts to ensure that all children remain in school and receive a high-quality education.
- Promote gender equality and empower women. The target under this is -
- Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education preferably by 2005, and at all levels by 2015.
- Reduce child mortality. The target under this is -
- Reduce the mortality rate among children under five by two thirds.
- Improve maternal health. The target under this is -
- Reduce by three quarters the maternal mortality ratio.
- Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases. The targets under this are -
- Halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV AIDS.
- Halt and begin to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases.
- Ensure environmental sustainability. The targets under this are -
- Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes; reverse loss of environmental resources.
- Reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water.
- Achieve significant improvement in lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers, by 2020.
- Develop a global partnership for development. The targets under this are -
- Develop further an open trading and financial system that is rule-based, predictable and non-discriminatory. Includes a commitment to good governance, development and poverty reduction—nationally and internationally.
- Address the least developed countries’ special needs. This includes tariff-and quota-free access for their exports; enhanced debt relief for heavily indebted poor countries; cancellation of official bilateral debt; and more generous official development assistance for countries committed to poverty reduction.
- Address the special needs of landlocked and small island developing States.
- Deal comprehensively with developing countries' debt problems through national and international measures to make debt sustainable in the long term.
- In cooperation with the developing countries, develop decent and productive work for youth.
- In cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable essential drugs in developing countries.
- In cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies - especially information and communications technologies.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
कोशिश करने वालों की हार नहीं होती
लहरों से डरकर नौका पार नहीं होती,
कोशिश करने वालों की हार नहीं होती
नन्ही चींटी जब दाना लेकर चलती है,
चढती दीवारों पर, सौ बार फिसलती है
मन का विश्वास रगों में साहस भरता है,
चढ़कर गिरना, गिरकर चढ़ना ना अखरता है
आख़िर उसकी महनत बेकार नहीं होती,
कोशिश करने वालों की हार नहीं होती
डूबकियां सिंधु में गोताखोर लगाता है,
जा जा कर खाली हाथ लौटकर आता है
मिलते नही सहज ही मोती गहरे पानी में ,
बढ़ता दुगना उत्साह इसी हैरानी में
मुठी उसकी खाली हर बार नहीं होती ,
कोशिश करने वालों की हार नही होती
असफलता एक चुनौती है, इसे स्वीकार करो,
क्या कमी रह गई, देखो और सुधार करो
जब तक न सफल हो, नींद चैन को त्यागो तुम,
संघर्ष का मैदान छोड़कर मत भागो तुम
कुछ किए बिना ही जय जय कार नहीं होती,
कोशिश करने वालों की हार नहीं होती
I heard this poem in school once and then in a movie...finally found it on the net. It is by Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala'. Sad really that I know so little about our own literature - sadder still that I had to use http://www.google.com/transliterate/indicto get the spellings right!!
This will look all messed up in Firefox, you will need to install a plugin to see devanagari script properly in Firefox - one more tick against Firefox.
Going on a different tangent, I would really like to see more content in Indian languages with their English translation on the net.
कोशिश करने वालों की हार नहीं होती
नन्ही चींटी जब दाना लेकर चलती है,
चढती दीवारों पर, सौ बार फिसलती है
मन का विश्वास रगों में साहस भरता है,
चढ़कर गिरना, गिरकर चढ़ना ना अखरता है
आख़िर उसकी महनत बेकार नहीं होती,
कोशिश करने वालों की हार नहीं होती
डूबकियां सिंधु में गोताखोर लगाता है,
जा जा कर खाली हाथ लौटकर आता है
मिलते नही सहज ही मोती गहरे पानी में ,
बढ़ता दुगना उत्साह इसी हैरानी में
मुठी उसकी खाली हर बार नहीं होती ,
कोशिश करने वालों की हार नही होती
असफलता एक चुनौती है, इसे स्वीकार करो,
क्या कमी रह गई, देखो और सुधार करो
जब तक न सफल हो, नींद चैन को त्यागो तुम,
संघर्ष का मैदान छोड़कर मत भागो तुम
कुछ किए बिना ही जय जय कार नहीं होती,
कोशिश करने वालों की हार नहीं होती
I heard this poem in school once and then in a movie...finally found it on the net. It is by Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala'. Sad really that I know so little about our own literature - sadder still that I had to use http://www.google.com/transliterate/indicto get the spellings right!!
This will look all messed up in Firefox, you will need to install a plugin to see devanagari script properly in Firefox - one more tick against Firefox.
Going on a different tangent, I would really like to see more content in Indian languages with their English translation on the net.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Apocalypse Now
Sitting in a cafe, I was about to type in a few keywords in google, when I saw the drop down list of previous searches - and now I am blogging about that instead of the search I was planning to do.
They were a mixed bag - inquisitive, sleazy but mostly innocent and hilarious. I guess some day a search engine would be able to answer the question "What job I should apply?" but until then sample some of these keywords -
They were a mixed bag - inquisitive, sleazy but mostly innocent and hilarious. I guess some day a search engine would be able to answer the question "What job I should apply?" but until then sample some of these keywords -
- american bank career fresher
- Beach owners
- benetton & colman, toi
- celine dion contact number
- chief editor of newspaper Times of India
- editor in chief of Time os India (some one really wanted to know)
- friend.finder.com
- google :)
- How to own beach
- IS JB INSTITUTE OF ENGG A REPUTED COLLEGE?
