Game Of Thrones - Season 5

Baat Bas Say Nikal Chali Hai

Faiz…

Baat bas say nikal chali hai
Dil ki haalat sambhal chali hai

Ab junoon hadh se badh chalaa hai
Ab tabiyat bahal chali hai

Ashk khuunaab ho chale hain
Gham ki rangat badal chali hai

Yaa yunhi bhujh rahi hain shamen
Yaa shab-e-hijr tal chali hai

Laakh paighaam ho gaye hain
Jab sabaa ek pal chali hai

Jaao ab so raho sitaaro
Dard ki raat dhal chali hai

UP To Gift Couples In Inter-caste Marriages Rs 50,000, Medal And Certificate

"

The Uttar Pradesh government in an unprecedented move to encourage intercaste marriages has promised to give such couples a robust Rs 50,000 as reward. Not just that, the newly-weds will also be given a medal and certificate.

…Singh added, "The scheme is applicable in the entire state and the only condition is that one side, either the groom or the bride, must belong to the schedule caste. There is no restriction of income in such marriages.

…Social activists immediately welcomed the announcement, with many saying in a region where honour killing was quite the norm, such incentives might go a long way in changing the mindset. Rohit Chaudhary, a jat, who married Priya Chaturvedi, a Brahmin, in 2008 said, "It will be hard to immediately change the mindset of people even after the prize money, but it's a step forward. Every person has the right to choose who he or she wants to live with. No one should be persecuted on the basis of caste or faith."

Link

Saala iss mein bhi reservation / quota?!

On top of that, the idiotic people are referring to this as PRIZE money? Prize? Which contest did you win? Survivor Series - Honour Killing Special?!

Moving on - In my view (based on the news stories hitting the media every now and then) the couples would be more interested in receiving new identities / relocation - something like Witness Protection Program - as opposed to a bribe, medal and a certificate.

Government Philosophy - Something must be done. THIS is something. Let's do it.

Just because SOMETHING needs to be done, doesn't mean that you get up and do ANYTHING that strikes your stupid head. It would help if you idiots could think things through. Try it. It's not as hard as it seems.

Image Matters

"

Taking a cue from US President Barack Obama's speech calling for religious freedom, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday took a jibe at Narendra Modi wondering whether the Prime Minister would advise his friends in the Sangh Parivar to stop justifying 'ghar wapsi'.

"Would Modi take his friend Barack's advice and ask his friends in VHP to shut up and request (RSS Chief) Mohan Bhagwat to stop justifying 'ghar wapsi'?" Singh wrote in a series of tweets targeted at the Prime Minister

Link

Just about ANYBODY else giving that statement would have had a better effect.

Digvijaya has turned himself into such a clown (much like Crazy Wal) that even if he were to say something good / witty / sensible, it will not get the deserved response. Instead it gets trashed like majority of his other idiotic senseless statements and dismissed as ramblings of a mad man.

Could we please have someone, with even a slight bit of credibility, copy that tweet and post it again? Thank you.

Rahul Is Alive!

"

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is busy doing his own "PR" (public relations) and has not done anything concrete so far, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday. "The NDA (National Democratic Alliance) government came to power in May (2014). The Prime Minister has just been doing his personal PR, but no concrete work has been done," Rahul Gandhi said during a roadshow here ahead of the Delhi assembly polls.

Link

Firstly, Welcome Back! Kahaan the aap itne din?!

Now about that statement. Well at least Modi is doing something. Even if it is just PR (which you are in desperate need of, by the way). Moreover, Modi is doing something that he seems to be undoubtedly good at. Very good at. I have said it before and I stand by it - Modi is a salesman.

Moving on, I am sure there must be something that you too could be good at. Why not take the time and figure that out? The things you are evidently NOT good at - Fronting rallies and road-shows. Just let it be. Get in touch with some consultants and figure out how to use your soft voice and family name to your advantage. I am sure they can come up with something. They always do. That's what they are paid for. EVEN YOU could be good at/for something.

Until then, just let Modi be. Let's hope that he and his minions don't fuck up too much.

