Friday, January 28, 2005

Old Folks Home or Old Folks *at* Home?

If you've read, watched, or heard any news lately, Social Security is obviously one of the hot topics right now. It's at the top of President Bush's "overhaul" list..well, second to "Overhaul Society", but still, it's still pretty important for him.

Whatever your opinion about the need for Social Security reform, I got to thinking about the desi angle on old peeps. The first thing that came to mind was...does India even have something like Social Security?

While there are pension programs (more akin to 401k's), I think the main form of social security is family. That's right, the kids pay the bills. While things are changing there, the majority of families I've personally seen in India have one or more older generations living in the household. Whether the children like it or not, they're taking care of their parents.

I've never thought about it too much, but realistically, I expect that at some point in my life, either my parents or my wife's parents will come to live with us. And it's something I'd do happily...of course it depends on timing :)

But seriously, it's something that, for the most part, I can't see American families doing. Not that people hate their parents, it's just not part of the American culture. Kids move out, then ideally, they visit their parents now and again. And eventually, when their parents retire and get too old to vacation, they take care of them by arranging for some sort of care.

Okay, okay, I know I'm generalizing and stereotyping, but seriously, do you know any traditional American families where the kids expect their parents to move in with them once old age hits?

While my parents are quite indepedent and fun-loving, I fully expect them to either move in with us, or move very close to us within 20 years. If they didn't want to do that I'd begin wondering what's up and why they don't want to be near us. Same with my wife's parents. Although they live in Singapore, I fully imagine arranging something whereby we can all be close.

The funny thing about this, is that I haven't even given it much thought. It's just something I expect. It's a part of life. My parents have done all they can to set up a good life for me and my wife. As the cycle of life moves on, their later years will be enriched by enjoying the life we've created. Not from afar. From right here.

Granted, not all Indians think this way. Afterall, there was even a Bollywood movie about children not appreciating their parents in old-age and doing the bare minimum to take care of them. But Baghban probably scared some Indian people into making sure their parents are well taken care of. My reaction to the movie? Who the hell is gonna treat their parents like that?

Yes, I know life here in the US is quite different than in India. Senior medical costs alone are reason enough that childrean can't support their parents in old age here in the US. But let's not confuse issues here. Social Security isn't supposed to cover medical expenses...that's what Medicare's for (and which, by the way, really is in fiscal trouble). Social Security is supposed to cover other living expenses. And for many, this means the retirement home, caretakers, and the like.

So anyways, in the abstract, it make me sort of laugh at the whole Social Security issue here in the US right now. I don't expect my parents will ever need the SS checks because they'll have us. And hopefully, I don't need to worry about the checks in my old-age either. Now, let me go make sure my 401(k)'s still solvent :)

Thursday, January 27, 2005

One month on

Hard to believe it's only been a month since the Indian Ocean Tsunami. Based on media coverage and the general "feel" of things, it may as well have happened a year or two ago. The total death toll now stands at 280,000.

BBC News has some good in-depth Tsunami coverage.

The biggest thing that has recently occured relative to the Tsunami is Hot97's outrageous and unacceptable bit making fun of the Tsunami and survivors. Rather than go into all the details, here's a link to Sepia Mutiny which has been following this well. There have been suspensions of the radio hosts involved in putting the bit together. They're also donating a week's worth of pay to relief efforts. But just the thought of these fools getting to keep their jobs after this shit...ugh. Plus, as usual with corporations and bigwigs, the apologies offered are half-assed and don't even come close to being adequate.

Anyways, take a moment and recall what you were thinking this time last month.

It's the same thing people in affected areas are still dealing with.

Wednesday, January 26, 2005

Accomodating Blogs

Ok, more blogging about blogging...

The NY Times has acknowledged the importance of blogging (and web deep linking) in a significant way. Not by simply publishing articles about blogging, but by providing a way for bloggers to link to their articles for posterity.

For those that don't know, the NY Times gives you today's news for free, but if you want old news, you have to pay for it. That in and of itself is a bit odd, since new news should be more valuable than old news, but let's leave that bit alone. The important thing is that if you read an article and want to tell others about it, you can send them a link to the article, but it won't be valid come the next day since people will have to pay for it. That sucks.

Well, now NY Times has provided a way to get permanent links which will always work. So you can use these links, pass them to friends or post to your blog. If people click on the links tomorrow or a year from now, they'll still work. Cool.

Here's the page you can go to if you think it'll be useful:
http://nytimes.blogspace.com/genlink.html

Tuesday, January 25, 2005

You say he's just a friend


You say he's just a friend! You say he's just a friend! Posted by Hello

DJ Redd Clay

Damn, this blogging thing is contagious. The homie Redd Clay (aka Anish) is back at it (for a while at least). He's promised to post on his blog more often. Given that he's buying a house, I don't know if he'll have the time, but here's to hoping!

Not only is he back, he's expanding his game with movie references. That's pretty impressive considering he's got the lock down on hip hop and rock references along with college basketball, NBA, and DC Metro sports. Talk about renaissance man...

Chain of command

A couple of weeks ago, my friend over at Amalgamation posted something about recent events related to Abu Ghraib. She has a good point about the sympathizing with the soldiers, but as you might see from my comment, I don't agree at all with the overall situation and reaction to these torture cases. I figured that would be it on this issue for a while since the media doesn't seem to care about it and the administration certainly doesn't care about it.

Since then, of course, there have been photographs of similar torture at the hands of British soldiers. This had apparently been known for quite some time, but the furor only resulted when the photos were released as part of two courts-martial.

