Incredible

I am speechless. Honestly, do these people ever stop and think?

Okay, for those of you who are not aware of current US political scenario: Obama has been proposing a new health care reform. Okay, I need to step back even further.

Health care in US is very expensive so everyone needs to have a health insurance in order to cover for the cost. However, these insurances aren’t foolproof. A lot of people can’t afford them. Some are denied the coverage if they end up with something expensive. So Obama is proposing a health care reform in order to rectify few of these issues. Honestly, I am cynical about the reforms (mostly due to the way it works in UK) but I am not vehemently opposed to them.

So these people (mostly Republicans. Just FYI: Obama is a Democrat.) marched to Washington, D.C. opposing the reform which is perfectly fine. However, just listen to them and you would understand that they have no idea what-so-ever about what is going on in the current political scene ( I know it better than them and I don’t even have a right to vote!!). They are simply there to oppose Obama no matter what he do.

Also note the absence of any African American or any other ethnicity in the crowd (just not the people who were interviewed but the crowd behind them). They all are, forgive me, Whites. I know it’s a racist statement but it also happens to be true. It makes me wonder what this tea party was really about?

P.S.: 1. I am sure, I am late in posting this but I didn’t see the video before and as I am not a big fan of reform myself, I didn’t bother follow it up either.

2. Just to clarify: Ronald Reagan, Bush were Republicans (in reference to Czar debate) while Obama is a Democrat.

3. Most of them reminds me of Sarah Palin (Republican again). Actually, after watching this video, I finally understood how and why Sarah Palin could have become Governor of any state and could get nomination for Vice President. Bobby Jindal, however, still remains a mystery.

(Link via Jeff)

Research Quality

IIT professors earn Rs. 50,000 while Harvard professors earn Rs. 5 lakh. So IIT professors have been demanding pay hike and went on one-day token strike.

Hmmm..I like that idea. Let us compare ourselves with leading US universities. But why stop at the Professor’s salary? Let’s offer good fellowships to grad students so that we can retain some good students for the research. After all, aren’t they the ones who do most of the research work which gets turned into research papers? And in their own words:

They point out that abroad, each time a researcher publishes a paper, he is paid for it separately.

And this incentive, say the professors, will be seen in future research work in the country. Already, the attrition rate in various IIT departments is worrying.

So doesn’t it make sense to give the grad students some kind of fellowship? May be then we can convince some IIT graduates to pursue their PhDs in those “globally acclaimed IITs” (note how both the professors mentioned in the article did their PhD in US), though I am still doubtful.

As far as I am concerned, I would pursue my Ph.D. in India (of course hypothetically speaking. I have no intention of going through this hell again. EVER) if they get rid of some of the office politics (actually I will prefer all but I am being reasonable). While at it, they can change their examination method to understanding-based instead of memory-based, just like MIT and Harvard. And then they can attempt some collaboration with R&D labs of major companies and get some real problems to work on instead of purely academic, again just like MIT and Harvard. And above all, they can stop using their grad students as their personal servants (an average PhD scholar in our dearest “globally renowned IITs” is expected to get groceries, vegetable, milk for the professor’s household on daily basis). Then may be students like us will consider getting a Ph.D. in India and the quality of research might improve. Giving a raise to Professors ain’t gonna do it.

While I am at it, let me clear a few more things. The main reason IITs are so well known is due to the bright students graduating from there and not because of the quality of research done there. And the reason the students are so bright is due to the immense competition in India (Of the 384,977 candidates who appeared in the examination conducted on April 12, 2009, 10,035 candidates have been declared qualified to seek admission in IITs: from Wikipedia). The only way to succeed in India is to be the best. It makes Indian teenager very hard working and goal-oriented as opposed to an average US teenager. The pressure from the parents, family and society adds on to that goal orientation and hard work. BTW, did you know that India has the highest teen suicide rates in the world (read this and this)? But I digress.

The point of the post: let’s give the credit where it belongs. Give better fellowship to the poor Indian grad student and stop treating them like servants. May be it will attract better students to pursue Ph.D. in IIT and hence, improve the research quality.

