Thanks Giving this year is turning out to be more than what one could have asked for, ask any Indian today and s/he would today be mourning the attack on its soil by the so called Jihandits, who claim to achieve martyrdom by killing innocent civilians.
Now that the sympathetic approach to the situation is done with – I don't think I am surprised by the attacks in Mumbai, this was a situation waiting to happen. One has to just tally up the past attacks to realize there was something major about to happen, it was not what but when - just a matter of time. The intelligence, the politicians along with the lack of any due diligence to analyse any of the past situations lead us to this day – today we have India's very own 9/11 only it reads 11/26.
The death toll in India due to terrorists attacks from 2003 until October 2008 is a remarkable 3000+ this number just shy of a few when compared to tot eh total death in Iraq for the American troupes. But again the Americans are in war!
There is a gross negligence in part of intelligence and the whole covert operations. Its like the terrorists where trying to make a point over a period of time. They had targeted and tried all possible means, home made bombs blasted off in Northern, Southern and Western India( Mumbai, New-Delhi, Varanasi, Mumbai, Train to Pakistan, Hyderabad, Jaipure, Bangalore, Ahmadabad, Delhi and Mumbai again). They targeted the markets, close to parliament, parks and whatnot. Every new attack was a tad bit more sophisticated than the previous. But inspite of all these and varying other incidents there was no real intent ( at least nothing till date proves it) or serious effort from the government to catch the culprits. Not one individual had so far been convicted in any of the attacks. NOT A SINGLE INDIVIDUAL CONVICTED....I am gasping and am furious even as I type this.
Chronology of attacks in India are as follow(Courtesy www.livemint.com Wall Street Journal):
13 March, 2003: A bomb attack on a commuter train in Mumbai kills 11 people.
25 Aug, 2003: Two car bombs kill about 60 in Mumbai.
15 Aug, 2004: A bomb explodes in the northeastern state of Assam, killing 16 people, mostly schoolchildren, and wounding dozens.
29 Oct, 2005: Sixty-six people are killed when three blasts rip through markets in New Delhi.
7 March, 2006: At least 15 people are killed and 60 wounded in three blasts in the pilgrimage city of Varanasi.
11 July, 2006: More than 180 people are killed in seven bomb explosions at railway stations and on trains in Mumbai that are blamed on Islamist militants.
8 Sept, 2006: At least 32 people are killed in a series of explosions, including one near a mosque, in Malegaon town, 260 kms, northeast of Mumbai.
19 Feb, 2007: Two bombs explode aboard a train heading from India to Pakistan; at least 66 passengers, most of them Pakistanis, burn to death.
18 May, 2007: A bomb explodes during Friday prayers at a historic mosque in the southern city of Hyderabad, killing 11 worshippers. Police later shoot dead five people in clashes with hundreds of enraged Muslims who protest against the attack.
25 Aug, 2007: Three coordinated explosions at an amusement park and a street stall in Hyderabad kill at least 40 people.
13 May, 2008: Seven bombs rip through the crowded streets of the city of Jaipur, killing at least 63 people in markets and outside Hindu temples.
25 July: Eight small bombs hit the IT city of Bangalore, killing at least one woman and wounding at least 15.
26 July: At least 16 small bombs explode in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, killing 45 people and wounding 161. A little-known group called the “Indian Mujahideen” claims responsibility for the attack and the May 13 attack in Jaipur.
13 Sept: At least five bombs explode in crowded markets and streets in the heart of New Delhi, killing at least 18 people and injuring scores more. The Indian Mujahideen again claim responsibility.
26 Nov: At least 80 people were killed in a series of attacks apparently aimed at tourists in India’s financial capital Mumbai on Wednesday. Police said at least 250 people had been wounded.
The recent attacks in Mumbai proved how much the terrorists had grown, coordinated and masterminded from there earlier attacks using home made bombs. Is was like the terrorists realized that there was no point attacking the Indian civilians - hence they went after the tourists to create the very wide spread attention that they sought. It was and is an awakening that the Indian intelligence very desperately needs to not be reactive( at least reactive would have been good, but the whole department seems dead asleep) and not just panic, stress out at a given terrorist/hostage situation. I do hope we take this as a moment and day of vivisection, pull our strings together and get our act right. The war on terrorism is real and if the roots are not cut at the very innate stage, alas!,before we know it will grip the whole country like the roots of the banyan tree.
