Dear Kavita Chhibber,

While it’s always fun to bash Bush and elaborate on the many political and other problems that face America, India, and other countries, I am beginning to grow tired of it all, and am now missing and longing for some spiritual sustenance!

It seems like Spiritual development posts have taken a hiatus from intentblog, to be replaced with Politics, Terrorism, Sports, and a host of other mundane subjects.

What happened to Ayurveda, Meditation, Contemplation, or Nirvana? I am getting very hungry here.

Sorry to be such a complainer, but I am
Starving for some higher subjects,

Stan

Craig, I must say that you are an iconoclast, there that's the moniker for you. Just do this, watch the movie Bull Durham again if you can, if you did in the past, remember the Tim Robbin's role as the pitcher, how he just needed to pitch, and not think so much, going with the flow? Well I sort of see you like that my brother, just ease up, not over analyze too much, give some space to a possibility of work or whatever you would like to do and maybe something will come up.

You seem to me like someone so sensitive, seeing what others don't quite, and it's a little scary out there. I agree it is scary, some major moves going on, but just maybe perhaps think that the big man/woman upstairs knows a litte of what's going on too and so like they "We are all Bozos on this bus".

Just don't stretch the string too tight, allow for a little wiggle room :)

Love from rainy LA LA Land.

Steve

Hi Stan,
the posts here are hopefully all in good humor and nothing more. Personally I love a good laugh, even at my own expense.
I'll be posting the third instalment on breath shortly and am working on a piece about one of the leading ayurveda doctors from India who is one of the key advisors for the Indian government. The cool thing is one of his mentors was Dr Deepak Chopra's father.
We'll get back to the good stuff soon, I promise

Kavita,

Right now your blogs are the good stuff as far as I'm concerned :)

You give a good balance of topics and one can find the spiritual in all things, but Stan also makes a good point. A good bet that Deepak's next post will be political based. No one needs to defend anyone here, just seeing a trend, the current mundane events can stir emotions, always has, always will. What is interesting to me is that many people here and elsewhere seems to pour all their anger as well as joy in the failings of Pres. Bush. It's as if he is the lightening rod of people's inner life. He fails, we get great joy, he does something we don't like, anger, etc. Always something from the outside.

That sure speaks volumes about our spiritual state of being. What happened to following the teachings of the Gita, going beyond the 3 gunas, maintain equinimity in loss and gain, still point in the turning wheel, the middle path. silence amidst activity.Isn't anger the great enemy (rajo guna) according to the Gita? And doesn't it also say, the Lord (avatar)comes mainly for the devotees sake?

What happen to following or living the wisdom of the great teachings?

I certainly fall way short, haven't even begun.

That's my small rant, now I have to take my sweetie to the hospital, final phases of breast cancer reconstruction surgery. She is a great inspiration to me and many others, living above the fray when she could have easily played the victim.

Love all,

Steve

I cannot stand Bush!

AJ,
Well let me just say, that facts are facts. A fact is that India has a massive power shortage, that threatens to derail the economy. A fact is that India does not have enough hydro-power potential sights and so has coal based and nuclear power as its only choices. Even if we develop all the nuclear technology we need singlehandedly (which we are capable of and have done) we still need nuclear fuel which most countries wont supply us as long as we are the nuclear pariah. So a nuclear deal with the US and France has meant a possibility for India to become a major nuclear power producing country in the next 20 years. If Bush has played a small part in that, then frankly whats wrong with giving him a good welcome and a pat of the back. Plus there is no 'sucking up' here. Its interdependence of two great democracies and large economies. We need US and soon they will need India too.
I wish people would understand that diplomatic relations are between countries, not individuals. So whether its Bush or Kerry or Clinton or his uncle, it really does not matter to India. What matters is if the President of the US is coming to visit another sovereign nation, he should be treated with respect. If he screwed up in Iraq or katrina or whatever, let the american people sort it out. If they impeach him, throw him out and put somebody else in his place (and believe I wont be shedding a tear for the guy has been incompetent), India simply starts dealing with this new guy, and you have to call that guy Mr. President, even if its the devil, cause thats the way the cards stack up!!!
Plus after seeing the comments being made by a lot of Democrats about India, I don't see them as a bunch of saints either.
Well thats just my view anyway. When I return to India, having the AC on 24/7 would be really nice (Pune-ites will back me up on this one) and if Bush and nuclear power helped make it happen, cheers to him!
Sid

Steve, firstly all the very best to your lady in her battle with breast cancer.The love that you surround her with is her biggest physician! For all those who have sent reiki for Sudha and prayers please direct them also towards Steve's lady. Sudha had her first round of chemo and did very well yesterday..no nausea..her hair was cut on wednesday and is being made into wigs for 5 little girls, according to the people at locks for love who called to thank her.Thank you for your prayers and good wishes.

