We all are taught that all men are made equal. However, I feel that this is violated time and again. And most of the time, it is not the common white who violates this principle, it is the elite!
If you just want to find out about racial abuse in Britain, i guess you don't have to bother to read through the news, you can literally find thousands and thousands of incidents on the net. Reports talk about abuse growing ten fold in Britain itself. You can have hundreds of first hand experiences by everyone who visits Britain.
Americas have been a bit of relief. The rapid growth of Indian and Chinese as the technocrati of the nation has improved white man's perception. Otherwise, I would feel that abuse might have reached higher levels in US (because of higher hypocrisy involved in American Society). Even though, i don't find abuse in US, there is certainly a white and black feeling, which has come out into the open following the Tata's bid for Jaguar brand.
Most of the outpour has been at the "outrageousness" of an Indian company owning an American luxury brand. I could not understand this statement. Is that supposed to mean that Indian brands offer lesser value? Or that Indian economies are viewed only as a cheap market, where the elite cannot shop? Or is it more of a Brown and White issue? Or am I reading too much between the lines?
In any answer for any of the above questions (with the exception of a 'yes' for the last question), I feel there is something basic wrong when a developed society needs to explain its behavior. There are so many examples of "White Outrageousness" that I suspect that, rather than this being a "concern about quality of life", it is actually a concern about "White quality" and "Brown quality".
It has more of a racial footprint. It does not come out into open as frequently and as openly as possible, but it is still a part of the closet, a part of the mentality of western whites (Don't know about blacks!). It stems from the (won't put 'erstwhile' here) colonialism and imperialistic approach, and hence, is more pronounced in Britian and France.
I feel sad when some celebrity or a person in authority forms a prejudice based on color. I think it is a sad abuse of freedom of thought and expression. Just as freedom of thought and expression are important, duty of respect and recognition are also important.
And that is how seeds of Terrorism are sown. Terrorism is about pre-judice against a particular sect/people/country. Fortunately, gone are the days of white terrorism (read Klu-Klux-Klan). But I feel that it is still amongst us, living and breathing through the society. We maybe horrified at Nazism, but it will never die as long as we teach our children to condone or accept forms of abuse. It is an evil that needs to be shunned in all conditions and in all cultures.
Only then, can we move towards a peaceful world. Till then, it is not a world worth sacrifices from so many great men that it has lost.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
English Premier League - Some Thoughts
I have been following English premier league now almost regularly. And they play one of the most exciting football. It is a great sight to see and hear all the noise of anthems played by the fans. In a match like ManU vs. Liverpool, I can feel my hair raise in excitement.
Such is the pace of soccer that I feel alive. I wonder what it would be like to be there in that stadium, alive and feeling all that energy all around you. Man ... I am sure many a englishman will corroborate my feelings and imagination as a true feeling. A feeling that can only be felt, not explained. It is amazing how much talent this league attracts! If you look at the fact that of all the great teams, at least one of the starting eleven plays in the english league.
I was thinking the same thing last week, and another startling question was doing rounds in my head.
If all the above is true, then why does england repeatedly fail to win any silverware at national level or at club level?
And the answers have been equally startling too!
1. English Soccer has a tradition of beating by pace, not by skill.
If you look at the english premier league matches, what is the most notable trait is that of pace. The whole match takes place at a breathtaking speed. However, the mistakes made by players are very ordinary, the most basic is that of giving away possession. People are not first touch oriented, they are speed oriented in their play.
2. Lack of class is condoned if you score.
I think this is the most startling of all. Look at Wayne Rooney. I dont think the guy has enough class, but he is built like a bull and scores. Every english commentator goes ahead and describes him as a prodigy, whereas I will call him only a dangerous player because of his knack for goals. There are many such examples, Peter Crouch, David Beckham, etc. It is a pretty big list. There are exceptions, like Gerrard, Lampard, etc. but overall, it is a powerful league, not a very skillful league though.
For English national team:
3. Lack of a good first touch.
This is where the Argentinians and Brazilians are experts. They have such an amazing first touch, as if caressing the ball with their feet. And the ball seems to respond! The deftness of the touch translates into goal scoring ability in crunch matches. This first touch is most crucial for the forwards, and that is why english has such lack of quality scorers. I think this is a major reason why english are struggling with lack of goals. Their strikers don't seem to be in the same class as Czechs and Italians and French (to some extent).
And this was what was so special about Alan Shearer, his first touch, be it with the head, chest or feet, was simply superb. And that shows in the number of goals he scored for magpies. Look what has happened to the magpies now! They are struggling without the same standard.
This is where I love the Spanish football. They play free-flowing artistic football. Valencia used to be amazing once upon a time, but that torch is now being carried by Barca.
Right on the contrast to the speedy English football is the Italian football, defensively packed, amazing poaching and too good midfield. Truly, many were surprised when Italians won the FIFA World Cup, but I hardly was. I have always been a believer of midfield football.
This list of what Italians get right about football is so big that it has to be a different blog post altogether!!
Such is the pace of soccer that I feel alive. I wonder what it would be like to be there in that stadium, alive and feeling all that energy all around you. Man ... I am sure many a englishman will corroborate my feelings and imagination as a true feeling. A feeling that can only be felt, not explained. It is amazing how much talent this league attracts! If you look at the fact that of all the great teams, at least one of the starting eleven plays in the english league.
I was thinking the same thing last week, and another startling question was doing rounds in my head.
If all the above is true, then why does england repeatedly fail to win any silverware at national level or at club level?
And the answers have been equally startling too!
1. English Soccer has a tradition of beating by pace, not by skill.
If you look at the english premier league matches, what is the most notable trait is that of pace. The whole match takes place at a breathtaking speed. However, the mistakes made by players are very ordinary, the most basic is that of giving away possession. People are not first touch oriented, they are speed oriented in their play.
2. Lack of class is condoned if you score.
I think this is the most startling of all. Look at Wayne Rooney. I dont think the guy has enough class, but he is built like a bull and scores. Every english commentator goes ahead and describes him as a prodigy, whereas I will call him only a dangerous player because of his knack for goals. There are many such examples, Peter Crouch, David Beckham, etc. It is a pretty big list. There are exceptions, like Gerrard, Lampard, etc. but overall, it is a powerful league, not a very skillful league though.
For English national team:
3. Lack of a good first touch.
This is where the Argentinians and Brazilians are experts. They have such an amazing first touch, as if caressing the ball with their feet. And the ball seems to respond! The deftness of the touch translates into goal scoring ability in crunch matches. This first touch is most crucial for the forwards, and that is why english has such lack of quality scorers. I think this is a major reason why english are struggling with lack of goals. Their strikers don't seem to be in the same class as Czechs and Italians and French (to some extent).
And this was what was so special about Alan Shearer, his first touch, be it with the head, chest or feet, was simply superb. And that shows in the number of goals he scored for magpies. Look what has happened to the magpies now! They are struggling without the same standard.
This is where I love the Spanish football. They play free-flowing artistic football. Valencia used to be amazing once upon a time, but that torch is now being carried by Barca.
Right on the contrast to the speedy English football is the Italian football, defensively packed, amazing poaching and too good midfield. Truly, many were surprised when Italians won the FIFA World Cup, but I hardly was. I have always been a believer of midfield football.
This list of what Italians get right about football is so big that it has to be a different blog post altogether!!
