Thoughts. Words. Action.
Note to my Children |
Aug 7th, 2016
Me, cradling you so gingerly, You, wriggling in my arms, Breathing your first breath, Hold on tight, my dear, and think of me, Never ever let go, of how it used to be You, smiling your first smile, Staring at me lovingly, With brown sparkling eyes, Hold on tight, my dear, and think of me, Never ever let go, of how it used to be You, taking your first steps, Wobbling to and fro, Holding on to my finger, so very very tight, Hold on tight, my dear, and think of me, Never ever let go, of how it used to be Me, pushing on the swing, You, yelling gleefully, You could touch the sky, from the rope on the tree, Hold on tight, my dear, and think of me, Never ever let go, of how it used to be You, smelling your first rose, I plucked from the bush, Carefully, thorns removed, Hold on tight, my dear, and think of me, Never ever let go, of how it used to be You, shedding your first tears, From a scrapped knee? Or just feelings hurt? Hold on tight, my dear, and think of me, Never ever let go, of how it used to be You, singing your first notes, So pretty, on the stage, smiling through joyful tears, Hold on tight, my dear, and think of me, Never ever let go, of how it used to be You, dancing your first dance, Your little fingers, stretched out, Beckoning me, ‘Come on!’ Hold on tight, my dear, and think of me, Never ever let go, of how it used to be You, driving the first time, Starting, stopping, and then again, Me sitting next to you, clutching my seat, Hold on tight, my dear, and think of me, Never ever let go, of...
A Few Days in Dubai
The mindset of the Dubai government and resources available to them start to manifest themselves as soon as you get off the plane and enter the Dubai International Terminal. It sparkles like a diamond, from the floor to the glass walls to the ceiling. The grand immigration hall is precisely that, grand. Three story ceilings, meticulously cleaned surfaces, immigration officers in their spotless white flowing robes. Interesting tidbit – Retina scanners are mounted behind the immigration officers, but woe be to those with small eyes, as the scanners will keep trying till an accurate scan is obtained, however long that may take. On US passports, a 30 day visa is granted upon arrival. Every public service is targeted to make the traveler comfortable. The taxi drivers are polite, with clean nice taxis. The Dubai government has made the desert green, which could be impressive, except that this is the same outfit that created the humongous Palm Island, as well as the ‘world’ islands by dredging up the ocean. The Palm Island is – no mystery here – in the shape of a palm tree, with its trunk connected to the rest of Dubai. The trunk is wide enough for two multi-lane highways, adorned by houses and mansions on the...A Few Days in Karachi
After a 16 hour flight from San Diego to Dubai, a six hour layover in Dubai, and a close to two hours flight, we landed at the Jinnah International Airport at Karachi. A little after 4 am, the airport was very much alive, with four flights having landed within a couple of hours of each other. The immigration lines were very long, but if you are lucky enough to know someone who knows the right people, you can be escorted through the queues, as if breaking straight through the walls of a human maze. It can be a little awkward and embarrassing, but such are the privileges available in some parts of the world. The air outside was cool and fresh, with almost no traffic on the roads. Drivers in Pakistan, like in most developing countries, rarely acknowledge the lane dividers, be it on a highway or a smaller street. But in those early morning hours, the driver was truly the king of the road, weaving around the sporadic obstacles that materialized in the form of slow moving cars, or even slower moving two-wheeled buggies pulled by donkeys. Despite consistent rumors over the years (or is it the conventional wisdom of Karachi’ites?) about Karachi’s breakup into smaller pieces, Karachi...A Few Days in Beijing
At the Beijing airport, a grand rotating display announced 2014 as the year of the Horse in the Chinese calendar. The New Year celebrations lasted for the full first week of February, and for some Chinese citizens, the subsequent week as well. The New Year also brought the first snow of the season, and a cold front, which was nowhere near as severe as the bitter cold in the Eastern parts of the United States. Fireworks, apparently not very well regulated, went off randomly in front of the hotel I was staying at. A couple of enterprising citizens were having their own celebration, which took late-night strollers by surprise. The short-lived display illuminated the night sky. The glass windows of the surrounding tall buildings brilliantly reflected the twinkling, falling stardust. It was rather surreal. Eating out in Beijing is always an adventure. This time, at the recommendation of some local experts, I went to Li Qun (pronounced Li Chun), reputed to be the place you’ll find the best Peking Duck in Beijing. I was told it is a small hole in the wall restaurant where you don’t make reservations – you call in and order the number of ducks you want to consume. If they have enough, they’ll tell you...Exploiting Children to the Extreme – Killing Them...
Two events over the last week yet again showed the harsh and cruel place the world has become for children. Before I go any further, I must admit that I am focused on a certain part of the world, and am driven by my strong convictions of (i) protecting children, and (ii) that people use religion for amoral purposes, thereby corrupting it and taking away all the inherent benefits that any religion brings to humanity. In this case, it is the continuing thread of the distortion of Islam. I must also admit that I am not a scholar of Islam by any stretch of the imagination. Spozhmai aged 10, in Afghanistan. http://edition.cnn.com/2014/01/07/opinion/bloom-horgan-afghanistan-girl/index.html?hpt=hp_c1 The first incident is about a 10 year old Afghan girl, named Spozhmai. According to the news reports, her own brother, suspected to be a local Taliban commander, is the one who forced her to attempt suicide bombing. The plan was for her to carry a suicide vest and an extra set of clothes, swim across a river at night, change clothes, and spend the night in an abandoned house. In the morning, when police officers would arrive at the local station to start work, she was to wear the vest, enter the station and detonate the...The Uplifting and the Heartbreaking (December 2013)...
The Uplifting. Human ingenuity and the spirit of innovation have never known any bounds. History has numerous examples where humanity’s unquenchable thirst for something new and different has changed the course of history. Finding innovations is exciting enough. If the innovations also embody the possibility of enhancing the quality of human life and the world we live in, that is even better. It is even more motivating to know that it is young people, just out of universities, who are behind these ideas. Now, these young inventors are on the way to joining the ranks of budding, and soon to be successful, entrepreneurs. The OrbSys Shower, invented by Mehrdad Mahdjoubi, industrial designer from Sweden, is something that every house in the world must have. The shower, which is a self-contained, system consisting of a filtration system and a water pressure and temperature modulating system. It is also nice to look at. Water flowing from the showerhead is captured under the shower stall and passed through a filtration system that removes 99.9% of the impurities in the water; making is clean enough to drink. The clean water is then pumped back through the showerhead, while maintaining its temperature. After a few weeks just snap the filtration capsule out, plug in...Nelson Mandela on Children and Education...
The passing of Nelson Mandela, also referred to as ‘Tata’ (father), ‘Madiba’ (the name of his clan), or ‘Rolihlahla’ (his birth name, whose colloquial meaning is ‘troublemaker’) has become a global event, as it should. He was a man who decided to stand for something much larger than himself, and simply did not waver from it. He understood what he represented, and did his best to act in a manner consistent with that ideal. The actions that demonstrated Mandela’s uncompromising stances for his belief are numerous, including: Mandela asked most of the black and white officials of the previous government to stay and help him run the country when he became the first democratically elected President of South Africa in 1994, after having been placed in 3 different prisons for 27 years by the same government officials. When elected president, Mandela let former South African president F. W. de Klerk, who became Deputy President, to reside in the presidential palace, while he situated himself in an alternate location. Mandela wore South African rugby team captain Francois Pienaar’s number 6 green jersey during the 1995 championship hosted, and won by South Africa, sending a stronger unification message than any speech would have, to South Africa, and the world. This global...
