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On August 14/15, 2009, one of the famous Indian Stars was detained and humiliated on his arrival in the United States by the US immigration authorities. Shah Rukh Khan is a world famous Bollywood star. If US immigration cannot spare him, there can be no hope for common folks like me.
I happened to go to India in 2007. I purchased a cheaper Continental Airline ticket from Canada.. Unfortunately this airline flies to India via Newark US and not directly. Route did not matter to me. What mattered was the cost of the ticket and my final destination. I had no intention of traveling through the US.
My problems started right from Canada with repeated, senseless and absurd questioning by US authorities. I was repeatedly asked why I was flying through the US. What could I say? I was going to India and the airline was flying through the US!!.
On my return journey the questioning was more severe and humiliating. Not only that US authorities were harsh, continental airlines staff were equally rude and uncivil. Their behavior was inexplicable.
During both my onward and return journey, US immigration personnel were arrogant, disdainful and disrespectful. I don’t mind questioning or frisking, but the way they were doing it was quite humiliating and uncivilized.
It looks like they feel that they have a right to mistreat others and get away with it. I continue to believe that US immigration authorities are unduly rude and drunk with power. They give scant respect to other travelers and still claim to represent the most civilized nation on earth. Nothing can be far from truth.
After 2007, I never dared to go through US. I again flew to India during July 2009. This time also I was offered a cheaper ticket but then again the airline was to fly through he US. I did not want to spoil my holidays as was the case in 2007, thanks to US authorities. This time I preferred to pay extra $50 and escape from flying through the US.
Happily when I am back now, I had a pleasant flight. The airport staff at Brussels and Delhi were very friendly. polite and civilized. I wish US immigration and airport staff learn something from them. There were no hassles and I had a nice onward and return journey.
After learning the story of Shah Rukh Khan, I will be shunning as far as possible to fly to or via the US. It is hard to see their rude, angry, sullen, ugly and imposing faces at the airport. I hear stories like this everyday. I am simply scared.
The question is how long US airport personnel will treat others with disdain? How long can they continue with their arrogance and a sense of power? At present I consider them to be the most uncivilized and unprofessional staff.
Like everyone else I was thinking of using EBay for a little business. In all, my sales must have been less than $2000.
I got a jolt some time back from EBay. At a time when I was almost inactive on EBay, I got an email from them that my EBay seller experience has been poor and so I was being suspended.
I was obviously surprised and pointed out that I am no more active on EBay and that my feedback score is in tact. I really could not understand what they were talking about. I got a reply from EBay that my account will not now be suspended but will remain under observation. After about a month I got another email from EBay like the earlier one.
I again responded and again received the same reply. This time I was not only not selling anything on EBay, I was not even logging on to my account.Then it happened one more time.
Each time I tried to reason out with EBay customer service, I was surprised to receive the same reply. I got fed up and stopped thinking of EBay altogether. I don’t even log into my account now, not to mention of doing any transactions.
I believe that they have stereotyped replies and hardly bother to address real issues.
What are the lessons? Don’t rely too much on EBay. They may shut down your account at any time without any reason. I know now that this has happened with many others and they also left EBay. EBay will not only not listen but make one more frustrated by raking in irrelevant issues.
If one is serious about online business, one should always have options and not to depend heavily on EBay. This should be used as an aid rather than as the main platform for doing business.
The best place to do business is from one’s own web site. It is dirt cheap now to set up a web site and to display one’s products. The only thing one has to do is to drive traffic to the same. This may not be that difficult if one follows right strategies.
Another important measure to consider is to also try other online sites. There are so many now like Amazon, Yahoo Auction, OnlineAuction, overstock, Ubid, BySellTrade, Eepier etc.
Online business is now expanding. One should never put all eggs in one basket. My best advice will be to use EBay as one of the promotional tools rather than the main platform for doing business, lest one is frustrated at some point of time because of the weird EBay customer service.
One of the major effects of global warming is the melting of ice in the arctic region. This has resulted in the opening of a navigable route between the Atlantic and the Pacific.
According to the European Space Agency (ESA), melting of sea ice in the Arctic region has led to the opening of a new route linking Europe with Asia, hitherto seen impossible. According to scientists, all ice in Arctic may melt as early as 2040.
Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic is considered to be a possible cheaper route as compared to the Panama Canal. This may also lead to the blocked Northwest Passage through the Russian Arctic.
The above suggests that climatic change is affecting international routes favorably. Melting of ice in the Arctic may not only lead to finding of more routes, but also more oil and gas. Whole of Arctic region is considered to be resource rich with immeasurable quantities of oil and gas which Scandinavian countries, Canada, Russia and USA would like to control and exploit.
Because of richness of natural resources many countries like Canada and Russia are likely to make increased claims on the Arctic region. Other countries involved are US, Norway and Denmark. Russia alone is claiming 45% of the Arctic. Canada is in the process establishing a Canadian force as part of Canada First Defense Strategy to patrol Arctic.
At present Arctic region represents a no man’s land. Increased claims by various countries on this will have to be based on geographic connectivity and proximity. These claims will eventually have to be settled by an international agency.
While global warming is considered to be generally harmful, in some cases it also has beneficial effects like the above. However, in the longer run, it is feared that increased sea traffic and exploitation of natural resources may result in oil spills and destruction of regional wildlife.
After availing holidays for more than a month, I am back on the table. During this period, I could not write any new posts. I had hoped to write something while still on vacations, but that could not be possible. Though I had some free time sometimes, I felt lazy and did not want to write. But now I am back and will continue new posts.
Vacations are always rejuvenating. It was a carefree month for me and I liked to be lazy, eating, relaxing and gossiping around.
It is always difficult to start right away after returning from holidays. Though it is a few days that I returned, I am still feeling sleepy and slow.
I feel that everyone should take vacations of about a month at least once a year. Life is too short and we need lighter moments of life. One should travel, see new places, meet new people and see how the world is changing.
Of course, it is not easy to travel abroad these days given too many security restrictions. International travel has become difficult and sometimes unpleasant. If one can withstand the pressures of international travel of these times, it is definitely rewarding.
World is beset with so many problems. Political and geographical problems are two most important of them. Can the presence of a world government be the answer to the solution of all the ills afflicting this world?
United Nations Organization is not a world government but it has many functions that a government does. It could very well be a substitute for a world government, but it has failed in so many respects.
Given the myriad of differences amongst the countries, it is simple naive to think that we can have one world government. At best it will be prudent to strengthen the United Nations itself rather than to create any new world body.
World is too diverse for a world government. That is the ideal that any one will cherish. A world government based on the principles of freedom, democracy, non-discrimination, economic well being of all etc. can just be a dream.
There is no such thing as one world government prophecy. That may a doomsday come true. Only a prophet like a Jesus can usher in such a body.
We know how United Nations has failed in so many respects. It is merely a discussion platform. In fact even that is an achievement. Governments do have a place where they can share their views and hold discussions. Though it has not been able to eliminate war and misery, it has succeeded in so many other respects.
If at all there is any effort being made towards a world government, it should start with strengthening the United Nations. Only that has the prospects of becoming a world government, if at all possible.
We have to recognize the differences across the globe in terms of endowment of resources, cultural traits, politics, levels of development, economic systems, technological developments, skills etc. These play an important part in any world body.
Given the looming conditions of energy crisis, global warming, global trading, migration etc., it is quite essential that world societies work together. The presence of a strong global entity is necessary for taking measures towards the solution of these issues.
International countries may not support or strength a world body of their own will, but many issues that may unfold in future may force them towards increased international cooperation and a stronger body than the United nations.
The primary duties of any government are the protection of lives, properties, preservation of basic human rights, freedom from fear, poverty, non discrimination etc. People always have great expectations from their governments.
How far are governments living up to the standards and aspirations of people? Of course, no government can satisfy all its citizens. However, each government need to be judged by its performance against its primary duties.
If we look around the world, we can see that almost in all countries there are some shortcomings. Many a times the lives and properties get destroyed at the hands of underworld dons and mafia. In numerous cases, governments have been spectators and have been unable to protect their citizens.
The situation in poor and less developed countries is rather grim. Whenever, hoodlums want to strike, they seem to do it with impunity. People do not have full faith in government capabilities and many times have been let down.
In worst cases, governments themselves are repressive. They are not only incompetent but also often side with criminals.
