Thursday, July 31, 2008

Do You Have Double Standards...??



Who Explodes a bomb and kills innocent people?

A terrorist.

Who drops a bomb from a plane and kills innocent people?

A brave American pilot.

when a Palestinian uses violence against the Jews who have illegally occupied his land?

It is A terrorist attack.

when an Israeli helicopter fires rockets at Palestinian youths armed with stones?

It is Self-defence.


when someone gives money to a government official in return for favors?

Bribery.

when a large corporation gives money to a government official in return for favors?

A campaign contribution.


the form of government where a small elite exploits and intimidates the citizens?

A dictatorship.

the form of government where a small elite exploits and intimidates the citizens, and the citizens can choose every few years which part of the elite should occupy the government buildings?

A democracy.


when someone carrying a gun enters your house and steals your valuable possessions?

An armed robbery.

when a multinational corporation supported by armed forces enters your country and steals your valuable possessions?

Free trade.


when a group of people take the law into their own hands and kill people without a fair trial?

A lynching.

when the US takes the law into its own hands and kills people without a fair trial?

Operation Enduring Freedom. (The invasion of Afghanistan)


who steals from the rich and gives to the poor?

Robin Hood.

who steals from the poor and gives to the rich?

The US government.


a weapon that can kill thousands of people?

a weapon of mass destruction.

a weapon that killed 1.5 million Iraqis, including more than 500,000 children?

Sanctions.


an army that will fight for whoever pays the most money?

Mercenaries.

an army in Afghanistan that will fight for whoever pays the most money?

The Northern Alliance (or United Front).


an attack on the Pentagon, a military command and control center in the US?

A cowardly attack on American freedom and democracy.

the destruction of an Afghan village by US bombs?

An attack on a Taliban military command and control center.


when just over 3 thousand people were killed in the September 11 attack on the US?

An atrocity.

when nearly 5 million people were killed in the Vietnam war?

A mistake.


when very rich people exploit poor people?

Greed and selfishness.

when very rich countries exploit poor countries?

Globalization.


a foreign oppressor in the last century that controlled the economic and social life of a country?

A colonialist power.

a foreign oppressor in this century that controls the economic and social life of a country?

The International Monetary Fund.


when people are slaughtered?

A massacre.

when 100,000 to 200,000 Iraqis are slaughtered by the US at a loss to American forces of 148 (46 of which were killed by friendly fire)?

Gulf War I.


members of the Ku Klux Klan, a white racist organization?

American patriots.

members of the Black Panther party, a black racist organization?

Prisoners on death row.


the extermination of a people?

Genocide.

the extermination of native Americans in the US?

A glorious episode in American history.


someone who stands up in front of a crowd and tells stories?

An entertainer.

someone who stands up in front of a crowd at the Pentagon and tells stories?

Donald Rumsfeld.


a television station that broadcasts only the government's views?

A propaganda station.

the BBC when the World News consists solely of half an hour of a Pentagon briefing?

Fair and impartial.


the 2002 presidential election in Zimbabwe where there were serious irregularities?

A flawed election.

all the 2000 presidential election in the US where there were serious irregularities?

A victory for democracy.


when American Whites advocate an exclusively White state and the expulsion of all non-Whites?

Racism.

when Israeli Jews advocate an exclusively Jewish state and the expulsion of all non-Jews?

Zionism.


name of the leader wrongly accused of trying to create an ethnically pure Greater Serbia?

Slobodan Milosevic, on trial as a war criminal until his death.

name of the leader trying to create an ethnically pure Greater Israel?

Ariel Sharon, a "man of peace".


a leader who sells out his country to a foreign power?

A traitor, or Quisling.

a British leader who sells out his country to a foreign power?

Tony Blair.


Middle East country (whose name begins with I) does not possess nuclear weapons, agreed to allow access to UN weapons inspectors, and has been occupied by the US?

Iraq.

Middle East country (whose name begins with I) possesses nuclear weapons, refuses to allow access to International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors and receives around $5 billion p.a. in aid from the US?

Israel.
when innocent people are killed by those resisting a brutal occupation?

Terrorism.

when innocent people are killed by an occupying army?

Collateral damage, self-defense, or caught in the crossfire.


when Saddam Hussein kills his own people with chemical weapons?

A crime against humanity.

when the FBI uses chemical weapons to murder 96 US citizens (including women and children) in Waco, Texas?

Law and order.


a serial killer who claims that God told him to do it?

A psychopath.

a serial killer who claims that God told him to invade Iraq?

