Note: - This is a forward I got, that I think makes sense infact it is really touching. I am very much against what USA and UK are doing in iraq, it is against humanity and is going to take iraq 25-50 years behind the rest of the world in development. A cruel act of barbarianism,strengthened by headweight and misuse of power. Now read on....
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I'm sending this letter to the British people and in particular to the residents of London. For a period of hours, you have lived through moments of desperate anxiety and horror. In those hours you lost a member of your family or a friend, and we wish to tell you in total honesty that we too grieve when human lives pass away. I cannot tell you how much we hurt when we see desperation and pain on the face of another person. For we have lived through this situation – and continue to live through it every day – since your country and the United States formed an alliance and laid plans to attack Iraq.
The Prime Minister of your country, Tony Blair, said that those who carried out the explosions did so in the name of Islam. The Secretary of State of the United States, Condaleezza Rice, described the bombings as an act of barbarism. The United Nations Security Council met and unanimously condemned the event.
I would like to ask you, the free British people, to allow me to inquire: in whose name was our country blockaded for 12 years? In whose name were our cities bombed using internationally prohibited weapons? In whose name did the British army kill Iraqis and torture them? Was that in your name? Or in the name of
religion? Or humanity? Or freedom? Or democracy?
What do you call the killing of more than two million children? What do you call the pollution of the soil and the water with depleted uranium and other lethal substances?
What do you call what happened in the prisons in Iraq – in Abu Ghraib, Camp Bucca and the many other prison camps? What do you call the torture of men, women, and children? What do you call tying bombs to the bodies of prisoners and blowing them apart? What do you call the refinement of methods of torture for use on Iraqi prisoners – such as pulling off limbs, gouging out eyes, putting out cigarettes on their skin, and using cigarette lighters to set fire to the hair on their heads? Does the word "barbaric" adequately describe the behavior of your troops in Iraq?
May we ask why the Security Council did not condemn the massacre in al-Amiriyah and what happened in al-Fallujah, Tal'afar, Sadr City, and an-Najaf? Why does the world watch as our people are killed and tortured and not condemn the crimes being committed against us? Are you human beings and we something less? Do you think that only you can feel pain and we can't? In fact it is we who are most aware of how intense is the pain of the mother who has lost her child, or the father who has lost his family. We know very well how painful it is to lose those you love.
You don't know our martyrs, but we know them. You don't remember them, but we remember them. You don't cry over them, but we cry over them.
Have you heard the name of the little girl Hannan Salih Matrud? Or of the boy Ahmad Jabir Karim? Or Sa'id Shabram?
Yes, our dead have names too. They have faces and stories and memories. There was a time when they were among us, laughing and playing. They had dreams, just as you have. They had a tomorrow awaiting them. But today they sleep among us with no tomorrow on which to wake.
We don't hate the British people or the peoples of the world. This war was imposed upon us, but we are now fighting it in defense of our selves. Because we want to live in our homeland – the free land of Iraq – and to live as we want to live, not as your government or the American government wish.
Let the families of those killed know that responsibility for the Thursday morning London bombings lies with Tony Blair and his policies. Stop your war against our people! Stop the daily killing that your troops commit! End your occupation of our homeland!
Iman al-Saadun, Friday, 8 July 2005
For a long long time folks at blogger, it seems knowingly ignored the "posts bug", the number of posts in your blog and the last update date were displayed wrongly in the dashboard. I login to blogger today and see that they have fixed.
blogger team, good you woke up.
cheers,
Badrinath.V.S :-)
More details here http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.07/posts.html?pg=6?tw=wn_tophead_7
Moral : -Inventing something doesn't help you have to improvise on it.
Badrinath.V.S :-(
P.S :- I feel sorry for him.
The first time I met her there were no thunder storms, no butterflies flying in the stomach and nor were there any cupids arrows flying around. It was just a chanced happening.
"But but .... " The love bird within squealed frightened by the vulture's intimidating voice."No buts, dont get stupid, there is one life and many important missions and there are many many more important things to do than pursue this crush,waste time admiring someone, involve less in your other passions, digress from your chief motives in life and repent later.... I take control from now on" the vulture commanded.
Badrinath.V.S :-)
13-14 days back I had spoken about how I was going to turn 23 and felt like a big failure,well today is my 23rd birthday and the conditions haven't improved a wee bit although that is my prime concern at this time, I can't really keep publicising it cos people may think I am desperate(or in some cases they may lose their morale "if badri himself cant how will we!!!").But anyways I have few others that I can actually share with everyone.
