I’ve never wanted to win a Nobel Prize until now.

Will Smith, Wyclef, Natasha Bedingfield and Toby Keith (Yes, Toby Keith) hold it down for the Nobel Peace Prize after party. This is one of the illest things I’ve ever seen. It’s just so hip hop. Freestyling, beatboxing, free spirited collaboration, and partyin’. Race, nationality, genre, they don’t matter. No one cares about anything except havin’ a good time. In this setting Toby Keith singing “Killin’ Me Softly”, and spitting “Rapper’s Delight” (he knows every word) seems completely natural. So does Natasha Bedingfield going in on “Ready or Not”.

The rest of it…

Nothing rocks a party like hip hop. And seen all these Norwegians gettin’ down is just pure dope. Peep the actual concert before, Wyclef got a stadium full of black tie dignataries wavin’ their hands man. That’s beautiful.

Which is also why this Tobe Keith racist shit pisses me off. Why do people have to inject everything with some kind of controversy. Supposedly Toby Keith pulls his eyelid back when they say “yellow” in Rapper’s Delight (1:20 into the second video), before making gunshots with his hand at the line “bang, bang” towards Will Smith. First off you can’t really see shit, so whoever noticed an eyelid pullback had to be looking for Toby Keith to do something racist. And the “bang, bang” controversy I’m not even gonna dignify with further attention. Now, I wouldn’t be terribly surprised if Toby Keith was racist, but let him do something actually bad instead of trying to call him out for an errant finger. This was a really fun, positive performance that appears to be very much in the spirit of unity and inclusion and some people just can’t deal with that. Pissin’ me off.

And on that note I leave you with a little gem from the man Wyclef calls a “true MC” about people hatin’ on  positivity and inclusion…

Kali, future laureate

Why Indians without an american accent don’t become Nobel Laureate ?

Why hasn’t there been any notable Inventions with an Indian tag , in spite of the fact that every 6th guy in this world is an Indian?

Possible reasons

1.Some things fundamentally wrong with our education system .

Initially when your vocal chord first vibrates something sensible your mom and dad paint the city red ,then when we start thinking and then talk back they tell “shut up” . Same is the case in schools . This reminds me of a incident in college

During our 1st year classes when math mam was teaching some shit on jordan method or some eigen value on matrices . One guy stood up asked a question(salla.. over enthu) “Madam all these problems you have explained are for 3×3 Matrices whats the game play for 4×4 matrices?”.A ready made and often repeated reply came in split second:”Sit down… its not there in your syllabus” . Plain simple . There are many more instances but definitely they all bore you.  ”Teachers answer our questions or else tell us We don’t Know it(we are good at keeping secrets)”.

Many culture Many languages.In this case is it bane or boon? .  India s quest for a standard textbook language is a never ending task . How can you compare a guy from Tamil Nadu and Arunanchal Pradesh if they are studying something totally different in different language. Now if you say , English, then i don see that happening .

Conclusion: “Unification of all syllabuses for better comparison of students. Repair the whole education system for a smarter India that thinks and has the Right to speech in its very own sense”

2.We din not have to fight the harder way to get our independence . No blood shed . No war

Now many of you will ask “Manik have you gone mad Inventions-research whats the connection with our fuckin independence?” well necessity is the mother of invention but  where does the necessity come from . It comes from the fact that necessity to survive among the fittest makes us invent . Frontiers in science i.e. countries like Germany,Japan had their own share of blood shed to become who they are now.

Conclusion: “Nothing can be done about this “

3.Governmennt

I couldn’t leave them because i wouldn’t qualify to be an Indian without putting the blame on them for anything and everything thats not going the way it has to go . Be it the Mosquito that is bitting me now .

PS:For guys who came this far without saying “Manik is a dumbo” and moving on to some other page .You might think that my premise sounds preposterous .Tell me why? Im dying to know that.

Some people have said we have not mentioned the Noble peace prize given to Obama, well above is all the comment that needs to be made, thanks for the Independent Newspaper for putting it across so well.

Many people were miffed by the decision to award the Noble Peace Prize to President Obama within days of his inauguration. Adding to this surprise is the fact that in no major hotspot in the world is closer to peace since the President took office.  North Korea has furthered its nuclear weapons program; Iraq remains violent; Israelis and the Palestinians still fight; Iran is marching towards nuclear weapons; Pakistan is a mess; and the war in Afghanistan has just been escalated with the President’s decision to send an additional 30,000 troops.

In Norway today Noble chairman, Thorbjorn Jagland, explained the Committee made its choice for the award because President Obama’s leadership (election) was a “call to action for all of us.”  That explains it, doesn’t it???

President Obama added to the confusion today during his acceptance speech in Oslo.  The President made surprising comments that included:

• “We must begin by acknowledging the hard truth: we will not eradicate violent conflicts in our lifetimes,”  ….  “There will be times when nations, acting individually or in concert, will find the use of force not only necessary but morally justified.”
• “Whatever mistakes we have made, the plain fact is this, the United States of America has helped underwrite global security for more than six decades with the blood of our citizens and the strength of our arms.”
• “A decade into a new century, this old architecture is buckling under the weight of new threats,”  …..  “The world may no longer shudder at the prospect of war between two nuclear superpowers, but proliferation may increase the risk of catastrophe.  Terrorism has long been a tactic, but modern technology allows a few small men with outsize rage to murder innocents on a horrific scale.”

Boy, that sure sounds like George W. Bush wrote those words, doesn’t it?  Given the eloquent way that the President reminded the crowd of America’s past “noble” actions in the world, one wonders why he apologized for America’s history in his earlier trips abroad?  After all of the President’s criticism of his predecessor, now he justifies American acting “”?  Is that what the Left calls “unilateralism”?

The President also singled out president John F. Kennedy with praise during the speech.  It might be helpful for a historian in the President’s staff to remind him of Kennedy’s actions in the Bay of Pigs and his role in intervening in Vietnam.

The President’s speech will make centrist and even some on the right feel more comfortable.  At the same time it will irritate many on the Left, especially those in Europe.  It seems that the realities of the world is forcing the President’s seemingly bipolar statements.  Didn’t this metamorphosis happen to Jimmy Carter too?

Lack of a cohesive foreign policy is potentially dangerous since it could cause our enemies to misread intentions.  Such miscalculations can lead to unintended conflicts.

As this year’s Noble peace prize was given for showing hope, let me follow up on how this hope gets materialize. (http://face4.wordpress.com/2009/10/09/peace/)

Last week Noble peace prize winner Obama oops President Obama had a great opportunity to showcase his commitments for which he was awarded the Noble peace prize. I personally, was expecting to see concrete progress in three areas

1. Dealing with two previous Noble peace prize winners

a) Aung San Suu Kyi

There was no mention about her in the official statements. But Officials mention that Obama has taken up this issue with Burmese officials.

b) Dalai Lama

Obama’s office mentions that it was not the right time for him to receive Dalai Lama but will receive him later

2. Relationship with China

As mentioned in some sectors of the press, even though Obama acted more like a reckless spender paying visit to his banker, being a Noble peace prize winner, he could have been more upright on Human rights issues, censorship, state of North Korean asylum seekers in China or other things that United States of America stands! for. Overall I think, he did a decent job here!

3. Initiates to contain Climate change

A token initiative to set up a research center….

ProQuest Historical Newspapers – New York Times and The Los Angeles Times

If, as many suspected, the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize was given to Obama as less an award for past accomplishments and more a tool to further the ultimate goal of world peace, it was not the first time the prize had been used in this way. The Nobel Peace Prize has often served as a peacemaking tool, though it has stirred controversy in each instance.

After Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 and two Nobel committee members resigned in protest, the Norwegian parliament held a debate to determine whether the principles and organization of the committee should be changed.

