As India looks for its 18th Prime Minister, it wishes to leave no stone unturned. All parties want to consider all possible candidates for the highest post in the land and this in turn is leading to heated arguments amongst the various alliances and partnerships that have been concocted. What started out as an exciting election season has fizzled out in recent weeks to a rather petty affair. All the 'get out the vote' campaigns notwithstanding, it is safe to say Indians are in no way enthused with the prospects of the present elections and the direction of the national leadership in the country.
Presumed BJP candidate for the highest post in the land, LK Advani, after first fighting off Bhairon Singh Shekhawat's claims to seniority and now troubled by calls for Narendra Modi's primacy, has gone from being first out of the blocks to being back in the pen. He started his candidacy with tremendous vitality and his dynamic forays into the blogosphere and his fight for the youth vote had energized various parts of his base. Very soon though, it all fizzled out into several controversies ranging from Varun Gandhi's communal tirade to money in offshore accounts to Narendra Modi's role in the Gujarat riots.
Advani has looked tired, ineffective and with an inconsistent message he's as far away from No. 7 Racecourse Road as he could have ever imagined in this campaign. While he's sure to be the leader of any post poll, BJP led alliance, his clout has diminished with several high profile calls for Narendra Modi's candidacy having consumed the public's imagination in recent days. It is also not very likely that the BJP with its allies have any significant advantage in the elections, if any at all. This results in a more measured and circumspect Advani, not the one we saw early on in the campaign season. His candidacy should be presumed secure for the moment, but not a very impressive one.
His number one adversary and current Prime Minister Manmohan Singh does not possess the drive or political will that Advani does and considering he's already been PM, does not seem to want it as badly. This has allowed him to play the cool and calm aggressor, even while being the incumbent. Vilifying Advani and Party for their communal stance on most matters and their poor record with terrorism even while they talk a big game when out of power, Manmohan has been an outspoken man in recent times and he's taken the fight to Advani, who thought he could bully him into submission.
Even while dealing with his own party's problems of the Bofors scandal, the situation in Sri Lanka, the economic slowdown and the handling of the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks, Manmohan has received good PR, riding high on the heels of his clinching the Nuclear Deal for India, by coming out strongly against the Sri Lankan government, with his guarantee to solve the economic crisis soon after he comes to power a second time and last, but not least, his very well received meeting with Barack Obama on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in London.
As Rahul Gandhi ruled himself out after the ridiculous, but expected cries for him as PM began, and Pranab Mukherjee said he would never become PM after citing his lack of fluency in Hindi, Singh is sure to be the Congress' PM candidate in any Congress led alliance after the elections. One can only hope Singh does not choose this go around as a befitting time to repay Sonia Gandhi for her shocking about turn on the Prime Ministership after the 2004 elections to award the role to Manmohan. India can do without these theatrics as we have never had a shortage of such stunts. The office of Prime Ministership in a parliamentary democracy might be played down in theory, but in practice the man matters as much as his ideology. Anybody other than Singh leading the Congress Party will be at best a letdown and at worst a dirty trick on the public.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Champions League Semi-Final Preview
First, I would like to start by saying footballers must be the dumbest breed of human being on the planet. There really can't be anything between their ears. How they managed to vote Ryan Giggs PFA Player of the Year is beyond me. Don't get me wrong, I love Giggs more than is appropriate for a man to show. He has given me more glorious moments over the year than most other players. To me he is the best winger to have played in my lifetime. The Player of the Year award though is meant for the most valuable player of THAT PARTICULAR SEASON. It may have been known as the Lifetime Achievement Award otherwise.
Giggs has barely played this year illustrated by his 12 starts in the league. He has not stamped his authority on most games save for the game against Chelsea at Old Trafford. Has he been rewarded for adapting at the age of 35 from a left winger to a central midfielder? Should it be that surprising given he was always a master passer of the ball with great vision. Giggs has not even been the best player in his own team. Steven Gerrard and Nemanja Vidic are far more deserving winners. Vidic over the first half of the season kept United in the race and was the rock that the clean sheet record was built on. Gerrard has propelled Liverpool to be arguably the best team this year.
It just goes to prove that footballers vote without thinking, accepting the orgasmic praise of a foolish fawning media. Love you Giggs but even you don't deserve this.
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My generation was brought up on the Manchester United - Arsenal rivalry. If you ask fans my age which team they hate most the answer you will definitely get is Arsenal. If you're a Manchester United fan. And vice versa if you're an Arsenal fan. I'd change my name if that weren't true.
United and Arsenal were trading trophies from 1997 to 2004. Formative years in watching and learning football they also instructed in all that was evil about the other side. Arsenal were a violent and dirty side. Their commitment to beautiful attacking football was a farce - it only began with Wenger in 1996. It was not their tradition, not in their lifeblood. They were frauds, pretenders to the throne of the great entertaining champions. That was United's claim to fame.
Of late, Arsenal haven't been challenging for the Premier League so the grand rivalry of Keane and Vieira has lost its zing. The squads have evolved a lot over the last 3-4 years and that hatred has given way to grudging respect in some sense. I can speak of the beauty of Fabregas' vision and the wondrous skill of Van Persie only because I haven't considered them much of a challenge for a while. That is about to change as the two play each other three times in the next three weeks. Good old memories of hating the rival are back.
Onto the games themselves. Giggs was rested over the weekend against Spurs so that pretty much guarantees him an 800th cap on Wednesday. The one spot in defence that is not a lock is right back and unless Brown has made shocking progress in the last fortnight that spot will go to Rafael. Both Rafael and Evra have been weak against players taking them on and going for the cross. Neither of them are able to force the winger to cut inside rather than play behind them. It means more balls being bombed in and greater uncertainty as to the end result. Ferdinand is weaker on the flighted cross and Adebayor and subsequently Bendtner could cause some trouble. I expect Walcott and Nasri to try and exploit this.
In central midfield, Carrick should be accompanied by Fletcher and being at home I think Giggs may not start as Ferguson opts for a 4-4-2. Rooney will cover the left wing and Park on the right. While both will be tasked with tracking back and helping out their fullbacks, Rooney will have the added responsibility of being United's creative force. Berbatov will be the deep lying striker setting up for diagonal runs of Rooney and Ronaldo as well as making his way into the box.
Fletcher should be made to man mark Fabregas. The little Spaniard has been in great form since his return from injury. Playing physically with him and preventing his runs into the box and closing down space for the through balls could shut down Arsenal.
United themselves should look to play physically up front as well. Sagna is good on the right and Gibbs has been most impressive on the other side but down the middle they still seem to be a little soft. Berbatov and Ronaldo can get into the middle, create a bit of panic and if the midfield runners overload the box there's a good chance of scoring. Arsenal conceded to Liverpool with some poor passing from the defence and by not tracking the extra men that floated into the box. To be sure, United are capable of making the same mistake - witness Modric's goal at Old Trafford on Saturday.
This fixture has usually held goals and I expect there to be a few over both legs. 4-3 to United over 2 legs sounds right to me but if the ramshackle defending continues it may be 4-3 Arsenal. Not really keen on watching the pretenders get to the final, so please United bring the A-game.
UPDATE - I may have been a bit cocky by guessing at United's team since it is obvious that even Ferguson doesn't know it. The other likelihood is a 4-3-3 with Giggs replacing Park. Three midfielders in the center with Fletcher either man-marking Fabregas or tracking the right wing. Rooney will still watch the left. The width would be provided by the fullbacks. It all depends on how attacking or containing Ferguson wants to be.
Giggs has barely played this year illustrated by his 12 starts in the league. He has not stamped his authority on most games save for the game against Chelsea at Old Trafford. Has he been rewarded for adapting at the age of 35 from a left winger to a central midfielder? Should it be that surprising given he was always a master passer of the ball with great vision. Giggs has not even been the best player in his own team. Steven Gerrard and Nemanja Vidic are far more deserving winners. Vidic over the first half of the season kept United in the race and was the rock that the clean sheet record was built on. Gerrard has propelled Liverpool to be arguably the best team this year.
It just goes to prove that footballers vote without thinking, accepting the orgasmic praise of a foolish fawning media. Love you Giggs but even you don't deserve this.
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My generation was brought up on the Manchester United - Arsenal rivalry. If you ask fans my age which team they hate most the answer you will definitely get is Arsenal. If you're a Manchester United fan. And vice versa if you're an Arsenal fan. I'd change my name if that weren't true.
United and Arsenal were trading trophies from 1997 to 2004. Formative years in watching and learning football they also instructed in all that was evil about the other side. Arsenal were a violent and dirty side. Their commitment to beautiful attacking football was a farce - it only began with Wenger in 1996. It was not their tradition, not in their lifeblood. They were frauds, pretenders to the throne of the great entertaining champions. That was United's claim to fame.
Of late, Arsenal haven't been challenging for the Premier League so the grand rivalry of Keane and Vieira has lost its zing. The squads have evolved a lot over the last 3-4 years and that hatred has given way to grudging respect in some sense. I can speak of the beauty of Fabregas' vision and the wondrous skill of Van Persie only because I haven't considered them much of a challenge for a while. That is about to change as the two play each other three times in the next three weeks. Good old memories of hating the rival are back.
Onto the games themselves. Giggs was rested over the weekend against Spurs so that pretty much guarantees him an 800th cap on Wednesday. The one spot in defence that is not a lock is right back and unless Brown has made shocking progress in the last fortnight that spot will go to Rafael. Both Rafael and Evra have been weak against players taking them on and going for the cross. Neither of them are able to force the winger to cut inside rather than play behind them. It means more balls being bombed in and greater uncertainty as to the end result. Ferdinand is weaker on the flighted cross and Adebayor and subsequently Bendtner could cause some trouble. I expect Walcott and Nasri to try and exploit this.
In central midfield, Carrick should be accompanied by Fletcher and being at home I think Giggs may not start as Ferguson opts for a 4-4-2. Rooney will cover the left wing and Park on the right. While both will be tasked with tracking back and helping out their fullbacks, Rooney will have the added responsibility of being United's creative force. Berbatov will be the deep lying striker setting up for diagonal runs of Rooney and Ronaldo as well as making his way into the box.
Fletcher should be made to man mark Fabregas. The little Spaniard has been in great form since his return from injury. Playing physically with him and preventing his runs into the box and closing down space for the through balls could shut down Arsenal.
United themselves should look to play physically up front as well. Sagna is good on the right and Gibbs has been most impressive on the other side but down the middle they still seem to be a little soft. Berbatov and Ronaldo can get into the middle, create a bit of panic and if the midfield runners overload the box there's a good chance of scoring. Arsenal conceded to Liverpool with some poor passing from the defence and by not tracking the extra men that floated into the box. To be sure, United are capable of making the same mistake - witness Modric's goal at Old Trafford on Saturday.
This fixture has usually held goals and I expect there to be a few over both legs. 4-3 to United over 2 legs sounds right to me but if the ramshackle defending continues it may be 4-3 Arsenal. Not really keen on watching the pretenders get to the final, so please United bring the A-game.
UPDATE - I may have been a bit cocky by guessing at United's team since it is obvious that even Ferguson doesn't know it. The other likelihood is a 4-3-3 with Giggs replacing Park. Three midfielders in the center with Fletcher either man-marking Fabregas or tracking the right wing. Rooney will still watch the left. The width would be provided by the fullbacks. It all depends on how attacking or containing Ferguson wants to be.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Manchester United vs. Tottenham - Whoohooooo!!
Almost 8 years ago, on September 29th 2001, Manchester United and Tottenham engaged in a game of football that has since become part of folklore. Spurs were up 3-0 at half-time at Old Trafford. United came out all guns blazing scoring within seconds of the restart. Andy Cole, Blanc, Nistelrooy, Veron and Beckham made up five different scorers for United that second half. It was the comeback to end all comebacks (in the league at least).
Welcome to April 2009. History does repeat itself it seems. The starting line-up for United was surprisingly strong given a massive Champions League semi-final looms on Wednesday night. It betrayed the importance of winning 3 points to Ferguson and the respect that he accorded Spurs. The seeming chink in the armour appeared to be Nani. Spurs of course played a full strength side except for Defoe who lost his half brother to an act of violence. United started off extremely well, passing the ball crisply and getting into the Spurs backline. Rooney and Ronaldo seemed possessed but for all the setting up there was no end product. For all the pressure, Spurs took a shock lead on 29 minutes. Corluka's cross was too high for Vidic and Ferdinand made the grave error of not getting in front of his target. Bent got lucky with the drop of the ball and scored. The defensive errors 3 minutes later bordered on the ridiculous. Evra didn't close Lennon down who had time to cross peacefully. Modric was standing free at the back of the box. Where was Rafael? Oh yes, that's right perfecting his dribbling rather than practicing defensive duties for another week. 2-0 and Old Trafford in the doldrums.
United didn't really press too much for the remaining 12-13 minutes and Spurs gave back as good as they got. Tevez came on for Nani at the start of the second half. To be fair, Nani put in quite a few decent crosses from the left but he was the logical choice to be substituted. Tevez set about chasing the Spurs defenders and the pressure began to tell. The 57th minute penalty given for Gomes tripping Carrick has been denounced as harsh from most quarters. Gomes got a touch on the ball but that can be determined only after watching the replay half a dozen times from different angles. Watch it in real time and it happens so fast there's no way Webb could have spotted it. Either way, Ronaldo dispatched it expertly down the middle. Scholes came on for Fletcher though I didn't think he was needed yet. Fletcher was adding a lot of hustle and may have wanted in on his prediction. On 66 minutes, Rooney got loose down the left, cut in pulled a snapshot and Gomes palmed it into his own net. 2-2 and Spurs shoulder slumped visibly. From then on it was a matter of when not if United would score again. Of course that happened just a minute later thanks to a peach of a ball from Rooney and a diving header from Ronaldo.
