And my vote goes to ...

I had written about the presidential race some time back, while the P-race was still in its infancy.

Alas, I found that my favorite candidate: Colbert, could not make the cut. I had to come up with a pick among the current litany of pretenders.

I do have a clear favorite though.

Among Obama's other obviously impressive characteristics, it is very refreshing to see an American Politician juxtaposing an obvious intellect with an honest conscience. A rare quality that.

Watch out for this one. He is one world-leader for the future.

The Sun is producing nuclear energy. Attack the Sun.

Big Tobacco fights Breast cancer.

"Big Tobacco has joined forces with the breast cancer industry in the launch of its newest product aimed at raising money for breast cancer research: "Pink ribbon" SlimSmokes cigarettes for women. For every pack of cigarettes sold, the manufacturer pledges to donate two cents to breast cancer research. "We aim to raise money to help find a cure for breast cancer," said Yin Hailing, spokesperson for Phillip Porous, the maker of pink ribbon SlimSmokes cigarettes. "Because the longer our best customers live, the more they can smoke! " 

Furthermore,  

"Accordingly, the Susie B. Wheezie Foundation proclaimed that buying these pink ribbon cigarettes is like "investing in your own future," since funds from the sales will be used to find a cure for the disease caused by the product itself. A new event called, "Smoke for the cure" is planned for next year as a way to increase product sales and raise more money for breast cancer research."

Read the rest over here . 

The UnShakeable

One of my favorites from the yonder years -

Conundrum on being an Indian Liberal

Found this paragraph in a book review for Tharoors "The Elephant, The Tiger, and The Cell-Phone "

"

Liberals, like nerds, can be bullied. But unlike the nerds, liberals are not too bright. They do not have the spark of genius of the nerds. The liberals are mediocre in the nice sense of the term. That is, they are normal folk, who believe in the good and right things. And they assume the role of opinion leaders because they are articulate and express themselves in earnest tones. They are evangelical and self-righteous as well in what they believe and in what they say. 

International bureaucrat and novelist-essayist Shashi Tharoor is a liberal. To make things worse, he is also an Indian liberal. Unlike the Western liberal, who is willing to accept diversity and differences, his Indian counterpart wants to embrace everything.

"

How very apt a description, of the subtle differences within differing liberal mindsets. 

Good Music loops on and on and on ...

Good music is that music, which never really ends. 

That music which is forever - music which plays on, even when its source is gone - is'nt that true ?

Presidential Race '08

Despite the obvious anti-incumbency induced  Presidential lead the Democrats have, I have been unsure of a clear victory for them. The last months have shown a number of possible candidates in the fray - some with true potential of being the next president (mostly Democrats), while some who are plain in-the-running-just-to-show-my-face-to-the-public.

Although I do not have a horse in the race - I did like some of them. Barack Obama was by far the most impressive candidate to me - he seemed to be an  intellectual with his ethics and values in the right place. Hillary looks to be a credible woman and  a good candidate too - although she appears to be a tad of boorish and shows a pretentious intellect to me - but thats what American presidents of recent past are - eh ?. Mitt Romney was another person that talked some sense,  while Edwards was a nice and like-able underdog candidate too. McCain and Giuliani are too right-wing for my liking. Bill Richardson is another guy who seems to be a sensible choice - though unfortunately he does not have the star-power that some of his competitors have. 

I definitely had some favorites - Obama, in particular, but nobody seemed head-and-shoulders and more above the others. 

Nobody I could see who had the combination of both Intellect and Ethics, a balance of Sophistication and Humbleness, someone who had not only the vision but also followed a dream, a person with a sense of Purpose and a sense of Humor - no one who seemed an ' Atal Bihari Vajpayee' style winner in my mind. 

Until I saw this one.

Vote for Colbert for 08 !

A Real World Champion

In times where the the nation talks about  pseudo cricket champions, almost richest person in the world, emerging economies, one of the biggest software companies, potential super power status - it is a pleasure to see a real undisputed champion.  

Great performance from a truly great sportsman. Heres wishing him to show Kramnik his place in the 2008 title defence too.

Racing - It is a state of the mind.

Anything you can do - I can do better.

( Watch for the ending. )

For want of a nail - the kingdom was lost.

The US-India Atomic Energy Act promises to be the one of the most crucial treaties of the modern times. This is an act that not only establishes co-operation between the largest and the richest democracy's - but is also an harbinger to enhanced ties between these two giants.

In a time when even the signatory members of the controversial NPT - countries such as Iran and the once ratified North-Korea are facing flak from the rest of the world for developing nuclear technologies - here we have a non-signatory member being offered an option for technology transfer. This move is not only unprecedented, but also a great moral victory on a global stage for India.

