The year 2011—Was it my best year?

The year 2011 was truly an unforgettable year. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. I worked hard and partied hard too.
I do remember where I celebrated the New Year eve. of 2011. We (me, my roommate, his girlfriend) went out partying that night of Dec-31-2010, in downtown Washington DC (started with Brass Monkey I guess) and I was down six large pegs of Royal Canadian Whisky, when we left the house. As expected, I had couple of more drinks after that, in the pub. The thing which I remember the most is me getting totally drunk and capturing the entire bar. I literally stopped anyone coming closer to the bar and asked the bartender that I will buy everyone a drink here.And I sat on the bar top and drank my drink.
As expected, they threw me out. Someone informed my friend that your friend is thrown out of the pub and he and his girlfriend came out too.Then we went to couple of more bars/pubs where I flirted with some Chinese gals and then we came back. I have no memories for the portions I haven’t described.
Just like any other year I don’t remember what I did on my B’day, somehow I don’t have great memories of my B’day (maybe bcz I don’t do anything special).But I do remember that my good friend sent me a cake and I cut the cake and celebrated the B’day, with her , on Skype. So sweet and caring of her!
February and March went in the launching of our new system here at The Washingtonpost. I was very busy in that and also I was searching for a new apt. for myself, in the downtown, as I got fed up with the commute. One other reason was WaPo hired me full time, offering me ridiculous amount of salary+Bonus.
In March, I went to Florida, to attend wedding of a very good friend. It was nice to revisit Tampa, where I went to school and all my friends. Checked out couple of pubs, danced all night.Attended wedding and danced and drank.Also, went to Sunshine Skyway Bridge and St.Pete. One of the best afternoons of my life (yes, my life), I had it over there. I was hung over and I stopped at The queens head Bar in St.Pete. to have brunch. Amazing ambiance and nice sea breeze.A must if you are in St. Pete.
April, I moved to my new apt. It was and is a great apt. in many senses. It is very conveniently located, very quiet (DC is very infamous for fire engines), very spacious, great view (saw fireworks from my rooftop) and most importantly affordable. It also gives me luxury to just walk to my office and to my fav. Pubs.
Also, watched India winning Cricket world cup, first time during my life time.
May - I got rid of my old car. It was a very trustworthy companion and been with me for couple of years. I roamed along east coast in that car and it never gave me any trouble at least on the road. Also, in May , I went first time to Sin city -- Las Vegas, NV. Although, I went with a dude, but then, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.
June is when I bought my dream car the BMW-3 Series Coupe. Not a very expensive car, but big deal to buy new in your 20’s.Also, I got it customized, had to wait for that. Wish I had some vacation and some cash, to go to Germany and get a factory tour. May be for my next car, Amen!
May and June were also crazy partying month….lots of Beer and lots of babes!
July, August went in dating this random gal, whom I met in a dance club. She was very caring and all that but as usual I couldn’t handle it. It was during these months when I had most of my getaways and lots of long drives. Anyways…
September is when my boss, went to India and I ended up being the main work horse (if I was not the one).It was being crazy with managing so many teams, working after hours, killing my already dead personal life.This month I was busy doing so much shopping and other preparation related to my India trip…
October, I reached India, met my friends in Delhi….enjoyed Delhi in its full flavor….Met my parents and my college friends, had great time with them….then my all India trip started with me visiting Gwalior….Indore….Mumbai…Goa….Shirdi…etc…. The dust and heat made me go crazy…But still, I love my India!
After over a month trip to India, I came back to Washington DC, in November. I felt homesick and lonely. I felt like,”where all the people are? “.After all, I was coming from India (Population Guys). Also, it took me good one month to get used to my routine and job. Thanksgiving I stayed home and served my company.
December went like a breeze. We launched a new Web System, which I myself was working on, since last couple of months. Then worked on couple of other housekeeping jobs. Christmas happened, and again I served my company and then went to Times Square for Celebrating New Year.
In between, I also went to ocean city, Atlantic City, West Virginia, New York City etc. I drove my BMW for more than 2500 miles…Got many traffic tickets…Flirted with many gals…Won $1600 at Casino…Bought another Mac book 15”….Spent so many Sunday afternoons having brunch and basking in glory of DC sun…
All in all, a year to remember for my entire lifetime!

