Fo Sizzle, he is no fizzle! Yo!

Here is a portion of President Interview by Brian Williams where he talks about Camus, Shakespear and more...!!

WILLIAMS: We always talk about what you're reading. As you know, there was a report that you just read the works of a French philosopher. (Bush laughs)

BUSH: The Stranger.

WILLIAMS: Tell us the back story of Camus.

BUSH: The back story of the the book?

WILLIAMS: What led you to...

BUSH: I was in Crawford and I said I was looking for a book to read and Laura said you oughtta try Camus, I also read three Shakespeare's.

WILLIAMS: This is a change...

BUSH: Not really. Wait a minute.

WILLIAMS: A few months ago you were reading the life story of Joe DiMaggio by Richard Ben Cramer.

BUSH: Which was a good book.

WILLIAMS: You've been on a Teddy Roosevelt reading kick.

BUSH: Well, I'm reading about the battle of New Orleans right now. I’ve got an eclectic reading list.

WILLIAMS: And now Camus?

BUSH: Well, that was a couple of books ago. Let me look. The key for me is to keep expectations low.

-------------------------------------------------

Now - you really think he read Camus and three Shakespeare’s (what’s that?) :)

Right wing nuts and Islam Bashing

Has Islam bashing gone too far? Is it being used by some right wing nuts to divert and ignore other problems that we face? How far is too far?

Well, those are the questions I had in my mind last evening. Especially after hearing a talk show host calling Allah a devil!! I turned off the radio immediately - I didn’t want to hear hate speech anymore from that sick moron. The same guy didn’t even mention a word on that psycho Warren Jeffs, who was caught yesterday. Is it because he is a Christian? If conservatives are so high on moral, how come they don’t find any time to talk about those sexual perverts? The issue of Polygamy doesn’t come under family values?

So, if you are a conservative white Christian male, you are always morally superior to others? Is it how it goes?

We all understand the serious threat of terrorism. If you look at it closely, you realize that Muslims have suffered from terrorism more than any other community. The bloodshed, human loss and destruction among Muslim communities have been disproportionately higher than any other group. Look at Iraq - You think an average-Abdullah is having fun in Bagdad?

But, it doesn’t give me the right to offend the religion or god they worship. Right?

Sick minds and Sick world…

How sick is this??
This guy had more than 40 wives and more than 60 children.
This guy’s father was also a disgusting person who had married several dozen women in his lifetime.
Within a week after his father’s death, this idiot married his father’s wives!!

He is the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, based in Colorado City, Arizona. Polygamy is freely practiced among its followers.

If you look at the way he ran this group, it is quite clear that he wanted to be an alpha male. His church owned all of the homes and real estates in the area where its members lived. He also had the power to punish the men by re-assigning their wives, kids and home to another man!!

Is he really an extreme religious character or just a sexual pervert using religion as an excuse?

One thing for sure – God is in big trouble these days. On the one hand, we have groups calling for bloodshed in the name of religion. And, on the other hand, we have these old sexual perverts getting married to younger girls in the name of god!!

Oh God – where are you?

Missing!

Update @ 1:31 PM:
I think I found my cellphone! If I am right, it's in my closet.
---
I can’t believe this – My cell phone has gone missing!! Never happened before! In fact, I don’t lose anything. This, probably, is the second item to go missing in my life so far. First one was a little clock when I was a kid.
Well, for now, I guess I would be optimistic and keep searching.

Desi Morons: Part – II

As it turns out, those 12 passengers held by Dutch authorities on NW042 were not terrorists. But, as I rightly predicted, they turn out to be a bunch of desi idiots who have no respect for any rules whatsoever!

In fact, other passengers in the same flight have confirmed a couple of things. Apparently these 12 guys were not heeding the instructions of the Stewardesses, who had asked them to switch off their mobile phones and remain seated. Also, some of them were using lavatory while the plane was taking-off, totally ignoring the safety rules.

Now, does this surprise me? Not at all!! As I have already written before, this is the same type of behavior I had seen in the past.

Now, I have two serious questions:

1. Why do these few Desi-morons misbehave in a flight where majority of the passengers are Desis? What makes them sit quite and follow the rules when most of the passengers are of non-Indian origin? Is it again a typical case of desi being rude to another desi?

