Poll on MJ’s Death

[polldaddy poll=1742389]

Obama Sure to Win Next US Presidential Elections?

This is what Barack Obama said during Monday’s (23 February 2008) White House summit on fiscal responsibility.

“This administration has inherited a $1,3 trillion deficit – the largest in our nation’s history – and our investments to rescue our economy will add to that deficit in the short term… Today I’m pledging to cut the deficit we inherited in half by the end of my first term in office”

Please note the bold portion in his statement. Does this mean that he is sure to win the next term of US Presidential elections. Though quite a visionary himself, Obama should not be thinking about the next term which is few years away. Rather he should be concentrating on putting the administration on order. I am just pondering over what he meant by “my first term” in office.

Should we believe it or is it just a media hype?

Pak hackers plan attack on Indian cyber networks

New Delhi, Jan 06: After the Mumbai terror strikes, anti-India elements in Pakistan are now planning an attack on Indian computer networks, intelligence agencies have warned.

 Already Pakistani hackers are trying out a dry run against Indian networks through popular websites registered there after the Mumbai terror strikes, Home Ministry sources said here on Tuesday.

“Every time the relations between the two countries dampen, Pakistanis start attacking Indian computer networks and this has increased after the Mumbai terror attacks,” a Home Ministry source said.

Pakistani hackers have created websites such as the www.songs.pk, which are infested with software to hack data from the targeted computers, it said.

“The website www.songs.pk has over 12 lakh Indian users who are downloading stuff from these websites daily,” said a cyber expert in the Ministry.

With these websites being highly popular, it will take only a few minutes for the hackers to take command of over 12 lakh computers in few minutes and the number of such computers can multiply in every minute, sources said.

“Instead of the existing less harmful virus, new ones such as Botnet and Zoombie can be easily released into the Indian computers, which later on replicate and make the entire server vulnerable,” the expert said.

“Now a days new virus and worms are detected while downloading songs from these websites, which could be just a dry run to manage a bigger attack,” he said.

Government websites have been highly vulnerable to hacking and they have been intruded many times by the Pakistani hackers.

“Most of the time, these cases are not reported as the server is based in Pakistan and we cannot do anything in this regard,” the expert said.

The anti-virus software, too, cannot work in such situation as the virus used in such cyber wars are usually new and the anti-virus software cannot identity and detect it, he said.

“If anti-virus software cannot identify the signature of the virus coming through Internet, it will not detect it and as a result the virus will be downloaded in the computer in spite of such software available in the network,” the expert added.

Source: Zee News Website

Affluent Indians but …

Yesterday, some of my ex-colleagues and I organized a small reunion kind of session at CP, New Delhi. It was all merry until we landed up at McDonalds Janpath Marg.

 

As soon as we took the seat, a large family sat just adjacent to our seat. There were 6 adults, 2 teenagers and 4 children. Among the adults one was maid, and both the teenagers also seemed to be maids (going by their dress). I had this thought; this family must be quite affluent that they could afford 3 maids. I also thought like this is good for these poor girls at least they are getting some kind of employment.

 

But lo! here comes the shock of life. All the maids were made to sit over a separate table. And when these affluent guys ordered food, they didn’t order anything for these maids. Could you expect such kind of treatment for these girls? I can forgive this family if there were only the adult maid but the teenagers…. Huh! The way the teenagers were looking at the food being served at the other table made me comment ‘This is India’. I thought like buying something for these 3 maids. However, I skipped the idea as I thought that it would invite trouble.

 

Now don’t tell these teenagers did something wrong if tomorrow you find in newspapers that servants killed entire family and ransacked the house. The problem is with the affluent class but not with the deprived. Once you take a humane approach toward your servants you can expect them to take a humane approach towards you. Better understand this soon else you might be the next target. And don’t complain that you never knew…

Electricity from Sea Waves

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, UK has come up with a noble idea to produce electricity from Sea Waves. This is a totally innovative concept that requires less investment and would lessen maintanence cost.

The inventors call it ‘Anaconda’ as the rubber tube looks like a serpent submerged under sea waves. The design of this new invention is quite simple and the energy produce will be clean and would not pollute environment.

For details click here

Yahoo likely to revamp user interface

Unconfirmed sources say, Yahoo Inc. is likely to change its user interface in the next 1-2 months. The change could be attributed to the recent bid by Google to buy Yahoo. Though details of the likely changes in Yahoo interface are not available at this hour, the source says that the change would be minor and a customer would be experiencing better interface with ease of use.

India’s Chances at Beijing Olympics

Each time Olympics arrive I feel ashamed of being an Indian. A population of more than a billion cannot grab a single gold medal in any individual event. Isn’t it as shame for us – Indians?

 

Someone might say, it’s less than a month to go for Beijing Olympics and it is not the right time to say so. However, any Indian reading this piece would certainly agree to my viewpoint. It’s a SHAME that we have not nurtured our human resource like the way other small countries like Sri Lanka has done.

 

I would like to say ‘Why to participate in a sphere where we can’t excel?’ We should either increase our effort to garner more respect in the sphere of games and sports or we should stop financing them altogether.

