We have changed and the icon of change is none other than the Times Group. They are now recruiting actors under the disguise of reporters. With huge salary cuts already announced in the group, they may have to engage such tactics to pay salaries, it now seems to reveal.
Investigative journalism is long gone, enter theater journalism. With the advent of television, we saw many under cover stories. Some of them very professionally done and in true public interest to bring out the corruption and nepotism, while some just for TRP ratings.
Rajat Sharma is India’s number one actor who marauds as a journalist. His Aap Ki Adalat was nothing more than a drama and he ventured out with his own entertainment channel which he calls as news channel. Except him, nobody else – not even his own reporters – considers it as a news channel.
Now comes the drama of making reporters as beggars and to see how much they collect each day. Ahmedabad Mirror did this trick and managed a little below Rs 100 from three beggars, I mean reporters.
A much better idea would have been to follow a real life beggar and see how much do they collect. That would have been more genuine and authentic by all standards. But with television impact on the background some newspapers are stooping to any levels.
For the reporters, it is a great change as Times is on a retrenchment drive. If these reporters are asked to go, they can get some solace that Times have trained them in another profession for survival.
And read into the story and you will find that it is done with no penchant for local culture or international trends of begging. We really don’t know whether Amdavadis bestow the beggars with alms compared to other cities.
Having done such a vast exercise, if you are doing no research into the story, it goes down the gutter which this one did so easily.
March 17, 2009
March 06, 2009
A kilo of newspaper is worth just an SMS
Imagine the cost of sending a text message to your friend next door replying to his message with ‘OK”. It is a whopping 2 Rs in most cases unless you have a fixed monthly subscription. So in other word each word is costing Rs 1.
Now imagine the newspaper delivered at your doorstep, in most cases, more than a kilogram in weight and at least 30 pages in size. It is also the same price.
But newspaper industry produces this very newspaper at unimaginable cost to both the company and the environment and is yet delivered in time at your door step at these throwaway prices.
Now the mobile operators incur nothing to deliver the message but yet take a huge sum for delivery.
Welcome to the world of shrinking readership. India, like any other part of the world, is facing a severe readership crisis of print articles – whether it is a newspaper, magazine or a book.
The more it shrinks; the newspaper industry goes more into red. Many of them goes into the closure mode since they have no other way to survive than advertising, which again is shrinking like readership.
Now has the television viewership or online readership for digital content increased because of this? There is no concrete survey to establish this. Online readership has always been on the rise because of the advent of internet in new areas.
But television channels in India have made a travesty of its journey from good journalism to bad reporting to now sensational reporting. We now see more stars in television anchors than the news they present.
So can this be revived? The answer is a plain NO. It is very difficult, or rather impossible, to bring back lost readers.
Now imagine the newspaper delivered at your doorstep, in most cases, more than a kilogram in weight and at least 30 pages in size. It is also the same price.
But newspaper industry produces this very newspaper at unimaginable cost to both the company and the environment and is yet delivered in time at your door step at these throwaway prices.
Now the mobile operators incur nothing to deliver the message but yet take a huge sum for delivery.
Welcome to the world of shrinking readership. India, like any other part of the world, is facing a severe readership crisis of print articles – whether it is a newspaper, magazine or a book.
The more it shrinks; the newspaper industry goes more into red. Many of them goes into the closure mode since they have no other way to survive than advertising, which again is shrinking like readership.
Now has the television viewership or online readership for digital content increased because of this? There is no concrete survey to establish this. Online readership has always been on the rise because of the advent of internet in new areas.
But television channels in India have made a travesty of its journey from good journalism to bad reporting to now sensational reporting. We now see more stars in television anchors than the news they present.
So can this be revived? The answer is a plain NO. It is very difficult, or rather impossible, to bring back lost readers.