- POSITION OF JB INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY ALL OVER INDIA
- RANK OF JB INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY ALL OVER INDIA
- sony ericsson 700i hands free cost
- Times of India
- What job I should apply?
Sunday, August 12, 2007
60 yrs and counting...part II
Well I thought I will break the post...
I saw "Gandhi my Father" last night...but this is not about the movie - though in a line the movie is good. What this post is about the few grainy scenes near the end of our PM making that historic speech. The speech that a lot of people know about without having ever bothered to read it - Jawahar lal Nehru's speech made in the Constituent Assembly, on the eve of India's Independence.
I once asked a few friends about the speech. Three of them gave me this WTF kind of look...asking me what is wrong with me...:), two others said it is the greatest piece of oratory everrrrr...and when I asked them if they have read the speech they said they hadn't. Some others were at least aware that the lines they hear the most often are all part of just the first paragraph. Its a long speech so I wont copy it here, those who want to read can do so here - Tryst with destiny .
When you read it, it makes you realize the job our first PM left us. The dream he outlined for the country that he and millions others together envisioned. I thought I wouldn't put it here but I can never put it better than this...
"Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially... It is fitting that at this solemn moment, we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity."
...
...
...
"The achievement we celebrate today is but a step, an opening of opportunity to the greater triumphs and achievements that await us. Are we brave enough and wise enough to grasp this opportunity and accept the challenge of the future?"
...
...
...
"And so we have to labour and to work, and to work hard, to give reality to our dreams. Those dreams are for India, but they are also for the world, for all the nations and peoples are too closely knit together today for any one of them to imagine that it can live apart"
...
...
...
"The future beckons to us. Whither do we go and what shall be our endeavour?... to fight and end poverty and ignorance and disease; to build up a prosperous, democratic and progressive nation, and to create social, economic and political institutions which will ensure justice and fullness of life to every man and woman."
"We have hard work ahead. There is no resting for any one of us till we redeem our pledge in full, till we make all the people of India what destiny intended them to be...And to India, our much-loved motherland, the ancient, the eternal and the ever-new, we pay our reverent homage and we bind ourselves afresh to her service."
I think it is not difficult to judge how far we have come and how far we need to go. Is it??
JAI HIND.
I saw "Gandhi my Father" last night...but this is not about the movie - though in a line the movie is good. What this post is about the few grainy scenes near the end of our PM making that historic speech. The speech that a lot of people know about without having ever bothered to read it - Jawahar lal Nehru's speech made in the Constituent Assembly, on the eve of India's Independence.
I once asked a few friends about the speech. Three of them gave me this WTF kind of look...asking me what is wrong with me...:), two others said it is the greatest piece of oratory everrrrr...and when I asked them if they have read the speech they said they hadn't. Some others were at least aware that the lines they hear the most often are all part of just the first paragraph. Its a long speech so I wont copy it here, those who want to read can do so here - Tryst with destiny .
When you read it, it makes you realize the job our first PM left us. The dream he outlined for the country that he and millions others together envisioned. I thought I wouldn't put it here but I can never put it better than this...
"Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially... It is fitting that at this solemn moment, we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity."
...
...
...
"The achievement we celebrate today is but a step, an opening of opportunity to the greater triumphs and achievements that await us. Are we brave enough and wise enough to grasp this opportunity and accept the challenge of the future?"
...
...
...
"And so we have to labour and to work, and to work hard, to give reality to our dreams. Those dreams are for India, but they are also for the world, for all the nations and peoples are too closely knit together today for any one of them to imagine that it can live apart"
...
...
...
"The future beckons to us. Whither do we go and what shall be our endeavour?... to fight and end poverty and ignorance and disease; to build up a prosperous, democratic and progressive nation, and to create social, economic and political institutions which will ensure justice and fullness of life to every man and woman."
"We have hard work ahead. There is no resting for any one of us till we redeem our pledge in full, till we make all the people of India what destiny intended them to be...And to India, our much-loved motherland, the ancient, the eternal and the ever-new, we pay our reverent homage and we bind ourselves afresh to her service."
I think it is not difficult to judge how far we have come and how far we need to go. Is it??
JAI HIND.
60 yrs and counting...
India as we know it will turn 60 soon...pretty young considering so many people who were there when we gained independence are still around. What an occasion that must have been - especially for those who were closely associated with the movement. But it was a time of mourning as well for most of the people in Punjab and Bengal - people who were caught up in the sectarian violence; people who were uprooted from the place they called home. It seems our country has been perennially caught in the middle...happiness accompanied with sorrow.