Spurs defenders virtually gave up post the second goal and that is really what let United in. Rooney had an outstanding game as the creative force and goalscorer twice over. His status as the No. 10 in the side is justified and his worth is proved by how much of a void is left when he is rested. Moreover, he brings out the best in Ronaldo. The two were playing backheels to each other in the opposition box at the end. When Ronaldo leaves I feel he will miss the instinctive understanding that he developed with Rooney.
Berbatov had a game to forget again. Invisible for much of the game, he almost screwed up the golden chance that Rooney provided him to score. His open header was aimed directly at Gomes. Thankfully he was able to push the rebound in. It was a goal scored very late once again against opposition that had been steam-rollered. Sharp contrast to Tevez who when he scores deals in equalizers and winners. Of course that when is too rare these days. He pressured the opposition well and set up Rooney for one. His introduction was marked as the turning point but I think the entire XI strode out with something to prove in the second half. His introduction was just a symbol of Ferguson shuffling the pack. The gamble paid off because Spurs rolled over to be tickled after 60 minutes.
Defending as they did for the two goals probably gives Wenger some ideas. I can foresee the wings being attacked. Rafael and Evra are both defending like amateurs. Rafael fouls far too many times and could be baited into a couple of yellows. Overloading the box and bombing in crosses should do the trick for Arsenal. Here's hoping that Ferguson has spotted how to plug the same gap.
Welcome to April 2009. History does repeat itself it seems. The starting line-up for United was surprisingly strong given a massive Champions League semi-final looms on Wednesday night. It betrayed the importance of winning 3 points to Ferguson and the respect that he accorded Spurs. The seeming chink in the armour appeared to be Nani. Spurs of course played a full strength side except for Defoe who lost his half brother to an act of violence. United started off extremely well, passing the ball crisply and getting into the Spurs backline. Rooney and Ronaldo seemed possessed but for all the setting up there was no end product. For all the pressure, Spurs took a shock lead on 29 minutes. Corluka's cross was too high for Vidic and Ferdinand made the grave error of not getting in front of his target. Bent got lucky with the drop of the ball and scored. The defensive errors 3 minutes later bordered on the ridiculous. Evra didn't close Lennon down who had time to cross peacefully. Modric was standing free at the back of the box. Where was Rafael? Oh yes, that's right perfecting his dribbling rather than practicing defensive duties for another week. 2-0 and Old Trafford in the doldrums.
United didn't really press too much for the remaining 12-13 minutes and Spurs gave back as good as they got. Tevez came on for Nani at the start of the second half. To be fair, Nani put in quite a few decent crosses from the left but he was the logical choice to be substituted. Tevez set about chasing the Spurs defenders and the pressure began to tell. The 57th minute penalty given for Gomes tripping Carrick has been denounced as harsh from most quarters. Gomes got a touch on the ball but that can be determined only after watching the replay half a dozen times from different angles. Watch it in real time and it happens so fast there's no way Webb could have spotted it. Either way, Ronaldo dispatched it expertly down the middle. Scholes came on for Fletcher though I didn't think he was needed yet. Fletcher was adding a lot of hustle and may have wanted in on his prediction. On 66 minutes, Rooney got loose down the left, cut in pulled a snapshot and Gomes palmed it into his own net. 2-2 and Spurs shoulder slumped visibly. From then on it was a matter of when not if United would score again. Of course that happened just a minute later thanks to a peach of a ball from Rooney and a diving header from Ronaldo.
Spurs defenders virtually gave up post the second goal and that is really what let United in. Rooney had an outstanding game as the creative force and goalscorer twice over. His status as the No. 10 in the side is justified and his worth is proved by how much of a void is left when he is rested. Moreover, he brings out the best in Ronaldo. The two were playing backheels to each other in the opposition box at the end. When Ronaldo leaves I feel he will miss the instinctive understanding that he developed with Rooney.
Berbatov had a game to forget again. Invisible for much of the game, he almost screwed up the golden chance that Rooney provided him to score. His open header was aimed directly at Gomes. Thankfully he was able to push the rebound in. It was a goal scored very late once again against opposition that had been steam-rollered. Sharp contrast to Tevez who when he scores deals in equalizers and winners. Of course that when is too rare these days. He pressured the opposition well and set up Rooney for one. His introduction was marked as the turning point but I think the entire XI strode out with something to prove in the second half. His introduction was just a symbol of Ferguson shuffling the pack. The gamble paid off because Spurs rolled over to be tickled after 60 minutes.
Defending as they did for the two goals probably gives Wenger some ideas. I can foresee the wings being attacked. Rafael and Evra are both defending like amateurs. Rafael fouls far too many times and could be baited into a couple of yellows. Overloading the box and bombing in crosses should do the trick for Arsenal. Here's hoping that Ferguson has spotted how to plug the same gap.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Political Correctness for a Diverse Democracy
Having recently been introduced to the concept of political correctness, Indian politicians are having a field day with this new instrument. It fits in wonderfully with their notions of vote bank politics, like a child with a new G.I.Joe for his collection. All this of course only when they catch an opponent in a faux pas. When it applies to them, they feign naivete and ignorance as the situation demands. Never having being known for their great restraint in rhetoric, it becomes a spanner in the works for some, intending to seal their place in history with some choice utterances. Required to now carefully consider what they spew from their mouths, brash claims turn into red faced apologies, preposterous ideologies become regretful assertions that are beautiful proof for the statement that "patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels".
Close on the heels of Jawaharlal Nehru's great-grandson serving time in the cooler for hate speech, we have our very own Munnabhai turned convict turned Samajwadi Party General Secretary Sanjay Dutt in the docks for his "sexist" and "condescending" remarks against the second most powerful lady in the country, Bahujan Samaj supremo and UP Chief Minister, Maha Maya. While the affectionate sentiments one associates with a jhappi (hug, in Munnaspeak) and pappi (kiss) are only in keeping with the wonderfully chummy history of the SP and BSP, Dutt is nowadays expected to manifest his benevolence to female opponents in more mature and enlightened ways. So say our national gurus of political correctness.
Dutt's boss though, Mulayam Singh Yadav, could not care less for this new fad. In fact, he wishes to do away with the entire language in which this fad is typically present, one of India's two official languages, English. Yadav also does not care for this modern day hindrance to civilized agriculture, the computer. Even in this great age of moronic proclamations, this ranks right up there up some of the best that Bal Thackeray, Lalu Yadav and Vaiko have had to offer. While the opposition does not seem to have many qualms with these assertions, they lay their political incorrectness allegations against Yadav's derogatory stance on women. Yadav, in a brilliant move, has countered this by recruiting well known woman lover Nafisa Ali, into the fold. The opposition, defeated and dejected, has trained its sights onto other opponents now.
In the south of India this new fad is non-existent. Historically flippant on the issue of PC; Tamils especially, have other priorities. We have anyone and everyone weighing in on the situation in Sri Lanka without a care in the world as to the veracity of their claims. Having feigned concern for the last six months, people now simply speculate on the well being of LTTE chief Prabhakaran. With bold claims on what grievous damages they might inflict on civil society in case of any harm to this little known man, anyone with access to a mic has held forth on this topic. While there is agreement across the political spectrum on this issue, politics is the art of the possible, and hence differences must be identified. These differences though do not lend themselves to scrutiny under the banner of political correctness. There is no need, as political discourse here is so removed from civilization as we have come to know it that futile attempts at PC are like spitting into a tornado.
Is there another example of a country that has the brazenness to debate the status as a terrorist group of an organization that is directly responsible for killing one of its former Prime Ministers? While there is no semblance of a societal conscience in India, our degraded politicians will argue in peace, delusional and unconscionable to the last. With an intelligentsia and a Fourth Estate too meek to question this absolute atrocity, attention instead is continuously paid to trivialities and farces. In the starkest of ironies the only person left to address this issue is one of the single greatest advocates of this ridiculous position itself, Jayalalitha. It is like Hitler asking Churchill to be upset with Mussolini for supporting Hitler. Where is the need for political correctness?
Close on the heels of Jawaharlal Nehru's great-grandson serving time in the cooler for hate speech, we have our very own Munnabhai turned convict turned Samajwadi Party General Secretary Sanjay Dutt in the docks for his "sexist" and "condescending" remarks against the second most powerful lady in the country, Bahujan Samaj supremo and UP Chief Minister, Maha Maya. While the affectionate sentiments one associates with a jhappi (hug, in Munnaspeak) and pappi (kiss) are only in keeping with the wonderfully chummy history of the SP and BSP, Dutt is nowadays expected to manifest his benevolence to female opponents in more mature and enlightened ways. So say our national gurus of political correctness.
Dutt's boss though, Mulayam Singh Yadav, could not care less for this new fad. In fact, he wishes to do away with the entire language in which this fad is typically present, one of India's two official languages, English. Yadav also does not care for this modern day hindrance to civilized agriculture, the computer. Even in this great age of moronic proclamations, this ranks right up there up some of the best that Bal Thackeray, Lalu Yadav and Vaiko have had to offer. While the opposition does not seem to have many qualms with these assertions, they lay their political incorrectness allegations against Yadav's derogatory stance on women. Yadav, in a brilliant move, has countered this by recruiting well known woman lover Nafisa Ali, into the fold. The opposition, defeated and dejected, has trained its sights onto other opponents now.
In the south of India this new fad is non-existent. Historically flippant on the issue of PC; Tamils especially, have other priorities. We have anyone and everyone weighing in on the situation in Sri Lanka without a care in the world as to the veracity of their claims. Having feigned concern for the last six months, people now simply speculate on the well being of LTTE chief Prabhakaran. With bold claims on what grievous damages they might inflict on civil society in case of any harm to this little known man, anyone with access to a mic has held forth on this topic. While there is agreement across the political spectrum on this issue, politics is the art of the possible, and hence differences must be identified. These differences though do not lend themselves to scrutiny under the banner of political correctness. There is no need, as political discourse here is so removed from civilization as we have come to know it that futile attempts at PC are like spitting into a tornado.
Is there another example of a country that has the brazenness to debate the status as a terrorist group of an organization that is directly responsible for killing one of its former Prime Ministers? While there is no semblance of a societal conscience in India, our degraded politicians will argue in peace, delusional and unconscionable to the last. With an intelligentsia and a Fourth Estate too meek to question this absolute atrocity, attention instead is continuously paid to trivialities and farces. In the starkest of ironies the only person left to address this issue is one of the single greatest advocates of this ridiculous position itself, Jayalalitha. It is like Hitler asking Churchill to be upset with Mussolini for supporting Hitler. Where is the need for political correctness?
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Manchester United vs. Portsmouth - Relief Abounds
So it seems Ferguson's dropping of the FA Cup and thus the ephemeral quintuple has been vindicated for one week at least. United dominated Portsmouth with an expected result in a season where expectations have rarely been fulfilled. 2-0 sounds about right if one had to guess the scoreline before the game although if the team could create so many chances they should have put more away. This though is the age old story of this club. Two years ago, when they scored 83 goals in the league and scoring for fun there were still accusations of wastefulness and missing 4-5 simple chances every game. This season has been more austere, built on defence (you wouldn't seem to know it if you only started watching a month ago).
The line-up was more familiar than against Everton. Most of the kids were banished and Scholes, Giggs, Rooney and Ronaldo took up their places. Anderson retained his starting spot and 'Hallelujah' had a good game. Boy does he need a few more of these. With vision reminiscent of his partner Scholes, he rolled the ball perfectly for Giggs on the left who centered for Rooney to slot in. 1-0 after 9 minutes and that should have been game over. Of course it wasn't because United didn't score again till the 82nd minute. Nice to calm the nerves what with a giant robot dancing Crouch trying to get in between our defenders. United's passing really needs to become more consistent and finishing too. Shooting straight at the keeper should not happen as often as it does with this team. The major benefit for all to see was a clean sheet even if it was against a largely toothless team. It should inspire some confidence in the backline and the goalkeeper and make scoring one goal an efficient way to win again. Losing two right-backs in one game though does not help. The responsibility now rests on young Rafael unless Brown makes a quick comeback - he is apparently training already. Expect United to be bombarded from that side in coming games.
The real relief of course comes from the Liverpool-Arsenal 4-4 at Anfield. Liverpool's second 4-4 in a week and they have taken on the mantle of kings of entertainment (I want it back for United). I did not see the game but apparently Arsenal had 4 shots on target. All 4 fell to Arshavin. All 4 resulted in goals. Three of them were directly from mistakes by the defence and the fourth was a fast break when Liverpool were at the other end trying to score. Such piss poor defending deserves a whacking and both teams were guilty of it. Marking was thrown out the window and passing to an opponent in your penalty box seemed to pass for clearing the ball. Here's hoping both teams can manage to continue such defending for a while. If Liverpool manage it for another game and drop more points surely the title is sealed. If Arsenal can be so generous come Champions League time, then United are in with more than a shout.
The negative side of course is that both teams were scoring for fun. They do not stop attacking and have players capable enough to put the ball away with just one chance. Arshavin is cup-tied for the Champions League and many thanks to UEFA for that. The all important clean sheet from last night may do United some good. Enough good to get another against Tottenham on the weekend and 3 more points. If that dominance can be re-established then they should be more secure against Arsenal too in 3 season defining games.
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Madness from Pepe which is a must see. United came close to signing him before Madrid decided to splurge an ungodly amount of money on him.
Loco!
The line-up was more familiar than against Everton. Most of the kids were banished and Scholes, Giggs, Rooney and Ronaldo took up their places. Anderson retained his starting spot and 'Hallelujah' had a good game. Boy does he need a few more of these. With vision reminiscent of his partner Scholes, he rolled the ball perfectly for Giggs on the left who centered for Rooney to slot in. 1-0 after 9 minutes and that should have been game over. Of course it wasn't because United didn't score again till the 82nd minute. Nice to calm the nerves what with a giant robot dancing Crouch trying to get in between our defenders. United's passing really needs to become more consistent and finishing too. Shooting straight at the keeper should not happen as often as it does with this team. The major benefit for all to see was a clean sheet even if it was against a largely toothless team. It should inspire some confidence in the backline and the goalkeeper and make scoring one goal an efficient way to win again. Losing two right-backs in one game though does not help. The responsibility now rests on young Rafael unless Brown makes a quick comeback - he is apparently training already. Expect United to be bombarded from that side in coming games.
