Technical

3-d printing and powder metallurgy is the future of manufacturing.

Apartheid

Two state solution to Israeli Palestine conflict will end apartheid in that region. Israel must stop depending on cheap labor that Palestinian people provide and learn to live by the sweat of the brow. Israel has denied development to these people for too long now. Now it is time to set them free. I am glad good sense is at last prevailing in the world at large.

Straw that broke the camel's back?

Its funny how the international community has now reacted so strongly to Aung san suu kyi's extension of detention. The entire detention was a sham in the first place. Something about extending the injustice just seemed like the straw that broke the camel's back. Big question when does injustice overspill that people no longer will stand for it? Or perhaps the charm of the leader still endures through all the political buffoonery.

Fundamental changes

California budget cuts imply an upheaval of lifestyle. Short term budget problems should not destroy age old inheritance of culture like state parks. Some smart people made some good choices and build a foundation of good values over hundreds of years. Money cannot be a reason of giving all that up. Money never is.

Costly Peace

Srilankan peace came with a high price with many killed. But there really was no other choice. It is time for the Sri Lankan Government to quickly recognize legitimate Tamil demands. And for Sri Lankan Tamils to make their demands in a more civilized way. If the tamils in Sri Lanka wanted war they got it and were defeated. So an independent Tamil nation is out of question because they cannot survive. Its a lesson for states with separatist tendencies like Maharashtra and Kashmir in India. That a state survives because it is part of a nation.

Lost causes

The Tamil Tigers are brave and intelligent but their cause was lost. People must recognize leaders who have lost their way by their actions. What was the point of the LTTE killing innocent people in Sri Lanka traveling by buses and trains? India has fought for her independence too and not all leaders were nonviolent like Gandhi. But Indian leaders did not harm innocent people ever. There was a purpose behind their actions and the goals were always clear. People, can you trust leaders that kill indiscriminately and in many cases their own people without justifying why they did it? Of course leaders who send their army to war is no different.

Embarassments

And now Pelosi is hounded that she knew about torture on war prisoners. Everyone knew about it because it was always in the news. Now maybe Pelosi does not read newspapers and only go by intelligence reports. But it is not important whether she knew then or not but that she wants to do something about it now is more pertinent. And if some people think they put one over her saying that she already knew something she says she did not, its not working because it really appears kind of childish.

The right thing.

And now will the pope visit Iraq? That will take some guts and I can truly respect him.

Global Shame

How come the world watches helplessly when Aung San Suu Kyi goes to jail for no real reason? I am a little ashamed that people cannot do much about such things except write and talk and hope somehow things will work out or someone else will do something. I guess the Burmese must do the right thing and free a leader who worked for their good and paid a big price for doing so.

Elections

I am glad the politics of hate is not winning in India yet and I hope it never will. Congress wins and so all is fine with India for the next five years. And we see more development. Yipee.

Free Aung San Suu Kyi.

Free Aung San Suu Kyi now.

Apology

The pope has to apologize for everything he said or anyone else said. If he said something he meant it. Saying sorry is not going to change how he feels about something. Some people will dictate what the pope must say. Come on pope give us your wisdom without censor. If the pope is so afraid to seek and speak the truth then how will the others survive?

Conservative

The catholic church has tolerated much more than a president who supports abortion rights. Ask the pope. I do not see why the Notre Dame university is creating controversies. If your faith is really strong you do not have to be so
sensitive to opinions that do not match yours. Do we see people with little faith here? I say President Obama should not visit universities that do not beg him to visit. Fair enough.

Abortion is not a good thing. Its a problematic situation but sometimes necessary. It is best society offers help to women in trouble rather than pushing them to quacks and criminals. The church should know more about that because it is their business to make people's lives better.

Role models

Beauty Pageants are entertainment and Miss this and that are no role models for young women. Women must look up to people with skills that endure a lifetime. Is there a Mr California or a Mr Universe? Not many men look up to male models as role models. Or do they? One never can tell as the world gets increasingly pansy.

Also how do gay judges judge female beauty contests?

Rebate debate

Intel should not give rebates EU says. China gave rebates and look where it is now. Everything from China was cheap for a very long time till there was no competition. I think Intel should manage to maintain their lead. EU has a trend: If they cannot compete they punish.

Honesty

People in the middle east now look towards the pope for statements supporting their cause. But it has been a long time now that the church and politics have separated ways. There is nothing new he can say because the ten commandments already declares loud and clear against murder and greed. The pope can only pray for causes that touches him. That is possibly all that he has to offer but no mean thing is prayer for what is impossible to man is not impossible for god. For a real christian suffering is no big deal. The ideal is Christ and we can bear our cross alright. But it is still good to pray for lessening the suffering of people around the world. And for that you do not have to be a pope.

Keeping issues alive

PM Manmohan Singh says one should not keep the Anti Sikh riots of 1984 issue alive. He has much to learn from the Jewish people who never let the holocaust be forgotten. It is the duty of the people who survive tragedies like riots to keep the issue alive in respect of those who did not so that such things never happen again. Also people who involve in such acts are looked down and disrespected as they well deserve to be treated.

