Chandrayaan, Chess and Cricket ...

Refering to a very old previous post. What a day today is !

We are on our way to the moon. Fingers crossed.

I cannot hide the tingle of excitement and pride as I watch the launch ! The fourth stage has been deployed --- What a feeling ! Infinite amazement ! Un-describable ! If that is a word. How can such things be described in words ?



On a smaller scale, we are looking good to get a world champion here Anand defeats Kramnik to lead by 3 points in the World Chess Championship,




And perhaps the least significant one is where India comprehensively beats the pretend world champions by some 300 runs in Mohali.

A very good day indeed !!


P.S: Disclaimer for the images. Duh.

P.P.S:

Another thing to note:

The net budget for Chandrayan is ~ 80 million USD. Barack Obama collected ~ 150 million USD for his presidential bid on Sep '08

i.e - India is sending an entire spacecraft to the moon, in about as much money as Barack can collect in 15 days. Incredible.

Bailout - From a Presidential view.

Sarah Palin was asked by Katie Couric to explain what she thought about the 700 Billion USD Bailout instigated by Fed. Here is what she had to say.

" That’s why I say I, like every American I’m speaking with, we’re ill about this position that we have been put in where it is the taxpayers looking to bail out. But ultimately what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the healthcare reform that is needed to help shore up our economy. Helping the—it’s got to be all about job creation too, shoring up our economy and putting it back on the right track. So health care reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions and tax relief for Americans and trade—we’ve got to see trade as opportunity, not as competitive, scary thing, but one in five jobs being created in the trade sector today—we’ve got to look at that as more opportunity. "

And she is a Vice-Presidential nominee ; one who is one 72 year old heart-beat away from being the President of the United States of America.

Was McCain even remotely lucid in his thoughts when he picked her to be his VP nominee ? All of this almost defies belief !

First it was George Bush, then we had John McCain and now we have Sarah Palin ? Hmmmm ...

Some Nice Nuclear Waste for sale -- Anybody ? ? ?

I had written some time back arguing in favor of the nuclear deal ; and boy am I happy to see the deal materialize despite the best attempts from the nutty left. [ You think the left are not nutty ? - Singur, Tata anyone ? ]

There is a lot of good press that this deal is generating -- the energy options it provides India, the profits/jobs that it creates for Russia/France/USA and the likes. Who would have thought that the day would come so soon, when the developed world would be looking to India for generating jobs and money. But I digress.

One thing that is not being brought up by the media though is the issue of nuclear waste. I have not seen any significant media coverage on this very important issue !

In a country like India where even strict rules are taken as nothing but mere guidelines - how would we deal with the issue of disposing nuclear waste ? -- Would it all be dumped without any precautions, to some 'lesser fortunate' places within the country ; thus putting the environment and lives at stake ?

We know that the nuclear waste disposal problem is the mother of all waste-disposal problems. The radioactive leftovers potentially last for large periods of time, and could have deadly effects on large portions of the surrounding environment. Look at the problems United States is having with approving the proposed Yucca Mountains nuclear waste site.

If nuclear waste could prove to be a problem in a mostly law-abiding nation like United States, I fear how are the corrupt babus in India are going to deal with this important issue.

Are we taking enough care - that we do not become the nuclear dumping ground of the west ?

Nuclear Energy is good -- but India must also explore other alternatives, just as United States is doing; We must not fall into the trap of greedy commercialization from the corporates who want to sell us energy at any cost. We must keep all our energy options open.

A Great Video ...

WAH - 08

Cell Phone Ban

I believe using a cell-phone while driving is considered dangerous ; and it is banned in several parts in the United States.

I was wondering what impact such rules would have if implemented in India -- then I saw this.

Mid Quarter Iragi Progress Report

An extremely Illuminating report on recent(i.e. past 6 years) progress in Iraq. A must see.

IF again !

Posting again this one poem by Rudyard Kipling called " IF ".

Life takes so many turns --- some turns are big; some are small. It is the set of core principles that a man holds - that guide him through all things big and small - ain't that true ? This Poem just embodies one aspect of that.

The thing for a person to remember -- is to take care of ones core values, beliefs and principles. The rest takes care of itself !

IF

If you can keep your head when all about you
are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

--Rudyard Kipling

Dear Ponting, Hayden and Symonds ;

Would it be a good idea for all three of you to read this before making premature comments in the future ?

While you are at it - you could glance at this too ?


Thank You.

The Ever-right democracy.

Found this here.

The United States on Monday used precision missiles to strike a "known terrorist target" in southern Somalia, a U.S. military official said.

The strike near Dhoobley, which is close to the Kenyan border, was aimed at a "facility where there were known terrorists" affiliated with East African al Qaeda operations, according to the official.

The strike destroyed two houses -- killing three women and three children, and wounding another 20 people -- Dhoobley's District Commissioner Ali Nur Ali Dherre told
CNN. Dherre said the remains of the missiles were marked "US K."

Reminds me of something Gandhi said :

What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?

-- Mahatma Gandhi

Nothing more needs to be mentioned. Amen.

Global Warming and the attack of the concentric circles.

Breaking News: Series Of Concentric Circles Emanating From Glowing Red Dot

Words of Wisdom by Scott Adams.

"Dance like it hurts; Love like you need the money; Work when people are watching."


Thats a real Deep thought. Deep. Very Deep.

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.