The Economist has published an op/ed piece on this and stated some very important things about Right and Wrong. I don't believe it's login-protected so please give it a read since it's pretty short. In case you don't click over, here's a short blurb comparing the US reaction to the British reaction which covers the net-net for me:
In essence, it ignored the findings of the Abu Ghraib enquiry conducted by Major-General Antonio Taguba, in which he spoke of “systemic” problems at Abu Ghraib, since punishment was not imposed far up the chain of command. It has also sought to ignore consistent evidence that torture has been used in Guantánamo and to avoid confronting the unjust legal limbo in which prisoners there have been kept for almost three years. And the man who commissioned memos justifying torture, Alberto Gonzales, has been punished by being nominated by George Bush as his new attorney-general.
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The worst sin, though, is the one that goes right to the top. Neither Mr Bush nor Tony Blair is willing to accept blame for what has occurred, nor to demand accountability for it from their cabinets. That is to imply that, for all their condemnations of the abuses, they think them politically unimportant. At least in international politics, they are wrong.

While The Economist can be quite conservative, I like that when it comes to issues like this, they draw a line in the sand and simply state what is Right and what is Wrong.

Monday, January 24, 2005

Go Fug Yourself

So I was surfing the web on Friday night specifically looking for new blogs to read. This, in and of itself, is a bad sign since it means I'm addicted to blogging and it's all downhill from here. But anyways, lets leave Blogger Anonymous out of it for right now. I found a few interesting ones which I've since bookmarked.

There was one which I found pretty funny for the concept, but didn't bother bookmarking since I didn't think I would ever return. Well whaddya know?

I was surfing around again just now and I ended up on the same blog through a completely different way. That must be a sign. So of course, I've gotta post about this randomness.

So Go Fug Yourself now. After all, fugly is the new pretty.

Cafe Arv

A friend in Sydney has started a blog (conveniently linked on the right side for reference later). He's got his blog to load up his personal pictures from his travel portfolio. Man, what a traveller he is! I wish I could go to even half the places he's been.

Speaking of which, that's one thing we Americans seem to miss out on: Vacations. We are trying to take time off every year to have fun in a new locale, but it always seems like we're pushing it off for another time. Why is that? I don't think we're so obsessed with work that we can't leave it. Most of our friends seem to have the time-off available, but not all of us take it. Maybe we're just conditioned to maintain the status quo: Work, Home, Weekend, and maybe a long weekend here and there.

Meanwhile, Europeans, Australians, even Indians(!) seem to take lots of time off to enjoy the world. For Indians, that might just mean going to a nearby Hill Station or to a "Pilgramage" site. Europeans & Australians seem to take lots of time off in Southeast Asia as well as different parts of Europe.

Americans? Well, we sometimes take road trips; and granted, America is such a big country that there's tons to see domestically. But even these domestic trips seem few and far between.

Part of the problem is, of course, the amount og time-off we get. Americans tend to get two weeks off a year. Europeans? Six weeks isn't out of the norm. Australians? Not sure, but it's definitely a lot more than Americans get. I'm sure that the smaller amount of time-off we get results in higher productivity and is part of the reason America has such high growth rates, etc. So maybe this isn't really a problem in the bigger scheme of things.

All I know is that I want to take as much time as Arvind gets :)

Friday, January 21, 2005

Picasa

If you read tech news, like I do, you've probably already heard about Google's release of Picasa 2. 2? What about 1?

Well, if you've never heard of Picasa, it's a photo organizing tool meant for the masses. In addition to organizing photos, it lets you download pics from a digicam directly - a few steps less than other apps. Version 1 was pretty cool and easy to use, but didn't add anything huge for me since I was used to Canon's Zoombrowser software to download shots from my cameras and I like using Photoshop since I like to think highly of myself (smirk).

So anyways, Picasa 2 just came out and it's been getting rave reviews all over the web so I decided to give it a try. Well, let me just say that this version is not only as slick looking at the previous version, it's got a lot of additional functionality that covers just about everything most people would need.

While I plan to continue using Photoshop, I realize that I rarely need the extra functionality. I may just start using Picasa more often since it covers a lot of mid-level photo adjusting and optimization and makes them easy to access and quick to utilize. The new optimization features will certainly help most people's photos look nicer.

The new version also has some cool things like the ability to make collages, web albums, slideshows, gift CDs, etc. And you can post photos to your blog (via a related app called Hello...I've been using Hello, but now I'll start using Picasa also). Good stuff.

If you've been looking for an easy-to-use photo organizing/adjusting/downloading app, then Picasa is what you need. You can replace the crappy photo app that came with your digicam and get something which is much more user-friendly, but which also provides some powerful functionality.

Highly recommended even for advanced users.

Optimistically Contrarian

Huh?

Ok, according to Merriam Webster a contrarian is "a person who takes a contrary position or attitude". I usually think that such people provide an opposing argument just to bring people down, like investors who believe the market should go down even though it's going up, etc.


Well, the other day I was chatting with a colleague about my generally opstimistic attitude about working in our group. While things are getting better attitude-wise, most people in the group I work in are rather pessimistic about working there. I won't go into the reasons behind this since I'd rather not make people wonder what company could make people feel so pessimistic ;)

Anyways, here's some people who are optimistically contrarian in ways no one would ever imagine. Their articles are obviously too "smart" to really be funny, but there's some good points nonetheless. Like their Number One reason to like George W. Bush:
1. Unite

He is a uniter, not a divider. He said so. Twice. And it is true. Dubya has done more to unite Europe than anyone since the fall of Rome. Given time, he might manage the same in the Arab world too.

He has also united the left, energising such projects as progressive newswire Truthout, liberal talk radio station Air America Radio and political action group moveon.org. The American left has not been as vibrant since the Vietnam War. Okay, they failed utterly to win the election, but there is a lovely feeling of togetherness.


Word. By the way, "smart" and "funny" is apparently called satire. Even if it's British. Go Figure.

Thursday, January 20, 2005

Runaway First Daughter

Female empowerment has always been a theme for Hollywood movies. Afterall, half the audience in the seats are women, and it pays to show them something which they'll want to see. While I have no problem with such a theme, I noticed that the most common form this theme takes is that of a teenage girl running unfettered through the streets of some European town. In the process, said teenager discovers herself and her parents find that she's grown up.