Pope Benedict

The pope's visit to Israel is good. Israel is important to many religions and having easy access to historic sites for all must be achieved. If you watch Jewish people and their facial features, one is inclined to believe that the human race is largely derived from them. Either that or the jewish people are a melting pot of many races. That all human beings begin their roots from Africa is debatable.

Horror

The horror of war is fast disappearing from society. In the past people wrote about it so vividly (War and peace, Dr Zhivago, etc) that the word war would send a shudder down a person's spine. Unfortunately the warmongers do not read much. Also today gag orders are a lot more stringent on people experiencing the horror first hand.

Leaders who lead a nation to war must share some of the experience. Some people say that like Napolean, Alexander, Ashoka, etc leaders must actually be on the battleground. That is a little far fetched in today's scenario but at least every leader must be forced to watch news about war for an hour each day with all the graphic details. After the second world war Germans were forced to see what their fellow Germans did That I think is a pretty effective idea.

Freedom of press

Al jazeera is refreshingly free and relevant in these times of nonsense journalism. That so many articles I choose to read are from this source amazes me time and again.

Bread and butter jobs

When a majority of people resort to bread and butter jobs the country is doing poorly. A thriving economy is when people follow their interests and passion. Some people do no matter what the conditions are. But the more the merrier.

Struggles with no end

The Sri Lankan Tamil liberation fight is a fight that is going no where. It is time for the leaders of the resistance to negotiate so that there is no further wastage of human life. It makes no sense that so many people are ready to lay down their lives for a lost cause and leaders who care nothing about them. It is time to look towards Gandhi again to teach people to demand justice with dialogue.

To be told

Sometimes you are told and you have to listen. Conditions are not right to react. One reacts differently as time goes by. But the world at large will say "Oh but you did not feel like that before". That is true but to feel differently is also a truth. Simple.

Spiritual travels

Spiritual travels take you to unfriendly places and some friendly places. But spiritual quests always involve travel and nothing teaches humanity and spirituality better than travel. If you do not learn a new thing in every trip you take, you are awfully dumb.

Steps to liberation

I do not understand why the spouses of presidents give up their jobs and become housewives as first ladies. Either they are housewives or they have a state job as first lady. The role model for American women is either the first lady is a housewife or derives her job from her husband. Time for change I might say.

End of racism

Racism has ended not because the white man thinks others are equal to him but more so that it does not matter what he thinks.

Identity crisis

You see so many people with your name on the web. And you thought you were so unique, did you? Considering opinions are quickly formed by what you see of someone on the web, internet identity needs to be more robust. If you ever felt like telling someone "You can do what you like but you cannot be me" then think again. You can be anyone on the internet.

The economics of loans

Every well meaning Government today wants to give out loans. Forget governments all sorts of organizations want to give out loans. In fact there is invitation that go to and fro to join groups to raise money to give out as loans. Once upon a time high society organizations in India would go and dig borewells to feel good in remote villages and never bothered to check whether the wells served their purpose or not. It was a press event and a day out for well dressed rich women. Now that has all changed and it is about giving loans. I am at a loss at this trend. Like borewells it serves little purpose but is not even a press event. People are getting a lot more lazy I suppose.

Shut up

Shutting someone up will not change his/her opinion. Societies that silence people who they think will spread hatred with their words do not serve their purpose. It is best to have opinions out. For example, if a school has a hidden racist agenda then it is best that people know about it so that they do not send their kids there. In this time and age it has proved beyond doubt that diversity is a quality to cherish and it is best that people who love diversity do not end up in a place or among people who are racial but is forced by rules to claim that they are not.

If a person openly proclaims what he/she believes in then people are served better by it than not. So freedom of speech whether it be good speech or bad is the way to go.

India emerging

Now why does the world suddenly feel India is competition? Well the good grades of children at schools around the world is an indication of the intelligence of Indian people. But that is not the real reason. The reason that India can become a super power is that India is liberal and has always been for centuries. We might even say that Britain possibly inherited some ideas of liberty from India but never acknowledged. A liberal country attracts the best minds
and that is the promise of India with liberty vanishing from many countries that are self proclaimed as advanced.

India is tied with china every time she is mentioned but China is not tied with India quite that often. So the media refuses or is even scared to look at India in the eye and recognize it for what she is.

Cheers
Maya

Colonization

Colonization started and ended with India. Indian freedom movement was not anything less than a revolution because it was among the few times in those days that common man took matters in to his own hands. Over time with spread of democracy it is supposed to have become the norm but even today a regular person rarely protests unless pushed against a wall. Mass protests that comes from all corners are usually a result of many years of exploitation.

India was the first among colonies to protest British rule and the world followed. Of course America did too but it was a different scenario. America became independent because they did not want to pay tax and that is funny because they still pay quite a bit of tax. Indians never seem to have the time to appreciate the fine things they accomplish and so the Indian revolution never became something as big as the French revolution in terms of paper space.

Immigration

Most of the difficult jobs in US are done by illegal immigrants. And the very reason they are illegal is what keeps them cheap and affordable. It is a vicious cycle. No one competes for those jobs because no one wants to do them and if someone will not do them then everyone is in big trouble.