I am today reminded of the book "Freedom at Midnight" - filled with little stories of ordinary people amidst the main plot of India's independence. The story I remember the most is that of two brothers - Yakoub Khan and Younis - both part of the then undivided Indian army. Yakoub, the elder one decided like so many other Muslims that his future was in Pakistan. He broke the news to his family. The mother was left shocked. She couldn't imagine moving away from a place where they had lived for at least 200 years. The younger brother too had decided what he wanted - he was going to stay. The arguments were futile though, Yakoub had made up his mind - he was sure that once all the things had settled, it would be easy to move between his two homes...he left the next morning, with his family and his two Hindu servants biding goodbye to him. He promised to visit soon - but that's not what was in store.
A few months later, Yakoub Khan was leading a battalion of the Pakistan Army on a slope in snow bound Kashmir, going on an offensive against a position held by men, who a few months earlier had been his mates. One of these men was a Muslim, unaware that his elder brother was the one he was trying to thwart. The battle that ensued was fierce and then they met - one mortally wounded. Younis rushed to his elder brother and broke down. Yakoub consoled him, saying that they both did what they should have and asked Younis to tell their mom not to think bad of him...
Was it worth it??
I am today reminded of the book "Freedom at Midnight" - filled with little stories of ordinary people amidst the main plot of India's independence. The story I remember the most is that of two brothers - Yakoub Khan and Younis - both part of the then undivided Indian army. Yakoub, the elder one decided like so many other Muslims that his future was in Pakistan. He broke the news to his family. The mother was left shocked. She couldn't imagine moving away from a place where they had lived for at least 200 years. The younger brother too had decided what he wanted - he was going to stay. The arguments were futile though, Yakoub had made up his mind - he was sure that once all the things had settled, it would be easy to move between his two homes...he left the next morning, with his family and his two Hindu servants biding goodbye to him. He promised to visit soon - but that's not what was in store.
A few months later, Yakoub Khan was leading a battalion of the Pakistan Army on a slope in snow bound Kashmir, going on an offensive against a position held by men, who a few months earlier had been his mates. One of these men was a Muslim, unaware that his elder brother was the one he was trying to thwart. The battle that ensued was fierce and then they met - one mortally wounded. Younis rushed to his elder brother and broke down. Yakoub consoled him, saying that they both did what they should have and asked Younis to tell their mom not to think bad of him...
Was it worth it??
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Sometimes
The simplest way to say I am around...but I noticed these for the first time today...
"Sometimes I know, sometimes I rise
Sometimes I fall, sometimes I don't
Sometimes I cringe, sometimes I live
Sometimes I walk, sometimes I kneel
Sometimes I speak of nothing at all
Sometimes I reach to myself, dear god"
Sometimes by Pearl Jam from the album No Code (but I am not writing any these days...sorry bad joke)
...am feeling bluesy today...Clapton anyone??
"If you got bad news, you wanna kick them blues; cocaine.
When your day is done and you wanna run; cocaine.
She don't lie, she don't lie, she don't lie; cocaine."
Cocaine is a powerful psycho-stimulant. It induces a sense of exhilaration in the user primarily by blocking the re-uptake of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the mid-brain.
Dopamine is commonly associated with the pleasure system of the brain, providing feelings of enjoyment and reinforcement to motivate a person pro actively to perform certain activities.
I knew it was a pointless post...but I still need more dopamine!
"Sometimes I know, sometimes I rise
Sometimes I fall, sometimes I don't
Sometimes I cringe, sometimes I live
Sometimes I walk, sometimes I kneel
Sometimes I speak of nothing at all
Sometimes I reach to myself, dear god"
Sometimes by Pearl Jam from the album No Code (but I am not writing any these days...sorry bad joke)
...am feeling bluesy today...Clapton anyone??
"If you got bad news, you wanna kick them blues; cocaine.
When your day is done and you wanna run; cocaine.
She don't lie, she don't lie, she don't lie; cocaine."
Cocaine is a powerful psycho-stimulant. It induces a sense of exhilaration in the user primarily by blocking the re-uptake of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the mid-brain.
Dopamine is commonly associated with the pleasure system of the brain, providing feelings of enjoyment and reinforcement to motivate a person pro actively to perform certain activities.
I knew it was a pointless post...but I still need more dopamine!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Done and over with
It was a strange impulse that made me call up the bookstore and book the book a day before its release. Some how I wanted to join all the many (millions as it turned out) people who were going to open a book at the same time (roughly anyways). I mean more than the desire to read the book it was the desire to be part of that massive gang. I guess that's what the people marketing the book wanted too...but I would like to believe that I didn't fall for the marketing bit (coz I would have read the book later anyways)...but it doesn't matter now.
So I rushed from office straight to the store, and with minutes left booked my copy. I was told that the store is opening at 7 in the morning to accommodate the people who had pre-booked. Of course I wasn't going to get up that early on a Saturday :). So I reached at around 11, took my copy...I was interviewed in the process, which was funny, and i was off to McDonald's to munch on something while I scanned the first few pages...and then it started happening - first the table in front of me, a foreigner walks in with the book; then the table to my right got occupied, then a table further up...as excited people started opening their copies. A couple of them looked at me and smiled in acknowledgment.The cacophony of "I wish I could read the end right now..." and "you just wait....this is going to happen...", etc filled the air. The excitement was contagious...really. Then I came home and bought some junk to keep me going when I felt hungry. I started reading and it was all over by Sunday morning...
