Utterly Ridiculous!

The Village Voice: Features: The Foreign Invasion of the American Game by Dan McGraw

This article has got to be the most blatant way of manufacturing crap in a situation that is not really a bad one. Does this writer even watch the NBA and follow what's going on? People don't watch high-scoring games because it is white guys playing it - we watch them more because they are more fun. No one wants to watch Shaq grind his fat-ass against a defender for 20 seconds and power the ball into the basket. It is fun to see a Bobby Jackson (he is black, btw) or a Steve Nash or a Nick Van Exel (black again) run and gun and shoot the lights out at the stadium.

The author notes in passing that Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and others make huge amounts of money in endorsements and then cries over the white(?) Mavs making an Amex commercial - so what? LeBron James is getting $90 million before he played a single NBA game - should all white people cry over it because James hasn't played a single game in NBA and also happens to be black?

Another point that struck me as stupid was his assertion that NBA is as "black" as "Jazz" and letting white people into it will only marginalize it like Jazz got marginalized. Stupid, again! Yao Ming, whom the writer mentions as an example of the Whitey invasion (here's one for the Model Minority types to fume about) gets NBA more attention in a country with a billion-plus people, China. Even he probably paid less in endorsement deals than an absolutely over-rated black star like Vince Carter. What does all this mean? It means that the market chooses who they want to see and what they like and right now, the NBA is doing a good job of it. Stop whining and start enjoying the game - who knows? You might end up cheering for a few of the white guys.

So what's the point of bringing race into the equation here? Because the NBA is changing, on the court and off, getting whiter and more foreign, and many African-American fans and players think there is more going on here than international meritocracy. The perception - and perception is always important in matters of race- is that the NBA is acing out the black man because of corporate (read: white) fans and international marketing money. High-scoring white guys equals big bucks.

As grassy-knoll theories go, it's not easy to see a second shooter behind the fence on this one. After all, Dallas's Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash, Houston's Yao Ming, and Memphis's Pau Gasol have all proven they can hang with the brothers in the NBA. And many of the foreign players are themselves black, including Tony Parker, the San Antonio Spurs' star import from France. Still, one has to wonder what role the NBA's business model has in all of these changes. The league changed its rules a few years ago to favor the midrange jumper and discourage one-on-one play—rules that encourage higher-scoring games and less athletic players. The NBA's domestic TV revenues and attendance are flat, and the real money growth is in foreign TV rights and merchandise sales. Hell, the league even trotted out the very dead Frank Sinatra this year on its own cable network's commercials. How white was that?

Does that mean the NBA is favoring the foreign and white player? Depends on who you ask. "The brothers talk about this all the time," says Robert "Scoop" Jackson, editor at large for Slam and a contributing editor for the NBA's own Inside Stuff magazine. "The black cultural perspective is different on this one. From our perspective, the NBA is getting whiter, and not too many of the brothers like it."

Deluded or demented?

Either Robert Scheer is really stupid, since he cannot even bring himself up to do some basic research like the Spinsanity does here for free, and this man is actually paid to write crap like - Pentagon Aims Guns at Lynch Reports. You gotta laugh at his assertions that the whole Pentagon and Murdoch's Fox and the whole world of VRWC is out to get him. It would all be really hilarious if it weren't so pathetic, I think. Go buy a tin-foil hat, Scheer - it might make you feel better.

I nominate Scheer for the "Praful Bidwai" award for the extremely deluded!

Pioneer woman

As part of the "Women in the words of women" series, this week we have featured a biography and introduction to the works of Jyotsna Kamat at Real Women Online. Go check it out - she is a truly remarkable woman who was one of those first few women intellectuals in India who broke the path for higher education for women in India, the same path that women like me take for granted now.

I am sorry, Mavs!

I will admit it - I didn't watch the whole game last night. I saw till there were 5 minutes left in the second and we were down around 17. I gave up hope. I should have known better - they were not the "comeback Kings" for nothing :) Man, what a game it must have been. I would have screamed till my throat gave out last night if I had watched. I am sorry I didn't believe you could do it. Nothing is impossible for you guys. Go get 'em!

ESPN.com - NBA Playoffs 2003 - Mavericks turn Spurs inside out in Game 5

Basically, the softies did it again. The softies staved off elimination and gave Nowitzki an opportunity -- bet big on him to play Thursday -- to make his own heroic comeback in Game 6. In the sort of grinding playoff setting where they supposedly don't belong, this team of allegedly lightweight jump-shooters -- this time minus their best player -- wiped out the big deficit, held the Spurs to 10 fourth-quarter points, finished with more rebounds than the longer, stronger hosts and hiked the series back to Dallas.

"It's hilarious," said Mavericks guard Steve Nash, chuckling at the idea of hushing naysayers yet again in these playoffs. "What can I say? We're a tough team to beat."

Appalling!

Mad cow used for dog food?

WASHINGTON, May 27 - U.S. consumers are being asked to return dog food that may have come from a Canadian cow that tested positive for mad cow disease.

I was shocked when I heard about this on radio on my way to work. How can the Canadian Government have allowed the diseased cow to be used in preparation of "dog food" or any other food for that matter? Why wasn't the cow burned and disposed of so that there was no further risk of contamination? Height of greed or stupidity?

Interesting bloggy stuff

I just had to write to about this article, seeing as they not only mentioned both my blogs (Dancing with Dogs and Real Women Online), but actually linked to one of them.

