India is in the final of the Twenty20 World Cup 2007. We could win the first ever Twenty20 World Cup.
But we must remember that Pakistan is a determined adversary. Also, they are experienced in this form of cricket:
They have a domestic Twenty20 tournament where all their top class players play.
India may not have experience but the young turks have had a taste of success and won't give up easily. India has never lost a match to Pakistan in a World Cup before. It promises to be a tough fight. Let us hope India wins.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Funny Cricket Team
The Indian cricket team is currently doing very well against England [ India tour of Ireland , England & Scotland , Aug2007] . The English are looking like amateurs.
One funny aspect if this is that though the Indians can play professionally and win this kind of series ( tests or ODIs ) at home & abroad , the same team behaves unprofessionally during World Cups. What happens to them during World Cups ?
One funny aspect if this is that though the Indians can play professionally and win this kind of series ( tests or ODIs ) at home & abroad , the same team behaves unprofessionally during World Cups. What happens to them during World Cups ?
Friday, March 16, 2007
What Bengalis say !!
A is for Apish (Office). This is where the average Kolkatan goes and spends a day hard(ly) at work. If he is in the Government he will arrive at 10, wipe his forehead till 11, have a tea break at 12, throw around a few files at 12.30, break for lunch at 1, smoke an unfiltered cigarette at 2, break for tea at 3, sleep sitting down at 4 and go home at 5. It's a hard life!
B is for Bhijon. (As in teli-bhijon) For some reason most of the Bengalis don't have good bhijon. In fact in Kolkata most people are wearing spectacles all the time. The effects of this show in the city.
C is for Chappell. This is the Bengali word for the Devil, for the worst form of evil. In the night mothers put their kids to sleep saying 'go to bed, or Chappell will come and take you away.'
D is for Debashish. By an ancient law every fourth Bengali Child has to be named Debashish. So you have a Debashish everywhere and trying to get creative they are also called Deb, Debu, Deba with variations like Debnath and Deboprotim thrown in.
E is for Eeesh. This is a very common Bengali exclamation made famous by Aishwarya Rai in the movie Devdas. It is estimated that on an average a Bengali uses eeesh 10,089 times every year. (That's counting eeesh and other eeesh-ish words).
F is for Feesh. These are creatures that swim in rivers and seas and are a favourite food of the Bengalis. Despite the fact that a fish market has such strong smells, with one sniff a Bengali knows if a fish is all right. If not, he will say 'eeesh, what feeesh is theeesh!'
G is for Good name. Every Bengali Boy will have a good name like Debashish or Deboprotim and a pet name like Shontuda, Chonti, and Dinku. While every Bengali Girl will be Paromita or Protima as well as Shampa, Champa and Buri. Basically your nickname is there to kill your good name.
H is for Harmonium. The Bengali equivalent of a rock guitar. Take four Bengalis and a Harmonium and you have the successors to The Bheatles!
I is for lleesh. This is a feeesh with 10,000 bones which would kill any ordinary person, but which the Bengalis eat with releeesh!
J is for Jhola. No self respecting Bengali is complete without his Jhola. It is a shapeless cloth bag where he keeps all his belongings and he fits an amazing number of things in. Even as you read this there are 2 million jholas bobbling around Kolkata- and they all look exactly the same!
K is for Kee Kando. It used to be the favourite Bengali exclamation till eeesh took over because of Aishwarya Rai (now Kee Kando's agent is trying to hire Bipasha Basu).
L is for Lungi. People in Kolkata manage to play football and cricket wearing it. Now there is talk of a lungi expedition to Mt. Everest .
M is for Minibus. These are dangerous half buses whose antics would effortlessly frighten the living daylights out of Formula 1 race drivers.
N is for Nandan. This is the Bengali hub for culture (drama, films, film festivals, etc. ) , hanging out with friends and dating .
O is for Oil. The Bengalis believe that a touch of mustard oil will cure nything from cold (oil in the nose, earache (oil in the ear), to cough (oil on the throat) to piles (oil you know where!)
P is for Phootball. This is always a phavourite phassion of the Kolkattan. Every Bengali is born an expert in this game. The two biggest clubs there are Mohun Bagan and East Bengal and when they play the city comes to a stop.
Q is for Question. Bengalies excel at the art of asking questions being in general talkative in nature . Bengalies never hesitate to ask a stranger a question if they felt like it .
R is for Robi Thakur. Many years ago Rabindranath got the Nobel Prize. This allows everyone in Kolkata to frame their acceptance speeches and walk with their head held high and look down at Delhi and Mumbai!
S is for Sardarjee whom Bengalis are very envious of because he is born with a semi-monkey cap on.