So my friends this Thanks Giving hold on to your thanks, pray that there is eminent action, revitalization and gut willing ramifications at every required level and at most in the department of intelligence and counter terrorism. If things work out the way you had asked for you can thank you Lord, God, Allah or whoever you pray to - the next thanks giving.
Hinduism is a peaceful religion and Mahatma Gandhi taught us to show the other check in case we get slapped. The preaching of non-violence tough very resounding, reassuring and glorifying, in a day and age when you are sure to loose your head before you can turn your other check – we not only need to be prepared but we better be able to be ahead of the perpetrators. I sincerely hope with a billion population we will not face much difficulty on how we attain it – it is a matter of conviction, discipline and sense of patriotism that is required at the highest level to the lowest to attain this.
With prayers for the departed and for a peaceful life a head...
Common Joe.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Mumbai Mourns
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Caught in Capitulation?
If you haven’t heard the word “Capitulation” in the recent past then you are not well aware of the financial industry and it is more than likely that you do not have a stock portfolio. I fall in the latter group, my only interaction with stock market is through my retirement account. The word was new to me and I though may be I should take some time out to dig in.
The word had been used in numerous ways in the recent past to describe the mentality of the stock market. It stands to emphasize the sheer uncontrollable fall / volatility in stock prices ultimately leading the investors to completely loose hope and give up.
When and how did the word come into use? It started off as a usage in war time where in one submits /surrenders to the hostile forces and is the only way left.
As for me, I feel capitulated to a point that I am more than eager to see a new administration give this country a fresh breath of vision, diplomacy, and basic health care.
I am not too sure if the word can be used as in the previous sentence but seems like a perfect fit to express a feeling of having “given up” than “surrender”.
So do you feel capitulated?
- Common Joe
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Tumbling Trio
News of the Detroit Trio tumbling their way to bankruptcy is all over the news; with the $700 billion rescue package cleared by the congress every one wants a share of the pie. We have seen CC companies like American Express willing to forgo the freedom they had and to be much regulated and in their operations, to fall in lines with the rest of the banking sector only to get the slice in $700 billion. This was the most dramatic turn of the sub-prime effect so far, or so you think.
Does Transamerica ring a bell? Not many among us (I being an ardent NPR follower got to hear about them in an evening broadcast) might have heard about them. Transamerica is a Dutch insurance firm that operates in US. Keep in mind a DUTCH firm. Unfortunately they aren’t eligible to ask for $$$ from the rescue package because they are not federally regulated. What is the innovative way to become eligible – take over a low key bank that is federally regulated!
Dire means taken to get funding. Which gets me to thinking – Should the Detroit TRIO be rescued?
The trio represents the American acumen in manufacturing and specifically in automobile industry. Right from the day when Henry Ford rolled his model T to today it has been a roller coaster rider for all the three. The irony is model T performed at an average of 28 mile/gallon. With advancement in technology and more than half a century later there is not one model that the three produce that beats the performance of model T! Sad state of affairs indeed.
Somewhere down the line leading up till date these companies lost track of what the common man wants. They thought as long as they banter the slogan of patriotism people will buy cars. Every possible improvement was made to the car without having looked into the actual reliability and cost of ownership of these behemoth vehicles. The sole thinking was bigger the better. This strategy worked for a few years but when people started realizing the true cost of owning these vehicles when compared to Japanese counterparts, the patriotism campaign wasn’t after all selling many cars. Today we are at a juncture where in all the three have complicated union structure and massive unsold inventory never seen in the history of America.
After union negotiations and cost cutting, inclusive of downsizing these companies they are all at a juncture where unless some drastic measure is taken they might not see the light of 2009. When the $700 billion package was announced – I for one thought it was a lot of money ( for the most part I was counting the number of zero’s in a billion!). But in today’s economic crunch $700 billion doesn’t look like much if banks, automobile, credit crunch, insurance, mortgage all or any or few of these sectors have to be rescued.
If the Detroit Trio is allowed to fail then the losses will be in lines of 1.1 – 5.5 million jobs. This is taking into consideration all the related industries that directly or indirectly work with the auto industry. Right from companies that make tires, paints, parts, suppliers, couriers etc. Last but not least DMV, highway tolls and the list goes on, oops almost forgot ExxonMobil, Shell, BP.
