Upcoming Attractions

To all who read my blog or do visit it...

We guys are planning to start a new blogsite just dedicated to putting up our road trips in a planned manner such that now people interested in reading them or going ahead and doing it yourselves can get some help...

Hope we still get all ur support and some help and pointers to other places... And we are surely looking forward to have interested people in joining and planning roadies with us...

Thanx for ur extended supports...
A'Bad Nyt Riders Gang

P.S.: The site is finally open to all... Plz visit http://ahmedabad-roadtrips.blogspot.com

Section: Friction

Project B

Been reading a novel by Agatha Christie called “Passenger to Frankfurt.” A real change from what I had been reading previously from her. The writing was quite queer if you have tried a hand scrolling through those pages.

The male protagonist of the novel (a diplomat by the name Sir Stafford Nye…) happens to meet a mysterious young female who is similar to him in facial settings and seeks help in transforming from she to he with his passport and identity to England! All this is based on the Revolution of “The Youth” and it also addresses to the friction that Adolf Hitler had actually escaped his own staging of the suicide in the bunker in 1945. This revolution is gunning for total global domination (a dangerous and diabolic thought… if one thinks of its aftermath). I had read another novel (around 8 months back…) that to suggests that Hitler never really perished just after the 1945 WW II debacle. It was a racy friction (who’s name I forgot…) which is a best read one if you are interested to know Hitler’s Afterlife in the Oblivion.

It deals with the Aryan Super Race Theory. But it doesn’t feel that racy as all the rest of her books! With no Hercules Pirot and much mysteries involved it was quite a damper of my hopes! The youth of the world is captivated by the words of a certain “Young Siegfried” who is believed to be Hitler’s son and like him an eminent orator! A steady supply of arms and ammunitions, drugs, sex and money keep these youngsters in a trance that through violence the world can be a better place.

In this whole novel Project B stands for Project Benevolence discovered by an Eminent Scientist by the name Professor Robert Shoreham, who is believed to destroyed the whole idea. This project is supposed to change the human’s violent nature into benevolent one permanently! But he seems to have destroyed his pet project because he believes that science can be used for good and evil purposes!

So is violence justified or is The Gandhian virtue to be upheld! One of the maxims (a truth…) that really caught me off guard is:

“Leadership, beside being a
great creative force, can
be diabolical….”

Boon Or Bane - Multi-Specialty Hospitals

Well it’s really a long time since I took some time off from my busy schedule to write something on my blog. Well the real problem was that nothing that really matters me came up in these recent days. But there was some news I heard yesterday which got my grey cells working overtime and I badly wanted to pen in a few word on this serious matter, and what’s better is that today is the perfect day to comment on the topic since its “World Doctor’s Day.”

Well recently there were lots of thefts happening in the city and during one of such heist did they happen to bump a poor night watchman who single handedly tried to fend off their intentions. So they had no chance but to murder this Nepali Gurkha. The people of the society did a favor of getting him admitted to one of the best multi-specialty hospitals dotting the city skylines.

Since this fellow is financially backward and is survived by his wife and two children and a brother who works as a waiter in one of the restaurants could ill afford the cost of being treated in such a hospital. The Gurkha died after being hospitalized for 2 days but since the relatives of this fellow couldn’t afford to clear up the inflated bills generated by the hospital, one of the senior surgeons came up with a brilliant offer. He stated that since in lieu of the bills the person’s kidneys belong to the hospital! Ever heard of daylight robbery by doctors!!!

It was very shocking to hear to such things from well earned doctors and multi-specialty hospitals that have the clique clients who are mostly foreigners with lots of hard dollars to spend around. The doctor and the hospital must have made a neat fortune, and who knows how many other patients have meet with the same fate. Whatever happened to the universal brotherhood and the doctor’s oath which they take while entering the medical institutions. Money always overcomes their oath and desire to serve people!

Disgusting to learn what well educated people would do to earn more and lead a life of leisure and luxury, at the cost of their own not so better off brothers! The only thing really happening is that the poor are getting poorer and the rich are getting richer beyond their wildest imaginations. Really pathetic to think where the human growth is leading too leaving behind godly virtues!

And here I’m listening to people sharing their experiences with doctors to the local radio jockey. They forget that they were lucky to have good experiences whereas lots of people have really been rubbed the wrong way by misguiding physicians and quacks.

Hope everyone has the best experience and not fall trap to wicked quacks and money-minded, greedy and inexperienced medical professionals.

Seva Cafe: Living Is Giving

This Sunday was spent in a very different manner as I had a small meeting with my ex-school friends which was after a long time because all of them had their exams and dissertations etc. Before meeting them, I spend some time completing the e-book “Angels and Demons” by Dan Brown and then for the first time saw a movie of Comedy King Mehamood called “Sadhu Aur Shaitan”.

Then as we wrapped up the meeting early, my friend told me about an article that was in the local newspaper about a restaurant called Seva Café. So we made our minds to visit there and get some insight into what the fuss was really all about.

Surprises were awaiting us when we went there, though the first sighting was that the café was closed, still we made up our mind to just check out the place. Situated on the Fourth Floor of Shopper’s Plaza, just opposite to the famous Municipal Market (MM), a wonderful setup! The inside was such creatively decorated that it looked stunning, yet very simple in appearance. We were awe-struck at the sight and the ambience that this open terrace café provided. It was as if we have been transported to a totally different era or caught up in a time warp! Here the whole of the café is run by volunteers and provide food for 50 people, their timing being 7-10 pm (Monday closed).

The patrons who come to have their taste-buds tingled, are treated with the best gourmand and the café don’t have a bill payment system; you just foot the amount you wish! Seva Café also puts up its total gains and losses so that patrons can have the feel of a real transparently run enterprise. Really different from the world outside, where it’s all about deceit and corruption. The idea was started just four months back and is helped in by some of the local NGO’s like Manav Sadhna, Gram Shree, Utthan and many others. They also donate the money received to the needy and the poverty stricken fellow brethrens.

The also have a large collection of the traditional organics that are in rage currently. The is a whole range of oils, shampoos, face packs and other items like bags and other artistic items for sale which also goes into providing a better living/education to the deserving people.

Those interested in volunteering to work or be the guest cook to prepare one dish can just contact the receptionist and just be there once a week to help out the people towards a better cause. It was an awesome experience of being in such a place, a reward in itself. This place shows us that in a materialistic and cut-throat competitive world there are still people who believe in Living is all about Giving!!!

My salutations to such an endeavor and sincere wishes that this café can further motivate others too, such that the goodness spreads across and all of us can make the life of others much better!

Nalsarovar - Road Trip

This Sunday friends (4 Bloggers Cyclops, Caleb and Lonelywaves), made a road-trip to Nalsarovar, a Bird Sanctuary spread over 120kms of wet land which regularly gets feathered species from far off lands on migration! We usually had a company of three people with avid interest in visiting places and enjoying the exotic village atmosphere, and give our city-polluted lungs a booster dose of fresh oxygen. This time around we had a guest accompanying us, a fellow blogger (named ME) who also happens to be a journalist too.
Pic: Entering the boat (not A Titanic!)

The Sarovar With birds soaring.

Pic: the algae coverd Sarovar! Stunning beauty.
We started off at around 0415, a time when the rest of the city is still in deep slumber enjoying a Sunday in bed! We went to pick up our guest and then sped off on a very smooth and empty highway doing the speeds of 60-80 kph. It was a late start as its summer and the sun rises earlier and before we could get closer to Nalsarovar the fantasy of watching the day break was shattered.
Pic: of Lonelywaves with The Lotus Garland, meant for ME in pic behind Lonelywaves.