T is for Trams. Hundred years later there are still trams in Kolkata. Of course if you are in a hurry it's faster to walk.
U is for Ambrela. When a Bengali baby is born they are handed one.
V is for Violence. Bengalis are the most non-violent violent people around. When an accident happens they will shout and scream and curse and abuse ("Chhere de bolchi ..." , "Dekehe nebo ..." ), but the last time someone actually hit someone was in 1979.
W is for Water. For three months of the year the city is under water and every year for the last 200 years the authorities are taken by surprise by this!
X is for X mas. It's very big in Kolkata, with Park Street fully lit up.
Y is for Yastarday. Which is always better than today for a Bengali.
Z is for Jeebra, Joo, Jip and Jylophone.
------------------------------------------------------
Contributed by my friends :
[1] Rajib Ghosh ( Rajibda)
[2] Anupam Chatterjee
Some modifications were made by me because the original could not be published uncensored . The flavour still remains in the modified version .
Thursday, March 01, 2007
PETITION TO LET DR. APJ ABDUL KALAM CONTINUE AS PRESIDENT FOR ANOTHER TERM.
Our honorable president's term ends by 2007. He had been informed not to continue. Some youngsters of INDIA set a site given below for requesting the Indian government to extend his period for the next five years. If you want Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam to continue as president you can enter their support in that website. Hurry UP. Please forward it to all Indians.
***************************************
***************************************
http://www.petitiononline.com/apj/
***************************************
Original petitioner :
AMLAN MAJUMDER
http://www.orkut.com/Profile.aspx?uid=7455150241462917642
******************************
Original petitioner :
AMLAN MAJUMDER
http://www.orkut.com/Profile
Sunday, February 25, 2007
THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH !! [ SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF INDIA ]
Contributed by : Alok Vats ( vatsalok@gmail.com )
----------------------------------------------------
THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH !!
Why is the media here so negative?
Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognize our own strengths, our achievements? We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why?
We are the first in milk production.
We are number one in Remote sensing satellites.
We are the second largest producer of wheat.
We are the second largest producer of rice.
Look at Dr. Sudarshan he has transferred the tribal village into a self-sustaining, self-driving unit.
There are millions of such achievements but our media is only obsessed in the bad news and failures and disasters.I was in Tel Aviv once and I was reading the Israeli newspaper. It was the day after a lot of attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place. The Hamas had struck. But the front page of the newspaper had the picture of a Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert into an orchid and a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke
upto. The gory details of killings, bombardments, deaths, were inside in the newspaper, buried among other news.
In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime. Why are we so NEGATIVE?
Another question: Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with foreign things? We want foreign TVs, we want foreign shirts. We want foreign technology. Why this obsession with everything imported. Do we not realize that self-respect comes with self-reliance?
I was in Hyderabad giving this lecture, when a 14 year old girl asked me for my autograph. I asked her what her goal in life is. She replied: I want to live in a developed India . For her, you and I will have to build this developed India . You must proclaim. India is not an under-developed nation;it is a highly developed nation. Do you have 10 minutes? Allow me to come back with a vengeance.
Got 10 minutes for your country? If yes, then read; otherwise, choice is yours.
YOU say that our government is inefficient.
YOU say that our laws are too old.
YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.
YOU say that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke, the airline is the worst in the world, and mails never reach their destination.
YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits. YOU say, say and say. What do YOU do about it?
Take a person on his way to Singapore . Give him a name - YOURS. Give him a face - YOURS. YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International best. In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in the stores. YOU are as proud of their Underground links as they are. You pay $5 (approx. Rs. 60)to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road)between 5 PM and 8 PM.
YOU come back to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over stayed in a restaurant or a shopping mall irrespective of your status identity. In Singapore you don't say anything, DO YOU? YOU wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramadan, in Dubai (True). YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered in Jeddah. YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange in London at 10 pounds (Rs.650) a month to, 'see to it that my STD and ISD calls are billed to someone else .'
'YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop, 'Jaanta hai main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so's son. Take your two bucks and get lost.' YOU wouldn't chuck
an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand . Why don't YOU spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo ?Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston ???We are still talking of the same YOU.
YOU, who can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own, You who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch Indian ground. If you can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country, why cannot you be the same here in India ?
Once in an interview, the famous Ex-municipal commissioner of Bombay , Mr.Tinaikar, had a point to make. 'Rich people's dogs are walked on the streets to leave their affluent droppings all over the place,' he said.
