Traffic etiquette in Kerala, perhaps all over India

I met with an accident last weekend which could have been fatal, just sheer luck saved me is all I could say.

I was driving down on Ernakulam – Trissur highway on my way to trek Valpara forest on the last weekend along with my friends in a different car. A tipper truck that was in front of me never gave way although I flashed and honked for about 2 minutes on the first lane where the fast moving vehicles are suppose to travel. The truck driver seemed not ready to move at all although there were no vehicle blocking his traffic in front or left lane. Having noticed a free flowing left lane, I was forced to move to the left lane I could easily pass over. But, the truck occupied the left lane a bit as we passed a small curve to the left and nudged on my car on the rear right hand side that caused my vehicle to swirl. The truck rammed onto the median and thrashed a traffic post on there and came back onto the road, thrashed my car once again and rendered another swirl. Luckily, I and my friend survived the accident without any injuries although we swirled three times, hit three times and smashed onto the median.

There has been a very bad record for the tipper trucks and buses in Cochin to have caused and involved in so many accidents of which mostly are fatal. Authorities have never woken up and taken any preventive and strict measures.

Driving on Cochin roads a sort of nightmare where no lane discipline is followed; not made to adhere by the police. You got to be a circus article to be able to reach your destination safely. Big vehicles such as trucks and buses usually take the first lane although they’re at very low speed. This not only cause to increase the traffic congestion, but also causes incredible delay for one to reach a overfar destination.

This style of driving by the trucks and buses instigates the cars to overtake through the left lane which may be of free flowing traffic. Practically, one who drives to a destination that’s 200 KMs away can’t afford to kill the time honking and flashing the high beam with no use although there are no blocking vehicle in front of them. This is purely an attitude issue that they don’t want any vehicle to surpass them is all.

A very strict and meticulous policing can make our life easier on the road and eliminate lots of accidents. Very silly and oblivious penalty to the drivers let them get away with it always. Legislations has to be made to book the offenders with imprisonment and heavy penalties along with barring driving license etc depending on the seriousness of the offense where was the cops are busy hailing the bikers who didn’t wear helmet and car drivers who didn’t wear seat belts which are end of the day causes only their personal life.

Osama bin Laden dead? Again? Conspiracy theories

Courtesy: http://www.ibtimes.com

Almost immediately after the United States said it had killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, the conspiracy theories started.

Even some relatives of the Sept. 11 victims of the 2001 attacks on America say his death, announced by President Barack Obama in a speech at the White House, begs questions.

The U.S. government said Bin Laden was shot in the head when elite Navy SEALS stormed his compound on Monday after he had evaded a decade-long manhunt as the world’s most wanted man.

But his swift burial at sea, in which he was slipped into the Arabian Sea in a weighted body bag, and authorities’ reluctance to release pictures of his corpse have been fuel for the conspiracy theorists.

Must Read

One hotly argued assertion is that bin Laden was in fact a CIA stooge who had been dead for years, a fanciful figure who was used to justify America’s war in Afghanistan.

That is a position shared by U.S. anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan and other doubters from Indiana to Kabul.

“If you believe the newest death of OBL, you’re stupid,” Sheehan wrote on her Facebook page.

Sheehan, who set up an anti-war camp at President George W. Bush’s Texas ranch in 2005, disputes the facts given by the government, asking how the United States could get such fast DNA results, why the burial was hasty and why no video had been released.

And, she noted, the late Pakistani President Benazir Bhutto claimed in 2007 that bin Laden was already dead.

Sheehan is not alone in posing such questions.

Internet site Yahoo said searches for “osama bin laden not dead,” “osama bin laden still alive” and “bin laden not dead” spiked off the charts on Monday.

Men were most likely to think he may be alive, Yahoo said, adding that searchers of “bin laden conspiracy” were mostly from Oregon, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Indiana and New Jersey.

In Iran, the semi-official Mehr news agency declared: “The death of Osama is a lie.”

Iranian state television news said by disposing of the body at sea, “the mystery (of his death) has increased.” Iranian media say the myth of bin Laden has been used to justify the U.S. occupation of its neighbor, Afghanistan.

Nearly 3,000 people died when planes hijacked by bin Laden’s al Qaeda followers flew into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001, setting off a hunt for the plot’s architect.

Afghanistan’s Taliban said in a statement posted on their website that talk of bin Laden’s death was “premature” and that the United States had not provided “convincing evidence.”

ELVIS AND ALIENS

Some Americans thrive on conspiracy theories. Who really shot President John F. Kennedy? Elvis Presley lives! Did aliens land in a UFO in Roswell, New Mexico? Was Sept. 11 orchestrated by U.S. interests to justify the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq?