Don't believe me?


Try Princess Diaries (ok, that's set in San Francisco), Princess Diaries 2, First Daughter, The Lizze McGuire Movie, Chasing Liberty. Don't forget the Olsen twins who have made several movies about running around the streets of a big city: When in Rome & New Yrok Minute are just two. And that's only from the past few years. Of course, the originator for this theme is Roman Holiday, which, of course, is in a league all its own. I wish Hollywood producers didn't try to bite on Audrey Hepburn so obviously.

Before I go on, let me address those of you who are wondering why the hell I care so much about these movie. Well, I don't really. It's just that my flights on the way to Singapore included both Princess Diaries 2 and First Daughter. Plus, Chasing Liberty has been on auto-replay on the movie channels lately. So it's hard not to notice the theme here.

But my question is why so many of these movies lately? Is this runaway teenager the only plot that Hollywood can think of which shows female empowerment? If that's the case, then Hollywood producers need to go to Borders more often and check out some of the novels there. They should leave well enough alone and let Audrey Hepburn show us what it means to be a princess with an adventurous heart.

Wednesday, January 19, 2005

Bloggity Blog Blog Blogging

Or maybe it's called meta blogging. It's when you blog about other blogs. Which I don't usually do. Anyways, I just came across this blog, which is apparently written by GM's Vice Chairman Bob Lutz.


Interesting that the blog doesn't seem like marketing speak and seems pretty honest. That's actually the sign of a good salesman. Most salesman are greasy, but the really good ones buck the trend and make you like them and make you nod at what they're saying.

For the most part, that's pretty hard to do when it comes to GM products, but in any case, Bob Lutz's blog is good example of corporate blogging at its best.

Here's a specific example of what really surprises me. Lutz actually replies to comments left on there with a clearly pro-GM message, but acknowledging faults. Keep in mind, of course, that GM tends to do this every few years. They say "Hey look, we're making great cars now...so much better than the crap we used to put out before". Remember back to the late 80s when they tried to come back against Japanese car makers? Remember when the Saturn line first came out (which is mainly known for its simple sales strategy, not for its quality cars)? Remember when they tried to revive the Oldsmobile line (which has since been discontinued)? At the time, GM said they were finally coming back, but now they say that all those cars were crap and they're much better now. It wouldn't surprise me if 10 years from now, they rip on their current lineup of Cadillacs which get great press right now, but may be seen in a different light in 2015.

But anyways, kinda cool to see what seems to be a pretty straight up corporate blog.

Follow-up on Indian Tsunami Aid

No I haven't forgotten about the Tsunami :|

Earlier this month I wrote about India flexing its regional muscle. That post was mainly focused on India providing aid to other affected nations, but an underlying thing in there (which I don't think came out clearly enough) is the Indian tradition of self-reliance. In emailing some friends about this, we acknowledged that this could backfire if New Delhi couldn't get the monies to proper places at the right times. Afterall, even if the central government has resolve, it's the local authorities that have the true lead in what happens.


Well, as time has gone on, it's clear that New Delhi is backing up its initial desires to remain self-reliant. A $628 million aid package for the Indian mainland has just been announced. Let's be clear that this doesn't include the Andaman & Nicobar islands which has a separate relief & rebuilding effort underway (and which seems to be gaining steam everyday).

The simple announcement of this package doesn't mean that the people can rejoice. What I found heartening about this aid package is that the money will not be released until project details are actually announced. While that doesn't necessarily solve the problem of local beauracracy, money usually solves a lot of problems and holding it back will likely encourage these people to work together keeping timelines in mind.

One thing I must note is that I'm happy that I can now use the word "recontruction" in relation to this disaster. For me, it means so much in terms of how the people are coping. It's a sign that there are plans to get life back to normal. While we can still mourn for those lives lost, the focus needs to be on putting prosperity back into these regions.

China minding the environment

Over the past few years China has gotten a pretty bad rep for not being mindful of environmental impacts in the rush to modernize the country's infrastructure.

So it's interesting to see this report about Chinese megaprojects being halted out of concern for environmental regulations. It's sounds almost too good to believe, but in the end, I think it makes sense for the central government to keep close tabs on this. Even though the government has a horrible human right record, they seem to be pretty mindful of moving the general population forward. With respect to the Three Gorges Dam this meant negatively impacting a lot of people and they definitely made a lot of mistakes there. Maybe this is the Chinese way of showing they've learned some lessons and are looking at some of the local impacts. While the overall benefit to the population may still be good, if there are gross imbalances in the negative impacts, then project need to be re-thought.

I'm sure these projects will be re-started soon enough. I highly doubt the Chinese Govt will leave these alone to protect the environment from any damage. This is prolly just a self-check to ensure that the cons do not severely outweight the pros both on a national and a local level.

In any case, it's good to see this happen...even if the end result is still that these mega projects get built, if even a little more concern is given to local & environmental impacts, then the people have won in some small way.

Understanding dogs

Here's an interesting piece which dog-owners/lovers will find to be a good read. It's something which people who don't like dogs or who just aren't familiar with dogs will find VERY uninteresting. BUT, if you're curious about why people love their dogs so much, then this might be a good read.


What I find most interesting about this piece is that it sort of gets to the crux of dog ownership via the methods people use to train them. It also bores down to some types of dog owners. There's the people who treat their dogs like their own children (my wife is one of those, and sometimes I can become like that too). There's the people who treat their dogs as accessories to their personalities (usually these are people who have lap dogs such as terriers or chihuahuas). I find myself being in another bucket which is the companion.

As I mentioned, I sometimes treat my dog like a little child. This is usually if I feel guilty about not spending enough time with him such as when we've been out all day or night, come home to say hi, then either leave the house or just go to bed. So I may baby him then, but the reason I don't just go off to bed is because we've basically made a deal in our lives.