And in the end the book wasn't bad either. I had started reading the books when the 5th one came out and I was so bugged to find that I ll have to wait 5 years to finish the story. In fact I chided my friend who initiated me into this for initiating me too soon :). But I am surprised that I waited and reread the books in the meantime...lol...anyways I am not getting into the merits of the book or how much of it has been inspired by "The lord of the Rings", I just know that I enjoyed reading all 7 of them and that for some of my friends, this is the only book that they have ever read.
Oh yes, most of my gut feelings came true - though I would have really preferred if Fred hadn't died. And of course I won the race.
So I rushed from office straight to the store, and with minutes left booked my copy. I was told that the store is opening at 7 in the morning to accommodate the people who had pre-booked. Of course I wasn't going to get up that early on a Saturday :). So I reached at around 11, took my copy...I was interviewed in the process, which was funny, and i was off to McDonald's to munch on something while I scanned the first few pages...and then it started happening - first the table in front of me, a foreigner walks in with the book; then the table to my right got occupied, then a table further up...as excited people started opening their copies. A couple of them looked at me and smiled in acknowledgment.The cacophony of "I wish I could read the end right now..." and "you just wait....this is going to happen...", etc filled the air. The excitement was contagious...really. Then I came home and bought some junk to keep me going when I felt hungry. I started reading and it was all over by Sunday morning...
And in the end the book wasn't bad either. I had started reading the books when the 5th one came out and I was so bugged to find that I ll have to wait 5 years to finish the story. In fact I chided my friend who initiated me into this for initiating me too soon :). But I am surprised that I waited and reread the books in the meantime...lol...anyways I am not getting into the merits of the book or how much of it has been inspired by "The lord of the Rings", I just know that I enjoyed reading all 7 of them and that for some of my friends, this is the only book that they have ever read.
Oh yes, most of my gut feelings came true - though I would have really preferred if Fred hadn't died. And of course I won the race.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
My Predictions...
Everyone is making them, thought I will also join the fun :)
And I am going to start reading in a few hours time...coz I have a race to win ;)
- The big question...will he or wont he die? I think he will.
- He is the 7th Horcrux.
- Snape is on the good side.
- Snape will die helping Harry.
- Hagrid might also die in the final battle.
- R.A.B is Regulus Black.
- One of the Weasleys...probably Molly will die.
- Bellatrix will die.
- Voldermort of course will die.
And I am going to start reading in a few hours time...coz I have a race to win ;)
Friday, June 01, 2007
India Burning....
I am no fan of this government, but reading the same kind of news (Bomb blast here, riots there) is beginning to get on my nerves. The PM, good guy he might be, is a puppet in the hands of "Madam" and his cabinet is filled with by and large half-wit, good for nothing ministers...lets take a look at them...
Please note that this is entirely my opinion. Dont complain abt lack of facts. Entirely my opinion and probably biased opinion.
Rating
5 - default rating/average performance
>5 - obviously good
<5 - obviously bad
Pranab Mukherjee - Minister of External Affairs : Vision less External policy under this government...not sure how much he is responsible for it but that's what it is. The only thing to show for is the Nuclear deal...and that is yet to materialize in a manner that won't be considered detrimental to our nuclear power aspirations.
5/10
Arjun Singh - Minister of Human Resource Development : Continues the great work started by his look a like VP Singh. He has made the task of destroying whatever little is left of our homogeneity in to an art form.
0/10
Sharad Pawar - Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution : The only thing on his mind is BCCI and ICC presidentship...not the suicides of farmers.
2/10
Lalu Prasad Yadav - Minister of Railways : Whether it is coz of him or Nitish Kumar before him or simply the effort of the officials, Indian Railway is making money. I just hope it translates into better travel experience, cleaner stations. I can give him the benefit of the doubt.
6/10
Shivraj V. Patil - Minister of Home Affairs : He has made a mockery of the post of Home Minister. I think he epitomizes incompetence. Never has the internal security of our country looked so shabby...Naxals are stronger than ever, NE is still unstable...Kashmir is more unstable than a few yrs back...well I can go on and on...
0/10
Abdul Rehman Antulay - Minister of Minority Affairs : Hmm cant comment on him...so he gets the default rating.
5/10
Sushilkumar Shinde - Minister of Power : No major policy change with regards to the power sector. I think more effort and vision is required considering the power crisis that hangs on our head all the time.
4/10
Ram Vilas Paswan - Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers and Minister of Steel : Well he isn't happy with the portfolio he has and his agenda is different anyways...
4/10
S. Jaipal Reddy - Minister of Urban Development : Again someone who is not focused on the job at hand.
4/10
Sis Ram Ola - Minister of Mines: no idea.
5/10
P. Chidambaram - Minister of Finance: Tied by the 'Left', his heart is still in the right place...lol..
8/10
Mahavir Prasad - Minister of Small Scale Industries and Minister of Agro & Rural Industries: Umm....
5/10
P.R. Kyndiah - Minister of Tribal Affairs and Minister of Development of North Eastern Region : Is no news good news? NE ain't developing...
