My Rant Room

Vox Populi

2011-08-23T02:18:00.002+05:30

Vox populi, vox dei goes the saying. Voice of the people, voice of god. It's a more loaded statement than one would initially believe. For instance - religion; quite literally the voice of god is often a function of what the people find popular at that point. Of course - I could open a whole can of worms, and I will - but religion is not the can of worms I'll be opening today. Instead I want to talk about the mass hysteria surrounding Anna Hazare.

Full Disclosure: I do not approve of his methods so before I criticise my bias (which I readily admit to) I implore you to question my arguments. I also do not consider myself patriotic, but I am as much for rooting out corruption as the most patriotic of you.

There have been enough opinion pieces about Anna and most of the ones I have read have been critical of him. I attribute this in part to the fact that he enjoys enough support that opinion pieces supporting him don't need to be written all that often and in part to my own bias. But the one thing I find very striking in all the pieces are the reactions, the only gauge of which I have access to being the comments.

A majority of the comments disapprove of the articles - which is fine. What isn't fine is the general pattern of comments. Anyone who criticises Anna and/or his methods is not a puppet of the government. Anyone who doesn't support his ideology doesn't automatically support a corrupt government.

One of the best articles I have read in a long time was an interview with Nandan Nilekani (Full Disclosure: I am a fan of him and his work) where he states his view that the Lokpal bill is not a magic bullet that will rid the country of corruption and that anyone who thinks so is drinking the Kool Aid. He went on to mention that not all politicians are corrupt and that it's important to engage in parliamentary proceedings and that his own experiences were pretty pleasant. And here are what were some particularly; for lack of a better word - gnarly comments:

"
See what a few months spent in the North Block of Indian Parliament and interactions with Manmohan Singh , Kapil sibal , P Chidabharam can do to a person.

He is now completely talking like a corrupt Congress Agent .
Not even his former colleagues at Infosys will agree to it

Likes: 21
"

Because OF course - the commenter knows exactly how his Infy colleagues would have reacted. And as far as I know - no one from Infosys came out to criticise the guy.

I mean - sure; criticise his stand, but not by attacking him personally. Even if the accusations levelled were true, they would not and should not diminish the point that was being made (whatever the merit of the point itself).

"
If you do not have a solution, do not criticize others who have, and are putting in effort to bring in the change.

Likes: 9
"

This is a favourite; for how utterly inane the statement is and just how often it is repeated. Let me put forth a terrible analogy for how terrible the argument is - if someone points out that 2.4343*pi*(e^(5/6))*-1=5 is wrong because you're multiplying the expression by -1 and so the answer should be negative, they shouldn't have to give a solution because their reasoning for why the answer is wrong is sound.

"
Mr.Nilekani...........big sorry comes for you!!!!!!...if you are so concerned about the country and against the way Anna is using for fighting against corruption!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!then please suggest some solid measures for the eradication of corruption and come up in front of every one and help the citizens of India!!!! WHO ARE GETTING MORE POORER AND PEOPLE LIKE YOU ARE GETTING MORE RICHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......................SHAME ON ALL OF YOU ...

Likes:13
"

Looking past the terrible grammar, extended exclamations and Caps Lock abuse, it is obvious that the commenter has not even read the article or watched the video. If criticism is levelled against the person you support - you can only counter it if you know what the criticism is. Nilekani clearly states suggestions and why he thinks what Anna is doing is a bad idea and some of the things that need to get done (and of course; promoting the nationalised ID system as ONE of those steps. Full Disclosure: Nandan Nilekani heads the project).

These are only some of the inane comments I have read. Others include things like "you {insert random political ideology}-ist upper class in your AC room are not connected with what's happening in this country and so cook up these conspiracy theories".

Assuming that the person writing that has any idea what that political ideology even stands for, it's an outrageous claim that they are somehow more connected with what's happening than the person they disagree with.

The latest I came across was " even a true cause fails to touch our hearts....its a pity.....".

A blind appeal to emotion and an implicit claim that the opposition is somehow less true in its intentions.

One of the worst are claims like "India is Anna". No it's not.

Say even a hundred thousand people supported Anna at Ramlila maidan (which they didn't) it's hardly representative of the millions of others who haven't said anything (for whatever reason).

I do have problems with Anna, I make no secret of that. But I respect your right to support him and I expect you to maintain my stand. If I have problems with your claim that I want to address - I will address them and not attack your character, your motivations or your backing.