'And then the same people turn around to criticize and blame the authorities for inefficiency and dirty pavements. What do they expect the officers to do? Go down with a broom every time their dog feels the pressure in his bowels?
In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done the job. Same in Japan Will the Indian citizen do that here?' He's right. We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility.
We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place nor are we going to stop to pick up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin. We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms. We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity.This applies even to the staffs who are known not to pass on the service to the public.
When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women, dowry, girl child and others, we make loud drawing
room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse? 'It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my sons' rights to a dowry.'
So who's going to change the system?
What does a system consist of? Very conveniently for us it consists of our neighbours, other households, other cities, other communities and the government. But definitely not me and YOU. When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far away and wait for a Mr. Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand or we leave the country and run away.
Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system. When New York becomes insecure we run to England . When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out to the Gulf. When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government (Absolute truth).
Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country. Nobody thinks of feeding the system. Our conscience is mortgaged to money.
Dear Indians, The article is highly thought inductive, calls for a
great deal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too.... I am echoing what J.F. Kennedy's words to his fellow Americans to relate to Indians.....
'ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY'
Lets do what India needs from us.
Forward this mail to each Indian for a change instead of sending some
Jokes or non-sense junk mails.
Thank you,
Dr. Abdul Kalaam
(PRESIDENT OF INDIA )
------------------------------
Contributed by : Alok Vats ( vatsalok@gmail.com )
----------------------------------------------------
THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH !!
Why is the media here so negative?
Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognize our own strengths, our achievements? We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why?
We are the first in milk production.
We are number one in Remote sensing satellites.
We are the second largest producer of wheat.
We are the second largest producer of rice.
Look at Dr. Sudarshan he has transferred the tribal village into a self-sustaining, self-driving unit.
There are millions of such achievements but our media is only obsessed in the bad news and failures and disasters.I was in Tel Aviv once and I was reading the Israeli newspaper. It was the day after a lot of attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place. The Hamas had struck. But the front page of the newspaper had the picture of a Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert into an orchid and a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke
upto. The gory details of killings, bombardments, deaths, were inside in the newspaper, buried among other news.
In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime. Why are we so NEGATIVE?
Another question: Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with foreign things? We want foreign TVs, we want foreign shirts. We want foreign technology. Why this obsession with everything imported. Do we not realize that self-respect comes with self-reliance?
I was in Hyderabad giving this lecture, when a 14 year old girl asked me for my autograph. I asked her what her goal in life is. She replied: I want to live in a developed India . For her, you and I will have to build this developed India . You must proclaim. India is not an under-developed nation;it is a highly developed nation. Do you have 10 minutes? Allow me to come back with a vengeance.
Got 10 minutes for your country? If yes, then read; otherwise, choice is yours.
YOU say that our government is inefficient.
YOU say that our laws are too old.
YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.
YOU say that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke, the airline is the worst in the world, and mails never reach their destination.
YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits. YOU say, say and say. What do YOU do about it?
Take a person on his way to Singapore . Give him a name - YOURS. Give him a face - YOURS. YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International best. In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in the stores. YOU are as proud of their Underground links as they are. You pay $5 (approx. Rs. 60)to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road)between 5 PM and 8 PM.
YOU come back to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over stayed in a restaurant or a shopping mall irrespective of your status identity. In Singapore you don't say anything, DO YOU? YOU wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramadan, in Dubai (True). YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered in Jeddah. YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange in London at 10 pounds (Rs.650) a month to, 'see to it that my STD and ISD calls are billed to someone else .'
'YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop, 'Jaanta hai main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so's son. Take your two bucks and get lost.' YOU wouldn't chuck
an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand . Why don't YOU spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo ?Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston ???We are still talking of the same YOU.
YOU, who can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own, You who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch Indian ground. If you can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country, why cannot you be the same here in India ?
Once in an interview, the famous Ex-municipal commissioner of Bombay , Mr.Tinaikar, had a point to make. 'Rich people's dogs are walked on the streets to leave their affluent droppings all over the place,' he said.
'And then the same people turn around to criticize and blame the authorities for inefficiency and dirty pavements. What do they expect the officers to do? Go down with a broom every time their dog feels the pressure in his bowels?
In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done the job. Same in Japan Will the Indian citizen do that here?' He's right. We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility.
We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place nor are we going to stop to pick up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin. We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms. We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity.This applies even to the staffs who are known not to pass on the service to the public.
When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women, dowry, girl child and others, we make loud drawing
room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse? 'It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my sons' rights to a dowry.'
So who's going to change the system?
What does a system consist of? Very conveniently for us it consists of our neighbours, other households, other cities, other communities and the government. But definitely not me and YOU. When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far away and wait for a Mr. Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand or we leave the country and run away.
Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system. When New York becomes insecure we run to England . When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out to the Gulf. When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government (Absolute truth).
Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country. Nobody thinks of feeding the system. Our conscience is mortgaged to money.
Dear Indians, The article is highly thought inductive, calls for a
great deal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too.... I am echoing what J.F. Kennedy's words to his fellow Americans to relate to Indians.....
'ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY'
Lets do what India needs from us.
Forward this mail to each Indian for a change instead of sending some
Jokes or non-sense junk mails.
Thank you,
Dr. Abdul Kalaam
(PRESIDENT OF INDIA )
------------------------------
Contributed by : Alok Vats ( vatsalok@gmail.com )
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Mamata threatens Tatas, Govt
[ Hindustan Times , Romita Datta & Saptarshi Banerjee ]
Singur, February 10, 2007
Trinamool Congress Chief Mamata Banerjee issued a threat to Tata and the government, warning them of the consequences of playing with fire.
"Don't play with fire, return the land," she dared the Tatas, at the same time exhorting the 35,000 strong crowd to pull down the boundary wall, that is replacing the fencing.
"The Tatas could not do it at Kalinganagar. They won't be able to do it here. We will break that wall..surely we will," she said.
"Those of you, who have not given up their land, I would ask them not to give. Don't receive cheques, if you have abstained so long. The Tatas don't have the guts to take your land with bullets," she thundered amid loud claps and cheers.
She said she was willing to respond positively to Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's offer for talks but only if the land "forcibly taken away from farers" was returned.
"First return the land, you had forcefully acquired and then I would be ready to sit for a dialogue, any day, any moment. If you want it now, I am ready," she said.
"The gun will speak and so will the chorus (read Corus as Mamata intends) of Buddha and Tata and we have to sit for talks in this environment…this is not acceptable," she said.
Explaining the reason why she shifted the venue of her meeting to a place 15 kms away from Singur where section 144 had been clamped, Mamata said that it was done for the sake of peace and as a gesture of decency.
Mamata was addressing a motley crowd, which comprised all parts of the state and a few hundreds from Singur. The dais had all the prominent Trinamool leaders, but the biggest surprise was INTUC president Subrata Mukherjee, who drove in the venue with Mamata and sat next to her, smiling and chatting. While one section of the crowd cheered at the duo, many in the audience booed Mukherjee as a traitor.
After a long time Mamata Banerjee was at her crowd-pulling best. She was making funny puns, rhymes, the usual histrionics of resignation and giving up her posts, but the crowd lapped it up all.
Referring to a rumour that Trinamool Congress is against discussion and dialogue, while the chief minister was very keen, she said: "We have always maintained forceful acquisition has to be stopped, but he (CM) does not seem to care. Such audacity."
In fact, she feels that this government, which takes control of villages by using guns, which deprives men of their food has no right to stay.
"We will make them (Buddha..Buddhababu) bow down before the people. This ruthless and ruleless government has no right to continue," she thundered.
Singur, February 10, 2007
Trinamool Congress Chief Mamata Banerjee issued a threat to Tata and the government, warning them of the consequences of playing with fire.
"Don't play with fire, return the land," she dared the Tatas, at the same time exhorting the 35,000 strong crowd to pull down the boundary wall, that is replacing the fencing.
"The Tatas could not do it at Kalinganagar. They won't be able to do it here. We will break that wall..surely we will," she said.
"Those of you, who have not given up their land, I would ask them not to give. Don't receive cheques, if you have abstained so long. The Tatas don't have the guts to take your land with bullets," she thundered amid loud claps and cheers.
She said she was willing to respond positively to Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's offer for talks but only if the land "forcibly taken away from farers" was returned.
"First return the land, you had forcefully acquired and then I would be ready to sit for a dialogue, any day, any moment. If you want it now, I am ready," she said.
"The gun will speak and so will the chorus (read Corus as Mamata intends) of Buddha and Tata and we have to sit for talks in this environment…this is not acceptable," she said.
Explaining the reason why she shifted the venue of her meeting to a place 15 kms away from Singur where section 144 had been clamped, Mamata said that it was done for the sake of peace and as a gesture of decency.
Mamata was addressing a motley crowd, which comprised all parts of the state and a few hundreds from Singur. The dais had all the prominent Trinamool leaders, but the biggest surprise was INTUC president Subrata Mukherjee, who drove in the venue with Mamata and sat next to her, smiling and chatting. While one section of the crowd cheered at the duo, many in the audience booed Mukherjee as a traitor.