Monday, August 13, 2007
Online relationships, another perspective.
Recently, I got a chance to talk to one of my online friends, who used to claim that she was in love. I used to believe her, and I had made it clear to her right on day one itself that it will never work out and that we cannot be together. I am an India, Hindu, pure vegetarian (to the extent that I don't even have egg). She is from some other country, Christian, loves non-veg food.
She seemed to talk very emotional stuff. She used to tell me how she wants to come to India and how she'd have loved to be around me, and how she'd do anything for me, and so on and so on and so on .....
That was the background.
Recently, when I checked my yahoo, she asked me how I was, and I told her that I am married and happy. I got a message saying that she was not serious. Well, to say that I was shocked was the least. Now, I feel that she was just playing around! She might have been lying outright.
Given the prospect that she was lying on this aspect, chances are that she was not at all truthful. She was just screwing with my mind!! I just feel so sick of myself to have been so gullible to have really believed all that. I feel like some 15 year old, who met someone on net for the first time and claims to have fallen in love with that person. I feel ... betrayed. And so, i am hurt and angry too. Hurt that it turned out this way and Angry at myself for being so gullible.
There is another question that I need to answer. Was I really gullible or did I make that choice?
And the answer is equally frustrating. I guess I knew that this lady might have been a fake. Not only that I might also have known that she was playing with me. But, I still chose to be taken along. You see, it is a choice.
I can believe that she is who she is, and give respect to her lies. Or I could have played too, and simply keep insulting her in my psyche. I chose the later, and I knew that she might be playing with me. And I was ready for it.
Over a period of time, I guess I let my armor down, and that is what I am angry about myself. I let my armor down.
That takes me to another question. How true are online relationships. I think Zilch %. There is no chance that they might be true. Given the high pressure life that we are all living, online relationships offer almost no chance of success unless backed by real encounters of the partners. It is not only essential to keep the romance and trust alive, but also to make sure what each of the partners want, and whether there is truth in the other's words or not. I am sure lies will be caught sooner or later. They have their cost, no doubt. However, still, they will be caught and a better or bigger emotional tragedy might be avoided.
But something good had come out of my relationship with that lady. I came to understand how a woman thinks. And what are her expectations. That helped me understand my current wife better. And that is what I am thankful to online facilities about.
They give you a demo run of the female psyche. I suggest every nerd try it out at least once. it will be a good help! And guess what, you wont be a nerd after that.
She seemed to talk very emotional stuff. She used to tell me how she wants to come to India and how she'd have loved to be around me, and how she'd do anything for me, and so on and so on and so on .....
That was the background.
Recently, when I checked my yahoo, she asked me how I was, and I told her that I am married and happy. I got a message saying that she was not serious. Well, to say that I was shocked was the least. Now, I feel that she was just playing around! She might have been lying outright.
Given the prospect that she was lying on this aspect, chances are that she was not at all truthful. She was just screwing with my mind!! I just feel so sick of myself to have been so gullible to have really believed all that. I feel like some 15 year old, who met someone on net for the first time and claims to have fallen in love with that person. I feel ... betrayed. And so, i am hurt and angry too. Hurt that it turned out this way and Angry at myself for being so gullible.
There is another question that I need to answer. Was I really gullible or did I make that choice?
And the answer is equally frustrating. I guess I knew that this lady might have been a fake. Not only that I might also have known that she was playing with me. But, I still chose to be taken along. You see, it is a choice.
I can believe that she is who she is, and give respect to her lies. Or I could have played too, and simply keep insulting her in my psyche. I chose the later, and I knew that she might be playing with me. And I was ready for it.
Over a period of time, I guess I let my armor down, and that is what I am angry about myself. I let my armor down.
That takes me to another question. How true are online relationships. I think Zilch %. There is no chance that they might be true. Given the high pressure life that we are all living, online relationships offer almost no chance of success unless backed by real encounters of the partners. It is not only essential to keep the romance and trust alive, but also to make sure what each of the partners want, and whether there is truth in the other's words or not. I am sure lies will be caught sooner or later. They have their cost, no doubt. However, still, they will be caught and a better or bigger emotional tragedy might be avoided.
But something good had come out of my relationship with that lady. I came to understand how a woman thinks. And what are her expectations. That helped me understand my current wife better. And that is what I am thankful to online facilities about.
They give you a demo run of the female psyche. I suggest every nerd try it out at least once. it will be a good help! And guess what, you wont be a nerd after that.
Monday, June 25, 2007
I am back!
After a long time today, I read the blog of a person who is very close to me. Even though he is not related to me through blood, but he is as close and as dear to me as my brother. His name is KS. He was my brother's classmate and a real gem of a guy. I learnt a lot from him on maturity, thought process, family values... The list is too big to summarize here. Then, for sometime, we were out of touch. Today i chatted with him after a long time, and I feel very nostalgic about all those times when he was at home, studying and struggling to get into a Business School and I was working in Delhi. We used to write to each other mails ... and boy o boy, they were just images of our hearts, being shared with some other self.
I miss all those times. I miss that innocence, that little pleasures in life that we wanted to share. Those moments that used to sway us. I still remember that small poem that I wrote for him, to encourage him.
Gone are all those days, and gone is that time. But I still cant help the love I feel for him. He is my brother, my friend. He still is my younger brother, who never fails to amaze me through his actions, words, deeds, in countless ways.
I lost myself in the meaningless run of life. In that pointless chasing of pleasures, necessities and luxuries that I have come to find no free time for myself. But, now I do. It is just a matter of time and patience that I rediscover myself.
I feel totally blessed to have my bro and KS in family and circle. These two people have influenced me so much, and in so many ways that I want to thanks God with all my heart. The mad rush of life had made me move differently. But now, I am back, and back with vengeance.
I miss all those times. I miss that innocence, that little pleasures in life that we wanted to share. Those moments that used to sway us. I still remember that small poem that I wrote for him, to encourage him.
Gone are all those days, and gone is that time. But I still cant help the love I feel for him. He is my brother, my friend. He still is my younger brother, who never fails to amaze me through his actions, words, deeds, in countless ways.
I lost myself in the meaningless run of life. In that pointless chasing of pleasures, necessities and luxuries that I have come to find no free time for myself. But, now I do. It is just a matter of time and patience that I rediscover myself.
I feel totally blessed to have my bro and KS in family and circle. These two people have influenced me so much, and in so many ways that I want to thanks God with all my heart. The mad rush of life had made me move differently. But now, I am back, and back with vengeance.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
NewCastle United - Giants in Coma
I am disappointed with the performance of NewCastle United. Always called as the sleeping giants, I have started to wonder if they have are 'Giants in Coma'. Whenever I look at the team line up, I fail to find a reason why this team fails to deliver. Last month, it lost matches to Blackburne, Reading, drew with ManU and Arsenal whereas I feel that they should have run riot in 4 out of last 7 or 8 matches.
Ever since Alan Shearer has retired, I am note sure how successful the team has been. I dont even know what kind of team building efforts these people have. It is not important to have a team full of big names like Barca or Chelsea. All that you need is a team, like Sevilla. You want your team to play as a unit, understand each other and above all, behave like a team, not just off the pitch, but also on the pitch.
I am hardly in a place to comment on what is going wrong. However, I feel there are some basic things wrong about this team.