Weblogs: a library of live autobiographies

Overall, I found this pretty interesting if not a little on the more opinion than facts side. Take the author's assertion that -

Almost all Indians are anti war, they feel the Iraqi invasion was illegal and they lament the war casualties on both the sides. But when it comes to national interests, there are quite a few bold voices ranting against ‘secular morons’ and advocating racist views.

Off the top of my head, I can come up with me, Ravi, Kingsley, JK, Ashwini (she is on the fence, but if forced, would have chosen the pro-war side), Suman Palit, Niraj and a bunch more people who were pro-war. How does that make almost all Indian voices anti-war? Maybe she is talking about almost all the blogs she visits? I noticed that even though "Dancing with Dogs" is mentioned, it is not linked, while others mentioned in the same sentence are.

Then there is the issue of us calling some people "secular" morons and espousing racist views - I suppose she meant "pseudo-secular" morons who are secular about all religions and haters when it comes to Hinduism. Racist views? I am at a loss here - someone help me how pleas for the Indian Government to be tough on terrorism amounts to racism. I am again assuming that is what the author is talking about, since she doesn't exactly elaborate.

There is a lot more stuff with no naming of names and vague descriptions of events that could fit anyone and anything, given the right slant. Check it out for sure.

Back to form

Varsha Bhosle is back with a bang with an article that kind of explains why I am more sympathetic to Israel's cause as an Indian, not as a pro-America person as some would like to believe. Who could argue with her logic here?

The lamb that roared

Which sane Indian won't sympathise with the Israelis?

Tell me, do you see the Islamist-Pinko-"Secularist" axis demanding the return of the Northern Territories and PoK to mainly-Hindu India...? Why not? Because, even when grabbed illegally, it's irreversible, a fait accompli...?

In which case, Israel, too, is a fait accompli. Besides which, the Jews are a nation since Biblical times; for over 3,300 years, Jerusalem -- founded by King David -- has been their capital. Jews pray facing Jerusalem; Arabs pray with their backs to it. There was no such thing as "Palestinian" before 1967, when Syrians, Iraqis, Jordanians, Lebanese and Saudis living in Israel began identifying themselves as "Palestinian." Why should Indians -- if, indeed, they are only Indian -- seek Israel's destruction...?

A Streetcar Named Desire

Just watched the movie - the uncut version with some 3 minutes of restored scenes and dialogue that were considered too risque for people in the 50's. I have to admit that this is one of the most sexually charged movies I have ever seen - by that, I don't mean there are a lot of love scenes or nudity or sexual dialogue. None of that. The few that are, tell a lot more via suggestion than anything explicit.

I think it was Marlon Brando - it is the way he looks, he walks, talks and acts - he is a complete and total sexual being and makes you aware of it (speaking as a woman) just being there on the screen. He portrays that raw, animal instinct that speaks directly to the somewhat baser instincts in people of the other sex. Of course, his being that was the story - that sexiness he exudes is the biggest plot-point.

Blanche DuBois (Vivian Leigh) is the sister of Stella (Kim Hunter), who lives in New Orleans with her husband Stanley Kowalski (Marlon Brando). Blanche has led a pretty promiscuous and sorry life back home and has feigned nervous breakdown so she can stay with her sister, after she has been run out of the town for her ways. Blanche still has all the pretentiousness of a once well-brought-up woman and thinks Stanley is a brutish, common man.

She keeps trying to force her sister to leave the marriage, especially after she sees Stanley hit her. There is no love lost between Stanley and Blanche and Stanley finds out about her sordid past and breaks up her affair with his buddy, Mitch. Blanche retreats further into her crazed fantasies to escape from the reality of Mitch's rejection. Blanche and Stanley are alone in the house while Stella is in the hospital delivering a baby. Stanley rapes Blanche - I almost saw this as the viciousness of a boy kicking a puppy just because he could or as revenge even, as opposed to any sexual attraction towards her. It looked to me as a purely power play, which lands Blanche in an asylum and Stanley alone as his wife leaves him.

Now coming back to my point about Brando's sexy brutishness, it was extremely important to the movie that he be an animalistically attractive man - Blanche flirts with him and some of her dialogue verges on jealousy that her sister got the man. Stella is obviously in love with his physicality - his brutish behaviour "thrills" her and when he repents in front of her after abusing her, she gets aroused by his submission to her. Ultimately, it is Brando in his tight T-shirt, muscular body manliness makes the story go. I highly recommend the movie, especially to women ;) It is definitely good to see a sexy movie in which there is absolutely no nudity and no lip-smacking kisses (gawd! I hated the scenes in "Possession", but that is a story for another time).

Just read it!

A very good column by Rajeev Srinivasan in Rediff talking about a lot of stuff - covering a lot of ground, from NRIs vs. "RNIs", communism, communalism, Marxism and everything in between. Thanks for pointing this out, L. Good one!

Patriot Games and Resident Non Indians

Funny stuff!

Once in a while there comes along a person so blinded by racism (oh, he sees it in everyone and everything - except in the most logical place, his own self) and so wilfully ignorant, he deserves to be mocked at and made fun of. Gokul pointed out one such person to me yesterday. Here is his article - Back to the Stone Age. Let us take it apart piece by stinking piece, shall we? Oh boy, this is almost too easy.

First of all, our man here takes exception with the war on Iraq and calls it racial because, check this out - the media called most people "Ali".

