Moon Race 2.0? - A Lunatic Opinion!

Photograph Credit: Mr. Stefan Seip

On the launch of Chandrayaan-1, a recent article in the Time magazine titled 40 Years Later, It's Moon Race 2.0, noted that India has joined the space race. I was thinking, the choice of words like "race" in this context says a lot about opinion of the US on rest of the world. The word "race" means competition; if one wins, the rest loses. 

This launch is in no way a threat to the national security of the US. We all are working towards a common goal - understanding workings of the universe and betterment of life on this planet. If one wins, every one wins. This scientific achievement deserves appreciation, not apprehension. What ever happened to those cherished preachings of Covey on interdependence? 

I am sure many in the US are not big fans of this belligerent attitude towards the developing world.  But world bullies like Bush and McCain continue dominating them from time to time; hence these continual wars.

I was amazed by McCain's fight speech during presidential campaign - Fight with me. Fight for what's right for our country. Fight for the ideals and character of a free people.." He used the word "fight" a zillion times; it sure sounded Hitleresque to me. He could have used the word "strive" instead of "fight" and conveyed the same message. This kind of undertones sure are not going to help the US in winning world popularity contests.  I am hoping to see a real change with Obama. 

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving (in the US, 4th Thursday in November) is a harvest festival in the western world, offering thanks to God for material and spiritual possessions. Even though I believe that we always need to be thankful, I like setting a day aside annually for reflecting on all of our blessings. It is so easy for us to take things for granted. Here is a nice Thanksgiving day prayer from today's newspaper.  

Oh, Heavenly Father,

We thank thee for food and remember the hungry.

We thank thee for health and remember the sick.

We thank thee for freedom and remember the enslaved.

May these remembrances stir us to service,

That thy gifts to us may be used for others. Amen.

This Thanksgiving, we need to keep victims of atrocious Mumbai blasts in our prayers.

Folks in the US celebrate Thanksgiving by eating (a lot of) Turkey. During Thanksgiving last year, an estimated 46 millions Turkeys were consumed in the US (~ one fifth of the annual consumption)!

For the past two decades or so, US presidents have been "pardoning" a Turkey (or two) during Thanksgiving - means a pardoned Turkey won't be killed and consumed. I find the word "pardoning" odd, in this context.  The word "pardon" indicates some wrong doing.  What did these birds do wrong, other than being wrong species, in the wrong place, at the wrong time?! If anything, I think we* are the ones who should "beg pardon" from these Turkeys for killing them en masse.  

* I am saying "we" in general sense.  I am a staunch vegetarian, who is not opposed to others eating meat. 

The Origin of Species - God

Caricature Source: Austin American Statesman

Texas State Board of Education is considering teaching school kids the strengths and weaknesses of the theory of evolution.  Science educators argue that teaching of weaknesses implies the support of intelligent design, and hence weaknesses should not be included in the text books.

I say, if there is a potential for weakness, teach it, along with the weakness of intelligent design argument.  Failure of evolution theory should in no way be construed as validation of intelligent design hypothesis.  If someone is not a Democrat, we don't conclude that he (or she) is a Republican; do we? He could be an independent, or someone who doesn't give a hoot about politics.  Intelligent design should be proven based solely on its own merit.  We probably are missing key facts that support both arguments. 

May be we came into being due to intelligent design and evolution.  May be a higher power created conditions conducive for evolution, and soon fish became monkeys and monkeys became humans.  Who knows? But we shouldn't lie to the posterity on what we do know.  I mean, not saying anything when we know something, would be a lie.  We shouldn't suppress the truth due to the fear of its misinterpretation - my 2¢.  

Indian Call Centers

I was surprised to see this cartoon in the newspaper recently. I would have agreed with this before 2005, but not now. A few years ago, when Indian call centers were new, many folks in the US were annoyed with the accent, fictitious names, and obsequiousness of the staff. I understood the reason for their frustration as I had similar experience when I called HP tech support (call transferred to Chennai) for trouble shooting my desktop.

But I noticed a remarkable improvement in service late last year (when I called for resolving issues with my laptop). I was really impressed by interpersonal and technical skills of the young staff. In fact, on receiving service, I made sure that I reached their supervisors and put in a good word.

My only concern with these folks is, as call center staff work in a pretty stressful environment, they try to (as they are forced to?) close cases ASAP. Recently we bought a Dell desktop (as HP conked off) and I had to call the tech support (which was transferred to Delhi) for help, as the machine was acting up. On listening to my problem, their repeated response was, "let's format the hard drive". I was trying to avoid it, as reloading software takes forever. But they kept insisting that it was the only way to fix problems. However, I spent a few hours online and I was able to fix the problem w/o much hassle. But I feel that these call centers handle most of the (non-complex) calls professionally and efficiently.

Tools for ¢H€AP $KAT€$

Reader's Digest recently published some money saving tips for dealing with the (to put it mildly) sagging economy.  Though I haven't tried any of these, here are some  websites/pointers I thought are interesting.

Online Sellers ask for coupon codes before checkout - retailmenot, dealcatcher, and couponclipper have some of these coupon codes.