I mean, the reason he's such a loyal little guy is because he's just giving us back the love we give him. So I try to be cognizant of that deal and give him the time he deserves. So for me, his needs aren't just to follow us around all day, eat, sleep, and play fetch...he needs us to give him time to be the companion that he's been bred to be.

So do I treat him like an equal? Of course not. He's a dog. But when he doesn't listen to me, I try to remember that he's not doing it to annoy me, but that I need to spend more time with him to build a lasting companionship. It's only through time that I can expect him to be obedient.

Like the author states:
What is a well-behaved dog anyway? One who sits and stays and rolls over? To me, training is an idea that goes far beyond obedience. It's not about what you can make a dog do, but what you do with your dog, the cornerstone and foundation of your communication, your relationship.

So anyways, hopefully that gives some insight into why we dog owners can be such freaks :)


Tuesday, January 18, 2005

The true cost of poverty

The UN released a report on the UN Millenium Project with some more details and projections for worldwide poverty. The UN website have a nice page with a summary of goals. I heard about this project last year and, like many people throughout the world, thought it was a much needed thing.

I was going to make a long post about finally proving to the world what it's worth (in everyday financial terms) to get these 1 billion people out of poverty, but I must say, I need to do a little more research on what exactly the report says. The MSNBC report is an interesting summary of opinions, but I'd like to see the investment strategy that the UN report outlines before I make comments about it. I have high hopes for this project, but I'll try to read some more details before getting into a long post about it.

It may take a while since the UN report is 3,000 pages long (yes three thousand!) so if any of you have any good links to more resources about the report, please leave a comment with details. Thanks!

Monday, January 17, 2005

Pride

Let's all take moment to recognize the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on this holiday. While most of us (including myself) don't have the holiday off from work, it's hugely important for us to take moments out from days like these because the work that folks like MLK have done allows us to live our lives and prosper.

So I actually wanted to talk about something really specific here. That is the connection between MLK and Mahatma Gandhi. Now, a lot of people (Indians specifically) have been stepping on Gandhi's name in recent years. I'm not really sure why they do that, but there are various reasons, including, Hindu racist as well as (in Sepiamutiny's case) that Gandhi had nothing original to offer.

In any case, that's not why I'm writing today. I'm writing today because every Indian-American should take extra time to recognize that the work which both MLK and Gandhi did has given you the (hopefully) good life you lead today. We take our freedom and equality for granted, but it's really the great work of men like these that allow us brown folk (and every other color) to prosper. This really became clear to me a couple of years ago because of my work with Young India.

Most Indians think of MLK day as a day that Black people need to be proud of and something which Indians don't need to be as concerned about. What many people don't know is that MLK and the American Civil Rights Movements took much of the Indian Freedom Movement to heart when beginning their campaign in the United States. MLK even said, "the Gandhian philosophy of nonviolence is the only logical and moral approach to the solution of the race problem in the United States." Without the experience of Gandhi's work, the American Civil Rights Movement may have been very different and perhaps not as successful.

In the fall of 2003 we at Young India were organizing an annual tribute to Gandhi. This time we wanted to have it on Capitol Hill to ensure that folks who wouldn't normally attend such events would, at the least, get some exposure to the marketing for such an event. So with the 2003 tribute we invited Congressman John Lewis to attend. This man is truly amazing. As you can read in his bio, he was part of the Civil Rights Movement and was, in fact, the youngest person to speak at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial before MLK himself spoke. He is really a connection back to the Civil Rights movement. I had the honor or introducing him during our tribute and the fire in his convictions was evident even with age. As he said, "Gandhi, through his life and his actions, taught us the oneness of the human family" and, "Gandhi's teachings helped us to not just liberate a people, but to liberate a nation"

It's only through this that I realized how lucky we are, as Indians, to have two great men to thank for what we have today. Without the catalyst of Gandhi's actions, India wouldn't have become an independent nation as it did (surely the British would have left, but the outcome could have been very different and India's "3rd way" soul may never have materialized). Without the work of King (and disciples like John Lewis) America would likely still be much more unequal than it is. This impacts us directly because as brown folk, we're still lumped in with every other non-Caucasian group out there and treated much the same. Sure we may have a great reputation of being well-educated and such, but in the end, Civil Rights are about equal rights to get that education and to have the opportunity to prosper. Without the Civil Rights movement here, our parents would likely not have prospered in the way that they did. Surely, a lot more work needs to be done, but we need to recognize how far we have come and how much we have benefited in our everyday lives.

If you've read to this point, then you're probably already thinking about what these great accomplishments mean in your life. And I thank you for that. Now I ask you to talk to the person in the cube next to you and show how much this really means to all of our lives. These holidays aren't just the chance to drive up to the mountains to ski. They're the chance to take a step back and smile at what's been accomplished on our behalf. These men didn't work so hard just for themselves. They did it for all of us.

Friday, January 14, 2005

Little green men!

Oh man, Huygens has landed and guess what?! Well, it's not little green men, but it seems like there is some sort of liquid and some sort of solid surface. For anyone mildly interested in space exploration, finding liquid or water on another planet or moon is HUGE. That MSNBC link I gave earlier should be updated with some pictures. Here's the link to the ESA source which may have pictures faster.

Apparently there will be a lot more to come including 360 degree panoramics and sounds from the probe dropping through the Titan atmosphere. Man, I'm such a space nerd aren't I?


A couple of notes: Obviously I didn't think there would be creepy crawlies moving around the surface, but who knows, there could still be proto-life forms underground. Second, the Huygens probe was built and managed by the European Space Agency (ESA), not NASA. Everyone always assumes that all space accomplishments are NASA's doing, but in this case, the ESA lead a great worldwide team to get on the ground at Titan.