There was jubilation at the presumed death of “Chemical Ali” in southern Iraq. “Chemical Ali” was reportedly blown to bits in a private house in Basra .... But no chemical weapons were presumably found in and around his private pozzie.

Wait a minute, wasn't Chemical Ali's name "Ali Hassan al-Majid" as you yourself point out? What is wrong with calling a beast who was personally behind the gassing deaths of thousands of people "Chemical Ali"? Should the media have added a respectful Mister in front of the name? Oh, and we were expecting Chemical Ali to surround his home with bunches of chemical weapons because there is "chemical" in his nickname, damnit!

“Ali” had become, or had re-become, a contemptuous term of abuse for Arabs who didn’t subscribe to the alliance’s programme in general. So “Comical Ali” he became, even though his name was far from “Ali”. His name, in fact, is, or was, Mohammed Saheed al-Sahaf."
.........
He stood up, in the face of cowardly Sherman or Lincoln or Al Capone or Rockefeller tanks or whatever they were called (take your pick) backed by an invincible force that had nothing to stand up against it, and spoke defiance in the face of an enemy that had no credible answer to offer him — except force.

Well, how about that, huh! One of the more famous nicknames for the Iraqi Information Minister was "Baghdad Bob" - what do you make of that? Oh, never mind - we are trying to race-bait here, don't let stupid facts stand in the way. Right on, buddy - the American soldiers were cowards and the idiot Iraqi Minister disseminating lies to the world in general was the brave guy - is your last name al-Sahaf by any chance?

Oh, and then this moron hopes that al-Sahaf is safe wherever he is - does he read any newspapers at all? If so, he might have known that the minister tried to swing a deal with the Americans recently to avoid being killed. How honorable and defiant!

And then he goes on and on about "Pathetic Ali", "Hectic Ali", "Maimed Ali" and a bunch of Alis I have never heard of (the nicknames, not the people), in a pathetic attempt to portray ummm,...er ...huh... I don't know. I really don't know what he is getting at, except that he hated the war on Iraq and he thinks it is racist because it involved some guys named Ali.

Well John, here are some other Alis I would like for you to meet - "Tortured Ali", his wife "Raped Ayesha", "Dead Ali", "Gassed Ali", "Starved Ali" - enough, or should I call in a few more from the mass graves, you stupid moron, you waste of space and oxygen!

Women in the words of women

Read an absolutely inspiring, funny and thought-provoking post by Meryl Yourish at Real Women Online - RealWomenOnline.com - Women. Sex. Sexism. Feminism. And blogging.

This is the kick-off of a weekly feature that is going to have articles on being a woman and looking at the world through the eyes of a woman. We hope to feature an extremely diverse group of opinions as part of this, so don't forget checking it out every Thursday at "Real Women Online". Leave a comment or drop us a line if you have any suggestions for women to feature :)

Whoa!

Terrorism? Stay tuned.

Blast reported at Yale law school

NEW HAVEN, Conn., May 21 - A bomb exploded Wednesday in a mail room at the Yale University law school, officials said. There was no immediate report of injuries, but damage was described as heavy, and witnesses said they saw a blast of debris.

Update: No signs of terrorism!

The explosion occurred almost exactly 10 years after the Unabomber, Theodore Kaczynski, mailed a bomb to Yale that severely injured a professor in June 1993.

It came as the nation was on elevated alert for possible terrorist attacks and several hours after President Bush, a Yale alumnus, visited the state to speak at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy graduation ceremony in New London.

But a senior U.S. intelligence official told NBC News that none of the current intelligence about possible terror attacks mentioned an attack on a university, a college or a law school.

Darlie Routier

HoustonChronicle.com - Darlie Routier loses appeal in her sons' murder

That piece of news rekindled my interest in the story that I had read a long time ago at the crimelibrary.com. I have just gone through fordarlieroutier.org and read a few other pieces about her supposed innocence, but am still unconvinced as to the motive of such murders, if they were committed by a burglar as Darlie's attorneys are trying to convince us. Well fellow Texans and others who have heard about the story and watched it unfold in front of your eyes, what do you think? I wasn't even here in the US when the murders happened, and don't recall hearing much about them after that. I am curious to know what you think.

All about Al-Qaeda

An excellent, excellent article by B Raman on rediff with plenty of information on the shady organization and how it all relates to India and other countries in the world affected by terrorism.

B Raman: The threat to India

The Islamic jihadi terrorist groups active in different parts of the world today can be divided into three categories: Al Qaeda itself, which is an exclusively Arab organisation led by Laden; the International Islamic Front, which is a coalition of likeminded jihadi organisations of different countries formed by Laden in 1998; and other jihadi organisations inspired by him, which, however, operate autonomously without becoming members of the IIF.

Carnival

Carnival of Vanities - check it out NOW at Susanna's place!

Don't forget checkin out the Blog Mela this week, hosted by Kingsley!

Peecee Time

Just got this week's Time, and was flipping through the letters pages, when this thing caught my eye -

Although our May 5 cover depicted a Western face to avoid stigmatizing Asians, some saw the choice as an unwelcome intervention in Mother Nature's affairs.

I could be nit-picking here, but why is it not OK to "stigmatize" Asians, but OK to do the same with "Westerners"? (I liked one of the responses they printed - "Political correctness has morphed into comedy!")