1. Defence sucks.
It is only my opinion, but I am pretty convinced that Newcastle United has one of the worst back-lines in the premier league and Europe. I have seen them concede so many times that it seems as if the defense lacks the depth. It lacks that level of expertise. I am not sure if I will attribute this to inexperience/lack of skill. It may be more of lack of proper coaching or lack of clarity of purpose. As the season ends, I would have sacked the coach only on the basis of the number of times we conceded.
2. Midfield is not aggressive.
I have watched the matches a couple of times, and I have found that the midfield is not very fast. They are fast, but they have to be faster. They have to have that mentality to score on the counter. All the successful teams are deadly on counter. Juve still is, even after losing Ibrahimovic. This is where I appreciate the likes of Rooney, Ronaldo; and that is where Man U are doing so good. And that is what Tottenham addressed by getting Barbatov(dont know if intentionally). They should learn something from German soccer. I feel German soccer is amazing on counter, especially Podolski and Klose.
3. No Poachers!
I think this is something very basic that has gone wrong. Newcastle has no poachers. Every successful team needs one. Look at what Inzaghi did to Liverpool in UEFA CL final! Martins and Owen try to do that, but why are they unable to do well? Look at #1 and #2. They are needed behind the central line after some time.
4. Strategy sucks.
At best, I have seen some hint of players knowing what they should be doing!?!? Most of the time, they are simple random bunch of blokes trying to get their hands on the ball or looking to retain it. Either there is a lot of communication gap or most of the time the strategies are misfiring. Only people in the dressing room know the truth.
I hope someone from NewCastle United is reading it and above all, someone in a position to act is reading this blog. I dont say sack the coach, probably communication lessons are enough.
It is a little disheartening to see that one of my favorite clubs is going further down in the table. Don't know what's the plan for the new season. Hope there is something planned to address all the above issues.
Ever since Alan Shearer has retired, I am note sure how successful the team has been. I dont even know what kind of team building efforts these people have. It is not important to have a team full of big names like Barca or Chelsea. All that you need is a team, like Sevilla. You want your team to play as a unit, understand each other and above all, behave like a team, not just off the pitch, but also on the pitch.
I am hardly in a place to comment on what is going wrong. However, I feel there are some basic things wrong about this team.
1. Defence sucks.
It is only my opinion, but I am pretty convinced that Newcastle United has one of the worst back-lines in the premier league and Europe. I have seen them concede so many times that it seems as if the defense lacks the depth. It lacks that level of expertise. I am not sure if I will attribute this to inexperience/lack of skill. It may be more of lack of proper coaching or lack of clarity of purpose. As the season ends, I would have sacked the coach only on the basis of the number of times we conceded.
2. Midfield is not aggressive.
I have watched the matches a couple of times, and I have found that the midfield is not very fast. They are fast, but they have to be faster. They have to have that mentality to score on the counter. All the successful teams are deadly on counter. Juve still is, even after losing Ibrahimovic. This is where I appreciate the likes of Rooney, Ronaldo; and that is where Man U are doing so good. And that is what Tottenham addressed by getting Barbatov(dont know if intentionally). They should learn something from German soccer. I feel German soccer is amazing on counter, especially Podolski and Klose.
3. No Poachers!
I think this is something very basic that has gone wrong. Newcastle has no poachers. Every successful team needs one. Look at what Inzaghi did to Liverpool in UEFA CL final! Martins and Owen try to do that, but why are they unable to do well? Look at #1 and #2. They are needed behind the central line after some time.
4. Strategy sucks.
At best, I have seen some hint of players knowing what they should be doing!?!? Most of the time, they are simple random bunch of blokes trying to get their hands on the ball or looking to retain it. Either there is a lot of communication gap or most of the time the strategies are misfiring. Only people in the dressing room know the truth.
I hope someone from NewCastle United is reading it and above all, someone in a position to act is reading this blog. I dont say sack the coach, probably communication lessons are enough.
It is a little disheartening to see that one of my favorite clubs is going further down in the table. Don't know what's the plan for the new season. Hope there is something planned to address all the above issues.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Spring + Effective Communication = (Good!?) Agile
Currently, in my project, this is my first brush with Spring, and I have come to find that spring is the ideal framework for developing applications with intense business logic. There are certain features in spring that I find immensely powerful. However, there is one feature that really takes the cake: Dependency Injection!
Imagine a system where there is one flow for creation of some account. And there are various steps, which will be performed by different sub-systems. As of now, given that these systems have been developed by different people, the most popular and simplest way is to write these components and call one after the other component. More or less every component is hard-wired and will need some or the other portion to be written into the code. So, it also goes to say that changes will be that tougher to implement, you will have to change things in the code to get any change working.
What Spring can make you do is to define your entire flow in one XML and business interfaces and their implementations. It will ask you to create an XML that will pull all these implementations together and provide references to your component through the interfaces. Your business operation class' setters will be used for dependency injection.
For example, for creation of an account, I may have n number of operations like background check, credit history check, professional background check, etc. I just have to formalize input and specify interfaces, write an XML and will detail implementations of these interfaces and add references of these implementations to my account creation class. It is like defining a flow chart. Yes, it is as simple and as debuggable as that. Add the AOP concept for logging and security, and VOILA! you are ready for an app that is better debuggable and maintainable than never!
But... there is a catch. The entire magic of this arrangement works with impeccable integration between components. There has to be a clear protocol and business picture between two components. They have to be on the same understanding of the protocol.
So, organizations, that have good managers, can look forward to excellent applications using Spring. I am sure since Spring creates the entire application through smaller portions and pieces, it is the perfect platform for using Agile technologies. And as usual, agile also faces the biggest challenge of clear and precise communication.
Agile is being touted as the silver bullet for many issues, whereas it is not. Agile has its own list of pain-points. Combined with Spring, Agile can be a magical journey of controlled and managed software development. However, it can be an anathema for both Applications development company and its client.
The key here is... Communication!
Hare Krishna.
Imagine a system where there is one flow for creation of some account. And there are various steps, which will be performed by different sub-systems. As of now, given that these systems have been developed by different people, the most popular and simplest way is to write these components and call one after the other component. More or less every component is hard-wired and will need some or the other portion to be written into the code. So, it also goes to say that changes will be that tougher to implement, you will have to change things in the code to get any change working.
What Spring can make you do is to define your entire flow in one XML and business interfaces and their implementations. It will ask you to create an XML that will pull all these implementations together and provide references to your component through the interfaces. Your business operation class' setters will be used for dependency injection.
For example, for creation of an account, I may have n number of operations like background check, credit history check, professional background check, etc. I just have to formalize input and specify interfaces, write an XML and will detail implementations of these interfaces and add references of these implementations to my account creation class. It is like defining a flow chart. Yes, it is as simple and as debuggable as that. Add the AOP concept for logging and security, and VOILA! you are ready for an app that is better debuggable and maintainable than never!
But... there is a catch. The entire magic of this arrangement works with impeccable integration between components. There has to be a clear protocol and business picture between two components. They have to be on the same understanding of the protocol.
So, organizations, that have good managers, can look forward to excellent applications using Spring. I am sure since Spring creates the entire application through smaller portions and pieces, it is the perfect platform for using Agile technologies. And as usual, agile also faces the biggest challenge of clear and precise communication.
