How can I have not guessed it, damn it. this turn of events in the stock market have taken even die hard market watchers literally with their pants down. Even I am, among the millions of so called small investor that have seen there investment go down week after week for last six weeks now. and you know what, I have stopped opening my demat account now , but should we be complaining as such?
Haven't we lost the right to complain about the precipitous fall when the rise of the markets was itself dubious. I have no problem with that, I have no problem in losing money when things crash, provided I had gained profit when the market was scaling high day after day. That's where the problem is, I invested in quality stocks that rose hardly in last couple of months of the bull market but have retraced a lot more when the chips were down. Bad sentiment I guess, has no reason, panic has no mind of its own, all it has is a momentum of its own. And still some people have the guts to come on TV day after day, saying that this support level would hold & we have bottomed out, that too when there were no more fundamental reasons for it to fall as there were for its heady ascent.
The bubble had to burst, the sorry part was that I was part of this circus, where no amount of smart investing works, hope this carnage ends fast, for its hurting now.
Neighbourhood Watch - Pakistan
Well to be frank those who were shocked by Benazair Bhutto brutal death, this was waiting to happen & I guess she had a hint of it coming, maybe she was a fatalist. For some people it is the reputation that they have to live up to, even if that means courting death. I guess she was that kind of a daredevil. But to say that all was lost for Pakistan & sanity in the neighbourhood's that day in Liaquat Park would be far from truth. I agree she was the best bet in such a violent crucible that Pakistan has become, but the country is not falling apart. Outside of the frontier areas of NWFP-FATA & Baluchistan there is a semblance of sanity & normalcy in Punjabi & Sindhi heartland. True there have been violence in settled areas of Swat & Rawalpindi's but these areas are the fringes of the Taliban territory & hence bound to suffer some collateral damage. The reason I believe that things can not go down further from here for Pakistan is based on 3 reasons
#1 Inability of Taliban to move beyond tribal areas - Insurgency is okay, but to run a parallel government requires you physically control huge swathe of settled areas of NWFP & Punjab. They have been unable to do so & their move into Swat valley failed miserably. They do not have so many foot soldiers to make their writ run outside of tribal areas. Taliban strategy has always been to thrive on confusion (Afghanistan) & master the tribal juggernaut (Waziristan).
# 2 Army,America & Bomb - Pakistan Army & America have huge stakes that things don't unravel further. Balkanization is one thing that America can not afford.The Bomb is one reason, Iran & Afghanistan is another, Bin Laden is third, 165 million angry people is fourth, & American standing in Islamic world & its pipe dream of making this country a beacon of democracy. One big unknown out here is the integrity of the Pakistani army.
# 3 Pakistani people - Nobody in the glitzy towns of Punjab & Sind want to be under a Taliban regime. I guess most of the middle & urban class would no like to live under veil & a beard. There are fringe sections to society that are more tuned to radical ideas but I doubt if they have the numbers to control the destiny of 165 million people.
So what the future holds, It is quite likely that things could worsen before they get any better, but I don't foresee state of Pakistan falling apart. Also U.S. would try to now to go behind covers as its masterly approach is being used by jihadis to fuel anger. The move to democracy will falter, instead a spring offensive next year when snow melts is very likely. Pakistan would then march into tribal areas, but the win would be pyrrhic indeed.
#1 Inability of Taliban to move beyond tribal areas - Insurgency is okay, but to run a parallel government requires you physically control huge swathe of settled areas of NWFP & Punjab. They have been unable to do so & their move into Swat valley failed miserably. They do not have so many foot soldiers to make their writ run outside of tribal areas. Taliban strategy has always been to thrive on confusion (Afghanistan) & master the tribal juggernaut (Waziristan).
# 2 Army,America & Bomb - Pakistan Army & America have huge stakes that things don't unravel further. Balkanization is one thing that America can not afford.The Bomb is one reason, Iran & Afghanistan is another, Bin Laden is third, 165 million angry people is fourth, & American standing in Islamic world & its pipe dream of making this country a beacon of democracy. One big unknown out here is the integrity of the Pakistani army.
# 3 Pakistani people - Nobody in the glitzy towns of Punjab & Sind want to be under a Taliban regime. I guess most of the middle & urban class would no like to live under veil & a beard. There are fringe sections to society that are more tuned to radical ideas but I doubt if they have the numbers to control the destiny of 165 million people.
So what the future holds, It is quite likely that things could worsen before they get any better, but I don't foresee state of Pakistan falling apart. Also U.S. would try to now to go behind covers as its masterly approach is being used by jihadis to fuel anger. The move to democracy will falter, instead a spring offensive next year when snow melts is very likely. Pakistan would then march into tribal areas, but the win would be pyrrhic indeed.