Mystery beneath the clouds

Ok, so back to one of my childhood fantasies...space exploration. Something which has been lost in the news what with the stopping of the WMD hunt is the Cassini probe. This is a space probe which is orbiting Saturn right now. There have been many many space probes, but this one is unique in that it has/had another probe, called Huygens, which is attached which was designed to land on Titan, Saturn's largest moon. So anyways, Huygens just landed on Titan last night! Here are some details.


Ok, so you wonder why I'm so excited about landing on a barren moon? Well, Titan is not so barren. In fact, it's one of the most likely places to have the conditions for life since it's got a thick atmosphere and some other things friendly to life. So it's pretty exciting to think there might be primitave life forms there. Plus, Huygens doesn't just have instruments, it has cameras to show us what the surface looks like. Going back to my childhood, I'd just imagine freaky alien creatures crawling around the surface.

Ok, I'll spare you all from my childhood memories. Just know that this is a huge accomplishment for space exploration. We'll soon know more about what Huygens saw as data is sent back to Earth. If there are indeed freaky alien creature crawling around, I'm assuming I won't be the first person to tell you. Keep on the lookout on the news sites!

Thursday, January 13, 2005

WTF?

Did I somehow get teleported to some other reality? First, the hunt for WMD ends, now W admits to a shortcoming?! Bring 'em on!

Rebuild it Dammit!

We hear about natural disasters all the time. Obviously, the devasatation along the Indian Ocean is not going to leave our consciousness any time soon. Since then, however, mudslides in Southern California have caught the attention of many Americans. Living here in California, it's been all over the news. I can't imagine the saturation coverage by SoCal news outlets since they go buckwild over the smallest of things.

In any case, a pledge by most survivors of disasters and government officials is that they will go on with their lives, rebuild, and prosper once again. It's human nature to triumph over mother nature. And when devastation is so wide spread and in areas which rarely, if ever, face such worries, it makes sense to rebuild communities in the same spot. I fully hope and expect that survivors in tsunami affected areas can rebuild most of their towns and prosper along the shores of the Indian Ocean. But it seems like Americans tend to go overboard on rebuilding and do so even when it's down right stupid to do it in the same spot that was just demolished.

I'm not talking about hurricane survivors re-building their motor homes or tornado survivors rebuilding the high school gym. Although hurricanes & tornados are regular events, the devastation they cause is quite random and infrequent. I'm talking about people who live in known, and very specific, danger areas who then rebuild in the exact same spots after disasters. For example, people should not be living in flood plains since the plains are specifically designed to take overflow flood waters. Of course their homes will be in the path of trouble. I'm also talking about people living on or near unstable cliffs. These people could live just a little farther away from these cliffs, but for whatever reason - scenery, tradtion, etc - they choose to live in a known danger zone. Not only do these people get devastated every few years, they get help to re-build in those same spots even though there's no good reason.

Gov. Schwarzenegger took the step of unneccesary political pandering just yesterday in response to the serious mudslides which have killed 10 people so far. Here's an excerpt of what the LA Times relates in this article:



Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger encouraged residents to rebuild as he toured the damage during a midmorning visit.

"In the last few days we have seen the power of nature to cause damage and despair," Schwarzenegger told reporters and residents. "But we will match that power with our own resolve.

"The people that live here in this community are very strong," he said. "It's something I noticed right away. One of the first things they said is, you know, 'We'll be back.'

"I would say that I'm going to help them so they can come back here," the governor added.

I call this pandering unneccesary because even the local officials think it's a bad idea to rebuild in La Conchita. More from the LA Times:


That pledge appeared to leave Ventura County officials nonplused. Kathy Long, head of the county Board of Supervisors, said after a meeting with Schwarzenegger that officials were unsure how they could make La Conchita safe.

The area is known for mudslides. In fact, in 1995 there were serious mudslides, but people still rebuilt. I'll admit, rebuilding after one disaster isn't straight out dumb, but doing so after the same thing happens AGAIN? And kills 10 people? What exactly is it that makes people do this? Let's see what the LA Times has to report again:


As searchers continued to probe the rubble, residents debated whether to return.

Julio Varele, 53, said he and his wife, Annelle Beebe, would. Even though he lost a close friend, Tony Alvis, in the mudslide, Varele said he couldn't fathom living anyplace else.

"We've had the most incredible time with our friends in the house. There's the warmth, the atmosphere, with food and good times," he said. "People love to come to visit. How can you put a price on that?"

After the 1995 slide, Varele said, he thought about the dangers "all the time."

"It was sort of our choice to live there. It's not that we're dumb. It's just that it's a wonderful place," he said.

Bill Matthews, 34, who lives about 200 feet away from the base of the slide, said he planned to stay "as long as the rent is [as high] as it is in Santa Barbara."


People love to visit. High rent. Uh huh. It's not that you're dumb, it's that your fucking stupid and looking for sympathy!

So if this were just the residents' decision to rebuild and the consequences would be up to them, I wouldn't be so mad. But their stupid choice causes the entire community to waste time & money and risk the lives of rescuers when another slide occurs. Not only that, the rebuilding will likely happen on the state's dime...err state's millions of dollars.

Why can't we cut our losses and just declare the area off-limits to residents? Ok, don't leave them completely out in the cold; pay them fair value on their homes and tell them to move out of the area. No view is worth having to deal with this shit every few years. Ya, it's human nature to triumph over the elements. However, it's also human nature to figure out a better way when you've just gotten the smackdown. Again.

End of story.


Check that off the list

Since I know everyone, including the administration, was keeping such close track, the hunt for Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction has finally ended. Mission Accomplished.

Tuesday, January 11, 2005

TV on command

Just a couple of days ago I wrote about our new foray into DVR-dom. I promised to write more if I became addicted. Well, I'm not quite addicted, but we're quickly getting used to watching TV on our own schedule rather than based on what network programmers think is best for us.

