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Charts featuring the top rankings of area public and private schools

2009-09-29T06:41:00.000-07:00

Private Schools Chart Private Schools Chart

School	Ranking	Value Ranking	Tuition Day	Boarding	Enrollment	Average Class Size	Student/ Teacher Ratio	AP Courses	Number of College Counselors	Total Sports	Percent on Financial Aid	Average SATCritical Reading	Average SAT Math	Average SATWriting
Commonwealth School	1	11	$30,465	NA	150	12	5:01	16	3	15	36	742	701	715
Groton School	2	32	$35,090	$46,790	372	13	5:01	9	3	47	37	700	700	700
Middlesex School	3	36	$35,450	$44,320	360	12	5:01	24	4	29	31.9	680	680	690
Phillips Academy, Andover	4	28	$31,100	$39,900	1,105	13	5:01	32	6	71	42	684	700	692
Newton Country Day School	5	35	$32,800	NA	240	12	7:01	19	3	24	21	670	650	740
Winsor School	6	34	$32,250	NA	233	13	7:01	10	2	33	24	694	667	725
Boston University Academy	7	31	$30,123	NA	156	12	9:01	0	2	12	33	722	694	713
Montrose School	8	3	$16,900	NA	89	15	4:01	4	1	7	30	640	640	680
Belmont Hill School	9	37	$32,700	$38,800	437	11	6:01	12	2	53	30	660	675	700
Noble and Greenough School	10	41	$33,900	$38,900	586	14	6:01	17	5	54	24.5	668	674	682
Waring School	11	18	$24,075	NA	89	14	8:01	2	2	6	33	640	620	650
Milton Academy	12	45	$34,470	$41,960	680	14	5:01	9	4	30	32	681	688	696
Lawrence Academy	13	52	$35,575	$46,200	399	12	5:01	8	4	54	28	.	.	.
Deerfield Academy	14	42	$32,740	$43,800	653	12	6:01	10	4	60	34	660	670	670
Tabor Academy	15	38	$31,100	$43,500	510	12	6:01	22	5	49	31	589	618	591
Concord Academy	16	55	$35,915	$44,415	373	12	6:01	NA	3	28	25	686	683	692
Governor's Academy	17	46	$33,600	$42,600	378	12	5:01	16	3	47	27	594	633	603
St. Mark's School	18	51	$34,800	$43,600	359	10	5:01	19	2	48	27	.	.	.
Rivers School	19	47	$33,750	NA	440	12	8:01	13	3	35	26	641	660	660
Thayer Academy	20	40	$31,650	NA	462	14.5	6:01	13	4	48	33	.	.	.
Walnut Hill School	21	43	$32,800	$42,840	300	14	6:01	0	4	NA	50	.	.	.
Cushing Academy	22	39	$31,200	$42,850	445	12	8:01	8	5	43	28	.	.	.
Beaver Country Day School	23	48	$33,180	NA	307	13	7:01	16	3	32	25	.	.	.
Worcester Academy	24	26	$25,340	$44,830	501	13	8:01	15	4	52	34	587	634	603
Gann Academy	25	33	$27,700	NA	330	16	5:01	4	2	20	33	655	651	668
*Roxbury Latin School	26	12	$19,500	NA	203	13	8:01	3	2	35	36	720	726	732
Buckingham Browne & Nichols	27	54	$34,330	NA	480	15	8:01	20	3	48	23	675	660	676
Brimmer and May School	28	49	$33,200	NA	135	14	7:01	11	1	23	28	.	.	.
Mount Alvernia High School	29	1	$11,100	NA	252	13.5	9:01	3	3	19	17	667	686	661
St. Sebastian's School	30	44	$31,550	NA	350	11	7:01	20	2	38	25
Brooks School	31	53	$33,060	$44,370	356	12	5:01	15	2	47	21	.	.	.
Pingree School	32	50	$32,000	NA	335	15	8:01	10	4	44	22	609	623	614
Dana Hall School	33	56	$37,113	$49,224	370	12.3	9:01	14	3	29	18	601	626	627
Sacred Heart	34	4	$11,200	NA	335	13.7	10:01	6	2	34	.	.	.	.
Bishop Fenwick School	35	5	$10,250	NA	600	20	17:01	10	5	50	51	.	.	.
Cathedral High School	36	2	$8,237	NA	500	18	13:01	9	3	48	40	.	.	.
Lexington Christian Academy	37	29	$21,250	NA	233	15	11:01	6	1	19	35	607	613	629
Pope John XXIII High School	38	6	$8,000	NA	300	18	14:01	4	3	15	60	510	525	515
Notre Dame Academy	39	15	$14,490	NA	600	20	11:01	13	4	35		.	.	.
Ursuline Academy	40	10	$12,285	NA	385	18	11:01	6	3	18	17	640	619	653
Woodward School	41	7	$11,1 95	NA	90	16	10:01	4	1	4	30	560	520	532
Cambridge School of Weston	42	57	$34,100	$45,350	330	10	6:01	2	1	13	25	.	.	.
St. John's Preparatory School	43	27	$16,900	NA	1,250	19	12:01	19	8	44	30	601	612	600
Boston College High School	44	25	$14,950	NA	1,250	23	13:01	24	11	39	35	591	602	598
Archbishop Williams High School	45	9	$9,600	NA	527	20	14:01	5	3	38	.	.	.	.
Austin Preparatory School	46	21	$13,700	NA	500	16	11:01	16	3	38	15	580	576	576
Newman School	47	22	$13,600	NA	220	14	14:01	9	1	12	25	578	584	566
Marian High School	48	8	$8,900	NA	270	17.5	13:01	6	2	23	35	522	523	526
Malden Catholic High School	49	13	$10,650	NA	700	22	13:01	12	3	32	55	545	568	556
St. John's High School	50	16	$10,550	NA	964	24	14:01	23	8	37	30	589	612	590
Catholic Memorial	51	23	$12,825	NA	745	21	12:01	16	4	48	33	556	562	542
Holyoke Catholic High School	52	14	$6,900	NA	295	21	12:01	4	2	23	18	562	525	555
Mount Saint Joseph Academy	53	19	$8,500	NA	235	17	16:01	3	1	10	.	552	549	589
Bishop Connolly High School	54	17	$7,350	NA	300	18	18:01	8	2	38	35	494	480	494
Arlington Catholic High School	55	20	$8,000	NA	750	22	17:01	12	5	31	.	541	539	569
Matignon High School	56	24	$7,700	NA	392	17	17:01	6	2	25	22	510	530	500
Trinity Catholic High School	57	30	$8,690	NA	235	17	13:01	2	1	22	.	472	474	465
HOW WE DETERMINED VALUE: Our rankings this year were computed by statistician George Recck, director of the Math Resource Center at Babson College. As in years past, we gathered data on area schools by consulting school officials and websites, as well as the Massachusetts Department of Education. With this information, Recck calculated mean scores for each data category and then ranked schools based on their distance from the averages. With this traditional performance ranking in hand, he also evaluated performance against tuition, producing a ranking that shows which high schools deliver the most academic bang for the buck.
. Information Not Available
For schools that did not provide figures, the average was used as a placeholder when computing the rankings. Our rankings focused on schools in Eastern Massachusetts, mostly inside or around the 495 belt. If your school is not on the list, it does not mean it did poorly, it just means it fell outside our coverage area.
Private Schools Category Weight Breakdown: Avg. Class Size 15% Stud./Teacher Ratio 15% Stud./AP Courses 7.5% Stud./Coll. Counselors 12.5% Stud./Sports Offered 5% Financial Aid % 15% SAT-Reading 10% SAT-Math 10% SAT-Writing 10%
*After initially denying our request for SAT and financial aid data, Roxbury Latin agreed to present it to us after the September issue went to press. Those categories have been filled in here, though it was toolate to factor them into the rankings.

Best High Schools 2009: The Best Schools

2009-09-29T06:39:00.001-07:00

ublic Schools Chart Public Schools Chart

School	Ranking	Enrollment	Student/Teacher Ratio	Per-Pupil Spending	MCAS English	MCAS Math	MCAS Science	MCAS Critical Reading	Average SAT Writing	Average SAT Math	Graduation Rate
WESTON HIGH SCHOOL	1	711	11.0:1	$16463.	96	90	85	604	611	626	97.3
DOVER-SHERBORN REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL	2	595	11.1:1	$15698.	96	97	97	596	593	607	99.3
CONCORD-CARLISLE HIGH SCHOOL	3	1268	13.5:1	$16,331	96	94	95	593	593	611	94.4
LEXINGTON HIGH SCHOOL	4	1988	12.8:1	$13574.	96	94	91	614	618	631	94
NEWTON SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL	5	1761	12.7:1	$14524.	92	91	83	596	599	615	94.2
NEWTON NORTH HIGH SCHOOL	6	1804	11.4:1	$14524.	89	90	82	587	583	600	94.2
WELLESLEY SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL	7	1256	12.2:1	$12776.	95	94	74	601	608	613	96.2
WAYLAND HIGH SCHOOL	8	888	13.5:1	$13214.	93	95	91	589	581	608	98.7
LINCOLN-SUDBURY REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL	9	1638	12.9:1	$14534.	92	89	83	573	575	600	95.4
BEDFORD HIGH SCHOOL	10	791	11.5:1	$14,539	92	89	78	566	562	592	90.8
SHARON HIGH SCHOOL	11	1081	13.0:1	$12204.	96	96	92	579	575	584	94.9
MANCHESTER ESSEX REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL	12	415	11.1:1	$12772.	99	98	87	540	534	550	97.9
BROOKLINE HIGH SCHOOL	13	1,790	12.6:1	$15,098	87	85	81	571	569	587	94.2
BROMFIELD SCHOOL	14	420	14.5:1	$11,187	98	96	93	609	613	597	95
WESTWOOD HIGH SCHOOL	15	831	12.3:1	$12436.	95	95	88	547	558	576	95.2
WESTBOROUGH HIGH SCHOOL	16	1099	12.6:1	$12555.	94	91	92	557	562	581	93.6
BOSTON LATIN SCHOOL	17	1,635	22.0:1	$16467.	100	100	96	624	614	628	96.5
ACTON-BOXBOROUGH REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL	18	1,958	16.9:1	$11,582	95	95	93	606	609	640	96.6
NEEDHAM HIGH SCHOOL	19	1400	14.0:1	$12070.	96	93	87	577	576	578	94.8
CAMBRIDGE RINDGE AND LATIN	20	1,538	9.0:1	$24,467	70	77	47	465	460	468	88.3
COHASSET HIGH SCHOOL	21	381	12.1:1	$11,721	90	93	91	549	560	562	92.9
HAMILTON-WENHAM REGIONAL	22	726	11.9:1	$12105.	93	91	70	565	565	561	94.2
ANDOVER HIGH SCHOOL	23	1,719	13.0:1	$12,025	94	91	81	557	551	574	95.1
COMMUNITY ACADEMY	24	63	4.5:1	$16467.	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	36.1
ALGONQUIN REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL	25	1,411	13.6:1	$12,606	93	89	86	546	547	564	97.2
HOLLISTON HIGH SCHOOL	26	905	13.2:1	$10856.	94	93	88	541	551	581	95
HINGHAM HIGH SCHOOL	27	1038	13.2:1	$9749.	96	92	88	555	558	570	97.1
WINCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL	28	1081	13.8:1	$10886.	85	82	88	577	584	596	93.4
BELMONT HIGH SCHOOL	29	1,162	15.7:1	$10,764	97	95	89	575	576	592	92.7
HOPKINTON HIGH SCHOOL	30	1002	13.6:1	$11114.	91	92	92	548	549	566	94.8
MEDFIELD SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL	31	900	14.0:1	$9472.	96	96	92	562	562	568	95.9
WESTFORD ACADEMY	32	1595	14.7:1	$9298.	93	95	90	569	563	583	96.4
MARBLEHEAD HIGH SCHOOL	33	976	12.6:1	$11202.	89	87	77	554	548	554	91.9
LYNNFIELD HIGH SCHOOL	34	649	13.3:1	$9715.	95	93	87	537	550	554	94
NASHOBA REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL	35	942	14.1:1	$11410.	90	89	88	549	544	554	93.6
GROTON-DUNSTABLE REGIONAL	36	831	14.1:1	$10284.	95	96	84	539	536	568	95.2
ARLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL	37	1,132	13.8:1	$11,406	91	92	85	541	542	553	90.7
BURLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL	38	1,066	12.6:1	$12,805	90	83	81	521	509	539	95.8
NEWBURYPORT HIGH SCHOOL	39	729	12.9:1	$11458.	92	87	76	538	539	547	90.3
NORWELL HIGH SCHOOL	40	642	14.6:1	$10208.	95	96	84	537	542	551	96.6
CANTON HIGH SCHOOL	41	806	12.6:1	$11,105	92	89	88	525	516	543	85.9
DUXBURY HIGH SCHOOL	42	1001	13.6:1	$9929.	93	90	68	557	550	568	93.2
HANOVER HIGH SCHOOL	43	652	10.5:1	$9611.	93	87	60	513	521	530	95.8
TAHANTO REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL	44	306	12.7:1	$12253.	88	80	75	527	518	515	94.1
WATERTOWN HIGH SCHOOL	45	676	12.0:1	$15341.	78	81	71	479	482	518	90.4
ASHLAND HIGH SCHOOL	46	734	13.8:1	$10,599	93	91	77	526	526	539	92.9
FRAMINGHAM HIGH SCHOOL	47	2162	13.9:1	$14169.	81	82	80	510	509	545	87.6
TYNGSBOROUGH HIGH SCHOOL	48	527	10.7:1	$9297.	91	87	84	497	496	512	95.1
READING MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL	49	1298	14.8:1	$10149.	89	88	83	536	539	564	94.2
WAKEFIELD MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL	50	961	12.9:1	$10704.	87	87	86	515	515	524	91
HULL HIGH SCHOOL	51	372	11.3:1	$13419.	84	75	82	499	500	482	86.8
WALPOLE HIGH SCHOOL	52	1113	13.3:1	$10470.	89	84	80	535	533	528	87.3
NORTH READING HIGH SCHOOL	53	733	12.5:1	$9049.	92	91	77	523	518	517	92.8
MASCONOMET REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL	54	1416	16.5:1	$11215.	92	93	84	538	528	546	94.5
WALTHAM SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL	55	1424	10.7:1	$16538.	83	71	60	465	473	476	81
SCITUATE HIGH SCHOOL	56	901	12.8:1	$9781.	90	84	66	522	526	538	93.5
NATICK HIGH SCHOOL	57	1261	14.2:1	$11715.	88	84	63	525	529	537	92.9
IPSWICH HIGH SCHOOL	58	669	13.5:1	$9734.	91	86	67	526	528	536	89.8
BOSTON LATIN ACADEMY	59	1,170	20.6:1	$16467.	99	99	64	517	517	535	92.5
SWAMPSCOTT HIGH SCHOOL	60	750	13.5:1	$10688.	89	81	43	528	546	554	93.8
DEDHAM HIGH SCHOOL	61	773	12.1:1	$13157.	82	85	90	465	467	489	83
MEDWAY HIGH SCHOOL	62	829	15.0:1	$9341.	90	92	69	535	531	548	95.8
FOXBOROUGH HIGH SCHOOL	63	885	13.6:1	$9956.	87	87	68	520	529	543	89.5
WILMINGTON HIGH SCHOOL	64	975	13.2:1	$10029.	90	88	65	515	509	529	91.5
FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL	65	1611	15.5:1	$9586.	93	90	76	528	532	537	94.4
CHELMSFORD HIGH SCHOOL	66	1641	14.5:1	$9,671.00	89	87	77	527	519	535	93.3
PENTUCKET REGIONAL SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL	67	826	13.1:1	$9361.	88	80	53	548	539	548	90.5
AYER HIGH SCHOOL	68	385	12.0:1	$11,262	88	75	69	496	496	496	95.5
GEORGETOWN HIGH SCHOOL	69	440	14.1:1	$8315.	91	88	66	533	533	558	90.9
MARLBOROUGH HIGH SCHOOL	70	1130	12.1:1	$12388.	78	75	59	505	503	536	83.4
MILLIS HIGH SCHOOL	71	343	15.4:1	$9460.	98	89	77	516	530	545	85.3
LITTLETON HIGH SCHOOL	72	431	16.6:1	$10358.	93	91	76	530	529	534	92.9
MARSHFIELD HIGH SCHOOL	73	1363	13.3:1	$9734.	86	82	79	506	511	513	93
SHREWSBURY SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL	74	1640	16.1:1	$9093.	94	92	78	524	534	545	91.2
CARVER HIGH SCHOOL	75	530	11.5: 1	$10,574	77	70	58	527	535	521	81.6
STONEHAM HIGH SCHOOL	76	773	12.5:1	$9961.	86	77	72	505	496	510	92
NORWOOD HIGH SCHOOL	77	1017	11.7:1	$12039.	83	71	57	498	504	514	82.1
ROCKPORT HIGH SCHOOL	78	342	12.6:1	$12099.	83	71	60	508	506	501	87.7
DANVERS HIGH SCHOOL	79	985	12.9:1	$10,556	86	85	70	495	493	502	84.6
TRITON REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL	80	877	12.7:1	$9792.	83	81	69	513	503	529	81.6
MILTON HIGH SCHOOL	81	1099	15.1:1	$11182.	83	82	55	530	527	534	89.5
CLINTON SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL	82	559	12.6:1	$10,720	75	72	69	508	525	502	89.9
NORTH ANDOVER HIGH SCHOOL	83	1321	16.9:1	$9661.	88	84	83	530	524	549	91.9
OLIVER AMES HIGH SCHOOL	84	1172	15.1:1	$9,059	93	85	NA	514	524	530	93.4
MANSFIELD HIGH SCHOOL	85	1469	15.7:1	$8831.	87	84	77	519	527	544	94
NORTH QUINCY HIGH SCHOOL	86	1551	13.9:1	$12295.	77	76	69	495	488	529	92.4%
KING PHILIP REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL	87	1275	16.8:1	$10215.	89	82	77	531	533	535	87.3
BILLERICA MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL	88	1,631	15.1:1	$10,451	83	82	69	515	499	534	88.5
MELROSE HIGH SCHOOL	89	927	14.3:1	$9932.	88	81	63	512	507	510	89.9
BRAINTREE HIGH SCHOOL	90	1,596	15.2:1	$10,248	82	81	66	504	519	526	95
SILVER LAKE REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL	91	1241	13.5:1	$11961.	76	78	61	490	490	503	90.4
PLYMOUTH SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL	92	1493	12.5:1	$11271.	81	74	63	497	481	500	83.8
NORTON HIGH SCHOOL	93	724	15.2:1	$9971.	92	87	75	503	504	493	85.9
AMESBURY HIGH SCHOOL	94	681	13.3:1	$10,973	79	76	73	491	488	499	85.1
WEST BRIDGEWATER MIDDLE-SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL	95	387	14.9:1	$9682.	90	85	71	493	482	510	93.6
HUDSON HIGH SCHOOL	96	918	13.8:1	$11531.	79	74	52	506	509	517	86.1
MILFORD HIGH SCHOOL	97	1150	13.7:1	$10556.	80	81	62	489	489	518	87
WEYMOUTH HIGH SCHOOL	98	2097	14.9:1	$11540.	76	74	73	518	503	519	82.6
STOUGHTON HIGH SCHOOL	99	1166	13.5:1	$10282.	81	81	67	486	485	493	87
BEVERLY HIGH SCHOOL	100	1,213	14.9:1	$11,211	76	73	65	511	500	521	85.7
ABINGTON HIGH SCHOOL	101	584	13.6:1	$9,338	83	73	71	498	487	508	88.4
DARTMOUTH HIGH SCHOOL	102	1209	15.0:1	$9,284	84	78	69	499	492	540	88.9
NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH HIGH SCHOOL	103	1194	15.9:1	$9381.	82	81	85	514	498	516	83.7
WOBURN MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL	104	1374	13.3:1	$12487.	75	72	50	484	477	500	84.7
MAYNARD HIGH SCHOOL	105	329	17.2:1	$12004.	82	79	73	511	520	518	78
EAST BRIDGEWATER HIGH SCHOOL	106	610	13.3:1	$8719.	84	80	63	480	489	491	90.9
PLYMOUTH NORTH HIGH SCHOOL	107	1054	13.9:1	$11271.	77	63	55	500	502	524	83.8
GLOUCESTER HIGH SCHOOL	108	1107	12.9:1	$10996.	73	71	46	500	491	496	84.7
SOMERVILLE HIGH SCHOOL	109	1406	11.4:1	$15369.	67	60	42	448	460	473	76
PEMBROKE HIGH SCHOOL	110	933	15.8:1	$8989.	81	79	70	495	493	512	88.8
MIDDLEBOROUGH HIGH SCHOOL	111	875	13.4:1	$10160.	76	68	64	489	474	476	88.1
SHEPHERD HILL REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL	112	1258	16.1:1	$9169.	83	74	69	501	506	507	88.2
SALEM HIGH SCHOOL	113	1273	10.8:1	$13665.	65	61	43	460	459	474	67.5
TEWKSBURY MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL	114	1065	16.8:1	$9143.	73	79	62	511	511	529	85.6
SAUGUS HIGH SCHOOL	115	854	14.9:1	$10825.	71	73	58	482	495	501	79.8
WHITMAN-HANSON REGIONAL	116	1281	16.7:1	$9464.	82	78	61	483	483	516	88.5
MEDFORD HIGH SCHOOL	117	1298	16.6:1	$12861.	79	71	57	471	469	482	83.3
QUINCY HIGH SCHOOL	118	1316	11.3:1	$12295.	61	67	40	430	424	478	83.9
FENWAY HIGH SCHOOL	119	290	15.3:1	$16467.	79	72	13	435	440	442	87.8
PEABODY VETERANS MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL	120	1885	14.5:1	$11267.	71	68	45	478	479	492	79.7
ATTLEBORO HIGH SCHOOL	121	1,735	14.3:1	$10,464	74	68	40	489	491	497	76.4
BELLINGHAM HIGH SCHOOL	122	761	16.2:1	$10,170	80	81	36	489	464	496	84.8
BRIDGEWATER-RAYNHAM REGIONAL	123	1,531	18.6:1	$9,082	80	81	67	494	485	506	88
RANDOLPH HIGH SCHOOL	124	802	10.2:1	$10640.	64	63	40	447	444	443	73.9
LOWELL MIDDLESEX ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL	125	111	13.5:1	NA	50	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	21.5
DRACUT SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL	126	1193	15.9:1	$8536.	78	70	53	495	479	501	82.6
TAUNTON HIGH SCHOOL	127	1838	15.2:1	$10223.	71	69	58	473	466	496	73.1
REVERE HIGH SCHOOL	128	1475	13.7:1	$11017.	67	77	54	451	447	456	67.5
HAVERHILL HIGH SCHOOL	129	1873	14.8:1	$10702.	70	65	42	491	476	476	68.5
METHUEN HIGH SCHOOL	130	1940	14.9:1	$9652.	68	57	56	473	476	490	77.3
HOLBROOK JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL	131	246	13.1:1	$10850.	66	63	35	453	449	462	75.9
ROCKLAND SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL	132	728	17.0:1	$10363.	73	75	23
LYNN CLASSICAL HIGH SCHOOL	133	3421	13.5:1	$12,005.00	56	54	32	463	456	478	73.8
LOWELL HIGH SCHOOL	134	1739	15.0:1	$11,611.00	68	66	45	448	440	464	72.3
MALDEN HIGH SCHOOL	135	4102	14.8:1	$12,107	74	54	44	444	439	445	72.8
BROCKTON HIGH SCHOOL	136	1226	15.1:1	$12221.	61	62	38	453	435	457	70.5
EVERETT HIGH SCHOOL	137	1729	13.3:1	$10178.	62	54	40	439	439	457	72.6
LYNN ENGLISH HIGH SCHOOL	138	1706	17.4:1	$12221.	69	75	40	446	428	444	70.5
NEW MISSION HIGH SCHOOL	139	244	11.7:1	$16467.	56	54	11	353	361	363	84.8
EXCEL HIGH SCHOOL	140	399	15.4:1	$16467.	57	66	25	410	411	433	48.1
SNOWDEN INTERNATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL	141	402	14.6:1	$16467.	53	50	23	400	411	434	58.7
CHELSEA HIGH SCHOOL	142	1424	12.2:1	$12,198	45	45	42	429	423	443	49.9
CHARLESTOWN HIGH SCHOOL	143	1017	14.2:1	$16467.	44	58	25	369	368	418	46.8
BRIGHTON HIGH SCHOOL	144	1,251	15.0:1	$16467.	59	50	8	392	383	400	52.9
EAST BOSTON HIGH SCHOOL	145	1445	15.6:1	$16467.	41	49	12	387	400	420	55
MONUMENT HIGH SCHOOL	146	363	15.2:1	$16467.	43	42	2	372	373	382	40.7
ODYSSEY HIGH SCHOOL	147	356	15.5:1	$16467.	24	35	12	382	379	385	46.6
JEREMIAH E. BURKE HIGH SCHOOL	148	791	13.9:1	$16467.	30	27	8	355	363	373	40.2
BOSTON INTERNATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL	149	174	11.6:1	$16467.	4	46	0	312	312	365	17.3
LAWRENCE HIGH SCHOOL	150	2989	18.2:1	$12039.	39	32	7	395	390	406	35.8
HOW WE DETERMINED VALUE: Our rankings this year were computed by statistician George Recck, director of the Math Resource Center at Babson College. As in years past, we gathered data on area schools by consulting school officials and websites, as well as the Massachusetts Department of Education. With this information, Recck calculated mean scores for each data category and then ranked schools based on their distance from the averages. With this traditional performance ranking in hand, he also evaluated performance against tuition, producing a ranking that shows which high schools deliver the most academic bang for the buck.
For schools that did not provide figures, the average was used as a placeholder when computing the rankings. Our rankings focused on schools in Eastern Massachusetts, mostly inside or around the 495 belt. If your school is not on the list, it does not mean it did poorly, it just means it fell outside our coverage area.
Public Schools Category Weight Breakdown Student/Teacher Ratio 15% Per Pupil Spending 15% MCAS-English 10% MCAS-Math 10% MCAS-Science 10% SAT-Reading 10% SAT-Math 10% SAT-Writing 10% Graduation Rate 10%

Discussions

2009-08-14T20:31:00.001-07:00

Valar Mathi
இக்கூட்ட நிகழ்வுகள் குறித்து நண்பர் மதிவண்ணன் மூலம் சில நாட்களிலேயே அறிந்திருந்தேன். அ. மா வைக் கேள்வி கேட்டதன் பலனாக அன்றிரவு முழுதும் அவர் மீது தொடுக்கப்பட்ட வசவுகள் பற்றிய செய்தி உட்பட :(
Wed at 11:37am

Valar Mathi
ஆனால், இது குறித்து சுகிர்தராணி பேசுவது நகைப்பையே வரவழைக்கிறது. லீனாவும் சுகிர்தராணியும் இணைந்து அரங்கேற்றிய அற்பத்தனங்கள் பல. இன்று அவர்களுக்குள் பிளவு. விளைவு தருணம் பார்த்து இக்கட்டுரை :)
Wed at 11:39am

Valar Mathi
கிசுகிசு கட்டுரை என்பதுபோக வேதகால சமூகம், பௌத்தம், குடிக்கும் தலித் கலாச்சாரத்திற்குமான உறவு பற்றிய அபத்தங்கள் விரவியிருப்பது சுகிர்தராணியின் அரசியல் 'தெளிவைக்' காட்டுபவை.
Wed at 11:42am

Valar Mathi
சேர்ந்து கூத்தடித்த கும்பல்கள் தமக்குள் அடித்துக் கொள்கின்றன. ‘கடவு' நிகழ்வும் சேர்த்தே சொல்கிறேன். இதற்கு சுகிர்தராணிக்கு ‘தலித்' முகமூடி. அவ்வளவே! அதுவும் பாப்பாரப் பத்திரிகையில்.
Wed at 11:45am

Valar Mathi
இதில் ஜமாலனுக்குப் பிடித்திருப்பது என்னவோ!
Wed at 11:45am

Venkatesh Chakravarthy
Valarmathi...you are too unkind, cruel and crude in your reductionism. Always noticed that you are quite a male chauvinist despite your pretentions. Yes, The Hindu newspaper has a Brahmanical legacy...but people like Gail Omvedt and Kancha Iliah wrote in it..and so does Sugitharani in Kalachuvadu...your kind of political correctness is nothing short of being fascist...and for that matter you are not even a Dalit! And you are talking big as if you are the conscience of this world.
Wed at 11:52am