February 09, 2009
Death of a friend, journalist and a late starter
As the news of the death of a colleague rushed in, I was horror-struck. I knew only this person from Bethiah in Bihar. I never knew about his wife, daughter or son and also what they do. I knew that Prakash Chand Dubey – a born Brahmin Hindu – was a Christian by faith.
He was my colleague when I reported for UCA News. I made him work for radio since he was keen on earning a little more for family maintenance. He was a person who worked free for social cause. Preferred to stay in remote Bethiah though he had a doctorate from JNU on international politics and law degree from Bihar university and also a PG in journalism. He was happy that FSRN – the radio news cast to which I reported first and he followed me – was giving him his due of good story telling.
But there was his inherent problem of length. If you ask for a 1000 word story, he would invariably give you a 10,000-word story. He initially thought that this charity of words would please the editors. Being a lawyer, he was right in his own way. But editors just scratched their heads since filtering his story was most cumbersome.
I made his travel to Darjeeling for a story on tea gardens. He sent us a story, which we used but in ten parts. That was the kind of length he used to give. Nevertheless, his commitment to travel and do human-interest stories was immense.
He told me several times why he remained a Christian while his entire family followed Hindu faith. He said there was no friction whatsoever on religious lines. He was converted into Christianity after the school and the college he studied – both missionary institutions, impressed him.
While his contemporaries are still tilling land and are landless labourers, he made it to the top – without actually spending a fortune. The difference, he told me once, was that they just could not get into the right place.
So he wanted his son to become a Christian all by himself and not by any sermons from the father. I don’t know whether that has happened. But I could never fathom how they stayed without any friction though they believed in two religions that are more known to fight with each other than show any harmony.
He was my passport for my long time ambition to go to Kathmandu via road. He stayed closed to Indo-Nepal border and was very well versed with the geography of the region. But that never happened not because of his fault but I could never keep my word of visiting his home because of my other commitments.
That brings us to the focal point of how much are we going to live or when are we going to die? There is no guarantee of life and especially for journalists – who are now deprived the guarantee of jobs too.
You can listen to a moving tribute by FSRN to P C Dubey. Click here
He was my colleague when I reported for UCA News. I made him work for radio since he was keen on earning a little more for family maintenance. He was a person who worked free for social cause. Preferred to stay in remote Bethiah though he had a doctorate from JNU on international politics and law degree from Bihar university and also a PG in journalism. He was happy that FSRN – the radio news cast to which I reported first and he followed me – was giving him his due of good story telling.
But there was his inherent problem of length. If you ask for a 1000 word story, he would invariably give you a 10,000-word story. He initially thought that this charity of words would please the editors. Being a lawyer, he was right in his own way. But editors just scratched their heads since filtering his story was most cumbersome.
I made his travel to Darjeeling for a story on tea gardens. He sent us a story, which we used but in ten parts. That was the kind of length he used to give. Nevertheless, his commitment to travel and do human-interest stories was immense.
He told me several times why he remained a Christian while his entire family followed Hindu faith. He said there was no friction whatsoever on religious lines. He was converted into Christianity after the school and the college he studied – both missionary institutions, impressed him.
While his contemporaries are still tilling land and are landless labourers, he made it to the top – without actually spending a fortune. The difference, he told me once, was that they just could not get into the right place.
So he wanted his son to become a Christian all by himself and not by any sermons from the father. I don’t know whether that has happened. But I could never fathom how they stayed without any friction though they believed in two religions that are more known to fight with each other than show any harmony.
He was my passport for my long time ambition to go to Kathmandu via road. He stayed closed to Indo-Nepal border and was very well versed with the geography of the region. But that never happened not because of his fault but I could never keep my word of visiting his home because of my other commitments.
That brings us to the focal point of how much are we going to live or when are we going to die? There is no guarantee of life and especially for journalists – who are now deprived the guarantee of jobs too.
You can listen to a moving tribute by FSRN to P C Dubey. Click here
January 20, 2009
When salaries turn into ransom – I
When I started my career in journalism, the field was not new to me. My father was already a journalist and I had all the information about journo, their habits and their weaknesses.