The Values Debate
We had this little water cooler debate yesterday as to what amounts to values & ethics & culture. What exactly do these words mean in today's consumerist society. I guess it's all ugly & muddy out there. I am adding this as a place holder to initiate a nice & sane debate as to what you feel about them.
Do add in your comments :)
Do add in your comments :)
Swiss Army Knife Syndrome
What does one want? The versatility of the Swiss army knife or the utility of the mundane kitchen knife. The Swiss army knife with its plethora of tools is helpful in cutting across most tight corners that one may find oneself in, but when at ease, when in the luxury of you home, you really don't want to be using it to do all your cutting with it. This is a quintessential choice I am facing, whether to stick to one set of technologies or be what I had been till day, jack of all trades, ace of none !. I used to like being a multi-headed hydra, but I guess its easier being a simple knife then the fancy-ism of the Swiss army knife.
My Take On American Politics
An open letter from Iranian intelligence. Note the subtle satire of the editorial & the latest release of the NIE report on Iran has reinforced that the intelligence (and ground reality) is hopelessly out of sync with the perceptions of the administration. This is a silent political earthquake that has been delivered to the neo-con lobby led by Dick Cheney that has fully disturbed the pawns on the Great chessboard. This is not new, not now not after that Iraqi disaster. There is a certain air of cynicism that has gripped the American mainstream media since the Bush's second term. Everybody on TV talks of the nation that has lost its way, even though you don't feel it that way when you talk to people or interact with them. Maybe I was never with people that really mattered. After spending a decent time in American liberal heartland, I have realized that Bush has neither the support of liberals nor conservatives. He is like a whipping post that everybody likes to whip religiously. But there is the catch, I don't he is the main problem, he may be a polarizing figure in the centre at best, but he is not dictating the American politics.
Instead it is that the conservatives & liberals are tied around there extremes so tightly that there is no middle ground, & neither any hope of it. Nobody talks of sub-prime or health care or immigration, instead the whole energy is being spend on creation, evolution, abortion & debating who is the biggest tax liberal. I used to think earlier who are these people who have such utter faith in creationism or anti-choice or anti-stem cell research, but having lived there I have come to know that an average white American living in rural America is church going, does not seem to like gays, republican, creationist, pro-life & fiscally conservative & is against immigrants or American jobs being outsourced. And with such a large population feeling marginalized by successive liberal regimes & the democratic penchant for big business & outsourcing, its payback time. Therefore even with so much knee jerk reaction to Bush's presidency, it won't be easy for democrats to take the Oval office back. But in all this confusion & stalemate one thing is clear, that conservatism is in & on TV it is big business. Every evening on CNN there is a conservative show - Lou Dobbs Show, even though I don't like the fear-mongering tone of the show or the anchor, but the show whole raison d'etre is to provoke fear about everything & anything, about oil money buying US ports/NASDAQ/highways, about outsourcing, about immigration, about Chinese imports, about Iran. He seems to have lot of audience though. I guess conservatism is a safe bet, always, at least the onus of change is no longer there.
Instead it is that the conservatives & liberals are tied around there extremes so tightly that there is no middle ground, & neither any hope of it. Nobody talks of sub-prime or health care or immigration, instead the whole energy is being spend on creation, evolution, abortion & debating who is the biggest tax liberal. I used to think earlier who are these people who have such utter faith in creationism or anti-choice or anti-stem cell research, but having lived there I have come to know that an average white American living in rural America is church going, does not seem to like gays, republican, creationist, pro-life & fiscally conservative & is against immigrants or American jobs being outsourced. And with such a large population feeling marginalized by successive liberal regimes & the democratic penchant for big business & outsourcing, its payback time. Therefore even with so much knee jerk reaction to Bush's presidency, it won't be easy for democrats to take the Oval office back. But in all this confusion & stalemate one thing is clear, that conservatism is in & on TV it is big business. Every evening on CNN there is a conservative show - Lou Dobbs Show, even though I don't like the fear-mongering tone of the show or the anchor, but the show whole raison d'etre is to provoke fear about everything & anything, about oil money buying US ports/NASDAQ/highways, about outsourcing, about immigration, about Chinese imports, about Iran. He seems to have lot of audience though. I guess conservatism is a safe bet, always, at least the onus of change is no longer there.
