"AGONIES OF CONNECTION
- How a new government in the US may affect India"
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080428/jsp/opinion/story_9187038.jsp
The article talks about the coming changes in the US political scene and how that may affect India. One point it mentions is that our IT flow of income may die down if the US politicians really take a very hard conservative stance. This admittedly is not very likely, often promises made in campaigns are carefully reworded to allow for loop holes, however, in case it does, and in any case it does not, we as nation that boasts as highly trained personnel as its main export need to consider how we can survive if tomorrow the external demand for our export weakens.
The article calls out for alternate economical means that we need to invest in so that we can go forward in the future. Apart from general infrastructural reforms I think the biggest reform that we need is to integrate a culture of excellence that through quantitative incentives encourages technological growth through research and development. That is, we need to invest in a univeristy/ private research system that finds, hires, and retains quality talent and encourages them through global incentives (like money, publicity i.e. participation in global conferences, highest quality research infrastructure, and respect) to progress our technological capability through research. And what do you know, the base infrastructure for this is already present in India, think of NAL, NCL, ISRO, IUACCA and other such labs. A couple of things that could be done is that these labs could be linked centrally somehow (atleast NAL and ISRO and IUACCA should be) and need to be linked to global platforms such as global universities and a stronger presence in reputed globally visible journals in the field. This will allow easy transition of technology between the labs, and a platform for maximizing gains from shoot off technology. Another thing that could be done is to encourage a culture of patents.
Putting a strong emphasis on growing our home capabilities in nurturing and keeping the best talent is what I think is important. What say?
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
It will be time soon for the "mother of all defence deals"
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Raag Jog
Nothing like a lazy Saturday morning and the enchantment of Rag Jog. A long time it has been since I have heard this particular rendition of Rag Jog and Sohni by Ustad Rashid Khan. The melody is amazing, Rashid Khan puts his life into the Raga, it comes alive from the first taan. The cresecendo simly builds untill is almost unbearable, the morning turns slowly into the day, and for that one moment I feel that nothing else matters. Let the challenges come, for like the complex multiplex of swaras life too is about putting your life into it...
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
why the US needs more H1B visas
The US needs talented workers, and that is the truth. US has always been a talent driven economy, that is the reason why the US has been a leader in technology, business, and engineering related work. It is the absolute talent of the US workforce that has lead to the current lead that US has in the IT industry.
Anyone who claims that this would not have been possible without foreign talent is fooling himself. A visit to any office of one of these Multi National Companies would be enough to show really how diverse (including foreign nationals) the workforce is. Diversity has been carefully nurtured by the leading companies in the US and worldwide, because diversity breeds innovation and trust, both of which are fundamental to business growth.
The need of foreign talent is quiet independent of US borne talent, it has nothing to do with importing cheap labor, and has everything to do with importing talent and encouraging growth.
If US companies wanted cheap labor they have better alternatives than wasting time and money on getting expensive foreign labor, they can just outsource the jobs abroad!
Foreign workers who are invited to work in the US actually cost more to the companies, for example a consultant of foreign origin is paid 1.2 times more than a local worker. Add to this the costs associated with getting the visas processed and the cost associated with waiting for the employee to actually get to his work due to the visa regulations.
Then why do American companies keep wanting more and more foreign born labor? It is because local talent is lacking, and because they need to have workers from economies where they wish to operate. In todays global world, these multinational companies cannot hope to sell there product globally if they do not have a global workforce.
Furthermore, a foreign worker in the US is actually good for the US economy, especially in its stagnant time. At the end of the day, the foreign worker has to live in the US, so he has to spend money in the US, which puts the money he earns right back into the economy. Moreover, as a recent entrant to the country, the foreign worker is more likely to spend money on getting settled, i.e. buying consumer electronics, houses, and automobiles, injecting money into these trailing economies. Furthermore, the foreign worker pays exactly the same taxes (if not more) as every other US resident, which puts money back into the tax system, the foreign worker is required to pay into the social security system although he is not eligible for social security himself. So having a foreign worker abound is in no way hurtful to the economy.
The jobs that foreign workers take are such that no satisfactory US national has been found to perform that job, in fact that is one of the requirements of the H1-B visa, so it is quiet illogical to say that foreign workers take away US jobs. In this retrograde times for the US economy, there is a severe need of talented labor that is targeted towards a specific task. And if that labor is not available locally, US companies have to get it from abroad, if they are stopped from doing this, the only thing that is going to happen is that the jobs are going to go overseas, which will remove jobs perhaps permanently from the US soils.
The truth of the matter is that US is can no longer sustain the technological lead of the 80s, and the 90s. The rest of the world has caught up, and if the US wants to maintain its advantage of an early start and a fantastic university education system, it has to rely on attracting and retaining foreign talent. That is the only way forward in an increasingly global economy.
Anyone who claims that this would not have been possible without foreign talent is fooling himself. A visit to any office of one of these Multi National Companies would be enough to show really how diverse (including foreign nationals) the workforce is. Diversity has been carefully nurtured by the leading companies in the US and worldwide, because diversity breeds innovation and trust, both of which are fundamental to business growth.
The need of foreign talent is quiet independent of US borne talent, it has nothing to do with importing cheap labor, and has everything to do with importing talent and encouraging growth.
If US companies wanted cheap labor they have better alternatives than wasting time and money on getting expensive foreign labor, they can just outsource the jobs abroad!
Foreign workers who are invited to work in the US actually cost more to the companies, for example a consultant of foreign origin is paid 1.2 times more than a local worker. Add to this the costs associated with getting the visas processed and the cost associated with waiting for the employee to actually get to his work due to the visa regulations.
Then why do American companies keep wanting more and more foreign born labor? It is because local talent is lacking, and because they need to have workers from economies where they wish to operate. In todays global world, these multinational companies cannot hope to sell there product globally if they do not have a global workforce.
Furthermore, a foreign worker in the US is actually good for the US economy, especially in its stagnant time. At the end of the day, the foreign worker has to live in the US, so he has to spend money in the US, which puts the money he earns right back into the economy. Moreover, as a recent entrant to the country, the foreign worker is more likely to spend money on getting settled, i.e. buying consumer electronics, houses, and automobiles, injecting money into these trailing economies. Furthermore, the foreign worker pays exactly the same taxes (if not more) as every other US resident, which puts money back into the tax system, the foreign worker is required to pay into the social security system although he is not eligible for social security himself. So having a foreign worker abound is in no way hurtful to the economy.
