An interesting piece on the possible

course of action to tackle Indian grown Islamic fundamentalism

Random

I am moving into my 6th apartment in Austin (Yes you read that right)

A meaningful discussion leaves with less clues to what will happen in life (or my future to be precise)

My TRB season this year has gone at par. It would have been good if my dissertation paper went out. It did not. Apart from that it went ok! (If I ignore my prof's protests to the contrary)

I am leaving to India in like 15 hours. Life is so good or so it will seem for sometime. (I know what I am talking about :P)

Well, I am proud to say

this guy was my junior at school

Interesting piece

on the future economic crisis in Australia

2 more days

to go. I am looking forward to being home. Spending time at home with my family. Catching up on so much stuff I miss because I live in a different country. Lets see!

Sounds like an

interesting person...Aamir Sohail's interview

Greatbong

hits the nail on the head on the issue of the recent bomb blasts in India

Is it a coincidence

that the terrorist attacks are happening in BJP lead states. (Ahmedabad and Bangalore)

I hope so!

What do you do

when a year's work goes down the drain!
I am yet to decide!

A funny piece on

my favorite dosa "Rava Dosa"

A story

of an entrepreneur's failure.

You hear only of the successful ones. Good to see a failed guy brave enough to discuss his experience which might help many people with similar dreams.

Not far from the truth

"He is talented, very talented, but he has no brains"
Geoffrey Boycott is at it again. Virender Sehwag is the target this time after he recklessly pulled a catch to deep square in India's first innings at the SSC

How else can you explain that stupid shot!

Can Obama talk or what

The speech is very very good

When she has a clear idea

in her head Shoba Narayan writes very well.

Obama

ipatrix details why he supports (or for that matter why most people should) Obama.

I like the fact that Obama has looked at Pakistan for what it is !

Omar Abdullah

A very good orator



Link via Sony

A nice

article on the oratory skills (or lack of) of Indian politicians with references to American Democratic candidate Barack Obama by Mitra !

Matthew Hoggard

Another of those hard working cricketers test career might have finished. Andrew Miller gives his take on why Hoggard should have played in the Headingly test

Hmmm

Horoscope

You could go over the top today as you paint a positive picture of your love life, but your words don't tell the whole story. Sweetheart Venus is in your sign, buttering you up with warm feelings, but its hard aspect to unrelenting Pluto may have you up against the wall with no way over it. Don't be glib; covering up the truth won't make it any easier.

Blogging

Yesterday was one if the first days in the last year or so that I did not blog consciously. I have had my reasons. Now, I think that I made my peace with myself about some things, blogging shall resume as before!

I make it sound like there are hundreds of readers waiting for me to write posts. Well, I know there aren't. But still for the very few people who read my blog I owe this post :P

Small things

Very small things make you happy. You know those tiny positives are not enough for what you eventually want. But still you let them make you happy.

It's not logical, is it?

A nice article

on ICC, the unipolar cricket world and the role of BCCI by Gideon Haigh.

Trust vote

Well, the congress managed to win the trust vote. They promise more reforms now that Left is out f the coalition. I hope they will really do that.

Thoughts

They do run wild.

For a moment, you are happy. Very soon, you are sad. Its a roller coaster out there!
And still there is uncertainty. What fun!

A piece

expressing frustration for the lack of action on the Bhopal gas tragedy!

Staggering

I was amazed to see that the amount of gasoline usage in California is larger than the usage of either China or India. This is ridiculously high!

See here for details.

What a sight this must have been

This must have been amazing.

Patrick Eagar: This pic of Geoff Boycott bowled by Michael Holding was taken in Barbados in 1981, during what might have been the fastest over ever delivered in the history of cricket: few who were there to witness the occasion would doubt it. Holding was there to destroy Boycott and it took just the one over. I doubt if Boycott saw a
single ball. When Holding finally hit his target, the crowd, fired up by the sight of something truly special, danced on the roofs of the stand. The stump was retrieved halfway to the boundary, while one of the bails travelled almost the whole way. Photograph courtesy Wisden Cricket Monthly

Hmmm

There is a particular irony in the way things are unfolding.

I just hope they won't end up as a bad joke on me!