I think Bush arouses very strong sentiments of discontent, but it was the people of America who put him where he is today, so I guess they can roast him as well and take responsibility for the hatred the world feels for America today.

Siddharth,
perhaps it would be better if you gave India credit for its own achievements, and not because it was America that made it happen. America's relationship with India has taken a turn for the better because India is an emerging super power in the region and America needs India today.
As for Bush being treated with respect, I think respect has to be earned, it just doesnt come attached with the title.

Aruna. 'social entrepreneurship,' sounds very interesting. I shall google it momentarily. Thank you! (Me be a one year shy 40 year young youngster though; oh woe is me . . .).

I feel your love a thousand miles a way brother. By the way, didn't you do that a little backwards, the Californians all migrate to the Pacific Northwest not vice versa (har har har). With faith even a mountain can be moved, and the heavens laid bare, yet faith w/o works is dead. Time to get to work!!!

That being, Deepak using 'my dogs' unforgettable words. 'the chickens come home to roost.' When Malcolm is invoked a thoughtful blog must be constructed. See you in a bit brother.

peace

sorry for the length, but its an interesting read

Why Bush Is Courting India
As the President makes his historic visit, India and the U.S. hope to seal a transformation from cold war antagonists to strategic partners
By ALEX PERRY
Posted Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2006

If you want a snapshot of a changing world, look at pictures of last May's ceremony in Moscow to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II. At what was one of the largest gatherings of world leaders for years, Germans shook hands with French, Japanese with British, and an American President allowed his Russian counterpart to treat him to a display of martial power, topped with hammer-and-sickle flags, while they sat and chatted amiably in front of Lenin's tomb. As well as burying old feuds, the summit was a chance to forge new friendships. At a banquet that night at the Kremlin, George W. Bush made a beeline for Manmohan Singh. According to Singh's press adviser, Sanjaya Baru, Bush told his wife, Laura, "This is the Indian Prime Minister." Singh later told Baru that the President then launched into a mini-presentation to the First Lady. India was growing fast; India had an energy crunch; India had the world's second-largest Muslim population and not one belonged to al-Qaeda. Baru says that Bush then turned to Singh and said: "You and I need to talk civilian nukes." The Indians were impressed. Says Baru: "We realized this was coming from the top."

"This" is one of the more dramatic geopolitical realignments of recent times. Back in the days of the cold war, India was a Soviet ally. New Delhi and Washington supported different sides in the 1971 Bangladeshi war of independence; during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, when the U.S. and Pakistan armed the mujahedin resistance, India backed the Moscow-imposed Afghan government. And the U.S. was furious over India's 1998 nuclear test, when New Delhi detonated three bombs under the Rajasthani desert. That test was followed by a similar one in Pakistan, and the U.S. slapped a raft of sanctions on both nations. As former U.S. ambassador to India Robert Blackwill noted in his farewell speech in New Delhi in 2003, "India was not seen in Washington as an essential and cooperative part of solutions to major international problems. India was one of the problems—a nuclear renegade whose policies threatened the entire nonproliferation regime and which had to be brought to its senses." Visits by American officials, said Blackwill, "were about as rare as white Bengal tiger sightings."

No longer. This week Bush lands in India for a three-day stay—a top-level follow-up to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit last March, when she told Singh that Washington's broad aim was "to help India become a major world power in the 21st century." Besides creating goodwill, Bush also hopes to deliver something concrete to the Indians: a deal that promises Delhi access to the highly restricted trade in nuclear fuel. The agreement would lift the remaining sanctions and offer access to the world's nuclear expertise to help build India's atomic-energy program. In return, India would pledge to use the imported nuclear fuel only to generate power. It would also have to split its existing 23 reactors into military and civilian stations. Washington wants most of the reactors—including a fast-breeder program that's under construction and which produces more fuel than it consumes—to be placed in the latter category and opened to U.N. inspection.