Pic: Lotus Flower in full blossom...
We had made just one scheduled break for early morning cuppa tea and our favourite pass-time of smoking. After that we speed off towards the destination, but when it was only some 22kms left to reach the spot we were shocked to see our fellow driver making a large turn around a tight corner and getting off road into a wayside bush, that literally saved him and his bike from further harm. Our guest of the day was the pillion driver and got away with some bruises and scratches, both were safe and sound but a bit dazzled at the sudden incident. After resting for some time we then slowly started off but then everyone’s thought was looming over that minor accident and it played a real spoil-sport as Caleb was off mood and didn’t really felt like enjoying.
Pic: of the Temple put in the middle by A King called "NAL" about 600-700years old!

Pic: of Lonelywaves trying the local tobacco pipe, tastes a bit salty no high ;)
Well anyways we reached Nalsarovar by 0745, got the entry passes and got ourselves admitted inside. Reaching the parking lot we were rounded up by the boat operators with their sky-rocketing prices, we haggled over the prices brought it into suit our pockets and went for the ride.

Pic: trying to use woman power! Sorry for being a bit MCP... Can't really help that...hehehe, At last Lonelywaves gives a helping hand...
The boat-ride was a real fest to the eyes that were accustomed to seeing concrete jungles, and here there was water all around and lots of birds and negligible other humans to disturb the serenity. We could see the Siberian Cranes, the Coots, the Pigtails, the Flamingoes and other various birds. Afterwards we went to an island in the middle of the lake and then returned back. Meanwhile the oarsman managed to present our guest a garland made of Lotus, which was quite interesting! Our guest had prepared delicious sandwiches for the trip, must say a good cook of junk food! ;)

The return journey was quite uneventful, but the hot afternoon sun did take a toll on our body fluids and the heat was quite unbearable though it’s still April beginning! The total journey was approx 160kms from A’bad, and reached here by 1300 hrs. A fantastic journey to remember and write about.

Death Of A System: Reservation Quota & Academics: Political Mockery

Sorry folks I was busy so had to take an unscheduled break! Lot changed in India, of which the one that concerns the current generation hit me hard and knocked out my senses, which was the reservation quota into all schools and colleges across the country for the Backward Classes.

Due the political mockery and vested interests, in converting the innocent public into a safe vote bank and creating a class divide (reminiscence of the British Rule’s Divide & Rule Policy), these so called politicians are making the other so called backward classes to yet go deep down into unfathomable misery and making them not work hard and deserve the seats in the elite schools due to their hard work and diligence but rather giving freebies!

This activities will cause the great Indian divide right into the classrooms and lecture-halls, put unhealthy atmosphere between the students. I happen to talk to few of my friends and colleagues who also hated this decision done by Arjun Singh. What was more surprising that our PM also gave it the green signal and the parliament passed the bill! This now increases the over all reserved seats to a whooping 50% in colleges.

So friends and readers, on a lighter mood “To enter into the Elite and Premier Schools & Colleges you don’t have to have an outstanding merit or be a genius, Just happen to be born in the so-called Backward Community or get a fake certificate made out by the tarnished and corrupted government officials.”

In Praise Of Indian Athletes

Yesterday the 18th Commonwealth Games came to a close at Melbourne and it was great to know that India had been done proud by its athletes though there was an initial scandal created by a masseur. The shooting department came first in the medal tally followed by weight lifting and boxing. And in overall medal tally India came 4th which was good compared to past years, though hockey and long jump results were disastrous and it did let us down. Samsher Jung the best athlete of the games had showcased a magnificent performance and could have equaled Ian Thorpe’s record of 6 gold medals but was done by the faulty pistol in the last rounds. He finished with an overall impressive personal booty of five gold medals, and one each of silver and bronze medal! Next game is scheduled for 2010 at Delhi and I hope Indian athletes will continue doing India proud!

All 'bout Traffic N Helmets

The traffic conditions in Ahmedabad is in such a pathetic situation that people here seem to forget the use of the traffic circles which have been erected at busy cross-roads in order to streamline the flow of the heavy traffic. But alas the people of Ahmedabad are such slickers at breaking the rules for their own personal gains! During my recent commute through the city’s ever bursting at the seams traffic I keep running into all sorts of people who jump these aforesaid circles and when asked reply with aare maru cycle che, nitar hu thaki jaise or maru bike/car nu petrol vadare baadi jaye che! So all these people think I’m using a hybrid vehicle which uses fuel other than on the fossil fuel they are running on?

All these people rush in with such a hurry to reach their destinations that they do not mind breaking the rules and the cops here are of such an affording nature to let you off after you pay them for their chai ke rokada! And the most interesting thing is that just to circum-navigate a traffic circle these people keep tab of their valuable fuel, but at the same time they forget to turn off their vehicles will talking to their acquaintances while parking their vehicles in the middle of a busy road. Let the rest of the crowd keep honking their horns even though the sign says NO HONKING!

Plus the people here drive so rashly and keep breaking the traffic rules and regulations and then complain that their front room/front hall is literally littered with junk (read helmets) belonging to family members! So even go to the extent of getting some doctors to sign that they are liable to get collar injury owing to the weight of these helmets, some keep the helmets hanging on the bikes and only wear it on seeing the cops. Of all weird things some guys manage to wear helmets and still manage to talk on their flashy cells while zipping around! If these people had obeyed the laws then it would have allowed them to go around without flaunting a helmet. Most people make a fuss of being unable to lug around this junk while shopping, going to the office and all other places while they are happy to lug around their cell phones and make up kits (ladies please!). According to me, the real winners here are the lovers who can now zip away cheerfully under the very nose of their strict and doubting parents because you are wearing the Mask which is the license to love without getting caught! ;)
Happy reading…

PHISHING

The act of sending an e-mail to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft. The e-mail directs the user to visit a Web site where they are asked to update personal information, such as passwords and credit card, social security, and bank account numbers, that the legitimate organization already has. The Web site, however, is bogus and set up only to steal the user’s information. For example, 2003 saw the proliferation of a phishing scam in which users received e-mails supposedly from eBay claiming that the user’s account was about to be suspended unless he clicked on the provided link and updated the credit card information that the genuine eBay already had. Because it is relatively simple to make a Web site look like a legitimate organizations site by mimicking the HTML code, the scam counted on people being tricked into thinking they were actually being contacted by eBay and were subsequently going to eBay’s site to update their account information. By spamming large groups of people, the “phisher” counted on the e-mail being read by a percentage of people who actually had listed credit card numbers with eBay legitimately.
Phishing, also referred to as brand spoofing or carding, is a variation on “fishing,” the idea being that bait is thrown out with the hopes that while most will ignore the bait, some will be tempted into biting.
The damage caused by phishing ranges from loss of access to email to substantial financial loss. This style of identity theft is becoming more popular, because of the ease with which unsuspecting people often divulge personal information to phishers, including credit card numbers and social security numbers. Once this information is acquired, the phishers may use a person's details to create fake accounts in a victim's name, ruin a victim's credit, or even prevent victims from accessing their own accounts.
It is estimated that between May 2004 and May 2005, approximately 1.2 million computer users in the United States suffered losses caused by phishing, totaling approximately $929 million USD. U.S. businesses lose an estimated $2 billion USD a year as their clients become victims. The United Kingdom also suffers from the immense increase in phishing. In March 2005, the amount of money lost in the UK was approximately £12 million GBP.