This is the cover in question -

Palestinians against "militants"?

Now this is what I call good news :)

Guardian Unlimited | World Latest | Angry Palestinians Lash Out at Militants

BEIT HANOUN, Gaza Strip (AP) - Palestinian residents of a northern Gaza town demonstrated Tuesday after Israelis destroyed buildings and farms there in a five-day invasion, but in a rare twist, their wrath was directed at Palestinian militants for firing rockets from their property, not at the Israelis.

Israeli forces pulled back to the edge of the town, Beit Hanoun, a letup that came despite a bloody wave of Palestinian suicide bombings that killed 12 bystanders, hinting Israel might not undertake a large-scale punitive military operation that would further weaken the new Palestinian premier, Mahmoud Abbas.

Damn pinko!

The consequences of unilateral policing

Enough has been said on the obvious double standards in this war against terrorism. Post-World War II, the Americans have launched several such 'wars'. Like that against Communism, which led to the witchhunts of McCarthy and to the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union. The war to promote human rights, though certain nations which grant minimal political or civil rights to its citizens, like Saudi Arabia, still remain close American allies.

Looks like someone needs to get over the fall of the Soviet and communism. WTF is "war on communism"? The Cold War? If I remember it right, weren't the Russians as much to blame for it as the Americans? See, this is the thing about these guys - they pretend to be writing all objectively, but still manage to slip in tidbits like the one above, that give away their real agenda. They hate the US because the country was the main reason for the fall of their beloved ideology, communism.

Heh!

ESPN.com - NBA Playoffs 2003 - Mavs' 'situational stop' D saves charity-filled effort

With 2:45 to play in Game 1 of the Lone Star Free Throw Invitational, Tim Duncan sank two freebies to give the San Antonio Spurs a five-point lead. The morning-after hoopla will undoubtedly focus on the Mavericks' unerring aim and the truly tortuous officiating that led to 98 foul shots combined in a three-hour tooth pull ... but don't overlook the fact that the Spurs didn't score another point in that final 2:45.

Why I don't talk about the ME

Yes, there is a reason why I don't talk about this. All I can say is, "what's new"? I know there was supposed to be this peace plan and people were all excited and crap, but did anyone with half-a-brain actually believe it would happen? I didn't. We have seen over the decades how the Palestinians have gotten better and better at saying all the right things and doing the exact opposite. Did the rest of the world catch on? Why would they? It is so much more fashionable to pick on the guy who works his butt off to get himself a comfortable lifestyle than one who is an expert at playing the victim card.

Oh, those damn Jews! Who would we have to blame for the troubles of the world if the Arabs got their wish of exterminating them off the face of earth? The Jewish people are such perfect punching bags for the Arabs that if they didn't exist, they would have to be invented. Oh, forget me - just go read Meryl - she is better at talking about this than I can ever hope to be. Me, I will just stay depressed for a while and then get over it.

Suicide bomber kills 4 at Israeli mall

JERUSALEM, May 19 - Continuing a wave of violence aimed at disrupting a new peace initiative, a suicide bomber detonated explosives at the entrance of a shopping mall in northern Israel on Monday, killing himself and at least four shoppers, according to police and rescue workers. Even before the latest attack - the fifth in three days - the violence had thrown up the first major obstacle to the Bush administration's "road map" to peace, prompting Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to delay a trip to the United States and to reimpose restrictions on Palestinian areas that were eased last week at Washington's request.

Go Mavs!!!

A really good article on Nowitzki - our "Great White Hope" on MSNBC. The boy has grown up into a man right in front of our eyes, proving his mental toughness in every game that mattered. Remember the Spurs series two seasons ago, when he had his tooth knocked out, but came back to score 40?

Or how about his outplaying Kevin Garnett to sweep his T'Wolves in the first round last season? How about those 40-point games against the TralBlazers this season? And how about his performance and his role in helping his team win two Game 7s in two weeks? Dude rocks!

Spurs series measuring stick for Nowitzki

DALLAS, May 19 - Five years ago, when the Dallas Mavericks engineered a draft-related deal to acquire a German kid named Dirk Nowitzki, it seemed a little strange. Then Don Nelson proclaimed Nowitzki was one of the greatest prospects he had ever seen. Nellie said Nowitzki had the size of a center, the ball-handling ability of a swingman and the shooting range of a guard. And throughout basketball circles, coaches and scouts and players rolled their eyes. Nellie, a great many of them thought, has really lost it this time.

Why is the International community ignoring Africa?

Oh, I know - I know!!! It's because it is going to be extremely hard to pin this one on the US.

Congolese Blood Bath By Nancy Palus

An op-ed in Congo's L'Avenir said the violence in Ituri destroys any hope created by the 2002 peace accord. The paper blamed Rwandan President Paul Kagame for supporting one of the militia groups. Despite their formal exit, Rwanda and Uganda are blamed for continuing to arm and otherwise support armed militias in the region.

With violence across the DRC intensifying in recent months, many observers have called it the world's forgotten war, saying the international community is too fixed on Iraq to pay attention to even the bloodiest of conflicts in Africa. L'Avenir said in an editorial, "What's happening in Congo, no one would tolerate in the US, in France, in Germany, in Brussels, or anywhere else." The paper said, "One cannot be an architect of peace and fight against terrorism in the world and stay silent in the face of the Congolese crisis."

Wow!