Valar Mathi
வசிஷ்டர் வாயால் பிரம்ரிஷிப் பட்டம்! தன்யனானேன் சுவாமி :) [male chauvinist - fascistic] You have taken the final point for this and comparing it with Gail and Iliah. But they have never been stooges of THE HINDU whereas the later has been in 'almost' such a relation with KALACHUVADU.
Wed at 12:08pm

Valar Mathi
And you have nothing to say what has been going on in the tamil literary scene for the past four or five years nor about the kind of rapture that prevailed between Sugirtharani and the ppl she has now started attacking for the simple reason that u r too removed from such things (positively and negatively). My intention here was to bring that to attention and i think i have replied to your 'correction' about my 'nothing short of fascistic kinda PC'. Thanks.
Wed at 12:14pm

Venkatesh Chakravarthy
I don't agree...Kalachuvadu has opened up a literary space and the readership of Kalachuvadu like The Hindu outstrips the caste of those who produce it.
Wed at 12:16pm

Venkatesh Chakravarthy
Gail and Iliah were writing regularly when Malini Parthasarathy was the editor of the centre page...now things have changed in The Hindu with the return of N. Ram...so is it fair if during the time they wrote regularly in The Hindu if I had named them as the stooges of that paper?
Wed at 12:20pm

Valar Mathi
The literary space that Kalachuvadu opened was in reaction to and in conjunction with the tendencies that developed in the mid 80s (which i know only thro' reading) in PADIGAL and reached its peak thro' NIRAPIRIHAI. From the first issue of Kalachuvadu (Kannan) one can notice an encounter with the above tendencies to depreciate them as 'intellectual' humbug.
Wed at 12:23pm

Valar Mathi
What seems to many as a 'democratic' gesture on the part of Kalachuvadu (Kannan) is nothing but an open and arrogant initiation of 'debates' that is more explicit in its series of interviews (beginning with SNR). In my opinion (and not only 'in my') Kannan is a good MBA who successfully 'digested' (வாதாபி ஜீரணோபவ!) those trends 'providing space' ... Read Morefor all sorts of views and opinions. One can interpret this as 'democratic opening', 'striping one's traditional base of readership' or else as a gesture of incorporating divergent views to suit one's agendas at the same instance gaining a credible image of being 'democratic'.
Wed at 12:31pm

Valar Mathi
My point was it is not right to compare Gail's and Iliah's contributions in THE HINDU with that of Sugirtharani's in Kalachuvadu. You never said them 'stooges of that paper' nor did i.
Wed at 12:38pm

Venkatesh Chakravarthy
In that sense...Sugitharani is also not a stooge of Kalachuvadu as you reduce her to be!
Wed at 12:53pm

Venkatesh Chakravarthy
She is just using the space which is available to her...The moment that closes for her I am sure that she would find other spaces.
Wed at 12:54pm

Valar Mathi
That wd be fine :) But i don't have much hope. For instance, what was her stance with regard to the short story by Su. Ra. which was a deliberate provocation and insult of dalit women (i don't exactly remember it's title ... vaguely remember it - "Pillai Keduthan Vilai" - or something)? When most dalit writers including Yazan Yadhi and Dalit Murasu condemned the short story she along with Ravikumar and a few others stood in defense of it openly!
Wed at 1:17pm

Venkatesh Chakravarthy
I have a lot of respect for people like Ravi Kumar despite what you may consider as their flaws...why should all Dalits speak in one monolithic voice and more over I do not wish to rush into any speedy conclusions about that Su. Ra. story. My memories are somewhat fogged regarding that and for the time being I cannot take you on that. Still I would give the benefit of the doubt to Ravi and Sugitharani.
Wed at 1:24pm

Valar Mathi
I am certainly not against 'using' spaces constituted in the process of development of public spheres. I hope you would agree that we should make such spaces as points of contestations. And i hope you won't deny that one should never forget the limits of such points and if one fails to take note of such limits the inevitable consequence - corruption.
Wed at 1:25pm

Venkatesh Chakravarthy
Well...Valarmathi...only now people like them are getting a space to make their voices heard...let us not be too hasty in our judgment...this is my humble plea! For almost a 100 years inspite of all the necessary dissent of those who heralded a Non-Brahmin politics there has been great deal of corruption in thought, word and deed. And for a long time it is people like SVR's and Kovai Gnanis who ruled the roost as if they had got everything right!
Wed at 1:48pm

Valar Mathi
I do agree that Dalit writers ( or any other marginalized community) don't have to be a monolithic bloc. In fact, they are not so. Adhavan Deetchanya is more or less aligned with CPM. N. T. Rajkumar, Nada. Sivakumar and a few others are aligned with CPI. RajGouthaman is a 'one man bloc'. A few are aligned with Sivagami - like Yazahan Adhi. Some are... Read More close with Dalit Murasu - like Azahgia Periyavan. And Madhivannan is a loner being Arundhadiyar. Am well aware of such things and have a good rapture with some. But i have lost hope of RaviKumar and Sugirdharani and such likes watching their responses and commitments in quite a number of issues. Anyway, you can have your own 'benefit of doubt'. :)
Wed at 1:49pm

Valar Mathi
Chaks, i can only apologize to YOU if my initial comments were somewhat offending to you. I do agree that it's a new generation of ppl who have risen up against all the odds. But, they are not the first generation ... i have in mind the generation of Rettai Malai Sreenivasan. And i hope you know what kinda damage he caused to Ambedkar's attempts ... Read Moreand how bitter he felt about it. And Periyar was bold enough to stand by Ambedkar then. But he was also fair enough not to mount an attack on R. M. Sreenivasan.
Wed at 2:02pm

Jamalan Jahir Hussain
அன்புள்ள வளர். பொதுவாக தமிழகத்தில் நடைபெறும் இலக்கியக் கூட்டங்களின் பின்னிரவு நிகழ்ச்சிகள் இப்படியாகத்தான் அமைந்துவிடுகின்றன. அதை இங்கு சுட்டிக்காட்டியிருந்த முறையும் குடிக்கலாச்சாரம் பற்றிய கருத்துக்களில் உள்ள தலித்துகளின் பார்வையும் நம்மை ஆழமாக சிந்திக்கத் தூண்டுபவை. மற்றபடி அங்கு நடந்த சம்பவங்கள் இதர பிரச்சனைகள் பற்றி எனக்கு எந்த கருத்தும் இல்லை. பொதுவாக தமிழ் அறிவுச்சூழலில் நிலவி வரும் இதுபோன்ற வருந்த தக்கநிகழ்ச்சிகள் என்பது மிகவும் கண்டணத்திற்குரியவை.
Wed at 2:05pm

Jamalan Jahir Hussain
தொடர்புடையது என்பதால் சொல்கிறேன், சென்றவருடம் குடிக்கலாச்சாரம் பற்றி ஒரு விரிவானக் கட்டுரை நான் எழுதியிருந்தேன். அது ஒரு தொகுப்பு நூலிற்காக நண்பர் கேட்டதால் எழதித் தந்தது. இன்னும் அது வெளிவரவில்லை. பதிவிடலாம் என்று உள்ளேன் அதில் நீங்கள் எனது கருத்தை படித்துக் கொள்ளலாம். அக்கட்டுரையில் நான் சாதிய அடிப்படையில் யோசிக்காத ஒரு புள்ளியை இக்கட்டுரைய... Read Moreாளர் தொட்டுச் செல்கிறார். அது மிகவும் முக்கியமானதாக எனக்குப் படுகிறது. இதை எழுதியவர் (சுகிரத்ராணிதானே) உண்மையான சில கேள்விகளை தலித் அல்லாதவர்களிடம் எழுப்பி உள்ளார். அதற்கு என்ன பதில் என்பதுதான் இந்த கட்டுரையின் முக்கிய அவதானமாக நான் கருதுவது.
Wed at 2:06pm

Valar Mathi
Well ... i think that's one possible way of approaching or choosing among divergent trends within dalit politics and other marginalized communities' political groupings. We don't have to take up a tirade against whom 'we' - am conscious that 'we' are not Dalits - think are pulling down the politics. But we should at least point out their misgivings... Read More not only to them but to the larger arena of political sphere. That's the reason i kept dumb in spite of knowing what happened in the event mentioned in the article. But i had to point out, that Sughirdarani writing about the event after some two months, that there was something behind such an attempt. And i didn't even mention it explicitly. Just noted down that some kinda power issue is involved between her and her former accomplices and dragging the dalit politics is only a mask for her.
Wed at 2:13pm

Valar Mathi
நன்றி ஜமாலன். கட்டுரையை எதிர்பார்த்திருக்கிறேன்.
Wed at 2:25pm

Valar Mathi
டிசே போதுமா இங்க கலாட்டா :))
Wed at 2:30pm

Elanko Muthulingam
வளர்,
'வெளியை'ப் பாவிப்பதில் எனக்கு உங்களைப் போலவே முன்பொரு காலத்தில் நிறைய விமர்சனமிருந்தது. இரவிக்குமார், ராஜ் கொளதமன் காலச்சுவடில் எழுதுவது குறித்தும், இரவிக்குமார் தலித்துக்கள் போன்ற விளிம்புநிலையினரைக் கீழாகப் பார்க்கு இந்தியா ரூடேயில் எழுதுவது குறித்து எனக்கு உவப்பில்லாததை முன்பு பதிவு செய்திருக்கின்றேன். ஆனால் முன்பு இருந்ததுபோல இறுக்கமான ந... Read Moreிலையில்லை எனவே நினைக்கின்றேன். சனாதனர்களும்/ஆதிக்கச்சக்திகளும் தொடர்வாசகராயிருக்கும் 'அவர்களுக்கான' வெளியில், விளிம்புநிலைக்காரர்கள் உரத்துக்கூறுவதற்கான அந்த 'வெளி'யை தமது கருத்துநிலை தளம்பாது பாவிப்பதை ஏற்றுக்கொள்ளும் மனோநிலையிலே நானின்று இருக்கின்றேன்.
Yesterday at 1:21am

Elanko Muthulingam
......
சுகிர்தராணி காலச்சுவடில் எழுதுவது குறித்து நீங்கள் கேள்வி எழுப்பியதுமாதிரி, மாலதி மைத்ரி கனடா வந்தபோது சக்கரவர்த்தி வீட்டில் சந்தித்தபோது, எப்படி மாலதி காலச்சுவடில் உங்களால் எழுதமுடிகிறது/ உங்களது நூற்களைக் காலச்சுவடால் பதிப்பிக்க முடிகிறது என வினாவியிருந்தேன். எனக்கு அவரது பதிலில் அவ்வளவு உடன்பாடில்லாதபோதும், இந்த 'வெளியை' ப் பாவிப்பதில் தவறில்லையென அவர் பதிலளித்ததாக நினைவு. அந்தவகையிலேயே சுகிர்தராணியை எடுத்துக்கொள்கின்றேன்.
....
Yesterday at 1:25am

Elanko Muthulingam
ஆனால் இதைவிட நகைச்சுவை என்னவென்றால், காலச்சுவடால் புத்தகம் வந்தால் வாசிக்கவே மாட்டோம் தீட்டென்று நினைத்து இங்கிருக்கிற கலகம் கூட்டம் பற்றியது. உதாரணமாய் இன்று ஈழத்தில் எவ்வித வசதியுமில்லாத ஒருவரின் நூலைக் காலச்சுவடு பதிப்பிக்கும்போது, எனக்கு அதை வாங்கி வாசிப்பதில் எவ்வித தயக்கமும் இல்லை. ஆனால் இதைத் தீட்டென நினைத்துப் புறக்கணிக்கும் கூட்டத்தை நினைத்து சிரிக்கத்தான் தோன்றுகின்றது.
Yesterday at 1:25am

Valar Mathi
இளங்கோ, பொதுவெளிகளாக எழுபவற்றில் பங்கேற்பதை முற்றிலுமாக மறுதலிப்பது என்ற கருத்தை நான் முன்மொழியவே இல்லை.// I am certainly not against 'using' spaces constituted in the process of development of public spheres. I hope you would agree that we should make such spaces as points of contestations. And i hope you won't deny that one should never forget the limits of such points and if one fails to take note of such limits the inevitable consequence - corruption.// இதுவே எனது புரிதல்.
Yesterday at 1:45am

Valar Mathi
இந்தப் புரிதலில் இருந்து நீங்கள் குறிப்பிடும் இரவிக்குமார் ராஜ்கௌதமன் ஆகியோர் காலச்சுவட்டில் எழுதியதை ஆதரித்தே வந்திருக்கிறேன். ஈழ எழுத்தாளர்களின் நூல்களை வெளியிடுவது குறித்த உங்கள் நோக்கையும் புரிந்துகொள்ள முடிகிறது. ஆனால், சுகிர்தராணியின் பிரச்சினை முற்றிலும் வேறானது.
Yesterday at 1:48am

Valar Mathi
சுகிர்தராணியை அந்த வெளியை தலித் அரசியல் நோக்கில் பயன்படுத்துபவராக பார்க்க இயலவில்லை. அவரது கடந்தகால நடைமுறைகள் வைத்தும் குறிப்பாக இப்பிரச்சினையை முன்வைத்தும். இது முற்றிலும் இரண்டு நபர்கள் - குழுக்கள் தொடர்பான பிரச்சினை. லீனா - சுகிர்தராணி இருவரும் இணைந்து சில காரியங்களை செய்து வந்தனர் (போட்டியுடனும் பொறாமையுடனுமே).
Yesterday at 1:51am

Valar Mathi
இதில் இப்போது அவர்களுக்குள் கடுமையான பிளவு உண்டாகியிருக்கிறது. இது இரண்டு குழுக்களுக்கு இடையிலான சண்டையாகவும் 'கசமுச'வாக நடந்துகொண்டிருக்கிறது. லீனா - சுகிர்தராணி சண்டை காலச்சுவடு கண்ணன் x மனுஷ்யபுத்திரன் இருவருக்கிடையிலான நிழல் யுத்தத்தின் இன்னொரு சம்பவமாக மாறியிருக்கிறது அவ்வளவே. இதை நேரடியாக வெளிப்படுத்த இயலாமல் ‘தலித்' சாயம் பூசி எழுதுவதே எனது கோபத்திற்குக் காரணம்.
Yesterday at 1:55am

Valar Mathi
இங்கு நடக்கும் பகிர்வுகளைக் கண்டு சாட்டில் வந்த நண்பர் ஒருவர் குறிப்பிட்டதையும் சொல்லவேண்டும். கடந்த காலச்சுவடு இதழில் காசு. கண்ணன் ‘குடித்து அழிந்த மேதைகள்' பற்றி எழுதியபின் சுகிர்தராணியின் இக்கட்டுரையும் வருகிறது என்று அவர் குறிப்பிட்டார். இரண்டிற்கும் எப்படி அவ்வளவு கணகச்சிதப் பொருத்தம்? சம்பவம் நடந்து கிட்டத்தட்ட இரண்டு மாதங்கள் முடிந்தபின் எழு... Read Moreதவேண்டிய அவசியம் என்ன? தனிப்பட்ட பகைகளைத் தீர்த்துக்கொள்ள அரசியல் கோட்பாட்டு சாயம் பூசுவதைக் காட்டிலும் வெறுப்பிற்குரிய விஷயம் என்னைப் பொருத்த அளவில் வேறு எதுவும் இல்லை :(
Yesterday at 2:01am

Venkatesh Chakravarthy
I am not some kind of a wrathful God Valarmathi who is demanding an apology from you. It is immaterial whether you want to tender or an apology or not. In fact, it is rather irrelevant to our discussion. Somehow, I do not wish to sit on judgment on what people like Sugirtharani do, and anybody who does so seems to be barking up the wrong tree. That's all.
Yesterday at 10:12am

Valar Mathi
Mr. Chakravarthy, i had good respects for you, but i never approached you as some sort of 'wrathful god'. Of course, my gesture has no relevance to the discussion and i now feel you are unworthy of it. You started the discussion, with a much 'relevant' reference' [calling me male chauvinist and fascistic] and closing it calling me a "dog" 'barking ... Read Moreat the wrong tree'. Since you have nothing to say about my explanations and since it seems that your approach is to 'take on me' it is perfectly understandable. Anyway, can you please guide me to the 'right' tree instead of barking at me?

விஷ்ணு சித்த நிர்ணயம்

2009-06-22T06:24:00.000-07:00

கௌசீதகி உபநிஷத் இப்படி சொல்கிறது.

தம் பிரம்ம ஆஹ: அபிதாவத மம யசஸா விரஜாம்
வாயம் நதீம் ப்ராபத: ந வா அயம் ஜுகிஷ்யதி இதி:

தன்னை நோக்கி வரும் ஜீவனை, பரம புருஷன் பெண்ணுருவம் கொண்ட முக்தி அடைந்தஜீவர்களைக் கொண்டு அழைத்து வர ஏவுகிறான்.

மம யசஸா விரஜாம் வாயம் நதீம் -
என் அருளாலே இந்த ஜீவன் விரஜா நதியை அடைந்துள்ளான்.

அபிதாவத -ஓடிச்சென்று எதிர் கொள்ளுங்கள்.

தம் பஞ்சசதான்யப்சரசாம் பிரதிதாவந்தி சதம் மாலா ஹஸ்தா - சதம் அஞ்சன
ஹஸ்தா - சதம் சூர்ன ஹஸ்தா - சதம் வஸொஹஸ்தா - சதம் பநஹஸ்தா - தம் பிரம்மலங்காரேண அலங்குர்வந்தி...

ஐந்நூற அப்சரஸ் பெண்கள் - ஐந்நூறு என்பது கணக்கற்ற என்று
கொள்ளலாம் - கைகளில் மாலைகள் - அஞ்சனம் - சூர்ணம் - ஆடைகள் என்று ஏந்திக் கொண்டு வரவேற்பார்கள்.

ஆழ்வார் இதை அப்படியே தமிழ் செய்திருக்கிறார்:

விதிவகை புகுந்தனர் என்றுநல் வேதியர்
பதியினில் பாங்கினில் பாதங்கள் கழுவினர்
நிதியுநற் சுண்ணமும் நிறைகுட விளக்கமும்
மதிமுக மடந்தயர் ஏந்தினர் வந்தே - நா.தி. பி. 3880

- விஷ்ணு சித்த நிர்ணயம் என்ற புத்தகத்திலிருந்து

SEO Suggests

2009-06-18T10:52:00.000-07:00

TamilHindu article page doesn't have a title!
Search engines use this information to determine, what the article is about.

1. No < title >
2. The META (login stuff) could be removed or moved down; especially the entries RSS could be renamed as 'Subscribe to this website contents in your Reader'; Register could be renamed as 'Become a Member of Hindu' and transferred to a better area.
3. Add a 'Subscribe by email' with a box for mail-id in each page - prominently; many would like get posts (at least summaries) in email inbox

4. Tag (cloud) could be listed on the LHS (similar to Category listing)
5. List of Recent Posts on each page
6. 'Kakkai parliament' and all posts should have at least two images (like one of Bharathiyar and other one relevant to the page: The image names should be given descriptively; similar to http://www.tamilhindu.com/wp-content/uploads/shiek-chinna-maulana-courtesy-the-hindhu.jpg)

7. Use 'All in one seo pack' to get better mileage; pull more visitors from Google, Bing.
8. Finally, does TamilHindu have a Facebbok and Twitter account?

The FP Quiz

2009-03-04T09:29:00.000-08:00

Are you a globalization junkie? Test your knowledge of global trends, economics, and politics with 8 questions about how the world works.

FP Quiz Answers

1) C, 19 percent. About 1 in 5 Iraqis, some 5.2 million people, are displaced from their homes. About 2.4 million live as refugees outside Iraq, mainly in neighboring countries such as Jordan and Syria. According to the International Organization for Migration, another 2.8 million are internally displaced within Iraq itself. Many return to find their homes destroyed or occupied by others, or they discover they’ve been priced out of their old neighborhoods.

2) C, 24. Of the two dozen countries that are shrinking in population, nine, including Moldova and Russia, are former Soviet states. Most others are Eastern European countries such as Bulgaria and Slovenia. Developed countries Germany and Japan also make the list, as do AIDS-afflicted Swaziland and Zimbabwe. The fastest-growing countries? The Maldives (5.6 percent per year) and the United Arab Emirates (3.8 percent).

3) C, Singapore. The Gaza Strip has frequently been described as one of the most densely populated places on Earth. With 10,800 people per square mile, it is indeed crowded; by comparison, Bangladesh has 2,800 per square mile, and the United States just 80. But there are places far more crowded than Gaza. Singapore squeezes in 17,200 people per square mile, and Hong Kong fits 16,600.

4) B, 25 percent. The European Union gets a quarter of its natural gas from Russia, with 80 percent passing through Ukraine. That’s why Europe gets the shivers whenever Russia has a pricing dispute with Ukraine and shuts off the gas. Fears of being left in the cold have led to proposals for pipelines from Russia that bypass Ukraine, or pipelines that skirt Russia altogether, extending from Central Asian countries to Europe via Turkey.

5) A, Luxembourg. Tiny, wealthy Luxembourg is a country packed with cars—647 per 1,000 people—according to the International Road Federation. The No. 2 and No. 3 countries for car ownership are Iceland and New Zealand, respectively, both of which are wealthy and have sizable rural communities in remote areas. The United States may be the country of Henry Ford, but it actually has fewer cars relative to its population (about 461 per 1,000) than its neighbor to the north, Canada (about 561 per 1,000).

6) C, 95 percent. Nearly all music downloads are illegal and unpaid, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, which represents the global recording industry. That amounts to more than 40 billion files illegally downloaded and shared in 2008. In China, one of the world’s leading sources for illegal downloads, the online piracy rate is estimated to be more than 99 percent.

7) B, Rwanda. Last September, Rwanda became the first country ever to have a female-majority parliament, when 45 out of 80 seats became held by women. The historic vote—in a country that was 70 percent female after its 1994 genocide and is 55 percent female now—occurred in part because of a quota: Thirty percent of seats are constitutionally required to go to women. The No. 2 and No. 3 countries for female representation are Sweden (47 percent) and Cuba (43 percent). In the U.S. House of Representatives, women hold just 18 percent of the seats.

8) C, 800 gallons. To grow the food the average person eats each day, plus the crops that are fed to animals that wind up on the dinner table, an astonishing 800 gallons are needed per person, per day, according to the Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture. Fortunately, technological advances in irrigation have the potential to decrease water waste in agriculture by as much as 70 percent.

Geopolitical Weekly : The Financial Crisis and the Six Pillars of Russian Strength

2009-03-04T09:15:00.000-08:00

By Lauren Goodrich and Peter Zeihan

The State of the Russian State

Russia has faced a slew of economic problems in the past six months. Incoming foreign direct investment, which reached a record high of $28 billion in 2007, has reportedly dried up to just a few billion. Russia’s two stock markets, the Russian Trading System (RTS) and the Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange (MICEX), have fallen 78 and 67 percent respectively since their highs in May 2008. And Russians have withdrawn $290 billion from the country’s banks in fear of a financial collapse .
One of Moscow’s sharpest financial pains came in the form of a slumping Russian ruble, which has dropped by about one-third against the dollar since August 2008. Thus far, the Kremlin has spent $200 billion defending its currency, a startling number given that the currency still dropped by 35 percent. The Russian government has allowed dozens of mini-devaluations to occur since August; the ruble’s fall has pushed the currency past its lowest point in the 1998 ruble crash.
The Kremlin now faces three options. First, it can continue defending the ruble by pouring more money into what looks like a black hole. Realistically, this can last only another six months or so, as Russia’s combined reserves of $750 billion in August 2008 have dropped to just less than $400 billion due to various recession-battling measures (of which currency defense is only one). This option would also limit Russia’s future anti-recession measures to currency defense alone. In essence, this option relies on merely hoping the global recession ends before the till runs dry.
The second option would be to abandon any defense of the ruble and just let the currency crash. This option will not hurt Moscow or its prized industries (like those in the energy and metals sectors) too much, as the Kremlin, its institutions and most large Russian companies hold their reserves in dollars and euros. Smaller businesses and the Russian people would lose everything, however, just as in the August 1998 ruble crash. This may sound harsh, but the Kremlin has proved repeatedly — during the Imperial, Soviet and present eras — that it is willing to put the survival of the Russian state before the welfare and survival of the people.
The third option is much like the second. It involves sealing the currency system off completely from international trade, relegating it only to use in purely domestic exchanges. But turning to a closed system would make the ruble absolutely worthless abroad, and probably within Russia as well — the black market and small businesses would be forced to follow the government’s example and switch to the euro, or more likely, the U.S. dollar. (Russians tend to trust the dollar more than the euro.)
According to the predominant rumor in Moscow, the Kremlin will opt for combining the first and second options, allowing a series of small devaluations, but continuing a partial defense of the currency to avoid a single 1998-style collapse. Such a hybrid approach would reflect internal politicking.
The lack of angst within the government over the disappearance of the ruble as a symbol of Russian strength is most intriguing. Instead of discussing how to preserve Russian financial power, the debate is now over how to let the currency crash. The destruction of this particular symbol of Russian strength over the past ten years has now become a given in the Kremlin’s thinking, as has the end of the growth and economic strength seen in recent years.
Washington is interpreting the Russian acceptance of economic failure as a sort of surrender. It is not difficult to see why. For most states — powerful or not — a deep recession coupled with a currency collapse would indicate an evisceration of the ability to project power, or even the end of the road. After all, similar economic collapses in 1992 and 1998 heralded periods in which Russian power simply evaporated, allowing the Americans free rein across the Russian sphere of influence. Russia has been using its economic strength to revive its influence as of late, so — as the American thinking goes — the destruction of that strength should lead to a new period of Russian weakness.

Geography and Development

But before one can truly understand the roots of Russian power, the reality and role of the Russian economy must be examined. From this perspective, the past several years are most certainly an aberration — and we are not simply speaking of the post-Soviet collapse.
All states economies’ to a great degree reflect their geographies. In the United States, the presence of large, interconnected river systems in the central third of the country, the intracoastal waterway along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, the vastness of San Francisco Bay, the numerous rivers flowing to the sea from the eastern slopes of the Appalachian Mountains and the abundance of ideal port locations made the country easy to develop. The cost of transporting goods was nil, and scarce capital could be dedicated to other pursuits. The result was a massive economy with an equally massive leg up on any competition.
Russia’s geography is the polar opposite. Hardly any of Russia’s rivers are interconnected. The country has several massive ones — the Pechora, the Ob, the Yenisei, the Lena and the Kolyma — but they drain the nearly unpopulated Siberia to the Arctic Ocean, making them useless for commerce. The only river that cuts through Russia’s core, the Volga, drains not to the ocean but to the landlocked and sparsely populated Caspian Sea, the center of a sparsely populated region. Also unlike the United States, Russia has few useful ports. Kaliningrad is not connected to the main body of Russia. The Gulf of Finland freezes in winter, isolating St. Petersburg. The only true deepwater and warm-water ocean ports, Vladivostok and Murmansk, are simply too far from Russia’s core to be useful. So while geography handed the United States the perfect transport network free of charge, Russia has had to use every available kopek to link its country together with an expensive road, rail and canal network.
One of the many side effects of this geography situation is that the United States had extra capital that it could dedicate to finance in a relatively democratic manner, while Russia’s chronic capital deficit prompted it to concentrate what little capital resources it had into a single set of hands — Moscow’s hands. So while the United States became the poster child for the free market, Russia (whether the Russian Empire, Soviet Union or Russian Federation) has always tended toward central planning.
Russian industrialization and militarization began in earnest under Josef Stalin in the 1930s. Under centralized planning, all industry and services were nationalized, while industrial leaders were given predetermined output quotas.
Perhaps the most noteworthy difference between the Western and Russian development paths was the different use of finance. At the start of Stalin’s massive economic undertaking, international loans to build the economy were unavailable, both because the new government had repudiated the czarist regime’s international debts and because industrialized countries — the potential lenders — were coping with the onset of their own economic crisis (e.g., the Great Depression).
With loans and bonds unavailable, Stalin turned to another centrally controlled resource to “fund” Russian development: labor. Trade unions were converted into mechanisms for capturing all available labor as well as for increasing worker productivity. Russia essentially substitutes labor for capital, so it is no surprise that Stalin — like all Russian leaders before him — ran his population into the ground. Stalin called this his “revolution from above.”
Over the long term, the centralized system is highly inefficient, as it does not take the basic economic drivers of supply and demand into account — to say nothing of how it crushes the common worker. But for a country as geographically massive as Russia, it was (and remains) questionable whether Western finance-driven development is even feasible, due to the lack of cheap transit options and the massive distances involved. Development driven by the crushing of the labor pool was probably the best Russia could hope for, and the same holds true today.
In stark contrast to ages past, for the past five years foreign money has underwritten Russian development. Russian banks did not depend upon government funding — which was accumulated into vast reserves — but instead tapped foreign lenders and bondholders. Russian banks took this money and used it to lend to Russian firms. Meanwhile, as the Russian government asserted control over the country’s energy industries during the last several years, it created a completely separate economy that only rarely intersected with other aspects of Russian economic life. So when the current global recession helped lead to the evaporation of foreign credit, the core of the government/energy economy was broadly unaffected, even as the rest of the Russian economy ingloriously crashed to earth.
Since Putin’s rise, the Kremlin has sought to project an image of a strong, stable and financially powerful Russia. This vision of strength has been the cornerstone of Russian confidence for years. Note that STRATFOR is saying “vision,” not “reality.” For in reality, Russian financial confidence is solely the result of cash brought in from strong oil and natural gas prices — something largely beyond the Russians’ ability to manipulate — not the result of any restructuring of the Russian system. As such, the revelation that the emperor has no clothes — that Russia is still a complete financial mess — is more a blow to Moscow’s ego than a signal of a fundamental change in the reality of Russian power.