The Modi Suit

"

The say-my-name suit was tailored by Jade Blue in Ahmedabad, the clothing chain that handles Mr Modi's wardrobe and has copyrighted the 'Modi Brand' of kurtas

Link

I would understand if it were Mika or SRK wearing something like that. Celebrities are self-obsessed and definitely have the cash. Probably even I would like one (not sure if I could afford one), given the delusional narcissist that I am. But when an elected head of state of a democratic republic wears one, it does make one wonder.

It would definitely be interesting to read the RTI response as to who paid for the suit. Considering that a 2011 story in time.com suggested that such a suit could cost around USD 15,000-25,000 [Link]. I mean, was it a gift from an industrialist or the designer or some Modi Fans?

Or was it accounted as an expense from the Party Funds or was it billed to the exchequer? Would be nice to know how much 'grooming allowance' is given to the party's star-member / PM.

John Wick

Disappointing.

Some parts were good, but there weren't enough. Should've been better.

…

“What you’d call stealing, I’d call a mistake. Or, if I were a politician, I’d call it an opportunity, and my privilege.”

- Jarod Kintz

Felony

Watchable, but nothing special.

How Do You React When

- You send X an email stating - 'Dear X … you have to do a, b, c' - and X takes a print out of the email - walks up to you and says 'I got this email. What do I do?'

- Y is rummaging through a file looking for an official letter (text being in his native language) and unable to find it. Continues to flip through the file, at which point you get fed up - grab the file - flip to the relevant section (clearly marked) and find the document in question - IN SPITE of not being fluent in the language.

- You assign a task to Z and check with him after a week. He replies - 'There was no answer when I called last week'. When you ask if Z had bothered to try again, he replies 'I will call now'.

Why I Prefer Using Blackberry

• Hub
• Keyboard
• Battery life
• Single-hand use

Yes, that's all I look for in a communication device. Everything else is irrelevant (for me). Simple enough?

“I'm a man of simple tastes. I'm always [only] satisfied with the best.”

- Oscar Wilde

…

“Equality before the law is probably forever unattainable. It is a noble ideal, but it can never be realized, for what men value in this world is not rights but privileges.”

- H.L. Mencken

Just Saying

"

“We can feel proud of what our country achieved in medical science at one point of time,” the prime minister told a gathering of doctors and other professionals at a hospital in Mumbai on Saturday. “We all read about Karna in the Mahabharata. If we think a little more, we realise that the Mahabharata says Karna was not born from his mother’s womb. This means that genetic science was present at that time. That is why Karna could be born outside his mother’s womb.”

Modi went on: “We worship Lord Ganesha. There must have been some plastic surgeon at that time who got an elephant’s head on the body of a human being and began the practice of plastic surgery.”

Link

Ok…

Similar statements were made by politicians and supporters about aeroplanes (Pushpak Viman) and nuclear weapon capabilities (Brahamastra etc) citing examples from Ramayan and Mahabharat.

For the purpose of this blog post, let's just agree to not refute any of these claims of technological advancements made in that era. We are also going to ignore why there was only selective application of these advanced scientific and technological tools in the Ramayan and Mahabharat narrative [Link].

Cool? Is the entire saffron brigade happy? Smiling? Good. Now, moving on.

Going further with the assumption that all of that and perhaps a lot of other events narrated in the scriptures / books are an example of outstanding scientific and technological advancements, what these supporters are successfully establishing (in addition to a wonderful glorious advanced ancient civilisation) is that there was absolutely nothing 'divine' about the characters / historic figures depicted in said scriptures or books!

IF one is to agree that science and technology was far more advanced at that time, then in effect one is stating that those people were really intelligent/advanced and there was nothing DIVINE / GODLY about them. They APPEARED to be GODLY because of their advanced scientific progress and further application of science.

What I am trying to say is, you can not have it both ways. Either you label them as intelligent beings and make libraries / universities honouring them OR you label them as divine beings and build temples / places of worship honouring them. As much as an intelligent individual commands respect and admiration, s/he is not revered or worshipped as a god. Or at least should not be.

So take your pick. Which version do you people want to go with? Scientific Geniuses or Divine Beings? Let's decide on one and THEN move forward.

No Terror During Obama India Trip, US Warns Pak

"

WASHINGTON: Ahead of President Barack Obama's India visit, the US has asked Pakistan to ensure that there is no cross-border terror incident during the trip and subtly warned of "consequences" if any such attack is traced back to the country.