Let's begin at 6:30pm. My wife has a slew of Indian soap operas which she needs to watch everyday. Although they are repeated throughout the day, the shows can take up a good portion of the evening. Inevitably, I start complaining about the shows since as far as I'm concerned, they're all the same load of crap. Anyways, they're programmed into our DVR and recorded everyday. My wife loads up the first one and proceeds to watch all of her shows while I occupy myself with other things. Since she can forward through all the ads, she's done amazingly fast.


Next comes Desperate Housewives. Talk about soap opera! I'm not into this show as much as my wife, but I'll watch it when it's convenient. We didn't get a chance to watch it on Sunday because we were busy, Well, with a DVR, it's always convenient. So we watch the show while getting things around the house done. If we miss a bit, no worries, just rewind. Another show finished in 2/3 of the normal running time.

Of course, while watching "Housewives", we realize that 24 is coming on. We've never watched this series until this season, but after only 2 episodes, we're hooked. But since the DVR is recording 24 in the background, we can finish up "Housewives" then start up 24. Even though the DVR is still recording the tail end of 24 for that night, we can just start at the beginning and catch up. 2 hours of 24 finished in 1.5 hours. Nice.

So let's add it up...2 hours of Indian soaps, 1 hours of Housewives, and 2 hours of 24...that's 5 hours of running time. It took less than 4 hrs to watch it all...without an arguing, without any sitting around watching the same old ads. Very cool.

You're probably thinking it may be cool, but 5 hours of television a night?? Well, safe to say, we don't normally watch that much TV, but the DVR is paying off on those nights when there are several things one or both of us would like to watch. Obviously, I'm on my way to addiction. Any seasoned Tivo or ReplayTV users, let me know if you have hints to avoid the addiction while still enjoying the utility of such a device. :)

Tragedy, Skin Color, and Respect

Following up on my previous post about representing the real tragedy in tsunami affected areas, another topic that's been brought up a lot is the media's display of the grisly remains of those killed and injured by the tsunami. This is clearly nothing new, but Tiffinbox has a new post about it and I thought I'd relate my views on this. Here's an excerpt from Tiffinbox which pretty much summarizes my feelings:

How do Western publications get away with publishing images of strife and pain elsewhere in the world but fail to do the same right here at home? Does a grieving mother in Sri Lanka not have the same rights as that of a grieving mother in the US? Why is the policy different? Why do we extend this courtesy to those in the West, but disregard it when we train our cameras on people who don't look anything like us?Is this a one-sided coin?


However, my focus in this post is not to encourage media to withhold images out of respect. It's on the flip side of this: giving a proper accounting of the tragedy regardless of where it occurs. Sure it's grisly, but it's something we can deal with. Moreover, it's something which may lead to greater benefit overall through heartfelt donations in aid.

Safe to say that after viewing such tragedy on their TVs, a good number of people opened up their hearts and wallets to donate to worthy causes in aid of the survivors of the tsunami. Would as many people have donated if they weren't confronted with such devastation on their TVs? I doubt it. I'd say people's emotions are tied very closely to imagery since that is what sticks in their minds. What sticks is not a reporter reading numbers and describing tragedy. Images stick. As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Perhaps the images of tragedy are worth millions of dollars - literally.

I would actually say that it's more important to show the images than to withhold. Whether it's Western or Indian or Iranian or Iraqi, it's better to give a full accounting rather than withholding and "respecting" someones privacy. If that small invasion of privacy leads to a better understanding of and empathy with those affected, then it's worth it.

Currently, the "respect" Western media shows is definitely one-sided. Rather than showing the same respect by withholding, I would want the levels to be evened by giving a proper accounting of what really happened regardless of who is affected or where. Don't just tell us, show us.

Monday, January 10, 2005

The Real Tragedy

I recently found out that we get the Discovery Times channel. It's a great channel which has some really pertinent documentaries about current issues. So last night I saw this very powerful and touching show on the Tsunami. The hour focused on various people trying to find their loved ones or helping others find their loved ones. Every time I saw the faces of those searching for their family and friends I honestly felt chills and I couldn't help but find my eyes watering.

While this documentary was very poignant, I kept thinking about one thing. All of these people are white foreigners. No doubt the people being filmed were going through horrible times, but what they're dealing with is essentially temporary. They were either tourists or sent in to help nationals from other countries. Once they had learned the whereabouts of their loved ones, they could go back home to their families and livelihoods. The people who are really suffering are the ones from the region. The ones who have lost not only their family and friends, but also their livelihoods and everything else in their lives. They are the ones who have no where to go and must find ways of moving on with life.

While this documentary was done very well, it didn't get to the real story. It barely touched upon the real tragedy. I hope to see such well-crafted and poignant work done which gives us a glimpse into how natives of the affected are putting their lives back together.

Sunday, January 09, 2005

Jumped on the Bandwagon

We are finally the proud users of a DVR. Huh, DeeVee what?? Well, it's the generic term for a Tivo. We been talking about getting one for quite some time, but I didn't want to pony up the cash & monthly service fee for a stand-alone Tivo box. I was going to build my own DVR, but I never found a cheap enough desktop to do it on. Afterall, if I was too cheap to pay for a Tivo, I should over-spend on building a DVR either.

So finally Comcast comes to the rescue with DVR service in our area. We had to get a new cable box, but the cable set it up in less than 5 minutes and I was ready to roll. No buying a box. I just have to pay a $10 monthly fee for it. Yes, that's more than I'd like to pay, but whenever we get HDTV, the box will automatically show HDTV since the box is an HD decoder as well. And at no extra cost. The best thing about getting the service from Comcast rather than through Tivo, ReplayTV, or my own box? The box has two tuners so I can watch something else while it records. It can also record two shows at once. All this without having an extra box beneath the TV.

I've heard people preach about their Tivo's and how they can't live without the service. I'm not so sure I'll ever be that convinced about the utility of a DVR, but its been quite useful in the week that we've had it so far. I can now watch BBC news everyday and not worry about forgetting to watch it. My wife can watch her Indian soap operas at a time when it's least annoying for me :) Plus I can record all the movies I like. This is especially useful since it seems like all the good movies come when it's too late to watch. I can't understand why HBO, Encore, and the rest of the movie channels reserve the wee hours for the better movies. But now I've trumped them since I can just look through the night's programming and record whatever I feel like.