Captial Punishment :An argumentative essay

Recently, Supreme Court of India dismissed plea by CBI asking to overturn life term awarded to Dara Singh, who lead a mob that eventually burnt alive Christian missionary Dr.Graham Staines, to death sentence. The crime was condemned by various quarters of the society and without any doubt heinous in nature. The people involved in that tragic incident, with Dr.Graham Staines(aged 58) were, his two sons Philip (aged 10) and Timothy (aged 6) while sleeping in his station wagon at Manoharpur village in Keonjhar district in Orissa, India on Jan 22, 1999.

What followed was a long debate across all the social networking sites and Television whether the decision to overturn the penalty was correct or not. We all agree that the crime was condemnable and heinous in nature. I really don’t want to jump into that debate of why the decision was overturned.

The reason for me writing this post is whether death penalty should be given at the first place. It has been long a matter of debate in today’s society whether death penalty serves as a justified and valid form of punishment. As soon as the term death penalty or capital punishment comes up people from both the sides start yelling their arguments.

I am in favor of death penalty given the crime committed is proved in the court of law. I would also like to make it very clear that we are looking at death penalty given the person gets a fair trial with his rights protected within the framework of the constitution of the country.

There are two most important conditions which the court in the just world looks for; the first being the crime committed by a person must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. And second being it should be rarest of the rare case.

Now let us evaluate the argument given by people that how you would justify that a crime committed is grave in nature and it is rarest of rare to get a capital punishment. As we all know that different countries have different laws and in some countries capital punishment can be given for insulting religion (Blasphemy law for e.g. in Pakistan). Some countries consider petty crimes like stealing, grave in nature. I would like to ask them some questions and would assume here that they are not under influence of anything before answering my questions and also, that they are reasonably educated with an eye on world affairs:-

Do you consider these countries are unbiased towards both the sexes i.e. Men have same rights as women? Do you think that an individual’s human right is preserved in such countries? Do you think that they have freedom of speech? Are there any laws which make an outsider(neutral person) think that he/she is not in 21^st century ?If you call Sharia a law and Taliban a government then this post is not for you!

Most of these countries which give capital punishment and other atrocious punishments (like beheading, amputation etc.) for petty crimes are either lawless or their courts are a joke. They always find the lowest spot in Human rights index like Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Egypt, Libya etc. I am in no mood to discuss law and order situation of such countries which are fighting for their survival and often termed as failed state by the world media and organizations. I assume that you read newspaper and it is known to all of you.

Now if you look at the developed countries (like USA, EU etc.) and at the Democratic developing countries (like India etc.) you will see that their law doesn’t allow you to give capital punishment for petty crimes. The capital punishment in these countries mostly given the case in justifies being the rarest of rare and grave in nature.

What would you define a grave crime in a civil society where everyone have equal rights irrespective of cast, creed or religion? A cold blooded murder qualifies for grave crime. Now you can argue several people get murdered every year in every country, should we hang all the culprits? That’s where rarest of the rare comes in. You really need to appreciate the beauty of the law here. The crime has to be so brutal, the circumstances should be so unique and effect on society should be so bad, to be qualified for a rarest of rare case and hence death penalty. Also notice how I used “cold blooded murder” above, usually a crime of passion doesn’t qualify for capital punishment. The crime that is committed in extraordinary circumstances in the impulsive moment and in no manner is the crime pre-meditated or thought thoroughly, that individual is said to have committed a crime of passion.