CANCER Tx & INDIA

Cures for cancer are legion and it probably wouldn’t be stretching the truth to say there’s a new kind of treatment reported every week from all corners of the earth. One however which appears very promising has recently been reported by researchers form the Institute of Aerospace Medicine in Bangalore. It involves as indigenously developed computer-controlled device dubbed a “Cytotron” that produces electromagnetic beams and enables regeneration of cells degraded by the disease.

More precisely the machine generates quantum magnetic resonance beams from 288 specially designed guns that can be focused specifically on cancer cells. These beams then interfere with and alter the mechanisms of cell division and proliferation process causing malignant cells to self-destruct. Preliminary clinical trials conducted on some 40-odd terminally ill cancer patients who had finished all surgical and oncological means have been quite encouraging so far. With 60% still living, 90% have got at least symptomatic relief and 30% of those alive have been able to go back to normal life.

Obviously these are still very early days of the procedure known as Rotational Field Quantum Magnetic Resonance (RFQMR). It was only started two years ago and a lot of further work is required before it gets approval by the Indian Council of Medical Research for widespread civilian use. But in the meantime what is really heartening to know is that the treatment is not only completely non-invasive but does not have any effect on surrounding healthy tissues. This could make it excellent way to remedy brain cancer for instance where the tumors habitually redevelop.

On the other hand more conventional methods of treatment prevalent today like chemotherapy are notoriously non-specific. This causes normal cells to stop multiplying along with the targeted malignant ones – leading to conditions like serious hair loss for one thing besides other severe side effects including nausea, vomiting and bone marrow suppression. If the RFQMR technique turns out to be as good as its initial promise India could suddenly find itself in the forefront of cancer management.

Coffee Brews Trouble!

Well after centuries long debate that woman are the most confusing creations from God now we have the latest addition to this list and it’s called the very famous “Coffee.”

And the controversy is a bit like the Shakespearian dialogue “To drink or, Not to drink… Which is the question?” The US based study showed the world that this beverage can increase a woman’s libido! On the other hand, Canadian researchers state that excess coffee could possibly lead to increased risk of heart diseases in presence of the wrong gene! These new studies come in after a series of previous researches which state that coffee has a very potent anti-oxidant property (which reduce ageing).

According to some cardiologists both black coffee and black tea is rich in anti-oxidants but the problem is the addition of milk and sugar because they are rich in cholesterol. And recent medical research has shown that having coffee is good for some and bad for others depending on their genes. If the gene has the ability to break coffee then there will be no side-effects.

Plus the old adage still holds true in all cases “More of anything is disastrous.” Anything in excess like coffee, tea, beer and chocolates are bad depending upon the body’s temperament.

So currently till this controversy rages on the best thing is to have “An apple a day to keep the doctor away.” But do toss the apple away if the doctor is a gorgeous lady… ;)

Unknown Character In A Love Story?

Do the hero and the heroine happen to make a Love Story? Wrong. Any love story is incomplete without the third person, who happens to be the best friend or best friends of the lovers. These people had been present in the hero and the heroine’s lives before they found each other and they were the ones who saw the puppy love blossom. They played the role of Cupid some times, the confidante or a shoulder to cry on at other times, depending on the stages the love story is unfolding through.

I myself have played this role in so many love stories, of which some were a flop show and others could have been a box office hit! I have seen my buddies falling in love, answered the “You really think she’s the one for me?” questions hundreds of times, jested at each encounter they had and been an unpaid critic telling them the best ideas to make these dates successful. Have made phone calls on friends’ behalf, acted as a pigeon conveying messages and helped resolve the Cold War when they had one. It has been my success to see the lovers unite and my failure when they didn’t. Have cried with my friends when their dreams shattered, lost hope in love with them and have floated through clouds when things went well…

I have also shouldered the responsibility of seeing that my friends did not get too hurt when they broke off. So I had the unfortunate job of tearing all the love letters. With my trembling hands and shaken faith I tore those letters full of emotions and promises, of commitment and abandonment. Can such a person who goes through so much from beginning to the end of the love story be of any less importance than the lovers themselves? Perhaps not I guess.

But, as most friends in a love story would have felt, I had felt neglected almost as many times as I had felt elated in all those love stories. Though I was genuinely happy for my friends, I almost felt a twinge of jealousy at being replaced each time. How many times have I planned something with my buddy only to be ditched at the last moment because “She wants to see that movie?” How many times have I sat all alone reminiscing of the times when I had someone to share my thoughts with? How many days have I gone along with them to be a silent spectator as they sat lost in each other? How many times, after being a part of every single turn in their love story, have I been told to mind my own business rather than meddle in theirs? Countless times, I suppose!

Had this put me off love stories? No, I am a die-hard romantic and a loyal friend. My support has been unconditional to all my friends who have fallen in love in the recent times. So has the support of all the friends in the love stories around the world. Without them, there would be love stories, but somewhat empty and lacking. So I decided long back that love and friendship can go together, as it was the matter of being more sensitive to both.

In search of someone who thinks the same….!!! Contacts anyone?

Kudos To Indian Muslims!

A special round of applause for the Indian Muslims, on issuing Fatwa against the terrorist organizations or the jehadis. They also demanded that these advocates of hatred stop naming their outfits after Allah and Prophet Mohammed. Several Muslim religious organizations also decided to launch a campaign to discourage Muslim youth from falling prey to such violent groups.

The fatwa is a message to rest of the population that Islam in no way supports violence, and the religion is being branded with terrorism just due to some people. It came in the wake of an unknown Islamic group calling itself Lashkar-e-Qahar (Army of the Subduer) claiming responsibility for the gruesome Varanasi blasts.

Islam is a religion of peace and using holy names against peace is disrespecting Islam, which does not even allow harming a tree or an animal cannot condone killing innocent people in the name of Jihad. To use the Prophet’s name for terrorist activities is sinful and un-Islamic and this is not Jihad. Not all fights are Jihad and terrorists are never jihadis.

According to the religious heads these terrorist organizations use the Prophet’s name just to attract religious-minded young people. Let these terrorists use other tactics and if they cannot drop the path of violence, then at least they must drop the Prophet’s names so that the entire Muslim community is not blamed.

SMS IN TROUBLE

China has put in place a new law which states that those who indulge in sending indecent SMS jokes to friends are culpable for stringent actions. Now some people in India are contemplating if the same can be introduced here. How queer are some jerks in India!

First China is under Martial Law whereas India is a Democratic country, and secondly, the SMS here are sent between or forwarded between friends. And you always know your friends likes and dislikes, so even by mistake you are not going to hurt his/her sentiments. If China does not allow Text messaging, Freedom of Speech and if the Press in China is under the Government’s scanner can we copy all of this here in India? Then what kind of a Democracy is India having? Are we the Indians trying to copy from other countries or their stupid laws?

For those who are stating that these laws must be passed in India too, must keep away from cell phones and not indulge in Text messaging because they are the ones who are having problems and not the others who text message in lacs and generate huge incomes to the cell operators!

Well as a matter of fact what exactly is indecent or what is the exact demarcation between decent and indecent? What one may find decent the other person might feel offending or indecent? So the basic thing is that you should know the person at the receiving end of your text messaging but putting a law in place is not the best way. Though the MMS video clip circulation was a thing to be controlled and curbed, but according to an overview the most important thing to be curbed is the use of cell phones during meetings, live programmes and other places and educating people about mobile etiquettes!