In this ProQuest Historical Newspapers activity, learn about the Nobel Committee’s decision in 1973, as well as 1978 and 1994, to award the prize to individuals with violent backgrounds for work on conflicts that were far from resolved.

Then, decide for yourself how the prize winners should be chosen.

In 1973, U.S. secretary of state Henry Kissinger and North Vietnamese politburo member Le Duc Tho were jointly awarded the prize for negotiating the Vietnam War cease-fire agreement. The decision was controversial, in part because, as the New York Times noted, “the cease-fire accord that went into effect at the end of January has not yet led to a restoration of peace.”

Indeed, fighting did not cease in Vietnam for another two years. Tho actually declined the prize, becoming the only recipient ever to do so, on the grounds that violence in Vietnam was ongoing at the time. Kissinger accepted the prize, but the Los Angeles Times reported that “hundreds of young demonstrators shouted anti-American slogans and waved pro-Viet Cong banners outside the University of Oslo” when a U.S. ambassador accepted the prize on his behalf.

One critic described the secretary of state as representing “about as naked and brutal an exercise of power as has occurred in human history” for his role in U.S.-led war that “destroyed so much of Southeast Asia.” The prize was so controversial that two of the five members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee actually resigned in protest of the decision. But the intention of those committee members who supported the decision was clear from their statement, indicating that “It is our hope that all parties in this conflict will feel moral responsibility for lasting peace for the war-stricken peoples of Indochina.” The prize wasn’t meant to congratulate accomplished peace but to inspire it.

The Nobel Committee members again publically disagreed over the decision in 1978 to give the prize to Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin for their work on the Camp David peace accords. However, the committee was even more explicit about their intentions this time: “the Nobel Committee wishes not only to honor actions already performed in the service of peace, but also to encourage further efforts to work out practical solutions which can give reality to those hopes of a lasting peace, as they have been kindled by the framework agreements.”

Further, the Washington Post noted that “Begin’s contributions… are not specified, and his inclusion appears to be related more to the committee’s hopes for the future than its evaluation of the Israeli prime minister’s role up until now.”

The controversy over a former leader of an anti-British terrorist organization (Begin) and a coup plotter and instigator of the 1973 war against Israel (Sadat) winning a prize for peace was matched in 1994, when the Nobel Peace Prize was given to PLO chairman Yasir Arafat, Israeli foreign minister Shimon Peres, and Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin for their involvement in the Oslo Accords.

In a Christian Science Monitor article that outlines Arafat’s and Rabin’s violent backgrounds, George Moffett notes that “historically, the Nobel committee has overlooked the past in favor of advancing more immediate objectives.” The Committee, from which one member resigned in protest over the decision, made clear in their announcement of the 1994 prize that such was the case: “It is the Committee’s hope that the award will serve as an encouragement to all the Israelis and Palestinians who are endeavoring to establish lasting peace in the region.”

ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER YITZHAK RABIN AND PALESTINIAN LEADER YASSER ARAFAT
SEAL THE OSLO ACCORDS WITH A HANDSHAKE AT WHITE HOUSE
(© 1993 Getty Images, Inc.)

But lasting peace has remained elusive in the Middle East and elsewhere. In fact, the very actions that earned Sadat and Rabin their Nobel prizes also cost them their lives when they were each assassinated by individuals who thought they had made too many concessions. The extent to which peace can or should be furthered by the Nobel Prize remains an open question.

Activity

After Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 and two Nobel committee members resigned in protest, the Norwegian parliament held a debate to determine whether the principles and organization of the committee should be changed. One proposal suggested that the committee could include individuals from countries other than Norway, for example.

As a class, pretend you are a member of the Norwegian sorting (parliament). With a team of four other students, prepare a proposal that outlines what you think should be the Nobel Committee’s composition and guiding goals:

• How should committee members be chosen and from what pool? How should nominations be gathered?

• What guidelines should assist members in making their final decision?

• Should a potential recipient’s negative past be taken into consideration?

• Should the prize be used as an incentive for future action in addition to a recognition of past accomplishment?

Meet together as a class and have one person from each team present their group’s proposal as convincingly as possible. After all the proposals have been given, open the floor to questions, comments, and objections.

Be prepared to make compromises until the majority of the class—through a vote—can agree on the guidelines that should govern the committee.

Ketika Presiden Barack Obama menghadiri KTT APEC di Singapore, November 2009, saya adalah satu-satunya penulis blog yang diberi kesempatan emas melakukan wawancara dengan Presiden Amerika Serikat Barack Obama. Meski singkat tapi sangat berharga. Awalnya saya sangat cemas karena Bahasa Inggris saya minim. Namun di luar dugaan ternyata Presiden Barak Obama mempersilahkan saya mewawancarainya dalam Bahasa Indonesia. Sungguh luar biasa. Berikut wawancara yang saya lakukan dengan Presiden Barack Obama :

Saya : ” Apa kabar, Mister President ? “
Obama : ” Baik. Terima kasih. “
Saya : ” Bagaimana menurut anda Indonesia sekarang ini, Mister President, “
Obama : ” Very good. Saya yakinkan pada Indonesia bahwa demokrasi adalah jalan tepat untuk Indonesia. I love this country, “
Saya : ” You do ? “
Obama : ” Yes, absolutely, hahaha..”
Saya : ” Apakah Amerika Serikat senang dan terus mendukung proses demokrasi di Indonesia ? “
Obama ” Yes, of course. Amerika Serikat dan Indonesia akan selalu menjadi ‘good team’ untuk mempromosikan demokrasi yang menakjubkan ini, “
Saya : ” Mister President, benarkah Indonesia adalah antek Amerika seperti dalam buku anda The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream (Vintage)? “
Obama : ” I think Indonesia masih dalam proses menemukan jatidiri. Tak salah bila Amerika Serikat menjadi panutan. Itu hal wajar. Tapi fakta bahwa karakter para pemimpin Indonesia merasa cocok dan nyaman dengan kami, “
Saya : ” Saya mengerti, Mister President. Itulah kenapa jaringan dan koneksi Amerika dalam pemerintahan Indonesia begitu kuat dan familiar disini. Anda tentu bisa melihatnya dalam setiap fase pemerintahan terutama Pemerintahan Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono bukan ? “
Obama ” Hahaha.. you said that, “
Saya : ” Mister President, benarkah anda tulus dan serius memperbaiki hubungan dengan dunia Islam ? “
Obama : ” Change We Can Believe In. That’s my campaign. Saya percaya itu tak mudah tapi bukan sesuatu yang impossible, “
Saya : ” Tantangan terberat tentu dari dalam negeri Amerika Serikat sendiri bukan ? “
Obama : ” I will see it as colour of the democration. Kecurigaan akan terus jadi ancaman bagi kami. But we must optimist to build world in harmony, humanism and equal. I know that there are a lot of my peoples who still arogan and superior, “
Saya : ” That’s very amazing Mister President, “
Obama : ” Hahaha..thank you very much, “
Saya : ” Mister President, selamat, anda mendapat penghargaan Noble Prize, “
Obama : ” Thank you, “
Saya : ” Kenapa anda tak ingin menerimanya ? “
Obama : ” Saya merasa tak pantas menerimanya, “
Saya : ” Kenapa ? “
Obama : ” I have a lot of work to do to proof. Setahun tidak cukup dijadikan ukuran. Saya tidak ingin melecehkan orang-orang yang berdedikasi menghabiskan waktu dan hidupnya demi kemajuan peradaban manusia. Merekalah yang seharusnya menerima Noble Prize, “
Saya : ” Apakah anda melihat Komisi Nobel rasialis dan merasa terancam melihat visi-visi mulia dari seorang Presiden kulit hitam pertama Amerika Serikat ? “
Obama : ” I want to be as Nelson Mandela. Menebus dan memaafkan kesalahan rezim jahat di masa lalu. Do the best for peace. It’s oke if their community immediately pretend to support and be part of our movement and award me Noble Prize,”
Saya : ” Ide-ide anda memang mulia, Mister President. Tapi, solusi konkrit yang anda tawarkan sangat lemah. Amerika sangat akomodatif pada Israel, Irak tak kunjung dami, Afghanistan terus bergejolak dan Pakistan sekarang mulai membara dan berbahaya. Apakah sesungguhnya Amerika Serikat sedang menerapkan strategi cuci tangan dan membiarkan negeri-negeri itu saling bunuh ? “
Obama : ” United States of America and the world agreed that there is no negotiation to terrorism and radicalism. Kami saat ini lebih suka mempromosikan kerjasama multi lateral. Amerika percaya bahwa pemerintahan di kawasan ini mampu mengatasinya. Posisi Amerika kini membantu yang mereka perlukan. Mereka harus bisa membuktikannya. “
Saya : ” Awal November ini, US Army dan tentara Israel melakukan latihan perang di Israel untuk uji coba teknologi terbaru anti rudal. Adakah ancaman signifikan bagi Israel di kawasan ini ? “
Obama : ” Israel has rights to cover their country. Amerika ingin Israel menjadi satu-satunya negara adi daya di kawasan. Itu sangat penting untuk melindungi kepentingan kami, “
Saya : ” Tidakkah anda merasa di perdaya ? “
Obama : ” Loby Yahudi amat kuat di Amerika. Setiap politisi Amerika tahu itu. Dan mereka memerlukannya. “
Saya : ” Terima kasih, Mister President. Senang berbincang dengan anda, “
Obama : ” You are welcome. “

