Firoze Hirjikaka
I am a retired Civil Engineer, living in Bombay, India. After retirement, I have taken up freelance writing. I have had several articles published in local newspapers and magazines.
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- 12/28/2006
Education/Experience
I have a Master's Degree in Engineering from the University of LondonMotto
I was born with the gift of laughter; and a sense that the world is madAffiliations
Cornucopia
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Pope Narendra IIf India were to ever have a Pope, the Chief Minister of Gujarat would fit the role perfectly. Witness his bravura performance during the farcical fast meant to put him on the fast track to the Premiership of India.
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Anna Hazare's People Power Revolution - Causes and AftermathDuring the past fortnight, reams of newsprint have been expended in detailing every aspect of Anna Hazare's people-power revolution.
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Who Weeps for Mumbai?Another day, another bomb blast. Another blame game, another 'œhigh vigil'. Another futile assurance that 'œthis' will not be allowed to happen again. The sequence of events after every terror attack on Mumbai has become like a well-rehearsed play.
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The Craft of MarquetryMarquetry is the name given to the craft of making intricate designs or pictures by covering a plain surface with two or more layers of wood veneer. The overall effect is quite dazzling.
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Some Myths About Fitness AidsMany savvy marketers and gyms push a wide array of exercises and 'œfitness' equipment, with tall claims that just a few minutes of use a day will give you washboard abs, or a tight butt, or whatever. Some of them have proved their usefulness, but a lot o
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Can India Pull Off an Osama to Get Dawood?Can India pull off an Osama type US operation to get Dawood Ibrahim '" or any of the other terrorists on India's wanted list - who is sheltered in Pakistan? Despite the recent confident assertion by the country's army chief, the answer is a resounding NO.
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Thousand Voices Against CorruptionAnna Hazare is a 72-year old disciple of Mahatma Gandhi who sees himself as a moral crusader, whose purpose is to expose corruption by India's politicians and bureaucrats and holding them accountable for their misdeeds. -
IPod-itis Can Leave You DeafThose who play their music at full blast, on their daily commute for example, are at greater risk of developing tinnitus in later life, with the probability of deafness a few years down the line.
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Do Indians Have the Stomach for a People's Revolution?Somehow I can't visualise tens of thousands of Indians congregating at public squares in major cities and resolving to stay there until the reforms they demand are implemented.
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India's Congress Party on Suicide WatchDuring the past few months, India has been witnessing a remarkable spectacle. The ruling Congress Party seems hell bent on committing political hara-kiri in full public glare.
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Thank God for PakistanIndia's obscurantist neighbour periodically reminds Indians that as bad as things are, they could be a lot worse. The latest trigger for this illusory euphoria is the recent murder of the governor of Pakistan's Punjab state.
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Kashmir: Thinking Out of the BoxIf there is one topic India's political pundits love to shoot and his son in-law, it seems, has an opinion; and the views range from bleeding heart to blatantly belligerent.
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Big Air is WatchingTransportation Security Administration's new Secure Flight initiative requires you to provide your full name as it appears on a government-issued I.D., your date of birth and your gender.
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Don't Burn Away the Fat, Freeze ItConventional wisdom has been to burn away excess fat. Even heat-based lasers have been tried. Now, however, scientists have discovered that a more effective way to get rid of extra fat is to freeze it.
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The Rape of DemocracyIndia is an object lesson to emerging Third World nations that it is not enough for a country to proclaim itself a democracy; it requires vigilance and effort to make it work.
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The Afghanistan Papers - How the U.S. Condones Pakistan's DuplicityAs reported in the New York Times, classified military documents concerning the war in Afghanistan, spanning a period of six years, were made public on Sunday.
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Iran and Pakistan - America's Double StandardsOne country is on America's hit list; and the US recently succeeded in persuading the United Nations to impose sanctions on it. The other is America's close ally, on whom the US showers billions of dollars in aid and military hardware.
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Guns Across AmericaThe United States Supreme Court recently decreed that the right of Americans to bear arms, enshrined in the Second Amendment, was fundamental and absolute. To many people living outside the USA, this American fascination with guns is quite bewildering.
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Crocodile Tears for BhopalOn the night of December 3, 1984 at the Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal,India, there was a leak of methyl isocyanate gas from the plant. Over 500,000 people residing in the vicinity were exposed to the poisonous gas.
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Israel - the Friend You Love to HateWhat do many Americans think of Israel? My guess is that the overwhelming emotion is exasperation. In the Israeli-Arab equation, the Israelis are supposed to be the good guys. The problem is they don't act their role.
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American Suburbia is ChangingThe popular image of suburbia, in America and much of the English-speaking world, is that of a sort of Wisteria Lane inhabited by desperate housewives. That is gradually changing, however.
