Campaign for Obama and the Internet

The US presidential candidate Barack Obama and his supporters are using the power of Internet most for raising funds and spreading the words. Here is one of such initiatives called 30 reasons (to vote for Obama and not for McCain) which can tell you what leverage he is having.

Image by Chaz Maviyane-Davies, Boston, Massachusetts

Read More

Image of the day

An apple tree in a private garden in Reichenau Island with no one to harvest.

Read More

A great Photoblog on Bangladesh

Geoffrey Hiller is an widely traveled photojournalist and a multimedia producer. He is currently in Bangladesh on a Fulbright Scholar grant to teach interactive media in the department of Media and Communication of Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB).

Here is a feature on him in the Daily star by one of his students.

The reason I am writing is to highlight his blog "Photos and notes from Bangladesh", which portrays Bangladesh and Bangladeshis in their true selves.

Also don't forget to check his great work "Verve Photo", which portrays the best and upcoming photographers of the world including their works.

Read More

Attacks against Christians in India

In recent months radical mobs have attacked Christians and their churches in a number of Indian states. Ayesha Saldanha wrote a deep analysis on the issue in Global Voices:

Right-wing Hindu groups, such as the VHP, its youth wing, the Bajrang Dal, and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) accuse Christian groups of converting Hindus, particularly from lower castes and tribal groups. It is alleged that Hindu activists in Orissa have tried to intimidate Christians to reconvert to Hinduism.

The renowned journalist Khushwant Singh explains this conversion business:

To this day, Christian missionaries run the best schools, colleges and hospitals in our country. They are inexpensive and free of corruption. They get converts because of the sense of gratitude they generate. Can this be called forcible conversion? Why donʼt the great champions of Hinduism look within their hearts and find out why so many are disenchanted by their pretensions of piety? Let them first set their own houses in order, purge the caste system out of Hindu society and welcome with open arms all those who wish to join them. No one will then convert from Hinduism to another religion.

Read More

On US economy

This is quite old (from June '08) and probably had been circulated to millions of email accounts by now. But some pieces are timeless and they can be called a classic.

Here is what Dr. Marc Faber concluded in his monthly bulletin of June 2008:

"The federal government is sending each of us a $600 rebate.

• If we spend that money at Wal-Mart, the money goes to China.
• If we spend it on gasoline it goes to the Arabs. If we buy a computer it will go to India.
• If we purchase fruit and vegetables it will go to Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala.
• If we purchase a good car it will go to Germany.
• If we purchase useless crap it will go to Taiwan and none of it will help the American economy.

The only way to keep that money here at home is to spend it on prostitutes and beer, since these are the only products still produced in US. I’ve been doing my part."

Via Wordbeats.

Read More

You're gorgeous, can I hug you?

President Asif A. Zardari of Pakistan met with US Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin recently and tried to outsmart himself in front of the attractive lady and spelled some flirtatious words (may be innocently). Well he is not the only one making such mistake. US President George Bush massaged Germany's chancellor Angela Merkel's neck and got away with it.

But the Pakistanis are not Germans. So Zardari's act caused ripple's in the Muslim Pakistani society. His statements are now being dissected, vilified by Pakistanis which can be fathomed by the blogger's reactions.

The commercial enterprises were quick to catch on with the sentiments. Here is the reaction of Nando’s, a popular chicken chain in Karachi:

Image credit: CHUP!

Read More

Schwäbische Alb

Yesterday we had some great time in the Swabian Alb. From Wikipedia:

"The Swabian Alb (German: Schwäbische Alb) is a low mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, extending 220 km from southwest to northeast and 40 to 70 km in width. It is named after the region of Swabia.

The Swabian Alb occupies the region bounded by the Danube in the southeast and the upper Neckar in the northwest. In the southwest it rises to the higher mountains of the Black Forest. The highest mountain of the Swabian Alb is the Lemberg (1015 m). The Alb's profile resembles a high plateau, which slowly falls away to the southeast." (Wikipedia)

With magnificent landscapes and numerous castles this is a popular tourist destination. Here are some pictures>

Burg Hohenzollerndam

A church in Burg Hohenzollerndam

Landscape view from Burg Hohenzollerndam

No its not a castle, its a restaurant

In these parts the castles are from fairy tales. View of Lichtenstein Castle.

Read More