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Sunday, November 21, 2010

Watch NFL Live Online Free Indianapolis Colts vs New England Patriots

Watch NFL Live Online for free. Watch the NFL game Indianapolis Colts vs New England Patriots Live online free at the following links

http://www.channelsurfing.net/watch-nfl-13.html

http://www.myp2p.eu/broadcast.php?matchid=94634&part=sports

Watch Live Scores of the NFL game Indianapolis Colts vs New England Patriots at

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/gameTrax?gameId=20101121017

Watch NFL Live Online Free Seattle Seahawks vs New Orleans Saints

Watch NFL Live Online for free. Watch the NFL game Seattle Seahawks vs New Orleans Saints Live online free at the following links

http://www.channelsurfing.net/watch-nfl-11.html

http://www.myp2p.eu/broadcast.php?matchid=94633&part=sports

Watch Live Scores of the NFL game Seattle Seahawks vs New Orleans Saints at

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/gameTrax?gameId=20101121018

Watch NFL Live Online Free Detroit Lions vs Dallas Cowboys

Watch NFL Live Online for free. Watch the NFL game Detroit Lions vs Dallas Cowboys Live online free at the following links

http://www.channelsurfing.net/watch-nfl-2.html
Link
http://www.myp2p.eu/broadcast.php?matchid=94630&part=sports

Watch Live Scores of the NFL game Detroit Lions vs Dallas Cowboys at

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/gameTrax?gameId=20101121006

Watch NFL Live Online Free Arizona Cardinals vs Kansas City Chiefs

Watch NFL Live Online for free. Watch the NFL game Arizona Cardinals vs Kansas City Chiefs Live online free at the following links

http://www.channelsurfing.net/watch-nfl-4.html

http://www.myp2p.eu/broadcast.php?matchid=94629&part=sports

Watch Live Scores of the NFL game Arizona Cardinals vs Kansas City Chiefs at

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/gameTrax?gameId=20101121012

Watch NFL Live Online Free Green Bay Packers vs Minnesota Vikings

Watch NFL Live Online for free. Watch the NFL game Green Bay Packers vs Minnesota Vikings Live online free at the following links

http://www.channelsurfing.net/watch-nfl-5.html

http://www.myp2p.eu/broadcast.php?matchid=94628&part=sports

Watch Live Scores of the NFL game Green Bay Packers vs Minnesota Vikings at

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/gameTrax?gameId=20101121016

Watch NFL Live Online Free Washington Redskins vs Tennessee Titans

Watch NFL Live Online for free. Watch the NFL game Washington Redskins vs Tennessee Titans Live online free at the following links

http://www.channelsurfing.net/watch-nfl-3.html

http://www.myp2p.eu/broadcast.php?matchid=94627&part=sports

Watch Live Scores of the NFL game Washington Redskins vs Tennessee Titans at

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/gameTrax?gameId=20101121010

Watch NFL Live Online Free Cleveland Browns vs Jacksonville Jaguars

Watch NFL Live Online for free. Watch the NFL game Cleveland Browns vs Jacksonville Jaguars Live online free at the following links

http://www.channelsurfing.net/watch-nfl-9.html

http://www.myp2p.eu/broadcast.php?matchid=94626&part=sports

Watch Live Scores of the NFL game Cleveland Browns vs Jacksonville Jaguars at

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/gameTrax?gameId=20101121030

Watch NFL Live Online Free Houston Texans vs New York Jets

Watch NFL Live Online for free. Watch the NFL game Houston Texans vs New York Jets Live online free at the following links

http://www.channelsurfing.net/watch-nfl-6.html

http://www.myp2p.eu/broadcast.php?matchid=94625&part=sports

Watch Live Scores of the NFL game Buffalo Bills vs Cincinnati Bengals at

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/gameTrax?gameId=20101121020

Watch NFL Live Online Free Baltimore Ravens vs Carolina Panthers

Watch NFL Live Online for free. Watch the NFL game Baltimore Ravens vs Carolina Panthers Live online free at the following links

http://www.channelsurfing.net/watch-nfl-8.html

http://www.myp2p.eu/broadcast.php?matchid=94624&part=sports

Watch Live Scores of the NFL game Baltimore Ravens vs Carolina Panthers at

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/gameTrax?gameId=20101121029

Watch NFL Live Online Free Oakland Raiders vs Pittsburgh Steelers

Watch NFL Live Online for free. Watch the NFL game Oakland Raiders vs Pittsburgh Steelers Live online free at the following links

http://www.myp2p.eu/broadcast.php?matchid=94623&part=sports

http://www.channelsurfing.net/watch-nfl-7.html

Watch Live Scores of the NFL game Oakland Raiders vs Pittsburgh Steelers at

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/gameTrax?gameId=20101121023

Watch NFL Buffalo Bills vs Cincinnati Bengals Live Online Free

Watch NFL Live Online for free. Watch the NFL game Buffalo Bills vs Cincinnati Bengals Live online free at the following links

http://www.channelsurfing.net/watch-nfl.html

http://www.myp2p.eu/broadcast.php?matchid=94622&part=sports

Watch Live Scores of the NFL game Buffalo Bills vs Cincinnati Bengals at

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/gameTrax?gameId=20101121004

