Mark Anthony

AAMCHI MUMBAI......AWESOME MUMBAI

2011-12-28T00:06:00.000-08:00

Some Mumbai facts...... as below

Bombay has no bombs and is a harbour not a bay.

Churchgate has neither a church nor a gate. It is a railway station.

There is no darkness in Andheri.

Lalbaug is neither red nor a garden.

No king ever stayed at Kings Circle ..

Nor did Queen Victoria stay at Victoria Terminus..

Nor is there any princess at Princess Street ..

Lower Parel is at the same level as Parel

There are no marines or sailors at Marine Lines.

The Mahalaxmi temple is at Haji Ali not at Mahalaxmi.

There are no pigs traded at Dukar bazaar.

Teen bati is a junction of 3 roads, not three lamps.

Trams used to terminate at Kings circle not Dadar* Tram Terminus (Dadar T..T..)..

Breach Candy is not a sweetmeat market, but there is a Hospital.

Safed Pool has the dirtiest and blackest water.

You cannot buy coal at Kolsa street.

There are no Iron smiths at Lohar chawl.

There are no pot makers at Kumbhar wada.

Lokhandwalla complex is not an Iron and steel market.

Null bazaar does not sell taps.

You will not find ladyfingers at Bheendi Bazaar.

Kalachowki does not have a black Police station.

Hanging Gardens are not suspended.

Mirchi Gully does not sell chillies.

Figs do not grow in Anjir Wadi.

Sitafals do not grow in Sitafal Wadi,

Jackfruits do not grow at Fanaswadi.

But it is true that you may get fleeced at Chor Bazaar!

Disclaimer: This is an article which i picked up from facebook and take no credit for the

same, other than distributing for readers to enjoy. the original link is at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002190182809&sk=wall

World Series Hockey - Curse or Fame?

2011-12-10T23:36:00.001-08:00

World Series Hockey, starting December 17 - January 12, 2011. The players are in the quandry, whether to play for their country or for the WSH, which will be paying good bucks for the players. These players are treated shabbily by the National Hockey Bodies. These Bodies are fighting over who will control Hockey India. Either of them have to do a good job.

Everyone knows that the motivator for any job, sports or field is always the currency factor. How can you imagine these players to be mentally strong when they are not. Take the case of India striker and Asian Champions Trophy hero Yuvraj Valmiki, who shares a 10x10 shanty with his family, and can make
Rs. 35 lakh by playing in the World Series Hockey tournament at the risk of forfeiting his India jersey.

What is wrong when these players are asking for recognition and financial security for themselves and their families. Hockey is a National sport and should be treated in such a way. Agreed, that they cannot get the same money that the National Cricketers are getting. But, if you pay these players enough, they dont have a reason to foresake the national jersey.

WSH is trying to make this like an IPL type of event and I personally dont blame them, Maybe they can take Hockey to a level where the stands will be full with genuine enthusiasts of the game. No government body or an individual should be making the players uncomfortable by telling that they are betraying the country. There is no harm in making money.

If the officials without playing are making MONEY off this game, then definitely the PLAYERS who work so hard just to get noticed, have every right to earn a LIVING.

Low Cost Airlines charges.......

2011-11-12T01:00:00.001-08:00

Going through certain social sites, i came across this joke and thought i should share this to

my readers. Please enjoy...........

Attendant: Welcome aboard Ala Carte Air, Sir.

May I see your ticket?

Passenger: Sure.

Attendant: You're in seat 12B. That will be $5, please!

Passenger: What for?

Attendant: For telling you where to sit.

Passenger: But I already knew where to sit.

Attendant: Nevertheless, we are now charging a seat-locator fee of $5.

It's the airline's new policy.

Passenger: That's the craziest thing I ever heard. I won't pay it.

Attendant: Sir, do you want a seat on this flight, or not?

Passenger: Yes, yes. All right, I'll pay. But the airline is going to hear about this.

Attendant: Thank you. My goodness, your carry-on bag looks heavy. Would you like me to

stow it in the overhead compartment for you?

Passenger: That would be swell, thanks.

Attendant: No problem (grunts). Up we go, and done! That will be $10, please.

Passenger: What?

Attendant: The airline now charges a $10 carry-on assistance fee.

Passenger: This is extortion. I won't stand for it.

Attendant: Actually, you're right - you can't stand. You need to sit, and fasten your seat

belt. We're about to push back from the gate. But first I need that $10.

Passenger: No way.

Attendant: Sir, if you don't comply, I will be forced to call the air marshal. And you really

don't want me to do that.

Passenger: Why not? Is he going to shoot me?

Attendant: No, but there's a $50 air-marshal hailing fee.

Passenger: Oh, all right, here - take the $10. I can't believe this.

Attendant: Thank you for your cooperation, sir. Is there anything else I an do for you?

Passenger: Yes. It's stuffy in here, and my overhead fan doesn't seem to work. Can you fix

it?

Attendant: Your overhead fan is not broken, sir. Just insert two quarters into the overhead

coin slot for the first five minutes.

Passenger: The airline is charging me for cabin air?

Attendant: Of course not, sir. Stagnant cabin air is provided free of charge. It's the

circulating air that costs 50 cents.

Passenger: I don't have any quarters. Can you make change for a dollar?

Attendant: Certainly, sir! Here you go!

Passenger: But you've given me only three quarters for my dollar.

Attendant: Yes, there's a change-making fee of 25 cents.

Passenger: For cryin' out loud. All I have left is a lousy quarter?

Whatever will I do with it?

Attendant: Hang on to it. You'll need it later for the lavatory.

An introduction to Allah, the exalted....His oneness and attributes

2011-08-10T00:15:00.000-07:00

Allah is one and only. He is unique in His existence as well as in His all attributes. He has no associates. He is the real true God. In order to know the correct way of communicating with and worshipping Him, one should know the attributes He; the exalted has. Hence it would be impossible to seek His pleasure unless one knows them for many have gone astray because they did not know the right and acceptable way to worship Him as Allah the exalted says; () Walakinna aktharannasi la ya’lamun. (But most of mankind know not) Al-A’raf 7: 187

read more at http://bit.ly/UniversalMessageOfUniversalReligion

IS INDIA REALLY A DEMOCRACY?

2011-04-30T02:08:00.000-07:00

This is a question I ask myself everyday. Wondering Why? I know that it has really a changed from the last 20 years, when if you were stopped by a traffic cop, you could casually put in 50 bucks in the license and get off with a warning. Now it isn't that easy anymore, I don't need to go into specifics of explaining it as people know about it.

But when i look around at what is going on . The more i look the more i see, that there are different sets of laws and regulations for different people. Look at all corporate scams which involve the Tata's, Ambani's, Balwa's only to name a few and not to forget the Politicians without whom this could never have been possible.

Now it is taking a different turn. We all know that the political parties like the Congress, Bjp, SP, BSP are all involved. But look at the shameless nature in which they carry themselves. They are not worried that they have scammed and cheated the people, but they know that the people cannot do anything about it. The people are enjoying the new status and lifestyle that the current economy is providing them. India is no more different from the West. The lifestyles are similar, people are spending more, enjoying life at its present. But what about the future, that the political parties, the scammers, the fraudsters have secured for themselves and their families. Do you think that the common man has secured his future?

All the scams that are surfacing like the 2G. Adarsh scam, Fodder scam, Yeddyurappa land scam are all directly associated with the common man. Lets not talk about the scams and where the money has gone.

But i only want to know, what will have to A. Raja, Shahid Balwa, Unitech boss, Anil Ambani, Tata's, DMK's Kanimozhi and many more whose names i dont even bother to remember. Will they be brought to justice. If yes, will they serve their sentences or granted bail, or if they will live in five star jails. Will the common man able to get this. Try committing a fraud or scam, they will try to make an example out of you.

Last but not the least what happened when M.Joshi was about to submit a report on the 2G scam, why was he shut down by the congress. I don't say that the BJP are saints, but let the truth come out. This country is run by political parties who don't care anything about the country, but are so engrossed with power that they just cant seem to let go. The PM of this country cant even run this country without consulting with the Congress High Command. We don't need weaklings, cheats, scammers, liars running this country. And guaranteed almost everyone of the current stocks of politicians are not even capable of doing the job.

If you really want to make India a democratic country, then i think you should not be lawyers, engineers, doctors or anything you should be running for the political posts of this country.

Just something i thought i should share about Anna Hazare

2011-04-09T01:06:00.000-07:00

This is something i thought i should share with all the people who follow my blog. Definitely the Anna Hazare Anit-Corruption movement and the Lokpal bill which has taken the country by storm had its effect on the country. Especially after winning the Cricket World Cup 2011, getting so many people involved to a cause that will effect the entire country was a miracle in itself.

And like everyone knows the anti-corruption drive has gone across borders. And I for one was deeply impacted just like all the Indian's around the world. I would like to share with you an email which i had received from my cousin who lives in Kuwait with his thoughts on the matter. I read the same and it is really true that we have to be also blamed for the mess of corruption that we have created for ourselves. It is not just the Politicians who are corrupt, they are opportunists. But We, You And I are also to blame for being a means to their corrupt gains. Please read on

the email as it starts:-

Hope the kids are doing well........its just that for the past few days the entire media rounds in India seem to be focused on Anna Hazare's drive to finish corruption....here's my thoughts to the same...you can place them on your blog if you wish..

" It is amazing to see how something in India can end up being a fashion statement or "My-two-bit" to my country effort and then life goes on and we all sleep well on our beds thinking we have done our part. What is surprising is to know how many educated very well positioned members of our society are actually joining by the thousands in this Hunger strike that is suppose to eradicate corruption....brilliant but can someone actually inform me how on earth will that happen...

We need to pay for almost everything from Nursery, School, Colleges, Universities and technical institutions to get admissions anyways and if anyone thinks that he will take the moral high ground and not join such an institution...well tough luck ..there are millions who are not willing to take that moral high ground....the customs department at the airport, seaport and the cargo clearance port office all need to be paid at different levels to get your consignment cleared and delivered to you soon...if you want to take the moral high ground then again...tough luck there are others that are willing to not take that moral high ground and get their jobs done..

Yo can look around you and see where corruption actually begins...its does not begin with the 2G spectrum scam....no it begins when consumers Ike you and me actually use the frequency and get services that we pay for on our mobile sets...we drive corruption cause we need things done now...if not yesterday....seriously have you asked yourself if you are willing to wait the line to get a form or wait it out to follow protocol and jeopardize your child's educational future cause you are not willing to pay donation?? are you!!!

The more fundamental question here is when the world is going through an amazing phase of real revelutions we in India have decided that we will do this unachievable task of finishing corruption......Guys why dont we take a real issue and something that actually relates to us more directly then silly corruption....Do we know that Mumbai alone has contributed Rs 153,243 crore in Income Tax collections...Has anyone seen any worth of these crores in our mumbai city??? I just checked the net and we dont figure in the most modern cities of the world...the most futuristic cities of the world or the most clean...none of these...so where do the crores go???

Guess what we are getting in return for the taxed payed....Roads that look like there was an airstrike a night before...streets that are getting shabby with each passing year, hospitals that can add to your illness rather then treat it....government offices that look like they are still working in the age of the Pharaohs and Julius Cesar....police with very little modern weapons and no high tech technology...trains that basically pass the test of being a steel box and that's it....railway stations which is suppose to be our lifeline having no upgrades in its situation since man was created i guess.....educational institutions that are an embarrassment to the students who study there...sports facilities that wouldn't even match what third rate African countries would have...and in this amazingly fast techno world...we in Mumbai actually have one of the slowest internet speed in the world and that too we pay an arm and a leg for ( which is after you have managed to catch some good signals)......

So why exactly are we paying taxes??? is it to do formality??? is it because there are consequences if you don't??? i guess a bit for both.....but how does such a major issue elude us and i have never seen or heard of any hunger strikes or protests on this very serious issue...why when the arab world disposed two presidents from their power due to an important issue called "Where are the services i deserve...where are my rights...and why am i paying you taxes".....isn't it about time that people take to the streets and inform the state governments and city civic bodies that they would not pay taxes until they start seeing some real work done with that money that they can use and be proud of....

So with all due respect to all involved in this Hunger strike...guys , i will take a rain cheque on this on and join a band wagon that has purpose that touches me everyday....that too for years

What do you think Mubarak...worth posting on your blog???

Abid

DO YOU WANT TO BE BILL GATE'S SON IN LAW?

2010-11-25T05:49:00.000-08:00

A Father to His son.

Father: I want you to marry a girl of my choice
Son: "I will choose my own bride!"
Father: "But the girl is Bill Gates's daughter."
Son: "Well, in that case...ok"

Next Day Father approaches Bill Gates.

Father: "I have a husband for your daughter."
Bill Gates: "But my daughter is too young to marry!"
Father: "But this young man is a vice-president of the World Bank."
Bill Gates: "Ah, in that case...ok"

Finally Father goes to see the president of the World Bank.

Father: "I have a young man to be recommended as a vice-president."
President: "But I already have more vice- presidents than I need!"
Father: "But this young man is Bill Gates's son-in-law."
President: "Ah, in that case...ok"

This is how business is done!!

Moral: Even If you have nothing, You can get Anything.. But your
attitude should be POSITIVE

Disclaimer: I received this on email and thought i should share it! hope you all like it

LICENSE TO STEAL !! Do you have it?

2010-11-19T03:10:00.000-08:00

In India if you are a common man without connections and you commit a crime, you can be sure that you will pay for it... A beggar steals a piece of bread, he is immediately hauled to the police station and beaten senseless. The point to make here is that if you are a normal citizen, then 85% of the time you can be sure that you are going to pay for it. If not then, the only way you can be Scot free is if you PAY TO BE FREE....

But that is not the case with the RICH, the POWERFUL, the INFLUENTIAL. Rest assured it will be a media circus for say a week or so and all will be forgotten. So many scams committed by all the major political parties of India be it BOFORS, FODDER SCAM, ADARSH SOCIETY, LAND GRABBING, 2G etc... just to name a few.

The excuse that they give is that they are only following the precedent set by their predecessors, that means if they were corrupt, he can be corrupt as well. Its like get him first, and then you can come after me. These are shameless people who are not ashamed by what they have done, but are justifying the same by admitting to doing nothing wrong.

You cannot blame, LALOO PRASAD, ASHOK CHAVAN, YEDURAPPA, A RAJA, They resign and they know that they can always come back, because the public memory is too short. Why do we forget that we are the ones who bring them in power in the first place by exercising our right to vote OR NOT TO VOTE.

How much can you take of this corruption which is also effecting us the common man, because we are paying for it through our noses.

Do you think you can get this License to steal? It all depends on how high up you are in the power chain.......