P.S.: I didn’t even consider the ridiculousness of comparing Indian and US salaries without considering the cost of living in the countries. You need to deflate/ inflate one of them by respective cost of living! Being an IIT professor and all that, this should have been obvious to them.

Not seeking an apology?

That’s what Shahrukh Khan said. He is not seeking apology from U.S. for being detained at the airport!

May be I am completely off here (it feels so looking at the Indian newspapers’ and bollywood celebrities’ reaction) but I don’t get what makes Shahrukh Khan so special? Does he represent Indian Government in some way that I don’t know? As far as I know, he is neither in Indian embassy or holds any government position. Then isn’t his only claim for special treatment and in absence of one, for an apology is that he is a celebrity in India and US government for some reason don’t recognize that?

Let’s face it. Holding a passport from South Asia usually implies that you are more likely to be randomly checked than a citizen of other parts of the world. And being a Muslim from that part of the world almost ensures that. And also let’s put on the table the fact that Homeland security doesn’t comprise of the smartest of people. Why else would they get suspicious about a passport having only one name. Yes, humbly yours have passed through special security often due to that reason. Honestly, had I been someone with a fake passport, wouldn’t you think I will have common sense to carry a passport as clean as possible? But I digress.

The point being that US airport security is notorious for pulling out Muslim travelers and that’s what they did in case of Shahrukh Khan. I agree it’s wrong on part of US to discriminate like that but what I don’t get is why this is such a big deal that almost all the newspaper have it on their front page? How can Shahrukh Khan seek an apology from US government for this? By what right? Celebrity or not, he is as common a citizen as rest of us.

What really irate me is the joke about Angelina Jolie:

After his Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani moment was practically ruined, SRK has calmed down, even joking about wanting to frisk actress Angelina Jolie if she ever came to India.

That’s quiet distasteful. Frisking a woman when she comes to India? If he does want to reiterate then give a hard time to Brad Pitt when he comes down to India but frisking Angelina Jolie?  I can’t get the image of him doing that out of my mind and believe me, it’s a disgusting image (though somehow it abruptly changes into Angelina dangling him upside down by his ankle. Must be all those Tomb Raider movies effect). All this given that he is as famous as either of them or have a fan following as big and as diverse as theirs.

P.S.: 1. I don’t like Shahrukh Khan as evident from the post. I don’t like Angelina Jolie  either but as she was an innocent bystander here so it’s okay.

2. I don’t think that any celebrity should be given any special treatment, whether it’s Shahrukh Khan or Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie. However, in this news piece Shahrukh Khan compares himself with Angelina Jolie which, I think, isn’t a fair comparison. She is far well  known and far more admired than him. I mean just look at her.

3. I also don’t think that it’s fair to be searched and detained because of your religion or your native country but again the post isn’t about that either. It is about the special treatment expected by Shahrukh Khan for no reason other than that he is a celebrity. Go back to point 2.

Just imagine

Ryanair’s chief executive Michael O’Leary is an interesting character. I just read a New York Times article on the guy and came across his plans to charge the passenger for using the airplane bathroom. Now that opens so many possibilities for my wicked, over-active imagination.

For those who are not familiar with Ryanair, it’s a budget airline that primarily operates in Europe. And when they say budget, they mean it. It costs $60-$70 to fly between most of it’s destinations. Obviously there are hassles attached to flying Ryanair as strict baggage specifications. Paying for food/drinks. etc. etc. The New York Times did a good job of describing a budget airline:

Miss your flight because you had to wait too long at a Ryanair help desk? Too bad! Your luggage is slightly overweight? Throw away the excess, or wear it on the flight! Try to tote your duty-free purchases onto the plane in a shopping bag, when you already have a carry-on bag? Prepare to fork over $40 at the gate.

And as Michael O’Leary puts it aptly:

“Our customer service is unlike every other airline, which has this image of, ‘We want to fall down at your feet and you can walk all over us and the customer is always right,’ and all that nonsense.”

So you get an idea about the budget airlines and specifically, Ryanair. Anyway, so the latest in the series of things they charge, are the Bathroom visits which opens a whole new world of possibilities where things can go wrong.

