WoRld Politics

I know, it's a taboo subject anywhere you go. In Kenya it was tribal divides (that caused a LOAD of violence). In Hungary it's liberal vs. conservative vs. extremist vs. a whole lot of parties. In America it's always Republican vs. Democrat (meaning "Christian vs. non-Christian" from the Republican perspective and "non-thinker vs. enlightened" from the Democratic perspective). Everyone has a point of view. Everyone has an opinion. Some people listen to various opinions. Some people don't want to listen to anyone else's opinion because they KNOW. I've heard politics preached from the church pulpit (in more than one country) and politics come up in conversations on the public tram. Living rooms, kitchens, coffee shops, meetings... people talk politics. But what are they really talking about? Mostly what I hear in those conversations is what is wrong with the "other side". What is wrong with the Muslims. What is wrong with the Americans. What is wrong with the Africans. What is wrong with Christians. What is wrong with non-Christians. The truth is, we're all wrong. No one has it right. Because if we were, then we wouldn't have all the mess we have in the world. People in every country would have homes and food and jobs. Political leaders wouldn't be so greedy and would actually want to HELP the people they represent. People would look a little beyond themselves to view things from a different perspective.


I've had the privilege to live in a few different parts of the world now. And naturally, my perspective changes a little bit with each new place and each new person I meet. I can go off on my soap box like anyone else (maybe that's what this post is). But after seeing the perspective from a few different places, I have to say... Politics will always be the same no matter where you go. It's never going to get better because people are involved. Greedy, selfish, ego-centric people. And that includes all of us because we all have a perspective we want heard.

Heaven Live

Technology Extracts a Heavy Price

Microsoft has come out with this envisoning thingy about the future. What I like about it is the fact that you can have a taxi by just putting on the relevant designer glasses. The girls walks seductively to the street intersection, takes her cool designer glass out and wears it, lights flash on the support rod, sort of sensor, and immediately a taxi comes and stops near her. I like that one.

In Belapur rickshaws are in short supply. The result is sometimes they are as lemmings, meaning there are a lot of them. Sometimes they are like the Panda, i.e., rare. I would like such glasses to be part of my accouterments. Oh, yes. I would. The rickshaw is not fighting a losing battle for existence but the poor rickshaw-wallah is fighting back. He needs to, or, he will be wiped out.

How about also pointing out to me the nearest idli-dosa joints when I am hungry. (I trust only hot-from-the-tava idli-dosas when I am hungry. They are hygenic in this germ-filled city.) Yes, there is a similar application on her i-pad-like contraption. As she is being driven in the taxi, she is holding a pad-shaped thing which has a map showing: eating joints, movie joints (so, I suppose) among other things. When she touches one of these things it shows the direction to these places.

Amazing isn't it? Who said the world is getting more complex in the post-Saddam, post-Gaddafi world. Yes, true, it is getting slightly more expensive. All these comes at a price, a steep price. I don't know how many farmers/technicians/support staff must have committed suicide to bring this technology into the market. But a price is extract for every new technology. I am just saying.