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What to Do About PakistanMany Indians parade their patriotism by fulminating that any contact with Pakistan is a treasonable offence. This implies that they have a myopic view about the real problems between India and Pakistan
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Has Pornography Become Socially Acceptable?The latest scandal to hit Washington DC concerned the revelation that senior agency staffers of the Securities & Exchange Commission spent hours surfing pornographic websites on government-issued computers.
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Cell Phones - Boon or Bane?There is no longer any argument that the universally ubiquitous cell phone has become as indispensible to our daily lives as clothes and pizza. Isn't technology wonderful? Well, not entirely.
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India's Deputy Foreign Minister Bowled Over and OutThe majority of urban Indians these days are engrossedwith a potboiler featuring the country's Deputy Foreign Minister , Shashi Tharoor, his newest love interest, Sunanda Pushkar and the boss of India's most popular sport, cricket, Lalit Modi.
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Is Commitment Going Out of Style?Commitment seems to be treated with increasing casualness these days. This is partly borne out by the statistic that almost half of all marriages in the United States end in divorce.
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Children of the Same GodAs everyone knows, there is no love lost between Muslims and Jews. Therefore, it may come as a shock to some members of both religions to learn that they have a common ancestor.
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Suicides by Children - Whay Are Kids Giving Up so Easily?The recent news report on two young children committing suicide, for reasons that hardly merit such a drastic step, has shocked the nation. A 12 year-old boy hanged himself in the school toilet because he had failed some class exams.
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Fight Against Terrorism - We've Given Up Too MuchMany Americans are congratulating themselves on the fact that there hasn't been a major terrorist attack in the United States after 9/11. But reflect on the price they - and many of the world's nations - have paid to keep themselves safe.
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Is Religion Becoming a Bad Word in the West?Today it seems that religion is veering more and more towards extremism. There is a kind of reverse extremism among people living in Western countries.
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Why Fighting the Iraq War in Afghanistan Won't WorkPresident Barrack Obama's speech at West Point yesterdayhas drawn conflicting reactions. Some believe that sending 30,000 additional troops is a good idea. After all, the surge worked in Iraq, didn't it?
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Want a Drink? Pop a PillNow getting a surreptitious tipple may get easier. No need for hard to conceal hip flasks. Just carry a few pills.
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Cell Phones as Teaching AidsCell phones and school teachers have been natural enemies for several years now. Now a school in Wesley Chapel, Florida has decided to adopt the old maxim: if you can't beat them, join them.
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You Can't Google in GoogleThis is one of those quaint true stories that have absolutely no impact on our lives, but bring a momentary smile to our faces nonetheless. And god knows, we can all use a smile or two in these difficult times.
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Holiday in Victoria, Canada-August 2009Here are some photos of a recent vacation my wife and I took in Victoria, BC kast August. -
This Corn Can Make Your Stomach PopThe non-profit Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has calculated that an average combo of popcorn and drinks consumed by an individual during a movie has as many calories three McDonald's quarter-pounders topped with 12 pats of butter.
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The Man with the Bionic BottomThese days, what with hip and knee replacements, artificial hearts and what have you, fantasy has turned into reality. In fact, such surgical procedures have become so commonplace that they hardly raise eyebrows.
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Can There Be Too Much Sex?Can There Be Too Much Sex? Ask an average male that question and the answer will be an emphatic no. However, like most aspects of life, too much of a good thing can be dangerous to one's health.
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Is Armageddon Nigh?Unprecedented rains and flooding in South India and the Philippines, two major earthquakes and tsunami warnings - all in the space of a week. Global warming, greenhouse gasses are the usual suspects, but is that the complete explanation? -
Lovin' You Ain't EasyThey seem to have surveys for everything these days. A new gem involves rating men in several countries for their potential as lovers.
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Should Donald Trump Have Allowed Gadhafi to Pitch His Tent?There is a huge flap currently going on in the United States over the fact that Donald Trump has leased one of his properties in Westchester County to Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi.
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Is Facebook Turning Us into NeanderthalsHas it occurred to you that Facebook is killing the art of language? In Facebookland, all you need to do is to send him/her a mindless poke, or a hug, or a high five, or a button.
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For the Love of GodTwo items in today's paper got me thinking about this whole business of human beings and deities. The first concerned four members of a family, who drowned while attempting to immerse their Ganpati idol off the sea coast off Mumbai.
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The Allure of NewsprintI woke up on Monday morning with an inexplicable air of foreboding. I couldn't make sense of it till I went to the dining room for my morning cuppa and realized there were no newspapers on the table.
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Captured Korean-American Journalists - Irresponsible?Last week, the news headlines were dominated by the unfolding drama and release of two Korean-American woman journalists who had strayed into North Korea and had been captured by the authorities there. Was the whole sorry episode avoidable? Absolutely.
