Where are we headed?

Ban on Bus Advertisements

2009-08-07T16:05:00.005+05:30

The Madras (Chennai) High Court recently directed the Tamilnadu Transport department to remove all advertisements from the exteriors of all public and private transport buses in the state within a timeframe. This was in response to a PIL filed which contended that these advts distract vehicle users/drivers and affect the normal transmission of light.

Though the PIL and ruling is in the interest of general public, i have a different take on this. As per the recent study, men spend 1 year of their lifetime ogling at women. It is now evident that we men (ie vehicle users & drivers) tend to look more at beautiful women on the pavements and nearby than the advts on the bus :)

Apropos, will the court now direct all the beautiful women to stay away from road pavements, so that more accidents can be avoided! Another option is, they can be directed to wear burkha when they come out. Also, what about the advertisements which are displayed outside the shops. Vehicle users look at those advts too.

Advts on bus is a revenue generating activity for the cash-starved transport corporations. Rather than banning them outrightly, the court can restrict their over exploitation.

previous post >>> Eradicate Black Money & Corruption using IT

Eradicate Black Money & Corruption using IT

2009-06-11T19:56:00.010+05:30

In March 2007, i posted a blog post in which i wrote: the spread of IT would one day result in death of currency notes/coins. There i also credicted that process resulting in eradication of Black Money. Recently a reader requested me to clarify the same. It works like an ERP model. I'll explain the base model here:

There should be a Central Registry (like server) managed by the Government, which is linked to payroll system of all the employers (govt, pvt, societies, etc) & vendor payment system of all businesses.

Suppose a person's salary is One Lakh per month, that value/amount is directly credited to that persons bank account. The same model (ie transfer of VALUE in electronic form) can be applied for all the transactions (buying/selling). Also all the bank accounts of a person should be linked to an Unique Identification Number (UIN) and no person can have more than one UIN. Thus, even if a person maintains more than one bank account, total assets of that person are consolidated through UIN account. Based on that, tax shall be automatically calculated for the total amount (using UIN) and debited to the respective government accounts.

The same process shall be replicated for vendor payments too. In case of change in payment structure, the payroll systems and vendor systems should relay those changes automatically to UIN through the central server. Likewise the system is linked for every input & output. If there is excess credit (abnormal increase) over and above the defined limit (ie eligible payment), then the system should generate a report on the same and automatically forward it to the investigation department, which shall in turn issue show cause notice.

This system should also have provision for accepting credits as gifts & loans. However limit for high value gifts should be defined and the system programmed to reject the same (especially those gifts from vendors to decision makers / businesses). This will limit corruption to greater extent. Likewise all transactions can happen over the electronic medium (even alms payment through mobile credits as mentioned in 2007 post), without the use of paper money.

Purchases can be validated through the combination of smart card / biometric devices. Thus, when all transactions happen over e-form, all the earnings/spending of a person is documented and controlled to near perfection. That would pave way for eradication of black money and limit corruption to greater extent.

This is just a base model. With better defining and controls at right places, this can be made a robust system.

previous post >>> Foolproof voting system using EVMs

Foolproof Voting System using EVMs

2009-05-27T19:42:00.005+05:30

Indian parliamentary elections are just over and few parties & candidates have started complaining about the manipulation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to favour certain parties/candidates. During elections, few EVMs developed problems and some voters found the red light (confirmation light) glowing near other candidates than the one they voted for. This resulted in some believing that EVMs are tampered with. Some believed that the EVM software could be programmed to favour a particular party.

I have the following suggestions to make the EVM voting process a foolproof & reliable one:

- Like ATM, the EVMs can give a confirmation slip with the printed symbol to which we voted. That slip should not have any other identification details of the voter. ie only the party symbol shall be printed in that slip. That slip should be dropped in the ballot box kept nearby. This process will give immediate confirmation to the voter that his vote has gone to the right candidate. Also in case of future disputes, the ballot box votes can be counted and final decision can be arrived at.

- If booth capturing or mass bogus voting is reported from a booth, then for that booth alone, don't add the votes polled by that party. ie if A party gets 121 votes, B party gets 253 votes and others get 75 votes and if A party indulges in unfair practices, deduct the 121 votes polled by A party from their final count. For the fear of losing these votes, no party would indulge in unfair practice.

- At the end of every round, the votes polled by all the candidates of that constituency should be displayed in an electronic board kept outside the counting center. This step will stop the corrupt officials from meddling with the numbers later. Also the general public and media will get instant trends.

- In the long run, biometric system should be used which will make bogus voting impossible and indelible ink obsolete.

previous post >>> Younger Men marrying Older Women

Younger Men marrying Older Women

2009-03-10T14:34:00.003+05:30

The Guardian recently reported that, children born to 20-year-old men scored on average three points higher in IQ tests than children whose fathers were 50 years-old when they were born. The same study also found that children's IQ was marginally higher if they were born to older mothers.

So how is this 3 points and older mother advantage going to impact the marriage equation? May be, we can look forward to more younger men getting married to older women in future. LOL!

Previous post >>> Culture Degradation

Culture Degradation - Part II

2009-01-31T15:21:00.010+05:30

I wrote in this blog post the following in 2005:

Culture/Heritage Degradation: As long as human has evolving brain, you cannot stop 'change' from happening. If not today, change is bound to happen tomorrow. If by restrictive activities we can enforce a 'perceived' good practice, then we would have stopped crime long back. I suppose world over Religion and Police are among the largest enforcing/recruiting agents. What is considered good today was bad yesterday. My blog on 'Definition' gives some input on the same. If we feel 'change' can be stopped, slowed-down or reversed, then we need to first find ways to change the brain dynamics to 'static' state from the 'dynamic/evolving' state. Without which you cannot stop human from evolving from stone-age to modern-age and beyond. At each age, human will say "what was believed/practiced earlier could have been done better".

When I saw the above picture where a group of hooligans (in the name of religion) terrorized people drinking at Bar, I remembered what I wrote earlier on Culture Degradation in 2005. These hooligans were against women drinking at bar and the dress they wear. Though I agree on the modesty part (which gives certain amount of protection), i would like to question these hooligans on their double standards in implementing the same. Most of the so-called goddesses are scantily dressed and the barbaric Aghori Sadus like the one below are known to smoke Cannabis (Marijuana/Ganja) in open.

Will these hooligans ever attempt to dress-up the scantily dressed goddesses and prevent the Sadus from smoking the narcotics in public?

Previous post >>> Research on Female Orgasm

Research on Female Orgasms

2009-01-19T17:23:00.006+05:30

In recent times, people have come up with so many research studies. Some are controversial, some contradicts the earlier research on the same subject (like coffee is good/bad), some because of questionable funding, and some are baseless. In one such recent study, scientists have found that the pleasure women get from making love is directly linked to the size of their partner’s bank balance !!

I don’t go fully with findings of this study. Though on the one hand money remains a main motivator and catalyst in many a successful venture, it cannot be the sole criteria in this case. Extra-marital relationships or Threesome encounters continue to exist because these women are NOT satisfied with their current partner (eventhough they are rich).

I found the following comments on this topic interesting. Read and Enjoy!

"Due to the Global Credit Crisis, I've been receiving 30% less orgasms from my partner..."

"Hey ! what's six inches long and sends women crazy? ...a hundred dollar note, naturally"

"ahhh thats why, none of my partners have ever climaxed, and here i was thinking it was me when all along it was my bank balance.....ive been making deposits in the totally wrong area"

"Maybe a man is more likely to become wealthy if his partner has more orgasms!"

previous post >>> Sex drives the Commercial World

SEX drives the commercial world !!!

2008-12-30T14:44:00.007+05:30

Women used to find fault with Men for their sexual overtures. Rather than being subdued, men should rather brush aside such intimidations and be happy about the social responsibility that they hold.

Consider a world sans sex drive and its repercussions. No population increase and its related fallout. Gloomy days for beauty products, flashy vehicles, clothes & accessories, and most of the FMCG products would see the slump. When there is no demand, companies will shut shop and unemployment rates will hit record high.

A small example would explain the commercials better. We use more napkins for babies in a week than the number of napkins used by women during their menstrual cycle. Hence, women getting pregnant and the related population increase, is more beneficial to the commercial world.

So let us stop accusing men for their always-on sex antenna. Rather credit them for doing tremendous service to the society. It is because of their enhanced sex drive, this commercial world strives. Otherwise this world would become static and colourless.

However men should not force any woman into sex. They may continue to give leads and leave it to the women folk to accept or reject it. Doing so the commercial world would continue to flourish and feed its beneficiaries.

Wishing you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year 2009.

previous post >>> Research on Sexual Orientation

Research on Sexual Orientation

2008-12-04T18:40:00.008+05:30

A recent study has found evidence that homosexuality is linked to genetics. Though the funding for this study is still a question, such studies can be avoided in the first place for the following reasons:

- ‘Sponsored Studies’ in future might link pedophilia, zoophilia and incest to genetics too. In that case, are we ready to accept them?

- Some parents might press the abortion button, if they come to know about the possible sexual preference of the feotus?

- And in the worst case lobbying groups might press for population increase (through human cloning & genetic modification) of ‘differently inclined’ to counter the ‘genuine’ offensive of heterosexuals. Will this lead us to a war between these two groups?

Hope the scientific community understand the gravity of this problem and stay away from such studies.

Previous post >>> life beyond (artificial) borders...

Life beyond (artificial) borders...

2008-10-28T19:24:00.009+05:30

Hatred is spreading its wings in India (and world too). Once the division (major) was based on caste. Now, when inter-caste marriages are being supported to bridge the caste divide, new set of divisions like religion, ethnicity are being forced on us by the opportunists.

When I saw reports about a disturbed gun wielding Bihari being killed by Mumbai police in an empty bus (they could have easily arrested him than killing), I could sense how intolerant our society has become now. It is forcing many to take to extremism !! If such intolerance is not weeded out, as mentioned by me earlier, we may move to a stage where individuals will be nations !!!

In my family we seldom (excuse the oldies!) go based on caste-based leanings. In fact, few recent marriages in our family were inter-caste marriages. I’m happy that such a change is happening and I wholeheartedly support the current generation to go for it. This is how we mature as a tolerant society. I hope children from such inter-caste families would shun caste/ethnicity and pave way for a division-less society in future.

In the same way, I support trans border movement too. People should be encouraged/welcomed to work in other states/region. The government can provide additional grants to those villages whose demography is multi-ethnic (may be 75:25 ratio) and bar anyone from holding any public office (for life) if they incite ethnic violence (like Raj of MNS). This may pave way for more cross border movement and a mature society, which is both humanist and competitive (anyone who is ready to test in unknown waters is competitive too). Movement/presence of talent across will help in equitable development too.

And last but not the least, I wish more inter-religious marriages happen too and ultimately people shun religion and become atheist/humanists like me ;-)

previous post >>> religious conversions and attack on humanity

Religious Conversions and Attacks on Humanity

2008-09-26T14:23:00.012+05:30

When MNS's Raj Thackeray use violence to 'protect' locals, we shout 'against' him. If the same tactics are used by BJP, VHP and Bajrang Dal against other religions, we 'support' them. Same cause...opposite reactions.

When Marketing companies convert us (continuously) from one product to other (at times even abusing the competitor product), we convert willingly without thinking about the process/means used for conversion. We prefer to be converted by marketing companies from using Pottery, Khadi clothes, Shikakai, Barathanatyam, Kathakali, Full Meals and other traditional practices to the newer ones like Tupperware, Denims, Hair Conditioners, Salsas, Pizzas and the likes. We are rather happy to market alien products (at the cost of our tradition), get hefty salaries and go on world tour with the 'converted' money. We are ready to accept these conversions (which directly affect us), than the religious conversions, which are third party ones.

As an atheist, I'm against religions and religious conversions. But when innocent people (though they are religious) are being attacked and killed for ulterior motives, the perpetrators need to be exposed of their hollow fundamentals.

My dear fellow human beings, religion and religious conversions are nothing but business these days. As west has almost rejected religion, Christian religious leaders are now looking at new avenues for funding. They find their target crowd in Asia and Africa. In India they find the disadvantaged section as the soft target. This section which is being kept away from entering temples by one section of Hindu population, find solace in another religion. There starts the exploitation and the control war.

The point to be noted here is; the revenue base is shrinking for both the groups. Hence their leaders are making their moves to either expand their revenue base or retain it at any cost. The result is the suffering, heightened tension and loss of lives & property of the already marginalized. The sufferers continue to suffer and the leaders live a cosy life exploiting them more.

The only solution for this problem is…shun religion and embrace Humanism.

Related reading: who CREATED god?

previous posting >>> Allah – the most powerful God ?!

Allah – the Most Powerful God ?!

2008-09-14T16:54:00.012+05:30

“We the Indian Mujahideen, ask Allah, the Almighty, to accept from us these nine explosions which were planned to be executed in the holy month of Ramadan”

The above text is part of the email sent by Indian Mujahideen group to media in the midst of the Delhi bombings (13th September 2008).

A supposed God is being offered human lives and this happens continuously across the world. Considering the continuous successes of these terror groups in planting bombs and killing the innocent, looks like the other gods (Christian & Hindu gods) are meek spectators and Allah looks like a barbarian who continues to support his follower’s bloodthirsty manoeuvres. Hindu & Christian God’s intelligence units have failed pathetically to warn their followers. Have they lost their heavenly powers?