Now just imagine, for some unknown/stupid reason, you got a full bladder while on the flight and you don’t have any money on you. It’s cold in the cabin and you are crammed in your seat (the budget airline seat). And as it so often happens in the flight, the airplane passes through atmospheric turbulence and starts shaking...

Well you get the picture. This story opened door to so many possibilities. Someone else also had one such scenario for Michael O’Leary:

What if the plane were stricken by some nasty, effluent illness, like food poisoning?

A snorting noise wafted over from the chair where Mr. O’Leary was sitting. “We don’t serve enough food for everybody to get food poisoning,” he said.

P.S.: 1. The news about charging the bathroom visits is an old one but since I live in the United States of America, I don’t subscribe to the news from the rest of the world. I came to know about this today as the New York Times decided to do the Saturday Profile on Mr. O’Leary.

2. To quote Mr. O’Leary once more, this time on the topic of America:

“People will say” — here Mr. O’Leary adopted a whiny voice — “ ‘As the Founding Fathers wrote down in the American Constitution, we have the inalienable right to bear arms and send in our complaints by e-mail.’

“No, you bloody don’t! So go away.”

3. I think I admire his bluntness and his eccentricity. He is hilarious.

Bing

The new search engine, oops I mean the decision engine by Microsoft has been in market for 2 months now. I haven’t tried it yet. The simplest reason being, my Mozilla Firefox doesn’t have it as an option in the tiny search window at the top. Though I have doubts that I will use it even if I had the option. I am a loyal Google user.

My loyalty to Google is multifold. On the superficial level, Google is a Mountain View company (again I use the phrase: it’s in my backyard.). It provides free wi-fi to the entire Mountain View town. Then the founders of Google are Stanford Alumni. And Google treats it’s employees really well. It’s a dream company even though it’s not from my field.

On the deeper level, lies my abhorrence towards Microsoft. We all know how Microsoft treats us when it’s the major holder of the market: remember the way they forced Windows Vista on us? Google, on the other hand, started as a small company that came up with an amazing search engine and provided it for free and still earned money. Almost all the products from Google are available free of cost: Google Earth, Blogger, Gmail, Google Search engine, Picasa, Google reader, Google Videos (except the premium version of Google Earth, everything else is available free). Even the products like Google Earth and Picasa are free!

But in all fairness, I haven’t tried Bing yet. And Microsoft did have a few policy changes in recent time, like providing Windows Live Writer for free. So may be I should give Bing a try and then reject it. Oh Yes, I am pre-disposed to reject the product. I am heavily biased when it comes to Google. Can’t help it!

I cried

watching this…

http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/showbiz/2009/07/07/sot.paris.jackson.aeglive

A daughter saying goodbye to his father. Initially I heard it on radio and it touched me and then I saw the video...

They brought their own gavel!

As I was driving back today, I heard this piece of news (click on ‘Listen now’) on National Public Radio (NPR). Simply entertaining. The transcript of the report is below:

Today was supposed to be the day New York state government got back to work. The state senate has been paralyzed for two weeks. There was a failed legislative goo and a dispute over which party was in-charge. Governor David Paterson used his powers to compel state senators to meet today but as NPR’s Robert smith report the senators didn’t exactly corporate:

The political battle over who controls the New York’s state senate became more like a child’s game of calling dibs today. First, Democrats and Republicans plotted to see who can get to the podium first to hold the gavel and then they proceeded to ignore each other. This came after governor David Paterson had basically told both sides to grow up and show up in special session this afternoon.

David Paterson: “Over last couple of weeks, the senators conduct has been laughable but what’s going on around here these days is no joke and I don’t find it funny.”

Perhaps surreal is better term. Let’s recap. On June 8th Republicans tried to take over the state senate from the Democrats. Two Democrats defected to help the Republicans out and then one re-defected back. So long story short, the New York state senate became tied and for weeks no one has been able to figure out who is in-charge. Democratic state senator Eric Schneiderman told reporters this afternoon that negotiations broke down over who would run the special session.

Eric Schneiderman: “We don’t want this to be a circus and we are asking the Republicans to enter in an operating agreement. They have refused to do that. They are still focusing on the issue whether or not June 8th vote was valid and who is the president of senate?”