I imbibed only the good qualities and retrenched the weaknesses to the extent possible. When I was in my first year college, I took charge of the editorial part of the Ahmedabad division’s Times of India and Economic Times. No, not as its in charge but handling a small portion of work which routine journalists refused to do. I handled the Response Features (or in other words advertorials) for both these newspapers. But well before that I contributed regularly to a Wednesday column called Mid-Week Montage with satirical articles. My first payment was Rs 250 and it was something that I could never imagine because I was in school at that point of time and I became the youngest salaried guy in my class.
Week after week, I got this amount for which I had to go to the Times of India office and gradually, somebody in Response Team called me asking if I could do the editorial part of Response Features. I did and was paid Rs 1000 per article which was not bad at that time because journalists were paid pittance and there were too less opportunities too.
But today journos are not paid salaries but ransom. Newspapers converted itself into corporate houses and began hunting for journalists offering unrealistic salaries. The climb was so high that when we started our portal, we could get none for the kind of salaries we were offering. On the contrary, people laughed at us. But when the promoters are themselves journos, there was nothing to worry as we could do what ten journalists could not. Thankfully, we saved all those money which came handy today.
Now the scene is shrinking. Not only salaries have fallen drastically but the question now is whether there will be job safety at all? How is that some newspapers run their editions in total losses offering hefty sums as salaries? What is the revenue model they are looking at? We learnt the hard way of generating revenue and corrected some our mistakes too. What we did and how we did and also the scenario of the current journalistic meltdown will be carried in the next edition.
I imbibed only the good qualities and retrenched the weaknesses to the extent possible. When I was in my first year college, I took charge of the editorial part of the Ahmedabad division’s Times of India and Economic Times. No, not as its in charge but handling a small portion of work which routine journalists refused to do. I handled the Response Features (or in other words advertorials) for both these newspapers. But well before that I contributed regularly to a Wednesday column called Mid-Week Montage with satirical articles. My first payment was Rs 250 and it was something that I could never imagine because I was in school at that point of time and I became the youngest salaried guy in my class.
Week after week, I got this amount for which I had to go to the Times of India office and gradually, somebody in Response Team called me asking if I could do the editorial part of Response Features. I did and was paid Rs 1000 per article which was not bad at that time because journalists were paid pittance and there were too less opportunities too.
But today journos are not paid salaries but ransom. Newspapers converted itself into corporate houses and began hunting for journalists offering unrealistic salaries. The climb was so high that when we started our portal, we could get none for the kind of salaries we were offering. On the contrary, people laughed at us. But when the promoters are themselves journos, there was nothing to worry as we could do what ten journalists could not. Thankfully, we saved all those money which came handy today.
Now the scene is shrinking. Not only salaries have fallen drastically but the question now is whether there will be job safety at all? How is that some newspapers run their editions in total losses offering hefty sums as salaries? What is the revenue model they are looking at? We learnt the hard way of generating revenue and corrected some our mistakes too. What we did and how we did and also the scenario of the current journalistic meltdown will be carried in the next edition.
December 19, 2008
Mark Felt’s phrase could unearth Mumbai terrorists
Sounds ridiculous? But it is true. For more than thirty years, this person named Mark Felt remained anonymous while his prophetic advice “Follow the Money” unearthed what is now known as Watergate Scandal.
If Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein had not followed this famous phrase – now immortalized, they would have reached nowhere. It was one of the greatest mysteries not only in America but the entire world.
Felt leaked information of the investigation into a burglary at the Democratic National Committee HQ in Washington's Watergate complex in June 1972. This later turned to be a major controversy surrounding the White house involving a series of political spying, sabotage and bribery forcing President Nixon to resign.
Now, what has this to do with Mumbai terror attacks? Questions are asked on the identity of the attackers, their motive and their sponsors. There are different views on this and the investigations are on. We really don’t know who sponsored this costly affair of mayhem? What we know for now is that the terrorists are Muslims- which I believe is the easiest thing to identify if they happen to be men – and they are from Pakistan. The latter is being denied by Pakistan.