ADARSH SOCIETY --- A MONUMENT OF CORRUPTION

2010-11-03T01:21:00.001-07:00

I was going through the MIRROR newspaper today and came across this article as to what would you do with regards to the Adarsh Society Bldg. Below were a few suggestions mentioned in the article:-

1- Raze the building to the ground:- This would definitely achieve a lot as all the people who had invested would loose their money and that would hit their pride as well as their bottom line. And also the contractors who had built the building, it would hurt their pockets as well. One way to hit at the corruption - THEIR POCKET

2- Give the flats to the actual martyrs:- This is a brilliant idea. But i doubt, if it would happen.

3- Sell the flats and give it to the poor:- They had suggested selling the flats at the current rate and would bring in almost 1000 crores to the government. This is the worst idea, because it would never reach the poor and here again the politicians would have a definite plan as to how to siphon of the funds,

4- A monument of corruption:- This is the best idea of all, and every floor definitely has to have a floor for different level of corruptions. It should start with the members of the Adarsh Society that had applied for the flats. Since the flats are in the names of the relatives and kin, please explain in detail of their relation to their relevant political connections.

They should go on adding profiles of the corrupt in this building. Since the proximity of the location near Mumbai and the current touristic attraction that the area poses. It will bring an continuous flow of revenue for the state.

In the same time it will achieve the objective of the people who fight so hard to get their picture on the wall.

Adarsh Society - A Monument of Corruption will really be the next diamond in the South Mumbai Skyline.

INDIA can never be a developed NATION !

2010-10-30T03:38:00.000-07:00

India is for Indians, and not only me but all Indians wish that India would no longer be called a third world country. This is mostly to do with the corruption structure that is followed here. Indians are working very hard and you can really see the difference in the attitudes of the people, especially in the metro's. The standard of living has substantially grown. In fact it is no different then the WEST.

But scandal after scandal rocks the nation, Our politicians hunger for POWER & GREED is never satisfied. Many examples can be given.

ADARSH society on the prime locality of South Mumbai, originally meant for Kargil Heroes and their kin. What happened? Gulped by Politicians and their kin. Ashok Chavan, who is threatening to resign, Why is he threatening? Go ahead and resign....

The scam should have been immediately acted upon when they had submitted the proposal to build it in South Mumbai. Everybody knows that the deserving would be left to hang & dry.

Just read today in the news that DDA is giving the Games Village flats to the very BABU'S that have created the corruptions scandal in the CWG, just recently held in Delhi. There are so many instance's of these type of corruptions all over the country.

I was just wondering what is the point of paying taxes which is meant to be for the welfare of the poor and also for the country, when it is not reaching it's objective. When and if ever will this stop.

These politicians are the people that are stopping from India being a developed nation.

PAYING INDIAN TAXES - QUICK GUIDE

2010-10-05T06:17:00.000-07:00

1) What are you doing?
Ans.: Business.
Tax: PAY PROFESSIONAL TAX!

2) What are you doing in Business?
Ans.: Selling the Goods.
Tax: PAY SALES TAX!!

3) From where are you getting Goods?
Ans.: From other State/Abroad
Tax: PAY CENTRAL SALES TAX, CUSTOM DUTY & OCTROI!

4) What are you getting in Selling Goods?
Ans.: Profit.
Tax: PAY INCOME TAX!

5) Where you Manufacturing the Goods?
Ans.: Factory.
Tax: PAY EXCISE DUTY!

6) Do you have Office / Warehouse/ Factory?
Ans.: Yes
Tax: PAY MUNICIPAL & FIRE TAX!

7) Do you have Staff?
Ans.: Yes
Tax: PAY STAFF PROFESSIONALTAX!

8) Doing business in Millions?
Ans.: Yes
Tax: PAY TURNOVER TAX!

9) Are you taking out over 25,000 Cash from Bank?
Ans.: Yes, for Salary.
Tax: PAY CASH HANDLING TAX!

10) Where are you taking your client for Lunch & Dinner?
Ans.: Hotel
Tax: PAY FOOD & ENTERTAINMENT TAX!

11) Are you going Out of Station for Business?
Ans.: Yes
Tax: PAY FRINGE BENEFIT TAX!

12) Have you taken or given any Service/s?
Ans.: Yes
Tax : PAY SERVICE TAX!

13) How come you got such a Big Amount?
Ans.: Gift on birthday.
Tax: PAY GIFT TAX!

14) Do you have any Wealth?
Ans.: Yes
Tax: PAY WEALTH TAX!

15) To reduce Tension, for entertainment, where are you going?
Ans.: Cinema or Resort.
Tax: PAY ENTERTAINMENT TAX!

16) Have you purchased House?
Ans.: Yes
Tax : PAY STAMP DUTY & REGISTRATION FEE !

17) How you Travel?
Ans.: Bus
Tax: PAY SURCHARGE!

18) Any Additional Tax?
Ans.: Yes
Tax: PAY EDUCATIONAL, ADDITIONAL EDUCATIONAL & SURCHARGE ON ALL THE CENTRAL GOVT.'s TAX !!!

19) Delayed any time Paying Any Tax?
Ans.: Yes
Tax: PAY INTEREST & PENALTY TAX!

Disclaimer: Taken from an email that i had received from someone, happy to share it. Credit due to the original poster.

Burning of the Quran by The Rev. Terry Jones, What to expect?

2010-09-09T10:34:00.000-07:00

The Burning of the Quran by The Rev. Terry Jones from Florida. What is he expecting to gain from burning the Holy Quran. Please look at the reactions posted on CNN

1- A spokesman for the Taliban in Afghanistan tells CNN: "If in Florida they were to burn the Quran, we will target any Christians, even if they are innocent, because the Quran is our holy book and we do not want someone to burn our holy book."

2- A senior Iranian Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Lotfollah Safi Golpayegani, condemned the plan to burn the Quran and calling for the arrest of Jones, head of the Dove World Outreach Center, according to Iran's semi-official Fars news agency. Should such an "inhumane incident take place in America, the U.S. government and President [Barack] Obama will be held responsible," he said, according to the report.

(The USA & the TALIBAN need an excuse to keep the TERRORISM ISSUE burning)
(IRAN gets the upper hand in condemning the USA)

3- Interpol, the international police organization, warned of "tragic consequences" that "may well claim the lives of many innocent people" if the burning goes ahead. Secretary General Ronald Noble said September 11 should be a day to fight terrorism, not a day to "engage in provocative acts that will give terrorists propaganda" to recruit others to their cause.

4- British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he hoped Jones would refrain from carrying out the burning, and he pointed out Muslims are about to celebrate Eid, the end of their holy month of Ramadan. "To seek to mar it in this calculated way would be selfish and provocative in the extreme," Hague said.

(I am glad someone is thinking straight)

5- Sajjad Karim, a Muslim and British member of the European Parliament, told the chamber Thursday that the Quran burning "is the act of one man and his followers alone. His actions should not be identified with the West or Christianity. Muslims globally must know that, through this Quran burning, this man will achieve nothing. He has been isolated in his country and his religion. It is only through a reaction that any perverse sense of achievement can be earned."

(Muslims in the West are scared to express their thoughts for fear of backlash)

6- U.S. Sen. John McCain, a Republican from Arizona, urged Jones against the burning in a posting on his Twitter page Thursday. "Pastor Jones' threats to burn the Quran will put American service men/women in danger - for their sake please don't do it!"

(Mr. McCain are you only worried about only the American service men/women? What about WORLD PEACE)

7- Dalil Boubakeur, rector of the Paris Grand Mosque and France's most important spokesman for the Muslim community, urged Muslims to respond "wisely" to the burning and "not to fall into the trap of provocation." He told French radio station RMC on Wednesday that Muslims should also not be stigmatized or targeted for the "terrorists, despicable people" who carried out the September 11 attacks.

(Why provoke any community at all for that matter....)

8- The U.S. Embassy in London said Washington is "deeply concerned about all deliberate attempts to offend members of any religious or ethnic group" and condemned such acts as "unrepresentative of American values." While the embassy said it believes firmly in freedom of religion and freedom of expression, "we reaffirm our position that the deliberate destruction of any holy book is an abhorrent act."

(Freedom of religion and freedom of expression ...... This is how a PASTOR exercises his right)

9- Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said everything possible should be done to ban the Quran burning. "If it does take place, it will inflict the most severe damage to inter-faith relations and human and cultural dialogue and will be used as a pretext by extremists for more killings and retaliatory killing," he said.

(FORGET ABOUT PEACE PROCESS IN IRAQ)

10- Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono wrote a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to stop the Quran burning, which he called a "hideous act." A presidential spokesman said Indonesia is concerned the burning will incite hard-line Muslims in Indonesia and around the world

(WAY TO GO President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono)

11- The Vatican implored the church Wednesday not to burn the Quran, saying it would be an "outrageous and grave gesture."

(First positive response from the other side)

12- New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has defended the right of the church's pastor, Terry Jones, to go ahead with the plan, even though he condemns the idea as "distasteful." "The First Amendment protects everybody, and you can't say that we are going to apply the First Amendment to only those cases where we are in agreement," Bloomberg said this week, citing the section of the Constitution that promises freedom of speech.

(MAYBE YOU SHOULD CHANGE THE FIRST AMENDMENT)

13- The Military Religious Freedom Foundation, which is dedicated to protecting U.S. troops from religious intolerance, has promised to buy one new Quran and donate it to the Afghan National Army for each one burned in Florida.

(Why, do you think the Muslims are represented only by AFGHANISTAN?)

There are these reactions and many more from Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, US embassies in Pakistan, Kabul and Iraq, all against the burning.

Why does the West create provocations for the Muslims all over the world by their acts, be it the Prophet cartoons, or now the burning..

Whatever happened to peace and harmony between all religions. The Rev. Terry Jones has definitely a hidden agenda and it has nothing to do with Christianity or Christians for that matter. But it definitely is going to spread terrorism whether the USA like it or not....

By the way dont go on my fictitious name of MARK ANTHONY, my name is Mubarak Thakur and proud to say i am a Muslim. The reason i had to write this article was only to see through the double edged reactions posted here.

I urge all muslims to be tolerant, and to follow the lives of The Rev. Terry Jones and his followers. Because Allah is there and he is definitely watching, and over the course of TIME, he will see to it that The Rev. Terry Jones gets his due.

Dont forget that Allah had protected his house the Kaabah, so why do you think he cant protect his book the Quran......

Please forward to as many people as possible because the due date is 9/11. Would love to hear your comments & responses to this article

CRICKET IS ONLY ABOUT MONEY NOT THE SPORT ITSELF!

2010-08-31T00:49:00.000-07:00

I bet everybody has been following the current Pakistani cricket spot fixing controversy. The question is

Should you believe what you see or not?

This is the question we should ask ourselves when you see the fixer MAZHAR MAJEED counting wads of money and specifying spot fixing details to the NOTW undercover reporter. The point is not that this was an one off incident. Pakistan has always been in the eye of controversy because they have always been cheaters and accused and found guilty of very specific incidents. Be it, SHAHID AFRIDI tampering, vaseline gate, SALEEM MALIK, MOHAMMED ASIF DOPING INCIDENT, and many many more.

But this is all besides the point and the main thing is why is not the current series of the cricket not being scrapped. Believe you, me, its all about the MONEY. Let it be if it was given by MAZHAR MAJEED or the current loss that ECB is going to loose in the ODI and T20 series, which is to the tune of 20 MILLION UK POUNDS.

Cricket is not a sport anymore but it has become a GAMBLING DEN.

WHAT IS INDIA?

2010-08-20T01:59:00.000-07:00

1- A Nation where Pizza reaches home faster than Ambulance & Police.

2- Where you get Car Loan at 5% but Education Loan at 12%.

3- Where Rice is Rs 40/ per kilo but Sim card is FREE.

4- Where people worship the Goddess Durga but want to kill their GIRL CHILD.

5- Olympic shooter wins gold, gets Rs 3 crores. But when a soldier dies fighting for his country
he gets Rs. 1 Lakh.

REALLY INCREDIBLE!

Disclaimer: This is SMS i received on my cell phone and i thought that it was worth reading to all my followers and friends.

Message / Request: Forward this message by any medium either by sms, tweeting, facebook, orkut and all that is available so that the PRIME MINISTER of INDIA also gets the message.

2nd AIRPORT NAVI MUMBAI OR KALYAN?

2010-08-19T02:29:00.000-07:00

This has been going on for almost a decade. Deciding where the 2nd airport is going to built? Will it be Navi Mumbai or Kalyan? When it was first decided that it was going to be Navi Mumbai, the property prices around that area shot through the roof. Now the same thing is happening with Kalyan being proposed as the prescribed airport location.

Kalyan has already seen buying activity and the prices that are being quoted for vacant land around these areas has shot up by more than ten (10) times.

Is this some kind of conspiracy that the politicians are going on with hand in glove with the Real estate lobby. It seems exactly that, being the case that there is not any real buying activity going on in the real estate sector. This is just only a ploy to scam people of their hard earned money.

People have already started buying land at exhorbiant prices and this will lead to artificial spurge in real estate properties. Land was considered to be a safe investment just like gold but now, for future investors its going to spell DOOM

MASS PROTEST OF TAXI & AUTO RICKSHAW DRIVERS

2010-08-15T02:40:00.001-07:00

Has anyone going through the latest news of the MASS PROTEST OF TAXI & AUTO RICKSHAW DRIVERS in Mumbai. I really have to admire the people who had taken the initiative to launch this mass protest against the taxi & rickshaw drivers.

I used to drive a cab in Chicago, USA for almost 6 years. And believe me i have picked up so many passenger during that stint of mine, but it has been hardly once that i remember that i have refused a customer. Over there i have to pay a fine of almost USD 750/- per incident and stand a chance of loosing my license which is not easy to come by as I have to go to a two week class. And then have to pass my end of class exams as well as the State certified exams, which believe me are not easy to crack.

The reason i mentioned about my background is that there is no such classes or exams to clear here in India, and its very easy to get your taxi or rickshaw license. As for the fine for refusal of fare, it is there, but they don't care because of the rampant corrupt system in the RTO.

I just came across the news regarding the mass protest, I agree that these drivers think they were not affected but I believe they have. It would be really nice if people would help each other when they came across the situation when the driver refused a fare. Its not easy handling these drivers, as they tend to get abusive sometimes, which of course is not easy for every one.

But we have to stand up to these people so that they don't take advantage of us. As consumers we have a right. If these drivers want to refuse fares, then they should ply some other trade.

Good luck guys and please do stand up and let your voices be heard. And the next time you see someone fighting with a Cabbie or a rick walla don't hesitate to go and help the passenger.

IT COULD BY YOU

LIKE TO WRITE BUT SCARED......

2010-08-09T00:38:00.000-07:00

I have blogging for quite a while now and sometimes i just get a writers block, whereby i am not able to concentrate at all and completely blank. But other times i am flush with topics that i can comment on, or write about something very controversial.

Express my thoughts by blogging. But the more i started blogging the more i was interested in speaking my mind. But whenever i thought about writing about certain topics, it was just that i was just scared and nervous as to the consequences that will follow. I don't want to be targeted or attacked. Neither do i want to be the center of a controversy.

Do you think i am doing the right thing, by suppressing my thoughts, which i know a lot of people are thinking also. But nobody has the courage to speak it.

