Najeeb's Posts

The miners of Chile

2010-10-12T22:55:00.000-07:00

Buried under heaps of rock,
33 men of steel.
Free at last, 68 days in passing.
Prisoners of earth, of blood and sweat.
Seldom end like this, the stories of miners.
But when it does, there are reasons to rejoice!

In other rooms, other wonders

2010-09-02T00:05:00.000-07:00

Daniyal Moinudeen's In other rooms, Other wonders does not tell the story of one or two individuals, it tells the story of an entire class of people, destined to serve and to be forgotten. They are the people that run elaborate kitchens in the mansions of rich folks, the drivers who drive rich men's wives around in glitzy cars, the watchmen, gardeners and plethora of people whose only job is to keep the apparatus of the rich working. For some it is lifetime of service, for others, it is a stepping stone toward getting something better.

His narratives require improvement, his stories at times lose the structural fundamentals of stories, such as in one story, the focus shifts from one character to another, laboriously. His climax, at times, leaves you with more questions than answers, yet, at other times, his narratives resemble the great story tellers of Russian literature, Chekhov and Pushkin. Yet another problem is the limited domain he deals with, which he may overcome in his future works, but all in all, this book is enjoyable. I would certainly check out his next book.

Insignificance

2010-07-10T16:33:00.000-07:00

Our actions as feeble as
the flaps of a butterfly,
our dreams as ephemeral as
its wings that don't reach very far.

Yet we dare to act,
dare to dream,
a life with no such futile attempts
isn't a life worth living.

"Unbreakable"

2010-07-06T10:08:00.000-07:00

Obama's statement about Israel should come as no surprise. It has always been this way with American presidents - the moment they had 'crossed' the lines of being slightly critical of Israel, they have to find a way to make up. When Obama says the U.S - Israel relationship is unbreakable, it virtually gives uncontrolled powers to Netanyahu's right wing government. In the past two years of Obama's presidency, Israel has rejected every request of the United States. The relentless building of settlements has continued and Israeli aggression even killed peace activists on the flotilla. No one is asking to withdraw support for Israel, but left to Israel alone, their actions are only inciting further hatred against them. The people who have been persecuted for centuries have become the persecutors themselves.

Why do I feel that Obama is not genuine in this aspect? I feel deep in his heart, he is critical of Israel's actions. I am not oblivious of the political realities of Israel influenced Obama advisers and supporters of democratic party. But, a true leader would have the courage and conviction to pursue the path of justice and fairness without alienating the support base. But, that is hard work and a gamble. Obama like every other politician chose the easy way out.

Letter from Peking

2010-02-26T13:07:00.000-08:00

Letter from Peking tells the story of longing and the endless paths of love. Separated by political conflicts and geographies, this novel written in the format of a memoir reminds us of the perilous journeys undertaken by families and individuals in a world stricken by violence and instability.

This novel could have been a monotonous lamenting on lost love, but in the hands of Pearl S Buck, this becomes a curious insight into the conflicted identities carried by many of us who have been uprooted from their native soil - also a reminder that relationships are not defined by logic and rationality, but by the ways of the heart!

Good old Bangalore

2010-01-11T16:10:00.000-08:00

It was two years ago that I visited Bangalore before this trip - as one would imagine, I expected a city that I would not recognize given the pace of things in India. However to my surprise, Bangalore has not changed much, the traffic has gotten worse, new malls and shopping places have cropped up, may be the number of beggars on the road is less - but nothing dramatic. When I told someone that I lived here 12 years ago, he commented that 12 years ago, this place was Mangalore. That is funny, but what is unique to the development in Bangalore has been that newer and 'better' places have come up, but the old haunts, restaurants and shops haven't totally disappeared. The market for Indian goods and services has a big range - that is what I love about this place and I find unchanged. I could spend 5o Rupees for a coffee at Coffee day while I could get the authentic south indian coffee at Shanti Sagar for 8 Rupees, I could get a sumptuous Mughalai buffet for 600 Rs and I can also get a quality meal for 70 Rupees at a local restaurant. Even comparing to the city of 12 years ago, as I walk around with a nostalgic vibe, it still is amazing to me that with all the glitter and glamor, a lot of the old places haven't changed at all. With all its problems of endless construction, traffic chaos and bloated real estate prices, it is good to see that a relatively few rich folks haven't changed the dynamics of the entire city.

Happy New Year, 2010

2010-01-01T21:38:00.000-08:00

Here we are opening up another decade in the endless passage of time. The world around has changed dramatically in the last ten years - the world has become a more troublesome place in the last 10 years. The new century has brought a new type of warfare in its extreme form - from 9/11 to Iraq war, from the dot com bust to the latest recession, the stability of lives have become more unpredictable than ever. But the desire of the vast majority of human beings to stay in peace will prevail, however perilous it looks now.

In the new year, let's pick hope over hopelessness. Peace to you All!

Journey to the dark side

2009-12-01T22:15:00.001-08:00

President Obama hasn't turned out to be exactly the breath of fresh air that we expected in Washington, instead he has completed the journey to the 'dark' side - he has become a war president! To the hopeful nation and a concerned world, Obama has turned his back. To appease the centrists and right wingers, to not being labeled as weak on national security, he has declared "our national security is at stake" and men and women will be sent to the mountains of Afghanistan to fight a war with people who have been fighting off invaders since time immemmorial.

“ during the preceding year [...] shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.

Somebody, please take this man's Nobel Peace Prize away!!!

A Perfect Bow

2009-11-16T23:26:00.000-08:00

Every time Obama bows there is group of clowns that go crazy on Foxnews. God, how much love that! Just for that entertainment, I am glad that Obama continues to perfect his bow.

On a serious note, I think it is the continued strategy of de-legitimizing his presidency and personality is what is behind such blatant attacks by the right wing media.

China and Pakistan

2009-11-15T22:40:00.000-08:00

While reading about Obama's press conference with chinese students, I was reminded of the meeting Clinton held in Pakistan with almost the same format. The difference is that Clinton's Q&A session was broadcast live with no censoring and the students did ask some real tough questions.

On the contrary, Obama's Q&A was not broadcast live in China - worse, it got censored by the government and released later edited by the government run media. The following questions will give a sample of how serious this Q&A has been.

how does Mr. Obama keep fit; who pays for Mrs. Obama’s dresses; does the president like kung pao chicken; is he adept with chopsticks; how much wine can he drink at one sitting; does he allow his children to play games?

There were some questions about weapons to Taiwan and economic issues, but the overwhelming issues seem to be the kind quoted above. I draw the comparison to Pakistan because here is a country that we consider as a dump, its rendezvous with democracy has always been questionable and its arms are twisted for any fight that we need them for. Yet, the people for the most part are free to ask and do whatever they want. But, in China, despite its economic success, censorship and oppression have become the way of life, but we don't dare say anything about it. The philosophy that governed the world for centuries - might is right - still seems to be the natural state of affairs, democracy and freedom of expression have only meaning when the leaders do not heed to our demands.

Khalid Sheik Mohammed

2009-11-14T20:42:00.000-08:00

6 years ago when Khalid Sheik Mohammed was nabbed from his home in Pakistan, he looked only a bit sleepy and irritated.

Now after years in U.S. custody, he looks like Osama's brother.

Apparently, this is not the first time, Khalid Sheik had been behind bars in American prisons. According to wikipedia.

However, according to a US intelligence summary reported on August 29, 2009 by the Washington Post, his time in the U.S did lead him to become a terrorist. "KSM's limited and negative experience in the United States — which included a brief jail stay because of unpaid bills — almost certainly helped propel him on his path to becoming a terrorist," according to this intelligence summary.

Sea Change

2009-11-06T22:29:00.000-08:00

I picked up this book as I wandered around in the library looking for something that would give a glimpse of life at sea. This is all thanks to my recent enthusiasm in learning sailing.

Sea Change by Peter Nichols is nothing profound - it is an ordinary story of an ordinary sailor narrated in ordinary language. It is about his solo voyage across Atlantic in his wooden boat. The life at sea forces him to reflect upon his life, his love and the endless passages done by sailors before him. What it exposes is the soul of a sailor, the longing for the sea, the heart that finds solace in the wilderness of the ocean.

The last line in the book is pretty revealing

What I will do now is to find my way back to sea

Mahatma Gandhi

2009-10-02T20:58:00.000-07:00

Another oct-2 passes by, a reminder of a soul who lived in a way that is unimaginable in this modern world. Every oct-2 reminds me of an indifferent world of today that is apathetic to the suffering of people, non-violent protests of any kind having no way to break through the cycle of violence, whether it be Darfur or Iraq or Palestine or Iran - despair is the only world that comes to mind.