( Wawancara ini cuma mimpi )

Buku-buku Barack Obama :
1. The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream (Vintage)
2. Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance
3. Change We Can Believe In: Barack Obama’s Plan to Renew America’s Promise

Eric Margolis

Pakistan, increasingly destabilized by the U.S.-led war in neighboring Afghanistan, is getting closer to blowing apart.

Bombings and shootings have rocked this nation of 167 million, including a brazen attack on army HQ in Rawalpindi and a massive bombing of Peshawar’s exotic Khyber Bazaar.

Pakistan’s army is readying a major offensive against rebellious Pashtun tribes in South Waziristan. Meanwhile, the feeble, deeply unpopular U.S.-installed government in Islamabad faces an increasingly rancorous confrontation with the military.

Like the proverbial bull in the china shop, the Obama administration and U.S. Congress chose this explosive time to try to impose yet another layer of American control over Pakistan as Nobel Peace Prize winner Obama appears about to send thousands more U.S. troops to Afghanistan.

Tragically, U.S. policy in the Muslim world continues to be driven by imperial arrogance, profound ignorance, and special interest groups.

The current Kerry-Lugar-Berman bill, advanced with President Barack Obama’s blessing, is ham-handed dollar diplomacy at its worst. Pakistan, bankrupted by corruption and feudal landlords, is being offered $7.5 billion US over five years — but with outrageous strings attached.

The U.S. wants to build a mammoth new embassy for 1,000 personnel in Islamabad, the second largest after its Baghdad fortress-embassy. New personnel are needed, claims Washington, to monitor the $7.5 billion in aid. So U.S. mercenaries are being brought in to protect U.S. “interests.” New U.S. bases will open. Most of this new aid will go right into the pockets of the pro-western ruling establishment, about 1% of the population.

Washington is also demanding veto power over promotions in Pakistan’s armed forces and intelligence agency, ISI. This crude attempt to take control of Pakistan’s proud, 617,000-man military has enraged the armed forces.

It’s all part of Washington’s “AfPak” strategy to clamp tighter control over restive Pakistan and make use of its armed forces and spies in Afghanistan. Seizing control of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, the key to its national defence against much more powerful India, is the other key U.S. objective.

However, 90% of Pakistanis oppose the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, and see Taliban and its allies as national resistance to western occupation.

Violence

Alarmingly, violent attacks on Pakistan’s government are coming not only from once-autonomous Pashtun tribes (wrongly called “Taliban”) in Northwest Frontier Province, but, increasingly, in the biggest province, Punjab. Recently, the U.S. Ambassador in Islamabad, in a fit of imperial hubris, actually called for air attacks on Pashtun leaders in Quetta, capital of Pakistan’s restive Baluchistan province.

Washington does not even bother to ask the impotent Islamabad government’s permission to launch air attacks inside Pakistan.

Along comes the Kerry-Lugar-Berman Big Bribe as most irate Pakistanis accuse President Asif Ali Zardari’s government of being American hirelings. Zardari, widower of Benazir Bhutto, has been dogged for decades by charges of corruption. His senior aides in Pakistan and Washington are being denounced by what’s left of Pakistan’s media not yet under government control.

Washington seems unaware of the fury its crude, counter-productive policies have whipped up in Pakistan. The Obama administration keeps listening to Washington-based neoconservatives, military hawks, and “experts” who tell it just what it wants to hear, not the facts. Ottawa does the same.

Revolt

As a result, Pakistan’s military, the nation’s premier institution, is being pushed to the point of revolt. Against the backdrop of bombings and shootings come rumours the heads of Pakistan’s armed forces and intelligence may be replaced.

Pakistanis are calling for the removal of the Zardari regime’s strongman, Interior Minister Rehman Malik. Many clamour for the head of Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington, my old friend Hussain Haqqani, who is seen as too close to the Americans. One suspects the wily Haqqani is also angling to get the U.S. to help him become Pakistan’s next leader.

The possibility of a military coup against the discredited Zardari regime grows. But Pakistan is dependent on U.S. money, and fears India. Can its generals afford to break with patron Washington?

A million dollars question: spot at least two things I mentioned in this article about Prof Krugman which is not yet revealed to the public.

Prof Krugman was born into a Jewish family between 03:00 – 05:00(you must be wondering how I derived this? Well, that’s why I am a fortune teller and you are not!) on 28^th Feb 1953 at local time of place of birth and the above is his Bazi birth chart.

As always the very first thing you do when reading the birth chart is to derive its category. To derive a category in Four Pillars (Bazi), we should always look at the month first. If any of the Ten Gods in the month was to be appeared at the Heaven Stems (excluding the Day Master of course!), then that Ten God will be the Useful God to be used to determine the category of the birth chart. A useful reminder here: what we do after we determine the Useful God is interesting: we look at the rest of the characters to determine if we can find an Auxiliary God in relation to the Useful God

This process is called determining the Category of Bazi (which is mentioned at great length in the ancient books).

If we cannot find a category, then we have to determine another Useful God and recurs the whole process again until we find a Category. If there is to be no category found, then the birth chart has no category and it will be a poor birth chart = one’s life will not be good (I will try to find time to talk about the consequence of non-categorised Bazi, but at the moment it is irrelevant to our article here).

Now Prof. Krugman has a Day Master of Geng (gold) and he was born in the month of Ying (tiger, remember the month pillar is always the most important pillar you look at when reading Bazi). Ying is wood, so Ying is bound to be conquered by the day master (gold), making Ying a Wealth in Prof Krugman’s birth chart. The month Ying contains 甲偏财Indirect Wealth, 丙七杀S.Killings, 戊枭神Indirect Resource with the 甲偏财Indirect Wealth being the most prominent element. We can observe very clearly that甲偏财Indirect Wealth appeared on the Heaven Stem of the month pillar. This indicates that Prof. Krugman falls into the Wealth Category of Bazi (albeit partially) with 甲偏财Indirect Wealth and寅 (Ying) being his Useful God (notice that it is God not Gods because 甲and 寅 are now considered as an unified but independent entity with 甲 being the leader and has its root in寅, that is why you call it Heaven Stem and Earth Branches).