Please would appreciate your comments with regards to the same. or are you facing a similar situation.

DID YOU KNOW????

2010-07-13T23:50:00.000-07:00

Like always going through and reading randomly across literature and came across the following information. Thought it would be nice to share with my readers and followers:-

1- Botanically speaking the banana is an herb and the tomato is a fruit.

2- The word CARAT derives from the carob bean, Gem dealers used to balance their scales with carob beans because these beans all have the same weight.

3- In September 1999 Dustin Philips of the US set a Guinness World record by drinking a 400ml (14 oz) bottle of tomato soup through a straw in 33 seconds.

4- The world's largest industry is TOURISM affecting 240 million jobs.

5- Americans and Europeans spend over $17 billion per year on pet food.

6- Tobacco is a $200 billion industry, producing six trillion cigarettes a year - about 1000 cigarettes for each person on earth.

7- To make one kilo of honey, bees have to visit 4 million flowers, travelling a distance equal to 4 times around the earth.

SHARAD PAWAR - is he the right person for ICC PRESIDENT?

2010-07-02T01:49:00.000-07:00

SHARAD PAWAR, well known in political circles in the Indian political arena. Agreed, he is a very shrewd politician. But that doesn't make him very good in managing World Cricket affairs at the ICC.

It is completely unnecessary and wrong for him to accept this post, because of his political career as well as the scandals that completely associate him with Cricket, be it at the IPL or BCCI.

The ICC president should be someone who can be a full time person with complete knowledge about cricket and has nothing to do with politics. This also being the reason that they cannot influence the cricketing decisions in the country. India being a dominant cricket force in world cricket that it is.

Simply put, SHARAD PAWAR is not the right person for ICC PRESIDENT. if you think otherwise please don't hesitate to post your comments

BOTTLED WATER - FACTS BEFORE DRINKING

2010-06-17T00:26:00.000-07:00

Everybody prefers Bottled water to normal water, be it tap water, well water and any other source. They think that it is really safe than normal water. Maybe they are right, may be not......

I was going through some literature in a local consumer magazine where i came across some facts about bottled water and this, I thought i really had to share with my readers.

1- The World Wildlife Foundation estimates that 1.5 million tons of plastic are used globally each year for water bottles.

2- According to the Earth Policy Institute 1.5 million barrels of oil are required to make plastic bottles per year, enough to fuel 1,000 cars a year.

3- According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), bottled waters do not have any greater nutritive value than tap water.

4- Delivering bottled water from far away places burn fossil fuels and results in the release of thousands if tons of harmful emissions; 22 million tons of bottled liquid is transferred each year from their country of origin, transported by boat, train, air and ground transport.

5- Bottled water that is shipped and/or stored cold requires additional electricity.

6- Large amounts of energy are used in water bottling plants throughout the US and the world.

7- Energy is required to remove the empty bottles in the form of recycling or trash.

8- Bottled water may be no safer, or healthier than tap water in many countries while selling for up to 1000 times the price.

These are facts and figures of bottled water, so please bear in mind before you contribute to the planet positively or negatively.

LIVE WELL

MUNIR KHAN THE WONDER DOCTOR ARRESTED

2010-05-14T02:55:00.000-07:00

Dr. Munir Khan on the run for more than six months finally surrendered to the authorities and was arrested. His world famous BODY REVIVE which could cure almost any illness, was promoted by film stars and politicians alike.

This fraud is pretty much similar to the MLM, Double your money fraud schemes. Dr. Munir Khan gave the people what they wanted, a WONDER DRUG. The people who bought from
Dr. Munir Khan are as much to blame as the doctor himself. It just seems that people don't learn.

But here you cannot blame only the accused, but you have to blame also the police and the politicians that were involved. Because, such a big operation cannot go on without the help of highly placed officials. How can you advertise such a BLUNT FRAUD on national television and get away with it for so many years.

He still swears by his invention but doesn't take it for his own ailment. He is taking Crocin and other painkillers. His claim for having the authentication for his drug has now been proved false. Most important of all how is a self claimed scientist allowed to prescribe medicine for anybody, and that also at exhorbiant price of Rs 15,000/- per bottle.

Even today if you look at the newspaper advertisements sections you will notice these quick rich schemes. One ad has shown that you can get Rs. 75 crore returns in one year. I would urge the authorities to setup an print investigative cell wherein they can check the newspapers and save the consumers from falling prey to these predators. It would also save a cost at a later stage when these predators would target millions of innocent people.

CRICKET INDIA - PERSONAL GAIN BEFORE COUNTRY

2010-05-11T01:39:00.000-07:00

Indian Cricket is paying the price of CRICKET OVERDOSE. Indian cricket players seem to be carried away more with money than country. This is more than obvious from the current T20 Cricket World Cup which is currently being held in West Indies.

Team India is on the verge of being kicked out of the current T20 world cricket cup if they don't win their match against Sri Lanka. Also the other condition being Australia should win against the West Indies.

This is all attributed to the overdose of cricket that is being played currently. Also the majority of the Indian players are more committed to partying late until the night, shooting for commercials, and much more extra curricular activities which are not related to cricket. You might also notice that the IPL is no doubt a major entertainer but it has become an hindrance to India's shot at the T20 Cricket World Cup.

I bet lot of us have come across some budding cricketers who are trying to make the big league. If you ask them what are their goals, don't be surprised if they say IPL. Nobody is talking about the country anymore.

Before we used to watch Cricket for INDIA, but now we watch cricket for SACHIN, DHONI, PATHAN, RAINA AND THE LOT. THIS IS REALLY A SHAME.

Tendulkar crosses the final frontier - TWITTER

2010-05-05T00:08:00.000-07:00

Sachin Tendulkar has finally joined twitter. It was really about time that he did so. Not for himself but to all his loyal fans all over the world leave alone India.

Within hours of his joining the micro blogging site Twitter, his followers has already blasted to more than 27,000. It wont be surprising before he becomes the most followed celebrity on this planet. The best thing about the Tendulkar tweets is that he is more personal and he is sharing the best of tweets which include very personal photographs of his friends.

As the time progresses don't be surprised if he comes up with more and more private photographs. But one thing we must remind ourselves as his loyal fans is that we should not take advantage of his humble nature. Sachin is really a pure and patriotic person by heart, so it would be really wrong for us to misuse his tweets.

Nothing more to write here other than that if you do want to follow Sachin Tendulkar on twitter his handle is @sachin_rt

Thank you sachin for being such a brilliant sportsman and a wonderful human being.

Belgium's ban on veil - Justified or not

2010-05-01T00:19:00.000-07:00

‘‘We’re the first country to spring the locks that have made a good number of women slaves, and we hope to be followed by France, Switzerland, Italy, and the Netherlands; countries that think,’’ said liberal lawmaker Denis Ducarme.

This statement might come to haunt Belgium and will definitely create a rift between communities. Why is it hard for the West to believe that the veil or Burqa as it is called is not forced on the woman, but the Muslim women wear it voluntarily to protect their modesty and chastity.

They added that the veil was a ‘‘walking prison’’ for women. The bill’s chief promoter, Daniel Bacquelaine, said local mayors could suspend the ban during festivities such as Carnival when people traditionally wear costumes, including masks. If it is a ban than why it has to be lifted on carnivals. Don't you think that is the time that the terrorists would strike. This is a clear case of racial profiling. Believe me it will follow soon, and then they will target the Sikhs for the turbans. They long have been trying to do that, but as of yet have not succeeded but if no one raises a voice now, then it wont be long before that law should come into effect.

I agree that it raises issues of security because you don't know who is behind the veil. But they could definitely find a solution to that then out rightly going into this so called ban.

This is only the start of an entirely new conflict that the West doesn't need to engage in right now.

PARENTS, CHILDREN & EXPECTATIONS

2010-04-29T00:09:00.001-07:00

This is a very sensitive topic wherein i try to put in my experiences of being a parent and an have been child of my parents. Maybe many of you might feel the same way, as i go along my quest in exploring the expectations from both parties Parents & Children.

As a parent i along with my wife want our children to get the best of everything. That is what parenting is all about. Its all about the children. The children expect good food, good clothes, good toys, going out with friends and much much more. They have a care free life and don't care about anything. Their expectations from the parents are that it is their right to get their hands on everything they can get. They don't care if their parents can afford it or not. I don't mean to say that all children are like that. There are a few who are thankful for what they get.

The least bit that they are worried about is their education, which is the foundation to their entire life. That is the time they try to enjoy life to the fullest without laying any emphasis on building up on that foundation. The kids right now are very smart and very tech savvy.

Parents on the other hand expect the children to fulfill their ambitions through their children. It is not easy in the current situation to expect that from children. The children are now becoming to independent. I pay through the nose for my children's education especially the private tuition fees which have like gone way through the roof and above. I want them to get good grades and go through college and graduate and make a good decent living. I would love for them to become doctors or engineers. I would love them to top the class.

But it is easy said than done. One thing i do with my kids is that i never force them and i try to be their friend than a parent. So, they can trust me and come to me whenever they have a problem. I am too scared that due to my persistence of good grades my kids would take that drastic step. I always keep informing them that there is only one place at the top and its not a wise thing to compete for that place. But in fact just try and if you get it, FINE. If you don't its not the end of the world.

Expectations for either parent or children should be in the boundaries that can be achieved. and not that is beyond reach.

IPL3 A SUCCESS? GIVE REASONS

2010-04-25T01:41:00.000-07:00

IPL - The Indian Premier League Edition 3. Was it a success or a failure?

I bet everybody has its own story. The cricket this year in the IPL barring the Mumbai Indians was a complete disaster. It was not even worth watching had it not been for the Mumbai Indians with all their Tiwari's and Rayudu's, not forgetting to mention Malinga, Pollard and the undisputed Sachin Tendulkar.

If you had watched the IPL this year you might have noticed that the top three were changing positions all the time. The star performers didn't perform and all the teams had excuses for not delivering. Take the case of Yuvraj Singh, he was a complete failure this IPL. I don't know why Mohammed Kaif is there at all. Rohit Sharma, Uthapha and Kohli showed some brilliance but it didnt last long. Yusuf Pathan other than that fastest century did nothing for the Royals.

The only player to shine in the whole IPL besides the Mumbai Indian Team was Pragyan Ojha from the Chargers. No team has the right to be in the IPL this year. The Mumbai Indians should be crowned IPL CHAMPIONS just for showing how the T20 Cricket is played.

But the IPL is publicised this year not for the cricket that they are playing but the corruption that it has said to been involved in. It was tainted from the start when the auction was going on when the Pakistani players were not bought in the bidding process by any of the teams.

The IPL is a PANDORA'S BOX waiting to burst. Just wait and watch.

Oh, i forgot to say that please give reasons as to why IPL 3 was a success?

FALL AND FALL OF LALIT MODI

2010-04-21T01:49:00.000-07:00

Lalit Modi the IPL chairman seems to be falling from grace every happening day. The IPL franchisees from the start was never an viable business proposition. To this day hardly any of the franchise's have to make any profits. The teams were only bought to glorify the owners and bring them on the business front scene. This i say is like being owners of English football clubs.

Lalit Modi all along his stint as IPL head was acting like a HITLER and dictating terms and creating new rules all the time. If you remember that the current two teams which are added, have been bought at astronomical amounts. Agreed that the valuation of the franchises have increased many fold but still anybody has to show any profit.

Remember the case of Narendra Hirwani when he was told to leave the VIP section of the Brabourne Stadium. Take the case of a promised Rs 6-crore donation which never reached the Rajasthan chief minister's relief fund. No Pakistani was picked for the current IPL edition, where Modi didn't guarantee the teams that the players would be given security.

I think nobody doubts that there has been massive fraud and unfair practices in the IPL bidding process. The only people that are currently siding Modi are the franchisee owners, who feel they will get a bitter deal once he is removed. Normally you see Modi hanging around politicians, owners or the VIP box.

Dont you think it is enough that the IPL which Modi says is his brainchild was infact stolen from the now disgraced ICL (Indian Cricket League). Me thinks it was only a matter of time before the IT department caught up with him. Lalit Modi was getting too big for his shoes.

IT PAYS TO CHEAT IN PAKISTAN........

2010-03-23T00:44:00.000-07:00

Shahid Khan Afridi and Younis Khan have been nominated for the President’s Pride of Performance Award tomorrow, almost a week after they were fined and banned by Pakistan Cricket board for indiscipline and misconduct.

This has to be the most interesting awards that these individual can receive and put on their shelves at home If Pakistan cricket goes this way, it is setting up a very good example for the upcoming and talented cricketers that come from Pakistan.

Remember the very casual approach the Pakistani cricket authorities follow like the drug tainted incidents of Mohammed Asif & Shoaib Akhtar. They very only handed a one year discipline, and then taken back in the side. There are also earlier instances of match fixing in which former player Salim Malik was involved.

The Ball tampering controversies involving Shahid Afridi in recent times where he was seen chewing the ball in full view of the cameras and then bluntly lying that he was smelling the ball. These cricketers think that they can get away with cheating because the Pakistan Cricket Board supports them. They think that a slap on the wrist type of penalty is sufficient.

The players of Pakistani cricket team think that they cannot be replaced. A more very clear example of this was when the talented Umar Akmal refusing to play claiming that he was injured, because his brother Wicket Keeper Batsman Kamran Akmal was going to be dropped.

This is easily expected from the PCB and the authorities where Mr. Ten percent Asif Zardari can be the President of a country .

But how can the People of Pakistan tolerate this.

DO YOU ASK QUERIES/QUESTIONS ONLINE?

2010-03-21T08:15:00.000-07:00

What do you do, if you are researching a subject or looking for something. The first thing you do is ask someone who knows about it, try to find it in a book or a newspaper.

Nowadays, its much easier and you can post your question / queries online especially on sites like Yahoo answers, Ibibo, and many other forums. The questions you ask can be anything from buying, selling, medical, real estate and much much more.

But one thing i do when i want to research a particular subject is that i google it on the net, and sometimes it takes me to these sites like Yahoo answers, Ibibo etc...and i expect the answers to be to the point that i can gain some value out of it. But it is usually some person who gives the most stupidest of answers which are not related to the topic. They try to make fun of the person who has posed the question. 75% of the time that i have come across any question, it usually is these types of responses.

The reason for this could be that Yahoo and other sites have some points for answering or posing questions. So people try to gain popularity on the Internet claiming to have answered so many questions, showing them that they are experts in the topic. Don't you think Yahoo or these social sites should claim moral responsibility for such irresponsible behavior on the part of their users. I totally agree that the Internet is so huge that they can do anything about it. But they can at least try to ban these users.

If you want to see responsible sites than you should check out linkedin.com who at least screen their users and take action.

It really is disgusting.......

YOU GOT AN IDEA!!! CAN YOU SAY EUREKA?

2010-03-19T01:35:00.000-07:00

Has it ever happened to you, when you think that you have got an idea, a product, a website, a service that people could do without.

