We want future, not history

It was two weeks ago that the news about a new book from a prominent politician came into being. Yes I'm talking about Mr. Jawant Singh's book in which he recalls history and gives his version of what he thought about it. He mentions about Jinnah in it.. and calls him a great man and blahblah...

Sometimes I wonder whether news channel get there funding from politicians or may be its the other way round that they pay the politicians to enact a real life drama.

Because this could be the only reason why our top politicians fail us time and again by bringing such petty issues to make a complete mockery of our country. Why is a historical figure so important today that our news channels choose days of airtime for people expressing their thoughts about history and not a word about our country's future.

Aren't we facing a drought situation, have we totally controlled swine flu, is the recession off our backs. are we back to 8-9% growth, do we have gud enough roads, is the roof of our newly constructed airports not falling off, is our infrastructure strong to bear the daily turmoil.. I can go on and on but the question remains unanswered.

I remember reading a Shobha De' article this 15th August in which she mentions that India @ 60 would get a glowing certificate from its critics as well. Not at all if our politicians quit sitting on their brains and not concentrate on their own jobs.

Mr. Prime Minister was spot on yesterday when he said that infighting between any political party is not good. BJP is falling apart like a house of cards, and in their turmoil India is suffering the most... we have a weak oppostion which is never good.

Why is it so? Well they are continuing with their 'Chintan baithaks' but the answer is straight if you ask any young Indian. There is a clear disconnect between the real India and their assumed India that grew up a few years ago perhaps.

They still hope to woo the masses with their hindutva agenda ( which is a one point agenda it seems.. anti muslim) and not their right wing economic policies. They still want to live in the past and teach us history. Well for your information I dont see how is that relevant in building the India of the future.

Our politicians are more passionate about the past, not so much about the future. The younger generation today fails to understand that. Why don't they have a fanatical debate about how fast they can build a road, or feed a grief stricken village in Andhra pradesh. Have a passionate discussion about corruption in the country. Be driven to reform Bihar and UP. Work harder to give us 24 hrs of electricity for god's sake. Banning a book will not help a poor man, banning useless government formalities will.

We all have learned history and what have we learnt is that great minds have captured some of the greatest feats not in the absence of problems but inspite of them.

We in India are great at discussions not so much in action.

A patriot once wrote, "My country, when right keep it right, when wrong set it right.

People all I want to convey is that lets not get into a muddle lik pigs. We're better than this.

Let the book be what it is, banning it is foolishness in the times of internet I guess.

Meanwhile please don't worry about "History" and look into "Future".

Swine influenza - Facts

We have had 17 deaths in the past 3 days. The Pandemic is spreading like wild fire now... As we go into damage control, there are a few precautions that can be taken by all of us.
Below is the compiled FAQ's about Swine flu.

How do people become infected with influenza A (H1N1)?

Outbreaks in humans are now occurring from human-to-human transmission. When infected people cough or sneeze, infected droplets get on their hands, drop onto surfaces, or are dispersed into the air. Another person can breathe in contaminated air, or touch infected hands or surfaces, and be exposed.

What are the signs and symptoms of infection?

Early signs of influenza A (H1N1) are flu-like, including fever, cough, headache, muscle and joint pain, sore throat and runny nose, and sometimes vomiting or diarrhoea. Like seasonal flu, swine flu may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.

Is there any confirmation of transmission between pigs and humans at this point?

No.

How soon can someone with the flu infect someone else?

Infected people may be able to infect others beginning one day before symptoms develop and up to seven or more days after becoming sick.

What surfaces are most likely to be sources of contamination?

Germs can be spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth. Droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person move through the air.

How long can viruses live outside the body?

We know that some viruses and bacteria can live two hours or longer on surfaces like cafeteria tables, doorknobs, and desks. Frequent hand washing will help you reduce the chance of getting contamination from these common surfaces.

What can I do to protect myself from getting sick?

Currently available seasonal influenza vaccine does not protect against H1N1 flu. There are everyday actions that can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like influenza. Take these everyday steps to protect your health:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol based hand cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Try to avoid close contact with people having respiratory illness.
• If one gets sick with influenza, one must stay at home, away from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them. However, if one is having any respiratory distress, one should report to a nearby hospital.

What should I do to keep from getting the flu?

First and most important: wash your hands frequently. Try to stay in good general health. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food. Avoid touching surfaces that may be contaminated with the flu virus. Avoid close contact with people having respiratory illness.

Are there medicines to treat swine flu?

Yes. Oseltamivir is the recommended anti viral drug for the treatment and/or prevention of infection with the influenza A H1N1. If you get sick, antiviral drugs can make your illness milder and make you feel better faster.

They may also prevent serious flu complications. For treatment, antiviral drugs work best if started soon after getting sick (within 2 days of symptoms). The government has adequate stock and the drug is made available to government hospitals at the time of outbreak and would be available to you free of cost. The drug is to be administered under supervision of clinicians.

What should I do if I get sick?

If you live in areas where influenza A H1N1 cases have been identified and become ill with influenza like symptoms e.g. fever, body aches, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, or vomiting or diarrhea, you may contact their health care provider, particularly if you are worried about your symptoms.

