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- Archives: August 2006
- Life in Israel: The Big City Boy Moves to the Village
In Jerusalem, we lived in an apartment. Here, for less than half the price, we live in two story house.
- Book Review: What Color Is Your Jockstrap?
Dare to kiss a woman of Elliott Hester's dreams in Argentina
- General Mischief
The General And His Labyrinths
- Visiting Alang, The Shipbreakers' Paradise
A trip to India's famous ship-breaking yards of Alang-Sisoya near Bhavnagar.
- Israel And Palestine: Mapping The History
...grey, not black, and not white, is the predominant colour of history.
- Arvind Kejriwal, Parivartan, Wins Ramon Magsaysay Award for Emergent Leadership
Parivartan's success stories have shown that it is possible to get a citizen's fair due from the state.
- Making Blog Money via Tyroo
All in all a definite dekho if you are looking for earning some extra bucks via blogging.
- Outsourcing; Where To?
Where should the developed world get it's IT work done?
- Mass Pasted SEX Spamming On Orkut
I've made a few good friends on orkut but been spammed with sex offers.
- Movie Review: Omkara
being notes on Omkara, one of the best hindi films of 2006
- Ghazal: kuch nayi nahin
Thoda sakun milta hai, inn shabadon ke thande jhonkon mein...
- Book Review: The Club Dumas Arturo Perez-Reverte
Read The Club Dumas (and) be reminded of the reasons for reading...
- Welcome to Bald-a-geddon
How people take/react to the onset of balding..
- Analysis Gone Awry
Writers et al should not write/paint with a preconceived agenda if they need to be taken seriously.
- Top Ten Terrorist Pick Up Lines
Your tower or my tower
- With or Without the Mole
Jaswant Singh inspire politicians, filmwallahs and ‘intellectuals’ to sow their own books and reap their own profits.
- Cyber Voyeurism: Of Breasts, Sex and Rakhi Sawant
Rakhi Sawant has surely made my blog quite easily accessible via Search Engines. And I shall remain thankful to her.
- Magazine Review: The Indian American
Depending on how the vision for the magazine pans out, it could serve as a forum that gathers the Indian diaspora.
- Who Really Draws Inspiration From the Nazi Ideology? The Hamas/Hezbollah or the Israelis?
The Arabs say that the Israelis, the supposed victims of the Nazis are behaving like the New Nazis themselves.
- Movie Review: Rikshaaa! A Film On Three Wheels
Soumyadeep Paul, a denizen of Camboktu, is making a collaborative musical documentary on auto-rickshaws called "Rickshaaa! A Film on Three Wheels".
- in puzzled amazement: meh'v e hairaan
in the south, of the north / she'd be on a rocker / knitting in the porch / of a rockwell painting
- Pepsi-cide and Coca Cola - How Much Pesticide Is Enough?
The CSE found that Pepsi apparently contains 30 times more pesticides than the earlier tests done in 2003.
- Book Review: Survival: Species Imperative Book #1 by Julie Czerneda
Hitch a ride on Species Imperative and sit back and enjoy the tour of the universe ...
- English Premier League 2006/07 - Season Preview
As another exciting football season approaches, here's a lowdown on the top four clubs in the English Premier League.
- Book Review: In Those Days There Was No Coffee, Writings in Cultural History, by AR Venkatachalapathy
A deliciously evocative set of essays on early 20th century Tamil Nadu, based not on historical resources but on literary.
- New York is Hot!
It is so hot in New York that it can drive you crazy....
- Terrorism, Insurgency and Freedom of Expression
Given the plethora of India’s multi ethno-linga-religious identities, it is probably a myth that India can ever be terrorism free
- Pesticides in Colas - The Latest Scary Story
The Cola-Pesticide episode is another example of scaring people and making money out of it.
- Movie Review: Closer- Revisited In 55-Fiction
After watching Closer for the eleventh time, I decided to put down the movie plot in eleven 55-fiction pieces.
- Newly-Weds In America
The newly wed desi couple's life in America.
- American Moms Freak Over Breastsucking Infants
Cover shot on BabyTalk magazine causes outrage.
- A Writer's Notebook: Pride, Price, And Profit
...you end up charging more then most people are prepared to pay.
- Toronto Life's Last Ever Summer Fiction Issue
Delhi is part of Toronto. So are Hong Kong, Mumbai, Mandeville, and the thousands of other places that people bring with them to this city.
- Do You Know Where The Next Bin Laden Is Coming From?
There is a country which is trying its best to produce thousands of Osamas.
- Kids say the Darnedst Things - Part II
He however did manage to get a few laughs, claps and smiles from the present viewers and the cafe's staff.
- Read India Books: A Treasure Trove of Children's Literature in Indian Languages (and English)
If you've been looking for high quality children's books in Indian languages with Indian stories told well, your search has ended.
- That Long Flight To India
That long flight to India...there is a new name for those fliers: endurance fliers.
- Canadian Politics: The Lie That Is Afghanistan
Afghanistan is not worth dying for and anyone saying otherwise is lying.