The Reality of Russian Power

So while Russia might be losing its financial security and capabilities, which in the West tend to boil down to economic wealth, the global recession has not affected the reality of Russian power much at all. Russia has not, currently or historically, worked off of anyone else’s cash or used economic stability as a foundation for political might or social stability. Instead, Russia relies on many other tools in its kit. Some of the following six pillars of Russian power are more powerful and appropriate than ever:

Geography: Unlike its main geopolitical rival, the United States, Russia borders most of the regions it wishes to project power into, and few geographic barriers separate it from its targets. Ukraine, Belarus and the Baltic states have zero geographic insulation from Russia. Central Asia is sheltered by distance, but not by mountains or rivers. The Caucasus provide a bit of a speed bump to Russia, but pro-Russian enclaves in Georgia give the Kremlin a secure foothold south of the mountain range (putting the August Russian-Georgian war in perspective). Even if U.S. forces were not tied down in Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States would face potentially insurmoun table difficulties in countering Russian actions in Moscow’s so-called “Near Abroad.” Russia can project all manner of influence and intimidation there on the cheap, while even symbolic counters are quite costly for the United States. In contrast, places such as Latin America, Southeast Asia or Africa do not capture much more than the Russian imagination; the Kremlin realizes it can do little more there than stir the occasional pot, and resources are allotted (centrally, of course) accordingly.
Politics: It is no secret that the Kremlin uses an iron fist to maintain domestic control. There are few domestic forces the government cannot control or balance. The Kremlin understands the revolutions (1917 in particular) and collapses (1991 in particular) of the past, and it has control mechanisms in place to prevent a repeat. This control is seen in every aspect of Russian life, from one main political party ruling the country to the lack of diversified media, limits on public demonstrations and the infiltration of the security services into nearly every aspect of the Russian system. This domination was fortified under Stalin and has been re-established under the reign of former President and now-Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. This political strength is based on neither financial nor economic foundations. Instead, it is based within the political institutions and parties, on the lack of a meaningful opposition, and with the backing of the military and security services. Russia’s neighbors, especially in Europe, cannot count on the same political strength because their systems are simply not set up the same way. The stability of the Russian government and lack of stability in the former Soviet states and much of Central Europe have also allowed the Kremlin to reach beyond Russia and influence its neighbors to the east. Now as before, when some of its former Soviet subjects — such as Ukraine — become destabilized, Russia sweeps in as a source of stability and authority, regardless of whether this benefits the recipient of Moscow’s attention.
Social System: As a consequence of Moscow’s political control and the economic situation, the Russian system is socially crushing, and has had long-term effects on the Russian psyche. As mentioned above, during the Soviet-era process of industrialization and militarization, workers operated under the direst of conditions for the good of the state. The Russian state has made it very clear that the productivity and survival of the state is far more important than the welfare of the people. This made Russia politically and economically strong, not in the sense that the people have had a voice, but in that they have not challenged the state since the beginning of the Soviet period. The Russian people, regardless of whether they admit it, continue to work to keep the state intact even when it does not benefit them. When the Soviet Uni on collapsed in 1991, Russia kept operating — though a bit haphazardly. Russians still went to work, even if they were not being paid. The same was seen in 1998, when the country collapsed financially. This is a very different mentality than that found in the West. Most Russians would not even consider the mass protests seen in Europe in response to the economic crisis. The Russian government, by contrast, can count on its people to continue to support the state and keep the country going with little protest over the conditions. Though there have been a few sporadic and meager protests in Russia, these protests mainly have been in opposition to the financial situation, not to the government’s hand in it. In some of these demonstrations, protesters have carried signs reading, “In government we trust, in the economic system we don’t.” This means Moscow can count on a stable population.
Natural Resources: Modern Russia enjoys a wealth of natural resources in everything from food and metals to gold and timber. The markets may take a roller-coaster ride and the currency may collapse, but the Russian economy has access to the core necessities of life. Many of these resources serve a double purpose, for in addition to making Russia independent of the outside world, they also give Moscow the ability to project power effectively. Russian energy — especially natural gas — is particularly key: Europe is dependent on Russian natural gas for a quarter of its demand. This relationship guarantees Russia a steady supply of now-scarce capital even as it forces the Europeans to take any Russian concerns seriously. The energy tie is something Russia has very publicly used as a political weapon, either by raising prices or by cutting off supplies. In a recession, this lever’s effectiveness has only grown.
Military: The Russian military is in the midst of a broad modernization and restructuring, and is reconstituting its basic warfighting capability. While many challenges remain, Moscow already has imposed a new reality through military force in Georgia. While Tbilisi was certainly an easy target, the Russian military looks very different to Kiev &# 8212; or even Warsaw and Prague — than it does to the Pentagon. And even in this case, Russia has come to rely increasingly heavily on its nuclear arsenal to rebalance the military equation and ensure its territorial integrity, and is looking to establish long-term nuclear parity with the Americans. Like the energy tool, Russia’s military has become more useful in times of economic duress, as potential targets have suffered far more than the Russians.
Intelligence: Russia has one of the world’s most sophisticated and powerful intelligence services. Historically, its only rival has been the United States (though today the Chinese arguably could be seen as rivaling the Americans and Russians). The KGB (now the FSB) instills fear into hearts around the world, let alone inside Russia. Infiltration and intimidation kept the Soviet Union and its sphere under control. No matter the condition of the Russian state, Moscow’s intelligence foundation has been its strongest pillar. The FSB and other Russian intelligence agencies have infiltrated most former Soviet republics and satellite states, and they also have infiltrated as far as Latin America and the United States. Russian intelligence has infiltrated political, security, military and business realms worldwide, and has boasted of infiltrating many former Soviet satellite governments, militaries and companies up to the highest level. All facets of the Russian government have backed this infiltration since Putin (a former KGB man) came to power and filled the Kremlin with his cohorts. This domestic and international infiltration has been built up for half a century. It is not something that requires much cash to maintain, but rather know-how — and the Russians wrote the book on the subject. One of the reasons Moscow can run this system inexpensively relative to what it gets in return is because Russia’s intelligence services have long been human-based, though they do have some highly advanced technology to wield. Russia also has incorporated other social networks in its intelligence services, such as o rganized crime or the Russian Orthodox Church, creating an intricate system at a low price. Russia’s intelligence services are much larger than most other countries’ services and cover most of the world. But the intelligence apparatus’ most intense focus is on the Russian periphery, rather than on the more expensive “far abroad.”

Thus, while Russia’s financial sector may be getting torn apart, the state does not really count on that sector for domestic cohesion or stability, or for projecting power abroad. Russia knows it lacks a good track record financially, so it depends on — and has shored up where it can — six other pillars to maintain its (self-proclaimed) place as a major international player. The current financial crisis would crush the last five pillars for any other state, but in Russia, it has only served to strengthen these bases. Over the past few years, there was a certain window of opportunity for Russia to resurge while Washington was preoccupied with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This window has been kept open longer by the West’s lack of worry over the Russian resurgence given the financial crisis. But others closer to the Russian border understand that Moscow has many tools more potent than finance with which to continue reasserting itself.

Their Way With Words - WSJ.com

2008-12-10T10:20:00.000-08:00

Their Way With Words - WSJ.com: நேர்காணல்கள் மீது எனக்கு ரொம்பவே பிரியம் உண்டு. சுபமங்களாவில் வந்த பேட்டிகளில் ஆரம்பித்து வண்ணத்திரை நடிகைகளின் துணுக்குப் பேட்டி வரை எல்லாமே மிகவும் பிடித்தம். இந்தத் தொகுப்பை நூலகத்தில் தேடிப் பிடிக்க வேண்டும்.

முழுவதும் வாசிக்க:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122878243643389863.html

வாசிப்புரை:
"To ask the hard question is simple," declares the poet W.H. Auden, implying that it is much harder to answer than to ask. Writing is a form of show business, however, and answering questions -- talking -- is something writers surely love to do as much as movie stars.

Over the years, the writer-interviews in the Paris Review have become literary landmarks -- a mix of gossip, humor, personal reflection, vanity, confession, advice, annoyance and odd detail. "I write with a pencil," Toni Morrison commented when asked: "What is the physical act of writing like for you?" In such ways we are supposed to get to the heart of how writers work.

"Paris Review Interviews: Vol. III" -- the third in a series -- is commendably wide-ranging, offering conversations with writers from the 1950s (Ralph Ellison, Georges Simenon, Isak Dinesen) and the 1960s (Evelyn Waugh, William Carlos Williams) as well as from the 1990s (Chinua Achebe, Ted Hughes, Jan Morris) and from the past few years (Norman Mailer, Salman Rushdie). Along the way we hear from people as diverse as Raymond Carver, Harold Pinter, John Cheever, Martin Amis and Joyce Carol Oates.

* Who would not be fascinated to learn that Isak Dinesen loved jazz, smoked liked a train and craved the taste of strawberries?

* That the thrice-married Jean Rhys hated rooms ("A room is, after all, a place where you hide from the wolves") and lamented that "nobody says a thing is splendid anymore"?

* That Ted Hughes and his wife, Sylvia Plath, once dined with T.S. Eliot ("He had big hands") and that Hughes destroyed Plath's last journal, which "covered maybe two or three months, the last months" before her suicide? ("It was just sad. I just didn't want her children to see it, no. Particularly her last days.")

* That travel-writer Jan Morris only travels alone, believes that Chicago "comes nearest to the ideal of a perfect city" and remains fully convinced that one of her books ("Pleasures of a Tangled Life"), written as a woman, would have been different if it had been written by the man she used to be?

* That Evelyn Waugh loathed William Faulkner's books, thought cigarettes to be "rather squalid in the bedroom" and would have much preferred living in either the 13th century or the 17th?

* That Norman Mailer delighted in doodling on oyster shells and, when young, counseled the actress Shelley Winters on how best to interpret her role (jilted girlfriend) in "A Place in the Sun"?

* That Harold Pinter back in the 1960s sipped Scotch all day and was fined for refusing military service?

* That Martin Amis rolls his own cigarettes, writes in longhand and believes that the most interesting things happen to you when you are alone?

All manner of questions are here. Are writers story-tellers primarily or mainly users of language? Is the best writing done in the morning or at night?

* Raymond Carver, when asked who is major influences are, lists about 30, from James Joyce to Bobbie Ann Mason.

* Waugh is spare, laconic and gruff, as one might expect.

* Long-winded Ted Hughes answers his questions in full pages.

* Rhys is tentative, wistful and nervous.

* Salman Rushdie, who discusses the infamous fatwa at interminable length. cites the importance in his fiction of going to the movies. Somehow one is not surprised.

Mailer, who first spoke to the Paris Review in 1964, is still cheerful 40 years later, still expansive and ready to pontificate on any subject. He dismisses the idea that a baroque style is easy and recalls thinking, when writing .

The Executioner's Song" (an example of the non-baroque): "You guys [critics] keep talking about the virtues of simplicity -- I'll show you. There's absolutely nothing to simplicity, and I'm going to prove it with this book." A co-religionist in this department agreed. "Artificial?" Dinesen said of her tales. "Of course they are artificial. They were meant to be, for such is the essence of the tale-telling art."

Simenon abhorred what Waugh referred to as "gluttonous writing," though Waugh admitted that his very own "Brideshead Revisited," a novel rich in evocative description, was a good example of the type, "a direct result of the privations and austerity of the times."

The prolific Simenon -- who gave one day to a chapter, wrote six novels a year and cranked out books like bags of bagels -- abhorred a "literary" style. "Adjectives, adverbs, and every word which is there just to make an effect. . . . You know, you have a beautiful sentence -- cut it," he said. "I use concrete words. I try to avoid abstract words, or poetical words, you know, like crepuscule, for example. It is very nice, but it gives nothing."

What's curious is that many never wanted to be writers. "I was a painter before I was a writer," said Isak Dinesen.

Waugh also set out to be a painter, though he failed: "I had neither the talent nor the application -- I didn't have the moral qualities."

Rhys confesses that she wanted to become an actress. "I don't think writing is a profession," says Simenon. "I think that everyone who does not need to be a writer, who thinks he can do something else, ought to do something else." Rhys agrees: "When I was excited about life, I didn't want to write at all. I've never written when I was happy."

Chinua Achebe is asked whether he has ever taught creative writing. "No," he answers. "I don't know how it's done. I mean it. I really don't know. The only thing I can say for it is that it provides for writers. Don't laugh!"

Ralph Ellison, talking about "Invisible Man" in 1955, says: "I feel that with my decision to devote myself to the novel I took on one of the responsibilities inherited by those who practice the craft in the United States: that of describing for all that fragment of the huge diverse American experience which I know best. . . . The American novel is in this sense a conquest of the frontier; as it describes our experience, it creates it."

It is true. The hard questions are simple. The answers rarely are.

Sri Lanka: Claim - LTTE uses food aid as tool to recruit child soldiers and elderly

2008-12-04T06:54:00.000-08:00

i On Global Trends: Sri Lanka: Claim - LTTE uses food aid as tool to recruit child soldiers and elderly: "During the month of January to October 2008, the government had given 6000 metric tons of basic foods to Mulathivu, Kilinochchi, Mannar, and Wauniya north districts through the ministry of resettlement and disaster management as food aid, apart from that 42000 metric tons of foods sent to the same district through the cooperative societies. In addition, 14000 liters of kerosene oil was also provided.

Over and above that world food programme had sent 12000 metric tons of food to the same areas. Altogether, 60000 metric tons of rice, flour, dhal, sugar and vegetable oil had been sent for the day today use for residents living in the areas still under LTTE clutches. It should be worthwhile to note that LTTE cadres are too surviving on these consignments of food sent by the government.

Though government coordinated and sent 60000 metric tons of food for the use of the people in the area, it is important to research and find the operations of distribution at the tale end. According to the regulations laid in collaboration with world food programme and the government, a five member family unit is entitled to get 3.5kg of rice, 6kg of flour, 2.5kg of dhal, 0.5kg of vegetable oil and 2kg of sugar for five days. Apart from that, the residents are issued with 2 litres of kerosene oil per month."

Commentary: How social media shared pain and rage of Mumbai - CNN.com

2008-12-02T10:58:00.000-08:00

Commentary: How social media shared pain and rage of Mumbai - CNN.com: "Dina Mehta is an ethnographer, social media consultant and blogger based in Mumbai, India. Her personal blog is Conversations with Dina. She has contributed to building several communities on the Internet, such as Worldchanging, Tsunami Help, KatrinaHelp, SkypeJournal and Global Voices Online."

Lakhs and Crores to Millions and Billions

2008-08-26T07:29:00.000-07:00

Lakhs and Crores to Millions and Billions:

1 Million (1,000,000) == 0.1 Crores
1 Crore (1,00,00,000) == 10 Million

1 Billion (1,000,000,000)== 100 Crores
1 Crore (1,00,00,000) == 0.01 Billion

Quotes

2008-08-13T04:12:00.000-07:00

Funny T-shirts and funny Tshirt one-liners. Just to peruse if you plan to buy funny Tshirts: "A real gentleman wouldn't stare at my stickers."

Gone, and Being Forgotten

2008-07-24T21:10:00.000-07:00

Nothing New: Gone, and Being Forgotten: "The trend of teaching masters of Western thought, like Freud, Hegel, and Marx, outside their home disciplines represents a flight from history, writes Russell Jacoby.
The Chronicle Review]
From the issue dated July 25, 2008
Why are some of the greatest thinkers being expelled from their disciplines?

By RUSSELL JACOBY"

Gone, and Being Forgotten

2008-07-24T21:06:00.000-07:00

Undisciplined

The trend of teaching masters of Western thought, like Freud, Hegel, and Marx, outside their home disciplines represents a flight from history, writes Russell Jacoby.

The Chronicle Review] <http://chronicle.com/review/>

From the issue dated July 25, 2008

Why are some of the greatest thinkers being expelled from their disciplines?

By RUSSELL JACOBY

How is it that Freud is not taught in psychology departments, Marx is not
taught in economics, and Hegel is hardly taught in philosophy? Instead these
masters of Western thought are taught in fields far from their own. Nowadays
Freud is found in literature departments, Marx in film studies, and Hegel in
German. But have they migrated, or have they been expelled? Perhaps the home
fields of Freud, Marx, and Hegel have turned arid. Perhaps those disciplines
have come to prize a scientistic ethos that drives away unruly thinkers. Or
maybe they simply progress by sloughing off the past.

A completely unscientific survey of three randomly chosen universities
confirms the exodus. A search through the philosophy-course descriptions at
the University of Kansas yields a single 19th-century-survey lecture that
mentions Hegel. Marx receives a passing citation in an economics class on
income inequality. Freud scores zero in psychology. At the University of
Arizona, Hegel again pops up in a survey course on 19th-century philosophy;
Marx is shut out of economics; and, as usual, Freud has disappeared. And at
the University of Wisconsin at Madison, Hegel does not appear in philosophy
courses, Marx does not turn up in economics, and Freud is bypassed in
psychology.

The divorce between informed opinion and academic wisdom could not be more
pointed. If educated individuals were asked to name leading historical
thinkers in psychology, philosophy, and economics, surely Freud, Hegel, and
Marx would figure high on the list. Yet they have vanished from their home
disciplines. How can this be?

A single proposition can hardly explain the fate of several thinkers across
several fields. However, general trends can inform separate disciplines. For
starters, the ruthlessly anti- or nonhistorical orientation that informs
contemporary academe encourages shelving past geniuses. This mind-set
evidently affects psychology. The American Psychological Association's own
task force on "learning goals" for undergraduate majors makes a nod toward
teaching the history of psychology, but it relegates the subject to an
optional subfield, equivalent to "group dynamics." "We are not advocating
that separate courses in the history of psychology or group dynamics must be
included in the undergraduate curriculum," the savants counsel, "but leave
it to the ingenuity of departments to determine contexts in which students
can learn those relevant skills and perspectives." The ingenious departments
apparently have dumped Freud as antiquated. A study by the American
Psychoanalytic Association of "teaching about psychoanalytic ideas in the
undergraduate curricula of 150 highly ranked colleges and universities"
concludes that Freudian ideas thrive outside of psychology departments.

The same antihistorical imperatives operate effectively, if with less force,
in economics and philosophy. Again, generalizations can be made only with
qualifications, but economics departments, like psychology departments, tend
to be fiercely present-minded. Their basic fare consists of principles of
economics, macroeconomics, microeconomics, finance, game theory, and
statistics. To be sure, often the departments offer lecture classes on the
history of economic thought, which survey economic thinking from the Greeks
to the present. But in this sprint through the past, Marx shows up as little
more than a blur. At the University of California at Los Angeles, for
instance, students devote less than a week to Marx in a course on the
history of economic theories. One scholar of Marx estimates that in more
than 2,000 economics departments in the United States, only four offer even
one class on the German revolutionary. In 1936, Wassily Leontief, who later
won a Nobel in economic science, gave a seminar on Marx in Harvard's
economics department. No such seminar is given now.

Compared with economics, philosophy prizes the study of its past and
generally offers courses on Greek, medieval, and modern thinkers.
Frequently, however, those classes close with Kant, in the 18th century, and
do not pick up again until the 20th century. The troubling 19th century,
featuring Hegel (and Kierkegaard and Nietzsche), is omitted or glossed over.
General catalogs sometimes list a Hegel course in philosophy, but it is
rarely offered. Very few philosophy departments at major universities teach
Hegel or Hegelian thought.

Philosophy stands at the opposite pole from psychology in at least one
respect. In most colleges and universities, it is one of the smaller majors,
while psychology is one of the largest. Yet, much like psychology,
philosophy has proved unwelcoming for thinkers paddling against the
mainstream. Not only did sharp critics like Richard Rorty, frustrated by its
narrowness, quit philosophy for comparative literature, but a whole series
of professors have departed for other fields, leaving philosophy itself
intellectually parched.

That is the argument of John McCumber, a scholar of Hegel and Heidegger who
himself decamped from philosophy to German. His book *Time in the Ditch:
American Philosophy and the McCarthy Era* (Northwestern University Press,
2001) savages the contemporary American philosophical profession and its
flight from history. He notes, for instance, that 10 years after the 1987
"breakthrough anthology" *Feminism as Critique,* not one of its
contributors, from Seyla Benhabib to Iris Marion Young, still taught in a
philosophy department. The pressures that force — or tempt — big names such
as Rorty and Martha Nussbaum to quit philosophy, McCumber observes, exert
equal force on those outside the public eye. He charges, for instance, that
senior editors dispense with peer review and run the major philosophy
journals like private fiefdoms, and that a few established professors select
papers for the discipline's annual conferences. The authoritarianism and
cronyism drive out mavericks.

Psychology without Freud, economics without Marx, philosophy without Hegel:
For disciplinary cheerleaders, this confirms intellectual progress. The
cloudy old thinkers have made way for new scientific researchers. But at
what cost? The past innovators shared a fealty to history. "We are what we
are through history," stated Hegel; and Freud, for all his biological
determinism, believed that one must master the past to master the present.
Yet today we lack the patience to dig too far, or perhaps we lack the
patience to unravel the implications of discoveries into the past. We want
to find the exact pill or the exact gene that provides an instant solution.
Psychology transmutes into biology. To the degree that a chemical imbalance
results in depression, or a gene gives rise to obesity, the effort to
restore health by drugs or surgery cannot be faulted. Yet an individual's
own history may play a decisive role in those disharmonies. We triumphantly
treat the effect as the cause. As a practical measure, that approach can be
justified, but it avoids a deeper search.

The flight from history marks economics and philosophy as well. Economics
looks more and more like mathematics, in which the past vanishes. Sometimes
it even looks like biopsychology. A recent issue of the *American Economic
Review* includes numerous papers under the rubrics of "Neuroscientific
Foundations of Economic Decision-Making" and "Cognitive Neuroscientific
Foundations of Economic Behavior." But can we really figure out today's
economic problems without considering whence they came? Philosophy nods
toward its past, but its devotion to language analysis and logic-chopping
pushes aside as murky its great 19th-century thinkers. Polishing
philosophical eyeglasses proves futile if they are rarely used to see.

No doubt there has been progress in those fields, but is it possible to
advance without any idea of where one has been? Without a guide to the past,
the scholar, like the traveler, might move in circles. Moreover, should the
giants of the past be dispatched so coolly and mechanically? Culture is not
like an automobile that should be junked when old and decrepit. I don't see
how we can be educated — or consider ourselves educators — if we consign to
the dustbin, say, Freud's exchange with Einstein on war, Marx's description
of "the cheap price of commodities" that batters down national boundaries,
or Hegel's notion of the master/slave relationship. Those ideas should be
addressed, not parried; taught, not dismissed.

To be sure, other fields adopt the thinkers that psychology, philosophy, and
economics have sent packing. Yet that itself is a problem. Instead of
confronting recalcitrant thinkers on their own terms, the new disciplines
slice them up. Freud turns into an interpreter of texts, Hegel into a
philosopher of art, and Marx into a cinema theorist. That saves them from
oblivion, but at the price of domestication. Freud no longer excavates
civilization and its discontents but merely unpacks words. Hegel no longer
tracks the dialectic of freedom but consoles with the beautiful. Marx no
longer outlines the movements of capital but only deconstructs the mass
spectator.

Driven out of their original domains because they are too ungainly or too
out of date, Hegel, Marx, and Freud succumb to an academic makeover. In the
mall of education, they gain an afterlife as boutique thinkers.

Russell Jacoby is a professor in residence in the history department at the
University of California at Los Angeles. He is author, most recently,
of*Picture Imperfect: Utopian Thought for an Anti-Utopian Age, Columbia University Press, 2005).

The Hindu : Sport : Venus Williams wins her fifth Wimbledon

2008-07-16T21:15:00.000-07:00

The Hindu : Sport : Venus Williams wins her fifth Wimbledon

Madhavan - Takeaways

2008-07-13T08:22:00.000-07:00

Mandela: His 8 Lessons of Leadership - TIME

An inspiring article on Mandela.

Here are the points i liked from the lessons:
- He was thinking in terms of not days and weeks but decades. He knew history was on his side, that the result was inevitable; it was just a question of how soon and how it would be achieved. "Things will be better in the long run," he sometimes said. He always played for the long run.
- The trick of leadership is allowing yourself to be led too. "It is wise," he said, "to persuade people to do things and make them think it was their own idea."
- "people act in their own interest." It was simply a fact of human nature, not a flaw or a defect.
- Life is never either/or. Decisions are complex, and there are always competing factors. To look for simple explanations is the bias of the human brain, but it doesn't correspond to reality. Nothing is ever as straightforward as it appears.
- Mandela's calculus was always, What is the end that I seek, and what is the most practical way to get there?
- Knowing how to abandon a failed idea, task or relationship is often the most difficult kind of decision a leader has to make.
- He knows that leaders lead as much by what they choose not to do as what they do.

And here are the 8 lessons.
1. Courage is not the absence of fear — it's inspiring others to move beyond it
2. Lead from the front — but don't leave your base behind
3. Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front
4. Know your enemy — and learn about his favorite sport
5. Keep your friends close — and your rivals even closer
6. Appearances matter — and remember to smile
7. Nothing is black or white
8. Quitting is leading too

Care package not way to handle smelly problem - The Boston Globe

2008-07-10T20:35:00.000-07:00

Care package not way to handle smelly problem - The Boston Globe

'Tell me about yourself' response is important

Q. I am actively looking for work, and the great news is that I am getting interviews. However, when the interviewer turns to me and says, "Why don't you tell me about yourself," I break out in a cold sweat and get heart palpitations. I never know exactly what they want me to talk about. I haven't had that exciting of a career. Frankly, I think I'm kind of boring. Sometimes I look over as I am talking and I can tell the interviewer is zoned out. Can you give me some help here?

A. Sure. This question is not meant to stump you, I assure you. Most interviewers ask it just to get the conversation going and think they are asking you something relatively easy to answer. However, I think your response is very important and can set the tone for the rest of the interview. I urge all readers to give your response great thought and practice, practice, practice your delivery.

I would start by focusing your answer on business-related activities with the exception of an interesting background fact that may help the interviewer remember you even after the 10th interview for the same job. For example, "I was born in Alaska but have lived in Boston all my adult life." The fact that you are from Alaska is quite unusual and will stick in the interviewer's mind. Other interesting factoids might be "After serving in the Peace Corps for four years, I moved to Boston." "Since I am one of eight kids, I learned very early how important self-sufficiency is." "I am originally from Guatemala so I speak fluent Spanish, but I also speak French, German, and of course, English."

Plan on one to two minutes to present your answer. That may not sound like enough time, but believe me, it is plenty. In this age of sound bites, you will be lucky if you keep someone's attention for the full time. The interviewer will go back to the points she wants to hear more about. Focus on presenting the interviewer with a snapshot of your career to date. Add your education if it makes you a stronger candidate for the job. If it does not add value, leave it out. Remember, if you don't think you are interesting, how will the interviewer? Talk with good energy and enthusiasm. You are selling you as a candidate so put a smile on your face and make good eye contact.

Here is a possible response for a "tell me about yourself" question from a banking representative interviewing for a branch manager's position:

"I grew up in Roxbury and had my first job at 18 as a teller at the neighborhood bank. I worked 30 hours a week and went to UMass Boston at night for my bachelor's degree. I realized I was really good with the customers. I remembered their names, and many started to ask for me whenever they came to the bank. I liked to problem solve with them if they could not balance their checkbooks or figure out their statements. My boss recognized that I was really good at my job and after two years, promoted me to banking representative. I liked that job a lot because I could get to know my customers really well and made recommendations about other products that I thought would be a fit for them. After a few months, a lot of the staff would come to me to ask questions because they knew I would know the answer. I left the bank when I had my first child, but now I am ready to return to work, and I am very excited. I am ready to take on the next level of responsibility which would be to manage the branch, and when I saw this ad, I thought it sounded like a perfect fit."

This is a fairly short response but it tells the interviewer a lot of information. First, she has relevant experience and was promoted twice in a relatively short time period. Second, she is good with customers and was seen as knowledgeable by the staff. Third, she is excited to return to work.