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Watch NFL 2010 Week 8 Games Live Online for Free

You can watch the NFL 2010 Week 8 Games live online for free. The schedule for the week 8 NFL Games is as follows

Miami Dolphins vs Cincinnati Bengals
Watch live online at http://www.channelsurfing.net/watch-nfl.html

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Dallas Cowboys
Watch Live at http://www.channelsurfing.net/watch-nfl-2.html

Washington Redskins vs Detroit Lions
Watch free at http://www.channelsurfing.net/watch-nfl-3.html

Buffalo Bills vs Kansas City Chiefs
Watch live online at http://www.channelsurfing.net/watch-nfl-4.html

Carolina Panthers vs St. Louis Rams
Watch free video streaming live at http://www.channelsurfing.net/watch-nfl-5.html

Green Bay Packers vs NY Jets
Watch Live Online at http://www.channelsurfing.net/watch-nfl-6.html

Denver Broncos vs San Fransisco 49ers
Watch Free Video streaming at http://www.channelsurfing.net/watch-nfl-7.html

Miami Dolphins vs New Jersey
Watch Free online Live at http://www.channelsurfing.net/watch-nba.html

NFL - Tennessee at San Diego 4:05PM EST 10/31

NFL - Tampa Bay at Arizona 4:15PM EST 10/31

NFL - Minnesota at New England 4:15PM EST 10/31

NFL - Seattle at Oakland 4:15PM EST 10/31

NFL - Pittsburgh at New Orleans 8:20PM EST 10/31





Saturday, July 3, 2010

Messages We Would Like To Hear On Our Mobile Phones

Cell phones are smart and are now turning out to be smart phones. The mobile operators are smart and are turning out to be smarter. They don't let you hang up without an answer, they tell you why you should hang up. Maybe they think you would continue to wait for that elusive voice on the other end of the line. So you have messages like, the user is out of reach, network problem, busy etc.

Hardly creative. But don't worry, it won't be long before the operators get even smarter and let you listen to messages which make you feel that they are really on your side.

First time you call up, "The subscriber you have called is not responding".

Second time, "The subscriber you have called may be busy elsewhere and will probably call you when he is free."

Third time, "The subscriber just finished another call. What will it take for you to realize that the subscriber you have called is ignoring you?"

or

"The subscriber you have called doesn't even have you in his address book, Are you sure contacting him is worth the trouble?"

With more tech development and convergence as they call it the cell phone will actually communicate with the other electronic appliances in the house or office and give an exact picture of why the subscriber you have called is not responding.

"The subscriber you have called is not reachable, He is in the Kitchen preparing his morning sandwich."

or

"The subscriber you have called is doing his laundry at the moment and can't hear the ringtone."

Late in the night, "The subscriber you have called is not answering, maybe s/he is having sex."

Unreachable status, "The buggers who talk about spherical motion of waves had you fooled. We have the entire city covered and still can't reach the subscriber."

And after receiving calls from the same number many times, "The subscriber has not touched his phone for some time, Considering the time of the day, maybe you should call 911."

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Watch World Cup Football 2010 Live Online Free, USA Vs Ghana and Uruguay Vs Korea

Watch World Cup Football Live Online Free, USA Vs Ghana and Uruguay Vs Korea. The round of sixteen in the World Cup is starting today with two matches being played. USA vs Ghana and Uruguay vs South Korea. All the teams have worked really hard to enter the round of Sixteen.

Watch World Cup Football Live Online Free, USA Vs Ghana at the following links

http://www.myp2p.eu/broadcast.php?matchid=79375&part=sports

http://www.channelsurfing.net/watch-fifa-world-cup-2.html

http://livefooty.doctor-serv.com/sat26.6/USA_Ghana.html

Watch World Cup Football Live Online Free, Uruguay Vs Korea at the following links

http://www.myp2p.eu/broadcast.php?matchid=79374&part=sports

http://www.channelsurfing.net/watch-fifa-world-cup-2.html

http://livefooty.doctor-serv.com/sat26.6/Uruguay_SouthKorea.html

Friday, June 11, 2010

Watch World Cup 2010 Football Opening Ceremony Live Online For Free

Genuine links. Watch World Cup 2010 Football Opening Ceremony Live Online For Free. The World Cup Football is the biggest and the most viewed sports event in the world and it kicks off today at Johannesburg. The live coverage will be broadcast across 214 countries. But if you are at work or your cable is down then you can watch the World Cup 2010 Football opening ceremony live online for free at the following websites

http://www.myp2p.eu/broadcast.php?matchid=77175&part=sports

http://livefooty.doctor-serv.com/fri11.6/World_Cup_Opening_Ceremony.html NO software required

Watch the First match of the World Cup Football 2010, South Africa vs Mexico Live online for free at the link below

http://livefooty.doctor-serv.com/fri11.6/SouthAfrica_Mexico.html

Monday, June 7, 2010

Mahindra ENVIRON - MENTAL Drive

On World Environement day, Mahindra did their bit by asking the Mahindra vehicle owners to drive into their service stations and get a free PUC check for the vehicles. Did I say Mahindra, I should have said someone in Mahindra Company.