- dancing azrael*
like boxers past their prime / seeking refuge of the bell / they will cease by themselves
- Book Review: Migration: Species Imperative Book Two Julie Czerneda
Read these books for the story and the adventure and...for gaining an understanding of human behaviour and making a new friend.
- How To Win Friends and Influence People: Not the Jan Egeland Way
Egeland wants to care for the victims and make sure that their suffering is eased. But the way he goes about it is rather curious.
- DVD Review: Jimmy Buffett Live At Wrigley Field
Never before have so many people been filmed in Wrigley Field wearing such a loud collection of clothing or straw hats.
- Friendship Day
Heard of Friendship Day? How are these days celebrated in India?
- Bollywood, Bindi’s, Samoosa’s…And My White Friends
When do racial comments become funny?
- Canadian Politics: The Case Of The Vanishing Kyoto Accord
...the climate will continue to change and we'll be living in a desert but worse.
- Book Voyeurs, Book Groupies & Books As Aphrodisiacs
The ultimate guide to book voyeurs, book groupies, book-me pickup lines and how to use a books as aphrodisiacs.
- Book Review: Build Your Own AJAX Web Applications
A programmer’s reference or a sequential reader, this book is an able companion to get you going with AJAX.
- The Money Game: Paying Back Society
Bill Gates and Warren Buffett teach us what we know but fail to grasp– we cannot take money with us.
- Book Review: Between Past and Future Collection of Ekbal Ahmad's Essays on South Asia
Recently, Prof. Zia Mian sent me a gift. A book of essays and writings by Eqbal Ahmad: Between Past and Future.
- Coming Soon To Your City: The Masturbate-a-thon
An event of such ambiguous motivations raises difficult questions, which do not necessarily have ready-made answers.
- Looking for Fairies
I keep thinking of the lovers and fairies that come to the lakes to swim and dance in moonlit nights. Have you been there?
- Book Review: Small Is The New Big by Seth Godin
Seth Godin, in his inimitable style, writes on the new drivers for entrepreneurial success.
- Conversations with a Mussalmaan Aurat from Delhi
What do Indian Muslim women think of Hindus, Koran's bad name, Islamic terrorism, BJP and Pakistan?
- Chronic Pain: The Next Level
I'm sure many of you have experienced this temporarily during an illness when you've been too sick to get out of bed
- The Politicisation of Indian Cricket - Corridors of Chaos
It's hard to be optimistic about the future of Indian cricket.
- Book Review Regeneration, Species Imperative #3 Julie Czerneda
You are not going to want to stop once you begin.
- AOL Goofup Leads to Google Keywords Leak
AOL releases research data of 20 million search queries, which can be easily manipulated to highest paying keywords!
- New Graduate Student Cometh
An old student rationalizes why influx of new students is charming!
- V-Monologues vs P-Monologues
Inspired by Vagina Monologues, my friend Bharati decided to translate the phrase into Hindi and certainly it was not easy.
- Short Story: Candlelit Night
"A teapot, three feet distance and an ironical silence is what separated them."
- Short Story: Amit, Preity Zinta and Hrithik Roshan
Men like him gave these girls what they wanted - attention. What about him?
- Canadian Politics: The Case Of The Disappearing Kyoto Accord Part 2
It looked like this missing Kyoto accord case was really starting to heat up...
- The Darjeeling Unlimited: New Hollywood Film From Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson
Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson head to India for their new film...
- A Fair Road to Middle East Peace
Invoking moral authority in an environment of distrust requires fairness and equality.
- Movie Review: My Brother Nikhil at Rakha Bandhan
My Brother Nikhil is more than sensitivity towards the gay community and the HIV Positive
- crimson rain
thank you, am not one of them / who have cornered the truth
- A Writer's Notebook: Accomplishment
but I won't really have a feeling of accomplishment ...until it is published by someone other than me.
- Dean Jones and the Terrorist Under the Bed
Ever told a joke so bad that you got fired for it? Meet Dean Jones.
- How Many Paradises Can Our World Afford To Lose?
The earth has a limited number of exquisite spots that are nearly paradise. How many can we survive losing?
- Understanding and Healing
Words mislead. Misinterpretations, bad translations, cultural differences can mean suffering or death.
- Pepsticide
Thanda hai par ganda hai yeh
- Sourav Ganguly: One Last Fling
His legacy is secured. He's been a terrific servant of Indian cricket. I didn't want to see him back.
- Pakistani Nuclear Bum
The General's Bomb
- Israeli Politics: News Analysis - Winds of Change Blowing Through the land?
The winds of change are coming over the land. The issue is what is the change, and how is it being brought about?
- Talkback To Desicritics
Opal Mehta, Nehru and Sesame Street - we've got them covered.
- CD/DVD Review: Palm World Voices - Mandela
If you ever wondered why Nelson Mandela...after this material, that will no longer be a question without an answer.