The jobs that foreign workers take are such that no satisfactory US national has been found to perform that job, in fact that is one of the requirements of the H1-B visa, so it is quiet illogical to say that foreign workers take away US jobs. In this retrograde times for the US economy, there is a severe need of talented labor that is targeted towards a specific task. And if that labor is not available locally, US companies have to get it from abroad, if they are stopped from doing this, the only thing that is going to happen is that the jobs are going to go overseas, which will remove jobs perhaps permanently from the US soils.
The truth of the matter is that US is can no longer sustain the technological lead of the 80s, and the 90s. The rest of the world has caught up, and if the US wants to maintain its advantage of an early start and a fantastic university education system, it has to rely on attracting and retaining foreign talent. That is the only way forward in an increasingly global economy.
Monday, April 07, 2008
Save the Turtles, and still have the Port I say
The following letter (which I wrote) is regarding http://www.greenpeace.org/india/turtles/why-save-turtles
Apparently Tata is building a port at Dhamra which would affect the local sea life there adversly, especially the Turtles. Green peace is urging Tata to move, I am taking a different stand. I am urging Tata to set a trend in India where industrialization and nature can indeed co-exist.
Dear Mr.Tata,
I am writing to express my opinion about the Dhamra port project planned by the Tata group and the Larsen and Tubro group of companies. I am writinig becuase I think that the Dhamra project may prove to be an excellent platform for India's leading companies to showcase their dedication to a developed and sustainable India.
Solid infrastructure is imperative to India's growth. I am sure that when Tata and Larsen and Tubro chose the Dhamra coast as the location for the new port, you had nothing but sustainable growth on your mind. Building new infrastructure is certainly the right way to proceed in the direction of growth, but doing so with unison in the effect of the growth on nature is the right way to sustainable growth. The environmental impact of infrastructural growth needs be carefully analyzed and all threats even the most remote, must be rigorously addressed. Only then can sustainability in growth be guaranteed.
What then is the way forward. Clearly the first choice according to me would always be to relocate to a site which poses no direct threat to the environment. I understand however, that this may not always be possible. What then should the company do.
I think the answer is rather simple, if a port must be built then it must be built, however it need not be built in such a way that it threatens the environment. Consider the Car plant of Subaru in Lafayette, Indiana, United states (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subaru). This is the only plant in the world that is a certified wild life habitat. A living proof of the fact that technology, and also industry can co-exist with nature.
As a global leader Tata is well positioned to leverage its world class talent pool to develop design methods for port development that do not threaten the environment, and specifically the turtles that share the coast with us. It is certainly worth the while to invest money and effort in coming up with ways of having the port at the same location but not threatening the ocean life. I think such an effort would be as commendable as Tata's dedication to the environmentally friendly Air powered car. I think the Dhamra port project would be an excellent opportunity for the Tata group to lay the foundation of tomorrows India. An Industrialized nation that at the same time is in touch with its environment.
I ernestly urge you to take on this challenge with all your might. Let us spear head the new industrial revolution, let us show the world that nature and industrialization can indeed co-exist.
Girish Chowdhary
Atlanta USA.
Apparently Tata is building a port at Dhamra which would affect the local sea life there adversly, especially the Turtles. Green peace is urging Tata to move, I am taking a different stand. I am urging Tata to set a trend in India where industrialization and nature can indeed co-exist.
Dear Mr.Tata,
I am writing to express my opinion about the Dhamra port project planned by the Tata group and the Larsen and Tubro group of companies. I am writinig becuase I think that the Dhamra project may prove to be an excellent platform for India's leading companies to showcase their dedication to a developed and sustainable India.
Solid infrastructure is imperative to India's growth. I am sure that when Tata and Larsen and Tubro chose the Dhamra coast as the location for the new port, you had nothing but sustainable growth on your mind. Building new infrastructure is certainly the right way to proceed in the direction of growth, but doing so with unison in the effect of the growth on nature is the right way to sustainable growth. The environmental impact of infrastructural growth needs be carefully analyzed and all threats even the most remote, must be rigorously addressed. Only then can sustainability in growth be guaranteed.
What then is the way forward. Clearly the first choice according to me would always be to relocate to a site which poses no direct threat to the environment. I understand however, that this may not always be possible. What then should the company do.
I think the answer is rather simple, if a port must be built then it must be built, however it need not be built in such a way that it threatens the environment. Consider the Car plant of Subaru in Lafayette, Indiana, United states (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subaru). This is the only plant in the world that is a certified wild life habitat. A living proof of the fact that technology, and also industry can co-exist with nature.
As a global leader Tata is well positioned to leverage its world class talent pool to develop design methods for port development that do not threaten the environment, and specifically the turtles that share the coast with us. It is certainly worth the while to invest money and effort in coming up with ways of having the port at the same location but not threatening the ocean life. I think such an effort would be as commendable as Tata's dedication to the environmentally friendly Air powered car. I think the Dhamra port project would be an excellent opportunity for the Tata group to lay the foundation of tomorrows India. An Industrialized nation that at the same time is in touch with its environment.
I ernestly urge you to take on this challenge with all your might. Let us spear head the new industrial revolution, let us show the world that nature and industrialization can indeed co-exist.
Girish Chowdhary
Atlanta USA.
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Quals, life, and 42
You know, if the answer to everything is 42, why really bother?
Well, just as Douglous put it, You still don't know the question. That's why.
I spent most of my waking (and a lot of the sleeping) time in the last three months studying for the quals. For those of you who don't know what Quals are, I envy your quals less haven of earthly pleasure. Those of you who do, I am pretty sure have at some point have gone through it. Well, in the Layman's words, quals are those exams which people who are going to grad school all fret about and apparently feel compelled to still take while no clear benifit is seen. In a sense the Layman would be right, there is no clear benefit to be seen from passing the quals (or as some would say, in going to grad school itself), it doesn't really get you graduated, people spend years after the quals working on their research in order to graduate. All it does, is that the mighty overlords of academia allow you to be happily bound in their service for a bunch of more years in order to pursue a PhD. If you fail the quals (twice) you are set free from the bounds, deemed fit for the real world, and thrown into it.
Alas, I am unfit for the real world, a lot of time have I to be spent in low paid graduate assitanceships to study for the quals it seems. For I have passed them and been deemed to be bound...
Where is the benefit you ask, why write this post, why force yourself to be confined in a room with two professors for 55 minutes thrice in a day you say. All that I will splutter in my complete state of utter exhaustion is that you have asked the right question.
The answer of course, is still 42.
Well, just as Douglous put it, You still don't know the question. That's why.