But it is not clear as to who sponsored it. A Russian official say Dawood Ibrahim has done this and another sections says Lashkar group has done this. So the best way to investigate this is to "Follow the money", a phrase that has inspired generations of investigative reporters and now the Mumbai police has to follow this path to get the first lead on this terror strike.
It is not important who the terrorists are, but it is more important to know who sponsored them. Choke off their finances and you will see no terrorism at all. This will be the greatest tribute to Mark Felt who died today at the age of 95.
If Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein had not followed this famous phrase – now immortalized, they would have reached nowhere. It was one of the greatest mysteries not only in America but the entire world.
Felt leaked information of the investigation into a burglary at the Democratic National Committee HQ in Washington's Watergate complex in June 1972. This later turned to be a major controversy surrounding the White house involving a series of political spying, sabotage and bribery forcing President Nixon to resign.
Now, what has this to do with Mumbai terror attacks? Questions are asked on the identity of the attackers, their motive and their sponsors. There are different views on this and the investigations are on. We really don’t know who sponsored this costly affair of mayhem? What we know for now is that the terrorists are Muslims- which I believe is the easiest thing to identify if they happen to be men – and they are from Pakistan. The latter is being denied by Pakistan.
But it is not clear as to who sponsored it. A Russian official say Dawood Ibrahim has done this and another sections says Lashkar group has done this. So the best way to investigate this is to "Follow the money", a phrase that has inspired generations of investigative reporters and now the Mumbai police has to follow this path to get the first lead on this terror strike.
It is not important who the terrorists are, but it is more important to know who sponsored them. Choke off their finances and you will see no terrorism at all. This will be the greatest tribute to Mark Felt who died today at the age of 95.
December 18, 2008
What a co-incidence!
This is indeed a full circle. And it is not ironical at all. One of the accused in fake encounter of Sohrabuddin Sheikh case in Gujarat told a sessions court that IG (Prisons) Keshav Kumar intends to kill him in a staged encounter.
And wondering who said this. This is none other than suspended DySP NK Amin. This is the same person accused in the custodial death of Lt Col Pratap Save in Dehri village of Umargaon in south Gujarat in the year 2000.
Save was an environment activist and was fighting against the government's decision to build a private port near Umargaon. I went to Save’s home just as the protests were intensifying and he said the fight was not for him but for the georgraphy and livelihood of fishermen.
The government sent Amin and he was killed in custody. No body remembers this incident, not even the media but I still remember when I called Amin for a reaction to this allegation by the retired army officer’s family that Amin was responsible for Save’s death.
He banged the phone saying he doesn’t talk to all and sundry journalists since he could not fathom the name of the foreign organization that I represented. While in Umergaon, I happened to meet him and he sarcastically laughed at me indicating that at one stroke the entire protest was over.
The vicious circle is not haunting him as he is in the jail being accused and is complaining that he may be killed. I couldn’t help looking up at the sky in disbelief as if I was watching a pot boiler movie of natural justice.
In an affidavit before court, alleging torture at the behest of the IPS officer, Amin has sought protection from court. Amin claimed that a sub-jailer had thrashed him on December 6 and he was not given medical treatment for four days.
When he sent a complaint against Kumar to Sabarmati police station, the concerned officer tore the papers maintaining he should route his complaint through jail authorities only.
What a co-incidence!
December 17, 2008
How long India will take to nuke Pak?
The following sarcasm over India’s red tapism is very interesting. I came across this in Rediff as a response to an article and throught, I should preserve. Please note that this is not mine and is prepared by some anonymous guy. If you are the person who prepared it, please report it on the comments section. I will be glad to give your byline. Now read on
During the Cold War, if USA launched a nuke-loaded missile, Soviet Satellites would inform the Soviet army in 3 seconds and in less than 45 seconds Soviet counter-missiles would be on their way.