Boy, it has happened to me, and wow was i wrong. I bet a lot of you guys are out there sitting on a land mine waiting to blast, and you dreaming of all the millions that you are going to make. Why is it that, it happens so? I always thought that when i first created my website http://www.yiippee.com with my friend, who of course was an expert php developer, that i had nailed it. And i would never have to work again. It had a catchy name, easy to remember, but it still didn't click. Hopefully, i will still make millions from just the name, like so many others did before me.

Why is that we think that everybody will like our idea, our product. Me, thinks that either the idea or product is way ahead of its time, or way ancient, or just that I was the only one that believed in it. But, i have seen crappier sites and products make it. Is it the money that is involved in promoting the product, or is it just plain luck that it clicks.

When will people like us get a chance to say EUREKA....... and don't tell me in my dreams.

If you had similar situations, please don't forget to share with us with your comments.

SPOT THE CELEBRITY - BIG FRAUD TV SHOW

2010-03-09T00:14:00.000-08:00

Have you noticed recently that they are showing a "Spot the Celebrity" game show on TV every night. This is the show where you have to guess the celebrity from only minor glimpses which could be the eyes, the mouth, the left face etc.....

It seems all the major TV channels like IMAGINE, and many more which are not currently coming to my mind. But definitely IMAGINE is there and as well as many other major TV networks involved.

In the show you are supposed to guess the celebrity and have to phone the channel where you are either made to wait or nobody responds. Of course this is not free because the cost of the call is a minimum of Rs 10/-. I am not sure if it is a per minute call. But you are made to hear a music or something and you wait endlessly to answer the puzzle, which of course you don't get a chance to do.

The worst thing is that the answers are so easy and the majority of the callers who do answer seem to get the answer wrong? I was wondering how it is possible. Because just a couple of days back there was an puzzle which clearly show that it was Amitabh Bachchan from his famous Deewar movie. And can you believe it nobody could answer the puzzle correctly and they had the most stupid of answers like "Himesh Reshamiya". The prize to guess the puzzle is at Rs 25,000/- to start, which can go up to Rs 1 Lakh, but i doubt if anybody has been paid. Other than the viewers who call and get deducted Rs 10/- minimum. It is a very seductive game and viewers are falling prey to it.

I can understand that the TV channels want to make money, but this is a real case of fraud and betraying viewer's trust. I am doing my bit, by standing up to this fraud. You do your bit by spreading the message

AIR INDIA - WILL IT SURVIVE?

2010-03-08T07:45:00.000-08:00

AIR INDIA is our national airline and it is in trouble. It has been in loss for the last so many years that you cannot even count. Initially i used to be a non-resident Indian and whenever i would travel, I would always prefer travelling by our national airline. It was like Pride and Patriotic at the same time.

But believe me i had never even once had a comfortable flight. They have bad service, the planes never leave on schedule and the crew are really terrible. Maybe, the reason could be that I used to live in Kuwait and mostly the travellers used to be low-skilled Indians. Maybe AIR INDIA crew thought it was not necessary to be nice to them at, leave alone offering them good service. They thought they were doing them a favor just by getting them home or bringing them back.

Of course it was not only AIR INDIA, that was doing this. It was also KUWAIT AIRWAYS the local airlines that was doing it to their travellers. Now you can see that both of them have been down and almost out. Both these airlines have terrible reputations, bad planes, bad service, bad crew.

So even if the government is thinking in terms of pumping millions to revive the airline, this cannot guarantee the success of the airline if they don't take care of the customer. Being an official airline doesn't give them the right to disrespect the paying customer.

I thin AIR INDIA should be given in private hands who will bring in good and decent people who know customer satisfaction and its better to bring in new airlines too.

We are tired of paying for an airline ticket and getting a taxi ride.

Will AIR INDIA SURVIVE?

Balika Vadhu - Will the serial die with Avika Gor, the protagonist ?

2010-03-05T07:31:00.000-08:00

Balika Vadhu, one of the most famous serial of recent times is in for an unexpected turn. According to the latest news the famous character of "ANANDI" is in for ultimate end, as the protagonist, Avika Gor has made up her mind to quit the show.

The channel has asked her to reconsider her decision, but Avika is in mood to comply. We know that success goes through many a people's head, and this is one of a classic example of the same.
Everyone knows that without the character "Anandi" its impossible for the serial to survive. We still have yet to affirm if the channel has any contract with the actor to restrict her from such a sudden exit.

Balika Vadhu was a serial made famous also because it had so many plots, and if they came across a plot the serial producers never dragged the serial in any specific plot. Take the case of the kidnapping of the child, or Sugna's former in-laws claiming the son of Sugna. Whatever the case they never dragged the plot to more than a couple of episodes and kept the audience excited with the show.

This is one of the major reason of the success of the show. But the character "Anandi" always remained the focus of the show. Do you think the show should be gracefully ended or dragged along if Anandi dies or Avika Gor exits?

RICKSHAWS - Can Mumbaikars do without them?

2010-03-03T00:02:00.000-08:00

Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, the state transport minister has proposed that the Rickshaw (three wheeler) transport will soon be phased out if the State has its way. The reason given behind this move is that it will reduce the number of fatal accidents and curb pollution.

I agree that there is pollution due to these vehicles but it is also due to the trucks, taxi's, tempos and other vehicles that ply the mumbai roads. We have to know that the Rickshaw is a very comfortable ride being very airy and it is much quicker to reach your destination because it is a smaller vehicle compared to a taxi.

The minister has said that the permits of these Auto Rickshaw's will not be renewed unless they are replaced with a four wheeler. This in itself is a very negative step because it will congest the roads much more as this will add more four wheelers on the road. The traffic as it is, snarls at a snail's pace with all the construction going on, especially the metro's.

This just seems to be something which will be favoring the major auto manufacturers selling cars. I for one love my autorickshaw ride, and its much cheaper on my purse too. Why doesn't the minister think in terms of hiring good contractors who can have provide good infrastructure and roads for our city.

Mr. Minister please phase away the corruption in the roads and infrastructure department where they cannot even complete a decent project like the Bandra - Worli Sea link, which took ten years to complete and in the first month of operation already had pot holes on the Sea link roads.

I doubt if Mumbaikars will take likely to your suggestion of phasing out of the autorickshaws. Think for the people and not against the people.

WILL HOCKEY INDIA RULE THE WORLD?

2010-03-02T07:17:00.000-08:00

Indian Hockey seems to be going in the right direction as they have a very fantastic start to the 2010 World Cup Hockey tournament. They have already won against arch rivals Pakistan by beating them at their tournament opener.

Will India be able to follow up on their initial success as they have the whole country standing behind them. They have already received cash bonuses of Rs. 2 Lakhs per player from their official sponsor SAHARA.

Also Hockey is also gaining a lot of popularity and the Indian game are getting a lot of public attendance. Many celebrities have come out in support of Hockey India . But the game authority is coming to a lot of disrepute due to the federation being headed by players who hardly know anything about the game. The recent case being the banning of Shivendra Singh for two games, and Hockey India could not do anything about it with the International Hockey Federation in reducing the ban.

With all the hype surrounding Hockey India, will they be able to achieve INDIA'S DREAMS?
Will Hockey India rule the world?

ARE YOU A WRITER? AND HAVE YOU HIT A MENTAL BLOCK

2010-03-02T01:21:00.000-08:00

I don't know if it happens to everybody. but, just recently it has happened to me. I love to write and i usually write about things that i think matter to everybody and are presently current. I like to stay updated as i bet all writers love to do, which in one way inspires and motivates them.

Presently I have hit a mental block and my mind doesn't seem to focus at all. I usually look at current news and try to opinionate them with my writings. But for the last few days its not happening at all. I am completely blank. I have read newspapers, articles and what not, but nothing comes to my mind. I seem to forget.

Has this happened to anybody? I hope not! But, if you are one of those few who is like me, I would appreciate all the much if you could share how did you get rid of the mental block. It will be very helpful to me as I a m a regular blogger and usually use to write everyday. Anything which can hit a chord would be very helpful.

Look forward to your motivational words. Wake me up........

DO YOU WANT TO BE SACHIN TENDULKAR?

2010-02-26T07:13:00.000-08:00

CRICKET GOD, LITTLE MASTER, SACHIN IMMORTAL. These are only some of the names that have been given to Sachin Tendulkar. But amongst the current crop of cricketers we have to seriously ask if we can have another Sachin Tendulkar.

Every current cricketer wants to be another Tendulkar, but is it possible to be him?

These are the requirements that are needed for you to be Sachin Tendulkar, please check if you have these:-

It is long, lonely journey. Can you complete it?
Too much money involved. Can you resist it?
Instant celebrity status. Are you humble enough?
Controversy covered track. Can you handle it?
Goals and records. Are you patient enough?
Too much competition. Are you competitive enough?
Close to 200 runs. Can you break the current Sachin Tendulkar's record?

For all budding cricketers or readers who are in search of the next Sachin Tendulkar, and if you think you have these qualities then i think you can be the next SACHIN TENDULKAR.

SACHIN RAMESH TENDULKAR HAS BREACHED HISTORY!

2010-02-24T04:59:00.000-08:00

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar - The Little Master has breached cricket history by breaking all records that are to be broken in BATTING. Tendulkar has scored a maiden double century in ODI history and has created a record which has never been established before.

The various comments that were said about his batting, out of which the best i liked was "Tendulkar had created his own zone today". Yes,exactly its right, he was invincible today and it seems that he was playing and toying with the bowlers. It seemed that he new exactly what they were up to.

When you check his batting wagon wheel you will notice that there isnt a place left on the cricket field that he has left untouched.

Tendulkar is the person in history who holds the record for
maximum runs in TEST's
maximum runs in ODI's
highest number of centuries in TEST's
highest number of centuries in ODI's
and now the highest score in ODI which is 200 not out and he stayed at the crease for the maximum of 50 overs.

What do you call this person?
How long you think he can keep going?

ARE WE WATCHING CRICKET OR THE ADS?

2010-02-23T23:47:00.000-08:00

Currently, India is playing South Africa in the ODI series. I love cricket, i really do, and i bet there are millions who do too. I am one of the guys out of those millions who like to watch cricket on TV. I am not comfortable with crowds around me.

Its really very entertaining and at the same time it saves me a lot of money. I was watching the first ODI between the two countries. Like i recall it was a very tense match and took the match all the way to the final delivery, which of course India had won by one run. Good for India.

But what really gets me is that the amount of ads that they put in a game is like really huge. Its like they are spamming us on National Television. The channels don't want us to watch the match but the advertisements. If you notice the moment a wicket is down, they don't show the replays but switch it immediately to the ads, where they play at least 5 ads by the time we come back.

I was wishing to catch the replay of the wicket, but that was not possible coz the ad was being played. I can understand that they have to pay, for bringing us the match LIVE. But it should not be to the extent that it is forced down our EYES.

End of the day we all agree that they are making a good buck, and we are getting to watch the match for free. I guess i shouldn't complain so much, But i am a bitchy kind of guy.

MUST WATCH MOVIE OF THE YEAR!

2010-02-21T22:49:00.000-08:00

As always I wait until the dust has settled, and am wary of crowds and dicey situations. But in this instance i guess i have made a mistake by not going out and watching MY NAME IS KHAN (MNIK) on the first day.

It would have been my step towards standing up to oppression, terrorism and being BRAVE. This is not a review about the movie MNIK. But, this movie has to be one of the best and must watch movie of the year.

Even if there had been no Shiv Sena / Shahrukh Khan tussle to the MNIK controversy, this movie had the legs to run off with accolades for the story, actors performances, location etc.... You name it and this movie had it.

This movie touches on various subjects like Disease disorder, Terrorism, Love, Hate, Support. And all it needed was man RIZVAN KHAN who had an Autism disorder to spread the message of HUMANITY.

I dont want to reveal much on the subject of the movie and take away the joy of watching it. But do remember that is a must watch movie of the year, and it has crossed all language, country, race barriers.

IPL - INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE, WHAT FUTURE BEHOLDS?

2010-02-18T01:10:00.000-08:00

INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE the so called IPL, which has become so popular with the Indian as well as international cricket audience might be in for a rude reality check.

Lalit Modi and the IPL officials are trying to monopolise the IPL. There are so many controversies that are surrounding the league and the officials which are hard to shrug off. Remember the Income Tax department's notice to the BCCI to pay income tax along with a penalty. And BCCI in turn had declared itself as a charitable organisation.

These are only a few to name. The latest being the NBA's (National Broadcaster Association) decision to not cover the event as the IPL/SETMAX arbitrarily refused to abide by their commitment as contained in the 2008 norms," NBA Secretary General Annie Joseph said in a statement.

Also IPL not cooperating with the Players associations with regards to security concerns. IPL advised the associations that it will deal with the boards directly.

This will be fine momentarily but at a later stage this will not work, and to make an event as big as IPL to be successful, would need the cooperation of all concerned parties be it the players or the media.

Lalit Modi has just recently stated that he would be adding to new teams to the current IPL and that would make it really big. There are many inside problems brewing which will come to the fore with time. Also don't forget the Deccan Chargers venue has been moved out of Hyderabad and that in itself is going to bring in the States politics into play.

IPL IS THIS VOLCANO ABOUT TO ERUPT?

MUSLIMS & WORLD OPINION ABOUT THEM

2010-02-16T22:57:00.000-08:00

This is something i received in my email and found it to be so true that i had to share this with all of my viewers and followers.

So here goes nothing changing minds of a few if not all:-

A Jew can grow his beard in order to practice his faith
But when Muslim does the same, he is an extremist and terrorist!

A nun can be covered from head to toe in order to devote herself to God, right?
But, then, if a daughter of Muslim-Ummah does the same, why is she oppressed?

When a western woman stays at home to look after her house and kids she is respected by the entire society because of sacrificing her life to her house.
But when a Muslim woman does so by her will, they say, "she needs to be liberated"!

Any girl can go to university wearing what she wills and have her rights and freedom?
But when a Muslim Girl/Lady wears Hijab, they prevent her from entering the university!

When a child dedicates himself to a subject, he has potential and talent..
But when he dedicates himself to Islam he is hopeless!

When a Jew kills someone, religion is not mentioned.
But when a Muslim is charged with a crime, it is Islam that goes to trial!

When someone sacrifices himself to keep others alive, he is noble and everyone respects him.
But when a Palestinian does that to save his son from being killed, his brother's arm being broken, his mother being raped, his home being destroyed, and his mosque being violated --- He gets the title of 'terrorist'! Why? Because he is a "Muslim"!

I hope that all people are treated with same respect, and it has nothing to do with religion but only with humanity. Let us all try to be HUMANS

PUNE ATTACK - COULD IT HAVE BEEN AVOIDED?

2010-02-15T23:25:00.000-08:00

Who is responsible for the Pune attack? Could this attack been averted. Just day after the attacks it came to the fore that we had advance knowledge of the attack. Which means our intelligence agencies were aware of the situation in Pune, Nagpur and Delhi.