Today we do know that the war fought in Iraq is going nowhere; we are not fighting terrorism but indeed creating terrorists of future. There are three wars being fought Iraq, Afghanistan and most likely new inclusion - Pakistan. Every month the cost of fighting the Iraq and Afghanistan war together stands at $16 billion. The country spends $16billion on wars that are not fetching anything. We jumped into it without knowing the compete facts and are paying a price by not able to support the very industry that forms the core of the US mobility.
For crying out loud the whole country was designed to sell cars, right from town planning to DIY network relies on the fact that everyone on America will have ( not own) a car as soon as s/he is 16.
Do you think the Fed should bail out the auto industry? If not. Why? After all AIG was saved with an unprecedented $125 billion ( and counting). Then why not the auto industry? Do we now discriminate among the lines of blue collar and white collar jobs? Or you think they have been saved enough and need to fall and file for bankruptcy to get on track!
Whatever you stance, I am sad that we had a government that has got us to a point that our investment in Iraq is beyond any sanguine comprehension. We can’t pull out of it even if we want to. While the whole economy is sinking – would you be able to guess one company that’s still reaping benefits? ------------------------------ How does Halliburton sound?
Common Joe.
Does Transamerica ring a bell? Not many among us (I being an ardent NPR follower got to hear about them in an evening broadcast) might have heard about them. Transamerica is a Dutch insurance firm that operates in US. Keep in mind a DUTCH firm. Unfortunately they aren’t eligible to ask for $$$ from the rescue package because they are not federally regulated. What is the innovative way to become eligible – take over a low key bank that is federally regulated!
Dire means taken to get funding. Which gets me to thinking – Should the Detroit TRIO be rescued?
The trio represents the American acumen in manufacturing and specifically in automobile industry. Right from the day when Henry Ford rolled his model T to today it has been a roller coaster rider for all the three. The irony is model T performed at an average of 28 mile/gallon. With advancement in technology and more than half a century later there is not one model that the three produce that beats the performance of model T! Sad state of affairs indeed.
Somewhere down the line leading up till date these companies lost track of what the common man wants. They thought as long as they banter the slogan of patriotism people will buy cars. Every possible improvement was made to the car without having looked into the actual reliability and cost of ownership of these behemoth vehicles. The sole thinking was bigger the better. This strategy worked for a few years but when people started realizing the true cost of owning these vehicles when compared to Japanese counterparts, the patriotism campaign wasn’t after all selling many cars. Today we are at a juncture where in all the three have complicated union structure and massive unsold inventory never seen in the history of America.
After union negotiations and cost cutting, inclusive of downsizing these companies they are all at a juncture where unless some drastic measure is taken they might not see the light of 2009. When the $700 billion package was announced – I for one thought it was a lot of money ( for the most part I was counting the number of zero’s in a billion!). But in today’s economic crunch $700 billion doesn’t look like much if banks, automobile, credit crunch, insurance, mortgage all or any or few of these sectors have to be rescued.
If the Detroit Trio is allowed to fail then the losses will be in lines of 1.1 – 5.5 million jobs. This is taking into consideration all the related industries that directly or indirectly work with the auto industry. Right from companies that make tires, paints, parts, suppliers, couriers etc. Last but not least DMV, highway tolls and the list goes on, oops almost forgot ExxonMobil, Shell, BP.
Today we do know that the war fought in Iraq is going nowhere; we are not fighting terrorism but indeed creating terrorists of future. There are three wars being fought Iraq, Afghanistan and most likely new inclusion - Pakistan. Every month the cost of fighting the Iraq and Afghanistan war together stands at $16 billion. The country spends $16billion on wars that are not fetching anything. We jumped into it without knowing the compete facts and are paying a price by not able to support the very industry that forms the core of the US mobility.
For crying out loud the whole country was designed to sell cars, right from town planning to DIY network relies on the fact that everyone on America will have ( not own) a car as soon as s/he is 16.
Do you think the Fed should bail out the auto industry? If not. Why? After all AIG was saved with an unprecedented $125 billion ( and counting). Then why not the auto industry? Do we now discriminate among the lines of blue collar and white collar jobs? Or you think they have been saved enough and need to fall and file for bankruptcy to get on track!