The U.S. offer takes place against the backdrop of a shift in the world's nuclear landscape. Many developing countries such as China, Brazil and Iran are launching or stepping up their nuclear-power programs, either to diversify their sources of energy or as a matter of national pride. But such an expansion of nuclear power could encourage the illicit trade in plutonium and uranium, the essential ingredients for nuclear weapons. In the 1980s and '90s, Pakistan's chief nuclear scientist A. Q. Khan built a thriving trade selling nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea. To better police the flow of nuclear materials, the White House has unveiled a proposal for a Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, in which a core of approved supplier nations would provide nuclear fuel to users. The trade would be done under international monitoring and on condition of non-military use, and the suppliers would recycle the waste rather than let it be diverted to weapons programs. The proposal would supplement, and require changes to, the two key instruments of arms control: the 28-year-old Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), banning the supply of nuclear fuel to states with atomic weapons, and the Nuclear Suppliers Group, a 44-nation nonproliferation body set up in 1974 in reaction to India's first nuclear test. At a speech to the Asia Society last week in Washington, Bush said that the U.S.-India deal was the vanguard of this wider restructuring. "We are starting with India," he told reporters. "We'll bring India's nuclear program into the international mainstream and strengthen the bonds of trust between our two nations."

Beyond the nuclear initiative, the U.S. and India are beginning to see each other as kindred spirits. Both are democracies. Both have thriving—and increasingly integrated—technology sectors. Both speak English, and enjoy the same yoga gurus, the same escapism in movies and even the same food. "Young Indians are acquiring a taste for pizzas from Domino's and Pizza Hut," Bush told the Asia Society. Washington and Delhi also both fight Islamic militancy and share concerns over China's rising power. Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran tells TIME his U.S. counterparts are explicit about a desire for a strong and lasting alliance to act as a "bulwark against the arc of Islamic instability" running from the Middle East to Asia, and to create "much greater balance in Asia"—in other words, for India to act as a counterweight to China.

Relations between Washington and New Delhi took a marked turn for the better in the second term of Bill Clinton. The spark was a friendship between Strobe Talbott, Clinton's U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, and Jaswant Singh, the then Indian Minister of External Affairs. The pair first met at a time of crisis, after India's 1998 nuclear test. But the men developed a strong bond. They met every two months during Talbott's time in office and swapped ideas for better ties, as Talbott related in his memoir of the period, Engaging India. In particular, they fretted that a U.S. President hadn't stepped on Indian soil since 1978. So on his swan-song foreign tour at the end of 2000, Clinton made a trip to India and did what he does best: charm. For five days, the newspapers were filled with images of the Clintons in Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, the President eating kebabs, and his daughter Chelsea shopping for pashminas in Delhi's markets. To this day, carpet traders, hoteliers and restaurants in New Delhi claim a personal relationship with America's former first family as proof of their standing. "People loved it," says Lalit Mansingh, a former Foreign Secretary. "The Americans were playing ball with the Indian public for the first time. That was the big change."

Over the next few years, relations improved. Blackwill decoupled U.S. ties with India and Pakistan, and strove to end a long period in which Washington felt that if it pleased Islamabad it would only annoy New Delhi, and vice versa. That allowed Washington to engage simultaneously with India and pursue its anti-terrorism goals in Pakistan. Then, in May 2004, the man who opened up India's economy in 1993 as Finance Minister returned as Prime Minister. Singh's first foreign trip was to the U.S. On the eve of his departure, he told TIME that India had been slow to wake up to the post-cold war world, but added it wasn't sleeping any longer: "It has taken us quite some time to realize there is no other option but to align ourselves with the modern global economy."

Blackwill says India has long held a personal fascination for Bush as a living and breathing embodiment of his ideals. "A billion people in a functioning democracy," he recalls then governor Bush saying in 1999. "Isn't that something?" Once Bush was in power, Blackwill and Rice encouraged the President to pursue his instincts and build an alliance of substance. Blackwill's successor in New Delhi, David Mulford, former Under Secretary for International Affairs at the Treasury in George H.W. Bush's administration, soon found himself knee-deep in talks on a range of deals from joint military exercises to AIDS research to space exploration. Top of the list was the nuclear deal.