Take the cases of Afghanistan and Iraq, the two black spots on the surface of this earth. Despite a large international military presence and support, ruling governments have shown their mediocrity time and again.
Are these governments in control? There is no safety for populace there at large. Despite all the force in their command, they are not able to rein the wicked. Hoodlums seem to be operating freely.
A handful of anti social elements are kidnapping large number of innocent persons and governments are unable to nab them despite the backing of world armies and all kinds of amazing technology.
In many cases around the world, governments themselves are hand in glow with undesirable persons. Although eventually they get caught and punished, this does not deter more thugs to replace them.
The struggle between ruffians, governments and innocent people has been going on for ages and this trend is likely to continue. We see that even in major cities in advanced countries like New York or Toronto, underworld gangs strike whenever they want to and it is hard for governments to control or catch them. The best thing that general people can do is to remain themselves vigilant and not to look all the time at their governments to come forward and get them out of their miseries. After all no government has a magical wand to come to the rescue of everyone all the time.
This festival of music, dance, food and costumes of Jamaica, Guyana, the Bahamas, Brazil and other cultures of Toronto, was created in 1967, as a tribute to Canada's Centennial Year. It is marking its 40th anniversary in 2007.
The festival has its origin in Trinidad and Tobago carnival. Toronto festival is now an international event showcasing numerous activities like Jamaican reggae, Brazilian Samba and African djemba rhythm.
Caribana or Toronto Caribbean Carnival is North America's largest street festival. This is celebrated every year in Toronto during July and August. Carnival Parade is the major highlight of this festival, comprising of thousands of amazing costumed masqueraders and scores of trucks carrying live soca, calypso, steel pan, reggae and salsa artists.
More than a million people from all over North America attend this festival, marked with month long celebrations. The festival features different cultures of all the Caribbean people, hence the name Caribana.
In addition, one also gets a taste of Caribbean and international cuisine, dramas, story telling, Caribbean art and the best and biggest cemadia calypsonians battle for the crown. This takes place between all kings and queens of bands the night before the caribana Parade Day.
This Parade is the major element of the whole festival which takes place along the 3.6 kilometer route on Lakeshore west Boulevard, featuring stunning display of colors and pageantry in the first week of August. 2007 Caribana Parade is being held on Saturday, August 4.
The festival is very important for the economy of Toronto as well, bringing in more than $100 million in revenue every year.
Whole city of Toronto is jam packed with foreign visitors and dignitaries from all over North America and Caribbean.
It is not only a matter of pleasure bur also that of honor to be a part of this spectacular event at least once in the lifetime of a person.
Thomas Malthus or Robert Thomas Malthus (1766-1834), was an English demographer and political economist. He is popular for his views on population growth in his "an essay on the principle of population". His theory of population growth has been very controversial since its publication.
Essentially what Malthus prophesied was that while as population was going to grow geometrically, food supply was to increase mathematically. What this means is that population growth was to outstrip food supply.
With more population than food, natural forces were bound to keep population in check by a war of extermination, diseases, epidemics, pesticides, plagues and famines. He opined that as population outstrips supply of food, the above factors would come into play and eliminate surplus population.
His predictions largely became false as increased agricultural productivity led to unprecedented growth in food production and abundant supplies. Diseases and plagues have taken a heavy toll of human lives throughout history, but they cannot be attributed to the same causes as Malthus foresaw.
Post 1950 period witnessed green revolution and phenomenal increase in agricultural production. It was only a question of disbursal from pockets or countries of plenty to those of paucity.
Malthusian theory has largely been irrelevant and his predictions did not come true the way he had opined. There have been periods of diseases and natural disasters, but food supply has been plenty in most parts of the world.
There are still critics who think that Malthus predictions are bound to come true at some stage, One opinion is that food supply will take a toll of humanity following 2020, accelerating after 2050.
One important view of Thomas Malthus was that his theory was directly associated with poor people. If we have a look on poor countries of the world, Malthusian theory seems to be quite relevant.
Everyday we see images of starved and impoverished people in African and Asian countries, most populated continents. Constant wars, diseases, floods and famines in Middle East, Africa, Afghanistan and other Asian countries have been eliminating hundreds of thousands of people everyday. I wonder if it is not the Malthusian principle of population that is working behind the scenes.