2. How did I, yours truly, predict this so well within a few minutes of reading report of the incident? I’m sure some of you would call me judgmental or even worse. I can already see some left-wing fools calling this a case of racial profiling.

Oh – yea, forgot one more thing – India has lodged a ‘strong’ protest with the Dutch government over this incident!! How pathetic is that ?? How about enforcing law and order within its borders first?

It happens only in....

What can I say? You watch this and decide. Remember, fun starts after a minute into the video!

Desi Morons again!!!

Today’s big story is the arrest of 12 passengers after Mumabi-bound Northwest Airlines was returned to Amsterdam airport after a several people on board aroused concern.

Apparently, these passengers had pulled out cell phones during the flight, and some appeared to be trying to pass the cell phones to other passengers. In addition, some passengers unfastened their seatbelts while the light requiring they be fastened was still illuminated. All 12 passengers are in police custody and are being questioned now.

Ok – So far so good.

Now, let me make this prediction. First of all, I don’t think these are terrorists at all. I don’t think they have any connections to terrorists either. In my opinion, these are simply a bunch of desi morons who don’t follow any rules. Anybody who has traveled to India knows what I am talking about.
If you take a flight from US leaving for India, typically you would notice the following:
During the first leg of the journey, everyone behaves. The problem starts when second leg of the journey begins. In this part of the flight, almost all the passengers will be desis. So starts the fun! You would see plenty of typical desi behavior.
- Guys acting like monkeys, laughing loud and playing cards with utter disrespect towards co-passengers
- Falling asleep inside toilet with no courtesy for others who are desperately waiting in line
- Arguing with air hostess for more liquor and food
- Not following the security rules during take-offs and touch-downs.

I had even seen desi guys getting into a physical fight over a silly dispute!! I should admit - that was scary!

Now you know what would have happened in today’s Northwest flight that triggered US marshals to turn the flight back to airport and hold these 12 guys in custody! Probably these morons were showing off each other their newly bought cell phones while talking loud in Hindi. Talk about culture gap!

Dreaming a simple life…

If I only knew what will happen tomorrow….
Gosh – I will play the stock market so I can make a quick 5-6 millions. (See, how humble I am – not greedy at all). That’s it.

Let’s see what I can do with this.
May be, a little more than million for my house and a little boat.
May be, a little more than million in some trust so I can do some charity work. It’s always better to earn some good karma – who knows what’s waiting out there after this life!! :)
Remaining money invested in real estate, bonds, mutual funds, securities and cash certificates.

Once I do this, I can live a simple life. Yes – very simple life. Ordered Chinese food on the table, flat screen TV, a remote control and a clean bathroom. That’s it. Now, you might wonder what’s up with that ‘clean bathroom’ thing! Well, there is a little story behind it – When I was in Engineering college, my college hostel had the most disgusting bathroom/toilet system. Ever since then, I learned to appreciate ‘clean’ bathrooms. So, now you know.
I wonder why I am such a simple guy. Uhmmm….

Life and Challenges

Finally, beautiful weather and a beautiful day!! Why can’t we have 60s everyday? It’s perfect. Well, life is not perfect so is the weather, right?

Conservative morons just don’t seem to get the logic behind global warming! I don’t know what it takes to convince them. Idiots! Then, again, I can’t blame them alone. Look at Al Gore! He poses like a hero leading the fight to protect our environment. But he travels in a private jet! Why can’t he travel in one of those commercial airlines like you and me?

Well, I am sick of this world and idiots. I can’t take this anymore! Many times, I think of leaving everything behind and living alone in the wilderness. But, I can’t do it. I love my TV and remote control. I love Chinese food. I love clean bathrooms. I hate snakes. How can I survive in wilderness? No chance!

Here is another problem if you have time to listen. I have this camcorder that works on VHS tapes. Yea, it sounds like a bullock cart in the age of all digital cameras, DVDs and memory cards. But, I can’t throw it. It’s in excellent condition. So, I have two options. Well, actually three options.
1) Continue to use this camcorder and live in the dark ages of VHS tape.
2) Buy VHS-to-DVD converter so I can convert the tapes to DVDs on regular basis.
3) Buy a new digital camcorder and give away my old camcorder to a Neanderthal living in a cave.