Obviously, if you have been working over 30 years, you want to highlight jobs that are relevant to the current job you are interviewing for. The "tell me about yourself" presentation is an important step in gaining the interest of the interviewer if it is done thoughtfully, crisply, and with good energy.

The key is to plan and practice ahead of time so your delivery sets just the right tone. And don't forget that all important eye contact. It is a must.

Father Son Combos

2008-05-30T12:44:00.000-07:00

Blogger: IdlyVadai - இட்லிவடை - Post a Comment: தந்தை மகன் நடிப்புலகில் - சிவாஜி-பிரபு, எம்.ஆர்.ராதா - ராதாரவி, சத்யராஜ் - சிபிராஜ், முத்துராமன் - கார்த்திக், டி.ராஜேந்தர் - சிம்பு, டி.எஸ்.பாலையா - ஜூனியர் பாலையா, நாகேஷ் - ஆனந்த்பாபு (எப்படி இருக்கார் இப்போ?), எஸ்.வி.சேகர் - அஸ்வின், பாக்யராஜ்- சாந்தனு, விஜயகுமார் - அருண்விஜய்,

Is Maharashtra heading for a Big riot? - Covert

2008-05-30T12:43:00.000-07:00

Today on Biztech2: "Periscope :: mubasshir mushtaq reports from malegaon"

In Belfast, fences are still best neighbors - The Boston Globe

2008-05-30T12:42:00.000-07:00

In Belfast, fences are still best neighbors - The Boston Globe

Blogger: Post a Comment

2008-04-05T05:25:00.000-07:00

Blogger: சசியின் டைரி - Post a Comment

கார்த்திக்...

---பாபா, கமண்ட் போட்டு ஒத்துக்கொள்வதற்கு நன்றி ;---

என்ன ஒத்துக் கொண்டேன்?

ஹிந்துவில் வரும் எல்லாக் இடுகைகளும் மோசம் என்றா? அப்படிப்பட்ட புரிதல் வந்தது என்றால், இல்லை என்று சொல்லிவிடுகிறேன்

சசி,

இப்பொழுது தான் ஹிந்து குறித்து உங்களுக்கு புரிகிறது போலும் ?

இந்தியர்களை வெறுக்கும் நியூ யார்க் டைம்ஸ்; தமிழர்களை வெறுக்கும் அவுட்லுக்; குப்பையை போடும் டைம்ஸ் ஆஃப் இந்தியா -- என்று எல்லா நாளிதழ்களைக் குறித்தும் (பதிவர்களைக் குறித்தும்தான்) குற்றச்சாட்டுகள் அம்பலப்படுகின்றன.

அதற்காக நான் எழுதுவதை மட்டும்தான் படிப்பேன் . பிடித்த கருத்துகளைத்தான் வாசிப்பேன் என்று விட்டுவிட முடியாது.

குறைந்தபட்சம் அதற்காகவாவது நான் பல்லவி ஐயருக்கு நன்றி சொல்லி விடுகிறேன்

பெரும்பாலாக ஜனநாயகக் கட்சி (இடது சாரி?) சித்தாந்தமுடைய பாஸ்டன் க்ளோபில் கூட வலது சாரி (குடியரசு) சார்புடைய பத்தி எழுத்தாளர் ஒருத்தர் (ஒருத்தரே ஒருவர்) எழுதி வருகிறார்.

அந்த மாதிரி மாற்றுக் கருத்துகளை மட்டுமே கொண்ட இதழாக இருந்தாலும் எப்பொழுதாவது இன்னொரு பக்கத்தை விவரிப்பார்கள் என்னும் நம்பிக்கை கொன்டும்; மாற்றுக் கருத்துகளை உணர்வதற்காகவும் வாசிக்க கிடைப்பதையெல்லாம் முடிந்தவரை வாசிப்பது பழக்க தோஷமாகிவிட்டது :)
-------

திபெத் குறித்த இடுகை ஹிந்து நாளிதழ் குறித்து திசை திரும்புவது குறித்து :((((

கார்த்திக்,

தொடர்பான என்னுடைய முந்தைய பதிவுகள்:

1. Unsettling history of assassinations (Rajiv et al) « Snap Judgment

2. ஒரு கதை; ஒரு புத்தகம்; இரு தலைவர்கள் - விடுதலை தராத புலிகள்

3. ஈழம், விடுதலைப்புலிகள், இலங்கை - தமிழ்நாடு தமிழனின் பார்வை

4. மாலனின் தினமணிக் கட்டுரை - எதிர்வினை மற்றும் திருமாவளவனுக்கு ஆதரவாக தொடர்பாக

இவற்றையும் வாசித்து்து, தெளிவுறவைத்தால் பயன்பெறுவேன்.

The Hindu : Obituary News : Monday, March 17, 2008

2008-03-17T08:27:00.000-07:00

The Hindu : Obituary News : Monday, March 17, 2008: "Mr S. KRISHNAMURTHY (93)(Sankaragurukulam) Retd Accounts Officer P&T, S/o.Late Brahmasri Sastra Ratnakaram Thethiyur Subrahmanya Sastrigal attained Sivaloka prapthi at 5-45 p.m. on 16-03-2008. The last rites at 10-00 a.m. on 17-03-2008. Address C-2 Sarad a Apartments Door No-17 Jeth Nagar First Street, Chennai-600028. Cell: 9381803716,9840302283,9884971903."

5 Keys to Better Personal Correspondence

2008-02-16T09:52:00.000-08:00

Q&A!: "Do you ever screw up? To wish it hadn't happened is a typical reaction, but not much of an action plan. It's better to know how to make a really effective apology that doesn't come across as what Daniel Kramer-Moore and Michael Moore, in the Journal of General Semantics article "Pardon me for breathing: Seven types of apology", call "sarcastic intimations of blame." According to The Perfect Apology, if you're truly interested in making amends, you need to understand and apply the science and art of a proper apology. The science is "the list of ingredients you need to combine when crafting the most effective apology for your case." It includes a detailed account of the situation, acknowledgement of the damage done, taking responsibility for the situation, recognition of your role in the event, a statement of regret, asking for forgiveness, a promise that it won't happen again, and, when possible, restitution. The art side of apologizing is how you present and deliver your apology. "In other words, although every apology should include the same elements," they say, "the level of playfulness, formality, or romance you bring to it should be dictated by the recipient, the relationship that you have with them, and the nature of the infraction."

In her book Men, Women and Politeness, Janet Holmes discusses the differences in how and how often women and men apologize. Apology also plays an important role on the global stage. To discover how, read Raymond Cohen's discussion of "Apology and Reconciliation in International Relations in Yaacov Bar-Siman-Tov's book From Conflict Resolution to Reconciliation. Since to err is human, it's lucky that Questia offers plenty of resources on apologizing. Not to check it out would be a mistake."

Avoiding the Most Common Search Mistakes

2008-02-16T09:51:00.000-08:00

Q&A!

Search results that miss the mark are usually due to operator error. Put another way, you're more likely to find what you want when you make a good query.

BrightPlanet, an organization which offers tools and guidelines for searching deep Web content, identifies several common search mistakes including the following:

* Misspellings. "If the searcher issues a misspelled query term, that is what is searched for. So, recognize that computers are stupid and guard against these mistakes yourself. Sloppy entry of query terms will cause you time and frustration."

* Redundant Terms. "Limit your keywords to six to eight. Check to make sure you're not duplicating 'levels' in your terms. You can generally spot redundant terms by asking the question, "Is this term already covered by another term?" If the answer is yes, pick the term at the appropriate level and discard the other one."

* Alternate Spellings. "As a searcher you should be aware that many common terms — colour/color, organise/organize, behaviour/behavior — may differ in spelling between these two forms. If you suspect that a keyword in your queries may have alternate spellings, we advise you to treat these alternates in the same way you handle synonyms, listing both forms in an OR Boolean expression. "

* Improper Boolean or Complicated Construction. The four pitfalls you may encounter here are "Excessive nesting or terms, which search services may not process in all instances and which may not achieve what you want the query to do; unintended results from combining the AND and OR operators; improper (and unintended) use of the AND NOT operator, and unbalanced parentheses."

Learn the "How-to's" of Apologizing

2008-02-16T09:50:00.000-08:00

Q&A!: "In this era of text messaging, a handwritten note is a real standout. There's no mystery to writing any kind of letter – of congratulations, undying love, sympathy, thanks or apology (see the lead article in this newsletter) – if you know the basic elements of personal correspondence."

1. Keep it short and to the point.
Letters involving business (personal or corporate) should be concise, factual, and focused. Try to never exceed one page or you will be in risk of losing your reader. A typical letter page will hold 350 to 450 words. If you can't get your point across with that many words you probably haven't done enough preparatory work. If necessary, call the recipient on the phone to clarify any fuzzy points and then use the letter just to summarize the overall situation.

2. Focus on the recipient's needs.
While writing the letter, focus on the information requirements of your audience, the intended addressee. If you can, in your "mind's eye" imagine the intended recipient seated across a desk or boardroom table from you while you are explaining the subject of the letter. What essential information does that person need to know through this communication? What will be their expectations when they open the letter? Have you addressed all of these?

3. Use simple and appropriate language.
Your letter should use simple straightforward language, for clarity and precision. Use short sentences and don't let paragraphs exceed three or four sentences. As much as possible, use language and terminology familiar to the intended recipient. Do not use technical terms and acronyms without explaining them, unless you are certain that the addressee is familiar with them.

4. Re-read and revise it.
Do a first draft of the letter, and then carefully review and revise it. Put yourself in the place of the addressee. Imagine yourself receiving the letter. How would you react to it? Would it answer all of your questions? Does it deal with all of the key issues? Are the language and tone appropriate? Sometimes reading it out loud to one's self, can be helpful. When you actually "hear" the words it is easy to tell if it "sounds" right, or not.

5. Check spelling and grammar.
A letter is a direct reflection of the person sending it, and by extension, the organization that person works for. When the final content of the letter is settled, make sure that you run it through a spelling and grammar checker. Sending a letter with obvious spelling and grammar mistakes looks sloppy and unprofessional. In such cases, the recipient can't really be blamed for seeing this as an indication as to how you (and your organization) probably do most other things.

IBM, Red Hat Unveil Algorithm Trading Product

2007-09-17T11:44:00.000-07:00

IBM, Red Hat Unveil Algorithm Trading Product: "'to help financial-services firms take advantage of accelerated streaming data, real-time analytics and complex multi-path calculations in real-time trading and risk environments.'"

5-MINUTE MANAGEMENT COURSE

2007-04-06T23:24:00.000-07:00

Lesson 1:
A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her
shower, when the doorbell rings.
The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs. When she
opens the door, there stands Bob, the next-door neighbor.
Before she says a word, Bob says, "I'll give you $800 to drop that
towel, "
After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked
in front of Bob After a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 and leaves.
The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs.
When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, "Who was that?"
"It was Bob the next door neighbor," she replies.
"Great," the husband says, "did he say anything about the $800 he owes
me?"

Moral of the story
> If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with
your shareholders in time,you may be in a position to prevent avoidable
exposure.

Lesson 2:

A priest offered a Nun a lift. She got in and crossed her legs, forcing
her gown to reveal a leg. The priest nearly had an accident. After
controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg.
The nun said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?"
The priest removed his hand. But, changing gears, he let his hand slide
up her leg again.
The nun once again said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?"
The priest apologized "Sorry sister but the flesh is weak."
Arriving at the convent, the nun sighed heavily and went on her way.
On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129 It
said, "Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory."

Moral of the story
> If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great
opportunity.

Lesson 3:

A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to
lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie comes out.
The Genie says, "I'll give each of you just one wish."
"Me first! Me first!" says the admin clerk. "I want to be in the
Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world."
Puff! She's gone.
"Me next! Me next!" says the sales rep. "I want to be in Hawaii,
relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina
Coladas and the love of my life."
Puff! He's gone.
"OK, you're up," the Genie says to the manager.
The manager says, "I want those two back in the office after lunch."

Moral of the story
> Always let your boss have the first say.

Lesson 4:

An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing. A small rabbit
saw the eagle and asked him, "Can I also sit like you and do nothing?"
The eagle answered: "Sure , why not."
So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested. All of a
sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

Moral of the story
> To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high
up.

Lesson 5:

A turkey was chatting with a bull. "I would love to be able to get to
the top of that tree," sighed the turkey,"but I haven't got the
energy."
"Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?" replied the bull.
They're packed with nutrients."
The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him
enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree.
The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch.
Finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of
the tree. He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.

Moral of the story
> BullShit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there.

Lesson 6:

A little bird was flying south for the Winter.It was so cold the bird
froze and fell to the ground into a large field. While he was lying there, a
cow came by and dropped some dung on him. As the frozen bird lay there in
the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was. The dung was
actually thawing him out! He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to
sing for joy.
A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate.
Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow
dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.

Morals of this story
> (1) Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy.
> (2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.
> (3) And when you're in deep shit, it's best to keep your mouth shut!

Anger Management

2007-04-01T21:11:00.000-07:00

When you occasionally have a really bad day, and you just need to take it out on someone, don't take it out on someone you know, take it out on someone you don't know.

I was sitting at my desk when I remembered a phone call I'd forgotten to make. I found the number and dialed it. A man answered, saying "Hello."

I politely said, "This is Chris. Could I please speak with Robyn Carter?"

Suddenly a manic voice yelled out in my ear "Get the right f***ing number!" and the phone was slammed down on me. I couldn't believe that anyone could be so rude. When I tracked down Robyn's correct number to call her, I found that I had accidentally transposed the last two digits.

After hanging up with her, I decided to call the 'wrong' number again.

When the same guy answered the phone, I yelled, "You're an asshole!" and hung up. I wrote his number down with the word 'asshole' next to it, and put it in my desk drawer. Every couple of weeks, when I was paying bills or had a really bad day, I'd call him up and yell, "You're an asshole!" It always cheered me up.

When Caller ID was introduced, I thought my therapeutic 'asshole' calling would have to stop. So, I called his number and said, "Hi, this is John Smith from the telephone company. I'm calling to see if you're familiar with our Caller ID Program?"

He yelled "NO!" and slammed down the phone. I quickly called him back and said, "That's because you're an asshole!" and hung up.

One day I was at the store, getting ready to pull into a parking Spot. Some guy in a black BMW cut me off and pulled into the spot I had patiently waited for. I hit the horn and yelled that I'd been waiting for that spot, but the idiot ignored me. I noticed a "For Sale" sign in his back window, so I wrote down his number.

A couple of days later, right after calling the first asshole (I had his number on speed dial,) I thought that I'd better call the BMW asshole, too.

I said, "Is this the man with the black BMW for sale?"

He said, "Yes, it is." I asked, "Can you tell me where I can see it?" He said, "Yes, I live at 34 Oaktree Blvd , in Fairfax . It's a yellow rambler, and the car's parked right out in front."

I asked, "What's your name?"

He said, "My name is Don Hansen,"

I asked, "When's a good time to catch you, Don?"

He said, "I'm home every evening after five."

I said, "Listen, Don, can I tell you something?"

He said, "Yes?"

I said, "Don, you're an asshole!"

Then I hung up, and added his number to my speed dial, too. Now, when I had a problem, I had two assholes to call.

Then I came up with an idea. I called asshole #1.

He said, "Hello."

I said, "You're an asshole!" (But I didn't hang up.)

He asked, "Are you still there?"

I said, "Yeah,"

He screamed, "Stop calling me,"

I said, "Make me,"

He asked, "Who are you?"

I said, "My name is Don Hansen."

He said, "Yeah? Where do you live?" I said, "Asshole, I live at 34 Oaktree Blvd , in Fairfax, a yellow rambler, I have a black Beamer parked in front."

He said, "I'm coming over right now, Don. And you had better start saying your prayers."

I said, "Yeah, like I'm really scared, asshole," and hung up.

Then I called Asshole #2.

He said, "Hello?"

I said, "Hello, asshole,"

He yelled, "If I ever find out who you are..."

I said, "You'll what?"

He exclaimed, "I'll kick your ass,"

I answered, "Well, asshole, here's your chance. I'm coming over right now."

Then I hung up and immediately called the police, saying that I lived at 34 Oaktree Blvd., in Fairfax, and that I was on my way over there to kill my gay lover.

Then I called Channel 9 News about the gang war going down in Oaktree Blvd. in Fairfax .

I quickly got into my car and headed over to Fairfax . I got there just in time t o watch two assholes beating the crap out of each other in front of six cop cars, an overhead news helicopter and surrounded by a news crew.

NOW I feel much better.

Anger management really does work.

Dravid ..

2007-03-29T16:15:00.000-07:00

After the shameful defeat of Team India,
the team members were not able to show their faces to people and they
chose not to go in public and rather just pack up in hotel rooms.

Dravid could not resist for too long to be in the hotel room
and still not be able to go out shopping. So he disguises himself
as a Sardar and goes out. He meets a woman at the exit of the hotel who
greets him "Hi Dravid!"

Surprised for having been caught he comes back and makes himself up as
amuslim woman - in Burkha etc and goes out. Yet the same woman greets
him "Hi Dravid!".

Dravid comes back determined to give it yet another try with the make up
of a Hippie wig and shorts etc. All in vain, the same lady catches him
again and greets him "Hi Dravid!".

Bewildered by now, he could not help asking, "How did you recognise me?"

The lady replied - "I am Sachin!"

THIS IS A QUIZ

2007-03-28T08:59:00.000-07:00

This is a quiz for people who know everything! I found out in a hurry that I didn't. These are not trick questions. They are straight questions with straight answers.

1. Name the one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends.

2. What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward?

3. Of all vegetables, only two can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be replanted every year. What are the only two perennial vegetables?

4. What fruit has its seeds on the outside?

5. In many liquor stores, you can buy pear brandy, with a real pear inside the bottle. The pear is whole and ripe, and the bottle is genuine; it hasn't been cut in any way. How did the pear get inside the bottle?

6. Only three words in standard English begin with the letters "dw" and they are all common words. Name two of them.

7. There are 14 punctuation marks in English grammar. Can you name at least half of them?

8. Name the only vegetable or fruit that is never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form except fresh.

9. Name 6 or more things that you can wear on your feet beginning with the letter "S."

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1. The one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends Boxing

2. North American landmark constantly moving backward . Niagara Falls (The rim is worn down about two and a half feet each year because of the millions of gallons of water that rush over it every minute.)

3. Only two vegetables that can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons . . Asparagus and rhubarb.

4. The fruit with its seeds on the outside . . Strawberry.

5. How did the pear get inside the brandy bottle? It grew inside the bottle (The bottles are placed over pear buds when they are small, and are wired in place on the tree. The bottle is left in place for the entire growing season. When the pears are ripe, they are snipped off at the stems.)

6. Three English words beginning with dw. Dwarf, dwell and dwindle.

7. Fourteen punctuation marks in English grammar . . Period, comma, colon, semicolon, dash, hyphen, apostrophe, question mark, exclamation point, quotation marks, brackets, parenthesis, braces, and ellipses.

8. The only vegetable or fruit never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form but fresh. Lettuce.

9. Six or more things you can wear on your feet beginning with "s". Shoes, socks, sandals, sneakers, slippers, skis, skates, snowshoes, stockings, stilts.

Celebration means......

2007-03-22T12:23:00.000-07:00

Celebration means......

Four friends.

Bahar barsaat.

Four glasses of beer.

Celebration means......

Hundred bucks of petrol.

A rusty old bike.

And an open road.

Celebration means......

Maggi noodles.

A hostel room.

4.25 a.m.

Celebration means......

3 old friends.

3 separate cities.

3 coffee mugs.

1 internet messenger.

Celebration means......

Rain on a hot tin roof.

Pakoras deep-frying.

Neighbours dropping in.

A party.

Celebration means......

You and mom.

A summer night.

A bottle of coconut oil.

A head massage.

You can spend

Hundreds on birthdays,

Thousands on festivals,

Lakhs on weddings,

but to celebrate

all you have to do is spend your Time with your loved ones.

april is coming...101 ways of making ppl fool.....

2007-03-22T11:57:00.000-07:00

April first is coming�

So here are some great ideas� Have a look and fool your friends now�

This is one of them, remaining 100 I will mail u later

crazy theories on the cricket world cup

2007-03-22T06:17:00.000-07:00

crazy theories on the cricket world cup

Why India lost World cup final 2003 ?????????

***********Very serious matter **********

Reason:

Just in case you were still wondering as to why India lost the final of the
2003 world cup after playing so well in the league games, probably here lies the answer.....

The teams that qualified for the super six stage...

India , Sri Lanka , Australia , New Zealand , Kenya ,Zimabawe .

Note there are two teams each from the continents of Asia ,Australasia &
Africa resp .

The teams that have the last alphabet "a" in their names qualified for the
semifinals viz.

Indi'a' , Australi'a' , Keny'a' & Sri Lank'a'.

The teams that have alphabets "ia" at the last of their name qualified for
the Final i.e

Ind "ia" & Austral"ia ".

Now,

Kisne World Cup ''lia'' - Austra"lia"

Kisne World Cup "dia" - In"dia"

Tamil Actress Birth Dates, Ages, Sun signs

2007-03-21T09:37:00.000-07:00

Very important for india??????? - muthamilmantram | Google Groups

"Sivaji" fame Shriya 11th September 1982 * *

"Ghilli" fame Trisha 4 th May, 1983 **

"Ghajini" fame Asin 26th October 1985 * *

Mrs. Jyothika Surya 18th October 1978 * *

"Ice" Aishwarya Rai 1 st November 1973 * *

"Tamizhan" fame Priyanka Chopra 18 th July 1982 * *

"Taj Mahal" fame Riya Sen 24th January 1981 * *

"Vallavan Neelambari" Reema Sen 29 th October 1981 * *

"Nenjinele" fame Ishaa Koppikar 19 th September 1976 * *

"Kovil patti Veera lakshmi" fame Simran 4 th April 1976 * *

"Engal Anna" fame Namitha 10th May 1971 *
*

"Super Star Jodi" Nayantara 8th November 1984 *
*

"Kadhal" fame Sandhya 1989 **

"Azhagi errukrai Bayamai Erukkiradhu" fame Mallika Kapoor 25 th April 1987

*

"Mouna Raagam" fame Revathi 8th July 1966 *

*

Mrs. Shalini Ajith Kumar 20th November 1980 * *

"Kedi" fame Ileana 19th August 1987 * *

Shilpa Shetty 8th June 1975 * *

"Kadhal Kondane" fame Soniya Agarwal 28th March, 1982 * *

"Minsara Kanavu" fame Kajol 5th August 1975 * *

"Vattarram" fame Kirat Bhattal 26 th January, 1985 **

"Attahasam" fame Pooja 25th June 1981* *

"Dhenna" fame Laila24th October 1980 * *

"Bombay" fame Manisha Koirala 16 th August 1970 **

"Ex. C.M." Jayalalithaa 24th February 1948 *

*

Mrs. Kushboo Sundar.C 29TH September 1970 * *

"Vala Meenu" fame Malavika 19 th July 1979 *
*
"Run" fame Meera Jasmine 15th February 1984 * *

"Sullan" fame Sindhu Tolani 19th July 1983 *
*

"Citizen" fame Vashundhara Das 1978 * *

"Ever Green" Meena 16 th September, 1979 (?) *
*

Shobhana 21st March, 1970 * *

"Achi" Manorama 26 th May 1943 * *

Hema Malini 16 th October 1948 * *

Mrs. Suhasini Mani Ratnam 15th August 1961 *

ISITC

2007-03-21T08:26:00.000-07:00

Industry Standardization for Institutional Trade Communication - International Operations Association

BlackRock, Sungard, Washington Mutual, Citigroup, Fidelity, JP Morgan, Merrill Lynch, Susquehanna, E*Trade, Charles River Development, Linedata, Reuters, UNX, EZE Castle, The Capital Group, Finetex, GE Asset Management, Trading Technologies, FlexTrade, Calyon, MarketAxess , Liquidnet - 1FinancialSt.com

Interesting facts-GOOD ONE

2007-03-20T06:02:00.000-07:00

1. Chewing on gum while cutting onions can help a person from stop producing tears. Try it next time you chop onions.

2. Until babies are six months old, they can breathe and swallow at the same time. Indeed convenient!

3. Offered a new pen to write with, 97% of all people will write their own name.

4. Male mosquitoes are vegetarians. Only females bite.

5. The average person's field of vision encompasses a 200-degree wide angle.

6. To find out if a watermelon is ripe, knock it, and if it sounds hollow then it is ripe.

7. Canadians can send letters with personalized postage stamps showing their own photos on each stamp.

8. Babies' eyes do not produce tears until the baby is approximately six to eight weeks old.

9. It snowed in the Sahara Desert in February of 1979.

10. Plants watered with warm water grow larger and more quickly than plants watered with cold water.

11. Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times.

12. Grapes explode when you put them in the microwave.

13. Those stars and colours you see when you rub your eyes are called phosphenes.

14. Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing.

15. Everyone's tongue print is different, like fingerprints.

16. Contrary to popular belief, a swallowed chewing gum doesn't stay in the gut. It will pass through the system
and be excreted.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dil_say_dil_tuk/join?
17. At 40 Centigrade a person loses about 14.4 calories per hour by breathing.

18. There is a hotel in Sweden built entirely out of ice; it is rebuilt every year.

19. Cats, camels and giraffes are the only animals in the world that walk right foot, right foot, left foot, left foot, rather than right foot, left foot.

20. Onions help reduce cholesterol if eaten after a atty meal.

21. The sound you hear when you crack your knuckles is actually the sound of nitrogen gas bubbles bursting.

Indian cricket team!! - Jokes

2007-03-20T05:58:00.000-07:00

What did the spectator miss when he went to the toilet?
The entire Indian Innings.

Where do Indian batsmen perform there best?
In Advertisements.

When would Agarkar have 100 runs against his name?
When he is bowling.

What is the most proficient form of footwork displayed by Indian batsmen?
The walk back to the pavilion.

How to increase the chances of Indian batsmen playing out the entire 50 overs?
Try giving them two innings to begin with, then try three and so on.

What is the Indian version of a hat-trick?
3 runs in 3 balls

What is the height of optimism ?
Sehwag coming out to bat applying sunscreen on his face.

============ ========= ========= ====
Phone Call for Sehwag:
Indian Team Manager : "Hello"(over Phone)
Wife :"Can I talk to Sehwag, this is his wife."
Indian Team Manager:"Sorry,he is just going to bat"
Wife:"No Problem Manager, I will Hold on"

============ ========= ========= ====
DIVORCE COURT SCENE :
The Judge (J.) asks the little girl (LG):
Now that your parents are getting divorced do you want to live with your mummy?
LG - No, my mummy beats me.
J. - Well then, I guess you want to live with your daddy.
LG - No, my daddy beats me too.
J. - Well then, who do you want to live with?
LG - I want to live with the Indian Cricket team, they never beat anybody !!!

A different Love letter and a beautiful reply to it.

2007-03-12T09:59:00.000-07:00

A different Love Letter

A different Love letter and a beautiful reply to it.

A teenage college guy sent a love letter (in Q/A format) to his classmate.

My Dearest Reshma,

Please answer the following questionnaire. For Options

(A) 10 marks,
(b) 5marks and
(c) 3 marks.

**********

1) Whenever you enter the class room, your sight always falls on me because:

(a) of love
(b) you couldn't control seeing me
(c) really ... Am I doing it?

**********

2) Whenever professor cracks joke, you laugh and turn and look at me because:

(a) you always like to see me smiling
(b) you are testing whether I like jokes
(c) you are attracted by my smile

**********

3) When you were singing in the class, I entered and immediately you stopped singing because:

(a) you are so coy to sing before me
(b) my presence influenced you
(c) you feared that whether I'll like your song

**********

4) When you were showing your childhood photo, when I asked for it, you hide it because:

(a) you felt ashamed
(b) you felt uneasy
(c) you don't know

**********

5) During trekking, myself and my friend gave you hand for lifting you and you took only my friend's because:

(a) you enjoyed my disappointment
(b) you won't feel leaving my hand after grabbing
(c) you don't know

**********

6) You were waiting yesterday for bus and didn't get into your bus...

(a) you were waiting for me
(b) you were dreaming about me and didn't notice the bus
(c) that bus was crowded

**********

7) You introduced me to your parents when they came to college because:

(a) I am going to be your groom
(b) you just want to know what your parents think about me
(c) just you felt like introducing me to them

**********

8) I told that I like girls wearing roses. Next day, you came with a rose on your head because:

(a) to fulfill my wish
(b) you like roses
(c) by chance you got a rose

**********

9) On that day, it was my birthday. You too came to temple early at 6:00 A.M because:

(a) you want to pray along with me
(b) you want to meet me before any one could meet on my birthday
(c) you want to wish me at temple because you are spiritual.

**********

If you have scored more than 40, then you are loving me. Don't delay in expressing it.