Now Is death penalty a deterrent to the crime? Yes, it is definitely a deterrent to the crime. People are afraid of death more than any other moral punishment. Imprisonment constitutes one evil, the loss of freedom, but the death penalty imposes a more severe loss, that of life itself (Pojman & Reiman, 1998, p. 61). They claim that death cuts criminals from all ties that lead to future possibility which ultimately takes away all hope for the criminal involved. If you think that it is not the case ask yourself why so many mercy petitions are being filed after getting capital punishment. It is the fear of death which sends a chill down the spine. Stats. says the same:-

In 1995, George E. Pataki became the New York Governor and reinstated the death penalty which had not existed in that state for many years. This decision resulted in a 22% decrease in assaults and a one-third decrease in murders throughout the state. In 1980 in Texas, the murder rate without the existence of the death penalty was 18 per 100,000 people. Nearly 20 years later, the death penalty was reinstated and the murder rate dropped to 9 per 100,000 people. In 1980 in Houston, Texas in particular, there were 701 murders which decreased to 241 murders in 1998 (Johansen, 1998). Although it appears that supporters have substantial evidence toward their claim, abolitionists argue that those decreasing rates are due to other factors such as an increase in crime-control measures in both states within those years (Notis, 1997)

To fight and deter the crime the law enforcers should give them every possible tool, including the death penalty. If you do not have death penalty in the law books the criminals will have no fear and unacceptable level of violence will permeate on the streets.

No case illustrates this point more clearly than that of Arthur Shawcross. In 1973, Shawcross, one of New York's most ruthless serial killers, was convicted of the brutal rape and murder of two children in upstate New York. Since the death penalty had been declared unconstitutional, Shawcross was sentenced to prison. After serving just 15 years-an absurd prison term given the crime-he was paroled in 1988. In a horrific 21-month killing spree, Shawcross took 11 more lives. That is 11 innocent people who would be alive today had justice (read Capital punishment) been served 24 years ago; 11 families that would have been spared the pain and agony of losing a loved one. Preventing a crime from being committed ultimately is more important than punishing criminals after they have shattered innocent lives.

Death penalty serves as a basic reminder to the public that crime does not get rewarded. It sends a message to the public that if you kill innocent people, than the price that you will be forced to pay will undoubtedly be quite high (Bedau & Cassell, 2004).

Other than the deterrent effect you also need to consider implications of giving life imprisonment on the society. Imagine a scenario when a person commits a rape/murder at age 20.Even if he gets the maximum sentence he will be out at 35 years of age. Age mellows down people and their hostility, but only after you are too old or let’s say 50.If the person is out on the streets at 35, he lost his 15 years, but he is still young. He will go for revenge otherwise he will commit another crime. Who will take the responsibility for that?

Also, If you want to stash so many dangerous criminals in jails, who will bear the cost? We the Taxpayers! Now why should an innocent citizen of this country pay for a criminal/murderer/rapist to keep him alive? There is no moral obligation, which I can think of, which will justify such insanity!

I believe in giving second chances but there are some cases/incidents for which no one should be given second chance i.e. rarest of the rare.

References:-

Pojman, L. P. & Reiman, J. (1998). The death penalty: for and against. Honolulu: Rowman and Littlefield.

Notis, C. (1997). Is the death penalty an effective deterrent?

http://www.wikipedia.org/

Whats up with India??

Dude,whats happening in India?This was the question asked by my boss to me.He admires India and he thinks India has tremendous potential.Well I told him India is doing good....and he seemed satisfied with my answer...But that prompted me to think are we really doing good??

The thing which is bugging me since last 1 month is the threat to internal security of India....Barely one month has passed since Naxalites had killed 24 cops in one of the biggest attacks in Bengal.As usual the state government was unaware of their activities.While on the other hand Prime minister acknowledges Naxalites as the biggest threat to the Indian sovereignty when he says "It would not be an exaggeration to say that the problem of Naxalism is the single biggest internal security challenge ever faced by our country ",but when it comes to take action against them, his party and ministers dodge it to the state government. As gen.V.P. Malik says “I think there is political consensus on how to tackle Jihadi terror. It evades us when it comes to the Naxalites.” And the result is 1,591 Naxal-related attacks in 2008 which costed 721 people of their lives.As of 2009, Naxalites are active across approximately 220 districts in twenty states of India accounting for about 40 percent of India's geographical area.

