Enough

[Adding my own letter to Animesh's series and to Apeksha's own series of posts]

Enough with the fear. Enough with the terror. We are not afraid anymore. Especially of cowards like you.

That's right, I said it. You're a bunch of cowards. Misguided fools. Real men die in war, fighting face-to-face with the enemy. They command the respect of the people they protect. They care for the innocent, protect women and children. They don't walk into a hotel under the cover of night and start shooting down everyone in sight. They fight in a battlefield, beginning at dawn and ending at dusk. And they fight soldier-to-soldier. Not soldier-to-civilian.

They fight and die for their country, not some far-fetched notion of heaven. For them, heaven IS their country. They are heroes, who their children look up to. Their parents walk tall in the world, proud of their sons, never having to explain their boy's religious affiliation, never having to wonder how he went so bad.

Real men know love, friendship, courage, the meaning of family and the vitality of peace.

So, when you aren't even real men, give me one good reason why we should be afraid of you.

Arigato For the Future, Japan

Now we're talking.

Seriously, what sort of oil sludge-like time warp have the Big Three been stuck in anyway? Not a single thing "Big" about them but their pocketbooks.

Speaking of which, their executives should definitely take a leaf out of this guy's book:

Marhaba Atlantis

Wow.

Nuff said.

Say Ki?

Let's get this straight. I like chola batura as much as I love masala dosa. No discrimination there. I lived four years in Delhi, and have had absolutely wonderful Punjabi friends throughout my life. They are an enterprising, enthusiastic, colourful, endearing and unquestionably family-oriented people, and I say that with all sincerity.

But I genuinely believe they've been dragged pretty much against their will into Bollywood. And, to borrow the Eagles' legendary line - they can check out any time they like, but they can never leave.

I was in the 10th grade when Daler Mehendi arrived on the scene and Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol first professed undying love to each other in breathtaking sarson ke khets in DDLJ. I would like to believe I have an average person's flair for languages, but despite all the years of musical and cinematic education about soniyes and makhnas, I still don't get the lyrics of half the songs playing on TV these days.

Maybe Sanjay Leela Bhansali forrayed into Gujarat and Bengal with Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas, respectively, but those films stand out precisely because they're the only ones in recent memory not set in Bombay, Delhi or Ludhiana. After all, people in Bangalore, Hyderabad and (horror of horrors) even Chennai have a working knowledge of Hindi these days. At the very least, how about including those emerging dialects?

Actually, I may not have to worry too much. It looks like Hinglish is taking over as the second language now in Bollywood. I can't say I think "Mausam yeh awesome bada" (Kidnap) qualifies as particularly poetic, but "Aur kaise koi soch le everything's gonna be ok?" from Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na was nice enough. Even the ads have some pretty neat compositions in Hinglish - like the one for Maggi Cuppa Mania (sort of like Cup-o-Noodles):

Taste ki kahani
Just add garam paani
And then, carry on jaani!

Ok, main tho chali to do something else. Fir milaan ge.

It's The Environment, Stupid!

Quite apart from the fact that I think GM, Ford and Chrysler deserve to die a horrible, painful death so that they can finally make way for an era of earth-friendly transportation, I have very grim reasons for writing about climate change.

It is a sign of our times that in a U.S. Geological Survey study of teenagers across four different continents, the word "Amazon" evoked recognition of the online shopping portal, not the beautiful Brazilian coppice.

It isn't their fault at all. This is the world we are going to leave them.

What is astonishing is that the numbers have not as yet induced absolute panic among us, and I wonder why. Perhaps statistics are not easy to relate to, but the stories and images should at least make a dent - polar bears resorting to cannibalism as their habitats vanish, the jaw-dropping photos of polar ice caps that have melted in less than a generation, the sheer idiocy of people fighting over land, and endangering a rare species of gorilla in the process...the list grows longer, and we grow anesthetized to it all.

I wonder if part of the problem is that it doesn't manifest itself as a single problem - there are different components to it, and the events (or issues), and the facts are both sporadic in terms of time and geographically isolated. As a result, in all our hurry to close the gaps between ourselves through communication and travel, we have somehow not managed to stitch together the factors that could resonate with a single message - this is our only home right now, and we are too weak, too unprepared to survive on any other piece of rock in the blasted universe.

Oh, there are Kyoto Agreements and Green Peace-like organizations here and there. But against the seemingly unstoppable chorus of economic ambition - which in itself is obviously mired in political, legal and religious muck of various kinds - what chance do the Amazon rain forests have?