- News Analysis from Israel: Mr. Olmert's Little War and the Winds of Change Blowing Through the Land
The wind of change is coming over the land. What is the change, and how is it being brought about?
- Movie Review: Omkara, Disappointment and Dismay of the Season
A supremely egoistical and pretentious film that fails to excite.
- Pope and Madonna to Raise Profile of Bangladeshi Textile Production
There is every indication that excommunication is this year's cocaine --
- Saira Likes To Draw
Female literacy needs to be encouraged and sustained so that we can reach out and touch more Sairas.
- Book Review: Terrorist by John Updike
Resorting to stereotype and one-dimensional characters dooms John Updike's attempt to portray a homegrown American terrorist.
- Oliver Stone's World Trade Center, I've Seen It Already
I don't want that Raising Arizona, Con-Air, Rock, Leaving Las Vegas visage to come up instead of the face of real-life policeman John McLoughlin.
- Three Enemies Who Ruined My Game
In those days, it was pure cricket — completely unadulterated by commercials for pesticide-containing cola.
- An Injured Tom-Cat In a Gunny Sack - Translation of a Saqi Farooqi Poem
presently this path abruptly will stop / at the dirty pond / and ensconced in the loneliness of my coffin / I'll embrace sleep
- UNable
UN is a dysfunctional group of the strong, by the strong and for the strong
- DVD Review: Kris Kristofferson Live From Austin, TX
If you are a fan and felt that your collection has lacked a concert movie to round it out, this is the one for you.
- It Happens Only in India
Where else is it commonplace for a woman to be dragged into a car and raped by a bunch of men and then thrown out?
- Mr Osama bin Laden – The Greatest Shaitan of Our Times
Revelations received from a 17th century ghost in the Red Fort ramparts.
- DVD Review: Johnny Cash Live From Austin Tx.
Owning this disc is too good an opportunity for any Johnny Cash fan to let slip away.
- Brand Power: Are Consumers In Charge Now?
"BP" has gone "beyond petroleum" without ever quitting petroleum.
- Madras Day
A city has an infinite lifespan. The people who live in it are incidental: they come and go. But the city goes on. Like Chennai.
- Mourning Bengal's Partition
Because the partition of Bengal was accomplished with lesser violence, it never got much attention and sympathy except in the Bengali community and its culture.
- Movie Review: Good Night, and Good Luck, Full of Atmosphere
The title of the movie is Murrow's famous line that he used to sign-off the show.
- Confessions Of An Aspiring Yogi
Yoga — I am sorry to disappoint gym enthusiasts — not only packs in the power of a gym but much more.
- Popularity on the World Wide Web: How Do You Measure It?
Who doesn't want to be popular? But, how do you measure it? Here is a look at various scales of acertaining popularity. Do you agree
- Book Review: The Briar King: Book One The Kingdoms Of Thorn And Bone Grey Keyes
Nature spirits aren't gentle little creatures...they are fierce...and care nothing for the wants and desires of humanity.
- Stretch the Weekend Into Weekends!
Go ahead have fun but remember it’s all because Mera Bharat Mahaan! Jai Hind!
- With a grain of salt: Children of a lesser God?
What the BA-Iraqi administration can do is to publicize the rule of law and show that nobody is immune from crimes.
- Harassment of Faisal Khan
A pointless and humiliating treatment being dished out to an Indian social worker.
- Peace In Our Time: History Repeats Itself As A Farce
History not only has repeated itself as a farce today but has done so at the speed of light.
- Movie Review : Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna : sKANK it up baby
D Plus. Consume half a truck of vitamins, proteins and minerals before entering the theater to watch this Skank Kank.
- Investment Banking - Sociopaths wanted
Let's consider the psychology of a psychopath and some of the clearly visible behaviour exhibited by 'your friendly neighborhood investment banker'.
- CD Review: Elysium For The Brave Azam Ali
The true potential for artistic expression in contemporary music is with the Azam Alis of the world
- Canadian Politics: The Case Of The Missing Kyoto Accord Part 3
...why were the feds so keen to keep the information about the Kyoto accord quiet?
- Book Review: The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana by Umberto Eco - Murdering Mickey Mouse
Snob warning: if you read Dan Brown and actually LIKED The Da Vinci Code, I suggest you leave.
- Delhi's Intelligence Dilemma
Intelligence gathering is clearly & unarguably a very important aspect in today's global dynamics of politics, war & international relations.
- CNN Report: Britain's Home-Grown Insurgency
We also demand Her Majesty's Government to take every measure to assuage the fears of it's marginalized Muslim minority.
- Delhi Diary: Live From Jantar Mantar – In The Midst of a New Information Revolution
Struggle for a Very Important Cause is presently underway in India’s Tiananmen Square.
- The World's Weirdest Startup Ideas (And, Yes, They Work)
The world's wierdest startup ideas, from the almost altruistic and the openly opportunistic to the truly creative and the brazenly bizarre.
- Cultural Imperialism: The Path To Extinction
The species that doesn't evolve risks extinction.