After a long time Mamata Banerjee was at her crowd-pulling best. She was making funny puns, rhymes, the usual histrionics of resignation and giving up her posts, but the crowd lapped it up all.
Referring to a rumour that Trinamool Congress is against discussion and dialogue, while the chief minister was very keen, she said: "We have always maintained forceful acquisition has to be stopped, but he (CM) does not seem to care. Such audacity."
In fact, she feels that this government, which takes control of villages by using guns, which deprives men of their food has no right to stay.
"We will make them (Buddha..Buddhababu) bow down before the people. This ruthless and ruleless government has no right to continue," she thundered.
The Singur crisis continues ...
All of us have been following the Singur ( and Nandigram ) crisis in the news . This is an issue which does not look like it will be solved easily in the near future .
Here is the latest on this :
Article from THE TELEGRAPH , Calcutta . [ Sunday , Feb 11 , 2007 ]
Give your views and comments on this issue .
Here is the latest on this :
Article from THE TELEGRAPH , Calcutta . [ Sunday , Feb 11 , 2007 ]
Give your views and comments on this issue .
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Should there be a new "Bandh" Ministry in W.B. Govt. ?
"Bandh" (Strikes) have become a very important issue in West Bengal recently . Every party is taking the opportunity to practice their "bandh" skills. Many of us use bandhs to get a much-needed holiday . But bandhs also have many negative impacts , as we all know.
Should we have a separate Bandh ministry to :
(1) Search for issues to call strikes with
(2) Decide on suitable dates for bandh - to minimize negative impacts while trying to achieve the objective of the bandh.
(3) Negotiate between different parties so that every party gets a fair chance to call strikes.
(4) Organize the strikes where necessary
(5) Study the after-effects of the bandh and decide when to call the next bandh.
(6) Study which party is most effective during bandhs. [e.g. Calculate scores ]
What do you think ?
Send in your comments with your name , email id , and a short description about yourself.
Should there be fixed bandh days in the calendar ? If so , which dates would you prefer ?
Give advice on different interesting ways to spend a bandh day.
Should we have a separate Bandh ministry to :
(1) Search for issues to call strikes with
(2) Decide on suitable dates for bandh - to minimize negative impacts while trying to achieve the objective of the bandh.
(3) Negotiate between different parties so that every party gets a fair chance to call strikes.
(4) Organize the strikes where necessary
(5) Study the after-effects of the bandh and decide when to call the next bandh.
(6) Study which party is most effective during bandhs. [e.g. Calculate scores ]
What do you think ?
Send in your comments with your name , email id , and a short description about yourself.
Should there be fixed bandh days in the calendar ? If so , which dates would you prefer ?
Give advice on different interesting ways to spend a bandh day.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
CAS IN KOLKATA FROM JAN 2007
[ Source : The Telegraph Nov 14 , 2006 ]The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) is holding weekly meetings with Calcutta’s multi-system operators (MSOs) to ensure that conditional access system (CAS) is rolled out in the city on January 1, 2007.
CAS will be introduced in phases in Calcutta.
The areas to be covered under the first phase are Alipore, New Alipore, Behala, Chetla, Budge Budge, Garden Reach and parts of Tollygunge, Thakurpukur, Haridevpur and Mahestala.
Five of the 11 MSOs operating in the Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) area backed out of the launch in the last meeting with Trai officials on November 8. They cited lack of infrastructure as the reason behind their failure to take part in the first phase.
The MSOs participating in the roll-out are Manthan Broadband, Cablecom, Indian Cablenet, Siticable, Kolkata Cable and Broadband Pariseva and Shrishti.
According to a senior official of the regulatory body, it is important to monitor the launch at every step.
“We had failed to introduce CAS earlier. This time, we are confident that the system will be in place by the New Year deadline,” he asserted.
He added: “The MSOs are supposed to provide us with detailed reports every fortnight. The reports deal with the area of operation, subscriber base and ability to cope with demand. The MSOs have also been asked to prepare a 3 ftx4 ft map of the areas they are covering within the zones where CAS will be launched in the first phase.”
The official explained: “This is being done to ensure that the entire area in the first phase is covered by the MSOs. If we notice that a particular pocket is not being covered, we will request one of the operators to take up the responsibility. We are also trying find out whether the MSOs have enough set top boxes (STBs). Once CAS is in place, no viewer, except those with DTH connections, will be able to watch cable television without an STB.”
The next meeting between the MSO and Trai officials will be held on Thursday.
Following several applications, Trai had last month recognised seven organisations in and around the city as MSOs. This took the total number of MSOs in the CMDA area to 11.