What is the point of gearing up of security after the terrorists attacks have taken place. Why is there no co-ordination between the Centre and the State. Why has the common man have to die for the mistakes of State, Centre and Party politics.

Just today it was reported that the Sena and BJP walked out of the CM Ashok Chavan meeting called for the failure to take action against intelligence that they had before hand.

Instead of finding solutions there was blame situations on the security given to Rahul Gandhi's mumbai visit and MNIK screening security. Both these parties are right, when they are blaming the government for having half the security force employed for these two situations. But, who put them upto it. Wasn't it the Sena bullying that started this security situation.

By now all the political parties be it BJP, CONGRESS, SENA, NCP, SP or for that matter any other party should know the security of India and the common man should be on the top of their agenda. If these parties cannot handle that, then they have no right to be in power.

This attack and all future attacks on our country can be avoided if these politicians really care and share intelligence, and act on it before the ACT takes place.

SALT & ITS EXPRESSIONS

2010-02-13T22:55:00.000-08:00

Salt has been so fundamental to human civilization, that it has spiced up our language in ways we hardly realize. Gandhiji had used it to bring down the British Invasion in India as it had needed no help from the government.

"Not worth his salt" :- In ancient Greece, when there was extensive trade in slaves, humans were paid for in bags of salt. So, if the slave was not efficient enough, the buyer would term it as "Not worth his salt".

"Salary" :- Roman soldiers were paid wages in salt a 'Salarium', that is the origin of the word "Salary".

"Rubbing salt in his wounds":- In olden days, salt played a very important role in medicine. It was actually used to heal wounds. Since salt is drying agent, it helped keep the outside of the open wound dry and bacteria free. Which helped quicker healing. Of course, it would hurt.

It is obvious that generally people do not 'overeat' salt, unless more than 60% of the daily intake is processed food.

OPEN LETTER TO UDDHAV THACKERAY BY RAJDEEP SARDESAI

2010-02-12T05:41:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer: Guys i had to have this letter on my blog for inspiration and courage to write as humanely as possible, to get my point across. I am not the author of this letter but this letter is an open letter to Uddhav Thackeray from Rajdeep Sardesai - Anchor Ibn Live (credit to original author)

posted at Friday , February 12, 2010 at 00 : 23

original links at

http://ibnlive.in.com/blogs/rajdeepsardesai/1/61523/an-open-letter-to-uddhav-thackeray.html

Dear Udhavjee,

At the very outset, my compliments for the manner in which you've literally 'stolen' the headlines from your cousin Raj in the last fortnight. After the Assembly election defeat last October, there were many who had written you off as a weak, namby-pamby politician, who would be better off doing photography. But now, it seems that the 'fire' which burns inside Bal Thackeray is alive in the son too. After years of struggling to establish yourself, you have finally discovered the mantra for success as a Shiv Sena leader: find an 'enemy', threaten and intimidate them, commit the odd violent act, and, eureka!, you are anointed the true heir to the original 'T' company supremo.

Your cousin has chosen to bash faceless taxi drivers and students from North India, soft targets who are totally unprotected. You've been much braver. You've actually chosen to target national icons: Sachin Tendulkar, Mukesh Ambani, Shah Rukh Khan, powerful figures who most Indians venerate. Shah Rukh is no surprise since the Sena has always been uncomfortable with the Indian Muslim identity. Forty years ago, your father had questioned Dilip Kumar's patriotism for accepting an award from the Pakistani government. You've called Shah Rukh a traitor for wishing to choose Pakistani cricketers in the IPL. That your father invited Javed Miandad, the former Pakistani captain and a close relation of Dawood Ibrahim, to your house is a matter of record that we shall not go into today.

I am a little surprised that you chose to question Ambani and Tendulkar though. The Sena has always enjoyed an excellent relationship with corporate India. Why then criticise India's biggest businessman for suggesting that Mumbai belongs to all? After all, no one can deny that Mumbai's entrepreneurial energy has been driven by communities from across India. The diatribe against Sachin is even more strange. He is, alongwith Lata Mangeshkar, Maharashtra's most admired and recognised face. Surely, you will agree that Sachin symbolizes Maharashtrian pride in a manner that renaming shops and streets in Marathi never can.

Of course, in-between some of your local thugs also attacked the IBN Lokmat office. I must confess that initially the attack did leave me outraged. Why would a political outfit that claims to protect Maharashtrian culture attack a leading Marathi news channel? But on reflection I realized that we hadn't been singled out: over the last four decades, the Shiv Sena has targeted some of Maharashtra's finest literary figures and journalistic institutions. That you continue to live in a colony of artists while attacking artistic freedom remains one of the many tragic ironies in the evolution of the Sena.

Just before the Assembly elections, you had told me in an interview that you were determined to shake off the Shiv Sena's legacy of violence. You spoke of the need for welfarist politics, of how you were saddened that rural Maharashtra was being left behind. I was impressed by the farmer rallies you had organized, by the fact that you had documented farmer suicides in the state. I thought that Uddhav Thackeray was serious about effecting a change in Maharashtra's political landscape.

I was obviously mistaken. Farmer suicides still continue, the after-effects of drought are still being faced in several districts, but the focus is now squarely on finding high profile hate figures. You claim to have a vision for Mumbai. Yet, on the day the Sena-controlled city's municipal corporation's annual budget revealed an alarming financial crisis, your party mouthpiece, Saamna, was running banner headlines seeking an apology from Shah Rukh Khan. You asked your Shiv Sainiks to agitate against Rahul Gandhi's visit to Mumbai, but why have you not asked them to wage a war against the water cuts that have made life so difficult for millions in the city?

At one level, I can understand the reasons for your frustration. The Congress-NCP government in the state has been thoroughly incompetent: the last decade has seen Maharashtra decline on most social and economic parameters. Yet, the Shiv Sena has been unable to capture power in the state. Your war with cousin Raj has proved to be self-destructive. The Assembly election results showed that a united Sena may have offered a real challenge to the ruling alliance. In fact, the Sena and the MNS together garnered around 43 per cent of the popular vote in Mumbai-Thane, almost seven per cent more than what was obtained by the Congress-NCP combine. Yet, because your vote was split, you won just nine of the 60 seats in the region, a result which proved decisive in the overall state tally.

Your defeat seems to have convinced you that the only way forward is to outdo your cousin in parochial politics. It's a strategy which has undoubtedly made you a headline-grabber once again. Unfortunately, television rating points don't get you votes or goodwill. There is space in Maharashtra's politics for a regional force, but it needs to be based on a constructive, inclusive identity.

Tragically, the Shiv Sena has never offered a serious social or economic agenda for the future. Setting up the odd wada pav stall in Mumbai is hardly a recipe for addressing the job crisis . Why hasn't the Sena, for example, started training projects to make Maharashtrian youth face upto the challenges of a competitive job market? Why doesn't the Sena give regional culture a boost by supporting Marathi theatre, literature or cinema? The wonderful Marathi film, "Harishchandrachee Factory", nominated for the Oscars, has been co-produced by Ronnie Screwvala, a Parsi, who like millions of other 'outsiders' has made Mumbai his home. Maybe, I ask for too much. Tigers, used to bullying others for years, will never change their stripes.

Post-script: Your charming son, Aditya, who is studying English Literature in St Xaviers College, had sent me a collection of his poems. I was most impressed with his writing skills. Let's hope the next generation of the T company will finally realize that there is more to life than rabble-rousing!

Jai Hind, Jai Maharashtra!

MUMBAI MAKES SHIV SENA PAY

2010-02-12T04:01:00.000-08:00

Mumbai makes Shiv Sena eat its words and makes them pay for the MNIK debacle. Mumbaikar's thronged to the multiplex's today and watched the Shahrukh Khan starrer movie "My Name Is Khan".

The movie has already been declared a hit all over India and the world. Very good reviews are coming from Berlin, Canada, USA. There was one person who had purchased almost 10 tickets to the movie in support of SRK. In Berlin people were buying the tickets at almost 1000 euros which goes on to show the popularity of MNIK.

Earlier the people were sceptical of watching the movie but the Mumbai Police have stuck to their promise and the assurances were fulfilled. Police had resorted to lathi charge and Shiv Sainik's have been taken in custody.

This move by the government showed that they will not bow to pressure and that they can face the Shiv Sena. The prominent people who had watched the movie MNIK were the R.R. Patil, Sanjay Nirupam to name a few of the politicians who had braved the threat.

Below are some of SRK tweets just before the release of the movie:-

1- good m'ing mumbai. wotever the fate of the film, never wished this upon the city that made my dreams come true & gave me all. i belong to u.

2- only regret our own city mumbai is still to see it in full flow. i just want to tell everyone that i feel more patriotic than ever before.

3- i love india & indians. i love mumbai & mumbaikers & once again reiterate i sincerely from the bottom of heart regret having hurt so many.

4- today i feel i will stand by with even more strength for all that stands for being indian & my country.

5- and once again my fellow countrymen, if anything i have said wittingly or unwittingly to have disturbed any sentiments..

6- in my work or words, i wholeheartedly regret...and i love u very very very very much. thank u thank u thank u.

7- i am humbled by this show of love & kindness. so dont know wot else to say. overwhelmed & promise will make india proud with my hard work

8- i thank u all for this..apologise for giving stress over the last few days...& now truly know the meaning of being humbled.lov u all so much

9- power to u all and pray for our film and me. give our team strength to see us through this...let the love flow. hit us hard with it !!

Remember one thing SRK has not said anything wrong and if Shiv Sena takes this as an apology, they will try to take credit for this. And show that SRK has apologised, this because their agitation has not succeeded.

Support Indians and Mumbai as you have supported SRK and we can make India for all Indians.

Who Rules Mumbai?

2010-02-11T22:59:00.000-08:00

With the current situation of Shah Rukh Khan and Shiv Sena brewing, we as the common man are wondering whether we are living in the stone age or in an communistic era, where we are forced to live according to the rules of the Ruler.

When Shah Rukh Khan had said that Pakistani players should have been selected in IPL3, he was only voicing his opinion. But, here again rises the question as Raj Thackeray rightly asserted that if he was so enthusiastic about inclusion of pakistani players why didn't he bid for any one of them? At that stage his words would not have been taken out of context, because he had acted on it.

Consequently this gave rise to another issue and Shiv Sena issued an warning that his film MNIK would not be released and they would do what they could do disrupt it. Raj Thackeray is right again, when he questions the double standards of the Sena when they specifically targeted SRK for his comments. There are much more bigger issues facing Mumbai and India then this.

But the point here is why are we being cowed down by a bunch of people who time and again proved that it is only for political mileage that they resort to these types of drastic steps.

How can you call this a democracy, when people are forced to do something they don't want to?
How can you call this a democracy, when people are told that Mumbai is only for Maharashtra?
How can you call this a democracy, when people are stereotyped according to their religion, their language?

By the way what do you call our so called democracy?

And the most important question of all even after losing elections Who rules Mumbai?

DEFINE TERRORISM?

2010-02-10T01:32:00.000-08:00

TERRORISM---- We hear it so often in our daily lives. What is the general meaning of Terrorism.

As far as I know anybody who terrorises another human being or tries to force his or her views on another person can be definitely termed as an oppressor or in other words a terrorist.

I don't want to write an article about the topic but infact want to know what are your views and who do you think can be termed as a terrorist or a terrorist organisation.

Please don't forget to air your views either by posting comments or by tweeting about the subject on http://www.twitter.com/yiippee

SAUNA BATH IN INDIA

2010-02-10T00:41:00.001-08:00

SAUNA BATH IN INDIA
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WHOLE FOODS OPENS INDIA BRANCH

2010-02-10T00:39:00.001-08:00

WHOLE FOODS OPENS INDIA BRANCH
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ON CALL TAXI 24/7 IN MUMBAI

2010-02-10T00:37:00.001-08:00

ON CALL TAXI 24/7 IN MUMBAI
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THIS SHOULD TICKLE YOUR SWEET SIDE

2010-02-10T00:35:00.001-08:00

THIS SHOULD TICKLE YOUR SWEET SIDE
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SARAH PALIN CHEATS ON Q&A

2010-02-09T23:13:00.000-08:00

Sarah Palin, supposedly the next Presidential nominee was caught cheating on the question and answer session of a speech on Saturday. Palin was seen using the "Telepalmer" where she had scribbled the words 'Energy, Tax and Lift American spirits on the back of her palms.

She was seen looking at the back of her palms in search for answers when she was asked the top things what conservative congress leaders would do? Sarah Palin is the most vocal critic of President Obama and believes that it will lead to his downfall if he keeps American in the current situation.

We all agree that this situation was created by Mr. Bush during his presidency who incidentally happens to be a Republican. So,basically Mr. Obama is just cleaning up the mess created by the conservatives.

What we have to know is that in any shape or form should Sarah Palin be the next Presidential candidate. And if she does win then the United States of American will have its first "PUPPET " President

INDIAN FAST FOOD CO. LOOKING TO EXPAND INTERNATIONALLY

2010-02-05T23:55:00.001-08:00

INDIAN FAST FOOD CO. LOOKING TO EXPAND INTERNATIONALLY
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MUMBAI POLICE ON DUTY

2010-02-05T23:54:00.003-08:00

MUMBAI POLICE ON DUTY
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EXCLUSIVE MUMBAI LOVERS ONLY SPOT

2010-02-05T23:54:00.001-08:00

EXCLUSIVE MUMBAI LOVERS ONLY SPOT
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MUMBAI POLICE PROTECTING OUR CITY

2010-02-05T05:20:00.001-08:00

DSC02779
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INDIAN COAST GUARD

2010-02-05T05:02:00.001-08:00

DSC02782
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U-HAUL OPENS INDIA OPERATIONS

2010-02-05T04:35:00.001-08:00

DSC02875
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U-HAUL has opened up its India operations

RAHUL GANDHI vs SHIV SENA - WHAT ARE THEY TRYING TO ACHIEVE?

2010-02-05T02:31:00.000-08:00

Rahul Gandhi has emerged as the next Indian Youth Icon and campaigned for the Congress to victory in the past elections which also helped the Congress to form their government by a majority.

Shiv Sena has failed miserably to garner any public support in the past elections and had failed miserably in the state. This can be attributed to the fact that Raj Thackeray had split the votes or for that matter any other reason.

But now we come to the main point what are both these factions trying to achieve, other than squander public funds be it for the "Z" security that Rahul Gandhi needs. Or be it security for avoiding Shiv Sena creating a ruckus all over the city Mumbai.

If Rahul Gandhi does want to do all this, I cannot think of any other reason than to become the next successful politician. You have to know that a city like Mumbai or for that matter any other city comes to a halt when these types of situations arise.

The common man is affected by it. Especially now that the Shiv Sena trying to promote itself, which is really tough the Marathi Manoos being divided whether to go with the Sena or MNS. The Congress has been guaranteed a five year term and doesn't need campaigning anymore.