- India International Salsa Congress in Bangalore, Aug 16-20, 2006
So if you've vaguely heard of Salsa but don't know squat about it, now's the time to go, watch and learn.
- Indian-Headquartered Offshore Services Players and Their Edge
They have caused a fundamental and structural change in the service provider/client relationship.
- Theater Review: Sugar Mummies At The Royal Court, London
Female sex tourism - now understood as standard in certain small parts of the world - is the subject of Tanika Gupta's new play.
- Indian Income Tax Returns - Not Saral Anymore
The drop that won't make the ocean
- A Eulogy for Suresh
How many young couples do you see deciding between Anya,Ananya,Anikya, Anikanya,Adi,Maya, and suchlike?
- Join the National Campaign for RTI
Help communities around India in opposing the amendment to the Right to Information. Help strengthen the freedom in India.
- Our Sacred Rituals
The Republic day and the Independence Day functions take place in a display of state sponsored patriotism
- Temporary Patriotism
Every year, on the advent of the two national holidays, i.e. Republic Day and Independence Day, we see a spurt in our patriotism
- Independence Is Dead. Long Live Independence.
True independence is the independence of mind. Until then, this day is another namesake.
- Anonymous Coward vs. Superhero
The relevance of identity in the virtual world, and a battle between the "Anonymous Coward" and the "Superhero"
- Neighbour's Envy Owner's Embarassment
Surprisingly. Natwar Singh is still wanted, if not by the Congress, then by BJP & SP
- Mah, Color Me Basanti!
As the clock strikes twelve tonight the nation goes on a 24 hour long rampage of a day we call the Independence Day
- under the minaret
am not swayed by big buildings / roads, dams and bigger egos
- Yeh Daagh Daagh Ujala: A Sequel to under the minaret
For the gullible who believe that democracy is alive and well in Pakistan I have Santa Claus’ cell number.
- The Flag Flies High
The bunched up flag made its way up to the top, hesitated for a brief second and fluttered in the breeze.
- Book Review: A Call To Honour - Jaswant Singh - Part I
Rough beasts are slouching towards their Bethlehem, all over the world, their hour finally come.
- CD Review: The Torch Ronnie Baker Brooks
Ronnie Baker Brooks shows that the blues are in good hands for at least this next generation.
- On Independence Day
The national integration cultural show. Song, dance and skit. We clap – not because we enjoy it but because everyone else is.
- Book Review: Blood Ties, Ameeta Rathore
A very readable and realistically crafted tale of generational echoes and social change in mid-twentieth-century Bihar.
- "Today, We Celebrate Our Independence Day..."
This brought the question, "Who did you get your independence from then?" I just looked at everyone and went "Well, you lot!"
- Independence day, what?
It should be independence in the truest sense - in the mind to begin with.
- Was the Most Celebrated Heroine of Literature Really Beautiful?
What did Elizabeth Bennet look like? Were her teeth shapely? Were here eyes deep enough? Oh, was she actually ugly?
- Technology Empowers Husbands.
Husbands being cornered by biased laws (against them) in India are turning to technology to counter their unscrupulous wives.
- Shades of Brooklyn
All in all to me Brooklyn is in many ways just like a miniature Mumbai City.
- A Pint of Independence
So that we can talk about interdependence over a pint of independence.
- Otéf Yerushalayim: the Jerusalem "Wrap"; Can You Say International Border?
Sometimes you need to step back just a bit from all the complicated descriptions to understand what you are seeing...
- Satire: Pervez Musharraf’s Independence Day Address to Pakistan
A speech Pakistan President ought to make but never would.
- Welcome To America, You Monkey - Sen. George Allen's Conservatism
George Allen Shows the True Colors of U.S. Conservatism
- Website Review: Bharat1.com - A Premier News Aggregator
The framework is in place and considering the excellent beginning, promises abound for this aggregator site.
- Just Got Lapped
Terrorists have come out faster than our judicial system while we continue to be lethargic.
- Follow Me
Lay down your ego and sit for a while, treat all animate and inanimate with the same smile.
- Desi-esque: A Playlist For Your Pleasure
Here's a playlist to get your weekend started early!
- Adobe Flex 2 - Taking Flash Where No Flash App Has Gone Before
The adoption of this framework and programming model will take time, and be based on community support and ease of integration with existing applications.
- DVD Review: Gram Parsons Fallen Angel
...even with its warts and all portrayal it does nothing to diminish his musical accomplishments.
- Inquilaab Zindabaad!
It was the 50th anniversary of India's Independence when this happened, and it remains perhaps the most memorable Independence Day ever for me.
- UK-Washington Flight Diverted to Boston After "Passenger Disturbance"
United officials are maintaining that there is no indication that there is any terrorist connection with this incident at this time.
- Old India, New Indian
While their friendship keeps the Government going, their differences keep editors and journalists in business.
- Photo Essay: One Day in the Life of a Delhiwalla
How does a Delhiwalla live, read, work and eat in the times of terrorism and other uncertainities.