I spent most of my waking (and a lot of the sleeping) time in the last three months studying for the quals. For those of you who don't know what Quals are, I envy your quals less haven of earthly pleasure. Those of you who do, I am pretty sure have at some point have gone through it. Well, in the Layman's words, quals are those exams which people who are going to grad school all fret about and apparently feel compelled to still take while no clear benifit is seen. In a sense the Layman would be right, there is no clear benefit to be seen from passing the quals (or as some would say, in going to grad school itself), it doesn't really get you graduated, people spend years after the quals working on their research in order to graduate. All it does, is that the mighty overlords of academia allow you to be happily bound in their service for a bunch of more years in order to pursue a PhD. If you fail the quals (twice) you are set free from the bounds, deemed fit for the real world, and thrown into it.
Alas, I am unfit for the real world, a lot of time have I to be spent in low paid graduate assitanceships to study for the quals it seems. For I have passed them and been deemed to be bound...
Where is the benefit you ask, why write this post, why force yourself to be confined in a room with two professors for 55 minutes thrice in a day you say. All that I will splutter in my complete state of utter exhaustion is that you have asked the right question.
The answer of course, is still 42.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Of Tatas and Fords
Tata is looking to take over Land Rover and Jaguar, two of the most prominent names in the luxury car industry. Land Rover used to be a market leader in Off road vehicles, you will still find some old land rovers in Darjeeling, and Deheradun, they use them to drive you up to the sunrise point. And ofcourse, the Land-Rover defender is a big name in defense automobiles.
Jaguar, on the other hand, is a fairly well known name, it is an expensive, shiny, and powerful luxury car. They are serious about the power part, I remember they had a v-12 version out once. In any case, Jags are clearly an icon in the automobile industry.
Compared to Jaguar and Land Rover, Tata has not been in the automotive business for long. You can't really say that they dominate the auto business in India either. THe Indica was a big success, but it was overshadowed by the Hyuandai Santro, the Tata Indigo has never been in the center of the limelight. But, they are a huge group of companies, invested almost everywhere in India, in almost every business. From luxury hotels like Taj, to steel plants, and Television, and what not! The Jaguar-Land Rover deal is certainly going add fair value to Tata's already super-diversified portfolio.
Ford on the other hand, seems to have been on the loosing end for a while now. They have had a lot of trouble making sales and running business here in the US. A lot of layoffs, and a lot of sell-offs. There has been a lot of talk about how Ford had over-invested in multiple Auto models in the past. I.e. they had kept coming with auto lines that were not sufficiently different than what was already in the market, or were targeted to a very small audience.
In contrast, they have been doing great in India, the Ford Icon and the Ford Flair are all but dominating the mid-size (Indian sizes) sedan market. They are blowing away competition in India by offering targeted products with fair pricing. It is interesting to note this difference in operational philosophy and its benefits for Ford.
Anyway, it seems that Ford is doing the right thing by selling of land rover and Jaguar, possibly to Tata. Although I wouldn't personally mind if Mahindra and Mahindra actually won the bid. Although Mahindra has been in the automotive market about the same time Tata has beeen, the Mahindra Scorpio has completely redefined the company's image and demonstrated that Mahindra is capable of great structural change. Although, I am not quiet sure whether Mahindra would leave Jaguar be or try and make changes after acquisition. Tata on the other hand, prefers to just accumulate companies and let them continue on with their own business.
Which raises another interesting point, a point about collective philosophies for companies. There was a time in the sweet sixties when every company wanted a stake in every business. That later gave way to streamlined portfolio optimization. In India though, most big companies seem to throw away conventional wisdom about streamlining and go head on into super - diversifying. Examples are abundant, Reliance, Tata, BPL, UB all are groups of companies that are invested in everything from airlines to cell phone networks. In an emerging market like India, this probably makes sense, if there is money to be made, these companies are making it. In a more mature market like the US, streamlining might be a better option though. Especially with the worries about the subprime lending crisis and a slow down of the US economy.
Jaguar, on the other hand, is a fairly well known name, it is an expensive, shiny, and powerful luxury car. They are serious about the power part, I remember they had a v-12 version out once. In any case, Jags are clearly an icon in the automobile industry.
Compared to Jaguar and Land Rover, Tata has not been in the automotive business for long. You can't really say that they dominate the auto business in India either. THe Indica was a big success, but it was overshadowed by the Hyuandai Santro, the Tata Indigo has never been in the center of the limelight. But, they are a huge group of companies, invested almost everywhere in India, in almost every business. From luxury hotels like Taj, to steel plants, and Television, and what not! The Jaguar-Land Rover deal is certainly going add fair value to Tata's already super-diversified portfolio.
Ford on the other hand, seems to have been on the loosing end for a while now. They have had a lot of trouble making sales and running business here in the US. A lot of layoffs, and a lot of sell-offs. There has been a lot of talk about how Ford had over-invested in multiple Auto models in the past. I.e. they had kept coming with auto lines that were not sufficiently different than what was already in the market, or were targeted to a very small audience.
In contrast, they have been doing great in India, the Ford Icon and the Ford Flair are all but dominating the mid-size (Indian sizes) sedan market. They are blowing away competition in India by offering targeted products with fair pricing. It is interesting to note this difference in operational philosophy and its benefits for Ford.
Anyway, it seems that Ford is doing the right thing by selling of land rover and Jaguar, possibly to Tata. Although I wouldn't personally mind if Mahindra and Mahindra actually won the bid. Although Mahindra has been in the automotive market about the same time Tata has beeen, the Mahindra Scorpio has completely redefined the company's image and demonstrated that Mahindra is capable of great structural change. Although, I am not quiet sure whether Mahindra would leave Jaguar be or try and make changes after acquisition. Tata on the other hand, prefers to just accumulate companies and let them continue on with their own business.
Which raises another interesting point, a point about collective philosophies for companies. There was a time in the sweet sixties when every company wanted a stake in every business. That later gave way to streamlined portfolio optimization. In India though, most big companies seem to throw away conventional wisdom about streamlining and go head on into super - diversifying. Examples are abundant, Reliance, Tata, BPL, UB all are groups of companies that are invested in everything from airlines to cell phone networks. In an emerging market like India, this probably makes sense, if there is money to be made, these companies are making it. In a more mature market like the US, streamlining might be a better option though. Especially with the worries about the subprime lending crisis and a slow down of the US economy.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Evolution theory, disporve it or shut up!
