My vote for picture of the day :)
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
A five-year time-out on war to provide a nutritious lunch every day for kids ?
A very interesting article in today's Washington Post Outlook section by George McGovern, a former senator from South Dakota who was the Democratic nominee for president in 1972.
Read the full article here and here are some highlights of George McGovern's :
To send our troops out of Iraq and into Afghanistan would be a near-perfect example of going from the frying pan into the fire.
- British Empire a century ago when it tried to pacify the warlords and tribes of Afghanistan, only to be forced out after excruciating losses.
- Soviet Union was also a superpower when it poured some 100,000 troops into Afghanistan in 1979. They limped home, broken and defeated, a decade later, having helped pave the way for the collapse of the Soviet Union.
- logic does not always prevail in South Asia. The one factor that could unite Afghan War lords is the invasion of their country by a foreign power, whether British, Russian or American.
- That war has clearly weakened our economy and our armed forces even as it has made the national debt soar
"A truly audacious hope for your administration: How about a five-year time-out on war -- unless, of course, there is a genuine threat to the nation?
During that interval, we could work with the U.N. World Food Program, plus the overseas arms of the churches, synagogues, mosques and other volunteer agencies to provide a nutritious lunch every day for every school-age child in Afghanistan and other poor countries"
What do you think ?
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Inaugural poem recited by Elizabeth Alexander
Each day we go about our business, walking past each other, catching each others' eyes or not, about to speak or speaking. All about us is noise. All about us is noise and bramble, thorn and din, each one of our ancestors on our tongues. Someone is stitching up a hem, darning a hole in a uniform, patching a tire, repairing the things in need of repair.
Someone is trying to make music somewhere with a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice.
A woman and her son wait for the bus.
A farmer considers the changing sky; A teacher says, "Take out your pencils. Begin."
We encounter each other in words, words spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed; words to consider, reconsider.
We cross dirt roads and highways that mark the will of someone and then others who said, "I need to see what's on the other side; I know there's something better down the road."
We need to find a place where we are safe; We walk into that which we cannot yet see.
Say it plain, that many have died for this day. Sing the names of the dead who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges, picked the cotton and the lettuce, built brick by brick the glittering edifices they would then keep clean and work inside of.
Praise song for struggle; praise song for the day. Praise song for every hand-lettered sign; The figuring it out at kitchen tables.
Some live by "Love thy neighbor as thy self."
Others by first do no harm, or take no more than you need.
What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial, national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance.
In today's sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun.
On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp -- praise song for walking forward in that light.
Transcript from www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/us/politics/20text-poem.html?r...
Image courtesy : www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/452635/Inaugural_poem_recited...
Friday, January 16, 2009
Indian tourism's Real Friends - Israel , Russia and the UK after the Mumbai terror attack
On Nov 26th 2008 terrorists struck Bombay. 175 people died. The attack has had a bigger toll, tourism, business and perceptions. I just speaking to friends in India and they told me that the hotel industry is facing a lot of cancellations. Today I spoke to a friend who returned from a trip to Goa and Mumbai. She told me that hotels have had a lot of cancellations and the tourists who are still visiting are from Israel, Russia and the UK. Everyone has a right to worry about their safety but unfortunately that is the sentiment that terrorism seeks to achieve i.e change in human behavior. I am not sure how many years it will take to assure other tourists from USA, Europe and Asia to visit India again but till them the terrorists have won.
This made me reminiscence about my visit to Sri Lanka last year. We went to Bentota in the south which is far away from the fighting in the North and East. The philospophy I adopted is that it is equally dangerous to cross the road in Washington DC as a pedestrian as it is to visit Sri Lanka. On the trip from the airport to Bentota we passed by almost a gun toting soldier posted at every milestone. This may also have been because the SAARC conference that was scheduled to begin. We enjoyed ourselves and met countless tourists from Europe and Asia but sadly no Americans. Do you agree with this ? Should our culture change? Is this a big risk? Please share your opinion
See article Money Not War will hurt Sri Lanka
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Montgomery County - Volunteers helping adults to learn to read
i read in the Washington Post today that the Literary Council of Montgomery County is having an orientation session for volunteers interested in helping adults to learn to read , write and speak English on Thursday January 29th at 7.30 p.m in the Rockville library.
The LCMC depends on volunteers to tutor about 900 residents of Montgomery County every year. The students are busy adults who need help learning to read, write and speak English. The tutors are busy adults, too so they enjoy the fact that they can tutor either close to home or work at their local library, at hours that are convenient to them.
Who can be a Tutor:
- Ability to meet for two hours each week with a student, preferably one hour twice a week.
- Ability to make a minimum one year commitment.
- Willingness to provide status and progress information each month about your student when a volunteer calls.
- Patience (adults learn more slowly than children).
- Flexibility (our students have busy lives, too!).
learn more about the Literary Council of Maryland
A word every 98 minutes
This is from the Spirit magazine. Austin's Global Language Monitor
tracks trends in the English Language. The organization predicts
English will hit the Million word mark in April
tracks trends in the English Language. The organization predicts
English will hit the Million word mark in April
--
Sent from my mobile device
AIM: shashi1508
Cell: 240-421-9223
Blogs:
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Digital Thoughts: http://readythoughts.blogspot.com
Restaurant Reviews: http://www.carryoncurry.com
Free Ebook: http://www.smallbizsurvival.com/2008/05/small-business-ideas-for-small-towns.html
Twitter: @shashib
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A word every 98 minutes
This is from the Spirit magazine. Austin's Global Language Monitor
tracks trends in the English Language. The organization predicts
English will hit the Million word mark in April
tracks trends in the English Language. The organization predicts
English will hit the Million word mark in April
--
Sent from my mobile device
AIM: shashi1508
Cell: 240-421-9223
Blogs:
Technology & Social Media : http://www.shashi.name
Digital Thoughts: http://readythoughts.blogspot.com
Restaurant Reviews: http://www.carryoncurry.com
Free Ebook: http://www.smallbizsurvival.com/2008/05/small-business-ideas-for-small-towns.html
Twitter: @shashib
Technorati: http://technorati.com/blogs/www.shashi.name
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
Friday, January 2, 2009
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