In neither country is support for the new relationship complete. "This is not an easy decision for India," Bush told the Asia Society, "nor is it an easy decision for the United States, and implementing this agreement will take time, and it will take patience from both our countries." A fundamental change in policy on the control of nuclear materials is a hard sell. Antiproliferation campaigners say the deal means that the U.S. would be helping India to build more bombs. Congress must approve any change to the NPT, and in testimony to the House International Relations Committee, Henry Sokolski, executive director of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center, argued against the new proposals. If the U.S. opposes Iran's atomic program because it suspects civilian nuclear facilities would be used to make bombs, said Sokolski, then surely Washington was now freeing up India's existing capacity to produce plutonium and enriched uranium for weapons, and so "helping India expand its nuclear arsenal." Daryl G. Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, warns of the possibility that the nuclear deal will spark an arms race with Pakistan and China. Last year, the Pakistani Foreign Office, says one of its officials, submitted a paper to President Pervez Musharraf urging him to enhance nuclear cooperation with China, calling it a "must for the country's nuclear deterrent."

In India, nationalists, nuclear scientists and communists oppose the idea that India open its programs to inspections on the say-so of a foreign power. They accuse Singh of pawning national security for ties with the U.S. and allowing an implicit cap on its nuclear deterrent. "India cannot compromise," said India's most senior nuclear scientist, Atomic Energy Commission chief Anil Kakodkar, over the U.S. demand to allow inspectors to view its fast-breeder reactors. So far, India and the U.S. have been unable to agree on what proportion of India's nuclear program should be declared civilian, and opened up, and what kept as military and secret. But even if a deal is not finalized by the time Bush lands in India, the visit "will not be a failure," says Robert Hathaway, an India expert at the Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington. "There's a multiplicity of interests with India at this point and I would not want to judge a trip on the lack of progress on a single issue."

Bush, of course, is not the only person to spot India's potential. In the last 18 months, New Delhi has hosted the leaders of Russia, Japan, China and Britain. Bush's visit comes a week after the departure of French President Jacques Chirac, who signed France's own civilian nuclear-cooperation deal with India before he left, and a few days before the arrival of Australian Prime Minister John Howard. But the U.S. has an edge. Outside official links—in the diplomacy of the heart—ties between the two nations are growing every day. There are 2 million ethnic Indians in the U.S., and India has become the largest source of foreign students there. The U.S. is India's biggest business partner, with bilateral trade worth $20 billion in 2004, three times the 1992 figure; the largest foreign investor in the Indian stock market, accounting for 40% of equity inflows between 1993-2005; and the biggest foreign backer of Indian business. In 1991, U.S. direct investments in India were worth just $11 million; in 2004, $620 million flowed in. And then there's Silicon Valley. "You can't underestimate the impact of the technological revolution that took place in the U.S. in the late 1990s and the huge number of Indian entrepreneurs who contributed to that," says Narayana Murthy, chairman of Infosys, one of India's leading technology firms. "Politics is driven to a large extent by economics." Bush regularly scores higher approval ratings in India than in the U.S.

The biggest hurdles to a bright future are the habits of the past. Sensitivity to foreign interference in its internal affairs is high in India, where a history of opposing imperialism has produced one of the proudest nations on earth. No Indian government could accept a relationship with the U.S. in which it was obviously the junior partner. Some in the U.S. are wise to the dangers of being overbearing. Last year, Rice warned India not to pursue a plan to build a gas pipeline from Iran. When she was ignored in New Delhi, the U.S. quietly dropped the subject. "We're not trying to strong-arm them in any way," says the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, Robert O. Blake. "It's counterproductive." Some U.S. Congressmen insist, however, that in return for accepting Washington's help for its nuclear program, India must back the U.S. in its efforts to shut down Iran's. Last summer, Tom Lantos, a Democrat from California, called then Indian Minister for External Affairs Natwar Singh "dense" for not grasping the quid pro quo on Iran.

Old attitudes live on in India too. The nation's communists scored their best vote ever at the 2004 general election, and Singh relies on them for his parliamentary majority. Though the economy is opening fast, on matters like privatization India still lags—this month New Delhi, Bombay and Calcutta airports were buried in garbage and sewage as 23,000 workers went on strike over sell-off plans. However much the Indian public may love the U.S., Indian intellectuals are overwhelmingly left-of-center and anti-American. "Nobody's supposed to be nice about Bush," laughs New Delhi-based nuclear expert C. Raja Mohan. "My friends get terribly upset when I say he's offering us a good deal."