The political game

discussed in detail by GLV Narasimha Rao

The kingmaker

is back. Welcome back Chandrababu Naidu to the capital :)

Lets see if he has got his talent intact. If he does, congress can kiss its chances goodbye !!
I would like to see elections soon!

A great leveler

Well, I had a horrendous couple of hours followed by two very very good ones.

Simple isn't it?

Hmmm

Horoscope !

"It hurts when your heart is wide open and others just can't match the intensity of your love. For this reason, you may feel that it's safer today to demonstrate your ability to be emotionally detached than it is to show how much you truly care. Unfortunately, this will only allow those in your life to shut down even more. When you recognize that each person expresses love in a unique manner, you'll be able to graciously accept what is currently being offered without further judgment."

It isn't easy!

I am aware of many choice problems that can only take binary values 0 or 1 (Yes/No). These cannot be quantified as a continuous choice problems. Today I have come across a new one. I wish I could develop a model to predict the result to that choice!

Well... I am proud of the hard working brain of mine :P

A very well

written post on why Test Cricket means so much to people like me by Samir Chopra!

A desi's

first impressions of Israel.

I have been reading a lot of novels involving Middle-east. It really seems to be an interesting place!

Lips

and such a long article?
You have got to be kidding Shoba. But I admit, its a nice read

This is

pure bullshit on the part of BCCI

A nice post on the farcical nonsense

Good to see

a positive review of the newly built airports and related infrastructure (transportation to and fro) in Hyderabad and Bangalore. Of course Mitra Kalita does add fun to the post too!!

Interesting

developments on the Nuclear deal with France and even China expressing support

An interesting post by

a half-muslim on what should be done to change the image of Islam!

How?

How do I describe my feelings
a) Am I angry?
b) Am I sad?
c) Am I disappointed?
d) Am I pained?

Well, I don't know!
But, the options I have are not great. So it surely can't be a good feeling, Can it?

Back to

uncertainty mode and it doesn't help.

Funny that I was even serene for a couple of days!

Life........

There are times

when you realize there is a certain level of ignorance among North Indians about South India. This article details the bias very well !

A scathing

article on Jonh McCain and his economic stooge Phil Gramm, by Paul Waldman

Why India

is on a go-slow process?
Some answers here

Politics is a funny game!

A mild

warning to the Indian companies?

Grocery shopping

can be an ordeal especially compared to the good old days.

Really

so much is wrong with the world economy?

Scary to say the least!

One more step

I feel a small step in the right direction for me!

Pretty scary

this horoscope !

No matter how brightly you are shining your love light, you may still feel as if you must keep some feelings private. But it's not likely that you are shy about telling others what you want them to know. You just don't know where to stop. Remember, you are treading on thin ice. Unless you remain conscious of what's going on, you could slip and say too much.

Mortgage crisis

US Treasury steps in

Unable to stomach continued erosion of confidence in mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the Treasury Department has announced an ambitious support plan
for the two firms. The proposal, which will be considered by the Congress this week, stops short of explicitly guaranteeing the firms' debts, but it would allow the Treasury to invest directly in and lend to the companies. While the plan is under consideration, the Federal Reserve has opened its discount window to the lenders.

Another weekend

This one was stressful with night outs on friday and saturday. Looking forward to some sleep today.

Another conversation today with helpful results. Hopefully this will keep me going for some days.

Even the Chinese

know who rules India

Hilarious

What more can you say?

Dummy of the day

Sometimes, fielders will resort to all sorts of knavish tricks to try
and buy a run-out. More often than not, they end up looking rather
silly in the process. Take Andrew Strauss's cunning plan, shortly after
tea, with South Africa rumbling along on 146 for 0, and looking utterly
invincible. Smith clipped Panesar off his toes through midwicket, where
Pietersen was lurking in the deep to cut it off. Strauss, however, took
off on a swallow dive to give the impression he'd pulled off a miracle
stop, but the only man he managed to fool was his own team-mate.
Pietersen abandoned his own pursuit, and the ball dribbled over the
ropes for four.

Simply too much

This guy is simply amazing....

