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Tuesday, December 14, 2010

The Little Girl Who Had Eight Limbs

Pictured: The little girl who had eight limbs and was worshipped as a deity starts school
She was born with a unique body - eight limbs and two torsos fused at the hips. 
Now Lakshmi Tatma, the Indian toddler whose plight touched the world, has grown up and started school.


Monday, November 29, 2010

Pakistan, the world's nightmare





Many of the cables in the first lot of Wikileaks' expose of intricate and dodgy U.S foreign policy pertains to Pakistan, a country variously described as a "nightmare" and a "headache" for the international community. The cables do not paint a flattering picture of Islamabad or its rulers.


For instance, one cable has the Saudi King Abdullah speak contemptuously of President Zardari. He calls Zardari the greatest obstacle to that country's progress and is quoted as saying "When the head is rotten, it affects the whole body."


Another cable describes a "dangerous standoff" with Pakistan over nuclear fuel: In May 2009, U.S Ambassador to Islamabad Anne Patterson reported that Pakistan was refusing to schedule a visit by American technical experts because, as a Pakistani official said, "if the local media got word of the fuel removal, "they certainly would portray it as the United States taking Pakistan's nuclear weapons."


Implicit in the cable is the suggestion of a see-saw battle between Washington and Islamabad about Pakistan's nuclear assets and its safety.


Some of the cables highlight Israel's concern with where Pakistan is going. In one exchange, Mossad chief Meir Dagan and U.S counterterrorism honcho Frances Townsend share concerns about Pakistan's ability to withstand the challenge of Islamic radicals. Dagan characterizes a Pakistan ruled by radical Islamists with a nuclear arsenal at their disposal as his biggest nightmare. Al-Qaeda and other "Global Jihad" groups could not be relied upon to behave rationally once in possession of nuclear weapons, he says, as they do not care about the well being of states or their image in the media.


"We have to keep (President Pervez) Musharaf in power," he is quoted as saying.


In another exchange, Israel's President Ehud Barak describes Pakistan as his "private nightmare," suggesting the world might wake up one morning "with everything changed" following a potential Islamic extremist takeover. When asked if the use of force on Iran might backfire with moderate Muslims in Pakistan, thereby exacerbating the situation, Barak acknowledges Iran and Pakistan are interconnected, but disagreed with a causal chain.


Exchanges between the U.S and Turkey also show Pakistan's continuing fears about India's presence in Afghanistan. At a meeting with U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, William Burns, Turkish diplomat Rauf Engin Soysal, who then was the Turkey's Deputy Under-Secretary for Bilateral Political Affairs responsible for the Middle East, South Asia and Africa, discloses that Turkey had not invited India to the Afghan neighbors' summit in deference to Pak sensitivities.


"He (Soysal) said Turkey had not invited India to the neighbors summit in deference to Pakistani sensitivities; however, he claimed, Pakistan understands attempting to exclude India from the nascent South Asian regional structures would be a mistake," says the confidential State Department cable dated February 25, 2010.


While Pakistan's reservations to India's presence at the meeting was known, its assessment that excluding India from regional structures would be a mistake is a disclosure that will be well-received in Delhi.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

The 90/10 Principle

Have you read this before?
Discover the 90/10 Principle. It will change your life (at least the way you react to situations). What is this principle?

10% of life is made up of what happens to you. 90% of life is decided by how you react. What does this mean?

We really have no control over 10% of what happens to us. We cannot stop the car from breaking down. The plane will be late arriving, which throws our whole schedule off. A driver may cut us off in traffic. We have no control over this 10%. The other 90% is different. You determine the other 90%.

How? By your reaction.  You cannot control a red light, but you can control your reaction. Don't let people fool you; YOU can control how you react.
Let's use an example.
You are eating breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt. You have no control over what just what happened. What happens when the next will be determined by how you react.You curse. You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over.

She breaks down in tears. After scolding her, you turn to your spouse and criticize her for placing the cup too close to the edge of the table. A short verbal battle follows. You storm upstairs and change your shirt. Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish breakfast and get ready for school. She misses the bus. Your spouse must leave immediately for work.

You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school. Because you are late, you drive 40 miles an hour in a 30 mph speed limit. After a 15-minute delay and throwing $60 traffic fine away, you arrive at school. Your daughter runs into the building without saying goodbye. After arriving at the office 20 minutes late, you find you forgot your briefcase. Your day has started terrible. As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse. You look forward to coming home, When you arrive home, you find small wedge in your relationship with your spouse and daughter.
Why? Because of how you reacted in the morning. Why did you have a bad day?

A) Did the coffee cause it?
B) Did your daughter cause it?
C) Did the policeman cause it?
D) Did you cause it?

The answer is “D".

You had no control over what happened with the coffee.
How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day. Here is what could have and should have happened.

Coffee splashes over you. Your daughter is about to cry. You gently say, "Its ok honey, you just need, to be more careful next time". Grabbing a towel you rush upstairs. After grabbing a new shirt and your briefcase, you come back down in time to look through the window and see your child getting on the bus. She turns and waves. You arrive 5 minutes early and cheerfully greet the staff. Your boss comments on how good the day you are having.