Prakash Karat, leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), says his party does not oppose America on principle. But he is outraged that Singh is sitting down with the man he considers Imperialist Nemesis No. 1, and grumbles about a sinister-sounding "pro-American lobby in the Indian establishment." The timing of Bush's trip, which is expected to wrap up March 3—just before a vote at the International Atomic Energy Agency at which India must decide whether to support referral of Iran's nuclear program to the U.N. Security Council—have redoubled Karat's anti-Bush instincts. Tens of thousands of communist supporters, he says, will dog Bush's visit with mass protests.

But Karat's world is being changed for him. India's revolutionaries are a ragtag bunch who have no real shot at derailing its economic boom. Karat himself admits the old Soviet Union was never the aspirational focus the U.S. is today. And whatever the size of the protests Bush meets, bitter hostility towards the U.S. is now only found in demonstrations, not in government. Karat runs his campaign from a sparsely furnished office in a dusty side-street on the edge of the central government sprawl in New Delhi. The walls are hung with a small portrait of Lenin and a faded Soviet propaganda poster from the 1920s, exhorting workers to build better steam railways. Asked about the welcome Bush will receive, he says: "When [Soviet leader Nikita] Khrushchev came here in 1955, the hugest crowds turned out to meet him." The message is unmistakable, if unintended. That was then. But this is now.

With reporting by With reporting by Matthew Cooper and Elaine Shannon/Washington and Talat Hussein/Islamabad

www.nfia.net

Kavita states, "As for Bush being treated with respect, I think respect has to be earned, it just doesnt come attached with the title."

Well said, Kavita!

Thank you Kavita for everyones' waves of Reiki healing energy heading Marina's way, a very heartfelt thank you. I will be praying for Sudha as well. Marina had a bi-lateral mastectomy last fall, fortunately she didn't need chemo and radiation, however, she is on a 5 year course of tomoxifin. Some hot flashes, but otherwise handling it very well. She is Russian and so strong willed (her comment not mine :). Now she is resting and is doing very well, thanks again.

Regarding the hate, I just try to turn sideways and let it pass. For some strange reason, I'm not bothered by this. I think the main reason why Clinton was so well liked was because he craved adoration (not in a bad way), just his nature to enjoy being significant and recognized, hence a real people/countries pleaser.) Bush is guided more internally, he is his own man and that can ruffle all kinds of feathers.

Maybe we need a balance of the two extremes next time. Who knows.

Now I'm ready for a nap :)

Love, Steve

Dear Kavita,

Thanks for the reassurance I look forward to reading those posts you mentioned. I also love a good laugh, and even a good cry, I agree with Steve that the way we react, even to the mundane is a witness to our spiritual condition.

Steve
Love and healing to your Marina, and also to yourself, it is very hard to watch a loved one suffer.

Kind Regards,

Stan

Barring vested interest, you cannot consider yourself intelligent and be a Bush supporter at the same time! This is calling it the way it is! No adjectival mincing of words, friends!

Bush is a categorical let-down and failure!

1) Five years on and Osama is still at large!

2) Five years on and the anthrax killer has not been caught. If you need more, bring it on!

Heather, Kate, thank you . Sorry I did not get to it earlier. There are millions of scumbags all over the world, but he has the power also. That is what probably made me think and write that. As you know I am usually kind and nice. But when I think of all the innocent civilians in Iraq, and all the servicemen from USA that have died I lose my cool. He is probably not responsible by himself, but he can use his power to say No to his so called advisors.

Nice seeing you both here. God bless.

Dear Kavita,

It would be quite inspiring, if you could contact this program making wigs for little girls.

It would be a tribute to Sudha's beautiful, long, cared-for locks, which came from her.

I wonder if a gathering of all, would be possible with an interview by: you, Kavita; of the 5 girls/Sudha... and how Sudha will touch their heads with Grace's beautiful hair!

this could make quite a touching story Kavita; and Shekhar, a wonderful, cross-continental movie prospect, if all parties are interested?

I know a wonderful, established young actress named Katie Rogers(tell Mom, Pat, Donna & Lee sent ya!!) of New York - Staten Island, whom would probably be great, cast as one of the girls!!

Katie has many films to her credit as an extra, and a model since quite young; and i'm guessing she is 13-14ish now? I've known the family since around 1998? Her little brother and she were in Nicole Kidmans movie: Birth, and many other parts in movies I can't remember!!

Cancer is a terribly frightening disease, with which Kavita said it all perfectly on the imortance of support and courage, prayer and good intentions.

