Hike - Just Done It ---- By Sanket 'gone for a hike' Kambli

This isn't a spoof of Nike or its tagline. Here you should focus on the word hike. And this has got nothing to do with going for hiking trips. Heck! It doesn’t even deal with any trip. Ok, I will quit playing around; this is about fuel price hike. Don’t run away, it doesn’t deal with economics of fuel prices but has got some numbers. The latest hike in oil price comes at a bad time for the economy and close on heels of the previous hike of just six months back. Under the revised pricing the price of kerosene has gone up by Taka 2 to Taka 25 per litre; diesel price is raised by Taka 3 to Taka 26 per litre and petrol price has gone up to Taka 35 from Taka 33. Significantly, on 23 December last the government had raised the prices of kerosene and diesel each by Taka 3 per litre. Consequently, within a space of six months the prices of diesel and kerosene have gone up by Taka 6 and Taka 5 respectively. An imminent price rise is already in the air due to the new pay scale of the government servants; on top of it comes this new round of fuel price hike which cannot be justified on any rational ground. It is going to set off a chain reaction in every sector of the economy, it is feared, particularly agriculture and transport. And when transport rises, prices of nearly all commodities tend to rise. If the price hike itself is bad, the reason given for it is more outrageous. It has been stated that the need to check smuggling is one of the reasons for raising fuel price, as fuel price is higher across the border. In other words, the common people must pay for the crime of smugglers which the government is unable or unwilling to curb. The law enforcers are maintained on the tax money of the public precisely to control crimes. The fact is that the government has had to give in to World Bank's pressure. Last February when a delegation of World Bank's oil and gas mission visited the country they pressed for a fresh round of fuel price hike. Their argument was that prices of gas, diesel and kerosene were below the level set by the Bank as condition for Development Support Credit. Thus the elected government can neither check smuggling nor resist donors' pressure. So if you think it doesn’t affect you, either you should again read the above lines carefully, or you must not be living in India. Because this has been done and will affect us quite effectively, anyone disagrees?
Statistical source: Press Trust of India, financial dailies.

The Unreal Tournament -- By Sanket ‘the eye opener’ Kambli

No! I couldn’t find a better proverb; let us manage with this. Never judge a book by its cover. But in this “so called advanced society”, nobody cares about this old saying. The trade secret of the marketing world is simple, ‘packaging’; it is the key to make your product famous. What does this tell us? No! It doesn’t tell us, we should buy well packaged goods. This clearly points to the theory, that human’s often base their assumptions, on what they see, and not what really is. You still don’t get what I am talking about. Well! Why spoil the suspense, OK! Here is a hint, Recently, China hosted a beauty pageant, and so, what is so great about it, right! It is not great, it is controversial, and this beauty pageant was, for all those who had gone under the knife (cosmetic surgery for dummies). Ahaa! Now you get which book and cover I am talking about, so this brings us to initiate a mini dissection of both sides of this coin. So what do the supporters say; their logic is, in 21st century only those who have great looks are given a look at (pun intended). It is said by this group, if you cosmetically alter your looks, you unknowingly shape your confidence (VLCC motto), ultimately making you successful. The only way to make yourself acceptable, is to have perfect looks, because natural imperfections, make people ignore you, make you lonely. If you have a perfect body/face your life from all dimensions (marital to career) becomes satisfyingly happy. And if you think this is just an advertisement by a surgeon, let me clarify, this kind of thinking is finely embedded into people’s mind. But why are people opposing it, let us see; well this artificial beauty doesn’t go down well with some, saying, these surgeries ruin the whole concept of beauty, the concept being something beyond superficial/ perfect looks. They say its not the face/body but people’s mind that have to go under the knife, to eradicate this thing in their mind, which lays unnecessary importance on perfect looks and its ability to lift your confidence. I can go on, yes I can give a truck load of case-studies from both the sides, but they will still say what has already been said, so I don’t want to just put them for the sake of filling up space, instead I just want you to think (I know its tough) who is right, do a bit of research, what do you say? Bye for know! Astala Vista!