Link

That's a rather selective 'War On Terror', don't you think? Basically the article is suggesting that Washington is fine with terror activities from across the border as long as they don't occur during Obama's visit.

Hmm.

Fury

Definitely watchable.

At no point did I find it annoying or irritating or too lengthy. BUT, I didn't really get the point of this film.

From A Colleague

Pleasantly surprised.

Delhi BJP Councillor Slaps MCD Engineer

"

BJP councilor slapped the civic body engineer who was trying to end unauthorized constructions in west Delhi. Despite being caught on camera, talking to Times Now, Neeraj Gupta said that he only pushed the engineer and didn't slap him.

Link

So… misunderstood, misconstrued, misquoted… and perhaps even 'mis-filmed'.

There Is No Such Estimate

"

The Union finance ministry has said there is no estimate of the total black money Indians have stashed abroad in reply to a Right to Information Act query.
The BJP had ratcheted up the black money debate before last year's general election and bringing back the illicit cash was an important campaign plank for the party that swept to power.

The RTI query on whether there was one estimate or separate estimates of different departments by former central information commissioner Shailesh Gandhi was sent to the PM's Office in December last year. The PMO sent the question to the finance ministry, whose reply was received on January 8. Gandhi said the one-liner read: "There is no such estimate."

Link

In other words, this just validates what the sensible people have been saying all this time about the nautanki bakwaas - That it is just that… nautanki and bakwaas. Chalo, at least maane tou sahi.

And now you can go to YouTube and watch the videos of Modi, Ramdev, Kejri yapping up about figures (that keep changing) and how each household would get INR 1,500,000 - 2,000,000.

Dikhaawon pe mat jaao. Apni akal ladaao.

BlackBerry Classic

Got it! Excellent device.

With the Q10, I did crib a bit about the lack of track-pad, but I got used to it rather quickly.

With the track-pad now included in the Classic… it's perfect! Add to that, being able to hang up by pressing a physical key - The satisfaction of that experience can not be expressed with words. They also got the chrome bezel back - which significantly improves the look (have no idea why they didn't have that in the Q10).

I honestly did not think that it would be possible to improve on the existing BlackBerry keyboard, but this one is so much better. A massive improvement from the Q10's keyboard. Although, I do wish they had included the touch sensitive keyboard for the Classic as well (as they have done with the passport)… but… well - shit happens.

Switching to the new device… completed in 10 minutes flat. Everything works and works well.

One issue though - The BlackBerry key opens the context menu on the right side of the screen. Not a deal-breaker, but it would be better if the key was either placed on the right instead of left or the context/overflow menus opened in the left instead of right (I am just quirky).

One request - A global dark theme… please. I have set it up for BBM, Contacts, Calendar, WhatsApp, Twitter… but I want it for the Settings menu and for the Hub as well. I am confident that I wouldn't be the only one with this request.

For people who DO want the App Drawer (picked up the term from Android users) to open directly on unlock, it can be done (just saying, because the other day, some fool said it can't be done and I called him up last night to tell him how it could be done and that he needs to learn how to read).

With Quick Settings, Keyboard shortcuts and Universal Search - I really don't see the need for an 'App Drawer'. I dumped everything into folders (reduced the clutter and made one 'crap' folder) and just set up my device to not go directly to the 'App Drawer' (when device is unlocked) but just stay on the nice clean home-screen.

A phone for the civilised, dignified lot (in my humble opinion).

The Judge

Brilliant film.

Politician Honours Donkeys For Hard work

"

Nagaraj, on Tuesday, presenting the Rajyotsava Awards to the two donkeys at the inter-state bus terminus in the city centre, much to the amusement of the people who gathered there.

…

After bathing and dressing them for the occasion, Nagaraj garlanded both the donkeys with colourful beads, draped them with shawls and showered rose petals on them, drawing huge applause from scores of his supporters, admirers and the curious crowd that stopped by to witness the unique event.
"I will honour other animals every month in recognition of their contribution to us. Worshipping cows and taking care of domesticated animals has been part of our rich tradition and hoary culture," Nagaraj said.

Link

I am surprised that this wasn't a Maneka Gandhi initiative.

Unknown

It's … ok.