As a proud owner of a Mahindra Logan I drove into the Mahindra Global Gallery service station at Kolshet Road Thane.There was a big poster announcing the eco-friendly drive. I was still at the gate wondering which side to take my vehicle to when the security guard asked me to move to a particular spot since there was anither vehicle behind me. I complied and then got down to ask the security how to go about claiming my free PUC check. He confidently told me to take a token from the reception inside.

I went inside and asked the reception. The girl was pretty lost and intimated that there was no such drive going on. I told her about the poster outside and she replied non-chalantly to go in ask someone else. I went in and there was another girl who stopped me in my tracks by asking me what I wanted. I told her and got the same blank stare as the girl outside. But this one was made of tougher material and told me to wait while she confirmed it. After four or five calls to God only knows who, she told me, as it was a revealation, that I was right and there indeed was a drive like that going on. On asked about how to go about it, she tells me, "Take a token from the Security outside and they will get it done". She had no answer to the query as to why the Security sent me in, in the first place.

Anyway I went outside and asked the security for the token. The man looks at me and asks for the key. I asked him, "What Key?" The vehicle key of course he replies, "How can I give a token without the key?" I was losing my mind and told him that I had come for a PUC check which is a two minute job and not for servicing, that he should take my key. The guy smiled and said, "Okay If you want it that way I will give you the token, but you will have to wait." I could see the PUC van parked there with a Scorpio blocking it out completely and guessed it, 'They never intended to use it.' I decided it was not worth it and got in my car to leave.

Then comes the bummer. As we came to the gate, the security guy who, just minutes before, had asked me to take the car inside and who was watching me move up and down throughout suddenly walks up and asks me for the Gate Pass. I told him I don't have one since I never checked in my vehicle. Our man says you should have and asks me to step out so he could check the vehicle properly. That was it. I lost it and started giving it to him verbally. If it had continued I would have probably taken the law into my own hands, but thanks to my driver, who must also have realised it, and drove the car away without paying any heed to the whistles.

A stupid PUC check costs Rs 80/- only and my purpose of going to the service station was not to save the Rs 80/- but to encourage and take part in the drive initiated by someone sensible. But Alas, only if the employees of the visionaries also see things the same way. Unless of course the employees were directed by the powers that be, to behave in such a manner and discourage any free PUC checks. My vehicle is Pollution free thanks to Mahindra, but it is also certified pollution free and for this no thanks to Mahindra.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Land Scams - Sukna Is Just One Of Them





The Sukna land scam is in the news for the last couple of weeks with lots of flip-flops amongst Generals, politicians et al. However this is not the first time such an issue has come to light. And like in the other cases, after a lot of talk, allegations, clarifications the issue will die down and those involved in the scam will laugh all the way to the bank.

While I was surfing the net for news on the Sukna scam, I came across a report in the Indian Express about the shady deals in the "Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society" in Cuffe Parade, Mumbai. Apparently the land which was known as Eco park was transferred to the society formed for the welfare of Kargil Heroes. The land was transferred to the society at hugely concessional rates. At the time of the article which is dated 2003 their was a lone subedar in the list of members. The deposit amount at that time was Rs 6 Lakhs. Considering the amount to be twenty percent as is the norm, the flat was valued at 30 Lakhs in 2003, A huge amount by any standard and no army jawan or for that matter an officer would have been able to cough out that kind of money in 2003 unless they were having some other source of income.

Kargil, must have been a reason for the discounted rate. Since the rest are heavily connected Babus, senior officers and politicians. The more famous ones among these are • Admiral Madhavendra Singh Bhagwat Singh, Chief of Naval Staff uRear Admiral Raman Prem Suthan, Fleet Commander, Eastern Fleet • Lt Gen Gurbaksh Singh Shiv Singh Sihota, GOC, Southern Command • Major General T K Kaul, GOC, Maharastra and Gujarat Area • Maj Gen Varinder Singh, former GOC, Maharashtra and Gujarat Area • Ramchandra Sonelal Thakur, Subdivisional officer, Defence Estates • Subedar Ramnarain Achelal Thakur, ‘‘Kargil Hero’’ • Major Rajiv Kumar Hitnarain Singh, ‘‘Kargil Hero’’ • Kanhaiyalal V Gidwani, MLC, Shiv Sena, Mamta Kanade, wife of senior IAS officer Ramesh Kanade • P V Deshmukh, deputy secretary, urban development department,

Read the full Indian Express story at the link below

http://www.indianexpress.com/oldStory/28841/

That was 2003. Seven years later the building continues to be built and is nearing completion. However nothing is being done about it. No investigations, no questions. The media itself has forgotten about it, though it finds mention, along with other prime land scams, in a recent article in Times of India at http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/State-gifts-prime-plot-in-city-to-babus/articleshow/4988486.cms


A 2 bedroom flat in cuffe parade would cost more than 3-4 crores today. Compare this with the Rs 30 lakhs, the members would have paid at that time and you can see the enormity of the scam. Surprisingly none of the news papers are following up what was a "Breaking News". Maybe they have been "taken care of".