It is an win-win situation for both countries as one can see it. India - a developing country facing acute power crisis gets accelerated access to advanced technology to fulfill its power needs and also establishes friendly ties with the most powerful and like-minded friend that one can have. United States on the other hand has clear commercial benefits to reap - and the added advantage of cozying up to a sleeping giant that is well on its way to wake up and dominate the coming century. It is in the interest of both countries to continue to build their relationship to next levels.

The deal looks all set to augur a new era in world politics - one that not only confirms the eastward shifting of the balance of world power - but in a way, also signals an unspoken acceptance to India's concerns over the nuclear-discrimination caused by NPT .

All of it was looking good - until a few spoil-sports, started creating obstacles - for reasons that seems to be inspired from local and petty political considerations.

It is sad to see the state of affairs.

Those opposing the deal, do not even site concrete reasons/solutions/alternatives to solve the energy crisis the country is facing. They talk about dangers of getting 'too close' to the capitalist powers of the United States - while conveniently ignore the very poignant fact that India has been registering record GDP rates only due to the money flowing in from this 'capitalist' country.

It is my hope that such short sighted political agendas do not derail the chance of a greater good-will and common-sense to prevail.

It reminds me of a poem I heard when I was perhaps seven years old. May be - the members of CPI should brush up their third standard literature syllabus - they surely seem to be behaving like seven year olds !

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

Heres hoping that for the want of the nail of petty polics we do not loose us the kingdom of friendly co-operative co-existence.

Finally - a Brown Prime Minister

Do you people ever feel that the Liberal World has dawned upon the democratic nations in a blink of an eye ?

• We have a woman candidate and a black one as front-runners for the US presidency.
• We are just about to have the first woman president in India - right after the Muslim president ends his term.

If you though that was enough - this one takes the cake with the cherry on top.

• We now have the once Imperial Great-Britain run by a Brown Prime minister - one who is doing a great job at it !

Aaah- the good days are here - the days of us liberals are finally here.

Take a Minute. Donate An Hour. Change a Life.

Putin thinks he is the next Gandhi ?

Russian premier Vladimir Putin gave a statement to the effect of calling himself the complete democrat.
At one point he says

"After the death of Mahatma Gandhi there's nobody to talk to,"

I have been a supporter of Putin. I think he is one of the smarter world politicians - someone who has done considerably well in rebuilding Russia in the past few years.

There might be a slight chance that the Mahatma was fooling the world. May be - in reality Gandhi was a black-belt karate expert who sipped wine while his countrymen were hungry. There is a possibility that Gandhi did covertly order a few wars to be fought, and that he did ask his people to indulge in violence.

But I have a small suspicion that you are seriously wrong on this count, Mr. Putin !

Maradona is back

Lionel Messi scored an incredible goal for F.C Barcelona some weeks back.

The similarities between this not-so-messy messi goal, to the goal-of-the-century is eerie. Maradona had scored in the exact same way, only one goal after his infamous hand-of-god goal of 1986. Both the players have similar physiques, similar styles, and of course, both wear their white-and-sky-blue's when they play for their country.

Messi demonstrates all the prime qualities expected of the world's top striker - the close ball control, the incredible burst of speed, the deceptive change in directions and for the finale, pin-point accuracy in front of goal. All of the qualities evident in one incredible goal.

A spectacular goal from yet another brilliant Argentine forward. Take a bow, all you Ronaldo's - we have another Argentine striker on the blocks.

Peace and Growth in the emerging new world

In a beautiful dissection of the state of affairs for India and the world in general, Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon gave a speech titled 'India and International Security'.

Menon talks about the change in the world that has occurred as Indian has matured from a fledgling new born country into a world leader.

At independence, it was natural that the primary task of India's foreign and security policies was to enable India to begin the process of economic and social transformation that a poor and backward country required.

The immediate objectives were therefore a peaceful environment, strategic space and autonomy, free of entanglement in Cold War conflicts or alliances. Non-alignment, as this policy was called, was the ability to judge issues on their merits and their effect on India's interests, or, as our first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru used to say, 'enlightened self-interest'.

Six decades later, we face a different world. The end of the Cold War, accelerating processes of globalisation and the salience of trans-national challenges characterise the current global scene. India too has undergone a profound internal change during this period.

Economic growth and modernisation are transforming our society at an unprecedented pace. The impact of technology is being increasingly felt. Movements of goods, services, capital and people connect us more closely than ever to once distant societies.

He discusses in detail the role of India in its immediate neighborhood as well as in the World. A very well made observation is the seemingly obvious, but unfortunately under-appreciated importance of co-existence.

Menon discusses India in context with all its immediate neighbors and emphasizes the importance of not only maintaining peace, but points out the inter-dependence that these countries inherently have.

He also addresses the other concerns that our global society faces - he addresses the over-rated issue of terrorism and the under-rated issue of Environmental Change (in my opinion). A very interesting and legitimate point he makes in understanding these concerns is, where he mentions how the new world must re-align itself to the new world order.