TVS APACHE: INDIAN HYABUSA

TVS APACHE

How much? Rs 52,498 (ex-showroom Chennai)
How big? Length: 1,976 mm Width: 743 mm Height: 1,100 mm
Ground clearance: 165 mm Wheelbase: 1,260 mm
Tank capacity: 16 liters
Engine 147.5 cc, 1-cylinder, four-stroke
Max power: 13.5 bhp @ 8500 rpm
Max torque: 1.25 kgm @ 6000 rpm
Performance 0-60 kph: 5.70 seconds
Top speed: 107 kph
Fuel efficiency: 51.5 kpl (overall)
Transmission 5-speed manual, 1-down-4-up shift


The Apache has all the prerequisites to acquire her own fan club. She has the looks, stunning performance, and good brakes to complement. She’s also a brilliant handler, not to mention her good ride quality, ergonomics and refinement levels that are on par with the best. Fuel efficiency isn’t too bad either.But the clincher, especially in the Indian context, is her price. At Rs 52,490 (ex-showroom Chennai) for disc brakes, electric start and those nice alloy wheels is a good Rs 3400 cheaper than the current best-seller Pulsar in similar trim. As we see it, Apache is not only a job well done by TVS, it is something the competition better we wary of!

Tuning is what begins to describe Apache’s looks. Though there are a few styling cues that remind us of the Pulsar. The black alloys wheels for instance, or even the muscular aura. But look closely and the differences are truly pronounced. Apache for starters, is a better integrated design. Nothing, and I mean nothing looks out of place on this bike, be it her proportions or the design lines. The latter gives the bike a flowing stance, that of being in motion even when standing still, especially in profile. Be it the tail piece, side panels or even the tank or front fairing, everything seems to be created with the purpose to achieve the same. Incorporation of red springs in the rear suspension for a red bike is a step forward too.

The front fairing, a combo of curves and sharp lines is not only novel but so well executed; it’s an absolute delight to the eyes. The headlamp too, where edges abound, and with the TVS logo sitting pretty towards the top, gives a distinct character to the bike. Add to it the chunky 90/90 front tire, and Apache comes across as one butch machine. The muscular, chiseled look is carried over to the tank, the side panels as well as the tailpiece. You have ridges running across the length of the tank and then on to the seat adding to the carved look, but the unique bit about the tank are the wide shoulders which give the bike a wider stance.

The low set handlebars and a lower seat helps the cause for the latter. Also in line with the sporty aura is the instrument cluster. A three-pod design houses the Speedo with a trip meter in the centre, the tacho, and fuel gauge and telltale lights on the sides, which are easy to read besides gelling well with the bike’s persona. You also get typical TVS economy and power mode indicators christened cruise and zoom. Fit and finish in the mean time is on par if not better than the best in the country; no yawning gaps, uneven paint finish or the like.

AHMEDABAD'S HISTORY

Ahmedabad or Ahmadabad is the largest city in Gujarat and the sixth largest city in India with a population of almost 5 million. The city is also sometimes called Karnavati, an older name and as Amdavad in colloquial Gujarati. Ahmedabad is the administrative center of Ahmedabad District, and was the former capital of Gujarat State from 1960 to 1970, when Gandhinagar replaced it.
The city was founded in the 15th century by Sultan Ahmed Shah on the Sabarmati River, and served as capital of the Sultanate of Gujarat. The historic center of Ahmedabad is presently a thriving business district. Ahmedabad is mainly divided in two parts, the old city, and new city. The old city has developed rather haphazardly, and most of the roads are narrow and crowded during business hours. The new city has well-structured, wide roads. A wide variety of shops and businesses exist in the city.
In addition to its role as a commercial center, Ahmedabad is also an important industrial center, with chemical and textile industries. Ahmedabad is often described as the Manchester of the East, because of its once-booming textile industry. Ahmedabad is a very beautiful city.
In 1915, Mahatma Gandhi came from South Africa and established an ashram on the banks of Sabarmati. He started the salt Satyagraha in 1930. He and many followers marched from his ashram to the coastal village of Dandi, Gujarat, to protest against the British imposing a tax on salt. Before he left the ashram, he vowed not to return to the ashram until India became independent.

Geography

Ahmedabad is Gujarat's largest city and the headquarters of Ahmedabad district. It is located on the banks of the River Sabarmati at an elevation of 55 meters (180 ft). It has a dry climate. Its highest recorded temperature is 48°C and lowest is 5°C

Transport

• Domestic and International Airport: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport


• Ahmedabad is well connected with rails and roads. The Ahmedabad railway station holds as a junction with railway lines emerging towards Mumbai, Delhi, Saurashtra and Kutch.


• As far as roads are concerned, Ahmedabad is an important station on the National Highway 8 which connects Delhi to Mumbai. The recent completion of the 6-laned Express Highway from Ahmedabad to Baroda, part of the Golden Quadrilateral Project, has boosted trade between the two industrial hubs by reducing transport time by several notches.

KASHMIR PROBLEM

Just the other day I had the chance to overhear a debate on “HOW TO OVERCOME TERRORISM IN KASHMIR” and I was surprised that more than 75% people wanted war to be the solution of this 55 year problem. And what was more surprising is that these people were literate and were well aware of the adverse effects of war.

The people are so much distressed on this Kashmir Issue which has bothered them and their forefathers and cause the death of hundreds of innocent citizens on both the sides of the border. Their version was that we should destroy Pakistan but these people forget that it will lead to further complicate the matters and can also lead to the beginning of the Third World War and the total annihilation of the human race because all the nations have nuclear arsenal at their disposal and if it comes in the wrong hands then no one can help us all.

I think the solution of this problem is Peaceful negotiations on all the fronts but at the same time stringent action should be melted on the insurgents who penetrate the borders and try to derail the peace process between the two countries. The insurgents are persons with vested interests and can do well to no one. They are better done to death than cause the destruction of the human race.

If any one else has a better solution on this problem then they are most welcome to post their ideas and comments here.

THE DA VINCI CODE

The Da Vinci Code is a novel written by American author Dan Brown. It is a worldwide bestseller with 36 million copies in print and has been translated into 44 languages. Combining the detective, thriller and conspiracy theory genres, the book is part two of a trilogy that started with Brown's 2000 novel Angels and Demons, which introduced the character Robert Langdon.

The plot of the novel involves a conspiracy by the Catholic Church to cover up the true story of Jesus. This implies that the Vatican consciously knows it is living a lie, but does so to keep itself in power. The novel has helped generate popular interest in speculation concerning the Holy Grail legend and the role of Mary Magdalene in the history of Christianity. Fans have lauded the book as creative, action-packed and thought-provoking. Critics have attacked it as inaccurate and poorly written, and decry the many negative implications about the Christian Church.

The book opens with the claim by Dan Brown that "all descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate"; but this claim is disputed by academic scholars in the fields the book discusses. As widely noted in the media, there has been substantial confusion among readers about whether the book is factual.

The book concerns the attempts of Robert Langdon, Professor of "Religious Symbology" at Harvard University, to solve the murder of renowned curator Jacques Saunière of the Louvre Museum in Paris. The title of the novel refers, among other things, to the fact that Saunière's body is found inside the Louvre naked and posed like Leonardo da Vinci's famous drawing, the Vitruvian Man, with a cryptic message written beside his body and a Pentagram drawn on his stomach in his own blood. The interpretation of hidden messages inside Leonardo's famous works, including the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, figure prominently in the solution to the mystery.