Agile is being touted as the silver bullet for many issues, whereas it is not. Agile has its own list of pain-points. Combined with Spring, Agile can be a magical journey of controlled and managed software development. However, it can be an anathema for both Applications development company and its client.
The key here is... Communication!
Hare Krishna.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Finally, India wins
Finally, yesterday India has won against Bangladesh. Even though it was not a very convincing win, there was enough to rejoice about. I could see some good points in yesterday's match.
1. Almost all players got into twenties. This was a big change from the world cup. In world cup, our great blue tigers drew up ducks and eggs. And some did that in both matches that would have counted for India. But this time, they had all starts. It is sad that they all threw away those starts, but nevertheless, something is better than nothing.
2. Dhoni is back in runs: Even though the wicket keeper has not been upto the mark in worldcup, and his shot selection has been very poor, yesterday, to have scored 91 runs, he must be back in his usual form. There are two important things to notice here:
i) He stood out there for long. and ii) Even after injury, he did not choose to retire hurt. Neither did he threw away his wicket.
These are signals of a batsman's maturity, and I am happy that he is coming of age.
3. Sreesanth and Dinesh Karthick are back: I think this is worth rejoicing. I feel that these two, along with Dhoni, and possibly VRV Singh and RP Singh, may well become the back bone of the Indian side, and it is good to see that one of the Chappell prodogies is peforming as he had predicted.
The match actually was won by the people whom Chappell had supported or about whom he had predicted to have a good career.
Let us see what turn the second one dayer takes.
There is good news for Indian sport on the hockey front also! They are into semis of Azlan Shah Hockey tournament, defeating Argentina! It was a big achievement for a team that has found it tough to even reach the knock out stages of any major tournament in the last 4/5 years.
This week has gone well for Indian sports. I hope this spirit continues. I'd like to bitch about the apathy of the government in promoting sports, but I'd save that for another day, for another post. (Sparing you for now ;-) )
Hare Krishna.
1. Almost all players got into twenties. This was a big change from the world cup. In world cup, our great blue tigers drew up ducks and eggs. And some did that in both matches that would have counted for India. But this time, they had all starts. It is sad that they all threw away those starts, but nevertheless, something is better than nothing.
2. Dhoni is back in runs: Even though the wicket keeper has not been upto the mark in worldcup, and his shot selection has been very poor, yesterday, to have scored 91 runs, he must be back in his usual form. There are two important things to notice here:
i) He stood out there for long. and ii) Even after injury, he did not choose to retire hurt. Neither did he threw away his wicket.
These are signals of a batsman's maturity, and I am happy that he is coming of age.
3. Sreesanth and Dinesh Karthick are back: I think this is worth rejoicing. I feel that these two, along with Dhoni, and possibly VRV Singh and RP Singh, may well become the back bone of the Indian side, and it is good to see that one of the Chappell prodogies is peforming as he had predicted.
The match actually was won by the people whom Chappell had supported or about whom he had predicted to have a good career.
Let us see what turn the second one dayer takes.
There is good news for Indian sport on the hockey front also! They are into semis of Azlan Shah Hockey tournament, defeating Argentina! It was a big achievement for a team that has found it tough to even reach the knock out stages of any major tournament in the last 4/5 years.
This week has gone well for Indian sports. I hope this spirit continues. I'd like to bitch about the apathy of the government in promoting sports, but I'd save that for another day, for another post. (Sparing you for now ;-) )
Hare Krishna.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Liverpool Vs. Milan
Soon the UEFA champions league will draw to an end on 23rd of this month. With it will come to end one hell of a time for football fans across the world. What a tale it has been, and what twists it has shown us. Lyon playes beautifully in league, only to be ousted by Roma, which eventually was brushed aside by ManU, which was simply outclassed by Milan. Inter lost to Valencia, the spanish charmer, which turn was chucked out by Chelsea, which was outclassed by Liverpool, yet again (more about it later!).
Milan has showed time and again that they are still a force to reckon with on the CL.
What I feel worth noticing here is that English football is good. However, a major feature of english football is a lot of physical play. Moreover, english football maybe good, but it is still to match the standards of Italian football (Two years ago, I would have said the same thing about germal football, but alas, I cant do that anymore). In defence, they are years behind Italian football.
Football is not only a sport, but the kind of football that teams play, also shows the culture of the countries. Just by looking at the teams, one can tell that English people are very physical and aggressive people. At the same time, spanish are easy-going, entertaining and people who would love food, wine and music. Italians, on the other hand, come out to be shy and defensive, yet firm people. French seem mild-mannered and talented people with a lot of flair. Same with portugese. Germans, on the other hand, are very methodical, disciplined and highly organized.
Going by above mentioned criteria, Liverpool has lesser flair than Milan. I feel that it is true. So, would that mean that Milan are a better favorites than Liverpool?
Possibly not. Personally, I would be supporting Milan. However, I feel that Liverpool has a better chance. Why? Because of two people: Rafael Benitez and Steven Gerrard.
Rafael Benitez has time and again proved that even though he may not be an expert in English Premier League, but when it comes to UEFA CL, he has the goods. Ever since he has taken over from Gerard Houllier, Liverpool has become 'that big team' from 'the small team that may make it big'. Someone said about him: "Not only was he a brilliant coach but he is a very sharp, savvy businessman. He knows what he wants and how to get it."
Gerrard... what do I say! I leave it to you. :) .
One the other side are Ancelotti and Kaka. The tactical subtleness of Ancelotti and overwhelming talent of Kaka has undone Bayern and ManU already.
Personally, I like both teams. I love Milan and Liverpool are a team whom I consider as the side best organized (in Europe at least).
What may eventually make the difference is the experience of Steven Gerrard over Kaka. But as I said, 'may'. You never know about Maldini, Inzaghi, Nesta and Gattuso either. The stars that Milan carries have been baptized as 'UEFA Men' since long. And Liverpool would also be out to prove that 2005 was not a fluke.
It is going to very interesting and I am as excited as ever!
Hare Krishna.
Milan has showed time and again that they are still a force to reckon with on the CL.
What I feel worth noticing here is that English football is good. However, a major feature of english football is a lot of physical play. Moreover, english football maybe good, but it is still to match the standards of Italian football (Two years ago, I would have said the same thing about germal football, but alas, I cant do that anymore). In defence, they are years behind Italian football.
Football is not only a sport, but the kind of football that teams play, also shows the culture of the countries. Just by looking at the teams, one can tell that English people are very physical and aggressive people. At the same time, spanish are easy-going, entertaining and people who would love food, wine and music. Italians, on the other hand, come out to be shy and defensive, yet firm people. French seem mild-mannered and talented people with a lot of flair. Same with portugese. Germans, on the other hand, are very methodical, disciplined and highly organized.
Going by above mentioned criteria, Liverpool has lesser flair than Milan. I feel that it is true. So, would that mean that Milan are a better favorites than Liverpool?
Possibly not. Personally, I would be supporting Milan. However, I feel that Liverpool has a better chance. Why? Because of two people: Rafael Benitez and Steven Gerrard.
Rafael Benitez has time and again proved that even though he may not be an expert in English Premier League, but when it comes to UEFA CL, he has the goods. Ever since he has taken over from Gerard Houllier, Liverpool has become 'that big team' from 'the small team that may make it big'. Someone said about him: "Not only was he a brilliant coach but he is a very sharp, savvy businessman. He knows what he wants and how to get it."