Mahatma Gandhi too lived in tumultuous times, unprecedented violence like holocaust, world war, nuclear annhiliation, but he wasn't conflicted by the idealogies, his steadfast conviction in non-violence as a tool of protest never gave way based on the parties involved in it. But i often wonder, for all of good words by the world leaders, how many of them truly believe in the words of Mahatma Gandhi? Is he just an ideal of bygone times, much like the teachings of Jesus - turn the other cheek? How many christians believe in the puritanical view of non-violence that Jesus preached?

Yet, in today's times, if Mahatma Gandhi lived today, I am afraid if he would have been considered a peacenik oblivious to the real practical politics, pushed to the sidelines and forgotten!

Burning Man Video (source: vimeo.com)

2009-09-24T23:39:00.000-07:00

Evolution (Burning Man time lapses) from Delrious on Vimeo.

This is awesome time-lapsed video from Burning Man. ((source: vimeo.com)

Tom Delay?

2009-09-23T00:41:00.001-07:00

what the hell happened to Tom Delay?

To Rachel Maddow

2009-09-22T22:03:00.000-07:00

I love Rachel Maddow for the liberal that she is. But come on, what's up with all these you tube videos of obscure rants from some crazies in the red states? Quotes from people-who-will-never-make-it-to-anywhere-near-washington? Carefully selected out of context clips?

I have no doubt in believing that there are enough crazies in this country, but even for a liberal like me, I cringe when i see some of these tactics by the media. Don't stoop to the level of Fox news and O'reilly and Glenn Beck, you are far more intelligent than any of them!

The Burning Man

2009-09-08T15:35:00.001-07:00

5 days at Burning man was a mind blowing experience. It was all that I had imagined it to be and more.

This was my first trip and I had read and heard all about it; but the reality could not be more different, the scale is just beyond imagination. For me, it was a celebration of life, relentless spirit of humanity to push the limits of human potential and a radical form of self expression. Sure, the people get there for various reasons - some for drugs, some for all night partying, some for the wilderness that becomes a city for a week. For me, it was the whole concept of a city that was born out of nothing and disappears into nothing, like life itself, that attracted me to Burning Man in the first place - the only thing that comes alive in the middle is sheer creativity, from kinetic race cars, mutant vehicles to sculptures that defy imagination. In the backdrop of the Black Rock Desert, under the dark night sky, the temporary city never sleeps. To the wee hours of morning, the music, dance and shows continue. With weary legs and groggy eyes, the campers return to their tents only to sleep for an hour or two before returning to the infinite theme camps that adorn the playa. The temple at the Playa is an outstanding experience, the burners write with marker pens on the wooden structure the tales from their hearts, a heart rending emotional and spiritual experience.

We built a shade structure from scratch which turned out to be a humongous project for our skill set, but it still withstood the ruthless sand storms. The self reliance in the harsh climate of the desert is no joke and the spirit of Burning Man does not allow any commerce on the playa. Instead the burners trade things, help each other out - it is a social experiment at one level. The strict rules imposed on the playa is to preserve the fragile ecosystem of the desert.

After 5 days, when I left the Playa, I couldn't help wonder; was it worth it? Absolutely. Would I return? Probably. But I don't know when. There is too much to prepare just for five days; but there are no regrets - it was a thing of beauty.

[edited later]

At dinner table recently, this discussion came up - how green is BM? It is not green or anything getting to burning man and all the preparation you have to do. In fact, that is one of the discussions we had while driving up there. But given the nature of the different elements involved in it, they have tried to make it as eco friendly as possible. It is very unique to get the different elements blended in as well as it has at burning man, art, music, self expression and reliance, extreme nature, no-commerce environment and 50000 people who build a temporary neighborhood and share the values of being good neighbours for a week. if you take any of these elements away, burning man won't be the same. I came back with a sense of awe - the whole experience of construction and destruction, while not green necessarily, symbolizes the life itself - in fact, its origins belong to some budhist ideals i believe. the ability to burn something that you worked dearly for symbolizes the detachment one should feel for everything that surrounds you, with the fire what burns down is more than the physical elements in it, but the desire, ego, pride, and all that. Well, there are infinite ways to look at something like this - the simplest way to look at it is that BM is a celebration of life and its beauty. At the end of it, it is an experience that fills your heart with joy, one should experience (burn!) it to know it.

RIP: Senator Kennedy

2009-08-25T23:02:00.000-07:00

Kennedy's death is a huge loss to the liberal movement in the U.S. Rest in Peace!

'Social Studies' by Fran Lebowitz

2009-08-15T17:15:00.000-07:00

Fran Lebowitz was an accidental find during a recent stay at Venice Beach, L.A. Among the countless books adorning the book shelf in the living room - most of them have only the decorative value - I found a book titled 'Social Studies'. The book was small enough to finish over a couple of days and looked lighthearted. Sure it was. It is a hilarious depiction of high society living, the perils of being wealthy and the insurmountable problems that besiege the 'successful'. It is also a sarcastic look at modern day parenting and a whole lot of awkwardness that we have created around us in our day to day lives. A fine read, it will give you a good laugh for sure.

Newbie in Big Rock Desert

2009-08-14T22:43:00.000-07:00

For the first time, I will be attending burning man this year. Regardless of what you read about other people's experiences, I am told that the overall experience of this counter culture festival can only be experienced in person. And so we will see. As the first thing in preparation, we are building a shade structure, thanks to the instructions from here. We have concerns about its ability to withstand 70 mph winds - we have a backup plan to introduce further stability if the situation arises. In any case, there is much work to be done, more stuff to be bought. But an RV, shade structure and a whole lot of excitement are in place.

The violent sea

2009-07-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

"The violent sea"

Quick 10 minute painting in Oil. Inspired by a sunset in half moon bay, CA.

Another painting

2009-07-21T23:55:00.000-07:00

This is copied from a Picasso painting; i picked up the post card of this painting from Picasso Museum in Barcelona. (Oil)

Don't be afraid

2009-06-22T22:40:00.000-07:00

she walked in silence,
miles on end, beside her father
through the heartless wilderness
that Iran has become;
a young woman who had dared to dream,
heart to speak out
a whole life to live.
she walked in silence,
stay with me - her father whispered,
so she did, miles on end.
through the distraught neighborhoods,
rooftops resonating with voices of defiance.
roads filled with people after people -
where did all these people come from - she wondered.
then she heard the gunshots,
stay with me - her father held her hands.
they turned back, but too late,
she felt the burning inside her heart,
soaked in blood,
she tripped, her father screamed - stay with me.
Don't be afraid, stay with me - her father wept.
Gazed into eternity, she died in defiance,
She told the world - don't be afraid!

Media in the dark

2009-06-21T21:57:00.000-07:00

The foreign news media has been banned by a paranoid regime in covering the events unfolding in Iran. Then what did the main stream media do? They packed their bags and left; and then they subscribed to twitter feeds and you tube videos. Last night, CNN was streaming a you tube video continuously lamenting that they do not have access to information.

Really, aren't there other ways to get news for these major corporations? Don't they have telephone contacts with local news agencies and so forth? If indeed this is how it works, it seems like Iranian regime's ban is working to an extent.

The end game

2009-06-20T22:03:00.000-07:00

I have been addicted to the news from Iran for the last few days - even in the middle of the night, I checked my twitter feeds to hear the latest from the streets of Iran. It has been an emotional roller coaster seeing the vast sea of humanity filling in every corner of Tehran, defying the supreme leader's order to end the demonstration.

For the longest time, I believed that Iran has more potential to evolve into a real democracy than most of its Arab neighbors. Compared to the monarchies of the Middle East, Iran's elections have been generally fair and square, of course with the catch that the power doesn't lie with the elected president, but it lies with the guardian counsel and supreme leader, who controls the revolutionary guard and the powerful militia. This time, people snapped when the only real thing in the Iranian democracy - the voting - turned out to be fraud; but I am not sure anymore whether it is just the fairness in elections that they want back. Or is it about curtailing the infinite powers of the parallel power structure built by Mullahs. If it is the latter, bloody days are ahead of us. It is ultimately the people's right to build a government they want and deserve; Mousavi's latest statement seems to indicate that the protests will continue. I hope he has a clear goal in mind on how to end this.

PS: How refreshing it is to see U.S keeping a low key and thus passively helping the cause in Iran. There are still reasons to like Obama :)

[picture courtesy: http://niacblog.wordpress.com]

The stolen election

2009-06-16T21:51:00.000-07:00

The Iran elections have taken over the news channels with not much real news but with rather shallow punditry. Tom Friedman's column on New York Times reveals the same pitfalls that most journalists fall into. Muslim world is diverse and the issues that they care about deeply vary from place to place. Like any other population, often the local issues play more important role than the international and ideological issues. For a man who has spent considerable number of years reporting on the middle east, the broad stroke that he paints the muslim world with is rather disappointing.