Bar Wars -- By Sanket ‘hates dance bars’ Kambli

We always come across 'either you are in or out' scenario. But this dance bar issue doesn't fit into this scenario. You ask me why? Read further to know why. Let us begin with the supporters of dance bars; these people consider dance bars to be a source of adult entertainment, in this city which lacks any form of adult entertainment, it is their only place to unwind. I am sure very few will agree. Some people of these groups say that, it is time we all grew up, and move with the times, and legalize dance bars. While there are some who are a bit sensitive, saying that these bars, are a source of income of thousands of women, who are the sole employed members of their respective families, and banning them, will make them helpless and depressed, which will naturally pass on to the families. There are a few furious one, who want, the government to stop taking away their "freedom”, they feel it’s their right to decide what is right and what is not, and not the government. And a section wants the government to focus on more essential issues; like unemployment, illiteracy, etc, instead of trying to stop corruption of young minds. Well its time to move on to the denouncers of dance bars; these people like the government, believe that dance bars do corrupt young and impressionable minds. They believe that it is not a necessary evil, and feel our society would surely benefit from the absence of dance bars. They say that are far better and healthier sources of entertainment that can be pursued, than going to a dance bar. And they believe just because, it is a source of income for women, they have to keep the dance bars open, is absolutely stupid. There are few who believe it is high time, that freedom in this nation is controlled. And these groups have a piece of advice to all those who believe that, acceptance of dance bars to be a sign of a progressive society; they would prefer a non-progressive society, then a "dance bar-red society". So you must have got a gist of both the sides, hopefully aiding you in doing some research and making some decisions. And if you ask me my opinion, even I believe it isn't a "necessary " evil, but all those who have lost their jobs because of the closure of dance bars, must be given adequate rehabilitation, and lastly the society must start accepting these women, on par with other women, as all that they were innocently doing was earn a livelihood, and that too, not just for themselves, but for their families.

The Shakti Scandal -- Sanket ‘wont sting you' Kambli

Not being a journalism student, I have no particular interest in journalism ideologies. But this scandal pertaining to existence of casting couch in our film industry has really made me give a thought to such things. Lets us see how, the television channel, India TV has caught Hindi film actor, Shakti Kapoor, on camera asking for sexual favors from a woman aspiring to be a movie star. In this operation the channel, used an undercover journalist to pose as a film aspirant. This operation has put before us a variety of issues to deal with, sexual harassment at workplace to defamation to journalism ethics. Inarguably we can never consider the actor to be innocent, but here; we cannot leave out the channel, and can consider it to be guilty for a different issue. Here the channel may have diluted the definitions of ‘journalism of challenge’ and ‘journalism of sensationalism’. It may have tried to make public the existence of a casting couch, but the means used have raised many questions, for some, this sting operation thing is the right way to go, they say the truth can be caught on hidden cameras only if bait is placed, for them this is the best way to clean up the system, but did this operation lead to eradication of this malady from the industry, you can answer this. For some these operations are not conclusive, they say, the target is heavily lured into doing the thing they are exposing, and this is done, making sure there is absolutely no choice given for the target to get out of it. And not only that we cannot be sure, whether the clips shown to us are the core part of the whole recording. So what is right, let us leave the decision making to the national dailies, and let us just sit on the fence and think for a while before making any hasty decisions. Let us understand that, this scandal has asked us to clearly define the ethics to be kept in mind while going about any sting operations. It has also shown how much obsessed is our media with celebrities. And lastly has shown the need for means to remove sexual harassment at workplace. So did this operation help, depends on actions taken. Was this operation justified, yes, but the means used were not, and in the absence of laws, is it fair enough?