Rahul Gandhi if he wants to create awareness he should not be visiting every city and town in the country. But in fact be working with his party to create bills which will benefit the common man and the poor of the country. It can be in the form of education, housing, food and so many other things that don't come to my mind. What does he want show when he travels by a train?
Work with your legislators for the next five years and you don't have to show people what good you have done. It will come to the fore anyway.

Shiv Sena, only thing I can say is if you really are for the Maharashtra state, then you should know better than to do what you did, with waving the black flags. Starting helping Maharashtra by helping the people in Maharashtra irrespective of where they came from and your party will be back in action.

LETS WORK TOWARDS AN UNITED INDIA

RELATIONSHIPS ON SALE, DO YOU AGREE?

2010-02-04T00:52:00.001-08:00

I was going through my local newspaper and came across this news clipping which had originated in New Zealand where this teenager has offered her virginity for sale at $32,000/- . I went to the site and checked the details of this offer on sale, and it had expired. She had thanked the people who had bid and had accepted an offer of $32,000/-. She also claimed that more than 30,000 people viewed the ad and almost got 1200 offers.

The reason that she had put up this ad was that she was desperate to pay for her tuition fees. When contacted with the owner of the website he claimed that the site’s policy was that as long as an ad was legal and did not offend the general standards of society, “it was OK”.

What are general standards of society? The police claim that it might be risky for her to follow through on the deal. How will they stop it? Why did this teenager just didnt work for her tuition like the rest of us do? Why doesnt she apply for a loan, like the rest of us do?

The people who respond to these ads are perverts and just scavenging on the internet finding vulnerable people.

How will this teenager be able to guarantee her safety? leave alone getting paid. We have heard news that some people have been killed responding to ads on craigslist, etc....

DO YOU AGREE??

IS SHAHID AFRIDI BAN JUSTIFIED? - YOUR COMMENTS PLEASE

2010-02-02T00:52:00.000-08:00

Shahid Afridi has been banned for two T20 international Cricket games for tampering with the ball, for more details pls check my report at http://hub.tm/cLDJx .

But here i would like you to comment on whether the ban is justified or should these type of sports cheaters should be given extra punishment for bringing the game and their country to disrepute.

Your input is appreciated to let the Sports Authorities know what the public is thinking

SHAHID AFRIDI BALL TAMPERING BY SMELLING

2010-02-02T00:05:00.000-08:00

Shahid AfridiShahid Afridi one of the hardest hitting and most dangerous batsman in world cricket in current times has bought shame to the nation by tampering with the ball.

On the recent tour of Australia, Pakistan which lost the ODI series by 5-0 had nothing to gain and everything to loose by Shahid Afridi's actions. Its unimaginable thinking how he could get away with it, when he knows that are hundreds of camera's watching the players movements. Shahid Afridi was seen chewing on the ball on the television screens around the world and even a person with no cricketing knowledge could not deny the fact that he was chewing and not smelling the ball as he claimed it.

Anyway why was he smelling the ball?

All fun aside, he has pleaded guilty to the charge and has been banned for two T20 international matches. Shahid Afridi yet insists that other players do it. I agree they definitely do it. But, the point is not to get CAUGHT.

And yet again he asks for legalising ball tampering. Here the question arises, Cant the Pakistani's win without cheating. Its just like asking the Olympics to legalise Steroids.

Pakistan is one of the best cricket teams in the world. But, it would be nice if they don't cheat and if they do, please think before you talk. Its a real tragedy with the way things are going on in Pakistan with regards to cricket. They need responsible people owning up to their actions and taking the interest of the players and the country to the next level in the sport they are so good at.

AUSTRALIAN CRICKETERS CONDEMNING INDIAN ATTACKS

2010-01-30T02:44:00.002-08:00

You have to give full credit to the Shiv Sena to boil the Indian attacks issue on the international stage. I am no fan of the Shiv Sena but i am happy that they have taken a stand. Because this issue has to come in front of the whole world, and who better than the cricketers themselves.

Initially it was Shane WarneShane Warne that condemned the attack, Now it is Bret Lee. I don't know if it is a genuine gesture or is it just plain IPL money that is in the limelight.

But either way its good to know that people care. The latest news on these attacks is that a couple has been arrested and just today a third man has also been charged with the murder of Ranjodh Singh.

It is nice that the cricketers are coming up and condemning the attacks. We need more of these heroes to speak up. Racism should not have any place in our hearts. Why is it so tough for Australia to accept the fact, that indeed these attacks are racially motivated. If you don't want Indian's there, then just don't give them visa's.

Why are you accepting us in your country Australia, if you dont need us.

SHORTCUT TO SUCCESS

2010-01-30T02:44:00.001-08:00

We live in a world where everyone is planning to make it BIG TIME. But, the problem is no one has the time and everyone is on the look out for short cuts to success.

Sometimes achieving success is not easy at all. And people try to achieve their success in their children. This in itself is a very dangerous situation, because they have to face so much pressure that its important to cope with it. Here I am not writing about the hazards of SUCCESS, but in fact the shortcut to SUCCESS.

I live in India and have noticed this a lot. The avenues to SUCCESS in India, and i bet it is the same in all the other countries are being actors, models, TV Anchors, Singers, and so much more.

People just want to be noticed on the National screen and they have that misconception that they really have the looks, the voice etc..... But its not true because however good looking you are, the camera doesn't lie and it has its own mind. To look good in reality, and to look good behind the camera are two differrent things.

When you watch the reality shows especially the ones which are for dancing and singing, you can see that majority of them really don't have the talent, but they think they are good, because their friends and families said so. Talent is always there in a person, Either he is born with it or he is not.

These so called future wannabe celebrities forget that the road to SUCCESS on the shortcut path is achievable only by a few. Which means in every contest there are only 3 who will make it, and the rest have to go home.

But achieving SUCCESS the hard way at least guarantees you that you will succeed. Also don't forget the people who don't succeed in these competitions don't handle pressure so easily which end in catastrophic results.

THINK AGAIN IF THERE IS REALLY A SHORTCUT TO SUCCESS

THE WALL (DRAVID) HAS BEEN BREACHED

2010-01-30T02:43:00.000-08:00

Rahul DravidRahul Dravid THE WALL as he is passionately called by all his friends and fans all over the world has been breached.

Rahul Dravid was hit by a bouncer from Bangladesh Medium Pacer Shahadat HossainShahadat Hossain. The medium pacer Shahadat was able to do the unthinkable when he broke the jaw by an bouncer which seemed to follow Rahul Dravid.

Rahul Dravid had to retire hurt at a personal score of 111. He was taken to Square Hospital in Dhaka where he was under observation at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) as a precautionary measure.

He is definitely out of this series. Shahadat Hossain was seen grinning at a press conference and was very pleased with his achievement acknowledging THE WALL.

We hope a speedy recovery for Rahul Dravid.

AVATAR THE BOX OFFICE HIT - CO-PRODUCED BY ROONEY, FLINTOFF

2010-01-30T02:42:00.000-08:00

AVATAR, the animated film had grossed 1 billion UK Pounds almost in par with TITANIC'S 1.1 Billion UK Pounds at the box office. This animated film had left everybody dumbfounded with its success and had cost almost 250 million UK Pounds.

But did you know that one quarter of the film costs it was funded by footballers, cricketers, rock-stars and their likes which included RooneyRooney, Flintoff, Frank LampardFrank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Gary LinekerGary Lineker, Bob Geldof and many more.

The government set up the tax arrangement to encourage investment in the UK film industry. The film fund was started by Ingenious Media, a film finance house who had attracted 2000 investors and garnered 50 million UK Pounds. It allowed investors to defer income tax and capital gains tax in return for backing British and US films. They would have benefited from tax relief irrespective of the film Avatar's success.

The ice on the caking is that the investors will get atleast 50,000 UK Pounds minimum as return on their investment.

Not bad huh!

JOHN EDWARDS! TIME TO GO, AT HOME YOU ARE NOT WELCOME

2010-01-30T02:39:00.002-08:00

John EdwardsJohn Edwards the Democratic nominee for the 2008 Presidential election has accepted the fact that he has is the father of the 2 year old not borne by his wife, but with videographer Rielle Hunter.

John Edwards is married to Elizabeth EdwardsElizabeth Edwards for almost 30 years and had four children together, the eldest of whom, Wade, died in a car accident in 1996. Elizabeth is the wall behind the man John Edwards and has been very instrumental in his career has also been diagonised with cancer. There is also a rumor of the couple's separation.

John Edwards after all the recent unfoldings is a liar and a cheat, and had this information not leaked out he would have still denied it. This is all very possible because of the close aides that are accompanying these high profile politicians and who cover up for their bosses. It is entirely not possible that nobody knows about these affairs because politicians like John Edwards are not out of the public sight at all. And if they are, then they are under the constant eye of their aides and security who definitely know what happens all the time.

Also how could John Edwards deny fathering the child on national tv and deny that the report was false, when he knew it was true. It is really a shame that he had been dishonest and cheated on his pillar of strength, his wife Elizabeth Edwards who had always supported him and at the same time dealing with cancer.

John Edwards had run for the highest office in the country and wanted to be the President of the United States. He didn't care that he was lying on a national platform and he had cheated not only his wife but the whole of the United States who had entrusted him with their trust and their money.

John Edwards, its time to go. But i doubt if you are welcome wherever you go.

SARFARAZ KHAN, CRICKET PRODIGY IN THE MAKING

2010-01-30T02:39:00.001-08:00

Sarfaraz Khan all of 13 years representing Rizvi Springfield in the Elite Division Giles Shield final has helped his school clinch the final. He scored 314 in the final as his team piled on 673-6 and helped lift the Giles Shield trophy against Anjuman islam.

He has also scored 439 and is the holder of the highest run scored record. In that knock he had 12 sixes and 56 fours which in itself is almost a triple century.

Don't be surprised if he hits the international stage at the age of 14 or 15 at the most, at the rate he is going. Presently he is only in the 6th standard and hopefully he doesn't neglect his studies.

GOOD LUCK SARFARAZ KHAN, WE EXPECT A LOT MORE FROM YOU

APPLY FOR A BIRTH CERTIFICATE, GET A DEATH CERTIFICATE INSTEAD

2010-01-30T02:38:00.001-08:00

This is what has happened in THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India. When a 13 year old applied for a birth certificate was handed a death certificate indicating that he had died the day he was born.

The city corporation admitted it was a mistake and was due to the overload of applications that they receive, and it was only a clerical error. The mistake was admitted and the boy was given his correct birth certificate.

Please always check your documents once you get them.

Note: This article was picked from the Times of india online portal.

CRICKET IN INDIA NO LONGER TAX FREE - 25% ENTERTAINMENT TAX

2010-01-30T02:37:00.000-08:00

The government has approved an 25% entertainment tax to be levied on ODIs, T20 games. Previously there was no entertainment tax on cricket.

This tax is ultimately going to be passed on to the spectators by increase in the ticket price. Lalit Modi of the IPL said that he has no issue of paying the tax because he knows that irrespective of the prices there will definitely be people who will be coming to the stadiums to watch cricket.

The reason given by the government to issue this tax was that the cricketers are getting enough money and there is lot of sponsorship that the game cricket attracts. I totally agree but they are not the ones who will be paying the tax but the people who go to the stadiums will be paying that tax.

So it will not be affecting the bottomline of the revenues that the cricketers or the Cricket body in general will be earning.

NEW TAXI PERMITS FOR MUMBAI - POLITICS IN PLAY

2010-01-30T02:36:00.002-08:00

Yesterday the Maharashtra Chief Minister has announced that he will issue new taxi permits in mumbai. But the catch is that the person applying for the taxi permit has stayed in mumbai for at least 15 years, secondly he should speak and write Marathi.

Speaking the language wouldnt be an issue of anybody but writing it will always be a problem as i hardly believe if the majority do know to write in any language, leaving aside writing in Marathi.

This is real politics in play as there is no question of even issuing new taxi permits at all, because they have been suspended for more than 20 years. Then why the sudden need to have new taxi permits. Mumbai is already crowded enough and they don't need to add extra taxi's on the street.

The main reason is so much road construction is going on especially with the metro projects all around the city. It makes it tough for the travelling public and they have to wait hours on the road just to reach home.

But then again the final question if you do need to issue new taxi permits then why the language barrier. The drivers should be given new taxi permits based on their seniority if you are looking at anything at all.

For more views and your comments please post them at twitter.com/yiippee

Cat saves couple from FIRE

2010-01-30T02:36:00.001-08:00

Cat saved a couple Joshua Ornberg and his seven month pregnant girlfriend Letitia Kovalovsky from a fire when they were sleeping in the living room then their normal bedroom.

The cat was spooked by the smoke and jumped on Ornberg when he noticed that the fire had spread in their two bedrooms. The cause of the fire was suspected to be sparked by a lava lamp inside the couple's bedroom.

But then after all the commotion the cat has just left and nowhere to be found. The couple are still waiting for the BABY the cat to come back.

Anyone can be a HERO.

Originally reported in the Chicago-Sun Times by BY TINA SFONDELES AND ROSEMARY SOBOL, Staff Reporters

PAKISTANI PLAYERS NOT WANTED IN IPL3

2010-01-30T02:35:00.000-08:00

IPL3 - Indian Premier League, 3rd edition. Today was the auctioning of 67 players for the IPL3 which was held in Mumbai which included the list of Pakistani players as follows:- Shahid AfridiShahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar GulUmar Gul, Imran NazirImran Nazir, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Mohammad AamerMohammad Aamer, Abdul RazzaqAbdul Razzaq, Kamran AkmalKamran Akmal, Umar Akmal, Saeed AjmalSaeed Ajmal, Sohail TanvirSohail Tanvir.

None of these players was bought by the IPL teams. There are a variety of reasons for their exclusion in this years IPL3 edition. One of it which comes to mind is the India - Pakistan tension that is brewing on the border. Second which comes to mind might be the legalities which include if the players would be given permission and granted visas to come to India.

The teams owners had also asked the IPL Chairman Lalit Modi if he could guarantee that the players would play in the tournament if they would be bought at the auction, and he refused to guarantee that he couldn't. You have to also remember that Shahid Afridi was one of the top most sought after player before the auction at a base price of US$ 250,000 and could be bought upto the cap of US$ 750,000. But this didn't happen and none of the teams were willing to risk their inclusion if they couldn't make it to the IPL3.

Also the IPL3 will not be the same without these players taking part because they bring in the crowds and are a huge attraction. What I want to see is the inclusion of Australian players like Shane WarneShane Warne and Damien MartynDamien Martyn who are included, if they get a chance to play after the threat by Shiv Sena not to allow Australians to play on Maharashtra soil.

Interesting, this year's IPL tournament with so many controversies accompanying it, but its nice to be back and played on Indian soil.

SCAMSTERS ON THE PROWL IN VILLAGES

2010-01-30T02:34:00.000-08:00

The scamsters are on the prowl once again. Over the past two or three years the common man has been scammed with companies offering to double their investment over a 6 month to a one year period. These scamsters post their ads in local newspapers costing them not more than 500 rupees for an advertisement and need only one person to invest to recover their cost. After that its only word of mouth advertisement that gets them more people.