Two Months Update
This has to go down as my biggest break from blogger since starting out last year. My last months in Boston were pretty hectic by my standards so blog was something that was not very high on my list of priorities. And it has been twenty days back in India & I am still to settle down to the sober surrounding and the not-so-sober Me. I am still to get used to wired internet & that all pervading overhang of that great smog over Noida. Life as such, is going real easy these days, or may be I have made it appear very easy, though there is always that undercurrent of anxiety, that loss of control, that elusive satisfaction, but I guess it doesn't matter right now for I will not scratch the surface harder to reveal the real Self. Yeah, went to Dehra Dun for diwali, also to Pune for a family ceremony, a pretty decent affair though, made decent money on stocks after a long time & the liquor parties seem to never end even though the circle of friends gets smaller every quarter. I guess I have started liking an uneventful life, even in Boston I had developed a liking for living alone, though initially I used to dread getting bored to death especially in foreign lands. This year long visit has kind of reshaped my outward perspective totally. I am becoming more & more individualistic & maybe a tinge of egoistic sprinkled in, to the extent that people seems to be hinting that I am arrogant now. But you know what, I don't really care. At the end of the day at work there is only one thing that matters - Was the work done or not ? All the rest of talk about 'your way' or 'my way' is crap that would be unbundled the next day. People have made a life out of giving advise which nobody really wants. People with three months in project commenting about people who have spent better part of three years here and not looking at their bag-full or maybe train-full of failures. I hate these phonies, I really do. But one thing is good, even with all these jokers around its fun working out here, all this argument and counter-argument just makes you really thick skinned, indifferent. The next time you just shrug them off, and maybe sometime later even the phonies would stop arguing, for even the God is scared of shameless.
Its been over a month since I deleted my Orkut account, and the fun part is the addiction seemed to have gone away pretty easily. maybe it wasn't an addiction, maybe Orkut become the evil & not so innocent victim of my holy pursuit to set all wrongs right within me, and as it was the easiest of the targets that I could have banished. but I don't regret it, its one addiction less. It was a great time killer, especially when you are bored & looking for easy & short fun, but it was far from real. Instead it was a giant unreal that covered the whole real, so that whatever you wrote & whatever you showed wasn't exactly from the top of you mind. It was many times written in ways that was meant to sound different from the actual reality. The picture album has the best of pictures, the smartest ones. The 'about me' is either a crisp paragraph of hackneyed lines or is some high flowing stuff that not anyway related to 'me' but some sterile dream. I am happy to shed of my other skin. These days for most of the questions I have only two answers, I don't know & I don't care. I wonder where I am going, am I getting into abyss where the walls have been built so high up in the sky that even when I look up, the sky seems dark. Maybe I should join the second life. Okay, I am joining second life.
Once this Orkut craze was over, I have now got into another addiction & this time it is on-line movies. but anyways not complaining yet. The reason being the project is in kind of unravelling state and so I have figured out that it's no use working hard or maybe I guess even working. The result is crystal clear, we ain't going to survive the next cutback the client proposes. So chill out & have a good time, for the show must go on. You know, whenever I say that line I recollect a poem that we had in our early school days which had the lines 'For men may come and men may go, But I go on for ever.'' Its funny for I recollect only one another poem, Robert Frost 'Woods Poem' & that too because every time I come from home in Dehra Dun, the thick dense jungle just reminds me of the last two lines, where the poet marvels at the dense forest & wishes for a path less travelled. Its strange how some memories are there in you mind embedded for ages & there are some I won't say memories, but reaction which are difficult to fathom. say for, whenever I hear Beatles's 'And I Love Her' I feel some strange melancholy but this sadness has no face & has no reason. Maybe I shouldn't hear that song.
Its been over a month since I deleted my Orkut account, and the fun part is the addiction seemed to have gone away pretty easily. maybe it wasn't an addiction, maybe Orkut become the evil & not so innocent victim of my holy pursuit to set all wrongs right within me, and as it was the easiest of the targets that I could have banished. but I don't regret it, its one addiction less. It was a great time killer, especially when you are bored & looking for easy & short fun, but it was far from real. Instead it was a giant unreal that covered the whole real, so that whatever you wrote & whatever you showed wasn't exactly from the top of you mind. It was many times written in ways that was meant to sound different from the actual reality. The picture album has the best of pictures, the smartest ones. The 'about me' is either a crisp paragraph of hackneyed lines or is some high flowing stuff that not anyway related to 'me' but some sterile dream. I am happy to shed of my other skin. These days for most of the questions I have only two answers, I don't know & I don't care. I wonder where I am going, am I getting into abyss where the walls have been built so high up in the sky that even when I look up, the sky seems dark. Maybe I should join the second life. Okay, I am joining second life.
Once this Orkut craze was over, I have now got into another addiction & this time it is on-line movies. but anyways not complaining yet. The reason being the project is in kind of unravelling state and so I have figured out that it's no use working hard or maybe I guess even working. The result is crystal clear, we ain't going to survive the next cutback the client proposes. So chill out & have a good time, for the show must go on. You know, whenever I say that line I recollect a poem that we had in our early school days which had the lines 'For men may come and men may go, But I go on for ever.'' Its funny for I recollect only one another poem, Robert Frost 'Woods Poem' & that too because every time I come from home in Dehra Dun, the thick dense jungle just reminds me of the last two lines, where the poet marvels at the dense forest & wishes for a path less travelled. Its strange how some memories are there in you mind embedded for ages & there are some I won't say memories, but reaction which are difficult to fathom. say for, whenever I hear Beatles's 'And I Love Her' I feel some strange melancholy but this sadness has no face & has no reason. Maybe I shouldn't hear that song.