You see the Republicans had a plan. If the New York state senate’s special session was at 3 o’clock this afternoon, they were going to show up at 2 o’clock and try and hold their own session. That way they will be standing at the podium and at least visually in-charge. But at 12:30, the Democrats launched a sneak attack. They entered into senate chamber through a back hallway and locked the doors. State Democratic senators stood vigilant at podium then the senator Republicans got into the chamber and try to start their session ignoring the Democrats and ostensibly passing bills. They brought their own gavel. The Democrats started another legislative session with their gavel and started talking over the Republicans. Both sides claim to have passed bills even though no one has a majority. Governor David Paterson called it a farce and says he is disgusted.

David Paterson: “ I feel that they should be punished for what they have done, that they should stay here everyday, Saturdays, Sundays, July 4th and every other time until they remember they work for the people of the state of New York and not for themselves.”

The clock is ticking. On July 1st various taxes and labor agreements won’t go into effect if not approved by the state legislator and damage to senate’s reputation is already done. A poll released yesterday show a record number of people saying New York state is headed in a wrong direction: 63%. A majority called the senate a deadlock and an embarrassment, Robert Smith, NPR news, New York.

Simply hilarious! You know, at times radio is so much better than TV. I don’t think video recording of the event would have been as funny as this report. All they needed to do was to close the report by saying: “That ladies and gentlemen was the story called “Gavel struggle”, read for you by Robert Smith”.

Now I know why they say, ‘Reality is funnier than fiction’.

Taxes …

… and what all we do to save them? For example, Proctor and Gamble actually claimed that Pringles® are not potato chips. Really! They went to Britain’s Supreme Court of Judicature claiming that Pringles® are not potato chips even though they have 40% potato flour. Forget about it looking and tasting like a potato chip. But thankfully courts in Britain are not as crazy and they ruled against it. Guess,there is still hope for this world. At least it’s not entirely insane..

Homophobia

(This post has been brewing for a long time and hence is a bit longer than usual. And also it’s a bit haphazard.)

Last summer Californians were celebrating the court decision to strike down the same-sex marriage ban and almost every gay couple in California was rushing to get married. The pending Prop 8 ballot also didn’t diminish those spirits. Right about that time, while discussing politics with an older friend whom I respect, the gay right issue came up. To my surprise, she scoffed and said that she can’t understand why everyone (=gays) is making such a big deal about it? There are a lot more important things to worry about such as economy, housing crisis, the wars.

I didn’t answer her at that moment as I thought I might get carried away. But I did want to point the fact that she had answered her own question: why everyone is making such a big deal about it? If someone wants to marry someone, how does it affect anyone else? Let them. It makes them happy and it doesn’t harm anyone else. So why do they have to make such a big deal about it? There are so many other important issues to worry about. Let’s make a big deal about them.

But with all the existing homophobia around the world, I don’t think that’s ever going to happen. Talking about Homophobia, this invitation was sent few days back on the Stanford Indian Association(SIA) group (Click to enlarge). I saw it. I closed it. Next time I opened my mail, there was a reply on the group. It asked if this is a queer list? And that’s when I noticed the box on left hand side declaring Trikone is a non-profit support & advocacy for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexuals & Transgender South Asians. This isn’t the first time that a non-profit organization has organized an event in Bay area and have sent an invitation to Indian group in Stanford. But then they were child care organization. (We love kids.That’s why we have a lot of them.) LGBT supporting organization shouldn’t send their invitation to our group. But wait, don’t we as community maintain a status that homosexuals don’t exist in India?

But then I shouldn’t be too harsh on homophobic desis. Not long ago, I was one of them. Though not as bad. At least I hope so. I remember my first trip back to India (in 2005). (I know I am digressing but I need to tell this antidote). Actually, it happened when I was boarding my flight back to states. As usual the flight was supposed to take off late in the night (or early in morning). I was waiting in the boarding area,trying to keep myself awake. I was too sleepy to read so I was simply looking around. That’s when I spotted two hunks really good looking guys sitting nearby. And then they announced the boarding. As I was taking my seat, to my delight I again spotted them. They had the seats right in front of me. I couldn’t believe my luck. That never happens to me. A moment later I realized, that really never happens to me. They sat down and started kissing. Each other. I couldn’t believe my luck. Well jokes aside, I remember the way my jaw (and my stomach) dropped down. It took me several moments to compose myself. I felt completely  numb and had no idea what I was doing. The shock was a bit too much for me to handle. (Also: Ouch). So I think I should not be the one making judgments about other people’s homophobia.