Now the question is why no action is being taken against them.The answer is before taking any action , first of all you need to consider the problem grave enough.Most of the state governments have a soft corner towards Naxalites.First and foremost example is West Bengal govt. which don't consider Naxalites as a threat.If you look at the history you will come to know that Naxalites originated from CPI(M) which ruled West Bengal for three decades.This communist organization not only ruined the edge of industrialization which Bengal had at the time of independence but also gave shelter to like minded movements like Naxalism.Such movements also got sympathy from so called thinkers like Arundhati Roy,who supports communism because according to them democracy failed in India , so this is high time to switch to communism.How can we fight with Chinese intentions of acquiring Indian land when you have people who support communism living in India.

Why I am stressing on Bengal more than any other state is because this state is Naxal hub since 1967.For those who are unaware the word Naxalites comes from Naxalbari, a small village in West Bengal,where an extremist section of Communist Party of India(Marxist) led by Charu Majumdar and Kanu Sanyal led a violent uprising in 1967.Its no hidden truth that State government of Bengal not only gives shelter to Naxalites but because of its porous border with other countries like Bangladesh it makes trafficking of arms for Naxalites easier.The State govt. doesn't even hide its liking for china.Majority of times they behave as representatives of Republic of china in India.

Other reasons for Naxal dominance include lack of developmental schemes in the affected districts as well.The poor people of such districts are given free medical treatment,free food etc. by the Naxalites,which,in turn help them.Most of the times such places are inaccessible for the forces.One of the key strategy that can help fight this menace can be building of a network of roads in inaccessible forested hills that can help movement of people,which,in turn,can help in intelligence information gathering.Armed forces can respond much faster in such remote locations restricting the movement of Naxals who depend on forest cover and terrain for their cuts and thrusts.Better late than never, Central govt. has just approved a 7,300 crore special roads package for Naxal-affected areas.

Lack of police personals is another issue.With over 2 lakh vacancies in the armed forces and having one of the lowest people to police ratio in the world, you cannot ask for efficient law and order.You cannot even secure cities, forget about villages and here we are talking about dense forests so you can imagine the situation.

With two notorious neighbors like china and Pakistan , you would not like to have distress in your home. Imagine a situation when China with its ally Pakistan and its representatives in India(Naxalites) act together for their common goal i.e. disintegration of Indian republic.How many fronts you can handle together?Where you will march your army,towards your eastern border,towards your western border or to handle pests (read Naxalites)....Keep thinking,the question it tricky...

Answer to SRK's question:What should i retract?

Well Mr.Khan its not about freedom of speech,its about showing sympathy to a nation which has given trouble since its inception.You called that nation Great. You said that you love that nation, how could you say this when they are killing our people.Its not about showing affection to any other nation and its not going to strengthen your position as a peace ambassador,because the country involved here is not any other country but its pakistan whom world considers a terror hub.

Do you remember 26/11,the grave massacre people from Pakistan did?You are welcoming people of a country who consider your country (if you consider it your country,m not sure though) India as their biggest enemies.There is no way anyone can forget what they did with us and move forward, unless the criminals meet their fate.

For your point that sports should be kept away from politics,I am sorry my friend that is not possible.If you look in the history 65 countries including USA didnot took part in 1980 olympics in Moscow,former USSR because of Soviet attack on Afghanistan.None of those 65 countries suffered from that attack but still they snapped the ties and the irony is that in this case you are on the receiving end of terrorism.Does your so called art(if you call your films as art) and sports comes before nation??