Gerrard... what do I say! I leave it to you. :) .
One the other side are Ancelotti and Kaka. The tactical subtleness of Ancelotti and overwhelming talent of Kaka has undone Bayern and ManU already.
Personally, I like both teams. I love Milan and Liverpool are a team whom I consider as the side best organized (in Europe at least).
What may eventually make the difference is the experience of Steven Gerrard over Kaka. But as I said, 'may'. You never know about Maldini, Inzaghi, Nesta and Gattuso either. The stars that Milan carries have been baptized as 'UEFA Men' since long. And Liverpool would also be out to prove that 2005 was not a fluke.
It is going to very interesting and I am as excited as ever!
Hare Krishna.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Indians living abroad and home societies
A lot of people in western countries blame indians for not socializing enough. More so, they are actually blamed that they either dont come out or stick to their own kind. Lately there have been a lot of such accusations, and so much so, that either Indians are sometimes not considered a part of home country or they are feared and suspected. The suspicion and hesitancy in accepting them in mainstream society has been more and more pronounced in European countries. It is particularly acute in more advanced countries like Germany, UK, etc. (even though france seems to be an exception).
Most of these accusations are a result of a big misunderstanding from the home society. There are two points to consider before jumping to such conclusions.
Firstly, Indian social structures are different. Indians are a very soft breed of social creatures. Intially, there is a lot of "over the surface" interactions with the home society. This is just to understand what are the values and the underlying ethos of the home country's society. Once it is established that the home country principles are more or less in coherence with the principles inherent in the society of which Indians have been a part of, only then, Indians will try to become a free part of mainstream society. This is not to be construed as resistance to new social norms. This reluctance on part of Indians happens only when there are some contradictive ideologies or ethics could be felt. Given a neutral or a new idelogy that does not contradict with existing Indian philosphies, rarely would an Indian avoid socializing.
This dilemma is more pronounced in cultures where pre-marital physical relationship is not a taboo. In Indian society, it is still very taboo. Not only that, it is also discouraged. So, Indian parents are very apprehensive of home youth. On surface, this looks like resistence to new culture, whereas the resistance is of a different nature and cannot be generalized to entire society as whole.
Secondly, in advanced countries, most of the Indians that have moved there under work visas or permits. It goes to say that these permits are for limited time periods and sooner or later the worker will be back in India, looking for another job or that person may be an extension of the permit (which cannot be guarenteedly renewed). So, the primary thrust of such Indians is to save as much as they can. Socializing always definitely involved give and take, and would certainly involve certain expenditure as a part of social activities. Most Indians, esp. families, dont want that. Infact, they are there to earn and save as much as they can.
Finally, I would feel that it is unjustified for home countries to be apprehensive of Indians arriving in home countries. Their skill and hard working nature will only bring revenue and profits to the organizations that employ them. By filling those positions economically, they are generating some other jobs at some place else.
Most of these accusations are a result of a big misunderstanding from the home society. There are two points to consider before jumping to such conclusions.
Firstly, Indian social structures are different. Indians are a very soft breed of social creatures. Intially, there is a lot of "over the surface" interactions with the home society. This is just to understand what are the values and the underlying ethos of the home country's society. Once it is established that the home country principles are more or less in coherence with the principles inherent in the society of which Indians have been a part of, only then, Indians will try to become a free part of mainstream society. This is not to be construed as resistance to new social norms. This reluctance on part of Indians happens only when there are some contradictive ideologies or ethics could be felt. Given a neutral or a new idelogy that does not contradict with existing Indian philosphies, rarely would an Indian avoid socializing.
This dilemma is more pronounced in cultures where pre-marital physical relationship is not a taboo. In Indian society, it is still very taboo. Not only that, it is also discouraged. So, Indian parents are very apprehensive of home youth. On surface, this looks like resistence to new culture, whereas the resistance is of a different nature and cannot be generalized to entire society as whole.
Secondly, in advanced countries, most of the Indians that have moved there under work visas or permits. It goes to say that these permits are for limited time periods and sooner or later the worker will be back in India, looking for another job or that person may be an extension of the permit (which cannot be guarenteedly renewed). So, the primary thrust of such Indians is to save as much as they can. Socializing always definitely involved give and take, and would certainly involve certain expenditure as a part of social activities. Most Indians, esp. families, dont want that. Infact, they are there to earn and save as much as they can.
Finally, I would feel that it is unjustified for home countries to be apprehensive of Indians arriving in home countries. Their skill and hard working nature will only bring revenue and profits to the organizations that employ them. By filling those positions economically, they are generating some other jobs at some place else.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Appalled!
I am totally appalled by the "Independent Evaluation of Performance by Consulting Groups" hired by the publishers of the benchmarks. I have seen this happen with MQ, Databases and Application Servers, and what not!!
There are certain ignorant sections in the online community that follows this and also defends these reports. I am a little tired of all the hype that surrounds this performance benchmarking.
It is like asking which one is faster, a Porsche or a Lamborghini. Of course, these two vehicles have varied maximum speeds, but a lot depends on speed under what conditions and most importantly, in whose hands!
So, with all the software, it depends on the production conditions, and code/maturity level of developers.
So, give me a break, and STOP this madness!
There are certain ignorant sections in the online community that follows this and also defends these reports. I am a little tired of all the hype that surrounds this performance benchmarking.
It is like asking which one is faster, a Porsche or a Lamborghini. Of course, these two vehicles have varied maximum speeds, but a lot depends on speed under what conditions and most importantly, in whose hands!
So, with all the software, it depends on the production conditions, and code/maturity level of developers.
So, give me a break, and STOP this madness!
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Amazing UEFA CL!
Yesterday, in an eventful day for UEFA CL, Chelsea defeated Valencia in Mestella. This is the first time an English club has defeated Valencia in the home ground. And one of the rare occasions that will leave a lasting impression on the minds of valencia home crowd and players. I did not get a chance to see the game, and looking forward to seeing it. Even though I am a little biased against Chelsea, but I have lot of respect for them.
And as I had thought, ManU have routed Roma. Roma was making their first appearance in UEFA finals, and it was pretty much predictable that they may be knocked out of the tournament, but they have made it good to reach this far. At least, they made farther than Inter. Ironically, the only Italian team in contention in UEFA league is Milan, which is far behind either in Serie A.
It will be interesting to see which wins, Ottmar Hitsfeld's discipline and organization or Carlos Ancelotti's flair and tactical acumen.
Liverpool is more or less through (even though they would do well to get some players rested). However, Rafael Benitez's side should not get complacent. Challenge in such situation is to be confident and still come out with a reasonable side of reserve players who can get some match practice.
It seems that it will be semi-finals dominated by clubs from English Premier League. After Mestella, I am tempted to think that Chelsea have finally broken their big match jinx and are on the path for a significant silverware, probably first in their history. If they do, Mourinho and Ibramovic are set to become Chelsea legends. It will be probably third CL medal for Mourinho. I marvel how this guy keeps his players motivated for success. However I may hate his flamboyance, I will still admit that he has a knack of turning things around.
So, the line up for semis:
Chelsea - ManU
Liverpool - ????????
Will it be Bayern's organization or Milan's flair?
Let us meet tomorrow to share the news.
Hare Krishna.