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Israel & Hezbollah at war July 2006
Hezbollah’s Strategic War Calculus
[Examining the canny strategy of Israel’s enemies in choosing the when, where and how of the present conflict in Lebanon.]
[Source : http://www.thetrumpet.com/index.php?page=article&id=2389 ]
Hizbollah ( Party of God ) - A terrorist organization .
Much has been made of Israel’s “overwhelmingly” superior military force as compared to that of Hezbollah, even resulting in strident protest among much of the liberal Western media and terrorist-sympathizing countries at the level of firepower Israel is employing in its endeavor to neutralize that terrorist body. Of course, to compare the two foes’ arsenals, Israel clearly comes out on top.
But what is remarkable in this scenario is how truly canny Hezbollah has been in igniting this conflict. In launching rocket attacks on Haifa, Israel’s third-largest city—understanding that this is an impossible scenario for Israel not to respond to (imagine rocket attacks on Chicago)—Hezbollah made clear its desire to start a war.
Trace back. When Israel departed Lebanon in 2000, it left the problem of Hezbollah on its border for Syria and Lebanon to deal with. As has become painfully apparent, this decision enabled the terrorist group to incubate—to fortify its position in southern Lebanon, to acquire a vast stash of advanced weaponry, and to strengthen its global financial and terrorist network. While Israel compromised and gave concessions to buy short-term “quiet,” Hezbollah prepared for war.
Israel is now fighting a ground war against what intelligence firm Stratfor says could be “the most resilient and well-motivated opposition force in its history.” Israeli ground forces entering southern Lebanon in the past few days have been met with heavy Hezbollah resistance. Dozens of well-fortified Hezbollah bunkers reportedly crisscross southern Lebanon. Even after days of aerial bombardment by Israel along with operations along the Israel-Lebanon border, Hezbollah’s missile attacks on Israel have not ceased. Just recently, Haifa came under an onslaught of more than a dozen rockets, in which two Israelis were killed.
Look at what Hezbollah has already managed to do, and one has to give it credit. “Hezbollah has dealt Israel a difficult hand,” wrote Stratfor. “It has thought through the battle problem as well as the political dimension carefully. Somewhere in this, there has been either an Israeli intelligence failure or a political failure to listen to intelligence. Hezbollah’s capabilities have posed a problem for Israel that allowed Hezbollah to start a war at a time and in a way of its choosing” (July 21).
There is no doubt Hezbollah will aim to make Israel’s offensive into Lebanon as costly as possible. With strong built-in positions, Hezbollah is in a position to inflict substantial Israeli casualties. But more than that, Hezbollah has the ability to conduct a sustained insurgency. This technique has proven to test even the mighty U.S. military to its limits. Conventional forces seeking to minimize civilian casualties just aren’t equipped to definitively deal with insurgency warfare. Witness Iraq.
But, that said, if Israel’s enemy was simply the terrorist group Hezbollah, as an isolated entity, there is little doubt that in short order that enemy would be rendered ineffective. The reality, however, is that Hezbollah is a proxy for Iran and Syria. It is those countries which have supplied the armaments, the logistical support, the finance, the training and the ideological motivation that make Hezbollah the effective terrorist force it is.
It is clear, in retrospect that Iran, Syria and Hezbollah had been preparing for this decision for some time. The timing of the conflict was orchestrated by Iran, with Syria’s assistance, and executed with precision.
It came on the heels of a summit in Damascus that was attended by a top Hezbollah official, the head of Syrian military intelligence and the Iranian national security adviser, among others.
Evidently as preparation for the current offensive, intelligence sources report that Hezbollah received a major weapons consignment from Iran this March. The shipment, which reportedly contained 12,000 Katyusha rockets as well as other types of missiles, was airlifted to Syria and then transported in a military convoy to Hezbollah’s bases in southern Lebanon. Not two weeks into the present conflict, the sophistication and amount of weaponry Hezbollah has obtained from Iran has already proven to be much greater than most had presumed. Considering the intelligence failure there, this leaves the true extent of Hezbollah’s capabilities an open question.
“At the same time as the missile consignment was heading to Lebanon, an unnamed senior Iranian official said that his country would inflict ‘harm and pain’ on the United States and its allies, and vowed to ‘use any means’ to ‘resist any pressure and threats’ designed to curb Iran’s nuclear program. The rhetoric was not empty” (Spectator, July 22).
Just when world powers threatened to send Iran to the UN Security Council for failing to respond to their request for it to resume negotiations over its nuclear program, Hezbollah attacked Israel. “[T]he message that Tehran delivered … courtesy of its Lebanese proxy, was loud and clear: Iran would—and could—inflict ‘harm and pain’ on U.S. interests; and not just in the Middle East. Hezbollah’s playground extends far beyond the region. It has a formidable global reach” (ibid.).