Watchable, but should've been shorter.

The Blacklist - Season 2

Now the cases are getting really ridiculous. Add to that, there is a serious lack of eye candy. Occasionally there are some decent looking characters - Rowan Mills (Krysten Ritter), Kaja Tomczak (Annika Boras) but there isn't much of them.

Samar Navabi (Mozhan Marnò) is NOT eye candy.

Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone) – Continues to be her idiotic emotional self. Stupid, annoying cunt.

Raymond 'Red' Reddington (James Spader) – Articulate. Still good, but don't know how long he can carry the show by himself.

Hope it gets better.

Thank You Alghanim Cadillac Team

 

How thoughtful.

Thank you.

Book Your Fights (Not FLight) With Kuwait Airways… Talk About Revamped Services

Thanks BVG…

 

…

Thanks Surya…

http://theoatmeal.com/

A 'Secret' Behind Mangalyaan's Success… As Reported By TOI

Link

Yes. One of the secrets was… a superstition (*rolls eyes).

They might as well have listed other 'secrets' as well. Like - Fasting on every Tuesday. Carrying a red handkerchief in the left trouser pocket. Temple visit every alternate Monday. Shaving only half a cheek every eighth hour…

Fucking idiots.

There is nothing wrong with being quirky (to a limit, of course) or whatever one wants to call it… but for a newspaper to report it suggesting that it was the secret behind the success… that's just ridiculous! The incompetent fucks didn't even have enough sense to put the word secret in single quotes!

The pathetic 'article' goes on to state:

"

but not many know space scientists in the US and Russia have their share of quirks as well. The Americans munch on peanuts during rocket launches. And the Russian cosmonauts pee on the right rear wheel of their transfer bus.

Perhaps the reason why many don't know about that is because their media doesn't highlight the quirky bit by calling it a secret to success. In case they do, then they are just as idiotic as TOI.

Laanat hai.

College Offers Course On Selfies!

"

A UK college here is offering its students a new course on the art of selfies and chance to become fully qualified selfie-takers.selfies and chance to become fully qualified selfie-takers.
City Lit College will offer a first ever 'selfie course' for Euro 132 (USD 160) starting this March called "The art of photographic self-portraiture".

Link

I used to believe (at one point) that I understood the term 'art' and could be considered as someone with a reasonably discerning/refined taste. But with all the crap that gets churned out in the name of art (and that crap being appreciated), I think it's better I label myself a philistine.

Now we have colleges offering a course in the 'art' of selfies… Sigh. Kill me… kill me now!

Ab na rahe woh peene waale… ab na rahi woh madhushaala.

The Belty

 

"

It's the world's first smart belt featuring an electric-powered motor built into the buckle that automatically loosens the strap when you sit down, and then tightens the belt again when you stand up

The Belty is truly smart in that it's able to learn on the fly how far it needs to loosen when you sit down, even after consuming a massive meal, or fasting for a week. You can also specify the limits of how far the buckle can winch itself in, so it doesn't accidentally constrict and cut off your blood circulation from the waist down. And to let you leave your fitness tracker at home, the Belty has an accelerometer too so it can keep tabs on your activity level throughout the day, providing metrics through its app to shame you into eventually not needing to wear a self-adjusting belt

Link

One would like to hope that there is a limit to human stupidity. Sadly… it doesn't seem like there is any such cap set on the idiotic bullshit that these 'pioneers' keep coming up with.

The Mentalist - Season 7

Done with the first five episodes.

The bad part - Emily Swallow is not part of the cast :( .

Although the episodes are watchable (in general) and even fun for most parts… it would have been so much better if there were fewer idiotic bits.

Episode 3 - Orange Blossom Ice Cream - Always great to see Erica Flynn (Morena Baccarin). But come on! A little bit of work on the screenplay would have really made this episode amazing. The entire courier/terrorist thing should have been handled better. The character just seemed easily convinced and a bit too simple minded.

Episode 4 - Black Market - Absolutely pointless. Nothing but guess work and hoping things work out. Lisbon doing the psychic bit… err.. let's not have that again, please.

Episode 5 - The Silver Briefcase - Everything was pretty much fine till the end. The climax was pathetic and rushed.

The Interview

Rather disappointing. Especially considering all the hype.