Sunday, December 30, 2007


Its here

The New Year 2008 is here



December 31 is Noushys birthday

a sweet adorable kid KEVIN is battling with cancer
remember KEVIN in your prayers

and pray for the family too

Friday, December 28, 2007

Daughter of the East: A review

“Beautiful and charismatic, the daughter of one of Pakistan’s most popular leaders — Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, hanged by General Zia in 1979 — Benazir Bhutto is not only the first woman to lead a post-colonial Muslim state, she achieved a status approaching that of a royal princess, only to be stripped of her power in another example of the bitter political in-fighting that has riven her country. From her upbringing in one of Pakistan’s richest families, the shock of the contrast of her Harvard and Oxford education, and subsequent politicisation and arrest after her father’s death, Bhutto’s life has been full of drama.” – Simon & Schuster, Publishers of Daughter of the East (& In the Line of Fire).

Daughter of the East is a ‘new’ edition, the reason being that it is an updated version of the first edition, published in 1988. In fact the newness extends to just 39 pages of the 431 page-book. That is shocking given that one would have expected the two decades since 1988 to have given Miss Bhutto ample to write about as she has been prime minister twice, lost a brother and celebrated the birth of her three children. That is not to be. Given this and by reasons that I will detail below, I would like to divide this review into two distinct parts.
From 1953- 1987
Benazir Bhutto is certainly a woman of literary talent; I’ll give her that. Her education at Radcliffe/Harvard and the Other Place (a.k.a Oxford) has helped her come out with a very readable book that is in stark contrast to another book released last year: In the Line of Fire. The latter I found quite dull and lost interest somewhere near the 100th page. Khair, that is a discussion best left for another post.
She leads readers through a tumultuous life that can be best described with an image of a mountain climber. It follows well through the ups and downs of her journey, engaging the readers with vivid descriptions of the victimisation of her family by the Zia- led military junta. A majority of the content is dedicated to the lead up to the hanging of her father and the time she spent in solitary confinement afterwards. Certainly, Benazir would be successful in gaining empathy from readers by way of her accounts, unless, the reader is a Pakistani who holds deep suspicions regarding anything to do with the Bhutto clan. What makes the book even more interesting is the fact that she includes accounts of her contemporaries which really does give a good second dimension to the book.
In all, this part of the book is a real page turner and it has resemblance to fictional works, full of conspiracies, death, and a lot of emotion. Further, as works of fictions go, the good can do no evil and the evil…well, can only do evil and Daughter of the East follows this principle to the letter. However, given that this is not a work of fiction but instead an autobiography, the fact that Miss Bhutto is portrayed as the victim of all victims without a faulty gene in her body does mean you have to read it with a bit more than a pinch of salt.From 1988-2007
The new chapter is bitterly disappointing. Having started to write this review in the middle of the book, I thought it would carry on in its engaging fashion. Yet, as I read through this part the fact that it was 39 pages was actually a God-send since it ended the misery of reading it quite quickly. However, it did still manage to leave a bad taste. It almost felt as if Miss Bhutto had worked towards the goal of becoming the leader of our country and the road ended there and that she had no aspirations for the time of her prime-ministership. The only person that would find her accounts from 1988 interesting would be the ardent PPP supporter who finds the ‘I did this…I did that…’ sentences engaging.
As I stated earlier, there is great injustice done to proportionality in the autobiography. One example stands out: Whilst Benazir dedicates an entire chapter to the build- up to the death and the death itself of her brother Shah Nawaz Bhutto (part of the 1988 version), she dedicates less than a paragraph to the death of her other brother Mir Murtaza with whom she had political differences (update).
Conclusion
Therefore, you would not be at fault if you bought the much cheaper, older version of the book and updated yourself by reading the ‘startling revelations’ contained in the articles listed at the bottom of this review. In any case you would be doing Miss Bhutto a favour by fulfilling the reason this book was brought out. The hurry in which the book seems to have been written and its lack of new content only means one thing: it was definitely published to give her publicity. As it is, the timing of the book is suspicious and her recent comments on television do seem to suggest sunnier days ahead for the PPP in Pakistan. For that reason alone, it’s a book (the older one) worth reading.
Benazir’s new book has some starting revelations, by Mariana Baabar, The News.
‘Musharraf wanted to attack Kashmir,’ The Pak Tribune.
11 Responses to “Daughter of the East: A review”
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1 Khuldun
Apr 10th, 2007 at 6:51 pm
Benazir is not fit to lead any entity and for that matter leading a nation is beyond her capabilities. Firstly, she is corrupt and does not possess any vision for the country at large. In addition, her husband, Mr Asif Ali Zardari, is a thug who loots Pakistani exchequer every time his wife attains power. Additionally, Benazir’s feudal background is a disgrace because it is the feudal nexus in Pakistani politics that has kept Pakistan from developing educationally and otherwise. As a result, due to feudal dominance in politics modernity never arrived in Pakistan. Lastly, PPP signifies everything that is wrong with the Pakistani politics–feudalism, corruption, mismanagement, and incompetence. In sum, Benazir and her cabal are not fit and don’t deserve to govern 160 million people of Pakistan.
2 Anwar
Apr 10th, 2007 at 11:27 pm
When I read excerpts of her latest book in NY Times, I could not resist laughing at this opportunist chamelion changing her colors again.Well, are there any alternative leaders? Perhaps Imran Khan.We will have to wait for the political circus to begin.
3 Brother Aziz
Apr 11th, 2007 at 4:02 pm
“Beautiful and charismatic”? Good one.