Hezbollah was defeated in the Lebanese elections. Hamas is facing an energized Fatah in the West Bank and is increasingly unpopular in Gaza. Iraqi Sunnis have ousted the jihadists thanks to the tribal Awakening movement, while the biggest pro-Iranian party in Iraq got trounced in the recent provincial runoff.

There is also an assertion here that the more liberal forces are winning and it is the beginning of a trend; as much as I would like to believe that these kind of changes are cyclical - when candidates do not deliver, people vote for a different party and such changes are not uncommon wherever there are free elections.

Glued to the news in bits and pieces and tweets, there are indications that it was a stolen election, but the reality is that people are helpless. Only thing that can be done is to insist on building better mechanisms to prevent fraud in future elections.

To the thousands of people who are marching in the streets of Tehran, your efforts are not in vain. Because of your courage and conviction, some day Iranian people will have a government they deserve -

Taxi to the other side

2009-06-09T00:12:00.001-07:00

Watching 'Taxi to the other side' is disturbing. The story of the poor Afghan driver, Dilawar is emblematic of everything that is wrong with American policies - how terrorists are created day after day, how our tax dollars are spent to kill. The sinister game of death and violence continue in remote parts of the world - there is no let up even since Obama's presidency; many more Dilawars disappear into oblivion, yet we, as people in arguably the greatest democracy in the world, are unable to stop it - we will have 100 million people voting in a tv contest, but in matters that are important, our voices do not leave our throats -

A good possibility

2009-06-04T21:13:00.000-07:00

There it is. Finally it is done. From the historic city of Cairo, Obama spoke like no other U.S. president before him. There are faultfinders on either side of the spectrum; some would argue that this is another lip service from another American president, others might find Obama to be less critical of the Islamic world in areas like democracy and human rights. But the reality is that forging friendship takes hard work - the confrontational approach of Bush got us to where we are today. 'You are either with us or against us!' got us to a world where most people chose to be against us. He had to do the rope walk, he couldn't pander to the forces the wish harm to the U.S, nor he could lecture the muslim nations on their problems - so he did what he had to, quite brilliantly.

Speeches of this stature are of enormous importance, but even more important are the actions that follow them. It will take a while before we can fathom the impact of Obama doctrine, but words would remain simply as words, as long as the U.S continues invasions of 'choice', conduct target killings on sovereign territories using drones defying international norms and torture its prisoners. To stay as the moral authority of the world, U.S should live up to the ideals in which this nation was founded. Regardless of the recent reversals in his policy, In Obama, I still see that as a possibility!

Elections in India

2009-05-20T21:22:00.001-07:00

I have been extremely happy with the Indian election results, not because I think Congress isn't corrupt, nor is it because i like signorina Sonia pulling strings from inside her mansion and thus paving way to another generation of Gandhis. And it certainly has nothing to do with our prime minister who giggles like a school girl - i was embarrassed to hear that he asked for an autograph from Obama for his niece when they met up in Washington.

My rejoice has only to do with the fact that the B.J.P and its cohorts have been shown the door. After 60 years of independence, it looks like we are finally approaching a level of maturity and stability in the electorate. The sinister plans that got BJP its national face for the first time in 90s are not working anymore. The political left's unrelenting in fighting and the age old theatrics of cold war politics will not fly anymore. The progress and prosperity come with maturity; no matter what ideological base you belong to, elections are about compromises and taking the middle road at times even when that is not the right thing to do. In that sense, the far right and the far left have to emerge with a new plan. May be we will see a two party system emerging in India too; while I am dismayed by it in the U.S, it gives an unparallel stability that is much needed for economic prosperity. I believe, the way for the Left in India is to emerge as a political power house that distances itself from the failed ideologies of communism, but focuss on the development that is sustainable and in line with the environment. As for the Right, I'd much prefer that they just disappear from the political arena and move back to the temple grounds.

Bicycle Thief

2009-05-02T18:09:00.000-07:00

Poverty and misery in post world war Europe wasn't much different from that of the third world countries today. A man would do anything to keep a job. Bicycle Thief tells the simple story of one such man, the desperate struggle to keep the only job he ever had. Without giving away much of the plot, it makes you think to what extent would you go when you are desperate, when you are unable to go back to a family that depends on your job to keep food on the table. The irony and sadness of human existence is that we often end up what we seek to destroy. A Netflix must watch!

Do not move on

2009-04-23T22:09:00.000-07:00

Obama, you can't have it both ways - you released the documents detailing the brutal interrogation methods used by the Bush administration, for which, I applaud you. But, your moveon.org doesn't impress me. It is an injustice to the victims, injustice to the numerous men and women who were asked to do the dirty work and serious blow to the moral standing of the United States in the world.

The Painter of Battles

2009-03-22T00:08:00.000-07:00

Arturo Perez-Reverte's 'The Painter of Battles' was an accidental find in the crowded airport of Puerto Vallarta on our way back from a vacation. I was looking to find a work from a spanish writer to top off the wonderful time we had in Mexico and this book instantly grabbed my attention.

Arturo is a prolific writer and his work is a reflection on his own years spent reporting wars in various parts of the world. A war photographer is often a witness to the history before it is told and retold, bent and distorted, massaged and manipulated for popular consumption. The story starts at the solitary home of the war photographer in some spanish coastal town; he spends his time painting a mural and swimming in the ocean until the day a man comes looking for him. The visitor had known the painter intimately, studied his works and had a reason to visit him - he wanted to kill the painter for what one of his war photos had done to his life. A deep and enthralling voyage begins down the memory lane sprinkled with his interpretations of the works of the Spanish master painters and his own experiences of photographing the vicious acts of humankind. May be the middle of the book got a bit of long winding and the end may not have been the exact climax you were looking for, but the book captures the loneliness of the souls who share the longing for a peaceful world. It gazes the chaotic world and find the resolutions to the conflicts as the ultimate failure of human imagination. At times it even finds wars to be the natural state of human beings.

This book will remain in my mind as a fine rendition of the front lines of war, much like Sebastiapol. It reiterates my own impressions on the wars we fight every day - what we often miss out when we only see the war between good and evil is that on the battlefields there is only evil.

Assorted paintings

2009-02-22T15:21:00.001-08:00

House in the woods,

Oil, 2008

Based on a photograph

2009-02-22T15:16:00.000-08:00

Santa Fe Trail,

Oil, 2008.

Inspired by a painting from an art book, but turned out to be quite different.

Open Door to what?

2009-02-12T20:55:00.000-08:00

I got Tom Frieman's article from New York Times forwarded to me from multiple sources yesterday. It is definitely pleasing for desis to see a prominent american columnist advocating for wider immigration when in fact that immigrants are probably the first ones to bear the brunt of lost jobs and an economy in peril - no wonder the brown blog, Sepia Mutiny had all praises for it. But is there any substance to his assertions?

“If you do this, it will be one of the best things for India and one of the worst for Americans, [because] Indians will be forced to innovate at home,” said Subhash B. Dhar, a member of the executive council that runs Infosys, the well-known Indian technology company that sends Indian workers to the U.S. to support a wide range of firms.

Really? I wonder why Indians are so hell-bent on pushing for this, if indeed this is good for India. Tom Friedman definitely got his head spinning seeing the Infosys campus in Bangalore, but the reality is that in this economic climate, there aren't enough jobs to give to the new immigrants. So the 2 million plus immigrants should stay on welfare?

“We will buy up all the subprime homes. We will work 18 hours a day to pay for them. We will immediately improve your savings rate — no Indian bank today has more than 2 percent nonperforming loans because not paying your mortgage is considered shameful here. And we will start new companies to create our own jobs and jobs for more Americans.”

Yes, fresh off the boat, they will buy the properties here. Frieman should really find out about the H1B life cycle. Buying a home is neither a priority nor affordable for a temporary worker.

I would have loved to have seen the stimulus package include a government-funded venture capital bank to help finance all the start-ups that are clearly not starting up today

Here, again, he is exposing his ignorance on how startups in silicon valley work. Money isn't the major ingredient for the startup to succeed. Often startups are started in tens of millions of dollars and sometimes even less. The passion for innovation coupled with a very tight and prudent management is what makes some of these startups successful - the success ratio even then is really small. If the government manages it, the success ratio will be even far less - I am no fan of Milton Friedman's economic theories, as a matter of fact, in light of the recent events, his ideas would be deemed unfit, but one thing he got right was that if people knew the government was behind certain initiatives, they would shift their behavior. A startup in its very essence gives value to innovation, speed, operational efficiency, and lack of red tape - every single of these is an issue with government managed programs.

The height of stupidity was when he quoted someone saying this.

He also cited a recent study by William R. Kerr of Harvard Business School and William F. Lincoln of the University of Michigan that “found that in periods when H-1B visa numbers went down, so did patent applications filed by immigrants [in the U.S.]. And when H-1B visa numbers went up, patent applications followed suit.”