Friday, February 19, 2010

A Beginner’s Guide To Blogging and Making Money Online

“A Beginner’s Guide To Blogging and Making Money Online”. That's the title of my first non fiction book which I have co-authored with my wife. After having spent close to three years blogging and working on the other sites on the Internet, We decide to share our knowledge with the public. And hence came the idea of writing the book.

I have seen many people who are spending a lot of time on the Internet and not getting back anything other than maybe satisfaction of sharing their thoughts with the others. This is a sheer waste of time, mostly, especially when you can earn money while doing the same.

This book teaches people how to start blogging and earning money on the Internet. The book will be helpful for those who have not yet started using the Internet as a medium of expression through blogging and social networking and also those who have been blogging but not leveraging their efforts to earn money.
The book will help a layman to
• Start using Email
• Open and maintain a Blog
• Blogging Etiquette and Writing Tips
• Earn Revenue from your blog
• Handy tools to review your performance
• Use Revenue sharing websites to make money online
• Use Social Networking Sites to expand your reach
• Promote your blog and content online
• Use Affiliate Networks And Programs to generate money
The book will help homemakers, unemployed youth, students, retired personnel and anyone else wanting to make extra money.
The book has 240 pages and costs Rs 150/-. The ISBN of the book is ISBN 10: 81-223-1110-5 , ISBN 978-81-223-1110-5

The book is available at the following links for buying online

http://www.pustakmahal.com/book/book/bid,,9439C/isbn:9788122311105/index.html

http://books.rediff.com/book/priya-kanwar-and-varinder-taprial/a-beginners-guide-to-blogging-and-making-money-online/ISBN:9788122311105/85459776

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=2080277206&searchurl=sts=t&tn=A+Beginner%27s+Guide+To+Blogging+%26+Making+Money+Online&x=17&y=16

http://www.bookshopofindia.com/search.asp?action1=default&bookid=9068047

http://www.flipkart.com/beginner-guide-blogging-making-money/8122311105-ku23fnjtnb

http://www.infibeam.com/Books/info/varinder-taprial/beginner-s-guide-blogging-making-money-online/9788122311105.html

http://www.amazingindianbooks.com/amazingindianbooks/searchdetails.asp?s1=9068047

The book should be available in bookstores by next week. Enjoy reading and learn ho to make money online
About the Authors
Varinder Taprial is a retired naval officer and an Electrical engineer with a passion for computers and Internet. He loves to write, has a blog of his own and has authored a fiction book “Enemy in the Ranks” published by Pustak Mahal. He is currently living in Mumbai with his wife and son.

Priya Kanwar is a dentist and an avid blogger who has been writing and earning on the Internet for the last three years. She has a few Blogs of her own and is a featured writer on Xomba.com where she uses the moniker “Rawnak”. She has written this book to share her acquired knowledge and experience with others. She is married to Varinder Taprial and likes to write in her maiden name.

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Anti-Alcohol Drive Kills One

Nooria Haveliwala was in the news today because she was driving after drinking and ended up killing two people. Ironically one of them was a bike rider who was being tested for alcohol level. The news report does not say whether they did find any alcohol or not. If not, it is really sad that the poor guy lost his life because of some moron stopping him without reason. Secondly the woman was apparently driving at 120 kmph on a road which is pretty straight. What was the traffic police (five of them) doing? None of them saw the speeding SUV from a distance and made any attempt to slow it down or stop it. How is it possible? Unless, they were too busy harassing the biker and trying to maximize their night duty earnings.

I am in no way trying to condone the Girl's act. She was drunk and needs to be punished, not only for being drunk but also for killing people. Do I feel sad for the policemen? Yes, of course. But doing something for the heck of doing it goes much beyond sanity. It is the manner in which we go around trying to implement rules which makes me feel that everyone around me is stupid. When they catch someone who is drunk the guy walks out after a couple of hours and the fine is laughable.

So is the Government going to take some responsibility? I doubt it.Just like they didn't in the earlier cases. In the past many accidents have taken place when pavement dwellers were killed due to people losing control of their vehicles, more famously amongst them Salman Khan, Puru Rajkumar, Alistair Pereira. Now the government never bothered about the fact that in their regime people are sleeping on pavements. How come sleeping on pavements is not a crime? I mean forget about being drunk, there can be an accident with perfectly sane, not drunk people who lose control of their cars. A simple error of judgment, a small accident, becomes a major deal because there are people sleeping on the pavement. No one thinks about that and people continue to sleep on pavements.