Notice the difference?  
Two different scenarios. Both started the same. Both ended different.

Why? Because of how you REACTED.
You really do not have any control over 10% of what happens. The other 90% was determined by your reaction. 




Here are some ways to apply the 90/10 principle:


If someone says something negative about you, don't be a sponge. Let the attack roll off like water on glass. You don't have to let the negative comment affect you! React properly and it will not ruin your day. A wrong reaction could result in losing a friend, being fired, getting stressed out etc.
How do you react if someone cuts you off in traffic? Do you lose your temper? Pound on the steering wheel? A friend of mine had the steering wheel fall off)
Do you curse? Does your blood pressure skyrocket? Do you try and bump them? WHO CARES if you arrive ten seconds later at work? Why let the cars ruin your drive?
Remember the 90/10 principle, and do not worry about it.

You are told you lost your job. Why lose sleep and get irritated? It will work out. Use your worrying energy and time into finding another job.The plane is late; it is going to mangle your schedule for the day. Why take out your frustration on the flight attendant? She has no control over what is going on. Use your time to study, get to know the other passenger.

Why get stressed out? It will just make things worse. Now you know the 90-10 principle. Apply it and you will be amazed at the results. You will lose nothing if you try it.
The 90-10 principle is incredible. Very few know and apply this principle.

The result? Millions of people are suffering from undeserved stress, trials, problems and heartache.

We all must understand and apply the 90/10 principle.

It CAN change your life!!!

TWO YEARS AFTER 26/11




Since the 26/11 sea-borne terrorist strikes in Mumbai by the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba (LET), we have had three acts of suspected jihadi terrorism in the Indian territory outside Jammu & Kashmir. Indians were also among the victims of a terrorist attack in Kabul.

The three attacks in the Indian territory took place in Pune (about 10 fatalities) on February 13, in Bangalore outside a cricket stadium on April 17 (17 injured) and in Delhi on September 19 (two Taiwanese tourists injured) . According to the Mumbai’s Anti-Terrorism Squad, the Indian Mujahideen (IM), which has links to the LET, was responsible for the Pune attack. The IM was suspected in the Bangalore incident. It had also claimed responsibility for the Delhi attack.


The Afghan Taliban claimed responsibility for the Kabul attack on February 26, in which there were 17 fatalities, six of them Indians. The attack was directed against a guest house for foreigners. The Indians happened to be among the foreign customers.


All of these were conventional acts of terrorism with improvised explosive devices or hand-held weapons, which would not have required specialized training. There has been no commando-style complex attack like the one on 26/11, which required specialized training.


These attacks show that the LET, controlled by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and its affiliates in India such as the IM and the Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) continue to plan terrorist strikes against Indian targets despite the international surveillance on the activities of the LET after the 26/11 strikes, which made the West realize that the LET is as dangerous as Al Qaeda.


"The lack of vigorous action by the US against Pakistan for its involvement in the 26/11 strikes and its disappointing co-operation with India in the Headley case have shown that any high expectations of US co-operation with India against terrorism of Pakistani origin would be an illusion."

A new source of threat to Indian targets has been the so-called 313 Brigade of Ilyas Kashmiri, allegedly a former commando of the US-trained Special Services Group of the Pakistan Army, who now works closely with the LET, the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HUJI) and Al Qaeda. Some reports, not yet confirmed, even describe him as a member of the shura (advisory council) of Al Qaeda. He is reportedly based in North Waziristan in Pakistan.

India continues to be as vulnerable as before 26/11 to possible terrorist strikes by these organizations and their affiliates. Among their other affiliates are the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JUM), the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HUM) and the Pakistani Taliban called the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Post 26/11, Al Qaeda, an Arab terrorist group based in North Waziristan, has two major allies----the Pashtun Taliban, which attacks Western targets, and the Punjabi Taliban, which focuses on Indian targets. The LET is in the forefront of the Punjabi Taliban. The LET guides and controls the activities of the IM and the SIMI. 


 

 

While India’s vulnerability is as serious as before 26/11, there has been no act of mass casualty terrorism after 26/11. From this, it will be inadvisable to draw the conclusion that as a result of the revamping of the security apparatus by Shri P.Chidambaram, the Home Minister, our agencies now have the upper hand over the terrorists.

The LET and other organizations have not been weakened. Their anti-Indian motivation remains strong. There has been no dilution in the ISI’s support for them. Their training infrastructure in Pakistani territory is intact. Their propaganda against India continues to be virulent. They are looking for opportunities to plan and carry out more acts of mass casualty terrorism.


The failure of the US to pressure Pakistan to arrest and prosecute the ISI officers named by David Coleman Headley of the Chicago cell of the LET as involved in the 26/11 attacks has strengthened the ISI’s belief that so long as it co-operates with the US against anti-US terrorists, the US will continue to turn a blind eye to its use of the LET brand of terrorists against India.


The lack of vigorous action by the US against Pakistan for its involvement in the 26/11 strikes and its disappointing co-operation with India in the Headley case have shown that any high expectations of US co-operation with India against terrorism of Pakistani origin would be an illusion.