We can see that there is less accommodation, less food and shortage of medical facilities because of excessive population. There is insufficient infrastructure sustaining large populations of these countries.
Everyday wars in Middle East and Asia, attributed to terrorism and other political factors may be the result of shortages of food and other essentials of life. These might continue till there is a perceptible decrease in populations of those countries and this may take a long time.
There has been constant pressure on land resources in African and Asian countries and this is expected to only accelerate. The net result may be more conflicts, diseases, famines and plagues. Malthus theory seems to be already working in those countries.
Another dimension of Malthusian theory can be seen in increased global warming. This phenomena is a result of increased population, deforestation, increased carbon dioxide, industrialization, international transport, modernization etc.
Experts are already predicting dire consequences of global warming, if unchecked. We are seeing changes in climates, floods, shortages of water etc. This may also lead to a decrease in agricultural and food production on a large scale in the decades to come.
Malthus theory might materialize in a different way in the decades to come. Policy makers in rich and poor countries need to take all the factors into consideration and deal with looming Malthusian predictions. On their part, people especially in poor countries will also have to work for their future as their governments may not be able to sustain them adequately.
One of the major offshoots of Internet has been outsourcing withing a country or to overseas. This is mostly practiced by multinational companies as a way of reducing costs and maximizing revenue. Major beneficiaries of outsourcing are less developed countries like India and China.
Essentially a company can have virtual staff anywhere all over the world. Even small companies have now started reaping the benefits of outsourcing. They have been hiring human resources, accounting or IT staff from outside. With outsourcing, these are now able to do without big establishments, local staff, infrastructure, office furniture, buildings, facilities etc.
Outsourcing appears to have started with call center outsourcing to countries like India. Now companies outsource anything. Usual projects of outsourcing besides call center outsourcing are business process outsourcing, IT outsourcing, payroll outsourcing, HR outsourcing, software outsourcing etc.
Companies hire virtual staff by global outsourcing and assign jobs worldwide. So far, they appear to have been quite satisfied with this trend. They are reported to be getting excellent worldwide staff, better service, timely completion of projects, reliable sources of getting work done and above all huge savings in costs.
In addition to selecting virtual staff on an ongoing basis, there are numerous websites which accept projects from companies and their members bid for them and then the persons being awarded the projects complete them. In this case, hiring of workers is strictly on project to project basis and the recruiting websites do the intermediary role.
There have been instances when some companies have been started from one's home with virtual staff all over a country. Though outsourcing started as offshore outsourcing, now any work being done outside the premises of a company can be termed as outsourcing. So outsourcing can be within the same country or offshore.
There has been a lot of criticism in developed countries against overseas outsourcing as it has been alleged that jobs are being diverted to other countries at the cost of local workers and wages.
Outsourcing basically saves a company big bucks. A job which an Indian worker can happily do in $100-$200, the same will cost many times more in developed countries. Therefore, it makes sense for big companies to get thousands of work done from outside.
Despite adverse reaction from job seekers in developed nations, outsourcing is getting additional attention. More and more companies are looking to the outside to get their works done. Networking, Internet and more efficient means of transportation have made it easy for companies to outsource their projects.
Quite a large number of workers are glued to numerous websites for independent work. There are thousands of works online which are available to professionals to choose from all over the world.
Outsourcing has two elements. One, it is easy for outsourcing companies to get their jobs done all around the world. Second, outsourcing facilitates individual workers to get freelancing work in their fields of expertise.
As Internet progresses and there are more advancements in technology, outsourcing will only go further.
Every one would like to live a longer and fulfilling life. Everybody also knows how hard it is. A human being is full of sentiments, feelings, desires, different stages of life and social interaction.
All of the above affect health of a person differently. Pain, sorrow and happiness are part and parcel of human beings. Given all these things how can one stay fit and live a longer life?
A good portion of staying healthy relates to the way one feels towards life and how sensitive one is towards different aspects of life. Family relations, money problems, social tensions etc. can take a heavy toll of one's health.
With constant grief, sorrow and troubles over the life span of a person, one definitely becomes week in heart and body. One cannot live a healthier and fuller life. These are surely going to shorten the life span of a person.
In our society, emphasis is being laid on diet and exercise. Of course these cannot be undermined, but a greater part is also played by one's feelings and thoughts.