Now regarding your statement it hurts you,that none of Pak players are in IPL.My question is why didnot you bid for Pak players?IPL didnot banned them,then why didnot you showed your affection at that time? Not bidding at that time and now coming out and saying you love that country and your parents were immigrant raises doubts in my mind about your intentions.If you have so much love for that country why dont you just migrate to that country and be happy over there.

Lets not mix it with freedom of speech and lets not get distracted with Thackreys.Those guys are non issue.I stand for India being a welcoming country and I beleive in the right of every indian to live work in any part of country.Keeping that mumbai issue aside I just want to ask you Mr.Khan why you love Pakistan so much?Dont you feel that your support for non entities like pak players is an insult to the martyrs who fought for Mumbai and India?Does cricket comes first for you?Is giving equal opportunity for a pakistani player more important than safety and integrity of India?

For all those who consider Sachin... GOD...

Statistics are like bathing suits. what they reveal are promising. what they conceal are vital.

This statement aptly answers this posting by cricinfo website

http://www.cricinfo.com/compaq/content/story/425075.html

With all due respect to sachin's greatness here is where he lacks in ODI....

Apart frm few innings(134 Vs australia at sharjah in 1998,98 vs pakistan in WC-2003,138 vs srilanka in Compaq cup-2009) did he ever guide india to victory in an important match?

In World Cup 2003 finals when the whole nation expected a big score from him to beat Australia, he got out in the very first over for four.

In World cup 2007 against Sri Lanka he went out for a duck to a bowler who was massacred by Adam Gilchrist in the World Cup finals.

Compare Sachin’s record to that of Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting or even Adam Gilchrist.

Waugh played many memorable individual innings, including his highest Test score of 200 against the fearsome West Indies pace attack in Kingston, Jamaica in 1995 to spearhead a series victory,Waugh was part of two World Cup winning squads – one as a captain and other as a player. Just recall the innings he played against South Africa during the 1999 World Cup pool match in Leeds, England when he made 120 not out in a game Australia needed to win to stay alive in the competition.That is what is called great innings – showing class when the odds are cast highly unfavorable to you...

Also take Ricky Ponting – 3 World Cup victories – 2 as captain and 1 as a player. The innings he played against India during the World Cup final in 2003 is just sufficient to make him great.Everyone knows that match almost ended after his innings. The grand stage – World Cup final – and he delivered with unbeaten 140. ...

Take Adam Gilchrist and remember the innings which he played in WC-2007 final....Big stage and Big innings.....

Some people argue that cricket is a team game and Sachin alone can’t lift the Indian cricket team to victory. The other 10 players have equal responsibility. Agreed. Teams play to win and if one player is considered as a great player then he should have the capacity to lift the team at time of crisis and during important matches. Sachin fails to rise during most of the important matches....

If you are asked to name great soccer players I am sure majority will be answering Maradona or Ronaldo or Pele. Why are they great? Take Maradona for example. Those who watched 1988 World Cup will know how he helped his team to lift the World Cup. If my memory is correct he scored only 5 goals but he created so many scoring opportunities to his teammates that helped Argentina win the World Cup, same with Pele and Ronaldo. Their contributions were immense in their team winning major tournaments around the world.....

You cannot rely on him thats why we need to name Rahul Dravid as Mr.Dependable not sachin, inspite of the fact that sachin scored around 30 k runs in international cricket....

Abt Myself

Thought to tell u about myself....its pretty interesting.... m sure u will nt get bored........



Biologically : Normal Human Being

Naturally : Inquisitive

Apparently : Sincere

Primarily : Extrovert

Definitely : Noisy

Mentally : Stable

Probably : the Best

Reasonably : Smart

Sufficiently : Educated

Vertically : 5'8"

Socially : Always Available

Currently : Single (again)

Geographically : In United States

Permanently : In Gwalior

Reluctantly : Studying

Truly : Indian

Financially : Bankrupt :)

Seriously : Humorous

Actively : Lazy

Artistically : Worthless

Maritally : Eligible ;)

Rationally: Irrational

Honestly : Honest ;)



Anything else u wanna know.....