Apropos, looks like the equation favours Allah now. As of now Allah is the Usain Bolt in the battle of supremacy. In the 21st century religious battle, one religion/god looks like an easy winner (may be because the others are tolerant). But who is going to win the WAR?

Has the human mind gone insane?

Read: who CREATED god?

previous post >>> Socialism or Capitalism or So-capitalism ?

Socialism or Capitalism or So-capitalism ?

2008-09-01T21:54:00.011+05:30

Given an option of staying static or being dynamic, most of us would prefer the dynamic state. No doubt capitalism aids dynamism, but socialists are against capitalism because of the increasing gap between the rich and the poor and also the means used by the capitalists to achieve the end result. The means used often result in tweaking the system, which in turn results in dilution of the system, aids corruption and ultimately results in crashing of the system (like Enron).

On the contrary consider a situation, where the society as a whole embraces a ‘static’ system where people live of (only) natural resources. For food they rely only on naturally available fruits and nuts. They are not allowed to store. A ‘static’ system is created is such a way that no one need to aspire for more or compete with each other for tomorrow. That would be an ideal state to live in.

But nature has other intentions. It is not in the control of human beings. We may come across a Tsunami, a Hurricane, Drought or a change in course of a river like the Kosi.

In such emergencies, such a ‘static’ system would collapse. A river like Kosi may submerge their entire food belt as well as their habitation. Here comes the need to store food and to build dams. Not many will take that as a responsibility (in a ‘static’ world), unless suitably rewarded. There starts the capitalism.

Some may suggest state controlled socialism as an option here. Unfortunately it has failed. Man by nature is individualistic (at the extreme point) and prefers a higher reward (competitive) for his hard work. That is why socialism has failed in most of the countries.

Apropos, Capitalism has come to stay. But the issue is the greed, which drives the capitalist force to amass all the wealth by tweaking the system and in turn weakening the fundamental structures of the system.

What’s the alternative? A controlled capitalist economy; where an individual’s share of profit is reduced after they reach a comfortable limit. A person may require ‘X’ amount (say $1 Billion, excluding company assets) to lead a luxurious life and to take care of his future generation (upto 2nd generation). Anyone who crosses that limit shall be automatically placed in a slab where the excess profit is routed to the employees & government (ie the net savings is always maintained at ‘X’ limit). 50% of the money thus ‘forcefully saved’ shall be disbursed to the company workforce & shareholders and the remaining 50% be routed to the government for education, health, infrastructure and other public use.

This might stop big corporations & industrialists from influencing the policy decisions of the government covertly. The successful businessmen who continue to create wealth (irrespective of their wealth being routed for social cause) for their shareholders and government shall be suitably awarded with public posts. Their expertise would transform the local bodies as best administered. As they have enough wealth and are further restricted from making more, their effort will be more focussed towards public service and gaining recognition. When more such successful public service oriented businessmen join the system, public service will see a transformation, which in turn will have a positive cascading effect on the society …

previous post >>> Cricket in Olympics

Cricket in Olympics and Asian Games

2008-08-17T14:58:00.006+05:30

This is in continuation to one of my previous post ‘Watch out FIFA…’

A game is considered for inclusion in Olympics, only when it is played by atleast 75 countries (for men and 50 for women) spread across 4 continents. Though this rule sounds good to ensure the spread of the game and wider participation, this shouldn’t be the only criteria.

There are certain games like Fencing, Equestrian, Archery, Shooting, etc which may be played in many countries but by a ‘miniscule’ population with lesser audience. Also most of these games may not require much physical fitness for the participating players. On the other hand a game like cricket is played by many and has a much bigger audience (more than a billion people spread across South Asia, Europe, Oz, Africa, Middle East, etc).

Member search for game based communities in a popular networking platform gave the following results:

Fencing - 64 members
Equestrian - 141 members
Archery - 549 members
Shooting - 2776 members

And some of the toppers are:

Badminton - 13,292 members
Tennis - 22,911 members
Football - 92,643 members
Basketball - 138,451 members
Cricket - 157,287 members

This clearly shows the popularity for Cricket as a game with a much bigger following compared to current Olympics events like Fencing, Equestrian, Archery and Shooting. This doesn’t mean WWE (122,198 members) deserves a place in Olympics. WWE is not a competitive sport.

Cricket deserves a place, not only because it has a bigger following but its players are more tougher compared to players of many other games in Olympics. Cricket players can easily play a 30 minute TT game, but TT players will collapse if they play even a one day game (test match is not even in their dreams). Also for overall development of a player, my vote always goes for Cricket, because it is not only a physical game, but a strategic mental game too. This game nurtures leadership qualities, team management, strategy and some more related inputs wrt management.

Cricket’s shorter version, T20 Cricket will be a perfect fit for Olympics. I’m happy that T20 is included in the 2010 Asian Games. Hope the organizers take into consideration the positives of Cricket and include it in its regular events calendar from 2016 Olympics onwards.

previous post >>> Indian Origin Players, Indian Olympic Dreams and Cricket

Indian Origin Players, Indian Olympic Dream and Cricket

2008-08-08T18:40:00.011+05:30

Its Olympics time again, and the regular hues and cries about India’s performance in Olympics.

Hockey is the only sport, in which India has done well in Olympics. It has won 8 gold medals (including 6 in a row), 1 Silver and 2 Bronze medals in this event. Unfortunately India has not qualified for this year’s event.

Other than Hockey, India has not done well in other events of Olympics. However there are certain events like Cricket’s T20 or Chess, which has good players from India. If these events are made regular events in Olympics, am sure India will do better in these events. (Read watch out FIFA…ICC gonna dent your profit margin).

Now coming to worst performances by Indians in Olympics, I see lots of people blaming the corrupt system for such worst performances. But we should also note that even India’s south Asian neighbours (also countries in Asia pacific region) have not done well in Olympics. Thus we can’t blame the system alone for this failure. The possible blame game can be the genetic factors** / body features, than the corrupt system.

If the Indian system has to be blamed for poor performance, then atleast the 3rd generation Indians in South Africa, Malaysia, Singapore (where they are in sizable number) or those from American continent and European continent should have done well for their adopted country. Rather there are only a handful PIOs (People of Indian Origin) who have won medals for their adopted country, like Alexi Grewal (cyclist) and Mohini Bhardwaj (gymnastics).

However in Hockey there are good no. of PIOs who have played well in Olympics. In fact though India is not represented in this year’s hockey event, there are sizable no. of PIOs in 2008 Olympics. PIOs like Sukhwinder Singh, Ravi Kahlon, Ranjeev Deol, Bindi Singh Kullar, Ken Pereira and Wayne Fernandes will represent Canada’s Olympic hockey squad.

Hence let us not blame Cricket or the system for the below par performance in other games. Let us build on our strengths and start extending maximum help to other events. In this process, we will continue to taste success in those events where we are strong (like Cricket, Chess & Hockey) and may taste success in other events too.

People are taken to certain sports naturally – like Football in Latin America, TT in China/Japan/Korea belt, Badminton in Asia Pacific belt and Cricket in South Asia. We play or watch games, because we derive happiness out of it. If a particular game provides that, support it rather than criticizing it and forcing it to die. Use that game’s commercial advantage to supplement other event's growth, and not at the cost of other.

Wishing India all the best in Beijing Olympics 2008.

**genetic factors (taken from net)

- Slow twitch muscles are good for endurance sports. Kenyans are born with a high number of slow twitch fibres. No doubt East (as well as North) Africans dominate the longer distances.

- 100 to 400 meters records are mostly held by athletes of West African ancestry. Athletes of West African ancestry hold 97 percent of top sprint times, including 494 of the top 500 100-meter times.

- Whites have upper-body strength, which contributes to their domination of weightlifting, field events such as the shot put and hammer (whites hold 46 of the top 50 throws), and the offensive line in football.

- Where flexibility is key, East Asians shine, such as in diving and some skating and gymnastic events

previous post >>> Homosexuals and Adoption

Homosexuals and Adoption

2008-07-01T19:54:00.008+05:30

As mentioned earlier, given an option I would neither condone nor aggressively oppose same sex marriages for the reasons cited below:

1. They are against law of nature
2. Their adopted children may grow in a state of confusion / identity crisis
3. “Consenting Adults” as an operative word could be misused for future parent-child (grown up child is an adult too) or any other abnormal sexual relationships too.

The last point may sound a bit exaggerated, but when i look at certain happenings around the world, am quite convinced that such developments too can happen, if we continue to approve such digressions. One best example here is North American Man-Boy Love Association (NAMBLA). As same sex relationships are given a base now, similar groups like NAMBLA will cry for recognition in future.

Now comes the question of adoption by Homosexual couples. I don’t want to question here the good intention of providing a better life to deserving children, but that of the basic conceptual flaw. When they don’t subscribe to the natural way of procreation, why do they need children? If they really feel like helping the children, they can very well donate the amount to the orphanages.

Now the important reason which prompted me to write a post on adoption by homosexuals. Recently I read a news report about 2 boys who (for financial gains) duped others posing as transgender. Like wise pedeophiles may act as same sex couples, adopt children and abuse them.

Hence (as per me), natural parental guidance (ie heterosexual parents) is the best option for a child.

Previous post >>> Father of 1000 children

Father of 1000 children ?

2008-06-18T21:41:00.005+05:30

As mentioned earlier, marriage as an institution has lost its value in this individualistic society and may see its natural death one day.

Alternative sexual habits, sedentary life style, sexual dysfunction, increasing number of single mothers and sexual violence against women are among few reasons to have contributed to growth of donor children.

Usually sperm donors prefer to stay anonymous. However the issue is, if a certain sample is popular, there is a possibility of more women opting for that sperm sample. Will it lead to one person becoming biological father to 1000 children?

Though 1000 is a bit exaggerated, there is a possibility for good number of children having the same biological father in a locality. There comes the problem. If they start romancing without knowing that they are half-siblings, they may end up producing children with medical problems...

Here comes the need for revealing the identity of the donor at the beginning itself, so that half-siblings or even parent-child romance does not happen later. However, the donor should be given legal immunity wrt any future financial assistance, if they opt so.

Is setback really a setback?

2008-05-22T21:57:00.006+05:30

What constitutes/define setback or bad happening?

We neither know our past (before birth) nor our future (after death). Birth to death is a process. During this process we arrive here with a zero and leave this place without anything. In that case, is it not being natural (ie remaining zero) advantageous?

Apropos, isn't a loss mean being taken back to original, forcefully by nature? Considering the fact that we leave this world without anything, natural deletion of an unnatural addition looks like a genuine process too !!!

Hence my dear friends, when there is a setback, don’t worry…because it looks more natural and genuine too. However that doesn’t mean you remain a pauper ever, because dynamism drives us.

Smile at small things in life. Don’t worry when there is a setback in life, because it could be a natural process as mentioned above. Be dynamic and be happy always. Life is journey. Face it…

previous post >>> Justify Facism ?!

Justify Fascism ?!

2008-05-03T16:01:00.006+05:30

Gujarat riots 2002, is one among the crudest form of State Terrorism. A look at the following picture taken during that riots will speak volumes…

The reason(s), which prompted me to revisit this issue:
1. The guilty is not punished yet

2. A section of people who supports such a fascist government, under development plank.

Regarding point no.1, though am not happy at the pace at which the Gujarat trials are on, atleast am happy that the process is still on. However the reason for mentioning it as point no.1 - justice delayed is justice denied too.

Now the second one: Yes, it’s true that Gujarat is developing fast under Narendra Modi. However should that be used to insulate him and his government against this state sponsored terrorism?

Remember, all these developments have a common base called ‘human beings’. It is to fulfill the likes and dislikes of this base; such developments take place. When that common base is itself a target for destruction (that too by its protector), the development plank loses its meaning. The role that has been entrusted on a government is to protect its citizens, under any circumstance. When that gets diluted, the basic objective is defeated and the government ceases to exist. Such state sponsored terrorism will pave way for more fascist ideologies to spread, which ultimately destroys the basic foundation around which all these developments happen – ie human beings.

Hence dear friends, do support those developments, which help in the advancement of human beings. But please denounce those, which are basically fascist in nature and bane to the society in the long run.

previous post >>> Individuals as Nations

Individuals as Nations

2008-04-08T21:38:00.012+05:30

CCCP – this was one acronym, which was discussed with passion during my school days. Probably because Indo-USSR relations was great then, which helped the students of India to know more about Soviet culture and their technological advancements thru subsidized books on technology & culture, sold by Soviet Cultural centers. Then came the Perestroika of Mikhail Gorbachev, Boris Yeltsin and the dissolution of USSR in 1991. I thought then, is this the beginning of fall of nations…

However I had hopes because only the previous year Bonn & Berlin came together. But the subsequent events gave a different picture. The dissolution of countries like Czechoslovakia in 1992 and Yugoslavia (which started in 1991) into many smaller countries, with the final casualty being Kosovo.

Though the formation of EU is a welcome sign, the happenings around the world give a different picture. Tolerance level towards other culture and helping mentality is hitting record lows these days. The recent one being the show of strength by two Indian states Tamilnadu & Karnataka for sharing of ‘Drinking Water’. If this trend continues, tomorrow even smaller ethnic regions (districts) will fight against each other and finally every individual will end up as a separate nation!