It is not any different with people walking on the roads. They walk as if the roads are made for pedestrians. Nobody ever fines them for jaywalking. No one objects to anyone flouting all rules of crossing roads. No one even considers the possibility of the driver of a vehicle being innocent whenever accidents involving pedestrians take place. It is a crime to be a motorist, eh!

Coming back to the accident yesterday. People will be more careful if they sight traffic policemen regularly. But here the traffic Police people hide behind trees and corners and other vehicles so that they can catch people making mistakes and make some money out of them. If the girl in question knew that there would be traffic Police on the way she wouldn't have dared go upto a speed of 120 kmph. If she had sighted a single traffic Policeman from Breach Candy to Marine Lines, she would have been much slower. And here we had Five Policemen standing together at a single place. What were they waiting for? Another Ajmal Kasab driving by? Or does the Government ask the Police to move in groups to avoid any embarrassing situations.

It is high time the government takes some responsibility for their action or is it inaction? For such cases the investigation should not be limited to the accident but also to the circumstances leading to the accident. Here I mean the collateral damage due to policies and their execution of and by the Public servants.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Copy And Paste - Hits Global Warming Too

I guess it starts early in life. Infants and kids alike are designed to copy the actions, accents, behavorial instincts from their mothers and fathers and also any other human being in hand. I have not observed small kids with pets in their homes, but I bet the toddlers try to copy the actions of the pets they spend their time with.

As they grow up they start copying their friends and heroes, who in turn again, have ingrained (copied and pasted) the habits from their parents.

When they go to school the teacher tries to tell them to copy the alphabet she writes on the board. For most kids writing the alphabet, like rest of the learning process, is a dull chore, when they could be playing in the mud. The straight lines are still fine but the curves are difficult. It gets more difficult when our education system considers every child to be an potential calligraphist and the lessons on cursive writing start. I remember telling my child to "draw" the alphabet instead of writing. Copy and Paste!!

We are inculcating a habit of copy and paste in our children. I have seen parents scurrying around to get data on issues like Global warming and UNO etc. And this for second grade students!! Ultimately the parent, who himself has forgotten everything about these issues, not having been in touch with the issues, browses the Internet in the offices, takes out a couple of printouts on the relevant subject and hands them over to the kid. Copy and paste. The unassuming kid understand what his father has done and learns the way to solve things. Copy and Paste.

I had heard of 'Catch ém young' but some of us have mistook it for 'Hatch them young'. Why can't learning be a slow progress and kids be allowed to take it easy. Why do we all want our kids to be know all irrespective of what he/she is interested in.

Anyway the learning continues. The teachers due to our education methodology inadvertantly tell the kids to copy and paste. The child learns that understanding a law or a theorem is of no use as long as you can't reproduce exactly what the teacher or the book says it is. Copy and Paste.

In college too, the copy and paste part continues. There are entire thesis available on the net. There is an immense amount of information available on the net on almost all the subjects. Who cares for new research then? Just copy and paste. Change a few words here and there not from the point of view of education or learning, but out of fear of being charged with plagiarism.

The doctorate done, the guy gets a job and continues with his skill of copy and paste, since no one in the organisation wants a change. He is told to retain the formats of reports, letter writing etc. So he copies the earlier letter makes the changes and voila the job is done to the complete satisfaction of his superiors. The man becomes senior and by then knows all the tricks of the trade which he unknowingly thinks is his development since he is so used to copying the work of others and claiming it as his own. Even if he does not, his subordinates surely think that the methods are the boss's trademark. The cycle continues and the copy and paste method prospers.

The method is not without danger. I remember one of my colleagues having developed a form for filling up the Income tax return on an excel sheet. So while I was still slogging with pencil and rubber our man smirkly told me that he had finished. I was tempted and gave in. I copied the file on my computer and made sure all the names and figures had been changed. Just that I over looked a small certification column which mentioned the father's name. My return that year went as - I, son of xyz.... whi was not my father by any chance and I was definitely not his son. Fortunately everyone in the world is very tolerant of the copy and paste method. I am sure some IT assessing officer had a few good laughs, shared it with his friends and then stamped the return as correct and done with.

Lately Mr RK Pachauri and the IPCC must have also realized the dangers of taking short cuts like copying and pasting stuff without verification. Maybe it was the deadlines or the normal interest in controversial and shocking statements but the fact is that at least two issues have been included in the report which were not subject to scientific scrutiny. Maybe there are more. But can you blame Pachauri. Like he said he and almost everyone else has been trained in this method of copy and paste write since their infancy.

I think we should forgive Pachauri and IPCC. Afterall it was his and his team's natural instinct to copy and paste as explained above. And if homosexuality can be acceptable as a natural instinct, why not copy and Paste.

I can almost see Tiger Woods jumping up in the air pleading the natural instincts to be the reason behind his conquests off the course. Erm.. He had to putt, when he saw a hole.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Holiday Packages - Save Money By Doing It Yourself

Holiday packages seem to be the best way to travel to a country or a city in your own country. The holiday packages promoted by various tour operators do give the customers a hassle-free holiday in the sense that the customer does not have to plan anything, other than, of course, the destination, the travel dates, the period of the holiday and the amount of money which he is willing to spend.