If you have scored between 30 and 40, love is budding in your heart and it's getting ready to bloom. If you have scored less than 30, you are in confusion whether to love me or not.

Eagerly awaiting your reply..

Love, Aakash

************ *********

Reshma's reply letter was also in Q/A format ........

Aakash ,

Please answer the following Yes/No questionnaire.

**********

1) If somebody sits in the first row, normally people entering the class, sees them.

(a) Yes (b) No

**********

2) If a girl laughs and looks anyone, is it love?

(a) Yes (b) No

**********

3) While singing, if somebody forgets lines of the songs, will he/she stop singing or not?

(a) Yes (b) No

**********

4) I was showing to my friends (who are all girls) my childhood photo.

You poked your nose inside..... Right ?

(a) Yes (b) No

**********

5) I avoided to hold your hand during trekking. Couldn't you understand yet?

(a) Yes (b) No

**********

6) Should I not wait for my best friend (Anjali ) at the bus stand?

(a)Yes (b) No

**********

7) Shouldn't I introduce you to my parents as a friend?

(a) Yes (b) No

**********

8) You have said you also like Lotus, cauliflower, banana's flower. Is it true ?

(a) Yes (b) No

**********

9) Oh was that your birthday. That's why I could see you in temple. I come daily to Temple. Do you know ?

(a) Yes (b) No

If you have answered "Yes" to any of the question, then I am not loving you. If you have answered "No", then you don't know the meaning of Love.

Hope everything is clear to you .

26 REASONS WHY MEN HAVE 2 DOGS AND NOT TWO WIVES

2007-03-09T03:23:00.000-08:00

1. The later you come home the more excited your dogs are to see you.

2. Dogs will forgive you for playing with other dogs.

3. If a dog is gorgeous, other dogs don`t hate it.

4. Dogs don`t notice if you call them by another dog`s name.

5. Dogs like it if you leave a lot of things on the floor.

6. A dog`s parents never visit.

7. Dogs do not hate their bodies.

8. Dogs agree that you have to raise your voice to get your point across.

9. Dogs like to do their snooping outside rather than in your wallet or desk.

10. Dogs seldom outlive you.

11. Dogs can`t talk.

12. You never have to wait for a dog; they`re ready to go 24 hours a day.

13. Dogs find you amusing when you`re drunk.

14. Dogs like to go hunting and fishing.

15. Another man will seldom steal your dog.

16. A dog will not wake you up at night to ask, "If I died, would you get another dog?"

17. If a dog has babies, you can put an ad in the paper and give them away.

18. A dog will let you put a studded collar and a leash on it without calling you a pervert.

19. A dog won`t hold out on you to get a new car.

20. If a dog smells another dog on you, they don`t get mad. They just think it`s interesting.

21. On a car trip, your dog never insists on running the heater.

22. Dogs don`t let magazine articles guide their lives.

23. When your dog gets old, you can have it put to sleep.

24. Dogs like to ride in the back of a pickup truck.

25. Dogs are not allowed in Maceys, Bloomingdales or Neiman-Marcus.

And, last but not least:

26. If a dog leaves, it won`t take half of your stuff.

Few Definitions

2007-03-09T03:21:00.000-08:00

School: A place where Papa pays and Son plays.

Life Insurance: A contract that keeps you poor all your life so that
you can die Rich.

Nurse: A person who wakes u up to give you sleeping pills.

Marriage: It's an agreement in which a man loses his bachelor degree
and a woman gains her masters.

Divorce: Future tense of Marriage.

Tears: The hydraulic force by which masculine willpower is defeated by
feminine waterpower.

Lecture: An art of transferring information from the notes of the
Lecturer to the notes of the students without passing through "the minds of
either"

Conference: The confusion of one man multiplied by the number present.

Compromise: The art of dividing a cake in such a way that everybody
believes he got the biggest piece.

Dictionary : A place where success comes before work.

Conference Room : A place where everybody talks, nobody listens and
everybody disagrees later on.

Father: A banker provided by nature.

Criminal: A guy no different from the rest....except that he got
caught.

Boss: Someone who is early when you are late and late when you are
early.

Politician : One who shakes your hand before elections and your
Confidence after.

Doctor : A person who kills your ills by pills, and kills you by bills.

Classic: Books, which people praise, but do not read.

Smile: A curve that can set a lot of things straight.

Office: A place where you can relax after your strenuous home life.

Yawn: The only time some married men ever get to open their mouth.

Etc.: A sign to make others believe that you know more than you
actually do.

Committee : Individuals who can do nothing individually and sit to
decide that nothing can be done together.

Experience: The name men give to their mistakes.

Atom Bomb: An invention to end all inventions.

Philosopher: A fool who torments himself during life, to be spoken of when
dead.

Buzz word--marketing

2007-03-06T10:55:00.000-08:00

The buzz word in today's business world is MARKETING.

However, people often ask for a simple explanation of Marketing."

Well, here it is:

1. You're a woman and you see a handsome guy at a party. You go up to him

and say, "I'm fantastic in bed."

That's Direct Marketing.

2. You're at a party with a bunch of friends and see a handsome guy. One of

your friends goes up to him and, pointing at you, says, "She's fantastic in

bed."

That's Advertising.

3. You see a handsome guy at a party. You go up to him and get his telephone

number. The next day you call and say, "Hi, I'm fantastic in bed."

That's Telemarketing.

4. You see a guy at a party; you straighten your dress. You walk up to him

and pour him a drink. You say, "May I?" and reach up to straighten his tie,

brushing your breast lightly against his arm, and then say, "By the way, I'm

fantastic in bed."

That's Public Relations.

5. You're at a party and see a handsome guy. He walks up to you and says, "I

hear you're fantastic in bed."

That's Brand Recognition.

6. You're at a party and see a handsome guy. He fancies you, but you talk

him into going home with your friend.

That's a Sales Rep.

7. Your friend can't satisfy him so he calls you.

That's Tech Support.

8. You're on your way to a party when you realize that there could be

handsome men in all these houses you're passing., so you climb onto the roof of one

situated towards the center and shout at the top of your lungs, "I'm

fantastic in bed!"

That's Junk Mail.

9. You are at a party, this well-built man walks up to you and grabs your

ass.

That's the Governor of California .

10. You like it, but 20 years later your attorney decides you were offended.

That's America .

Thanks giving letter for chain letters

2007-02-28T15:02:00.000-08:00

I wanted to thank all my friends and family who have forwarded chain letters to me in last couple of years.

Because of your kindness:

* I stopped drinking Coca Cola after I found out that it's good for removing toilet stains.
* I stopped going to the movies for fear of sitting on a needle infected with AIDS.
* I smell like a wet dog since I stopped using deodorants because they cause cancer.
* I don't leave my car in the parking lot or any other place and sometimes I even have to walk about 3 Kms for fear that someone will drug me with a perfume sample and try to rob me.
* I also stopped answering the phone for fear that they may ask me to dial a stupid number and then I get a phone bill from hell with calls to Uganda, Singapore and Tokyo.
* I also stopped drinking anything! out of a can for fear that I will get sick from the rat feces and urine.
* When I go to parties, I don't look at any girl, no matter how hot she is, for fear that she will take me to a hotel, drug me then take my kidneys and leave me taking a nap in a bathtub full of ice.
* I also donated all my savings to the Amy Bruce account. A sick girl that was about to die in the hospital about 7,000 times. (Poor girl! she's been 7 since 1993...)
* I went bankrupt from bounced checks that I made expecting the $15,000
thatMicrosoft and AOL were supposed to send me when I participated in their special e-mail program would arrive soon.
* My free Nokia phone never arrived and neither did the free passes for a paid ! vacation to Disneyland.
* Still open to help some from Bulgaria who wants to use my account to transfer his uncle property of some hundred millions$.
* Made some Hundred wishes before forwarding those Ganesh Vandana Trupathi Balaji pics, etc.. now most of those 'Wishes' are already married (to someone else) !

George Bush Got a Parrot

2007-02-27T11:52:00.000-08:00

Laura Bush bought George a parrot for his birthday.

She told Dick Cheney, "The bird is so smart! George has already taught him to pronounce over 200 words!"

"Wow, that's pretty impressive," Cheney said. "But you do realize that he just says the words. He doesn't understand what they mean."

"That's okay," Laura replied. "Neither does the Parrot."

The Salt

2007-02-22T07:48:00.000-08:00

Once an unhappy young man came to an old master and told he was very sad and asked for a solution.

The old Master instructed the unhappy young man to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and then to drink it. "How does it taste?" the Master asked. "Awful," spat the apprentice. The Master chuckled and then asked the young man to take another handful of salt and put it in the lake. The two walked in silence to the nearby lake and when the apprentice swirled his handful of salt into the lake, the old man said, "Now drink from the lake."

As the water dripped down the young man's chin, the Master asked, "How does it taste?" "Good!" remarked the apprentice. "Do you taste the salt?" asked the Master. "No," said the young man. The Master sat beside this troubled young man, took his hands, and said,

"The pain of life is pure salt; no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains the same, exactly the same. But the amount we taste the 'pain' depends on the container we put it into. So when you are in pain, the only thing you can do is to enlarge your sense of things ..... Stop being a glass. Become a lake!"

Computer Keys with Life board

2007-02-21T11:33:00.000-08:00

1. **5 minutes ago you were traveling to office at 80 mph. in your brand new car. Now you are traveling to hospital at double the speed in an ambulance, you wish there was 'undo (ctrl + Z)' in life!

2. **You are already late, and your key is missing, you wish there was 'find tool (ctrl+F)' in life!

3. **You are a bankrupt, after investing in some weird business, you wish there was 'rebuild all' in life!

4. **The train is so crowded that you cannot get anywhere near that nice girl at the other end, You wish there was 'zoom & view full screen' in life!

5. **After marriage you realize that there is bound to be a mismatch, you wish there was an valuation period' or at least a 'sample download' or a 'demo version'!

6. **One day you realize that you are turning bald, you wish there was 'cut and paste (ctrl + X)/(ctrl + C)' in life!

And the best one is ..........

7. **The best part of the keyboard is U & I are together which is not always there in life......

GEOGRAPHY OF WOMEN

2007-02-20T06:51:00.000-08:00

Between 18 and 22, a woman is like Africa, half discovered, half wild, naturally beautiful with fertile soil.

Between 23 and 33, a woman is like Canada, well developed and open to trade, especially for someone with cash.

Between 33 and 43, a woman is like India; very hot, relaxed, and convinced of her own beauty.

Between 43 and 50, a woman is like France, gently aging but still warm and a desirable place to visit.

Between 51 and 59, a woman is like Great Britain, with a glorious and all conquering past.

Between 60 and 65, a woman is like Yugoslavia, lost the war and haunted by past mistakes.

Between 66 and 70, a woman is like Russia, very wide and borders are now unpatrolled.

After 70, she becomes Tibet. A mysterious past and the wisdom of the ages.... only those with an adventurous spirit and a thirst for spiritual knowledge visit there.

GEOGRAPHY OF MEN
Between 1 and 80, a man is like America - ruled by a dick

Meaning of M.P

2007-02-19T18:38:00.000-08:00

OFFICER----- --------- --------- --------- ---WHAT IS YOUR NAME ?

CANDIDATE--- --------- --------- --------- --M P. SIR

OFFICER----- --------- --------- --------- ----TELL ME PROPERLY

CANDIDATE--- --------- --------- --------- --MOHAN PAL SIR

OFFICER----- --------- --------- --------- ----YOUR FATHER'S NAME ?

CANDIDATE--- --------- --------- --------- ---M P. SIR

OFFICER----- --------- --------- --------- ----WHAT DOSE THAT MEAN ?

CANDIDATE--- --------- --------- --------- ---MANMOHAN PAL SIR

OFFICER----- --------- --------- --------- -----YOUR NATIVE PLACE

CANDIDATE--- --------- --------- --------- ---M P. SIR

OFFICER----- --------- --------- --------- -----IS IT MADHYA PRADESH ?

CANDIDATE--- --------- --------- --------- ---NO, MUNNUR PAL SIR

OFFICER----- --------- --------- --------- -----WHAT IS YOUR QUALIFICATION ?

CANDIDATE--- --------- --------- --------- ---M P. SIR

OFFICER----- --------- --------- --------- ----(ANGRILY) WHAT IS IT ?

CANDIDATE--- --------- --------- --------- -- METRIC PASS

OFFICER----- --------- --------- --------- ----WHY DO YOU NEED A JOB ?

CANDIDATE--- --------- --------- --------- --M P. SIR

OFFICER----- --------- --------- --------- ----AND WHAT DOSE THAT MEAN?

CANDIDATE--- --------- --------- --------- --MONEY PROBLEM SIR

OFFICER----- --------- --------- --------- ---DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY

CANDIDATE--- --------- --------- --------- -M P. SIR

OFFICER----- --------- --------- --------- --EXPLAIN YOURSELF CLEARLY

CANDIDATE--- --------- --------- --------MAGNANIM OUS PERSONALITY SIR

OFFICER----- --------- --------- --------- -THIS DISCUSSION IS NOWHERE, YOU

MAY GO NOW

CANDIDATE--- --------- --------- --------- M P. SIR

OFFICER----- --------- --------- --------- -WHAT IS IT NOW

CANDIDATE--- --------- --------- --------- MY PERFORMANCE. ...?

OFFICER----- --------- --------- --------- --M P!!!!

CANDIDATE--- --------- --------- --------- WHAT IS THAT SIR

OFFICER----- --------- --------- --------- --MENTALLY PUNCTURED

The Emperor

2007-02-08T07:39:00.000-08:00

An emperor in the Far East was growing old and knew it was time to choose his successor. Instead of choosing one of his assistants or his children, he decided something different. He called young people in the kingdom together one day. He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next emperor. I have decided to choose one of you."

The kids were shocked! But the emperor continued. "I am going to give each one of you a seed today. One very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it and come back here after one year from today with what you have grown from this one seed. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next emperor!"

One boy named Ling was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly told his mother the story. She helped him get a pot and planting soil, and he planted the seed and watered it carefully. Every day he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.

Ling kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks went by. Still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants but Ling didn't have a plant, and he felt like a failure. Six months went by, still nothing in Ling's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed.

Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Ling didn't say anything to his friends, however. He just kept waiting for his seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the youths of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection. Ling told his mother that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But honest about what happened, Ling felt sick to his stomach, but he knew his mother was right. He took his empty pot to the palace. When Ling arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other youths. They were beautiful in all shapes and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor and many of the other kinds laughed at him. A few felt sorry for him and just said, "Hey nice try."

When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people. Ling just tried to hide in the back. "What great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the emperor. "Today, one of you will be appointed the next emperor!" All of a sudden, the emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front. Ling was terrified. "The emperor knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me killed!"

When Ling got to the front, the Emperor asked his name. "My name is Ling," he replied. All the kids were laughing and making fun of him. The emperor asked everyone to quiet down. He looked at Ling, and then announced to the crowd, "Behold your new emperor! His name is Ling!" Ling couldn't believe it. Ling couldn't even grow his seed. How could he be the new emperor?

Then the emperor said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds, which would not grow. All of you, except Ling, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new emperor!"

If you plant honesty, you will reap trust.
If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.
If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.
If you plant perseverance, you will reap victory.
If you plant consideration, you will reap harmony.
If you plant hard work, you will reap success.
If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.
If you plant openness, you will reap intimacy.
If you plant patience, you will reap improvements.
If you plant faith, you will reap miracles.

But
If you plant dishonesty, you will reap distrust.
If you plant selfishness, you will reap loneliness.
If you plant pride, you will reap destruction.
If you plant envy, you will reap trouble.
If you plant laziness, you will reap stagnation.
If you plant bitterness, you will reap isolation.
If you plant greed, you will reap loss.
If you plant gossip, you will reap enemies.
If you plant worries, you will reap wrinkles.
If you plant sin, you will reap guilt.

It can happen only in Indian Movies

2007-01-22T19:55:00.000-08:00

Baghban: Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini are separated right after Holi remember Amitabh singing Holi khele Raghubeera?) . They are said to be separated for six months, ie from March to September. Within that six-month period, they celebrate Valentine's Day, which falls on February 14, and karva chauth, which is usually observed in October. There is no way these two occasions could come between March and September!

Lagaan: Lagaan was shot in the late 19th century. At the time, an over in cricket used to consist of 8 balls. But in this movie, an over has 6 balls. Maybe modern cricket learnt from the movie.

Amar Akbar Anthony : Three men donate blood at the same time to the same person.

Awwal Number: Dev Anand is an omnipotent genius -- former cricketer,captain, army chief, commissioner, you name it. And Aamir Khan carries a huge transistor in his pocket while batting!

Khalnayak: The police tracks the villain from an MS Word Document screen! something that office team will be interested in)

Pyar To Hona Hi Tha: Kajol gets off the train to use the public toilet at the railway station and the train chugs off without her. Poor girl,little did she know that every train compartment has four toilets inside.

Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi: Akshay Kumar boards a Jet Airways flight to America . Well, well, some promotion for our Indian Jet Airways. Since when did they start flying international?

Raja Hindustani: Navneet Nishan has short hair before marriage. After tying the knot, she acquires waist-length hair overnight. What a hair-raising experience!

Raja: Dilip Tahil empties a can of petrol over Madhuri Dixit. Minutes later, Sanjay Kapoor takes the same can and pours it over Dilip Tahil. That's what I call an autofill!

Guddu: Manisha Koirala and Shah Rukh Khan are seen hanging on a parachute during a song. But when the song ends, they land on a glider. What a switch above sea level!

Tere Mere Sapne: Priya Gill is doing her BA. But at the bus stop, she is carrying an electrical technology thesis by B L Theraja. What an electrifying interest!

Pencil Philosophy

2007-01-18T09:46:00.000-08:00

* Unless you are held by someone, You will not be useful..
So too, We should be held by a higher purpose..

* From time to time u will be sharpened, but don't treat it as a pain, only then you will be useful.
So too, existence will sharpen us from time to time don't be upset....

* What is out side not so important as compare to what is inside.. a Pencil lead
So too, what is inside us Love, Silence Goodness is more important
than the varsity outside..

* While using the user may commit mistakes, but you have the power to correct and rewrite..
So too, we commit mistakes, but we possess the power to correct and rewrite our lives...

* Wherever you go, you create a mark of uniqueness.
So like a pencil, let us leave our mark of goodness.... Wherever we go.........

Capitalism or Socialism

2007-01-17T10:23:00.000-08:00

OLD VERSION.....

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant's a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold.

MODERN VERSION

*The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, **building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant's a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away. Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.
NDTV, BBC, CNN show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper
next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with
food.*
The World is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?
Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house.
Medha Patkar** **goes on a fast alongwith other grasshoppers demanding that grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter.
Amnesty International and Koffi Annan criticizes the Indian Government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the grasshopper.
The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the grasshopper (many promising Heaven and Everlasting Peace for prompt support as against the wrath of God for non-compliance) .
Opposition MP's stage a walkout. Left parties call for "Bharat Bandh**" in **West Bengal** and **Kerala demanding a Judicial Enquiry. CPM in Kerala immediately passes a law preventing Ants from working hard in the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among ants and grasshoppers. *
*Lalu Prasad allocates one free coach to Grasshoppers on all **Indian Railway Trains, aptly named as the 'Grasshopper Rath'.*
*Finally, the Judicial Committee drafts the Prevention of **Terrorism Against Grasshoppers Act [POTAGA]", with effect from the beginning of the
winter.*
*The ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA and,* *having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the Government and handed over to the grasshopper in a ceremony covered by NDTV.
Arundhati Roy calls it "a triumph of justice". Lalu calls it 'Socialistic Justice'. CPM calls it the 'revolutionary resurgence of the downtrodden'
Koffi Annan invites the grasshopper to address the UN General Assembly.
Many years later...
The ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi billion dollar company in silicon valley. 100s of grasshoppers die of starvation somewhere in India...*

A Friend Is Like A Good Bra...

2007-01-08T08:23:00.000-08:00

A Friend Is Like A Good Bra...

Hard to Find

Supportive

Comfortable

Always Lifts You Up

Never Lets You Down or Leaves You Hanging

And Is Always Close To Your Heart!!!

A Very Happy New Year Wishes

2007-01-01T20:30:00.000-08:00

Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

-- Frank Outlaw

Girls are always incomplete without boys

2006-11-24T14:19:00.000-08:00

WOMAN has MAN in it

SHE has HE in it

Mrs. Has Mr. In it

LADY has LAD in it

MISTRESS has MISTER in it

MADAM has ADAM in it

HOSTESS has HOST in it

FEMALE has MALE in it so on the list is unending

So No need to proud.....
Girls are always incomplete without boys

Google Groups: Thamizmanam

2006-08-31T06:50:00.000-07:00

Google Groups: Thamizmanam

http://1paarvai.wordpress.com/2006/08/09/www-thenkoodu-com/

தேன்கூடு
தமிழ் வலைப்பதிவுகளின் இணையம்

இது ஒரு தமிழ் வலைப்பதிவுகள் திரட்டி. இங்கே எனது வலைப்பதிவையும், சிறிது
நாட்களுக்கு முன் தான் சேர்த்திருந்தேன். எனக்கு இப்படி
தேன்கூடுஎன்னும் வலைப்பதிவுகளைத் திரட்டும்
தளம் இருப்பதே தெரிந்திருக்கவில்லை.
தமிழ்மணம் - தமிழ் வலைப்பதிவுகளின் (blog) பட்டியல்
என்பது மட்டும் தான் அறிந்திருந்தேன். இதைவிட வலைப்பதிவு ஒன்றை இவ்வளவு இலகுவாக
உருவாக்கலாம் என்று கூட எனக்கு அண்மைக்காலம் வரை தெரிந்திருக்கவில்லை. கூகிள்
முத்தமிழ் குழுமத்தில் தான்
நண்பர்கள் எனக்கு இதை அறிமுகப்படுத்தினார்கள்.
தேன்கூடு- தமிழ் வலைப்பதிவுகளின் இணையம் -
இதில் எனது வலைப்பதிவை திடீரென்று அவர்களது
பட்டியலிலிருந்து அகற்றிவிட்டார்கள்.

நான் தொடங்கிய முதல் வலைப்பதிவு "ஒரு பார்வை "
அனைத்து விடயங்களைப் பற்றி எனது கருத்துக்களைத் தெரிவிக்கும் வலைப்பதிவாக
அமைத்தேன். அதனோடு எனது கணினி சம்பந்தமான துணுக்குகளையும் இடுவதுண்டு.

தமிழ்மணம் தளத்தில் எனது வலைப்பதிவை இணைத்த பின்பும்
எனது இடுகைகள் அவர்களது வலைத்தளத்தில் தெரியவில்லை. காரணம், எனது வலைப்பதிவு
WordPress.com என்னும் இயங்கு தளத்தில் இருக்கிறது.
தமிழ்மணம் தளத்தில் எனது வலைப்பதிவின் இடுகைகள்,
மற்றும் பின்னூட்டங்கள் தெரிய அவர்கள் வழங்கும் "'பதிவு' கருவிப்பட்டை" ஐ எனது
வலைப்பதிவில் நிறுவ வேண்டும். WordPress.com இயங்கு தளம் எந்த ஒரு JavaScript
(அ) template modification இற்கும் உரிமை அளிக்காத தளம். இதனால்,
தமிழ்மணம்தளத்தில் எனது வலைப்பதிவு
சேர்க்கப்பட்டிருந்தாலும் அதன் முழு உபயோகத்தைப்
பெறமுடியவில்லை.

இதற்காக blogspot.com இயங்கு தளத்திற்கு மாற்றலாம் என்று கூட சிந்திக்க
அரம்ப்பித்தேன். எனக்கு "WordPress" என்னும் பெயர் எனது கருத்தை வெளி உலகுக்கு
கொணரும் பெயராக பொருந்தி இருப்பதால், எனக்கு அதை விடவும் விருப்பமில்லாமல்
இருந்தது. அதைவிட வேறொரு விடையத்தையும் கவனித்தேன். தேடு தளங்களில் [search
engines] சில பொதுவான சொற்களைத் தேடும்போது கூட எனது வலைப்பதிவுகள் முதல்
பக்கத்திலேயே காணக்கண்டேன். அந்த சொற்கள் வேறு தளங்களில் மூல கருத்தாக
இருந்தும் கூட எனது தளம் முதலில் வருவது எனக்கு ஆச்சரியத்தைக் கொடுத்தன.
இதற்காக எனது தளத்தில் மேலதிகமாக நான் எதையும் நிறுவியது கிடையாது.
அப்படியானால், WordPress.com இதற்கான வேலையை செவ்வனே செய்கிறது. இதனால்,
WordPress.com ஐ விட்டு பிரியாமல் நின்றுவிட்டேன்.

அடுத்ததாக தேன்கூடு தளத்தைப் பற்றிக்
கேள்விப்பட்டு அங்கே எனது வலைப்பதிவை சேர்க்க வேண்டுகோள் விடுத்தேன். அடுத்த 24
மணி நேரத்திற்குள் இணைத்துவிட்டார்கள். இங்கே எனது புதிய இடுகைகள், நான்
எதையும் நிறுவாமல் (அ) சேர்த்துக்கொள்ளாமல், தானாகவே தெரிந்தன. எனக்கு மட்டற்ற
மகிழ்ச்சி.

அதன்பின் நான் எழுதும் ஒவ்வொரு புதிய இடுகைகளும்
தேன்கூடுதளத்தில் மலர்ந்தன. இப்படியான ஒரு
இடுகை தான் இப்போது எனது வலைப்பதிவு
அகற்றப்படுவதற்கும் காரணமாயிற்று.

நான் 2006/08/01 அன்று எழுதிய இடுகை " இந்தியாவின் புலி -
01".
இந்தியாவின் வெளிவிவகார செயற்பாடுகளும் புலிகளும் சம்பந்தமாக எழுதினேன். இதை
பார்த்த தேன்கூடு தள ஆளுநர்கள் எனது தளத்தை
அவர்களது பட்டியலிலிருந்து அகற்றி விட்டார்கள். எனக்கு இது தெரியவர நான்
2006/08/04 அன்று அவர்களுக்கு ஒரு மின்னஞ்சல் அனுப்பினேன்.

May I ask why have you deferred my blog?
ttp://1paarvai.wordpress.com/

அன்றே எனக்கு மறுமொழி வந்தது.

We will get back to you regarding this soon.

________,
Thenkoodu Portal Support.

அதன் பின் பல தடவைகள் அவர்களுக்கு மின்னஞ்சல் அனுப்பிவிட்டேன். எந்த காரணம்
சொல்லியும் எந்த பதிலும் இதுவரை வரவில்லை.

நான் எழுதியது எந்த இனத் துவேசமாகவோ, (அ) மதத் துவேசமாகவோ இல்லை. பல மதத் துவேச
வலைப்பதிவுகள் தேன்கூடு தளத்தில் இன்னும் புதிய இடுகைகளாக வந்து கொண்டு தான்
இருக்கின்றன. ஒரு ஈழத்தமிழனாக எனது மனக்குமுறலை எழுதியிருந்தேன். முஸ்லிம் -
இந்து துவேசம் எழுத தடையில்லை; இஸ்ரேல் - ஃகெஸ்புல்லா பற்றி எழுத தடையில்லை;
இந்தியா - பாகிஸ்தான் பற்றி எழுத தடையில்லை; புலி எதிர்ப்பு வலைத்தளங்கள்
அனுமதிக்கபடுகின்றன. ஆனால் இந்தியா - புலி பற்றி எழுத தடையா? புலிகள் பற்றிய
இடுகைகள் அனுமதிக்கப்படுகின்றன, ஆனால், புலிகளும் இந்தியாவும் பற்றி எழுத
மட்டுமே தடைபோல் தெரிகிறது.

எனது கணிப்பில், கீழே உள்ள வரிகள் தான் எனது வலைப்பூ அகற்றப்பட்டமைக்கு காரணம்
என்று தோன்றுகிறது.

"புலிகள் ராஜீவ் காந்தியை கொல்வதற்கு மூல காரணமே இந்தியா தான்! நாங்கள் வளர்த்த
புலிகள் எது சொன்னாலும் தலையை ஆட்டுவார்கள் என்று தப்புக் கணக்குப் போட்டு
புலிகளின் ஒப்புதல் இல்லாமலேயே இந்திய-இலங்கை ஒப்பந்தம் செய்யப்பட்டது. ஆயுத
ஒப்படைப்பின் பின் போராளிகளுக்கு பொது மன்னிப்புத் தரப்படும் என்று சொன்ன
இந்தியா புலி வீரர்கள் தற்கொலை செய்து கொள்ளக் காரணமாயிருந்தது. [இது பற்றிய
எனது இடுகை: ராஜீவ் காந்தியின் கொலை
தப்பா?
]"

உண்மை என்று மறைக்க முற்படுகிறார்களோ? நான் வேறோர் இடுகையில் எழுதியது சரி
என்று இது நிதர்சனமாக்குகிறது.