Now I'm not claiming that one has to have a similar personality to the commenters quoted if they have to support Anna. But if your response to criticism is anything along the lines of the responses here, I urge you to reconsider your stand.

Because if you make the same fallacious arguments; you're adding to a growing list of people who do the same. And if these people are representative of the large majority of Anna's supporters, and if one accepts that the large majority of Anna's supporters are indeed representative of the voice of the people; they are the vox populi - then it is indeed worrying and makes for a disturbing vox dei.

The selfish scientist

2011-03-07T10:22:00.001+05:30

We are nearing the end of an era. After 30 years, the shuttle program is at an end. Discovery made its last flight and soon Endeavor and Atlantis will make their flights. STS 133, 134 and 135 will mark the end of a remarkable and revolutionary space program. And I shall mourn its loss.

The shuttle missions, and manned exploration in general have brought about a number of advancements. The ISS would not have been possible without the shuttle missions. But while I do mourn for the fact that we've suffered a technical throwback, I'm sad for other reasons.

When I was a kid; every second person had a stock response to the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?" - invariably it was "astronaut" or "fighter pilot". Not many knew what hard work went into either - but they thought it was cool. That was reason enough.

Satellites orbiting earth help with communications, remote sensing and have brought about a revolution in the way we view our world. Measurements that could never have been taken in the past can be taken with ease because of remote sensing satellites. Satellites have made technologies such as GPS possible. While not space exploration per se, it is an industry that evolved with it.

Science is often considered a noble and higher human pursuit. It often leads to the betterment of the human condition, but often - that is not why scientists do science. They do it because it's a reward in itself. A number of scientific discoveries are completely useless. They fulfil nothing more than a desire to know about how the world exists. I can't think of many reasons why knowing the minerals that make up a random main sequence star in a distant cluster is useful. The Hubble space telescope has taken pictures of the cosmos that have revealed a lot about our place in this universe. It has also generated a lot of pretty pictures of the stars, which now adorn many a room.

I will probably receive a lot of flak for this, but I think that the fulfilment of human curiosity is reason enough to do science. Just as we do movies. They both fulfil needs that rise beyond the ordinary base desires of humanity. They both work to extinguish our boredom; something that we got along with out higher mental faculties.

Those who do science often have to deny this because admitting to the fact that returns are never guaranteed in science is taboo. And it doesn't help while asking for funds either. Of course I'm not claiming that science is useless. It has, in fact contributed to humanity's progress more than probably any other field. I'm just claiming that once shouldn't and can't expect scientific research to produce material that will help humanity.

And space exploration is one such science where results are not guaranted. I can't and wont say that space exploration is intrinsically useful. I don't think that landing man on the moon accomplished much. But I'll be darned if it wasn't cool. And I'm sure it was a catalyst to a number of people getting into science.

Not many people will admit to this, but I say scientists are not social workers. That's not to say they don't care about the world, but they're not always working *to* make the world a better place. Of course; there are medical researchers - vaccines have saved thousands, maybe millions of lives, but even in medicine there exists research for which there isn't any immediate apparent use. We can hope that eventually uses are found for scientific applications, but even this is not guaranteed.

I believe that this quote from the great Richard Feynman sums it up best - "Physics is like sex. It might have some results, but it's not why we do it". I suppose I have done a terrible job to advocate science, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way.

I can say this though. Doing science doesn't guarante results, but not doing it will impede progress.

Meanwhile I hope that enough people want to know more about the universe that the space program remains strong. And as for anyone claiming that we "waste" money on space, I will bring attention to the spending on space (in the US).

Obama's 2011 budget proposal has the US government spending (in 2011) ~31.44 billion dollars on science, of which we will spend 12.78 billion dollars on space research. Contrast that to the defense budget - 738 billion dollars. A significant portion of that money goes towards researching better guns and bombs. To kill people. I'm not going to debate the ethics of the obnoxious spending (in this note), but I will say that I am of the opinion that this kind of spending is odius.

(Source: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/02/01/us/budget.html?src=tp )

I do hope that the end of the space shuttle doesn't mean the end of manned space exploration. And I hope that we have effective re-entry vehicles for future missions. The shuttle was unique in it's design approach, and a few unfortunate accidents due to human error should not mean the end of the program, but having reached its inevitable end one can only hope that it's replaced by a worthy successor.