Recent studies commissioned by US department of Defense included one on nuclear war between India and Pakistan :
This was the scenario................
The Pakistan army decides to launch a nuke-missile towards India. They don't need any permission from their government, and promptly order the countdowns.
Indian technology is highly advanced. In less than 8 seconds, Indian army detects the Pak countdown and decides to launch a missile in retribution.
But they need permission from the Government of India.
They submit their request to the Indian President. The President forwards it to the Cabinet. The Prime Minister calls an emergency Lok Sabha session.
The LS meets, but due to several walkouts and severe protests by the opposition, it gets adjourned indefinitely.
The President asks for a quick decision.
In the mean time, the Pak missile failed to take off due to technical failure. Their attempts for a re-launch are still on.
Just then the Indian ruling party is reduced to a minority because a party that was giving outside support withdraws it. The President asks the PM to prove his majority within a week.
As the ruling party fails to win the confidence vote, a caretaker government is installed.
The caretaker PM decides to permit the armed forces to launch a nuclear missile. But the Election Commission says that a caretaker government cannot take such a decision because elections are at hand.
The Election Commission files Public Interest Litigation in the Supreme Court alleging misuse of power.
The Supreme Court comes to the rescue of the PM, and says the acting PM is authorized to take this decision in view of the emergency facing the nation.
Just then one of the Pak missiles successfully took off, but it fell 367 miles away from the target, on its own government building in Islamabad at 11.00AM.
Fortunately there were no casualties as no employee had reached the office that early. In any case, the nuclear core of the missile had detached somewhere in flight.
The Pakistan army is now trying to get better technologies from China and USA. The Indian Government, taking no chances, decides to launch a nuclear missile of its own, after convening an all-party meeting. This time all the parties agree.
Its three months since the army had sought permission. But as preparations begin, "pro-humanity", "anti-nuclear" activists come out against the Government's decision.
Human chains are formed and Rasta rokos organized.
In California and Washington endless e-mails are sent to Indians condemning the government and mentioning "Please forward it to as many Indians as possible".
On the Pakistan side, the missiles kept malfunctioning. Some missiles deviate from target due to technical failures or high-speed wind blowing over Rajasthan.
Many of them land in the Indian Ocean killing some fishes.
A missile (smuggled from USA) is pressed into service. Since the Pakistan army is unable to understand its software, it hits its original destination: Russia.
Russians successfully intercepts the missile and in retaliation launches a nuclear missile towards Islamabad. The missile hits the target and creates havoc.
Pakistan cries for help. India expresses deep regrets for what has happened and sends in a million dollars worth of Parle-G biscuits.
Thus India never gets to launch the missile.
Written by Anonymous
During the Cold War, if USA launched a nuke-loaded missile, Soviet Satellites would inform the Soviet army in 3 seconds and in less than 45 seconds Soviet counter-missiles would be on their way.
Recent studies commissioned by US department of Defense included one on nuclear war between India and Pakistan :
This was the scenario................
The Pakistan army decides to launch a nuke-missile towards India. They don't need any permission from their government, and promptly order the countdowns.
Indian technology is highly advanced. In less than 8 seconds, Indian army detects the Pak countdown and decides to launch a missile in retribution.
But they need permission from the Government of India.
They submit their request to the Indian President. The President forwards it to the Cabinet. The Prime Minister calls an emergency Lok Sabha session.
The LS meets, but due to several walkouts and severe protests by the opposition, it gets adjourned indefinitely.
The President asks for a quick decision.
In the mean time, the Pak missile failed to take off due to technical failure. Their attempts for a re-launch are still on.
Just then the Indian ruling party is reduced to a minority because a party that was giving outside support withdraws it. The President asks the PM to prove his majority within a week.
As the ruling party fails to win the confidence vote, a caretaker government is installed.