This is possible considering the current/future technological developments like IPv6 or its higher versions, which will ensure the platform for every individual to act independently. Also humans in pursuit of newer things may explore the possibility of an individual based networked world as mentioned in my novice sci-fi series.

Whether these developments happen or not, the current trend of disintegration of countries is not a welcome trend, because unity is strength. China & India are developing as bigger economies because the size of the population and its combined output and consumption matters. If disintegration happens, such an economy may loose out on the economics of scale. Let better sense prevail…

Related reading: Death of Nations & World War III

Can incentives eliminate corruption?

2008-03-24T20:58:00.009+05:30

Corruption in government sector is on the rise. This has a cascading effect, which is not good in the long run.

Number of honest people in the government system is going down day by day. One main reason could be the salary levels (official) for government servants (including politicians). No honest person can survive in this inflationary market, unless he bends his approach. This is one main reason, which prompts honest people to turn to high paying private jobs than government jobs. This has given free hand to filthy politicians and corrupt bureaucrats, to spoil the whole system.

Under this circumstance, can the private sector type variable pay model and incentive model do wonders in minimizing corruption if not totally eliminating it. First we have to identify those roles, which are developmental oriented. Increase their salaries on par with private or even more and introduce incentive scheme and variable pay too. This will attract the best talent to government sector (including politics).

Incentive programs should be structured/devised in a way to induce the govt. servants to give out their best performance. For example, in infrastructure projects a percentage of the project cost should be demarcated for incentive. This incentive can be given to the key contributors in the project (including the minister), if it is completed before time/in time with minimum cost and maximum quality. If there is an over-run, then the demarcated money shall be carried forward. In police dept. such incentives can be given to those under whose jurisdiction the crime rates are the minimum.

Such an incentive based dynamic system will attract the best of the talent and will make them to remain honest too, because they earn/get their essentials (ie monetary benefits) through rightful means.

Related reading: Can IT spread, minimise corruption?

Bible – needs revision?

2008-02-28T21:12:00.011+05:30

Though I don’t accept Bible as a holy scripture, I feel the time has come for its revision atleast…

When we write against incest relationships in discussion forums, they (those who like/support incest relationship) immediately give reference of incest relationships in Bible.

As per them, population increased, because the first family (Adam, Eve and their children) practiced incest. Why should Bible condone such incident and set precedent. There are also other references of incest like Noah family and Lot.

Its true that we don’t have a rosy picture of our sexual past, but the collective wisdom of generations be commended for creating a social order. When we look at the mushrooming of incest & other abnormal sexual groups in the social networking space, it’s alarming. The incest lovers take an easy escape route, pointing out the incidents quoted in the religious books.

Thus, as mentioned earlier, religion and its scriptures look more sinister than divine. As we move forward towards humanism/atheism, we need to discard or revise those, which are impediments, like the Bible.

Related Reading: Abnormal Sexual Behaviour

Forced Change – towards abnormal behaviour !!

2008-02-13T22:04:00.010+05:30

This is in continuation to one of my previous post on outside influence (forced) towards abnormal social change. I’ve no issues if these forced changes are for betterment. Unfortunately it is not so. Recently I came across an online poll “who’s the sexiest celebrity mom” in rediff.com:

Such polls give an opportunity to the opportunistic lot to exploit the fickle mind, which is already at its damaging low. I was browsing through few responses and some of them were shocking. There was one reader who wrote a sick comment (fortunately it was reported abuse and blocked) about mother and there were few equally sinister replies for the same. The screen shot of the same is given below:

When the social networking sites are already flooded with incest groups, is it not the responsibility of media to curb its spread than being a catalyst for forced social change (bad). Historical facts (and the behaviour of animal kingdom) may not give a rosy picture of our sexual past, but the collective wisdom of generations be commended for creating a social order. Parent-Child relationship is something, which can’t be taken to cheap levels for gaining publicity. There may be few aberrations, which can be discarded than highlighted.

Such polls, which prompt the human mind to assess a mother on sexual parameters, should not be encouraged. They (celebrity or otherwise) deserve a better treatment.

Related reading: CHANGE – Where are we heading?

Listed Brothels in Fortune 500 List ?

2008-01-13T18:58:00.002+05:30

This is in continuation to my previous post Live-Sex SBU.

I came across the following information at ‘actionaidindia’ site: “In Punjab among the upper caste Jat Sikh community just 500 girls were found for every 1000 boys in rural areas. In urban Punjab among Brahmins the ratio is a shocking 300”.

This sex ratio is quite shocking. If this trend continues, the dwindling female population would lead to social issues. In search of a partner, men may go overboard. Would that lead to approval of more listed brothels like the first listed brothel – Daily Planet.

My analysis is not only from the point of worsening sex-ratio, but also the increasing ratio of lesbians and female sex abuse (increase in number of cases reported for rape, molestation, online frauds). There are also chances that single women may prefer to have male baby, considering the female child sex abuses. This may further dent the sex ratio and strengthen organised brothels. If that happens more brothels may go public and get listed. Who knows (in future) few of them may also get a chance to get listed in the Fortune 500 List due to robust business/growth.

Considering online frauds, may be we will also come across more such boards (see below) in future !!!

Live-Sex SBU

2007-12-30T18:33:00.004+05:30

This is in continuation to my previous post on future businesses & Pregnancy Process Outsourcing.

In that post I had written about the various SBUs based on people’s changing preference to marriage & sexual life. One more addition to the previous listed SBUs would be ‘Live Sex SBU’.

Considering the slow acceptance of same sex marriages, I wrote sometime back, in future people would also start accepting live-sex acts. Posted picture is from a site, which promote one such event as 'College Fuck Fest'. (warning: explicit pics are there in their site).

My apprehension has come true. At this pace, I really don’t know where we will end up? CHANGE – Where are we heading?

Related reading: Abnormal Sexual Behaviour

Wishing you all a Happy & Prosperous New Year 2008.

next >> listed brothels in fortune 500 list

Pregnancy Process Outsourcing

2007-12-24T20:38:00.004+05:30

I wrote about this a month back in another forum. I wanted to post it simultaneously here, which I could not due to stiff neck problem and an extended break from online activities.

Change - Where are we heading?

I accept, "change is inevitable". But the following news (refer Guardian - How to split up: Vienna hosts world's first divorce fair) gives me an impression that for business sake, people will go to any extent to bring change by force !!!

"Detectives will explain the benefits of spying on your partner while experts in DNA will be present to talk about paternity tests"

"Almost every second marriage fails in Austria, and in Vienna, it is as many as two out of three marriages"

I had doubts about future of marriage and wrote about it few years back. Then my apprehension was from individual perspective. Now after reading the above news, i can confidently suggest VCs and companies to get into this vertical for business sake. They can have separate SBUs like Love SBU, Love-Making SBU, Unwanted Pregnancy SBU, Marriage SBU, Divorce SBU, Single Parent SBU, Re-union SBU, Remarriage SBU, Old Age SBU, et al.

What all new businesses are we going to see in the days to come?

One, which came to my mind was, Pregnancy Process Outsourcing (PPO). PPO will be a profitable business in future. Considering the ageing population in the west and almost nil or negative population growth in few European countries, people may opt for the easy way out to keep the economy running.

Change - Where are we heading?

Languages

2007-11-03T12:40:00.005+05:30

Any language, (if not documented) would still be evolving because of the dynamic nature of humans. Humans graduated from sign language to sound-oriented language to the modern documented form of language. During the time of Kings, few wise men understood the opportunity in documenting and developing the languages. They made money by praising the Kings and the influential, using their language skills. It was considered a vocation then.

However fortunately the dynamic human mind never stopped working. It has come of age. Language is now only a medium for him. In this computer age, he has different fields to make money. His priorities keep changing. Explore and simplify are among his important priorities. He ignores anything, which is not keeping pace with him. He loves change and dynamism. Those who are not able to cope-up with this dynamism, lose in the long run. Language is one. Few languages are adamant / averse to change. Either they will be forced to change or will see a natural death. Hinglish (Hindi & English) words getting into dictionaries is a step in this direction.

Remember this is not the age of kings & poets, but of space age. Simplify, simplify and simplify …

Elder Abuse

2007-09-27T10:27:00.001+05:30

We make them smile at different stages of life...

love their innocence

pamper them

educate them

love them

adore them

and finally neglect them !!!

The older, frail, and vulnerable section of this society deserves a better treatment... STOP ELDER ABUSE.

Football vs. T20 Cricket

2007-09-25T21:47:00.004+05:30

Watch out, FIFA… ICC is gonna dent your profit margin in the days to come.

24th September 2007 was a special day for Cricket enthusiasts in particular and Sports Entertainment in general. It was on this day the inaugural 20-20 (T20) Cricket World Cup Final was played. India vs. Pakistan. Oh what a match. An edge-of-the-seat thriller. After so many twists & turns, India heaved a sigh of relief in the final over. They won the match by 5 runs.

Though the final is over, the real game (commercial) will start from here. Anyone who watched the Australia-India SF and the India-Pakistan final will confidently say that this form of cricket (T20) is here to stay and also gonna dominate the world sports arena.

Though Test Cricket is and will be the purest form of cricket, the format was a turn off from the entertainment angle. Its 5-days format and slow scoring rate did not attract the youth much. Today’s youth prefer more of dynamism and entertainment. Thus when one-day cricket was introduced, there was a kind of momentum building up around Cricket. A game, which was once played only in British colonies, started spreading its wings. Commercial world also started supporting one-day cricket in a big way. Then came the T20 cricket format and the first T20 World Cup. A phenomenon is born. Am sure T20 will be a hit (both commercial & entertainment value) in the days to come. It will develop as the most preferred form of cricket in future.

Now the Football - T20 analysis:
- increased entertainment value (every ball)
- less time (almost equivalent to football)
- more number of matches (ie more number of teams can participate)
- commercial slot between every over (which is not there in football)
- not much of on-field fights and fouls (gentleman game)
- even women feel comfortable watching & playing cricket (more audience for advertisers)

Few of the above points, shows that T20 cricket almost equals football in value terms and in some areas like advertisement, exceeds football. When advertisers get a chance to reach general public often, obviously they will prefer T20 to football. Accordingly more money will flow into T20 format and one fine day T20 will be almost on par with Football in reach and commercial value.

However one advantage that football will always have over T20 is its simple rules and almost nil operational expense (ie playing equipment) for the starters. However that may also get discounted over a period of time, with the flow of advertisement money to every nook and corner to promote T20 cricket in schools and villages. Though football is an easy, less expensive and most popular game; the day is not far when T20 will catch up with it.

Watch out FIFA, ICC shares are on the rise…

previous >> Is this universe an illusion

Is this universe an Illusion?

2007-09-21T21:47:00.003+05:30

Theists believe God created humans.

Atheists would ask “who CREATED god?”

Millions of years have passed and there is no concrete info about God or his impending arrival. We neither know why we are born nor what we will be after death. Still for millions of years, many have gone through this unknown process (birth/death) too.

What exactly is this birth and death for? As mentioned in my first blog post here, “(if god created humans) whether there was a REAL NEED to create human beings?”. What really happened to those who are dead in these million years? How many of them are dead? Are they (dead) really not concerned about what is happening on earth even after experiencing it? Or is the ID creator insane and also very much egoistic to listen to the dead messengers? What prevents him from establishing an ideal world? Why is he not interested to visit this world often and correct the deviants? Why is he waiting for long? Why can’t the billions of dead atleast come back once and say what actually is life? Is this universe a playground? Is this world an Illusion? Too many senseless questions… LOL

Got scared. Be Cool, bcos atleast one process is relatively known to us. ie the period between our birth and death. Let us make the most of it. Go and have some beer and enjoy this beautiful world.

Give scientists a chance

2007-09-18T21:51:00.002+05:30

For long religion in one form or other has tried to justify the existence of god. However it has failed miserably.

One hot topic, which sent shivers down the spine during school days, was the impending end of world and return of god by the end of century. That never happened. We have since then moved to different levels (like theists, atheists, agnostics, etc). I prefer to call myself an atheist now, because as mentioned in my first post here, I doubt the basic INTENTION. Even if this so called God returns in future, I won’t value him as god, because the intention was not right. For this reason I feel comfortable being identified as an atheist than an agnostic.

Now that for many years we followed religion and still not able to see god in flesh and blood, isn’t it time for us to follow and support the scientific community in its endeavor to find the source of universe? Science in its shorter span was able to give more concrete evidences and possibilities, than religion. As religion has been static in identifying the real source of life, I back the dynamic science to forge further in this endeavor and unravel the mystery surrounding us. (If not me, atleast the future generation shall benefit)

Till then (for me), neither i know the purpose of my birth nor i know what i will be after my death. As long as am alive, let my intentions be pure...

Future

2007-09-13T18:23:00.001+05:30

One of my 2005 post (definition – evolution) goes like this:

“The way intersectional ideas evolve and being pursued for implementation, we can imagine a different world tomorrow. A human being may travel from Chennai to Chicago without any artificial travel support. He may run faster than Cheetah to replace a motor vehicle. Have endurance like a Camel to travel long without being exhausted. Fly like an intercontinental Siberian Crane to cross water bodies and mountains. If human is supposed to be a byproduct of a single cell, then in future he will even grow wings and fly. The fusion of genes will be more complex and advanced, that he will use his different abilities/skills in an intelligent way without getting exhausted.”