A person passes through various stages of depression, happiness, setbacks, personal troubles etc. One key factor for effective health lies in controlling these sentiments.
One can have a very good diet and exercise, but still remain unhealthy, sick and may live a short life, if one s not having good feelings. In order to have proper health and a long prosperous life, it is important that one controls one's sentiments and feelings.
The truth is that one can have no control over so many things like death of near and dear ones, social conflicts, crimes, diseases, wars etc. These are extraneous to a human being and these will have to happen.
I have seen many happy families in one moment and getting ruined in the very next. There are countless such situations which happen within no time and leave one shattered.
The best thing is to understand that one can have no control over a large number of things in one's life. To feel for them is but natural. If one realizes that there is nothing that one can do with those happenings, the pressure of pain will get reduced.
One should always try to control whatever is within one's control. These can be family issues, job related problems, relations with the society, personal behaviour and above all personal thoughts. One main factor of reducing tensions is to develop a habit of thinking positively.
One can experience a healthy and long life with right ideas, control over one's thoughts and sentiments and being more practical with life. Remember "nothing is good or bad but thinking makes it so".
Of course diet and exercise are quite important. In the diet category, simple food like green vegetables, dairy products, fruit, fish etc. are more important. Walking briskly is one simple exercise which can keep one fit. One should take long and brisk walks everyday in order to stay healthy.
Passion is an emotional state of mind. It is natural and it exhorts a person to great and persistent action. In this one loves ones' work and is always preoccupied. Passion is a mystical and powerful force that brings one success and happiness.
Passion enables one to remain focused on what he is doing. One is clear about one's objectives and goals. It is to that direction that passion pushes him along. There is less wastage of time and resources and less aimlessness.
With passion one is clear about one's aims and aspirations. One gets inspired and energetic in doing things of one's choice. One feels fearless and devoted. Passion simplifies the complexities and hardships of one's work.
With passion no work is boring or uninspiring. One feels courageous and propelled to move forward. Passion makes the achievement of results very easy. It enables one to fulfill one's dreams.
Passion can be about anything. Whatever the field one chooses, one has to be passionate about the same. It could be to become a player, a professional, to cross the Atlantic, to make a discovery, about writing etc.
Can passion be used in negative sense also? Unfortunately some people have used passion for the promotion of particular ideologies, religion and terrorist activities. This way passion has been used negatively as well.
Can passion be acquired? It is possible to discover passion within oneself and be successful. The first step towards passion is to analyze one's likes and dislikes. One should consider one's interests and goals. Once one is clear about what one wants to do, it is easy to be passionate about the same.
One may drift apart at certain times. By taking a few precautions one can remain passionate. One should always keep one's objectives in view. One should take a break in between and refresh oneself. Once certain goals have been achieved, one should set new goals.
Great things of life have happened only because of passion. Scientists and other inventors discovered all the good things of life only when they were passionate. Let us cultivate and preserve passion.
This debate has been going on for centuries. The thing is that it is difficult to compartmentalize a life. Every aspect of life is interconnected and one action has an affect upon the other.
With separation of the two, a person is supposed to play a dual role. I wonder if it is possible for him to keep them really separate without affecting each other. But there is no choice. They need to be kept apart because of so many valid reasons.
A religion should be a private affair. Every human being should have a choice to be free in his private life. Anybody can have any beliefs. So long as these are confined to him and are not detrimental to the society at large, there should be no interference in the private affairs of a human being.
In order to serve the tenets of individual freedom, polity should be bereft of religion. We are living in a pluralistic society where there are hundreds of different beliefs and religions. Even within the same religion, there are so many variations.
In fact, in the modern age there is no uniformity even within the same religion. There are too many conflicts and sentiments attached with beliefs and personal practices. Any state cannot control them.
Times keep on changing with the onset of new discoveries, needs and challenges. Any religion cannot take care of all the situations. Religion may even slow down reforms.
There are so many hardliners who would like to see their religion to dictate every aspect of life. They would drag religion into polity regardless of its suitability or its affect upon people of different faiths and religions.
History has shown that whenever religion and politics were mixed up, the results were disastrous.