ఏమాటకామాట చెప్పుకోవాలి - B.Tech. ఎనిమిదేళ్ళు చేయడం చాలా కష్టమండీ బాబూ!

This line made me happy in spite of the bad mood!!

Anger

I am so angry. I can't put into words my anger.

Time will take care of everything. Won't it?

Compartmentalizing

Life is about compartmentalizing stuff. Well, I am learning to do it the hard way!

Yet, its a good learning experience! One that I could have done without.

But you can't choose everything, so I will try to learn from this experience!

You Smoke?

Then beware sir!

Here is a reason why

if you understand Telugu, the ban explained here

A nice piece

on how inflation affects the economy!

US Government

thought process in relation to the mortgage crisis discussed in detail on Wall Street Journal

Well

I have been waiting and it has come!
I hope it will help me work better!

May be he is missing the point

when Aamir Sohail says this

"Countries such as Australia and England are our allies in this war on terror, yet they are not supporting us here. Are we real allies or are we just being used?"

The official Pakistani is position is of supporting Australia, England and US. But are they really doing it is what prompts ridicule! Anyway

Well, this

doesn't show Iran in good light. Does it?

But how did he escape from Iran? This does raise some questions!

Simply stunned to say anything

My horoscope

Asking a friend or a lover for what you want can be more complicated now than just keeping it to yourself. Of course, hiding your feelings diminishes your chances of satisfaction. Keep in mind that there really isn't any urgency except your drive for pleasure. Removing the need for immediate gratification allows you to reach a deeper level of intimacy with someone special

Well.. well

This is exactly what we need now

Oil prices,
which had dipped below the $140 per barrel level earlier this week, hit
new highs above $147 this morning. The rise, of greater than $5 per
barrel, was seemingly driven by new sabre rattling over Iran. The Jerusalem Post reported today that Israeli planes had been practicing over Iraq.

Is China

responsible for the inflation crisis in any way? This post argues in the negatve

Athers

relives a great knock of his in South Africa!

This might

be taking it to an extreme but some of it might be true!

Hmmm

It is not at all easy. The uncertainty is not helping.

How do I address this?

A nice article

on the hard working Makhaya Ntini. He will run in and bowl forever that man. Moreover, you wont notice the difference between his first and last overs!

Didn't know what

to say when I read this

Having problems with

identifying vegetables. You are not alone as detailed here

A stunning piece

on a child's escape from the valley.

It is really so difficult to imagine this!

Iran

Politicians in Iran for sure are some tough nuts! They test fired missiles capable of reaching Israel. May be they are buoyed by the fact that America cannot afford another war! Still thats a gutsy move! (Not that I approve it)

A detailed

piece on why the Kabul blast might have been planned and by whom are discussed here. Also, discussed is the role India has played in Afghanistan for the last few years.

Seems like ISI is unable to digest the growing Indian influence in Afghanistan. Lets see what the future holds!

A nice

article on the Amarnath shrine issue by Greatbong

Lessons from the

recent financial crisis. I can claim to understand such stuff partially!

Politics

Indian Prime minister finally stands for something he believes in. Of course, he waited till SP supported him. Now, Left, as expected, withdraws support. Still the Congress might still manage with SP's support. All of this looks staged to me!

India has to undergo a great transformation on the political front to have aspirations of moving forward! Till that day comes, we will have to live with this bunch of Muppets (as Atapattu once famously remarked!)

Don't we know about

this

What can I say

I don't even know what to say.

Did I get to know something new? May be
Did it help to diffuse the tension? May be
Did it give me a view of thought process? May be
Did it help me to get my answer? No

So, to put it simply I am where I started . What fun!

Hmmm

Why can't I control myself !

A insightful

piece on the current inflation crisis in India. Specifically highlighting who is to be blamed

Questions

posed by Mikhail Gorbachev on the Fall campaign here in the US.

An interesting

look at the recent bombing at the Indian embassy in Kabul here

Wimbledon

Federer lost at the final hurdle.
It was a great match. I don't have words to describe the level of tennis.

I was impressed with the way Federer carried himself after loosing such a tough and close match. My respect for him as an individual only grows!

We have next year Fed!

Strange

Currently it feels strange. I did not expect it to be this hard. But all I can do is wait!