NB: many of you might question my wisdom because clearly Prof Krugman’s Indirect Resource, which is part of the month branch, also appears in the hour pillar stem. So why does he not belong to Resource Category? The reason is quite simple: 寅 (Ying), being wood itself, has 甲偏财 wood as the most prominent component. Thus, when both甲偏财Indirect Wealth and戊枭神Indirect Resource appeared on the Heaven Stem, the more prominent甲偏财Indirect Wealth will take charge. Of course, 戊枭神Indirect Resource is not entirely useless here: Resource (印) in Bazi or Chinese (for those of you who are Chinese historic drama addicts) culture represents Education Status or Occupation status. Resource is often a favourable god in a wealth category. This indicates that Prof Krugman is likely to work in education sector and receive high education status (this is also because the Day Master is seating on a resource, earth, remember: resource is the element that produces the Day Master? And earth produces gold).

So the next step is finding an Auxiliary God to form one of the Wealth Category:

Wealth always needs Hurting Officer/Eating God to sustain itself because Hurting Officer/Eating God produces Wealth. Now we can clearly see a 癸 ( Gui water) on the Heaven Stem of Year Pillar producing Wealth ( as water produces wood). So you can happily assume that the癸 ( Gui water) is the Auxiliary God. However, you will learn something new about Bazi when you research deeper into this subject: reading Prof Paul Krugman’s birth chart is not as easy as that because his birth chart contains a Seven Killings in his year Pillar. This changes the entire complexion of the birth chart. In the book of神峰通考, it states that Seven Killings is like a hungry tiger waiting to pounce on the Day Master. Therefore, whenever there is a Seven Killings in the birth chart, it must be dealt with first! In the case of Prof Krugman’s birth chart, the situation is even more critical: the 巳 (Si fire, a Seven Kiliings in this case because the fire will melt the Day Master Gold)  comes into what we call a direct clash (冲) with the month branch Ying( now there is s rule which states that a clash on the month branch causes most severe damage to one’s birth chart especially if the month branch is the root of the Useful God or Auxiliary God; in the case, the month branch is the root of the Useful God). Obviously, the Si has to be dealt with first. Fortunately, the癸 ( Gui water) is right above the Si will constantly tries to extinguish the Si fire to eliminate the Si fire (think of the birth chart dynamically pls). Therefore, an Eliminating Killings Preserving Wealth Category is formed for Prof Krugman’s birth chart. The Useful God is Wealth and the Auxiliary God is癸 (Gui water, the Hurting Officer). Remind yourself that Seven Killings represents many things in a birth chart: it represents intangible (thus useless) fame of a person or a job (usually in a government administration, bureaucrats really) or one’s boss/governor.

Since Prof Krugman falls into the Eliminating Killings Preserving Wealth Category, the unfavourable element/God will be the Seven Killings. Due to the fact that the Seven Killings is constantly being eliminated, this is a strong indication that Prof Krugman will have a very unhappy time when given a role in the government (because his governor is being eliminated in his birth chart and his governor is his Unfavourable God). Also, this indicates that Prof Professor Krugman is a very, very candid guy. Why? Since Seven Killings represents intangible (thus useless) fame, if one has Seven Killings as favourable God or has Seven Killings not dealt properly than that person is more or less bound to be liars! That is the reason why there are so many liars around. Prime examples are Obama (who has Seven Killings as unfavourable God but not eliminated completely, definitely a liar), Mao Ze Dong (Seven Killings as Auxiliary God, remember how he plays with classes and nationalism?),   Moshe Dayan (Seven Killings as Useful God, remember how he hypnotized the Jews, Arabs, USA and…etc during the Israelis’ wars with Arab States?) and Adolf Hilter (Seven Killings as Favourable God, need I say more? Especially when the Russians are clearly decimating your troops with T-34s and Rockets, you still insist on calling them Sub-Humans? ). That is the good side of eliminating the Seven Kiliings: become an honest person and independent thinker not bond to any interest groups.

However, there is downside to his category and mainly manifest the problems in two ways:

1)      Seven Killings in a Male birth chart represents children especially sons. Unfortunately, this means that he will probably have no children at all.

2)      Buddy and Rob Wealth are the other unfavourable Gods of his category thus, this may indicate that he is the only child and he has few friends.

Please study this carefully and see how all these interpretation comes from his category. Actually, I always hold the point of view that Bazi is Category!

Please observe that Useful God, Auxiliary God, Favourable/unfavourable god are all derived from his category. That is the reason why I keep emphasizing that for Bazi readers, you have to get the category (and/thus the Auxiliary God) correct first before you went on to do any further analysis.

Now many of you may ask me Western/Chinese Astrology can also reveal one’s fortune and characters, what is so different for Bazi. Well, the answer is simple: Bazi indicates one’s wealth and social status in his life not only his fortune and characters.

Think about this: I am sure there are lots of other people who shares Prof Krugmans characters. However, why his social standing and visibility is considered to be better than the rest? If you learnt Bazi, then everything will because crystal clear to you: for every Bazi birth Chart, there is an illness to it (If it has no/little illness, it will be just another everyday person). If there is a severe illness to the chart and there is a very effective remedy in Bazi or Luck Pillars then is a good Bazi, a person enjoys more success in his life. If there is a severe illness to the chart and there is little or no remedy, then that person will probably enjoys little success and more failures.

Prof Krugman has a serious illness in his Seven Killings (most wealth categories have Seven Killings/ Direct Officers as one of the unfavourable Gods) in his year pillars. Fortunately, there is a strong/effective remedy in癸 (Gui water, the Hurting Officer) and his Luck Pillars also helps (NB: If one’s Luck Pillar is on an unfavourable course, then he will have little success in his life as well). Therefore, I shall now move on to explain his Luck pillars.

The Luck Pillars actually begins with the month pillars (甲寅) from 0 – 9 years old.

This is clearly a period when he enjoys family time with his parents. (Wealth in a Male birth chart represents father and wife and his mum is represented by the resource component of 寅Ying). Since the resource is hidden and the wealth appears on the heaven stem, this is usually indication of a traditional family where the dad goes to work and the mother becomes the housewife. Now I reckon his dad does some kind of consultant job. 寅 in Bazi often represents one’s house so if the resource is in the house, this is an indication of a housewife (In a male birth chart the resource is one’s teacher or mother).

Actually, Prof Krugman has been a very rationale child from a very young age. And here is a question you may wish to ask Prof Krugman: was his first wife his childhood sweetheart or may be they met at a very young age?

Now let’s turn our attention back to the next stage of his Luck Pillars:

癸丑　　壬子(1961-1980) are two stages in the Luck Pillars where Prof Krugman enjoys some success (especially education ones) 癸(the Hurting Officer) actually has its root in 丑(Chou). Now, remember I mentioned that the illness is Seven Killing Si fire? Anything that counter the Si fire will be considered a remedy to the chart, so obviously when the 癸 (Gui) and 壬 (Ren) waters came in, it is an indication of things going up in his life. Chou, being resource, indicates that he will enjoy educational success at this time. However, 癸 (Gui) and 壬 (Ren) are elements which will hurt his officers/superiors. This is an indication that Prof Krugman is beginning to develop his rebellious streak (against the establishment and government of course!). Do not be deceived by his mild-tempered look, as we all know too well looks can be deceiving. He is very rebellious deep down. Of course,    癸 (Gui) and 壬 (Ren) produces wealth which means that the subject is economically related (or business). Wealth also represents lover/wife in a male birth chart, obvious he enjoyed some great time then! Ooops!