If I end up becoming addicted to this stuff, I'll report back.

Room for Two

There are now two bloggers in our household. My wife has started her own blog:
http://juniormama.blogspot.com

You can also find a link to her blog conviently in the Fam Bam section on the right side of this page.

Thursday, January 06, 2005

Morning cup of...infomercials

Lately, because of the holiday season, I've been working from home a lot, or I've had days off. So to keep things from getting too quiet around the house, I usually turn on the TV. Now, if you're at home in the mornings, you probably know that nothing interesting comes on until 10am when Price Is Right comes on. But before that, I can never find anything interesting, so the default background show for me is the Today Show.

Have you ever seen this show? It's been on for so long, I'm sure you've seen at least one episode. It's a pretty innocuous show. I mean, strange weathermen is about the only thing I take away from the show. The thing that gets me though is the infomercials throughout. Infomercials, you say? Well, ya. The show is riddled with plugs for various products. The plugs are disguised as tips on the latest fashion trends or gift giving trends or whatever, but they're essentially advertisements for the products. And you thought Queer Eye and The Apprentice was obnoxious with its product placements? (which are paid for by the way)

Seriously, I'm surprised people haven't asked about how much NBC makes off this show just by selling plug spots. Whether it's make-up, jeans, or jewelry, they make sure to tell you the brand name, how much it costs, and where you can get the item. All while housewives across America are sitting engrossed. Seems like NBC has a strategy here...Today Show, The Apprentice, and Queer Eye are all produced by NBC....

And the other thing...what up with Katie Couric? She's always throwing in some double-entedre or some comment to show that she's down with the times. She randomly threw in the term Chrismukkah and I was like, huh? She seems to try too hard with her jokes and catch-phrases. Maybe it's just too early in the morning for her.

Anyways, get up early one day and watch a few minutes of the show...you'll see what I mean.

Wednesday, January 05, 2005

More socio-policital developments

While my heart sinks every time I read about the latest news from the tsunami affect areas there are certain things which make me nod my head in approval. The latest is that Germany is pledging some $674 million in long-term aid while Australia will provide $765 million in loans and grants. As the world has begun to realize the enormity of devastation in the area, it's heartening to see that nations around the world are finding ways to help. What's more important than money however is the logistical support that is being provided. The American military is playing a central role in that. As far what I wrote about India in my last post, it's still true, but when looking at the bigger picture, it's clear that international ties in every direction will become stronger. And more than India playing a key role in the region, I think it's key that nations from all over recognize that there is indeed a world community at the ready to help when needed.

The only unfortunate part about this is that such international relationship building occured only after such tragedy. But as I'm sure everyone has experienced, it's during the worst times when you realize what true friends and neighbors are. Let's hope that ten years from now, what we remember about this tragedy is that it brought nations together politically and brought people together across every divide. And hopefully, these ties that bind remain well after the images have disappeared from our TV screens.

Tuesday, January 04, 2005

India flexing its regional muscle

I was talking to someone over the weekend about the Tsunami and they mentioned that it was so bad that India is refusing aid from other countries. I didn't want to start an argument then so I didn't say anything in response to that comment, but since this is my space, I'll respond right here.

On the surface, it would seem pretty haughty for India to refuse help from other countries, but upon further consideration, it's about the best thing that India can do given the situation and given the history of India's desire to be self-relient. Looking back on India's history, much of it's economic development was designed to ensure that it could be self-relient. Some of the methods have led to slower growth, but the motives were pretty clear - India could build its own factories and grow its own food.

Now with the current situation, it's clear that India wants to flex its muscles in the region. Although China has a larger population, India is really the powerhouse in this portion of Asia. By refusing outside aid, the Indian government is saying that they can take care of their own. Moreover, by promising aid to other affected countries, New Delhi is saying that they will look out for their neighbors even in times of great need and despair.

This is sort of what the United States did after WWII. It's because of U.S. aid that Europe got back on its feet then. It's because of U.S. support that both Germany and Japan grew to be economic powerhouses. Of course, the entire picture is much more complex than that, but the bottom line is that the U.S. took on a role of lifting up affected nations and getting them back on their feet.

Now, India isn't provided nearly the amount of support that the U.S. did back in the 40s, 50s, and 60s, but the message is clear. We're big boys now and we'll look out for our own as well as for our neighbors.

For years, India has been trying to cement its status as regional powerhouse, but nothing has really solidified it. Even the IT boom hasn't made India as big a powerhouse as could be. So perhaps in the face of tragedy, India will be able to establish itself on the table with the big boys. Who knows where this will lead...permanent UN Security Council seat? More leverage in WTO talks? I think the coming months will be very enlightening for people interested in seeing where Indian power heads. Hopefully New Delhi can back up its promises and hopefully it helps to solidify the country's place with the traditional world powers.

Monday, January 03, 2005

Resolutions

Following up on my review of 2004, it's now time to talk about New Year's resolutions. I've never been huge on resolutions, but I usually try to look back on the past year and see what I could change, based on the biggest things which happened in my life.

For example, in 2003, my wife would always joke with me about the amount of coffee I drink (1 or 2 cups a day). So she dared me to go without coffee. So I agreed that I would skip the coffee for a month. Yes, I know, it's a pretty silly resolution, but I've realized that resolutions are best when realistic and time constrained. Moreover, resolutions will likely not work if the aim is to change a fundamental habit. It's gotta be something you would do at any time of the year and something which you can do happily.

So what do I aim to do in the coming year? Take at least 100 photographs a month.