If our international institutions are not dealing successfully with the challenges of today, one reason is the fact that they no longer reflect current or emerging realities of power.

A very interesting article. Check out the entire speech over here.

An hour with Colbert

A video where Colbert is interviewed for a change. Take a look.

Colbert did some hilarious segments on bollywood some time back that may be known to all. On a slightly different yet interesting note though, here is another interview he did with Shashi Tharoor. Funny !

The answer to everything

Do you want to know the answer to the meaning of life ? Do you wonder about the answer to the universe ? Would you like to have that one single answer to everything ?

Hold your breath.

Concentrate.

Hear it from me now. Hear the answer you have always been seeking.

Here is the answer which will solve all your problems, end all your wanderings and be the ultimate fruit of all your cogitations. Here is the path to eternal tranquility. Here lies the seed of brahman and here is the sound of Aum.

Are you ready for the answer ? pakkka ? ? Here we go then.

The answer is 42.

Sounds incredible ? Check it by googling it up or check it here.

Tathaastu ! :)

A lead in the war against HIV

A series of important meetings are taking place that could decide the fate of upcoming HIV blocking drugs. Pfizer seems to have taken the lead, but there are other Pharmaceutical giants, including Merck which are closing in on HIV inhibitors.

A panel of experts meets in Rockville, Md., to advise the Food and Drug Administration on whether to approve Pfizer's maraviroc to fight HIV. If approved it would be the first in a new class of treatments that block HIV from entering white blood cells through a pathway present in some patients that carry the virus.

There have been numerous research directions that have given moderately successful results - with several candidates for cancer inhibiting markers being discovered. The fight against cancers is not completely won, but the progress has been commendable.

HIV, along with cancer remains the holy grail for the biotechnology world and all advancements in combating them come as great news.

The developments are heartening and the success of this research would not only go a long way in providing a boost to the Pharmaceutical industry,but much more importantly - help in saving lives.

The game of Consolidation ?

con·sol·i·da·tion
Pronunciation: k&n-"sä-l&-'dA-sh&n

2 : the process of uniting : the quality or state of being united; specifically : the unification of two or more corporations by dissolution of existing ones and creation of a single new corporation

As the world grapples with the new realities of a seamless world, there has been a marked change in the way business is carried out. These changes have stemmed from the development of better communication with the advent of the industrial revolution, and has been exaggerated with the digital revolution triggered in the 21st century.

This is an age where boundaries are getting hazier. It does not matter whether one is ensconced in a plush developed country or if one is in a relatively underdeveloped part of the world. The digital age and the modern age has brought a parity in the world that was not present before.

This new environment where 'boundaries' mean nothing has also drastically changed the way business is done. This is the day and age where any Industry would work best if it works 'across boundaries' rather than within them.

The boundaries I am referring to are not necessarily just political boundaries across countries. These could boundaries across locations such as states or cities or even boundaries across different corporate cultures, practices and different ways of working.

Consolidation is the name of the game right now - and we can slowly see many industries waking up to this reality.

Take a look at the changes in the very important steel industry in the last few years. Consolidation in the steel industry began a year back and is now a process which has snowballed into a trend where most of the major steel companies have continued on, by forming mergers and/or through acquisitions. The Software sector has seen a spur of activity primarily due to Google going through a slew of acquisitions, right from YouTube upto DoubleClick.

There has been some consolidation in the Financial sector with merger news from Barclay and ABN Ambro, Nasdaq improving its stake in LSE being the latest such news. The Pharmaceuticals Industry has seen some activity, with some acquisitions by Merk, GSK, Eli Lilly and Pfizer. The acquisition of MedImmune by AstraZeneca is the latest big acquisition in this Industry. The Automobile Industry has been relatively non-affected by the waves of consolidation as of now. But then, pure logic would point to a need of consolidation in this industry - perhaps a tie up between GM and Ford ?

The Consolidations that we have seen until now - may just be the tip of the Iceberg.

Are we going to see a wave of consolidations across all Industries in the future ? Time shall tell.

Long live the king, the king is gone.

Lara quitting from all forms of Cricket would mean him all but handing over his Test Cricket record to Sachin. That was the first selfish thought that came to my mind as I heard the news. But as I thought some more, I realized that Lara was never a man to run after records anyways.

His retirement just shows the kind of man that we know Brian Charles Lara to be - a great player who went on to break all the big records that could be broken - all done with the nonchalance of not needing to break them. That same aura of nonchalant brilliance could be seen in the way he batted. The slightly high bat lift, the slight jump as he shifted weight and then that exquisite flashy square drive. It is all etched in the memory of all cricket lovers for eternity.

I never confessed this before, but this may be the best occasion to come out clean. The best batsman in the world has retired.

Thank you for the entertainment ! There will not be another Brian Lara for quiet some while


P.S: I meant Test Batsman - but of course.