Youth in INDIA and the US

Youth in INDIA and the US: Similarities and Difference
“I care about our young people and I wish them great success because they are our hope for future”.
Dave Berry
As said above Young generation is any country’s greatest asset because they determine in which direction the country will be heading in future. Sooner or later they will be the policy makers. So for a bright future you need to model your young generation right. I belong to a developing country India and being a youth I want to do something for my homeland. Although like any other Youth I am confused. Young age is the time when a person wants to do so many things but he/she usually lacks a plan. Same is the case with the youth of America. Not all but most of them are confused. They want to do something for their nation, their parents, in short for everyone whom they care and respect.
When I landed in this country I was with the perception that Youth in America is spoiled. We watch in movies and read in magazines that American young generation is busy in going to pubs, hanging out with friends in late night parties and possibly all kind of crap which you can think about. But believe me that it is a myth. They do work and they do understand their responsibilities.
The youth here respect and cares their parents. Although they live independent life but usually you will find each and every person of a family in a social gathering. But contrary to the Indian youth they are lot more private persons. Except in a party or without a special occasion you will not find someone hanging out at friend’s place.
I found American youth more focused towards their career/work than Youth of any other country. They know exactly what they want to achieve and they work accordingly. In India we used to complain about the work load but here you will never hear American complaining about the work load. It’s not the case that the work here is less. In short they believe in smart work not in hard work. Believe me we are not as smart as they are. Like a student of engineering in India never cares about the economy of the country but here youth do care because they know their job scenario is directly related with the condition of the market.
American youth is very much concerned and aware about their rights. They cannot adjust anything on that part. Usually we donot argue for our rights. Sometimes we donot know the law and sometimes we donot want to mess, but here every individual knows and argues about the rights provided by the federal government. They also believe in complete law enforcement.
As compared to Youth of India American’s are little bit laid back. I mean sometimes they don’t want to push themselves hard into work. If the machine is broken they will not bother to fix it up even if they can do it. They will wait for the authorized personal to fix it up. While if that thing happens in India people at least show some efforts to fix it up.
Also if you take educational scenario they are spoon feeded. Passing high school certificate exams and Undergraduate exams in United states is just a piece of cake. Even they also know that this spoon feeding is not for their good. They do appreciate the Indian education system. They believe that it makes an individual much more smarter .
But one thing we should really learn from this country is punctuality. Each and every Youth in states is very punctual of time. They will apologize even if they are 10 minutes late. It is considered to be a serious blunder to promise someone and not to be there at the right time. They have not developed these habits overnight. They are taught to be punctual since their childhood.
Another noticeable thing about America is independent life of Youths. It brings in them a sense of responsibility. Usually in India you will not find parents and children living in separate house in the same city .Here in America children move to a separate house in their teenage. Right from that age they take care of their finances. I was pretty surprised students saying that they need to pay their loans after they graduate. They usually take care of their expenses by working somewhere doing some job. Here is the thing no work is menial in America. I never saw someone being hackled because of their work or status. They give everyone their due respect. I never saw Indians saying thank you to a sweeper or a bus driver. But here they do say to them as well for their service.
Now donot think that Americans are made only for work .They party like a rock star. The Friday night and Saturday night concept came from this country only. They believe in relaxing after a strenuous week.
The only weird thing you will notice about American youth is the habit of overreacting. It is strange for me at least, to cry for your favorite team losing a game for whole week. Like when Patriots defeated Giants in the super bowl, the Patriots fans did not showed up for whole week. They went into depression as if they lost a big battle of their life. May be its because they are always protected and pampered. They have not faced as many hardships as we faced while in a developing country. They always found someone to entertain their tantrums.
I am not saying they are better than us. Also whole generation of American youth is not like this. Exceptions are everywhere. We have our own qualities and they have their own. But punctuality, smart Work and awareness are some of the attributes we should learn from Youths of America. It will not only make us a better human being but also help us in reaching our goals easily.