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Indo-Pak Tension: The Farce ContinuesIndia's diplomacy with relation to Pakistan can best be summed up by Shakespeare's maxim: full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
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Shahrukh Khan Hanged Without TrialI hold no brief for Shahrukh Khan, nor do I hold any opinion on his guilt or innocence. However, it is really distressing how motley religious groups purporting to speak for the entire community are so readily given gratuitous publicity by the media. -
Is Iran Heading for a Second Revolution?It's the common malaise that seems to inflict dictators and autocratic rulers all over the world - inevitably leading to their downfall. They overreach themselves with insufficient provocation.
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A Celebrity DethronedThere is something about celebrities that evokes the Jekyll and Hyde in us common folk. Most of us - including the hypocrites who sanctimoniously declare that money is not important to them - would trade places with them in a flash.
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Eat Curry, No WorryIt turns out that apart form setting your tongue on fire and, some swear, increasing your sex drive, curry may be the answer to the prayers of patients suffering from Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. -
Racist Attacks in Australia - Let's Cut the HypeDuring the past 10 days, a string of attacks on Indian students have been reported. It now appears that this whole "racist attack" scenario in Australia has been blown completely out of proportion by our print and television media.
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Are Gamers Racist?These two-player games usually come with a chat box; and the most common opening gambit is the question a-s-l ? Male, check; 64...hmm, a bit of wavering, but still OK. Then comes the clincher. I put down Mumbai and the other player promptly disconnects.
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Islam and America - How Others See ItA good friend, who tends to lean towards the Left, and I recently got into a heated debate about the attitude of the United States towards Islam and the rest of the world. The debate was sparked off by a story that began at Michigan State University.
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It's Not Racial Discrimination, It's Lack of CloutDuring the past month, random attacks on Indian students in Australia have made news headlines. Recently, Indian passengers aboard an Air France flight were given shabby treatment. Why are Indians receiving "special treatment" so often?
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Sex and the Orthodox JewBirds do it, bees do it, even Orthodox Jews do it - but not whenever the spirit moves them. Sex between couples, preferably married to each other, is fine provided the rules of purity related to the Taharat Hamishpacha are observed.
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The Indian MindAmericans make money so that they can almost instantly spend it. In fact, they even spend money they don't yet possess. Indians like to hang on to money, to build it up into a nice little pile.
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Recession Getting You Down? Have a FlingAt a time when many of us are struggling with pay cuts, job insecurity and the like, one industry - adultery - is proving to be not only recession-proof, but actually booming.
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Is True Love Dead?A young friend recently poured out to me his tragic story of unrequited love. At the end of his lament, he asked if true love exists any more these days.
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Sweat is SexyThis scientific discovery is probably going to sound the death knell for male deodorant manufacturers. It's now official. Male armpit sex is sexy.
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Men Are StinkersWhen a relationship turns sour, how many women have labeled their partners as absolute stinkers? Now, as it turns out, they actually are.
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Are We Devaluing Murder?This crime story is currently making headlines in Mumbai. According to news reports in Indian papers, including the Times of India, two teenage boys hatched a plot to kidnap one of their college friends for ransom.
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Lahore Terrorist Attack on Cricketers Presents Many AnomoliesThe attack by terrorists on a bus carrying the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team, in Lahore on 3rd March, has a number of aspects that do not add up.
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What's the Real Story Behind 26/11?There is mounting evidence that the Mumbai attacks were actively coordinated by elements in the Pakistani army and their intelligence network, the ISI. If that be the case, what puzzles me is what their strategic objective was?
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What's the Buzz About Slumdog?And the Oscar goes to...Slumdog Millionaire.As an Indian, I am naturally proud that a film with Indian actors and set in my home city of Mumbai has won so many accolades. I am proud - and also mystified. -
For Love or MoneyThe murder of the young BPO employee Paloma Fernandes, while tragic, is also symptomatic of today's instant-gratification society, especially among the young.
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Is India's Diplomacy Working?Many political commentators are wondering whether the advent of Barack Obama as President of the US will make any change in America's attitude towards Pakistan and India, particularly in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attack on 26/11.
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Weapons Do Not Make the ManWeapons do not make the man; man makes the weapons. The truth of this saying was chillingly brought out during the Mumbai terror attacks on 26/11.
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India Has Been Outmanoeuvered by PakistanAt the risk of sounding unpatriotic, I cannot help feeling that India has been outmaneuvered by Pakistan with relation to the Mumbai terror attacks, on both diplomatic and military fronts.
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Shoes Flung at Bush Encourage Private EnterprizeIt is debatable whether George Bush succeeded in bringing democracy to Arab nations, but he sure boosted good old fashioned, all-American capitalism
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Bush Nursery RhymesGeorgie Porgie's feeling quite lame.
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The Thing About MourningMy wife's mother passed away last Monday. She was 82 and died in her sleep, so from her point of view, she made a smooth transition into the afterlife. My wife, Aban, and I are now officially in mourning.
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People PowerI witnessed something remarkable last evening. I saw thousands of common citizens spontaneously showing up at designated locations and expressing their anger and frustration.