5/10
T.R. Baalu - Minister of Shipping, Road Transport & Highways : NDA government had put a lot of focus on roads near the end of their tenure...that has definitely declined.
4.5/10
Shankersinh Vaghela - Minister of Textiles : He wants the Gujrat CM seat...
5/10
Vayalar Ravi - Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs : He has done a decent job so far... but then the ministry isn't much of a ministry.
5/10
Kamal Nath - Minister of Commerce & Industry : Well our exports are booming...we continue our rigid stand at WTO...
7/10
Hansraj Bhardwaj - Minister of Law & Justice : No change...status quo zindabad. Our judiciary really needs an overhaul...
3/10
Sontosh Mohan Dev - Minister of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises : No comments
5/10
Prof. Saif-ud-din Soz - Minister of Water Resources : He wants to go back to Kashmir I think...this is also an area that needs a lot of work...
4/10
Raghuvansh Prasad Singh - Minister of Rural Development : ?
5/10
Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi - Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Minister of Information & Broadcasting : I&B is in a mess. I think he prefers football...lol...
3.5/10
Mani Shankar Aiyar - Minister of Panchayati Raj.and Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports : Loud mouth!! We don't need Asiad huh? Minister of Sports saying that...imagine...wasnt great with the petroleum portfolio either...
3/10
Meira Kumar - Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment : "I am a minister, I am a minister! Yay...do I have to work?? Huh?"
3.5/10
Murli Deora - Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas : Above average I think...
5.5/10
Ambika Soni - Minister of Tourism & Culture : "I have a press conference to attend...tourists can wait at the airport"
3/10
A. Raja - Minister of Communications & Information Technology : Mr Maran was better...sadly sacrificed for personal reasons...I don't know abt Mr. Raja.
7/10 for mr. Maran.
Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss - Minister of Health & Family Welfare : "How dare he...I own AIIMS" Polio is still around and increasing again...:(
4/10
Kapil Sibal - Minister of Science & Technology and Minister of Ocean Development : Loud mouth...but doing an OK job I think.
6/10
Prem Chand Gupta - Minister of Company Affairs : Huh?
5/10
Then there are some others with an independent charge....
Oscar Fernandes - Minister of State of the Ministry of Labour and Employment : Nothing to report...
5/10
Renuka Chowdhury - Minister of State of the Ministry of Women & Child Development : Loud mouth...she has such a great opportunity to make a difference...nothin has happened...
4/10
Subodh Kant Sahai - Minister of State of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries : No comments.
5/10
Vilas Muttemwar - Minister of State of the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources : I really would like to know how he is doing...
5/10
Kumari Selja - Minister of State of the Ministry of Urban Employment & Poverty Alleviation : Sounds like a no show...but I am not sure...so...
5/10
Praful Patel - Minister of State of the Ministry of Civil Aviation : He comes across as trying hard...but I think he has little to show for his efforts.
4.5/10
G.K.Vasan - Minister of State of the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation : What kind of ministry is this?
5/10
This is still a work in progress...if anyone else wanna rate them...please be my guest...
Please note that this is entirely my opinion. Dont complain abt lack of facts. Entirely my opinion and probably biased opinion.
Rating
5 - default rating/average performance
>5 - obviously good
<5 - obviously bad
Pranab Mukherjee - Minister of External Affairs : Vision less External policy under this government...not sure how much he is responsible for it but that's what it is. The only thing to show for is the Nuclear deal...and that is yet to materialize in a manner that won't be considered detrimental to our nuclear power aspirations.
5/10
Arjun Singh - Minister of Human Resource Development : Continues the great work started by his look a like VP Singh. He has made the task of destroying whatever little is left of our homogeneity in to an art form.
0/10
Sharad Pawar - Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution : The only thing on his mind is BCCI and ICC presidentship...not the suicides of farmers.
2/10
Lalu Prasad Yadav - Minister of Railways : Whether it is coz of him or Nitish Kumar before him or simply the effort of the officials, Indian Railway is making money. I just hope it translates into better travel experience, cleaner stations. I can give him the benefit of the doubt.
6/10
Shivraj V. Patil - Minister of Home Affairs : He has made a mockery of the post of Home Minister. I think he epitomizes incompetence. Never has the internal security of our country looked so shabby...Naxals are stronger than ever, NE is still unstable...Kashmir is more unstable than a few yrs back...well I can go on and on...
0/10
Abdul Rehman Antulay - Minister of Minority Affairs : Hmm cant comment on him...so he gets the default rating.
5/10
Sushilkumar Shinde - Minister of Power : No major policy change with regards to the power sector. I think more effort and vision is required considering the power crisis that hangs on our head all the time.
4/10
Ram Vilas Paswan - Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers and Minister of Steel : Well he isn't happy with the portfolio he has and his agenda is different anyways...
4/10
S. Jaipal Reddy - Minister of Urban Development : Again someone who is not focused on the job at hand.
4/10
Sis Ram Ola - Minister of Mines: no idea.