Groceries - mygrocerydeals

For product price comparisons - pricegrabber and shopzilla

Cheap flight tickets - kayak; try alternatives - e.g., fly into Milwaukee instead of Chicago.  Check farecast to determine if you should book right away, or wait.  Keep flying date options open - checkout airfarewatchdog to receive e-mails on deals to your destination every Thursday. 

For insurance quote comparisons - insweb

Sports shoes - holabirdsports

Shipping cost comparison - shipgooder

Electronics - newegg

Compare cell phone plans - letstalk

Free office software (basic) - openoffice

Restaurant coupons in your area - restaurant

Cheapest gas in your area - gasbuddy

Cars - Kelly's Blue Book and Edmunds - we recently bought one, and saved $600 (~ 3%) by bargaining; researching at these sites for about a couple of hours helped me in staying firm on the number I offered.

Tips

Best time to shop at departmental stores - late Thursday, as they mark down prices for the weekend.

Best time to get cheapest deals on flights (generally) is early Wednesday AM (past midnight hour).

Giving 103%

This is PG-13. If you are a kid, just skip this blog post - trust me, you are not missing anything.

For the rest, here is an interesting argument forward to me by my buddy Kiran.

What Makes 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%. How about achieving 103%? What makes up 100% in life? 

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions. If: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z is represented as: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

It is obvious that: H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K = 8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%,

K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E = 11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%, 

and A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E = 1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%.

However, B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T = 2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103% and

A-S-S-K-I-S-S-I-N-G = 1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7 = 127%

So, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that while Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, it's the Bullshit and ass-kissing that will put you over the top !

To Mock a Killing Bird

I like native American dances with eagle costumes. Here is an interesting video of Hopi and Pueblo Indians performing eagle dance.

I also find Hopi's prophecies interesting (but not believable!).

The end of all Hopi ceremonialism will come when a "Kachina" removes his mask during a dance in the plaza before uninitiated children [the general public]. For a while there will be no more ceremonies, no more faith. Then Oraibi will be rejuvenated with its faith and ceremonies, marking the start of a new cycle of Hopi life.

World War III will be started by those peoples who first revealed the light (the divine wisdom or intelligence) in the other old countries (India, China, Islamic Nations, Africa.)

The United States will be destroyed, land and people, by atomic bombs and radioactivity. Only the Hopis and their homeland will be preserved as an oasis to which refugees will flee. Bomb shelters are a fallacy. "It is only materialistic people who seek to make shelters. Those who are at peace in their hearts already are in the great shelter of life. There is no shelter for evil. Those who take no part in the making of world division by ideology are ready to resume life in another world, be they Black, White, Red, or Yellow race. They are all one, brothers."

The war will be "a spiritual conflict with material matters. Material matters will be destroyed by spiritual beings who will remain to create one world and one nation under one power, that of the Creator."

The Seven Aphorisms of Summum

Enjoyed listening to excerpts from Supreme Court Justice's arguments on Summum monument dispute on the radio today. Summum wants to place its guiding principles in a Pleasant Grove, Utah, park where the Ten Commandments are also displayed. The Court seems to be having a heartache in allowing this. Summum's aphorisms (see below) sound pretty similar to writings in Hinduism. The founder of this religion/philosophy, Corky Ra, says that he encountered extra-terrestrials, and he finds merit in mummification - pretty interesting!

1. Summum is mind, thought; the universe is a mental creation.

2. As above, so below; as below, so above.

3. Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates.

4. Everything is dual; everything has an opposing point; everything has its pair of opposites; like and unlike are the same; opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree; extremes bond; all truths are but partial truths; all paradoxes may be reconciled.

5. Everything flows out and in; everything has its season; all things rise and fall; the pendulum swing expresses itself in everything; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates.

6. Every cause has its effect; every effect has its cause; everything happens according to Law; Chance is just a name for Law not recognized; there are many fields of causation, but nothing escapes the Law of Destiny.

7. Gender is in everything; everything has its masculine and feminine principles; Gender manifests on all levels.

The Bailouts

God's Miracles, Ltd.

Photo Source: Old Sol

We keep hearing about God's miracles or as Hindu's call them, leelas.  According to some, this is how leela works.  Say, something bad is predicted (such as imminent death due to cancer) to happen to Mr. X's close relative.  He prays God for a way out and boom! Just like that, within a short period, his relative's health makes a u-turn and he survives the scare.  There is no explanation for it other than God's special attention.  Then he calls it God's leela.  Or, Ms. Y desires something (like a job), prays God for it, soon after she comes across a stranger in an airport who owns a company, he offers her a job, and she gets what she wanted in no time.  She calls it God's leela.

I too believe in miracles.  I also believe that special prayers comfort and benefit us.  But if we confine the definition of leela only to "apparently" positive outcomes, we, in essence, are pinning ourselves down to earthly desires.  If we say that unexpected good things are God's leelas, what are the (so called) bad things? Isn't omni-present God the cause for everything*? When we say God is every where, He is in all spiritual planes, all physical planes, all atoms, you name it, He is It! This being the case, where is the possibility for bad things when our good God is everywhere?