- A Final Solution For Terrorists?
A set of actions the West can take to protect it self and all its enlightened (read white) inhabitants.
- Book Review: Excel for Starters - The Missing Manual
A value for money book for the beginning user of Excel
- Indian-Pakistan Diplomatic Fracas - A Cold War Charade
The greatest thing that could happen in the life of a diplomat....
- Book Review: Camera Chronicles of Homai Vyarawalla, Sabeena Gadihoke Parzor
Vyarawalla is one of the monuments of Independent India, and this book is a monument to that monument.
- Saturdays With Fareed
Fareed Zakaria doesn't necessarily pull out the charm we've come to expect on his own show, but he doesn't need to.
- The Enterprise Software Consolidation Jigsaw Puzzle: Customers Beware
Only a few acquisitions in the enteprise software space makes sense.
- PostGlobal: washingtonpost.com's New Interactive Feature
With so many media sources out there, one wonders whether PostGlobal will be drowned in a sea of voices.
- The Royal Grope
Prince Harry's groping scandal has sent shock waves jolting Bill Clinton, Muslim youths and pop star Madonna, besides the Buckingham Palace.
- Software Review: Windows Live Writer - Blogging's New One-stop Location?
Simple Word-like interface. Manage and post on multiple blogs. A panacea to all those who hate coding while Blogging!
- Book Review: The Charnel Prince The Kingdoms Of Thorn And Bone Book #2 by Greg Keyes
...once you commit to The Kingdoms Of Thorns And Bone you won't be able to extricate yourself easily
- Honorable Members of the House and the NDTV Civics Quiz
Are our law makers able to grasp issues of national importance and their various nuances?
- The New Rules For Web 2.0 Startups
Web 2.0 startups need better models for success.
- Overheard: Bush Blair Babble
Bush tries to locate his cell phone but he can’t remember where he left it before going to bed.
- Desicritics Editors' Picks-- July 10-July 23
If you were away here are some articles you may want to read.
- International Integration And Other Stories From Kanpur
One symbol of sin during those simpler times was Debonair, the famous (men's) magazine brought out from Bombay.
- Book Review: The Blood Knight The Kingdoms Of Thorn And Bone Book #3 Greg Keyes
Keyes is far too good an author to stretch something out just for the sake of stretching it out.
- Party Politics and Governance: The Advantage of Many Voices
Whether it is the matter of a piece of legistlation or the elections to a sports body, there is profit in having different points of
- eLearning, Open Source & Litigation
Open Source & eLearning combination may not neccessarily lead to sustainable innovation and provide leading edge solutions
- Juggling Freedom and Security
The Bush administration had the trust of the people. They lost it.
- World Bank Report on Doing Business, 2006: Lessons for India
Reforms occured in credit and duties on property transactions, but are sorely lacking in bankruptcy laws and the job market.
- A Writing Burnout of Extraordinary Proportions
They sneer at my attempts and retreat to the subconsious where I fight the demons, the inhuman voices of hatred, genocide and death.
- Macaca Fever Sweeps America
In the hottest new craze to sweep the nation since mittens with Ipod pockets, Indian Americans are getting down with the Macaca.
- Hi, I’m Zehra, Your DJ for the Evening
You absolutely control the fervor of the dancing, the movements and moods of everyone out there.
- Canadian Politics: Why An AIDS Conference?
What will it take for these people to notice that millions of people have died?
- The Indian Postal Service - Getting a Make Over?
What is needed is the iron-will, vision, and continuously innovative strategy to turn around a behemoth like this one.
- Books George Bush Should Read
Books Dubya must read after he is done with The Stranger.
- Movie Reviews: Omkara and KANK:-- "Raja" and "Rank"
Omkara: an adaptation of Othello, that borders on a literary achievement. KANK (Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna): An lavish insult to intelligence.
- Book Review: Londonstani by Gautam Malkani
Jas's story is pretty engrossing at the beginning. But after a while, the lingo no longer surprises and the situations drag.
- With a Grain of Salt: Arab Leadership: Footprints in the Sand
And after they have tasted blood and power, it makes them drunk and addicted and they thirst for more of it at any cost.
- Yes Virginia, There is a Macaca Clause
In an effort to be seen as more than a beachscape of Post-Colonial Detritus, the McCaca wants to re-position itself as a multi-product entity.
- The Mahim "Miracle": Sweet Sea and Holy Insanity
It is only the ignorance of man that propels him to forget all these and consume what could potentially be hazardous.
- Music Review: Re-Covers, Yat-Kha
The Buddha Smiled reviews Yat-Kha's album, "Re-Covers", and comes away overwhelmed and impressed, if drained.
- "Newer" Voices in Hindustani Classical Music
I suspect there are many new, not so well-known vocalists who aren't getting the support, publicity and encouragement they need.
- Indian Express Columnist Openly Supports Naxalites
TJS George an Indian Express columnist uses the personal tragedies of two individuals to promote his own radical leftist Agenda.