From NY times
What these people need to understand is that science is based on facts that can be rigorously tested. Based on these facts, hypotheses are made. When enough facts support a hypotheses, then it is rigorously tested in a mathematical framework. The result is a theory, which is open for disproving if it can be counter argued. Everything else is PseudoScience. That is why Religion, Astrology, occult etc. cannot be phrased as science. Although they have strict rules that govern their procedures, they are not based on fact. Infact, even psychology is close to pseudo science since direct methods for testing psychological phenomena are extremely limited.
Religion is based on beliefs, science does not entertain beliefs, it is only concerned about theories. If the creationists think that instead of slingbanging the scientists, they can actually prove creationism, or at the least disprove the theory of evolution then that's exactly what they should do. BTW. claiming that you cannot disprove creationism does not prove it.
Claiming that god made the earth and everything on it will not prove it. If you choose to believe it then that is your decision; however, you cannot tell the scientific community to change their believes. And for this exact reason, creationism should not be taught in science classes. It could be taught in theology, but not in science. No matter what the idiots do, including calling believing in evolutionary theory Darwinism, will not change the fact that science cannot be based on beliefs that can neither be tested nor be universally justified.
Scientist are seen by masses as eccentric people who are exceedingly selfish in their goals. And thats why they are subject to public isolating just like geeks are in this countries school system. Portraying of mad scientists like Dr. Jekyll has not helped the situation either. I see this as nothing but a money making attempt by Mr. Stein. Mr. Stein, you should go get a degree in evolutionary biology before you disprove it!
The film is described in its online trailer as “a startling revelation that freedom of thought and freedom of inquiry have been expelled from publicly-funded high schools, universities and research institutions.” According to its Web site, the film asserts that people in academia who see evidence of a supernatural intelligence in biological processes have unfairly lost their jobs, been denied tenure or suffered other penalties as part of a scientific conspiracy to keep God out of the nation’s laboratories and classrooms.
What these people need to understand is that science is based on facts that can be rigorously tested. Based on these facts, hypotheses are made. When enough facts support a hypotheses, then it is rigorously tested in a mathematical framework. The result is a theory, which is open for disproving if it can be counter argued. Everything else is PseudoScience. That is why Religion, Astrology, occult etc. cannot be phrased as science. Although they have strict rules that govern their procedures, they are not based on fact. Infact, even psychology is close to pseudo science since direct methods for testing psychological phenomena are extremely limited.
Religion is based on beliefs, science does not entertain beliefs, it is only concerned about theories. If the creationists think that instead of slingbanging the scientists, they can actually prove creationism, or at the least disprove the theory of evolution then that's exactly what they should do. BTW. claiming that you cannot disprove creationism does not prove it.
Claiming that god made the earth and everything on it will not prove it. If you choose to believe it then that is your decision; however, you cannot tell the scientific community to change their believes. And for this exact reason, creationism should not be taught in science classes. It could be taught in theology, but not in science. No matter what the idiots do, including calling believing in evolutionary theory Darwinism, will not change the fact that science cannot be based on beliefs that can neither be tested nor be universally justified.
Scientist are seen by masses as eccentric people who are exceedingly selfish in their goals. And thats why they are subject to public isolating just like geeks are in this countries school system. Portraying of mad scientists like Dr. Jekyll has not helped the situation either. I see this as nothing but a money making attempt by Mr. Stein. Mr. Stein, you should go get a degree in evolutionary biology before you disprove it!
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
God Save the Planet
God save the planet, that is indeed the new slogan of the coming green age. The signs are already abundant in the US. Organic farms, cleaner fuels, hybrid cars, effort on public transportation, green house gas emission offset programs (you can pay for the gas that your activities emit, the money is used for fostering green activities), recycling, carsharing/pooling, and a helluva lotta other things!
The green age is coming, whether you like it or not! I've decided that I am going to like it!
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Why do we need an Enigma
This blog is in response to this article posted on crickinfo:
It is strange how Tendulkar is always under barrage whether he performs or not, I remember learning in my History lectures that Mahatma Gandhi was a great Enigma of the Independence struggle. People looked at him in admiration and drew their courage from him. There was a man afraid of nothing, a man with faith in others , a man so selfishly selfless. Its almost like Sachin has become the new enigma of cricket.
He is on print everyday, no matter what he does. If he doesn't score the press goes ballistic and questions his form and talent, the media pleads to remove him from the team. If he scores, like he did in Belfast, people keep on saying he is not the Tendulkar they saw, he has lost his charm, his form, and "age has taken its toll on Tendulkar".
Well, do these people really expect Sachin to play exactly like he used to when he was 18, I mean who does that? Does the writer run behind girls exactly like he used to when he was 18? Does he run uphill as fast as he could have when he was 18? Vigour and energy seem to pass as we grow older, but our experience and maturity grow.
I would call Tendulkar's inning on Monday a very matured and responsible innings of class. He knew he had to stay, he knew that Gambhir and Gangully had fallen short of their target. He defended 16 bolls to the dot because he wanted to absolutely make sure that he was going to be there and complement Dravid. He knew that this was not the time to play carelessly, he was on the 2 down spot, a spot where temperament serves you better than flamboyancy.
I though Sachin played a marvelous inning, I hope he keeps playing like that throughout this summer.
It is strange how Tendulkar is always under barrage whether he performs or not, I remember learning in my History lectures that Mahatma Gandhi was a great Enigma of the Independence struggle. People looked at him in admiration and drew their courage from him. There was a man afraid of nothing, a man with faith in others , a man so selfishly selfless. Its almost like Sachin has become the new enigma of cricket.
He is on print everyday, no matter what he does. If he doesn't score the press goes ballistic and questions his form and talent, the media pleads to remove him from the team. If he scores, like he did in Belfast, people keep on saying he is not the Tendulkar they saw, he has lost his charm, his form, and "age has taken its toll on Tendulkar".
Well, do these people really expect Sachin to play exactly like he used to when he was 18, I mean who does that? Does the writer run behind girls exactly like he used to when he was 18? Does he run uphill as fast as he could have when he was 18? Vigour and energy seem to pass as we grow older, but our experience and maturity grow.
I would call Tendulkar's inning on Monday a very matured and responsible innings of class. He knew he had to stay, he knew that Gambhir and Gangully had fallen short of their target. He defended 16 bolls to the dot because he wanted to absolutely make sure that he was going to be there and complement Dravid. He knew that this was not the time to play carelessly, he was on the 2 down spot, a spot where temperament serves you better than flamboyancy.