The real relief of course comes from the Liverpool-Arsenal 4-4 at Anfield. Liverpool's second 4-4 in a week and they have taken on the mantle of kings of entertainment (I want it back for United). I did not see the game but apparently Arsenal had 4 shots on target. All 4 fell to Arshavin. All 4 resulted in goals. Three of them were directly from mistakes by the defence and the fourth was a fast break when Liverpool were at the other end trying to score. Such piss poor defending deserves a whacking and both teams were guilty of it. Marking was thrown out the window and passing to an opponent in your penalty box seemed to pass for clearing the ball. Here's hoping both teams can manage to continue such defending for a while. If Liverpool manage it for another game and drop more points surely the title is sealed. If Arsenal can be so generous come Champions League time, then United are in with more than a shout.
The negative side of course is that both teams were scoring for fun. They do not stop attacking and have players capable enough to put the ball away with just one chance. Arshavin is cup-tied for the Champions League and many thanks to UEFA for that. The all important clean sheet from last night may do United some good. Enough good to get another against Tottenham on the weekend and 3 more points. If that dominance can be re-established then they should be more secure against Arsenal too in 3 season defining games.
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Madness from Pepe which is a must see. United came close to signing him before Madrid decided to splurge an ungodly amount of money on him.
Loco!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Mad as Hell - The Only Response to the Taliban Juggernaut
In Pakistan, people are finally, ‘mad as hell.’ For too long, the ‘mad as hell’ platform has been monopolized by the far-right Islamic extremists. In a country, where everything is wrong, being ‘mad as hell’ will bring you closer to the people than trying to defend the present status quo ever will. For a short time, Nawaz Sharif was ‘mad as hell’ about the deposition of the Chief Justice (read: disqualification of his brother), and the laurels and popularity his stand brought him, across the length and breadth of the Punjab cannot be disputed. Altaf Hussain and the MQM are always ‘mad as hell’, and they continue to enjoy the unqualified support of the majority of Karachi’s inhabitants. The same applies to the Balochi nationalists, the Sindhi nationalists, and generally ‘Pissed off Pakistanis’ across the political spectrum. But by far, the Taliban and the rest of the Islamic extremist network have definitely ruled the ‘high blood-pressure’ roost. And it has paid dividends. They have excelled in homing in on key grievances among peoples in the areas of the country who are the most entitled to being angry, the peoples who have consistently been marginalized and alienated by the leadership and leading institutions of this country.
The result of the rightward shift of this country since the Zia days, is that this country’s liberal intelligentsia, has also been marginalized. Finally, however, they seem to have woken up, and are, at last ‘mad as hell.’ The Nizam-e-Adl regulations in Swat, the resultant institutionalization of Taliban control, the flogging video, have finally brought out their rage. One columnist writes, “We do not want to live in a society where anyone is flogged, where anyone’s limb is hacked off, where anyone is stoned. Period.” Another writes, “No more waiting and seeing! We have already wasted a lot of time over this. It’s now a matter of life and death of the people, nation, state and the country. It’s time to take the terror tangle head-on.” Yet another claims, that the Nizam-e-Adl bill, “passed by the political parties present in the assembly on that disgraceful Monday in April is pure and simple appeasement by a weak government, by parties who have abandoned their principles.”
Meanwhile, in the Senate, lawmakers are showing their anger as well…finally. After the shameful display last week in the National Assembly, when the Nizam-e-Adl bill was passed in a day, and Sufi Mohammad, the broker of the Nizam-e-Adl deal from the Taliban side, our government’s apparent “ally” in Swat, declared all legislators who voted against the bill “Non-Muslim”, the MQM senators were quick to show their anger, pleading with the Senate Chairman, “Mr Chairman please tell us whether we sitting here are non-Muslims and whatever have been doing for the last one and half year was un-Islamic?”
Even Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the leader of the Islamic political party, the JUI, usually so supportive of the Taliban and their ilk, seems at least worried, declaring, “The process of enforcing Sharia in Swat is incorrect.”
Yes, they are all ‘mad as hell.’
The reason? There is no state more marginalizing and disenfranchising than a Taliban state. Liberals will, of course, be non-existent, ethnic parties will be irrelevant, and given Sufi Mohammad’s recent rants against democracy, parliaments, judiciaries, and all institutions of the modern nation-state, even political Islamists will lose their place. So, everyone’s feeling the pinch. Good for them. About time too.
But two key players in the political landscape, two very key players, remain in their Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne attires, refusing to acknowledge the dire situation and the need to don the cape of unwavering confrontation and uncompromising action. The ruling Pakistan Peoples’ Party, and the leading opposition party the Pakistan Muslim League, which also runs the Punjab the largest province. In the current political configuration, they firmly hold the reins of power and influence, and fear doing anything to lose their grip. Far from being ‘mad as hell’ they seem rather content. Prime Minister Gilani is bending over backwards to please the extremists, defending Sufi Mohammad’s statements against democracy, the constitution, the Supreme Court etc, saying, “there are many people who do not believe in democracy.” It’s a sad day when the prime minister of a democratic government defends such a position taken by the de facto authority of one of the regions that falls under his supervision. Meanwhile, the Muslim League prefers to dodge the issue, falling back on anti-Americanism, declaring the end of American drone attacks as the key to ending the Taliban onslaught, thus framing the Taliban’s position as a mere defense reaction to American aggression, as opposed to describing the Taliban for what they are, militant barbarian expansionists.
This confusion and inaction from the two biggest political players is infuriating. The Pakistan Muslim League have done much to earn the committed support of the people of Punjab, and if the League choose to take a firm stand against the Taliban and Islamic extremism, they do not stand to lose this base. In fact, a strong position on their part could well help bring around a lot of people who are currently on the fence regarding the threat posed by the Taliban. They have nothing to lose, and the country has everything to gain if they take a stand. The PPP, ever since their dramatic failure regarding the Long March, has retreated into such a cowardly posture, that they refuse to acknowledge the opportunity they have right now. Let’s face it: the current peace deal in Swat will not last. This is the TNSM and the Taliban we are talking about. In fact, the current expansion of operations by the Swat Taliban in Buner and Mansehra clearly demonstrates that the deal is really only being held up by the government. This is the time therefore, that they should be vilifying the Taliban, their expansionist intentions, and their perverse brand of Islamic justice. They should be showing how, in the peace deal they sincerely pursued they have been betrayed by the other side, expose the other side for what they are. This is their chance to be ‘mad as hell.’
The two leading political parties benefit the most from the present status quo, and seem unwilling to acknowledge that the way things are going presently, this current political landscape will very quickly disappear. The two main parties are allowing themselves to be held hostage by vocal minorities and political setbacks, where as they need to show some leadership. The left is outraged; the right is concerned, so if the center takes a stand, there is a good chance the rest will fall behind them. The time is now, people are waking up to the danger, to the fact that barbarians are not just at the gates, but have already breached the walls, and are in our heartland, in our cities, in our neighbourhoods, permeating every porous inch of our world, ready to bring an end, a dramatic end to the nation, the identity, the way of life, that we hold so dear. The leaders can now choose between being the Neroes of our tragic downfall or the Churchills of our glorious resistance. The time for the leaders to be ‘mad as hell’ is now.
The result of the rightward shift of this country since the Zia days, is that this country’s liberal intelligentsia, has also been marginalized. Finally, however, they seem to have woken up, and are, at last ‘mad as hell.’ The Nizam-e-Adl regulations in Swat, the resultant institutionalization of Taliban control, the flogging video, have finally brought out their rage. One columnist writes, “We do not want to live in a society where anyone is flogged, where anyone’s limb is hacked off, where anyone is stoned. Period.” Another writes, “No more waiting and seeing! We have already wasted a lot of time over this. It’s now a matter of life and death of the people, nation, state and the country. It’s time to take the terror tangle head-on.” Yet another claims, that the Nizam-e-Adl bill, “passed by the political parties present in the assembly on that disgraceful Monday in April is pure and simple appeasement by a weak government, by parties who have abandoned their principles.”
Meanwhile, in the Senate, lawmakers are showing their anger as well…finally. After the shameful display last week in the National Assembly, when the Nizam-e-Adl bill was passed in a day, and Sufi Mohammad, the broker of the Nizam-e-Adl deal from the Taliban side, our government’s apparent “ally” in Swat, declared all legislators who voted against the bill “Non-Muslim”, the MQM senators were quick to show their anger, pleading with the Senate Chairman, “Mr Chairman please tell us whether we sitting here are non-Muslims and whatever have been doing for the last one and half year was un-Islamic?”
Even Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the leader of the Islamic political party, the JUI, usually so supportive of the Taliban and their ilk, seems at least worried, declaring, “The process of enforcing Sharia in Swat is incorrect.”
Yes, they are all ‘mad as hell.’
The reason? There is no state more marginalizing and disenfranchising than a Taliban state. Liberals will, of course, be non-existent, ethnic parties will be irrelevant, and given Sufi Mohammad’s recent rants against democracy, parliaments, judiciaries, and all institutions of the modern nation-state, even political Islamists will lose their place. So, everyone’s feeling the pinch. Good for them. About time too.
But two key players in the political landscape, two very key players, remain in their Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne attires, refusing to acknowledge the dire situation and the need to don the cape of unwavering confrontation and uncompromising action. The ruling Pakistan Peoples’ Party, and the leading opposition party the Pakistan Muslim League, which also runs the Punjab the largest province. In the current political configuration, they firmly hold the reins of power and influence, and fear doing anything to lose their grip. Far from being ‘mad as hell’ they seem rather content. Prime Minister Gilani is bending over backwards to please the extremists, defending Sufi Mohammad’s statements against democracy, the constitution, the Supreme Court etc, saying, “there are many people who do not believe in democracy.” It’s a sad day when the prime minister of a democratic government defends such a position taken by the de facto authority of one of the regions that falls under his supervision. Meanwhile, the Muslim League prefers to dodge the issue, falling back on anti-Americanism, declaring the end of American drone attacks as the key to ending the Taliban onslaught, thus framing the Taliban’s position as a mere defense reaction to American aggression, as opposed to describing the Taliban for what they are, militant barbarian expansionists.
This confusion and inaction from the two biggest political players is infuriating. The Pakistan Muslim League have done much to earn the committed support of the people of Punjab, and if the League choose to take a firm stand against the Taliban and Islamic extremism, they do not stand to lose this base. In fact, a strong position on their part could well help bring around a lot of people who are currently on the fence regarding the threat posed by the Taliban. They have nothing to lose, and the country has everything to gain if they take a stand. The PPP, ever since their dramatic failure regarding the Long March, has retreated into such a cowardly posture, that they refuse to acknowledge the opportunity they have right now. Let’s face it: the current peace deal in Swat will not last. This is the TNSM and the Taliban we are talking about. In fact, the current expansion of operations by the Swat Taliban in Buner and Mansehra clearly demonstrates that the deal is really only being held up by the government. This is the time therefore, that they should be vilifying the Taliban, their expansionist intentions, and their perverse brand of Islamic justice. They should be showing how, in the peace deal they sincerely pursued they have been betrayed by the other side, expose the other side for what they are. This is their chance to be ‘mad as hell.’
The two leading political parties benefit the most from the present status quo, and seem unwilling to acknowledge that the way things are going presently, this current political landscape will very quickly disappear. The two main parties are allowing themselves to be held hostage by vocal minorities and political setbacks, where as they need to show some leadership. The left is outraged; the right is concerned, so if the center takes a stand, there is a good chance the rest will fall behind them. The time is now, people are waking up to the danger, to the fact that barbarians are not just at the gates, but have already breached the walls, and are in our heartland, in our cities, in our neighbourhoods, permeating every porous inch of our world, ready to bring an end, a dramatic end to the nation, the identity, the way of life, that we hold so dear. The leaders can now choose between being the Neroes of our tragic downfall or the Churchills of our glorious resistance. The time for the leaders to be ‘mad as hell’ is now.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Manchester United vs. Everton - Serves You Right
The elusive dream of the quintuple is gone with an odd quadruple possibility left in its place. Ferguson made his priorities well and clear yesterday when he fielded 8 changes to his starting XI from the team that took on Porto. I had no problems playing Rafael and Fabio as full-backs because Ferdinand and Vidic were there in between to lend stability. No such judgment was displayed in other parts of the park as Anderson and Gibson got central midfield. At this point I felt the game was up and handing Macheda a first start wasn't a very convincing move. Wellbeck was handed a place on the wings along with Park. Wellbeck may suffer for his versatility because I feel he is better through the middle with a much better touch than Macheda, more pace and more skill. Macheda is better at being a battering ram even at his tender age and it will negatively impact Wellbeck.
The game itself was nothing to write home about. Everton played some classic long ball football. It was repeatedly knocked up with Cahill and Fellaini the target men. Osman was his usual snarling self getting on the end of some knockdowns and lashing it goalwards. United passed well but there was no end product. Passing around the box without shooting makes you no better than Arsenal and frankly that's not very good. The Everton defence was marshaled well once again by Jagielka who improves with every game. In case you forget or do not know, this man was a central midfielder who played in goal for 20 minutes against a rampant Arsenal team and kept them out before being converted to a dominating and excellent centre-half by David Moyes. He got lucky when Mike Riley didn't give a penalty for a misjudged lunge on Wellbeck. If it were given, the assumption is United would have scored.
