N-tests right or not is the question after the Nuke deal

Last updated on: September 11, 2008 at 1:33 pm By Desh Kapoor

There has been this debate about whether the US-India Nuke deal and the NSG waiver will let India do future tests or not? Now, it comes from David Mulford, US Ambassador to India's mouth that India has the sovereign right to conduct N-tests in future. "If you ask me can India conduct a (nuclear) test, my answer is India has had and will always have the sovereign right to conduct a test. That has never been debated," US Ambassador to India David C Mulford told Karan Thapar on 'India Tonight' programme of CNBC-TV18. India has got a "clean" waiver from the Nuclear Suppliers Group to participate in global nuclear trade, he said. He said it was not a "correct interpretation" to say that there would be a periodic review of the NSG waiver. "But it is very important and understandable that a group like this (NSG), when an exceptional decision is being made, then there will be a continuation of exchange of views between parties," Mulford said. So, is this double-speak? What do you think? Read more

What does failure of Freddie and Fannie mean?

Last updated on: September 11, 2008 at 1:41 am By Desh Kapoor

US Government has bailed out Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae - the two main organizations for mortgages. Their debt and useless mortgages had reached an unsustainable level. This has put the future of finance industry to question. As far as effect of this action is concerned, the following are some macro and micro results of this action: - interest rates you pay on your home loan will drop 0.25% immediately and maybe drop another 0.5%. This rate drop is projected because now with government ownership, the risk premium on capital has dropped because the government can always "pay up" by printing money. - American national debt just doubled in ONE weekend! - On the short term stocks may have risen, but the higher debt will bring down the dollar and also increase inflation further as the Oil prices rise. Jim Rogers, CEO of Rogers Holdings, said it very well when he said: "America is more communist than China is right now. You can see that this is welfare of the rich, it is socialism for the rich… it's just bailing out financial institutions," Read more

Voyeur MF Hussain's "Bharat Mata" is a "work of art": says Indian Supreme Court

Last updated on: September 10, 2008 at 9:01 pm By Desh Kapoor

This week in a landmark judgment of its sort, the Supreme Court termed MF Hussain's painting of "Bharat Mata" (or Indian Goddess) in nude as a "work of art". The 92 year old painter - who lives in a self imposed exile in Dubai is very happy (as I am sure are many of his supporters, amongst them the activists from the secularists brigade) and feels that finally the highest court in his homeland has understood his definition of art. As the story goes, this is the triumph of "art" and its senstivity. And we are to believe that the old heart of MG Hussain beats persistently for art and its license. Given that as his motivation - art and its abundant freedom - I was pretty sure that he would have defended the Danish Cartoonist who drew Mohammad's cartoons. Specially because he would have understood the guy's pain! And since he was bang in the center of Islamic world - Dubai - he could have made a HUGE difference with his treatise and discussion on artistic sensibility. But that is what I believed! The reality - zilch! Not even a whimper! Read more

Higg's Boson: will it be the end of religion and God?

Last updated on: September 10, 2008 at 6:34 pm By Desh Kapoor

At the heart of all science and even spirituality is a simple question: How does the Infinite become Finite? or, how does energy become mass. The building block of the entire universe and creation is the same energy wave that manifests as different subatomic particles. Somewhere and somehow, the energy wave assumes mass and gets to manifest itself differently - as a quark or electron or whatever else. The element which gives mass - and a differing one - to the same wave of energy is what the Brit physicist Peter Higgs called Higg's Boson or famously called God's particle! For this boson is at the base of the biggest mystery of creation! Read more

Large Haldron Collider goes live; suicide, doomsday-blues, and happiness

Last updated on: September 10, 2008 at 3:29 pm By Desh Kapoor

The Large Haldron Collider has been fired. And the world survives as of this instant. Its an indeed a great step forward for mankind. Let us hope something interesting comes out of this experiment and it just doesn't turn out to be a white elephant! Well the doomsday predictions of people set off different reactions in people.. While some people wanted to spend their "last day" with their families; one 16 year old girl committed suicide in Indore, Madhya Pradesh - a life wasted due to the silly doomsday predictors!! Chhaya, a resident of Sarangpur town in Rajgarh district, consumed sulphos tablets (an insecticide) on Tuesday, her parents said. The girl was rushed to Indore's MY Hospital where she succumbed on Wednesday. Her parents told reporters that she was watching a news report relating to the world's biggest atom-smasher experiment on TV channels for the last two days and was restless. Read more