I though Sachin played a marvelous inning, I hope he keeps playing like that throughout this summer.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
The monkey army is back at it again
With all these hopes about a deregularized, liberal India, I hear this...
http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/285
Shivsena is back to its monkeying around again. I am beginning to
despise shiv sena, it is exactly such egocentric, blocked,
underground, radical mentality that stands in India's progress. First
were the evening venues (Thousand oaks etc), then valentines day,
then the cricket matches, now it is the internet and the web cafe
owners. How are honest hardworking people supposed to make a decent
living when such radical people go barraging through their means of
livelihood. SHiv sena should be banned and out casted, it is nothing
but a perpetrator of organized religious radicalism. The word that comes to mind is the
religious mafia!
Who gave them the right to butt into people's lives and dictate what
they are thinking? Who are they to be the "self proclaimed moral police" if they cannot
even handle their own rage?
http://www.newstrackindia.com
Shivsena is back to its monkeying around again. I am beginning to
despise shiv sena, it is exactly such egocentric, blocked,
underground, radical mentality that stands in India's progress. First
were the evening venues (Thousand oaks etc), then valentines day,
then the cricket matches, now it is the internet and the web cafe
owners. How are honest hardworking people supposed to make a decent
living when such radical people go barraging through their means of
livelihood. SHiv sena should be banned and out casted, it is nothing
but a perpetrator of organized religious radicalism. The word that comes to mind is the
religious mafia!
Who gave them the right to butt into people's lives and dictate what
they are thinking? Who are they to be the "self proclaimed moral police" if they cannot
even handle their own rage?
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Procrastination
That's what I have been doing in the past few weeks. So many things have happened, I guess I should have at least said a word or two.
India has finally won the revenge series, proving once again our tigers roar really loudly at home. If nothing else, I would take the comeback of Sachin and Ganguly to be a good sign. Also that Jaffer and Karthink played is reassuring.
The markets have done the yoyo, but they seem pretty stable from this view right now. There has been a lot of talk about the consumer durables sector in India, and why it is not flourishing. Before putting the blame on marketing, I think quality, pricing and supply strategies should be properly analyzed. Durables like washing machine and dishwashers are competing in India with Kaam Waali bais, a human against a machine is tough competition. One way to overcome is to improve quality, or if that's not that easy then educate the bais in the use of washing machines, give them some free. Make them use it, and they will force their memsaabs to use it.
In the meanwhile, WALMART's entry is confirmed. FMCG sector should boom. Kingfisher buys Airdeccan stake. Airdeccan is a great company, they are taking risky risks in these turbulent times. You gotta give it to them. Partnering with Mallaya the king is definitely a win win situation for both of them.
I have been taking two very interesting math classes this summer. Hilbert spaces and analysis, but more on that on independent posts.
India has finally won the revenge series, proving once again our tigers roar really loudly at home. If nothing else, I would take the comeback of Sachin and Ganguly to be a good sign. Also that Jaffer and Karthink played is reassuring.
The markets have done the yoyo, but they seem pretty stable from this view right now. There has been a lot of talk about the consumer durables sector in India, and why it is not flourishing. Before putting the blame on marketing, I think quality, pricing and supply strategies should be properly analyzed. Durables like washing machine and dishwashers are competing in India with Kaam Waali bais, a human against a machine is tough competition. One way to overcome is to improve quality, or if that's not that easy then educate the bais in the use of washing machines, give them some free. Make them use it, and they will force their memsaabs to use it.
In the meanwhile, WALMART's entry is confirmed. FMCG sector should boom. Kingfisher buys Airdeccan stake. Airdeccan is a great company, they are taking risky risks in these turbulent times. You gotta give it to them. Partnering with Mallaya the king is definitely a win win situation for both of them.
I have been taking two very interesting math classes this summer. Hilbert spaces and analysis, but more on that on independent posts.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
The truth behind the A380 and the fall of Indian Journalism
Journalism used to be about research and finding the facts. Today's Indian journalism seems to be nothing but a race to churn out stories and a thirst to cover maximum stuff. This has resulted in a great lack of quality, comparable to that from the Indian soap-opera industry! Not everything is covered, and complete justice is not given to an article.
Take this article for example: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/A_hot-air_plane/articleshow/2039417.cms
The author makes the point that the recent A380 is as "revolutionary as a new Nike shoe"
This type of statement will make the blood of every true to his core aerospace engineer's blood boil. If I were working for Airbus, I would sue this guy. Judging by mere appearances is not the way to look at complex integrated systems such as aircraft. And the aircraft are there to serve a purpose not to satisfy the whim for something new.
The modern airliners have not changed their basic specific shape because it is a result of sequential optimization. The current shape has evolved over a series of radical shapes since it is the most efficient, manageable, and optimal shape. I do not see the point in pointing at Airbus for not coming up with a radical new design, I mean the designs for buses have not radically changed in the past either. We still have buses with four wheels and a monoque chases.
The term of trade in aerosoapce, especially in European aerospace is innovation, the art of taking calculated risks for increasing efficiency. The real innovation in the A380 starts at the cockpit and ends below the engine cowling.
The A380 has the most modern avionics suite with innovative new design concepts such as achieving the redundancy of 3 independent data buses using only two independent data buses with cross talking capability instead of the traditional three buses. This results in enormous weight saving considering that an average airliner has 171 miles of wiring! Add to that constant engine monitoring from ground stations, centralized processing, etc etc and you get the picture.
Hence before passing the judgment on the innovation that A380 brings to the Aerospace industry, we need to go below mere appearances and look at the airliner as a n integrated system!
Take this article for example: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/A_hot-air_plane/articleshow/2039417.cms
The author makes the point that the recent A380 is as "revolutionary as a new Nike shoe"
This type of statement will make the blood of every true to his core aerospace engineer's blood boil. If I were working for Airbus, I would sue this guy. Judging by mere appearances is not the way to look at complex integrated systems such as aircraft. And the aircraft are there to serve a purpose not to satisfy the whim for something new.
The modern airliners have not changed their basic specific shape because it is a result of sequential optimization. The current shape has evolved over a series of radical shapes since it is the most efficient, manageable, and optimal shape. I do not see the point in pointing at Airbus for not coming up with a radical new design, I mean the designs for buses have not radically changed in the past either. We still have buses with four wheels and a monoque chases.
The term of trade in aerosoapce, especially in European aerospace is innovation, the art of taking calculated risks for increasing efficiency. The real innovation in the A380 starts at the cockpit and ends below the engine cowling.
The A380 has the most modern avionics suite with innovative new design concepts such as achieving the redundancy of 3 independent data buses using only two independent data buses with cross talking capability instead of the traditional three buses. This results in enormous weight saving considering that an average airliner has 171 miles of wiring! Add to that constant engine monitoring from ground stations, centralized processing, etc etc and you get the picture.