However, Prof Krugman’s problem comes in the next two stages of his Luck Pillars:

辛(RobWealth Oh NO!!!)亥　　庚(Buddy)戌 (1981-2000). Now the辛 (Xin) stage of the Luck Pillars really brought Prof Krugman some contradictory problems:

I am first sorry to say that probably his first marriage has to end here. Sometimes, you know, when a fortune reader like me reads/foresees something bad happen to a good person, we (for those of us who still has conscience left!) really felt strongly that the Heaven is unfair (Sorry for my blasphemy though).

Basically, the辛 (RobWealth) stage has left Pro Krugman in a very, very awarkard position: for outsiders, given a job in a government administration is really admirable. Trust me; Prof Krugman must really have hated it. The reason he gets the job is simple:

Even though you might think that he belongs to the wealth category, so when the rob wealth appeared, it means doom and gloom? Well, not entirely true in his case. This is because the Rob Wealth produces Hurting Officer which will eliminate the Seven Killings and thus upgrade the category. That is why he gets the job in Reegan administration. However, there is a devastating effect on his wealth! The result is that his feelings (represented by wealth) and rationality (represented by wealth) are hurt badly. Of course, no good result will turn up for his marriage as well (wealth represents wife as well). Also, his Hurting Officer is getting stronger by the day. Ideological clashes between him and the administration have become increasing intense. Eventually, he left the administration.

During庚 (Buddy) stage, there is a direct clash between his wealth 甲 Jia and 庚Buddy. The result is clear: the Hurting Officer (his honesty and rebellious streak) produce wealth甲 Jia (wood) to have a direct clash with 庚 (Geng gold, buddy). Due to his honesty to insist on speaking the truth, the job offer was probably given to his friend instead of him (was he your friend, Prof Krugman?).

In 戌 (Xu, resource) stage of the Luck Pillar, only one significant change. Well, dear Prof Krugman falls in love again. In Bazi, the position of your spouse is right underneath your Day Master. They probably married in 1996. When子Zi water produces wealth (a wife).

己酉(2001-2010) stage is really quite a good stage in his luck pillar. The appearance of 己 (Ji , resource) upgrade the wealth category (probably found a more satisfactory education institution?). 酉 (you, gold) was suppose to be a bad one but not in his case:

This because 巳 (si fire) and酉 (you, gold) combined together to form gold to produce Hurting Officer (water) to eliminate the Seven Killings (He is attacking the administration more furiously than ever!). In 2008 (戊Wu 子Zi year, 2戊 do not combine with one 癸 Gui and子Zi water eliminates Seven Killings and produce wealth), Prof Krugman finally won the Noble Economic Prize (I know he kept on claiming he won it because of his article on International Economy Geographical Structure, but come on, we all know he won because he attacked the administration!) due to his outspoken Hurting Officer!

From his Bazi, we can conclude that identify a birth chart with a correct category is the single most important step in Bazi (Four Pillars) reading. It will probably guarantee 70% accuracy. Of course, to reach an advance stage of interpretation, there is still a lot of thing to be done!

Last night, Fox News host Sean Hannity hosted a panel that debated the merits of President Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize.

After complaining about Obama’s goal of eliminating nuclear weapons and claiming that the Nobel is undesirable because Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat receieved it, Hannity suggested an alternative recipient for the award

Source:
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/10/14/hannity-nobel-obama/

The American dollar has been weakening in recent months, becoming a concern in world economic circles.  Should the dollar weaken too much, our infant recovery would be in jeopardy.

While a weakening dollar can improve American exports by lowering their cost to overseas customers, this devaluation also comes with significant risks.  For example, as the dollar decreases in value, the cost of imported goods increases raising our inflation and lowering the buying power for American consumers.  Even more problematic, the Untied States is running huge budget deficits that are being financed by other countries with excess funds.  Should the dollar fall too far or too quickly, these lending countries may become unwilling to loan the United States additional amounts, or to very least increase the interest they charge us for further borrowing.  That would lead to higher interest rates for American consumers and create further disruption in the economy.

The dollar is falling because the United States flooded the world with liquidity in dollars since the economic meltdown last fall and our continued deficit spending.  This ultimately devalues the currency with the only question being how far.  In addition, the value of the dollar is based on the perception by the world currency markets as to what will occur in the future in the American economy and with its inflation.  These markets are not giving the US dollar a vote of confidence at the present time.

Since the election of President Obama, the dollar has dropped nearly 12% against a general basket of currencies.  Evidently, while some world leaders like President Obama’s politics and others have awarded him the Noble Peace Prize for a peace that may occur in the future, the world currency markets are not impressed.

Should the dollar continue to drop, it will put at risk President Obama’s and the Congress’s budget plans.  This would have negative consequences for the overall economy. The only thing worse than a bad budget is one that is disrupted mid-cycle by economic miscues.