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Terror in MumbaiRemember that famous FDR quote about July 7, 1942? Well, November 26 will henceforth be refered to as Bombay's day of infamy. It also happens to be my birthday. God may have abandoned Bombay that fateful Wednesday, but He was looking out for me.
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Not Everyone Hails the Black MessiahThe election of Barack Obama as President of the United States has been heralded in some quarters as almost the Second Coming of Christ. Not all Americans are euphoric, however.
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Are Indians Victims or Purveyors of Racism?In a recent newspaper article, the author expressed his indignation about instances of racism in Britain; and suggested that the torch has all but passed from India's former colonial masters to the country they once ruled. -
It Aint Baby Fat - Obese Kids Are in DangerDoctors, conducting ultrasound tests to probe inside their young subjects, found that obese children, as young as 10, had the arteries of 45-year-olds; not to mention other heart abnormalities that greatly raise their risk of heart disease.
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Obama Turns Profiling on It's HeadI honestly believed that not even 5% of these folk would even consider voting for Obama. And what happened? A full one third of Evangelical voters chose the liberal black guy -
India Votes for ObamaBarack Obama appears to be heading for a landslide election in the US election for President. If the election had taken place in India, here too the result would not have been much different.
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Is the US Financial Bailout Package a First Step Towards Socialism?By now, every one in America has heard about the $700 billion great financial bailout. The benevolent US government has pumped in humongous amounts of cash into banks to save them from bankruptcy - largely brought about by their own greed. -
Fear is the Key - Why Obama May Not Be a Shoo-inIf the polls and CNN are to be believed, Barack Obama has already won the US election; and John McCain is merely going through the motions. But McCain doesn't seem to get it. Perhaps he knows something that many Americans don't.
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Barack Obama - the Champion of the WorldThis article is not about what Americans think about their Presidential candidates; it is about what the rest of the world thinks of them. Obama scores almost everywhere. -
I Dream of AmericaFirst of all, I freely admit to being an ignorant foreigner. That said, I have more than a passing interest in the political process in the greatest democracy in the world. But some quintessentially Yankee expressions continue to elude me.
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Free Market or No MarketThe thing about us Indians is that we want the best of both worlds. We certainly do not want to return to the dark days of Nehruvian socialism. We want all the benefits of a free market economy, but we don't want to shoulder the risks that come with that.
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Barrack Obama - Where Did the Money Come From?Barrack Obama claims he grew up in situation where the money was tight; and yet managed to put himself through Harvard. Obama; and vaguely attributes his good fortune to the "American dream". An American mother wonders where the money actually came from.
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Corruption is a Way of Indian LifeI read a news report of how rich politicians in Maharashtra are taking unfair advantage of a government scheme to provide cattle to destitute farmers in the region at highly subsidized rates. -
The Omnipotent Indian MaleWhenever an Indian male finds himself in a dangerous situation, his instinctive reaction is to save himself. The concept of women and children first is totally alien to him.
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The Collective Failure of IndiansIt is an established fact that we Indians perform brilliantly as individuals, but fail miserably as a collective.
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The Things We Do for GasIt used to be the things we do for love. Now, it seems, we are prepared to do it for gasoline. With gas prices approaching $5 a gallon, it's become a luxury item and some folks will do anything to get it on the cheap or, preferably, free.
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Life Without MeatSome experts predict that the entire world population will become vegetarian in the next 50 years.
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Is India Mature Enough for Democracy?The blatant horse trading going on between political parties, prior to the imminent no-confidence vote in parliament, once again brings into focus the question: are we Indians mature enough to handle a democratic system with universal franchise?
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That Hit the SpotOf all the sexual myths and legends, probably the most enduring has been the fabled G-spot. Now, cosmetologists offering a treatment to enlarge the G-spot, thereby making it easier to find.
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Some Terrorists Look Just like UsMention the words Al Qaeda or terrorist; and chances are that you will conjure up images of swarthy, bearded men with cold, ruthless eyes. Now Al Qaeda and others of have started recruiting white Europeans and inducting them in their 'crusade'.
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Kids Sending Nude Pics on Cell PhonesTechnology is wonderful, but it can become a dangerous tool in the hands of those not mature enough to handle it. Nowadays, teenagers are snapping naked pictures and videos of themselves on their cell phones and sending them to their boyfriends and girlfriends. -
No Exit from IraqIt is quite probable that many Americans are laboring under the optimistic assumption that, if Barack Obama becomes President, the US will make a speedy exit from Iraq. This may turn out to be wishful thinking.
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This Ring is MineAt the end of a relationship, some enterprising ladies are not just keeping the gifts, they are auctioning them online.
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US Prison ShipsIn its simplest terms, rendition means questioning prisoners and crime suspects without regard to legal niceties like Miranda rights and such. Suspects continue to be rendered in floating prisons - essentially, US warships in international waters.
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Have Condom. Got Milk?Once in a while, you come across a reassuring piece of news which proves that computers will never replace humans. Australian prisoners are using flavored condoms to sweeten milk.