What I am trying to say is that I completely understand the utter shock one gets when one realizes someone, he or she knows, is homosexual. It’s not an easy thing to deal especially for desis. We all grew in a very conservative society where talking about one’s sexuality is forbidden. Homosexuality is unimaginable. Most of my Indian friends think homosexuality is unnatural. Other than that, it doesn’t deserve their attention.

Trouble is, whether we like or not, homosexuals are a part of our society. Approximately 10% of population in any country is gay. In India, gay men get married and have children. However, 90% of those married gay men still continue to have sexual relationship with other men. What do you know, we don’t have homosexuals  after all. We just have cheating husbands. But then how does it matter. As long as they get married and have kids, everything is fine. That’s what matters in our society, isn’t it? Getting married and having kids. Quality of life, emotional satisfaction, HAPPINESS: who cares about that? You MUST be happy if you are married and have kids.

But again, I digress. I was talking about homophobia. The great part about being a human is that you grow everyday. Well at least I did. I grew out of my homophobia. It was a gradual change though. A lot of factors helped in that change. Having non-homophobic friends helped. Reading about the issues helped. And getting to know few homosexuals also helped. Although being asked out by few of them didn’t. Or may be that helped too. But that’s another story.

Again, my point being, don’t judge anyone before you get to know them. It wouldn’t hurt you to open your mind just a bit. You might end up gaining a wonderful friend. Or may be you will be able to save an existing friendship. You never know..

Oh God!

I am speechless. Read this:

Essentials of journalism: Get facts. Get opinions. Get counter-opinions. Question everything.
Now here are (or what appear to be) the facts:
A seven-year-old girl is found dead inside a politician's car.
There are blood stains on her underwear.
Post-mortem report suggests 'smothering' as cause of death.
Police find out the child was also being treated for congenital heart disease.
Cop goes on record to suggest the girl died of a stroke, because of the heart disease. Explains away her presence in the politician's car by saying she must have felt sick and so crawled into the car to sleep.

- (from Annie’s blog)

And most probably nothing will happen, yet again. I can’t think of any other “democracy” where something like this won’t become a public outrage except for the world’s largest one.

And then they claim “India is shining”. Really? Does progress just means doing economically well? Doesn’t it apply to social aspect of the society too? I think we as a society are stagnant. We are at least a century behind rest of the world. And worse: there is no effort being made to progress in that regard. The literate section of our society (use of literate instead of educated is intentional) can’t be bothered by such issues. They don’t have time for such stupid things; they are too busy making money. Hell, 50% of them don’t even read newspaper. What’s the use of being literate? But again, if they did read newspaper they will no longer be “just literate”. They might just become educated. And even the educated section of our society isn’t vocal enough. If they do feel enraged by such issues, they don’t express it. They don’t express it loudly. They don’t express it publicly. And unless we express that rage, we will never progress.

P.S.: This whole episode reminds me of a song from movie Pyaasa. The first ever song written about the plight of prostitutes. The song was:

“Jinhe naaz hai Hind par wo kaha hain?
Kaha hain, kaha hain, kaha hain?”

(Where are the people who are proud of India?
Where are they? Where are they? Where are they?)

Adding fuel to fire...

..American solider trying to convert Afghans to Christianity. Don't we already have enough trouble? Why add more fuel to already blazing. self sustaining fire?

Disgusted

I am speechless. I don't even know where to start. Sinful desires (and then they are pro-life)? Sin of homosexuality? Church is preaching tolerance? They actually think that people are not tolerant about their views?. How many pastors or christian have been murdered, beaten to death, forced to commit suicide so far? Watch this one to know how many they compelled by their "intolerance":



I am simply disgusted. So disgusted that I can't express it in words. If that's what believing in God means: I hate God.