Of course, as most reports will tell you the match seemed destined to go to penalties as soon as it had begun. United huffed and puffed but never tried to blow the house down. Tevez was awful once again. If Wellbeck and Macheda stand to get a better chance should Tevez leave then I feel it is best he is gone. He does not justify a spend of 32 million pounds, not with such play. He is an Argentinian Dirk Kuyt at best and at worst he's an Argentinian Craig Bellamy. Berbatov may indeed be another Veron. Lovely first touch and nothing else to follow. These guys need to wake up and soon. To take nothing away from Tim Howard, the two penalties he saved were taken lackadaisically. Like I said, the assumption for the penalty shout was that if given United would have scored. That is a stupid assumption and one that should not have been in the team's mindset. Everton kept their heads well about them and deserved the win. May they now beat Chelsea in the final. I always believe if you have to lose, lose to the guy who'll win it all. Feels better losing to a champion than to another loser.
The nonsense on the pitch really does not excuse the manager. Wenger complained too but then he complains about the pitch in every game that Arsenal loses. Ferguson gambled on his team selection and lost big. It is ironic that this is the week he chooses to lambast Benitez on his disrespectful gesture towards Blackburn and then turns around and disrespects THE OLDEST CUP IN ALL OF FOOTBALL by selecting a juvenile team. To be sure, he's done it before a few times but in the semi-final? Really? If the team wins the game, everyone applauds a shrewd choice and belief in the young 'uns. If you lose the game as it turned out you get accused of screwing with a football institution. I really don't want to see Benitez's reaction mainly because it means a continuation of this ridiculous blood-feud these two have on. I'm hoping Wenger is right that mind-games have no effect because at this rate I think Fergie will lose.
He may still be justified in his actions if the team beats Portsmouth on Wednesday and the league on May 24th. With one fell swoop, his mistake can be erased and order restored. Or he will carry the blame forever more of the dream season surrendered.
The game itself was nothing to write home about. Everton played some classic long ball football. It was repeatedly knocked up with Cahill and Fellaini the target men. Osman was his usual snarling self getting on the end of some knockdowns and lashing it goalwards. United passed well but there was no end product. Passing around the box without shooting makes you no better than Arsenal and frankly that's not very good. The Everton defence was marshaled well once again by Jagielka who improves with every game. In case you forget or do not know, this man was a central midfielder who played in goal for 20 minutes against a rampant Arsenal team and kept them out before being converted to a dominating and excellent centre-half by David Moyes. He got lucky when Mike Riley didn't give a penalty for a misjudged lunge on Wellbeck. If it were given, the assumption is United would have scored.
Of course, as most reports will tell you the match seemed destined to go to penalties as soon as it had begun. United huffed and puffed but never tried to blow the house down. Tevez was awful once again. If Wellbeck and Macheda stand to get a better chance should Tevez leave then I feel it is best he is gone. He does not justify a spend of 32 million pounds, not with such play. He is an Argentinian Dirk Kuyt at best and at worst he's an Argentinian Craig Bellamy. Berbatov may indeed be another Veron. Lovely first touch and nothing else to follow. These guys need to wake up and soon. To take nothing away from Tim Howard, the two penalties he saved were taken lackadaisically. Like I said, the assumption for the penalty shout was that if given United would have scored. That is a stupid assumption and one that should not have been in the team's mindset. Everton kept their heads well about them and deserved the win. May they now beat Chelsea in the final. I always believe if you have to lose, lose to the guy who'll win it all. Feels better losing to a champion than to another loser.
The nonsense on the pitch really does not excuse the manager. Wenger complained too but then he complains about the pitch in every game that Arsenal loses. Ferguson gambled on his team selection and lost big. It is ironic that this is the week he chooses to lambast Benitez on his disrespectful gesture towards Blackburn and then turns around and disrespects THE OLDEST CUP IN ALL OF FOOTBALL by selecting a juvenile team. To be sure, he's done it before a few times but in the semi-final? Really? If the team wins the game, everyone applauds a shrewd choice and belief in the young 'uns. If you lose the game as it turned out you get accused of screwing with a football institution. I really don't want to see Benitez's reaction mainly because it means a continuation of this ridiculous blood-feud these two have on. I'm hoping Wenger is right that mind-games have no effect because at this rate I think Fergie will lose.
He may still be justified in his actions if the team beats Portsmouth on Wednesday and the league on May 24th. With one fell swoop, his mistake can be erased and order restored. Or he will carry the blame forever more of the dream season surrendered.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
NBA Playoff Expectations - Western Conference
Utah Jazz - A year after losing to the Lakers in 6 games Utah was expected to fight for the 2 or 3 seed to avoid meeting the Lakers till the conference finals at least this year. Unfortunately that's not how things have played out. With several injuries to the roster, the Jazz have fallen off a cliff after the All Star break and barely made the playoffs with the 8 seed. They now meet a Lakers team that has only goal in mind, the Championship. Utah is expected to be nothing more than a speed bump for the Lakers, but the Jazz play very hard on their home floor, and taking last year's series to 6 games should give them some hope of prolonging the series this time too.
New Orleans Hornets - They have arguably the best point guard in the league and one of the most dynamic and talented players around in Chris Paul. He is to this team what D-Wade is to the Miami Heat. They were an early season dark horse to go very far in the playoffs, but they haven't been able to replicate last season's performance in the regular season and doing so in the playoffs (where they took the San Antonio Spurs to 7 games in Round 2) will be even harder. While they have not much to lose, they play a surprise number 2 seed in the Denver Nuggets who have much more to prove. Expectations are not high, but Chris Paul is known to win games all on his own.
Dallas Mavericks - A few weeks removed from fighting the Phoenix Suns for the 8th seed, the Mavs, as I write, have taken game 1 on the road from the 3rd seeded Spurs. This raises expectations for them and shows they had a lift and momentum coming in. While they still chase that elusive championship, now with a veteran point guard, they don't seem to get bogged down by a sense of expectation. Dirk Nowitzki and the talented players who surround him can just go out and play their natural games without worrying too much, because nobody knows whats to expect of them. It's worked well in their favor so far and could take them a long way. Kenny Smith believes they'll make the conference finals!
Houston Rockets - In one of the most exciting Round 1 match-ups, the Rockets take on the Portland Trailblazers. Game 1 just concluded with the Rockets shutting down Brandon Roy n co. to take it on the road. With their alleged star, Tracy McGrady out, not much was expected of the Rockets, and as with the Mavericks they seem to overachieve when nothing is expected of them. Ron Artest has been a revelation and with Yao getting far more touches inside with McGrady out, the team seems to think it's got a winning combination, even with rookie point guard, Aaron Brooks (who's had an excellent debut tonight). Nobody knew what to expect out of this series, other than close games, but people might have underestimated Houston's vastly greater playoff experience and versatility. They could even be considering a long Round 2 with the Lakers for all you know.
Portland Trailblazers - By consensus, they are the most exciting team in basketball. A popular dark horse pick to give almost every western team trouble, it's likely their playoff infancy will let them down (as we've already seen in Game 1). They have a mature beyond his years and exciting leader in Brandon Roy and have nothing to lose. They've beaten the Lakers twice this season and beaten the Spurs and Rockets on the road. Nobody underestimates them, and that could play against them, as teams bring their full effort to games. While they're just happy to make a 4th seed entry in the playoffs, this season could be capped off with a long Round 2 against the Lakers.
San Antonio Spurs - They didn't make their traditional post All Star Game push to the top of the standings, but nevertheless finished with the 3rd seed in a tough Western Conference race. Their odd years' ('99,'03,'05,'07) luck might have run out with a spate of injuries (Manu Ginobili being the obvious one) and a group of veterans who are all past their best. Tony Parker is the only young gun and he'll have to do a lot of the heavy lifting to give San Antonio a shot in the arm it sorely needs. They've won it all so many times before, nobody knows what drives this team. The hunger for a championship cannot be compared with a team like the Cavaliers or the Lakers, so one must consider them a solid, professional group of champions that would just like to do the best it can. Losing Game 1 at home to the Mavericks has not been a good start.
Denver Nuggets - Not one person can honestly say they expected this team to be the number 2 seed in the West. After trading for Chauncey Billups they seem to have acquired a new lease of life and while they only won three games more than last year, they have a new attitude about them and that makes one helluva difference. They expect to finally end their Round 1 futility in the playoffs (they last made it to Round 2 in 1994) against the Hornets. This season will be really special if they were to make the Conference Finals and give, possibly the Lakers, a run for their money there. They have high hopes for themselves and they've played like it. Billups is a veteran leader and sees around him a cast of special players who he thinks can go far.
Los Angeles Lakers - It is not too much of a stretch to say that if the Lakers don't win the championship, their season will be considered a colossal failure. They've played with only one goal in mind (they lost the home court advantage to the Cavaliers) and that is to improve on last season's trip to the finals and go all the way this year. They have all their pieces in place, and Kobe Bryant has no more excuses. It's championship or bust, as simple as that and Bryant will be the first one to say so. No team this year even comes close to the expectations the Lakers have on their shoulders, and while that can be hard to play with, the Lakers will look to use that as added incentive, one which they far too easily ceded to the Celtics last year. There are no two ways about it and the Lakers should play with an intensity that shows as much.
New Orleans Hornets - They have arguably the best point guard in the league and one of the most dynamic and talented players around in Chris Paul. He is to this team what D-Wade is to the Miami Heat. They were an early season dark horse to go very far in the playoffs, but they haven't been able to replicate last season's performance in the regular season and doing so in the playoffs (where they took the San Antonio Spurs to 7 games in Round 2) will be even harder. While they have not much to lose, they play a surprise number 2 seed in the Denver Nuggets who have much more to prove. Expectations are not high, but Chris Paul is known to win games all on his own.
Dallas Mavericks - A few weeks removed from fighting the Phoenix Suns for the 8th seed, the Mavs, as I write, have taken game 1 on the road from the 3rd seeded Spurs. This raises expectations for them and shows they had a lift and momentum coming in. While they still chase that elusive championship, now with a veteran point guard, they don't seem to get bogged down by a sense of expectation. Dirk Nowitzki and the talented players who surround him can just go out and play their natural games without worrying too much, because nobody knows whats to expect of them. It's worked well in their favor so far and could take them a long way. Kenny Smith believes they'll make the conference finals!
Houston Rockets - In one of the most exciting Round 1 match-ups, the Rockets take on the Portland Trailblazers. Game 1 just concluded with the Rockets shutting down Brandon Roy n co. to take it on the road. With their alleged star, Tracy McGrady out, not much was expected of the Rockets, and as with the Mavericks they seem to overachieve when nothing is expected of them. Ron Artest has been a revelation and with Yao getting far more touches inside with McGrady out, the team seems to think it's got a winning combination, even with rookie point guard, Aaron Brooks (who's had an excellent debut tonight). Nobody knew what to expect out of this series, other than close games, but people might have underestimated Houston's vastly greater playoff experience and versatility. They could even be considering a long Round 2 with the Lakers for all you know.
Portland Trailblazers - By consensus, they are the most exciting team in basketball. A popular dark horse pick to give almost every western team trouble, it's likely their playoff infancy will let them down (as we've already seen in Game 1). They have a mature beyond his years and exciting leader in Brandon Roy and have nothing to lose. They've beaten the Lakers twice this season and beaten the Spurs and Rockets on the road. Nobody underestimates them, and that could play against them, as teams bring their full effort to games. While they're just happy to make a 4th seed entry in the playoffs, this season could be capped off with a long Round 2 against the Lakers.
San Antonio Spurs - They didn't make their traditional post All Star Game push to the top of the standings, but nevertheless finished with the 3rd seed in a tough Western Conference race. Their odd years' ('99,'03,'05,'07) luck might have run out with a spate of injuries (Manu Ginobili being the obvious one) and a group of veterans who are all past their best. Tony Parker is the only young gun and he'll have to do a lot of the heavy lifting to give San Antonio a shot in the arm it sorely needs. They've won it all so many times before, nobody knows what drives this team. The hunger for a championship cannot be compared with a team like the Cavaliers or the Lakers, so one must consider them a solid, professional group of champions that would just like to do the best it can. Losing Game 1 at home to the Mavericks has not been a good start.
Denver Nuggets - Not one person can honestly say they expected this team to be the number 2 seed in the West. After trading for Chauncey Billups they seem to have acquired a new lease of life and while they only won three games more than last year, they have a new attitude about them and that makes one helluva difference. They expect to finally end their Round 1 futility in the playoffs (they last made it to Round 2 in 1994) against the Hornets. This season will be really special if they were to make the Conference Finals and give, possibly the Lakers, a run for their money there. They have high hopes for themselves and they've played like it. Billups is a veteran leader and sees around him a cast of special players who he thinks can go far.
Los Angeles Lakers - It is not too much of a stretch to say that if the Lakers don't win the championship, their season will be considered a colossal failure. They've played with only one goal in mind (they lost the home court advantage to the Cavaliers) and that is to improve on last season's trip to the finals and go all the way this year. They have all their pieces in place, and Kobe Bryant has no more excuses. It's championship or bust, as simple as that and Bryant will be the first one to say so. No team this year even comes close to the expectations the Lakers have on their shoulders, and while that can be hard to play with, the Lakers will look to use that as added incentive, one which they far too easily ceded to the Celtics last year. There are no two ways about it and the Lakers should play with an intensity that shows as much.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Rum, Cigars and a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts
Ah Qooba. How far are you from having your exile ended? Not too far if Barry keeps going the way he is.
Speaking at the Organization of American States (OAS), Obama said he was willing to hit the bar with Raul Castro and discuss human rights, free speech, drugs, migration and economic issues in between downing Jaeger bombs. Castro was pretty happy to reciprocate saying, "Your place or mine?". Its been so refreshingly astounding for Latin American leaders that even the one who froths most at the mouth amongst them, Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, seemed to forget the smell of sulphur that emanates from any American and thought it was JC himself back to absolve man's sins. What else could lead to such a facial expression?
Much of the American antipathy towards Cuba is because Cuba was once the prodigal foster son of the US. It produced rum-a-plenty, the finest cigars in the whole world and had the best casinos when Las Vegas still consisted of one horse-watering hole. It was the perfect vacation spot whether you were in Florida or off in bitterly cold New York. It was so coveted as an island state that blood and guts Teddy Roosevelt ran up a hill with a volunteer brigades scaring the hell out of the Spanish. The rise of Castro was not so bad until he nationalized the state and allied himself with the Soviets, an unacceptable slap in the face for the US. If ever a country had been betrayed by one it fought for, nurtured and exploited in equal parts here it was.
