Journalistic License

Because this article has Pune as its theme and highlights it as the future silicon valley of India, it had to say this -

While Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad suffer from the accent factor, the BPO industry has Pune to look to, for a large English speaking public.

I would really like to know from a BPO industry expert on this. Does a city like Bangalore really have an "accent factor"?? And is there something called an "accent factor"?

Bride and Prejudice...

I saw Bride and Prejudice and pretty much liked everything except Aishwarya Rai.. Granted that some of the dialogues were completely out of place and there was maybe something else that I could have disliked... But none of the other shortcomings of the movie stood out like the presence of Aishwarya Rai... So I thought I should mention that...

This lady who was travelling with me was jumping in joy after watching the movie... She said she loved it... So, I should also mention that Gurinder Chhaddha (I know the spelling is wrong.. Never mind) has successfully established a distorted image of Indian culture to the western world through this movie...

Agreed, the arranged marriage system somewhat resembles a shopping market in some places... But there was no necessity to underline it so much, that you only see the underline and nothing much else in the movie...

"Blogs have Integrity!"

Did you know that?

Secular-Right India, in what could be termed as the best glorification of blogs yet, comprehensively proves that blogs have "Integrity". The reason - because a few blogs got hysterical and decided they should put a poster on their websites protesting Musharraf's recent visit to India (to watch a cricket match!).

From elementary (il)logic, it follows that commercial media does not have integrity. It also (somehow) follows that commercial media is actually a mouthpiece of the government. In fact, "it's a means for the Government, and its proxies, to shape public opinion."

Okay?

Ideas for an Indian Century" claims the tagline of this blog. Here's definitely one very very 21st Century idea being propounded. "If you are not with us, you are with them." We all remember that, dont we?

Russell on Pure Mathematics

Pure mathematics is the subject in which we do not know what we are talking about, or whether what we are saying is true.

I did not understand the meaning of the above statement until very recently.

Why Helmets Are Important (An Anti-Libertarian Post)

Recently, a few libertarian bloggers got together and logically deduced that helmets should be banned for the greater common good.

However, now it has come to light, that they did not consider all factors.

Here is one they missed.

Rajdeep Sardesai on Thackeray and Cricket

"C'mon Balasaheb, be a sport!"

Social Extremism

If extending the dynamics of the market to its logical extreme and criticising any kind of regulation is "economic extremism" (also known as libertarianism), this is social extremism.

The legalization of some drugs that are illegal today could be one of the most humane beneficial acts that can happen today in India. Imagine the amount of spousal abuse/hooch deaths that can be reduced, if the masses had access to marijuana, instead of relying of country liquor and tobacco.

As a moderate, I don't think I will have any problems in debating whether marijuana should be legal or not. That will be a good sport. But only as a sport, does it qualify for debate.

To extend the argument and claim that marijuana will reduce spouse abuse, in my view, is an attempt to try and shock the audience by sensationalising the consequence just so that people might take notice. To try and establish a credence that it otherwise does not deserve.

It is called fundamentalism, when religious texts are taken in literal sense and preached as maxims. This is very similar, only that we probably need a different word to qualify this.

Respect for the National Anthem

Amit, while pondering over Laloo & Family's alleged disrespect to the national anthem, wonders whether milking a cow, when others are singing the national anthem will be considered a disrespect too?

For me, its all in the way it is packaged.

Two christian alcoholics went to a priest to check if it would be considered blasphemy if they drink while praying to God. The first one asked the priest if he will be allowed to drink while praying. The priest condemned him for even entertaining the thought.

The second one asked if it is wrong to think about God and pray all the time, even when drinking. The priest, with nodding approval, announced that there is no time that is bad time for prayer!

Saarang...

Nostalgia can really be intoxicating... And leave you numb for hours together...

Thanks Lazygeek, for the photos...

Next Step for Google...

Google, in its current state of being in an innovation spree, might think of

1. "Institutionalizing" the blog mela concept by introducing a website that will extract the best of blogs in a particular area and allow voting/rating (on) them.
2. And for those that read blogs that don't fit in a particular area, could offer an easy way of personalized meta-blog that will comprise entries from a defined set of other blogs every day.