Hence before passing the judgment on the innovation that A380 brings to the Aerospace industry, we need to go below mere appearances and look at the airliner as a n integrated system!
Saturday, April 21, 2007
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Net_surfing_socialising_cost_Indian_cos/articleshow/1934163.cms
"Net surfing and socializing costs Indian companies about 8hrs per employee per month!"
What a blatant claim, blaming internet is not going to increase efficiencies in offices! The only way to increase efficiency in office is to get the employees interested in what they are doing. SUch type of "The office is a prision" mentality will never let a company come out on top.
I mean, before there was internet, did employees never waste time? SO maybe the corporations will think of banning coffe breaks and, news papers, and even casual comminication within employees!
The problem with many corporation managment strategies is that they rely too much on non radical ideas. The only companies that have risen above their competition are the ones who could think out of the box. Google is an excellent example. Microsoft has gotten started with a couple of people wearing Bermuda pants and geeky Tshirts. Are you telling me that Bill Gates or the other highly paid CEO (supposedly highly paid due to their efficiency) never surf the web?
The most innovative research is done in Universities by Grad students who spend hours and hours procrastinating in front of the computer (e.g. Yours Truly). It is infact believed that most grad students spend more time on their computers surfing than actually working. But its fine, since procrastination has its powers. Four hours of it can get you ready for two hours of solid research output then its worth it!
All I am saying is that, there is no point in trying to stifle people from doing what they love to do. India Inc. needs to think outside of the box. Get your employee to be interested to come to work the next day, and that will stop all your problems of attrition and inefficiency.
"Net surfing and socializing costs Indian companies about 8hrs per employee per month!"
What a blatant claim, blaming internet is not going to increase efficiencies in offices! The only way to increase efficiency in office is to get the employees interested in what they are doing. SUch type of "The office is a prision" mentality will never let a company come out on top.
I mean, before there was internet, did employees never waste time? SO maybe the corporations will think of banning coffe breaks and, news papers, and even casual comminication within employees!
The problem with many corporation managment strategies is that they rely too much on non radical ideas. The only companies that have risen above their competition are the ones who could think out of the box. Google is an excellent example. Microsoft has gotten started with a couple of people wearing Bermuda pants and geeky Tshirts. Are you telling me that Bill Gates or the other highly paid CEO (supposedly highly paid due to their efficiency) never surf the web?
The most innovative research is done in Universities by Grad students who spend hours and hours procrastinating in front of the computer (e.g. Yours Truly). It is infact believed that most grad students spend more time on their computers surfing than actually working. But its fine, since procrastination has its powers. Four hours of it can get you ready for two hours of solid research output then its worth it!
All I am saying is that, there is no point in trying to stifle people from doing what they love to do. India Inc. needs to think outside of the box. Get your employee to be interested to come to work the next day, and that will stop all your problems of attrition and inefficiency.
Friday, April 06, 2007
Welcome the magnormous Indian Cricket Idol
Subhash Chandra’s grand plan on starting up a complementing home cricket league are to be applauded. Its success is going to be huge, if simple reality shows like Bigg Boss or Indian Idol can machaofy dhoom in India, then a cricket championship with $1million in the looting will be the biggest hit of all time! Get your hands on in the action, buy the shares of whoever who wants to go with this thing. Any TV channel that is going to have the rights to this is going to make big money (its Zee most likely right now).
I am truly happy about the ICL, we have needed this thing for a long time, and I have been crying about it on my blog since India lost.
The boost to Indian cricket through supplying them with players is one thing (its probably going to take some time), but cricket starved Indian public is going to jump on this, and cricket viewer starved Indian corporations are going to roll big money. With the economy in the state it is right now, it almost seems that the first and foremost effect of the ICL will be a big boost to the sport-economy of India.
I am truly happy about the ICL, we have needed this thing for a long time, and I have been crying about it on my blog since India lost.
The boost to Indian cricket through supplying them with players is one thing (its probably going to take some time), but cricket starved Indian public is going to jump on this, and cricket viewer starved Indian corporations are going to roll big money. With the economy in the state it is right now, it almost seems that the first and foremost effect of the ICL will be a big boost to the sport-economy of India.
Friday, March 30, 2007
I utterly totally faithfully questionlessly believe in theFlying Spaghetti Monster,
As I sit here, writing this post on the computer created by him, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, I am touched by his noodley appendage, I am overwhelmed, as he has chosen me to be a part of his master recipe for the creation, management, and destruction of the universe.
Long live the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and his religion Pastafarianism
As of this day on March the 30th of 2007, I include the Flying Spaghetti Monster in the list of my already inherited 30million gods and goddesses as the primary and supreme god of all creation. I believe that he created the world, he created me, he created you, the sun, the flowers and the prawns.
He furthermore placed evidence in such a way that we would mistake it for rigorously proven scientific truth.
RAmen
Girish
Long live the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and his religion Pastafarianism
As of this day on March the 30th of 2007, I include the Flying Spaghetti Monster in the list of my already inherited 30million gods and goddesses as the primary and supreme god of all creation. I believe that he created the world, he created me, he created you, the sun, the flowers and the prawns.
He furthermore placed evidence in such a way that we would mistake it for rigorously proven scientific truth.
RAmen
Girish
Sunday, March 25, 2007
The art of blowing hot air
Every time something happens, we have a horde of people expressing their Hodgepodge opinions. Here are some and my answers to them,
Popular opinion no. 1: Indian cricketers suck because they spend too much time advertising and not enough practicing: This is the most baseless of accusations! How does the opinianator know that the Indian crickets actually invest the time they should be practicing in advertisement. His judgement is basically only based on what he sees on TV. Just because one ad is repeated a 1000 times a day does not mean that more time went into making of the ad. The player could have only spent half a day in making of the ad, and everyone knows that you cannot practice the sport 24-7!
Popular opinion no.2: Fire Sachin because he does not perform: Look at the statistics, refer to: Sachin
Popular opinion no.3: Our crickets are hollow shells of men who cannot handle pressure: The fact of the matter is they are put into this unbelievable amount of inhuman pressure levels by our cricket addicted public.
Popular opinion no.4: Sack Dravid,: Why oh Why would you do that? He is the only captain in the last umpteen years who has not ruined his own game since becoming a captain. Wouldn't a more natural and humane suggetion would be to ask Dravid to evaluate his captaincy style and improve. I mean where do we get this idea that playing musical chairs with the people in the team is going to make the team better? THis is the exact thing that pressures our players.
Ahhh, heck, I am sick of this!
