Sad hearts

Crime is never a good thing to hear about. But when a priest is murdered and you knew him personally it strikes you that how close criminals really are to you. A good man was murdered and we want answers and justice. For most of us criminals and police are to be kept away from but then comes one day that we feel the need for direct involvement.

The myth

The way people diet these days is astounding. Moreover they push you to do the same. The myth that skinny people are healthier is creating havoc and destructive tendencies. Watching the fish grow I realize the less you eat the lesser the chances of survival. In fact the very people who hesitate eating food are the ones who thrive on pills. I do not understand this recent tendency of the human race to annihilate themselves. Suicidal extremists, disappearing family life, chemical intake, starvation and other such trends are greatly disturbing.

Touchy

Some people are touchy that President Obama came out to defend Professor Gates. I am glad he did. He may be the president but he also is a citizen and has a right to free speech. In fact I do hope that it is not mere words but action that will stop or at least slow down such incidents. And there is not better time than now.

Much to be done

There are so many African American centers of study, but I doubt greatly that there really is a study of how many successful respectful African Americans have gone to jail for small offenses. It is time to ask what is the purpose or message behind such arrests. It is natural to loose cool if someone comes and asks you whether you are a burglar in your own house. There must be a marked difference in the conduct of a Harvard professor and a burglar. I am glad the professor is well and alive. God bless him.

India's new partners

Everyone has high expectations from India-US relationship in recent years. India after colonization from British is suspicious but is taking the risk. The British came as traders to become rulers. But nothing risked, nothing gained anyways. So this step is right for India. For America it sure is a win win situation. Make no mistake, Britain would have not gotten where it did if it had not discovered India.

Climate change

India does not like to be told to worry about pollution. But it is time India did. America has preserved areas and nature parks and India has very little of the same. A lot of land called forest land is really inhabited. In India people inhabit forest land and then the government tries to evacuate them. What were they doing for so many years when houses were built and communities formed in those lands? A lot more monitoring is mandatory and in a realistic way. Land which is not recorded does not make sense in this time and age. A lot of laws do not make sense and made to fuel corruption. Every country must take a serious look at pollution at every stage and there are no excuses to not do that. But you surely do not want big brother dictating terms to do that. Feels kind of childish. A green world is a better world though climate change, ozone depletion, and such terminology is distracting. They are slogans and perhaps people need slogans. Anyways the very standard of living is increased by cleaner air and sorroundings. Best things in the world are free or are they?

Women's groups in India

The groups for women in India like SriShakti and Seva are amazing. No, they are not women gathered to gossip or pray but to work and create cooperatives like milk society's that help everyone. These groups of mostly illiterate women do more than government committees and institutions for the nation. They are honest and hardworking and it is a pleasure to see them operate. They have had all my support for sometime now.

Exacting standards

Sonia Sotomayor faces heat for here "wise latino" speeches and that is a good thing. But the people who are holding her accountable to an innocent attitude are the very ones whose leaders call people across nations and cultures by names that cannot be mentioned in blogs. Double standards may be a better title for this post.

Enough is enough

Enough is enough. Any more smut about Michael Jackson is contempt of court.

Heal the world

Michael Jackson's song "Heal the world" is very contemporary. When he first sang this song the problem with the world was mainly poverty. Problems in the world has worsened since. Interestingly, abject poverty has diminished, with global financial crisis and all. Poverty has reduced because of years of focus by people like Michael. Other problems can be solved similarly by shedding light on it and getting involved.

The economy

Small is beautiful says Schumacher based on Gandhian model of economics. Gandhi believed that every village needs to be self sufficient and also in simplicity of living and equipment. There is nothing better than simplicity and even Christ has said “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). Simplicity is a difficult thing to achieve. Imagine living in a self sufficient village. Everyone knows the tailor, the blacksmith, the baker, and so on and social life happens without effort. Its good but does not suit everybody including me. I for one love the big city and the grandeur that comes from living in one. A big city demands not imposing limits on capability. But eliminating villages completely is also not working. In America, for example, independent carpenters no longer exist. To earn a living as a carpenter they need to work for some big company leading to diminishing creativity and innovation. In small Indian cities carpenters and masons work for a contractor. And soon contractors will become so powerful that individual carpenters will not survive. There really are only two models in economics, the city and the village. The Gandhian model perhaps is a little far fetched for the modern society but completeness of purpose is not. A good conscience and work ethics will save the day in my opinion.

Unbridled

People place restrictions on others only when they feel threatened. No one likes restrictions on themselves but unbridled freedom for others is not good. Unfortunately the chains they put on others become laws and come back to haunt them. I quite like unbridled everything. Who will decide how much is too much? "Too much" changes for different people.

Listening

Too bad that we start listening to Michael Jackson seriously only after he is dead. But he did say a lot of things. MJ reached out to the world but the world also reached out to him is nice. His understanding of the world at large is amazing. The mourning of MJ seems to not end.

The future

The future is not oil. Oil is convenient. The future is space and nuclear energy. Space takes you to another dimension. If we conquer space we conquer nuclear energy because all nuclear experiments can be done in space. So really to my mind the energy problem is completely solvable in the most elegant manner.

Affairs of the heart

Over the years a definition of love forms in your head. Love like god is an abstract concept and people spend a lifetime finding it. Like religion people have strong ideas about love. Its not surprising that affairs of the heart is an important topic in religion. Finance never found room in religion like love hardly finds room in politics. Though law finds room in both. Love is about setting up a home and that is what nature teaches us. So if you have a nice home its best to not to ruin it by chasing a concept you do not understand. On the other hand if you do not have a reasonably pleasant home then love is not reason enough to hold on to it. Bringing up children and running a home is a lot more romantic and real compared to what romance is supposed to be in movies and books. I realize that scientists hardly comment on the matters of the heart and hence common sense is largely missing in this topic.

cyberbullying

A middle aged woman fought with a young girl on the internet with a false id leading the girl to commit suicide. I wonder whether this woman would behave similarly if she did not have access to a fake id on the internet. You behave on the internet in a way you do not behave in real life and one rarely thinks it can lead to serious consequences. But the internet is quite real. People are making friends, getting married, bullying, spreading malice and what not. Yet there are no laws and if there are its not that clear. I say it is time for an internet constitution. The Internet geography might elect their leaders and all and I wonder what the first country will be called.

Turn of events

One wonders how California which is considered one of the richest states in the united states is having a fiscal emergency now. Hollywood is still here and so is the Silicon Valley but what happened to the money Arnold?