I will add more comments to this once I finish calling my husband to check and make sure all of my dogs are home and none have run away or anything :O

HoustonChronicle.com - Beagle treks 800 miles, from Kansas to Alabama

But that was the case with Norman, a beagle who wandered off from his owners in Solomon, Kan., one day in March and showed up Friday outside an Auburn University computer repair shop.

"I didn't think much of it -- we've found dogs out here before," said Daryl Waites, Auburn's digital repair manager. "Usually just some student lost them."

Waites, a dog lover and owner, coaxed the beagle into the repair shop, where he and receptionist Cindy Darby checked the dog's collar. The collar's dull brass tag was inscribed: "2003, City of Solomon, KS."

It's a sign of the times

Good for you, Farzana! Nisha Sharma started the trend and more and more women are following it. Kick butt, ladies - marriage is a two-way deal, and you don't need to buy your way into it. If the men and their parents know what is good for them, they will start of their married life with understanding and goodwill, not the scorn and disgust a woman feels for in-laws who put her parents through so much to appease their greed for more money.

Girl rejects dowry demand : HindustanTimes.com

Farzana's marriage (nikah) was solemnised four years ago, but on Saturday she was to finally leave home to cohabit with her husband after the rukhsati ceremony.

Farzana was waiting to change into the red bridal attire her husband's family was to bring, when she heard they had demanded a flat, a scooter and cash. "They said the baraat wouldn't come unless the demands were met," said Farzana's elder sister Saira Bano.

The demands weren't met, and the baraat never came. Instead, the police arrived to record Farzana's statement. While her husband Nadim, a screen printer, is absconding, his father Mohammad Taqi has been arrested on dowry harassment charges.

Texas-two step!

It is going to be a wild, wild series! Bring on the Spurs!! Yee-Haw!
Van Exel shoots down old demons with Dallas

There is a new topic discussing this on the RWO Forums :)

New skin

Added a new skin today - check it out in the skins page.

Now that I have gotten the hang of it, expect me to go crazy and add new skins every weekend :)

Saturday funnies

Top Ten President Bush Excuses For Not Finding Weapons of Mass Destruction

10. "We've only looked through 99% of the country"
9. "We spent entire budget making those playing cards"
8. "Containers are labeled in some crazy language"
7. "They must have been stolen by some of them evil X-Men mutants"
6. "Did I say Iraq has weapons of mass destruction? I meant they have goats"
5. "How are we supposed to find weapons of mass destruction when we can't even find Cheney?"
4. "Still screwed up because of Daylight Savings Time"
3. "When you're trying to find something, it's always in the last place you look, am I right, people?"
2. "Let's face it -- I ain't exactly a genius"

1. "Geraldo took them"

Top Ten Signs Something Is Wrong at "The New York Times"

10. When anything bad happens, front page asks, "Where are you, Spider-Man?"
9. Answer to every clue in Sunday crossword puzzle: Taffy
8. New policy: "We'll print your name in any story for $49.95"
7. Everyone in photographs looks like the publisher in a wig
6. Most stories involve the reporter ending up drunk at a strip club
5. They just endorsed Dukakis
4. Motto "All The News That's Fit To Print" replaced by more trendy "Don't Go There, Girlfriend"
3. Its journalistic integrity is questioned by Geraldo Rivera
2. They believe President Bush's tax cut is a good idea

1. Sports page reports Mets in first place

Hello, Iraqi women!

Now that Salam Pax, his existence and his motives have been done to death all over the blogosphere, I would like to see if there are any Iraqi women interested in blogging. I mean, we have the Iranian Girl, so it isn't like blogging is forbidden - now that Saddam's not in power anymore, I would guess that it isn't too dangerous for people to venture into the internet world.

Well, if there are any Iraqi women out there interested in blogging, drop me a line and I will provide you the web space for free :) We would love to hear from you.

Good

This case is essentially a novelist - Barbara Taylor Bradford suing an Indian TV company for developing a TV serial by "adapting/copying" her novel without first buying the copyrights. I say this is a very good thing for Indian media - TV/Movie/Music industries. The plagarization of Western movies and music especially has become so rampant in India that I have stopped watching Indian movies a while ago, preferring instead to enjoy the originals. This has come to a stage where creativity in Indian movie industry is basically how best to Indianize a foreign movie, so Indian audience will not reject it. All these movies are supposedly "inspired" by the original movie. Take the movie "Criminal" for instance - except for the extremely irritating second-heroine angle, every scene in the movie, including the dialogues, are an exact copy of the movie "Fugitive".

Artists have become so used to "adapting" things, there hardly any "Indian" flavor in the movies and the music. Forget these - when I was in India, there was this famous Telugu novelist I loved - once I started reading English novels, I realized his novels were exact copies of Robin Cook and Roald Dahl's stories. I hope more and more these plagiarists get called on this, so that they actually start using their brains to think up and come up with something original for a change.

Experts opine on Karishma controversy

Open Challenge to Resident Indians

Well, here is your chance to prove how much better you are than the NRIs

Beat us in Antyakshari :P

I will start -
Mera naam chin-chin-choo
chin-chin-choo baba chin-chin-choo
Raat chandni, main our tu
Hello Mister, How do you do?

Women in the words of Women

Remember the Big Announcement we were talking about yesterday? Go here and check it out :)

RealWomenOnline.com - Women in the words of Women

Blacks for segregation?