- Who's Next? The Search For a Successor
Another entrepreneur once told me, "The real point of running a business is to give it away, not to hold on to it for
- A Writer's Notebook: It's All In The Voice
A writer's voice is the soul of his or her work, cut that out and you leave a shell of the story behind.
- Phantom Words
When I went through a major writer's block, I wrote this to get out of it!
- The Changing Face of Cinema
It seems like the movie industry isn't the playground of filmi spawn anymore. The success of these regular guys has proved that.
- Narayana Murthy Retires, Washington Post Makes a Mess
Shame on Rajesh Mahapatra, for writing such an ill-concieved article, and on you Washington Post, for letting such a badly written article get by your
- YouTube-ization
We have a new word in our lexicon: YouTube-ization. I propose a new verb:YouTubed.
- The Demise of a Web 2.0 Startup and Some Lessons
Often great ideas fail simply because user inertia is too great.
- Once Was India Today
What has happened to India's No.1 news magazine? How did a journal, known as India's answer to Time, plummet to such depths?
- Passing on the Passport Pain
My (mis)adventure while applying for an Indian Passport.
- The Globalization of Bollywood
Don't we have locations that are good enough to be shot in a movie?
- mendicant’s imploration: a requiem for the undead
you glance not at my art display: coins thrown at random, shiny, dull, face up or down, inscriptions, dates...
- My Take On Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna
She hurried up and down the stairs. It was excitement flowing all the way through her nerves.
- Cricket Controversies- From Colombo to London
Two events last week have left cricket lovers all over the world disappointed.
- Racial and Religious Profiling: Will They Serve the Intended Purpose?
It is an ineffective weapon and will totally alienate the moderate Muslims whose support is sorely needed to win this war on terror.
- Israel Puts Its Foot Down
Israel has rightly refused to allow countries that do not recognise it be a part of the UN peacekeeping Force.
- Pakistan Cricket: Umpire Alleges Ball Tampering: Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow?
What is the role of the umpires in a game?
- How To Start a Sole Proprietorship in India
Starting a sole proprietorship is relatively easy, but the biggest disadvantage is lack of credibility.
- Pakistan-England Oval Test Match: Darrell Caught in Pakistan's Hair
The Koran after all finally decided the fate of the match.
- The Desi Reality - Killing Daughters in India, Elevating Indra Nooyi in America
While PepsiCo prepares for an India-born woman, Indra Nooyi, as its CEO, her native country is busy killing baby girls right inside the womb.
- Sri Lanka 101 - A Beginners' Guide To Sri Lanka Politics
This is what happens in war. Welcome.
- Music Review: The Best Of Studio One Collection
How can you go wrong with the best of the best?
- Pakistan-England Series, Sri Lanka Tri Series: Bad, Bad Cricket
Will the ICC learn something from the Oval Test debacle?
- Book Review: Hitchhiker, Vinod George Joseph
At the bottom of it all, Hitchhiker is a simple story of unrequited love, of carefully laid plans going haywire ... and well told.
- Ball Tampering Controversy: Tragedy or Farce?
An umpire with a history of accusations of racial bias, accuses a team with a history of ball tampering of doing the same
- Photo Essay: Ae Kya Bolti Tu? Ati Kya CP?
A short walk in Connaught Place, the heart of Delhi.
- The Great PDS Scam
The devastating punch line is that like in Ethiopia - one in two children in India are malnourished.
- Darrell "The Flippin" Hair - The World's Most Dubious Cricket Umpire?
Had there been a competition of the most dubious cricket umpire in our lives, Darrell Hair would be a runaway winner.
- Do We Need Another Gandhi? Lessons From Lebanon
If we draw a parallel between the present Israel-Lebanon conflict and the Kashmir issue, we can see some startling similarities.
- Music Review: Mr. Pain by Francis Jocky
Francis Jocky plays a brilliant mixture of Soul, Rhythm and Blues, and Jazz with skill and emotional honesty
- The Reincarnation Of A PSU
Dowdy and stodgy organizations that we think most PSUs to be, can and do change
- "Punny" Headlines Driving You to Pull Your Hair Out?
The best advice that can be given to the headline writer is to avoid the pun unless...
- De-modi-vated
Indian Governance is progressively getting worse
- India-bound NWA Flight Turned Back, Escorted To Amsterdam By F-16s
Things seem to have been a bit more out of sync on the Wednesday flight.
- Canadian Politics: The Case Of The Missing Kyoto Accord Part Four
My father's dead Steve,...it has something to do with the Kyoto accord and the Canadian government.
- India Uses WMD Against Pakistan
With the help of women in Pakistan, India sets off Weapon of Mass Destruction every day in their homes.
- Short Story: New Day
"What difference do thoughts make when you can’t make anything out of them?"
- The Recluse, Part 187434 of 8745948758: Terrified of Being a Muslim in America, My Own Country
I love America. I feel like I have to say that all the time now in case people get the wrong idea.
- Using Blogs to Shape Opinion
When members of civil society actively start using blogs to educate, then the next avatar of net based activism can be said to have arrived.