My Take On The Great Ram Debate
The Indian government now says that there is no proof that so called 'mythical' figure Ram existed. Now this is interesting, in the first place who asked the government prove that Ram exists and secondly if they can't prove it, does it mean that it doesn't exist. Since when has almighty started dishing out evidence that it exists or existed & if you are looking for proof by Him, then you are denying faith in Him & trust me, without faith God is nothing, its Cipher.
Has the American government ever been asked to prove that Christ existed (assume Bush saying that Christ is a myth.I am damn sure not only Bush but this entire GOP will be wiped out from the U.S. political landscape forever). Even though U.S. is constitutionally secular, the government is so filled with Christian moorings & Christian cliques that ordinary Indians would be baffled at such blatant interference of religion in matters of the State.)
Now back to India, I may an atheist or antagonist at best, but the government can't be atheist. I believe Ram is everywhere. Its that singular belief, that single thread of reason that is holding this country together.This is not to say that religion is paramount in our county, but the foundations of this county are in deep in Hinduism & Gandhi vision of Ram Rajya. In every day life you speak of him, in every hardship you trust your faith in his hands, we still celebrate Diwali, we even die with the chants of Ram Naam. Ram is a personalization of that utter faith & embodiment of spirit and of that Supreme Being. It is beyond comprehension, its more personal & yet its supernal. I hate this neo-pseudo-secularism, this what should I say, a false belief of so called humble-ness that borders on chivalry towards certain sections. I bet can this government say that Prophet or Christ never existed.
Has the American government ever been asked to prove that Christ existed (assume Bush saying that Christ is a myth.I am damn sure not only Bush but this entire GOP will be wiped out from the U.S. political landscape forever). Even though U.S. is constitutionally secular, the government is so filled with Christian moorings & Christian cliques that ordinary Indians would be baffled at such blatant interference of religion in matters of the State.)
Now back to India, I may an atheist or antagonist at best, but the government can't be atheist. I believe Ram is everywhere. Its that singular belief, that single thread of reason that is holding this country together.This is not to say that religion is paramount in our county, but the foundations of this county are in deep in Hinduism & Gandhi vision of Ram Rajya. In every day life you speak of him, in every hardship you trust your faith in his hands, we still celebrate Diwali, we even die with the chants of Ram Naam. Ram is a personalization of that utter faith & embodiment of spirit and of that Supreme Being. It is beyond comprehension, its more personal & yet its supernal. I hate this neo-pseudo-secularism, this what should I say, a false belief of so called humble-ness that borders on chivalry towards certain sections. I bet can this government say that Prophet or Christ never existed.
Making Sure I Have September Post
I haven't blogged in ages now & in between lot of interesting and not so interesting things seem to have happened, nothing on the personal front though. My canvas seem as drab as ever. Meanwhile the surge in Iraq goes on, India wrestles between the Ram & the Bomb, the sub-prime mortgage misery unfolds out here. In the neighbourhood Musahraff clowns around his lady luck, while Taliban gnaws at the periphery. In cricket 20-20 has reduced cricket to such levels of hoax-ism, I wonder if its a cricket any more or maybe its some kind of fast melting ice cream that still is ice cream but still not the ice cream and if this was not enough then we have media frenzy (CNN) on OJ Simpson (yet again! )
But still I don't feel about writing them any more, and for that matter why should I write them and for whom, maybe they are just some mindless gabble that nobody really reads & nobody really cares out. But given a deep thought, I wonder since when I have started to write for others and care a damn about others. It is my life, its my alter ego, its only here, in this page that I chooses how to live it and I choose how to die in it. This is my soapbox & I am ain't going anywhere yet.
On other things coming up I declined to come back to U.S. again on this project. Maybe it came on too easy or maybe I am not satisfied with my own performance out here leave aside the aimless work & the hopeless project. I don't know if maybe 5-6 months down the line I will regret my decision of not coming back here, especially for the money thing. Damn this bloody money. I think my time is done out here, in this project & in this company, and increasing the stay just adds to the misery. I am going back India in a month's time & then the new battle starts, what to do next with this mortal soul? I hate doing this, I really do, but then that's what life is. That elusive hope, that mindless struggle of the mind against the weak flesh. I am tired. now.
But still I don't feel about writing them any more, and for that matter why should I write them and for whom, maybe they are just some mindless gabble that nobody really reads & nobody really cares out. But given a deep thought, I wonder since when I have started to write for others and care a damn about others. It is my life, its my alter ego, its only here, in this page that I chooses how to live it and I choose how to die in it. This is my soapbox & I am ain't going anywhere yet.