And as I had thought, ManU have routed Roma. Roma was making their first appearance in UEFA finals, and it was pretty much predictable that they may be knocked out of the tournament, but they have made it good to reach this far. At least, they made farther than Inter. Ironically, the only Italian team in contention in UEFA league is Milan, which is far behind either in Serie A.
It will be interesting to see which wins, Ottmar Hitsfeld's discipline and organization or Carlos Ancelotti's flair and tactical acumen.
Liverpool is more or less through (even though they would do well to get some players rested). However, Rafael Benitez's side should not get complacent. Challenge in such situation is to be confident and still come out with a reasonable side of reserve players who can get some match practice.
It seems that it will be semi-finals dominated by clubs from English Premier League. After Mestella, I am tempted to think that Chelsea have finally broken their big match jinx and are on the path for a significant silverware, probably first in their history. If they do, Mourinho and Ibramovic are set to become Chelsea legends. It will be probably third CL medal for Mourinho. I marvel how this guy keeps his players motivated for success. However I may hate his flamboyance, I will still admit that he has a knack of turning things around.
So, the line up for semis:
Chelsea - ManU
Liverpool - ????????
Will it be Bayern's organization or Milan's flair?
Let us meet tomorrow to share the news.
Hare Krishna.
Monday, April 9, 2007
Indian cricket board!
Last week, Indian cricket board made a landmark decision. Performance based incentives for players, almost entirely. The lost team takes only 100K for a match, takes 400K for a victory.
For a series victory abroad, it takes 40M!!
Graded contracts are removed. No-one is grade A contract or grade B contract. Every contract is valid at the same grade of remuneration (that is what should have been done a long time back).
Another side, the number of endorsements per player is a maximum of 3. Hmmm ... a little controversial, but I would like to wait and see how this works out rather than jump the gun. Former players, and a major %age of fans, think that it will not impact earnings.
Guru Greg has been retainede, although as the "head" of National Cricket Academy. "Coach" designation has been abolished. But, new designations like "Fielding Coach" and "Bowling coach" has been introduced. Manager will be more or less the "Coach(-in-Chief)".
So, what is the message that BCCI wants to convey?
There are certain important points:
1. For players: We have money, but it will be given only if you play well. Forget endorsements, if you play well, you wont need them to roll in money.
2. For players: We have money, and whoever performs, gets it. Doesnt matter if it is a senior or a novice.
3. For Ex-players: We have money, if you think you can produce results, it is yours to take, just make sure that team wins.
4. For Greg: We liked your propositions, and they seem true. We respect you and we have money to pay you. Can you help us more at the grooming level, so that we can be assured of a technically better pool of players.
5. For (Senior) Players: Dont think team needs you. Perform or perish.
6. For fans: We know that you want team to win. and are tired of watching these people in every commercial. Well ... we will give you a break.
Out of 6 points above, BCCI says that it has money in about 4 points!
All in all, it is a stance to appease every section associated with cricket. But it is full of half measures. It hasn't transformed Indian cricket totally, yet it has not let things remain as they used to be.
It will be interesting to see how it turns out!
Hare Krishna.
For a series victory abroad, it takes 40M!!
Graded contracts are removed. No-one is grade A contract or grade B contract. Every contract is valid at the same grade of remuneration (that is what should have been done a long time back).
Another side, the number of endorsements per player is a maximum of 3. Hmmm ... a little controversial, but I would like to wait and see how this works out rather than jump the gun. Former players, and a major %age of fans, think that it will not impact earnings.
Guru Greg has been retainede, although as the "head" of National Cricket Academy. "Coach" designation has been abolished. But, new designations like "Fielding Coach" and "Bowling coach" has been introduced. Manager will be more or less the "Coach(-in-Chief)".
So, what is the message that BCCI wants to convey?
There are certain important points:
1. For players: We have money, but it will be given only if you play well. Forget endorsements, if you play well, you wont need them to roll in money.
2. For players: We have money, and whoever performs, gets it. Doesnt matter if it is a senior or a novice.
3. For Ex-players: We have money, if you think you can produce results, it is yours to take, just make sure that team wins.
4. For Greg: We liked your propositions, and they seem true. We respect you and we have money to pay you. Can you help us more at the grooming level, so that we can be assured of a technically better pool of players.
5. For (Senior) Players: Dont think team needs you. Perform or perish.
6. For fans: We know that you want team to win. and are tired of watching these people in every commercial. Well ... we will give you a break.
Out of 6 points above, BCCI says that it has money in about 4 points!
All in all, it is a stance to appease every section associated with cricket. But it is full of half measures. It hasn't transformed Indian cricket totally, yet it has not let things remain as they used to be.
It will be interesting to see how it turns out!
Hare Krishna.
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Kris Srikanth: An idiot
I think that Kris Srik(k)anth and Sunil Gavaskar are the two biggest idiots in Indian cricket right now. Everytime you ask them a question, they give you back their opinion. There are two things in cricket: 1) Fact. 2) Opinion.
If you ask these two cricketers about anything, these two guys are totally adept at mixing these two, and give you a confused answer, where you will struggle to figure out what portion is day-dreaming and which portion is a fact.
And the latest example of a joke is from the on-going debate of coach.
I dont know what they think when they are against a foreign coach in the sub-continent. Do they want to say that John Wright has not done good enough as Indian coach, or that Dave Whatmore is inferior as a coach to _______ (fill it with any Sri Lankan name). Or that Bangladesh should really opt for either of them as a coach rather than Dave Whatmore himself.
Or do they want to tell the world that we are simply jealous that all that we expected for ourselves was being handed over to 'foreigners' and we are outraged with jealosy?
I am inclined to think that latter is the case.
They say that foreign coaches are not good for India when asked who should be a coach. Why cant they simply answer the question rather than bring in an opinion. By some mysterious stroke of luck, do they explain why they think so? No, you have to find the answer to great people's great words yourself. And when you solve this mystery, please make sure you explain it as a comment on my blog ('cas i am still scratching my head).
Again, who should be a coach? Answer: We have a lot of talent in India. Again, an opinion!
Let us try again, what should be done to improve Indian team's performance?
They have to be more committed. (How? No answer! Find yourself.)
They have to try harder. (How? No answer! Find yourself.)
You can simply keep them asking how, and they will give you endlessly pointless answers.
They drool over Australian style of play, but they are simply uninterested in accepting Greg Chappell's methods. Well, if you are not shocked by Australian cricket, then accept their methodology until you have a better one!
Again, they will answer "it will not work in India". How? Go find yourself!.
So, you mean to say that India will never play like Australia or South Africa?
I think for a moment, they should shut their mouth. They should think, and then talk something. It really sucks to see that former Indian cricketers are simply jealous and Xenophobic. It is a pity that these people are looking to lead Indian cricket.
Captain Vengsarkar, by any stroke of luck if you happen to read this blog, then please accept my humble apologies for putting forth idiocy of your former colleagues and call back Greg Chappell. What is the worst that can happen? You will lose another world cup series and come back in first round. But you can be sure that everyone who comes back will be under 25. Then, you just hand them some reasonable international experience. By the time the world cup after that comes, you would have greatly enhanced your chances of winning that one(i.e. if by some stroke of luck, you dont win the first one).
And yes, I feel that Sachin should retire or strengthen the bench. It is time for someone younger to play and learn the game.