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Illegal Schools in Mumbai's ShantytownsA newspaper report highlighted the fact that illegal primary schools, which have not been registered with the education ministry, are springing up with alarming frequency in Mumbai's sprawling shantytowns.
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It's a Hard Life Being a ManA new study has revealed that drinking too much beer may hasten the onset of pan¬creatic cancer. Another study has postulated that men suffering from erectile dysfunction are.at risk of developing serious cardiovascular problems.
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Waste Not Want NotAmericans throw away 30 million tons of food per year. That works out to one pound of food per person per day.
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To Pee or Not to PeeMany young boys want to be astronauts or fighter pilots when they grow up. Nothing wrong with that. Those guys can be heroic figures and worthy role models to emulate. In one respect, however, these heroes are just as human and vulnerable as you and I.
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Fat Chance of Curbing Global WarmingIf you are one of those who has had it up to here with the current price of gas and rising grocery bills - and are concerned about global warming - blame it on the fat people - or the obese, if you want to be politically correct. -
Indian Bureaucracy is Biggest Ally of TerroristsThe reaction of India's security agencies in the aftermath of a terrorist incident has become so predictable, that it is almost text book. It is a classic example of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. -
Falling into the Text TrapIn these recession-hit times, an increasing number of folks are falling into the debt trap. Many more are also falling into the text trap. I am referring to those ubiquitous text messages that anyone with a cell phone sends out by the hundreds with reckless abandon.
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No Longer DisposableAmish-run salvage stores, selling expired food and medicine dirt cheap, have been around for a long time, but now they are attracting an increasing number of non-Amish customers.
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A Ready-Made BabySome fertility clinics have been approached by perfectly healthy young women, who want to experience the joys of motherhood without the inconvenience of pregnancy and the agony of childbirth. They want an instant baby, as it were.
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What is Mom Really Worth?But how much is a stay at home mom really worth? People have tried to put a financial value on this for years. The latest attempt comes from Salary.com, an American company that studies workmen's compensation.
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Be Thankful for Your Big ButtResearch done by some eminent doctors has revealed that a type of fat that accumulates around the hips and bottom may actually offer some protection against diabetes.
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Hypermiling Saves GasSimply put, hypermiling has the potential to increase gas mileage, even in gas-guzzling SUVs. And it does not involve high technology; simply the application of simple laws of physics that have been around since the beginning of time.
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Those Gluttonous IndiansAs if I did not have enough to worry about with global warming and skyrocketing fuel prices, I now find myself in a further quandary. It appears that I am to blame for the increasing cost of groceries at Wal-Mart.
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Thinking Big - a $30 Billion Check & a Golden PramAs these two little snippets illustrate, two categories of people qualify among the oddballs who make the diversity of the human condition so fascinating.
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Outsourcing TortureThe British establishment newspaper, The Guardian, has reported that MI 5 is outsourcing the torture of Pakistani-origin Britons, suspected of having terrorist links, to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
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Is Handwriting Dead? Not QuiteOne of the major casualties of the computer revolution is the art of handwriting. It has reached such a stage that the only time most of us pick up a fountain pen or a ballpoint is to sign cheques or credit card slips.
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Who Gets the Dog?Nowadays, in many households, pets are treated as part of the family, rather than dumb animals. Following a divorce, the fate of Fido is becoming a growing problem which lawyers are taking on board. Some are even drafting "petimony" contracts.
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The Hindus Fight Back - Reverse Conversion in IndiaIn India, over the past hundred or so years, Christian missionaries have proselytized with great determination. Some Hindus are now fighting back. A Hindu spiritual leader has claimed that he has so far reconverted 42,200 Christians to Hinduism. -
You're Not a Jerk If You Jerk OffResearchers in Australia have found that frequent masturbation may help men cut their risk of contracting prostate cancer.
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Debate Over Sex Education in IndiaThe Maharashtra state education minister had recently announced that sex education would be made compulsory for schollchildren. However, this announcement is being greeted with heated opposition by other legislators in the House.
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Medical Tourism in IndiaA new branch of tourism is growing exponentially in India every year. Foreigners, many from America and Europe, are descending in droves for medical and cosmetic procedures at bargain basement prices.
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Jesus on a HighA Boston University professor has theorized that Jesus was almost certainly a cannabis user and an early proponent of the medicinal properties of the drug. He goes on to suggest that Jesus and his disciples used the drug to carry out miraculous healings.
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Civil Liberties in Britain Being Encroached in Name of SecurityMany Americans who feel that their civil liberties are being curtailed in the name of homeland security, may derive a certain measure of comfort from knowing they are not alone. Britain now seems to have joined the club.
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Boycotting Beijing Olympics - a Good Idea?I just read a very interesting article by Chinese actress and director, Joan Chen in The Washington Post, where she says that the current clamor for boycotting the Beijing Olympics by some people and politicians in the West is likely to prove counter productive.