Given our inability to articulate the problem effectively so as to cause enough of a stir, I would advocate the oldest, most effective solution in the book - the law. Recycling, energy-friendly lifestyles, carbon-emission caps all, I strongly believe, need to be enforced, simply because we are running out of time. After all, it's not as if we can manufacture more oxygen like currency notes to fix the system after a couple of failed experiments. And how is the situation any less urgent than the financial crisis, anyway?

The world is watching to see how the governments of the G-20 countries that met in Washington will breathe life into their economies. I am waiting, with equally bated breath, for them to stop sitting on their hands and to reconvene for climate change.

Perhaps this is a start in that direction.

Update: I'm also planning on checking out this interesting looking documentary.

Introducing - Paperless Government

In January of this year, Barack Obama visited the Google office in Mountain View, where I was working at the time. My colleagues and I stood in line for several hours to hear him speak and our patience paid off. We were standing not 5 feet away from him, as he made a quick speech and then took questions from CEO Eric Schmidt.

It was the only speech I heard from him that was focused (appropriately) on technology and government. In addition to the Google for Government initiative he has frequently talked about, he mentioned that he intends to appoint the first Chief Technology Officer for the country to bring government and the people closer together. On the nation's CTO's agenda will also be the following:

1. Provide increased broadband access across the country, and government subsidy plans to be modified so that they are offered to phone carriers who offer both phone and Internet service to rural areas.
2. Up the ante on the open wireless spectrum bidding initiative by the FCC to allow wholesale leasing, so that it doesn't just becoming something the highest bidder sits on to discourage others from using it. 
3. Support network neutrality
4. This one is more Immigration-related, but very relevant to the technology industry - make the H1B visa more flexible, so that those who are working on that visa can move more freely between jobs, and are not exploited by their employers.
5. Privacy initiative - develop and subsidize Tivo-like devices that would help parents better control what their kids watch on TV.

Wanna know what else is cool? Looks like the president-elect is already starting to make good on his promise - check out what he launched, one day after he got elected!!!

Now that's what I'm talkin' about! Yes, we can!

Around The World In Post-Election Days

The media has already covered how Obama's election has been met with enthusiasm from most countries. It might be tedious to cover all of them, so here's a really great link to a BBC website with correspondents briefly summarizing the expectations from Obama, from different parts of the world. 

I have been watching two countries in particular - Russia for the recent developments in what could signal the start of an arms race there, and India for my own obvious personal reasons. I'll start with Moscow, which seems to have been caught a little off-guard - their cynicism around the possibility of Obama winning was so strong, they went ahead with plans to deploy missiles near the Baltic. 

The attitude in much of Russia was that democracy in America for the last 24 years has been a bit of a joke, with either a Bush or a Clinton in the White House, or issues like abortion dominating elections, as opposed to foreign policy or economics. But now the nuclear move is being considered rash among ordinary Russians who fear that an Obama presidency, with such strong support from other nations might put their country on the defensive. 

An interesting article in The Hindu, written by Siddharth Varadarajan, provided a very comprehensive analysis of what an Obama presidency could mean for New Delhi, particularly with regard to the nuclear deal. In a nutshell, the expectations from South Block are that Obama will do nothing to alienate India, and from what I heard the President-elect say in his interview with Wolf Blitzer last Friday, India doesn't have much to worry about with regard to foreign policy. As part of his overall strategy for refocusing efforts on the war in Afghanistan, Obama told Blitzer it was important for the US to reengage India and Pakistan in talks about Kashmir, which would then enable Pakistan, India and the US to direct their energies towards the Afghan border and the problems there.

Spoken in one breath like that, Obama's plan might have sounded naive, particularly for those of us who have had to live that history for much of our lives in that part of the world, but the underlying philsophy seemed to reflect Bill Clinton's initiatives for stability in the region. I suspect that the encouragement received by the Zardari government from India will be seen by the US as an opening to resume the process.

Of course, fears over suspension of outsourcing initiatives also cloud India's optimism around Obama, who has promised to "end tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas." But if call centers do shut down in the country sooner rather than later, it might be a blessing in disguise for the country, whose national debt has grown at an alarming rate, fuelled by a new generation of Indians who have indulged in credit card shopping sprees. The sooner we remember the importance of saving (so inherent to our parents' generation), and inculcate in ourselves the philosophy of paying off our bills as soon as we get them, the better.

The entire election was also a testament to the phenomenal PR machine this country has. It is so powerful that school students in India, who were watching the election on TV were able to recognize Joe Biden, and even knew the names of Obama's wife and children. Sadly though, not one of the kids interviewed at an election watch party in the US consulate in Chennai was able to name India's vice-president. 