नोबल पुरस्कार देने वालों ने वाकई हास्यास्पद स्थिति का निर्माण किया है। उन्होंने अमेरिका के कट्टर विरोधियों को बहुत कुछ आरोप लगाने का अवसर दिया है जो इस अवसर का खूब उपयोग कर रहे हैं। अमेरिका के कट्टर से कट्टर समर्थक भी इस विषय पर उनके सामने टिक नहीं सकता।
आमतौर से भारतीय समाचार माध्यम अप्रत्यक्ष तथा अप्रत्यक्ष रूप से पश्चिम के पुरस्कारों का गुणगान करते हैं पर इस विषय पर वह व्यंग्य कस रहे हैं। कहीं पढ़ने को मिला कि प्रत्येक वर्ष का नोबल उसी वर्ष की एक फरवरी तक के दर्ज नामों पर उसी दिन तक किये गये काम के लिये दिया जाता है। इसका आशय यह है कि उसके बाद किसी ने नोबल लायक कोई काम किया है तो उसे अगले वर्ष वह पुरस्कार दिया जा सकता है। इस आधार पर वर्ष 2009 का शांति पुरस्कार 1 फरवरी 2009 तक के कार्यों के लिये दिया जा रहा है जबकि अमेरिका के राष्ट्रपति श्री बराक ओबामा ने 20 फरवरी 2009 का वहां के राष्ट्रपति पद का कार्यभार संभाला था। मतलब यह कि उन्होंने 11 दिन में ही नोबल पुरस्कार प्राप्त करने का काम कर लिया था।
अगर यह तर्क दिया जाये कि उन्होंने विश्व शांति के लिये उससे पहले काम किया गया तो वह इसलिये भी हास्यस्पद होगा क्योंकि स्वयं नोबल देने वाले मानते हैं कि उनके राष्ट्रपति पद पर किये गये कार्यों के लिये ही यह शांति पुरस्कार दिया गया है। बराक ओबामा यकीनन बहुत प्रतिभाशाली हैं और उनकी नीयत पर संदेह का कोई कारण नहीं है। उनको पुरस्कार देना नोबल समिति की किसी भावी रणनीति का हिस्सा भी हो सकती है। हो सकता है कि वह सोच रहे हैं कि विश्वभर में फैली हिंसा रोकने के लिये शायद यह एक उपाय काम कर सकता है।
हमें बाहरी मसलों से लेनादेना अधिक नहीं रखना चाहिये पर इधर लोग आधुनिक समाज में हिंसा का मंत्र स्थापित करने वाले महात्मा गांधी को नोबल पुरस्कार नहीं देने पर नाराज दिख रहे हैं। दरअसल श्री बराक ओबामा को नोबल देने पर महात्मा गांधी का नाम लेना ही कृतघ्नता है। इस दुनियां में एक बार ही परमाणु बम का प्रयोग किया गया है और उसका अपराध अमेरिका के नाम पर दर्ज है। जब पश्चिम अपनी विज्ञान की शक्ति पर हथियार बनाकर पूर्व को दबा रहा था तब उसकी बढ़त बनाने का श्रेय उन महानुभावों को जाता है जो उसका हिंसक प्रतिरोध कर रहे थे। दरअसल पश्चिमी देश तो चाहते थे कि कोई बंदूक उठाये तो हम उस पर तोप दागें। इतना ही नहीं वह विरोधी को मारकर नायक भी बन रहे थे और सभ्य होने का प्रमाण पत्र भी जुटा लेते थे। उस समय महात्मा गांधी ने अहिंसक आंदोलन चलाकर न उनको बल्कि चुनौती दी बल्कि उनको सभ्यता का मुखौटा पहने रखने के लिये बाध्य किया।
वैसे तो हमारे देश में अहिंसा का सिद्धांत बहुत पुराना है पर आधुनिक संदर्भ में जब पूरे विश्व में कथित रूप से सभ्य लोकतंत्र है-चाहे भले ही कहीं तानाशाही हो पर चुनाव का नाटक वहां भी होता है-तब महात्मा गांधी का अहिंसक आंदोलन करने वाला मंत्र बहुत काम का है। सच तो यह है कि महात्मा गांधी का नाम विश्वव्यापी हो गया है। जहां तक हमें जानकारी नोबल का अर्थ अद्वितीय होता है। इसका मतलब यह है कि जिस क्षेत्र में नोबल पुरस्कार दिया जाता है उसमें कोई दूसरा नहीं होना चाहिये। जबकि यह पुरस्कार हर वर्ष दिया जाता है। इसे देखकर कहें तो यही निष्कर्ष निकलता है कि नोबल लेने के बाद भी कोई अद्वितीय नहीं हो जाता। अगले वर्ष कोई दूसरा आ जाता है। अद्वितीय कहने में एक पैंच है वह यह कि उस समय वह व्यक्ति अद्वितीय है पर आगे कोई होगा इसकी संभावना नहीं जताई जा सकती। गांधी जी के बारे में अगर हम कहें तो अहिंसा का संदेश देने में वह अद्वितीय नहीं थे क्योंकि उसके पहले भी अनेक महापुरुष ऐसा संदेश दे चुके हैं। दूसरा सच यह भी है कि ‘उन जैसा व्यक्ति दूसरा पैदा होगा इसकी संभावना भी नहीं लगती। सीधा मतलब यह है कि वह अद्वितीय थे नहीं और उन जैसा होगा नहीं। वह अलौकिक शक्ति के स्वामी थे। इस लोक के सारे पुरस्कार उनके सामने छोटे थे।
कुछ लोगों को इस बात का अफसोस है कि नोबल पुरस्कार मरणोपरांत नहीं दिये जाते। अगर ऐसा होता तो शायद महात्मा गांधी जी के नाम पर नोबल आ जाता। ऐसा सोच लोगो की संकीर्ण मानसिकता का परिचायक है जो शायद सतही देशभक्ति भावना से से उपजा है। ऐसा सतही देशभक्ति भाव रखने वालों ने गांधी जी का सही मूल्यांकन नहीं किया है। वह अफसोस करते हैं कि मरणोपरांत नोबल नहीं दिया जाता और महात्मा गांधी को अपने हृदय में स्थान देने वाले इसे अपना भाग्य कहकर सराह रहे हैं कि उनका नाम कम से कम मरणोपरांत अपमानित होने से बच गया। यह पश्चिमी लोग उनको नोबल देकर स्वयं को ही सम्मािनत करते अगर उन्होंने ऐसा नियम नहीं बनाया होता।
गांधी जी को मानने वाले दक्षिण अफ्रीका के नेता नेल्सन मंडेला को यह पुरस्कार मिला पर उनको गांधी के समकक्ष नहीं माना जाता क्योंकि गांधी जी का कृत्य एक कौम या देश की आजादी तक ही सीमित नहीं है वरन् आधुनिक सभ्यता को एक दिशा देने से जुड़ा है। नोबल नार्वे की एक संस्था द्वारा दिया जाता है। जी हां, इस नार्वे के बारे में भी हम अखबार में पढ़ चुके हैं जो श्रीलंका में आतंकवादियों की बातचीत के लिये वहां की सरकार से बातचीत करता था। यही नहीं यही नार्वे ने भारत के नगा विद्रोही नेताओं को भी अपने यहां पनाह देता देता था। नार्वे के बारे में अधिक नहीं मालुम पर इतना जरूर कहा जा सकता है कि वह अमेरिका का पिट्ठू हो सकता है और ऐसे वहां की नोबल बांटने वाली समिति कोई निर्णय अपने देश की नीतियों के प्रतिकूल लेती होगी यह संभव नहीं है।
लब्बोलुआब यह है कि नोबल कोई ऐसा पुरस्कार नहीं रहा जिसे लेकर हम अपने देश के उन महान लोगों को हल्का समझें जिनको यह नहीं मिला। सच तो यह है कि अगर आप हमसे पूछेंगे कि इस विश्व का आधुनिक महान लेखक कौन है तो हम निसंकोच अपने हिंदी लेखक प्रेमचंद का नाम ले देंगे। जार्ज बर्नाड या शेक्सिपियर को यहां पढ़ने वाले कितने लोग हैं? इस देश के लिये किसकी नीतियां अनुकूल हैं? इस प्रश्न का जवाब इस व्यंग्य में नहीं दिया जा सकता। वह अध्यात्म से जुड़ा है। याद रहे भारतीय अध्यात्मिक ज्ञान न केवल व्यक्ति बल्कि समाज और राष्ट्र के संचालन के सिद्धांत भी प्रतिपादित करता है। बस, उसे समझने की जरुरत है। इन सिद्धांतों को प्रतिपादित करने वालों को नोबल कोई क्या देगा? वह सभी पहले से ही ग्लोबल (विश्व व्यापी) हैं जिनमें हमारे महात्मा गांधी एक हैं। गांधीजी के नाम पर युग चलता है कोई एक वर्ष नहीं।
………………………….

यह आलेख इस ब्लाग ‘दीपक भारतदीप का चिंतन’पर मूल रूप से लिखा गया है। इसके अन्य कहीं भी प्रकाशन की अनुमति नहीं है।
अन्य ब्लाग
1.दीपक भारतदीप की शब्द पत्रिका
2.अनंत शब्दयोग
3.दीपक भारतदीप की शब्दयोग-पत्रिका
4.दीपक भारतदीप की शब्दज्ञान पत्रिका
लेखक संपादक-दीपक भारतदीप

popularity ratings going down and most of his international policies in the initial stage. But that has not stopped the Nobel committee from awarding US President Barack Hussein Obama the Nobel Peace Prize. The world is surprised and divided at this bolt out of the blue.

“I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many transformative figures that have been honored by this prize,” he said, adding the honour is a “call to action.”

We woke up this morning to the news that President Obama was awarded the Noble Peace Prize.  My first reaction to this news was it must be a joke as I was not aware of any issue on the international scene that has improved since Obama took office.  Fore example:

Iraq – Not much change.  Bush made an arrangement with the Iraqi government on a drawdown of American troops and that continues.

North Korea – No change in tone or substance from North Korea since the President’s inauguration.  They remain belligerent, kidnapped two American journalists, and set of another nuclear test.

Iran – The Iranians remain belligerent as ever to the West and United States.  They continue their program to develop nuclear weapons and have cracked down on their citizens, resulting in the deaths of Iranians.  They continue to threaten to destroy Israel.

Afghanistan – The Afghanistan situation has deteriorated since the President took office with American casualties increasing.  In March the President announced that he was going to send additional resources to win what he called a necessary war.  His appointed theater commander, General McChrystal, has requested more troops and the President is hesitating on that request.