I am still thinking what to do.

Two Stories....

Story-1

The Christian Science Monitor is publishing the story of Jill Caroll everyday. Good reading. She was held as hostage by Iraqi insurgents for a long time before she was rescued (?).

My only concern is that every time one of those people starts speaking out, they spill out a number of confidential things that may put other hostages in a difficult situation. Obviously Jill or CS Monitor will be withholding the real names and lots of other sensitive information. Still, I feel these reports would give an idea on what goes on behind the scene and raises questions on other things. Don’t you think so? For example,
She writes about how crying helped her to get some sympathy. She also talks about how Iraqi women first wait for men to finish their meal and then eat the left-overs from their plates and how it changed her view on Islamic life style. Now, as disgusting as it may sound, we need to understand that each culture has its own practices. In a pluralistic world that we live in, these are all common. I was raised in a family where touching food with both hands was strictly prohibited. Eating from other’s plate is not even discussed. But, others may find it disgusting to see me eating my food with fingers!

Story-2:

Speaking of Ramsey’s case, I never thought media would go so crazy over the story. Media loves those sensational stories. This was another perfect story with a good mixture of mystery, violence, sex and beauty. Funny thing was – In the same year the little Jonbenet Ramsey got murdered, there were hundreds of other kids who got murdered all over the US!! Nobody even talks about them. Who wants to talk about a black kid from a poor family living in a ghetto? We all know that all men are not created equal.

Ramsey - Finally a closure?

Remember JonBenet Ramsey case? It was a big thing in TV back in 1997. Six year old girl was found beaten and strangled in the basement of the family’s home. I’m sure you remember all those talking heads on TV and private investigators putting the blame on girl’s parents. Girl’s mother (Patsy Ramsey) died of cancer in June this year. Certainly it wasn’t the age for dying. But she had to live under the ‘umbrella of suspicion’ till the last day.
Well, yesterday 41-year old second grade teacher from U.S was arrested in Thailand. According to officials, the suspect knew the details about the murder that had not been made available to the general public.

Hopefully this will help police to bring a closure to the case. I really feel sorry for the girl and her family.

It is also scary to see the exploding number of cases where school teachers are engaged in sex with minors. And, it’s no secret why most of the westerners travel to Thailand these days. Definitely not for ‘spreading the democracy’ as George Bush would like to believe. Countries like Thailand are a disgrace - In my opinion, they have reached the lowest point on the moral scale by allowing the sex tourism blossom.

Feeling agitated…

It’s one of those days where you feel everything is going wrong and you want to beat up anyone who confronts you. The whole world looks like a broken machine in a junkyard. But you control yourself, clinching your fist and gritting your teeth. You throw a hard punch on the wall so you can feel some pain. The pain never felt so good.
You ask yourself to be tough and more focused. Hundreds of push-ups – pumped up chest and biceps coupled with heavy breathing – Nothing really calms you down. You lift the heaviest furniture in the house to vent your frustration. You can’t turn the volume high enough – high notes of guitar and drum exploding in your ears – your eyes turn red and you are ready for the war.

Finally...

I had been practicing a simple card trick for a while. Finally I got enough courage to show it yesterday. I guess it went pretty well. If possible, I would make a video of it and post it online.

Yea, little things make me happy these days!

Racial Profiling

Imagine you have red ants and dark ants in your backyard. Every time you feel a sting on your feet, you see a red ant biting on your toe or ankle. You have never seen a dark ant doing it. Every time, it was one of those red ants. What would you do now? To be fair to ants, would you spray pesticide on both dark and red ant colonies? Or, just target the red ant colony?

It’s a no-brainer. All of us know the answer. However, since we live in an upside-down world today, this simple question becomes a very complex one. If your answer offends one of those ‘peaceful’ red ants, there is a good chance that ACLU will sue your ass! Be careful.

Terror again!

Now we can’t even carry water while boarding the flight. No toothpaste, no gel, no water, nothing!! Based on the reports, if you are leaving UK, you can’t even carry the hand bag with you. One has to check-in everything! No laptops, no MP3 player, no camera, nothing? If you have seen how the baggages are handled, you won’t dare to put anything delicate in your check-in baggage except clothes and books!