When I see the kind of advancement happening around in the intersectional space, feel some of my crude fantasies may come true. Bionic instruments, nanotechnology, gene studies, cloning and few more give room for my mind to travel to the bizarre world.

The way technological advancements happen, tomorrow’s human may not rely on FMCG products, food, et al (check my sci-fi 3007 AD). Rather he may use advanced intersectional applications and will be on a self-supporting mode. Earthly delights may not interest him then. His focus will be more on exploring the outer world.

During this process, China and India will play a major role in the economic space.

China with its cheap labour and expertise in the electronics space will churn out the much-needed chips and electronics.

India with its IT expertise, will create solutions for these intersectional applications.

And those economies, which thrive only on agricultural produce, may see their economy shrink (bcos genetically modified human may stay away from food for long). And as usual our religious-businessmen (priests) continue to give hope to the innocent minority that god is few light years away and his shuttle may land on earth anytime.

Life

2007-09-03T19:04:00.001+05:30

Life gives us moments like:

Dynamic (running fan)
Static (dead fan)
Closed (window)
Bright (light rays)
Shadow
Black & White
et al…

However in totality, it is a colourful world as demonstrated in the following pic…

Hence, go out and demonstrate your love for this wonderful world…

Like this boy !!! LOL

Just on the lighter side

2007-09-01T20:34:00.002+05:30

Saw this pic when I was browsing the net for pics, to post in the previous post on abnormal sexual behaviour. Though I didn’t use it there, this pic came to mind after I read the following news. I laughed for some time…

(Ancient Greek sodomising a goat, plate XVII from 'De Figuris Veneris' by F.K. Forberg)

This goat loves a tipple, meat!
(courtesy: ET)

If you think goats are vegetarian, you haven’t yet met Mantu – a male goat that eats meat and drinks liquor. The two-and-a-half-year-old goat lives at the Sana Bada Dhaba, a roadside eatery in Bargarh (Orissa). “The animal has been living in the dhaba since its birth and slowly developed the habit of eating NV food”, said dhaba owner Sana Naik. Mantu does not like grass. “The goat eats the cooked meat of other goats that we serve to customers”, he said. The goat also drinks liquor. It obeys commands. “If you ask it to perform a death scene, it will lie on the ground as if dead. You ask it to show a fight scene, it will demonstrate like a warrior”, he said.

The goat amuses customers and they share their food with it. “The goat is the main attraction of the eatery”, said Satya Mohanty, a frequent visitor. “Some goats that live with humans for a long time develop habits like humans”, said Subhendru Sudha Sarangi, a veterinary doctor.

Abnormal Sexual Behaviour

2007-08-27T18:31:00.002+05:30

This is in continuation to my post on Sexual Orientation:

Now more and more people & countries have started accepting same sex marriage. We are at a stage where we are ready/forced to accept WHATEVER that achieves critical mass (in pursuit of short-term gains). If this trend continues, we may reach a stage where few may even justify marriage between human & animals and finally a stage where it will be free for all. This is what I have highlighted in one of my post (future of marriage) as Evolution re-visited !!!

Now you may ask, why such a reaction when it may not happen and the possible solutions (to stop this from happening). In this age of 'short-term benefits approach', only when the extreme possible after-effects are highlighted, people tend to take notice of the inherent/impending problem.

As far the solutions:

# Teach students from the school level about the possible negative effects of same sex relationships.
# Conduct psychoanalysis of students every year, identify the deviations and apply appropriate scientific interventions to correct abnormal sexual behaviour
# Include topics in moral classes that stress the importance for straight relationships.

Some of you may feel, same sex relationship is a natural phenomenon, because even animals are seen exhibiting this behaviour. Kindly note, that these are one-off cases. If you take a country, a small percentage of the population will be into criminal activities. If you take example of them and follow their way, then i feel humans should not claim to have the (perceived) sixth sense. It would be better to correct the criminals and take them to the mainstream, than to follow their footsteps.

Still not convinced, then i can't help. May be this world will go thru this process too (though a dubious one for me) and reach a saturation point in same sex relationships. May be when those people are tired of same sex or abnormal sexual relationships and when the human race is at the verge of extinction, the old approach (ie the present one) may get a new lease of life. So is it going to be cyclical process ???

I wish the mystery surrounding this universe, no longer remain a mystery. Scientists say this earth is few million years old. For few religious businessmen, god is preparing his launch vehicle and may land anytime. For me, neither i know the purpose of my birth nor i know what i will be after my death. As long as am alive, let my intentions be pure...

Whistle Blower Act

2007-08-17T21:02:00.003+05:30

Feel Media can play this role better than individuals.

My suggestions are:

- Announce prize money/award for media (to expose corruption) - like the current hidden camera style sting operations.

- If the media company is itself involved in corruption (in collusion with the corrupt), then take back the prize for the first offence (or warn them if they have not been awarded till then) and cancel the license if it happens again.

- Media companies shall have a section in their website where Whistle Blower can leave details about corruption. Upon receipt of the details, they can conduct independent enquiry/sting operation and expose that corrupt practice and file the report with either High Court or Supreme Court for examination and award/sanction of prize money.

- Once the details are entered in the web site, a copy of the same should be sent as an acknowledgement to the Whistle Blower’s email address. If the media fails to act on that even after a specified period (say 3 months), the Whistle Blower can forward that acknowledgement to one designated email address, where it gets replicated and forwarded (automated process) to a group of authorities (like Chief Justice of High Court & Governor of the state).

The advantage here is, the Whistle Blower may register the corruption related details with more than one Media Company. Hence there is a chance that the final report could turn out to be a comprehensive one with views from different agencies/angles. If more than one agency files the report, prize money can be proportionately distributed.

next >> Abnormal Sexual Behaviour

Making of a dubious startup

2007-08-08T21:22:00.001+05:30

Create a social networking site. Announce a Blogging Contest, which has no rules and regulation. Engage some cronies, sycophants & monkeys. Teach them A B C D and inform them to type the same and publish them as blogs. Select those A B C D ‘blogs’ as the best ones and award Prizes & incentives to them. Monkeys are happy with peanuts and continue typing A B C D. Tie-up with few online networks and put in place the necessary marketing program. More monkeys join the race and the fun continues.

Unfortunately few genuine bloggers too join the race and start complaining about the quality & spamming. Ignore those suggestions, but it is time to create a false concern too. Create few blogs and take them to the top as usual using the ABCD method. Now more voices will be heard against such blogs. Cool. This is what you want. Delete those blogs created for this purpose and proclaim that action has been taken. Need to mention the credits. lol.

The site now gets the momentum and rapidly moves upwards the ranking charts. Records are created every second in terms of number of posts. Those who post (rather paste) 4000+ in 2 days become the hero. 10000+ posts per month will alone guarantee a creditable finish. However the page views start coming down, due to lack of quality. It is time to act (rather react), though false. Inform the cronies to raise the quality issue periodically, create a debate atmosphere and thus create false traffic. Award more points for CP comments, announce that the contest is over and few more gimmicks that would create temporary false traffic. However such acts too fizz out over a period of time and the effect shows at ranking charts. Downward movement starts.

All along you laugh your way to the taxman office. You can inflate your marketing, operations, administrative, and other expenditures and get the maximum rebate for the current and the parent organisation.

Unfortunately a wrong trend is set. The monkeys get conditioned to the ABCD work and start clogging other networks too. A phenomenon is born and who takes credit (!) for creating such a useless phenomenon.

If this useless phenomenon succeeds, I would like to write a book on the same. The title would read as “Making of a Dubious Startup” and its cover page would look like the one given below:

Read "CP contests and Productivity" too

ECR

2007-08-06T20:59:00.001+05:30

Weekends are a welcome break these days. Hectic schedule drains out us fast, we need these weekends to get rejuvenated. East Coast Road (ECR) in Chennai is among the most frequented one by weekenders. This stretch has space for people from all walks of life.

Based on your budget, you can either enjoy a comfy weekend at a star Resort or carry few beer bottles and have it by seaside. Kovalam, Mahabalipuram and Pondicherry are among the important tourist spots in this stretch.

If you have lots of money (land is too costly here), buy a piece of land at this stretch and start a resort or even a franchisee of any burger chain. The pace at which this place expands, am sure you will never repent about your ROI.

PS: These snaps are of one such resort. (not very good pics as they were taken using my hp)

Take a Leak...

2007-08-02T20:58:00.001+05:30

Many of us love beer and more often look for a place (if it is not at a pub) to leak after having 2-3 bottles. After 2 bottles, most of us will be decent. Either we look for the toilet or atleast a secluded place (when we are having it in open/exotic location).

However the problem is we won't stop with 2 bottles. We may finish few more bottles and the fun starts from there. Thereafter, no inhibitions/reservations and we start behaving the way nature does(!). It could be right at the center of a busy road (in night there wont be traffic and people) or sea or create a temporary waterfall from over bridge or what not. Have seen this behaviour across all levels of people from corporate. It is a real fun !!!

However my dear friends, BEWARE !!! This is the age of small digital zoom cameras and tomorrow your pic may also land at world wide web as the one given below:

This advancement in technology takes away fun from life !!! LOL.

New Format

2007-07-26T10:56:00.002+05:30

A crap idea came my way. It is being shared here for your feedback. For a change read the following from the last line (left to right. start from "Visited...topic", 2nd line: "It...lines", 3rd line: "Hence...", last line: "us in the long run")

us in the long run.
icult in the beginning, but I feel in this age of emails, it would help
om one (ie the typed lines should move down). We may find it diff-
one) goes automatically to the top line (when typing) than the bott-
products change the set up, wherein the continuity cursor (blinking
in one direction. I wish Microsoft (for its outlook atleast) and similar
It was then I thought of this format, so that the cursor movement is
which was irritating. We face this problem while reading emails too.
Hence I had to constantly move the cursor ‘up-down-up-down’,
It was a long thread (50+ replies) with few replies having 15+ lines.
Visited an egroup after long time. There was an interesting topic.

You feel like kicking me? Good I didn’t share this in person…

Sex Education

2007-07-24T11:13:00.002+05:30

Though the controversy still remains, whether sex education in schools abets teen-age sex, it is a known fact that it helps safe sex. Considering the ill effects of teen-age pregnancy or the sexually transmitted diseases (especially AIDS), it is better to teach school children sex education the formal way.

However in culturally sensitive markets, this has to be handled properly. The traditional school of thought would always oppose this move in such geographies. They need to understand certain changing dynamics too. Information explosion gives a certain opportunity to these children to access information. Any amount of restrictive practice is not going to help the hardliners in this internet and television age (children come home early when both parents are away for work and have enough time to browse the channels and internet).

However the point here is whether they get the right information. In a remote place in mid 80’s, we (school students) had access to pornography material. However if I compare the information got through those sources then with the facts now, most of them were wrong. This is where the need for formal education is felt. However we need to take into consideration the prevailing culture in that geography before implementing such formal program.

Few points which came to my mind are:
1. Make use of IT extensively
2. Education dept can develop CBT material (CD) and supply the same to the schools
3. Separate CDs (content) for different classes
4. The place where computer (with headphone) is kept should have some privacy, so that the students can browse through the content with ease.
5. A website can be created by the education dept which can also have interactive features. The trained support staff of the site can give online guidance to student’s doubts. Few of those can be incorporated into the FAQ section (continuous basis) and also in the revised CDs.

There are few advantages with this system:
1. Usually sex education class (in school) can’t be interactive if it is co-ed. If the teacher is of opposite gender, they may avoid few areas. CBT won’t have such issues.
2. CBT type training can incorporate content specific graphics, which the teachers prefer to skip.
3. Interactive website can give more feedback to educationists to develop the curriculum on continuous basis.

previous >> Sexual Opportunism

Sexual Opportunism

2007-07-19T17:58:00.001+05:30

Sexual torture against women in offices is a well known fact. Few may have also come across cases where subordinates accede to the advances of their superiors to get some favour within and outside office.

I have a question here. We know more and more women are climbing up the corporate ladder now and they have subordinates too. Have you come across cases where subordinates of women are subjected to sexual torture (at office)? If it is not happening, do you foresee it happening in the future? If that happens, will men make use of that opportunity or revolt (as few women do now)?

Beer in Office

2007-07-17T15:42:00.001+05:30

Recently there was a discussion in a forum about having beer in office. There were supporting and opposing arguments.

One among the supporting argument was: rather than leaving office early to have beer, employees can have it at office and continue their work. For them, ultimately the organisation is benefited (productivity angle). One remarked, “look at the end and not the means”.

We should know when and where the end (alone) matters. If two colleagues wanna spend some intimate time, can they continue at their cubicle and get back to work, complete the project and take home productivity bonus ???

Am not game for this, because employees will have 2 cans (restriction) at office and few more from a nearby pub. Unfortunately on their way home, if they are involved in an accident or misbehaves, then the blame will be on the organisation.

I love the bubbly, but prefer to have it at a pub / exotic locations. Feel like having one now? Take a walk to the nearby pub (not at office pls) and Enjoy.