Your health care provider will determine whether influenza testing or treatment is needed.

If you are sick, you should stay home and avoid contact with other people as much as possible to keep from spreading your illness to others. If you become ill and experience any of the following warning signs, seek emergency medical care.

In children emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:

• Fast breathing or trouble breathing
• Bluish skin color
• Not drinking enough fluids/eating food
• Not waking up or not interacting
• Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
• Fever with a rash

In adults, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
• Sudden dizziness
• Confusion
• Severe or persistent vomiting

Can I get influenza A H1N1 from eating or preparing pork?

No. swine influenza viruses are not spread by food. Eating properly handled and cooked pork products is safe.

DOs:

* Wash your hands
* Avoid crowded places
* Stay more than an arm's length from persons afflicted with flu
* Get plenty of sleep
* Drink plenty of water and eat nutritious food

DO NOTs:

* Shake hands or hug in greeting
* Spit in public
* Take medicines without consulting a physician

For people who are sick:

* Stay home and limit contacts with others as much as possible
* Rest and take plenty of liquids
* Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze
* Seek medical advice if needed.

Please take good care, people are dying because of this.

God Bless

Unique Identification Cards in India _ Intro

With power comes responsibility and it is the sense of responsibility thats prevailed in Mr Nilekani.
He's a great example for the rest of the society. There is nothing more satisfying than the feeling of being able to help other people in such a way.
Experience and knowledge are two rare virtues which if implemented can produce amazing resullts.

I fully support Mr Nilekani joining hands with the UPA government. It's great.
God Bless India.

Nitty Gritties - (iPhone issues)

Well this part of the blog is dedicated to my fellow iPhone developers.
As the name nitty gritties suggests I'd be blogging about the small issues that are often not discussed elsewhere or very simply the problems faced by newbies.
This section is also the brainchild of a colleague. I'm just trying to implement and help.

Lets talk about Interface orientation in iphone.

I was bored with the plain tall look of my apps in the simulator.
I wanted to introduce my app in a horizontal way, like if you have an email app for example. It would make sense to open the view in a way that is easy for the user too especially with iPhone 3.0 OS that introduced a landscape keyboard.

I thought of trying it through code. Trust me IB is very good but if you wanna learn there are better ways.

What I did was:

1) I opened my info.plist which sits in the resources folder nice and pretty, there at the end of the properties click on the '+' button found at the right sde of every field.

2) Click on it to get a new property, and start typing Initial Interface Orientation, trust me the code sense will take charge you wont have to type the whole thing.

3) Now in the values for this new field type in right Interface orientation.
Go to the build and go. It wont work as of now because your app really wants to be shown in a landscape mode but is being prevented by the method Interface orientation in your view controller.

4) Un comment the method and type in Landscape right home only for the proper display.

Now hit build and go.
You will see your app coming out in a landscape mode.

That's it for now.
Keep the code neat and bug free. It helps ;-)

Cheers.
Divanshu

Allah Megh de pani de...

This is a song that I heard as a kid.. I never understood the deep rooted meaning in it then but now that we're in the middle of a drought like situation in the country, I think I know why everyone feels like appeasing the rain gods everynow and then.
Yes, you guys... we're facing a probable drought in every State of India.
As per the MET department we're short of water for over 50 % in almost all the states and in Panjab ( the state that feeds the rest of the country) the rainfall deficit is negetive. it is minus 68%. And the monsoon pattrens aren't very favorable from some years now.
We can't really do anything about the monsoon ( although some people still think holding havans will do the trick) but seriously we can save the water wherever we can.
So please people don't waste water coz it's very precious. If we don't mend our ways chances are that we won't have it to drink, forget using it for other purposes.
So please save water and do stand in if someone's wasting it in front of you.
And if you want you hum the tune also..
allah megh de ... paani de :)
God Bless.

Everything is Fresh!!

A new supermarket opened in Tampa, Florida. It has an automatic water mister to produce fresh. Just before it goes on, you hear the sound of distant thunder and the smell of fresh rain. When you pass the milk cases, you hear cows mooing and you experience the scent of fresh mown hay. In the meat department there is the aroma of charcoal grilled steak with onions.
When you approach the egg case, you hear the hens cluck and cackle, and the air is filled with the pleasuring aroma of morning breakfast cooking. The bread department features the tantalising smell of fresh baked bread and cookies. I guess No one will ever buy toilet papers from there...

Recession Blues...

If you search for the most used words these days, 'Recession' must be a winner all the way.
no jobs for college passouts... its due to recession.
No more vacations at office, no pay hike....... recession.

Last sunday I went out to sector 22 market with my mom, I was just roaming around when I saw a tent where a 'chabeel' was being setup.
You'll find many people offering refreshing cool drinks to passer byes just to beat the heat. And its a very good way to show our concern towards the society at large.
Anyways as soon as the 'chabeel' started people gathered around it , I too was tempted to have a glass of sharbat coz it was a sunny day.
To my surprise it was just plain water that too from a tanker and no sharbat.
The person serving the water couldn't bear the expression on my face and said, "kakaji recession karke paani hi milna hun ta, sharbat bade mehnge ho gaye...

Though I've been at the brunt of it but I never applied the recession factor to our chabeel's.