I think those idiotic, blood-thirsty Islamic terrorists are going too far. Who is going to stop those morons?

In the middle of all these chaos, did you notice one thing? Nobody is talking about US-Mexico border issue! Illegals are crossing the border as usual! What exactly is President waiting for? Does he really want to someone set off a dirty bomb here? I don't know! I just don't get it!!

Ye Jo Des Hai Tera…

Where is your home town? Is it a small place or a big city? Did you grow up in an over crowded house? You had tons of friends you played with and fought with? You had brothers and sisters?

It doesn’t matter who you are, where you are from. All of us have those beautiful memories of our childhood, the school, food, festival and others. Each time you go to the place you grew up, walk on those streets, talk to those people – it all flashes through your mind. The bond only gets stronger.

But time goes on…

Those old uncles and aunts are all dead. All your friends have left the town looking for better life. Your only neighbor has sold his property and moved to a bigger city. You have nobody to talk to. Your, once tough, father is too old and gets emotional for every other minute. Everybody looks like a stranger. Your own town feels so unfamiliar. A whole new world greets you with an unbearable calmness. You feel like an outsider. You feel empty inside. With each missing person, your memory only gets stronger and you try to find solace in that little ground where you played cricket, the temple where you hung out with your buddies during festival season or the same backyard where your uncle taught you how to ride a bicycle.
It’s amazing how time teaches you hard lessons.

As I prepare for one such journey back to my home town, it’s hard not to think about the changes. I would still go to my uncle’s house, which probably now stays locked most of the time since both uncle and aunt are dead. They never had kids. I would still go to that room and play my Indian drum. But who is going to play flute this time? My Uncle is gone! It hurts.

What would you do if you were a ....

In Yuma, Arizona, a sport utility vehicle rolled over in an attempt to outrun Border Patrol agents, killing at least 9 people. Why were they running from Border Patrol agents? Well, they were all illegal immigrants. Apparently there were 22 people inside the SUV!!! Yes, 22 people in a single SUV!!

Is life really so miserable out there in Mexico or other Latin American countries? What drives them so much? At least the numbers tell a different story. If I compare the per capita income, Mexico is far better than many Asian or African countries. They also have quite stable social structure with no civil war or ethnic conflicts. The country is rich in natual resources too. Then, why the rush at any cost?

What would you do if you were a young man living in Mexican side of El Paso? You can see US side of El Paso as you walk through those dusty roads. Imagine going back to your little home that has no air conditioning or running water. Imagine how you would feel sitting by an open window at your rusty house as you burn in the summer heat, hoping for a small breeze, looking at the lush green golf courses and water parks on the other side of the border.

What do you think you would do?

War, Crimes and Politics

No country is perfect. So is the military. I just don’t understand the mindset of those who furiously argue against the allegations made on US soldiers in Iraq. In case of Mamoudiya (rape and slayings of an Iraqi family by fours US soldiers) incident, the evidences are overwhelming. It’s not an easy thing for any country to prosecute its own soldiers for war crimes. Sure, it is painful. But, we have to accept the reality and hold us to higher standards. All the extreme right-wing nut cases are going crazy over this – they have this weird perception that every single American soldier is patriotic and a good guy. It simply can’t be true. They are all human beings like us. They have their strengths and their weakness.

I am sure these are not isolated cases either. Many similar incidents are probably covered up and buried for ever. And, it happens all the time in all the wars. You and I will never ever hear about it. War is dirty and it is not a football game!

Now, for those countries, which are making big noise on these incidents – I have nothing to say. Most of them are bunch of losers, who can’t even keep their own house in order. Some of those countries are known for human right violation!! So, just ignore them.

When there is no focus…

BP has shut down the largest US Oil field located in Alaska to assess suspected pipeline corrosion. Per reports, once this will reduce the oil production by 400,000 barrels per day. (1 barrel = 42 gallons of crude oil)

Two reactions are guaranteed:
- The ever hungry and greedy traders at NY exchange will drive the crude oil price higher eventually hitting the pockets of normal citizens like you and me.
- Knee-jerk republican reaction would be to attack environmentalists and demand more drilling in Alaska.