5/10
P. Chidambaram - Minister of Finance: Tied by the 'Left', his heart is still in the right place...lol..
8/10
Mahavir Prasad - Minister of Small Scale Industries and Minister of Agro & Rural Industries: Umm....
5/10
P.R. Kyndiah - Minister of Tribal Affairs and Minister of Development of North Eastern Region : Is no news good news? NE ain't developing...
5/10
T.R. Baalu - Minister of Shipping, Road Transport & Highways : NDA government had put a lot of focus on roads near the end of their tenure...that has definitely declined.
4.5/10
Shankersinh Vaghela - Minister of Textiles : He wants the Gujrat CM seat...
5/10
Vayalar Ravi - Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs : He has done a decent job so far... but then the ministry isn't much of a ministry.
5/10
Kamal Nath - Minister of Commerce & Industry : Well our exports are booming...we continue our rigid stand at WTO...
7/10
Hansraj Bhardwaj - Minister of Law & Justice : No change...status quo zindabad. Our judiciary really needs an overhaul...
3/10
Sontosh Mohan Dev - Minister of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises : No comments
5/10
Prof. Saif-ud-din Soz - Minister of Water Resources : He wants to go back to Kashmir I think...this is also an area that needs a lot of work...
4/10
Raghuvansh Prasad Singh - Minister of Rural Development : ?
5/10
Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi - Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Minister of Information & Broadcasting : I&B is in a mess. I think he prefers football...lol...
3.5/10
Mani Shankar Aiyar - Minister of Panchayati Raj.and Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports : Loud mouth!! We don't need Asiad huh? Minister of Sports saying that...imagine...wasnt great with the petroleum portfolio either...
3/10
Meira Kumar - Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment : "I am a minister, I am a minister! Yay...do I have to work?? Huh?"
3.5/10
Murli Deora - Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas : Above average I think...
5.5/10
Ambika Soni - Minister of Tourism & Culture : "I have a press conference to attend...tourists can wait at the airport"
3/10
A. Raja - Minister of Communications & Information Technology : Mr Maran was better...sadly sacrificed for personal reasons...I don't know abt Mr. Raja.
7/10 for mr. Maran.
Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss - Minister of Health & Family Welfare : "How dare he...I own AIIMS" Polio is still around and increasing again...:(
4/10
Kapil Sibal - Minister of Science & Technology and Minister of Ocean Development : Loud mouth...but doing an OK job I think.
6/10
Prem Chand Gupta - Minister of Company Affairs : Huh?
5/10
Then there are some others with an independent charge....
Oscar Fernandes - Minister of State of the Ministry of Labour and Employment : Nothing to report...
5/10
Renuka Chowdhury - Minister of State of the Ministry of Women & Child Development : Loud mouth...she has such a great opportunity to make a difference...nothin has happened...
4/10
Subodh Kant Sahai - Minister of State of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries : No comments.
5/10
Vilas Muttemwar - Minister of State of the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources : I really would like to know how he is doing...
5/10
Kumari Selja - Minister of State of the Ministry of Urban Employment & Poverty Alleviation : Sounds like a no show...but I am not sure...so...
5/10
Praful Patel - Minister of State of the Ministry of Civil Aviation : He comes across as trying hard...but I think he has little to show for his efforts.
4.5/10
G.K.Vasan - Minister of State of the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation : What kind of ministry is this?
5/10
This is still a work in progress...if anyone else wanna rate them...please be my guest...
Friday, May 25, 2007
The heat is on...
...literally as a friend would say it!!! This is the warmest weather I have experienced in a while...I don't know the stats but it certainly seems that the weather pattern has become more unpredictable than before...is it a cyclical thing or is it related to global warming is constantly under debate the world over...
But certainly people are getting worried. An interesting thing has been happening lately...cities in Europe have been dimming the lights to spread awareness on global warming. US has obviously been oblivious to such things and it wouldn't even be noticed in countries like India...(it would just be another power outage).
Anyways the whole point of this build up is to present 2 cents of my concern.
But certainly people are getting worried. An interesting thing has been happening lately...cities in Europe have been dimming the lights to spread awareness on global warming. US has obviously been oblivious to such things and it wouldn't even be noticed in countries like India...(it would just be another power outage).
Anyways the whole point of this build up is to present 2 cents of my concern.
- http://www.breathingearth.net/ - simulates the carbon dioxide emissions across the globe
- http://www.ecofoot.org/ - learn how much of the earth's resources you are consuming covetously. Hey I got a 1.8 so I am just about ok...
What really caught my attention on Breathing Earth was not so much the CO2 emissions (my apologies to all those that are offended) but the fact that a kid is born every 1.8 seconds (the sun keeps beating like a heart...) in India...faster than anywhere else in the world...
If there are any other such educating sites...please do let me know...
Saturday, March 24, 2007
What went wrong?
To all those who watched the game yesterday...my sympathies!!
There is little denying that our team strived really hard yesterday, they gave it their all...Sri Lanka were just too good...
We are out of the world cup...not because we lost to Sri Lanka, but coz we lost to Bangladesh. Everyone is analyzing what went wrong, and here are my two cents as well...