And now with Barry at the helm, it may all just be consigned to the rubbish bin that is history. Decades of embargoes have left Cuba more impoverished than it was in 1959 but it has led to no political upheaval. Increased remittances, visits of Cuban-Americans back home will lead not just to further development of Cuba but may also plant the seeds of upheaval should the government not further liberalize. The obvious model to follow is that of the Chinese with a strong grasp maintained over the press and political freedoms while slackening the hold on free enterprise. It may buy the Castros some more time in power but at least the American policy of hurting the people for their leaders' actions will be repealed. Of course, this is only possible once some initial agreements are made or the 50 year old embargo will stand.
Hopefully this is some intricate ploy of Barry's to reform the Monroe Doctrine. He started making his promises early on ready to hurt the sentiments of political advisers who thought rapprochement with Cuba was ringing your death knell in the most sacred of states, Florida (try looking past the rather quick fulfillment of a campaign promise). Black caucus members of Congress made a visit just a few weeks ago praising the hospitality of Cubans everywhere who have ever existed. This contrived love fest has driven away GOP hardliners but big deal they were already sharp-shooting. The key benefit is the look of lust on Chavez's face. A few more such events and the Western Hemisphere will sit in America's back pocket again and Monroe's name will be replaced by Barry's.
Speaking at the Organization of American States (OAS), Obama said he was willing to hit the bar with Raul Castro and discuss human rights, free speech, drugs, migration and economic issues in between downing Jaeger bombs. Castro was pretty happy to reciprocate saying, "Your place or mine?". Its been so refreshingly astounding for Latin American leaders that even the one who froths most at the mouth amongst them, Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, seemed to forget the smell of sulphur that emanates from any American and thought it was JC himself back to absolve man's sins. What else could lead to such a facial expression?
Much of the American antipathy towards Cuba is because Cuba was once the prodigal foster son of the US. It produced rum-a-plenty, the finest cigars in the whole world and had the best casinos when Las Vegas still consisted of one horse-watering hole. It was the perfect vacation spot whether you were in Florida or off in bitterly cold New York. It was so coveted as an island state that blood and guts Teddy Roosevelt ran up a hill with a volunteer brigades scaring the hell out of the Spanish. The rise of Castro was not so bad until he nationalized the state and allied himself with the Soviets, an unacceptable slap in the face for the US. If ever a country had been betrayed by one it fought for, nurtured and exploited in equal parts here it was.
And now with Barry at the helm, it may all just be consigned to the rubbish bin that is history. Decades of embargoes have left Cuba more impoverished than it was in 1959 but it has led to no political upheaval. Increased remittances, visits of Cuban-Americans back home will lead not just to further development of Cuba but may also plant the seeds of upheaval should the government not further liberalize. The obvious model to follow is that of the Chinese with a strong grasp maintained over the press and political freedoms while slackening the hold on free enterprise. It may buy the Castros some more time in power but at least the American policy of hurting the people for their leaders' actions will be repealed. Of course, this is only possible once some initial agreements are made or the 50 year old embargo will stand.
Hopefully this is some intricate ploy of Barry's to reform the Monroe Doctrine. He started making his promises early on ready to hurt the sentiments of political advisers who thought rapprochement with Cuba was ringing your death knell in the most sacred of states, Florida (try looking past the rather quick fulfillment of a campaign promise). Black caucus members of Congress made a visit just a few weeks ago praising the hospitality of Cubans everywhere who have ever existed. This contrived love fest has driven away GOP hardliners but big deal they were already sharp-shooting. The key benefit is the look of lust on Chavez's face. A few more such events and the Western Hemisphere will sit in America's back pocket again and Monroe's name will be replaced by Barry's.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Marriages made in heaven...
We have a unique system of getting young people (who might other wise indulge in shameless activities such as dating, being in relationships, making out, hooking up, having sex, what have you may) hitched in India. Young here means since the time they hit puberty or some godforsaken age like that. It is a system that has been tried and tested over centuries and even in 2009, at the height of human civilization, it is considered the sacred method of finding your partner for life, as they like to put it.
Such a foolproof method that binds two people, not remotely in love with one another, into a life long relationship that is meant to be born out of love works in a very sophisticated, yet simple manner. It can be replicated anywhere and works like a charm to cure people of their frustrated, lonely lives. All you need is a list of questions.
Here are some if you are a boy or a concerned associate of the young boy, looking for a 'suitable' girl:
1. What is your family's socio-economic history? Do you have some loaded uncles or aunts? What chunk of your parents hard-earned money and savings are you going to blow up so my acquaintances and I can have a party of our lifetimes, and essentially I never have to work again?
2. Why just that much money, yaar? Your parents didn't plan for this glorious day since the time you were born?
3. Can you cook four meals everyday?
4. In between cooking meals can you do the dishes, wash clothes, keep our house (which your parents will be gifting us) neat and tidy?
5. How many sons will you bear and rear?
6. What do the stars say about your future? Do they align with mine? No, my astrologer has to say they align with mine, because yours has probably been paid off!
7. Do you have male friends? Why? Do you have any friends? Why?
8. You can read and write! Well, you won't need any of that for sure.
This is just the preliminary round. If the girl and her poor parents make it through, the questions get tougher.
For the young girls, if you have not figured it out by now - you don't get to ask questions! All you get is a marriage made in heaven!
Such a foolproof method that binds two people, not remotely in love with one another, into a life long relationship that is meant to be born out of love works in a very sophisticated, yet simple manner. It can be replicated anywhere and works like a charm to cure people of their frustrated, lonely lives. All you need is a list of questions.
Here are some if you are a boy or a concerned associate of the young boy, looking for a 'suitable' girl:
1. What is your family's socio-economic history? Do you have some loaded uncles or aunts? What chunk of your parents hard-earned money and savings are you going to blow up so my acquaintances and I can have a party of our lifetimes, and essentially I never have to work again?
2. Why just that much money, yaar? Your parents didn't plan for this glorious day since the time you were born?
3. Can you cook four meals everyday?
4. In between cooking meals can you do the dishes, wash clothes, keep our house (which your parents will be gifting us) neat and tidy?
5. How many sons will you bear and rear?
6. What do the stars say about your future? Do they align with mine? No, my astrologer has to say they align with mine, because yours has probably been paid off!
7. Do you have male friends? Why? Do you have any friends? Why?
8. You can read and write! Well, you won't need any of that for sure.
This is just the preliminary round. If the girl and her poor parents make it through, the questions get tougher.
For the young girls, if you have not figured it out by now - you don't get to ask questions! All you get is a marriage made in heaven!
Porto vs. Manchester United - From the Frying Pan into the Fire
Okay, so I was wrong. And over-pessimistic about Manchester United. Again. In my defense, I don't think you can blame me knowing my nature on the game and the last 6 weeks in football. United beat Porto in Portugal 1-0 if you don't know the result already (blasphemy!). Ronaldo scored in the 7th minute with a 40 yard longer. No-one thought about closing him down and he didn't think twice about taking it on. The ball kept swerving to the left at breakneck speed. Helton had little chance of scoring. It was the high-point of the two-legged tie for United.
The passing was good for the first 20 minutes or so. United kept the ball well and one touch passes were working. Rooney had been stationed out wide on the right essentially to track back and keep an eye on Cissokho, the marauding Porto left back. The ploy worked as Porto's left wing was kept relatively quiet. Anderson proved quite a different player to the one I blasted last week. It was heart-warming to see Ferguson give an absolute rollicking to Anderson during a treatment break for a Porto player. He ran his heart out, tackled well and passed better though still gave the ball away too often. Carrick was guilty of the same virtues and sins. European football reminds you why its recognized as the pinnacle in most every knockout stage game. If your team gives away the ball, it can take forever to regain it. That level of technical ability was on display from a club which has the financial means of a Bolton Wanderers. Expect more Porto players like Hulk (to United perhaps?), Lucho Gonzalez, Cissokho and Rodriguez to move for bigger pay-checks this summer.
Truthfully, this was a game where Porto probably should have scored. Van der Sar was flapping a bit. The full backs weren't on top of their game. The midfield gave the ball away too many times. Berbatov up top had the kind of game that the Guardian called it his best game and his worst game in two separate articles, clearly polarizing viewers with his astonishing ability followed by lack of end product. For everything that malfunctioned there were two crucial things that stood out for me.
1. Rio Ferdinand is the arch-organizer at the back for United. He exudes confidence that few could dream of doing so with such accomplished superstars on the pitch. He strode out repeatedly onto the ball and played a pass further up into midfield. It takes acute skills to read the game so beautifully that you intercept passes galore. It also takes confidence on the ball to move into midfield and successful attacks often start in this way. Most importantly he gave Vidic the confidence to what he does best in turn, which is be the best central defender in the world. It is ironic that he needs a calming presence next to him for that and obviously undermines his claim to the aforementioned position. There will be doubters but even without red-tinted glasses I feel these two make the best central defensive pair of the last 20 years.
2. Wayne Rooney proved for the bazillionth time that he will give up all for his club. Played out wide on the right just as in Barcelona last year, he tracked back diligently nullifying the wing-back and his partner in crime. He was a menace going forward playing quick passes, receiving them on the run or cutting infield when he saw a space develop. He provides inspiration for others like few can make claim to. Ronaldo may have scored the wonder goal but Rooney kept United in the frame on both ends of the pitch. One must wonder if he can be shaped into a Zidane like deep number 10 as compared to a regular in-the-hole striker that is so popular these days. He could be even better if he became both destructor and creator instead of finisher.
Given these two, United were still too nervy towards the end. 10 men got behind the ball alright but shots and crosses rained in from all directions. Clearly those Porto bastards had no feeling for the heart condition of fans in India. It still surprises me that they didn't put one past United late on as the vulnerability seemed to grow rather than diminish. The memory of 2004 is vivid. Costinha's goal came so late and was so distressing that I may have broken a table in protest. No goal, no broken furniture this time.
Next ahead lies Arsenal. The match up that means so much to so many in my generation will play out at least three times in the 4 weeks and possibly four times in the next 6. I shall be honest, I fear the worst. United are a tiring team unable to buy a clean sheet domestically while Arsenal are unbeaten in 19. The semi-final legs will be English and everything that word carries with it. A proper review is due soon.
The passing was good for the first 20 minutes or so. United kept the ball well and one touch passes were working. Rooney had been stationed out wide on the right essentially to track back and keep an eye on Cissokho, the marauding Porto left back. The ploy worked as Porto's left wing was kept relatively quiet. Anderson proved quite a different player to the one I blasted last week. It was heart-warming to see Ferguson give an absolute rollicking to Anderson during a treatment break for a Porto player. He ran his heart out, tackled well and passed better though still gave the ball away too often. Carrick was guilty of the same virtues and sins. European football reminds you why its recognized as the pinnacle in most every knockout stage game. If your team gives away the ball, it can take forever to regain it. That level of technical ability was on display from a club which has the financial means of a Bolton Wanderers. Expect more Porto players like Hulk (to United perhaps?), Lucho Gonzalez, Cissokho and Rodriguez to move for bigger pay-checks this summer.
Truthfully, this was a game where Porto probably should have scored. Van der Sar was flapping a bit. The full backs weren't on top of their game. The midfield gave the ball away too many times. Berbatov up top had the kind of game that the Guardian called it his best game and his worst game in two separate articles, clearly polarizing viewers with his astonishing ability followed by lack of end product. For everything that malfunctioned there were two crucial things that stood out for me.
1. Rio Ferdinand is the arch-organizer at the back for United. He exudes confidence that few could dream of doing so with such accomplished superstars on the pitch. He strode out repeatedly onto the ball and played a pass further up into midfield. It takes acute skills to read the game so beautifully that you intercept passes galore. It also takes confidence on the ball to move into midfield and successful attacks often start in this way. Most importantly he gave Vidic the confidence to what he does best in turn, which is be the best central defender in the world. It is ironic that he needs a calming presence next to him for that and obviously undermines his claim to the aforementioned position. There will be doubters but even without red-tinted glasses I feel these two make the best central defensive pair of the last 20 years.
2. Wayne Rooney proved for the bazillionth time that he will give up all for his club. Played out wide on the right just as in Barcelona last year, he tracked back diligently nullifying the wing-back and his partner in crime. He was a menace going forward playing quick passes, receiving them on the run or cutting infield when he saw a space develop. He provides inspiration for others like few can make claim to. Ronaldo may have scored the wonder goal but Rooney kept United in the frame on both ends of the pitch. One must wonder if he can be shaped into a Zidane like deep number 10 as compared to a regular in-the-hole striker that is so popular these days. He could be even better if he became both destructor and creator instead of finisher.
Given these two, United were still too nervy towards the end. 10 men got behind the ball alright but shots and crosses rained in from all directions. Clearly those Porto bastards had no feeling for the heart condition of fans in India. It still surprises me that they didn't put one past United late on as the vulnerability seemed to grow rather than diminish. The memory of 2004 is vivid. Costinha's goal came so late and was so distressing that I may have broken a table in protest. No goal, no broken furniture this time.
Next ahead lies Arsenal. The match up that means so much to so many in my generation will play out at least three times in the 4 weeks and possibly four times in the next 6. I shall be honest, I fear the worst. United are a tiring team unable to buy a clean sheet domestically while Arsenal are unbeaten in 19. The semi-final legs will be English and everything that word carries with it. A proper review is due soon.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
NBA Playoff Expectations - Eastern Conference
Let’s take a break from all the inconsequential news stories out there (LS polls and cognizance of the Naxal threat in India, a lawyer for Kasab, a slipper at Advani, the end of the financial crisis?) and turn to something far more significant : the NBA playoffs. While it may not match what their fans expect, every team entering the playoffs has its own set of expectations. Here’s what we can guess they are for the teams in the Eastern Conference.