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Botox Can Go to Your Head - LiterallyBotox injections have become so routine, that women go in for a quick jab during their lunch break. Now it turns out that Botox is not as harmless as was previously thought. It can go to your head - literally.
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You Make War, Me No SexA bitter civil war has been raging in Sudan for the past 19 years. Now, Samira Akhmed, a former teacher at a Sudan university, has formed a movement named Al-Khair, which roughly translates into English as "refusal from sex with men."
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Can Someone Who Has Not Reached Puberty Be a Sexual Offender?Randy Castro attends the Woodbridge school in Virginia. He has now been labeled a sexual offender. Randy Castro is six years old.
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Say Hello to Miss BimboWe are already witnessing an alarming new trend, where advertisers are targeting very young children. Now website named Miss Bimbo describes itself as "virtual fashion game for girls."
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Has the White Man Had His Day?I just read a fascinating article in NYT, where the author postulates that the white man's era is virtually at an end. World domination by the white man may not have ended, but it is heading there; and at a far more rapid pace than he realizes.
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Are Women Getting More Butch?Some months ago, Sky Movies took a poll to estimate which were the five most watched movies of all time. The results were pretty surprising.
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Tax Anything but Our BeerThe British are a fairly tolerant, who have learnt through bitter experience to take adversity in their stride. But now they have decided to boycott the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who has raised taxes on alcohol.
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Airport Security Stops Woman for Wearing Nipple RingsWhile most of us have grumbled at what seem like excessive security screening ay airports, we grudgingly put up with it as an inescapable fact of life. Sometimes, however, this blind adherence to following rules causes an absence of common sense, bordering on lunacy.
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Oversize Handbags Can Be Injurious to HealthOversized designer bags are the latest must-have accessory for the swish set. Health professionals are starting to get concerned because, according to them, lugging around the giant bags can damage your spine.
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No Sex Please, We're IndianA recent newspaper report about a parent-teacher-student forum held in Mumbai highlighted the alarming statistic that cases of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD), among teenagers in the city, was on the rise.
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Why Did She Do It?I am sure, by now, most of you have heard or seen the news about Hillary Clinton's 'Rambo moment' that went horribly wrong. During a campaign speech last week, Clinton virtually bragged about her courage under fire in Bosnia.
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Old Habits Die HardAlthough India has been supposedly "liberalized" for over 15 years now, the new reality does not seem to have percolated down to our politicians and our labour courts.
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Bhutan - a Noble ExperimentBhutan, right now, is in the throes of a noble experiment. It is trying to establish a democracy within its borders. What is remarkable is that this move towards democracy has been initiated by the ruling monarch himself.
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Mobile Menace for KidsThere is a insidious menace for kids, as alarming as unsuitable material on television and the internet. I am talking about that must have accessory for today's teenagers and pre-teens - the cell phone.
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Love in a Time of WarSean Blackwell was little more than a fresh faced young soldier, when he arrived in Baghdad at the start of the invasion. There he met an attractive young Iraqi doctor, named Ehda'a. They fell in love. That was the easy part.
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It's Not the Economy, Stupid, It's YouThere is universal agreement that the US economy is currently in a mess. The American people are blaming it on the government, the war in Iraq and, in particular, the greedy banks who were so generous in handing out sub-prime mortgages - everyone but themselves.
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The Assassination of My Patience by Brad PittLast evening, I rented the DVD of "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford." A numbing two hours and forty minutes later, my brain was in a fog (it wasn't the wine); and one question kept reverberating in my brain - why?
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A Plague on All PetsI am definitely not a pet person. Last week, the cherry was placed on top of the sundae. My next door neighbour got himszelf a rooster.
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Profiting from InfamyThe big news story this week is New York Governor Elliot Spitzer's dalliance with a prostitute; and his subsequent resignation. This article, however, is about Ashley Alexandra Dupre.
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Indians Rock in U.S.AThere is no gainsaying the reality that, in relation to their physical numbers, a disproportionate percentage of Indian-Americans hold down high end jobs and professions in the US.
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Who Needs TechnologySometimes the old methods work best. I got a vivid practical demonstration of this today morning, when one channel of my stereo amplifier went dead.
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Love by ClockworkTrust the Swiss do everything with admirable efficiency and military precision. Now those Rolex-toting automatons have extended this efficiency to romance. Switzerland's single professionals have employed a former corporate headhunter to find love for them.
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We're No AngelsLast night, I watched a repeat telecast of the Victoria's Secret fashion show. I watched it for reasons that women will call all the wrong ones; and men will applaud.
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An Outsider's View of Barack ObamaThere seems to be an Obama mania sweeping across the United States at the moment. I am not so sure that all this euphoria is justified.
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Golbal Warming - a Big Con?You are probably wondering, as I am, where is this global warming that Gore character keeps going on about? If our planet is supposed to be warming up, why am I freezing my butt off?