Go green -- By Sanket ‘has no hope of conservation’ Kambli

Get out of the holi hangover; I am not talking about the festival of colors. I am talking about nature. Now don’t put this away as another save nature plea, this is not a plea, it’s an observation. Recently I read an article by Thomas L. Friedman; he said ‘Imagine if George Bush declared that he was getting rid of his limousine for an armor plated Ford Escape hybrid car, adapting a geo-green strategy and building an alliance of evangelicals and greens to sustain it. His popularity at home and abroad would soar.’ This made me think why can’t something of this sort be implemented in our country, no not just our country, why not the whole world, why can’t the government vehicles go green. Why can’t we replace all the ambassadors and other government transporters with say, solar cars or electric cars or some eco-friendly source of energy? I think it would not only help to create a better example, but also give much needed support to companies who have developed or are developing eco-friendly vehicles. I think this should start with us, looking at the benefits, our neighboring countries will hopefully emulate us, with the success of this model in south asia, and the success will rub off to south east then to the whole of asia. You may say, why is this necessary; let’s see a bit of statistics from ‘Wired Magazine’ April issue; is states that there are more than 800 million cars in active use and by 2050 it will swell to around 3.25 billion, which is over four times the original quantity and also four times the emissions. And I have every reason to believe that figures will be surpassed very early. Why, take a look at this channel Discovery, at one side they talk about conservation and stuff, while on their sister channel they have a show on cruiser bikes which don’t have a great reputation as fuel savers. Formuala One, it’s so famous around the world, but think about the amount fuel, just burnt away for every race especially in a time when we know that the reserves are not high, maybe they are having fun as long as it lasts. Similarly there are more things that glamorize fuel guzzling vehicles in India than those which even mention an effort of environment friendly vehicles. And as India is the second most populated nation, it’s an issue, which is just waiting to become a full brown problem, or am I underrating it?

Some Inexpensive software's you should have

BY Sanket 'freeman' Kambli

It is still expensive, if not to buy, then to run it safely.
The operating system is itself expensive, and add to it the cost of extra applications to keep the system running safely, you will
will burn a big hole in your wallet.
But don't fret as I am bringing you a list links to some killer applications that are not only free but fully loaded.

http://files.avast.com/files/eng/aswclnr.exe
avast! Virus Cleaner is available free for every user.
This tool will help you remove selected worm infections from your computer.
even this is good ->http://www.grisoft.com/html/us_downl.htm

http://www.spampal.org
SpamPal is a mail classification program that can help separate your spam from the mail you really want to read.
What you need to use SpamPal?
1. A machine running Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, 2003 or XP.
2. A POP3 or IMAP4 mailbox.
3. A standard email program such as Outlook, Outlook Express or Eudora.

http://www.irfanview.com/
IrfanView is a very fast, small, compact and innovative FREEWARE (for non-commercial use) graphic viewer for Windows 9x/ME/NT/2000/XP/2003. It is trying to be simple for beginners and powerful for professionals. I use this tool to visualize pictures, convert between formats and photocopy documents !

http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html
SpywareBlaster can help keep your system spyware-free and secure, without interfering with the "good side" of the web.

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/spybotsd/index.html
Spybot - Search & Destroy can detect and remove spyware of different kinds from your computer.


http://www.kerio.com/kpf_download.html
Kerio Personal Firewall (KPF) helps users control how their computers exchange data with other computers on the Internet or local network.

http://www.httrack.com
HtTrack 3.30
HtTrack is the best offline browser (it copies websites on your harddisk).
It allows you to download a World Wide Web site from the Internet to a local directory, building recursively all directories, getting HTML, images, and other files from the server to your computer.

http://www.quickzip.org/
QuickZip 3.06.1
QuickZip is the best free clone of Winzip !

http://www.cdex.n3.net
CdEx 1.51
CdEx, the best MP3 ripper !

http://www.jfitz.com/software/RAMpage/index.htm
RamPage 1.6
A tiny memory monitor, which display the amount of available RAM in realtime.
RAMpage is a Windows utility that displays the amount of available memory in the System Tray. It can also free memory; by double clicking the tray icon, by setting a threshold that activates the program automatically, or by having it run automatically when an application exits.

http://www.muskcodec.com/
Musk Codec Pack v 4.0.2
The best codec pack !

http://www.ticon.net/~dpoch/enigmatic
CacheSentry 1.59
CacheSentry cleans IE cache safely and fixes some IE cache bugs ! At its first run, it removed 400Mb of files on my computer !

http://www.mozilla.org/products/firebird/
Firebird 0.7
Firebird, simply the best browser !Beaten Internet Explorer in popularity

http://filezilla.sourceforge.net/
FileZilla FTP 2.2.3
Very good FTP client.