Although birthdays repeat themselves once a year somehow this one the 23rd seems very special.Something tells me this year will be very eventful, full of adventure,success stories,learning,growth and free from health problems.But 23 also brings with it some worries like the following.
1) I just realized that as a 10th std student I used to think 23 and above are old people adults so by that calculation I am actually turning OLD .
2) According to my mother a donkey lives for 6 years and since I am entering my 24th year in this cosmos I am as old as 4 donkeys.So she can now scold me saying "naalu kazhuda veyasu aachi" - "you are as old as four donkeys"
so do that job or clean your clothes.
3) As a school student my aim in life used to be , i will earn a lot and eat out of my father's pocket. For those who haven't really tried it spending out of father's pocket can be great fun.Starting this day I am techically/officially and more importantly morally barred from spending out of father's pocket but yes till I get married I guess I can cajole my mother into giving me some non replayable loan now and then.
4) "I am just outta college","I am not even 23" seemed to be good execuses to avoid responsibility but now I cant use them anymore.
5) Birthdays mean expense, when I ate like a glutton at other's birthday treats I never realized that they may get to attend my birthday treat too, so there are good number of people ranging from school mates, college mates, x team mates and current team mates waiting to avenge themselves.
well those are my chief worries,hmm!!! actually there is just one more.There is this small 3rd standard boy who is my neighbour and for some reasons he prefers calling me "Uncle", I am usually not bothered by that but it really annoys me when he calls me uncle and turns my attempts to be successful into a failure.(remember my I am a failure worry)
I guess thats abt it.If you have any doubts or questions please refer the FAQ's before asking me.
FAQS:-
Q:1)Why did you think people 23 and older where old and not those 21 and 22?
A:hmm!!! err!!! I prefer not to answer
Q:2)Did you chose not to answer the previous question because you feel shy acknowledging the fact that you had a crush on a teacher who was 22 and that is why u thot 23 and older is old?
A:yes!! you got me.back then I always thot I will grow old and tell her abt my crush never realized she will grow too.. :-(
Q:3)Are you always this dumb?
A:Only questions relating to the above article shall be entertained.But since you asked. Yes!!!
Q:4)So what sense does that phrase "as old as four donkeys" make?
A:I dont really know neither does my mother, she probably scolds me that way cos her mother used to scold her that way.
Q:5)Why is it that you can ask you mother for a non repayable loan only till you dont get married?
A:I personally feel it will be unethical to ask your mother for a loan when you can actually ask your wife.
Q:6)Now that you realize that people will get to avenge themselves are you going to give up gluttoning?
A:In life there are ups and downs but you must never lose your spirits and goals due to one or two occasional downs.
Q:7)Are you really going to give a treat to so many people "school mates, college mates, x team mates and current team mates"?
A:Are you kidding me, I work for a salary,I really wish I can avoid giving a treat to all of them but my current team mates are so excited about celebrating my birthday that if I dont give them a treat, they will choose to celebrate thru "Birthday Bumps".
cheers,
Badrinath.V.S :-)
In another 13-14 days I will turn 1 year less younger, although the norm is to turn 1 year older I prefer it this way. Ok back to where I was I will be turning i year less younger and that would mean another feather in an already crowded hat.
Well it aint an accomplishment, it just happens you dont even have to work for it and its so common that all men and ofcourse women have it but for some reason somebody thought of ages ago that birthdays must be celebrated.And here we are celebrating birthday's and throwing out parties/treats even though we are left wondering, Why on all important rejoiceable occasions in our life we have to grow less richer.
Anyways that aint my point here, treats and the sorrow they bring(to the sponsorer) are aint really my worries right now, what is, is that I haven't achieved something that a good number of my friends have by this time.
During my school days when the friends I am talking about where working hard to the lay the foundations for the success they were to have later, impressing the class teacher,playing football and day dreaming where my chief occupations.As much as they would tell me the importance of making such an achievement in life it always seemed unimportant to me and at times when it seemed important I would procrastinate saying "boy chill there is time".Had I worked hard or may be for the kind of person I was at school, bright and smart(hey stop laughing I am sharing my worries with you not joking) I could have easily laid the foundation to go ahead and make the same achievement but I dint I was too casual.