We have to depend on our own intelligence and security capabilities in our battle against terrorism emanating from Pakistan. The revamping of the security apparatus by Shri Chidambaram can be described as successful only if there is an increase in the flow of preventive intelligence, if there is better co-ordination among the various agencies and if follow-up action on the intelligence collected is effective.


There has been an improvement in physical security and inter-agency co-ordination as seen during the Commonwealth Games and President Barack Obama’s visit, but there have been very few instances of detection and neutralization of sleeper cells of the LET and its associates. This shows that the flow of intelligence is still inadequate.


The follow-up action on many new ideas floated by Shri Chidambaram has been slow. He had spoken of the need for a separate Ministry dealing exclusively with internal security. He had suggested bringing under his control all intelligence-collection and follow-up action capabilities having a bearing on counter-terrorism----whether such capabilities are in the Intelligence Bureau or in the Research & Analysis Wing or in the Aviation Research Centre or elsewhere. He had also spoken of his plans to set up a National Counter-Terrorism Centre under his supervision similar to what the US had set up after 9/11. One does not know what is the present stage of implementation of these ideas.


We continue to find ourselves helpless against Pakistan. The prosecution of the Pakistan-based LET conspirators by the Pakistani authorities has become a sham. The LET and other anti-India organizations continue to be as active as ever from Pakistani territory. We have been reduced to a state where we are pathetically dependent on the US to make Pakistan act. The US is disinclined to apply that kind of pressure.


We are faced with diminishing options against Pakistan. How to reverse this situation? This question should seriously engage the attention of our policy-makers. We have to work out a policy of incentives and disincentives to make Pakistan act. Merely by repeating that we will not talk to Pakistan unless it winds up its terror machine is not leading us anywhere. 



 

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Russia to start work on nuclear space engines in 2011

Russia is planning to start work on the development of nuclear-powered space engines next year, and their first launch could come in 2020, a space industry official has said. 


Russia is planning to start work on the development of nuclear-powered space engines next year.


CEO of Energia Space Corporation Vitaly Lopota on Tuesday said the work on standardised space modules with nuclear-powered propulsion systems will begin in 2011. 

"The first launches with a capacity of 150 to 500 KW nuclear engines could be made some time in 2020," Lopota was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti.
According to earlier reports the project will require an estimated funding of over USD 580 million. 

Energia Space Corporation has also announced its readiness to design a space-based nuclear power station with a service life of 10-15 years for deployment on the moon or Mars. 

It is also working on a concept of a nuclear-powered space tug, which could more than halve satellite launching and orbiting costs.
Earlier, Chief of Federal Space Agency Roskosmos Anatoly Perminov had said the development of Megawatt-class nuclear space power systems (MCNSPS) for manned spacecraft was crucial if Russia wanted to maintain a competitive edge in the space race, including the lunar and Mars missions. 

Since the Soviet days Russia has a rich experience in using nuclear reactors of the size of volleyball to power its Kosmos series spy satellites.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Sarath Kumar vrooms his way into next year’s MotoGP

When Sarath Kumar lines up on the grid for the Grand Prix of Qatar on March 20 next year, he will become the first Indian to race in the 125cc world championship. “I never expected to get an opportunity to race on world’s biggest stage so early in my career,” said the 18-year-old, who started racing in 2008.
Sarath will ride for the WTR-Ten10 Racing Team, who announced their partnership in Mumbai on Tuesday. Ten10 Racing is owned by Bangalore-based Ramji Govindarajan, who participated in national championship during the 90s. WTR are based in San Marino and have been participating in the world championship since 2004.
“We opted for Sarath because of his age and the results he
has shown in short period he has been with us,” said Govindarajan.
Sarath got attracted to bikes when he accompanied his friend to a race. “From then I decided that I’ll make a career out of it. I entered bike racing with an aim of winning and not just as a passion,” said Sarath, who has signed a three-year contract.
The Chennai-lad proved how hungry he is to succeed when he won the Group B 165cc-four stroke expert class national title, winning five of the eight races, representing Ten10 Racing.
Govindarajan talks highly of Sarath’s fighting spirit. “He’s very humble off the track but when he’s on it there’s no one as aggressive as him,” said Govindarajan, adding, “What also works in his favour is that he’s has good technical knowledge and knows his bike in and out. I’ve seen most of the riders enter the pits and start whining about the bike being not fast enough. But that’s not the case with Sarath. He’ll give his inputs to the race engineer to get the maximum out of a bike. Very few riders can do that.”
While the team doesn’t have high hopes for the 2011 season, they have some serious ambitions for 2012. “Next year will be a learning curve for us. But in 2012, we plan to show some fireworks,” said Govindarajan. In 2012, the 125cc class will be replaced in Moto3, with the more powerful 250cc four-stroke bikes taking the place of the two-stroke ones.
For Sarath, it’s about achieving his dream. “I know it’s going to be much tougher than the national championship. But I’m up for the challenge,” said Sharath, who rides a scooter while commuting around Chennai. “I hope this will help me buy my dream bike (Yamaha R6) sooner than later,” he signs off.