Born Terrorist

2007-07-04T11:41:00.003+05:30

As per recent reports, even highly educated are now turning to terrorism. More disturbing is that this orientation to terrorism, is more seen among a particular community. WHY?

In few cases, the family members and neighbours were ignorant of the activities of these people. Were they brainwashed to that extent to ignore the sentiments of their near and dear? What would be the repercussions?

A community, which is already being looked at with suspicion, may face more probing eyes. This society, which is so cruel in its approach, would start questioning/probing each and every approach of people from that community. Till date a good educated neighbour, would also fall in line of probe.

Will it not further alienate this community from the mainstream? I have come across few managers who prefer not to recruit candidates from this community. I feel such approach would turn counter productive in the long run. Idle mind would be lured by DEVILS around. Then it will be a disaster for the society as a whole. Let us not allow this to happen. Give every human being on this earth an opportunity to contribute towards human betterment.

Request youth from this community (as well as other communities) not to fall prey to ulterior designs of ‘religious businessmen’. For their betterment, innocent people are being fooled.

By nature we fight for what is wrong. Be brave enough to fight for what is wrong. But let the platform be real, and not imaginary !!! Fight for real cause, not for what is not there. Don’t fall prey for other’s ulterior designs.

Before I conclude, ask the clergy: “who CREATED god?”. The most probable answer would be, “you don’t have rights to question god”. Think on that and introspect. You will see a different world from tomorrow. No one is born as a terrorist...

Sexual Orientation

2007-06-22T13:54:00.002+05:30

One of my earlier (2005) posts on Definition: “Definition of Marriage in a dictionary is a legal union between a man and a woman. Today a marriage can be between same sexes (No slight intended). Tomorrow it could be between different species??? If such a scene becomes a reality, how do we define DEFINITION !!!”

Today same sex marriage is slowly being accepted across. WHY? Is it because of achieving critical mass?

MOST of us don't like; a father having sex with his daughter or a mother having sex with her son or a brother and sister into lovemaking or a man in 50s enjoying sex with a 9 yr old girl or a woman allowing her cat to lick her p***y or a man screwing his bitch (dog) on the road. In all the above cited examples, (as per those involved) the demonstration of love thru physical affection is by mutual consent (hence, it is justified !!!).

Recently one celebrity asked another: "How do you want to be remembered after death?". He said: "who cares". If you look deep into that answer, it has a deeper meaning. But there are certain areas; which needs practical application of mind than only theoretical.

Can we accept whatever that achieves critical mass? Theoretically yes. But what would be the after effects, if we go far beyond the refined culture?

I could sense a few – look at the increasing number of social networking groups (online), which promotes father-daughter, mother-son and brother-sister sexual relationships. Should I say, different species sex achieving critical mass and acceptance is far away. At this speed, it may happen soon…

Are we going in the right direction ???

The OTHER side of Business

2007-06-15T13:56:00.002+05:30

Many of us have heard about corruption in public service and have lived with it. Now we will start hearing about the same in private sector too (more often) in the days to come. Having seen how businesses are run and the transformation happening over the business space now, i can confidently say Enron was only a prelude...

HR for a change is now playing a catalyst role in this dubious transformation process. They should be happy because, all these days they were only silent spectators !!! Now they get a chance to play CHANGE AGENTS. lol.

Marketing gets a cut from agencies, Accounts from suppliers, HR from consultants and so on. Accepting gift has been part of culture for long. However DEMANDING a major share eats into service providers profit margin. This more often gets reflected in the quality of the product or the price. Over expectation has never been good.

Though performance linked pay has pushed people to be more productive, there is a fall out now. In order to get that bonus, managers inflate their performance and use all dubious means to project an artificial performance. When they fall short of organic growth, they resort to inflate the bills of customers and reach the target and get their short term benefit. They are also sensible(!) to do this for shorter duration and move out of the company faster.

Such Enron type processes are happening often these days and HR is now part of this change management process. HR is now more focussed about negotiating the highest cut than initiating a sensible culture building process. No doubt the attrition levels and salary inflation are on the higher side.

Should i blame greed or the materialistic leanings. Inflation though creates a short term artificial vibrancy; is not good in the long run. During crisis, the structure will collapse resisting all the support, like the dotcom bust.

Let us not create more Enrons...

Copy Paste (CP) Contests and Productivity

2007-05-26T21:16:00.001+05:30

Some of you are aware about the “Great Indian Blogger Hunt” (few call it Great Indian Copy-Paste Hunt), which is currently on at IBIBO.

Many have questioned ibibo’s approach in awarding points for plagiarism. Am not touching that topic here, but the effect of this approach in the long run.

Till now 3 rounds are over at ibibo and in all these rounds, mostly copy-paste (without interpretation) guys have got the maximum points and money. In all these rounds, ibibo has rewarded those who brought maximum traffic/activity, giving less importance to content quality. In the process, you will find in ibibo platform, people who have posted 10000 posts in 5 days and in its archive the maximum CP content.

Now the discussion points are:

“If ibibo comes out successful commercially retaining the current approach of rewarding the CP guys, what effect will it have on the internet space?”

- Will other online companies also sense an opportunity in this approach and change their marketing strategy and replicate ibibo’s model?
- If that happens, what would be the combined productivity loss?
- Amount of garbage (duplication) that would accumulate over the internet space?
- How many would get entangled in legal issues for plagiarism?
- Will that push many to do mostly unproductive work and thus curtail creativity and add few more to the unskilled category?
- The effect of continuous bullet postings (2000 posts per day) on health
- more such questions

I would rather prefer ibibo to change its strategy and come out successful as a quality player in the market. It may take some more time, but would be a steady growth to the top. Their platform is more interactive comparatively and can hold participants together, provided the approach is genuine.

By doing so it won’t open a Pandora’s box. I wish it happens…

To view my page at ibibo, click here

Toddy (micro) & Beer (macro) Economics

2007-05-12T13:57:00.006+05:30

Last weekend, for a change we (3 friends) decided to take the road less travelled !!! Otherwise it used to be some air-conditioned pub, where we gulp few bottles of beer / wine / rum. Married friends now prefer vodka, as it smells less and thus escape broomstick welcome. Seems wives hv to upgrade their sensory skills… Sometimes I feel they pretend as long as the danger zone is not reached.

Coming back, we packed our bags and travelled about 85 kilometers. It was too hot outside. The roads were empty - only few braved the heat. On our way, we pulled over at two places to refresh ourselves (nicotine content was less and needed to be replenished). Those two petty shops were doing robust business on soft drinks. They may be thanking the sun god and every person who braved heat.

Finally we reached the intended place. We saw one and our eyes popped out. We moved further inside and there were few more. Itz gonna be fun. We zeroed in on one and approached them. After verifying the essentials (including the prize), we settled at a place. No a/c, chairs or music. I looked around. Rows of palm tree, few thatched houses, cattle, hens, dogs, haystack, birds, cool breeze, few mats, et all…

Yes, it was a typical village. The mood is set. A sense of apprehension too, as we are going to have this after a huge gap (years)… After few minutes, the guy brought the earthen pot and placed it in front of us along with 3 tumblers. I looked at it. Oh man, it looked awesome.

Yes, it was TODDY. See the froth. Yeah. The guy poured it in 3 tumblers and enquired about ‘side-dish’. We ordered for masala chicken and boiled egg (masala mixed). As soon as he left, we looked at each other. It showed in our eyes. No more waiting. And the clink - Cheers!

Oh man, you have to taste it to really sovour it. A compo of sweet and sour…heavenly.

Now my business mind started working. Looked around. There were atleast 15 guys enjoying that heavenly taste and around 15 waiting with plastic bottles and cans to take the fresh stock home. They want to enjoy this fresh, healthy & natural drink in their comfort zone. If this being the case, why govt. is against it? Variety of factors – IMFL & Beer manufacturers eye better profit, adulteration & few more.

By this time, we finished the first pot and ordered for the second. When he came, I enquired about the business. As per him, it is good during weekends – Rs.2000/day. Means on an average they earn about 35000/month plus the profit from ‘side-dish’. Considering the negligible operational cost (excluding the ‘cut’ to administrators), it is good earning for a villager. If given a chance, they have the potential to double the turnover. MICRO economics – we want villages to remain villages.

We completed the second pot too and ordered for another half. The guy looked at us with awe. He didn’t expect us to be drunkards, bcos we LOOKED decent. “Don’t judge anyone by their looks”. However we were cool and are having only palm JUICE. Itz been long time and made use of the occasion. Finally we wound-up at 4pm. When he charged Rs.135, I was pleasantly surprised. It would have cost me a min. of Rs.1500 at a pub. Now I understand, why the govt. is against this heavenly drink. It is MACRO economics!

We then took leave. The guy thanked us and also cleared his doubt – “is he an actor?” Yes, one in that group of 3 is a small time actor. The guy was happy and wished us a happy journey.

We travelled about 3 kms and spotted backwater. Itz time to relax. Parked the car and settled on the grass. We went there to smoke. Rather we decided to go crazy again. Yes, we plunged into water and had a good time. Water was warm and salty, but the feel was cool.

Spotted the following (jelly fish, oyster) and I used my mobile to catch them...

A plan of 15 minutes finally ended after 2 hours. (We sat at the bank till our innerwear became dry). Finally I reached home around 10.30pm. Oh what a day it was...

…and itz going to be lager beer days for few more weekends, till we plan for one crazier trip again.

previous >> who CREATED god?

Who CREATED god?

2007-05-04T20:51:00.003+05:30

I asked the priest: who CREATED god?

The priest was shocked and could not digest that question. He recuperated and asked: “Will you renounce atheism, if god appears in flesh and blood now?”

I said: “Yes – only after I get convincing answers for few of my questions and effect few changes on earth”.

He prayed and after few minutes, god was there. The priest apologized to god for requisitioning him to this EVIL world and explained the situation.

God said: “Okay my son, shoot your questions”

I asked him: “Who created you?”

God thought for a moment and said: “Well I’ll come back to that later”. Now tell me, if you are given a chance to effect a change in this world, “what will you opt for?”

I thought for a moment and answered:

“Fulfillment of INDIVIDUAL desires (one at a time) without affecting another individual. The process will be a world (without a savings account), where individual desires are fulfilled on continuous basis. If Tom or Dick or Harry need a palatial bungalow, they will get it immediately. If they need a cruise liner, they will get that the next moment. But the bungalow will vanish immediately. Thus the need is fulfilled immediately without giving room for greed/saving. After enjoying everything on earth; Tom, Dick & Harry may reach the self-actualization stage one day and opt for death…”

God thought about it for a moment and informed the priest to bring some water to sprinkle on me…

After some time I could feel the water being splashed on my face and a roar: “come on you dreamer, it is 8.30am and we have a client call today at 9.15am”.

previous >> 3007 AD

2880 AD... a near death

2007-04-28T21:58:00.001+05:30

Part V (to read previous chapters click here)

dS is on his way back. The shuttle will re-enter earth in 3 minutes. dS felt something unusual happening. His thought processes are going haywire. He is not able to concentrate. He could feel something unusual happening in his CTU server.

“B…S” – shouted dS. An attack on his CTU server. He recuperated and started thwarting the attempt. Group of ELs are on an all out attack. He somehow managed to shut all the intrusion points and quickly rebooted the server to 5th level, where no one can even dream of penetration. Simultaneously, he also got into the CTU of the attackers and analyzed their next intention. When he understood their next step, it was too late. The shuttle will blast in 5 seconds. dS immediately switched on the emergency protective cover around him. Before he could think of next step, it’s all over.

dS is now floating in space…alone. Fortunately he had stationed another one for emergency purpose at Mars. He sent the message for its release. Though ELs are not aware about this alternative vehicle, dS did not want to take any chance. He ensured that it emits signal, which are known only to him. It will take another 1 hour to reach. He started analyzing the weak points.

Yes. It should have started the previous night. dS felt comfortable then and had lowered the firewall setting to level-3, because at level-4 his approach will be more mechanical and that may not help him mingle with MLs. That opportunity was used by a group of opportunistic ELs. They had intruded into his server and would have come to know about dS’s plan for Earth on his return. That made them to take this drastic step. The moral – never take anyone lightly…

dS then started planning his next steps. Once that was over, his thoughts went back to Mars and the two days of his stay there. The kind of people he met and finally about the courtesan. What if she…??? A junior dS on Mars soil !!!

Before he could fantasize further, the alternative vehicle had come. Itz time to move on and prepare for an interesting war back home…

2880 AD…a rebirth

2007-04-26T17:28:00.001+05:30

Part IV (to read previous chapters click here)

April 2880 AD - dS was received by 6th generation MLs and then introduced to the 7th & 8th generation MLs. Representatives from different regions had come to meet dS. Wow what a great occasion it was for dS & MLs.

dS was then escorted to a cave situated at a beautiful mountain range. It was the community center for MLs from that region. Party time was announced for the night. Leaders from different regions presented the unadulterated progress that had happened in their region over the years. Population had increased, at the same time resources have been maintained too. The central as well as the regional ERP systems worked effectively to weed out any imbalances & keep pace with the expansion. GM technology was used judiciously. The result was zero-inflation economy.