A very interesting an in-depth article about some Black leaders in Dallas are fighting to keep the schools segregated, because they feel the white kids are taking up all the Advance Placement seats and displacing Black kids, or some such. It is really surprising that after all those fights and trials that the Black people have gone through to achieve equality and integration with the non-Black society, Black leaders are now trying to play identity politics trying to introvert the Black community into itself.

Segregation Forever,How Dallas got what it wanted,By Jim Schutze

In the next two months a federal judge will declare the Dallas Public Schools officially desegregated. That designation--desegregated at last!--will close a battle over racism that has consumed the city and the school system for a third of a century. And at that point people on both sides agree the universe of Dallas children will be almost totally segregated--black and Hispanic kids on one side of the equator, whites on the other. Victory!

A few years from now the school district will be populated almost entirely by children of color who may go through their student careers and never share a classroom with a white child. The white kids will be somewhere else, in private school or the 'burbs.

Why the insecurity?

Ok, I just read the comment by Gaurav about the cow-slaughter issue and my patience has finally been breached. What is wrong with all these Indians trying to be all holier-than-thou and missing no opportunity to belittle NRIs - be it Varsha Bhosle, Praful Bidwai or "snide Singaporeans" (I guess living in Singapore doesn't count as being NRI - if India is that great, why don't they go Great India's Great Engineering Colleges?) or others. Please put the context in mind, for this rant in reply to Gaurav's comment.

Gaurav, why do you and everyone else feel this great need to vilify and slander Indians in America to make your point? You had provided a good argument, all of which was ruined by the attacks on Indian-Americans. What do they have anything to do with this issue?

FYI, Ravi, Kingsley, MadMan and Dina all live in India. you live there too - all that somehow makes your opinions more valid than mine, JK's or Ashwini's? We haven't run away to greener lands so we could eat beef or pay tips - we moved to wherever we could make a better life for ourselves. That doesn't somehow automatically corrupt our morality or our values.

Why cannot we talk about Indian issues anymore? We still have families there - God forbid, if we lose out H-1s, we are going to be back in India - we are still Indian citizens. What does that have to with our opinions? It really makes me mad when people make personal attacks instead of arguing ideas. And seriously, what does anything Bush does have to do with this? Are you that viscerally anti-American that you can only see everything through the eyes of how it relates to America?

Women in Mens' Leagues

Sorenstam Thinks She Can Win; Brushes Off Singh's Comments

Whatever happens next week in the Colonial, the first woman in 58 years to play in a PGA Tour event says she just wants to see how she stacks up against the world's best.
"I'm testing myself, but I'm not trying to prove anything to anybody," she said Wednesday. "That's not why I'm doing this. This is for myself. ... I'm coming to a stage that's totally different than I'm used to: tougher course, tougher competitors, all the attention. It's just going to be so different."

Honestly, I don't think she should be allowed to play with the men. This is like the ESPN men on the radio saying the other day that if the WNBA star Lisa Leslie wants to play in the NBA, she should be allowed to. Crap! There are the mens' leagues and then there are the womans' leagues. If women are allowed to cross-over, why not let men do so? why not have a LPGA, PGA and an MPGA or just have on big, old PGA? Right now, it is absolutely unfair for the women to have their own leagues and then also to step into the mens' leagues and take away their positions.

Let us know how you feel about this issue - discuss in our forums - Ashwini and I are already at it :)

Ineffective UN

A very good article in the New Zealand News about how the UN has sunk into an inertia that disables it from doing anything worthwhile to protect the poor and oppressed of the world that it was supposed to keep safe.

New Zealand News - Dialogue - Malcolm McPhee: UN just an excuse to do nothing

The United Nations was founded in the mid-1940s with the hope of avoiding "the scourge of war" and "to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights".

But it has been pretty ineffective as terrors stretching from Iraq to Rwanda, Bosnia, Kosovo and Chechnya show.

Yet choruses calling for UN blessings on international actions abound, as well as talk of "international law". Only direct United States-led action stopped the internal butchery in Kosovo and Iraq.

Law on international sovereignty in fact shielded Saddam Hussein to pursue his horrors within the boundaries of his state.
.......
The UN was left incapable of doing anything more effective about Iraq's behaviour than pass resolutions numbers 600 (in 1990), 661 (1990), 678 (1990), 686 (1991), 687 (1991), 688 (1991), 707 (1991), 715 (1991), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1382 (2001) and 1441 (2002). The last spoke of "serious consequences" for Saddam's defiance.
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And more: why did the French Government not seek UN approval to bomb the Rainbow Warrior and what account did it take of "international law" and New Zealand sovereignty?

By one reckoning only two "intervention" wars have had UN endorsement since its inception nearly 60 years ago - the Korean conflict and the expulsion of Iraq from Kuwait.
..............
Ruth Wedgwood, a professor of international law at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, recalls that the UN Security Council did not bother to authorise interventions of the 1990s in civil wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone by west African states, including Nigeria and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Ghana.
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What did the UN do in July 1995 to prevent the separation by the Bosnian Serb Army of 7000 men and boys from their Muslim families and their slaughter around Srebrenica in Bosnia - the world's first United Nations Safe Area, scene of the worst genocide in Europe since World War II?

WTF?