School got over and a good number of my friends left for different colleges with their chins up and with the smile of accomplishment beaming on their face, they had worked hard and laid the foundation, they did realize later that what was more difficult was keeping the foundation strong and not laying it but well they handled that part well,kudos to them for their perserverance and patience and may be tolerance considering all the struggle they had to endure.
But I was lazy all along and never wanted to invest my time and skills in anything other than video gaming and football.At college I never got the chance, there were opportunities but there was too much competition, yet again I was too lazy to put up a fight against the competition.Come to college, go home, write exam clear all papers without cup(arrears) was all I wanted to do I really dint care abt making that achievement that was so precious to many around me.Mostly the best opportunities were always taken by the not so lazy, keen to succeed, willing to work hard kind and hence obviously dint even qualify.I still dint want to invest time, I never realized the value of making such an achievement and by the time I reached my final year at college "get a job,go to work, make money, live happily" had become my mission in life aptly designed for a couch potato like me who dint want to flex a muscle.
Suddenly now when I look at the thousands who curse themselves, sometimes within themselves(although it shows on their face) and sometimes vociferously I really feel I have made a mistake, I missed a real lot of opportunities.Take for example my company whenever the successful people who have made that kinda achievement proudly and sometimes shyly(because of all the recognition) confess the same, I can see the ones that haven't achieved watch them agape and immediately go into their dreamlands or memory lanes retrospecting on what they must have done but haven't, suddenly they desperately wish they had done it too but sometimes its too late, some resign too their fate "elaiketha ellu urundai" they say but some still feel for it.
Now I suddenly feel that there is something more than getting a good job and living happily , I must have used the opportunities I got well but I dint, I really must have worked hard.Really now when I retrospect I feel like a failure and a miserable one.I am royally struck by the "I feel like a failure" syndrome.
But may be there is time to correct all this.I really hope there is still time left for me and I really pray to god that I get atleast one another opportunity. I hear that Einstein made his first achievement only after he turned 26 so I guess that still leaves me 3 more years and hopefully I will succeed, hopefully I will get the opportunity if I keep looking and god willing will make full use of it to get that coveted achievement that they call a "GirlFriend".
cheers,
Badrinath.V.S :-)
P.S :- If you are an achiever I can use tips from you, pls mail me at badrinath at gmail dot com.
P.P.S :- If you are planning to gift me on my BDay an opportunity i mean a date would be great, but if you cannot arrange for the same a pair of nike shoes or an ipod or a discman are fine gifts too.And hey if you are my boss I can really use an hike. ;-)
Guess I have never been outta blogging for this long was really busy with work, the news is I am moving to a new team(ofcourse within my company) in the hope of acheiving something substantial.
And hey after a long long time I wrote a poem to bid farewell to my team mates you dont know them so might not be be able to really appreciate it but go with the flow and let me know what you feel.
250 days of twists and bends,
And here is where the voyage ends.
Experience so flattering to be substantial,
Its with a pinch that I know its real.
Surprising how with a blink of an eye time flies by,
All that is left is memories of me and thy,
Co-voyagers all along and I dint notice them,
Now so suddenly I know I will really miss them.
A sweet lady who taught me dedication,
No amount of jabbering destroyed her concentration.
Tell me from all this I dont have to shy,
And even if I do the memories never will dry.
A man who works round the clock,
Steering the ship and making the voyage rock.
Tell me from all this I dont have to shy,
And even if I do the memories never will dry.
A lady who to me patiently heared,
Even when she will run away I feared.
Tell me from all this I dont have to shy,
And even if I do the memories never will dry.
A man who always put up a good smile,
Another who everyday introduced a new style,
Tell me from all this I dont have to shy,
And even if I do the memories never will dry.
A new voyager who along set sails,
Against the winds his fight never fails,
Tell me from all this I dont have to shy,
And even if I do the memories never will dry.
The captain who enlightened us about our scope,
Whom I shall always remember for his telescope.
Tell me from all this I dont have to shy,
And even if I do the memories never will dry.
And finally the lighthouse robust and never stopping,
Strenghtening,reassuring and ever helpfully guiding.
But alas I have to detour,
Oh! For once I am so dour.
May be the best I can do is wish u a happy voyage,
Forgive me for anything I might have done in a rage.
If you have a treat remember I am no sage,
Whenever you need me just page.
Thanks for all the help folks, you made my time in this team,
cheers,
Badrinath.V.S :-)