Even if Hezbollah is under pressure within Lebanon, it has a network of cells reaching around the world capable of acting on short notice. With Iran’s go-ahead, these cells could be activated to bomb Israeli (or American) targets in any number of countries. Iran has worked with Hezbollah operatives in the past to pull off such attacks as the 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Argentina.
The Hezbollah branch in Iran has declared it stands ready to attack Israelis and Americans around the world if given the order by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. A spokesman for the Iranian Hezbollah said 2,000 volunteers have registered and been trained since last year. “We are ready to dispatch them to every corner of the world to jeopardize Israel and America’s interests,” he stated (Reuters, July 18).
There are reports that the number of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps troops in Lebanon has increased over the past week or so and that Iranians are involved in firing missiles into Israel. The missile that hit an Israeli Navy missile boat off the coast of Lebanon on Friday, killing four Israelis, was directly operated by Iranians, according to foreign sources cited by the New York Sun (July 19). “This was a direct message to the Israelis that we are fighting the Iranians here,” the Arab diplomatic source said.
A report published by an Israel-based research group, the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, confirmed that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard based in Lebanon “provides military guidance and support for terrorist attacks against Israel.
”Clearly, as long as Iran and Syria are around and hostile to Israel, terrorism against Israel will continue. Even if, say, Israel is successful in dealing a debilitating blow to Hezbollah—still, as long as the source of terrorism, the ideological, financial, tactical and military support of terrorist groups like Hezbollah exists, Israel has no victory. To the contrary, such a move would likely enflame the Muslim world such that it would churn out even more terrorists, suicide bombers and insurgents. Even now, according to Stratfor, “a growing urgency has developed among militant actors in the region to dispatch suicide bombers into Israel” (July 19). Last week, Israeli police foiled a number of suicide bombing attempts.
Considering the support Hezbollah receives from Iran and Syria, the prospect of this scenario intensifies: that Israel will either have to retreat with some sort of brokered agreement and leave a job unfinished, or else it will become bogged down in Lebanon once again fighting an insurgency.
This is a chess match with high stakes. Even as Israel ramps up its offensive, a look at the broader picture reveals that its long-term prospects do not look good.
[Examining the canny strategy of Israel’s enemies in choosing the when, where and how of the present conflict in Lebanon.]
[Source : http://www.thetrumpet.com/index.php?page=article&id=2389 ]
Hizbollah ( Party of God ) - A terrorist organization .
Much has been made of Israel’s “overwhelmingly” superior military force as compared to that of Hezbollah, even resulting in strident protest among much of the liberal Western media and terrorist-sympathizing countries at the level of firepower Israel is employing in its endeavor to neutralize that terrorist body. Of course, to compare the two foes’ arsenals, Israel clearly comes out on top.
But what is remarkable in this scenario is how truly canny Hezbollah has been in igniting this conflict. In launching rocket attacks on Haifa, Israel’s third-largest city—understanding that this is an impossible scenario for Israel not to respond to (imagine rocket attacks on Chicago)—Hezbollah made clear its desire to start a war.
Trace back. When Israel departed Lebanon in 2000, it left the problem of Hezbollah on its border for Syria and Lebanon to deal with. As has become painfully apparent, this decision enabled the terrorist group to incubate—to fortify its position in southern Lebanon, to acquire a vast stash of advanced weaponry, and to strengthen its global financial and terrorist network. While Israel compromised and gave concessions to buy short-term “quiet,” Hezbollah prepared for war.
Israel is now fighting a ground war against what intelligence firm Stratfor says could be “the most resilient and well-motivated opposition force in its history.” Israeli ground forces entering southern Lebanon in the past few days have been met with heavy Hezbollah resistance. Dozens of well-fortified Hezbollah bunkers reportedly crisscross southern Lebanon. Even after days of aerial bombardment by Israel along with operations along the Israel-Lebanon border, Hezbollah’s missile attacks on Israel have not ceased. Just recently, Haifa came under an onslaught of more than a dozen rockets, in which two Israelis were killed.
Look at what Hezbollah has already managed to do, and one has to give it credit. “Hezbollah has dealt Israel a difficult hand,” wrote Stratfor. “It has thought through the battle problem as well as the political dimension carefully. Somewhere in this, there has been either an Israeli intelligence failure or a political failure to listen to intelligence. Hezbollah’s capabilities have posed a problem for Israel that allowed Hezbollah to start a war at a time and in a way of its choosing” (July 21).
