Sometimes

It is quite difficult to undertsand some aspects of how to handle life. You expect these things to not bother you. In fact, believe that they should not. Yet you end up affected. I dont know if the issue is with the fact that you are like all of "them"  or if you did not get what you deserve. Well, life will only throw more such instances. Probably it will help me figure it out!

a nice piece

I missed earlier here by anantha nageswaran

It is a nation that has no pride in the past, does not identify priorities for the present and hence no sense of purpose about the future. It is a nation with no sense of history. Such a nation may still achieve spurts of economic growth, but it is unlikely to realize its potential ever.

The obsessive pursuit of instant gratification has resulted in the flight of decency, decorum, discipline and dignity from India’s public space. Anything that is scarce becomes more valuable. Therefore, there will be a natural scramble to possess them. Those who possess and display scarce commodities are rich. But not in India. These Ds are in short supply not because they are increasingly in demand, but because Indians have become incapable of generating them.

I desperately hope he is wrong!

I always thought

Iain O'Brien was a jolly sort, but when you read this piece you realize its all on the exterior.

All I wanted to do was be myself. I wanted to be comfortable in my own skin. But, in these situations, outside of my hotel room, I didn't know who I was. Everything I did was a bluff. All the confidence I showed was faked. Fake it until you make it. The problem with this though is that you're never comfortable. You spend so much time and energy pretending that it wears you down.

Physically, sport is tough. Mentally, it's harder. It's hard being me, it really is - living with my ego and the doubts it brings.

Can you argue with this

The far more telling commentary on the government’s attitude towards corruption is the readiness with which it has initiated criminal action or investigations against those who have spoken out against corruption, and has been dragging its feet when it comes to launching investigations where, as in the coal block allocation scandal, a prima facie case of monumental corruption  exists.

If that doesn’t amount to peeing on the Constitution, I don’t know what is…

Full piece here; If I write anything more they might say I am committing sedition too!

The Conventions

There are some things within the American system that I really like. you have the Conventions. You offer the contenders a 3 day chance ot make the case for why they should be leading the country. I think this is an amazing way to hear from and learn about the future leaders. Today, I witnessed one of the greatest polictical speeches I have seen. I heard of Bill Clinton's pedigree; but never watched him speak live. Man, i have never seen somebody deliver so many facts on such complex issues so effortlessly. I can see why people loved him so much when he was in his pomp. But the way he addressed all the lies from Romnney and Ryan campaign was quite cool. Also, loved some of the statements he made on the number of jobs generated during democrat versus republican presidencies! Interesting to know that (hopefully they are true!).