Whatever you stance, I am sad that we had a government that has got us to a point that our investment in Iraq is beyond any sanguine comprehension. We can’t pull out of it even if we want to. While the whole economy is sinking – would you be able to guess one company that’s still reaping benefits? ------------------------------ How does Halliburton sound?
Common Joe.
Fat Matters
If you follow the news, you would have heard the new regulation by the state of Alabama towards the medical insurance sponsored through the state. In the state of AL health insurance is wrapped in benefits package for all the state employees, the state intends to start charging $25/- from 2010 incase the employee doesn’t maintain the acceptable levels of BMI( Body Mass Index), glucose levels and blood pressure.
It should have taken some realization at the gov. level to come up with something as unflattering as pointing at obesity and saying “this is not acceptable, something needs to be done”.
Hard to believe that this is the very society that scrutinized its immigrant population for psychological and physiological disorders in the new wave of 20th century immigration and the ones found unfit weren’t allowed to enter, when the early burst of immigrants started coming. The idea behind it might have been to create a gene pool that is sturdy and resilient. It took only two generations for this theory to back fire and today we see an overtly fat America to a point that being fat is no more an exception in the crowd but a lean build stands out from the crowd.
In my opinion penalizing for being fat is not the solution to this. There has to be community awareness on the same. The society in general should be made to think different and educated better in health awareness. In an economy where we find a Mc Donald’s, Burger King, Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks in every corner. It will be very difficult to expect the health of the population to be anything but deteriorating. There’s not one thing in the menu of a fast food joint that enhances your health (except for the salad and fruits they started adding to the menu!).
Our health is directly related to what we eat it is as simple as that. We live in a time where in fast food is the cheapest food and canned / frozen food is the easiest way out. Everything that is used in the fast food industry is questionable right from the saturated oil that things are fried in to the nuked lettuce that is served as healthy alternative!. Canned and frozen foods are no exception they have added preservatives for higher shelf life. All these contribute to your health and not always on a positive note. Over a period of time when you consume these foods it is the very next generation that you give life to that’s hardest hit. Today for the first time in history of this country the current generation has a lower life expectancy than its previous. This is a very serious matter and every one of us should take time out to scrutinize what we eat, how we eat and how much we eat.
As said earlier there are lot of factors that contribute to being fat – take any first generation immigrants in this country, no matter which ethnic population you take into consideration, there will be next to nil obesity. But the second and third generation of the same population will read very high levels of obesity. Which in turn forces me to state “may be it’s not the people, it’s the way of life in America that nurtures us to grow FAT.”
Lets try to analyze the above said by starting with veggies.
Today’s vegetables:
To achieve economies of scale a farmer today cannot conceive farm worker based model, as has become economically non-viable to survive global competition. This forces the framer to lean towards mechanized farming. The only thought that comes when we use the term mechanized farming is may be tractors, sower and harvesters. But the fine line that transpires to mechanized farming is GM or Genetic Modification. The reason mechanized farming is not possible without GM is – the machine does the same job repeatedly without error as long as the one operating it knows how to use it. But for a machine to work repeatedly and produce results it becomes increasingly difficult if the products are all not of the same size / shape.
I will take the example of tomatoes – I am not sure if anyone in America has ever had a generic tomato but if you have had one you will be able to distinguish the taste , texture and the quality of the generic kind to the numerous kinds we get in our grocery shops. The tomato cultivation/production in America would have seen its death along ago if it was not genetically modified to achieve most of the following:
- the fruit stalk ( the connection between the fruit and plant ) was modified to accommodate the harvester. As in when the harvester shakes ( averaging 200 revolutions per minute) the plant stem, the ripe fruit would detach at this juncture( if I may say so, excuse my very poor plant science knowledge)
- the skin of the generic tomato is very delicate and the chances that the fruit will survive a harvester at 200 rev/min being very slim the skin was GM’ed to be thicker.
These are just some of the changes – apart from these, modifications take place in terms of resilience to diseases, to reduce production of a particular enzyme to increase shelf life etc etc etc.
What I am trying to get at is – if a readily available and widely used fruit / veg as tomato could under go so may GM’s, imagine - a simple meal in a plate, I can only hope “ atleast the water used in cooking this meal did not have to undergo GM.