" இந்தியா தமிழனுக்கு உண்மையில் ஆதரவு அளிக்கவில்லை துரோகம் தான் செய்தது.
ஆனால், இந்த விசயம் இந்தியர்களுக்கு எட்டாத வண்ணம் இந்திய அரசாங்கமும்,
பார்ப்பனர்களே அதிகமாக இருப்பதால் [அண்மையில் வெளியான புள்ளி விபரம் சொல்கிறது]
எல்லா செய்தி ஊடகங்களும்
செய்துவிட்டன.
"

சரி ஏதோ தேன்கூடு தளத்தில் கோளாறு போல் இருக்கும்,
ஏன் சும்மா அலட்டிக்கொள்கிறீர்கள் என்று சொல்கிறீர்களா? அப்படி ஒரு மறுமொழி
வரும் என்று தான் இவ்வளவு நாளும் காத்திருந்தேன். ஆனால்,
தேன்கூடுதளம் எனது வீட்டிலிருந்து
பார்க்கமுடியாத வண்ணம் செய்துவிட்டார்கள். எனது IP
Address ஐ தடை செய்து விட்டார்கள் என்று நினைக்கிறேன். இதன் பின் தான் இந்த
தேன்கூடு தளம் பற்றிய இடுகை.

நாதி அற்ற தமிழர் நாம்

http://1paarvai.wordpress.com/2006/08/09/www-thenkoodu-com/

Four Agreements

2006-08-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

Agreement 1
Be impeccable with your word - Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

Agreement 2

Don't take anything personally - Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering.

Agreement 3

Don't make assumptions - Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

Agreement 4

Always do your best - Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.

Cars - a boring ride to nowhere

2006-08-02T08:34:00.000-07:00

Instant Kaapi: Cars - a boring ride to nowhere: "ohn Lasseter should go back to Producing Movies at Pixar and vacate the Director's chair for sometime. The crime: he ruined a precious outing with my Daughter. Ever since the Cars trailer came out (months ago), we've been betting on another memorable Pixar movie. We'd catch up with the trailer every other week just to get the kicks. When we finally got a chance to watch a movie at the theatre, we had no arguments about the choice. We buckle ourselves for a great trip and wait for the lights to go out.

What did we get? A story that's so predictable and uninspiring, I wish D and I had directed the flick. To be fair, the animation was neater than earlier Pixar rendering, but what's a gimmick, without a soul! We have the story of a self-absorbed Car, who learns important lessons about life from a bunch of other Cars in a laidback town, lost on Route 66. Yeah, I heard your gasp there. It's like we haven't had a zillion hollywood popcorn bags with that plot. On top of that we have some Cars/C(h)aracters that have no definition (forget depth), meaning or purpose, like the 'token' Black Cars and a pathetically mundane Doc Hudson (Paul Newman).

Now, you may be thinking this is rant from a guy who was probably pissed off at something else and ended up blaming this innocent Movie. I did rethink from that perspective, but how about a four year-old who, for most part of the movie, kept asking, "OK, can we now go to the water park?" (starting at minute 20). That sure is a bad sign. May be it's time for Pixar to show this to John."

Tips to recover scratched CDs

2006-06-06T21:06:00.000-07:00

Don't you feel like crying every time you add another disc to your pile of scratched discs. Trashing that disc which contained your favorite songs, pics, files, games or videos is not easy.

Read-on, if you find yourself wishing for a miracle every time your fav CD is scratched:

Home Remedy :
here's an easy home remedy, which might give you the desired results. Rub a small amount of toothpaste on the scratch and polish the CD with a soft cloth and any petroleum-based polishing solution (like clear shoe polish). Squirt a drop of Brasso and wipe it with a clean cloth.

Technology to the rescue

There are many softwares available on the net, which enable the recovery of the CD data. BadCopy Pro is one such software, which can be used to recover destroyed data and files from a range of media.

Just a few clicks is all it requires to recover the disc from almost all kind of damage situation; be it corrupted, lost data, unreadable or defective.

DiskDoctors is another popular company, which offers both software and solutions to recover data from a scratched CDs and DVDs.

General Tips:

* Always wipe the CD from the center outward with stratight spoke-like strokes. Wiping CDs in circles will create more scratches.

* Do not scratch the graphics layer as you cannot repair the disc. HINT: Hold the disc up to a light with the graphics layer facing the light source. If you can see light thru the scratches at any point then the disc may be irreparable and or exhibit loading or playing errors.

* Clean your Disc players lens regularly with a suitable product to ensure optimal viewing pleasure.

* Make sure to use a soft, lint-free cloth to clean both sides of the disc. Wipe in a straight line from the centre of the disc to the outer edge.

* If wiping with a cloth does not remove a fingerprint or smudge, use a specialized DVD disc polishing spray to clean the disc.

* Only handle the disc by its outer edge and the empty hole in the middle. This will help prevent fingerprints, smudges or scratches.

Statistics:

*Fingermarks/prints cause 43% of disc problems!
* General wear & tear causes 25% of disc problems!
* Player-related issues cause 15% of disc problems!
* User-related issues cause 12% of disc problems!
* PlayStation 2 machine scratches cause 3% of disc problems!
* Laser rot (a manufacturer error) causes 2% of disc problems!

********************************
********************************

Massachusetts - Whitewater Rafting

2006-05-23T12:42:00.000-07:00

Massachusetts - Whitewater Rafting

The Potato Story...

2006-05-09T12:10:00.000-07:00

An old man lived alone in Minnesota. He wanted to
spade his potato garden, but it was very hard work.
His only son, who would
have helped him, was in prison. The old man wrote a
letter to his son and mentioned his situation:

Dear Son,
I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I
won't be able to plant my potato garden this year.
hate to miss doing the garden, because your mother
always loved planting time. I'm just getting too old
to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here,
all my troubles would be over. I know you would dig
the plot for me, if you weren't in prison.
.............................Love, Dad

Shortly, the old man received this telegram: "For
Heaven's sake, Dad, don't dig up the garden!! That's
where I buried the
GUNS!!"

At 4 a.m.the next morning, a dozen FBI agents and
local police officers showed up and dug up the
entire garden without
finding any guns.

Confused, the old man wrote another note to his son
telling him what happened, and asked him what to do
next.

His son's reply was: "Go ahead and plant your
potatoes, Dad.......................... It's the
best I could do
for you from here."

Moral:
NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE IN THE WORLD, IF YOU HAVE
DECIDED TO DO SOMETHING DEEP FROM YOUR HEART, YOU
CAN DO IT. IT IS THE THOUGHT THAT MATTERS NOT WHERE
YOU ARE OR WHERE THE PERSON IS.

Optimizer quiz

2006-05-03T09:18:00.000-07:00

Multiple Choice Quiz

1. HHV displays one account and the fields: position, weight, exposure, security ID. The view currency is GBP. I want to increase the exposure in a single holding by 300000 GBP. What functionality can I use to do this?

(i) in-cell edit
(ii) optimiser
(iii) order entry
(iv) cash management
(v) rebalance

a. (i), (ii), (iii)
b. (i), (ii) and (iv)
c. (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv)
d. (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) and (v)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. HHV with 2 accounts aggregated by security ID with fields: client code, weight, position, exposure, price.

Weight Position Exposure Price
HSBA.L 4.33 1699999.00
MFO1 3.60 93168 600001.92 6.44
MFO2 4.87 170807 1099997.08 6.44

In the optimiser using method Level Order, I select the factor exposure and target amount as +300000 GBP. I highlight the aggregate row for HSBA.L and set this as optimising (any). How will the order be generated?

a. Approx £300000 will be distributed across the two accounts according to the allocation method set for ‘across multiple accounts’
b. the exposure of each account’s holding in HSBA.L will be increased by approx £300000.
c. Approx £600000 will be distributed across the two accounts according to the allocation method set for ‘across multiple accounts’
d. the exposure of each account’s holding in HSBA.L will be increased by approx £150000.

3. In the POV I have 4 SL orders totalling £3476215.84 all for the same accounts. The workspace contains an HHV for this account. The HHV is aggregated by sector and I want to re-invest the proposed sale proceeds into a sector that contains 2 positions, spending approximately the same value on each security. Which 2 optimisation methods will achieve this?

a. best fit (nearest cash) and best fit (least lots)
b. best fit (nearest cash) and level
c. level and prioritised
d. best fit (nearest cash) and prioritised

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4. In the HHV I have an account, which is 40% GBP equities, 40% EUR equities and 20% GBP cash. I want to be fully invested in equities. I want to reduce EUR equities to 30%. My target account beta is 1. Which optimisation method is best suited to this problem? (Hint this problem requires in-cell editing before optimisation.)

a. best fit – nearest cash
b. prioritized
c. best fit – least lots
d. level

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5. Initial Dur-Mat (mod) = 6.83. Initial cash = £271896.44. Using the method best fit (nearest cash); target Dur-Mat (mod) – neutral, tolerance 5%. Target cash is neutral. Ignoring the time factor which of the following solutions would the optimiser present as optimal (proposed cash, proposed dur-mat (mod))?:

a. £271895.99 and 6.83
b. £271897.52 and 7.11
c. £271897.74 and 6.81
d. £271896.42 and 7.02
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

6. The user originally specified 3 factors in the factor grid but only 2 are used in the calculation of the solution. Which of the following is a likely representation of the grid after optimisation has occurred?

Original Grid
Factor Target amount Tolerance Used
Dur-Mat (mod) +0.5 1%
Yield Neutral 1%
Convexity Neutral 1%

a.
Factor Target amount Tolerance Used
Dur-Mat (mod) +0.5 1% Yes
Yield Neutral 1% No
Convexity Neutral 1% Yes

b.
Factor Target amount Tolerance Used
Dur-Mat (mod) +0.5 1% Yes
Convexity Neutral 1% Yes

c.
Factor Target amount Tolerance Used
Dur-Mat (mod) +0.5 1% Yes
Yield Neutral 1% Yes
Convexity Neutral 1% No

d.
Factor Target amount Tolerance Used
Convexity Neutral 1% No
Yield Neutral 1% Yes
Dur-Mat (mod) +0.5 1% Yes

7. There are no orders in the POV. The HHV contains one account with cash of £375000 and Dur-Mat (mod) of 5.15. The user has created some proposed orders: Dur-Mat (mod) has become 4.72 and cash has become £525000. The user now wants to use the optimisation feature to investigate some switches while maintaining portfolio duration at 4.72 and cash of at least £525000. What is the best way to achieve this?

a. use best fit (nearest cash). Set Dur-Mat (mod) as factor with target of 4.72 and cash target of £525000.
b. use best fit (least lots). Set Dur-Mat (mod) as factor with target of 4.72 and cash target of £525000.
c. submit existing PO’s to blotter, then use best fit (nearest cash) with Dur-Mat (mod) as neutral and cash target as neutral
d. submit existing PO’s to blotter, then use level method with Dur-Mat (mod) as neutral and cash target as neutral

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

8. The user has generated a PO through in-cell editing and then uses the optimisation feature to generate more PO’s. The user wants all the PO’s to be executed as a basket (ie he wants all the PO’s to be executed together). What can he do?

(i) use ticket instruction dialog to assign a trade group name to all PO’s in POV
(ii) use trade group field on optimiser dialog to assign a trade group name to all optimising orders
(iii) in-cell edit trade grp name field on POV and type in the desired name
(iv) use ticket instruction dialog to assign a client defined special handling code that denotes that the PO’s form a basket trade.

a. all of the above
b. (i), (ii) and (iii)
c. (i), (ii) and (iv)
d. (i), (iii) and (iv)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

9. The user has used best fit (least lots) but doesn’t agree that the proposed solution is optimal. What should he try first?

a. check optimisation window information to verify initial and proposed values
b. reduce factor tolerance
c. increase factor tolerance
d. increase max acct calc time

10. The HHV contains 25 accounts. The HHV is aggregated by security ID. The HHV aggregation rule for modified duration contribution is weighted average. In the optimiser I specify a target for modified duration contribution. What aggregation rule does the optimisation functionality use:
a. uses the same aggregation rule as the HHV display
b. always uses weighted average
c. uses the aggregation rule specified by the user in the default optimiser settings
d. always uses sum

Camcorders - ZR600 - Features

2006-03-11T11:44:00.000-08:00

Canon USA Consumer Products - Camcorders - ZR600 - Features

rediff.com ! Shopping

2006-03-07T20:40:00.000-08:00

rediff.com ! Shopping

rediff.com | Shopping

2006-03-07T20:39:00.000-08:00

rediff.com | Shopping

How do I return an item?

We take stringent measures to ensure that the items delivered to you are in perfect condition.

However, there is a remote possibility that the item may be damaged during transit or there might be a manufacturing defect.

There might also be a remote possibility that a wrong item is delivered to you.

In such cases, we will replace the item at no extra cost, provided that the request for replacement / return of item is made within the stipulated timeframe.

To get a replacement or return an item, follow the steps below:

* Fill up the online Return / Exchange (REX) Form and submit it.
* Our team will arrange for the replacement or the return of the item through our enabling partners.
* Hand-over the item for replacement to the courier pick-up personnel (who is different from the delivery personnel).

To know more about our Return / Exchange Policy, click here.

Pseudonyms

2006-02-24T12:58:00.000-08:00

kanakasabapathy Says: muthu(tamizhini) Says:
சந்திப்பு செல்வபெருமாள்

The New Thought Police

2006-02-06T08:27:00.000-08:00

Amazon.com: Books: The New Thought Police : Inside the Left's Assault on Free Speech and Free Minds

Hannah Arendt
The origins of Totalitarianism
The Human Condition

Daniel J Boorstin
Cleopatra's Nose: Essays on the Unexpected
The Discoverers
The Creators
The Seekers

Ray Bradbury
Fahrenheit 451

Andrea Dworkin
Scapegoat: The Jews, Israel, and Women's Liberation
Intercourse
Heartbreak: The Political Memoir of a Feminist Militant

Brenda Feigen
Not One of the Boys: Living as a Feminist

David Horowitz
Radical Son: A Generational Odyssey
Hating Whitey and Other Progressive Causes

Aldous Huxley
Brave New World

George Orwell
1984
Animal Farm

Ayn Rand
For the new Intellectual
Atlas Shrugged
The Fountainhead

Michael Walzer
On Toleration

Political correctness

2006-02-06T08:12:00.000-08:00

Political correctness - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "The term PC is often used to mock either the idea that carefully chosen language can encourage, promote, or establish certain social outcomes and relationships, or the belief that the resulting changes benefit society. This mocking usage often targets certain forms of identity politics, including gay rights, feminism, multiculturalism and the disability rights movement. For example, the use of "gender-neutral" job titles ("firefighter" instead of "fireman," "chairperson" or "chair" instead of "chairman," etc.), the use of the expression "differently abled" rather than "disabled", or the systematic use of "Native American" rather than "Indian", are all sometimes referred to as "politically correct" to characterise proponents as overly sensitive or even coercive.

Two common examples of this practice are to use the word disabled in preference to crippled, and mentally ill in preference to crazy.

However, critics of political language choice argue the new terms are often awkward, euphemistic substitutes for the original stark language concerning differences such as race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion and political views.

Thoughtcrime

2006-02-06T08:01:00.000-08:00

Thoughtcrime - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The term "Thought Police", by extension, has come to refer to real or perceived enforcement of ideological correctness in any modern or historical contexts.

Hate crime laws that mandate harsher penalties for people who commit crimes out of racism or bigotry. Opponents of those laws claim that all crimes are committed out of an element of hate, so that defining a specific subset of laws as 'hate crimes' is meaningless, and that these very laws in fact imply the inequality of citizens before the law ("castes" of special sub-groups benefiting from privileges other groups do not, e.g. ethnic or sexual "minorities") and that the government should outlaw actions, not thoughts or states of mind.

Proponents argue that hate crime legislation protects all groups, be they majority or minority (crimes against majority groups have in fact been prosecuted as hate crimes)

An extremely controversial example of borderline thoughtcrime behaviour is pedophilia. For example, in 2000 the court in Lafayette, Indiana banned a convicted child sex offender from all city parks, which included a zoo, and a golf course after he admitted to his psychologist that he had sexual fantasies about children he saw playing in the park. The man sued, and a U.S. District Judge ruled in favor of the city. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld this ruling 8-3, saying that the sex offender's reasons for entering the parks constituted more than pure thought.

Philip K. Dick's story Minority Report and the 2002 movie by Steven Spielberg demonstrates the consequences of a world in which possible crime (called Pre-Crime) is punished in advance.

Other technologies range from lie detectors, the penile plethysmograph which was used to try to detect "homosexual or pedophile thoughts", and on to more modern attempts to use magnetic resonance imaging to try to detect brain chemical activity supposedly corresponding to memory or thoughts. All of these technologies have been proposed at one time or another as a way of detecting "bad thoughts".

Thought Police & Snitches

2006-02-06T07:52:00.000-08:00

Thought Police & Snitches: "Nothing is efficient in Oceania except the Thought Police....

A Party member lives from birth to death under the eye of the Thought Police. Even when he is alone he can never be sure that he is alone. Wherever he may be, asleep or awake, working or resting, in his bath or in bed, he can be inspected without warning and without knowing that he is being inspected. Nothing that he does is indifferent. His friendships, his relaxations, his behaviour towards his wife and children, the expression of his face when is alone, the words he mutters in sleep, even the characteristic movements of his body, are all jealously scrutinized. Not only any actual misdemeanour, but any eccentricity, however small, any change of habits, any nervous mannerism that could possibly be the symptom of an inner struggle, is certain to be detected. He has no freedom of choice in any direction whatever. Nothing was your own except the few cubic centimetres inside you skull.

The person in the next table could be a spy of the Thought Police.

There was no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment. How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork. It was even conceivable that they watched everybody all the time. But at any rate they could plug in your wire whenever they wanted to. You had to live - did live, from habit that became instinct - in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness every movement scrutinized. ...The most deadly danger of all was talking in your sleep. There was no way of guarding against that, so far as he could see.

Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concealed forever. You might dodge successfully for awhile, even for years, but sooner or later they were bound to get you.

Nearly all children nowadays were horrible. By the rubbish that was dinned into them at school and in the Spies and Youth Leaque, by lectures, parades, songs, slogans, and martial music, the natural feeling had been driven out of them... They were systematically turned into ungovernable little savages, and yet this produced in them no tendency whatever to rebel against the discipline of the Party... All their ferocity was turned outwards, against the enemies of the State, against foreigners, traitors, saboteurs, thought-criminals.

They were systematically turned against their parents and taught to spy on them and report their deviations. The family had become in effect an extension of the Thought Police. It was a device by means of which everyone could be surrounded night and day by informers who knew him intimately.

It was almost normal for people over thirty to be frightened of their own children. And with good reason, for hardly a week passed in which The Times did not carry a paragraph describing how some eavesdropping little sneak - 'child hero' was the phrase generally used - had overheard some compromising remark and denounced its parents to the Thought Police.

It was always at night - the arrests invariably happened at night. The sudden jerk out of sleep, the rough hand shaking your shoulder, the lights glaring in your eyes, the ring of hard faces round the bed. In the vast majority of cases there was no trial, no report of the arrest. People simply disappeared, always during the night. Your name was removed from the registers. Every record of everything you had ever done was wiped out, your one-time existence was denied and then forgotten. You were abolished, annihilated: vaporized was the usual word.

It was unusual for political offenders to be put on trial or even publicly denounced. The great purges involving thousands of people, with public trials of traitors and thought-criminals who made abject confession of their crimes and were afterwards executed, were special show-pieces not occurring oftener than once in a couple of years. More commonly, people who had incurred the displeasure of the Party simply disappeared and were never heard of again. One never had the smallest clue as to what had happened to them. The only real clue lay in the words 'refs unpersons', which indicated that the person was dead. He did not exist: he had never existed. Perhaps thirty people personally known to Winston, not counting his parents, had disappeared at one time or another. Very occasionally some person whom you had believed dead long since would make a ghostly reappearance at some public trial where he would implicate hundreds of others by his testimony before vanishing, this time for ever.

The proper thing was to kill yourself before they got you. Undoubtedly some people did so. But it needed desperate courage to kill yourself in a world where firearms, or any quick and certain poison, were completely unprocurable."

Quotes

2006-02-04T21:15:00.000-08:00

Quotes: The tyrant always talks as if he's preserving the best interests of his people when he actually acts to undermine them.
– Ramman Kenoun

Feedbacks

2006-02-04T11:57:00.000-08:00

Clarification Sought

மற்ற பதிவர்களின் பின்னூட்டங்களை நமது வலைப்பதிவில் இடுவதற்கு முன், அவற்றை எழுதியவர்களிடம் இருந்து அனுமதி கோரி, பெற்ற பிறகே இட வேண்டுமா? நான் வலைப்பதிவு ஆரம்பித்தபோது அவ்வாறு செய்யுமாறு மதி கந்தசாமியாலும் பிகே சிவகுமாராலும் பணிக்கப் பட்டேன்.

இந்த மறுமொழிகள் தங்களின் பதிவுகளிலே இடம்பெற்றிருந்தால் மறுபடி பதிக்க முனுமதியைக் கோர வேண்டாம் என்றும் ஆலோசனை சொல்லியிருந்தார்கள். மேலும், பின்னூட்டங்களை முழுமையாகவோ, அல்லது குறிப்பிட்ட பகுதிகளை மட்டும் வேறு எங்காவது இட்டிருந்தாலோ கண்டிக்கத்தக்கது என்றும் வருந்தியிருந்தார்கள்.

மறுமொழிகள் இடம் பெற்ற வலையகத்தின் சுட்டியைத் தந்திருந்தாலும் வருந்தத்தக்க செய்கையாக நினைக்கப்பட்டது. இது குறித்த விவாதங்களை என்னால் முழுவதுமாக கவனித்து ஊன்றித் தொடர முடியாத நிலை. முடிவில் என்ன கருத்து ஒப்புக்கொள்ளப்பட்டது என்று தனிமடலில் தெரிவித்தால், என்னுடைய புரிதலை மேம்படுத்த உதவும்.

T.Nagar

2006-01-31T15:21:00.000-08:00

This is T.Nagar for you... A conversation...

Where is this T.Nagar?
Nobody knows accurately. It is just this lovely place in Chennai, which if
you decide to visit for the second time, you get a free seasonal pass for a
window-side bed in Kilpauk hospital.

Sounds like a holiday package..what if I manage a third visit?
You get one year free admission at Yervadi, next to Sethu Vikram. Cost of
chain included in the package.

Oh! You said it's a lovely place. Do people go there for sight-seeing?
Kinda yeah, it is Chennai's own version of "Suicide Point"

Can we shop there?
There are just two things you can do at T.Nagar. One,shop and two,die. The
former is optional though.

My wife wants some good silk sarees. Where do I take her?
Push her into Pothys and run. This is your best chance to live with some
self respect in future.

What if I stay?
You automatically qualify for Bihar elections.

What if I go in too?
If you are Gopi, you'll come out as Gopi 65.

I heard gold is pretty cheap at some place there?
Very cheap yeah, not just the rate. I guess you are talking about
Ranganathan Street, Annachi shop.

Ya ya. How do I go there?
You just need to stand at the start of that street. Close your eyes. Open
your eyes. You are inside Annachi shop, courtesy : fellow shoppers.

Can I take my vehicle?
Shut up! Even Laloo wouldn't do that!

Oh is it very crowded?
Yeah, by the time you count the number of people around you, they can
telecast Junoon twice.

Junoon?? What's that?
Kadavule! Paathathu illiya Junoon neenga? Periya athu megaserial.
Pesuvaanga maathi maathi thamizh athula.

Oh! By the way, do men shop in T.Nagar?
Wise men stay away. Married men do shop.

I heard there are lots of platform shops?
There is no platform. Only shops.

Whatever, how good are they?
Very good infact. You get all sortsa brands including Nykee, Ribok and
Adeedas. At cheap rates that too!

Hey isn't that phony? The spellings are all messed up!!
Naah. They have been changed according to numerology, that's all.

Fine. Is there any good restaurant there?
Ya, Saravana Bhavan.

Wow! What would I get there for, say 50 rupees?
Quite a lot. Half a dosa, 5 ml Sambhar and some pebbles.

Pebbles? Why??
Huh, you are dumber than a crow! To raise the level of sambhar ofcourse.

No chutney is it?
They have it in a big vessel near the entrance. You are allowed to take a
peek.

That's bad. But I heard there's a hot chips too?
You'll be a hot chip yourself once you step into Ranganathan Street.

How is the air pollution level in T.Nagar?
One deep breath and you'll die on the spot, money back guarantee.

So many issues, eh? Finally, what's the best thing about T.Nagar?
Variety. So many shops, so many dresses and so many accessories. Even if
you escape death by other mean, you'll be confused to death!

Media in 2005 / 2005-இல் ஊடகங்கள் - அலப்பல், ஆலோலம், அரற்றல்

2006-01-20T16:42:00.000-08:00

Media in 2005 / 2005-இல் ஊடகங்கள் - அலப்பல், ஆலோலம், அரற்றல்: "மார்ச் மாதம் 1984 இருக்கும். வெள்ளிக்கிழமை இரவு எட்டு மணிக்கு சாலைகளில் ஆள் அரவமே இருக்காது. அனைவரும் 'ஒலியும் ஒளியும்' பார்த்துக் கொண்டிருப்பார்கள். கோயில்களில் நிம்மதியாக தரிசிக்கலாம். காய்கறி வாங்கப் போனால் 'எல்லாரும் 8:40க்குத்தான் சார் வருவாங்க' என்று சொல்லி பேரம் கூட பேச மாட்டாள். 45-B பல்லவன் காலியாக செல்லும். கொஞ்ச நாளில் டிடி மெட்ரோ, சன் டிவி, ராஜ் டிவி எல்லாம் வந்துவிட திரைப்பாடல்களின் மவுசு காணாமல் போனது.

இது தெஹல்காக்களின் காலம். சென்ற நூற்றாண்டின் தொடக்கத்திலேயே நெல்லி ப்லை (Nellie Bly) போன்றவர்கள் மாறுவேடம் போட்டுக் கொண்டு அம்பலப்படுத்துவது தொடங்கி விட்டாலும், தொலைக்காட்சிகள் நிறைந்த் இந்தியாவில், இது புதுசு.

நாடாளுமன்றத்தில் கேள்வி கேட்பதற்காக பதினொன்று எம்.பி.க்கள் பணம் வாங்குகிறார்கள். பங்காரு லஷ்மண், ஜார்ஜ் பெர்னாண்டஸ், லஞ்சம் வாங்கியதை டெஹல்கா வெளிச்சத்திற்கு கொண்டு வந்தபிறகு, சில மாதம் முன்புதான் ஷக்தி கபூர் போன்ற திரைப்படத்துறை சார்ந்தவர்களின் பெண்ணாசையை ஒளிபரப்பினார்கள். போன மாதம்தான் அமெரிக்காவில் 'ஆஜ் தக்' ஒளிபரப்பைத் தொடங்கியது. தற்போது இந்த 'கோப்ரா ஸ்டார்' விவகாரம், அதன் புகழை பரப்ப உதவும். அமெரிக்க ஊடகங்களிடையே பெயர் வாங்கவும் வைக்கலாம்.

அதிகார வர்க்கத்தில் ஊழல் நடக்கும்போது தெஹல்காவுக்கு பங்காரு லக்ஷ்மண் விஷயத்தில் நடந்தது போல தெள்ளத்தெளிவான ஆதாரம் கிடைப்பது அரிது. போபர்ஸ் வெளியாகி பதினெட்டு ஆண்டுகள் முடிந்து வயதுக்கு வந்தபிறகும் யார் லஞ்சம் வாங்கினார்கள் என்பது இன்னும் விளங்கவே இல்லை. ஆண்டின் இறுதியில் வோல்கர் ஆறிக்கை வெளியாகி காங்கிரஸ் ஆட்சியை அசைத்துப் பார்த்தது. ஈராக்கின் "உணவுக்கு எண்ணெய்" பேரத்தில் பலன் அடைந்தவர்கள் பட்டியலில் முன்னாள் வெளியுறவு அமைச்சர் கே நட்வர் சிங் இருப்பதாக வோல்கர் அறிக்கை சொன்னது. இந்த பேரத்தில் நட்வர், அவரது மகன் ஜெகத் மற்றும் அவரது உறவினர்கள் ஆகியோருக்கு தொடர்புள்ளதா என்று வெளியிட்ட ஊடகங்களின் புலனாய்வுகளால் நட்வர் ராஜினாமா செய்ய வேண்டி வந்தது.