Thoughtlessness and Fear

Last updated on: September 10, 2008 at 1:38 pm By Desh Kapoor

The thinker thinks his thoughts through habit, through repetition, through copying, which brings ignorance and sorrow. Is not habit thoughtlessness? Awareness creates order, but it never creates habit. Settled tendencies only bring about thoughtlessness. Why is one thoughtless? Read more

Woes of Airlines passengers in the US

Last updated on: September 10, 2008 at 12:35 am By Desh Kapoor

Such is the sad state of the US Domestic Airline industry that it is an embarrassment! The bankruptcies and consolidations have left very few options now and ones that are left have such bad service and cost for almost everything that its a nightmare to fly now! The only good option is Southwest Airlines with Continental as second. This is a hillarious video on the sad state of the airline industry! Enjoy. Read more

Large Haldron Collider ready to be fired: End of the world?

Last updated on: September 9, 2008 at 5:47 am By Desh Kapoor

On Wednesday, September 10, the Large Haldron Collider will be fired. It has costed $7.75 billion. But that is not the most important thing about it. The more important is that some of the greatest scientists in the world are recreating the conditions of Big Bang. More importantly, it will try and detect Higgs Boson, or 'God' particle. Why is it so important? Because Higgs Boson permeates EVERYTHING in the Universe. And this particle also gives everything its mass! The Higgs boson particle is one quantum component of the theoretical Higgs Field. In empty space, the Higgs field has an amplitude different from zero, i.e., a non-zero vacuum expectation value. The existence of this non-zero vacuum expectation plays a fundamental role: it gives mass to every elementary particle which has mass, including the Higgs boson itself. It will create several black holes - which some believe could possibly suck in the earth and the Universe as we know it if the experiment goes awry. People are looking at various sources from Bible to Nostradamus to say that world will come to an end because of the LHC. And there have been many death threats to the scientists as well. Read more

Power of Intentional Thinking for Inspiration

Last updated on: September 9, 2008 at 5:19 am By Rev. Dr. Todd Littleton

All great men and women from the past and from our present have shared a very common mental characteristic: The ability gained through long hours spent doing intentional thinking together with very conscious observations. It definitely would be an excellent idea to imitate them. Our big question, then would be the following; how much time should we spend immerse in this activity to appreciate very positive results? Well, my dear friends according to past experiences had with volunteers dealing with this interesting subject, it will take at least two hundred hours. This amount of time will last from nineteen to twenty months. At least two hours should be spent every week. So, we need about fifteen minutes a day enjoying this active endeavor. We must never forget to keep a reliable track regarding this daily task. Keeping a journal is mandatory. Read more

Divine Creativity

Last updated on: September 9, 2008 at 5:13 am By Rev. Dr. Todd Littleton

Creativity is God’s seed planted in every soul personality. We’re soul personalities possessing material vehicles. Let’s start by trying to describe our Maker in just a few words. Love? Yes!--- Life? Of course!--- Light? You’re right! Peace profound?—Harmony?—Happiness?---Being positive? The answer is always yes! These definitions, all of them, share a common denominator. This denominator is “CREATIVITY”. Life is always creative, and so forth. The great paradox that every human being has is that we live constantly in two very different worlds. There must be a total communion among the perfect blending of our integral self. Our integral self is made of a physical vehicle. This physical being expresses itself by using an objective mind, which is responsible for our perceptions. It also has a subjective mind. This consciousness shelters our mental processes, emotions, habits and will power. And the many planes of our subconscious mind help us being true mystics, because it is through this way that we’re able to listen to the wise and subtle voice of our soul personality. It is precisely that by listening to this wise voice that we express our eternal gratitude to God. It is when we will be considered as inheritors of its supreme grace. In other words here lives and expresses our reliable intuition. We don’t have to be immerse in the fine arts, working as actors, film directors, making a living by being writers, chefs, martial artists, design workers, etc. To be considered creative people. Believe me. There are more than a thousand ways in which we can manifest our beautiful creative process. All of this can be expressed easily by thinking that we do deserve to be His children. Let’s never forget that we’re spiritual beings having human experiences, and not human beings having spiritual experiences. We’ve suffered from amnesia too long! Let’s wake up! Our origin has always been divine. Read more