Yes, when there are more immigrants, the patents filed by immigrants are more. That is genius!

Spending during Recession

2009-02-07T15:43:00.000-08:00

What is one supposed to do in an economic downturn like the one we are experiencing now? With the people I speak to, I often seen the wide range of ideas from hiding the real money under the mattress to spend to boost the economy. The truth must be somewhere in the middle.

Today was a gloomy day around where I live. For the last few weeks, the weather was exceptionally warm and it was beginning to look like the winter was behind us, but that changed all of a sudden in typical california style. To get over the gloominess and to get my 4 year old S off my back, we set off to the near-by mall. I am not much of a shopper - my shopping normally revolves around thinking about buying something, rushing to the store, picking it up and never returning it even if it doesn't fit my needs well. So this time around, I had nothing to buy - S and I were just walking around.

With all the recession talk 24/7, I imagined a deserted parking lot, empty cashier lines and a far thinner crowd. But, was I wrong or what? The Macy's still had enough customers, Starbucks had a line that was spilling into the street, the counter bar in the restaurant was still milling with people. This may completely be a coincidence after all, but really the people are not reducing their spending yet? So, I looked around to see what the official statistics on consumer spending was - the consumer spending rose only 3.6% in all of 2008, the worst since 1961. Clearly, the spending habits have changed and I hope what I saw wasn't people spending away their severance payments! Sometimes when the disaster strikes, people's tendency is to pretend like nothing ever happened. Given nobody knows how long this one is going to last, that may not be a sound strategy at all.

Where does $800 billion go?

2009-02-07T11:44:00.000-08:00

NYTimes has described the republicans as the milling crowd in front of a building on fire who won't let fire fighters in to fight the fire - this is exactly how I feel about the republicans - the bickering and the nit-picking of these supposedly 'patriotic' folks put the politicians in India look much more sophisticated. But, really, the calm and cool Obama himself has lashed out against these folks on a series of interviews last week.

This stimulus is much needed and most economists are wondering whether this is big enough - would a bunch of construction projects alone save this economy from collapsing? Japan who has been in recession since the 90s spent trillions of dollars in construction projects, every road, and every bridge that was ever dreamed of was built - but it still did not yield the results they expected. Why? Looking back, the economists are saying that the spending focussed too much on construction. There is a lesson to be learnt there. If you take a careful look at the 800 Billion dollar bill, while the republican nut jobs continue the theatrical protests, I am afraid that the part of the spending that republicans are bitching about is exactly what I think is too small. Frankly I don't care about the tax cuts - it hasn't worked in the past, it will not work in the future either - an example of a republican ideal that has been carried over for years with no single example to show for its validity.

Here is the 'wasteful' spending. Judge for yourself - where do you not want to spend?

Educational Investments ($141.6 billion):
Tax cuts (275 billion)
Health care investments ($112.1 billion):
Welfare/unemployment ($102 billion):
Infrastructure investments ($90 billion):
Energy investments ($58 billion):
Telecommunications investments
- $650 million for Digital TV-to-analog converter box coupons and Digital TV education.
- $350 million for a broadband data collection effort to allow states to track--and specifically, map--the availability of broadband access
- $2.85 billion to implement a wireless and broadband deployment grants program, with $1 billion of that set going to wireless.

Voice of new America

2009-01-27T20:57:00.000-08:00

President Obama's interview with Al-Arabiya is diplomacy at its finest. His first interview after becoming the president is mostly a rehash of what he has been saying all along, but well thought out and delivered.

http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2009/01/27/65096.html

As John Stewart pointed out, this part is not something he has mentioned ever in American interviews though.

I have Muslim members of my family. I have lived in Muslim countries.

One state with equal rights

2009-01-24T00:19:00.001-08:00

Al-Jazeera may be Arab world's fox news. But, this article in the aftermath of the recent Israeli invasion of Gaza strip speaks about a rather interesting solution to the Israel-Palestinian issue.

Also for those who wonder where is Hamas's place among the people of Palestine, this might give a clue.

Hamas's lack of creativity should not have decisively shaped the broader context of Palestinian politics, as polls rarely showed its popularity exceeding 20 per cent.

However, by 2002, with negotiations nowhere in sight, whole regions of cities such as Nablus and Jenin destroyed, and Israel sewing chaos across the West Bank and in so doing destroying the basic foundations of PA rule, Hamas's power was rising quickly.

Looking back at 60 years of failed policies, broken promises and violence from both sides, Mark LeVine's road to peace is an interesting proposition.

The futility of violence as a strategy to achieve either society's core objectives has never been so clearly on display, as has the bankruptcy of a two-state solution that was likely miscarried at the very inception of the peace process a decade and a half ago.
It is not likely that Israel will emerge from this tragedy ready to offer Palestinians a territorially viable Palestinian state.

...

However, it seems more likely that the two-state solution will remain as illusive in the near future as it has in the past.
In such a situation Palestinians face a choice: continue to play by Israel's rules and see their dreams of independence disappear for at least another generation, or change the rules by demanding the same rights enjoyed by Israelis over the entirety of historic Palestine.
By taking heed of Olmert's warning, Palestinians can begin the journey towards a future in which Jews and Palestinians can share the land of historical Palestine/Eretz Yisrael for the benefit of both peoples, rather than at the expense of the other.

On the outset, this is a solution that makes most sense from a rational standpoint and have parallels to the South Africa anti-apartheid movement. But I don't think either party, Israel or Hamas would like to see this happen. For Israel, this changes the demographics significantly - add 2-3 million to the existing <1million>

My best bet is still a two state solution which guarantees a sovereign state for Palestinians, not the kind with locked down borders and airspace, but a real country with control over its borders and natural resources.

War Machines of 21st century

2009-01-22T22:18:00.000-08:00

Wired War isn't a page from a science fiction. It is a fascinating but chilling story on the evolution of warfare. NPR has an interview with the author of this book, P.W. Singer.

With the ease of playing a computer game, the designated 'soldiers' work out of their offices in California and Arizona to fly the unmanned drones over the desired targets half way across the world and they kill. The precision of their attacks and the legality of these operations are unknown. Detached from the battlegrounds, these 'soldiers', after their regular killings, go back to their homes and have dinner with their family. Some might argue that this is the natural evolution of war, but to me this is morally reprehensible. And if you think this is something of a prototype that has limited use, there are 5000+ of these in use. This is one way to reduce the American casualties, especially if you are not counting the deaths on the other side.

Listen to this transcript.

The end of the massacre, for now.

2009-01-19T22:02:00.001-08:00

The war in Gaza has ended apparently, hundreds dead, thousands homeless and Israelis retreat in time for the celebration of Obama's presidential ball. The heart breaking stories such as this continue to flow from Gaza, while an apathetic world watches on. Reports from various sources including U.N indicate that there have been wide use of weapons with Depleted Uranium and White Phosphorus. These are war crimes, but then again, this is not the first time Israel has been involved in killing civilians - Shabra and Shatila, Qana, Jenin to name a few. In the U.S too, there is mounting evidence that Bush's administration committed war crimes, but no one will prosecute them either. War crimes are only crimes if they are committed by the losers of the war.

In the larger context, people will forget this invasion too, especially in the U.S. The euphoria around the new president will invariably mask the unspeakable horrors of this illegal invasion. While the Gazans patch up what is left of their lives and loved ones, the rest of the world can look away -

Gaza burning

2009-01-03T21:23:00.000-08:00

There is no surprise here.

The United States late Saturday blocked approval of a U.N. Security Council statement calling for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel and expressing concern at the escalation of violence between Israel and Hamas.

The ground invasion has begun and the blood continues to flow in Gaza. A million plus people are held hostage. If past such incursions are any indication, the carnage would be catastrophic. The blogs from Palestine are a good window to what is going on there, of course only until they are cut off.

This is a feed aggregation on several palestinian blogs.

http://palestineblogs.net/

Here is a more heart breaking report from Gaza.

http://a-mother-from-gaza.blogspot.com/

Destruction and Creation

2009-01-02T22:24:00.000-08:00

Bombs continue to pour down on Gaza. Fine, Hamas isn't a saint, but Israel's actions have always been wildly disproportionate. Locking down a region of 1.5 million people, ruthless bombing knowing very well that innocents will be killed, erasing mosques and homes and depriving a population of their lives and livelihood, wouldn't that count as terrorism?

As Robert Fisk put it

And always Mr Bush Snr or Mr Clinton or Mr Bush Jnr or Mr Blair or Mr Brown have called upon both sides to exercise "restraint" – as if the Palestinians and the Israelis both have F-18s and Merkava tanks and field artillery. Hamas's home-made rockets have killed just 20 Israelis in eight years, but a day-long blitz by Israeli aircraft that kills almost 300 Palestinians is just par for the course.