Irrespective of your views on whether this is a positive thing, I don't think there can be disagreement on the fact that this is indeed a landmark time.

I would also invite you to checkout the following radio program (BBC World Radio: Have your say) on which I was featured, which contains some interesting viewpoints on space exploration.

http://soundcloud.com/avic/bbc-world-have-your-say-space

BBC World Have Your Say - Space by avic

Of course, not everyone has the same opinion - I would love to hear what you have to say about it.

Future war dynamics - I

2010-08-07T16:08:00.022+05:30

Without a doubt - war will change (and is already changing). For one, it is beginning to involve less and less people. The war in Iraq already used robots and significantly reduced human casualties. Sample this - http://www.latimes.com/la-fg-drone-crews21-2010feb21,0,7450196.story .

Robot drones are in many cases cheaper than human soldiers. They don't have to be physically trained, they don't need special combat protection and they don't need to be paid. They might need an operator, and even the need for an active human operator is being phased out. Yet, I will limit my discussion to robots that are remotely controlled from another location and where the entire "robot-interface-controller" package is cheaper than deploying a real soldier on the field.

Take for instance the Prototype "Predator B" drone capable of carrying 215 kilograms of payload. The predator has evolved from a surveillance device to a truly dangerous attack device.

The following videos illustrate the utility of these drones

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU75dB0HfvM&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unv9C2t7f5c

As interested as I am in how these machines are great technology, I will not continue in that direction. Instead, I will focus on how these machines will change warfare.

What will it be like? Will we have fewer human casualties than ever before, or will newer weapons make war casualties mount?

At this point it would be safe to say that in terms of destructive power, nuclear weapons aren't about to be exceeded anytime soon (at least with technology I am aware of). Atomic weapons have redefined the dynamics of war, and Mutually Assured Destruction is a powerful deterrent for war today. Of course, one could dispute the previous statement - but that's not the focus of this piece. I am going to claim that robots; aircraft, tanks, fast moving artillery vehicles, remote controlled submarines are all going to change how we look at war dramatically.

I'd like to start by constructing a scenario where there are two democratic countries (Absurdistan and Baloneya, A and B for short) sending out soldiers to fight at the frontlines.

Both sides suffer heavy casualties, and some sort of peace treaty is signed. Of course, peace treaties haven't stopped wars before, and the treaty failed. War was declared again, only this time - A started replacing soldiers with bots and won the war. Like with any war, both sides experienced a loss of human lives BUT the side with bots experienced a much less loss. Another peace treaty was signed and in effect. But B wanted the secrets behind A's success and sends Russian spies to steal the warbot plans. Astonishingly; they're successful in doing so.

A few years pass and news breaks out of B arming itself with advanced warbots. Of course; A hasn't been resting on it's victory and has now replaced every human soldier on the frontline with a remotely controlled drone. B is still hurting from the earlier war and deploys diplomatic measure to avert a new one, but is in the process of phasing out its own soldiers.

A few more years pass and both A and B have advanced war drones. Fast forward ten years or so. The peace treaty breaks down again because WikiLeaks leaks documents detailing the exploits of the Russian spy. This time both armies are full of robots remote controlled from secret locations. A and B start warring with their guns blazing and find themselves evenly matched technologically. The shift probably wont be as abrupt, but I'm skipping the "shift phase" to a robot army for the sake of convenience.

This is where I stop with the hypothetical scenario; as I am simply unable to come up with a single scenario to describe what would happen next. I do have plenty of questions though.

With either side having eliminated the prospect of soldiers dying on the frontlines, there would only be robot casualties. What motivation would either side have to end this war? Would it be purely economic? Countries draw up a peace treaty for various reasons, one among which is a mounting death toll. With that disincentive to continue war eliminated, will we only be more eager to continue a war?

War is expensive, but remotely controlled machines will make it cheaper in many ways. Will this prolong a war?

Will one country be forced to target civilians or hold them hostage in order to up the stakes for the other country? If it is illegal for any country to do this (not that international rules of engagement ever deterred countries strongly enough) then will they coerce other countries to use human soldiers when robot replacements would suffice perfectly fine. It would be advantageous for a country to use robots to replace its own soldiers, but have other countries use humans.

Once the feasibility of robot soldiers has been proven, will countries have a responsibility to start replacing their human soldiers? Will there be a demand to do so; just as newer techniques for saving soldiers lives have a pressure to be adopted.

