Exciled Leaders from Tibet, Not Accepted

The Pakistanis seem to be very clear about their policy against "occupied" territories. While their heart'd bleed for the Kashmiris, fear of spanking, makes them run away from the Dalai Lama!

Who's property is the Tricolour?

If someone could kick that rascal who's responsible for taking the National Flag off "accessories", I'd like to go over to his place. Who gave these guys the right to keep the flags only to poles? Not only will the Indian cricket team have to scrub the flag off, Narain Karthikeyan's headgear will be missing the Tricolour on the F1 tracks too!

P.S: Per a latest clarification by the Government, the objection is only with instances where the Flag is displayed without the Ashoka Chakra. According to them, "A mere combination of colours is not the national flag". How about Narain's helmet, which has a huge Blue wheel with the right number of spokes in it?

P.S 2The Hindu reports that Govt. is OK with Flags w/o the Chakra.

Tricolour will take a back seat on March six when Narain Karthikeyan becomes the first Indian to be featured in the F1, as the Union Government has banned the use of the Indian flag on helmets citing the existing flag code.

The Home Ministry argued that wearing national flag on accessories amount to its disrespect.

Karthikeyan is among the country’s sports personalities- along with cricketers Sachin and Ganguly, and another upcoming racer, Karun Chandhok – who wears national flag on their helmet.

The Moustache Allowance

Mayank Jain wants his (Bhopal) police force to be looked upon with awe and respect. His experiment with a Rs. 30 "Moustache allowance" for Cops who sport a "proper" one, seeks to reinstate the lost pride.

Telegraph:
"The response is growing and in the months ahead we expect to see more moustachioed policemen," said Mayank Jain, police chief of a district west of Bhopal where the "prestige enforcing" experiment was recently launched.
...
Mr Jain hit upon the idea of a 37 pence per month moustache allowance after a seminar attended by district policemen and local residents. There were a few constables with moustaches in the gathering and he noticed people looking at them with awe and reverence.
...
Handlebar moustaches were permitted, but only if they did not look overly menacing or challenging.

Offshoring Mathematics

You thought we had call centers in India for answering Banking woes, Insurance claims, Collection calls and Computer crashes. How about this one:

Taipei Times:
American schools desperate to improve their students' math grades are hiring Indian companies who provide tutors at a fraction of the cost of American tutors. These tutors sit in New Delhi, Mumbai or Bangalore helping youngsters with their math homework or going over already-learnt concepts so that they do not lose ground during the holidays.

Worst of the Best Films

Braveheart has been voted the Worst film to have won the Academy Awards for 'Best Picture'. Readers of British Magazine, Empire, chose 'Braveheart' over, 'A Beautiful Mind', 'The Greatest Show On Earth', 'Ordinary People', 'Forrest Gump', 'Terms Of Endearment', 'Around the World In 80 Days', 'Cavalcade', 'Rocky' and 'How Green Was My Valley'. Given a vote, I would have glady spilt mine between Ordinary People and Terms Of Endearment. 'Terms...' kept me away from movies for a whole month.

"Randall Wallace (the writer) might have merited praise for making 14th-century history relevant to audiences who thought King Edward was a potato or a cigar, but his dialogue has all the thudding subtlety of a parody."

McConaughey to Blog 'Sahara'

Matthew McConaughey will share "some cool, interesting, and unexpected stories" from his 'Sahara' shoot through a Mtv Blog.

McConaughey is riding around in a his personal Airstream trailer painted with art from the film on his cross-country tour so he can spread the word to fans and chronicle his adventures on a blog at mtv.com/movies.

"I love getting on the road and meeting new people in new places," says McConaughey. "I've always kept diaries on my road trips; now, I'm going to share the experience. There should be some cool, interesting, and unexpected stories to tell."

Same Sex Marraige in India

It was interesting to read this article about same-sex marriages in India. Not only does a colonial law supposedly put couples behind the bar, it could keep them there for 10 years, if they're found "violating" a certain clause.