 

Yes, in cricket we have certainly made some mark but not in others. Gold medals at Olympics and World Cup football are the events that make one feel proud. I just want to be proud of the country where I am born. Is it the wish which won’t be fulfilled before I am laid to rest? Is it too much to ask for from a nation that has billion plus population.

 

I believe everything is possible provided, we have the temperament and backing of right institutions/persons to do so.

 

Hope this Beijing Olympics makes me proud as an Indian. Just waiting for an Indian chances at Beijing Olympics. – Amen

Let us throw it out

Got this poster from an old friend’s page. Couldn’t resist publishing it in my blog. I hope that anyone who sees this, should consult a doctor or physician who can help him/her get out of it. This poster is a wakeup call for all those who are affected by drug abuse.

Let us pledge that we shall throw Drugs menace from our lives.

Amnesty’s Online Community Action ISSUE 5

Our Online Community is growing. There are now 992 International Members from 50 different countries. Support the Online Community today and tell friends, colleauges and family to JOIN! Online Community Action ISSUE 5 Amnesty International’s Online Community for International Members

Take Action Universal Declaration of Human Rights 60th anniversary 10 December 2008 marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights The month of June is dedicated to highlighting Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that states everyone has the right to be free from torture and other ill-treatment. The organization has documented torture for decades, but governments’ actions in recent years have challenged the validity of the prohibition itself, particularly in the context of counter terrorism. Government responses to the attacks of 11 September 2001, and attacks in other countries since then, have amounted to a serious assault on the framework of human rights. They have not only used torture, they have sought to justify it in the name of security. Torture is a crime that cannot be justified under any circumstances.  Governments must bring to justice those responsible for authorising and inflicting it. The conditions which allow it to flourish, particularly illegal detention, must be brought to an end. More… What you can do: Take action now to end illegal US detentions Petition page on Facebook: We need you! If you are on Facebook, please become a fan of the petition page and share the link with other Facebookers.  Feel free to post images or videos, write on the wall and open discussion topics.

Information Update Riga Pride – 31 May 2008 LGBT people in Latvia continue to face discrimination and homophobia on a daily basis. Their struggle for acceptance and realization of their human rights has just started. Thus, it is imperative that Amnesty Interanational continues to support their efforts to be able to fully enjoy their rights. In 2007, a LGBT Pride march was allowed to go ahead. Approximately 400 people participated, of whom around 70 were from Amnesty International. More… On 31 May 2008, around 100 AI activists from 30 countries participated in Riga Pride 2008 in solidarity with Mozaika, the Latvian LGBT rights organization, who are fighting for increased human rights for LGBT people in Latvia. The participating sections and structures included AI Australia, AI Turkey, AI Faroe Islands, AI Moldova, AI Denmark and AI USA. The march went very well and we did not let the counter-protesters rain on our parade. Thank you to all sections and structures who were involved and helped make it such a successful event! Click here to see the Riga Pride Video You can also see videos and photos on the Riga Pride Facebook group, available at Facebook Group: Riga Pride 2008 – Amnesty International and Mozaika Please encourage your networks to comment on the video and the blog

Have your say Under the Statute, every 6 years Amnesty International creates an Integrated Strategic Plan (ISP).  The ISP guides the work, research and policies of Amnesty International. In preparation for the next Integrated Strategic Plan 2010-2016, Amnesty International has launched the first survey in a series of consultations.  The survey is a chance for the general public and members of Amnesty International to have their say on the future direction of the organization. We strongly encourage you to complete the survey; as it will be the first time International Members will participate in influencing Amnesty International’s future human rights work. Watch this space for future opportunities to participate and have your say on the future of Amnesty International Have Your Say * Please state you are an International Member

Publications 28 May 2008. Launch of the 2008 Annual Report The State of the world’s human rights.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL International Seretariat 1 Easton Street London, xLON WC1X 0DW United Kingdom

Indian Gestures – Communicating in An Uncommunicative Way

It was 9.50 am when I reached the metro station from where I am to board an auto-rickshaw (Three wheeled cab mostly found in south and south-east Asia) for my office. Damn my previous night party for me to wake up this late today. As soon as I started looking around for three wheelers, 3-4 of them sprung up.

Now, the hardest part of boarding an auto-rickshaw; ‘negotiation of fare’. Here, in Delhi, NO auto-rickshaw driver gives a damn about the rules and regulations setup by Government. If you are a frequent traveler, you can tell whether the bargained fare is good or not. If you are a seasoned traveler these drivers can certainly take you for a ride with a fare that digs a big hole in your pocket.

At last when I asked such a driver, he just made a gesture with his hand which I thought meant that he is saying NO. However, to my surprise as soon as I turned back, he started calling me and asked me to board.

Ah! GESTURE/SIGNS, maybe these were the first things with which we human tried to communicate with each other. Millions of years have passed since that age. Yet, we Indians are still making such gestures to complete our communication. I am not questioning the usability of such gestures/signs, I am just questioning whether the one to whom one is gesturing would be able to perceive the communication. Aren’t we prone to miscommunication at such juncture?

I believe, the auto-rickshaw driver I encountered today was someone who was so stressed that he was in no mood to talk or maybe it was just his habit of saying. However, what I certainly believe is that, I just did not understand the way he was communicating.