Detroit Pistons – in a rare personnel miscalculation, Joe Dumars traded his team’s engine (Chauncey Billups) for the volatile Allen Iverson, and oh how the Pistons have fallen. A year after finishing with the league’s second best record and making their now customary trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, they’ve had a 20 game drop to finish with the 8th seed in the East and barely make the playoffs. While expectations are low, this team still retains a lot of its weapons from years before. Nobody thinks they can dislodge the mighty Cavaliers, the NBA’s best team, but nobody would be surprised if the Pistons showed some resilience and took this series to a hard fought 6 or even 7 games.
Chicago Bulls – having with one poor effort arranged for a playoff matchup against the defending champion Celtics as opposed to the Orlando Magic, Chicago has only itself to blame. With a team that was only sometime ago being considered on par with Portland for young talent, the Bulls have no excuse for finishing the season with a .500 record. Their post-season expectations mirror their underachieving regular season as guard Kirk Hinrich beautifully captures when he says, “We’re excited to be in the postseason. We’re going to try to get ready.”
Philadelphia 76ers – their season ended the day Elton Brand was ruled out for the remainder of it. Having contrived to avoid the Celtics in the first round, it is possible that they might fancy some chance of an upset of the young, but still formidable Magic. While they are 0-3 against the Magic this year, Iguodala (led the league in averaging almost 40 mins a game) and co. should really want to prove themselves as worthy of a sixth seed, and a team better than its .500 record might suggest.
Miami Heat – D-Wade gets a chance to put some icing on his already legendary comeback and this team only goes as far as he does. If there is a one man team in the NBA, this is it, and if there is one man you don’t want to face in the post-season, that would be Wade. The comparisons to the 2006 Lakers squad on Kobe’s shoulders have been made ad nauseam, but the Heat don’t have to play the Phoenix Suns in the first round (Lakers took a 3-1 lead and then lost the next three). We can all expect some fireworks in their series against the Hawks, and anything from then on is a bonus.
Atlanta Hawks – a year after pushing the Celtics to 7 games in a first round matchup, more was expected of the Atlanta Hawks than they’ve managed to deliver. That said, they’ve secured home court for their first round series and have drawn a team (see above) that cannot do them much damage other than a certain No. 3. They should be looking to cruise through Round 1 and then repeat their Round 1 performance of last year in Round 2 this year. That would be a pretty decent post-season outing.
Orlando Magic – while they’ve lost some crucial games they could’ve won over the course of the season, third seed sounds about right for this team. They have the most dominant big man in the game today in Dwight Howard and with a near 60 win season, there will be expectations. Philadelphia shouldn’t pose much of a challenge, but Orlando aspires to more than just a second round appearance. It all hinges on how badly Dwight Howard wants it. When he’s playing at his best, this can be a very dangerous club. They should expect to give both Boston and Cleveland a run for their money. Howard needs to show he can get it done in the post-season.
Boston Celtics – for a defending champion, they’ve been a bit under the radar this year, thanks to some high profile injuries and a season for the ages in Cleveland. At the same time, this is a 62 win team and remains one of the best defensive clubs in the league. Anything short of a repeat performance will be considered a letdown considering it is apparent that their championship window was only a three year stretch. Ray Allen is 32 and KG at 31 is showing the signs of all those years of toil. They expect to have KG back for game 1 of the Chicago series and with him should expect to be in the NBA finals again, if not to win it all and repeat as champions.
Cleveland Cavaliers – That the Cavs have improved 21 games in a single season and have the best record in the league, with the most imposing home court to boot, should be enough to convince anyone of Lebron James’ candidature as MVP. This unbelievable turnaround itself should please most Cavs fans, but having made a trip to the NBA finals with a far lesser team following James’ magical and otherworldly game 5 performance against Detroit in the 2nd round in 2007, anything short of a championship will be considered a disappointment. If you keep in mind that James is a free agent at the end of next season, Cavs fans would think a championship is the only way to keep James at Cleveland. They have been the best team in the NBA for the stretch of the season and they will want to show in the post-season that their record was no illusion.
Detroit Pistons – in a rare personnel miscalculation, Joe Dumars traded his team’s engine (Chauncey Billups) for the volatile Allen Iverson, and oh how the Pistons have fallen. A year after finishing with the league’s second best record and making their now customary trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, they’ve had a 20 game drop to finish with the 8th seed in the East and barely make the playoffs. While expectations are low, this team still retains a lot of its weapons from years before. Nobody thinks they can dislodge the mighty Cavaliers, the NBA’s best team, but nobody would be surprised if the Pistons showed some resilience and took this series to a hard fought 6 or even 7 games.
Chicago Bulls – having with one poor effort arranged for a playoff matchup against the defending champion Celtics as opposed to the Orlando Magic, Chicago has only itself to blame. With a team that was only sometime ago being considered on par with Portland for young talent, the Bulls have no excuse for finishing the season with a .500 record. Their post-season expectations mirror their underachieving regular season as guard Kirk Hinrich beautifully captures when he says, “We’re excited to be in the postseason. We’re going to try to get ready.”
Philadelphia 76ers – their season ended the day Elton Brand was ruled out for the remainder of it. Having contrived to avoid the Celtics in the first round, it is possible that they might fancy some chance of an upset of the young, but still formidable Magic. While they are 0-3 against the Magic this year, Iguodala (led the league in averaging almost 40 mins a game) and co. should really want to prove themselves as worthy of a sixth seed, and a team better than its .500 record might suggest.
Miami Heat – D-Wade gets a chance to put some icing on his already legendary comeback and this team only goes as far as he does. If there is a one man team in the NBA, this is it, and if there is one man you don’t want to face in the post-season, that would be Wade. The comparisons to the 2006 Lakers squad on Kobe’s shoulders have been made ad nauseam, but the Heat don’t have to play the Phoenix Suns in the first round (Lakers took a 3-1 lead and then lost the next three). We can all expect some fireworks in their series against the Hawks, and anything from then on is a bonus.
Atlanta Hawks – a year after pushing the Celtics to 7 games in a first round matchup, more was expected of the Atlanta Hawks than they’ve managed to deliver. That said, they’ve secured home court for their first round series and have drawn a team (see above) that cannot do them much damage other than a certain No. 3. They should be looking to cruise through Round 1 and then repeat their Round 1 performance of last year in Round 2 this year. That would be a pretty decent post-season outing.
Orlando Magic – while they’ve lost some crucial games they could’ve won over the course of the season, third seed sounds about right for this team. They have the most dominant big man in the game today in Dwight Howard and with a near 60 win season, there will be expectations. Philadelphia shouldn’t pose much of a challenge, but Orlando aspires to more than just a second round appearance. It all hinges on how badly Dwight Howard wants it. When he’s playing at his best, this can be a very dangerous club. They should expect to give both Boston and Cleveland a run for their money. Howard needs to show he can get it done in the post-season.
Boston Celtics – for a defending champion, they’ve been a bit under the radar this year, thanks to some high profile injuries and a season for the ages in Cleveland. At the same time, this is a 62 win team and remains one of the best defensive clubs in the league. Anything short of a repeat performance will be considered a letdown considering it is apparent that their championship window was only a three year stretch. Ray Allen is 32 and KG at 31 is showing the signs of all those years of toil. They expect to have KG back for game 1 of the Chicago series and with him should expect to be in the NBA finals again, if not to win it all and repeat as champions.
Cleveland Cavaliers – That the Cavs have improved 21 games in a single season and have the best record in the league, with the most imposing home court to boot, should be enough to convince anyone of Lebron James’ candidature as MVP. This unbelievable turnaround itself should please most Cavs fans, but having made a trip to the NBA finals with a far lesser team following James’ magical and otherworldly game 5 performance against Detroit in the 2nd round in 2007, anything short of a championship will be considered a disappointment. If you keep in mind that James is a free agent at the end of next season, Cavs fans would think a championship is the only way to keep James at Cleveland. They have been the best team in the NBA for the stretch of the season and they will want to show in the post-season that their record was no illusion.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Friedman Starts School of Diplomacy - World Immediately Regresses to Stone Age
Tom Friedman, Esquire is at it again using manatees to bring up random words and joining them in a sentence with verbs and adjectives. The magic words of the day are 'diplomacy' and 'lever'; here is the introduction to his op-ed.
It would consist of a single classroom with a desk and a chair. At the desk would be a teacher, pretending to be a foreign leader. The student would come in and have to persuade the foreign leader to do something — to pull this or that lever. At one point, the foreign leader would nod vigorously in agreement and then reach behind him and pull the lever — and it would come off the wall in his hands. Or, he would nod vigorously and say, “Yes, yes, of course, I will pull that lever,” but then would only pretend to do so.
The student would then have to figure out what to do next.
Hmmmmmm. How much smack did Friedman score before writing this paragraph?
“Mama, don’t let your children grow up to be diplomats.”
It would consist of a single classroom with a desk and a chair. At the desk would be a teacher, pretending to be a foreign leader. The student would come in and have to persuade the foreign leader to do something — to pull this or that lever. At one point, the foreign leader would nod vigorously in agreement and then reach behind him and pull the lever — and it would come off the wall in his hands. Or, he would nod vigorously and say, “Yes, yes, of course, I will pull that lever,” but then would only pretend to do so.
The student would then have to figure out what to do next.
Hmmmmmm. How much smack did Friedman score before writing this paragraph?
“Mama, don’t let your children grow up to be diplomats.”
This is not the great age of diplomacy.
Once you look past Friedman calling all mothers 'Mama' whether they're his own or not, you realize the man may have a point. If you're going to indulge in nation-building do it the right way and not some half-assed attempt like Iraq. The decision to clear out Afghanistan was made 8 years ago and he might remember the catalytic event that led to it. Pakistan is a by-product of its own deficiencies and the crumbling of the border between the two countries, leading to a merged rebellion force gaining ground all round. So Friedman seems to be right, plain old sweet talking by smooth diplomats won't work and some old fashioned blood and iron will be needed to forge the foundations of these two countries. Is it possible in the current scenario? I don't know but I hope Friedman or someone else does.
And in the case of the strong states — Iran and North Korea — we would have to generate much more effective leverage from the outside to get them to change their behavior along the lines we seek. In both cases, though, success surely would require a bigger and longer U.S. investment of money and power, not to mention allies.
No shit, Sherlock. Though at what point, diplomacy wouldn't be leading the charge stumps me. How does he plan to use leverage without diplomacy? Friedman seems to think these are the first countries unwilling to follow through on a promise. Won't engaging with Iran diplomatically be the first step to getting them to a negotiating table or should the Security Council keep barking threats out to them? Kim Jong Il in that last bastion of Stalinism knows exactly what he is doing. He gets the attention of the world with his histrionics and then pulls out another set of bargains. Very effective. How about using more leverage on China to force Kim to the table? Figuring out the right carrots and sticks to use on all parties concerned is a crucial part of diplomacy. If successful, he can even sneak in a few of his own students well versed in the art of watching levers being pulled in all directions.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Papa Bear vs. Slim Shady - Bring it On!
Chief Feminist in the US and Ruler of the Giant Amazonian Women, Bill O'Reilly has sprung brilliantly to the defence of Sarah Palin and women all over the world. Apparently, while O'Reilly was watching BET for research late one night he came across Eminem's single "We Made You", where young Marshall Mathers raps about a bunch of celebrities who's only claim to fame is that they are celebrities.
While out on his bra-burning protests, O'Reilly stopped to defend the honour of Sarah Palin who is so clearly being objectified in this odd-rhyming-of-words-to-a-beat aka the worst form of entertainment. Fellow blogger Clovis The 'Big Pimpin' Barbarian may disagree with the latter part of the statement. Ol' Bill while taking up the cause of the gentler sex seems to have insulted an entire race in the process. Well done, sir.
But O'Reilly is most upset at the left Mainstream Media (MSM) who have not sprung to the defence of his beloved Sarah simply because she is a conservative. Those hypocritical fools obviously look after only their own like Ellen DeGeneres, Jessica Simpson, Portia Del Rossi and Lindsay Lohan who also make an appearance in the song. Oh wait, they didn't protect them either. Damn you lazy MSM.
And so what if Bill isn't really consistent in his praise for women? (My favourite is when he says a woman can always have a C-section or such stuff and hence is never at risk during child birth) At least he sticks to the line when it comes to not criticizing Eminem or rap for glorifying gun culture. Clearly, the US doesn't suffer from lax gun control so why would Bill mention that? Only immigrants would mishandle a gun.
Oh and the word that is asterisked out is 'nail'. Ah Begorrah, only randy sailors should use such a word.
While out on his bra-burning protests, O'Reilly stopped to defend the honour of Sarah Palin who is so clearly being objectified in this odd-rhyming-of-words-to-a-beat aka the worst form of entertainment. Fellow blogger Clovis The 'Big Pimpin' Barbarian may disagree with the latter part of the statement. Ol' Bill while taking up the cause of the gentler sex seems to have insulted an entire race in the process. Well done, sir.
But O'Reilly is most upset at the left Mainstream Media (MSM) who have not sprung to the defence of his beloved Sarah simply because she is a conservative. Those hypocritical fools obviously look after only their own like Ellen DeGeneres, Jessica Simpson, Portia Del Rossi and Lindsay Lohan who also make an appearance in the song. Oh wait, they didn't protect them either. Damn you lazy MSM.
And so what if Bill isn't really consistent in his praise for women? (My favourite is when he says a woman can always have a C-section or such stuff and hence is never at risk during child birth) At least he sticks to the line when it comes to not criticizing Eminem or rap for glorifying gun culture. Clearly, the US doesn't suffer from lax gun control so why would Bill mention that? Only immigrants would mishandle a gun.
Oh and the word that is asterisked out is 'nail'. Ah Begorrah, only randy sailors should use such a word.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Sunderland - Manchester United
This kid pops up again. He better keep track of his family jewels because they look like they might get crushed with such celebrations.