The scamsters consistently pay them returns over a six month scam and when the investors reinvest their money, they pack up and head off. They also appoint agents who are sometimes unaware and bring them more and more people, In fact the people who invest with them become their agents.

The latest company to be arrested by the EOW is AVISHKAR headed by the kingpin Digamber Patil a scam of Rs 22 crore (USD 5 MILLION) investors involved almost 17000. The most famous being City Limousine scam. These companies give the investors post dated cheques for the amount and the investors think that these cheques are like bankers cheques that can be cashed immediately.

Anyway what i was trying to say is that scamsters are trying to avoid the limelight and are heading off to poor villages where they can scam innocent and poor villagers. This I say with pretty much extreme conviction because i had the chance recently to visit my village which is located in Sindhudurg district called Tirlot in Devgad Taluka.

I have some land over there and needed to clear some issues. While i started to get talking with a local he informed me that there is a company who is offering a Rs. 25,000 scheme where in you get a profit of Rs. 5000 per month. That's almost 20% per month and i was blown away and i immediately told him it was a scam and he should get out of it.

This person had invested almost Rs 200,000 in the scheme and was invested for four months. I don't know if he has gotten out of it. But the point to make is that the villagers are very poor and cannot even dream of these type of profits. Dont you think that they will be easily attracted to it. They are already milked for every penny they have by the local money lenders. Law enforcement is at its lowest in these villages and they will be hand in glove with the scamsters.

Let this article be an eye opener for everyone who has any relatives in the villages or for that matter also friends can be informed. This is no hearsay and i have heard with my own ears from not one but almost two sources.

I am a very small person but if some really powerful person comes across this article and looks out for the welfare of the poor of India, please do help. To my knowledge these people are operating the Ratnagiri district of Rajapur taluka and also Devgad taluka of Sindhudurg district.

ALLVOICES - WRITERS PLATFORM

2010-01-30T02:33:00.001-08:00

I came across allvoices.com when i was googling for a place to pen down my thoughts. I am not a good writer but i always thought that i can write and the only reason i do it makes me feel liberated. And that i have had my say.

Anyway what i am trying to say in this report is that and i am sure many of us would agree on the same. Are we promoting ourselves or are we promoting Allvoices.com. The reason i say this is that incentive scheme that is in place on allvoices.com whereby we get paid almost USD 250 if we achieve 100,000 views. Come on, that's not easy. Its way to difficult. I believe at allvoices.com 75% of the writers are only writers and don't know how to promote their articles. Anybody would like to get paid, but its recognition that we are after.

The majority of the users on allvoices.com are writers and i believe hardly any writer has the time to read other people's material. I have come across so many articles that are really great and these writers couldn't promote it, as they have hardly got a 100 views at the most that also after almost a month.

The other thing i came across is people sometimes post comments which are really crazy and not connected to the article itself, they just join allvoices.com for the heck of it and don't post any articles but have dozens and dozens of comments pointing to their own links which again has nothing to do with the article. Once i also flagged the comment but it was still there and i do not know if any action was taken against it.

This is not the fault of allvoices.com and i am not blaming them at all. It is a very good platform for budding writers and i think that the users have done their bit in promoting allvoices.com by their wonderful articles.

Having an alexa ranking of almost 2000 is not bad at all.

AMAR SINGH - NOWHERE TO GO

2010-01-30T02:31:00.000-08:00

Amar SinghAmar Singh's resignation from all party posts was accepted by the Samajwadi Party President Mulayam Singh YadavMulayam Singh Yadav. Earlier Amar Singh said to the media that he was tired with the day to day activities of the party and could not handle the pressure and he wanted to devote his time to his family.

It was not easy for him as he has been serving the Samajwadi party, and all the responsibilities were on his shoulders and now it was too much to bear. He had also revealed to the media that his two friends who had stood by him all through their career were Mr. Amitabh BachchanAmitabh Bachchan and the Anil AmbaniAnil Ambani family.

Its not easy to leave the limelight of Indian politics as you are always in the news and its not easy giving up the celebrity status. But I think Amar Singh should stick to his guns and leave the political scene and concentrate on the home front which means giving time to his family which he said that he regretted not doing earlier.

Amar Singh was really the face of the Samajwadi party, and he had done lot for the party, which means he had done a lot for his constituency as well as indirectly his country. It should be nice to leave on a good note than joining other parties like the Congress or NCP.

JON & KATE PLUS 8 - WAS THE REALITY SHOW WORTH IT?

2010-01-30T02:30:00.000-08:00

Jon Gosselin & Kate GosselinKate Gosselin, of the Jon & Kate Plus 8 reality show that made them famous. We now ask this question was it really worth it? If not for all the publicity and the money that was involved, their marriage might has survived.

Now they are fighting amongst themselves and no more together as their divorce is now final. If they would have stayed to their respective careers of Kate being a nurse and Jon being in the IT industry, they both might have stayed happily.

The Jon & Kate Plus 8 show had a record five seasons and now it has been changed and will be called Kate Plus Eight. If both have them don't keep their feet grounded to earth and get carried away with their so called celebrity status it wont be long before they will be bankrupt and in the end it will be the PLUS EIGHT that will be at the loosing end. They will loose their parents as well as their so called security net which is the money, which the parents wouldn't have got, had they not come into this world.

It should be the moral responsibility of the Show Producers to take extreme care of their show participants dont get carried away. In this case TLC cannot be blamed at all.

Marriage is a very sacred institution and if not for all the publicity and the money involved, I believe divorce could have been averted. But then taking care of eight children in America or for that matter in any country is not an easy task. It would have been tough but the celebrity status has taken its toll and the loss in the end of the PLUS EIGHT.

CRICKET INDIA - MONEY OR COUNTRY

2010-01-30T02:29:00.000-08:00

Indian Cricket, What do you think? Are they playing for the money or the country. Everyone has an opinion. I am just penning down a few of my thoughts and it has nothing to do with individual at all.

Indian Cricket is at its peak and we are the current No. 1 position spot in the world. That feels great. Cricket has been so commercialised that it is impossible to know whether the players are playing for their country or the money that is involved. Once you make a spot in the state side, you are guaranteed a salary for a complete season.

The students are not concentrating on their studies, and the matters are made worse by the schools that they study in promote them to the next class irrespective of their performance. The most recent case of Dhoni and Harbhajan SinghHarbhajan Singh were missing from the Padma Shri awards as they were busy with advertisement assignments. What does this show? Country or money.

The recent case of BCCI being asked to pay Income Tax to the tune of 120 crores. The BCCI termed itself as a charitable institution were it is only monopolising the sport and barring competition. The reason i say this is because BCCI wants a cut from everything be it from, ground receipts, telecasts, player auction fees from IPL etc..... How can this be termed as charitable institution.

Gone are the days of Kapil DevKapil Dev, Gavaskar, Pataudi, and others who were paid pittance in terms of match fees. Now the BCCI pays the players a graded contractual fees on yearly basis, additional match fees, and i guess many other revenue generating schemes we don't even know about.

The only question i ask before i end my report if if they are in for the money or COUNTRY.

3 IDIOTS - CAN THEORY BE APPLIED TO REAL LIFE

2010-01-30T02:28:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I got a chance to watch 3 IDIOTS the AAMIR KHAN movie with my family package which comes complete with one wife and three kids. It was a really entertaining movie.

Everyone is saying that the movie is based on the book inspired by Chetan Bhagat, but i would beg to differ. When this movie was came out, there was an article about an young man named SonamSonam Wangchuk who fought against the Ladakh educational system and went on to form the SECMOL (Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh). This guy had flunked his XIIth board exams and went to become an engineer. He was also referred to as an idiot by his teachers.

But this article is not about 3 IDIOTS or SECMOL, if you want you can google it and find out more about them. I just wanted to share this information with all my readers so that they are aware.

Anyway the point is can the movie 3 IDIOTS theory be applied in REAL LIFE. The reason i ask this is that the film show three very important points in a students life can avoid them taking the drastic step of STUDENT SUICIDE. Please bear with me and lets see if we can avoid it.

1- PARENTAL PRESSURE:- Every parents want their children to perform in this so very competitive educational system and get the top position. Everyone knows that there is only one who can fit at the top. I don't blame the parents, but not all students are gifted with intelligence. Every student has his own talent. Parents also want to fulfill their own aspirations and dreams through their children, which they try to achieve. But it is always not possible.

2- TEACHER PRESSURE:- Every teacher has his favorite student, and also some students that the teachers hate. Everyone knows what i am talking about. The students who are at the receving end are the ones that have to bear the brunt and sometimes cannot handle the pressure.

3- COLLEAGUE PRESSURE:- Every year juniors are subjected to ragging which is turning out to be a very serious issue. Juniors who come in are sometimes not used to the humiliation that is meted out to them and they cannot share this with their parents or friends. Nowadays many educational institutions have a zero tolerance policy and also there is a jail term, which will eventually stop this horrible experience that the juniors have to bear.

Do you think these three major points can be put into practice in REAL LIFE. Can we parents, teachers and colleagues help each other in avoiding this drastic step of SUICIDE? Can we help the students in achieving their goals?

Why are we not allowed to follow our dreams?

I usually forget a lot, i guess age is catching up with me. There were lot of punchlines in the movie and i was glued to the set all the time hoping to remember them. But there is one i didn't forget and i think it goes like this

Quote: Achieve Excellence and Success will follow

GET KILLED IF YOU ASK FOR INFORMATION IN INDIA

2010-01-30T02:27:00.002-08:00

India has the RTI act where every individual has a right to information from the government or the state. This is a very powerful tool that has been granted but it comes at a price, you can get KILLED if you ask for it.

It had always been risky in India with the common man being crushed between the politicians and the goons who rule the whole of the country. The common man is either ignorant or is too scared to ask questions.

But there are certain NGO's, individuals or so called social activists who do take up their cause and file PIL's in court on behalf of the public. This puts them in extreme danger and are they are exposed to threats. Anna Hazare is one of these few who takes up the cause of the public and takes a very firm stand. Then there is Medha PatkarMedha Patkar of the Narmada dam project.

But more recently what has rocked the nation is the killing of Satish Shetty an RTI activist who was killed near Pune and was about to expose major land scams particularly in Talegaon-Lonavala region. He was hacked to death during his morning walk. There were also other attacks on RTI activists in Mumbai whereby somebody fired a country made gun right outside the RTI activists home.

The government has to clean up its act and bring these murderers to justice, not the ones who have pulled the trigger. But the ones who have given out the go ahead to carry out these attacks.

Show the People of India that you CARE

UK MAN PACKS STEREO SYSTEM TO TAKE TO JAIL

2010-01-30T02:27:00.001-08:00

This is the weirdest news i had gone through in the Indian News Paper Mumbai Mirror. A man running amok on the street with a meat cleaver and a baseball bat, packed his complete state of the art CD and MP3 stereo system with good speakers and also bought a new pair of trainers. He piled up his luggage and demanded to be jailed.

This event had happened in UK and it would be surprising it would fit in his cell. But it was nice of him that he didn't waste tax payers money and admitted his own guilt and demanded to be jailed then go through the tedious process of court proceedings.

Anyway i hope you find this funny.

Disclaimer: taken from Mumbai Mirror

BCCI CLAIM TO BE CHARITABLE ORGANISATION

2010-01-30T02:26:00.001-08:00

The Board of Control for Cricket in India more commonly known as BCCI has been slapped with Rs 120 crore (USD 25 million approx.) fine by the Income Tax department.

How can the BCCI claim to be a charitable organisation when it exercises complete monopoly of organising and implementation of Cricket policies. The very clear example being the banning of players that played in the ICL. The ICL which was formed by the Essel group was the brainchild of the original T20.

The BCCI formed the IPL subsequently in the following year and started the monopoly process informing the players that they would be banned from playing for India. They also flaunted their clout with the other International Cricket Boards from other countries like Australia, West Indies, Pakistan, Srilanka and more.

It controls revenue generated from tournaments and doesnt even promote the game of cricket. The revenue generated from media right and sponsorship is more than cover their expenses and generates a surplus.

The BCCI should do much more to promote cricket in the rural areas were talent can be found and setup camps for young and budding talent.

AMERICAN IDOL WITHOUT SIMON COWELL - WILL IT SURVIVE

2010-01-30T02:25:00.000-08:00

Can you imagine American Idol without Simon CowellSimon CowellSimon Cowell. I had followed American Idol with the original judges, and it was always a treat to watch the show. When two of the judges Paula AbdulPaula AbdulPaula Abdul and Randy JacksonRandy JacksonRandy Jackson put up the emotional and the human face to the show. It was Simon who was outright about the contestants performance. He would immediately judge accordingly. It was like WYSIWYG, but here it is WYHIWYG (What you hear is what you get).

Paula Abdul was sacked from American Idol and if you notice the viewers are used to seeing the original judges and it has never been the same. It was only a matter of time before this day would come. But without Simon, American Idol will loose out heavily. People watch the show mostly for Simon and his comments which sometimes bring tears to the eyes of the contestants, sometimes even ugliness. They want to kill him. That's what the viewers want to see.

Anyway even if the show succeeds without him and they will try it out for atleast a season or so, he still would reap benefits as he is the original idea holder of the show and i guess (i repeat i am saying i guess) he has the worldwide rights to it.

Do you think AMERICAN IDOL will survive without the one and only SIMON COWELL

Sarkozy for "Not welcome in France"

2010-01-30T02:24:00.000-08:00

President Sarkozy has asked lawmakers to ban the Muslim veil or Burqa as it is so called and make it as he so calls it "Not welcome in France". The president has asked the assembly to first adopt a resolution and consequently follow it up with a bill that will ban the Burqa or veil in France.

He also talks about not offending anybody in terms of religion, gender or equality. What a double standard? He cannot have it both ways. The West is always talking about freedom for everybody be it in terms of speech, religion, sex preference, and much more. But at the same time they want to control what people wear.

Also there is this misconception everywhere that the veil or burqa is forced on the woman by the husband or his family members which is completely false. Yes, there are a few who do force it but the majority of the women accept it on their own and want it that way. So who are you to force that they are not allowed to cover themselves. Also Sarkozy should be concentrating much more on other important matters pertaining to national security.

Don't create divisions in society then already existing ones.

Malaysian Allah Row

2010-01-30T02:23:00.001-08:00

What is happening in Malaysia has to be condemned in the highest possible manner for the use of the world Allah. Allah means god in arabic. I am not an institution or have the religious knowledge or expertise to argue on this subject. But definitely one thing I and we all can do is avoid attacks on other religious sects be it Hindu's, Christians or for that matter Sikh's.

The latest attack that has happened is on a Sikh temple and every religion is being dragged into the controversy. Religious leaders should open up knowledge awareness centres so that the situation doesn't get out of hand. I urge all the religious leaders in Malaysia and elsewhere to get the situation under control.