On other things coming up I declined to come back to U.S. again on this project. Maybe it came on too easy or maybe I am not satisfied with my own performance out here leave aside the aimless work & the hopeless project. I don't know if maybe 5-6 months down the line I will regret my decision of not coming back here, especially for the money thing. Damn this bloody money. I think my time is done out here, in this project & in this company, and increasing the stay just adds to the misery. I am going back India in a month's time & then the new battle starts, what to do next with this mortal soul? I hate doing this, I really do, but then that's what life is. That elusive hope, that mindless struggle of the mind against the weak flesh. I am tired. now.
How To Lose The Global War On Terror
Those who follow the geo-politics quite closely may be feeling a bit disdained by the ugly turn of events in the middle east. When the third gulf war started in March 2003 there were couple of objectives that the US had in mind, firstly get rid of Saddam Hussein & secondly to make Iraq as a beacon of hope & democracy in the autocratic & theocratic middle east (never mind the WMD's, they were never a reason).
It has been a brutal & tumultuous 4 years for the region & though Saddam is no more, the region is slowly becoming a nemesis for the coalition. The situation on the ground is unravelling into myriad battlegrounds where the enemy is different in each of them or most of the times its unknown. Iraq post-surge is still as ungoverned and deadly as it was last year end, if not worse. There are subtle indications that things are going to get much worse in the region before they get any better. Shiite and Kurdish are now acting in unison against the Sunnis in north of Baghdad. There is a strong possibility of Turkey making an incursion in northern Iraq to quell the Kurdish insurrection that is definitely bound make the situation more complex. Several Al Queada affiliated organizations are battling it out real hard with Lebanese forces in Palestine refugee camps, meanwhile another anti-Syria politician is killed in Beirut. There are also reports that Syria may be preparing for a war with Israel, and though Israel can easily shrug off Syria in a convention warfare, in an as-symmetrical battlefield (with Hezbolla and Hamas) Syria may just be able to bring Israel to the negotiating table for Golan Heights. Elsewhere Hamas has taken over Gaza strip practically diving the fledgling Palestine state into two & opening up room for more bloodshed in West Bank where Fatah is strong.
The signs don't augur well for the region and definitely things can go much worse with the Iranian connection to all these muck going around. The region is pretty much sitting on a tinder-box right now. So much for the beacon of democracy radiating out the virtues of people rule, Iraq has become a focal point and the breeding grounds for the extremists in the region spilling weapons and fighters for region and far.
It has been a brutal & tumultuous 4 years for the region & though Saddam is no more, the region is slowly becoming a nemesis for the coalition. The situation on the ground is unravelling into myriad battlegrounds where the enemy is different in each of them or most of the times its unknown. Iraq post-surge is still as ungoverned and deadly as it was last year end, if not worse. There are subtle indications that things are going to get much worse in the region before they get any better. Shiite and Kurdish are now acting in unison against the Sunnis in north of Baghdad. There is a strong possibility of Turkey making an incursion in northern Iraq to quell the Kurdish insurrection that is definitely bound make the situation more complex. Several Al Queada affiliated organizations are battling it out real hard with Lebanese forces in Palestine refugee camps, meanwhile another anti-Syria politician is killed in Beirut. There are also reports that Syria may be preparing for a war with Israel, and though Israel can easily shrug off Syria in a convention warfare, in an as-symmetrical battlefield (with Hezbolla and Hamas) Syria may just be able to bring Israel to the negotiating table for Golan Heights. Elsewhere Hamas has taken over Gaza strip practically diving the fledgling Palestine state into two & opening up room for more bloodshed in West Bank where Fatah is strong.
The signs don't augur well for the region and definitely things can go much worse with the Iranian connection to all these muck going around. The region is pretty much sitting on a tinder-box right now. So much for the beacon of democracy radiating out the virtues of people rule, Iraq has become a focal point and the breeding grounds for the extremists in the region spilling weapons and fighters for region and far.
India V/s America debate
One often gets down into the debate here (apart from the helpless arguments on Indian cricket team) as to why India is so backwards vis-a-vis America, why it is the quality of life in India is so modest compared to here. And the usual argument ends up blaming it to the huge population or that India is a recent democracy when compared with the America.
I don't believe that being young has contributed to the ills that our country faces, neither is population that big a millstone around India's neck. I believe it all boils to the institutions one country inherits or builds. Those are pillars around which a modern society revolves and functions. A group of people is just a crowd or a mob unless there are rules to make it orderly. What we have in India are weak institutions or establishments just overwhelmed with the internal contradictions that we inherited from British or because of our polity and society. I say it contradictions because of the various strands and seams of culture and ideas and future dreams that has engrossed the young multi-plural nation and its people. Add 60 years to it and the consensus was that we must had figured it right by now. But the reality is far far distant. We still are facing with critical if not existential issues, and there is still no urgency to get the institutions working. The usual refrain is that we are moving in right directions slowly and steadily, but do the people have that patience. The next wave of employment seeking youth are just arriving, young and restless and be rest assured they will not take things lying down.
