Loading Optimally

This is great example of how optimal loading can get you to higher capacity. A train ( 9 compartment) designed to carry 1700 passengers gets 3000+ people packed in less than 30 sec. Unbelievable efficiency of public transport , no comments on what these 3000 people suffer during the 45 mins ride.



Elections in India are happening ? Can future MPs take a challenge to travel in one of these rush hour trains?

A great way to look at Statistics

I stumbled upon a great site called gapminder which analyses the statistical aspects of Countries economic indicators in a time line and compare against various categories. A truly useful tool to understand how each economy developed in recent times and its impact on the standard of living.

Here is a presentation made by using the site data. there are many presentations / reports you can generate and use it for your purpose.







It is amazing to see you can dissect Country data to state level and see how states are doing against each other.

Taliban takeover of Pak is inevitable, imminent

 

Read this column from rediff.com written by Col Athale ( retd) . This is a very thought provoking article talking about collapsing of state of Pakistan. Most of it because of its own doings.. History teaches you lessons , if you continue to ignore them then you vanish…..

This is an attempt at raising the red flag. In India, preparation for conflict is denounced as war mongering and pacifism at the cost of realism. Indian history could well be called a chronicle of military disasters. We obviously have civilisational strengths, as our civilisation has survived for over 5,000 years while that of Greece, Egypt [Images] or Persia has vanished. But unless we understand our weaknesses and rectify them, we may not get a second chance.

The nature of warfare and threat has changed over the years and unimagined destruction is now in the realms of possibility due to the presence of nuclear weapons in the hands of our adversary. It is a reflection of Indian ennui that the impending Talibanisation of Pakistan and how to deal with it, is not even on the electoral radar? 

Many analysts, including this one, have been foreseeing the demise of the State of Pakistan for quite some time. Recently, Australian and American security experts have given only six months for this to happen. This 'point of no return' was crossed when the Pakistani national assembly approved the 'deal' with Taliban[Images] that for all intents and purposes handed over the Swat valley to the extremist rabble.

'Sharia doesn't permit us to lay down arms,' Muslim Khan, spokesman of Taliban told The Dawn over telephone. Some Taliban fighters last week moved out of Swat and into Bunner district, only 100 km from Islamabad [Images], and Khan said his men would push into new areas. (The Dawn, April 15). The Taliban have made clear their intention to take over the whole of Pakistan.

Malik Navid, the current IG of police of the North Western Frontier Province, told the Pakistani parliament that the Taliban and Al Qaeda [Images] 'are present in every city and town (of Pakistan) in some places they are active, in others they are dormant.' The IG had added that jihadi groups were moving through southern Punjab and eventually aimed to reach the financial hub of Karachi. He warned that the Al Qaeda-Taliban combine had developed some expertise in biochemical weapons

One of the most virulent Pakistani analysts, Shireen Mazari accepts that. 'Just the sheer numbers of madrassas/students (218/25,395 in Rahimyar Khan; 185/20,780 in Dera Ghani Khan; 105/8,502 in Rajanpur) show the enormity of the task ahead -- even though not all the madrassas are "jihadi" in type, according to a detailed ground survey I conducted through a local field worker in three districts of southern Punjab. But the background of poverty is rampant and even non-jihadi madrassas can in future produce militants.'

There is a false sense of 'victimhood' that many Pakistanis assert and claim that the radicalisation of their society and the jihadi cult is all the fault of the Americans, who used it during the Afghan war against the erstwhile Soviet Union. This is only partially true. A historical process of Islamist moral policing and militancy began almost the moment Mohammad Ali Jinnah was buried. In 1950, Prime Minister Liaqat Ali Khan issued an official injunction urging Muslims to fast during Ramadan. Intolerance towards Ahmadis and Shia has an equally long history. In 1953, officially organised riots led to looting and killing of Ahmadis. Pakistan's only Nobel Prize [Images] winner, the late Abdus Salam, was heckled in Karachi for being an Ahmadi. He had to flee to Italy [Images]. Ironically, Salaam had made a major contribution to the Pakistani nuclear programme. But since he was an Ahmadi, even that could not save him.

In 1979, General Zia-ul Haq went a step further and overhauled the entire education system in Pakistan and handed it over to the Jamaat-e-Islami. Teaching of history was abolished. These textbooks poisoned the young minds of generations of Pakistanis. Hatred of Hindus and Jews was institutionalised. Jihad and Shahadat (martyrdom) were glorified. The entire history of Pakistan prior to the arrival of Mohammad bin Qasim was wiped out. It was only a matter of time before this poisoned generation came of age and produced today's Taliban. The point to note is that it is not just the students of madrassas but even the so-called mainstream schools who were subjected to this brainwashing. Radicalisation of Pakistani society is comprehensive and across the board.