The main conflict in the novel revolves around the solution to two mysteries:

* What secret was Saunière protecting that led to his murder?
* Who is the mastermind behind his murder?

The novel has several concurrent storylines that follow different characters. Eventually all the storylines are brought together and resolved at the end of the book.

The unraveling of the mystery requires the solution to a series of brain-teasers, including anagrams and number puzzles. The solution itself is found to be intimately connected with the possible location of the Holy Grail and to a mysterious society called the Priory of Sion, as well as to the Knights Templar. The Catholic organization Opus Dei also figures prominently in the plot.

The novel is the second book by Brown in which Robert Langdon is the main character. The previous book, Angels and Demons, took place in Rome and concerned the Illuminati.

Characters:

These are the principal characters that drive the plot of the story. It seems to be Dan Brown's style that many have names that are puns, anagrams or hidden clues:

* Robert Langdon – A well-respected professor of Religious Symbology at Harvard University. At the beginning of the story, he is in Paris to give a lecture on his work. Having made an appointment to meet Jacques Saunière, the curator of the Louvre, he is startled to find the French police at his hotel room door. They inform him that Saunière has been murdered and they would like his immediate assistance at the Louvre to help them solve the crime. Unbeknownst to Langdon, he is in fact the prime suspect in the murder and has been summoned to the scene of the crime in order that the police may extract a confession from him.

* Jacques Saunière – the curator of the Louvre, head of the secret Priory of Sion, and grandfather of Sophie Neveu. Before being murdered by Silas (an albino monk) in the museum, he reveals false information to Silas about the Priory's keystone, which contains information about the true location of the Holy Grail. After being shot in the stomach, he uses the last minutes of his life to arrange a series of clues for his estranged granddaughter, Sophie, to unravel the mystery of his death and preserve the secret kept by the Priory of Sion. Saunière's name may be based on Bérenger Saunière, a real person who was extensively mentioned in Holy Blood, Holy Grail.

* Sophie Neveu – the granddaughter of Jacques Saunière. She is a French government cryptographer, who studied at the elite Royal Holloway, University of London Information Security Group. She was raised by her grandfather after her parents were killed in an automobile accident when she was a girl. Her grandfather used to call her "Princesse Sophie" and trained her to solve complicated word puzzles. As a girl, she accidentally discovered a strange key in her grandfather's room inscribed with the initials "P.S.". Later, as a college student, she made a surprise visit to her grandfather's house in Normandy and observed him participating in the Hieros Gamos, a sex ritual. The incident led to her estrangement with her grandfather for ten years until the night of his murder.

* Bezu Fache – a captain in the Direction Centrale Police Judiciaire (DCPJ), the French criminal investigation police. Tough, canny, persistent, he is in charge of the investigation of Saunière's murder. From the message left by the dying curator, he is convinced the murderer is Robert Langdon, whom he summons to the Louvre in order to extract a confession. He is thwarted in his early attempt by Sophie Neveu, who knows Langdon to be innocent and surreptitiously notifies Langdon that he is in fact the prime suspect. He pursues Langdon doggedly throughout the book in the belief that letting him get away would be career suicide. "Bezu" is not a common French personal name, but "le Bezu" is the name of a castle in Rennes-le-Château with Cathar associations. When we first encounter Fache, he is compared to an ox; note that "Bezu" is an anagram of zebu, a type of ox. Fâché is French for "angry", but "Fache" is also a reasonably common French surname, although it is pronounced differently from fâché.

* Silas – an albino devotee of Opus Dei who practices severe corporal mortification. He was orphaned in Marseille as a young man, fell into a life of crime, and was imprisoned in Andorra in the Pyrenees until freed by an earthquake. He finds refuge with a young Spanish priest named Aringarosa, who gives him the name Silas and who eventually becomes the head of Opus Dei. Before the beginning of the events in the novel, Aringarosa puts him in contact with the Teacher and tells him that the mission he will be given is of utmost importance in saving the true Word of God. Under the orders of the Teacher, he murders Jacques Saunière and the other three leaders of the Priory of Sion in order to extract the location of the Priory's clef de voûte or "keystone". Discovering later that he has been duped with false information, he chases Langdon and Neveu in order to obtain the actual keystone. He does not know the true identity of the Teacher. He is reluctant to commit murder, knowing that it is a sin, and does so only because he is assured his actions will save the Catholic Church.
* Bishop Manuel Aringarosa – the worldwide head of Opus Dei and the patron of the albino monk Silas. Five months before the start of the narrative, he is summoned by the Vatican to a meeting at an astronomical observatory in the Italian Alps and told, to his great surprise, that in six months the Pope will withdraw his support of Opus Dei. Since he believes that Opus Dei is the force keeping the Church from disintegrating into what he sees as the corruption of the modern era, he believes his faith demands that he take action to save Opus Dei. Shortly after the meeting with the Vatican officials, he is contacted by a shadowy figure calling himself "The Teacher", who has learned somehow of the secret meeting. The Teacher informs him that he can deliver an artifact to Aringarosa so valuable to the Church that it will give Opus Dei extreme leverage over the Vatican. The name "Aringarosa" seems to be the literal Italian translation of "red herring", although this is not the expression used in Italian for "red herring" in its figurative sense. It could have a loose relation to "A Ring Around The Rosies" where Rosa could refer to the rose line, or the various other rose symblogy in the novel.

* The Teacher – a shadowy figure who drives the plot of the story. He has learned not only about the plight of Opus Dei, but also the identities of the four leaders of the Priory of Sion, who in turn know the location of the keystone. He contacts Aringarosa and agrees to supply him with a fantastic artifact that will give Opus Dei great power, namely documents that, if released, would destroy the Church. Aringarosa, acting out of self interest and piety, agrees to his offer in order to save both Opus Dei and the Church. The Teacher uses Silas, Aringarosa's protectee, to carry out his plans.

* André Vernet – president of the Paris branch of the Depository Bank of Zurich. He is informed of Neveu and Langdon being wanted by the Direction Centrale Police Judiciaire by a security guard who recognized them from a television news report he had been watching before they had entered the bank. When Neveu and Langdon arrive Vernet met with them, his only plan in mind to get rid of them before the police arrive. They inform him that Jacques Saunière, a longtime account holder at the bank, has died and that Neveu now possesses the depository key, a Gold Key, to the account but did not know the account number. He is incapable of helping with the account information and leaves Neveu and Langdon alone to buy time from the police. Neveu and Langdon access the bank account with the key and figure out the account number after examining one of Saunière's clues he left behind, and retrieved a rosewood box from Saunière's safety deposit. When Vernet returns he is shocked to learn Neveu and Langdon figured out the account number. He is motivated to help them escape undetected for two reasons: he doesn't want the bank to get bad publicity and Saunière was a close friend of his. Acting as a bank driver, he bluffs his way past the police in one of the bank's trucks with Langdon and Neveu concealed in the cargo-hold. He later attempts to retrieve the rosewood box he believes they had stolen from Saunière after he hears on the radio Langdon is wanted for the murder of three others, the three other high ranking members of the Priory of Sion, the sènèchaux, and turn them in but he is thwarted by Langdon, who steals the truck and escapes with Neveu to the nearby château of his friend, Sir Leigh Teabing.