If you ask these two cricketers about anything, these two guys are totally adept at mixing these two, and give you a confused answer, where you will struggle to figure out what portion is day-dreaming and which portion is a fact.
And the latest example of a joke is from the on-going debate of coach.
I dont know what they think when they are against a foreign coach in the sub-continent. Do they want to say that John Wright has not done good enough as Indian coach, or that Dave Whatmore is inferior as a coach to _______ (fill it with any Sri Lankan name). Or that Bangladesh should really opt for either of them as a coach rather than Dave Whatmore himself.
Or do they want to tell the world that we are simply jealous that all that we expected for ourselves was being handed over to 'foreigners' and we are outraged with jealosy?
I am inclined to think that latter is the case.
They say that foreign coaches are not good for India when asked who should be a coach. Why cant they simply answer the question rather than bring in an opinion. By some mysterious stroke of luck, do they explain why they think so? No, you have to find the answer to great people's great words yourself. And when you solve this mystery, please make sure you explain it as a comment on my blog ('cas i am still scratching my head).
Again, who should be a coach? Answer: We have a lot of talent in India. Again, an opinion!
Let us try again, what should be done to improve Indian team's performance?
They have to be more committed. (How? No answer! Find yourself.)
They have to try harder. (How? No answer! Find yourself.)
You can simply keep them asking how, and they will give you endlessly pointless answers.
They drool over Australian style of play, but they are simply uninterested in accepting Greg Chappell's methods. Well, if you are not shocked by Australian cricket, then accept their methodology until you have a better one!
Again, they will answer "it will not work in India". How? Go find yourself!.
So, you mean to say that India will never play like Australia or South Africa?
I think for a moment, they should shut their mouth. They should think, and then talk something. It really sucks to see that former Indian cricketers are simply jealous and Xenophobic. It is a pity that these people are looking to lead Indian cricket.
Captain Vengsarkar, by any stroke of luck if you happen to read this blog, then please accept my humble apologies for putting forth idiocy of your former colleagues and call back Greg Chappell. What is the worst that can happen? You will lose another world cup series and come back in first round. But you can be sure that everyone who comes back will be under 25. Then, you just hand them some reasonable international experience. By the time the world cup after that comes, you would have greatly enhanced your chances of winning that one(i.e. if by some stroke of luck, you dont win the first one).
And yes, I feel that Sachin should retire or strengthen the bench. It is time for someone younger to play and learn the game.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
UEFA Champions League, Update
The predictions about the last post of mine on the final four of the Champions league seem to be turning true after all!
Yes, even though there is still one more round to be cleared, but I feel that Chelsea are already in trouble and they'd need a bigger than self effort if they are to win away at Mestella, one of the most imposing stadia in the world. What I am surprised about is the scoreline. Clearly, Jose Mourinho has never been to Mestella or did not pay much attention to the infamous reputation that it has, else he'd have been more adventurous, would have started with Shevchenko and also would have played a more aggressive game(This game should have been the way he talks!). However, it'd be interesting to see what happens now.
Well, well. Milan. Silence talks more about than any other words now.
Roma is always the dark horse, and even though they have won the match at Stadio Olimpico, defeating ManU in their own backyard is a totally new thing, as they may sorely come to know. I think that quarter-final is still far from over.
PSV is out in all probabilities. and Liverpool is prolly going to meet the winner of Valencia-Chelsea tie. ManU/Roma will be lucky not to play Valencia in Semi's. Even if given a choice, I am sure either managers would have preferred to play Bayern/Milan.
Here are the Semi-finalists for me:
Valencia - Liverpool
ManU - Bayern
I am tempted to say that Valencia and ManU may play the finals. But I have not seen Bayern play this season and Liverpool are very good in pressure situtations.
Frankly, at this stage in tournament, it is anyone's day.
Yes, even though there is still one more round to be cleared, but I feel that Chelsea are already in trouble and they'd need a bigger than self effort if they are to win away at Mestella, one of the most imposing stadia in the world. What I am surprised about is the scoreline. Clearly, Jose Mourinho has never been to Mestella or did not pay much attention to the infamous reputation that it has, else he'd have been more adventurous, would have started with Shevchenko and also would have played a more aggressive game(This game should have been the way he talks!). However, it'd be interesting to see what happens now.
Well, well. Milan. Silence talks more about than any other words now.
Roma is always the dark horse, and even though they have won the match at Stadio Olimpico, defeating ManU in their own backyard is a totally new thing, as they may sorely come to know. I think that quarter-final is still far from over.
PSV is out in all probabilities. and Liverpool is prolly going to meet the winner of Valencia-Chelsea tie. ManU/Roma will be lucky not to play Valencia in Semi's. Even if given a choice, I am sure either managers would have preferred to play Bayern/Milan.
Here are the Semi-finalists for me:
ManU - Bayern
I am tempted to say that Valencia and ManU may play the finals. But I have not seen Bayern play this season and Liverpool are very good in pressure situtations.
Frankly, at this stage in tournament, it is anyone's day.
300!
This weekend I saw 300. What to say ... amazing movie. Totally mesmerizing.
I was moved by the sense of sacrifice, duty, glory and courage of those 300 beautiful minds and their actions. It was not a story that involved a lot of bloodshed, but it looking beyond that, it involved a lot of test of strength, wits and energy. It was a test of character and about putting duty before personal preferences. It was about putting society at large before family and it was about having faith that society deserves that sacrifice.
So deep its impact has been on me that I am tempted to ask if that was true.
And my opinion is that it must have been true.
It is an established historical fact that Xerxes won that battle, and so we would have been inclined to think that he would have been inclined to complete his glory by mentioning that there was nothing to stop him in this world. So, would he have allowed historians at that time to record this event? Would they have been allowed to mention that there was a battle with 300 men that first few battles were won by the Spartans?
Even though those 300 may lost their life, but what they could hold on to was the glory. Today, we are able to see that movie and marvel only because glory is still theirs. And I think that is what the movie's central theme is - Glory. Patriotism was not a central theme, but glory was.
That takes us back to the question I asked earlier, did those people have enough faith in society to sacrifice all that they ever had? The answer could be yes, could be no, we may never know about the truth. But there was something that is true beyond doubt, they had glory to fight for.
Glory, through courage, that can defy victories of Xerxes.
And by God, didn't they have it!
Hare Krishna.
I was moved by the sense of sacrifice, duty, glory and courage of those 300 beautiful minds and their actions. It was not a story that involved a lot of bloodshed, but it looking beyond that, it involved a lot of test of strength, wits and energy. It was a test of character and about putting duty before personal preferences. It was about putting society at large before family and it was about having faith that society deserves that sacrifice.
So deep its impact has been on me that I am tempted to ask if that was true.
And my opinion is that it must have been true.
It is an established historical fact that Xerxes won that battle, and so we would have been inclined to think that he would have been inclined to complete his glory by mentioning that there was nothing to stop him in this world. So, would he have allowed historians at that time to record this event? Would they have been allowed to mention that there was a battle with 300 men that first few battles were won by the Spartans?
Even though those 300 may lost their life, but what they could hold on to was the glory. Today, we are able to see that movie and marvel only because glory is still theirs. And I think that is what the movie's central theme is - Glory. Patriotism was not a central theme, but glory was.
That takes us back to the question I asked earlier, did those people have enough faith in society to sacrifice all that they ever had? The answer could be yes, could be no, we may never know about the truth. But there was something that is true beyond doubt, they had glory to fight for.