We are still talking of vegetables and we are in the very first stages of cultivating it, from the time things get cultivated to the time they land in our plates – if we try to list out all the possible modern marvels that are used then I can say this – genetically mutated, mechanically picked, nuked to kill bacteria, chemically preserved, better tasting with MSG, beautified with food color and colorfully packed!
I could go on the same with meat products they pretty much go through a much gruesome processing right from birth to when they come under the knife to preservation and ultimately on to you table.
To top this list you will find that all the fast food chains use saturated fat in one form or the other to increase the shelf life of the product itself or to deep fry the gourmet 1 minute meal!
Somewhere down the line one has to realize that no matter how deterrent you are to the modern techniques of food production and consumption you chances of eating processed food are alarmingly at a very high percentage.
The good old days where there was a butcher, baker, baber in town – people bought as per the availability and the financial capability. Not every one eat a croissant for break fast, t-bone steak for lunch and cream Brule for desert. But with advent of technology we have meat being cheaper than vegetables, a latte shop in ever corner and ice cream being served in diners! All this at the lowest possible rate.
The society has come to a point where in being obese is not the mark of your affluence on the contrary being lean is possible only with a member ship to gym!
The next time you think of having fast food and soda, give it a though (if you can spare the time!) and comprehend if it is something you want into your body. You are not helping yourself or you next generation by being careless. Whatever little you can – if you make the right move, one step at a time I am sure you will change your way of living / eating.
Common Joe
It should have taken some realization at the gov. level to come up with something as unflattering as pointing at obesity and saying “this is not acceptable, something needs to be done”.
Hard to believe that this is the very society that scrutinized its immigrant population for psychological and physiological disorders in the new wave of 20th century immigration and the ones found unfit weren’t allowed to enter, when the early burst of immigrants started coming. The idea behind it might have been to create a gene pool that is sturdy and resilient. It took only two generations for this theory to back fire and today we see an overtly fat America to a point that being fat is no more an exception in the crowd but a lean build stands out from the crowd.
In my opinion penalizing for being fat is not the solution to this. There has to be community awareness on the same. The society in general should be made to think different and educated better in health awareness. In an economy where we find a Mc Donald’s, Burger King, Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks in every corner. It will be very difficult to expect the health of the population to be anything but deteriorating. There’s not one thing in the menu of a fast food joint that enhances your health (except for the salad and fruits they started adding to the menu!).
Our health is directly related to what we eat it is as simple as that. We live in a time where in fast food is the cheapest food and canned / frozen food is the easiest way out. Everything that is used in the fast food industry is questionable right from the saturated oil that things are fried in to the nuked lettuce that is served as healthy alternative!. Canned and frozen foods are no exception they have added preservatives for higher shelf life. All these contribute to your health and not always on a positive note. Over a period of time when you consume these foods it is the very next generation that you give life to that’s hardest hit. Today for the first time in history of this country the current generation has a lower life expectancy than its previous. This is a very serious matter and every one of us should take time out to scrutinize what we eat, how we eat and how much we eat.
As said earlier there are lot of factors that contribute to being fat – take any first generation immigrants in this country, no matter which ethnic population you take into consideration, there will be next to nil obesity. But the second and third generation of the same population will read very high levels of obesity. Which in turn forces me to state “may be it’s not the people, it’s the way of life in America that nurtures us to grow FAT.”
Lets try to analyze the above said by starting with veggies.
Today’s vegetables:
To achieve economies of scale a farmer today cannot conceive farm worker based model, as has become economically non-viable to survive global competition. This forces the framer to lean towards mechanized farming. The only thought that comes when we use the term mechanized farming is may be tractors, sower and harvesters. But the fine line that transpires to mechanized farming is GM or Genetic Modification. The reason mechanized farming is not possible without GM is – the machine does the same job repeatedly without error as long as the one operating it knows how to use it. But for a machine to work repeatedly and produce results it becomes increasingly difficult if the products are all not of the same size / shape.
I will take the example of tomatoes – I am not sure if anyone in America has ever had a generic tomato but if you have had one you will be able to distinguish the taste , texture and the quality of the generic kind to the numerous kinds we get in our grocery shops. The tomato cultivation/production in America would have seen its death along ago if it was not genetically modified to achieve most of the following:
- the fruit stalk ( the connection between the fruit and plant ) was modified to accommodate the harvester. As in when the harvester shakes ( averaging 200 revolutions per minute) the plant stem, the ripe fruit would detach at this juncture( if I may say so, excuse my very poor plant science knowledge)
- the skin of the generic tomato is very delicate and the chances that the fruit will survive a harvester at 200 rev/min being very slim the skin was GM’ed to be thicker.