The biggest problem on the day of the game against Bangladesh - the team was nervous. I am sure that Dravid and Greg knew this, yet it was decided that we will project confidence on the outside.
Two major risks were taken and they both backfired. First, in spite of the nervousness in the team, we decided to bat first on a pitch that was going to seam a bit initially. Its one thing to project confidence, it is another to feel it. Any person who has played a bit of sports will tell you this. I remember once when I was playing a District level Table tennis tournament...my first round match was declared as the show case match to be played before the Chief Guest. All my confidence evaporated in no time and I was so tentative I lost a game that I probably should have won, In fact I lost quite badly. Multiply the scenario by a million times and you get what happened to team India. On top of that risk, you not only played a batsman out of form, you actually sent him to open the innings - a huge risk. The move turned out to be a disaster with him getting out early. To make matters worse you send in a novice to bat at 3. Yes these are occasions where people can raise their hands and perform well, but it didn't work out that way. The team never recovered after that...the pressure just mounted on, and unfortunately apart from Sehwag there is no player in our side who ignores pressure while batting. The bowlers were expected to do magic, but there was going to be no magic that day...
We should have gone into the first game with the safest team, had we managed a win then we could have experimented in the game against Bermuda. As it turned out, we just couldn't find that flexibility as we were always running behind...
All sorts of drama will happen now...get rid of Greg, sack Rahul - drop Sachin, Harbhajan...the entire team. I say go ahead and do it and I also say that I can bet that all but a few of these will be back in the side in no time - there is simply no one as good as them. I can go on and on...but here no two people think alike about cricket, so I ll just brood for a few days and then start hoping for better days...
There is little denying that our team strived really hard yesterday, they gave it their all...Sri Lanka were just too good...
We are out of the world cup...not because we lost to Sri Lanka, but coz we lost to Bangladesh. Everyone is analyzing what went wrong, and here are my two cents as well...
The biggest problem on the day of the game against Bangladesh - the team was nervous. I am sure that Dravid and Greg knew this, yet it was decided that we will project confidence on the outside.
Two major risks were taken and they both backfired. First, in spite of the nervousness in the team, we decided to bat first on a pitch that was going to seam a bit initially. Its one thing to project confidence, it is another to feel it. Any person who has played a bit of sports will tell you this. I remember once when I was playing a District level Table tennis tournament...my first round match was declared as the show case match to be played before the Chief Guest. All my confidence evaporated in no time and I was so tentative I lost a game that I probably should have won, In fact I lost quite badly. Multiply the scenario by a million times and you get what happened to team India. On top of that risk, you not only played a batsman out of form, you actually sent him to open the innings - a huge risk. The move turned out to be a disaster with him getting out early. To make matters worse you send in a novice to bat at 3. Yes these are occasions where people can raise their hands and perform well, but it didn't work out that way. The team never recovered after that...the pressure just mounted on, and unfortunately apart from Sehwag there is no player in our side who ignores pressure while batting. The bowlers were expected to do magic, but there was going to be no magic that day...
We should have gone into the first game with the safest team, had we managed a win then we could have experimented in the game against Bermuda. As it turned out, we just couldn't find that flexibility as we were always running behind...
All sorts of drama will happen now...get rid of Greg, sack Rahul - drop Sachin, Harbhajan...the entire team. I say go ahead and do it and I also say that I can bet that all but a few of these will be back in the side in no time - there is simply no one as good as them. I can go on and on...but here no two people think alike about cricket, so I ll just brood for a few days and then start hoping for better days...
Sunday, March 18, 2007
The great Indian Pratfall!!
So we lost to Bangladesh in our World Cup opener! Well there was only one team that deserved to win yesterday and that was Bangladesh. They played with flair and confidence, while the Indian team was so jittery it seemed that they were on the field for the first time.
Probably the toss made a difference, but that still doesn't explain how you can lose 5 wickets for almost nothing...
So what happens now?? I think the Indian team is likely to follow Pakistan home. Maybe the two boards should quickly organize a bilateral series...they can play between themselves and feel good, thats what the hockey teams of the two countries do anyways...there will be some "so called" fans in both the countries that will go nuts and make the defeat an excuse to take out their frustrations by burning effigies and shouting slogans against the players....
The others like me will pray...I can almost imagine all the marketing mgrs, of all the Indian companies sponsoring the WC, making rounds of all the holy places seeking blessings for the team when they take on Sri Lanka (prayers are more reliable than our team). Even the Sri Lankans will be asking why India had to mess up things for them also! If the Indian team does a Champions Trophy, I won't be surprised if people lose all interest in the event - the audience might end up being lesser than what was for the football WC last year. Now that would be something...
Probably the toss made a difference, but that still doesn't explain how you can lose 5 wickets for almost nothing...
So what happens now?? I think the Indian team is likely to follow Pakistan home. Maybe the two boards should quickly organize a bilateral series...they can play between themselves and feel good, thats what the hockey teams of the two countries do anyways...there will be some "so called" fans in both the countries that will go nuts and make the defeat an excuse to take out their frustrations by burning effigies and shouting slogans against the players....