Pakistan – This nuclear power continues to be unstable with a large terrorism problem.  Just today over 50 died in Pakistan to a suicide bomber.

None of the world hotspots have shown improvement since the President has taken office. With no discernable international accomplishments, the Noble Prize people indicated that the award was given to President Obama based on:

“The committee has attached special importance to Obama’s vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.”  …  ”Obama has as president created a new climate in international politics.  Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play.  Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts.”

Given the Nobel committee’s choice of Obama based on his style, rather than substance, it is interesting to review previous American presidents and a vice president that received this prize.

• President Jimmy Carter received the Prize based on his substantive work on Israeli-Egyptian peace agreement in 1979.
• President Theodore Roosevelt received the Prize for his work on the 1905 Russo-Japanese peace treaty and more specifically for his assistance in mediating it in the international court.
• President Woodrow Wilson received the Prize after World War I based on his work in creating the League of Nations.  The League of Nations was a failure, as the body’s miscues helped pave the way for World War II.
• Vice President Al Gore received the Prize in 2007 for his “efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change.”  Forget that many of. Gore’s facts about climate change were incorrect and he made over $100 million for his climate efforts, he was deemed worthy of the Peace Price.

It seems that the Noble Peace Prize is given to American presidents and a vice president for favoring positions accommodating to international bodies over sovereign countries’ rules, specifically those of the United States.  If Progressives like Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter, Al Gore, and yes the Noble people, would have their way, much of American sovereignty would be surrendered to international bodies.  This is scary.  Just think; we could be ruled by the laws of the United Nations run by the likes of the Syrians, Iranians and others.  Sort of makes our Congress sound desirable, doesn’t it!

President Franklin Roosevelt, who led the free world in its successful battle against Fascism, did not receive the Noble Peace Prize.  President Reagan, who helped end the Cold War had plagued the world since World War II, received no Prize.  But, President Obama is given the Noble Peace Prize for the hope that his style will lead to something good in the future.  That defies logic.

There must be some other behind the decision of the Noble people.  There are two that could be at play: 1) they wanted to “stick it” to George W. Bush and his style of governing, and/or 2) they want to influence Obama’s decision making going forward.  Just think of it: Will the President’s upcoming decision on sending more troops to Afghanistan be made easier or harder by the action of the Nobel Prize Committee?  Whatever the motivations of the Noble Committee, it is related to an attempt to interfere with American policies and all Americans should be concerned by this.

President Obama’s international policy should be judged results, not by hope.  That logic, however, seems to have escaped from the Progressives who make the decision as to recipients of the Noble Peace Prize.

They apparently will award the prize to anyone who demonstrates that they’re not George Bush(Especially as they apparently decided on Obama significantly earlier in his presidency!) – even though he freed millions of Muslims (especially women!) from tyranny, implemented some of the most successful aid programs to Africa and for fighting AIDS ever…I’m not saying George Bush deserves the prize, but at least he did something that could justify it. Multiple times. As did quite a few others. Meanwhile, what has Obama done to deserve the prize? Well, he’s considering cutting deals with the Taliban, he’s shunned the Dalai Lama and pro-democracy protesters in Iran, helped prop up a would be tyrant in Honduras…

Jules Crittendon has a roundup of other reactions, who also points out the other less than helpful recipients the prize has gone out to.

Instapundit also has a roundup of reactions.

The Democrats, who are the party with actual ties to terrorists (FARC), are saying that Republicans are “siding with terrorists” as they express shock and outrage over the issue.

Read it at LA Times
Congratulations Obama!

FROM THE PEW – We try not to get too involved in politics (a very difficult proposition these days) but we could not help but to be shocked by the announcement that our very own abortion promoting president, Barack Hussein Obama, has won the Noble Peace Prize.  Apparently, the Savior of Mankind was nominated for the award after only three weeks in office.

Needless to say, the people behind the prize must be seeing something that we don’t.  We remember Mother Teresa, the saintly nun who also won the prize, who said that there can be no peace as long as there is abortion.  So why Obama? 

It is probably because the award panel is caught up in the overdone hype concerning the “promise” of Obama.  The sad part of this episode is that the Noble people have bought into the politics of personality that is so prevalent today – one only need to see the latest video of school children mindlessly chanting praises for the New Savior to understand.

We think the whole thing is obscene. 

By the way, Alfred Noble, after whom the award is named, was the inventor of dynamite.

 It is a great news that Indian-origin scientist Venkatraman Ramakrishnan shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry this year with Thomas A Steitz and Ada E Yonath, as  announced in Stockholm Wednesday, for the studies of one of life’s core processes: the ribosome’s translation of DNA information into life.

 Born in 1952 in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, Ramakrishnan did his PhD in Physics in 1976 from Ohio University, US. He is a senior scientist and group leader at Structural Studies Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, Britain.

 Ramakrishnan and Steitz are US citizens while Yonath is from Israel.

Ramakrishnan joins an illustrious list of Indians and people of Indian origin who have won the Nobel Prize in various disciplines– including Ravindranath Tagore (1913) , C.V. Raman (1930) ,HaraGovind Khurana (1968) ,Mother Theresa (1979),Chandrasekhar (1983) and Amartya Sen (1998).

As per Wikipedia,  eight Indian citizens  have been honored to date, but legally only 2 of Indian citizenship, and only three of Indian origin.  So we must improve our Research & Development facilities so that our people will get noble prize legally working in our country.

Americans Venkatraman Ramakrishnan and Thomas Steitz and Israeli Ada Yonath won the 2009 Nobel Prize in chemistry on Wednesday for
mapping ribosomes, the protein-producing factories within cells, at the atomic level.

India-born Venkatraman Ramakrishnan is a senior scientist at the MRC Laborartory of Molecular Biology at Cambridge.

Born in 1952 in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, Ramakrishnan shares the Nobel prize with Thomas E Steitz (US) and Ada E Yonath (Israel) for their “studies of the structure and function of the ribosome”.

Ramakrishnan earned his B.Sc. in Physics (1971) from Baroda University and his Ph.D. in Physics (1976) from Ohio University.

He moved into biology at the University of California, San Diego, where he took a year of classes, then conducted research with Dr Mauricio Montal, a membrane biochemist.

“This year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry awards Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Thomas A Steitz and Ada E Yonath for having showed what the ribosome looks like and how it functions at the atomic level,” the Nobel committee said in its citation.

All three have used a method called X-ray crystallography to map the position for each and every one of the hundreds of thousands of atoms that make up the ribosome, it said.

“This year’s three Laureates have all generated 3D models that show how different antibiotics bind to the ribosome. These models are now used by scientists in order to develop new antibiotics, directly assisting the saving of lives and decreasing humanity’s suffering,” the citation said.

Better known as Venky among friends, Ramakrishnan started out as a theoretical physicist. After graduate school, he designed his own 2-year transition from physics to biology.

As a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University, he worked on a neutron-scattering map of the small ribosomal subunit of E Coli. He has been studying ribosome structure ever since.

Ramakrishnan has authored several important papers in academic journals.

In the August 26, 2000 issue of Nature, Ramakrishnan and his coworkers published the structure of the small ribosomal subunit of Thermus thermophilus, a heat-stable bacterium related to one found in the Yellowstone hot springs.

With this 5.5 Angstrom-resolution structure, Ramakrishnan’s group identified key portions of the RNA and, using previously determined structures, positioned seven of the subunit’s proteins.

In the September 21, 2000 issue of Nature, Ramakrishnan published two papers. In the first of these, he presents the 3 Angstrom structure of the 30S ribosomal subunit.