I am ashamed to admit it, but even I had trouble - I thought his name was Hamid Asrani, not Ansari, until I googled him.

I Stab Your Back, You Stab Mine

Hoboy. The media may be waiting impatiently to see Barack Obama's next moves, but there's plenty of entertainment on the side with a GOP nightmare that just doesn't seem to end. The election is over, but the gloves within the McCain campaign are only just starting to come off - ABC News encapsulates the problems in some pretty revealing bullet points:

 Fox News reports that Palin didn't know Africa was a continent and did not know the member nations of the North American Free Trade Agreement -- the United States, Mexico and Canada -- when she was picked for vice president.

 The New York Times reports that McCain aides were outraged when Palin staffers scheduled her to speak with French President Nicholas Sarkozy, a conversation that turned out to be a radio station prank.

 Newsweek reports that Palin spent far more than the previously reported $150,000 on clothes for herself and her family.

 Several publications say she irked the McCain campaign by asking to make her own concession speech on election night.

Looks like all that "sexism on the trail" was in-house. Palin is now back in Alaska, and rumours have already started to surface that she is considering replacing disgraced Senator Ted Stevens, which could be part of her first steps towards a 2012 or 2016 run.  

She might want to expand her vocabulary beyond "maverick" if she's going to be a Washington insider soon.

Hellooooooo Mr. President

Heartiest congratulations to President-Elect Barack Obama, who made history last night with a huge victory (despite polls that showed him in a narrower race against John McCain) in the presidential election. 

His legendary eloquence was on display last night as he gave his victory speech to a roaring crowd of 250,000 people. Evoking the other history-making Illinois senator, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King Jr., he emphasized the historic nature of the election, as well as the tremendous amount of work that lies ahead for this country and the world.

Despite booing crowds, McCain also gave a highly gracious concession speech in Phoenix. McCain, despite his many missteps, is a man of great honor, and he showed it, emotional and bitterly disappointed though he was, in his words. 

I couldn't help feeling a tiny, tiny bit sorry for Sarah Palin, whose eyes glistened with tears as McCain acknowledged her role in his campaign - she looked very like she had lost Miss America, several cheerleading contests and a college debate all at the same time. 

To the African-Americans here, for whom this is a truly historic moment, and has been a long time coming, may the rise out of the murky waters of slavery and racism continue be characterized by similar leadership in the years to come. 

Election Zenith, Paleolithic Park & A Word Of Sympathy

It's here. D-day has arrived, and I am not two feet from the TV, tapping my feet, sweating buckets and chewing on my fingernails, praying that nothing goes wrong, and that my candidate actually wins (for those who still don't know who I am supporting, here are some keywords - hope, change, African-American, Illinois).

It doesn't help that I am sitting alone in a hotel room in Raleigh, in the battleground state of North Carolina. But it is encouraging that everyone in the little restaurant in the hotel, the receptionist and the concierge folk have voted or are planning to head out to vote soon. I can't seem to say it often enough - it is very gratifying to see the process of democracy actually working.

What worries me most is not the prospect of my candidate losing - I may be disappointed, but I do believe McCain wouldn't be a bad choice at all. I am more worried that after 21 months of watching primaries, debates, analyses, and listening to talk about battleground states, red states, blue states and all other aspects of the United states, tomorrow, when a new president is announced, my brain will resemble a dried mushroom thrown into a vaccuum. What am I supposed to do starting tomorrow? And what in the world is CNN's Best Political Team on television going to do? Look for new jobs?

I thought I'd try and get a head start on preventing any withdrawal symptoms by a) trying not to stare too hard at the Google elections coverage map and b) reading up on other news online. 

So here's something interesting - scientists in Japan have successfully cloned mice whose bodies were frozen 16 years ago, and stated that it might be possible to use the technique to resurrect extinct species such as the woolly mammoth, provided some live cells are not irreparably damaged. At the very least, the method can be used to preserve endangered mammals like the polar bear, whose population may reduce by as much as two-thirds by 2050 (according to the U.S. Geological survey). 

Just as long as it's not T-Rex, I'm fine with it.

Finally, my deepest sympathy goes out to Barack Obama, who lost his grandmother yesterday, one day before the crucial, historic election that could put him in the White House. She did not live to see the results, but I am sure she is watching, and has given him her blessing. Obama wiped away a few tears at a rally in North Carolina yesterday, remembering her as a "quiet hero:"

Best wishes for all success, Senator. See you at 1600, Pennsylvania Ave.