I don't believe that being young has contributed to the ills that our country faces, neither is population that big a millstone around India's neck. I believe it all boils to the institutions one country inherits or builds. Those are pillars around which a modern society revolves and functions. A group of people is just a crowd or a mob unless there are rules to make it orderly. What we have in India are weak institutions or establishments just overwhelmed with the internal contradictions that we inherited from British or because of our polity and society. I say it contradictions because of the various strands and seams of culture and ideas and future dreams that has engrossed the young multi-plural nation and its people. Add 60 years to it and the consensus was that we must had figured it right by now. But the reality is far far distant. We still are facing with critical if not existential issues, and there is still no urgency to get the institutions working. The usual refrain is that we are moving in right directions slowly and steadily, but do the people have that patience. The next wave of employment seeking youth are just arriving, young and restless and be rest assured they will not take things lying down.
Middle East Roundup
After finishing four years fighting a phony war in Iraq, which is going nowhere for America despite the 'surge' and five years of quagmire in Afghanistan which though looks winnable but for the lack of interest by NATO and U.S. We now have Iran and America barrelling towards inevitable war even though no sides want it. America is not in the pink of health militarily while Iran despite the dire warning of rising Shiite influence is still a minnows in normal times if it comes to the inevitable. But one thing we must remember that we are not living in normal times. Here is a quick lie down of major players in this new Gulf and Persian confrontation.
Iran and Saudi Arabia - Keepers Of The Faith : Both don't go along well due to theological differences over interpretation over Islam, but these differences are more superficial in the face of common enemy (read U.S.) .The house of Saud is worried over Iran's rising role and nuclear ambitions besides the sizeable restless Shiite population in Eastern Arabia. There were rumours going round that Saudi are purposefully pumping more oil in the market to depress the prices do decrease Iran's bargaining power. So it means Saudi & US go along well, that not the case exactly. Saudi king terms Iraq invasion as illegal (?) maybe its a ploy to be not seen very close to Americans as in the Arab streets Israel/Palestine have greater mind share than some shady allegations over Iran. But the anxiety over rising Shiite power in capitals of Arabia, Egypt and Jordan is a genuine, as Iran and Saudi Arabia both vie to be the beacon of Muslim world.
Iraq - Extended Battleground : Its early days yet but the surge hasn't worked, despite all the optimism. Iran now has another front where it can slowly bleed american forces without it getting visibly involved. The Iraqi police and army has been entrenched by Iranian agencies that can defect to Iranian side in case of future conflict. Besides Iran has a spiritual, economic, military influence in Iraq that would make life hell for Americans if it wants to.
Afghanistan - The Great Game -II : Taliban are back with a bang with there promised summer offensive and hordes of suicide bombers. NATO though looks promising but things may go downhill if tension with Iran flares up. Iran still has quite a influence in eastern especially in Herat region. Besides I don't think america can fight in three theatres of war simultaneously.
Pakistan - The Pimp : Pakistan looks shaky as if it may collapse any-time, Musharaff has touched a honeycomb by sacking chief justice, the fundamentalist are gaining ground. The supposed 'peace deals' in Waziristan/FATA and continued Taliban violence shows lack of federal control outside the settled areas. Besides Pakistan is being used to launch covert operations in Iran's restive Sistan Baluchistan.
Turkey - The Dark Horse : Everybody seems to forgets Turkey when they discuss middle east.Turkey and Iran are close partly because they share the Kurdish problem. In case of any future conflict, one can rest assured that Turkey is going to stay neutral. But same can not be said in Iraq's case where a planned vote in Kurdish areas is keeping Turkey on the boil for the fear that it may empower Turkish Kurds.
Israel - The Last Piece : Any conflict in middle east is incomplete without the usual baiting targets, but Iran now has power projection in form of Hizballa and Hamas (remember last year Lebanon war and the beating Israel's IDF got). Also Syria has its Golan Heights, Lebanon, Hizballa plus the close friendship with Iran on the platter.
Rest Of The World - Iran? Who: Apart from the rabble rousing Sunni trio (Arabia, Egypt & Jordan), rest of the Arab world is pretty much neutral or themselves messed up to contribute to America's war effort. Same is the case with NATO, where even genuine causes like Afghanistan are not getting much help from its contributing members.
Non State Player (Osama) - Smiling On T.V : (in case he decides to release a video) They have a new sanctuary now, in Pakistan's FATA areas. Who needs Afghanistan now ?
I 'm surprised by the influence Cheney's camp have over american establishment, with so many pressure points and militarily already thinly stretched, attacking Iran seems so unfathomable and downright foolish.