His second paper reveals the structures of the 30S subunit in complex with three antibiotics that target different regions of the subunit. In this paper, Ramakrishnan discusses the structural basis for the action of each of these drugs.

After his postdoctoral fellowship, Ramakrishnan joined the staff of Brookhaven National Laboratory in ther US. There, he began his collaboration with Stephen White to clone the genes for several ribosomal proteins and determine their three-dimensional structures.

He was also awarded a Guggenheim fellowship during his tenure there, and he used it to make the transition to X-ray crystallography.

Ramakrishnan moved to the University of Utah in 1995 to become a professor in the Department of Biochemistry. There, he initiated his studies on protein-RNA complexes and the entire 30S subunit.

He since moved to the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, where he is a Senior Scientist and Group Leader in the Structural Studies Division. He joins the list of several Nobel laureates who worked at the laboratory.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said their work has been fundamental to the scientific understanding of life and has helped researchers develop antibiotic cures for various diseases.

Yonath is the fourth woman to win the Nobel chemistry prize and the first since 1964, when Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin of Britain received the prize.

This year’s three laureates all generated three-dimensional models that show how different antibiotics bind to ribosomes.

“These models are now used by scientists in order to develop new antibiotics, directly assisting the saving of lives and decreasing humanity’s suffering,” the academy said in its announcement.

“All three have used a method called X-ray crystallography to map the position for each and every one of the hundreds of thousands of atoms that make up the ribosome,” the academy said.

Alfred Nobel, a Swedish industrialist who invented dynamite, established the Nobel Prizes in his will in 1895. The first awards were handed out six years later.

Each prize comes with a 10 million kronor ($1.4 million) purse, a diploma, a gold medal and an invitation to the prize ceremony in Stockholm on Dec. 10. The Peace Prize is handed out in Oslo.

On Monday, three American scientists shared the Nobel Prize in medicine for discovering a key mechanism in the genetic operations of cells, an insight that has inspired new lines of research into cancer.

The physics prize on Tuesday was split between a Hong Kong-based scientist who helped develop fiber-optic cable and two Canadian and American researchers who invented the “eye” in digital cameras _ technology that has revolutionized communications and science.

The literature and peace prize winners will be announced later this week and the economics announcement is set for Monday.

7:30PM

>BBC NEWS | Americas | Honduras lifts emergency decree

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8291214.stm

>TELESUR ARTICLE AND VIDEO RE: HONDUARAS

President Zelaya seems to have made a quarter turn today. I think he got strong indications over the weekend that he is about to be screwed. The latest news is that he has less and less confidence in the golpistas’ interest in negotiating. Zelaya says Micheletti must sign the San Jose Accord and that he, as the constitutional president. must be restored immediately.
At this URL, you’ll find articles on this topic and a video featuring Zelaya in the upper right-hand corner talking about his latest concerns. (All in Spanish)

http://www.telesurtv.net/noticias/afondo/especiales/Golpe_de_estado_honduras/noticias.php

>AL JAZEERA VIDEO: Zelaya Supporters Jailed for Demonstrating – Features Teeacher and Radio Liberada reporter, Augustina Flores speaking from jail; she was removed from a demonstration and taken into custody on September 22 and charged with sedition for supporting President Zelaya. There are reports that she has been tortured while in custody.

>COUP D’ETAT IN HONDURAS. A JURIDICIAL ANALYSIS . Translated into English.

http://hondurasemb.org/2009/10/05/coup-d%E2%80%99etat-in-honduras-a-juridical-analysis/

>A VENEZUELAN PROFESSOR DENOUNCES ROBERTO MICHELETTI and his golpista regime before the International Criminal Court in the Hague. Article in Spanish.

http://hablahonduras.com/2009/10/05/profesor-venezolano-denuncia-a-micheletti-ante-corte-de-la-haya/

>VOTE FOR National Resistance Movement to be nominated for Nobel Peace Prize (for god’s sake don’t let Oscar Arias get another one!!). If interested in signing a petition to nominate the National Resistance Movement for a Nobel Prize, go to this site (it’s in Spanish).

http://hablahonduras.com/2009/10/05/premio-nobel-de-la-paz-al-movimiento-pacifista-del-frente-nacional-contra-el-golpe-de-estado-de-honduras/

>PICS OF CHAVEZ walking the streets of NYC while there for UN meeting. He greet people, signs autographs and hangs out with Eva Golinger.

http://web.me.com/christian.pena/photography_website/PHOTOJOURNALISM/Pages/CHAVEZ_VISITS_CHAVISTAS.html

Americans Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Carol W Greider and Jack W. Szostak won the 2009 Nobel Prize in medicine on Monday for discovering a key mechanism in the genetic operations of cells, an insight that has inspired new lines of research into cancer.

The trio solved the mystery of how chromosomes, the rod-like structures that carry DNA, protect themselves from degrading when cells divide.

The Nobel citation said the laureates found the solution in the ends of the chromosomes — structures called telomeres that are often compared to the plastic tips at the end of shoe laces that keep those laces from unraveling.

Blackburn and Greider discovered the enzyme that builds telomeres — telomerase — and the mechanism by which it adds DNA to the tips of chromosomes to replace genetic material that has eroded away.

The prize-winners’ work set the stage for research suggesting that cancer cells use telomerase to sustain their uncontrolled growth. Scientists are studying whether drugs that block the enzyme can fight the disease. In addition, scientists believe that the DNA erosion the enzyme repairs might play a role in some illnesses.

“The discoveries by Blackburn, Greider and Szostak have added a new dimension to our understanding of the cell, shed light on disease mechanisms, and stimulated the development of potential new therapies,” the prize committee said in its citation.

It was the first time that two women have been among the winners of the medicine prize, committee members said.

Blackburn, who holds US and Australian citizenship, is a professor of biology and physiology at the University of California, San Francisco. Greider is a professor in the department of molecular biology and genetics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.

Greider, 48, said she was telephoned by just before 5 a.m. her time with the news that she had won.

“It’s really very thrilling, it’s something you can’t expect,” she told The Associated Press by telephone.

People might make predictions of who might win, but one never expects it, she said, adding that “It’s like the Monty Python sketch, ‘Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!”’

Greider described the research as beginning with experiments aimed at understanding how cells work, not with the idea for certain implications for medicine.

“Funding for that kind of curiosity-driven science is really important,” she said, adding that disease-oriented research isn’t the only way to reach the answer, but “both together are synergistic,” she said.

Blackburn, 60, said she was awakened at 2 a.m. “Prizes are always a nice thing,” she told The AP. “It doesn’t change the research per se, of course, but it’s lovely to have the recognition and share it with Carol Greider and Jack Szostak.”

London-born Szostak has been at Harvard Medical School since 1979 and is currently professor of genetics at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He is also affiliated with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the citation said.

The award includes a 10 million kronor ($1.4 million) purse divided among the winners, a diploma and an invitation to the prize ceremonies in Stockholm on Dec. 10.

The researchers have already won a series of medical honors for their enzyme research. In 2006, they shared the Lasker prize for basic medical research, often dubbed “America’s Nobel.”

Some inherited diseases are now known to be caused by telomerase defects, including certain forms of congenital aplastic anemia, in which insufficient cell divisions in the stem cells of the bone marrow lead to severe anemia. Certain inherited diseases of the skin and the lungs are also caused by telomerase defects.

The Nobel Prizes in physics, chemistry, literature and the Nobel Peace Prize will be announced later this week, while the economics award will be presented on Oct. 12.

Prize founder Alfred Nobel, a Swedish industrialist who invented dynamite, left few instructions on how to select winners, but medicine winners are typically awarded for a specific breakthrough rather than a body of research.

Nobel established the prizes in his will in 1895. The first awards were handed out six years later.