The game itself was quite awful. United held the ball fine for the first half an hour and Rooney really is the creative God at Old Trafford. He stuck to the left wing while Tevez and Berbatov ran around (strolled in Berba's case) not doing too much again. Rooney's cross in the 18th minute is being described as perfect but to me there was some luck involved in Scholes' header. Its come off the top of his head instead of being guided in off his forehead. After that United seem to drift off making mistakes more frequently. Vidic's backpass was daft and Evans had no idea of the centered ball bouncing off his toe and almost into his own goal. Credit to Sunderland that they kept attacking although it was to be expected being at Sunderland and the relegation battle that they're stuck in.
It further proves that since United lost to Liverpool, every team has been willing to attack rather than sit back. I'm not certain what the team will amble across the line with this season but the club needs Hargreaves back or a replacement for the next season or it may as well be written off right now. I'm jealous when I look over at the other top English clubs and see Mascherano and Essien (not convinced by Song at Arsenal). If the club does sell Ronaldo to Madrid this summer, they should demand Gago moving in the opposite direction with Higuain. All the potential that Anderson showed last year seems to be just that - potential. He has regressed tremendously. His range of passing has shrunk, he doesn't tackle as cleanly and hardly makes any forward runs. Its almost a terror to try and watch him slip a through ball because he gets the weight of the ball so wrong so often. I wonder how he's managing to impress Fergie in training that he still makes the bench more often than Darron Gibson.
This lack of midfield bite is the reason all teams starting with Blackburn when the clean sheet streak was broken have attacked so effectively. Where are the two banks of four of both midfield and defence? Who is closing down the gaps in front of the defense? There seems to be a lack of organization and commitment. Granted, Sunderland's goal didn't come through the center but they managed to bypass it all and go down the wings! Foster flapped like a bird and Kenwyne Jones scored. Hurrah, another United keeper with promise who will fade away. Its led to one paper claiming United are willing to bid 22 mn pounds for Victor Valdes (such levels of stupidity are unprecedented even from tabloid hacks).
So United did score again late on. Rooney took a long shot, it rebounded he recovered and set it up for Carrick. Carrick doesn't shoot as often as he should. He gets good power on them and they're usually on target with the bonus of getting deflected which is a much easier way of scoring goals. This pinball attack worked in this case with the golden boy Macheda apparently side footing the cannonball shot. It looks a simple ol' deflection but to Macheda's credit he did try to move his feet around a bit as the ball came to him. I think he was trying to trap it, got it awfully wrong and then realized he'd actually got it awfully right. If a significant portion of his attempts to trap the ball inadvertently result in goals, I'm all for the lack of skill. As it stands, I'm still to be convinced of his other skills on the ball though he does use his physique well and makes a nuisance of himself. His obsession with his gelled hair does not bode well nor does his clear admiration for Ronaldo, the King of Prima Donnas. He needs to pick a better role model like Wes Brown. Colour his hair orange but play the part of the consummate professional for the rest of his career.
Next up, the FA Cup and Everton. Everton have conceded three goals to Villa while scoring three themselves. They will win corners, cross incessantly and between Cahill and Fellaini the United defense is going to get molested. Fun times ahead.
P.S. A sign of what I think about United's chances of beating Porto, it never occurred to me to even think of that as a game before the FA Cup semi-final on Sunday. Fun times indeed.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Shoes at PC - In Keeping With The Times
After an Iraqi journalist enlightened the entire fourth estate worldwide on an effective way to express its frustration with leaders, more and more journos have picked up on this brilliant mechanism. Trendy Jarnail Singh, not to be left out of this recent shoe throwing binge at our beloved politicians had his own shot today at venerable Congress boy P.Chidambaram, but like his mentor, failed to make contact with the intended target.
After Bush's narrow escape, the question was asked if India's own politicians were nimble or reflexive enough to duck and avoid such objects hurled at them. Today our honorable Home Minister has answered the question in a stunning display of quickness of mind and limb that was hardly expected of him. Bemused by the antagonism on display by the above mentioned Jarnail Singh, PC calmly took the event in stride without the fluster one can expect from say a Pranab Mukherjee.
A technique that is now spreading like wildfire and leaving older journos wondering why they hadn't thought of it themselves all these years (when you had such excellent targets like John Major, Indira Gandhi, Gerald Ford etc.), shoe throwing should only be a forerunner to what is sure to be more exciting stuff like long range spitting or a pen disguised as a water gun. Middle East messiah Muntadhar Al-Zaidi showed the way..and who is Jarnail Singh to not follow?
But like all good Christians Jarnail was quick to regret his explicit show of emotion while sticking to his stance on the issue. The issue of course being the letting off of one Mr. Tytler in connection with the 1984 Sikh Riots.
Much shall be written on society's frustrations coming out on its leaders and how restraint is now an unknown commodity in the civilized world. Security shall be beefed up by having all press conferences in the nude so that there would be nothing to hurl (other than a well aimed parabola of spittle of course). Journalists will be arrested and tried and jailed and released and then worshiped by their countrymen. Politicians and leaders will begin to spend more time in the gym (both for nude press conferences as well as to improve flexibility). Over and above all, shoes will begin to have tracking devices in them so as not to miss their intended targets anymore. Through all this, we will, as George Bush said in a pun for the ages, be shown our souls.
After Bush's narrow escape, the question was asked if India's own politicians were nimble or reflexive enough to duck and avoid such objects hurled at them. Today our honorable Home Minister has answered the question in a stunning display of quickness of mind and limb that was hardly expected of him. Bemused by the antagonism on display by the above mentioned Jarnail Singh, PC calmly took the event in stride without the fluster one can expect from say a Pranab Mukherjee.
A technique that is now spreading like wildfire and leaving older journos wondering why they hadn't thought of it themselves all these years (when you had such excellent targets like John Major, Indira Gandhi, Gerald Ford etc.), shoe throwing should only be a forerunner to what is sure to be more exciting stuff like long range spitting or a pen disguised as a water gun. Middle East messiah Muntadhar Al-Zaidi showed the way..and who is Jarnail Singh to not follow?
But like all good Christians Jarnail was quick to regret his explicit show of emotion while sticking to his stance on the issue. The issue of course being the letting off of one Mr. Tytler in connection with the 1984 Sikh Riots.
Much shall be written on society's frustrations coming out on its leaders and how restraint is now an unknown commodity in the civilized world. Security shall be beefed up by having all press conferences in the nude so that there would be nothing to hurl (other than a well aimed parabola of spittle of course). Journalists will be arrested and tried and jailed and released and then worshiped by their countrymen. Politicians and leaders will begin to spend more time in the gym (both for nude press conferences as well as to improve flexibility). Over and above all, shoes will begin to have tracking devices in them so as not to miss their intended targets anymore. Through all this, we will, as George Bush said in a pun for the ages, be shown our souls.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Manchester United - Aston Villa
I CAN ONLY SAY A FEW WORDS. TAKE A BOW, SON TAKE A BOW! - Andy Gray on Federico Macheda scoring in the 2nd minute of injury time
The title race is back on but its been on for 2 weeks ever since Fulham beat United at Craven Cottage. Liverpool came close last afternoon to dropping two precious points but the combination of Gerrard and Benayoun popped up in injury time to score that vital goal. Three points in the bag and Benitez claiming the pressure was on United. How right you are, senor. The pressure has been on since Liverpool came and thrashed United on home turf by 4 goals to 1. There was pressure to rebound at Fulham without the colossus that is Nemanja Vidic, and the team succumbed badly. I had said in my post on the agonies of a sports fan that one is not redeemed till your team wins again. I've been suffering since March 14th and it was close to lasting till April 11th. Not anymore.
United played absolutely awfully. They played with composure only after the first goal was scored in the 14th minute for a few minutes and then once again after the 75th minute. Villa's midfield generals Barry and Petrov patrolled brilliantly, winning tackles and providing easy passes for their pacy young trio of Young, Agbonlahor and Milner to attack. United were gifted an indirect freekick by Milner's lack of judgement when back-passing. Either way its extremely difficult to convert these and Ronaldo was definitely helped by the awful positioning of Friedel and Nicky Shorey being 5'6 and on the line.
Villa's response was typical of their general play with Barry again winning the ball and crossing brilliantly for Carew to nod in. United are missing Vidic and his imperious presence in the air. The folly of starting Gary Neville in the center of defense was proved fairly early on and he switched positions with O'Shea at right back but that didn't help matters much. Neville is most certainly on his way out of the game. He does not have the pace to deal with the Agbonlahors and Youngs nor the jumping ability to deal with a Carew. It was heartening to see him put in his trademark tackle on Agbonlahor but it was a rare instance for applause. He was at fault for Villa's second goal as well according to me. Ronaldo lost the ball lazily, that's fair but why was Neville pressing Petrov near the halfway line when Carew was peeling off into space on his side? It was an obvious pass to Carew who eventually ambled up to the box before crossing for Agbonlahor. Yet another header, yet another memory of Vidic missing.
United didn't seem capable of getting back without the invention of Rooney. Ronaldo acts like a cry-baby far too early in a game if United is losing and its frustrating. Nani had a couple of decent crosses but dribbled horribly and gave nothing else. Tevez ran his guts out again but doesn't have the pace to get past defenders. I welcomed Macheda coming on to the pitch in the 61st minute for Nani, knowing only that he was a day over 16 when signed from Lazio. This kid will do great things. His physique is huge for a 17 year old much like Rooney was when he was 16. Ronaldo scored somehow in the 80th minute with a dribbling shot which barely got past Friedel. He was indescript the entire game except for his two goals (if that makes any sense). At that point, I was willing to accept the single point.
Martin Tyler asked Andy Gray some minutes later would United play to win and risk the loss? Absolutely, this is Manchester United was the gruff response. The other teenage substitute striker Welbeck had a good chance at 88 minutes but Friedel saved well. Just a little before, the always excellent Jonny Evans slid in beautifully to prevent Young getting the ball and an open goal. It was to fall to Macheda though to win honours between these two young, attacking clubs. He gathered the ball, shaped to shoot, danced in on the left before dragging the ball back to his right, curling it in even as he lost his footing and fell. A fantastic goal, on debut, in injury time after two consecutive losses and putting his club back on top of the table with his family standing at the same corner he scored at. Could a dream get any dreamier?
The title's destination is not decided yet. In fact, United have shown repeatedly over the last 3 games that they are vulnerable to any team that is willing to attack them, which will be every team now. We're missing Hargreaves and Vidic. Confidence in defense and the keeper have been severely eroded and some clean sheets are needed to sort that out. Let's stand back though and witness the birth of a star that is Macheda.
Update - The reaction to Macheda's goal is incredible. Words may have failed Andy Gray but they're not failing some fans.
The title race is back on but its been on for 2 weeks ever since Fulham beat United at Craven Cottage. Liverpool came close last afternoon to dropping two precious points but the combination of Gerrard and Benayoun popped up in injury time to score that vital goal. Three points in the bag and Benitez claiming the pressure was on United. How right you are, senor. The pressure has been on since Liverpool came and thrashed United on home turf by 4 goals to 1. There was pressure to rebound at Fulham without the colossus that is Nemanja Vidic, and the team succumbed badly. I had said in my post on the agonies of a sports fan that one is not redeemed till your team wins again. I've been suffering since March 14th and it was close to lasting till April 11th. Not anymore.
United played absolutely awfully. They played with composure only after the first goal was scored in the 14th minute for a few minutes and then once again after the 75th minute. Villa's midfield generals Barry and Petrov patrolled brilliantly, winning tackles and providing easy passes for their pacy young trio of Young, Agbonlahor and Milner to attack. United were gifted an indirect freekick by Milner's lack of judgement when back-passing. Either way its extremely difficult to convert these and Ronaldo was definitely helped by the awful positioning of Friedel and Nicky Shorey being 5'6 and on the line.
Villa's response was typical of their general play with Barry again winning the ball and crossing brilliantly for Carew to nod in. United are missing Vidic and his imperious presence in the air. The folly of starting Gary Neville in the center of defense was proved fairly early on and he switched positions with O'Shea at right back but that didn't help matters much. Neville is most certainly on his way out of the game. He does not have the pace to deal with the Agbonlahors and Youngs nor the jumping ability to deal with a Carew. It was heartening to see him put in his trademark tackle on Agbonlahor but it was a rare instance for applause. He was at fault for Villa's second goal as well according to me. Ronaldo lost the ball lazily, that's fair but why was Neville pressing Petrov near the halfway line when Carew was peeling off into space on his side? It was an obvious pass to Carew who eventually ambled up to the box before crossing for Agbonlahor. Yet another header, yet another memory of Vidic missing.
United didn't seem capable of getting back without the invention of Rooney. Ronaldo acts like a cry-baby far too early in a game if United is losing and its frustrating. Nani had a couple of decent crosses but dribbled horribly and gave nothing else. Tevez ran his guts out again but doesn't have the pace to get past defenders. I welcomed Macheda coming on to the pitch in the 61st minute for Nani, knowing only that he was a day over 16 when signed from Lazio. This kid will do great things. His physique is huge for a 17 year old much like Rooney was when he was 16. Ronaldo scored somehow in the 80th minute with a dribbling shot which barely got past Friedel. He was indescript the entire game except for his two goals (if that makes any sense). At that point, I was willing to accept the single point.
Martin Tyler asked Andy Gray some minutes later would United play to win and risk the loss? Absolutely, this is Manchester United was the gruff response. The other teenage substitute striker Welbeck had a good chance at 88 minutes but Friedel saved well. Just a little before, the always excellent Jonny Evans slid in beautifully to prevent Young getting the ball and an open goal. It was to fall to Macheda though to win honours between these two young, attacking clubs. He gathered the ball, shaped to shoot, danced in on the left before dragging the ball back to his right, curling it in even as he lost his footing and fell. A fantastic goal, on debut, in injury time after two consecutive losses and putting his club back on top of the table with his family standing at the same corner he scored at. Could a dream get any dreamier?