more

Monday, December 24, 2007

Feliz Navidad

Long time ago in Bethlehem, so the Holy Bible say,
Mary's boy child Jesus Christ, was born on Christmas Day.

Hark, now hear the angels sing,
a king was born today, And man will live for evermore,
because of Christmas Day.

Mary's boy child Jesus Christ, was born on Christmas Day.
While shepherds watch their flocks by night, they see a bright new shining star, they hear a choir sing a song, the music seem to come from afar.

Hark, now hear the angels sing, a king was born today,
And man will live for evermore, because of Christmas Day.

For a moment the world was aglow, all the bells rang out there were tears of joy and laughter, people shouted "Let everyone know, there is hope for all to find peace."

Now Joseph and his wife, Mary, came to Bethlehem that night, they found no place to bear her child, not a single room was in sight.

Hark, now hear the angels sing, a king was born today,
And man will live for evermore, because of Christmas Day.
Mary's boy child Jesus Christ, was born on Christmas Day.

Oh a moment still worth was a glow, all the bells rang out there were tears of joy and laughter, people shouted "let everyone know, there is hope for all to find peace".

Sunday, December 09, 2007

Radio GOA, enjoy !

Happy New Year 2008
Have a Blast this Christmas guys












go here




for Christmas Carols, go here

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

WILL

I hereby make my last will and testament

Do not attempt to keep me alive by means such as organ transplants and costly medical treatments such as dialysis

Do not spend on funeral expenses, I have donated by body to medical science

I have resigned from the Catholic church
but Jesus is still my saviour

whatever assets i may have at the time of death will be bequeathed as mentioned in my legal will which will be executed by my son

Do not make my dying day a day of mourning
i have lived the good life and I will die happy

I want u guys to sing for me
'I did it my way' by Frank Sinatra

Modi



The Truly Scary Thing About Narendra Modi…
... is that he may not be a psychopath, but merely behaves that way because that’s what the voters want. After all, if that’s what the masses want, then we’re stuck with Modi long after Modi.



Exhibit A, the election in Gujarat right after the riots in 2002.
Exhibit B, this news report:



It was vintage Modi in his campaign speech at Mangrol: “Sonia Gandhi spoke of terrorism. But she has no right to talk of this. Till today, those who attacked Parliament haven’t been sent to the gallows. Congress in Gujarat is raising its voice on the Sohrabuddin issue. But, it should explain to the people what should be done to a man who stored illegal arms and ammunition. You tell me, what should have been done to Sohrabuddin?”



The rally echoed with shouts of “Kill him, kill him.” Modi responded with: “Well, that is it. Do I have to take Sonia Gandhi’s permission to do this?”



What have we come to, that the chief minister of a state stands on a public platform and boasts about killing a man without due process of law?
What next?
Posted at 4:56 PM by Amit Varma in India News Politics
-->
What Boys and Girls Fight About
It’s all so true.

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

A chat with Dr.Devi Shetty, Narayana Hrudayalaya (Heart Specialist) Bangalore was arranged by WIPRO for its employees.

The transcript of the chat is given below. Useful for everyone.

Qn: What are the thumb rules for a layman to take care of his heart?
Ans:1. Diet - Less of carbohydrate, more of protein, less oil
2. Exercise - Half an hour's walk, at least five days a week; avoid lifts and avoid sitting for a longtime
3. Quit smoking
4. Control weight
5. Control blood pressure and sugar

Qn: Is eating non-veg food (fish) good for the heart?
Ans: No

Qn: It's still a grave shock to hear that some apparently healthy person gets a cardiac arrest. How do we understand it in perspective?
Ans: This is called silent attack; that is why we recommend everyone past the age of 30 to undergo routine health checkups.

Qn: Are heart diseases hereditary?
Ans: Yes

Qn: What are the ways in which the heart is stressed? What practices do you suggest to de-stress?
Ans: Change your attitude towards life. Do not look for perfection in everything in life.

Qn: Is walking better than jogging or is more intensive exercise required to keep a healthy heart?
Ans: Walking is better than jogging since jogging leads to early fatigue and injury to joints

Qn: You have done so much for the poor and needy. What has inspired you to do so?
Ans: Mother Theresa , who was my patient

Qn: Can people with low blood pressure suffer heart diseases?
Ans: Extremely rare

Qn: Does cholesterol accumulates right from an early age (I'm currently only 22) or do you have to worry about it only after you are above 30 years of age?
Ans: Cholesterol accumulates from childhood.