George W. Bush.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Strange..Indeed ..a miracle!!



Looking into that person’s eyes and just feeling the 'connection'.....

When you realize that the presence of one person is more important than the absence of everyone else.

It’s not about perfection,
rather something far from it.

Looking at someone and knowing that you belong with them.

The rest of the world disappears,
and all that remains is that person and that feeling.

You don’t know what the future holds,

Things might not be easy,

Willing to risk it all just as long as we can be together.

Be with you through everything;
as long as you have me......

you'll not have to face things alone.

I’m here when you need me,
Always be here for you.

Don’t know what’s gonna happen,
but whatever it is....
Stand beside you always!

And you should know that
no matter what anyone says or does,
I know that, I’m right...
where I’m supposed to be,
right next to you.

And that you should know
I’m here because I want to be,
not because I have to be,
and that..
there’s no where else in the world that I’d rather be.

And that... readers,
is what I think love is.....!!

If you ask ten people you will get twenty different answers and definitions.

Webster’s defines it as
“a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another,”

but as a writer and a person who finds the idea magical,

I take it a bit farther.

I’m just saying that things are much deeper than that.

It is also not something that you can define for every single person.
something that is universally understood;

Perhaps,
a language that needs no translation.

Love is just something you know,
no matter how old you are or where you are from.

Two people speaking in two very different languages with two very different lives can fall in love.

It just happens,
and we don’t really have a choice as to who you fall for or
when it will happen.

It means something different to each person.

Here we are,
all of us,
basically alone,
separate creatures,
just circling each other,
all searching for that slightest hint of a real connection.

Some look in the wrong places,
some they just give up hope because in their mind they’re thinking,
“Oh there’s nobody out there for me,”
but all of us,
we keep trying over and over again.

Why?
Because every once in a while…
two people meet and there’s that spark, and yes,

she’s beautiful and he’s handsome and maybe
that’s all they see at first,

but love…..
that’s when two people become one.

It is scientifically impossible for two hearts to occupy the same space.

Yeah, but what’s important is we try.
And when we do it right,
we get close.

Indeed ..miraculous.....

---NVS

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

A Rainy Afternoon.. to begin with..!!




Well,
This past week was great..
If you were a plant...

all drenched.....and soaked .. with those soothing showers..

Indeed a pleasure of sorts..

We’ve had rain and rains and more rains..
nearly every day for the past week.

While there’s been no need to water the plants,

It has been difficult to do the general chores like travelling..
when it’s this wet and generally icky outside!

At least the roses are really popping right now..
(If you get... what i mean..)

If I can actually get out there with a camera and not get drowned in the downpour or my own creative juices in the process...
I’ll take a few photos....

Yesterday I found some time for some outdoor fun in the late evening before the weather could turn rainy...

I went out for a little tour, perhaps a walk on air..

To Begin with...
it was an idle Tuesday afternoon and

I was listening to the radio.....

I had this ardent thought, about going for a walk..
things were pleasant..

Later,
it was drizzling.. and it was this way..
a great evening with some breeze moving through!

Almost heaven kissed......

I wanted to go for a walk..unlike most.. as usual !!
(who prefer to stay home)

An ideal afternoon for most would be lying down on pristine white bedsheets..
an extra cushioned pillow ..
a few creases and ..

a nice book to cuddle with..
in the lap of luxury .. so to say..

or perhaps a nice romantic movie..
shot amidst the French Riviera..

( that actually sounds so smooth.. and fabulous..!!)

In fact, something that everybody would long for..

but here i was......
Everything was so green and lush;

As an added bonus,

i had hot coffee... after a long time,
as well as the 'baked goods'!

(I really, really long for the brownies, with the whipped cream,
why can’t someone... get a few for me???!!!)

it would have been great to spend some more time,
but I knew I needed to get back home....

the nice rainy afternoon culminating to a smoother evening..

In the meantime,
I’m continuing at listening to my huge stock of instrumentals..
and enjoying this simpler pace!!

Maybe we all will continue.. to spend some more days completely devoid of sunlight….

naah,
I do long for the sun and the brightness that charms our lives...

But this seems much better, for a while as of now..

when you are all cozy..
standing behind the wet glass panes,

watching the drizzles..
sporting the serene look,

and possibly longing for 'Something'.....

---NVS

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Well, is everything Hunky-dory..???


Don't get me wrong.
I love this life.
It is everything to me.

But,
at the same time,
It is so.. seriously irritating......!!