How will terrorism change?

Will frontlines be littered with nuts and bolts instead of blood and bodies? What would be the significance of war then? Would we still see as much of a need to avoid it?

Would war just be a game where soldiers play Modern Warfare 9000+, only with real world consequences?

And will we finally have to come face to face with the fact that war means murder, or will it distance us from that reality?

I really want to know your thoughts about this, I welcome all thoughts - but please lay off possibilities of a robot Armageddon a.la. Terminator. Why this isn't a plausible scenario is a topic for another entry in the blog.

What seems to be the problem?

2009-07-07T22:13:00.004+05:30

A few days ago, I ate something that would sound odd but was quite nice - mango sambar. Most of the few eyeballs that scan this blog probably know what both are, but just in case. This is a mango - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mango and this is sambar http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambar_%28dish%29 . And while I admit that it was pretty good, I am left wondering as to how many people would accept my culinary tastes.

This train of thought led me to Section 377, and the recent ruling by the Delhi High Court ruling the section to be unconstitutional. Frankly, I was surprised, because I didn't think it would happen. And the reactions were expected. Religious reactions apart, I found some reactions... Well I couldn't understand them. I don't know where to start.

First off; the claim that it is against culture and nature. Without debating the truth of these claims, I would like to proceed. We do a lot of things that are "against nature". We drive cars, we bathe - with soap, and the list goes on. "Animals" don't do these things. And what of the "against culture" argument? I must say I have my reservations about whether this is even a valid argument. There are many things that were "against culture" at one point.

Racism was part of culture, so was Sati ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sati_(practice) ), even bathing was not encouraged by Victorian culture. But back in the day, people rode horses - which is awesome, and the environment was also more respected (apparently). Now all I'm saying is that any practise must be examined on it's own merit and not on whether it's part of "culture". Culture is a dynamic entity, and there is no obligation to keep it static.

Then there's the standard "aping the west" argument. This is something of a moral panic, and again, ties back to the culture argument. Must we not adopt something just because it is prevalent in the west?

Then there's the "what are we going to legalise next" argument. Hmm. This is something of a slippery slope we're traversing. There are a lot of things to say about those activities that would be legalised, but then again - that's not what I'm talking about here.

Then there's the "children to be protected" argument. This makes no sense any way you look at it. Sex with a minor is illegal. Period. Non-consensual sex is rape. Now if a new law to prevent homosexual sex with minors was implemented, how will two laws deter offenders when one didn't? Section 377 still regulates sex with minors.

Then there's the genetic/non-genetic argument should not even be raised. A lot of things are genetic - the predisposition to out-group violence, incest avoidance and many more. Whether homosexuality is genetic or not should not be relevant and it should be debated without this in mind just as other behaviours are.

In the end why regulate an activity performed by consenting adults in the privacy of their quarters? It's not worth debate, because it's a question of a section of society wanting to do their thing. If tomorrow a section of society wants to jump up and down holding hands in their private quarters with whomever they like to jump with, then should we even debate regulating it?

In any case, whether people like it or not, whether people think it is "disgusting" or not, it is a question of tastes. And I wont let you take away my right to eat what I want - like my mango sambar (although I am told that it's quite a traditional dish, and a quick google search confirms this).

It's a Mad, M.A.D. world

2008-11-29T16:32:00.001+05:30

It's a Mad, mad world. Not that anything wrong with that, we're all a little insane inside.

But this Madness is of a different kind. It's the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction - M.A.D.

A little more about the concept - MAD is a doctrine of military strategy in which a full-scale use of nuclear weapons by two opposing sides would effectively result in the destruction of both the attacker and the defender It is based on the theory of deterrence according to which the deployment of strong weapons is essential to threaten the enemy in order to prevent the use of the very same weapons. The strategy is effectively a form of Nash equilibrium, in which both sides are attempting to avoid their worst possible outcome—nuclear annihilation.

This has worked well in the past, and to a great extent, is still working really well. Yet, there are some flaws to the inherent assumptions of the concept. Indeed, I am going against my general personality and being cynical, pessimistic and playing doomsday soothsayer; but I can hardly help thinking that even the most optimistic prediction makes for only a fearful world, teetering on the brink of war.

MAD is not a new concept, but nuclear weapons bring the concept to an entirely new level, and takes the power out of the hands of many, and puts it in the hands of a few.