The events that unfolded after the presentation were fun & frolic… Champagne, Red Wine & Draught Beer were the principal beverages for that night. dS & MLs enjoyed that night to the core. It was winding up time and dS been informed about the services of courtesan. It’s been long time… Oh man, that was one among the best nights for dS !!! Itz then dS felt, why the oldest profession in this universe is still active. Fortunately in Mars, courtesan service is reserved only for those who are single (ie after the natural death of their wife).

Night was calm; and the breeze was heavenly. Somewhere someone was imitating Kenneth Gorelick…and dS slipped into sleep zone.

A soft melody of a cuckoo woke him up in the morning. Smell of jasmine invited him outside. Wow, what a scene it was… cherries, dewdrops, mist and the cuckoo song. He lighted a cigar and started savouring the moment. A glance down and far gave him the glimpse of true nature. A cheetah at its best and an unfortunate deer subdued…nature at its best.

After breakfast, dS was taken around the county and shown its cultural leanings. Animals & plants were valued as part of the system. There were logs with smoke where MLs hang the meat on a wire and smoke all the day and use them for a week. Eat fruits off the tree. Rock art for artistic MLs, thru which they conveyed the custom, stories, song & dance of the region. There were rock shelters, stone tools & cemeteries. Fortunately there was no religion, because for every ML, the question “who created god” has been embedded into their brains.

dS also noticed snow, charming ladies, passionate lovemaking and pregnant women. They were good signs and gave a strong indication that MLs have an enriching life ahead… This self-reliance and purity in MLs gave confidence to dS to return back to earth.

In the mean time, he fell in love with Venus !!!

26.04.2880 – Night flight to Venus sorry Earth, because he has some unfinished work there…

next chapter

2259-2880 AD

2007-04-24T12:02:00.001+05:30

Part III (to read previous chapters click here)

2459 AD - 200 years have gone since the four IPBMs destroyed Mars…During this period the situation on Earth was worsening day after day. The mad rush for technology was taking its toll. dS felt that the time to act has come…

On the positive side, about 2% of the ELs approached dS to reset the development process to zero and take them back by 10000 years. However being a minority, their wish was voted down. dS had other plans for these 2%. He put them on ‘revive the mars’ project and they were christened as MLs.

The base stations at earth as well as the satellite pictures confirmed that the maximum temperature in mars has come down from plus 60 degree to plus 30 degrees. During this transition process, H2O bearing silicates have given way for formation of water bodies too. The CO2% had also surprisingly come down to 40% from 95%.

It was then decided to change the genetic/dna composition of MLs, so that they sustain in high CO2 environment too. After 3 months of trials on monkeys, it was tested on a ML who volunteered. The clinical trial went on for few more months and then successfully applied across (on all the MLs).

May 2460 AD – All the MLs blasted off from Kennedy Space Centre, Dombarovsky base, Kourou-French Guiana & Sriharikota in 50 GSLVs to Mars. It included representation from all the species; who volunteered to live an enriching life there without corrupting the basics. Upon reaching there MLs confirmed to dS about the safe landing and their distribution as small groups across Mars. dS felt happy…

420 years which followed that event; were among the worst phase on earth. Water bodies started shrinking. EL scientists worked more on bionic advancements and less dependence on nature, because the global warming started eroding the nature to the maximum. Most of the consumer goods lost its importance due to technological advancement. Genetically modified ELs could sustain without nourishment for months together. Food and liquid were modified in such a way that there was no wastage at all. This was done, as no one was interested to clean toilets & garbage. Those businesses which were only dependent on toilets had to shut down.

Airlines were a past. As people used more of telepathy, ELs slowly lost control over voice/sound. This, compounded by less dependence on food for sustenance, resulted in jaws getting jammed and no one cared about it too. It was bad news for dentists. As ELs preferred wings to commute, the lower part of the body slowly lost its strength and importance. ELs were not able to stand on their legs for more than 5 minutes. Footwear companies suffered the most due to this. Worst followed in many other consumer goods based industries. Unemployment rate was increasing day by day. Compound Annual Slowing Rate was getting worse and by 31.03.2880, 70% of ELs opted for Death and perished. The sectors, which still showed robust CAGR were the ones, which dealt with telepathy software/hardware and bionic component manufacturers.

During this downturn there was one song; which ruled the charts.
“He said son you are a bachelor boy
And thats the way to stay.
Son, you be a bachelor boy
until your dyin day…”

420 years of literal jail for dS on Earth and it is time for him to visit Mars/MLs and evaluate the progress there.

April 2880 AD – dS lands on Mars and a mass reception awaited him there…

next chapter

2259 AD

2007-04-19T16:44:00.001+05:30

Part-II (3007 AD-part I)

For 150 years since 2007, ELs enjoyed CD based life in Earth. As death was under their control, morality went for a toss. In 2157, a kind of dissatisfaction started setting in with the ELs and they approached donkeySOUP (dS) to explore options beyond earth. dS gave permission to explore Mars.

As earth had more water (oxygen), life was revolving around it. If that were the case, is there a possibility of other forms of life in Mars, which revolve around what is readily available there?

Subsequent year’s studies were based on this assumption. CO2, which was abundant in Mars, was dissected in various forms & forums and finally in 2257 it was found that life is very much available in Mars. However it was not in human form. The form was not visible to human eyes. A hyper sensor picked up the signals and a link was established with Martians.

2258 – A group of ELs blasted off to Mars. Negotiations with Martians to convert a part of Mars for ELs habitation failed and the group returned empty handed. ELs were agitated and demanded immediate action. dS was approached. dS was against any action and respected Martian way of life. However ELs were hell bound to retaliate. A referendum was called for.

After long time, the CTU server of dS will face heavy traffic. dS for obvious reason gave 107 seconds for decision making, hoping few would think and react. Unfortunately it was not so. Within 5 seconds, 92 percent had registered their vote for retaliation. At the end of 107 seconds, the voting percentage read as 97 percent in favour of retaliation, 1 percent against and 2 percent not registering their vote. dS gave permission to the representative decision making body to take a call on the type of action to be taken. They decided on destroying the life form on Mars !!!

March, 2259 – Preparation was on for the launch of IPBMs from 4 different locations. On 19.04.2259, 4 IPBMs blasted off from Kennedy Space Centre, Dombarovsky base, Kourou-French Guiana & Sriharikota. Mars’s average temperature was –63 degrees C and max was 20 degrees C. Hence the approach was to increase it to 60 degrees C and it succeeded. By Nov-2259, all hyper sensors installed at different base centres in earth confirmed the good news for ELs and obviously the bad one for dS… Extinction of native life form of Mars was confirmed telepathically to all the ELs and result was seen in the streets & sky. It was enjoyment everywhere.

dS felt bad for the native Martians and decided to review Mars surface after some time for new life formation. Gestation period was set at 200 years.

That evening he had 4 bottles of Castle Lager. The first three gave him solace and the last one the boost he needed. With lots of good things for Mars (running in his mind), dS decided to hit the sack…

He heard the following from nearby building:

I got my first real six-string
Bought it at the five-and-dime
Played it till my fingers bled…

May be the EL who was playing it, belong to the 1 percent who voted against…

next: 2259-2880 AD

3007 AD

2007-04-13T17:19:00.001+05:30

Date: January 15, 3007.

donkeySOUP(dS) is on top of Earth…Mt.Everest summit.

Traditionally January has been a bone chilling month atop Himalayas and how the hell is he there. Has he reached the self-actualization stage ??? May be…

It is the only place on Earth; which still has some snow (atleast in Jan) and his journey has to end on an ice-covered mountain top (as pre-determined).

Looking back, it has been a wonderful (!) journey of 1000 years…Exactly about 1000 years back; he got full control over the happenings on Earth. He mastered controlled death (CD) on this day and by default got full control. Earth links (ELs) believed (should I say assumed) him as the ever-expected god and fell for him. Fortunately he was still sensible and absolute power did not corrupt him.

ELs convinced dS to part eternal life (CD) for them too. For the process to start, he created a separate lobe in the brain for ELs; which contained the CTU (Central Telepathic Unit). On April 13, 2007 he reached Mt.Everest to process the referendum: “whether ELs need to convert to CD en masse or not”.

As expected 99.99 percent of the population opted for CD !!! As the communication was on telepathic mode, the CTU Server of dS was at its peak performance during those 35 seconds. 35 seconds were required as people like Poonam (who got a confirmation about her pregnancy the previous day) had to communicate with the tiny CTU in her womb as well as its genetic father, collate and process the data to arrive at a final decision.

The sensible (!) ones who opted out of the CD race were allowed to have their natural death. However they were labeled and cordoned off to a remote place in the Amazon basin.

dS then did a similar exercise at Challenger Deep and Kalahari. At Challenger Deep he had to wait for 59 seconds, as the turtles were also there.

At dusk, he was happy with the way things were shaping up. He also commended himself for being sensible in holding on to the power of annulling the CD (if a situation arise). After all he is a wacky INTJ.

Going forward, over the years many changes happened on the earth:

Human travelled from Chennai to Chicago without any artificial travel support. They ran faster than Cheetah to replace a motor-vehicle. Had endurance like a Camel to travel long without being exhausted. Flew like an intercontinental Siberian Crane to cross water bodies and mountains. Poonam and her child used these intersectional applications to visit the child’s biological father at Amazon basin.

New life formation was banned to protect the ecology. Sex hormones were made inactive. Apropos, population growth was a past. Sex organs became redundant and started shrinking. Women were happy, because they got relieved of menstrual irritations and pregnancy related vomiting.

The first wave of pink slips started with Sanitary Napkins manufacturing companies. It had rippling effect on cotton growing markets. More and more farmers attempted suicide and many succeeded in their attempt. Insurance companies went for a toss.

The Cheetahs got into a gloomy mood and were psychologically affected, because the humans humiliated them by running faster. Many of them attempted suicide by jumping from top of mountains and people at the valleys were happy. They traded on Cheetah skin and made money. Deer & Rabbits made lots of fortune (food) by playing a betting game. The game was on identification of next Cheetah, which will attempt suicide.

Airlines survived some more years, as few had not perfected the art of flying and some couch potatoes, relied on airlines.

Many more developments followed…

Going super forward, what made dS to reverse all those developments of the past 1000 years and attain self-actualization ???

Some believed that Coeing, Birbus, Thell, Fxxon Mobil, HM, Gord, Ookia, Notorola and few more influential companies convinced dS to relent…

But the truth was…

next: 2259 AD

art, MADern art, economy & inflation...

2007-04-05T21:07:00.001+05:30

Basic economy as we all know is simple. A farmer produces and sells the same in the market for reasonable profit. A small world...

And then came the complex economics. A B-School educated guy will sit in front of his laptop, uses complex inputs (like the uninvented technologies to be used for farming in future, the productivity of GM crops, effect of Iraq war on energy bills, global warming and the rain pattern, time taken by the farmer to piss, et al) to arrive at a figure which this farmer will produce after 5 years. And he will do commodity trading based on that figure. Assuming these input factors as permanent, scores of multi-millionaires will trade on these at premium prices and analyze it at business channels to confuse the commoners. This is a kind of inflation (complex) !!!

The above pattern is now seen in every field. Am NOT against it, bcos it is a kind of dynamism (though false) !!!. Change is constant, you see...

One such field, where such pattern is getting prominence is Art. Modern Art is a kind of inflation. Most of the people (all walks of life) to whom i've spoken (in private) have acknowledged that they don't understand a shit of this modern art, but will acknowledge in public that they could understand the theme, to escape embarrassment. 'Modern Art' artists POUR some paint (as children do) on a canvas, give a meaning to it in their mind and give a big picture of the same in public. A market (inflation) is created. Look at the pictures given below:

(art - raja ravi varma). You can FEEL it

(modern art - unknown). Something is there

(modern art - unknown). Here you only SEE it and break your head !!!

and...

(MADern art - donkeySOUP). that was my creation, bcos i wanna be a billionaire too !!!

local economy over international...

2007-04-05T20:46:00.001+05:30

Was going thru the Economic Times and felt like having something. Ordered coffee and vada from the nearby snacks stall. This guy makes mouth watering crispy vada and has a huge fan following. After few minutes, the chotu came with the vadas and steaming coffee. The vadas were hot & crispy that it need to be taken like this instantaneously (sometimes raw approach is so exhilarating). Forget the decorum and plates !!!

When i saw those vadas over ET, i thought is this the triumph of "local economy over international" and my socio-economic mind started working. How much will this person earn every day? Am sure, he sells atleast 1000 vadas everyday. That works out to a saving of cool INR1000/day (vada alone) after meeting all the operational expenses. INR30000/month (saving) for a 4th class fail...

Compare it with the guys with education from best business schools and their ET knowledge, who incur losses in crores thru their stock market analysis. hahaha. What a weird world this is...and we proclaim that upliftment of downtrodden will mean doom !!!

From no-age to stone-age to iron-age to IIT-IIM-age to TCS/Infosys-age, we evolved from the scratch. No one was born with PLATINUM spoon. We evolved from zero and may leave this world with zero. Then what is this big fuss about. Let every tom, dick & harry be given a chance to evolve. Given a chance, they may also evolve from being a stone spoon user to a platinum spoon user. Afterall every student currently at IIT or IIM or AIIMS had a common ancestor who evolved from no-age !!!

