The demolition man

Sometimes we come across very interesting comments on websites, left by ordinary readers. Here's a very witty comment I came across today on Indian Express' website:

Weak Prime Minister?
By: K.Suresh | 30-Apr-2009

Who says Manmohan Singh is a weak PM? Under him, the Congress has, single-handedly destroyed democratic institutions - Office of President, Election commission and now the CBI. No weak person can achieve this much.

New Template!

I have changed the template for my blog. I had the previous template for over 5 years. Of late, I had got bored of it.

I hope you like my new template. Please leave your suggestions and comments.

An opinion on Opinion Polls

Here's an hilarious clip taken from Yes Prime Minister on opinion polls.

One more blog

I have created one more blog: one-news-of-the-day.blogspot.com

Both, "the-news-of-the-day.blogspot.com" and "a-news-of-the-day.blogspot.com" were taken. Hence one-news-of-the-day.blogspot.com.

The idea is to post links to interesting (not necessarily the most important) news that I come across.

A few weeks back I had created impartial-observer.blogspot.com.

Changing the template for my blog

I want to change the template for my blog. However I have customized the standard template a little bit, by adding some of my favourite links in the right hand side pane. Hence I will have to be careful when I change the template, lest the customizations would be lost.

Can you suggest a good template for my blog?

Old Man and the Sea

Today I saw movie Old Man and the Sea, which is based on a novel by Ernest Hemingway by the same name. I had read the book during my MBA days. Old Man and the Sea is a story of courage and persistence of an old man, who was once the greatest fisherman in his small Cuban town. Hemingway describes poignantly the old man's three-day long battle against a 1,500 pound marlin. Although wounded, exhausted and hungry, Santiago finally conquers the giant fish, only to lose it to a group of sharks the next day.

The message of the movie is captured in Satiango's summation of this ordeal, when he confesses to Manolin that "it was sad to see it destroyed ... ", and then with a sense of satisfiction, "but not defeated!". It's amazing story of hope, courage, persistence and dignity. It's a must-read for everybody. It's no wonder that the book brought the Nobel Prize to its author.

A relaxed weekend

Last 3 weekends, I skied at Snoqualmie. When I went skiing for the first time 3 weeks ago with Ravikant, I was worried it would leave me too tired the rest of the week. However, I survived that week and went skiing the following weekend also. I decided I won't do skiing the next weekend and take some rest. However, the week after that, the weather was great and some of my colleagues decided they wanted to try skiing too. I couldn't have let them down. We did Skiing on Saturday. I took some rest on Sunday, but it wasn't sufficient. Fatigue made me sick the rest of the week. This weekend, I have decided to take rest. I haven't stepped out of house last 27 hours, and I hope I don't have to go out next 27.

I saw a nice movie yesterday. Richard Gere's An officer and a gentleman. It was a wonderful movie. I loved it. Right now I am half watching 1950's In a lonely place. I am half browsing the web. I don't fully follow English movies until I watch with full concentration. I think it's a good movie, but not a great movie. I plan to watch another movie tomorrow. But haven't decided which one.

A - Z of Congress achievements

I had read this on a message board on Rediff. I liked it but didn't copy it down. It reappeared in the form of an email from Vikas Kerkar:

Spread these achievements and help Congress and others to get back in power.

A: Afzal guru not hanged by the congress government inspite of SC order.
B: Bomb blasts happen in hundreds, in 5 years of Congress misrule.
C: Cost of living and food prices rise, making life difficult for Aam aadmi.
D: Dr Manmohan Singh says muslims have first right to India’s resources.
E: Economy and business suffer like never before.
F: Farmer suicides continue. Where did our money for ‘farmers loan waiver’ go?
G: Gujarat police has to provide evidence to enable SIMI ban to continue.
H: Home Minister shivraj patil kicked out only after 4.5 years of sleep and 26/11.
I: India bullied by china, but NO diplomatic response by the government.
J: Jihadis offered pension in Kashmir by the congress government.
K: karunanidhi and congress insult Lord Ram and call Lord Ram a fake.
L: LeT becomes a household name, before congress forced to re-do POTA.
M: Media makes Hindu bashing a fashion.
N: Naxalism active in 165 districts of India.
O: Orissa conversions by missionaries lead to assassination of Hindu saint.
P: Padmashri awards not given to Olympic winners. Padmashris given to mediamen, who are now involved in pro-Congress propoganda.
Q: Quattarochi is helped to escape. Jai Mata Rome (sonia gandhi).
R: Report by Sachar committee advocates more minority appeasement.
S: SP’s amar singh calls Batla house encounter a fake.
T: Torture of Sadhvi Pragnya sanctioned by congress government.
U: UK rule over India was good for India, says PM Dr manmohan singh.
V: Vande Mataram NOT SUNG by PM and sonia gandhi. National shame.
W: Wheat imported by Sharad Pawar not fit for cattle..
X: (e)Xtremism bleeds our country. Soft approach on terror hurts us.
Y: YS Rajsekher Reddy sanctions subsidy for christians to visit Jerusalem.
Z: Zero development in fields like electricity generation, highways, etc.

Sikh massacre of 1984

3,000 Sikhs were massacred in 4 days by Congressmen in 1984 pogrom following the assassination of Indira Gandhi. 25 years later Congress government has given a clean chit to the perpetrators of the genocide. Read this report by two NGOs that investigated the carnage.