Attacks on religious sections are very dangerous and leave a permanent scar on the person who has been targetted. These people suffer psychologically and cannot forget the humiliation that comes with it and wait for an opportunity to inflict the same pain that has been meted out to him.

Why don't people learn to tolerate other religions, why do they need to be instigated by a few enemies of humanity, who do it to satisfy their ulterior motives.

Everybody should know when they are taken for a ride. Everybody has the right to follow the religion of his choice, but all religions teach the same thing. LOVE THY NEIGHBOR

Cold wave hitting the globe - ICE AGE IN THE MAKING

2010-01-30T02:21:00.001-08:00

The Cold wave is hitting all around the globe especially in Europe and almost whole of North America. Most of Europe is covered in snow. The normally warmer Florida is also experience cold snaps which are causing sinkholes on major highways.

I am not writing here about how the weather report is in these areas. But, the reason for writing this article is what shocked me when i had come across a report on breaking news that the sun is getting cooler and not warmer year by year which has caused these major snow storms half way around the globe.

Scientists are predicting that the coming years would be much cooler and they are expecting an Little Ice Age as they are calling it. And the temperatures would be much more severe than the present conditions which had crippled almost half of the globe. This report was in fact a breaking news on Indian News channels.

Wow..this goes against the complete Global Warming Theory

Bal Thackeray bans Australian players from Maharashtra

2010-01-30T02:20:00.001-08:00

Shiv Sena supremo Bal ThackerayBal Thackeray has banned Australian players from playing cricket anywhere in Maharashtra. This position taken by the supremo seems to be exactly what is needed to reign in Australian attacks on Indian migrants and students in that country.

Australia seems to be dead against taking any action against the attackers when the latest attacker was given bail. This attacker should have been an example of for future attacks showing Australia as condemning the attacks.

Earlier the Big B had refused to accept an award from an University in Australia which shows our solidarity with our Indian brothers in Australia. The government has taken the right step by setting up an travel advisory but it should keep on taking stronger steps which will show that they are doing much more then needs to be done.

Australia is already witnessing a sharp decline in the registrations to travel and education in the country.

I agree that sports has no role to play in politics but this is not politics anymore, it is the question of survival of the common man in Australia.

HOCKEY INDIA! PLAYERS GREED OR OFFICIALS STUBBORNESS

2010-01-30T02:19:00.000-08:00

Hockey India has come to the fore of sports in India for all the wrong reasons. Everyone involved is claiming to be on the right path. Hockey India President AK Mattoo has given an ultimatum to the players to either return to the camp or be sacked.

This has to be the most irresponsible action on the part of the President Mattoo to issue such a statement at an inappropriate time. If the players are asking for money they are entitled to it. I read in the news report on afternoon daily that they were paid an annual salary of Rs. 25,000 per year that is a pittance considering the BMC sweeper gets paid more than that.

Also read in an interview that when Dhanraj Pillai had returned from the olympics securing third place, they asked for a raise and they were informed that it was not the right time. These are human beings and they deserve to be paid. When will the right time come for asking for their deserving dues.

Wake up guys and don't play politics with the National sport of the country, when SAHARA is ready to sponsor the Indian Hockey why are they refusing. Even the players are ready to play with their own money then play with the 2500 rupees stipend that the Indian Hockey is paying them.

President Mattoo is threatening with sacking the complete team and giving newcomers a chance to compete with world class teams. He is talking about a crash course. Mr. Mattoo seems to be something wrong up there. THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK. Do you want to make a fool of India on international stage, then you go ahead and do it with your own team and dont play with the hearts and souls of INDIANS.

One more thing befoe I end my report, I would like to ask the Hockey players of India, do you need only the support of celebrities and bigwigs or do you need the support of INDIA.

INDIA IS WITH YOU, PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR INDIAN HOCKEY TEAM

Bangladesh to win the 2011 Cricket World Cup

2010-01-30T02:17:00.000-08:00

Bangladesh are on their way and going to be the favorites to win the 2011 Cricket World Cup. This may sound surprising to quite a few of the cricket fans all over the world, but this wont come as a surprise to anyone that is following the current Tri series held in Dhaka currently.

They have not won a single match in the tournament but are turning out to be quite a nuicanse to the other former one day world cup champions India and SriLanka. They have batted well through out the series but are lacking the discipline in the bowling side. They need little bit of pace on their side and they will be really giving oppositions a fight they wont be expecting.

They had scored 296/6 wickets in their allotted fifty overs in the 3rd odi match against India and lost the match by 3 wickets. They have pretty good young talent on their side and are not afraid to attack the opposition with all they got.

They don't have any pressure on their side and will be going as underdogs not expected by anyone to perform. But if they rise to the occasion they will be a team to reckon with. Right now they are playing like they have nothing to loose.

Player to watch Mahmadullah. Good luck Bangladesh

mubarak

2010-01-18T06:23:00.001-08:00

mubarak thakur

Twitter Celebrities - Is it worth following them?

2010-01-11T01:31:00.000-08:00

This is the question everyone should be asking themselves, if it is really worth following celibrities on twitter. I can understand the celebrities opening up twitter accounts for checking their fan following. But what do they really do......simply nothing. The least they can do for the fan is check if they are even connecting with the fan. If you see who they are following, it will always be fellow celebrities or friends and family, that's fine its up to them who to follow. But they are in touch with them all the time on the phone and on emails, so why need twitter to do the same.

What i believe is that the celebrities who join twitter should try to at least check out their tweets, you might find some really interesting gems out there. Also one of the other reason they have for joining twitter is new found revenue generator where ad companies pay them to tweet for their products. Take the case of Kim Kadarshian who was paid $ 10,000 to tweet for a product. Its a different matter altogether if somebody will buy on Kim's recommendation. Also take the case of Shahrukh KhanShahrukh Khan who got over 35000 followers in two days, intentionally or unintentionally he did try to promote the hyundai i10 in one of his tweets. quote:

"got to go..have a flight to catch. taking a jet plane..travel in a motorcade and launch an environmentally friendly i 20 hyndai car.ironic."

But the point is there is no harm in getting paid for 140 characters on twitter.

Also there are some really talented people out there with interesting tweets which could be worth our while. So, the decision is left to you if twitter celebrities are worth following

Raj Thackeray ........Maharashtra's next CM or India's next PM

2010-01-11T01:30:00.000-08:00

Raj ThackerayRaj Thackeray? What is the first thing that comes to your mind about this individual. I bet, you wont say a thing because you are scared, what might the reaction be if you say something. But you are not alone there are many out there who hate him and i doubt if any that like him. But he has all the makings of being India's next Prime Minister, few mentioned here

- He is a great organiser
- He is a great speaker and motivator
- His followers are willing to do anything for him
- He is creating waves in the political circles.

These are only but a few to mention about him. Believe You Me, if he starts to think national and not local, he will guide India in this century from being called a developing country to a developed country. We will no longer be a Third World Country. He does what he says, that's good to a certain point. But if he starts to think about the whole of India and not only the Marathi Manoos imagine what he can achieve.

I believe that in his heart he knows that he cares for everybody and not only Maharashtra. Why is he trying to compete with other political parties, MNS has its own identity and they can and will grow in the coming years. If MNS starts to think only in terms of Maharashtra then they have to know that the people are way divided and there are many loyal Congress followers who cannot be deviated. Unless of course MNS gives them something they need which is ROTI, KAPDA AUR MAKAN. And now more recently what everyone wants is JOB & SECURITY for himself and his family, then why wont they come.

Mr. Raj Thackeray its in your hand to guide your party to success, and I for one believe in you. You can and you will be India's next Prime Minister

Ruchika / Rathore case......CORRUPTION at the highest level

2010-01-11T01:28:00.000-08:00

For all those that have been following the Ruchika case, might have noticed the change in the former state police chief SPS Rathore's expression. Initially when he was convicted of the crime which incidentally took almost 20 years to bring this criminal to justice, he was smiling and was looking proud indicating that influential people can get away with it.

Its not that the government did something extraordinary by bringing back the case to the courts. But it was the sheer courage and determination of the people involved mainly the parents of Ruchika and her friend that the pressure was brought on the government to take a stand, else this case had already been done and over with.

If truth be said and properly investigated there will be much more that will come out of this case. Why should he be tried again, he was convicted, why don't they just try him on the new FIR's registered and work fast track to at least guarantee him a life sentence if not the death sentence.

Another thing we dont understand is the anticipatory bail brought time and again brought before the court. He doesnt deserve it, he is fit enough to survive in jail remand than the comforts of his home. Also what about all the officials that had served him and influenced the case from the beginning. What about the officials who had mentally and physically tortured the
family in the initial stage of the investigation.

The Police officials are supposed to protect us and not take advantage of us. I don't think that Ruchika family is so poor that they couldn't afford to pay the fees of the school from where she was dismissed. But if her family can be so tortured, imagine what is the poor ordinary man who goes to the Police to file a complaint has to deal with.

CORRUPTION goes hand in hand with violence, we should all try to stop it at its root by providing with our security personnel with adequate income so that they don't have to supplement it with bribes.

KRK declares war for SRK spot on twitter

2010-01-11T01:26:00.000-08:00

KRK as he is called by one and all has declared war on Shahrukh KhanShahrukh Khan for the twitter crown for the maximum number of twitter followers (almost 35000) that the latter had acquired during his initial stage of twitter registration. KRK had done this on the 04th Jan'09.

I have been a quiet follower of this so called once sided war of KRK and have not been able to notice any change in KRK followers which is almost 170 followers as of today 08th jan'09 which is not bad by any standards setting aside the fact that KRK is a so called celebrity. SRK has almost 54,500 followers in which he has added almost 20000 followers but then he is SRK a confirmed celebrity.

Anyway most importantly i was following both the KRK & SRK tweets. SRK is basically tweeting advice and cute one liners, informing us when and where he will be. In between telling us about some of his schedules etc.... What i have not seen is any personal responses to anybody but speaking to everyone in general.

As for KRK he has very few tweets to count 13 to be exact. He is only trying to promote DESHDROHI 2 which i think is going to sink titanic style but completely dry. In one of his tweets he also talks about buying twitter.

Check the exact tweet: Main soch raha hoon ki twitter kharid loon. Waise kitne main milega? I am tired of selling jeans.

Who will KRK challenge next? Hopefully not Vindoo Dara SinghDara Singh because now that they are not in the Big BossBig Boss House!!!

Blackwater (Xe Services LLC ) - Killer Profile

2010-01-11T01:23:00.000-08:00

Blackwater a private military company providing services to the Unites States Federal Government was founded as Blackwater Usa in 1997 by Erik Prince and Al Clark. Blackwater was hired by the US government on a no-bid contract basis basically meaning they have no competitors to apply to a particular contract.

Many people have no idea whether these types of companies exist at all, but definitely they do and basically when they are out there in the thick of things they usually do not follow any rules and they think that they are above the law. These mercenaries have to be reigned in, but either intentionally or unintentionally they do not face the music of justice. These companies are always making a profit as they have nothing to do with the economy going up or down, as they are hired by the governments irrespective of war or peace. They are also not liable to face any consequences for their action as they provide major funding to the Republican parties and donate very handsomely so as to procure these very profitablecontracts.

Facts and controversies

- Blackwater Worldwide in 2003 received its first high-profile contract when it received a $21 million no-bid contract for guarding the head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, L. Paul Bremer.

- Blackwater had 20,000 - 30,000 armed security personnel posted in Iraq. (conflicting reports of 100,000 armed personnel).

- Blackwater received $1 billion 5 year contract from the State Department.

- Blackwater has confirmed that Bosnians, Filipinos, and Chileans "have also been hired for tasks ranging from airport security to protecting Diplomats"

- On March 31, 2004, Iraqi insurgents in Fallujah attacked a convoy containing four American private military contractors Scott Helvenston, Jerry Zovko, Wesley Batalona and Michael Teague, from Blackwater USA. They were attacked and killed with grenades and small arms fire, and their bodies were hung from a bridge crossing the Euphrates. This event was one of the causes of the U.S. military attack on the city in the First Battle of Fallujah. In the fall of 2007, a congressional report by the House Oversight Committee found that Blackwater intentionally "delayed and impeded" investigations into the contractors' deaths.

- In 2005 Blackwater escorting a US convoy fired 70 bullets into an Iraqi national driven car, where Blackwater operatives claimed that they were threatened by the approaching car.

- In 2006 Blackwater were involved in a car accident which occurred in the Baghdad Green Zone.

- Christmas eve massacre of the guard of Iraqi vice president Adel Abdul Mahdi was shot dead while on duty in the compound. The Iraqi government has accused Andrew J. Moonen of being drunk at the time.

- A sniper employed by Blackwater Worldwide opened fire from the roof of the Iraqi Justice Ministry, killing three guards working for the state- funded Iraqi Media Network in 2006.

- Blackwater license was revoked by the State Department but were given back their license within months of revoking it.

- Blackwater are paid almost 7 times the amount that a normal US army soldier gets in salaries.

- An Iraqi politician, Ayham al-Samarie, escaped from a prison in Iraq, where he was awaiting trial for 12 criminal corruption cases. Blackwater, which he had hired for protection before his arrest, allegedly helped him escape.

famous quote: During his testimony on Capitol Hill, Erik Prince disputed this figure, saying that it costs money for the government to train a soldier, to house and feed them, they don't just come prepared to fight. "That sergeant doesn't show up naked and untrained", Prince stated.

Triple Canopy, Inc. has replaced Xe/Blackwater with regards to the State department contract to operate in Iraq but it is claimed that Blackwater still would benefit as the subcontracts which are going to be awarded by Triple Canopy Inc. indirectly would land into the lap of Blackwater.

note: some reports are obtained from the public domain on the internet and other sources

Australia wake up!! Indian attacks - how many more?

2010-01-11T01:22:00.000-08:00

Another 29 year old man returning from a dinner party was targeted by a gang who poured fluid on him and set him on fire. Police as usual are saying that they are not sure whether it was a racially targeted attack.

The Indian government has already issued an travel advisory to the country and warning the students as well as visitors to take extreme precaution while travelling to Australia. As usual the Australian government thinks that it was an overboard reaction.

Either Australia is incompetent of handling the situation or they just don't want Indians to be in Australia. Judging by the messages that the attacks are sending out, it is pretty clear that Indians are not wanted. If Australia wants us to think otherwise they should be bringing the criminals to justice and extreme action should be taken against them. It is their duty to protect not only their nationals but also the nationals of other countries who come to visit or study in Australia.

The number of attacks is rising way too fast and the officials should keep it in check, else it will be out of its hands. Racial attacks are serious in any parts of the world and we admit that they go on everywhere but not in such a way that the attackers should think that they can get away with it. These type of attacks are MURDER in the true sense of the word. It doesn't have to be Indians who are attacked daily, but these are HUMAN BEINGS.

THINK ABOUT IT AUSTRALIA

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2009-11-11T00:00:00.001-08:00

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2009-11-10T23:58:00.000-08:00

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2009-11-10T23:54:00.000-08:00

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