Popular opinion no. 1: Indian cricketers suck because they spend too much time advertising and not enough practicing: This is the most baseless of accusations! How does the opinianator know that the Indian crickets actually invest the time they should be practicing in advertisement. His judgement is basically only based on what he sees on TV. Just because one ad is repeated a 1000 times a day does not mean that more time went into making of the ad. The player could have only spent half a day in making of the ad, and everyone knows that you cannot practice the sport 24-7!
Popular opinion no.2: Fire Sachin because he does not perform: Look at the statistics, refer to: Sachin
Popular opinion no.3: Our crickets are hollow shells of men who cannot handle pressure: The fact of the matter is they are put into this unbelievable amount of inhuman pressure levels by our cricket addicted public.
Popular opinion no.4: Sack Dravid,: Why oh Why would you do that? He is the only captain in the last umpteen years who has not ruined his own game since becoming a captain. Wouldn't a more natural and humane suggetion would be to ask Dravid to evaluate his captaincy style and improve. I mean where do we get this idea that playing musical chairs with the people in the team is going to make the team better? THis is the exact thing that pressures our players.
Ahhh, heck, I am sick of this!
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Sachin???
I read somewhere just a couple of days ago: Whenever an organization performs bad, we naturally assume that the leadership, people, and the culture of the organization is rotten. And whenever it shows some signs of improvement we conclude otherwise.
The above is natural, but good decision making means that you gotta have the facts in front of you. The obvious question that Indian cricket fans are asking is whether to retain Sachin? The question arises due to a common conception in the masses that he does not deliver. Well I am going to put the statistics right in front of you, so that even though we cannot really influence the decision, we can all express a well informed opinion:
Here are Sachin's statistics in 2006
Matches: 16. Innings:16, Runs 628, out of which he has been not out twice,
Highest score: 141 not out,
Average:44.85, at a strike rate of 77.05,
Two half centuries and 3 centuries!
That is a very good record! Comparing it with the highest averages in 2006 we see that Sachin is very much at the top considering the number of innings he has played. Now lets look at his career averages: Sachin has played 374 innings scoring a huge 14847 runs at an average of 44.05 and a strike rate of 85.73.
Notice something? His average has not changed in the last year compared to his overall average, indicating that he could not have suffered the great loss in quality and capacity as the media portrays. Sachin remains one of the highest scoring and highest averaging batsmen in the world.
The only reason why he is the target of amazing bashing is due to the addiction of cricket that India has! We simply don't get to see enough of Sachin, so we expect him to perform in every single match that he plays! What we need is to watch him play more on home grounds, like I said before, its time for the corporate giants to look at Ranji to get the big bucks in cricket rolling.
Interesting parallels to the concept of promoting internal sporting competition would be the Australian club cricket, British County cricket, US NFL, NBA, British Soccer League, and Aussie rules Football.
The above is natural, but good decision making means that you gotta have the facts in front of you. The obvious question that Indian cricket fans are asking is whether to retain Sachin? The question arises due to a common conception in the masses that he does not deliver. Well I am going to put the statistics right in front of you, so that even though we cannot really influence the decision, we can all express a well informed opinion:
Here are Sachin's statistics in 2006
Matches: 16. Innings:16, Runs 628, out of which he has been not out twice,
Highest score: 141 not out,
Average:44.85, at a strike rate of 77.05,
Two half centuries and 3 centuries!
That is a very good record! Comparing it with the highest averages in 2006 we see that Sachin is very much at the top considering the number of innings he has played. Now lets look at his career averages: Sachin has played 374 innings scoring a huge 14847 runs at an average of 44.05 and a strike rate of 85.73.
Notice something? His average has not changed in the last year compared to his overall average, indicating that he could not have suffered the great loss in quality and capacity as the media portrays. Sachin remains one of the highest scoring and highest averaging batsmen in the world.
The only reason why he is the target of amazing bashing is due to the addiction of cricket that India has! We simply don't get to see enough of Sachin, so we expect him to perform in every single match that he plays! What we need is to watch him play more on home grounds, like I said before, its time for the corporate giants to look at Ranji to get the big bucks in cricket rolling.
Interesting parallels to the concept of promoting internal sporting competition would be the Australian club cricket, British County cricket, US NFL, NBA, British Soccer League, and Aussie rules Football.
Get rid of that cricket addiction, India!
Yeah yeah, we couldn't.t get into the super 8s, we lost to lowly Bangladesh, and couldn't stand up against Srilanka. The media is going to jump on this, a billion voices in the subcontinent, and many many others all over the world are no doubt just ranting about these same things. Team India lost, with so much riding on their backs, Team India lost!
The media is going to be full of suggestions, drop Sachin, change the coach, get a new captain, leave everyone out of the team and what not. I think every single one of them is going to be absolutely useless. We didn't loose because of the individuals in the team, its no bloody mystery that we have the BEST team on paper! We lost because we just couldn't take it, we wilted under the pressure, gave up against the opposition, we simply QUIT!
Why you ask, a team with a billion supporters, magnanimous funding, huge corporate support, how could they just QUIT when so much depends on them?
What went wrong? I think its exactly the fact that a "billion sounds have no other form of sport entertainment than international cricket" is what went wrong! Look at Australia, people don't burn effigies if the Aussies lose, they don't throw stones at Mcgrath's unbuilt houses. We do, why, because if Team India loses, then we loose hope. Our lives surround Team India, we define our victories and losses on team India. In a country where a LOT of people are still without money, and cannot afford even half the things that are on the market, its obvious that the people will search for a burning light of hope, and they see it in Team India.
The morale is high when Team India wins, the masses can forget about their problems for a day, they can stop talking about the rising prices and that idiot boss at work, they enjoy their musty ride in the Mumbai Local Trains high on victory that day. Simply put we are addicted to cricket. The corporates know that and they feed this addiction, well who can blame them.
This results in tremendous pressure on our cricketers, infact its this pressure that fuels the fear of loss in their hearts, makes them not concentrate on their game anymore, and just give up. After all, they are only humans, well extremely well compensated humans at that. I know what you are going to say, aren't they paid to handle this pressure? Well, yes they are paid to handle this pressure, but the problem I think is not the money, I think our team in not TRAINED to handle the pressure.
If we are to get rid of this quit issue we need to work on both levels,
1. Create an environment in which international cricket is viewed as an glorified form of sport entertainment, and not the only source.