Next time some sharewares, till then, you have enough to byte on.

Goswami- The scam swami, his men and the story so far

By Sanket ‘Expose the scams’ Kambli

When I sat about writing a few lines about this scamster, I was confused as to which part of this issue should I work to highlight. So let’s not waste time, let’s begin somewhere. Well before that let us have an intro on what is going on.
We are dealing here with government officials and others accused of committing fraud, forgery and cheating by siphoning off government money meant for flood relief in Bihar last year. And as soon as we see the words fraud, forgery, government officials and things like 'money not being spent for their designated purpose' we all think 'yes these people in the administration are like this only' , but we do nothing, here we get a glimpse of a sloppy attitude towards some serious issues. Let us move further.
Here are some details of the initial report of the Comptroller and Auditor General:
Allotment of Rs 13.54 crore to Former Patna district magistrate (DM) Gautam Goswami was irregular.
DM Patna did not enter into any pre-contract for supply of relief materials.
The entire bidding process was flawed. Though contract was awarded to BSSIC, no agreement was executed with it and cheques were issued in favour of BSSI (the fake firm by the name of Baba Satya Sai Industries run by contractor and Sadhu Yadav associate Santosh Jha) although there was no agreement with the firm.
DM Patna diverted funds from other heads and made advance payments of Rs 17.80 crore.
DM Patna spent Rs 61.70 lakh without authorisation for purposes other than relief.
No stock register of items supposedly purchased was maintained by DM Patna. Only dispatch register was maintained, its entries not being authenticated by any official.
Goswami's lawyer Shankar also pointed out that the report has not clearly indicted Goswami. It has only said that there was a possibility of embezzlement which exists in every government work.
This report has provided us a somewhat clear picture of the magnitude of the scam. And if you think that just knowing who did it all is enough then you are wrong, because we are yet to get into all the legal swirls, press reports, bails and all those things.
So here we go, enjoy the roller coaster ride of some interesting statements.
Designated Vigilance Judge Jitendra Mohan Prasad, who earlier reserved his order on conclusion of arguments by Goswami's lawyer Tuhin Shankar and senior public prosecutor of Vigilance P P Singh, dismissed Goswami's anticipatory bail petition. Soon after rejection of Goswami's petition, Shankar said his client would either surrender or move the superior court against the lower court's order. Referring to the argument of the defence counsel Shankar that several other officials were involved in the relief work carried out with the help of army helicopters and boats, Singh showed a copy of the payment of Rs 2 lakh made by Goswami to a fake firm “Amibika Coffee House” for coffee from the funds allotted to him as Patna district magistrate-cum-nodal officer for carrying out relief for flood-hit victims in north Bihar. “The fund for relief was spent on purchasing coffee and that too from a firm which the Vigilance Bureau was yet to locate,” he remarked. Singh said over Rs 1 lakh was also spent on using swimming pools. “It implies that the officials were not carrying out relief but having pleasure swimming,” he said. He said cheques of several crores of rupees were also issued to a fake firm, Baba Satya Sai Industries instead of the Bihar Small Scale Industries Corporation, towards payment for managing relief. Singh said when Goswami was ready to cooperate with the Vigilance Bureau probing the scam, he should have surrendered by now and”we would have taken him on remand for interrogation”. He urged the court not to allow Goswami's plea for bail and claimed that he was deeply involved in the scam. Goswami has been dismissed as senior Vice President of Sahara India Company, company sources said. The company terminated his services with effect from June 6, senior Sahara group officials told PTI on phone from Lucknow. The same was confirmed by Goswami's lawyer Tuhin Shankar here. Goswami failed to submit some necessary papers as per the requirement of the organisation and it led to his termination, the sources said. Goswami, who quit Indian Administrative Services to join Sahara group, was in trouble after the Vigilance Investigation Bureau probing the scam tightened its noose around him. He has been alleged as prime accused in the case. Additional Director General of the Bureau Neelmani, meanwhile, said the department has sought legal advice to proceed against Sahara for allegedly not cooperating in the investigation process. Goswami's anticipatory bail plea was rejected on June 6 by designated Vigilance Judge J M Prasad. The Bureau has announced Rs one lakh as reward for anyone providing information leading to Goswami's arrest. In the face of the non-bail able warrant against him in the multi-crore flood-relief scam, Santosh Kumar Jha, the alleged kingpin of the swindle, accompanied by his lawyer and former law minister Shakeel Ahmed Khan surrendered before the Vigilance Judge J M Prasad in the case charging Jha, former Patna DM Gautam Goswami and others of committing fraud, forgery and cheating by siphoning off government money meant for flood relief in Bihar last year. Jha's lawyer Khan also filed a petition in the court for lodging his client in judicial custody in the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) on health grounds. Khan told the court Jha was also surrendering in connection with another vigilance case relating to alleged irregularities committed by his black listed firm - Santosh Printing Press, in execution of the literacy project in Kathiar. Jha is also the owner of Baba Satya Sai Industries (BSSI) the firm charged of the swindle by entering into criminal conspiracy with Goswami and others. All domestic and international airports, besides immigration check-posts officials, had already been alerted by the state Vigilance Bureau probing the scam to prohibit Goswami and his assistant Amitav Arun from fleeing the country. So will the accused be punished? Will justice be served? The answers to these questions will be out soon. But answers to questions like, when will administrative officers start doing service to the nation honestly and responsibly, than doing service to themselves. When will funds reach its destination without being siphoned off on the way? As many of us know this is not the only scam going on in our country, when will people become vigilant and make the government become one, forcing them to take the necessary steps. Well these are questions, whose answers are not available in these printed words; we have to peer inside ourselves. Which I know must be too much to ask for. Right?