But mere fanaticism or brainwashing is not the only issue in Pakistan. In last 60 years there has been attempt at land reforms. Eighty percent wealth of the country is controlled by seven percent of population. Landlords rule the roost in rural Pakistan and are even known to run private armies and prisons to oppress the poor. The bureaucratic and military elite eats up 40 percent of revenues. Jobs in the Gulf were an escape hatch for many poor Pakistanis. But with the global economic meltdown these are now scarce.

Finally, to cap it all is the population explosion. There are several Muslim nations with very high population growth rates, but Pakistan tops them all. In 1950, Pakistan had a population of about 4 crore. Since then it has more than tripled and stood at 13.6 crore in 1995. It is estimated to be 16 cores today. The real population explosion in Pakistan will come in the next few years.

It has a very young population, and an extremely high fertility. According to the most recent UN estimates, Pakistan currently has a TFR (total fertility rate) of about five children per woman. This is an average and if one accepts that rich and the middle class have fewer children, then the rate at which the poor are breeding in Pakistan may well exceed a figure of 6 to 7 TFR. These hordes of poor are the perfect fodder for the Taliban.

The Taliban takeover of Pakistan is both inevitable and imminent.

Colonel Dr Anil Athale (retired), is a Chhatrapati Shivaji Fellow of the USI studying internal security and co-ordinator of the Pune-based Inpad.

 

taken from http://news.rediff.com/column/2009/apr/24/guest-taliban-takeover-of-pak-is-inevitable-imminent.htm

India goes to Poll - Mind Boggling Numbers:

 

India is a huge country in every term of the word. Just have a look at these numbers, and you will get a sense of the mind numbing responsibility of the Election Commission to hold free and fair elections.

• A population of 1.2 billion people is spread over 28 states and 7 Union Territories. That is an area of approximately 2.97 million square kms.
• Of this population, approximately 720 million people are eligible to vote for the Elections of 2009! It is an increase of about 45 million from the last polls.
• Polling to be done in 828,804 polling stations/booths across the country (One polling station in Gir, Gujarat is scheduled to cater to only one voter, who is priest in a temple in the middle of the National Lion Sanctuary!).
• The election exercise to be overseen by more than 5 million civilian officials and 2 million security personnel.
• The elections to be held in 5 phases from April 16 to May 13, 2009. Results will be declared on May 16, 2009.
• Elections to be held for all the 543 parliamentary constituencies. In other words, 543 MPs are to be elected.
• Total official budget for the Elections 2009: Rs 1120 crores (US $ 225 millions). The actual expenditure by the parties and candidates is likely to be many times the official figure. Some "experts" estimate the total, actual figure to be around Rs. 10,000 Crores ($ 2 billion)
• Electronic voting machines (EVM) to be used for the entire exercise. A total of 1.36 million such machines likely to be used.

 

It is a great exercise for the largest democracy in the world.  No wonder Indian economy has got a boost with the spending on elections.

American Protectionism

The Big Daddy of Free world Economy is getting shivers from its own designs and suddenly looking at closing its markets on out sourcing from India. Delta Airlines , Florida food stamps etc etc are joining the American Nationalist Jingo wagon and canceling the business contracts with Indian firms.

Imagine a scenario, the newly elected Govt decides to estimate the market for American companies in India and decide to substitute from vendors in India ? Can the US of A afford to get in this idea. So Mr. Obama , pull up your socks and undies and get the American business fall in line and do best what is good for them and for rest of the world.

Else declare the US of A a new Socialist state and stop behaving as the Moral police of the world.

Did You know ?

A brilliant analysis of how technology is impacting our lives and where the future is headed..




To think over the past , the same subject was discussed an year back

Obama has lost his mind

Obama and US seems to have developed a fetish for Pakistan. The latest love for Pakistan is oozzing from the 2 Bn aid to fight terrorism. The world knows the pakistan has sponsored terror activities from it soil and the impact has been on India mostly. The taliban sponsored terrorism is not in pakisan control anyway. Look at the treaties Pakis sign over SWAT valley. This additional aid is a washout and a kid in India sees that it will not be spent in flushing out LeT and others from Pakistan. If Pakis and US are so worried about the terrorism in Pakistan , they should work with India wipe out the terror camps in POK which are going unabated.

Remember a LET training academy which got surfaced during the confession of Kasab.

I wont be surprised if the latest attack on Lahore was staged by Paki govt to rush in the 2 Bn aid. All said and done , US is choosing to shut its eyes on the Pak's true intentions and pump in money to feed the monster which they apparently want to kill.

God Saves Obama and US.. I feel this is a waste of US tax payers money. Mr. Obama , spend the 2 Bn in brining back your economy and let Pakistan rot in its own Karmas.