There is no doubt Hezbollah will aim to make Israel’s offensive into Lebanon as costly as possible. With strong built-in positions, Hezbollah is in a position to inflict substantial Israeli casualties. But more than that, Hezbollah has the ability to conduct a sustained insurgency. This technique has proven to test even the mighty U.S. military to its limits. Conventional forces seeking to minimize civilian casualties just aren’t equipped to definitively deal with insurgency warfare. Witness Iraq.
But, that said, if Israel’s enemy was simply the terrorist group Hezbollah, as an isolated entity, there is little doubt that in short order that enemy would be rendered ineffective. The reality, however, is that Hezbollah is a proxy for Iran and Syria. It is those countries which have supplied the armaments, the logistical support, the finance, the training and the ideological motivation that make Hezbollah the effective terrorist force it is.
It is clear, in retrospect that Iran, Syria and Hezbollah had been preparing for this decision for some time. The timing of the conflict was orchestrated by Iran, with Syria’s assistance, and executed with precision.
It came on the heels of a summit in Damascus that was attended by a top Hezbollah official, the head of Syrian military intelligence and the Iranian national security adviser, among others.
Evidently as preparation for the current offensive, intelligence sources report that Hezbollah received a major weapons consignment from Iran this March. The shipment, which reportedly contained 12,000 Katyusha rockets as well as other types of missiles, was airlifted to Syria and then transported in a military convoy to Hezbollah’s bases in southern Lebanon. Not two weeks into the present conflict, the sophistication and amount of weaponry Hezbollah has obtained from Iran has already proven to be much greater than most had presumed. Considering the intelligence failure there, this leaves the true extent of Hezbollah’s capabilities an open question.
“At the same time as the missile consignment was heading to Lebanon, an unnamed senior Iranian official said that his country would inflict ‘harm and pain’ on the United States and its allies, and vowed to ‘use any means’ to ‘resist any pressure and threats’ designed to curb Iran’s nuclear program. The rhetoric was not empty” (Spectator, July 22).
Just when world powers threatened to send Iran to the UN Security Council for failing to respond to their request for it to resume negotiations over its nuclear program, Hezbollah attacked Israel. “[T]he message that Tehran delivered … courtesy of its Lebanese proxy, was loud and clear: Iran would—and could—inflict ‘harm and pain’ on U.S. interests; and not just in the Middle East. Hezbollah’s playground extends far beyond the region. It has a formidable global reach” (ibid.).
Even if Hezbollah is under pressure within Lebanon, it has a network of cells reaching around the world capable of acting on short notice. With Iran’s go-ahead, these cells could be activated to bomb Israeli (or American) targets in any number of countries. Iran has worked with Hezbollah operatives in the past to pull off such attacks as the 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Argentina.
The Hezbollah branch in Iran has declared it stands ready to attack Israelis and Americans around the world if given the order by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. A spokesman for the Iranian Hezbollah said 2,000 volunteers have registered and been trained since last year. “We are ready to dispatch them to every corner of the world to jeopardize Israel and America’s interests,” he stated (Reuters, July 18).
There are reports that the number of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps troops in Lebanon has increased over the past week or so and that Iranians are involved in firing missiles into Israel. The missile that hit an Israeli Navy missile boat off the coast of Lebanon on Friday, killing four Israelis, was directly operated by Iranians, according to foreign sources cited by the New York Sun (July 19). “This was a direct message to the Israelis that we are fighting the Iranians here,” the Arab diplomatic source said.
A report published by an Israel-based research group, the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, confirmed that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard based in Lebanon “provides military guidance and support for terrorist attacks against Israel.
”Clearly, as long as Iran and Syria are around and hostile to Israel, terrorism against Israel will continue. Even if, say, Israel is successful in dealing a debilitating blow to Hezbollah—still, as long as the source of terrorism, the ideological, financial, tactical and military support of terrorist groups like Hezbollah exists, Israel has no victory. To the contrary, such a move would likely enflame the Muslim world such that it would churn out even more terrorists, suicide bombers and insurgents. Even now, according to Stratfor, “a growing urgency has developed among militant actors in the region to dispatch suicide bombers into Israel” (July 19). Last week, Israeli police foiled a number of suicide bombing attempts.
Considering the support Hezbollah receives from Iran and Syria, the prospect of this scenario intensifies: that Israel will either have to retreat with some sort of brokered agreement and leave a job unfinished, or else it will become bogged down in Lebanon once again fighting an insurgency.
This is a chess match with high stakes. Even as Israel ramps up its offensive, a look at the broader picture reveals that its long-term prospects do not look good.
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