Laloo catches US diplomat on wrong foot

This is more than a reason to institute some sort of literacy limits on Indian politician-wannabes. Laloo, if you can rule by proxy by putting your wife in the CM's chair when you were actually convicted of the fodder scam, why can't President Bush continue in power, since he has actually never been convicted of anything? Oh, I know - you are a f***ing hypocrite - that's why! I feel nothing but contempt for the illiterates who keep the likes of you in power election after election.

''Remove Bush from power at the earliest opportunity,'' Yadav told US Consul General Richard Sibley on Wednesday when he called on the RJD president and his wife Chief Minister Rabri Devi to exchange views on development-related issues in the state.

Hmm...

Anil Athale: Dawn of a new imperial era
First of all, I have to take exception with the title of the column - I really don't understand how it relates to any of the content.

The much advertised 'shock and awe' did not take place at all. This concept is not new: an opening artillery barrage has been a tactic since the 15th century and was used in India by Babar in 1526. The shock effect of the initial air strikes failed primarily because the American bombing was selective. Despite all criticism about civilian casualties, Iraqis in Baghdad and elsewhere felt safe as long as they were not close to military targets. The Americans thus lost the element of fear and uncertainty that is necessary to create awe.

Compared to the Second World War bombing of Hamburg or Tokyo, the air attack on Iraq was 'humane'. Then how does one explain the lack of resistance?

And then there are these passages - is the Colonel disappointed that there was no "shock and awe"? Maybe that was the plan - maybe the US military hyped up the campaign so much that they scared the enemy into submission without having to resort to it - isn't that a better alternative?

And then he talks about how the Iraqi army could resort to guerilla-warfare, since it just melted away without putting up direct fight

The obvious explanation for this is that Saddam Hussein and his supporters have simply melted away into the population and may soon start an Algerian-type guerrilla war against the occupying American forces. The tactics would be to use individual snipers, landmines, and ambushes. The targets would be individual soldiers, one at a time.

And then he contradicts himself further down when he says -

But the penetration of special forces would not have been possible without local support, which puts a question mark on the possible Iraqi strategy of launching an Algerian-style insurrection.

And then he goes towards a non-conclusion talking about the rifts between America, Britain and the "Old Europe" - how about pointing out the TotalFinaElf scandal that put the French and the Canadian Prime Ministers' relatives in bed with the Saddam regime? How about mention of the sale of forbidden technology by Russia to Iraq? Seriously, what is the Colonel trying to say?

Check this out!

A very good, comprehensive and well-written article about the shooting Mohammed al-Dura, that little kid who cowered behind his dad just before he was fatally shot to death - the same kid who became a poster-child for the Palestinians trying to crucify Israel by pinning the murder on IDF.

The Atlantic | June 2003 | Who Shot Mohammed al-Dura? | Fallows

(link via LGF)

Thought provoking

Francois Gautier: The spirit of Natchiketa

But I am considered an outcast by the French embassy and my advice is never sought, though I have lived 34 years here and am probably the French journalist who knows India best. Forget about French Indologists, who are all pals of the JNU crowd and Romila Thapar: they hate my guts; many of my fellow Western correspondents also think I am either a crackpot or a traitor to my culture!

This raises an important question: why is it that amongst the 300-odd Western correspondents sitting in Delhi, there is nobody (that I know of) who comes to the same logical conclusion that Hinduism is what makes this country great and that an Indian Christian or an Indian Muslim are different because of the softening influence of Hinduism?

This is one of the least strident columns written by this man I have read recently. It is interesting and makes some good points - raises some good questions one way and the other. What do you guys think?

Does Meryl know?

HULK'S DIARY

Looks like the Hulk got his own blog, because he had a fallout with Mery Yourish, his once big supporter. Is he for real, or is he an imposter trying to create rifts between Meryl and the "real Hulk"? Don't worry, we will have the scoop for you soon, heh!

See, I can spread filthy lies about Meryl and the Hulk too, take that, Michele!

Bharateeya Blog Mela

Sameer has done a "super" job of hosting this week's Blog Mela - go read the variety of opinions of from Indian bloggers and tell him what a good job he has done in putting everything together. This Mela is also mirrored at RealWomenOnline.

Blog Mela

Oh, and stay tuned for a big announcement at RealWomenOnline tomorrow :)

Inscrutable American is hosting this week's Carnival right here.

Playing around the hoop

That was an absolutely incredible game by the Mavs last night. 10 points in the third quarter? Dude, we are playing defense! A great 25th birthday gift for Mike Bibby ;)

Tim Legler was on ESPN radio this morning. According to him, Mavs and Kings will have trouble with the Nets in the Championship Finals, but the Lakers won't. Earth to Tim - Mavs swept the Nets in the regular season two seasons in a row and one of the wins was at NJ on the second night of a back-to-back, the first game of which, Mavs beat Indiana Pacers in a double OT.

Did the collective heart of all Spurs drop to the floor when Horry hoisted that potentially game-winning three-pointer at the end of last night's game? Thank God for you guys, he missed for a change.

Will someone tell the ESPN radio hosts that Donnie Nelson doesn't have a junior at the end of his name? The father is Don and the son is Donnie - see, different names.

Last night's Western conference Games were probably the most fairly called in the play-offs so far.

Check out the MP3 of parody songs making fun of the Kings at DallasMavericks.com - it is really funny. My favorite - "Vlade Divac, what do you keep talking to the refs in between plays?" - "Don't you have the time, to listen to me whine!" :D

112-93

Enough said!