These are just some of the changes – apart from these, modifications take place in terms of resilience to diseases, to reduce production of a particular enzyme to increase shelf life etc etc etc.
What I am trying to get at is – if a readily available and widely used fruit / veg as tomato could under go so may GM’s, imagine - a simple meal in a plate, I can only hope “ atleast the water used in cooking this meal did not have to undergo GM.
We are still talking of vegetables and we are in the very first stages of cultivating it, from the time things get cultivated to the time they land in our plates – if we try to list out all the possible modern marvels that are used then I can say this – genetically mutated, mechanically picked, nuked to kill bacteria, chemically preserved, better tasting with MSG, beautified with food color and colorfully packed!
I could go on the same with meat products they pretty much go through a much gruesome processing right from birth to when they come under the knife to preservation and ultimately on to you table.
To top this list you will find that all the fast food chains use saturated fat in one form or the other to increase the shelf life of the product itself or to deep fry the gourmet 1 minute meal!
Somewhere down the line one has to realize that no matter how deterrent you are to the modern techniques of food production and consumption you chances of eating processed food are alarmingly at a very high percentage.
The good old days where there was a butcher, baker, baber in town – people bought as per the availability and the financial capability. Not every one eat a croissant for break fast, t-bone steak for lunch and cream Brule for desert. But with advent of technology we have meat being cheaper than vegetables, a latte shop in ever corner and ice cream being served in diners! All this at the lowest possible rate.
The society has come to a point where in being obese is not the mark of your affluence on the contrary being lean is possible only with a member ship to gym!
The next time you think of having fast food and soda, give it a though (if you can spare the time!) and comprehend if it is something you want into your body. You are not helping yourself or you next generation by being careless. Whatever little you can – if you make the right move, one step at a time I am sure you will change your way of living / eating.
Common Joe
Thursday, November 6, 2008
The word is “Disciplined”
The new buzz word in political campaign is DISCIPLIN. None of us could have avoided the news of the century – Mr. Barack Obama the president elect on November 04, 2008. This day is going to be marked in annals of history for various reasons. I for one am grateful that I could experience this in my life time. Not only was this presidential election historic, trend setting and out right cry for change, but in many ways opened a completely different realm and approach to campaigning.
Going into the elections I had my own doubts for Mr. Obama’s electability. I was in the same boat as many others who thought “America is ready for a woman to lead but not too sure if it’s ready to be lead by an African-American”. My inhibitions eroded once he was the chosen the candidate for democrats and my conviction in him grew stronger after hearing him speak at the acceptance ceremony at Denver, CO.
The campaign undertaken by the Obama camp was nothing short of exemplary best. This was the first time around that we got the taste of what a Presidential campaign is and more importantly what it should be. For the first time in any ways we came across a campaign that was aimed at the good of the general population than running on religious lines or moral black mail. Emphasis was laid out for sacrifice from every individual and the importance of the role of a FATHER & MOTHER in a household.
If you have not read/listened to the acceptance speech by Obama, I would defiantly suggest reading it (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7587321.stm) – it will make you realize the thought process, hard work and mindset this campaign has undertaken to address each of the issues in hand ( economy was not in this bad a state then, hence you will not see much in this front) and their approach to addressing each of these issues. A wide range of topics were covered from education, military, spending, taxes, insurance, family etc.
Completely contrasting to this was the Mr. McCain’s campaign, no policies discussed in any of the campaigns purely relied on his POW experience and the number of years in capitol building. The republican base was happy to assume the role of pit bull with lipstick and smear campaign than relying out any details on how they intend to address the issues at hand. There was NOT ONE issue in hand that was discussed by the McCain campaign. May it be a policy or approach to an any existing situations that the country was facing. It was assumed that adjectives such as MAVERICK and EXPERIENCE and Ms. Palins phrase of “Pit bull with lipstick” was more than sufficient to churn the electorate in their favor! This would work with the rural population but when your opponent’s target group is educated college grads – the republican camp was in all respects short sighted, Period.