The law is silent on gay marriages, and same-sex couples are taking advantage of this loophole to perform marriage ceremonies and live together. However, they are vulnerable to arrest because homosexual sex is a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Since the law against homosexual sex was enacted under British colonial rule in 1861, fewer than 50 people have been convicted, mainly because judges tend to be lenient and authorities are reluctant to stir sexual controversy.

Mushy Quote

In an emotional tone, Gen Musharaf declared

"I'm an optimist, as I said, and I don't think very much of such extreme possibilities, but I do know there is a political process in place," the president replied when asked by Reuters Video News who would run the country should an assassin succeed.

"There is no monarchy going on here, I don't have to nominate an heir. The people of Pakistan, the Assembly of Pakistan will select a person who would lead if I am not there," Musharraf said, speaking via a satellite link between Islamabad and London.

Oh, please stop it General. I'm in tears already...

P.S: Be sure to checkout Mushie's new Website. If his name'd been Pinnochio, we should've a thin wooden bridge connecting us to the Moon.

It's coming, the Toyota FJ Cruiser

In the 2002 NY Auto show, this Cruiser was a concept, which according to the Toyota stall, wasn't going to be out in "the next few Years". Here it is, ready for 2006-7. We posed with it for atleast 25 snaps, before letting other have the honor. Apart from the sexy exterior and a Jeep-ish rugged look, the FJ Cruiser lets you skip your Hotel booking, if you're comfy sleeping inside a metal box. Folding down every seat inside, it creates enough space to let in 3 Adults check-in with their sleeping bags.

India's Page 3

In the ongoing debate about Madhur Bhandarkar's 'Page 3', Washington Times offers its two cents [Registration required] about the phenomenon.

Bhandarkar insisted that his movie was not meant to offend. "I'm not making a judgment," he said by telephone from Bombay, describing the movie as "a documentary, realistic portrayal." He added, "I myself am on Page 3 so many times. . . . They are not creepy people."
...
Although much has changed in recent years, coverage of celebrities is still relatively tame by the standards of American or British media, in part because celebrities enjoy greater privacy protections under Indian law; in December, for example, India's supreme court opined that the airing of a camera-phone video purportedly showing two Bollywood stars locked in a steamy kiss -- something that would hardly have raised an eyebrow in the West -- "cannot be in the public good."

"We are way behind other countries when it comes to paparazzi," said Kanika Gahlaut, a former Page 3 reporter who now writes for India Today, the country's leading newsmagazine. "You can't write about a chief minister's girlfriend."

On the other hand, she said, it is permissible to "talk about his clothes," and that in itself is something of a breakthrough...

India's Youth Power: the Myth

Sagarika Ghose's column 'Dutiful sons aren’t youth icons' in Indian Express leaves a huge hole in the media's myth that India's youth will deliver her into the next big thing. Her argument that the next-gen crowd that matters most, it's political crop, isn't any where close to giving India a fresh push holds water.

IE:
When political life was ideological, such as for example in the 1970s, with youth activists taking an active role in initiatives like the Nav Nirman movement in Gujarat or in the anti-Emergency movement, a range of young leaders — whether it was Sitaram Yechury or Arun Jaitley — rose as the rebellious young men of different ideologies. But when politics is based on dynasty — and why blame just the Congress, almost every political party, whether it’s the RJD or DMK or the National Conference, is run by family coteries — then youth simply becomes harnessed to feudal family loyalties. Young politicians are thus not allowed to become an alternative energy source, they simply exist to parrot parental views. Rahul Gandhi’s so busy trying to live down his family that he’s not taking the trouble to develop any big ideas for UP. And does Omar Abdullah agree with dad on everything, for god’s sake? When Sonia Gandhi rejected the prime ministership, all young MPs fell in obedient obsequious line to implore her to take back her resignation. Such tame chamchagiri is surely not the mark of spirited young men who are supposed to represent a generation straining at the leash of a conservative past.

Google Suggest

If you swear by Google Search, you may already know this but if haven't heard about it yet, next time try Google Suggest, the Search that (hmm...) suggests what you MAY be searching for.