ICC

criticized by Ian Chappell. ICC deserves the criticism for the way they handled Zimbabwe and the Oval test decision

Tao of Physics

As a person, my spiritual and philosophical bend has been nurtured through books. In this regard, Siddhartha was very important. Now, Tao of Physics, shall be another of the milestones. The book is very well written, highlighting the similarities between modern atomic physics and eastern mysticism. Surprising? Well the arguments presented in the book are very interesting and make a very strong impact.

Impressive

Interesting

hereditary trends in cricket discussed here

Life

It surely can take weird turns. And its very hard to see how it takes into directions that you have never expected to go in!

This is cool

Isn't this great?

The BBC screened a documentary tracing the history of the men's championship from Borg, who revealed that he had telephoned Federer in 2001 after he ousted Sampras, when the American was attempting to emulate Borg's five consecutive titles. Who would have thought that seven years later it is Federer who might go one better and win six?

"I said 'thanks for beating Sampras because now he cannot beat my record', and Roger said 'oh, no problem', " Borg recalled. "And now he's equalled my record at Wimbledon and it couldn't happen to
a nicer guy than Roger, but it's pretty funny. I thanked him. And now he might break the record. Who knows?"

Free market

Well, India has a long way to go before it truly becomes one as Amit varma points out here

More on Zimbabwe

Stunning piece on the recent ICC sham meeting by Dileep Premachandran.

Another conversation

These days such conversations are becoming frequent. I am yet to understand their significance!

Only time will tell!

Wimbledon

6 down and 1 to go!

Good to see

the unsung hero of Windies cricket Shivnarine Chanderpaul receiving some deserved praise

The acts

of YSR and his cronies in the Andhra Jyothi case have attracted attention. The article discusses why the SC and ST act should not be used for the case in point.

Life

As I read my daily roundup of blogs I found this piece

It feels really sad to read something like that. To see people suffer in dire states. But, the people going through it handle it better than we think they do. For them its something they are used to. They have not seen the nice beds or good food. So, for them its all that they have seen. I think that is the primary reason why they do not attempt towards change. There will be one person once in a while who is keen to see how others are living and work hard to change that state. Until that happens, life moves on for them in a same routine way. It is sad, but true! There needs to be an inner desire among them to change their state of life only then it can happen. I agree, most of them fight only to defeated by so many things (including society or other forces). But until they fight to come out of that state they will lead a life similar to that described in the post. The way to achieving success will be through education and if only the government can ensure that good education is accessible to all these people have a chance!

Until then there will be kind people helping them out and people like me feeling good after a long discussion as if I have done something!

So much for hypocrisy!

A balanced

perspective on Zimbabwe by Mukul Kesavan

Christopher Hitchens

sure is interesting as pointed out by Amit Varma

Wimbledon

5 down and 2 to go!

Nice post

on quizzing by Amit Varma

Pretty nice

career move by this IIMA graduate

Some great times

I have always enjoyed spending time with people who are way older to me. So, it was not surprising when I got well with one of my friends parents. I always find it intriguing and interesting to interact with people who have been there and faced challenges that we are fighting hard to face. I have learnt a lot from him and this shall be a meeting I cherish for a long time.

Also, the food I got to eat during their visit was unbelievable. Nothing like good home cooked food man!

Well, I managed to hold of my tension for a week now, lets see!!

English writers

find ingenuous ways to criticize the Indian board. I would love to have seen these people complaining when England and Australia had veto powers. What happened to their conscience then or may be they get it to work selectively!!

I agree BCCI is not handling the Zimbabwe issue well, but wouldn't the ECB have done the same if it was in BCCI's place.

I think the English know the answer. I just wish they were more honest in accepting that!

Hmmm

My horoscope

"Saying goodbye to Mars as it leaves your sign today is a mixed blessing. Your life has been full of activity and you may be sorry to see it return to normal. One the other hand, it's time to slow down and replenish your energetic reserves. You can only continue to give of yourself for so long without becoming exhausted. Use this time wisely so you will be ready for whatever comes next."

An Indian

women's psyche revealed!

A very interesting

analysis of the effect of rising oil prices on globalization

This might

be the way to go for reducing emissions