Seems i've let my weird thoughts wander too much. Coming back, i enjoyed my crispy vada, steaming coffee and the M&A based inorganic growths in ET...

p.s: my earlier post " happiness & prosperity-a full circle " is a related reading.

coconut, lovemaking & sound sleep...

2007-03-10T16:32:00.002+05:30

Y'day night I felt tired and hit the sack early. When i was slipping into that sleep zone, heard a rattling noise outside followed by barking of dogs.

It was the sound of coconut falling down. The dogs next door got convinced and mellowed down. Though disturbed, i was slipping back to sleep only to be disturbed immediately by a sudden surge in barking. Seems some street dog(s) got infuriated by that sound (falling coconut), rushed in from nearby street to make their presence felt (only to get sighted by the dogs next door - dogs are territorial you know !!!).

My sleep got FUCKED. Now that my sleep is gone (temporarily), i started THINKING !!!

Next 10 minutes i traveled around the world and BEYOND (remembered my long time question WHO CREATED GOD too) and finally came back to the event which triggered this - Why should the coconut fall at this odd time (when wind was also absent)? May be some crows or squirrels got into the mood and were into crazy LOVEMAKING atop that coconut tree !!! With that weird thought and the sound of kitchen utensils being cleaned as background ‘music’ i slipped back into sleep, only to be awakened by her bite on my ear.

I was in a mood to sleep and turned to the other side. This time she bit me on the other ear and then my lips. To avoid i turned upside down and slept exposing my back to her. She got furious and my butt bore the brunt. I felt irritated. Why such insensitiveness? To avoid her, i pulled the cover and covered my whole body. It made her think it seems, but only for a short moment. She came back with vengeance and started singing near my ear. I thought she is not going to spare me today.

After a momentary lapse, i heard the steps moving towards the switchboard, the plug noises and ...dark. Now that am completely covered with the sheet, started sweating. Felt like removing the sheet, but for her. Any way out...

It just struck me then. Removed the sheet and looked at the switchboard. It was already there. My friend had just switched on the "mosquito" repellent when the light was switched-off. I heaved a sigh of relief.

Now i can sleep peacefully - without the disturbance of her bite and song !!!

Were females first to develop weapons?

2007-03-10T16:23:00.000+05:30

After reading the below given news item, i felt wives can now confidently throw the utensils over their erring husbands and blame their genes !!! ha.haa... Males beware !

Read the following in 'The Economic Times':

Were females first to develop weapons?
Males may have the brawn, but a study supports the theory that females used their brains to develop the first weapons. This was an evolution of necessity, the research, released on Wednesday, suggests, because females did not have the strength or leisure to compete with males for prey that could be hunted by hand. Anthropologists studying chimpanzees in Senegal have discovered that female chimps regularly gnaw down sticks and use them as spears to hunt their prey. Many animals have been known to use tools but this was the first time researchers observed an animal using a weapon to hunt.

most sought after in future...

2007-03-10T16:16:00.002+05:30

Apropos to my previous post, seems e-security professionals community will be the most sought after & flourishing economy in future.

Will their GDP economy out-grow any other by 2500 AD ?

Keep an eye on the other sex with such skills. They could be among the richest in future !!!

Death of Nations and World War III

2007-03-10T16:12:00.001+05:30

The way intersectional changes and crossovers happen, can we imagine a new world order tomorrow?

As people become more adaptive (credit to forced mannerisms) - religions, races and nations will have a natural death. In future, grouping & affiliations may have ‘world wide web’ as the base platform.

Apropos, will future battles and wars be over land, religion and race? One major deviation will be over ‘www’. Prelude battles are already on – look at the fight between the corporate/individuals and spammers/virus creators.

Will over-enthu guys break into highly guarded e-systems and trigger missiles? Will the next World War be over the e-space or outer space?

Death of Religion

2007-03-10T16:08:00.002+05:30

Apropos to my question - WHO CREATED GOD ?, as more and more take to rational thinking, religion will have a natural death.

Hope the god in question appears in flesh and blood fast; save the face/'business' of religious preachers and rub salt on people like me...

Extra Marital Affairs

2007-03-10T15:59:00.001+05:30

Given a chance:

4 Walls (including corner rooms in offices)
Back Seats of Cars
Woods
Beaches
Railway Coaches
et al

will have great stories to tell...

Death of Currency Notes & Coins

2007-03-10T15:53:00.002+05:30

The spread of IT will result in the Death of Currency Notes in about 100 years.

Payments will be thru online mode (internet/mobile), credit card or debit card. Even petty shops will be online then, and beggers would accept mobile money transfer (as being done for mobile easy-recharge now) !!!

Will it also result in the Death of Black Money and phase out of corruption ???

Future of Life Insurance

2007-03-10T15:46:00.001+05:30

Apropos to my post "Future of Marriage", Life Insurance Companies need to rework their business plans.

When the trend moves from Joint Family to Nuclear Family to Single Parent Family to No Family, for whom he/she would take insurance !

May be life insurance companies have to shell out lots of money and innovative marketing campaigns to save the institution of marriage and in turn their business.

Exclusive God ?

2007-03-10T15:33:00.002+05:30

Presence of God in not proved yet. In such a situation, X or Y god is itself an imagination. If an imagination can be true, then the claims of a particular section that X-God is a bachelor/spinster and would like to stay away opposite sex should also hold true, until the god himself/herself appears in flesh and blood and clarify otherwise...

If we are ready to accept a non-existent / not-seen figure, is it not right to accept a belief too (Exclusive God) ???

My views are not meant to hurt anyone, but purely an objective outlook...

Visionary Intention

2005-12-10T15:03:00.002+05:30

Dave,

Many of us live in a false world of wrong assumptions and dance to the tunes of fear.

When we rate a living being based on his/her/its intention, why not question the fundamentals?

When an instrument created goes wrong, a sensible human will immediately try to rectify the same. Read the INTENTION.

If a mortal has sense to reverse his wrong doing, why not God (who has control over everything)? Why there has been a long wait? It raises various 'senseless' assumptions.

One such is: 'Remember the fights in the film Gladiator (the best of the species get the privilege to watch gory).'

I repeat, the above is only a SENSELESS assumption.

My question was simple and straight:
"Whether there was a REAL need for the creator? Is he not divine enough to predict the gory future and stop it in the beginning itself?"

Why did not God force love? Why was Lucifer/wicked-thinking allowed or even created? Read the INTENTION.

“LOVE IS GOD” is more relevant than “God is Love”.

- donkeySOUP

Msg posted by Dave in catholicquestions:

God is a Family. He is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is the Trinity: three Persons in one divine nature. The Father and Son share love for each other and give each other so much love that the love they give eternally is the distinct divine Person of the Holy Spirit. God created the heavens out of love and He created His creatures to love and to be loved. True love is not forced, it is a choice and so God gave His creatures free-will so that they could choose to love Him or not to love Him. Lucifer filled with pride wanted to be greater than God and chose not to love God but rather took him and his followers to spite God. God created the world and animals then decided to make a creature in His own image "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness" that mankind could then share in the love of the Trinity -so with similarities of the Trinity - husband and wife share a love so deep that when they become one the love they share becomes a distinct person; however Lucifer tempted Adam and Eve so that they would fall into sin and they did...
however God choose not to start all over or to wipe out the human race but rather used the fall of Adam and Eve to eventually give Lucifer the biggest blow of giving Mary the grace of being immaculately conceived to undue the knots of Eve so that she would be a worthy dwelling place for God the Father's Son who would become flesh and defeat Satan by offering His own Body and Blood to mankind so that they could participate in the family of God which is now being
lived out through the Church.

God is love.

Scope for Achievement

2005-12-06T13:28:00.001+05:30

Got to read an article going rounds over the internet (pasted below). Though the intention (author not known) is good, felt some of the points does not reflect the true essence of contemporary approach. Hence i thought of sharing my views.

Anyone who spends reasonable time in the known territory will master the topography and can one day become the master of that territory (provided he is above average). That is also an achievement. But the scope of achievement is not limited to this small territory. For some, achievement is limited to a small area (refer my blog on happiness). But for few others, it goes beyond boundaries till they reach the self-actualisation stage of different kind. These are ‘high’ risk takers who dare to go beyond the normal and reach the destination (of course the 'materialistic' carrot compliments their effort). It is also an achievement of different kind.

Both the above processes compliment evolution. The first produces a master who is skillful in a core area and the second produces a master who uses his different skills/knowledge to trigger intersectional applications for progressive use. It is the people of second kind who are welcome in the emerging sectors as they work across verticals and a multi-disciplinary man at top will add more value.

Yes, it is a fact that too much of cross-over is happening. But as long as a person spends atleast 2-3 years and value-add, it is well within the limits. I suppose ROI is the mantra and will remain so - short or long.

Also with respect to past performances, one MNC (rather a desi-version) was once considered as the CEO Producer for the Corporate India. Under centralized structure, organisations cannot accommodate too many brilliant performers at top. ‘In and Out’ movements will balance the power structure/struggle at top. And many of the top-notch CEOs of present era are those who have soiled their hands at different verticals. And there are many latent talent lying under-used because of their long stint with one organisation and over-crowding at top later. When they realize and start looking at market, they are considered misfit as the candidates with same experience will be drawing double the salary in the market. In the process, industry may have lost an excellent candidate.

Achievement can be derived – from single or multiple platforms. Factors like environment, perception, etc plays convenience role.

Thus carrot based ‘materialistic’ or ‘dynamic’ approach is a kind of blessing in disguise. It paves way for advancement in intersectional approach. It is a competitive world out there and this dynamic world rewards the competitive one more. It is up to the individual to choose the one which fits aptly. It is very difficult to reverse this new found ‘dynamism’ as mentioned in my blog on ‘culture degradation’. One has to get adjusted to it.

“Ships are safer in harbour, but they are not made for that purpose”

- donkeySOUP

The grass isn't always greener on the other side!! (author unknown)

Move from one job to another, but only for the right reasons. It's yet another day at office. As I logged on to the marketing and advertising sites for the latest updates, as usual, I found the headlines dominated by 'who's' moving from one company to another after a short stint', and I wondered, why are so many people leaving one job for another? Is it passé now to work with just one company for a sufficiently long period?

Whenever I ask this question to people who leave a company, the answers I get are: "Oh, I am getting a 200% hike in salary"; "Well I am jumping three levels in my designation"; "Well they are going to send me abroad in six months".

Then, I look around at all the people who are considered successful today and who have reached the top - be it a media agency, an advertising agency or a company. I find that most of these people are the ones who stuck to the company, ground their heels and worked their way to the top. And, as I look around for people who change their jobs constantly, I find they have stagnated at some level, in obscurity.

In this absolute ruthless, dynamic and competitive environment, there are still no - short cuts to success or to making money. The only thing that continues to pay, as earlier is loyalty and hard work. Yes, it pays!

Sometimes, immediately, sometimes after a lot of time. But, it does pay. Does this mean that one should stick to an organization and wait for the golden moment? Of course not. After, a long stint, there always comes a time for moving in most organisations, but it is important to move for the right reasons, rather than the superficial ones, like money, designation or oversees trip.

Remember, no company recruits for charity. More often than not, when you are offered an unseemly hike in salary or designation that is disproportionate to what the company offers it current employees, there is always an unseemly bait attached. The result? You will, in the long term have reached the same level or may be lower levels than what you would have in your current company.

A lot of people leave their organisations because they are 'unhappy'. What is this so called unhappiness? I have been working for donkey years and there has never been a day when I am not unhappy about something in my work environment - boss, rude colleagues, fussy clients etc.

Unhappiness in a work place, to a large extent, is transient. If you look hard enough, there is always something to be unhappy about. But, more importantly, do I come to work to be "happy" in the truest sense?

If I think hard, the answer is "No".

Happiness is something you find with family, friends, may be a close circle of colleagues who have become friends. What you come to work for is to earn, build a reputation, satisfy your ambitions, be appreciated for your work ethics, face challenges and get the job done.

So, the next time you are tempered to move on, as yourself why are you moving and what are you moving into?

Some questions are:

* Am I ready and capable of handling the new responsibility? If yes, what could be the possible reasons my current company has not offered me the same responsibility?

* Who are the people who currently handle this responsibility in the current and new company? Am I good as the best among them?

* As the new job offer has a different profile, why have I not given the current company the option to offer me this profile?

* Why is the new company offering the new job? Do they want me for my skills, or is that ulterior motive?

An honest answer to these will eventually decide where you go in your career - to the top of the pile in the long term (at the cost of short - term blips) or to become another average employee who gets lost with the time in wilderness?

Vegetarianism and Convenience Management

2005-11-25T15:51:00.001+05:30

I think the core of the message in my previous post on vegetarianism is wrongly understood. I have rather highlighted the positives of each food in a particular setting.

The message was: Not to negatively brand those who eat non-vegetarian food.

It is an inter-connected world out there. During harvest humans cut the plants, kill them and feed(rather dispose) the cattle. As such cattle act as garbage dump and decomposition agent. For our selfish means we blame cattle. Convenience Management.

Animals rather do favour to the ecosystem through grazing. They graze on unwanted plants and in turn reduce the growth/spread of plant eating insects and its related troubles. We set-up big chemical plants and use chemicals to nourish and sustain the vegetation, so that we can feed on them. Convenience Management.