But of course, this is not any different from any of the earlier incursions by Israel. This time too they may be able to kill a few Hamas operatives; but they have already created another generation of suicide bombers in the process.

'Hope and other dangerous pursuits'

2008-12-31T15:09:00.000-08:00

I like Leila Lelami's blogs. Her book reviews, political commentary and information on the North African literary scene are entrancing. So it is with high expectations that I picked up 'Hope and other dangerous pursuits' by Leila Lelami.

This novel details a group of Moroccans who follow a perilous journey to cross the 14km that separate Europe and Africa to reach Spain. Ability to get intimate with the characters and thus to channel the way for the reader to understand the complex and intricate morass of their personalities, which is what, essentially, the opportunity a writer has. Leila Lelami's novel, I think, while heart wrenching at times failed to evolve the characters to reveal their complexities. For example, what was Faten's character - An Islamic devout and a fundamentalist who turned to prostitution in Spain? While this is completely plausible, I would have liked to understand better how she reached from one abyss to the other. What would have been more powerful might have been if Leila had chosen to describe the moments of transition, the contradictions and confusions that might have besieged her in that moment. The character that struck me most was Aziz - may be since I have known people who have been in that state before. Being from Kerala, the exodus of newly married men to the gulf countries is a constant phenomena. In many cases, there is no expectation that their wives are taken along, unless the men are educated and they have high paying jobs. The wives retreat to their homes to take care of their children, do the necessary family duties, often only stepping out to go to the bank to cash the checks that arrive on time. Some 'demanding' wives are given the promises of being joined with their husbands, often knowing very well that it would only end as a pipe dream.

The story of migration is as old as the humans itself. In the ancient times, it was a handful of people who risked their lives to leave their familiar surroundings of the Rift Valley and set out north - the first of the migrations of the human kind. In a world without motor vehicles and planes, their descendants over several generations spread around the world. We stand where we are today because somewhere along the lane, someone traveled a different road, someone risked their lives so that their next generation would survive. It is with this perspective I see the migrations across the world - Bangladesh to India, Morocco to Spain, Mexico to United States, people do extra ordinary things to leave the only place they have known for all their lives to seek a better future. I am no fool to think that we need open borders, but I do think that the best bet to prevent illegal migration is to help alleviate the terrible living conditions prevailing in those countries.

All in all, this book is an interesting read, especially if you are unfamiliar about the issue of illegal migration.

Not so silent majority

2008-12-09T20:47:00.000-08:00

In the wake of any terrorist attack by the Muslim named criminals, the usual question always is - what are Muslims doing about it? If it is only a tiny fraction of Muslims who condone the extreme violence committed by organizations like Al-Qaeda, what is the rest of the people doing? When Islam's symbols are offended, we have seen the mayhem that had engulfed the Islamic world. Why isn't there a same outrage against terrorism? These are the questions raised by media pundits all the time - in particular, Gene Burns from KGO was discussing this in great detail last week. Any number of callers with Muslim names who called in didn't help him understand the diverse world of Islam. People in the west tend to see Islam as a monolithic block whose members believe and act in the exact same way all across the world. The belief also extends to the idea that most Muslims are sympathetic to the cause carried by the terrorists, if not the acts themselves. There is also a concept that Muslims as individuals are responsible for the acts of people who have Muslim names and they somehow should be able to stay alert and repudiate every act committed by the elements in Muslim societies.

That is a lot of stuff. At one level, I wouldn't burden any responsibility on the individual Muslims who believe in Islam or have Muslim names to repudiate anything that is going on the world. They have no more responsibility than a member of another community in condemning a particular act of violence. That said, we know the workings of the world, the society (thanks to the innate nature of brain), whether you like it or not, work based on experience. The patterns are formed from experience and patterns and stereotypes are powerful things. While we have to continue to work against false stereotyping, it is also important to change the experience itself to change the pattern. Repudiation of violence by the Muslim population is part of changing the experience.

One could also take the view - what if I don't care about the perception that Muslims are terrorist sympathizers? It isn't me who committed those acts and there is nothing I need to be sorry about. While this is logically accurate, your inaction could lead to violence against you or other people of your faith. This backlash, while there is no justification for it, is still something that can be avoided by voicing the contempt you are holding in your mind. But as a matter of fact, we have seen an incredible amount of repudiation from the Islamic world on the violence in Mumbai. Muslims across the world From Cairo to Malaysia, Pakistan and India, expressed the utter condemnation on the violence in Mumbai.

Looks like, Gene Burns does not read anything beyond what the American media regurgitates. It is in that light, I am heartened by the report on Washington Post. Here it is Gene, it gives you an idea of how Muslims reacted in India and here is it from NYTimes too. It is nothing new, but the very fact that it is reported in a major U.S newspapers would be an eye-opener for people like Gene Burns.

The Way forward

2008-12-02T21:25:00.001-08:00

As the heroic and not so heroic stories die down after the Mumbai attack, what exactly is India's plan? Are the resignations of the home minister and the chief minister the only thing we are going to see in the aftermath? The murkiness seems to be the defining character of India's investigation into each of these terrorists tragedies. This attack needs to bring about the changes that are needed in overhauling the security infrastructure. 9 hours for the commandos to reach the location is just outrageous. A city like Mumbai should have its own command center and highly trained officers in handling terrorist situations. Having been a witness to a police operation in the U.S, it is just saddening to see the elite commandos are not even as prepared logistically or training wise as the local county police officers in the U.S. I read an article saying that the 100000+ police officers in Mumbai has just 500+ guns, I don't know whether it is true, but it can't be very far from the truth. At the end of the day, a swift action where the militants cannot continue a rampage like they did in Mumbai is what should be the first line of defense - because there is very little a democratic and crowded country like India do to prevent attacks like this, but an attack should be dealt with by an efficient and well-trained police force.

Does any other option truly exist for India? All indications point to the elements within Pakistan, but how complicit is the Pakistani government in this attack? Are we dealing with the same elements that eliminated Benazir days after she returned to Pakistan? Or did Pakistani government do this in an effort to curb the civil war and unite the country against a common enemey? We will probably never know - but a few people are suggesting a joint operation with U.S in the territories of Pakistan? That has disaster written all over it. Whether you like it or not, we are left with no options. We can't afford the luxury of American forces where they are not territorially close to the lands they are fighting. I wouldn't support anything other than precise (this is the key word, if it can't be precise, don't do it) operations within Pakistan by Pakistani forces with the logistical support from India. America is wrong example for dealing with terrorism, India can do better. Work the magics of diplomacy to convince Pakistan to handover the murderers - violence is nothing new to India; the infancy of Indian independence was mired in violence, the violence had reached epic proportions during the separatist movements of Assam, Panjab and Kashmir. At the end of the day, a new chapter has to be created in dealing with terror, that is not the American way, it must be something that takes our shared history with Pakistan and our territorial constraints into consideration.

Terror strikes again!!!

2008-11-27T00:01:00.000-08:00

A long time ago, I stayed in Mumbai for a couple of months; almost every day, I'd take the train and go to a different part of the city. From the riches of Colaba and Malabar Hills to the slums of Dharawi, the city I witnessed was a microcosm of humanity itself. In the labyrinthine streets of Mumbai, what came amazingly clear to me is the resilience of this city of 25 million people, their struggle and the unending spirit of survival.

Tonight my heart goes out to Mumbai, the callousness of these killers have brought this great city to its knees. What grievance would justify this horror? What ideology would condone taking innocent lives like this? Would this also add to the endless saga of terror in India, or would we ever see who is responsible, will they ever be brought to justice? Glued to the bits and pieces of information that is streaming out of the media, what can one do other than to hope that this crisis doesn't last for long and no more lives are lost.

One more fact about Al-Qaeda

2008-11-20T20:14:00.000-08:00

Doesn't it shock you to know that Al-Qaeda isn't an equal opportunity employer?

Because, you know, al Qaeda itself has problems with racism and bigotry within the ranks. And it was only about a decade and a half ago that al Qaeda was paying different salaries to its Arab members and its black African members. And the person administering that financial scheme, that payment scheme, is now the number three in charge of al Qaeda. He wasn't demoted, he wasn't punished for this, he was promoted.

Sometimes, the media pundits are just too whacky!

Horror in the office building

2008-11-14T23:47:00.000-08:00

Today, around 4PM, the swat team officers with guns drawn surrounded our office building, police helicopters hovered over, later we heard on the radio that a laid off employee in the next office came back and killed three fellow employees. We don't know what drove this deranged mind to committing this over a job, but what we know for sure is that three people didn't make it home after work, and their loved ones will remember this day with horror. Among the dead is the CEO of the company and the V.P of business operations. This news hit the nerves especially since the downturn in the economy has just started to make an impact in the valley. This, coupled with the announcement from Sun Microsystems that they are going to lay off 6000 people, is ominous of the bad times awaiting the valley.