கவர்ச்சிகரமான திருட்டு வீடியோக்கள், பார்வையளனை உற்சாகப்படுத்துகிறது. வெகுஜன ஊடகங்களில் லஞ்சம் அம்பலப்படும்போது மகிழ்ச்சி உண்டாகிறது. கேளிக்கை நிகழ்வாக அமைகிறது. வேறு முறைகளில் இதே செய்தியை அலசும், மக்களுக்கு கொண்டு வரும் வாய்ப்பு இருந்தபோதும், இவ்வாறு ரகசிய கேமிராக்கள் மூலம் பரபரப்பாக்குவது பொது நலனை முன்னிறுத்துவதாக அறைகூவுகிறது. நியாயமான காரணங்கள் இல்லாமல் சினிமாத்தனமாக வெளிப்படுத்துவதன் மூலம் பார்வையாளர்களும் சில சமயம் ஏமாற்றப்படலாம்.

Internet Newsஇணையமும் (internet) சாடிலைட் டிவியும் மக்களின் விரல்நுனியில், விரல்கள் வலிக்குமளவு சுமையுடைய தகவலை உட்கார்த்தி வைத்திருக்கிறது. தீபாவளிக்கு முந்தின நாள் பின்னிரவில், எதிர்த்த வீட்டில், அத்துமீறி லட்சுமி வெடி வெடித்தது முதல் ஸ்லோவேனிய கிராமத்தில் நடந்த கலவரம் வரை அனைத்து செய்திகளும் நேரடியாக கிடைப்பது சுத்தமான சுதந்திரத்தை கொடுக்கிறது. இணையத்தின் மூலம் தனி மனிதனே பத்திரிகை ஆரம்பிக்கவும், கருத்துக்களை அனைவருக்கும் எளிய முறையில் எடுத்து வைக்கவும் முடிகிறது.

சமூகத்தை இணைக்க வேண்டிய வலையே (web) பல சமயங்களில் தீவுகளை உண்டாக்கி, தனி மனித கருத்து என்னும் போர்வையில், சுயநலனுக்காகவும், நிறுவனங்களின் முகமூடியாகவும் வேஷம் கட்டும் வாய்ப்பையும் அமைத்துக் கொடுக்கிறது. சமூகத்தை சீர் செய்வது, குடியுரிமையை நிலை நாட்டுவது என்பதைத் தாண்டி நேர்மையுடனும், பலதரப்பட்ட பார்வையுடனும் செய்திகளைப் பதிவது இதழியல்.

நேற்றைய ஹிந்து தலையங்ககளில் ஆரம்பித்து சன் டிவியின் செய்தி தொகுப்புகளில் தொடர்ந்து இணையத்தின் வலைப்பதிவுகள் (blog) வரை அனைத்து தகவல்களும் தற்போது ஆசிரியரின் கருத்து ஊடுருவல்களோடுதான் வெளிப்படுகிறது. தமிழக ஆளுங்கட்சியின் குறைகளாக, எதிர்க்கட்சி சார்புள்ள சன் டிவி, செய்திகளை பொதுமக்கள் வாயால் கொடுக்கிறது. மத்திய ஆட்சியின் கையாலாகத்தனமாக, தமிழக ஆளுங்கட்சி சார்புள்ள ஜெயா டிவி அதே செய்தியை அலசுகிறது. அமெரிக்காவிலும் இவ்வாறே ஜார்ஜ் புஷ்ஷின் குடியரசு (Republic) கட்சியின் கொள்கைகளை ஆதரிக்கும் நாளிதழ்களும், எதிர்க்கட்சியான சுதந்திர (Democrat) கட்சி நிலைப்பாடை பின்பற்றும் ஊடகங்களும், தேர்ந்தெடுத்தே செய்திகளை வடிகட்டுகிறது.

நாட்டுக்கு குந்தகம் விளைவிக்கும் செய்திகளை இருட்டடிப்பு செய்வதில் அமெரிக்க வெகுஜன ஊடகங்கள் கர்ம சிரத்தையாக வேலை செய்கிறது.

ஒஹாயோ (Ohio) மாகாணத்தில் தேர்தல் சாவடிகளை நெருங்கக் கூடாது; வாக்காளர்களை விட்டு நூறடி தள்ளி நின்று பயபக்தியோடு பேச வேண்டும் போன்ற குண்டாந்தடி வேலைகள் எட்டாம் பக்க மூலையைக் கூட பிடிக்கவில்லை. இவற்றை வெளிச்சம் போட்டுப் பேசிய லாஸ் ஏஞ்சலீஸ் எம்.பி.யான செனேட்டர் (Senator) பார்பரா பாக்ஸரின் (Barbara Boxer) சட்டசபை உரை லாஸ் ஏஞ்சலிஸ் டைம்ஸின் பதினெட்டாம் பக்கத்தில் குட்டியூண்டாக மறைக்கப்பட்டது. ஆர்வெலின் (Orwell) ஓசியானியா-வில் (Oceania) 2+2 = 5 என்பது போல் ஆ·ப்கன் மற்றும் ஈராக் போர்களின் வெற்றிகள், 9/11-க்கு பதிலடியாக, இஸ்லாமிய தீவிரவாதத்தின் கட்டுப்பாடாக சித்தரிக்கப்படுகிறது.

ரஷியா, சீனா போன்ற நாடுகளில் இது மேலும் பன்மடங்கு பரிமளிக்கிறது. ரஷியாவின் குர்ஸ்க் நீர்மூழ்கி நிஜமாவே தண்ணிரில் மூழ்கி 118 மாலுமிகளைக் கொன்று ஐந்தாண்டுகள் கழிந்தும் எவ்வித மீட்பு சேவை அமைப்பு தொடங்கப்படாததையும், ஹிட்லரின் அட்டூழியங்களை ஒப்புக் கொள்ள மறுக்கும் நாஜித்தனமான ஈரானுக்கு அணு ஆயுத தொழில்நுட்பங்களை விற்பதை கண்டிக்காமல் இருப்பதும், ரஷியாவின் சில பகுதிகளை ஆக்கிரமித்திருக்கும் சீனாவுக்கு ஆயுதங்களை சகாய விலையில் ஏற்றுமதி செய்வதை வெளிச்சம் பாய்ச்சாமலும் ரஷியப் பத்திரிகைகள் அமைதி காப்பதாக முன்னாள் செஸ் சாம்பியன் காஸ்பரோவ் அமெரிக்க ஊடகங்களில் பேட்டி கொடுக்கிறார்.

அமெரிக்காவின் சுற்றுப்புறச் சூழல் உதாசீனங்களையும், முப்பதாயிரம் பேருக்கு மேல் காவு கொண்ட ஈராக் போர் குறித்தும், முறைகேடான தேர்தல் வாக்கெடுப்புகளையும் அமெரிக்க ஊடகம் முன்வைப்பதில்லை என்று அமெரிக்க ஊடகமே அங்கலாய்க்கிறது. தன்னுடைய அவலங்களை தானே அடையாளம் கண்டு கொண்டு இடித்துரைக்கிறது. அட்லாண்டிக் மந்த்லி, நியு யார்க்கர் போன்ற மிடில் மேகசின்களை விட்டுவிட்டால் கூட நியுஸ்வீக் போன்ற வெகுஜன அமெரிக்கப் பத்திரிகைகளும் ஐரோப்பாவின் கார்டியன் போன்ற நாளிதழ்களும் இவற்றை ஜோராக செய்துவருகிறது.

குறிப்பாக பரீத் சக்காரியாவின் மேற்பார்வையில் வெளிவரும் நியுஸ்வீக்கின் 'அமெரிக்கா ஏன் உலகத்தை அச்சுறுத்துகிறது', 'அமைதிக்கனியை பறிப்பது எப்படி', 'ஏன் நம்மை வெறுக்கிறார்கள்' அட்டைக்கதைகள் குடிமக்களையும் அமெரிக்க ஆட்சியாளர்களை வெகுவாக பாதித்து சென்றடைந்தது. 'நியூஸ்வீக்' அடுத்த படிக்கு சென்று போர்க்கால கைதிகளிடம் இருந்து ரகசியங்களை கறப்பதற்காக 'குருதிப்புனல்' திரைப்படத்தில் பத்ரி(நாசரை)யை கொடுமைப்படுத்துவது போல், புனிதக்குரானை கழிவறையில் கிழித்தெறிந்ததை எழுதியவுடன் பிரச்சினை கிளம்பியது.

பாகிஸ்தானில் இருந்து கிரிக்கெட்டை மறந்த இமரான் கான் குரல் எழுப்பினார். அமெரிக்காவில் இருந்து குடியரசு கட்சியின் பழமைவாத (conservative) வலைப்பதிவர்கள் (blogger) மீண்டும் அணி திரண்டு அடிக்க ஆரம்பித்தார்கள். நியூஸ்வீக் செய்தியை வாபஸ் வாங்கும்வரை ஓயவில்லை.

வலைப்பதிவின் சுதந்திரமான குரல் பாராட்டத்தக்கதுதான் என்றாலும், போராளிக் கூட்டத்தின் தீவிரத்தோடு, அடியாட்கள் போல் ஒருவரை கட்டம் கட்டி தாக்குவதை சில ஆண்டுகளாகவே, செவ்வனே செய்து வருவது பயமுறுத்துகிறது. விமானியாவதற்கு பயிற்சி கூட சரியாகப் பெறாதவர் ஜார்ஜ் புஷ் என்னும் ஆவணம், அம்பலங்கள் ஆனபோது குதித்தது ஆகட்டும்; பாடத்திட்டத்தில் கடவுள் படைத்த ஆதாம், ஏவாள் என்று பூகோளத்தையும் அறிவியலையும் ஆறாயிரம் ஆண்டுக்குள்ளாக சுருக்குவது ஆகட்டும்; ஆணுறை பயன்படுத்தினாலும் எயிட்ஸ் வரும் என்று பொய் ஓதுவது ஆகட்டும்; இதழியலின் குக்கூரலை அமுக்கும் வலைப்பதிவரின் குரல் ஓங்கிதான் ஒலித்து வருகிறது.

தமிழ்ப்பதிவுகளில் சினிமாவும், ஜாதியும், அரசியலும் பெரிதும் அலசப்பட்ட விஷயங்கள். அசோகமித்திரன் கட்டுரை தொகுப்பு வெளியீட்டில் சு.ரா. பேச்சு, சுந்தர ராமசாமியின் மறைவு, கோணல் பக்கங்கள் வெளியீடு, ஜெயமோகன் எது எழுதினாலும் இணையத்தில் இலக்கிய அலசல்கள் ஆயிற்று. திடீர் திடீர் தொடர் மீம் (meme)களாக பிடித்த புத்தகங்கள், பிடித்த வலைப்பதிவுகள் என்று சில ஆக்கிரமித்து, பதிப்பித்த சுவடே தெரியாமல் ஒளிந்துகொண்டது.

வெப்2.0 என்னும் புத்தம் புதிய அரிதாரத்துடன், சமூகத்தை ஒன்றிணைத்து இணையத்தின் சக்தியைத் தாங்கி ஒருங்கிணைக்கும் நிறுவனங்கள் புகழ்பெற்றது. மாற்றுக் கருத்துக்களை பாங்குடன் ஏற்றுக் கொள்வதிலும், பிழைகளைத் திருத்திக் கொள்வதிலும் வெப்2.0 கொள்கைகளில் சில சறுக்கல்கள் காணப்பட்டது. தமிழ் வலைப்பதிவுகளைத் தெரியப்படுத்தும் தமிழ்மணத்தின் தரப்பட்டியலில் குளறுபடி செய்து காட்டுவது, Digg.com-இன் இணைய செய்திச் சுட்டிகளில் தில்லாலங்கடி செய்வது, விக்கிப்பீடியாவில் பிழையான தகவல்கள் என்று கூட்டு முயற்சிகளில் விழும் ஓட்டைகள் தெரியப்படுத்தியது. ஆனால், கொந்தர்கள் என்று அழைக்கப்படுவதற்கு பதில் கருங்காலிகள் என்னும் முத்திரை குத்தப்பட்டு, குற்றம் கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்டவர்கள் இருட்டில் ஒதுக்கப்பட்டார்கள்.

ஜனநாயக நாடான அமெரிக்கா, இந்தியா, கனடா போன்ற நாடுகளில் மாற்றுக் குரல்களும், எதிர் வினைகளும், எல்லா தரப்பினரின் கருத்துகளுக்கும் இடம் உண்டு. சீனா, எகிப்து, சவுதி அரேபியா போன்ற நாடுகளில் இருந்து கொண்டு சுட்டு விரலை தூக்கலாம் என்று தூக்கத்தில் கனவு கண்டாலும், கனாக் கண்டவர்கள் காணாமல் போய் விடுகிறார்கள். எவர், எப்படி, எப்பொழுது கனவு கொண்டார்க்ள் என்பதையும் யாஹ¥ போன்ற மேற்கத்திய நிறுவனங்களே எட்டப்பராக காட்டிக் கொடுக்கிறார்கள்.

எட்டப்பர் என்றவுடன் லூயிஸ் 'ஸ்கூட்டர்' லிப்பியும் (Lewis "Scooter" Libby) அவரின் சகா கார்ல் ரோவும் (Karl Rove) நினைவுக்கு வருவார்கள். ஈராக்கிடம் பேரழிவுக்கான ஆயுதங்கள் இருந்திருக்காது என்னும் உண்மைகளை வேலரி ப்ளேமின் (Valerie Plame) கணவர் கசிய விட்ட்தால், ப்ளேமின் ஒற்றர் என்னும் சுயரூபத்தை 'ஸ்கூட்டர்' லிப்பி போட்டுக் கொடுத்து விட்டார். காட்டிக் கொடுத்த 'ஸ்கூட்டர்' லிப்பியை ஏமாற்றமாட்டோம் என்று ஸ்திரமாக, தங்களுடைய ரகசிய அதிகார வட்டாரத்தை பாதுகாத்ததால், நியு யார்க் டைம்ஸ், டைம்ஸ் வார இதழ் போன்ற முண்ணனி இதழியல் ஆசிரியர்கள் கம்பி எண்ணினார்கள்.

நியு யார்க் டைம்ஸ் நாளிதழின் சந்தாதாரர்களும் விற்பனையும் குறைந்து போனாலும், இணையத்தின் மூலம் சந்தா கட்டி, படிப்பவர்கள் அதிகமானார்கள். இதே மாதிரி இணையத்தின் மூலம் படிக்கக் கிடைக்கும் விகடன்.காம் தளத்தினால் (Vikatan.com website) தமிழர்கள் அதிகம் படிக்கும் நம்பர் ஒன் இதழாக ஆனந்த விகடன் சிம்மாசனத்தை அடைந்தது. காலையில் ஒளிபரப்பாகும் நாலு மணி நேரத்தையே திரும்பத் திரும்ப இருபத்தி நான்கு மணி நேரமும் போட்டுக் காட்டி படுத்துவதால், அமெரிக்காவில் 'விஜய் டிவி' சூடு பிடிக்கவில்லை. நெடுந்தொடர்கள் நிறைந்திருந்தாலும், 'சன்'னின் செய்திகள் முதல் 'நீங்கள் கேட்ட பாடல்' போன்ற வெகுஜன நிகழ்ச்சி வரை சார்பு நிலை பிரதிபலித்தாலும், சன் டிவி நம்பர் ஒன்றாகத் தொடர்கிறது. தினகரன் வாசகர்கள் ஓட்டுப்போட சினிமா விருதுகளை வழங்கியது.

மாவட்ட நிகழ்ச்சிகள், உள்ளூர் தொலைக்காட்சிகள், நாகரிக ஆடை ரசிகருக்கு ஒரு சேனல், அமலா போன்ற பிராணிகளின் நலம்விரும்பிகளுக்கு இன்னொரு சானல் என்று ஊடகங்கள் பல்சுவையை வழங்குகிறது. வலைப்பதிவு மூலம் ஒவ்வொருவரும் எழுத்தாளராகவும் சிந்தனையாளராகவும் அறியப்பட்டது போல் பாட்கேஸ்ட் (Podcast) நுட்பத்தின் மூலம் ஒவ்வொருவரும் ஒலிப்பதிவாளராக ஆனார்கள். ஐ.நா.வின் கோ·பி அன்னான் செய்த ஊழலும் அங்கு பேசப்பட்டது. ஐம்பதை நெருங்கும் பாட்டி மடோனாவின் கெட்ட ஆட்டமும் விமர்சிக்கப்பட்டது. 'கிங் காங்' பட விமர்சனங்களும் செய்யப்பட்டது. ஆக்ஸ்·போர்ட் அகரமுதலியும் பாட்கேஸ்ட்டை சுவிசேஷம் செய்து சேர்த்துக் கொண்டிருக்கிறார்கள்.

ஒவ்வொரு நாட்டின் அதிகார அடக்குமுறையில் இருந்தும் ஊடகங்கள் மூச்சுத் திணறினாலும், வெளியில் இயல்பாக, தங்களால் உள்ளடக்க முடிந்த செய்திகளை நம் பார்வைக்குக் கொடுக்கிறார்கள். ஜார்ஜ் பெர்னார்ட் ஷா சொன்னது போல் சைக்கிள் விபத்தை சொல்லும் பாங்குடன் ஜனநாயக வீழ்ச்சியையும், அலட்சியப்படுத்துவது போல் தோன்றினாலும், தங்களின் இருப்பை உணர்ந்து இறுமாப்பு அடையாமல், தனித்திறமையுடன் செயலாற்றுகிறார்கள். நாம் படிக்கும் ஒவ்வொரு எழுத்தும் நம் நம்பிக்கையைக் கோருகிறது. உறுதி பார்க்கபட்ட தகவல்களின் அடிப்படையில் வாசகனின் விசுவாசத்தை அடைகிறது. மாற்று கருத்துகளையும் எதிர் எண்ணங்களையும் சீர் தூக்கி அலசி வாசகரிடம் இருந்து வரவேற்கிறது.

வெப் 2.0 ரிப்போர்ட் செய்யும் இதழியல் துறை - அறிவியல் நோக்கில் அடியெடுத்து வைத்திருக்கும் சாதனை ஆண்டாக 2005 விளங்குகிறது. பரிட்சார்த்த முறையில் பார்வைகளை சீர்தூக்கி முடிவுகளைக் காண்கிறது. பரிசோதனைகளைக் கொண்டு சான்றுகளை அடைந்து தன்னுடைய வாதங்களை புரிந்துகொள்கிறது.

முந்தைய போப், ஜான் பால் II ஜூன் 2000-இல் சொன்னது இன்றும் பொருந்துகிறது:

"இதழியலின் வெளிப்பாடுகள் வெகுஜனங்களின் கருத்தை மாற்றக்கூடியது; சிந்தையைக் கிளறும் செல்வாக்கு உடையது. பொருளாதாரத்தையும், லாபத்தையும், முதலாளிகளின் நலனை மட்டுமே கருத்தில் கொண்டு அவை செயல்படக்கூடாது. புனிதமான பணியில் லட்சிய தாகத்துடன் நடக்க வேண்டும். பரவலான நன்மைக்காகவே அவர்களிடம் அதிசக்தி வாய்ந்த ஊடகங்கள் ஒப்படைக்கப்பட்டிருக்கிறது."

Problems in Iraq / பிரச்சினை 2005 - ஈராக்

2006-01-20T16:41:00.000-08:00

Problems in Iraq / பிரச்சினை 2005 - ஈராக்: "பொருளாதாரத்தை குலைக்க வேண்டும். அது மக்கள் மத்தியில் அதிருப்தியை தோற்றுவிக்கும். அதனால் அரசின் பலம் வீக்கமடையும். அதிகாரத்தின் நம்பகத்தன்மையும் வீழும். குழப்பத்தை காசு செலவில்லாமல் உருவாக்கலாம். தடுப்பது மிகவும் கஷ்டம். எங்கோ ஒரு பாலத்தை வெடி வைத்து தகர்த்தால் போதும். அனைத்து பாலங்களுக்கும் காவலாளிகளின் தேவை தோன்றும். ஒரு தியேட்டருக்குள் குண்டு வீசினால் போதும். எல்லா பொது இடத்திலும் நுழைவதற்கு முன் சோதனை போடும் அவசியம் உருவாகும்.

Counterinsurgency Warfare: Theory & Practice by David Galula, 1964

ஈராக்கில் சென்ற வருடம் என்ன நடந்தது என்றவுடன் அனைவரின் மனதிலும் எழும் கேள்வி - 'அமெரிக்காவின் ஆக்கிரமிப்பு எப்பொழுது நீங்கும்' என்பதாகத்தான் இருக்கிறது. சன்னிக்களும் பெருவாரியாக கலந்து கொண்ட தேர்தல் வெற்றிகரமாக நடந்திருக்கிறது. அனைத்து தரப்பினரும் ஒப்புக்கொள்ளும் அரசியல் அமைப்பு ஒப்புதலாகியிருக்கிறது. இருந்தாலும், அமெரிக்கப் படை இருக்கும் வரை வெற்று வதந்திகள் கூட ஆயிரம் பேரை கொன்றுவிடுகிறது.

இத்தனைக்கும் மொத்த ஈராக்கின் பதினெட்டு மாகாணங்களில் நான்கே நான்கில் மட்டும்தான் வன்முறை தலைவிரித்தாடுகிறது. நான்கு மாகாணங்களுமே தலைநகரமான பாக்தாதில் மையம் கொண்டிருக்கிறது.

பொதுமக்கள் நுழையமுடியாதபடி பாதி பாக்தாத் மூடப்பட்டிருக்கிறது. மழை, வெள்ளம் போன்றவை எதுவும் இல்லாவிட்டாலும் மின்சாரம் இல்லாமல் வாழப் பழகிக் கொள்கிறார்கள். இந்த மாதிரி அன்றாட தலைவலிகளைப் பொறுத்துக் கொண்டாலும், குண்டுவெடிப்பு, துப்பாக்கிச் சூடு, தினசரி சண்டை என்று வாழ்க்கையே போராட்ட களமாக மாறிப் போனதை வெறுக்கிறார்கள்.

வீட்டில் இருந்து காய்கறி வாங்க கிளம்பினால் துப்பாக்கியில் குறிபார்த்துக் கொண்டே செல்லும் அமெரிக்க இராணுவப்படைகள். நகரத்துக்குள் செல்லமுடிகிற பத்து தெருக்களுள், ஒரு நாளில் பத்து இடங்களில், விமான நிலையத்துக்குள் நுழைவது போன்ற உடல் பரிசோதனைகள்.

ஷியாக்களுக்கும் சன்னிக்களுக்கும் பல நிலைப்பாடுகளில் கடும் கருத்து வேறுபாடு இருந்தாலும் 'அமெரிக்கா படைகளை திரும்பப் பெறவேண்டும்' என்பதில் உறுதியாக கை கோர்க்கிறார்கள். ஜனவரி 30 நடந்த இடைக்கால தேர்தலில் சன்னி முஸ்லீம்கள் பங்குபெற வேண்டுமென்றால் அமெரிக்காவின் வெளியேற்றத்திற்கான கால அட்டவணை வெளியிட வேண்டும் என்று ஈராக்கில் கிளர்ச்சியை பெருமளவில் தூண்டிவிடும் 'இஸ்லாமிய மார்க்க அறிஞர்களின் கூட்டமைப்பு' (Association of Muslim Scholars) நிபந்தனை விதித்தது. ஷியா முஸ்லீம்களின் சார்பாக முக்ததா அல்-சாதரும் (Muqtada al-Sadr) இஸ்லாமிய புரட்சி இயக்கத்தின் (Islamic Revolution) அப்தெல் ஆஸிஸ் அல்-ஹகிமும் (Abdel Aziz al-Hakim) ஏப்ரல் 2003-இல் இருந்தே அமெரிக்கா வெளியேறுவதை கோருகிறார்கள்.

ஈராக்கிடம் அணு ஆயுதங்களை தயாரிக்கும் ஆதார பொருள்கள் இருக்கலாம், ஆந்த்ராக்ஸ் போன்ற உயிரியல் மற்றும் வேதியியல் பேரழிவு ஆயுதங்களை ஈராக் கொண்டிருக்கலாம் என்று சொல்லி அதன்மீது போர் தொடுத்தது அமெரிக்கா. ஆனால், இன்றுவரை ஆதாரங்களுக்கு பதில் மழுப்பல்களும், ஒப்பனைகள் நிரம்பிய கோப்புகளின் பல்லிளிப்பும் மட்டுமே நிரூபிக்கப்பட்டிருக்கிறது. வியட்நாமில் கம்யூனிஸத்தை தடுத்து நிறுத்த எண்ணியது போல், ஈராக்கில் இஸ்லாமிய ஜிஹாத் எண்ணங்களுக்கு தடா போடவே அமெரிக்கா படையெடுத்தது. இரண்டுமே பெரும்தோல்வி.

ஈராக்கை வ்¢ட்டு அமெரிக்கா விலகுவது என்பது எளிதானது அல்ல. ஈராக்கின் ஒன்றரை லட்சம் காவல் படை வீரர்களுக்கும்; 85,000 இராணுவ வீரர்களுக்கும் அமெரிக்கா பயிற்சியளித்து வருகிறது. நூற்றிப் பதினைந்து பகுதிகளாக இவர்களைப் பிரித்து - போராளிகளைத் தடுப்பது, கொரில்லா போர்முறைகள், துப்பாக்கி சுடுவது, விசாரணை முறைகள், உளவியல் பயிற்சிகள் என்று அனைத்து துறைகளிலும் எதிர்த்து நிற்க, தீவிரவாதிகளை ஒடுக்க, வகுப்பெடுக்கிறார்கள்.

ஜூன் மாதத்தில், இவர்களை ஒரு கல்லூரி போல் பிரித்து மதிப்பிட்டிருக்கிறார்கள். கல்லூரியில் கடைசியாண்டு போல், அனேகமாக 'தயார்' நிலையில், தனிப்படையாக செயல்படும் திறன் கொண்டவர்களாக மூன்று தொகுதிகளை கிராஜுவேட் நிலைக்கு மதிப்பிட்டார்கள். மீண்டும் நடந்த செப்டம்பர் தேர்வில், மொத்தம் இருக்கும் 115 தொகுதிகளில், ஒன்றே ஒன்று மட்டும்தான் தேறியது.

இரண்டாம் நிலையாக சண்டை போடத் தெரிந்தவர்கள் என்னும் தகுதிக்கு மூன்றில் ஒருவர் தயார் நிலையில் இருந்தார். சீக்கிரமே தேறிவிடுவார் என்னும் மூன்றாம் நிலையில் மூன்றில் இரண்டு பங்கு இராணுவமும், பாதி போலீசாரும் இருந்தார்கள். ஒன்றுக்குமே லாயக்கில்லாத கடைசி நான்காம் நிலையில் மிச்ச பாதி காவல் துறை வீரர்கள் தகுதி பெற்றிருந்தார்கள்.

சண்டையில் ஜெயித்தபிறகு விலகிவிடாமல், ஜெர்மனி, ஜப்பான், தென் கொரியா போன்ற நாடுகளில் ராஜ்ய பரிபாலனத்துக்கு உறுதுணையாக இருந்த அமெரிக்கா; வியட்னாம் போன்ற தோற்ற நாடுகளில் இருந்து மட்டுமே உடனடியாக பின்வாங்கியது. அப்போதைய உலகப் போர் முடிந்தவுடன் அமெரிக்கா போர்க்கால அடிப்படையில் தன்னுடைய ஜெனரல்களுக்கு பிறமொழி வகுப்பெடுத்தது. பெருமளவில் மொழிபெயர்ப்பாளர்கள் தேவை என்று பொது அறிக்கை வெளியிட்டது. அதனைப் பயன்படுத்துக் கொள்ள பல்கலைக்கழகங்களிலும் ரேபிடெக்ஸ் பாடங்களை முப்பது நாளில் ஜப்பானிய மொழி என்று கற்றுக் கொடுத்து ஆயிரக்கணக்கில் அனுப்பி வைத்தார்கள். இதுநாள் வரை அமெரிக்காவில், 'அராபிய மொழி தெரிந்தவர்கள் தேவை' என்று பெரிய அளவில் கேட்க ஆரம்பிக்கவில்லை. கேட்டாலும் ஈராக் என்னும் பெயரைக் கேட்டாலே காலன் வந்து நிற்பதாக நினைக்கும் அமெரிக்கர்களும் அரேபிய மொழி படித்து, மொழி வல்லுநர்களாக மாறி ஈராக்கின் படைவீரர்களை கரை சேர்க்க வருவது சந்தேகமே.

மேலும், ஜப்பான், ஜெர்மனி போல் அல்லாமல், ஈராக்கியர்கள் அமெரிக்கப் படையை விரோதியாகப் பார்க்கிறார்கள். அமெரிக்க நண்பர்களைக் கூட, ஈராக்கை ஆக்கிரமிப்பாக எண்ணுவதில்தான், அபிப்பிராய பேதம் ஆரம்பிக்கிறது.