The others like me will pray...I can almost imagine all the marketing mgrs, of all the Indian companies sponsoring the WC, making rounds of all the holy places seeking blessings for the team when they take on Sri Lanka (prayers are more reliable than our team). Even the Sri Lankans will be asking why India had to mess up things for them also! If the Indian team does a Champions Trophy, I won't be surprised if people lose all interest in the event - the audience might end up being lesser than what was for the football WC last year. Now that would be something...
Democracy - The Institutions
The last time I wrote on this (long long time ago, I can still remember...:) Democracy - A Note) I closed by saying that active citizenship is what is required for a democracy to become real.
To be effective and active, a citizen should have the knowledge of the fundamental institutions that are presented as the pillars of democracy. Of course it is impractical to expect people to have academic knowledge of these institutions; instead a practical knowledge of the role of each institution should suffice. Although a strict set of institutions is hard to define, the following general characteristics should ideally be established –
To be effective and active, a citizen should have the knowledge of the fundamental institutions that are presented as the pillars of democracy. Of course it is impractical to expect people to have academic knowledge of these institutions; instead a practical knowledge of the role of each institution should suffice. Although a strict set of institutions is hard to define, the following general characteristics should ideally be established –
- Elected Representatives - Control of government by members of a parliament or assembly etc. elected by citizens.
- Free, fair and frequent elections - with minimal coercion and fraud.
- Freedom of Expression - All citizens should have the right to express themselves on matters political as well others without fear of reprimand from the existing government.
- Access to alternate sources of information - All citizens must have the opportunity to form opinions using data available from multiple sources (as opposed to the "official" sources), so this clearly refers to the freedom of press.
- Autonomous associations - All citizens should have the right to form associations based on interests.
- Inclusive citizenship - All citizens of the country should be bound by the same set of rules and guidelines
- Independence of the judiciary - The judiciary should be accessible to all and more importantly must be separate from the government.
- Impartial civil service - The civil service should be autonomous and not partial towards the government of the day.
Now let us re-examine the institutions with respect to our motherland.
- Elected Representatives - Clearly we have this institution well and running. But the main problem for India is the fact that we have come to a stage where nearly 2 million people are represented by a single person in the Parliament, an average that makes it impossible for a citizen to really make his/her voice heard (all the more reason for him/her to become an active citizen). UK on the other hand has 646 members in the House of Commons making a people/member average of around 100,000 (that is 2o times less than ours). Well one solution could be to raise the total number of seats (will require an amendment as the max perceived strength is 552 according to the constitution). Well it is hard to make things work with 200 odd that do show up in the first place :)
- Free, fair and frequent elections - We definitely do have frequent elections, the other 2 conditions are on dodgy grounds...but I would like to believe that it's not yet a disease. I don't have any data to make an opinion otherwise anyways...
- Freedom of Expression - It is there and it is not there. All depends on what you are trying to say. Books are banned regularly, gag orders are issued too. As for the freedom of press, India was ranked 120 out of 167 by reporters sans frontiers (www.rsf.org) though it does add - "Countries such as the Philippines (111th), India (120th) and Indonesia (117th) figure in the bottom half of the index despite having free and lively independent media, since killings and physical attacks on journalists, along with outdated laws, still prevent a full flowering of the press. Violence against the media in India rarely comes from the authorities but from political activists and in Kashmir from armed groups."
- Access to alternate sources of information - Well again it's there and not there. RTI was brought in to correct this but it has not yet reached the common people (wonder why the government is the least active in spreading the word about it).
- Autonomous associations - The party system thrives here, a little too much perhaps (sigh).
- Inclusive citizenship - This is a problem issue (imho) as it has been the root cause for some of the most deep crevices in our society. Take the special treatment for minorities (separate laws) or the issue of reservation. Both good on paper but deadly in the hands of our "great leaders" and "intellectuals" alike.
- Independence of the judiciary - Overactive at times but definitely and unabashedly independent. So independent that there seems to be no way to cure all the decay that is prevalent (lawyer strikes, long holidays, pending cases, just to name a few).
- Impartial civil service - this has hardly ever existed, some how the bureaucracy has never found its feet.
So how do we ensure that a citizen is active or forced to be active? Umm, next section maybe...
Friday, March 09, 2007
What has been happening...Nothing
It is not like I haven't thought of writing something...but some how I never end up typing anything. But today I came across something so nostalgic I just had to post it (even if it might end up as just a picture post...)
The picture on the left or above ( courtesy http://www.duelinganalogs.com/) is a salute to one of the oldest cheat codes in the gaming industry - associated with one of the most popular console games ever, Contra (developed by the Japanese game developer Konami).
For those not aware, the sequence as depicted in the cartoon is the famous up-up-down-down-left-right-left-right-B-A-Start sequence that resulted in you starting the game with 30 spare lives.
The code proved so popular that developers incorporated it into more than 100 video games, each providing a unique cheat. Ah the good old console days...
Saturday, February 03, 2007
This place needs a shake up!!!
Almost 4 months since I actually pressed the "Publish Post" button...probably three since I last visited this page...hmm. Nope I haven't really got bored of this yet. Or have I?
Time will tell...
Time will tell...
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