Like poetry ?

If you do go to->http://thunderskam.blogspot.com/

The peeping tom's

The appartment I live in is flanked by another appartment in our housing complex, giving each room in our appartment, a view, of some of the rooms in the opposite one. There are some who don't want anyone to stare in, so they keep their windows closed or have them covered by curtains, some have no problem, they just ignore any peeping toms, well we move on to the peepers, they look like they are just smelling the fresh air, but one can clearly see, that they are standing besides the window just to peep into everyones homes. Which type do I belong? well I just glance here and there but I dont really stare and I keep the windows open hoping to catch some peepers.
But there is this guy(must be in 30's) who just beats them all, he sits on the window sill, in his shorts, exposing his hairy potbelly and he starts eating tobacco, and eats it in the typical indian style: here is how:= first he picks up a pinch full of tobacco on his plam adds a pinch of sweetlime(called chuna) , mixes the thing with his thumb,then claps one the palm, then places the fine mix in his lower lips. he sits there for hours peeping into everyone's homes.

The Week gone by

This week has been a week of junk food
I had a lot of chips, samosas, wada's, biscuits, cutlets and still not a sign of a paunch.
And the reason is simply a mix of yoga and exercising with a dash of long distance cycling.
On tuesday while I was going to varsity for some work, on the way, in the bus had the misfortune of siting behind these two girls.
And one of them was such a pain, I mean, whoa! man, I understand that girls are a chatty and giggling bunch, but this girl, was shouting at the top of her voice, and I believe thats the level when she is talking, think about the decibel she reaches when she really shouts, well to add to the misery, she was talking in this mutated english, TELL ME NAAA, ITS OK NAAA, , only one word Pain.
Got a game today Championship Manager, damn what a game, I became the manager of Real Madrid, sold off their best players, bought the worst player, picked up fight with the directors, and got sacked, cool. Got 2 new Tee's, my first red one, and the usual black. Had hard time picking th right one, its a tough job to choose 2 among hundreds of excellent Tee's; I dont dig the idea of buying clothes for myself interesting, usually let my sis buy stuff for me, but she was out of town.