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Will US Involvement in Afghanistan Work?Assume that Obama does become President and he does focus on Afghanistan. Is he going to earn the undying gratitude of the Afghan people; and eliminate terrorism? I doubt it.
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Tip Your HatIn terms of making a fast buck, one of the most lucrative jobs going around these days is as a doorman at a Las Vegas casino or night club.
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Rednecks RejoiceIf you are one of those linguistically and culturally challenged dorks who would like to impress a special date by taking her out to a fancy restaurant, but gets totally intimidated by the French-sounding menu, salvation is at hand.
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An Ozzie TwistBeth Morgan, 32-year-old town planner in Wollongong, south of Sydney, was on a "mission for sex" in return for approvals of high-rise buildings under her jurisdiction.
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India at the CrossroadsThis may seem like an alarmist and premature statement, but I believe this chaotic land of diverse languages, cultures and skin tones, that we call India, is under attack - not by an outside power, but from within.
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Change Your Name, BudOnce in a very long while, even a technologically-challenged individual like me comes across a piece of information that brings a smug smile to his lips. Turns out, some computers have a problem with names - and not just exotic names either.
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Cherchez La FemmeAs an outsider, I find it surprising how often US political debate descends to the level of cherchez la femme. This is particularly apparent during Presidential campaigns.
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Conspiracy Theory FantasiesI am kind of surprised that conspiracy theorists and assorted nut jobs have gone underground in this US election year. Come on guys, some of the Presidential candidates are out there are tailor made for spinning conspiracies around.
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Sex in the House of GodTaking heed of the age-old axiom "sex sells", a church in Australia is inviting around 25,000 households for a course in sex, marriage, adultery and pornography.
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Why Pakistan is Such a MessToday, February 18, is a very important day in the history of Pakistan. After a gap of several years, Pakistan is holding what the world hopes will be a free and fair election. To understand why Pakistan is such a mess, it is important to know a bit about its history.
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I Told You I was NiceGeorge Bush's perpetual smirk has recently got smirkier. After years of being booed and hissed at, folks were finally beginning to appreciate that he is really a nice guy.
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Media-Created MonstersI am often surprised by the hypocrisy displayed by our print and electronic media. They make gratuitous folk heroes out of total nonentities; and then they appear pained at the excesses perpetrated by them.
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The British Are ComingRemember John Cleese, that really funny Englishman who split our sides in "Fawlty Towers" and "A Fish Called Wanda"? Recently he sent this tongue-in-cheek message to the residents of a former British colony.
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Hooray for Low TechRack Hill is an English village of Chalford, located on top of a steep hill. The villagers want donkeys to carry up heavy loads of groceries and other shopping.
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The Sound of Music - Mature VersionIf you are a sentimental sap, like me, you have to love "The Sound of Music". To commemorate her 69th birthday, Ms. Andrews made a special appearance at Manhattan's Radio City Music Hall.
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Not so Much Passion of ChristA noted literary theorist has sparked fury among Christians by uttering that the Crucifixion of Christ was not as bad as it has been painted.
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You're My Sugar, MommaOne of the last remaining bastions of maleness has been breached by the feminists. The rich sugar daddies of legend are now being challenged by a new species: sugar mommas.
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St. George and the MullahI am pretty sure that when Ahmedinejad turns towards Mecca five times a day, he includes a little prayer for George Bush.
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Load it UpPerhaps it is naïve of me to wonder why, at a time when the United States is heading towards a recession, their government is asking its citizens to spend more.
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Whose Copyright?Recently, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) slapped a federal case against a man for transferring 2000 songs from legally-purchased CDs onto his personal computer.
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Are Americans Racist?The simple answer is: no they are not. Yes, traces of racism do persist. A sizeable number of White Americans do not think it is 'normal' for a black person to be successful.
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Technology is Not Idiot-ProofHere is one of those charming little cautionary tales that illustrates, yet again, that even the smartest, most sophisticated technology is no match against an idiot.
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The Dons Are WeepingIt has finally happened. The venerable University of Oxford has succumbed to the outsourcing scourge.
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Are We Carrying Sexual Activism Too Far?A 13 year old girl from Sutton, Alaska. She has been charged with sexual assault and harassment; and is being held in a juvenile facility. And what was her crime? She touched two young boys, also 13, "inappropriately" in the school bus.
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She Smelt a Rat: Slovenian Woman Finds Mouse Foot in Pickle JarA Slovenian woman, from Ljubuana, found a mouse foot in a jar of pickles she had recently bought. The real surprise came when contacted the Health Ministry.
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Nicolas Sarkozy - National HeroFor many years now, the French have been furious with - and a little envious of - Bill Clinton: not because of his foreign policy, but because of his sexual dalliances. Now all that has changed. Nicolas Sarkozy has restored their national honour.