What a moment...

2008-11-04T20:06:00.000-08:00

400 years after the first black slave was brought to the shores of America, 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation and 50 years after black people could vote, here we are, at the doorsteps of a new era in the history of America, where an African American man has become the president of the United States of America. Seeing the hundreds of thousands that have poured into the streets of Chicago, white and black, people of all colors, this is an American moment and the spirit of this nation that continues to transform itself unfolds right here. This moment, we are living the dreams of a generation of Americans who paid dearly for a cause that took America from an apartheid society into a bastion of human rights. There are still wars to be fought, discriminations to be abolished, prejudices to be wiped out, but tonight, we enter a new era in America, a step in the right direction and a tribute to numerous Americans who gave their lives so that we could live this moment.

Obama rocks!!!

2008-11-04T20:04:00.000-08:00

Obama Rocks!!!

Get out and vote!

2008-11-04T07:04:00.000-08:00

Vote For Change! Vote for Obama!

Get Out and Vote!!!

2008-11-03T23:11:00.000-08:00

Yes to Compassion, Yes on Prop 2

No to Hate, No on Prop 8

And Yes to Barack Obama!!!

Election Anxiety

2008-11-01T22:02:00.000-07:00

We are on the home stretch of the long presidential campaign and in just 3 days, it will all be over. I am feeling nervous about this election, all indications point to a clear victory for Obama, but remember the times when you were in school. You have prepared well for the exam and just the night before you have nightmares about something going horribly wrong; whether it is Bradley effect or voter fraud in this case. The outcome of another stolen election is just unimaginable. We just have to wait and see. Glad to know that I am not alone.

"The McCain-Palin Campaign's vicious smearing of Obama is literally making people sick. My blood pressure has been higher than normal. It rises precipitously every time I read the blogs or watch the news. I saw my physician last week and she said that many of her black women patients were experiencing higher than normal blood pressures. She recommended that we double the dose of our hypertension meds until Obama wins."

Act of redemption

2008-10-19T23:00:00.000-07:00

From Collin Powell's days as the secretary of state, there are two images that are stuck in my head. One that of the obedient soldier who made the case for war, stood at the united nations and argued tirelessly for a war that 'needed' to be fought. The other image of his, behind the scenes, fuming with anger at the made up 'facts' for an invasion of Iraq, was portrayed in several books. Still, the loyal general went along, knowing probably that he could very well have prevented a war. All along when I read about him, I didn't feel pity for him - what good is it to have principles for which you wouldn't stand up?

Today he made a very convincing case for Obama and I particularly liked the term he used to describe Obama's character - intellectual vigor. That is exactly what I felt after reading Obama's 'Audacity of hope'. Collin Powell explained the nasty nature of McCain's campaign. He, for the first time, as a prominent politician explained how hurtful it is to use the word 'muslim' as a smear. He asked the dreadful question: Obama isn't a muslim, but what if he was. It was an act of redemption.

Violence and secularism

2008-10-12T20:59:00.000-07:00

The secular values and culture of India are threatened by the saffron gang. The violence that has been unleashed by these goons specifically against Christians are largely gone unnoticed.

They were ordered to get on their knees and bow before the portrait of a Hindu preacher. They were told to turn over their Bibles, hymnals and the two brightly colored calendar images of Christ that hung on their wall. Then, Mr. Digal, 45, a Christian since childhood, was forced to watch his Hindu neighbors set the items on fire.

A couple of weeks ago when I was in kerala, there was a church that was vandalized by the same forces. As the elections approach, the same communal forces reappear feeding to the insecurity of the millions. Brutal killings (remember the australian missionaries killed with two young children a couple of years ago), raping of nuns and vandalizing of churches continue with no real consequences to those who commit those crimes. Meanwhile, Narendra Modi celebrates his own commission's findings that he was not guilty in the pogrom against muslims in Gujrat. All in all, the news from our sub-continent is pretty abysmal.

Changing Times...

2008-10-11T11:20:00.000-07:00

At a town-hall event Friday in Minnesota, McCain took the microphone from a woman who had called Obama an Arab. McCain said, "No, ma'am," and he called Obama "a decent, family man."

Obama is not an arab, he is a family man! that's nice!

Obama-Biden ticket

2008-08-24T21:02:00.000-07:00

From what little i know, i am thrilled about Obama-Biden ticket. A good track record of liberal voting, great insight into foreign relations and policies especially with respect to south asia and a generally likeable speaker. Sure, he may have mis-managed his own campaign; but his long career and records strengthen Obama's message. Oh boy, i can't wait to November!

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-15T10:30:00.000-07:00

Of all the years of my life, the two years without you have been the toughest. I don't need a Father's day to remember you, the days and nights on end, i am reminded of the sacrifices, love and care - you weren't just another father, you were so special, so perfect.

When I look into the eyes of my 3 year old son, I hope I can, some day, be at least of a fraction of what you have been to us - Miss you so much!

Metamorphosis

2008-06-14T22:38:00.001-07:00

I like fictions that provide interesting tidbits about the intricacies of human existence. That is the reason I started reading 'Metamorphosis' by Kafka. Kafka stands tall in the 20th century scene of western literature. But, the profoundness and the genius I expected from this book fell terribly short, but what he has been able to accomplish in this book is to capture the anxiety of modern life, and the terrible contradictions that follow us in every path of our lives. I would be reading more of his works as I am not yet ready to write him off. After all, Kafka-esque is a term that I had begun to like even before reading any of his works :)

Sebastopol

2008-06-13T22:17:00.000-07:00

I picked up Leo Tolstoi's Sebastopol for two reasons - firstly it is a small book by a literary giant, whose books are generally 1000+ pages in size. Secondly, it seemed like a portrayal of war and I was curious what Tolstoi saw in war 150 years ago. And I wasn't wrong. It is a moving portrayal of soldiers, their fears, bravery and the uncanny sense of patriotism.

Much before internet, radio and 24 hour television channels, the story of Sabastopol tells the stories that we haven't heard from Iraq yet. True, it is an art of fiction. Still, the complex analysis of what constitutes a soldier, who stand in the rain of fire and what awaits him in his nightmarish sleep, is masterfully done in this book. The love, hatred and above all the sadness and cruelty of war is evident in this short book. As the book ends when the russian soldiers leave Sebastopol looking back at the city that took their fellow soldiers, I can't help thinking about Iraq - what emotions would besiege those soldiers when they finally leave Iraq?

Obama for 2008

2008-06-03T23:50:00.001-07:00

Today, I am delighted. Senator Obama has claimed victory in this historic race. Hillary continues to be defiant - no surprise there. Now, the real work for Obama starts. It is easy to discredit the legacy of Bush, but no republican presidential candidate has ever associated himself with Bush's failed policies. They may all belong to the same party, but with Bush's current rating, the word is that the republican party members are not answering Bush's phone calls. The point is, there is much at stake here, another 8 years of republican party would be the beginning of the end of prosperity in this country. The smear machine of the republican party has started to get the ball rolling to discredit Obama and highlight his lack of experience. So, if it means that bringing Clintons would provide the guaranteed return of democratic power to the white house, I would support Clinton's vice presidency, by all means.

One hundred years of solitude

2008-06-03T23:23:00.000-07:00

'100 years of solitude' is a masterpiece. No other book that I have read has captured my imagination like Marquez's genius work did. As the story of the Buendia family unfolds, the generations after generations are destined to bear the burden of incredible loneliness, the inevitable reality of human existence. While I was reading, I was thinking to myself - how does one write a novel like this? What complex emotions has he battled himself while he wrote it? Marquez's genius is abundantly clear in this work of art. The eloquent, brick face way of story telling combined with magical realism, the book is a delight to read.

This book is not without its flaws, like the repeated names of the Buendia family that puts unnecessary strain on the readers. He also loses the bearing of the story a bit toward the middle, but he gains it a short while later. But they are all minor compared to its larger impact overall. This is one of those books I might read again and again, because one reading alone doesn't do justice to its characters, their depth and complexity. This, in a remarkably artistic way, depicts the inevitable miseries of humanity, the complex yet meaningless quest of our desires and the tormented spirits that carry the burden of solitude.

A controversy over nothing

2008-05-25T10:09:00.000-07:00

Let me be frank, I don't like Hillary Clinton. Still, I would vote for her, firstly, if I could vote, secondly, if she is the democratic nominee. I am all for Obama. But the recent controversy about her refering the RFK assassination is nothing other than a drama of the silly season in politics. Referring to those tragic days can evoke pain and discomfort, but I don't think she is mean enough to suggest about the safety of Senator Obama. I truly believe she only meant that other presidential candidates have been campaigning even in June for nomination. Lately, Hillary Clinton hasn't had good luck either with votes or with loose words; so, this too will be analyzed to death and add to the saga of her disgraceful exit from this race.