நிலையான அமைதியை நிறுவாமல் ஈராக்கை விட்டு அமெரிக்கா வெளியேற முடியாது. இன்றைக்கு உடனடியாக படைகளை வாபஸ் பெற்றுக் கொண்டால் ஈராக்கில் கலகம் வெடித்து, குழப்பத்தில் ஆப்பிரிக்க நாடுகள் போல் உள்நாட்டுப் போர் மூளும் அபாயம் இருக்கிறது. ஈராக்கிய இராணுவத்தையும், காவல் படையையும் - எவ்வித அச்சுறுத்தலையும், கிளர்ச்சியாளர்களை அடக்கும் வழிமுறைகளையும், கற்றுத் தந்துவிட்டு விலகுவதே அல் கொய்தா போன்ற தீவிரவாத இயக்கங்கள் ஈராக்கில் குளிர் காய்வதை தடுக்கும்.

American Troops in Iraqஈராக்கில் சன்னி முஸ்லீம்களும் ஜனநாயகத்தில் பங்குபெற விரும்புகிறார்கள். தற்போது ஷியாக்கள் மட்டுமே பெரும்பாலும் உள்ள ஆட்சி அமைப்புகளும் சன்னிக்களின் வருகையால் சமநிலையை அடையும். ஆனால், அமெரிக்கப் படைகள் வெளியேறும் வரை சன்னிக்கள் தேர்தல்களில் பங்கு பெறுவதை தவிர்க்க விரும்புகிறார்கள். அமெரிக்காவை வெளியேற்றும் அளவுக்கு சன்னி கிளர்ச்சியாளர்களிடம் பெரிய ஏவுகணைகளும் ஹெலிகாப்டர்களும் கிடையாது. கைகுண்டுகளையும் நாட்டு வெடிகுண்டுகளையுமே அவர்கள் வீசி வருகிறார்கள்.

பாலஸ்தீனத்திலும் காஷ்மீரிலும் ஒலிப்பது போல் பெரும்பாலான கலகக்காரர்களின் குரல் 'ஜிஹாத்' என்பதாக ஈராக்கில் இல்லை. அவர்களின் கரகோஷம் 'முக்காவாமா' - எதிர்ப்பு என்பதாகத்தான் இருக்கிறது. ஈராக் தேசியத்தை தாங்கிப் பிடித்து அந்நியர்களை எதிர்ப்பதுதான் அவர்களின் தாரக மந்திரம். காட்டாக ஈராக்கிய இஸ்லாமிய படை மற்றும் ஈராக்கின் தீநாக்கு (Flame of Iraq) போன்ற அமைப்புகளின் பெயர்களை சொல்லலாம்.

தாங்கள் தோற்றுப் போனதற்காக, தங்களின் உடமைகள் நாசமாகியதற்காக, தங்களின் வீடுகளின் உள் புகுந்ததற்காக, ஒவ்வொரு அமெரிக்க வீரரைப் பார்க்கும்போதும் அவரை பழிவாங்கத் துடிக்கிறார்கள். இந்த எதிர்ப்பாளர்களின் குறி, அத்துமீறி புகுந்திருக்கும் அமெரிக்கப் படையின் மீது 'இந்திக்வாம்' - பழிக்குப் பழி. அமெரிக்கா விலகிவிட்டால், இவர்கள் தோன்றியதற்கான காரணம் முழுமையடைந்து விடும். இவர்கள் எதிர்ப்பதற்கு எவரும் இலக்காக மாட்டார்கள். குறிக்கோளும் இருக்காது.

அல் கொய்தாவின் அபு முஸப் அல்-ஜர்காவி (Abu Musab al-Zarqawi) அடிக்கடி பேசி இவர்களைத் தூண்டி விடுவது போல் தோன்றலாம். ஜர்காவிக்கு உலகமே இஸ்லாம் மயமாவது குறிக்கோள். கண்ணுக்கு கண், ரத்தத்துக்கு ரத்தம் என்னும் தாரக மந்திரம் அல்-கொய்தாவுக்கு, ஆள் சேர்க்க உபயோகப் படுகிறது. வளைகுடா இஸ்லாமிய நாடுகளில் நிதி வசூலிக்க உதவியிருக்கிறது. அமெரிக்காவுக்கு எதிராக கொம்பு சீவ பயன்படுகிறது. ஆனால், அல் கொய்தாவால் ஈராக் கிளர்ச்சியாளர்களுக்கு எவ்வித நேரடி உறவுமில்லை.

சன்னி முஸ்லீம்கள் அண்டை நாடுகளில் இருந்து போராளிகளை இறக்குமதி செய்தார்கள்; செய்கிறார்கள். கடந்த வருடத்தில் தற்கொலைப் படையாக இயங்கிய 235 பேர்களில் பாதிக்கு மேற்பட்டோர் சவூதி அரேபியர்கள். ஆப்கானிஸ்தானை சோவியத் ஆக்கிரமித்தபோது, எகிப்து ஏற்றுமதி செய்தார்கள். இன்று ஈராக் பிரச்சினைக்கு, சவூதியில் இருந்து வீரர்கள் சப்ளை ஆகிறார்கள். மே 2003-இல் நடந்த ரியாத் குண்டுவெடிப்புகளுக்குப் பிறகு அதிகாரபூர்வமாக 'ஜிஹாத்' முடுக்கிவிடும் மார்க்க அறிஞர்களை வாய்மூடச் சொன்னது சவுதி அரசு. ஆனால், இன்றளவில் இருபத்தியாறு இஸ்லாமிய அறிஞர்கள் அமெரிக்காவுக்கு எதிராக ஜிஹாத் குரல் கொடுத்து வருகிறார்கள். அவர்களுக்கு ஈராக் கிடைத்தால் போதுமானது.

சாதாரண ஈராக்கியன் காலையில் எழுந்து வண்டியோட்டும்போது முன்னாடி செல்லும் வண்டியில் குழந்தை சிரிப்பதையோ, ஹெல்மட் போடாத இளநங்கையையோ, செல்பேசியில் கதைக்கும் சக ஈராக்கியனையோத்தான் பார்க்க விரும்புகிறான். எட்டு சக்கரத்தில் துப்பாக்கி தாங்கிய பதினெட்டு பேர் கொண்ட அமெரிக்காவின் அன்னிய முகங்களை அல்ல.

ஈராக்கில் ஸன்னி மற்றும் ஷியா முஸ்லீம் இடையே குர்திஸ்தான் பொருந்தாமல் ஒட்டிக் கொண்டிருக்கிறது. குர்துக்களுக்கு விடுதலை தேவை. சதாம் வீழ்வதற்கு முன்போ ஐ.நா. அனுகூலத்தோடு சுயாட்சி நடத்திக் கொண்டிருந்தார்கள். ஈராக்கில் நடக்கும் இனக் கலவரத்துக்கும் தங்களுக்கும் தாமரையிலை நீராகத்தான் பட்டும் படாமல் இருக்கிறார்கள். கிட்டத்தட்ட ஒரு லட்சம் வீரர்களைக் கொண்ட 'பெஷ்மெர்கா' என்னும் கட்டுக்கோபான இராணுவம் இருக்கிறது. தன் ஆளுகை அனுபவம் உண்டு. இஸ்ரேலைப் போல் அமெரிக்காவின் செல்லப் பிள்ளைகள். மிக சீக்கிரமே இவர்கள் தனி நாடாக உருவாகி, அமெரிக்காவுக்கு படைத்தளங்களும் விமானதளங்களும் அமைத்து உதவுவார்கள். நாடோ-வில் (NATO) உறுப்பினராக இருக்கும் அண்டை நாடான துருக்கியும் பழைய பகைகளை தூசி தட்டாமல் சுமுகமாக அமைதி கொண்டாடுவார்கள்.

ஈராக்கின் இன்னொரு அண்டை நாடான் ஈரானுடன் நல்லுறவு ஏற்பட வாய்ப்பிருக்கிறது. சதாம் ஆண்ட காலத்தில், அவரின் ஆட்சியை வீழ்த்த நினைத்த பல அரசியல்வாதிகளும், சதாமால் தேடப்பட்ட ஷியா முஸ்லீம் அறிஞர்களும் ஈரானில்தான் தஞ்சம் புகுந்திருந்தார்கள். ஆனால், இந்த மாதிரி புகலிடம் கொடுக்கப்பட்ட ஒரு சில ஷியாக்களுக்கு பர்த்தியாக ஆயிரக்கணக்கான ஷியா படை வீரர்கள் கைதிகளாக ஈரானின் சிறைகளில் கொடுமை அனுபவித்திருக்கிறார்கள். அதனால் மேல்மட்டத்தில் கை குலுக்கினாலும், சாதாரண மனிதர்களுக்கு ஈரான் இன்னும் பகை நாடாகவே விளங்கும்.

கடைசியில் அமெரிக்காவின் ஆதர்ச லட்சியமான - சமயச் சார்பற்ற, பெண்களுக்கும் சமவுரிமை கொடுக்கும் உதாரண நாடாக ஈராக் மாறும் என்னும் எண்ணத்தில்தான் மண் விழுந்து புல் கூட முளைத்திருக்கிறது. குர்துக்கள் தவிர மற்ற எந்தப் பகுதியுமே மதச்சார்பற்ற அரசியல் அமைப்பை ஆதரிக்கவில்லை.

ஆமை புகுந்த வீடு உருப்படாது என்பது போல் பிரிட்டிஷார் பிரித்த நாடும் உருப்படாது என்று சொல்லலாம். சரித்திரம் மீண்டும் பிரதிபலிக்கிறது. இங்கிலாந்து முடியாட்சியின் கீழ் இருந்த 1900-களில் உள்நாட்டு கலகத்தை அடக்க உள்ளூர் சிப்பாய்களை நம்பினார்கள். இங்கிலாந்து உதவியுடன் புதிய அரசை நிறுவினார்கள். மக்களின் பெருவாரியான வரவேற்பைப் பெற்றிருந்த நூரி சேத் (Nuri Said) தலைவரானார். 1958-இல் நடந்த புரட்சியில் பிரிட்டிஷ் அரசு நியமித்த அரசு கவிழ்க்கப்பட்டது. மக்களின் அபிமானமான அரசியல் தலைவராக இருந்தாலும் வேற்று நாட்டுடன் சரசமாடியதாக சேத் நினைக்கப்பட்டார். பெண் வேடமணிந்து தப்பிக்க முயலும்போது, பிரதம மந்திரியான நூரி சேத் கொடூரமான முறையில் கொல்லப்பட்டார்.

'சாஹில்' என்ற வழக்கத்திற்கு கால்கோளாக நூரி சேத்தின் சடலம் தோண்டியெடுக்கப்பட்டது. ஈராக் வீதியெங்கும் ஊர்வலமாக கொண்டு செல்லப்பட்டது. அயல் இனத்தாருக்கு ஆதரவு தந்தால் இதுதான் தண்டனை என்று பறையப்படுவதுபோல் 'சாஹில்' என்பது தொடர்ந்து ஈராக்கில் நிகழ்ந்து வருகிறது. அமெரிக்கா கூடிய சிக்கீரமே குடிபெயராவிட்டால், தற்போதைய பிரதம் மந்திரி இப்ராஹிம் ஜா·பரிக்கும் (Ibrahim Jaafari) 'சாஹில்' அரங்கேறலாம்.

'சாஹில்' ஆவது பரவாயில்லை. தலைவர் மட்டும்தான் சின்னாபின்னப்படுவார். சர்வாதிகார அடக்குமுறையில் இருந்து விடுதலையாகும் தேசங்கள் ஆபத்தானவை. 1947 பாகிஸ்தானைப் போல; நெப்போலியனிடமிருந்து சுதந்திரம்டைந்த பிரான்சைப் போல; உள்நாட்டு கலகமும், உள்வாங்காத தேசிய உணர்வும், கட்டற்ற சுதந்திரமும் சண்டைக்குப் போக வைத்திருக்கிறது. ஏற்கனவே, ஈராக்கின் ஆளுங்கூட்டணியில் இருக்கும் ஷியா அணியினர், சன்னி முஸ்லீம்கள் நிறைந்த ஜோர்டானை கடுமையாக விமர்சிக்கிறார்கள். சமீபத்திய தேர்தலில் பங்குகொண்ட சன்னி அணியினர், ஈரானை நோக்கி குற்றம் குறைகளைப் பட்டியலிடுகிறார்கள். குர்துக்களுக்கும் துருக்கிக்கும் என்றுமே ஏழாம் பொருத்தம். எங்களுடைய நாடு என்று சொந்தம் கொண்டாடிய குட்டி குவைத், ஆஸ்தான எதிரி இஸ்ரேல், அமெரிக்காவுக்கு சமீபத்தில் அடிபணிந்த சிரியா என்று ஈராக்கின் சந்தர்ப்பவாத அரசியல் எந்தப் பக்கம் வேண்டுமானாலும் போர் தொடுத்து பாயும் அபாயமிருக்கிறது.

அன்று ஆப்கானிஸ்தானில் வளர்த்த கடா அல் கொய்தா. நாளை, கடுமையான அமெரிக்கப் பயிற்சியையும் நுட்பங்களையும் பெற்ற ஈராக் இராணுவம், அமெரிக்காவுக்கு எதிராகவே வியூகம் வகுக்கும்."

Mobility: Not Just for Traders Anymore

2006-01-20T16:40:00.000-08:00

Securities Industry News
(c) 2005 Securities Industry News and SourceMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Research in Motion (RIM), the Canadian company that manufactures the BlackBerry handheld device, is fighting a touch-and-go legal battle over U.S. patent rights, but there's no denying that it has already conquered the securities industry, which in turn is finding more ways to put the equipment to use.

Initially and primarily an e-mailing tool for traders, analysts and others with a need to stay connected remotely, particularly on the sell side, the BlackBerry has evolved into a full-fledged alternative to laptop computers for such tasks as customer relationship management (CRM). Salespeople can gain real-time access to company databases without having to boot up a laptop or personal computer in their homes or hotel rooms.

Handheld devices have not yet been fully embraced for job-related applications at other levels of financial services organizations, but software companies like Pyxis Mobile and Vaultus Mobile Technologies are working to fill those gaps.

Waltham, Mass.-based Pyxis has developed systems for portfolio managers and advisers to receive updates from home base while on the road. Forty-five major asset management firms have implemented Pyxis' mPlatform series of applications. Fund giants Pioneer Investments and Putnam Investments, for example, use Pyxis' mWholesaler on BlackBerrys.

Meanwhile, Vaultus, a five-year-old spin-off from Massachusetts Institute of Technology with customers in multiple industries ranging from ING Group and Prudential Financial to the U.S. Army, is going after the management layer of wholesalers, who need data packaged differently than do their salespeople.

Field representatives and wholesalers found it too complex to use laptops for entering and retrieving customer data, said Vaultus CEO David Birnbach.

Four years since it delivered its first handheld system to a mutual fund, Pyxis is building on the strength of mWholesaler and pushing out its mAdvisor product for the sell side; Christy said "major wirehouses" are interested in the latter as a way to obtain client and account information and raise their service levels. Pyxis also offers mPortfolio for institutional investment firms and hedge fund managers. "Portfolio managers would like to be on the road more," Christy notes, and with mPortfolio they can access their order management and portfolio management system and view accounts and transactions on an intraday basis.

Using mPortfolio with prices from data vendors such as Reuters and Bloomberg, investment managers can download current profit-and-loss statements, Christy added. Pyxis has a newly designed application, Mobile Data Manager, that allows access to a number of disparate data sources.

Boston-based Vaultus specializes in helping enterprises to link mobile access to existing back-end applications. Vaultus is going beyond mobile CRM to address the management side of financial services, said Birnbach.

The second phase for Vaultus is rolling out Reporting Dashboard, a prepackaged wireless application that gives managers instant access to their reports and business performance data, such as sales reports or distributor performance by day, week, month, quarter or year. Reporting Dashboard is targeted at wholesalers' managers and at managing directors of financial institutions, said Birnbach.

Could RIM's legal problems be a fly in the ointment for these BlackBerry-dependent vendors and their customers? Recent court decisions by U.S. District Judge James Spencer in Richmond, Va. favored wireless e-mail patent-holder NTP and threaten to cut off service to the more than 3 million U.S. BlackBerry users. Although consulting firm Gartner recommended in early December that enterprises put mission-critical BlackBerry system development on hold and consider alternative products, panic is hardly widespread. Because the judge rejected a $450 million offer by RIM to settle the patent infringement charges, many securities analysts now anticipate that RIM may just have to plunk down something close to $1 billion.

At a recent Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange (MITX) event in Boston, Joe Porrazzo, applications project manager for software engineering of CRM systems at Putnam, admitted to some uneasiness:

Putnam uses Pyxis for a Siebel Systems CRM implementation over BlackBerrys enterprisewide, with close to 100 licenses.

Pioneer's manager of application management, Tom Santaniello, said the firm is using an Epiphany CRM over Pyxis mWholesaler for around 50 users. Santaniello said that for technical strategy reasons not related to the court case, "we will have an alternative" to BlackBerry.

Christy said Pyxis is concerned enough to be "planning a worst-case scenario," which he doesn't expect to have to turn to. He emphasized, though, that Pyxis is not a BlackBerry shop per se, it just serves a community in which the BlackBerry is dominant.

Mobile phone giant Nokia may challenge RIM with its recent bid for Intellisync, a developer of wireless messaging and e-mail technology. Nokia is also a majority partner in the Symbian open-standard operating system. Christy said,

Microsoft is always one to keep an eye on, said Bob Egan, director of emerging technology at research firm TowerGroup in Needham, Mass.

______________________________

Eze Castle Software announced the introduction last week of EzeMobile, enabling mobile access to an order management system (OMS) and related trading-status functionality on a handheld device or Web browser.

Boston-based Eze Castle, a leading provider of buy-side OMS, particularly to multistrategy hedge funds, said Eze-Mobile leverages the company's Microsoft .Net technology architecture to remotely deliver the Traders Console OMS, Portfolio Managers Console and Watchtower compliance engine. Trades initiated through EzeMobile can be allocated to specific portfolios using schemes defined in Traders Console. As the order is created, the pre-trade compliance program ensures the order is proper. All EzeMobile trading activity is tracked in the Traders Console audit trail for compliance and auditing purposes.

Another member of the Eze Castle corporate family, Eze Castle Integration, has promoted the cause of trading over the America Online Instant Messenger platform through a 2004 spin-off, Pivot Solutions. Its IMTrader network, enabling transfers of instant messages into OMS format, has more than 1,000 buy- and sell-side members. Pivot has gotten financial backing from venture capital firms Draper Fisher Jurvetson Gotham Ventures and Hudson Ventures.

Instinet Integrates With Reuters Station

2006-01-20T16:35:00.000-08:00

Securities Industry News: " Instinet, now independent from its former parent Reuters Group, is announcing today that it has integrated the Instinet Trading Portal with the Reuters Station desktop. As a result of what the companies term an exclusive partnership arrangement, traders will be able to quickly act upon Reuters Station's technical and fundamental analytics, news and research by seeking out liquidity via Instinet's front-end trading technology.

The relationship will benefit the companies' large number of common clients for two main reasons, said Tim Conway, SVP at Instinet. "We certainly know Reuters salespeople have received a lot of inquiries in the past about being able to access the marketplace directly through the Reuters Station tool," he said. "We saw this as a way to give our clients the ability to get orders into the marketplace more quickly, be more efficient and be responsive to an industrywide movement to integrate desktops and free up desk space." Mutual customers, he added, "say this helps us with some desktop issues and allows us to get our orders into the market more efficiently if we click on a security in Reuters Station and it brings up a Portal ticket."

Brokers scrambling to pull in investors

2006-01-20T16:33:00.000-08:00

The Seattle Times: How do you make money in a sluggish, sideways market? With stocks expected to struggle for positive returns in the coming year, Wall Street will have plenty of alternatives for investors.

Many investors will likely be reluctant to commit to major stock buys or even major sales in a go-nowhere market. To counter that inertia, brokerages in need of commission revenue will offer options trading, banking and advisory services to get investors spending. Wall Street firms also hope an expected spate of fresh merger and acquisition deals will generate some interest in stocks.

The competition for investors' business will remain intense.

"If you look at volume on the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq over the last five years, there's been no real increase in the number of shares traded," said Richard Bove, securities- industry analyst with Punk, Ziegel. "In addition, proprietary trading has gone from 19 percent to 52 percent of that total. So you're seeing more competition for fewer individual trades."

As a result, retail brokers who regularly interact with individual investors are expected to try to promote more options contracts in hopes of generating more business. These contracts can let investors make a little bit of money on a stock that may not move, or cover their holdings in case of a sudden downturn.

"Options can be a very good vehicle for a variety of investors, but certainly, brokers will try to sell you on things that might not be good for your risk profile," said Randy Frederick, director of derivatives at Charles Schwab Corp. "Some options actually act as a hedge against falling prices, but investors have to be careful of more speculative trades."

Options can indeed be a good way for investors to make a modest return in a sideways market, based on the stocks they currently hold. However, they're more of a gamble, because the investor isn't just required to determine whether a stock is good or not, but also take a risk on how high or low its price will fluctuate -- particularly tough to divine in an erratic market.

Nonetheless, options trading rose 23 percent in 2005, according to Schwab, and could jump another 30 percent in 2006. It's becoming an increasingly lucrative part of the market, and for small brokers, getting investors involved in options is critical to their own survival, given that the number of actual stock trades could decline.

"It's increasingly difficult to be a regional broker," Bove said. "There's a lack of trade to worry about, yes, but you're also dealing with pricing weakness, competition from the big New York City companies and the universal banks that offer everything from checking accounts to financial advisory services."

The scramble for investors' business will also affect online brokerages such as E-Trade and Ameritrade, both of which will still be sorting out major acquisitions made in 2005. Ameritrade is swallowing TD Waterhouse, while E-Trade is busy integrating Harrisdirect and Brown.

Buying, and then absorbing, other companies is challenging, and both E-Trade and Ameritrade will need to ensure their revenues remain strong during 2006. E-Trade will continue to try to sell its customers on online banking and loans, while Ameritrade's new Amerivest service will attempt to replicate the expertise of a financial adviser in an online format. Both, of course, have plans to step up their options offerings.

"Trading volumes have been somewhat lackluster over the past few years, with people putting money into real estate instead of the stock market," said Richard Herr, an analyst with Keefe, Bruyette & Woods. "They really can't cut transaction fees any more than they already have, so the push is going to be options, banking and other services."

Even the big brokerages will be hard-pressed to get investors into the market should stocks stay sluggish. However, the major firms, such as Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers and Goldman Sachs, will have an expected boost in merger and acquisition (M&A) activity to generate revenues if their brokerage arms lag.

Yet the big firms are also hoping that the expected surge in M&A deals throughout corporate America will help reignite interest in stocks.

"Some firms are projecting 30 percent M&A growth next year, after 36 percent this year," Bove said. "Companies are still sitting on piles of cash, and they'll get to work after the new year."

However, smaller, boutique investment banks such as Greenhill and Lazard have become increasingly attractive alternatives to the big, traditional Wall Street firms when it comes to advising on mergers, as well as underwriting new stocks.

On top of it all, the U.S. equity markets themselves are transforming and consolidating. The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) will complete its acquisition of Archipelago in January, and is expected to buy other, smaller exchanges or markets by year's end. And the Nasdaq Stock Market, fresh off its completed acquisition of Instinet's online trading platform, will give the NYSE increased competitive pressure.

"2006 is going to be a very transformative year on Wall Street," Herr said. "Any sense of complacency that may have existed is gone."

OMS Vendors Oppose SEC 28(e) Guidance

2006-01-20T16:31:00.000-08:00

Traders Online: The stock dealers and institutional traders complete interactive news and information service of Traders Magazine: "Some order management system executives have gone into a full-court regulatory press.

They are lobbying the SEC to reverse its opinion that their services don't qualify for alternative commission arrangements. Those used to be called soft dollars. They were recognized under the safe harbor of Section 28(e) of the Exchange Act. OMSs have billed on a soft dollar basis, but that may end.

The SEC, in a recent guidance release explaining how commissions should and should not be billed, said expenditures that are not integral to the execution of orders don't qualify for alternative arrangements. Officials at Charles River Brokerage, a unit of the buyside OMS vendor of the same name, wrote in a comment letter that OMSs come within the guidelines of 28(e). Indeed, these officials argued that, for smaller firms, OMSs are critical to achieving best execution. Stephen Schardin, president and managing director of Charles River Brokerage, contended the OMS is critical to the execution process."

Liquidnet Opens to Sellside

2006-01-20T16:30:00.000-08:00

Traders Online: The stock dealers and institutional traders complete interactive news and information service of Traders Magazine: "Four years after its founding as a buyside-only crossing network, Liquidnet has entered into deals with six "order aggregators" to supply its network with a steady stream of "retail-sized" order flow. Liquidnet, today, reports 1 billion shares per day available for trading in its network. The do-it-yourself trading platform currently averages about 40 million shares per day, placing it among the 20 largest brokerage firms.

Merrin would not disclose the identities of Liquidnet's new order suppliers, only saying they could be brokerages, ECNs and stock exchanges. The deals with the sellside radically revise Liquidnet's business model as well as its technological architecture.

Liquidnet's original plan was to build a gated community of buysiders only. That strategy has kept out the sellside sharks, but the downside has been low cross rates. Only 25 percent of orders in the system on any given day match up, Merrin said. Of those, only 25 percent actually trade, he added. That gives the system a 6.25 percent cross rate.

The new version of Liquidnet's software, dubbed H2O, took two-and-a-half years to build and is currently being tested at 20 money management firms. Liquidnet counts about 300 buyside firms on its network. Trading with the incoming order flow will be optional for Liquidnet members. Any trades that do occur will be done automatically at the mid-point of the bid-ask spread. Combining retail or retail-sized order flow with institutional block orders is considered something of a "holy grail" on the Street. With H2O, Merrin believes it is within reach."

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Tokyo Stock Exchange Closes Early

2006-01-20T16:23:00.000-08:00

Securities Industry News: " The problem-plagued Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) had to shut down again today as trading volume piled up faster than computer systems could handle it.

It was the latest and perhaps most far-reaching of a string of operational failures and embarrassments dating back to November that resulted in a number of firings and salary reductions at the TSE's staff level--raising questions as to whether the exchange had lost critical expertise for dealing with its problems.

Addressing Wednesday's incident, which resulted in a halt to trading of all equity, convertible bond and exchange bond issues 20 minutes ahead of schedule, TSE acting president Taizo Nishimuro said, "There was a possibility that the number of orders and executions received would exceed the amount able to be processed by the system."

The exchange had determined that if its number of orders goes above 8.5 million a day or the number of executions hits 4 million, then processing problems would start to occur. As of 2:25 p.m. it had processed about 7 million orders and 4 million executions. The announcement at around 2:00 that it would close at 2:40 set off a near-panic rush exacerbated by news of a criminal fraud investigation of Livedoor, a high-flying Internet services company, which led a 2.9 percent plunge in the Nikkei 225 index, the worst since May 10, 2004."

For Citi, an Exchange of Its Own?

2006-01-20T16:20:00.000-08:00

For Citi, an Exchange of Its Own?: "It plans to develop a trading system, which won't compete with the Big Board and Nasdaq right away but could provide a lower-cost alternative

If the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq hope to raise prices for stock traders this year, Citigroup (C ) may have an antidote. One of the nation's biggest stock traders, Citi is backing alternative trading systems that it expects will offer cheaper and faster trading venues. Now it plans to build up its own.

Citi's Jan. 18 announcement that it will develop a trading platform based on the OnTrade electronic communications network (ECN) that it acquired last week is the bank's latest and biggest shot across the bow of the two giant markets, experts say. Citi last year took 10% stakes in both the Boston and Philadelphia exchanges, joining with other big trading firms in investing in those potential alternatives. Earlier, in 2004, it acquired the Lava order-routing system that beefs up its electronic trading prowess.

All the moves come in advance of so-called Reg NMS, a new rule from the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission set to go into effect later this year. The rule, part of a longstanding national market system initiative, will require Wall Street to route orders for stock trades to markets that offer the best prices.

If the NYSE or Nasdaq offer the best quotes, stock trades will go to them. But if better prices can be found in alternative markets, especially those that boast of lower fees, they can capture the business.

By building up its electronic trading power, Citi's managers plan to be ready to comply with NMS as well as to strengthen bulwarks against the big exchanges raising fees. "Like most of the major players, they are developing either investments or platforms as a hedge to the two major exchanges," says Sandler O'Neill & Partners analyst Richard H. Repetto.

Citi hasn't spelled out what exactly it plans to do with the OnTrade system, which was one of the last freestanding ECNs. While officials at the bank say they don't want to build a full-fledged alternative exchange that would compete across the board with either the NYSE or Nasdaq, they do want to have lower-cost alternatives in case prices rise too sharply at the big two. "