Glory, through courage, that can defy victories of Xerxes.
And by God, didn't they have it!
Hare Krishna.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
c2-c4/c7-c5
I love chess. There is one move that unsettles me more than any othermove, which is c2-c4/c7-c5. It doesnt matter whether i am playing black or white, I just feel very unsettled when this move is played.
I fail to understand how to counter this move.
Today, I am going to try out gambit against this, but I am unsure how successful I will be.
Lately, something that has really really impressed me is the gambit. I used to think that gambit is a risky affair, but as the more I analyse and read about the openings with gambits, I realise that speedy development and a sharp attack is a DUTY when you offer a gambit, and that is the style of game I like, aggressive, sharp, imbalanced and prospective.
Will update you once I am done with the game.
I fail to understand how to counter this move.
Today, I am going to try out gambit against this, but I am unsure how successful I will be.
Lately, something that has really really impressed me is the gambit. I used to think that gambit is a risky affair, but as the more I analyse and read about the openings with gambits, I realise that speedy development and a sharp attack is a DUTY when you offer a gambit, and that is the style of game I like, aggressive, sharp, imbalanced and prospective.
Will update you once I am done with the game.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Indian Cricket, time for status check
Indian cricket is back in the stage where it needs a good hard look at itself and introspect very self-critically. Even though, the debacle seems very hard to accept since India has played World Cup Semi Finals in the previous two of three world cups and boasts of a line up of some of the best batsmen of the world, it can prove as a blessing in disguise.
I guess Indians should not be rattled with this. This is a part of game and every now and then there has to be a reality check. It is occasions like these that should be used for reality check instead of finding scape goats.
Almost every quarter of the critic lobby is calling for ouster of Greg Chappell. And yet again, I feel totally differently about it. Greg was there only for strategy and preparation, which was totally perfect. What went wrong was the execution, the responsibility of which lies with the playing eleven. Moreover, none of his three proteges played in any of the matches.
Rahul Dravid should take the responsibility of persisting with the same eleven, when there have been options with him in form of Dinesh Karthik in batting line up. There was Irfan Pathan also, who could have come out well as an all-rounder. His captaincy on-field has been acceptable, if not bad. But his dressing room decisions have been pretty dull.
I think the people most responsible are Sachin Tendulkar and Dhoni. Upto some extent, the blame lies with Robin Uthappa, for failing repeatedly. He seemed in good touch in the practice games and Indian did well in all of the practice matches. Tendulkar and Dhoni played almost lazy and totally over-confident shots on both occasions.
Bowlers did well, I expect all of them to do well. I am interested in seeing more all round performance from bowlers, especially Irfan, VRV Singh and SreeSanth (I think all three have good potential, it is a question of developing it).
My verdict, Greg and Rahul stay. Tendulkar, Dhoni should out (at least for some time). Dinesh Karthik can come in for Dhoni. And I am sure there are good players for their slots in Indian team.
I guess Indians should not be rattled with this. This is a part of game and every now and then there has to be a reality check. It is occasions like these that should be used for reality check instead of finding scape goats.
Almost every quarter of the critic lobby is calling for ouster of Greg Chappell. And yet again, I feel totally differently about it. Greg was there only for strategy and preparation, which was totally perfect. What went wrong was the execution, the responsibility of which lies with the playing eleven. Moreover, none of his three proteges played in any of the matches.
Rahul Dravid should take the responsibility of persisting with the same eleven, when there have been options with him in form of Dinesh Karthik in batting line up. There was Irfan Pathan also, who could have come out well as an all-rounder. His captaincy on-field has been acceptable, if not bad. But his dressing room decisions have been pretty dull.
I think the people most responsible are Sachin Tendulkar and Dhoni. Upto some extent, the blame lies with Robin Uthappa, for failing repeatedly. He seemed in good touch in the practice games and Indian did well in all of the practice matches. Tendulkar and Dhoni played almost lazy and totally over-confident shots on both occasions.
Bowlers did well, I expect all of them to do well. I am interested in seeing more all round performance from bowlers, especially Irfan, VRV Singh and SreeSanth (I think all three have good potential, it is a question of developing it).
My verdict, Greg and Rahul stay. Tendulkar, Dhoni should out (at least for some time). Dinesh Karthik can come in for Dhoni. And I am sure there are good players for their slots in Indian team.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Only midfield wins matches
I was looking at the spanish team playing in the Euro. There was no reason why this team cannot win the EURO. And this is not the only time I have thought this way. Everytime the spanish team is just like Brazilian team, full of big names and players who can turn the match single handedly. Look at names like Morientes, Raul, David Silva, David Villa, Iniesta, Xabi, Luis Garcia, Cesc Fabregas,Joaquín Sánchez, Puyol, Salgado, Sergio Ramos, Carlos Marchena, Iker Casillas.
That is possible 15 starters fighting for only 11 positions. And everyone of them deserves to start. And their clubs feels that it is a big loss if any dont start. Look at Liverpool suffer when Luis Garcia doesnt start, or how Real suffers when Raul is injured.
However, the football crazy fans are always disappointed by their team's performance.
Back, since the days of Fernando Hierro, to now, the days of Cesc Fabregas, I find one similiarity that strikes this side, lack of teamwork/combination.
Everytime I watch a match, I see how the midfield never understands what the defenders are looking at, and the forwards dont know what the midfield is expecting. Most of the spanish football is planned along the lines of forwards (no wonder, considering that spanish are emotional artistic people who like flamboyance), but I feel that planning needs to be done based on midfield or defenders. There are only two forwards, and their combination is only a part of the game. They are only sidekicks. The most crucial combination comes from the midfield, where there is scope for real teamwork.
If Luis Aragones wants his team to win, then he should start planning his teamwork, he should start planning his midfield. I dont care what formation he fields, 4-4-2, 3-5-2, 4-2-2-2 or 4-3-2-1 or for that matter 5-5-0. As long as he has an eye on proper combination and teamwork, he can fancy his chances of winning the worldcup. Till, then you cannot expect fancy silverware at the level that they are playing.
That is possible 15 starters fighting for only 11 positions. And everyone of them deserves to start. And their clubs feels that it is a big loss if any dont start. Look at Liverpool suffer when Luis Garcia doesnt start, or how Real suffers when Raul is injured.
However, the football crazy fans are always disappointed by their team's performance.
Back, since the days of Fernando Hierro, to now, the days of Cesc Fabregas, I find one similiarity that strikes this side, lack of teamwork/combination.
Everytime I watch a match, I see how the midfield never understands what the defenders are looking at, and the forwards dont know what the midfield is expecting. Most of the spanish football is planned along the lines of forwards (no wonder, considering that spanish are emotional artistic people who like flamboyance), but I feel that planning needs to be done based on midfield or defenders. There are only two forwards, and their combination is only a part of the game. They are only sidekicks. The most crucial combination comes from the midfield, where there is scope for real teamwork.
If Luis Aragones wants his team to win, then he should start planning his teamwork, he should start planning his midfield. I dont care what formation he fields, 4-4-2, 3-5-2, 4-2-2-2 or 4-3-2-1 or for that matter 5-5-0. As long as he has an eye on proper combination and teamwork, he can fancy his chances of winning the worldcup. Till, then you cannot expect fancy silverware at the level that they are playing.
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