P.S.: I am so glad I grew up in India. Or maybe I was simply lucky enough to go to a school that had no bullies as in western world. Honestly who teaches kids that young to bully? This is to Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover who would have been 12 today, had it not been for constant bullying. In his memory, today National Day of Silence was observed (and hence today's post). Hope this isn't just another unnoticed gesture.

What's in a name?

God I love America. Where else can you find lawmakers who asked Asian-descent voters should adopt names that are “easier for Americans to deal with.”. Really. Her own words were:

“Rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese — I understand it’s a rather difficult language — do you think that it would behoove you and your citizens to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here?” Brown said.

Brown later told Ko: “Can’t you see that this is something that would make it a lot easier for you and the people who are poll workers if you could adopt a name just for identification purposes that’s easier for Americans to deal with?”

What? Didn't you know that America is center of universe? Where have you been? Now go and change your name to single syllable words so that Americans can 'deal with them'. Oh wait, aren't most Asian names already single syllables? Lets change them to single alphabet names. Hope that might make it easier for them to deal with.

Vindicated

Time and again I have said that I am better at expressing myself in writing than verbally. I am a non-confrontational person. It's hard for me to be assertive in normal conversation. Hence I have a lot of issues, and hence have this blog to vent it out.

Today I found someone else who did that for me. I am an agnostic on verge of atheism and have had a lot of discussions with so called "believers". Today I found all the arguments that I wanted to throw on their face but couldn't (I hate being non-confrontational). The piece is by Greta Christina on Atheism and Anger. Few of my favorite excerpts:

I'm angry that huge swaths of public policy in this country -- not just on same-sex marriage, but on abortion and stem-cell research and sex education in schools -- are being based, not on evidence of which policies do and don't work and what is and isn't true about the world, but on religious texts written hundreds or thousands of years ago, and on their own personal feelings about how those texts should be interpreted, with no supporting evidence whatsoever -- and no apparent concept of why any evidence should be needed.

I get angry when religious believers base their entire philosophy of life on what is, at best, a hunch; when they ignore or reject or rationalize any evidence that contradicts that hunch or calls it into question... and then accuse atheists of being close-minded and ignoring the obvious truth.

And I get angry when believers say that the entire unimaginable enormity of the universe was made solely and specifically for the human race -- when atheists, by contrast, say that humanity is a microscopic dot on a microscopic dot, an infinitesimal eyeblink in the vastness of time and space -- and yet again, believers accuse atheists of being arrogant.

I get angry when believers treat the gaps in science and scientific knowledge as somehow proof of the existence of God. I get angry when, despite a thousands-of-years-old pattern of supernatural explanations being consistently and repeatedly replaced with natural ones, they still think every single unexplained phenomenon can be best explained by God. And I'm angry that, whenever a gap in our knowledge does get filled in, believers either try to suppress it (see above re: evolution in the schools), or else say, "Okay, that part of the world isn't supernatural... but what about this gap over here? Can you explain that, Mr. Smarty-Pants Scientist? You can't! It must be God!"

I get angry when religious believers insist that their interpretation of their religion and religious text is the right one, and that fellow believers with an opposite interpretation clearly have it wrong....How the hell do they know which parts of the Bible/ Torah/ Koran/ Bhagavad-Gita/ whatever God really meant, and which parts he didn't? And if they don't know, if they're just basing it on their own moral instincts and their own perceptions of the world, then on what basis are they thinking that God and their sacred texts have anything to do with it at all? What right do they have to act as if their opinion is the same as God's and he's totally backing them up on it?

So there. If you still have question read the whole piece..

Balance

Women rules or so says ABC news. In the light of current economic crisis, few medical experts are looking into gender dependent management strategies. Supposedly, women take less risks than men and follow a more conservative strategies than men. I am not saying that it's good management strategy as they say, 'No Pain No Gain'. So risk taking is part of business and entrepreneurship but blind risks and guaranteed failures like the ones taken recently should be checked. Guess having a more balanced world will help with that..

Grrrrr....

BBC reports:

Memory Clinic plan on Dementia

It's a very legit news article about how UK government is planning to stop rising numbers of dementia in UK. But I just couldn't help myself when I saw this news. Knowing the Health care system in that country (which is the worst I have seen so far. Trust me, India is far better.), I think the unintended meaning of this headline can be true too. Actually any clinic (or surgery, as they call it in London) can well be in demential state.