I don't care what people believe in, or what they think, or
how they think life is to be lived,

I don't care.
What I do care about is to be allowed to live my life how I want to live it.

To be able to talk without the fear of creating a scandal,

to be able to walk without staying on alert for thieves and kidnappers,

to be able to read the headlines of newspapers boasting of victory and progress,
( instead of terrorism and anarchy )

These may look like very simple wishes but sadly,
I could wish for countless pearls and diamonds and still get it,

but if I ask for the freedom to wake up every morning,

to the sound of birds chirping and
a certainty the day will be peaceful and
devoid any untoward incidents,
all I would get is an incredulous look.

This is what our life has degenerated to.

And do get me right;

I have no wish to portray myself as a hapless victim.
All of us are responsible for what is happening today.

We humans are like leeches, drinking up the resources of the earth and
bloating up to gigantic proportions.

And all because we have forgotten to live and let live.

We loudly proclaim,
“We have grown, we have developed!” But into what?

I would wager to say,
‘Friends.’
With great haste we have built our homes,
our societies,
our cities and in extension, our world.

Without a thought we have imposed ourselves on the various plants and animals.

We were actually meant to live with them as one, but
we have very thoughtlessly told them to either comply or perish.

And it’s not just them that we are hurting,
we have not left even our own kith and kin.

It is bad enough that
we have designed a hundred different weapons that have been created
for the sole purpose of taking lives,

but that there are some monsters in this world who would not think twice before using them.

This becomes a thought, too difficult to bear.

We peace – loving,
unobtrusive people are also guilty of being a prey of sensationalisation.

Don’t we all delight in the scandal and gossip that surrounds celebrities?
We go through every magazine,
newspaper and television channel just to know the latest tidbit pertaining to celebrities.

I think it is time we realize that every time we wear a leather belt or a shoe,
the carcass of an animal lies dead somewhere,

every time we waste sheets of paper,
there is a pitiful stump of a tree somewhere in some forest,

every time we overuse precious resources like water,
there are people in Africa crying for a few drops of it.

Let us try to change our behaviour and our attitude.

Let us try to make this planet greener and happier.
Let us co-exist with every being in harmony.

Let us live and let live.

---NVS

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Discipline....


Over the years,
I have realized what discipline is, by understanding what it is not.

The frenzied scrambling for 'vada pavs' that we see
near the local station is not, for that matter, an illustration of discipline.

Nor is the constant talking on the cell phone during a concert or any public address.

The ruthless fights to get a place in the local trains definitely cannot pass off as instances of discipline.

So,
you may ask,
what is discipline?

Well,
discipline, as a concept is not difficult to understand.

Discipline is all about a controlled and coordinated way of doing things.

More Illustratively,
To not talk in the class while a class is in session
( although, all others are talking ),

to not jump the line at the ticket counter,
( even if everyone does so ),

to not throw garbage on the road but patiently look around for a dustbin,

are some of the simplest deeds that in reality demonstrate great discipline!

A disciplined man generally embodies great virtues
and is considered as a reliable human being.

A disciplined way of behaviour,
disciplined way of working and
a disciplined way of thinking,
all constitute a disciplined way of living!

So,
how is discipline to be brought into the life of every person?

Most evidences suggest that
such a quality can be acquired only through realization and by exercising control.

Enforcement of discipline is not advisable.

As Marie Montessori, a famous Italian lady said,
“Discipline must come through liberty.
( What a paradox...?? )

We do not consider an individual disciplined when
he has been rendered as artificially silent as a mule and as immovable as a paralytic.

He is an individual annihilated,

not disciplined.”

Today,
we are seeing a gradual lessening of discipline in our country.

In our veins flows the blood of our ancestors who
practiced extraordinary control during their penances.

If we acquire even a fraction of that discipline,
then the course of our nation could change drastically.

According to me,
the reason why we see a general slackening of discipline,
is because it is no longer considered a worthy quality today.

Qualities like enterprise, shrewdness and resourcefulness are given much more importance.

Discipline comes nowhere into the picture.

Now,
it is time we realize that discipline is one of the pillars that this world rests upon.

To strengthen it or let it crumble: The choice is ours.

---NVS

Friday, May 9, 2008

BALANCE SHEET OF LIFE....


Our Birth is our Opening Balance !

Our Death is our Closing Balance!