It’s amazing how nobody talks about the real issue here and just reacts to the situation. Call me a sadist or moron – I am actually happy that Oil prices are going up. I want to see it go further high so we all can feel the pinch.
Why? Well, this country lacks the ‘fuel economy’ mindset. Every time I see a HUMMER on the road with just one person inside, I ask myself – how long? How long this can go on? When do we learn to stop wasting resources? Why do we need all the lights in our house ON? Why do we need four lights in a row where we need only one? Why can’t we turn off the heat or a/c when we leave the house? How come we don’t even think about the gas before we hit the road?

Washington has never been so brain-dead. They are more interested in ‘war on terrorism’. Again, I am not against war on terrorism. As Tom Friedman of New York Times points out, the important part of war on terrorism is to remove the dependency on Gulf oil by investing on alternative fuels. The real purpose is lost in the middle of UN bashings and media rhetoric. Gay marriage seems to be more important than illegal immigration for the Democrats! I don’t even know where they stand on energy policy!

US ignored alternative fuels in 80s and 90s due to relative stability and easy access to cheap oil. Now, it is biting us. The same thing is true with Illegal immigration – we continue to ignore it as millions cross the border every year without any documentation and any respect for the law. Can you imagine what will happen 20 years down the line?

Food for thought

Total Population of Wisconsin - 5.3 million
Total Area of Wisconsin - 169,790 Km2

Total Population of Bangalore (A city in India) - 6.5 Million
Total Area of Bangalore - 470 km2

Total Population of Karnataka (A State in India) - 52 million
Total Area of Karnataka - 191,791 km2.

Simply put, the Karnataka's population is 10 times more than the state of Wisconsin with no significant difference in its size. And, there are more people living in Bangalore city than in the whole of Wisconsin state.

Ok - Go, grab a cup of coffee and think about it.

The Passion of Mel Gibson!!

You all know the news by now – Mel Gibson was arrested for drunk driving. The bigger news was his confrontation with Police and the racial slur he uttered. Clearly, he has made some inflammatory anti-Semitic remarks on that night.

Today he has apologized for the second time to Jewish community.

Question is - Do you really think a person develops a racial mentality overnight? And, do you think it is possible for him to get rid of it in a day with a few public apologies? I personally don’t think so. I strongly feel that our perceptions on religion, ethnic groups and other things in our life have their deep roots in our past, our upbringing, our friends and other influences.

Here is a man, whose father was known for his extreme Catholic beliefs. Apparently his father didn’t believe that Holocaust happened either. Then, came the ‘The Passion of Christ’ in 2004.

In some cases, it’s hard to prove things until it happens. Now, he has nicely busted himself. Mel, your disease is not alcohol. The true disease is ‘religion’. Accept it.

Magic, Magic!!!

I always loved magic – partly because one of my childhood friends was closely associated with magic. His uncle was a well-known magician and he would take my friend to stage shows. My friend would help him in setting up things prior to and during the magic show. My friend was a decent musician too. He could play drums, mandolin and keyboard. His uncle will later use these talents during live shows. Through his uncle, my friend got the opportunity to travel through out the state, country and even gulf countries. He was an integral part of his uncle’s team. Remember, this was when we were only 11-12 years old. He would tell his travel stories to our amazement. I still remember the excitement we all had as he explained his first flight journey, the tiger he saw in the private zoo of a rich Arab Sheikh and the little gifts he got from his hosts overseas. For us, who had never seen anything bigger than our village festival, he looked like a real hero. We were all jealous of his stamp, coin and toy collections that he collected from his overseas trips.
He learned a few tricks from his uncle too. He would show us his magic skills in one of those lazy Sunday afternoons (if we weren’t playing cricket!). We never understood how he made those coins appear / disappear or how he could point out the card that we picked from a deck of cards!

Later, he went onto marry his uncle’s daughter. That was for real – there was no magic in it!! :)

Well, all these things came to my mind as I read a report on the World Championship of Magic, started on Monday at Stockholm, Sweden. Here is the link - http://www.fism.com

Some guys have posted really cool videos of close-up magic at YouTube. Check it out.