* Sir Leigh Teabing – British Royal Historian, a Knight of the Realm, Grail scholar, and friend of Robert Langdon. Independently wealthy, he lives outside Paris in a château, where Langdon and Neveu take refuge after escaping from the Depository Bank of Zurich with the rosewood box containing the keystone. He reveals the "real" interpretation of the Grail to Neveu. After they are discovered at his home simultaneously by Silas and the French police, the three of them flee with his chauffeur Rémy, flying to England in his private jet. They take Silas with them bound and gagged. After Neveu solves the combination lock of the keystone, he interprets the enclosed riddle as meaning they should go to the Temple Church in London to find the next hidden clue that will let them unlock the second combination lock of the keystone. Note that Sir Leigh's name is an anagram of the surnames of Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh — authors of Holy Blood, Holy Grail, a book which espouses very similar beliefs to Sir Leigh's.

* Rémy Legaludec – manservant and chauffeur to Leigh Teabing. After flying with Teabing, Langdon, and Neveu to England, he drives them to the Temple Church in London. Unbeknownst to the others, he is in fact working for the Teacher. While they are inside the Temple Church, he rescues Silas, who was tied up by the other three. Armed with a pistol, he enters the church before the others can locate and solve the riddle supposedly hidden there. He takes Teabing hostage and demands the keystone from Langdon. When Langdon gives him the keystone, he and Silas flee in his car with Teabing as hostage. Rémy Martin is a famous brand of cognac, and cognac plays a role in Rémy's fate.

* Lieutenant Collet – a lieutenant in the Direction Centrale Police Judiciaire (DCPJ). He is Fache's second-in-command in the case. Mostly a disappointment to Fache, Collet tries to redeem himself throughout the novel, but is also motivated by his own craving for glory and fear of risking his career by ignoring Fache's orders. By the end of the investigation Collet manages to share in the spotlight and to save Fache undue embarrassment by crediting him for the arrest of the Teacher while also claiming that his misguided intent to arrest Neveu and Langdon was a ruse to draw out the real killer. By the end of the book Fache says of him, "A good man, that Collet."

* The docent at Rosslyn Chapel – he is giving a guided tour of Rosslyn Chapel to Langdon and Neveu when he sees the rosewood box they are carrying and realizes that it seems to be an exact duplicate of a box owned by his grandmother, who is the head of the trust that oversees the chapel. He is revealed to be Sophie's brother.

* Guardian of the Rosslyn Trust – she is, in fact, Marie Chauvel, the wife of Jacques Saunière and Sophie Neveu's grandmother. The docent is Sophie's brother. Believing that they had been targeted for assassination by the Church for knowing the powerful secret of the Priory of Sion, she and Saunière agreed that she and Sophie's brother should live secretly in Scotland. Only Sophie's parents were in the car at the time even though the whole family was supposed to be there. Saunière told the authorities that Sophie's grandmother and her brother were in the car. She tells Neveu and Langdon that although the Holy Grail and the secret documents were once buried in the vault of Rosslyn Chapel, they were removed to France by the Priory of Sion only several years ago. Reading the parchment inside the second keystone, she realizes where the Grail is now hidden, but refuses to tell Langdon, saying he will figure it out eventually on his own. According to her, the Priory of Sion never intended to reveal the secret of the Grail according to any set timetable. She believes that such a revelation is unnecessary anyway, since the true nature and spiritual power of the Grail is emerging into the world without the location of the actual artifact being revealed. She also informs Sophie Neveu of her true identity through her bloodline.

USA and HYPOCRISY

While going through the papers I began to wonder if the USA really thinks it can police the world? Does it believe that it has the rights to do so in every sphere of other countries? What powers does it possess to be the watch dog of other governments?

On the matter of security of world peace, it can with the views of rest of the UN member countries take united action against the erring country. And it did not do that in two cases which involved matters related to Afghanistan and that of Iraq, where it went ahead and plundered these countries over riding the decision of the Security Council! And all this in the guise of eradication of global terrorism!

But it did not utter a single word against its ally, which is known to promote terrorism for more than 2 decades. Neither could it take action against N. Korea nor Iran for possessing nuclear war heads because they were threatened with dire consequences. But Iraq had no such WMDs and could not counterattack so they were plundered!

Now India needs Fast Breeder nuclear reactors to overcome its future power shortage problems, USA states that India is its strategic partner in the South Asian region hence it will help in transfer of this technology abet India opens its military reactors for UN weapons inspections. I don’t justify such transfer because will USA open its arsenal for inspections or will it disarm itself for the betterment of the future? I guess the answer will be no, because it is facing the terrorist problems but not India?

It could not apprehend A.K.Q Khan, nor reduce the mounting insurgency in the Indo-Pak border that has existed over 2 decades. And now it wants to inspect the nuclear facilities of the world’s largest democracy but can’t keep a tab on Pakistan’s military rule and cannot overrule a nuclear threat by the despotic ruler. The basic thing is that we as a nation should take a stance at USA’s hypocrisy and show them that they cannot take us for granted. We to are developing at a fast rate and will soon be a force to recon with. It’s also about time that we be entitled permanent UNSC membership.

Time for USA to leave its double standards and work to make this world a better place though on a lighter sense it would be better if Bushand his whole family be condemned to death for their stupidity and despotic behaviour!

A Cartoon Trouble!!!

So what’s the deal about the cartoon that has been in news for the past 2-3 days and some countries are burning? Hey guys what happened to the Freedom of Expression? Can’t you guys just take a gag as gag rather than take it with a pinch of salt, and that to from illiterate clergies with the sole aim of creating discord?

Well I do understand that Freedom of Expression should never hurt the sentiments of other people or community, but I guess that the problem should have ended after the Dutch newspaper carried an apology! Well I know that some of you may comment that, “Can the same work after you stab some one to death and then apologize?” Well there are different problems and each have a different solution? But is violence the answer for a gag or cartoon? Is killing justified as a solution?

After witnessing the news of the past one week I can say that the Muslims are having pretty orthodox outlook? They can’t understand a joke and burn up the embassies and another after playing international cricket for 16 years and being the captain of the country says he can’t understand the laws and calls the opposition captain for causing discord between the two countries? Do they think that they are the smart ass and rest of the world’s just a bunch of idiots?

Such senseless ideology, that causes more harm than good of the people? As far as the game of cricket is considered it would be a lot better if the Gentleman’s game is played excluding the team whose captain has the lack of knowledge of the laws? What good would happen in the interest of the game, if the opposite team calls all the dismissals as wrong decisions, and says this is against the sportsman spirit?

And then the Muslims in the country are asked by some clergy to oppose the UPA government just because it did not comment on the cartoon concerning the prophet? Thank heavens that the Muslims in this country have not taken the streets and have greater understanding and uphold the constitution!

As a parting statement or thought for the day: Just give a second thought if all the Sikh community and the Blondes across the world react to all the gags and jabs made on them then what would have happened? If they are taking all these in a lighter vein why can’t the Muslims so the same? Are these guys going to be the cause of the Third World War?