A trip worth nothing

2008-05-18T11:47:00.000-07:00

Much has been talked about Mr. Bush and his inadequate leadership, writing anything about it would be stating the obvious. However he recent middle east trip would be marked by history as one of the least effective foreign trips an American president has ever made. His efforts to persuade the Saudi King to increase the oil production did not yield any results, his talks about Israel-Palestine peace and working with Iraq's neighbors to bring resolution to the ill-advised Iraq war haven't gone anywhere meaningful. The lip service about bringing freedom to the middle east will not fly anymore after the Iraq debacle, where Iraq, which was relatively secular and free, is ruined, while U.S does protect the super-conservative Saudi Arabia.

This is a testimony to the failed policies of this administration, the loss of credibility and the incredible work that is awaiting Obama when he takes office in next January.

AAPL and GOOG

2008-05-16T00:34:00.001-07:00

In the next few weeks, I will be attending two important events in my line of work - Apple developer conference and Google developer event. Both are exciting in its own ways.

I have had hands of variety of smartphones during my stint at mobile software companies and needless to say, for a 1.0 product, Apple has done better than anyone else. Having had one for a while, jail broken and hacked to do some cool tricks, what surprised me most was the remarkable stability of the platform, thanks to the unix underpinnings of the iPhone OS. Google, on the other hand could turn out to be the first heavily subsidised smartphone, a phone built solely around Internet content. I will have more to write after the events, but for now, I am simply excited.

The Kite Runner

2008-05-10T09:33:00.000-07:00

The Kite Runner is an incredibly powerful movie and a moving portrayal of war, friendship and sacrifice.
The movie based on Khalid Hosseini's best seller book is not short of its own problems, but at the core of it, it accomplishes one thing; taking the viewers through a magnificent tour of an unknown land, the lives turned upside down by meaningless wars, and the spirit of humanity that shines through it all. Yet this complex exploration bewilders you, the man who was ready to give up his life to defend an unknown woman lives the biggest lie in his life; such is the nature of the characters in this movie, the betrayal and guilt go hand in hand, the pride and selflessness intersect, and the heartless war and militancy provide a disturbing but powerful backdrop to this saga.

When you see the daily report of war, one can't help wonder, how many more lives are being changed forever, the unknown faces and unknown families, some live to tell the story, but most perish and are forgotten forever.

A much needed victory

2008-05-06T21:07:00.000-07:00

I am ecstatic. With all the mud-slinging, contraversies after contraversies, Obama emerges as the winner tonight - as i write this, Indiana is too close to call, but N. Carolina has given a strong boost to Obama's delegate lead. The time has come for Clinton to tone down the attacks and start thinking about the interests of the country and the Democratic party. This also speaks volumes about the way Obama has run his campaign - the record turn out of voters and the excitement around this election is nothing other than the creation of Obama. In the last few weeks and months, when the pictures of him wearing a turben circulated, when Jeremia Wright's provocatory sermons surfaced, and other zillion times, my heart felt that the voters would fall for these gimmicks of political charade. We are yet to see what is going to happen in November, But, to my pleasant surprise, today's victory is promising...

Plain Audacity

2008-04-23T21:47:00.000-07:00

Now, after the Pennsylvania primaries, Hillary says she is ready to be the 'commander in chief' - it is all good except that there is one problem - somebody forgot to tell her that she is not the leading candidate. She said indirectly a while ago that she would consider Obama as the vice presidential candidate. How about some humility when you know that your opponent has a handsome lead over you? Truly, this election has brought about the worst in the Clinton family.

The sum of five years

2008-03-20T23:16:00.000-07:00

Iraqi civilians killed - 100000 to 1000000
American soldiers killed - 3992
American soldiers wounded - 29390
Iraqis displaced - 5 million
Cost - $500 Billion
WMDs found - 0

Woot? We are not done yet?

2008-03-04T22:21:00.000-08:00

Just when we were getting ready to roll the sleeves up and direct the campaign against McCain, Senator Clinton is back in the game. We are not done with the primaries yet and knowing Clinton she is going to use her newfound opportunity wickedly well.

And who knew a skit from SNL would have such profound impact on a national election?

Islamophobia

2008-02-28T00:33:00.000-08:00

The controversy around the very 'presidential' picture of Obama wearing a turban brings out the rampant Islamophobia in this country. Even right after 9/11, the sensible people did disassociate the faith of islam from Al-Qaeda. Bush himself spoke at one point that Al-Qaeda is the distortion of a peaceful religion. In the 6 years followed 9/11 quite a few things have changed. The violence unleashed by the insurgents in response to the American occupation in Iraq has become highly vicious and the line that once was considered solid - the demarcation where the faith ends and extremism begins - is slowing fading in the minds of people. Even the people who are apparently liberal and firm believers of secularism are suffering from the same problem. While all the presidential candidates are trying to prove how christian they are, they are also finding ways to distance themselves from any aspects of Islam. Couple of days ago, NYTimes reported that Obama had spoken about the suffering of Palestinians somewhere and he was trying to backtrack on that. 1.7% of the jewish voters, albeit small in number, represents a large democratic base, while ~1% of muslims have no voice. I am not particularly critical of Obama for distancing himself from Islam, as doing otherwise would definitely put an end to his candidacy. But the state of the affairs is simply appalling.

By the way, the Naomi Klein has an excellent article on this subject and it reflects my thoughts exactly.

The last of the debates

2008-02-26T21:42:00.000-08:00

The American politics has always been very civil - no shooting down of opponents and throwing chairs like you see in the other countries. Even the close elections like 2000, candidates concede to preserve the unity - some times civility is too boring. This election has brought out solid entertainment for the apathetic as well as politically savvy folks - this is as good as it gets. Is it a surprise that Oscars had far fewer viewership this year? I think there is only a finite TV time for the hardworking American and if you got to choose, I can see why Oscars would be the last in the priority list.

At times, failure brings about the worst in people - the recent tactics employed by Hillary are clearly desperate measures to salvage a troubled candidacy. But do you want to really go down as a sour loser? Tonight's debate clearly positioned Obama as the presidential candidate - he deflected every attack directed against him with grace. Yes, he is already presidential. I can't wait to see him crushing McCain.

One small step...

2008-02-21T00:32:00.000-08:00

The people of Pakistan has overwhelmingly voted against the rule of Musharraf. I know this is a sympathy wave in the wake of Bhutto's killing and we are yet to see what the feeble coalition of the warring factions is all about. Nawas Sherrif and Zardari are known to be corrupt, a trait commonly associated with the politicians of south asia. Yet, I find this refreshing, now atleast, there is a chance that the democratic institutions that Musharraf continuously undermined could be rebuilt, may be another generation of politicians would rise up - ok, never mind. I may have been brain washed by the message of hope, you know :)

2008-02-15T14:38:00.000-08:00

An intelligent analysis of Obama vs Hillary

Happy Valentines Day!

2008-02-14T21:51:00.000-08:00

The aimless lovers held hands together and walked under the starry night. The lonely folks moaned their past love; And some drank lamenting how wrong Rumi was to write " lovers don't meet somewhere, they are in each other all along". When the day ended, the torn gift wraps lay around, they all sang in unison to the legends of pop - "Love isn't easy ...".

For the stolen generations

2008-02-12T23:28:00.000-08:00

In a historic event, Australian government apologized publicly for the treatment of Aborigines of "the stolen generations".

We apologize for the laws and policies of successive parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians," Rudd said in Parliament, reading from the motion.

It is only symbolic, but nevertheless an important step toward reconciling the race relations. American presidents have never been able to apologize for slavery in the united states - 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, this still hangs over our collective conscience.

Fear of the unknown

2008-02-11T00:04:00.001-08:00

I have been watching the controversy around the head scarves in Turkey with curiosity. I have thought long and hard about it - Erdogan's party would like to introduce more religion into politics, so my support for lifting the hijab ban has nothing to do with his party's goals. However, I do believe in liberal democracies and freedom of expression. I also believe that in a free society, people are free to wear whatever they want within reasonable limits. In that sense, I support lifting the ban on head scarves.

I, somewhat, understand the position of the liberals and the secular elite in Turkey; they do not want to turn the clock back on a century of secularism, a tradition that was firmly put in place by Kemal Ataturk. But I think their fears are misplaced, on the contrary, I feel the resentments that could be fed by a perceived religious oppression might generate further extremism than a few educated people wearing hijabs in the campuses.

Obama Phenomenon

2008-02-10T23:11:00.000-08:00

Obama wins Maine too. Woohoo...

The waves of change are sweeping across America - the shakeup in the Clinton camp confirms that Hillary's worst fears are coming true.

Obama forges ahead!