The caretaker PM decides to permit the armed forces to launch a nuclear missile. But the Election Commission says that a caretaker government cannot take such a decision because elections are at hand.
The Election Commission files Public Interest Litigation in the Supreme Court alleging misuse of power.
The Supreme Court comes to the rescue of the PM, and says the acting PM is authorized to take this decision in view of the emergency facing the nation.
Just then one of the Pak missiles successfully took off, but it fell 367 miles away from the target, on its own government building in Islamabad at 11.00AM.
Fortunately there were no casualties as no employee had reached the office that early. In any case, the nuclear core of the missile had detached somewhere in flight.
The Pakistan army is now trying to get better technologies from China and USA. The Indian Government, taking no chances, decides to launch a nuclear missile of its own, after convening an all-party meeting. This time all the parties agree.
Its three months since the army had sought permission. But as preparations begin, "pro-humanity", "anti-nuclear" activists come out against the Government's decision.
Human chains are formed and Rasta rokos organized.
In California and Washington endless e-mails are sent to Indians condemning the government and mentioning "Please forward it to as many Indians as possible".
On the Pakistan side, the missiles kept malfunctioning. Some missiles deviate from target due to technical failures or high-speed wind blowing over Rajasthan.
Many of them land in the Indian Ocean killing some fishes.
A missile (smuggled from USA) is pressed into service. Since the Pakistan army is unable to understand its software, it hits its original destination: Russia.
Russians successfully intercepts the missile and in retaliation launches a nuclear missile towards Islamabad. The missile hits the target and creates havoc.
Pakistan cries for help. India expresses deep regrets for what has happened and sends in a million dollars worth of Parle-G biscuits.
Thus India never gets to launch the missile.
Written by Anonymous
December 16, 2008
Not all emails accounts opened are used
Almost everyone who is exposed to internet have multiple email accounts. Some have as many as fifty and some more than that. But it is a common fact that only one of those emails are used. The others gradually fades away. But almost all the email services claim they have x million users or y million accounts. Now you know what those accounts are there for.
I am updating my entry posted below. This is in response by someone named Rishi (presumably a Network 18 employee) which reads :
Before you go about talking about in.com screwing people I suggest you examine the cause for the invites going out or at least using the least of your journalistic ethics to call network18 or web18 for a clarification , Its shoddy reporting like this that gives true blogs a bad name. There is an invite all imported contacts to in.com radio button next to the import tab that you had selected, its the same type of button you have on linked in , facebook or orkut... I would not even justify your rant about us being a crap service user feedback on our site is incredible... I bet you were paid by a competitor”
Very interesting to read that I was paid by a competitor! Ah, I hope it comes true. I can then make millions in such a business model. It is one of the fantastic revenue models where you are most likely to get a good response from even private equity.
Secondly, let me clarify here that blogs are not news portals, my dear friend. They are basically diaries but put in public domain. And secondly why should I contact this email service for any clarifications if at all I need to whom should I contact? I should have done this if this was a journalistic piece. This is an opinion my dear which is absolutely confined to myself.
You state that “I would not even justify your rant about us being a crap service user feedback on our site is incredible”. Who am I to disagree? Did I say you don’t have user base or people just don’t come to your service? For me it is a crap and that’s it. For some gmail may be a crap and for some other services. But your claim of copying Facebook and Orkut (which I never use) style to give a button next to the imported names and then uncheck those thousands of names is not something that I nor anyone would agree. I was never asked, at the first place, whether an invite should be sent or not.
So please keep your house in order and abide by international laws of privacy. If India doesn’t have a law to draw you to the courts, it doesn’t mean you should fleece your users.
And regarding your statement “I bet you were paid by a competitor”, all I can say is that you have won your bet. But also let me know who are your competitors so that I can claim at least a fraction of what you may have thought of being paid to me.