- Implementation of OBC Quotas - India is Bleeding!
What is needed as of now is a complete revival of our Country's political system.
- Dance partner: humraq's
as the hands around the waist / and hips, arms and nape / tango tremulously
- Satire: I’m a Hindu and I Believe All Muslims are Terrorists
How false and hateful notions about the other religion can cost you your life.
- The New Gangajaal - Gouging Eyes in Bihar
In our hinterland it would seem that we have lost all consciousness and humaneness
- Music Review: Der Fliegende Hollander (The Flying Dutchman) Richard Wagner
For the person new to opera who is looking to get their feet wet ...The Flying Dutchman is a good choice.
- Book Review: Spouse - Shobhaa De's Take On Marriage
The book is more anecdotal and entertaining than the drone of a psychiatrist merely churning out cases of marriages brought back from the brink of
- Working Women's Houses Are Dirty and Other Male Delusions
Just in case the men reading his essay are horrified and are thinking they will never ever marry, Noer exhorts men to marry.
- To Fly or Not to Fly?
Once, flying signified freedom and now it means just the opposite
- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi: A Saint With Warts
Ironically, Gandhiji is relegated to ceremonial platitudes in his own country. While some still hate him bitterly, the majority is ambivalent.
- Eavesdropping on Bombaywallah & Mumbaikar
I'm sure you have met them too. If you haven't, look out for them; you will find them everywhere.
- India-Anchored Service Providers: Huge Growth Ahead
The current performance of Indian headquartered service providers clearly point to huge growth that lay ahead for them
- Duck Season
With so much lobbying we could have got Sharad Pawar included in the Indian cricket team.
- Not Dead Yet
Treading the thin line between a state where death is appropriate and death itself.
- Calling All Desicritics: Mumbai Bloggers' Meet, Gautam Ghosh Special
Bloggers' Meet in Mumbai, in honor of Gautam Ghosh, India's leading Human Resources and Business Blogger.
- The Debasement of The Hunger Strike - Rakhi Sawant Kaun Hai?
In our time, a weapon once potent and effective has rotted away to debasement.
- Music Review: Muddy Waters They Call Me Muddy Waters
...one of the most important Blues singers of the twentieth century.
- An Ode to Raga Bhatiyar
Raga Bhatiyar: a homicidal raga with a repressed childhood.
- A Writer's Notebook: I'm Just Getting Started
I'm not about to let a little thing like a rejection letter stop me now. I've only just started.
- Travel Report: Washington DC - An Elaborate Hollywood Set
Walking from the hotel to the Capitol Building (about 20 minutes) was in many ways like strolling through some big production movie set.
- Music Review: Alexander String Quartet Plays Ludwig Van Beethoven Complete String Quartets
The ideal package for somebody who is looking to find a means of introducing themselves to the work of Beethoven.
- Music Review: Material One Down
Risks are few and experimentation is rare.
- A Lean Mean Fighting Machine aka The Human Race
A depressing thought for these violent times.
- VC Money and Indian Entrepreneurial Growth
More momentum is seen in the Indian tech entrepreneurial scene and things are bound to improve in the days ahead.
- Dutch Treatment of Indian Citizens: Indians Tolerate Insults
Truly we are a munificent and tolerant nation, no doubt about that. We swallow every slight, tolerate every insult ...
- ToI(let) Paper Simply Cannot Resist Taking a Dig at Thackeray
ToI's pathological hate of its perceived "enemies" is something it shares in common with the Nazi Propaganda machine.
- V P Singh Reaping the Profits of a McDonald's Franchise?
India's former Prime Minister and the Great Mandal Messiah who rants against globalization has landed in a soup.
- SIF's take on Amnesty International, UNICEF and CRY
For the benefit of common people, I have to convey that Feminists have continuously infiltrated into all NGOs in India.
- Asia's Best Young Entrepreneurs
In a Special Report Businessweek selected 20 young entrepreneurs and has a competition going where you can vote for them
- Musice Review: John Lee Hooker - The King Of The Boogie
these songs aren't the prettiest you're ever going to hear, but probably some of the most realalistic.
- the other finger**
an artist tactile i know / paints his heart with fingers
- Venture Capital in India
India's Venture Capital Industry lacks technology entrepreneurs. An analysis.
- Voyeur
Walking on wet earth, after a short shower on a sultry summer night, made me feel like a voyeur.
- North Bengal Travelogue
Some journal entries on traveling through the Himalayan foothills in North Bengal.
- Music Review: Giuseppe Verdi: Aida
Opera D'oro has released a beautifully performed, masterly conducted, and lovingly recorded live version
- Reservations: Are They Justified?
I suggest to let the present reservation policy remain intact but set a time frame.
- DVD Review: Sorry, Haters
Political thriller? Maybe. A twisted view on relationships? Sure. Well done? Yes.
- Hrishikesh Mukherjee Passes Away
His films were a celebration of innocence informed by a middle class sensibility.