2008-02-10T12:58:00.000-08:00

The primaries in the three states are the clear indication that Obama's campaign is only gaining strength. Oh. California, if only you had faith in the message of hope, if only you had shown a little bit more courage, Obama would have been on the way to winning the nomination.

On a side note, I was disturbed by the news article in the first page of NY Times, that talked about Obama's drug use during his teen years. There was absolutely no new information, but a caption that will turn heads, right on the day of the crucial primaries. We know that you have endorsed Hillary, but, please, let's reserve this blatant mud-slinging for another time.

The case for Obama

2008-02-07T21:53:00.000-08:00

Often times friends and colleagues ask me - why do I want Obama to win so badly. I think to myself, how can I not want Obama to win? For me, the choice is clear.

1. Clinton is far more guarded than Obama - She comes across as a tactical politican who have learned how to survive in politics. On the contrary, Obama is more comfortable taking seemingly unpopular positions.

2. Clinton's experience comes from the republican dominated era of past 20 years or so. The times, when democrats were not comfortable challenging the republican majority - every word was run under the popularity lense before ever spoken out - the legacy of popular positions over-riding the inner convictions. Obama belongs to the more liberal wing of democratic politics - it is not an accident that he was endorsed by Ted Kennedy.

3. Obama stands on his own feet while Hillary's power and experience come from being in the shadow of Bill Clinton.

At the end, I am only hoping that the bitter struggle for presidency does not split the party and the opportunity of a landslide win in 2008.

Obama or Hillary

2008-02-05T23:53:00.000-08:00

As I write this, Hillary is leading the super tuesday primary. I am still hoping the race isn't settled and Obama will emerge as the winner. I, truly, for once, believed that the victory belonged to Obama. Looking at these two candidates, it was clear for me, what kind of a leader America deserved - but I have been completely wrong in assuming that the other people would think the same way. For me, the two candidates presented a stark contrast and I thought Obama's life and presidency would serve as an inspiration for the generations to come. The message of hope, the possibility of a new era, an african american president in the white house - all that resonated with me a great deal, it felt like we were turning a new page in history. But, with the final results yet to come, I am truly disappointed. My fingers are still crossed...

This is what CNN reports as of now -

Hillary Clinton

Pledged: 496

Superdelegates: 193

Total: 689

Barack Obama

Pledged: 476

Superdelegates: 106

Total: 582

Kenya

2008-01-29T23:10:00.000-08:00

The news from Kenya is heart-breaking. The tribal instincts concealed forcibly behind the thick curtain of democracy - that has been the state of many third world countries. They vote, they exercise their electoral rights, but deep in their heart, several centuries of tribal lineage define their true loyalty. May be, the survival instinct is to blame for the intense hatred toward the rival tribes. Once in a while, a politician opens these old wounds, and the brutality becomes unstoppable. We have seen this over and over again in third world countries.

During my travel in Kenya in 2001, I hated Nairobi. A city with no character, poverty given rise to high rate of crimes, a facade of modernity displayed by skyscrapers, shopping malls. Yet, in the rural Kenya, I witnessed a more humble country, poor but proud people moving on with their lives, Naiwasha, Nakuru, Samburu, in between the runs between the national parks, I must have passed through the same streets where people are rioting now.

2008-01-29T00:03:00.001-08:00

Kennedy family's endorsement for Obama is huge, despite the tenacity with which Hillary had tried to persuade the Kennedy family to endorse her or atleast stay neutral. But, the
hope and inspiration that Obama alludes greately in his speaches is finally beginning to make a difference - It is not the naivette of a junior senator, but the view of a visionary that is turning heads at this point. It is exactly that hope, or what he calls the 'audacity of hope' that attracts me to his candidacy.

2008-01-27T10:24:00.000-08:00

The South Carolina primary takes the game back to Obama. His whopping lead over Hillary signals the momentum he has been accumulating over the last few weeks. This is exciting times --

2008-01-20T23:54:00.000-08:00

The collective punishment toward the Palestinians has always been the game of Israelis - bulldozing the houses of civilians, bombing of the refugee camps, and lockdown of cities. Now, Gaza has gone dark after Israel cut off the fuel supply to this prison-city. Well, there is much to say about the tactics of Hamas as well, but at the end of the day, Israel has no right to punish an entire population by these brutal methods.

The candlelight vigils against this injustice will never get the same attention as the suicide bombs, so these peace minded folks will forever be marginalized and ignored.

2008-01-04T01:18:00.000-08:00

O b a m a R O C K S !!!

This is exciting....

2007-12-30T11:05:00.000-08:00

South Asian politics have always been about families. Pakistan People's party is unable to go beyond Bhutto's family and a 19 year old is the best to lead the party in a time like this? Is this really what democracy can offer in Pakistan? If yes, with all his shrewdness and inabilities, I'd prefer Musharraf to stay than Bhutto's family run the show.

2007-12-28T10:18:00.000-08:00

Benazir's life, with all its contradictions and controversies, was a ray of hope in the Islamic world. She was the first elected woman head of a nation in the whole of Islamic world, that too in the backdrop of a mainly male-dominated south asian society. The life that ended with a mad man's bombing was not too unexpected in the wake of the recent developments in Pakistan; yet one would have thought she could have been more cautions, given more security, but all that becomes a useless talking point; at the end of it all, we have lost someone who had graced the south asian politics, with her brilliance, charm and personality. Pakistan is quickly descending into further chaos; have the extremists elements that fled Afghanistan after 9/11 invaded Pakistan?

2007-11-21T00:01:00.000-08:00

Not shining?

These reports leave you bewildered, with all the talk about India being on record track in terms of economic/social development, we are really 127th in literacy?

In the year 2001, the total number of illiterates came down to 304.11 million from 328.88 million in 1991.

In 10 long years, that is all we were able to do? It is disappointing to see that 30% of people in india still cannot read or write. We need more government funded programs - i know the center-to-right wingers would cringe at that - to bring about changes in this widening disparity between rural and urban india.

2007-11-20T23:35:00.000-08:00

Presidential debates are nothing other than mud-slinging at times. What good is Mrs. Clinton trying to get from this cheap shot?
“Now voters will judge whether living in a foreign country at the age of 10 prepares one to face the big, complex international challenges that the next president will face...”

Other than having lived under the shadow of Bill Clinton, what experience is Mrs. Clinton bringing to the table here? Some say, this is Bill Clinton's 3rd presidency - is he the one pulling strings behind the curtains?

Obama, on the other hand comes out to be a self made, articulate and capable leader who really can change the world view on america now. America's battle field today is with the rest of the world and we need someone who can protuberate the aspirations of this great nation, someone who can remain as a beacon of hope in these troubled times. I don't see anyone other than Obama who can do that today!

2007-11-05T20:05:00.000-08:00

Ok, there isn't any real phone yet behind Google announcement today - I also learned that some of my former co-workers are on Android project. Yet another learning is that the life has become more difficult for mobile developers with two new platforms coming up next year - Mac OS and Google OS (shall i call it Goose?).

Having worked at Palmsource for several years on various versions of their operating systems, I am familiar with the challenges of mobile OS development. There is some good news about their OS - Open source, easy to customize, potentially cheaper devices, a more web-centric platform, etc.. There is another handheld maker who is watching the show from the bleachers and that is Palm - only Palm has managed to lose more than 100000 of its developers in a time when there wasn't really any competition from other handheld makers. Only palm has managed to lose its market share year after year - only Palm has been unable to face-lift the clunky Treo in 4 years. Gizmodo has written that the only chance for palm is to embrace Google OS - coming to think of it, it is not a bad idea after all. But given the recent history of Palm, I think their heads are still buried in the sand -- anyways, these are exciting time for mobile developers.

Emergency

2007-11-03T15:09:00.000-07:00

Once again, Pakistan awaits an uncertain future - the general has suspended the constitution and imposed national emergency. It is not that Musharraf's government hadn't seriously curtailed the civil liberties, but this takes it to a different level. Those who have read about Indira's emergency during 1977 period would know what it means - people becoming pawns in an increasingly powerful government, kangaroo trials and instant justice, all in all a violent time for the common citizens - i just hope that the violence doesn't get any worse, but that is too much to hope for with this development.

Pakistani media has slammed this move in the strongest terms possible. See the excerpt from Dawn.

we are back to square one. Back to Oct 12, 1999. All the gains over the years have gone down the drain. All this talk about the forward thrust towards democracy, about the impending 'third phase' of the political process and the lip service to the sanctity of judiciary turned out to be one great deception. The people have been cheated. In a nutshell, one-man rule has been reinforced, and there is no light at the end of the tunnel...

http://najeeb.blogspot.com

2007-11-02T19:48:00.000-07:00

After a number of lost posts and unreliable hosting solutions, I have moved to blogspot. I cannot guarantee the posts will be more regular -- but I need a place to jot things down.