NBA.com: 'D' is For Dallas

Despicable!

I thought this must surely be a joke when I heard about this on the talk radio this morning - how stupid is it for the elected representatives of a state to run away and hide like this instead of trying to stand up and fight for whatever it is that they believe in. Such ridiculous things will only increase the public's disgust at the smarmy politicians - This has got to be a big blow to the Democrats in Texas. Shame on you!

Update: Just hear Rep. Burnam of Waco (?) on a radio talkshow - he sounded petulant, whiny and childish - what can I say? ;)

Majority of AWOL lawmakers in Oklahoma

There a group of at least 50 of the 53 missing House Democrats were holed up, just over the state line and out of reach of a Texas trooper manhunt.

"This is not a cowardly act. This takes a great deal of courage and conviction to take steps to make sure democracy prevails," said Rep. Garnet Coleman of Houston, speaking for the exiles.

Members met inside a large conference room at the Ardmore Holiday Inn. Inside, an easel was set up for presentations. Long tables were covered with paperwork, soft drinks and computer equipment. Across the hall, at a Denny's restaurant and Gusher's bar, a live band played late Monday.

Blog Shares

I empathize with Steve on this issue - I have 40 incoming links according to NZBear's Ecosystem, but just 12 according to Blog Shares - I myself link to a lot of bloggers - way more than the 3 BlogShares thinks I link to. I don't understand how exactly the system works - I had Instapundit links that did nothing to improve my blog's rating and the whole thing just seems like too much of a bother to me. I appreciate the huge amount of work all this probably entails to the people who started this and I think it is a very cool idea, but the execution is extremely poor. Now that they are actually charging money for the premium membership, shouldn't they be at the minimum as accurate as the systems like ecosystem, who do this for free?

Little Tiny Lies: Blogshares Run By HAL 9000?
Update: Blog Shares not only indexed my test blog, but someone already owns stocks in it .

Poor thing!

Now this baby needs to hire a good lawyer once he grows up and sue the heck out of his parents - Come on people, have some consideration for what the kid has to go through his whole life with a name like that. This reminds me of some people who name their kids weird stuff just because it sounds cool - like Nishi (darkness)....

Chinese couple name their baby son Saddam SARS - smh.com.au

A couple in China have named their baby son Saddam SARS to mark the two important events taking place at the time of his birth, a news report said today.

(link via Michele)

A little hoopstalk

The Kings-Mavs Game 5 today starts way early to accomodate TNT's increasingly bizarre scheduling, at 6 PM. To make fans come in that early to cheer the team, Mark Cuban is going to give all the fans who show up at the AAC at 6 or earlier, a "permission slip" for leaving work early - a coupon for 10% discount at the Mavs store at the AAC.

The local sports station (1130AM, the Ticket) had an 8-year-old Mavs fan called Elizabeth on this morning. She could name the entire Mavs roster (of course, she forgot Raja Bell and Evan Eschemeyer, but Nellie sometiems forgets that they play for him too, so no big deal). It was just really cute to listen to her talking - she said she played basketball, so one of the hosts asked her what position she played - she whispers to the hosts "what position does Steve Nash play?". When they answer "Guard", she says that's what she plays, since she thinks he is the best Mav :)

Celtics have been swept by the Nets after some 20-odd years - nice record to break, guys! Do the Celtic fans suck or what! - how tacky of them to be holding signs calling Jason Kidd a wife-beater, while Jumana was sitting right there in the front row watching the game. Another Boston radio station host wanted to "smack" her, because he was irritated with her being there - now that is what you call compassion towards a woman who was a victim of domestic violence - good job!

Oh, and after the third game between the Mavs and the Kings, when sports fans all over Dallas were celebrating the double-OT victory, there was this caller called Christy, who called in the ESPN radio 103.3 and ragged on the Mavs about so what if they won two games straight, they still can't defend, they still have a hole in the middle, blah, blah, blah. The ESPN radio hosts were drooling over the rant, talking aobut how intelligent and analytical she was. How dumb can you get, guys? all these are known problems and they have existed the entire season - do you really think any of the fans forgot them or expected them to be magically fixed in the middle of the play-offs? An "intelligent" fan celebrates victories as they come and waits till the off-season or the trading season, when something can be done to fix problems, instead moaning and groaning over them all season. Get it?

Saw a headline on ESPN.com saying Chris Webber thinks he can be back for the NBA Finals - Umm Chris, maybe you and your team should worry about getting out of the semis in the West, before you start planning the NBA championship parade......

Uh-huh!

May be this clamp-down was due in fact to the recent shootings and suicide bombings by the Palestinians, doncha think? Oh, never mind, Palestinians said all the right things about wanting "peace" and all that - so what if they are the biggest hurdle in the implementation of the plans? Israel is responsible for everything and should just shut up and put up with it just because it is Israel, damnit!

Israel slams the door in setback for peace plan - smh.com.au

Just one day after an apparent breakthrough in the new Middle East push for peace, Israel has reimposed its ban on Palestinians and other foreigners entering or leaving the Gaza Strip.

Yesterday's clampdown effectively froze Israel's decision on Sunday to allow 25,000 Palestinian labourers to enter the country.

Shut up already!

Oh, but I am sure these dumbasses will be jumping up and down with joy if India allies with China (the people who massacred thousands of Tibetans and currently occupy their homeland), Cuba (where you are jailed for life if the maximum lea