The title's destination is not decided yet. In fact, United have shown repeatedly over the last 3 games that they are vulnerable to any team that is willing to attack them, which will be every team now. We're missing Hargreaves and Vidic. Confidence in defense and the keeper have been severely eroded and some clean sheets are needed to sort that out. Let's stand back though and witness the birth of a star that is Macheda.
Update - The reaction to Macheda's goal is incredible. Words may have failed Andy Gray but they're not failing some fans.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Take Care of Your Beard, My Son
The good old Supreme Court in India is at it again. The Right Hon. (is that used in India?) Markandeya Katju ruled that 'growing a beard was akin to promoting Talibanisation in the country.' The case before him was that of a student Mohammad Salim petitioning to keep his beard while his school, Nirmala Convent Higher Secondary School in Madhya Pradesh, essentially said, "Shave or Death!" (or maybe "... Bugger Off!"). Of course along with these statements, the court also said that if you're at the school, follow the rules or leave, which is really what this matter is about to begin with.
The defence argued that 'sporting a beard was an indispensable part of Islam'. Justice Katju had this classic comeback, "But you [Justice Khan] don't sport a beard". I wonder if he was complimenting his practice of Islam or insulting his ability to grow the fuzz on the cheeks. No doubt he was twirling his own moustache (if he has one), drinking some wine and unveiling his Gallic villain laugh, "Haunh, haunh, haunh". Pulling the age old French positive liberty arguement of no-one displaying any religious liberty whatsoever in public schools, Katju argued for 'balanced secularism'. All-India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat President Zafarul Islam Khan called Justice Katju’s remarks "unfortunate".
I'm surprised he didn't say, "Who are you? Telling an entire religious community whether they can shave or not. You daft git."
Justice Katju may also have missed meeting a Sikh to date. The most obvious example of a community that displays its religion openly, I'm certain no Indian school has asked them to shave lest it lead to the Khalisatnisation of India. If Katju truly wants to achieve 'balanced secularism', let him make sure everyone is on an even platform. No beards for Muslims or Sikhs. No prayers for Hindus or Muslims. Of course, he may claim he's not trying to target Islam but just taking issue with an aspect that he associates with fundamentalist terrorist groups from Afghanistan and Pakistan. So is he then tasked with interpreting the religion and what makes a good Muslim? Is that why he told the counsel that he didn't sport a beard and did fine as a Muslim? Is that the argument for allowing Sikhs to sport beards, because it makes them better practitioners of the religion? If he feels Muslims growing beards to follow their Prophet's tradition is foolhardy then he should take another look at Sikhs growing beards to differentiate themselves as saint soldiers for Aurangzeb to target directly.
It is a difficult decision to make, to say the least. It obviously goes beyond following school rules as Sikhs have always been allowed to flout it. How does he then favour one minority over another on such a ridiculous basis? It is not possible in India to stifle religious traditions and beliefs. Attempting to do so can only lead to trouble. Justice Katju may continue to sip his French wine and guffaw his Gallic "haunh, haunh, haunh" but his ruling may alienate a major community and accelerate any Talibanisation that worries him so.
The defence argued that 'sporting a beard was an indispensable part of Islam'. Justice Katju had this classic comeback, "But you [Justice Khan] don't sport a beard". I wonder if he was complimenting his practice of Islam or insulting his ability to grow the fuzz on the cheeks. No doubt he was twirling his own moustache (if he has one), drinking some wine and unveiling his Gallic villain laugh, "Haunh, haunh, haunh". Pulling the age old French positive liberty arguement of no-one displaying any religious liberty whatsoever in public schools, Katju argued for 'balanced secularism'. All-India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat President Zafarul Islam Khan called Justice Katju’s remarks "unfortunate".
I'm surprised he didn't say, "Who are you? Telling an entire religious community whether they can shave or not. You daft git."
Justice Katju may also have missed meeting a Sikh to date. The most obvious example of a community that displays its religion openly, I'm certain no Indian school has asked them to shave lest it lead to the Khalisatnisation of India. If Katju truly wants to achieve 'balanced secularism', let him make sure everyone is on an even platform. No beards for Muslims or Sikhs. No prayers for Hindus or Muslims. Of course, he may claim he's not trying to target Islam but just taking issue with an aspect that he associates with fundamentalist terrorist groups from Afghanistan and Pakistan. So is he then tasked with interpreting the religion and what makes a good Muslim? Is that why he told the counsel that he didn't sport a beard and did fine as a Muslim? Is that the argument for allowing Sikhs to sport beards, because it makes them better practitioners of the religion? If he feels Muslims growing beards to follow their Prophet's tradition is foolhardy then he should take another look at Sikhs growing beards to differentiate themselves as saint soldiers for Aurangzeb to target directly.
It is a difficult decision to make, to say the least. It obviously goes beyond following school rules as Sikhs have always been allowed to flout it. How does he then favour one minority over another on such a ridiculous basis? It is not possible in India to stifle religious traditions and beliefs. Attempting to do so can only lead to trouble. Justice Katju may continue to sip his French wine and guffaw his Gallic "haunh, haunh, haunh" but his ruling may alienate a major community and accelerate any Talibanisation that worries him so.
Friday, April 3, 2009
A Government By The People... All of India Running for Parliament
Abe Lincoln's description of a democracy is something most people accept and adhere to. In the largest democracy in the world though some people seem to want to go back to the Greek definition and go back to being the government themselves by taking things into their own hands. They intend to achieve this by seating themselves in Parliament house by running for MP instead of standing back and merely voting. While a very noble gesture that is to be lauded, in the current scenario it is nothing more than a farce. Not that India has had very many great leaders since the days of Morarji Desai, it's just that we get a bit queasy when every random chappie decides to run for office.
Attempting to do so in the upcoming general elections are a number of well meaning, incompetent celebrities from fields other than politics who think they can replicate their past successes (or in some cases failure) in serving the public as elected officials.
Of course heading this list would be escaped convict Sanjay Dutt. A man of lofty values and an impeccable record in civil life, he is the epitome of the well meaning, clueless, delusional cadre of celebrities we have in our country. With such unbeatable logic like "If Navjot Sidhu can run, so can I", who is to argue with the man? The Supreme Court however, probably our last bastion of civilized life, nipped his candidacy in the bud. His wife Manyata, that veteran politician (the "Grand Old Dame" of the SP, she's called), will replace him in Lucknow. The gracious Dutt has instead been named as the General Secretary of the Party.
Far more understated has been the candidacy of that elder statesman of Indian cricket, Mohammed Azharuddin. A revered captain of unquestionable integrity with an unblemished sporting career that bodes well for his political career, he will be fielded from Moradabad. The residents of this UP town may not know what's in store for them, but nobody doubts Azhar's intentions, just like during his playing days.
Another well intentioned run for Parliament is Mallika Sarabhai's. This wily old minx decided to take on the master in his den, squaring off against L.K. Advani in Gandhinagar as an independent candidate. While nobody questions the credentials of her family , one of India's premier names, it would be one thing if she were a Caroline Kennedy. It is a whole other matter to run simply on the goodwill one has in public. If she were to oust Advani as an MP, it would be the biggest political upset in decades. Few are betting on that happening though.
Some others with political aspirations include former cricketer Madan Lal (Hamirpur, Congress), an executive from ABN-Amro in South Bombay and Tamil actor Vijaykant, and with Navjot Sidhu and Jaya Prada already Members of Parliament, it won't be very long before Parliament sessions begin to look like the IIFA awards. Thankfully, Govinda has put a spanner in the works by deciding to not run a second time.
The framers of our constitution were not far-sighted enough, providing, gratuitously, a provision that 12 members of the Rajya Sabha be "nominated by the President of India from amongst persons who have special knowledge or practical experience in the fields such as literature, science, art or social service." Little did they realize that in modern India, such expertise in those fields automatically qualified you for representing the people at the central level. Truly, a government by the people.
Attempting to do so in the upcoming general elections are a number of well meaning, incompetent celebrities from fields other than politics who think they can replicate their past successes (or in some cases failure) in serving the public as elected officials.
Of course heading this list would be escaped convict Sanjay Dutt. A man of lofty values and an impeccable record in civil life, he is the epitome of the well meaning, clueless, delusional cadre of celebrities we have in our country. With such unbeatable logic like "If Navjot Sidhu can run, so can I", who is to argue with the man? The Supreme Court however, probably our last bastion of civilized life, nipped his candidacy in the bud. His wife Manyata, that veteran politician (the "Grand Old Dame" of the SP, she's called), will replace him in Lucknow. The gracious Dutt has instead been named as the General Secretary of the Party.
Far more understated has been the candidacy of that elder statesman of Indian cricket, Mohammed Azharuddin. A revered captain of unquestionable integrity with an unblemished sporting career that bodes well for his political career, he will be fielded from Moradabad. The residents of this UP town may not know what's in store for them, but nobody doubts Azhar's intentions, just like during his playing days.
Another well intentioned run for Parliament is Mallika Sarabhai's. This wily old minx decided to take on the master in his den, squaring off against L.K. Advani in Gandhinagar as an independent candidate. While nobody questions the credentials of her family , one of India's premier names, it would be one thing if she were a Caroline Kennedy. It is a whole other matter to run simply on the goodwill one has in public. If she were to oust Advani as an MP, it would be the biggest political upset in decades. Few are betting on that happening though.
Some others with political aspirations include former cricketer Madan Lal (Hamirpur, Congress), an executive from ABN-Amro in South Bombay and Tamil actor Vijaykant, and with Navjot Sidhu and Jaya Prada already Members of Parliament, it won't be very long before Parliament sessions begin to look like the IIFA awards. Thankfully, Govinda has put a spanner in the works by deciding to not run a second time.
The framers of our constitution were not far-sighted enough, providing, gratuitously, a provision that 12 members of the Rajya Sabha be "nominated by the President of India from amongst persons who have special knowledge or practical experience in the fields such as literature, science, art or social service." Little did they realize that in modern India, such expertise in those fields automatically qualified you for representing the people at the central level. Truly, a government by the people.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Munnabhai apologizes to India
Sanjay Dutt was barred from contesting elections by the Supreme Court yesterday. On hearing the news, Dutt let out a broad smile that endeared him to all in his Munnabhai films, and gracefully accepted the news. He called a press conference and said, "Forgive me for having made such a public embarrassment of myself. I committed a crime that haunts me everyday and one which I will never be able to live down. It is unacceptable to ask for the public to forget about it, even if we didn't live in times when terrorism was such a ready and present danger. I thank my stars that I not in jail and that is enough for me."
When quizzed about his wife Manyata standing in his place the big man responded, "Politics are about the right person to represent the populace. If I cannot stand, it should not mean that she is a replacement. She has no experience whatsoever and would be unknown if she weren't married to me. For that matter, I have no experience. I am only an actor as my good pal Govinda says. My hairstyle changes every week as does my beard these days. Let's be honest, I can't even act properly - I'm only here because my father made it as an actor. I've never really spent much time in Lucknow as I've lived mostly in Bombay. I'm going home and I'm making another Munnabhai film which should smoothen everything out again. Thank you once again."
Amar Singh sat by his side through the entire press conference refusing to speak. He felt Sanjay could handle himself well enough and said the right things. On hearing the Supreme Court order, Pappu Yadav the notorious Bihari gangster instructed his lawyer to withdraw an appeal for a stay so that he could stand for elections. Having allegedly murdered Ajit Sarkar while a sitting MP, he refused to use the loophole that allowed stays on convictions for sitting MPs and MLAs. Pappu's sense of remorse was a profound moment in Bihari politics. He went as far as discarding his nom de guerre 'Pappu' and is on the lookout for a fresh nickname to start over. 'Bunty' is leading the reckoning.
Pappu's magnanimity was needless as it turned out. In the ruling over Sanjay Dutt, the Supreme Court also made an obiter dictum, ruling that stays would not be granted on convictions for sitting MPs and MLAs. They are to be classified as the rest of the population in being held responsible for their crimes and will not be allowed to stand for elections. After all, being a politician cannot be the only occupation a man can take up. It has been applauded far and wide as a ruling filled with wisdom beyond its years.
APRIL FOOLS!!!
It is all bullshit. Yeh India hai meri jaan.
When quizzed about his wife Manyata standing in his place the big man responded, "Politics are about the right person to represent the populace. If I cannot stand, it should not mean that she is a replacement. She has no experience whatsoever and would be unknown if she weren't married to me. For that matter, I have no experience. I am only an actor as my good pal Govinda says. My hairstyle changes every week as does my beard these days. Let's be honest, I can't even act properly - I'm only here because my father made it as an actor. I've never really spent much time in Lucknow as I've lived mostly in Bombay. I'm going home and I'm making another Munnabhai film which should smoothen everything out again. Thank you once again."
Amar Singh sat by his side through the entire press conference refusing to speak. He felt Sanjay could handle himself well enough and said the right things. On hearing the Supreme Court order, Pappu Yadav the notorious Bihari gangster instructed his lawyer to withdraw an appeal for a stay so that he could stand for elections. Having allegedly murdered Ajit Sarkar while a sitting MP, he refused to use the loophole that allowed stays on convictions for sitting MPs and MLAs. Pappu's sense of remorse was a profound moment in Bihari politics. He went as far as discarding his nom de guerre 'Pappu' and is on the lookout for a fresh nickname to start over. 'Bunty' is leading the reckoning.
Pappu's magnanimity was needless as it turned out. In the ruling over Sanjay Dutt, the Supreme Court also made an obiter dictum, ruling that stays would not be granted on convictions for sitting MPs and MLAs. They are to be classified as the rest of the population in being held responsible for their crimes and will not be allowed to stand for elections. After all, being a politician cannot be the only occupation a man can take up. It has been applauded far and wide as a ruling filled with wisdom beyond its years.
APRIL FOOLS!!!
It is all bullshit. Yeh India hai meri jaan.
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