Besides that, the holiday packages are designed by the tour operator as per his own understanding of the place. It is like, the customer would actually be seeing and visiting the places that the tour operator thinks the customer should. The marketing department of these tour operators makes it sound like that they are covering the entire city or a country whereas in effect they are covering only the places which the discerning cutomer will recognize and get the feeling that all the important places have been covered.

The customs, traditions and the culture of a city or a country are definitely not going to be visible in these so-called important tourist destinations, so to start with, be ready to go to a city or a country like you would, going to a new market on your shopping trip.

First place the costs are cut is the flight timing. In order to achieve maximum cost reduction the tour operator books you on a flight which starts late at night or very early in the morning. Considering the distance to the airport and the one /two hour before the flight check in time, things get worse. Starting a holiday not sleeping well the previous night is definitely going to take a lot out of fun and enjoyment off your holiday. Moreover be prepared to sit away from the windows on the flight. If you have kids that is a problem.

The tour operators don't want to give one a chance to think while he / she or their family is on the Holiday package, lest you start asking uncomfortable questions. Therefore, they will cram up the day schedule for the entire duration of the package. At the end of the hectic day one would be dead tired to do anything but hit the sack in the anticipation of the next day. One thing the holiday package makes sure is that you would hardly relax during the trip and in fact would be more tired after the holiday than you were before you embarked on the journey.

The all inclusive packages rarely include everything. The fine print says it all. Visa, airport taxes, travel insurance, park/museum tickets, one or two meals, tips to guide / bus driver / bell boy etc will have to be borne by the customer. The hotels may or may not be the ones they specify in the itenerary. Many people are surprised at times and wonder how the particular hotel ever got the star rating it does have. The location of the hotel also does have a bearing on your level of enjoyment. The view from the room and the location of the room in the hotel may also be a dampener.

From my research, everything, starting from the flight fares to the park tickets, is available for much cheaper than the amount quoted in the holiday package. So it stands to reason that if one was to do some research, puts in an effort, he can save a lot planning his holiday by himself. These days everything is possible online. Tickets can be bought online, hotel bookings can be done online, there are websites which sell tickets to various places of interest online and throw in the pick up and drop complementary. In any case it is best to buy tickets for such places only after you have reached the city/country as most of them are available over the counter. You can also plan the places you want to visit as per your tastes. In most places local transportation is good enough for everyone. Give yourself a lot of time to savour the local culture and the way of life. In the end, that is what you will remember and cherish for the rest of your life.

So, if you have lots of money or just want to put a "been there" tag on a map, go for a holiday package. Otherwise, if you don't want your dream holiday to turn into a nightmare, plan it yourself with your family and make it a holiday to remember.

Planning a holiday yourself will give you a headache in the planning stage, but trust me, it wouldn't be more than what a normal work day would give you. In return you will be able to save a lot of money and have the holiday, full of relaxation and enjoyment, of your life.

Admission Tests/ Entrance Tests - A Way To Solicit Success

Education for all is a buzzword in almost all the countries in the world. In India too it has been gaining prominence for a while now and in Aug 2009 the government finally passed the Right to Education bill which guarantees free and compulsory education to all children between six and fourteen years of age.

But there are two glitches and major ones at that. First is the fees being charged by the schools. Besides the state sponsored schools, which have a common fee structure across the board, other schools are not governed by any common criteria. The unaided schools can charge as they like irrespective of the facilities available. The well to do people can afford most of these schools and are anyway sending their kids to reasonably good schools, hence they are not the ones to really benefit from the Right to Education bill. They can benefit if the fees are standardized and maybe then they can send their kids to schools which thus far were beyond their reach. For example the International Schools which are cropping up faster than the kids dropping out of schools charge anywhere between Rupees One to Seven lakhs. The middle class which, by the way, is much smaller in numbers than the lower income group can not afford these ridiculous fees for education. Yesterday only the Home minister P Chidambram said that institutes should not become money minting machines, not realizing that the successive governments of India, with their policies, are the ones which have caused such factories to be established.


As a result the kids who do get the admissions in these schools are those who would anyway not require the education considering that their parents are going to leave them a hefty inheritance and maybe a business too. Take for example the kids of Shah Rukh Khan and Sachin Tendulkar. Do you think it is going to matter much to them which schools they passed out from. But Dhirubhai Ambani International school can justify their high fees to other students just based on the premise of being colloeagues of these star sons and daughters.

The second major stumbling block is the entrance tests for school admissions. At a higher level an entrance test is still understood which can be used to gauge or establish a student's ability to cope with the curriculum. But admission tests for second and third grade, when the child barely understands the purpose of education or for that matter tests, is asking for a bit too much. The admission tests at this level, in my opinion, serve only one purpose. Filtration of the weak and financially unsound kids. Essentially all the schools, in their bid to enhance their reputation and subsequently the fees, are ensuring that no weak child, academically or financially weak, is admitted to their school so that can continue to showcase the good results of their students. Is there any purpose solved by such a school which takes the credit of the brilliance and efforts of their students to position themselves as a good school?

