Segmentation Fault: Core dumped..;-)

Quote of the day..

anand — Tue, 17 May 2005 20:08:42 +0000

...And it's an appreciation of the enormous value bloggers brought and continue to bring to the conversation. Once, the stories in newspapers, magazines and on the air were pretty much the entire conversation. They're now just part of it, thanks to bloggers and others who pursue the issues -- and we're all better off as a result.

We are heading into a time, if we do it right, when media will be an ecosystem where many forms survive and thrive. I've said again and again that I want mass media to survive, because they do such important work.

But we also need the emergent grassroots to thrive. Without all those voices from the edges of networks -- the bloggers and other creators of information we can use -- the ecosystem will not be sufficiently vibrant.
- Dan Gillmor, "Political Bloggers and the National Discourse"

All the best!

anand — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 09:55:51 +0000

Mr. President, you start your new term today. Godspeed, God bless you and God bless the world.

The Great American Divide

anand — Thu, 04 Nov 2004 01:37:34 +0000

If you wanted to understand and get a taste of how conservatives are celebrating President Bush's victory, read this. Agreed this is just one man's viewpoint, one who admits he is an "..ultra-conservative political commentator". But it sure gives you an idea of what the "extreme right-wing" viewpoint is.

Now, read this and this to get a taste of the other side. It's probably not "extreme left-wing" viewpoints, but it's probably as close to "extreme left-wing" as you will get. If you find a more nastier version, please let me know.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the "Great American Divide of the 21st century".

Welcome to United (yeah, right) States of America!

The “Positive” spin…:-)

anand — Thu, 04 Nov 2004 01:34:12 +0000

[via Andrew Sullivan]

I didn't vote for Bush for lots of reasons. But it seems to me that maybe the result, much as it was not what I wanted, will be good for the country. We are in the middle of a war whose outcome is very much in doubt. We have a fiscal policy that may or may not prove successful. Issues that have seemed remote to many like abortion and the Patriot Act's definition of rights and privacy are likely to become more immediate over the next few years. Had we changed leadershop now, it would have been difficult to assign accountability, for good or bad, for these policies and decisions. I always feared, in fact, that Kerry would have had little chance of success in the face of a conservative chorus of "everything was going in the right direction in Iraq when we handed it over to you". Whatever the result, over thee next few years we all will be better able to asses the success or failure of many things that are unfinished now, and hold one team accountable.

I do agree although the price is too heavy. Four more years of anxiety, depression, fear and possibly WAR!

Sayonara

anand — Wed, 03 Nov 2004 17:43:29 +0000

Exactly three months ago, I wrote my first blog entry about US Presidential Elections. I did that because I felt it was important to participate in this Election. Too many mistakes had been made. Too many lives had been lost owing to these mistakes. Too many lives had been changed for the worse owing to these mistakes. Arrogance had replaced pride and humility in United States government policies. However, in the end, I was driven by a very selfish reason. There's a part of me that's truly petrified at the possibility that the cost of these mistakes will be borne by my kids and their generation. So, I decided to pitch in in my own humble way.

I gave it my time, my money, my every waking moment (well, almost) for these past three months. I would be lying if I said I am not disappointed. I am. I really am. But I have no regrets. Infact, I am pretty proud of some of the things I was able to accomplish in these past three months. So, approximately 350 blog entries later, I think it's time to say sayonara to discussions related to US Politics (except for the occasional one or two) on this blog and go back to talking about my first luv - Information Technology.

Senator Kerry, you did the 55 million voters (and folks like me who could not vote) proud. Congratulations on fighting a good fight. Sorry to hear that your moral values were not quite up to the mark.

President Bush, I wish you the very best. I will be honest. I have little or no confidence at this moment in you, your Administration and your Republican Congress. I, along with the 55 million Americans who did not vote for you, can only hope and pray that you will prove us all wrong. A majority of this country thinks you're capable of making our lives better. Prove it. Lord knows this country (indeed the whole world) and it's citizens could use a few "good" years after what we've been through.

As for me, I will continue to keep an eye on US Presidency the way Teddy Roosevelt asked us to:

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public... Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or any one else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else."

It’s the “Moral Values” stupid!

anand — Wed, 03 Nov 2004 17:33:17 +0000

...

More exit poll respondents -- about 22 percent -- called "moral values" the election's most important issue then cited the economy, terrorism or Iraq. Those expressing this sentiment backed the president overwhelmingly, 79 percent to Kerry's 18 percent. Bush did similarly well among the 19 percent who identified terrorism as their top issue.

Kerry won overwhelmingly among the 20 percent who pointed to the economy and jobs as the most important issue -- taking this group 80 percent to the president's 18 percent. The 15 percent who named the Iraq war as the race's top issue backed the senator by a 3-1 margin.

The president's supporters were overwhelmingly positive about the current situation in the economy and Iraq. Those with more pessimistic views on these topics resoundingly said they voted for Kerry.

A hefty majority, 57 percent to 38 percent, said the president pays more attention to large corporations than to "ordinary Americans." About 54 percent of respondents said Kerry mostly says what "people want to hear," rather than what he believes.
...

CNN: Small inroads make difference for Bush

Reading the paragrpahs above, I could not help but remember what an ex-President once said about winning elections against Republicans.

Oh well...

My guy lost..:-(

anand — Wed, 03 Nov 2004 06:14:19 +0000

..because apparently majority of the voters in the end did not think he had enough "moral values" (comparitively speaking) to be the President of United States.

Oh well. You win some, and then you lose some. I guess I lost tonight. Congratulations, Mr. President and my Republican friends!

As George Bernard Shaw famously said:

Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.

Note:
Tonight, I am really happy and thankful that I live in California (or maybe I should say the "West Coast"). After this Election, I am not sure I would enjoy living in the so-called "red" states. After all, I am a brown-skinned, non-Catholic (or should I say, non-Christian), non-American, moderate liberal and a "nuanced" guy who strongly believes in a woman's right to choose, favors gay marriages and firmly backs federally funded stem cell research