North

That was great. :) Thank you for sharing, dear Kavita. You just made my night.

Dear Steve,
I'd like to send love and Reiki to Marina. I'm glad to hear she is doing fine.

Peace,
Donatella

Thanks Donatella and Stan for your love and healing, Marina really recieved wonderful blessings today. I'm touched.

Peace to all,

Steve

Steve, extending my thoughts and prayers for Marina as well. It is important for us to remember, it is not just the inflicted one with cancer, who suffers. Often, these silent pillars of strength, are the only life-line, on real bad days.

Glad to know Marina has strength with you Steve!

North

Thank you every one. Enjoyed reading all the exchanges here. Thank you Steve for your kind thoughts about Sudha and North for yours..you give your self far less credit..you are a very talented lady and I know this will be the start of something wonderful and may you go from peak to peak.
Craig, you are such a terrfic writer and come across as such a nice person, I wish you great happiness and success in the coming years.
all the best to you all.

'Terrorists behind every Bush' (har har har har).

North; I hope all went well yesterday. Me thoughts are with you.

Peace all

HA HA HA HAAAA!!!!

BUSH!

Here's another funny one from the oliveream blogspot

[George Bush's ]NOTES TO SELF

On the visit to India and Pakistan, avoid trying any spicy local food. Air Force One toilet still clogged up from my last trip to India in 2005. Remind Laura to give me Pepto Bismol after each meal, as a precaution.

Avoid all temptation to ask Doc. Manmohan to try on his turban. He didn't like it the last time I asked.

Sign Nukular Deal with India. (Don't forget to collect my copy of the accord). Remind Doc. Manmohan to send me keys to all of India's civilian, and possibly military, nuclear facilites (so I can send my people to carry out inspections) as soon as we send nukular technology and fuel to India. Ask Condi, what this deal is all about – still don't have a clue what it means!

Don't forget to scare the pants of Doc. Manmohan on Iran's nukular ambition. He must support the US when we go after Iran. There's no flexibility on Iran's nukular issue as India imagines. Ask Condi to back me up on this, as Doc. never believes what I am saying anyway.

Don't forget to stop in Pakistan, and accidentally fly over Pakistan on the way back to Washington. Remind Air Force One pilot of the same.

Exchange pleasantries with Pres. Musharaf and his Mrs. Don't show them copies of Danish Cartoons just because I think they are funny. Condi says the caricatures are blasphemous. Must look up the word 'blasphemous' in dictionary,…and the word 'caricature'.

Don’t forget to give Pervez, his 'Bush meets Mush so Shush! – 2006 Tour' T-shirt.

If Pres. Musharaf asks regarding the delivery of the promised F-16s, tell him that they are on their way like the last 40 times he has asked. Find out from Condi, if these are the ones we ended up using in Iraq when we were running short.

Give Pres. Musharaf a big hug for being such a good ally on my war on terror. Tell him to find some more Al Qaeda number 2s for us to hunt down, before we bomb the crap out another wrong target (killing innocent civilians) due to CIA's flawed guess work.

Give a 'heads-up' to Musharaf regarding Iran, and remind him that we might use Pakistan's airspace during the planned attack so please don't target any of our jets, as they might be carrying tactical nukular weapons, and shooting them down would create hell of mess for both our countries.

Remind Pres. Musharaf not to invite Cheney for his annual hunting expedition in Northern Pakistan. Dick is a bad shot, apparently.

Remind Pres. Musharaf not to worry about my recent and continuously sinking approval rating back in the US. 34% approval (as per CBS poll) is not bad as it matches my IQ!

Ask Condi if we can avoid our stop in Afghanistan. I am already feeling homesick.

My brother sent me this-looks like Bush can spell this fruit faster than nukular..
talk about the fruitcake endorsing the king of fruits

"Besides nuclear diplomacy, Bush also succeeded at mango diplomacy.

The sweet, juicy staple of Indian chutneys and dessert tables was a feature of the joint agreement between the two countries. Bush said the United States would reopen its market to Indian mangoes, banned 17 years ago over concerns about pesticide use.

"The United States is looking forward to eating Indian mangoes," Bush said as both leaders stood side-by-side before the media in a garden at Hyderabad House.