Iran and Saudi Arabia - Keepers Of The Faith : Both don't go along well due to theological differences over interpretation over Islam, but these differences are more superficial in the face of common enemy (read U.S.) .The house of Saud is worried over Iran's rising role and nuclear ambitions besides the sizeable restless Shiite population in Eastern Arabia. There were rumours going round that Saudi are purposefully pumping more oil in the market to depress the prices do decrease Iran's bargaining power. So it means Saudi & US go along well, that not the case exactly. Saudi king terms Iraq invasion as illegal (?) maybe its a ploy to be not seen very close to Americans as in the Arab streets Israel/Palestine have greater mind share than some shady allegations over Iran. But the anxiety over rising Shiite power in capitals of Arabia, Egypt and Jordan is a genuine, as Iran and Saudi Arabia both vie to be the beacon of Muslim world.
Iraq - Extended Battleground : Its early days yet but the surge hasn't worked, despite all the optimism. Iran now has another front where it can slowly bleed american forces without it getting visibly involved. The Iraqi police and army has been entrenched by Iranian agencies that can defect to Iranian side in case of future conflict. Besides Iran has a spiritual, economic, military influence in Iraq that would make life hell for Americans if it wants to.
Afghanistan - The Great Game -II : Taliban are back with a bang with there promised summer offensive and hordes of suicide bombers. NATO though looks promising but things may go downhill if tension with Iran flares up. Iran still has quite a influence in eastern especially in Herat region. Besides I don't think america can fight in three theatres of war simultaneously.
Pakistan - The Pimp : Pakistan looks shaky as if it may collapse any-time, Musharaff has touched a honeycomb by sacking chief justice, the fundamentalist are gaining ground. The supposed 'peace deals' in Waziristan/FATA and continued Taliban violence shows lack of federal control outside the settled areas. Besides Pakistan is being used to launch covert operations in Iran's restive Sistan Baluchistan.
Turkey - The Dark Horse : Everybody seems to forgets Turkey when they discuss middle east.Turkey and Iran are close partly because they share the Kurdish problem. In case of any future conflict, one can rest assured that Turkey is going to stay neutral. But same can not be said in Iraq's case where a planned vote in Kurdish areas is keeping Turkey on the boil for the fear that it may empower Turkish Kurds.
Israel - The Last Piece : Any conflict in middle east is incomplete without the usual baiting targets, but Iran now has power projection in form of Hizballa and Hamas (remember last year Lebanon war and the beating Israel's IDF got). Also Syria has its Golan Heights, Lebanon, Hizballa plus the close friendship with Iran on the platter.
Rest Of The World - Iran? Who: Apart from the rabble rousing Sunni trio (Arabia, Egypt & Jordan), rest of the Arab world is pretty much neutral or themselves messed up to contribute to America's war effort. Same is the case with NATO, where even genuine causes like Afghanistan are not getting much help from its contributing members.
Non State Player (Osama) - Smiling On T.V : (in case he decides to release a video) They have a new sanctuary now, in Pakistan's FATA areas. Who needs Afghanistan now ?
I 'm surprised by the influence Cheney's camp have over american establishment, with so many pressure points and militarily already thinly stretched, attacking Iran seems so unfathomable and downright foolish.
Quote Of The Day
I was reading 'The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy', yet again. Found this rare gem between its more or less absurd pages. Thought I better bookmark it before I lose it again.
"I refuse to prove that I exist, for proof denies faith and without faith I am nothing."
"I refuse to prove that I exist, for proof denies faith and without faith I am nothing."
Evolution & God
Darwin's God.
God & Evolution don't gel, at least in my opinion. I have always been on the side of evolutionists blasting off at the creationists. The above article is more of a what role evolution played in out belief in God & Religion rather than what role God had in evolution. And since I have no belief in God as a concept, I will focus more on the other half, what part God played in creation. If you ask me how we are here, I hold particularly strong views against the creationist theory.
I 'm all for evolution. We & Everything-Living have evolved over millions of years from lower life forms to these complex forms. Its not from the hands of the Creator that we have been moulded, It is a constant play of hit & trial of evolution process. Evolution is a constant process. We are ever-evolving from millions of years & will continue to do so. The reason we don't see it is because the time lines involving evolution transcend our senses. It is happening as we sleep and as we live. Evolution has no path, it has no endpoint, it has no final destination as such.We don't arrive anywhere by evolving. It happens all by itself, and we can not stop it. To say that evolution had a goal in populating earth is a misnomer. We are here by chance, a mathematical improbability so as to say. We are there because our hands allowed us to efficiently use the giant brain that we evolved. Had any of the crucial links been missing we may have been obliterated form the face of the earth. In the last age where life form exploded, billions of life form evolved, evolution was and is a giant experiment. It is a huge petri-dish that manages all by itself, where every possible shape & concept is given a chance, and only fitter & more agile survive to constantly evolve to better shape & concept. No shape is perfect because no environment is perfect. Its a constant trade off between life & life supporter environment. This may sound too mechanical, but then it is the way it is.