THE CATACOMBS OF PARIS

The Catacombs of Paris are a network of tunnels and caves that run for more than 300 kilometers under the city. To build a city, you need materials. The Romans were the first to quarry the limestone in the area in 60 B.C.E.; however, those quarries were the open-air kind -- the Romans just dug out the rock that was exposed. As the city grew and covered the landscape, tunneling would be required to get more building materials. In 1180 C.E., Philippe-Auguste became King. He was a major proponent of tunneling to quarry in order to build ramparts to protect the city, and it was under his rule that this tunnel network would truly be born.The quarries grew in size and complexity and produced building materials for centuries to come. Quarrying continued with reckless abandon until problems began to arise. In the eighteenth century, the city of Paris (and the weight of its buildings) continued to grow as the ground became more hollow underneath. Some buildings began to collapse and fall into the earth that was opening up below them. On April 4, 1777, the Inspection Générale des Carrières was formed to manage, fill in, or close sections of the tunnels deemed dangerous.It was during the eighteenth century that a second problem arose for Parisians -- the graveyards were getting full... very full. The Cimetière des Innocents (Cemetery of the Innocent) alone held more than thirty generations of human remains. Taara, as she is known in the Paris underground, is the author of a Web site on the Catacombs. She said, "Families used to pay the parish priest to bury their dead in here [the cemetery near the church]. The priest didn't want to refuse money, so after a while, of course, there's no more place [to put the bodies]. So many priests decided to build a sort of house for dead people, which is called a 'charnier' [mass grave]. The dead accumulated there."As the emerging city enclosed around the cemeteries, there was no place to go but up. Near the end of the life of the Cemetery of the Innocent, as well as several other cemeteries, the ground swelled more than ten feet above the road. The smell was tormenting those who lived in close proximity to the graveyard. Some of the cemetery walls actually broke open, spilling rotting bodies onto the street. Soon after, disease took hold of those living in the vicinity, and people began dying from the pestilence spread by the corpses.The decision was made to start emptying the cemetery and to place the bones into the network of tunnels under the city. In 1785, when the bones were moved to the underground network en masse, the quarries became the Catacombs. The first quarry that received the bones is called 'Carrière de la Tombe Issoire.' Disturbing the dead is a bit of a universal taboo. It's understood across many cultures that one should leave the dead alone, and many go through great care to perform rituals and ceremonies to see their departed loved ones off to the afterlife. However, the living will usually take precedence.

ENTER @ UR OWN RISK

Five of the scariest spaces from the sinister skull of author Jeff Belanger, “The World’s Most Haunted Places”.

The Tower of London:
The beef eaters live there with their families, and all have had experiences with ghosts. One beef eater saw a teddy bear float up in the air.

The Catacombs (Paris):
It’s humbling to see endless skulls and bones for 1.6 km (300 km are off-limits). You get a sense of living history. But you also find yourself looking behind you now and then.Picture shown here.

The White House:
Abraham Lincoln’s son died of typhoid-like disease in the White House and Lincoln’s wife, Mary Todd, supposedly claimed he visited her repeatedly. Years later staff said the ghost of a boy walked the grounds.

The Deane House (Calgary, Canada):
There are stories of suicides when it was a seedy boarding house. A ghost of a man has appeared in the basement. The piano plays on its own upstairs. They hear footsteps all the time.

The Old Angel Inn (Niagara-on-the-Lake):
It’s haunted by a solider who was killed there by the Americans during the War of 1812. They claim that as long as the Union Jack flies over the front door, and no American beer is served he’s at peace.

CELL PHONE : A BLESSING

Can technology really help reduce the technical divide in a country like India? Well as far as my insight to the recent developments happening in this field as the cut throat competition and reduced fares I think this so called divide is reducing drastically. And the penetration of the cellular technology is the reason for such a growth! So I consider the cell phone to be a blessing for the betterment of the country and is one of the engines for economic growth. Plus good news from researchers is that cell phones do not cause brain cancer or promote carcinoma! So indeed a blessing!

The latest in cellular growth is the introduction of the 3G technology and the cheaper cost of owning a mobile phone with complete coverage in the rural areas will help in the reduction of this divide. Though the personal computers have not come under the sub-10k region and lack of access to internet are the major hurdles that are hurting the growth, but the silver lining is that the cell phones have reached near 1k mark due to which the cellular density has increased many fold, which helps the poor farmers and other people.

Due to the cut throat competition between service providers and other soaps the cellular density has overtaken the landlines in Oct 2004 and this comes within a period of a decade! Even USA or other developed countries are still to reach such a high growth rate! This has caused a wide spread use of cell phones in India, and due to this fishermen are able to bridge the supply and demand gap and lessen the wastage of highly perishable goods like fish. Now the sellers and buyers are in constant contact even before the fish reaches ashore!

Now with lots of news and other materials available on the cell phones and with access to the wap or gprs at further reduced rates will attract people to use the cell phone as their primary and emergency equipment connecting the world. And it would do wonders if the providers provide flash news in cases of emergencies and other calamities. With further improvements in the networks and rural connectivity there can be faster developments in the backward regions and this will improve the GDP of the country.

Growth in the telecom sector with extra stress on the rural economy and the research and development of newer, cheaper and faster models will help improve teledensity and the government should try to provide computers under 10k and cell phones under 1k mark as this focuses on the fuelling of the economy!

HAMAS: GR8 FUTURE... PART II

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's statement on the Hamas election victory in Palestine: "I've asked why nobody saw it coming. It does say something about us not having a good enough pulse."
This is not about having, or not having, a good enough pulse. It's about the consequences of the last decade of Israeli and American policies toward the Palestinians in general, and Islamist resistance movements in particular. This is not a time to play dumb, feign surprise, or persist in simplistic and counterproductive policies that will only further strengthen the forces of military resistance against the Israeli occupation, as well as wider Arab-Islamic political resistance against America's blatantly pro-Israeli policies in the region.
To add a new dose of American perplexity and wonderment now to several existing layers of mistaken and grossly imbalanced policies on Arab-Israeli peace-making will be of no help to anyone. If Washington's initial reaction is bewilderment at why it did not see this coming, and a reaffirmation of its policy of placing Israeli security above Palestinian security, then we are all in far more serious trouble than we can imagine. What is required now is a combination of honesty, independent analysis and composure that have long been missing in Washington's policies on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Though the Hamas victory was surprising for its magnitude, it was no surprise otherwise - because it was the sixth consecutive strong showing by Islamist groups running in political elections in the Middle East in the past year. One after the other since last spring, we have witnessed Hamas victories in municipal elections, Hizbullah's strong showing in the Lebanese parliamentary election, the presidential victory of populist hard-line neo-Khomeinist Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iran, the Muslim Brotherhood's big wins in the Egyptian parliamentary elections, the victory of Shiite Islamists in Iraqi parliamentary elections, and now Hamas' triumph in Palestine.
If the U.S. government, with all its capacity to collect and interpret information, did not see Hamas doing very well in the Palestinian election in the wake of these other Islamist victories, then it is either willfully blind or totally incompetent - and neither is a very comforting thought.
The domestic and war- and-peace-making implications of the Hamas victory would appear to be rather clear. The movement was elected to throw out the incompetent, increasingly corrupt and aloof Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority, and to try and restore a sense of order and decency in Palestinian governance and life. Its victory patently was not a popular Palestinian mandate to establish an Islamic state, revive the Caliphate, apply Islamic law, or wipe out Israel. The hysterical spin-doctoring and obfuscation coming out of some circles in Washington and Israel to this effect are just that - hysterical scare-mongering.
The fact is, we do not know how Hamas will use its newfound political power. It is, however, the most legitimate political leadership in the Arab world, because it is the only one to be voted in through a free and fair election monitored by the international community. Whether it will be an effective leadership, or a humane, fair and tolerant one, remains to be seen. It will have to make some important decisions in the coming weeks about how to apply its power, bearing in mind the desires of its constituency - the Palestinian people living in the West Bank, Gaza and Arab East Jerusalem - to live a normal life, not a life of perpetual war, occupation or resistance.
The most interesting thing about the Hamas victory, in my mind, is its legitimacy, as the consequence of a free, fair and pluralistic democratic election. This raises a massive new challenge to the American leadership, which is where Condoleezza Rice and her colleagues in government should be overcoming their perplexity and replacing it with some strong doses of realism and rationality.
The choice facing the Bush administration is now very stark and simple: will its tradition of tilting toward the Israeli position triumph over its professed policy of promoting freedom and democracy in the Arab world? Put in more blunt terms: Does the U.S. favor Israeli rights over Arab rights? Or does it in fact see peace in the Middle East as a consequence of a fair approach that judges Israeli and Palestinian rights as enjoying the same weight and priority?
The right thing to do now is to explore how to take advantage of the fact that we have a legitimate, democratically elected Palestinian leadership. The last two times this happened in recent years - the presidential elections of Yasser Arafat and Mahmoud Abbas - Israel and the U.S. responded by giving primary attention to Israeli demands, and making Palestinian concerns secondary. That policy has been a colossal failure, and has resulted in part in spurring Islamist victories throughout the region.
If the Hamas victory is taken into account and if the equivalent can be clichéd in other parts of the world like Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, India and other countries which is ridden with the Terrorist Infestation then it will eradicate the problems of the growing terror attacks and bringing them into the mainstream will let them face the real problems faced by the government and the society. This kind of transformation will be helpful in bringing a tide of change and this will solve the problem of Terrorism for once and all and the political situations will improve drastically. And this will be the victory of humanity and the UN.
Hope that the Hamas victory is for the good will of the whole world and the police states like US and Britain are caught off guard with their devilish plans to inherit the earth and their divide and rule policy never works!!!