Now, Indian farmers will instead irradiate the fruit to kill any pests, making them fit for consumption in the eyes of U.S. agricultural officials. The fruit should again be available in U.S. markets in about 18 months

Kavita, I am not a bit excited he is visiting India. On the contrary, I am praying for rain so that where ever he touches my mother India's sacred soil ,the rain can wash the scum off. He and the likes of him are not even worth talking about.

I did not realise how much I did not like him till that just came out on to the screen.

God bless you Kavita.

Dear Geeta, it is hard not to feel your pain over this... I can only resonate as an outsider looking IN, from the perspective of India's majority voices like yours; know, that many non-Indians around the globe stand in unity with some of your thoughts.

All is well Craig, thanks : )

North

Dearest Geeta,
Nothing can taint your beloved India!
Hold it sacred in your heart.
Wind, rain, and sunshine will come, and not a trace of one being will remain forever on the earth. Ah, creation is merciful.
Love and Blessings to you,
~ Kate

Folks,
Hate to rain on the anti-Bush parade here, but Bush is surprisingly popular back home. Apart for the vocal islamic groups, the commies of the left, a couple of opportunistic political parties courting the muslim vote and a misguided eclectic liberal bunch of protestors, most Indians do not consider his stepping on Indian soil an insult in any way!!! Infact, I read a poll recently that he enjoys higher job approval ratings in India than just about anywhere else in the world. Infact well over 50% of indians support him making him more popular that any indian politician, and frankly I do not find that surprising.
Maybe its been the last two years I spent in Indiana (which voted over 70% Bush in 04) but I can see the reason for his appeal in US and in India. He might come away as being fairly thick, but he seems to radiate this simplicity of thought and direction, which a lot of honest, down-to-earth working folk associate with. Plus, and I don't agree with this at all, he seems to be anti-Islam and atleast anti-fundamentalistic Islam, and well over 50% of indians feel that way too.
So while the liberal left intelligentsia might be against him, the pragmatic center simply are not. India has done fantastically well in getting the nuclear deal while still safe-guarding her strategic interests. Bush and Manmohan are going forward where Clinton and Vajpayee left off in aligning two democracies who are remarkably similar in character.
So in conclusion, if you cannot stand Bush, then protest here in the US, but in India, he must be treated for what he is to India, which the first President of the United States who has taken concrete steps to form a partership with India. Clinton may be India's best pal, but Bush in trying to become its partner.
And most indians seem to get that.
Sorry if I offended anyone and believe me, I was rooting for Kerry in 04 :)
Sid

Dear Geeta

Was running my eyes over the "More Comments" just now, and yours here caught my eye and I erupted with laughter -- you are a woman after my own heart!

Thank you for being you -- we need more such.

Love Heather

Siddhartha - I agree with you. Vijay's post also echos your sentiments. But you gotta admit -Bush bashing is so much fun :)

Siddhartha,
of course he is popular in India. Jay leno had fun with his trip saying Bush was meeting the American people before his trip and now he is meeting their old jobs!
Where would we be without Bushisms(I was misunderestimated)..I give that calendar each christmas to friends.
Even yesterday after the bomb blast in Pakistan-he was saying nukular, in the middle of a solemn speech and people were trying to keep a straight face. Ofcourse Thomas Friendman was on the Today show talking about India's strong courtship for 10 years now with the US, and while Katie couric was hemming over the holes in the current nuclear agreement and what message this would give to Iran and Korea, Friedman who obviously likes India, said well the message is you treat democracies differently than bullies..or may be it was that mango chutney that did it!

I really hope I am wrong, but I cannot see anything good coming out of this 'visit'.

Because I love India so much, I really look forward to a concrete benefit for all Indian people -- not just the wealthy -- coming out of the negotiations (more accurate word than visit).

I am still 'recovering' from reading about the footage (obtained by the Associated Press) that shows how the President was warned, before Hurricane Katrina struck, that the storm could breach levees. His response? 'We are fully prepared'. No comment.

Peace,
Donatella

Good points Donatella, we must also raise quetions and eyebrows at his low-brow treatment of any/most dark-skinned cultural peoples;

this is obvious in his actions to decrease the population there..they saw opportunity and saving dollars, rebuilding for what?

How can India trust a man such as Bush's Admin; they aren't partners material; they are "boss" material.

North

Dear Donatella and North

Well said, both!

Love, Heather

Using the prefix "Mr...President.." is according unnecessary deference to an undeserving #$%$^^&^&&?