What ever happens to the fairness in the system? Education for All!! A report says that the dropout rate of the students is so high that only 12% of the students make it to a college. The global average is close to 40%. Can we blame the students for that when in school itself the institutions start filtering out the students by way of admission / entrance test or by imposing a high fee structure on the student. The students which benefit(?) from the Right to Education bill are those who will probably get admission to state run or municipality run schools which incidentally are the ones which fail to nurture the students or create an interest in them to pursue studies.

Talking of Admission tests, if a child fails to secure admission in a particular school, shouldn't the previous school/s be taken to task for not being able to bring him to a standard where he could clear an admission test based on the same syllabus. Or are we accepting the failures or the inability of our schools to provide agood standard of education. How can we give fair and equal education to all if we have already accepted that some institutions will be better than the others? We can not shirk away from our responsibility by just providing free admission to kids in a school which does little towards education and providing free lunches to the kids.

Right to Education means nothing. The bill will have a meaning if it is made Right to Quality Education.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

My Encounter with Employment Scam

God, this world is getting more and more dangerous. If nature by itself was not difficult enough to live with, People around one make sure that one could never take his guard off. Now some genuine scamsters have taken the “people” danger to a new global level. Welcome to the Employment Scam I went through.

It started with me putting up my resume on a couple of web sites, purely on an experimental basis, to see how good those were . The going was good and I generally did get relevant offers. Then one day I get a letter from another prospective employer apparently from Dragon Oil, UK, asking me to send in my detailed updated CV, which I dutifully did. A couple of days later I get a response from the same guy telling me that they have found my resume to be interesting and asked me to answer a questionnaire attached with the mail. The questionnaire was intelligent and looked like it was from a reputed firm. So I spent some time on it and forwarded the answers as requested in the mail.

Five days later, I get a response indicating that they were happy to inform me that I was selected for the Job and that I was to be a General Manager with the company at their new Project at Republic of Benin. My pay - $ 19,000 a month. I was told to contact an attorney at Benin for further relocation and immigration formalities and that all my expenses towards the attorney were to be refunded. For good measure, the appointment letter was attached signed by none other than, Hussain M. Sultan, Chairman and CEO of Dragon Oil.

The offer was quite attractive and it took me some time to get back to mother earth and realize that I had better do some checking out on Dragon Oil. I visited their website and found that Hussain M. Sultan was indeed the Chairman and CEO of Dragon Oil. However their primary interest and projects were in Cheleken Contract Area Offshore Turkmenistan, in the Caspian Sea. There was no mention of Benin. Neither did their recruitment page have any positions listed.

I thought of getting to the bottom of the matter and started my research on the Internet. Here I came across the 419 scam a.k.a the Nigerian Money transfer fraud. The number "419" refers to the article of the Nigerian Criminal Code (part of Chapter 38: "Obtaining Property by false pretences; Cheating") dealing with fraud.

There are various versions of the scam. However I found a web site http://www.joewein.de/sw/419-phone-bj.htm which allows one to check the email or the document online. So I cut and paste the e-mail and checked it out. The answers were not very comfortable since it told me things I ought to have known, at least some of them. This is the advise I received:

(a) The word Barr. (barrister) mentioned in the e-mail was outdated and was generally referred to in the 419 scam mails.

(b) The e-mail used was a free web mail address. Any company worth it’s salt would have their own website and would use that instead.

(c) The location Cotonou (in Benin) had been used for many scams in the past.

(d) The email listed mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.

a. +447024074399 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

b. +22993473212 (Benin, probably a prepaid mobile phone)

Lastly for any kind of immigration activities I should have been contacting the local embassy of the country and not some Barrister in Benin.

Cute stuff. I felt like going to Nigeria or Benin or wherever the scamster was and give him one solid punch. Unfortunately going to Nigeria would cost me more money than I would have lost as a result of falling for the scam. But the thought is dangerous. Imagine someone spending around $ 1000 in attorney fees only to realize he has lost it. Worse, someone actually giving up the current job in order to prepare for the move.

This was news to me and i think not many people are aware of this in my country. Anyways I guess it is best to tell family and friends so they don’t fall for it. The following sites describe the scam and its various versions in good detail.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance_fee_fraud
http://www.scambuster419.co.uk/

Friday, January 8, 2010

Watch Super Bowl XLIV 2010 Live Online Free

Yes you can watch Super Bowl XLIV 2010 live online for free. The Super Bowl XLIV will be held on the 07 Feb 2010 at Dolphin Stadium, at Miami, Florida. The Kick off time is 6:28 PM and the NFL website will be hosting the live streaming of the game at http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/44/live/landing

You can also watch the live online video streaming free at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0090hbk

The finalists have not been decided yet as there are still some knock out games to be played. You can watch the games leading to the Super Bowl XLIV also live online.