Qn: How do irregular eating habits affect the heart ?
Ans: You tend to eat junk food when the habits are irregular and your body's enzyme release for digestion gets confused.

Qn: How can I control cholesterol content without using medicines?
Ans: Control diet, walk and eat walnut.

Qn: Can yoga prevent heart ailments?
Ans: Yoga helps.

Qn: Which is the best and worst food for the heart?
Ans: Fruits and vegetables are the best and the worst is oil.

Qn: Which oil is better - groundnut, sunflower, olive?
Ans: All oils are bad .

Qn: What is the routine checkup one should go through? Is there any specific test?
Ans: Routine blood test to ensure sugar, cholesterol is ok. Check BP, Treadmill test after an echo.

Qn: What are the first aid steps to be taken on a heart attack?
Ans: Help the person into a sleeping position , place an aspirin tablet under the tongue with a sorbitrate tablet if available, and rush him to a coronary care unit since the maximum casualty takes place within the first hour.

Qn: How do you differentiate between pain caused by a heart attack and that caused due to gastric trouble?
Ans: Extremely difficult without ECG.

Qn: What is the main cause of a steep increase in heart problems amongst youngsters? I see people of about 30-40 yrs of age having heart attacks and serious heart problems.
Ans: Increased awareness has increased incidents. Also, edentary lifestyles, smoking, junk food, lack of exercise in a country where people are genetically three times more vulnerable for heart attacks than Europeans and Americans.

Qn: Is it possible for a person to have BP outside the normal range of 120/80 and yet be perfectly healthy?
Ans: Yes.

Qn: Marriages within close relatives can lead to heart problems for the child. Is it true?
Ans : Yes, co-sanguinity leads to congenital abnormalities and you may not have a software engineer as a child

Qn: Many of us have an irregular daily routine and many a times we have to stay late nights in office. Does this affect our heart ? What precautions would you recommend?
Ans : When you are young, nature protects you against all these irregularities. However, as you grow older, respect the biological clock.

Qn: Will taking anti-hypertensive drugs cause some other complications (short / long term)? Ans : Yes, most drugs have some side effects. However, modern anti-hypertensive drugs are extremely safe.

Qn: Will consuming more coffee/tea lead to heart attacks?
Ans : No.

Qn: Are asthma patients more prone to heart disease?

Ans : No.

Qn: How would you define junk food?
Ans : Fried food like Kentucky , McDonalds , samosas, and even masala dosas.

Qn: You mentioned that Indians are three times more vulnerable. What is the reason for this, as Europeans and Americans also eat a lot of junk food?
Ans: Every race is vulnerable to some disease and unfortunately, Indians are vulnerable for the most expensive disease.

Qn: Does consuming bananas help reduce hypertension?
Ans : No.

Qn: Can a person help himself during a heart attack (Because we see a lot of forwarded emails on this)?
Ans : Yes. Lie down comfortably and put an aspirin tablet of any description under the tongue and ask someone to take you to the nearest coronary care unit without any delay and do not wait for the ambulance since most of the time, the ambulance does not turn up.

Qn: Do, in any way, low white blood cells and low hemoglobin count lead to heart problems? Ans : No. But it is ideal to have normal hemoglobin level to increase your exercise capacity.

Qn: Sometimes, due to the hectic schedule we are not able to exercise. So, does walking while doing daily chores at home or climbing the stairs in the house, work as a substitute for exercise? Ans : Certainly. Avoid sitting continuously for more than half an hour and even the act of getting out of the chair and going to another chair and sitting helps a lot.

Qn: Is there a relation between heart problems and blood sugar?
Ans: Yes. A strong relationship since diabetics are more vulnerable to heart attacks than non-diabetics.

Qn: What are the things one needs to take care of after a heart operation?
Ans : Diet, exercise, drugs on time , Control cholesterol, BP, weight.

Qn: Are people working on night shifts more vulnerable to heart disease when compared to day shift workers?
Ans : No.

Qn: What are the modern anti-hypertensive drugs?
Ans : There are hundreds of drugs and your doctor will chose the right combination for your problem, but my suggestion is to avoid the drugs and go for natural ways of controlling blood pressure by walk, diet to reduce weight and changing attitudes towards lifestyles.

Qn: Does dispirin or similar headache pills increase the risk of heart attacks?
Ans : No.

Qn: Why is the rate of heart attacks more in men than in women?
Ans : Nature protects women till the age of 45.

Qn: How can one keep the heart in a good condition?
Ans : Eat a healthy diet, avoid junk food, exercise everyday, do not smoke and, go for health checkup s if you are past the age of 30 ( once in six months recommended) ...

Send it to all your nearest and dearest ..which should be many..........




Sunday, December 02, 2007