HAMAS: INTRO PART I

Hamas (حماس), acronym of Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya (Arabic: حركة المقاومة الاسلامية, literally "Islamic Resistance Movement" and Arabic for 'zeal'), is the largest Palestinian Islamist movement. Hamas is engaged in social welfare activities as well as in violent activities to achieve its political goals. It is listed as a terrorist group by the European Union, Canada, the United States, and Israel; the U.S. State Department provides a list of terrorist actions by Hamas.
Created in 1988, Hamas is ideologically connected to the Muslim Brotherhood movement in Egypt, seeks to establish an Islamic theocracy the area that is currently Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. In pursuit of this end, Hamas affirms a right to engage in armed struggle. Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi, a co-founder of Hamas, reportedly stated that the movement's goal is "to remove Israel from the map". While during the election campaign Hamas dropped its call for the destruction of Israel from its manifesto, several Hamas candidates insist that the charter is still in force and often called for Israel to be "wiped off the map" in their campaign speeches.
In the Palestinian Legislative Council elections of January 2006, Hamas won 42.9 % of the vote, which gave it a parliamentary majority with 74 of the 132 seats. This outcome has been seen as a major setback for foreign governments attempting to mediate the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The United States has said that it will not deal with Hamas until it renounces its support of suicide bombings and terrorism and accepts Israel's right to exist, in direct contradiction to Hamas' charter as currently written. At the same time, Israeli president Moshe Katsav and Israel's ex-prime minister Shimon Peres have both said that if Hamas will accept Israel's right to exist and give up terror, Israel should negotiate with the organization.
Its attacks targeting Israeli civilians and other human rights abuses have been condemned by the United Nations, Commission on Human Rights, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. During the second Intifada, the Al-Aqsa Intifada, Hamas claimed responsibility for most of the suicide bombings that took place in Israel. Hamas has observed a respite since an attack on the Israeli southern town of Beersheba in August 2004 (15 dead, 125 wounded) and has violated it once since that time in an attack on the same bus station in Aug 2005 (7 wounded).
Founded in 1987, Hamas won a majority over the ruling Fatah party during the January 2006 Palestinian legislative election. As an Islamic party, it is ideologically opposed to the existence of Israel and has denounced the 1993 Oslo Accords, the foundation of the failed peace process, as a betrayal of God's will. However, in 2004, Hamas offered a 10 years truce, or hudna, in exchange for a complete withdrawal from the occupied territories, thus accepting de facto Israel existence as determined by its 1967 borders. During the second Intifada, Hamas spearheaded the violence through the years of the Palestinian uprising. Hamas is well funded and known to make generous payments to the families of suicide bombers.
The organization is particularly popular among Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, though it also has a following in the West Bank, and, to a lesser extent, in other Middle Eastern countries and throughout the Palestinian diaspora. Based since its 1987 creation on a mix of social, political and military actions, Hamas' popularity stems in part from its provision of welfare and social services to Palestinians in the occupied territories, such as through the building of schools and hospitals. It is also well regarded by the Palestinians for its efficiency and perceived lack of corruption, in particular compared to Fatah.
On January 26, 2006, the Palestinian Central Elections Committee announced that Hamas had won a majority of seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), defeating the ruling Fatah party. According to the preliminary results the List of Change and Reform obtained 42.9 % of the vote and 76 of the 132 seats. Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei and his cabinet resigned, leaving Hamas to form a new government. After the victory, Israeli Human Rights organizations have called on Hamas to stop its terror campaign against civilians and to avoid using violence as a tool to achieve a political solution. The US Bush administration and the European Union have threatened to cut financial aid to the Palestinian Authority if Hamas members hold ministerial positions. President Vladimir Putin however said that Russia would not support any efforts to cut off financial assistance to the Palestinians.

WHAT IS LIGHT POLLUTION?

What is Light Pollution? How could light ever pollute something? It disappears as soon as the lamp is turned off and no sticky toxic residue is left in its wake. This cannot be a form of pollution, can it? The answer is yes; light can actually pollute the outdoor environment and wash away the view of stars in the sky. As awareness rises around the world, this term is heard in more and more places. It is a curable problem and can be prevented through the application of well designed and applied outdoor lighting.
Light Pollution occurs in the three following forms:

1. It causes an atmospheric phenomenon known as sky glow. Have you ever noticed the clouds overhead glowing an eerie pink, white, or orange color before? This wasted light is known as sky glow. It happens because of poorly designed and improperly aimed light fixtures called luminaries. Luminaries that do not offer adequate shielding usually spill wasted light into the sky and across property lines where it does not benefit anyone. When light spills into the sky, it reflects off of tiny airborne dust and moisture particles. This happens even on very clear evenings, too. The sky glow phenomenon directly affects the scientific research of amateur and professional astronomers. It also affects everyone else who simply enjoys a dark night sky abundant with stars overhead. Sky glow is a curable condition, and we can still have adequate and safe illumination in the outdoor environment.


2. Another form of Light Pollution is when illumination crosses property lines. This is called Light Trespass. Most people today have experienced light trespass to some degree. When someone else's illumination shines through your windows at night it is light trespassing onto your property. This is not only a nuisance; it can also affect your safety. Light trespass can prevent you from using your property outdoors at night when wishing to gaze at the stars while lying on a blanket or viewing through a telescope or binoculars.


3. Light pollution also occurs when too much illumination is applied to an area and a condition called glare results. Glare is defined as a visible source of illumination that causes a reduction in visual performance or an irritation.

Nighttime lighting has become a necessary part of our society. If designed and applied properly, nighttime illumination can greatly enhance a given area without causing compromise to either safety, the view of the nighttime sky overhead, or flora and fauna in surrounding areas. More communities around the Nation are now adopting comprehensive outdoor lighting ordinances in order to control the appearance and improve night time safety and security in areas their under jurisdiction.