Google FAQ:
As you type into the search box, Google Suggest guesses what you're typing and offers suggestions in real time. This is similar to Google's "Did you mean?" feature that offers alternative spellings for your query after you search, except that it works in real time. For example, if you type "bass," Google Suggest might offer a list of refinements that include "bass fishing" or "bass guitar." Similarly, if you type in only part of a word, like "progr," Google Suggest might offer you refinements like "programming," "programming languages," "progesterone," or "progressive." You can choose one by scrolling up or down the list with the arrow keys or mouse.

Dealing with a Bad Review, the Rob Schneider way

How do you deal with a nasty Review of your Movie? Ask Rob Schneider. His response is one worth taking note off...

I went online and found that you have won nothing. Absolutely nothing. No journalistic awards of any kind, Disappointed, I went to the Pulitzer Prize database of past winners and nominees. I though, surely, there must be an omission. I typed in the name Patrick Goldstein and again, zippo—nada. No Pulitzer Prizes or nominations for a ‘Mr. Patrick Goldstein.’ There was, however, a nomination for an Amy Goldstein. I contacted Ms. Goldstein in Rhode Island, she assured me she was not an alias of yours and in fact like most of the World had no idea of your existence.

Frankly, I am surprised the LA Times would hire someone like you with so few or, actually, no accolades to work on their front page. Surely there must be a larger talent pool for the LA Times to draw from. Perhaps, someone who has at least won a ‘Cable Ace Award.’

Being Pakistan's Information Minister

When it comes to clarification, Pakistan's Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed does it best. He...

"described as "baseless" the allegations printed in this week's edition of Time magazine, but he did not rule out that Khan could have sold technology to more countries than initially thought." - NY Newsday

Buster Keaton's 'The General'

The temptation to pretend that I grew up watching all the classics and hence am supposed to be an authority in Hollywood movies was immense, but that would have robbed me the opportunity to write about the Movie like I watched it just yesterday. I choose the second route 'cause that would be simpler to explain.

The General' (1927) has been on my list of '100 Movies to Watch before I Die' and I was sort of lucky to spot it in Walmart's $5.99 DVD section. As a bonus, it came with 'The Kid' double. Like many other Movies, it'd been lying buried under the pile of DVDs that were marked "Later". A black & white with slides to deliver the dialogues stood a very small chance against a 'Shrek 2' or an 'Elf'. Luckily, I did find a night where I could play it w/o being hassled much.

What made ‘The General’ most-wanted on the must watch list was two things I’d just heard until then. First was Buster Keaton’s dare devilry. It did not let me down. Keaton’s matter-of-fact execution of the most dangerous stunts makes Chaplin’s acts look like a cheap trick. The second USP was the much touted symmetric narrative, where the movie’s driving force (the Train) starts off and heads to the central point of the narration and from that point proceeds in the reverse while re-visiting the dots it had made on its onward journey and finally ending where it all started.

In the midst of the Civil war, some Union Army spies try to steal a train ('The General') from behind the Southern lines and try to play havoc on the lines as they retreat North. The Train's engineer, Johnnie Gray (Buster Keaton) however wants his Train back. His fanatical and audacious chase to get his Train and his Girl back saves the day for the South. The film is all about a Train chase and gimmickry alright, but it puts even the best of today's comedies to shame with its totally unassuming yet tight-packed script and a very clever mixture of patriotism, love and action. 'The General' is worth watching any given day.

Not to mention, Kamal Haasan has many inspired portions/homage from this film, the most noticeable being the log-whacking sequences in ‘Michael Madhana Kamaraj’.

Narain makes it to F1

Finally, Narain Karthikeyan's brought the dream of Indian F1 fans true. He's being offered one of the spots; in Jordan-Toyota Team. The decision may come barely days after Eddie Jordan, the man who launched Schumacher, sold his team to Russian Shnaider

Moving back to Blogger

I'm switching back to Blogger from Movable Type. It may take some time for me to import all entries from MT to here, so please excuse the gaping holes in the archives here.