Huh? Ya, that's right, I want to take more photos. How did I come to this decision? Well, 2004 had so much going on in our lives, that I just wanted to document it all for posterity. Additionally, my father-in-law found a cache of old photographs from when my wife was young. The photographs weren't just from special events, they documented the little things in life. Like my wife playing with her younger brother when he was still in diapers. Just another reason for me to take more photographs.

And finally, I always tell myself that I need to get out more, have my camera with me, and take a few shots that I can be proud of. Whether those shots include family and friends or whether they're landscape shots, they will be valuable to us later in life.

So there it is. I aim to take at least 100 photographs a month. They won't be pictures of my big toe. They'll be photos which my family and friends can look back on and smile.

Sunday, January 02, 2005

In Review

So it's been a few days since my last post. I've been asking friends to help raise money to donate to Tsunami Relief. I'll be donating to to the International Red Cross via my employer since they match 100%. I'm still watching CNN constantly and my heart just breaks every time I let the latest stories sink in.

Anyways, I feel a bit more like thinking over the past year and what it has meant for me. Earlier in the summer I wrote about being fat and happy. I was basically being thankful for having a great life, a great wife, great friends, and just about everything one could ask for. After so much tragedy over the past week, I am just that more thankful for what we've been given. So I'll refrain from being even sappier. We can all agree that such time to reflect lets us really appreciate all the little things which make our lives more worthwhile.

With that said, 2004 had so many things which made my life interesting. Of course there are been huge changes like buying a house and getting a dog, but the year is made up of more than big events.

  • Music
    I must say that this has been the year of my return to music. I used to be quite the music junkie back in college and a couple of years after that. But the past couple years have been rather unmusical. Yes, there’s been good music, but nothing to make me want to write. This year I discovered so much music I don’t know what to put on my MP3 player first.

    UK Asian music. I’m not quite sure what term to use when talking about this music, but it covers music which Adil Ray plays during his show on the BBC Asian Network and that which Bobby and Nihal play on BBC1. I haven’t written about this in quite a while, but I certainly haven’t forgotten about it. Artists like Raghav, Jay Sean, Mehsopuria, and of course, Zeus have shown me that there is quite a lot in store for Indian music in the coming years. These guys have taken their cultural backgrounds and music they grew up with, and flipped it to create great fusions.

    Rock. Man I used to hate hip-hop and would only listen to rock music. Over the years, I’ve fallen out of love with the new rock music out there. This year I’ve re-discovered my love and passion for guitar, bass, and drums. Some of the highlights for me have been Franz Ferdinand, Modest Mouse, The Killers, and to top it all off…a new U2 album. Can I just say how much I love U2? I’m much less of a freaky fanatic when it comes to U2, but the new album has breathed life back into geezer rock :) But seriously, there is such good rock music out there right now, I wish I could name it all. Last year may have been a break out year for garage bands like The Strokes and the White Stripes, but it’s only this year that I’ve realized that it was just the beginning of a new era of great rock.

    Hip-Hop. Can I get a holla for Kanye West? Sure, his album is very pop, but you know what? I don’t care. I’ve talked to friends about his album and it certainly has its faults, but it’s still a great listen. Not only are his beats catchy, he’s got some interesting lyrics which make you want to listen again and again. Plus, he’s clearly had influence on some other artists through his production work. Can I get another holla for Mos Def and Talib Kweli? Both came out with new albums this year. While Kweli has been consistently been putting out great musc, it’s been a long time for Mos since he’s been busy with his acting career. Both albums are great spins and if you haven’t heard them, you’re missing out. I wish I had the space to talk about all of the other Hip-Hoppers which have put out more stuff this year or those which I’ve just discovered…the whole Quannum Crew (Lyrics Born, DJ Shadow, etc) and The Roots are just two of them.

    2-Step. If you don’t know what this music is, I’m not sure how to describe it…it’s sometimes referred to as UK Garage. It actually refers to the beat, but two of the best artists I know who put the beat to great use are Dizzy Rascal and The Streets. Both artists are from the UK (thus UK Garage) and both use these stark, bare bones beats to back up their stories. Dizzy’s on the freaky side of hip-hop, The Streets are on the dirty side of rock. If you’re looking for some really innovative music outside of the regular genres that get airplay on US radio stations, check these two artists out for a taste of a whole different world.
  • Politics
    It would be an understatement to say that 2004 was a big political year. Not only were there presidential elections here in the US, there was a parliamentary election in India. My work with Young India over the past year has really helped me to take a step away from the political maneuverings and see the political landscape for what it is. I’ve been able to connect many dots. I’ve been able to develop a much more robust opinion on issues. Most importantly, I’ve forced myself to look at many aspects of an issue before deciding on my opinion. I’ve found that most political thought just scratches the surface of real, meaningful policy. While people on both the left and right love to point out flaws with the others’ thoughts, policies and actions, it’s clear that neither side has much holistic sensibility and no desire to come up with policy which actually addresses political realities while looking to create new realities. In 2005, I plan to be involved in many of the policy ventures which Young India is planning and I’m looking forward to further developing the political side of my brain.
  • Love
    Ok, what isn’t made better with a little love? This past year has seen a lot of love develop (and progress) amongst my friends. Two friends got married and in the progress many of us in the wedding party became much closer friends. Two other friends have found significant others and I can’t help but smile when I talk or chat with them. It’s easy to be cynical about falling in love. After all, most of us have played the games, looked for some fun or for some commitment, and found the wrong thing at the wrong time. But it’s those times when the stars seem to align that make it most worthwhile. Of course, let’s not forget the new ruler of our house: Junior, our golden retriever puppy. I’ve written more than once about animals and he’s basically the reason I’ve come to think so much more of the creatures around us (well, him and Rajah too). He’s been a handful these first few months, but it’s been more than worthwhile.

So this is an entirely too long post. Let's leave it at that and get back to things at hand. If you haven't asked our friends and family to contribute money towards Tsunami Relief efforts, please do so. We've all heard staggering numbers and seen the mind-numbing footage. Take a moment and donate whatever you can. Please.