Scope of Pain: We need to be in other’s shoes to feel it. Convenience Management.

Herbivore, Carnivore, etc: We need to balance the ecosystem the natural way by co-existence.

Philosophy: Subjective. One of my earlier post is pasted below:
Definition of Marriage in a dictionary is a legal union between a man and a woman. Today a marriage can be between same sexes (No slight intended). Tomorrow it could be between different species??? If such a scene becomes a reality, how do we define DEFINITION. Convenience Management.

Can the people living in snow covered areas imagine about farming. I think natives of ice world (including Eskimos) cannot rely on vegetarian food. Imagine a water/ice covered world. Will you starve to death? Naturally we start looking for available food. Convenience Management.

Apropos, this world revolves around Convenience Management. What is bad to someone in a particular situation is good to some other in a different situation. Hence let us not negatively brand others for our convenience.

Every food has its advantage in a particular setting.

Future of Marriage

2005-11-20T14:01:00.002+05:30

Recent News:
# Father rapes daughter
# Millions of babies born to single mothers (outside marriage)
# 37-year-old woman charged with child molestation after marrying her son's 15-year-old friend

Evolution revisited…Stone-age recreated…Nature copied !!

Does news like the above give indication of changing preferences. One-off cases can be ignored. However these days quite often we come across such news.

Considering this trend, feel the institution of marriage would lose its meaning and will be history one day !!

Culture Degradation !

2005-11-13T18:53:00.003+05:30

Hi,

Can we give credit to the British (catalyst) for the following:

# A nation of skilled professionals (including IT) who are hired across the world for their 'English' language skills
# Among the largest surface transport network (rail/road) in the world
# Waning of Sati, Child Marriage...
# A unified nation called INDIA. (we may have moved towards Republic(s) of Pandiya, Chola, Chera, Mysore, Deccan, Maratha, Gwalior, Udaipur, Nalanda, Patiala - few more additions to the UN list of world countries)

Culture/Heritage Degradation: As long as humans have evolving brain, you cannot stop 'change' from happening. If not today, change is bound to happen tomorrow. If by restrictive activities we can enforce a 'perceived' good practice, then we would have stopped crime long back. I suppose world over Religion and Police are among the largest enforcing/recruiting agents. What is considered good today was bad yesterday. My blog on Definition gives some input on the same. If we feel 'change' can be stopped, slowed-down or reversed, then we need to first find ways to change the brain dynamics to 'static' state from the 'dynamic/evolving' state. Without which you cannot stop human from evolving from stone-age to modern-age and beyond. At each age, human will say "what was believed/practiced earlier could have been done better".

Did British teach Indians the caste system? Why we are not able to come out of it? Because religion/caste fit into our conveniences...

By highlighting the positives, am not trying to discount the negative acts of British. If their negatives are highlighted often, then we should not shy to highlight the positives. Adversity shows opportunities too. A unified and vibrant INDIA is born. Let us understand that, focus on positives and move forward.

I may be shouted down for the above comments, but we need to accept the fact.

Practice universal brotherhood and live happily...

- ATHEIST

Message: 7
Date: Fri, 11 Nov 2005 17:18:29 +0530
From: "Krishna"
Subject: Should We not Learn From History

Lord McCauley in his speech of Feb 2,1835, British Parliament:

"I have traveled across the length and breadth of India and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief. Such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such caliber,that I do not think we would ever conquer this country, unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage, and, therefore, I propose that we replace her old and ancient education system, her culture, for if the Indians think that all that is foreign and English is good and greater than their own, they will lose their self-esteem,their native self-culture and they will become what we want them, a truly dominated nation".

This shows time and again that Our Heritags is Invaluable and priceless.

Un quote: It is always better to be ourself than thinking and acting like someone (people who thinks whatever "West does is the Best")

Are ET’s our Ancestors !

2005-11-13T15:43:00.001+05:30

As we try to plant living cells in other planets and experiment their scope in the new environment, highly evolved ET’s from other galaxies might have planted living cells in earth millions of years back !!! Who knows those ET’s may have even mastered ‘controlled’ death.

As we monitor our space exploration, even ET’s may return to see the progress. If this would become reality, welcome them rather than confront them over the skies.

Convergence may solve more mysteries !

Convenience Management

2005-10-29T19:52:00.001+05:30

Judgment:- Put in your papers? You can change your mind before notice period

Hv come across situations where the withdrawal offer is accepted under mutual consent. In few cases where the recruitment process is initiated for replacement or in advanced stage, withdrawal moves sometimes do not favour the employee.

The peculiarity of this case tickled my thought processes. Can the same principle be applied for the below given situation:

"An individual decides to go against the interest of general public - detonates a bomb to damage part of a bridge. Feels sorry later and undertakes to rebuild the damaged bridge. Though temporary disruption in traffic is felt; for being retributive - can he roam free enjoying the same old privileges as that of a non-destructive citizen?"

“Other side: If withdrawal offer (at any stage) of few see the light (with all benefits restored), why not of others too - who were also productive till the date of serving notice.”

Just remembered the ‘case-to-case-basis’ approach. May be it is good(!) and easy to practice Convenience Management ;-)

- donkeySOUP

Message: 18
Date: 24 Oct 2005 09:44:02 -0000
From: "Rakesh"
Subject: Supreme Court Judgment on Employment Law :- Put in your papers? You can change your mind before notice period

Put in your papers? You can change your mind before notice period (Source: Rediff)
The Supreme Court on Saturday held that an employee can withdraw his resignation during the notice period and is entitled to consequential benefits from the company if he is not allowed to work.....

Vegetarianism

2005-10-14T12:58:00.001+05:30

General notion is that those who eat vegetables do not fall under the category of those who directly/indirectly support killing of living beings for food and sin is not committed. I have a different opinion on this:

If killing has a common meaning, then it applies across the board – whether it is killing a plant, a yolk or an animal. Here all are “Living Beings”. Since because plants discharge only colourless fluids instead of red colour blood, should not categorize them as a “non-living being”.

If killing the living being for food is viewed as sin/evil, then those who predominantly have vegetarian food are to be blamed for maximum killing. Theoretically, killing a goat or a yolk is like killing a ‘single living being’. Whereas having a ‘Dhal Fry’ would mean killing hundreds of living beings. Every seed has the potential to grow into a plant. Destroying one seed is equivalent to destroying one egg.

Am not discussing here about the health advantages of having vegetarian food over non-vegetarian food, rather the negative notion attached to non-vegetarian food. Every food has its advantage in a particular setting.

It is high time that we need to re-look into the concept of vegetarian food and non-vegetarian food. Rather food should be categorized based on its scientific composition (like Protein-rich, Fatty, Sugar-rich, etc). This will help general population to plan their food habits.

cont...

Definition – Evolution !!!

2005-10-13T11:32:00.002+05:30

The way intersectional ideas evolve and being pursued for implementation, we can imagine a different world tomorrow. A human-being may travel from Chennai to Chicago without any artificial travel support. He may run faster than Cheetah to replace a motor-vehicle. Have endurance like a Camel to travel long without being exhausted. Fly like an intercontinental Siberian Crane to cross water bodies and mountains. If human is supposed to be a byproduct of a single cell, then in future he will even grow wings and fly. The fusion of genes will be more complex and advanced, that he will use his different abilities/skills in an intelligent way without getting exhausted.

Though the above looks like a crude fantasy, the emerging individualistic life style, frequent traffic-snarls and the depleting energy reserves may force future generations to look at such alternative avenues - whether to this extent of going far beyond natural is doubtful (?), but when the human being has started to deviate from the natural such changes are bound to happen. What is acknowledged as natural today (due to achieving the critical mass) was not considered a natural activity earlier. [Definition of 'Marriage' in a dictionary is a legal union between a man and a woman. Today a marriage can be between same sexes (No slight intended). Tomorrow it could be between different species???].

If such a scene becomes a reality, how do we DEFINE such “beings”?

Should I feel happy for having born earlier???

- donkeySOUP

Horoscope or Hollowscope !!!

2005-10-12T13:10:00.001+05:30

Another 'opportunity' up for grabs...

If data is also a criteria for authenticity, then the increasing percentage of 'failed horoscope-matched marriages’ will speak volume about its effectiveness and outcome...

Did i fail to appreciate the 'successful horoscope-matched marriages’ !!! Thought we are moving towards a more assertive society where individuals are more self-reliant...

- donkeySOUP

Companies Ask For Horoscope Besides CV (Source: The Economic Times/Naukri)

When a company scans through the crisp curriculum vitae and educational background of a job aspirant, it wants to be sure that the potential candidate has in him what the job demands and that he is not a round peg in a square hole.

To help the companies achieve this objective, an Ahmedabad-based astrologer has found out an unusual way of offering his services - by asking the companies to give the 'janam kundali' of the candidate to find out whether the stars are favourably disposed towards him in the specific field. This is because excellent academic qualifications may not necessarily indicate the inner bent, inclination and proclivities of the candidate which could make him a round peg in a square hole, according to astrologer Mr Maulik Bhatt who is providing his services to a number of companies.

Happiness & Prosperity.....a full circle

2005-10-12T11:28:00.002+05:30

Read the story given below and my thought processes gave me an alternative viewpoint. Though the story is good, I found value in the option elucidated by the MBA grad from Stanford.

Here I go…

Some of us have this notion of attaching happiness to being contented with small things in life - no big plans, no pressures and so happy always. Does the scope of happiness ends there? I beg to differ...

Consider the case of the same fisherman. Is he not under pressure when he sets out for fishing everyday - there could be no catch, an engine failure, a high tide, a tsunami, a cyclone, a cloud burst, a shark attack, et all. Yet he is happy and contented, because he has accepted them as part of the whole and so life goes on for him. Am sure a daily earner too will have his cup of woes, when his near and dear fall ill when he is exhausted... The same is the case of a businessman. He accepts the pressures as part of the game and goes on. Is he not experiencing happiness when he expands business and feeds more (both directly and indirectly)? Am sure that many of us are aware of big businessmen doing great philanthropic work, like Bill Gates contributing a huge sum for AIDS awareness. Some may question his approach to business - that of bullying the competitors. But the same applies to this fisherman too. He infringes on the right of the fish to live its life full till its natural death.

Yes the end result for both the daily earner and that of the businessman is same, but the path taken by both suits them perfectly. Daily earner is happy and contented with the small circle and the businessman with a large circle.

My views would stand only when this society has materialistic leanings. Feel we will remain materialistic, as practically it is highly impossible to go back to the ancient age when all were contented with the available natural resource.

Though given a chance many would prefer to live the life as that of this daily earner, some take the other route and act as a source or catalyst for direct or indirect happiness. Thus do not let the 'means' to define your happiness. If you keep it open, Happiness and Prosperity derives...

Shortest or Longest - either way you have day to day thrills. Savour it at every stage and be happy always...

- donkeySOUP

THE STORY: Happiness & Prosperity.....a full circle

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village.

An American tourist named Jon complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

"Not very long," answered the Mexican.

"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked Jon.

The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

"But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, love my wife. In the evenings I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. I have a full life."

The American interrupted, "I have an M.B.A. from Stanford and I can help you. You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat.

With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers.

Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New Jersey! From there you can direct your huge enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years."

"And after that?"

"Afterwards? That's when it gets really interesting. When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?"

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, love your wife, and spend your evenings drinking and playing the guitar with your friends!"

previous post >>> who CREATED god?

Communal Harmony - Senseless Thoughts ???

2005-10-11T15:00:00.003+05:30

Pondered over the issue of 'Communal Harmony' and the following thoughts came my way…

Over centuries, there has been one decisive force called Religion which has had both positive and negative influence on Communal Harmony. In this context i was thinking whether we can look forward to a problem-'less' society, if the concept of religion is done away with. I feel we can get rid of many problems, if the society as a whole denounces religion. Substantiation - I personally feel the concept of religion has fundamental flaws...

Let me explain the same in the context of a religion which am more acquainted with since my birth. Its scripture attaches the origin of life to a Creator who created the world in 'n' no of days. If the god is supposed to be good and if his intentions were also good, then there is no need to create a satan, a snake, a wicked thinking, an apple, et all...If all these were merely concepts, then such concepts creeping into the minds of human beings/living beings and in turn corrupting the whole system should have been avoided in the first instance. The room for the same should have been shut in the beginning itself. If the intentions were good, living beings should have been given the power to live only a simple, straight forward life with a sustenance factor being air alone (or any naturally available resource) or even without it.

If you say, Evil/Satan; the root cause of all these ill effects was not created/allowed by god and it came of its own, then you have to believe in Evolution. Then there is no meaning for religion.

Lastly, who CREATED god? why the need was felt for creation of living beings? Whether there was a real need for the creator???

Due to the above, i personally feel religion should not be forced into. Rather an individual should be allowed and helped to think and take rational/objective view. Imagine a world without major divisions ??? Fewer deaths and fights in the name of religion, race, caste, creed.....Though it is very difficult to create a division-less society in the immediate run, we can atleast aspire for a society which does not fight in the name of religion, race, caste, creed, boundaries.....

Though i have raised my questions based on a religion, in a broader sense fundamentally my question applies to most of the religion (eg in Mahabaratha, Hindu "Gods" prefer 'war' over 'dialogue' to settle an issue).