God & Evolution don't gel, at least in my opinion. I have always been on the side of evolutionists blasting off at the creationists. The above article is more of a what role evolution played in out belief in God & Religion rather than what role God had in evolution. And since I have no belief in God as a concept, I will focus more on the other half, what part God played in creation. If you ask me how we are here, I hold particularly strong views against the creationist theory.
I 'm all for evolution. We & Everything-Living have evolved over millions of years from lower life forms to these complex forms. Its not from the hands of the Creator that we have been moulded, It is a constant play of hit & trial of evolution process. Evolution is a constant process. We are ever-evolving from millions of years & will continue to do so. The reason we don't see it is because the time lines involving evolution transcend our senses. It is happening as we sleep and as we live. Evolution has no path, it has no endpoint, it has no final destination as such.We don't arrive anywhere by evolving. It happens all by itself, and we can not stop it. To say that evolution had a goal in populating earth is a misnomer. We are here by chance, a mathematical improbability so as to say. We are there because our hands allowed us to efficiently use the giant brain that we evolved. Had any of the crucial links been missing we may have been obliterated form the face of the earth. In the last age where life form exploded, billions of life form evolved, evolution was and is a giant experiment. It is a huge petri-dish that manages all by itself, where every possible shape & concept is given a chance, and only fitter & more agile survive to constantly evolve to better shape & concept. No shape is perfect because no environment is perfect. Its a constant trade off between life & life supporter environment. This may sound too mechanical, but then it is the way it is.
The Coming Demographics Demon
I don't know if you people noticed it, but going through a lot of on-line publications & journals these days about how differential growth rates of different communities with in the society has a potential for future cataclysm. Most of this chatter is being directed towards the higher birth rates that the Muslim community has and the fact that the birth rates in whole of Europe has fallen below what is called as replacement level. You know, playing with demographics is like playing with fire, but on the other hand you can't deny the fact that demographics is issue that Europe has to face. If not on account of growth rate differences between communities then due to ongoing immigration from West Asia and North Africa..
Facing the Islamist Menace
And we thought this type of diabolical stuff only comes from third world countries and African genocides, where fundamentalist and clan loyalties ruled roost. Such jingoism usually comes out from Shiv Sena's mouthpiece. But this comes from the heart of american mainstream media, such is the fear psychosis that has inadvertently been injected into hearts and minds of the american establishment that they have started imagining things out of nowhere.. & the interesting part is nobody is complaining. I don't think Europe is falling to Islam any time soon. We are still long long way off. And for that matter how did this meaningless debate even get stated at the first place. Muslims in no European county exceeds 10% except Russia & Balkans. 10% can't become 50% any time soon. Such is the helpless or maybe say it callous attitude that there have been talks that the killings in Iraq are harbinger of coming peaceful times, and maybe it is by this genocide that peace will finally prevail, and the Christian west need not fear this churning in Islam. I guess most of the american thinkers must be betting on the Clash of Civilizations to be played out in Europe in the near future. I guess Osama and Zarqawi have already won the war.
Russia & The Muslim Russia
Don't know if the facts in the article are true, but it states that Russia will be Muslim majority before the mid century. Now this is interesting, but I doubt if its true.
Facing the Islamist Menace
And we thought this type of diabolical stuff only comes from third world countries and African genocides, where fundamentalist and clan loyalties ruled roost. Such jingoism usually comes out from Shiv Sena's mouthpiece. But this comes from the heart of american mainstream media, such is the fear psychosis that has inadvertently been injected into hearts and minds of the american establishment that they have started imagining things out of nowhere.. & the interesting part is nobody is complaining. I don't think Europe is falling to Islam any time soon. We are still long long way off. And for that matter how did this meaningless debate even get stated at the first place. Muslims in no European county exceeds 10% except Russia & Balkans. 10% can't become 50% any time soon. Such is the helpless or maybe say it callous attitude that there have been talks that the killings in Iraq are harbinger of coming peaceful times, and maybe it is by this genocide that peace will finally prevail, and the Christian west need not fear this churning in Islam. I guess most of the american thinkers must be betting on the Clash of Civilizations to be played out in Europe in the near future. I guess Osama and Zarqawi have already won the war.
Russia & The Muslim Russia
Don't know if the facts in the article are true, but it states that Russia will be Muslim majority before the mid century. Now this is interesting, but I doubt if its true.
The View Outside My Window
its a long weekend here & I 'm having rest, pretty much long rest from the blogsphere. I will be back though.. for sure :)
~Hope You're Feeling Better~
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