- Bugti Checkmated In Balochistan
The ex-commando is known to lead his country into and out of messes of his and his army's creation.
- Movie Review: Bommarillu
The movie is a feel good family entertainer with no unnecessary violence, no baring of skin, no touchy-feely scenes.
- Photo Essay: An Evening in Hazrat Nizamuddin - The Dream House of the Soofis
The Delhi Wallah revisits a 14th century tomb, the soul-center of this great city.
- Hezbollah Attempts To Spin Public Opinion - Oops!
"I had no idea they'd attack after we killed three of their soldiers and kidnapped two others."
- Pakistan’s Greatest Rebel Leader, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, is Killed
Pervez Musharraf rejoices as the Che Guevara of South Asia reaches the end of his fascinating life story.
- Book Review: Christopher Brookmyre's A Tale Etched In Blood And Hard Black Pencil
It's a right gallus tale, and in places will fair deck ye...Brookmyre's most complete work of fiction to date.
- Microsoft Acquires 22 Companies In One Year
Call it panic-buying or a well-thought strategy, Microsoft is on a massive acquisition spree.
- U2: Over the Years
U2, the Irish Rock Band has grown to become a cultural icon. This is an attempt to summarise what their music has been all about
- The Constant Companion
Her tree – not only did it bring her joy, it gladdened the hearts of her family’s too, with its stoic presence.
- Music Review: Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion Exploration
The spirit of American Folk music is alive and well and continuing to grow and develop, just like the folk it speaks to.
- What Is My Issue With Vande Mataram?
Suppose I don't sing Vande Mataram because it clashes with my religious beliefs. Would that make me any less Indian?
- Accelerated Reading Program: Timely Correction of Poor Learning Outcomes in Primary Schools
Nearly forty-two percent of the children could not read simple sentences even after going to school for four to five years.
- Comics Review: Virgin Comics Issue # 0 & #1
Virgin Comics delve into Indian myth. The review of issue 0 and 1....
- Comic Review: Virgin Comics #01 - Sadhu
The rich visuals and the use of Hindu mythology in a historical context are intriguing enough to make me want to buy the next issue
- Hush.. Sigh.. Hush.
I think of nothing, no possibilities dawn at corners of my eyes anymore. The quest of years has exhausted me.
- Movie Review: Deepa Mehta's Water - A Watery Waste
The only positive thing I can say about Deepa Mehta's Water is that it provoked me to list in painful detail all of the reasons
- San Francisco Hit and Run Rampage by Afghan Man
Eyewitnesses described it like watching 'Death Race 2000', or a video game in action.
- Israel-Lebanon Conflict - Loss of the Moderate Arab Voice
One of the biggest losses has been the complete quelling of the moderate Arab voice.
- BJP's Dirty Underbelly Exposed, Once Again - Tragedy at Ujjain
Killing of a college professor by BJP's student wing lay bare the cultural values of this political party.
- Book Review: Thomas King DreadfulWater Shows Up
Do yourself a favour and pick up this book, sit back all comfortable like, and listen to a good story.
- National Songs and Patriotism
Do we really need two national songs anyway?
- Snake In My Paradise
I've always wondered why Eve didn't run for her life when the snake made its presence known to her.
- Travel Essay: Dreaming of Rajasthan
Amber Palace is a wonderful combination of brute strength and delicate beauty.
- Comics Review: Virgin Comics' The Sadhu - Issue 1
I won't say that it will do for Indian stories what Manga has done for Japanese comics!
- Kutcheri Musings
If my sleeping wasn't bad enough, my snoring was the last straw.
- Infosys' Corporate Blog - A Review
Let us hope the blog does not die the quick death of the Wipro Blog
- I'm a Bihari-Bombaywallah - I'm Trishanku
When reading fiction I identify with a character and then look at the entire book from his/ her perspective.
- View From The Aircraft Window
My first flight was when I was 21. Today, I spend as much time in airport lounges as in my office itself.
- parliament and king
the pauper in patented discards confessed / to the panhandler of loves lost, women conquered / in gap-toothed slurps
- Farewell to Hrishikesh Mukherjee
"We never heard any scripts, never heard any stories - we just showed up."
- Amar Singh and His Bank Loan Fiasco
Inspite of many regulators, banking in India still lacks the desired transparency.
- A Little Knowledge About Islam: Things People Do And Stuff Journalists Make Up
What is the supreme body of Sunnis anyway, if there is such a thing?
- Music Review: John Hiatt Live From Austin Tx. DVD
...slip this DVD in the machine, and be reminded how much fun rock and roll can be.
- Why Riba (Usury) is Haram in Islam
The wisdom behind prohibition of Usury and reasons for the Farmers plight in Vidarbha region.
- The Effervescent City Of Boston
If you love walking around and observing relaxed life - Boston is the place to be.
- Comics Review: The Sadhu 01
The Team can sit back, happy with the knowledge that they have provided Virgin with a solid, quality start.
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- Life in Israel: The Big City Boy Moves to the Village
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