The road to Super Bowl is as follows

Wild-Card Round
Sat.-Sun., Jan. 9-10
AFC

Sat., Jan. 9, 4:30 p.m. ET NBC
N.Y. Jets
Cincinnati

Sun., Jan. 10, 1:00 p.m. ET CBS
Baltimore
New England

NFC
Sat., Jan. 9, 8:00 p.m. ET NBC
Philadelphia
Dallas
Sun., Jan 10, 4:40 p.m. ET FOX
Green Bay
Arizona

Divisional Round
Sat.-Sun. Jan. 16-17


Championship Round
Sun., Jan. 24

Super Bowl XLIV
Sun., Feb. 7

Watch super Bowl XLIV live online at

http://www.cbs.com/specials/superbowl/super_bowl_xliv/


Official site of Superbowl XLIV

http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/44

Shop for Superbowl stuff at

http://www.nflshop.com/home/index.jsp

Watch Videos from the Superbowl at the link below

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-super-bowl

Events scheduled for the SuperBowl at:

http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/44/events

The Visitor's Guide to the event:

http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/44/guide

Monday, January 4, 2010

Castor and Pollux - The Story of My Life!

These two people I know are in the process of ruining my life. Taking turns, one by one, casting a shadow on me all the time, always contradicting each other. I really don’t know how I have survived the 40 odd years of my life, despite them. Or, Have I?

God knows what makes them do this to me but somehow or the other they always succeed making me feel like a complete idiot. And guess what, if they were ever on the same side, I would know which side to take. But, as luck would have it, they have always managed to have differing opinions about everything.

Being around these two has its advantages too. I am bright, witty, logical and entertaining. I am generally optimistic and enthusiastic like a child. I enjoy everything, never settling down for one. I am good at expressing myself, have good communication skills, and am versatile and good with my hands, adaptable and clever. The unknown intrigues me. I can do more than one thing at a time. I am a free soul. I perceive life as a game. I have the zeal of a sportsman. The intellect dominates me, constantly interacting with the environment, investigating, learning, knowing and exchanging ideas.

However my association with these two gentlemen in question has made sure I don’t stick to one thing for long. One of them introduces me to something and the moment I get interested, the other person jumps up and says that he has lost interest and that he wants to see or try something else. As a result I have never been able to pursue something with my whole heart. Never going deep into any subject, just skimming the top of it. Courtesy these two, most of the time I am just thinking of what I am missing, or what I am not doing rather than what I am doing at the moment.

The people I know, think, that I am restless and fickle minded. I can’t blame them. I myself think of me that way at times. When I was younger people used to laugh it off saying that I would settle down. But now thanks to these two guys, all aspects of my life are suffering.

As an individual it feels great, but otherwise I feel like a flipped coin most of the time, never knowing which side would show up. I am brilliant and irresistible at times and inconsistent and irrational at the other. My relationships have hardly gone beyond the superficial level. These two are again to be blamed. One of them makes me take a stand, voice an opinion, decide on an option and then the other one forces me to completely change my mind the next instant. To others I come across like a Chameleon, changing colors every instant, selfish and confused. Frankly, people have told me, I am exasperating and that they can never be sure, what I am thinking about.

People say that morality and values don’t have any place in my life and irrespective of how straightforward, honest, courteous, affectionate, generous and thoughtful I am, it’s all put to waste because these two would not let me stick to my convictions. Ultimately it seems to others that I am driven only by one thing that is my self interest, even though that is not the case.

For my own sanity in this social world, one of them has to go. I still have not made up my mind as to which one.

It’s either Castor or Pollux.

Sad part and the tough one too, I don’t think I will be complete without either of them.

I am a Gemini.

Friday, January 1, 2010

Universe In A Year - Carl Sagan

Carl Sagan, the American Astronomer had come up with a cosmic calendar as a way for people to understand the history of the universe.

He put the entire period starting with the Big Bang till now into an earth year (all relative) with the human history crowding in the last five minutes. Interestingly the earth formed after nine months in the cosmic calendar in the month of September.

The homo sapiens appeared in the last five minutes of the day and the last five hundred years have happened in the last second which continues even now.

If you see the calendar it becomes easier to comprehend what happened when and how long it took relative to other events.

Have a look at the Cosmic Calendar:

01 Jan - Big Bang , universe formed
15 Mar - Galaxies and five stars formed
01 May - Our own galaxy, the Milky Way formed
08 Sep - Our Sun Formed
09 Sep - Our Solar System formed
12 Sep - Earth formed
13 Sep - The Earth's moon formed
20 Sep - Earth's atmosphere formed
01 Oct - First life form appears on earth
07 Oct - Earliest fossils
18 Dec - first Multi-celled life form appears
19 Dec - First fish appears
20 Dec - First insects and land based plants appear
23 Dec - First reptiles appear
24 Dec - Earliest Dinosaurs
26 Dec - Earliest mammals
27 Dec - Earliest birds
28 Dec - Earliest Flowering plants / Dinosaurs are extinct
31 Dec (23:55) - Modern Humans evolved

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