I am updating my entry posted below. This is in response by someone named Rishi (presumably a Network 18 employee) which reads :
Before you go about talking about in.com screwing people I suggest you examine the cause for the invites going out or at least using the least of your journalistic ethics to call network18 or web18 for a clarification , Its shoddy reporting like this that gives true blogs a bad name. There is an invite all imported contacts to in.com radio button next to the import tab that you had selected, its the same type of button you have on linked in , facebook or orkut... I would not even justify your rant about us being a crap service user feedback on our site is incredible... I bet you were paid by a competitor”
Very interesting to read that I was paid by a competitor! Ah, I hope it comes true. I can then make millions in such a business model. It is one of the fantastic revenue models where you are most likely to get a good response from even private equity.
Secondly, let me clarify here that blogs are not news portals, my dear friend. They are basically diaries but put in public domain. And secondly why should I contact this email service for any clarifications if at all I need to whom should I contact? I should have done this if this was a journalistic piece. This is an opinion my dear which is absolutely confined to myself.
You state that “I would not even justify your rant about us being a crap service user feedback on our site is incredible”. Who am I to disagree? Did I say you don’t have user base or people just don’t come to your service? For me it is a crap and that’s it. For some gmail may be a crap and for some other services. But your claim of copying Facebook and Orkut (which I never use) style to give a button next to the imported names and then uncheck those thousands of names is not something that I nor anyone would agree. I was never asked, at the first place, whether an invite should be sent or not.
So please keep your house in order and abide by international laws of privacy. If India doesn’t have a law to draw you to the courts, it doesn’t mean you should fleece your users.
And regarding your statement “I bet you were paid by a competitor”, all I can say is that you have won your bet. But also let me know who are your competitors so that I can claim at least a fraction of what you may have thought of being paid to me.
December 15, 2008
Never ever join in.com
Normally, I hate to use multiple email accounts as gmail suffices all my needs. But unfortunately, while reading a news item, I landed at in.com, a TV 18 venture and is claiming it has the latest technologies in this sphere.
But one important factor it doesn’t have is ethics. As soon as I joined, it asked me whether I need to import my contacts from any other email services. I put gmail and it got all the addresses into it. The next day, I began to get calls from people that they have got invitations to join this crap service. I had to offer my apologies and this drama is still on.
And since I don’t send such unscrupulous mails, it was natural that friends called me to confirm whether I had actually invited them. The matter of fact is that this email service showed its true colour when it sent out invitations without my consent. If I was a lawyer, I would have dragged them to court over this. But I urge someone reading this entry to initiate some steps so that the trust people keep on such services is not lost. Who knows they will send an email on behalf of any terrorist organizations quoting my email and name?
Please do not join this crap service as it will screw you too.
But one important factor it doesn’t have is ethics. As soon as I joined, it asked me whether I need to import my contacts from any other email services. I put gmail and it got all the addresses into it. The next day, I began to get calls from people that they have got invitations to join this crap service. I had to offer my apologies and this drama is still on.
And since I don’t send such unscrupulous mails, it was natural that friends called me to confirm whether I had actually invited them. The matter of fact is that this email service showed its true colour when it sent out invitations without my consent. If I was a lawyer, I would have dragged them to court over this. But I urge someone reading this entry to initiate some steps so that the trust people keep on such services is not lost. Who knows they will send an email on behalf of any terrorist organizations quoting my email and name?
Please do not join this crap service as it will screw you too.
December 13, 2008
Ban everything, let’s get premitive
The entire blame on attacks that killed more than 170 people in Mumbai last month has now come on Google Earth and demand for its ban has gained momentum. If this online satellite imaging tool is banned, do any of you think the terror strikes will stop?? Let’s see what all should be banned.
PCs. Laptops and internet should be banned first. If these things are out of reach, Google Earth is a non-entity. Email should also be a causality since these terrorists will not use them to send hate mails.
The first to put a ban should be fishing. If there is no fishing, there will not be trawlers and if there are no trawlers there will not be any trespassing into Indian waters.