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Tears on DemandSpurred on by Hillary Clinton's surprise comeback in New Hampshire, an enterprising young woman in Washington DC has opened America's first "Tears on Demand" salon.
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What is Happening to Children's Tolerance Levels?A 12 year-old boy in Florida beat a toddler to death , because the baby girl was crying while he was watching TV. While the crime is horrific , what is equally frightening is the motive behind it. Disturbing a TV program is sufficient incentive for murder?
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Are Americans Uncomfortable with Intellect?If the present trends continue, the big political story of the 2008 US Presidential elections will be the rise and fall of Hillary Clinton. Folks are voting in droves for Barrack Obama, not so much because they like him, as for the fact that they dislike Hillary Clinton.
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What Do We with Her?The Indian government is currently on the horns of a delicious dilemma. For the first time, a visiting head of state is bringing along his girlfriend.
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Born Again HuckabeeSo Mike Huckabee has won the Iowa caucus. It led me to the conclusion that Romney probably lost because he is a Mormon.
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Technorati ClaimThis is only to post a claim to Technorati. Please ignore.
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Is Mumbai Safe?The molestation of two young women at Juhu, on New Year's Eve, has provoked predictable newspaper headlines like, "Is Mumbai Safe?" The truth of the matter is that no major metropolis in the world can be termed as completely safe.
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The Bad Guys Are Winning - and I'm ScaredFor the past few years I've been playing simple video games on my computer. Over the past year, I've observed that the bad guys are winning with increasing frequency; and it's got me really worried
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Happy New YearFor me, New Year's Eve has always been the most over-hyped night of the year
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Impact of Bhutto Assasination on US Presidential RaceThe assassination of Benazir Bhutto is likely to have minimal impact on the US Presidential race. It may make the candidates appear more 'presidential', but they know it is just a passing blimp that holds no interest for the average American voter.
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Indians Welcome Being Bossed AroundWhy does Indian society throws up such a large number of subservient sycophants. There are any number of people who are quite content to be lap dogs for their superiors; to be bossed around at will.
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What Fools We Mortals BeMillions of people around the globe seem desperate to discern some divine 'sign' from the Almighty. We humans continue to cling to 'miracles' even where none actually exist.
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I'm Going Green at the GillsAre we going overboard with this 'save the environment' gig? I can tell you it's starting to get to me. It's like a monumental guilt trip laid on us average folk.
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A Real Old Fashioned ChristmasThe Parker family have put up the same Christmas tree in their living room since 1886.
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Where Have the Real Heroes Gone?Have genuine, flesh and blood heroes in battle become a dim memory to the present generation - and will they be merely the stuff of legends for generations to come?
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Leave Shivaji in PeaceThe Bible exhorts us not to take the Lord's name in vain. The same maxim could well be applied to poor old Shivaji Maharaj. He has become the most overused - and abused - personality in India's commercial capital.
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Move Over, GeorgeOn a very recent state visit to France, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi traveled with an entourage of 400 in three chartered aircraft. And that was just for starters.
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The Delicate AmericanForeigners like me could perhaps be forgiven for believing that it does not take a whole lot to cause mental anguish, pain and suffering, blah-blah, to a typical American.
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Cry DespairThe real tragedy of yesterday's senseless massacre by a 19 year-old at a mall in Omaha, Nebraska, is that it is no longer news. Incidents of mindless mayhem by young people in the US have been occurring with despairing regularity this year.
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How Technology Killed ChristmasTechnology has insinuated its tenuous tentacles into everything, including Christmas. My last word on this whole technological revolution would be, "Bah! Humbug!"
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USA - Bounty HunterThe statute authorizing bounty hunters - passed in the 1860s - is still on the books, though in a slightly more civilized format.
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India - a Craven SuperpowerOther countries may regard India as a world power, but India itself does not. Time and again, our government cravenly caves in to the slightest hint of pressure.
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George the Beloved?Defying all logic and rational explanation, it appears that George W Bush is beloved of God after all.
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Stop Trying to Please EverybodyLast week the University of Kentucky removed The Holocaust from its school curriculum because it "offended" the Muslim population which claims it never occurred. Are Americans carrying this concept of separation of church and state to absurd lengths?
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Crying Rape in India Generally Elicits Hysterical, Illogical ResponsesAlmost every day, In India, there is a news report about one or more males being arrested for rape.
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Don't Brand MeStroll into any big market in Bangkok and you will find locally made shirts alongside the 'designer labels'. The latter probably will cost five times as much.
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The Small God of All ThingsDevotees from all over the world can now have darshan of the idols of the Hindu God Vitthal and Goddess Rukmini merely by clicking on a website. I cannot help wondering if we are trivializing God with this display of rank commercialism.
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Don't Give Us AnybodyAn inscription on the Statue of Liberty exhorts the world to "Give us your poor, your tired, your huddled masses longing to be free..." If a modern day Liberty was commissioned, the inscription would probably read "Don't give us anybody".