So, philosophically speaking, we see things as bad due to our ignorance**.  I feel that many of us treat God like an ATM machine - we keep making deposits (daily prayers) so that we can withdraw (expect miracles on demand) when we need.

I think a better way for spiritual progress is to recognize leelas in everyday things like a beautiful sun rise, chirping of birds, blinking of eyes, timely bowel movement,...all "apparently" trivial things that we just take for granted.  Keep counting your blessings till you run out of names of numbers.  The more we appreciate the trivia, the closer we get to Shakti.  Miracles are happening 24/7, but we choose to see them only when they meet our strict quality control standards!

Yes, seek God's help in need, but recognize God's glory in all things - the good, the bad, and the ugly.  Don't define boundary conditions for leelas - my preaching that I need to start practicing! 

I noticed that I just keep typing (on blog) what ever comes to my mind esp. on Fridays.  With two "no-work" days ahead, I feel like I own the world, I could do anything, and allow my fingers to dance on the key board.  But I mean what I typed though (except for grammatical errors).  It is well past bed time.  So, end of my rambling on random thoughts.  Peace!      

*A saying in Telugu goes "శివుని ఆజ్ఞ లేనిదే చీమైనా కుట్టదు". It means, not even an ant could bite without God's approval.

**This makes no sense to me, but I have absolute faith in my ignorance!

Obama Elected President as Racial Barrier Falls

I came across this headline this AM, and I was nodding my head sideways. First of all, I am very glad that Obama won, as expected. I think that he is an excellent candidate, and that America will finally be in good hands soon, after eight long tumultuous years. Also, I believe that this event will greatly energize and motivate African Americans, esp. the kids - good for them.

However, I do not think that this election result is an indication that the racism is on decline; it probably is declining, but I wouldn't use this result as an indicator.

I would agree with this argument when two equally good candidates (one black, one white) contest, and the black (wo)man manages to prevail. With economy in turmoil and foreign wars going nowhere, even a scarecrow would have beaten a Republican. Added to this, on Republican side, McCain's senile charisma was matched only by Palin's mastery of world politics - that didn't help them! I believe that a good percentage of vote was anti-Republican rather than pro-Democrat. I am not saying this to undermine Obama's capability. Irrespective of statistics, again, I think that he is an excellent candidate who deserved 100% of the vote.

What I am saying is, when I am thirsty and I have 60c in my pocket, I would buy the best soda available for that money. I wouldn't bother to find if the seller is white, black, or some shade in between. In our case, Obama was Coke Classic for 50c, while McCain was Sam's Cola for 75c; I can't afford to pay more for an inferior drink.

I think racial discrimination will prevail (at least) as long as large financial disparity continues between ethnic groups. I am not pinning down racism to whites. For examples (once) rich upper castes in India exploited the lower castes for centuries. Now, at least in large cities, with distribution of wealth among many castes, the caste divide is not as conspicuous as it used to be.

If we talk about race, if anything, this election probably is an indicator of reverse discrimination. Based on exit polls, more than 95% African Americans voted for Obama while about 55% of whites voted for McCain.

Finally, I think discrimination is a necessary survival instinct. Whether we like it or not, whether we admit it or not, we constantly discriminate. For example, in many cases, black = poor, and poor = crime. I bet, on using implication logic (a implies b and b implies c, means a implies c), even rich blacks would roll up their windows when they drive through predominantly black and impoverished neighborhoods. Do current social conditions imply that blacks are inferior? No way! As evolutionary biologist Jared Diamond so eloquently presented in his book Guns, Germs, and Steel, we are what we are for a variety of complex reasons. Talking about racism, I strongly believe that Indians in the US are more racist when compared local whites/blacks - again, new environment, survival.

Imagine a non-conforming deer in a jungle who attempts to mingle with a pride of lions with an open mind - he surely would end up joining them at dinner table! I firmly believe that racial discrimination is an abominable act/thought. Unfortunately, most of us are not as innocent as we presume ourselves to be in this department. In this world, wealth (and knowledge, to an extent) is the only equalizer, unfortunately.

The Glasses Can Always be Half-Full

This inspirational story of Naga Naresh Karutura (NN) was forwarded to me by my childhood buddy Raama. NN was born in a poor and illiterate family. He now works for Google, after completing his B.Tech in Computer Science from IIT Madras. The great thing about him is, he has no legs, and he seems least bothered about this handicap. On the contrary, he feels that the loss of legs happened for a good reason. It is pretty amazing to note that there isn't an ounce of negativity in his description of his life story, an excerpt of which is copied and pasted below.

I believe in God. I believe in destiny. I feel he plans everything for you. If not for the accident, we would not have moved from the village to Tanuku, a town. There I joined a missionary school, and my father built a house next to the school. Till the tenth standard, I studied in that school.

If I had continued in Teeparu, I may not have studied after the 10th. I may have started working as a farmer or someone like that after my studies. I am sure God had other plans for me.