Cargo pants should be banned as it can carry a lot of grenades and magazines. Even the back pack baggages should also be banned since it can carry heavy weapons with ease.
AK 47, AK 56, Grenades, ball bearings, iron particles should be the next on ban since it was used for the operations.
Air travel comes next since the future terror is presumed to be via air. All aeroplanes should be grounded and aerodromes should be made into cricket grounds.
Satellite phones and Mobile phones comes primarily into this list since they were the equipments used for co-ordination between each other
News organizations and sale of television should be banned immediately because these terrorists got all the news of what happened in Gujarat, Ayodhya through this medium. Gone are the days when these news never traveled across districts leave alone countries.
Production of almonds dates and other dry fruits should stop immediately as these are the potent weapons on which terrorists survive. Let them hole up in a building and eat Indian paneer and Vegetable Jalfrezy. Expect them to surrender within 2 hours of consuming this.
Narendra Modi should be banned since his pictures were used as motivating factor for the terrorists to carry out their operation heinously. Along with him should to L K Advani, the architect of religious hatred in India.
Mumbai Taxis should be taken out of roads since the terrorist used it for transportation locally.
Railway stations should be removed and trains should slow down at certain points and the passengers should jump to a net provided down not to get hurt. If there are no railway stations, how can the terrorists get so much crowd to fire at?
Remove all garbage collectors, hospital cleaners and sanitary inspectors. Suspend them and let the city get garbage filthy. No terrorists will ever enter a hospital leave along that city.
Stop all the vaccinations and let the Indians suffer from diseases like Cholera and other epidemics? Do you think the terrorists will ever come here to attack?
Imagine a place with all these bans in place. The terrorists will never strike but instead you will have terrorists within the system. Zimbabwe is the best example where a dangerous terrorist called Robert Mugabe is killing people without a single shot being fired.
PCs. Laptops and internet should be banned first. If these things are out of reach, Google Earth is a non-entity. Email should also be a causality since these terrorists will not use them to send hate mails.
The first to put a ban should be fishing. If there is no fishing, there will not be trawlers and if there are no trawlers there will not be any trespassing into Indian waters.
Cargo pants should be banned as it can carry a lot of grenades and magazines. Even the back pack baggages should also be banned since it can carry heavy weapons with ease.
AK 47, AK 56, Grenades, ball bearings, iron particles should be the next on ban since it was used for the operations.
Air travel comes next since the future terror is presumed to be via air. All aeroplanes should be grounded and aerodromes should be made into cricket grounds.
Satellite phones and Mobile phones comes primarily into this list since they were the equipments used for co-ordination between each other
News organizations and sale of television should be banned immediately because these terrorists got all the news of what happened in Gujarat, Ayodhya through this medium. Gone are the days when these news never traveled across districts leave alone countries.
Production of almonds dates and other dry fruits should stop immediately as these are the potent weapons on which terrorists survive. Let them hole up in a building and eat Indian paneer and Vegetable Jalfrezy. Expect them to surrender within 2 hours of consuming this.
Narendra Modi should be banned since his pictures were used as motivating factor for the terrorists to carry out their operation heinously. Along with him should to L K Advani, the architect of religious hatred in India.
Mumbai Taxis should be taken out of roads since the terrorist used it for transportation locally.
Railway stations should be removed and trains should slow down at certain points and the passengers should jump to a net provided down not to get hurt. If there are no railway stations, how can the terrorists get so much crowd to fire at?
Remove all garbage collectors, hospital cleaners and sanitary inspectors. Suspend them and let the city get garbage filthy. No terrorists will ever enter a hospital leave along that city.
Stop all the vaccinations and let the Indians suffer from diseases like Cholera and other epidemics? Do you think the terrorists will ever come here to attack?
Imagine a place with all these bans in place. The terrorists will never strike but instead you will have terrorists within the system. Zimbabwe is the best example where a dangerous terrorist called Robert Mugabe is killing people without a single shot being fired.
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