Siddhartha,

What, are you shamelessly sucking up to the worst freakin' 'president' in U.S. history? I detect an egregious, naive temporary opiated sense of imprudence in your (understandingly so) elated sentimentality to the unexpected Bush visit to India!

AP
Bush Ushers India Into Nuclear Club

By TERENCE HUNT, AP White House Correspondent 6 minutes ago

Wow! That was a fast deal.

AJ

"Using the prefix "Mr...President.." is according unnecessary deference to an undeserving #$%$^^&^&&?"

Don't sugar coat it, please share how you really feel. Also what does #$%$^^&^&&? mean anyway?

Enjoying the vitriol

Steve

While our government deems it necessary to keep any and all secrets from us, the people of the United States, what 'our' government is doing is as clear as crystal.

Deepak has assumed the mantle of Ghandi's legacy here in the United States, somebody get me over to the Indian impoverished masses and allow me to reciprocate . . .

Our goverment is straight-up breaking their own laws to spur on the final conflict: incredible!

We got to put these fools down, PEACEFULLY, somehow people.

Do I even detect some resigned disgust in Amba's post???

peace all

I'm reviewing a book called Tectonic Shift and interviwing one of the authors who is a world famous marketing guru, Dr Jag Sheth-it may be of interest to Steve that he is predicting Israel will realign its interests and align itself with Russia and Europe, and move away from the US, Israel's dissatisfaction beginning with George Bush Sr and recently Us interference in who Israel should sell technology and defence euqipment to. Europe has a 50 percent stake in Israel as compared to 20 percent by the US. Little rushed for time but that forecast intrigued me.
I'm talking to him more at length in a couple of minutes.

Dear Kavita,
Thanks for keeping us posted.
I'll read you tomorrow!

Peace,
Donatella

Dear Brother Craig,

Not resigned, just poking fun at AJ's one pointedness shall we say. I'll leave it at that.
Still in Auburn? I'll be thinking of ya when the rain hits sunny LA LA land, even during oscartime?

Thanks Kavita for mentioning the book, maybe some shifting, however, Jews living in US are so strongly committed to Israel that I believe will be a main factor in keeping the ties close. I don't see that same level of committment from Europe or Russia(especially after what happened over the years up until the 80's), however, economics is another issue, and that is a factor, I just think the heart favors US. Just speaking from a Jewish perspective, not from any other basis. Also since Europe has such a strong Muslim influence nowadays, that will keep the guard up. India and Israel have growing ties, I'm sure Israel will watch with interest how Bush's trip goes. I believe Israel and India both gain independence within a year of each other.

Love, Steve

One of my favourite Bushisms:-

"I'm also not very analytical. You know I don't spend a lot of time thinking about myself, about why I do things."—Aboard Air Force One, June 4, 2003

Oh yes indeed! Thank God the world is in such safe hands?!!!! lol

Steve,

Yeppers me is still in wonderful Auburn, WA, at least for another week making sure my lady-friends daughter stays our of trouble while mom is at a convention down in Houston.

I should be taking this time to get a job, so I can salvage something out of this life, yet I am not seeing many job postings for a professional world revolutionist . . . :)

I really shot myself in the foot quitting graduate school, even if it was only a history (instead of philosophy) program at a 'second-rate' Spokane college.

Taking that 'sleepless (with worry) in Seattle' bit quite literally. I don't know my brother, I am just not seeing a place for me in this world.

I just do not know what to do, I suppose things will 'just work out.' Also, I hope some of my recent posts have not been way too radical (I get the feeling I am too radical for even the radicals, but it is pretty funny when dudes say, 'man you are more radical than Lyndon Larouge . . .); but it is the way I feel.

Most importantly, I pray all is well with you my brother, as I also pray one day all will be alright with all of us.

peace and love bro, and everybody

Craig,
I wonder if you have heard of a concept called 'social entrepreneurship'? Why don't you google it and find out? I feel it would be just ideal for a person like you, combining idealism with the pragmatic. Believe me, there is plenty of need in this world for a person like you!

If you are wondering why this sudden piece of advice, I have been reading your posts off and on. I teach the subject 'social entrepreneurship' in an NGO in India and I see many youngsters like you who want to change the world - maybe not 'radical' in the traditional sense of the term, but innovative and inspiring nevertheless.

Oh, and one final suggestion (I promise not to do this again)- why don't you do volunteer work with youngsters - I've heard there are plenty of such opportunities in your country.
Aruna