Sri Lanka Scraps The Tamil Version Of The National Anthem

The Sri Lankan government has scrapped the Tamil version of the island nation’s national anthem – “Sri Lanka Matha”. From now onwards the anthem will be sung in all official and state functions in only Sinhala language.

This is the latest proof of the current Sri Lankan government’s blatantly discriminatory attitude towards the hapless Tamil citizens of that country, for whom Sri Lanka has always been a “step motherland”.

It seems Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa (the CEO of Sri Lanka Pvt. Ltd.) was a very poor student of History at school. Or probably he has never studied History at all. Otherwise he would not have been so poor at learning lessons from the recent History of his country.

All I can say is that the way the ethnic Tamils of Sri Lanka are being discriminated against, the birth of another Prabhakaran is just a matter of time.

Is Gmail Eating Into Yahoo Mail’s E-mail Market Share?

That Yahoo could not succeed as a search engine only because of Google that is well known. In the Internet world there is only one search engine, and that is Google. In fact, we so much identify Internet searching with Google that while suggesting somebody for searching some information in the Internet we rarely say “Search it in the Internet”. Rather, most of the times we precisely tell him “Look for the information in Google”. I feel even Ms. Carol Bartz herself prefers Google to Yahoo while looking for some information in the Internet.

However, while it failed to achieve the desired success in the search engine business, Yahoo had established itself as arguably the most preferred e-mail service provider. Every second person that I would meet used Yahoo! Mail (some of them also had accounts in Rediff, Hotmail, etc. But Yahoo! Mail was their main tool for e-mail communication). Rarely I would come across people who would use other e-mail services, like Hotmail.

However, for last 2 years or so I find Gmail has been fast expanding its hold on the e-mail market. Every second Yahoo! Mail user I know has “logged into” Gmail. And more startlingly, a good number of them have already started using the latter as their premier e-mail communication tool. And yes, let me mention that I have noticed this spread of “Gmail mania” among those people as well who had previously been using e-mail services other than that of Yahoo.

So I was just wondering whether Gmail is pushing Yahoo! Mail to a relatively less significant corner of the e-mail service market, turning it from the “Emperor of e-mail service market” into one of the various “courtiers”?

Gemini USB Optical Mouse – Do You Find It Convenient Enough?

Well, I do not mean to launch any campaign against Gemini USB Optical Mouse. Nor I am trying to malign it.

However, there is one thing that I will like to highlight. Every time I use a computer that has a Gemini USB Optical Mouse attached to it, I find it very inconvenient for use.

So what exactly is my problem with that brand of mouse? Well, actually the left and right keys in this mouse are not prominent. And that makes it difficult for me to have a proper grip, eventually resulting in a nagging problem when I try to click any of the two keys.

I reiterate that I am not trying to spread any bad word about the product. I just felt that I should let the manufacturers know about the inconvenience that I am facing, as it may help them identify some rooms for development.

I would also love to know whether other users of the product face the same inconvenience while using it.

Let’s Ban Diesel Vehicles In And Around The Himalayan Region

The ongoing climate negotiations in Cancun have brought back into focus the debate that whether soot or “black carbon” is contributing to global warming, and having adverse impact on the health of Himalayan glaciers.

Indian Minister of Environment & Forest Mr. Jairam Ramesh has understandably opposed the developed countries’ attempt to include the “black carbon” issue in the main framework of the climate negotiations. It is quite evident that the developed countries have raised this issue to divert attention from their own drawbacks as far as addressing the greenhouse gases emission is concerned. Besides, Mr. Ramesh has rightly pointed out that India’s “black carbon” emission percentage is too negligible to create any serious impact on the environment.

Moreover, it is practically impossible for the Indian government, at least till near future, to restraint certain soot producing practices like burning of wood or cow dung. The poor people of India who are into these practices cannot overnight be provided with any affordable alternative. It is a practical problem that the government of India cannot wish away.

However, if there are reports of soot posing a threat to Himalayan glaciers, then the same cannot be completely ignored. And I feel that the government of India can take at least one step in that regard, which is banning of one soot producing practice in and around the Himalayan region. And the soot producing practice that I am referring to is the use of diesel vehicles.

I know that the government cannot overnight ban the use of diesel vehicles in that region. But it can certainly be done in a phased manner. Initially the government can at least try to restraint the use of such vehicles in that area. Then, slowly but gradually it can go for complete ban.

Of course there are some factors that will hinder the implementation of any such step. One such factor is the inevitable rise in the transport cost in that area if there is a complete shift to petrol vehicles from diesel vehicles. However, hopefully the government will be able to address that as well, through ways like subsidies, etc.

Congrats To India For Showing The Guts To Attend Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony

It is really heartening to know that my beloved motherland India is going to attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony In Oslo (Norway), where the imprisoned Chinese human rights activist Liu Xiaobo will be bestowed with the award in absentia.

The shameless Chinese government had started arm-twisting the various governments of the world, ultimately forcing many of them to decide to give the ceremony a miss.

However, the government of India has remained committed to the age old ethics and values that India stands for, and has decided to attend the award ceremony in full defiance of China’s veiled threats.

I wholeheartedly congratulate our government for this bold step.

Assange – The Information Warrior With A Cause

Our dear Assange, you are a gutsy information warrior with a noble cause

You are the “Internet Knight” who has made all the world powers to suffer such a huge image loss.

We all salute your dedication, determination and courage

You are one of the greatest things to have happened in this Internet Age.

Words fail me to hail you. All I can say is that you are simply great

You will always remain a darling for the global civil society, I assure you mate.

Giving Due Space To Each Other – A Key Constituent Of A Successful Married Life

Must a person force his/her spouse to take interest in something simply because he/she takes interest in it? No. Never.

A husband must not force his wife to take interest in software, simply because he himself is interested about it. Yes, he may try to generate relevant interest in her, but should appreciate it if she keeps showing her lack of interest.

Similarly, a wife must not force her husband to take interest in Western Classical music simply because she herself is passionate about it. Again, she may try to generate relevant interest in him, but should appreciate it if he keeps showing his lack of interest.

In fact, this mutual respect for each other’s liking and disliking should be maintained even at the “micro level”. For example, while spending a Sunday evening at home, the wife may watch a TV programme that she is fond of. But she must not insist her husband to watch the same when he is more interested to spend the time by reading a thriller. Similarly, the husband may watch a sports channel on TV if he loves watching it in his spare time. But he must not insist his wife to join him, when she is eager to play her piano.

Let us not forget that a key constituent of successful married life is giving due space to each other. In plain speak, it means giving your husband/wife the opportunity to just remain himself/herself, free of any compulsion to change so that he/she can “gel” with the spouse. A person should always remember that his/her spouse is married to him/her, and not to his/her hobbies/interests. And therefore the spouse does not have any compulsion to take interest in the latter.