At New York’s “Ground Zero” where the twin towers once stood, some visitors pondered whether bin Laden’s death might be too good to be true.

“I just hope we really did get him. They buried him at sea. Who knows what happened?” said project manager Sal Leto, 59.

Retired teacher Joani Ellingson, 62, who was visiting from Minnesota, said: “It is part of the death culture that we want to see proof positive. We have a curiosity.”

Rosaleen Tallon, whose brother died in the attacks on the World Trade Center, said she was “dismayed” that bin Laden was buried so quickly.

“It has unfortunately opened this up to the possibility of conspiracy theories,” she said.

At Pace University, political science professor David Caputo asked students if they doubted bin Laden was dead. Two thirds had at least a slim doubt, and 5 percent had a major doubt, he said.

Water – precious than anything today!!!

I had been looking out for this presentation, I’m glad I did manage to recover it. Water, such a precious stuff in the world. If at all (God forbid) there is a world war, that’s gona be for water. Save water, save humanity!!!!

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‘The woman’ in media square

If you’ve not watched The women of Tahrir Square by Barkha Dutt.

This is a rebut to Barkha Dutt’s (who I really look up to) documentary ‘The Women in Tahrir Square’. I absolutely disagree with her prejudiced arguments when it comes to Islam and women in Islam which I firmly believe that it’s out of her total ignorance of Islam. This points towards the entire media fraternity who tend to annul the positives of Islam and Muslims while exaggerating silly errors committed by Arabic named wicked followers.

I really look up to Barkha for her explicably enviable journalistic expertise and the works she did so far. I was even named her Advocate off the article I wrote defending her in the Radia tape controversies.  Bigots, Patriotics and traitors – Identity crisis? I just wanted to convey that there is nothing personal, but against her purport this time.

Merry New Year

The year fallen behind renders me gasp off the fallen year from the lifespan, less time to do whatever we wanted to. It’s just like any other day for a human unless you’re sleuthing for an excuse to booze.

Lets commemorate the broken families off alcohol, lets pledge at least not be one among them.

Wishing all of you a peaceful and auspicious new year!!!

Call for amendment of section IPC 498a

To the kind attention of Hon’ble Members of the Committee on Petitions of the Rajya Sabha,

Subject: Memorandum on Amendments of IPC 498A Honorable Members,

I would like to present this memo with reference to the invitations in support of the  petition praying for amendments in Section 498A of Indian Penal Code, 1860. I wholeheartedly support the petition which points to the extensive abuse and misuse of this provision of the Penal Code, which occurs on a daily basis.

Bigots, Patriotics and traitors – Identity crisis?

An open letter to self proclaimed Right Wing Fanatics,

Akhilesh Mishra, Swathi Pradeep, Mack, Sukanya Devi, Bharatiya, Deepak, list goes on.

At the outset, I clearly don’t face any identity crisis, but some around seriously face the crisis though. I’m an Indian, a very patriotic Indian who strongly believes in democracy in its fullest means and robustness. A true Muslim who has stake in national interest as well as religion. I’m not driven by emotions, but sensible approach in anything I deal with.

Some creed of twitterattis were on their toes this after noon. They not only never seemed to be believing in democracy, religion, social harmony, but the other way around. There has been much going around with Radia tapes where Barkha Dutt and Vir Sanghvi are a couple of the journalists from the lushed number of other journalists caught talking to Nira Radia.

Biased media – a version of Islamophobia too

The previous article referred to the bias the Police (has been) showing and got a journo booked just because she interviewed a witness in Madani (Kerala PDP Chief) case. A very unequivocal silence from the journalist fraternity is very unfortunate, but not surprising at all. Media giants attitude in this case is objurgatory and very appalling; dual faced media’s bias is substantiated once again. 

Gulled Karnataka Police – Jeering the fundamental right

The above gasped message is from Ms Shahina Nafeesa (Facebook profile) from Tehelka!! This is undoubtedly a little too much! It’s indeed obnoxious o have booked a journo U/S IPC 506 because she interviewed a witness in a case. Looks like it’s a jolt to the Karnataka Police as they got gulled Shahina as a Muslim protagonist which is contrary.

Open Letter to Member of Indian Parliament

Sub: – Request to establish gender equality before law.

 

Honorable Member of Parliament,

Do you believe in the institution of marriage and a family having both father and mother along with their kids under one roof? If you don’t, please ignore this letter and kindly accept my apologies for spoiling your “valuable” time.