I think world has recognized the harm that politics and religion can do if mixed together. That is why most of the countries in the world are secular. Wherever, we see the stamp of religion on politics there are conflicts and disturbances. Societies which take them separately are more prosperous, tolerant and peaceful.
Some religious fanatics are playing havoc with the world. They are trying to force other people to follow their thinking and path up to total destruction. There is no place for peaceful living in their lives and the principle of live and let live.
I don't think it is also in the scheme of God to force people to follow a certain mode of life. At best I believe God has given human beings a choice.
The basic thing is that whatever one's beliefs and preferences, they should contribute to the ultimate welfare of people and not to harm them.
I have traveled throughout the length and breadth of India. It is such a amazing country that you will find differences in cultures, peoples, topography, climate, living standards, historical interests etc. after every few hundred miles of travel.
India is one of the oldest civilizations with its history going as far back as c5000 B.C. It has seen huge ups and downs in its entire history with centuries of foreign rule.
It has been one of the most tolerant and absorbing society. The mark of different historical structures can be seen all over the country. Pakistan and Bangladesh were part of this historical country before 1947. India, Pakistan and Bangladesh together constitute Indian subcontinent.
Every travel lover should travel India at least once in his life time. There is something for everyone in this country. All of its major cities are fully accessible by air from any quarter of the world.
Places along the Himalayas are have a particular charm. Darjeeling, Dharamsala, Simla etc. fall in the cream of tourist attractions.
Kashmir in the north constituted the darling of tourists till 1990. However, unfortunately with the onset of violence by some mad people after 1990, this place lost a large number of tourists. From the top most place for tourists in India, it suddenly became a dream. The situation has improved a little and the tourists have started coming back.
For a foreign tourist, most of the places in India will offer something interesting. If one wants to see historical places, they are all over India. Most promising of them are Rajasthan, Uttar Paradeh, Delhi, central India etc. Taj Mahal is now one of the seven wonders. That is a living love story and a mark of lasting beauty and glory.
One can go to the south and see entirely different culture, nature and communities. It is a repository of some of the finest temples and architecture of the world.
One can see the elements of modernity and traditional society existing side by side. One can find primitive things and the most modern facilities around. One can also see poorest and rich people living side by side. There are high risers and low residences.
India travel can be extremely economical. One can live from a small budget to a luxury stay. Whatever, one wants to live with, one can find it.
There are a few pockets of north and north east India which one should avoid. Kashmir is now experiencing a lot of tourist traffic with control over violence. It is rightly termed as the Switzerland of Asia. While visiting India, a visit to Kashmir will be in order. There are so many flights every day from New Delhi to Srinagar.
A visit of India will surely be rewarding for anyone in the world.
Harry Potter is a series of seven novels, popularly referred to as 7 Harry Potter. The seventh book in this series is "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" which got released on July 21, 2007.
The first novel of this seven series book, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, was issued in July 1997. It took 10 years to complete the whole series.
These seven books are essentially children's books and were authored by J.K.Rowling, a woman. This name was chosen so as to sound it muscular.
Harry Potter series books have become immensely popular since their release. The six books released before 21st July 2007, recorded sales of 325 million copies in more than 63 languages.
The seventh book was released on July 21,2007 in Britain and other cities. Eager readers had lined up in front of the book stores for hours together.
More than 12 million copies of "Deathly Hallows" have been published in US alone. All major cities in the world notably Sydney, Canberra, London, Los Angeles, Tel Aviv, Rome, New Delhi, Bangkok, Phnom Penh, New York, Mexico, Paris etc. were buzzing with excitement and passion about the release.
Popularity of Harry Potter series of novels has been unprecedented in the history of publication. It has earned record revenue for the author and the publisher.
Harry Potter is an adolescent boy in these books. The story is about his fight against the evil wizard namely Lord Voldemort who killed his parents in his plan to capture and rule the wizarding world.
The story underlying Harry Potter has been staged at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a school for young wizards and witches. Harry Potter is also a wizard in the novel.
The English author J.K.Rowling conceived the plot of these books during her rail journey from Manchester to London in 1990. Her real name is Joanne Rowling. In order to camouflage this name and to give it a male tinge, she adopted the name J.K.Rowling for greater acceptability among readers.
Harry Potter books are undoubtedly a classic series and these have earned worldwide acclaim and superb reviews.