To top it all the very aggressiveness of the Obama campaign with the foresight of whom to target( educated college grads, of course!) and the relentless energy that the campaign generated could not be out smarted with caducity of McCain or sheer ignorance of world politics of Ms. Palin.
If the above said wasn’t enough, Obama comes forth as the coolest candidate, had done his home work very well with all the required due diligence, dedication and utmost discipline. It was disciplined to extent that not only did the campaign not know whom to target but how to target, check out (http://www.barackobama.com/index.php ).
Obama’s campaign as an example is not limited to the political right or left but can be utilized by every one of us. It gives an understanding of how to approach any give situation. If you want something in life no matter the odds that you face or have to fight – if you have done your due diligence and worked hard, with a disciplined approach you are not too far from your goal. The presidency of USA as said by the senator himself was truly an – audacious hope, today the world got to see the sheer magnitude of the hope and assiduous top down management practice in achieving it.
For all the others whom the Obama story has inspired and given a fresh outlook I wish you luck in fulfilling your dreams.
Common Man or should say Common Joe!
I am married and have a full time job, don’t find much time to dedicate to this blog. In the above said lines I am taking my disciplined approach to this blog. I intend to add articles at least once in two weeks, let’s see how far I get.
Going into the elections I had my own doubts for Mr. Obama’s electability. I was in the same boat as many others who thought “America is ready for a woman to lead but not too sure if it’s ready to be lead by an African-American”. My inhibitions eroded once he was the chosen the candidate for democrats and my conviction in him grew stronger after hearing him speak at the acceptance ceremony at Denver, CO.
The campaign undertaken by the Obama camp was nothing short of exemplary best. This was the first time around that we got the taste of what a Presidential campaign is and more importantly what it should be. For the first time in any ways we came across a campaign that was aimed at the good of the general population than running on religious lines or moral black mail. Emphasis was laid out for sacrifice from every individual and the importance of the role of a FATHER & MOTHER in a household.
If you have not read/listened to the acceptance speech by Obama, I would defiantly suggest reading it (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7587321.stm) – it will make you realize the thought process, hard work and mindset this campaign has undertaken to address each of the issues in hand ( economy was not in this bad a state then, hence you will not see much in this front) and their approach to addressing each of these issues. A wide range of topics were covered from education, military, spending, taxes, insurance, family etc.
Completely contrasting to this was the Mr. McCain’s campaign, no policies discussed in any of the campaigns purely relied on his POW experience and the number of years in capitol building. The republican base was happy to assume the role of pit bull with lipstick and smear campaign than relying out any details on how they intend to address the issues at hand. There was NOT ONE issue in hand that was discussed by the McCain campaign. May it be a policy or approach to an any existing situations that the country was facing. It was assumed that adjectives such as MAVERICK and EXPERIENCE and Ms. Palins phrase of “Pit bull with lipstick” was more than sufficient to churn the electorate in their favor! This would work with the rural population but when your opponent’s target group is educated college grads – the republican camp was in all respects short sighted, Period.
To top it all the very aggressiveness of the Obama campaign with the foresight of whom to target( educated college grads, of course!) and the relentless energy that the campaign generated could not be out smarted with caducity of McCain or sheer ignorance of world politics of Ms. Palin.
If the above said wasn’t enough, Obama comes forth as the coolest candidate, had done his home work very well with all the required due diligence, dedication and utmost discipline. It was disciplined to extent that not only did the campaign not know whom to target but how to target, check out (http://www.barackobama.com/index.php ).
Obama’s campaign as an example is not limited to the political right or left but can be utilized by every one of us. It gives an understanding of how to approach any give situation. If you want something in life no matter the odds that you face or have to fight – if you have done your due diligence and worked hard, with a disciplined approach you are not too far from your goal. The presidency of USA as said by the senator himself was truly an – audacious hope, today the world got to see the sheer magnitude of the hope and assiduous top down management practice in achieving it.
For all the others whom the Obama story has inspired and given a fresh outlook I wish you luck in fulfilling your dreams.
Common Man or should say Common Joe!
I am married and have a full time job, don’t find much time to dedicate to this blog. In the above said lines I am taking my disciplined approach to this blog. I intend to add articles at least once in two weeks, let’s see how far I get.
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