Our Prejudiced Views are our Liabilities

Our Creative Ideas are our Assets

Heart is our Current Asset

Soul is our Fixed Asset

Brain is our Fixed Deposit

Thinking is our Current Account

Achievements are our Capital

Character & Morals, our Stock-in-Trade

Friends are our General Reserves

Values & Behaviour are our Goodwill

Patience is our Interest Earned

Love is our Dividend

Children are our Bonus Issues

Education is Brands Patents

Knowledge is our Investment

Experience is our Premium Account

The Aim is to Tally the Balance Sheet Accurately.

The Goal is to get the Best Presented Accounts Award.

--- NVS

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

More Of the Candid Modest Reckoning of sorts.....



This is a sort of an extension to the previous blog,
but indeed more specific to the inherent turmoil !
Here is a link to the previous blog!

My very observant nature has actually led to write all this,
in the very sense of the term!

Let me tell you all, that
i also found a couple of close friends,
with whom i normally vent out,
who could very closely relate to the subject!

I sincerely hope you can relate to this one, too.

Do not misconstrue it as a lame reasoning for a failure in love..
there's much more to it..

Life is easier to take than you think;
all that is necessary is..
to accept the impossible,
do without the indispensable and
bear the intolerable.

Remember,
new lovers are born everyday!

The real thinking of woman is pre-eminently practical and applied.
It is something we describe as sound common sense,
and is usually directed to what is close at hand and personal.
In general,
it can be said that feminine mentality manifests
an undeveloped,childlike,or primitive character;
instead of the thirst for knowledge,curiosity;
instead of judgment,prejudice;
instead of thinking,imagination or dreaming;
instead of will, wishing.

Where a man takes up objective problems,
a woman contents herself with solving riddles;
where he battles for knowledge and understanding,
she contents herself with faith or superstition,
or else she makes assumptions.
AND hence you as a man is also one of her assumptions!

When you buy women a pair of shoes,
they use them to walk away from you!

I have heard not a few men say that they have given up on love.
They have no luck in love and that the only women they seem to encounter are insensitive,
lying,cheating lewd(s).
And to worsen things,
the chances of them meeting another insensitive, lying, cheating lewd is 99%.

Do you share these thoughts?

Have you ever wondered why other men
(whom you think are not as attractive,smart and interesting as you)
are blessed with wonderful relationships and you have been denied?

What's terrible is to pretend that the second-rate is first-rate.
To pretend that you don't need love when you do;
or you like your work when you know quite well you're capable of better.

When will that hand meet my own, with a grasp that causes some sensation??

Where do i get...
a clean, pure, straight, honest, upright, generous, intelligent, magnanimous companion??
I know, that is definitely not too much to ask for...

Do you have this fear that your next relationship
will turn out to be as bad as the last
and it will just be a cycle of one bad love after another.

Do you, really?

Have you ever been in love?
Horrible, isn't it?
It makes you so vulnerable.
It opens your chest and it opens your heart and
it means someone can get inside you and mess you up.
You build up all these defenses.
You build up this whole armour,
for years,
so nothing can hurt you,
then one stupid person,
no different from any other stupid person,
wanders into your stupid life...
You give them a piece of you.
They don't ask for it.
They do something dumb one day like
they'd kiss you, or smile at you,
and then your life isn't your own anymore.

It gets inside you.
It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness,
so a simple phrase like....
'maybe we should just be friends' or
'how very perceptive' turns into a splinter working its way into your heart.
It hurts.
Not just in the imagination.
Not just in the mind.
It's a soul-hurt, a body-hurt,
a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain.

I hate love

Pleasure of love lasts but a moment,
Pain of love lasts a lifetime.
The ones that you love the most are usually the ones that hurt you the most.

Ohh..hh......
He, who is not impatient, is not in love.
Could the gals relate to this??
( they are the one's who always tel us to be patient!)

HOW DO I DEFINE IT????
Love is an exploding cigar we willingly smoke!
Love is a temporary madness.
It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides.

You come to love not by finding the perfect person,
but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly!

If you judge people, you have no time to love them.
But how can you love 'somebody' ???
Anybody who appeals to your heart is being sorta judged in a way !

Is a life worth living,
without no one to love and to be loved in return?

when some one says they love u,
it just means....
they love u for that day,
the next day,
they could be running away with your best friend!

I love making friends.... it's people I can't really stand!
( Rules are prone to exceptions! )

Love one another and you will be happy.
Nothing is as simple and as difficult as that!

If you have some thing interesting to comment upon and add on .. do it..
but do not sympathize....

( Critical appreciation is the modest way of saying that
i took a Lotta pains to read all of that!)

---NVS

All You People Can't You See.. Can't You See...????