China and India: Time to show nerves and give it back

Last updated on: June 12, 2009 at 10:48 pm By Desh Kapoor

China has recently been making repeated incursions into the Indian territory. The Chinese of course don't call it incursion as they think that part of land is part of China anyways. Well, news for them.. we DONT! 🙂 Now, it seems, Indian Government has thought of putting some troops along the border to take care of those incursions. And the Chinese response.. some Sabre-rattling. People's Daily and its sister publication, the Global Times have come up with articles giving some piece of mind to India: "India needs to consider whether or not it can afford the consequences of a potential confrontation with China," Whatever that means. Somehow China has grown in self importance for itself. For all the economic strength that it projects, its foundation is very brittle. I have repeatedly talked about the rather shaky foundation on which the so-called economic empire of China has been built and I see it falling on its own weight. It may not look obvious right now, but then no one could have predicted Enron or even AIG's fall! Read more

The Supreme

Last updated on: June 12, 2009 at 10:14 pm By Desh Kapoor

He runs without feet and holds without hands. He sees without eyes and hears without ears. He knows everyone, but no one knows him. He is called the First, the Great, the Supreme. Read more

Canada recognizes all common law countries' grads as equivalent

Last updated on: June 12, 2009 at 9:31 pm By Desh Kapoor

Entry of law graduates from Common law countries has become easier into Canada as lawyers. "The National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) has decided that three-year full-time law degrees from Common Law Countries including India, England and Australia should be treated equivalently regardless of their country of origin. It is a substantial reduction in barrier to entry into legal profession," Vern Krishna, outgoing executive director of the NCA, said on Sunday. This means that Law degrees from India, Australia, Bangladesh, England, Hong Kong, Ireland, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Singapore, USA, Wales and West Indies will be treated equally. Now grads from these countries will have to (i) qualify exams in about six subjects, depending on their past education and expertise and (ii) write bar exam in Canada for equivalence. Read more

Really Cute!

Last updated on: June 12, 2009 at 9:20 pm By Desh Kapoor

The ongoing Taliban/Al Qaeda saga in Pakistan

Last updated on: June 12, 2009 at 8:56 pm By Desh Kapoor

Things before the Pakistan Army attack on Taliban in Swat et al were pretty bad. There was no resistance to Taliban/Al Qaeda combine and there was a strong probability of Taliban taking over a substantial part of Pakistan. If there were any doubts about that, the resistance that Pak Army (4th largest army in the world) has been met with - and the almost rampant and at will attacks on high value targets by suicide bombers - quickly underscores the strength and tenacity of Taliban/Al Qaeda combine as well as provide a window into their resolve. After the Pak Army initiative and the displacing of hundreds of thousands of people (IDP - Internally Displaced People), it now seems to have made things worse than before. There was a need to use a scalpel and be selective on how Taliban/Al Qaeda was weeded out of the society and their head quarters and strongholds be systematically neutralized. However, what happened was use of a "hatchet" and more than attacking the "weed", the Army hit at the garden itself. Now, there are so many IDPs thrown out for no fault of theirs. In fact, I personally talked to a friend from Lahore on phone (the person is into journalism) and had information (credible according to that person) that some of the dead bodies being categorized as Taliban fighters were actually locals. There were pictures which were received from people on the ground in Swat in possession of my friend. So, there are doubts that Pak Army indeed has hit at the Taliban when it says it has. Read more

President Obama's Note to a girl's teacher

Last updated on: June 12, 2009 at 7:41 pm By Desh Kapoor

Yesterday, Barack Obama was in Green Bay, Wisconsin to discuss his health care plan. John Corpus got up to ask a question in the Town Hall about the Obama's health care reform and mentioned that his daughter was skipping her last day in school to attend the event. And President Obama asked if his daughter needed a note for the teacher on her absence. John said "I may take you up on that", half-jokingly. Obama asked for his girl's name and actually started writing the note. He finally gave the note to the girl who is extremely happy to have gotten a note directly from the President. I just listened to the interview with the girl, Kennedy, and her teacher Mary. It seems the class was very intimately involved with the elections this year.. and so this note from the President himself turned out to be a perfect way to end the school year. Interesting Presidential gift for the kid! Read more

Young and Bright lining up for Defense Research Organisation in India

Last updated on: June 12, 2009 at 7:02 pm By Desh Kapoor

The recession has worked out really well for India's Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO). During the boom years of the economy, DRDO would hardly get any grads from the top notch Science and Engineering schools and colleges. Every year its intake is 500 for its 52 labs. (DRDO's Recruitment and Assessment Centre website) This year, 60 of those 500 will be IIT-ians. In 2008, interestingly 150 NRIs applied for positions in DRDO and 30 were finally recruited. The recruitment process includes a common scientist entry test and hiring via campus recruitment. The organization goes across 40 campuses and shows no bias towards any college including the IITs. Requirements for hiring NRIs are as follows Read more

Before Creation

Last updated on: June 12, 2009 at 2:09 am By Desh Kapoor

Who knows exactly, and who shall in this world declare, whence and why this creation took place? The gods are subsequent to the production of this world; then who can know whence it proceeded, or whence this varied world arose, or whether it upholds itself or not? He who in the highest heaven is the ruler of this universe, he knows, or does not know. Read more

Misses AF 447 but killed in car crash

Last updated on: June 11, 2009 at 10:33 pm By Desh Kapoor

Johanna Ganthaler and her husband were on a vacation in Brazil. Both were scheduled to take the Air France flight 447. But they missed it! But they somehow manage to get another flight out to France that very day. So, they had dodged a sure death.. .. Jako rakho saaiyan Mar sake na koye (the one whom God saves.. no one can kill) The couple is from Bolzano-Bozen province in Italy. They came back and were driving in Kufstein, Austria when their car went all across the road and and banged right into an oncoming truck. Johanna died instantly and her husband got serious injjuries. Maybe now one could say.. Jako Maare saaiyan... bacha sake na koi (the one whom God kills.. no one can save). Read more

Money is gone.

Last updated on: June 11, 2009 at 8:49 pm By Desh Kapoor

Do you know what Microsoft is upto? It started bing - as the new search thing.. which I wonder if anyone is using? i am not. I still prefer Google. Its still simpler and much easier on the eye. It recently dumped Encarta - probably killed by the growing Wikipedia. And now its dumping Money. MS Money, the legendary money and personal finance management software will no longer be brought out or updated. Ostensibly, Quicken and Mint (the new upstart) have killed MS Money. Mint is really simple and quite effective. I like it a lot because it is interactive and online. Quicken is both. Read more