UK has this system of publicly-funded health system in which they tax the earning members of community to pay for the health reforms. The doctors in this system are government employees. That is to say they are NOT paid directly by the patient (or his insurance company). That means they don't care.

A friend of mine had to get her X-ray done URGENTLY ( the key word being 'Urgent'). They didn't have any appointments for 3 weeks! Can you imagine if someone has a broken bone and he or she has to wait for 3 weeks to get a simple X-ray done? Do you think they will be able to mend the bone correctly, ever? And in order to go private, they have to get a referral from the doctor and a claim number from the insurance company, which the insurance company will mail by ROYAL mail (the postal service in UK). Only then one can go and see a private clinic. And that's not all. In order to talk to the insurance company, one has to dial a PAID phone service which charges some ridiculous rate.

More I hear about this, more I get frustrated. I am so glad I don't live in UK...

Unsung Hero

Today morning when I opened my Facebook account, there were approximately 3-4 people hailing Chesley B. Sullenberger III as a hero. Some people became his fan on Facebook. Washington Post, New York Times, BBC have stories about the event as their main head lines.

And then I came across this story.

Lasantha Wickramatunga, the chief editor of The Sunday Leader, a Sri Lankan newspaper, was shot dead last week near Colombo. Not that it hasn't been in news, just not as prominent as it should be. I am not trying to undermine the achievement of the pilot for saving the lives of his passenger. Just trying to pay tribute to a real hero.

There have been attempts on Lasantha's life and he knew there will be further attempts. So he wrote this editorial to be published if one of those attempts are successful. It's a long editorial but worth reading. It is one of the most heart-touching, eye-watering and still a fair assessment of current situation of Sri Lanka. (Okay, I cried.). Just to quote a small part of it:

...For this I - and my family - have now paid the price that I have long known I will one day have to pay. I am - and have always been - ready for that. I have done nothing to prevent this outcome: no security, no precautions. I want my murderer to know that I am not a coward like he is, hiding behind human shields while condemning thousands of innocents to death. What am I among so many? It has long been written that my life would be taken, and by whom. All that remains to be written is when.

That The Sunday Leader will continue fighting the good fight, too, is written. For I did not fight this fight alone. Many more of us have to be - and will be - killed before The Leader is laid to rest. I hope my assassination will be seen not as a defeat of freedom but an inspiration for those who survive to step up their efforts. Indeed, I hope that it will help galvanise forces that will usher in a new era of human liberty in our beloved motherland. I also hope it will open the eyes of your President to the fact that however many are slaughtered in the name of patriotism, the human spirit will endure and flourish. Not all the Rajapakses combined can kill that.

People often ask me why I take such risks and tell me it is a matter of time before I am bumped off. Of course I know that: it is inevitable. But if we do not speak out now, there will be no one left to speak for those who cannot, whether they be ethnic minorities, the disadvantaged or the persecuted. An example that has inspired me throughout my career in journalism has been that of the German theologian, Martin Niem”ller. In his youth he was an anti-Semite and an admirer of Hitler. As Nazism took hold in Germany, however, he saw Nazism for what it was: it was not just the Jews Hitler sought to extirpate, it was just about anyone with an alternate point of view. Niem”ller spoke out, and for his trouble was incarcerated in the Sachsenhausen and Dachau concentration camps from 1937 to 1945, and very nearly executed. While incarcerated, Niem”ller wrote a poem that, from the first time I read it in my teenage years, stuck hauntingly in my mind:

First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

If you remember nothing else, remember this: The Leader is there for you, be you Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim, low-caste, homosexual, dissident or disabled. Its staff will fight on, unbowed and unafraid, with the courage to which you have become accustomed. Do not take that commitment for granted. Let there be no doubt that whatever sacrifices we journalists make, they are not made for our own glory or enrichment: they are made for you. Whether you deserve their sacrifice is another matter. As for me, God knows I tried.

Rich = Spoiled?

