Do it yourself

Thought for the day "Tall men come down to my height when I hit 'em in the body." — Jack Dempsey (American, 1895-1983) Word for the day Rib-tickling (adj) Very amusing; funny or hilarious Malice towards none Pope says Sorry to LGBTs for all the discrimination faced by them in the past. Pakistan clerics declare transgender marriages acceptable. Indian Supreme Court agrees to hear petition challenging Sec377. The change is in the air. And it's not a small one. First random thought this morning The recent spike in mindless killings by certain terrorist groups is an indication of the success of global war on terror. The desperation amongst radicals is conspicuous. It is high time that the united offensive is intensified to fully neutralize these elements. But in the interim, it is critical that various local administrations and people cooperate closely to step the vigil and help the ...

Thought for the day "Tell him he can have my title, but I want it back in the morning." — Jack Dempsey (American, 1895-1983) Word for the day Endsville (adj) Most wonderful or exciting, e.g., a rock band that was regarded as Endsville in the late fifties. Malice towards none Subramanian Swamy shall be there in Rajya Sabha till 2022 - whether you like it or not, hardly matters. First random thought this morning In a first, the sitting prime minister gave interview to a private Indian TV channel. The interview adequately touched upon most current issues, some controversial and some not that controversial. This interview shall settle many public debates, besides starting a couple of fresh ones. Now since the government has decided to raise the bar, it would only be appropriate that PM Modi sets a traditions of making of a quarterly official "State of the Union" address to the nation, that may cover impor...

Thought for the day "A good fighter usually knows, within a very few seconds, when a three-minute round is going to end." — Jack Dempsey (American, 1895-1983) Word for the day Sniglet (n) Any word coined for something that has no specific name. Malice towards none What's bigger loss for Tata Motors - Brexit or retirement of Messi? First random thought this morning Through drama of merger with and de-merger from Mukhtar Ansari's QED, SP has successfully established Akhilesh with clean image as undisputed and autonomous party leader in State. The uncles will drive from the back seat till election at least. SP has apparently also beguiled Swami Prasad Maurya to materially weaken BSP. BJP, still without a defined leader and confused agenda, needs to worry. Blind Men and the Elephant Referendums are usually conducted to find a definite binary answer, yes or no, without any conditionality ...

Thought for the day "Nobody owes anybody a living, but everybody is entitled to a chance." — J ack Dempsey (American, 1895-1983) Word for the day Tohubohu (n) C haos; disorder; confusion. Malice towards none It's a season of "Exits" everywhere. Someone please show the "EXIT" door to those Indians who are celebrating the "No Entry" for India in NSG. First random thought this morning Referendums are usually conducted to find a definite binary answer, yes or no without any conditionality attached, to lingering debate. A referendum aims to solve a problem through democratic process. The answer provided by it may not be to the liking of all, but it does settle the long drawn dispute. UK referendum on membership of EU (popularly referred as Brexit) has raised many more questions, and answered none. It takes us nowhere.   Nifty to remain directionless for now...

Thought for the day "What gives the artist real prestige is his imitators." —Igor Stravinsky (Russian, 1882-1971) Word for the day Paranymph (n) A groomsman or a bridesmaid. Malice towards none Heard in Shastri Bhawan canteen in New Delhi. "Gone are the days when EGoMs were set up to finalize the color of the uniform of Ministers' drivers, and it took years to decide. Now the Shenshah reigns. Decision happen instantaneously." First random thought this morning It seems the government has surreptitiously established an Central Authority for Certification of Patriotic Credential of Citizens (CACPCC) with Mr. Subramanian Swamy as its Chairperson. While preparing my application for certification, I wonder what would be status of the families of soldiers who fought for Mughal and British forces. There are Indians who still receive pension from the British Crown for serving the British Army i...

Thought for the day "To listen is an effort, and just to hear is no merit. A duck hears also." —Igor Stravinsky (Russian, 1882-1971) Word for the day Quaff (v) To drink (a beverage) copiously and heartily, e.g., We spent the whole evening quaffing ale . Malice towards none Excess of everything is bad - even if it is Yoga! First random thought this morning Ever wondered what's the life expectancy rate in India! The way people in their late forties and fifties are branded as kids and youth, it feels close to 120yrs! But my insurance premium calculations are based on a life expectancy of around 70years. What's amiss here? Is LIC cheating on me or the politicians & Bollywood fraternity? Random thoughts on Gold Not long back in the global history, aluminum was thought to be more precious than gold. Most powerful kings were served food in aluminum utensils while the lesser kni...

Thought for the day "Harpists spend 90 percent of their lives tuning their harps and 10 percent playing out of tune." —Igor Stravinsky (Russian, 1882-1971) Word for the day Embonpoint (n) Excessive plumpness; stoutness. Malice towards none The politics over Yoga is unfortunate. No surprises if it becomes a domain of foreigners, while our politicians bicker over it and Yog Gurus sell cosmetics. First random thought this morning I believed in the stories about how investment bankers manipulated markets, States, Central Bankers, Investors and politicians to rake in billions of dollars in trading gains during the global financial crisis 2008-09, but with a pinch of doubt. I had been at a loss in understanding how come all these could be fooled so easily by a bunch of scrupulous bankers. This all sounded like commonplace stories of crooks looting jewellery from gullible women on the pretext doubling it. ...

Thought for the day "My music is best understood by children and animals." —Igor Stravinsky (Russian, 1882-1971) Word for the day Cater-Cousin (n) An intimate friend. Malice towards none Mr. Market is perhaps the most cruel person around - He just destroyed the halo around Gov. Rajan within 20minutes of the opening trade on Monday(:- First random thought this morning Heard from an executive of European engineering company - (a) Investment in railways core infrastructure has not picked up despite lot of noise; (b) Smart city development is still on drawing boards, though the government officials are meeting the developers and solution providers. Hopefully execution will begin this Diwali; (c) The power equipment sector has material unutilized capacity and may not need capex in next couple of years. Who is Rajan? What does he do? In past 15years, my wife (a post graduate in Hindustani classical mus...