2. Train our men in blue to handle the pressure better.
How could we do this. I am not so naive to tell you that the Indian population should stop watching cricket, that is not possible, I will never stop. But lets give our people some other form of cricket than just international cricket. We have the Ranji trophy where states compete, all the big names are there, we need to make this a big issue. Pin our corporate hopes on the Ranji trophy, pour some money in the marketing, sell the TV contracts to ESPN-STAR, and see what happens. In the meantime, more support to a better infrastructure in cricket (so that people can actually play cricket) and support to other forms of sport is not a bad idea either.
On the second level, introduce some stress relieving techniques in the Indian team, e.g. yoga sounds good, or Aurveda based diet might also work. Some time to meditate and reflect in the should help the high quality individuals in the Indian team forget their own woes and play like a team.
Well, its time for India to move over from International cricket!
The media is going to be full of suggestions, drop Sachin, change the coach, get a new captain, leave everyone out of the team and what not. I think every single one of them is going to be absolutely useless. We didn't loose because of the individuals in the team, its no bloody mystery that we have the BEST team on paper! We lost because we just couldn't take it, we wilted under the pressure, gave up against the opposition, we simply QUIT!
Why you ask, a team with a billion supporters, magnanimous funding, huge corporate support, how could they just QUIT when so much depends on them?
What went wrong? I think its exactly the fact that a "billion sounds have no other form of sport entertainment than international cricket" is what went wrong! Look at Australia, people don't burn effigies if the Aussies lose, they don't throw stones at Mcgrath's unbuilt houses. We do, why, because if Team India loses, then we loose hope. Our lives surround Team India, we define our victories and losses on team India. In a country where a LOT of people are still without money, and cannot afford even half the things that are on the market, its obvious that the people will search for a burning light of hope, and they see it in Team India.
The morale is high when Team India wins, the masses can forget about their problems for a day, they can stop talking about the rising prices and that idiot boss at work, they enjoy their musty ride in the Mumbai Local Trains high on victory that day. Simply put we are addicted to cricket. The corporates know that and they feed this addiction, well who can blame them.
This results in tremendous pressure on our cricketers, infact its this pressure that fuels the fear of loss in their hearts, makes them not concentrate on their game anymore, and just give up. After all, they are only humans, well extremely well compensated humans at that. I know what you are going to say, aren't they paid to handle this pressure? Well, yes they are paid to handle this pressure, but the problem I think is not the money, I think our team in not TRAINED to handle the pressure.
If we are to get rid of this quit issue we need to work on both levels,
1. Create an environment in which international cricket is viewed as an glorified form of sport entertainment, and not the only source.
2. Train our men in blue to handle the pressure better.
How could we do this. I am not so naive to tell you that the Indian population should stop watching cricket, that is not possible, I will never stop. But lets give our people some other form of cricket than just international cricket. We have the Ranji trophy where states compete, all the big names are there, we need to make this a big issue. Pin our corporate hopes on the Ranji trophy, pour some money in the marketing, sell the TV contracts to ESPN-STAR, and see what happens. In the meantime, more support to a better infrastructure in cricket (so that people can actually play cricket) and support to other forms of sport is not a bad idea either.
On the second level, introduce some stress relieving techniques in the Indian team, e.g. yoga sounds good, or Aurveda based diet might also work. Some time to meditate and reflect in the should help the high quality individuals in the Indian team forget their own woes and play like a team.
Well, its time for India to move over from International cricket!
Thursday, March 22, 2007
101 Ways to pressure India, the way of Pseudo pressure
So India is going on ahead and signing the Tehran pipe deal, which India definatley needs. We are in dire need of energy resources, that is no secret. US obviously does not want India to have ties with Tehran, because that means money to Tehran, so this is what the US Energy secretary Bodman says:
""There have been conversations ... and if that is allowed to go forward, in our judgement, this will contribute to development of nuclear weapons,"
basically don't buy fuel from Tehran because we don't like them, you give them money, they will surely go do something bad with it.
Link here
To me this is the most ludicrous statement of all times. What does that mean, should the world severe economic ties with any Muslim country that the US randomly suspects of developing any technology that may threaten US. Is every single penny that Tehran earns going to be spent on developing threats to the US? Are they totally sure that Tehran is really going to be a threat to the US, I mean where were the nukes in Iraq? Are they sure that the Tehran government does not want to use the money to actually make its people happy? It almost seems that the US is convinced that the world is intent on building nukes and blasting the heck out of each other. Well I guess they have a reason, after all they have been there, done that, and have had to live with the terrible guilt! I mean US is the only country in the world to actually have a history of using Nukes, not one but two!
Asking India, an age old friend of Tehran, to hamper its economic ties with Tehran (especially when its helping India out of a Ennergy ditch) is rather gutsy, especially given the history of US pumping money into the middle east for fuel and such.
What is the meaning of this paranoia? Has the American state lost its independence from the Church, or does America really believe that making middle eastern nations economically weak is going to stop the people there from reverting to terrorism? Isn't it possible for big brother to actively participate in the well being and economic prosperity of the middle eastern nations rather than weakening them? After all, they are doing it in Latin America, oh but I forgot, Latin America is mostly Christian!
BTW. Clarification: I am neither Christian, nor Muslim.
""There have been conversations ... and if that is allowed to go forward, in our judgement, this will contribute to development of nuclear weapons,"
basically don't buy fuel from Tehran because we don't like them, you give them money, they will surely go do something bad with it.
Link here
To me this is the most ludicrous statement of all times. What does that mean, should the world severe economic ties with any Muslim country that the US randomly suspects of developing any technology that may threaten US. Is every single penny that Tehran earns going to be spent on developing threats to the US? Are they totally sure that Tehran is really going to be a threat to the US, I mean where were the nukes in Iraq? Are they sure that the Tehran government does not want to use the money to actually make its people happy? It almost seems that the US is convinced that the world is intent on building nukes and blasting the heck out of each other. Well I guess they have a reason, after all they have been there, done that, and have had to live with the terrible guilt! I mean US is the only country in the world to actually have a history of using Nukes, not one but two!
Asking India, an age old friend of Tehran, to hamper its economic ties with Tehran (especially when its helping India out of a Ennergy ditch) is rather gutsy, especially given the history of US pumping money into the middle east for fuel and such.
What is the meaning of this paranoia? Has the American state lost its independence from the Church, or does America really believe that making middle eastern nations economically weak is going to stop the people there from reverting to terrorism? Isn't it possible for big brother to actively participate in the well being and economic prosperity of the middle eastern nations rather than weakening them? After all, they are doing it in Latin America, oh but I forgot, Latin America is mostly Christian!
BTW. Clarification: I am neither Christian, nor Muslim.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)