Does being rich necessarily means being spoiled prince/princess? I understand if you say that about Paris Hilton and likes but making it a general conclusion, don't you think? I was reading a CNN about Alexandra Penny (a New York based writer) who lost her life saving in Madoff scam. She wrote her experience in a blog called "The Bag Lady Papers" on TheDailyBeast.com.

She lost her life saving in the scam. I agree that she isn't penniless and not in as bad situation as many others but telling her that she has no right to feel angry about the scandal is not fair. It was her hard-earned money. As she puts it:

"I've never been given a dollar. I never took alimony. I never inherited any money. So, sure, well, who else earned it? Me."

So if you earned a lot of money, does that mean you become spoiled princess? She worked hard all of her life and lost it in her old age due to some scamming idiot. I think she has every right to feel angry and express it. No matter what those stupid commentators on her blog might say.

The Top Brass

So it's happening again. Another bail out under consideration. And yet again the CEO of these companies are drawing millions in salary and benefits. I know Ford CEO Alan Mulally said that he will work for $1 salary but I don't think that's going to happen.

Honestly, I don't have a problem what a private firm pays it's employee or it's CEO or anyone. It's their money they can do whatever they want. But I have a problem when these guys come and ask for public funds. Why should I pay for such ridiculous salary when my own salary is not even 1/100th of their salary? And worst part: if Congress says no, thousands of people will loose job while these guys will be given the golden parachute. How is that fair? Who are these people and why are companies pay them so much? How do companies justify these salaries and benefits? Even the private firms are answerable to the Board of Directors and their share holders, aren't they? So how do they approve of these salaries? And it's not that these so called "top brass" are putting their life in line to save the company. I can't think of any other reason for getting paid so much.

May be it's my inherent weakness in Economics that I am not able grasp about all this. Or may be I don't understand capitalism. But I doubt that any of these can logically justify these salaries.

P.S.: I think, the credit crunch is getting to me. The constant news about business shutting down. The never-ending bail out plans. I feel like everything around me is collapsing and I can't trust anything to make a long term decision. I am not sure whether I will get a job if I graduate. In short, I am scared. I know recession is a normal economic cycle. The trouble is there is nothing normal about current crisis. It is worse than the Great Depression. And that one lasted a decade. No one knows when will this one turn it's wheel. Everything is going from bad to worse to worst. Did I mention I am scared?

Wrong Intelligence

For some unknown reason (Honestly. I don't have any logical explanation), I was watching the last interview of first couple, George and Laura Bush, on ABC News today. The interview was conducted by Charlie Gibson.

I don't expect you to go through the torture of listening to him so here is the excerpt from his interview that caught my attention:

GIBSON: You've always said there's no do-overs as President. If you had one?

BUSH: I don't know -- the biggest regret of all the presidency has to have been the intelligence failure in Iraq. A lot of people put their reputations on the line and said the weapons of mass destruction is a reason to remove Saddam Hussein. It wasn't just people in my administration; a lot of members in Congress, prior to my arrival in Washington D.C., during the debate on Iraq, a lot of leaders of nations around the world were all looking at the same intelligence. And, you know, that's not a do-over, but I wish the intelligence had been different, I guess.

GIBSON: If the intelligence had been right, would there have been an Iraq war?

BUSH: Yes, because Saddam Hussein was unwilling to let the inspectors go in to determine whether or not the U.N. resolutions were being upheld. In other words, if he had had weapons of mass destruction, would there have been a war? Absolutely.

GIBSON: No, if you had known he didn't.

BUSH: Oh, I see what you're saying. You know, that's an interesting question. That is a do-over that I can't do. It's hard for me to speculate.

Now let me put it straight. As I understand this conversation, Bush would have been happy if Iraq had WMDs (Weapon of Mass Destruction) but not if the intelligence has rightly informed him about absence of any (Actually you would need to watch the interview for his expression at that speculation).

And here I thought that would have been a much better option. The US army wouldn't have lost so many soldiers. US wouldn't be center of World criticism. So much money could have been saved. All the pluses. No Minus. But if he hadn't plunged US in a war then he wouldn't be a Republican President now, would he?

P.S.: I think this was part II of the interview. The interview transcript is here. The page on which the above excerpt is here.