I will cease disserting MAD further, and move on, in general to Weapons of Mass Destruction.

WMDs have changed the dynamics of war. While war was always an arena to prove one's superiority over the "enemy", never before has it brought with it such utter and dramatic results, and never before have they had the potential to be more destructive - or more prolonged.

There are many kinds of Weapons of Mass Destruction today - Biological, Chemical, Nuclear, Conventional, Radiological (Dirty) - each with its own "Pros and Cons" if weapons could ever have them.

Oh, and additional terms used in a military context include atomic, biological, and chemical (ABC) warfare and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) warfare. We even have funky abbreviations for the types of weapon.

Weapons exist for one sole purpose - to destroy, but the weapons of today make it much easier to take a life than ever before.

We all remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki - "Little Boy" (Hiroshima) had a yield of 13-18 kilotons while "Fat Man" (Nagasaki) had a yield of 21 kilotons.

While those numbers by themselves mean little, I would like to hazard a guess that visuals may help. This ( http://www.sonicbomb.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=126 ) is a 50 tonne bomb. Exploding this bomb would be equivalent to exploding 50 tonnes of TNT. Now imagine exploding 840 of these all at once in the same place. That was Nagasaki.

I shall not argue on whether the specific actions at Hiroshima and Nagasaki were warranted, all I wanted to do was paint a picture of the destructive potential of our weapons - but wait, we've made progress since then. Now we have Megaton bombs. The Soviet Union's Tsar Bomba was originally designed to have a yield of about 100 megatons of TNT; however that was reduced by half in order to limit the amount of nuclear fallout that would result.

A 100 megaton test would have the destructive potential of about five thousand Nagasaki's. The test with reduced tonnage released about the same energy as two and a half thousand Nagasaki's and about four thousand Hiroshima's.

Thousands of people died without a name. Thousands more still live with its effects, and the entire world lives either in the shadow of fear of a blissful (and often wilful) ignorance of the possibility of war raising its ugly head again. The possibility now is more real than ever.

There exist lost Nuclear weapons in the world, and as Giles Prentice (Frank Whaley) says in a movie bearing the name of what these lost weapons are called - "I don't know what's scarier, losing nuclear weapons, or that it happens so often there's actually a term for it." That movie was Broken Arrow. And yes, it is a real term, and yes, there are Broken Arrow's in this world.

Of course, I only talked so far of nuclear weapons. What of the other kinds. I fear I'm losing my audience here. I urge you to stay with me for just a while longer. If need be; grab a coffee, take a leak or listen to some happy music if this depressed you.

"Kill one man, and you are a murderer. Kill millions of men, and you are a conqueror. Kill them all, and you are a god" (Jean Rostand). How true. And so is what Oppenheimer said when he exclaimed "I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." and so is what Test director Kenneth Bainbridge said (replied?) to Oppenheimer: "Now we are all sons of bitches."

Oh, and Oppenheimer said this during the Trinity test, a precursor to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The test was an explosion with a 20 kiloton yield.

It isn't just nuclear weapons. Guns, bombs, high explosives, landmines, grenades, trip mines, torpedoes, homing missiles. All these are weapons that can are meant to be able to make killing cold, ruthless and efficient .It wasn't in a day that all these weapons were made; certain nation(s) [hint, hint] spend the most on "defense", even in the middle of a recession. There's never enough money for whatever needs it, but there's always money for mayhem.

Call it whatever you want; defense, security, it doesn't matter, although in truth, the obscene spending on what should rightly be called offense can best be called insecurity. Why is it that when we are armed to the teeth, we are still quaking in our boots?

Why is it that the very power that empowers us drains us? It's what maintains the delicate balance in this fragile world. It was what kept the world together - and yet apart at the same time. How can you truly be friends with someone when you know that they could potentially decimate you? Do we actually take pleasure in taking life?

I can hardly think of a better answer to this than that we have merely made it easy - taken emotion out of the equation. Take guns for example. All it needs is one pull of the trigger. It isn't called the great equaliser for no reason. At the same time, it made it easier to take a life.

Anyone (feel free to disagree) who has been in a fisticuff though, would attest to the how surprised they were at how much of a fight they put up as well as how much of a fight the other person put up. Sure; it was two people aiming to hurt each other. Yet at some level - there is fear, there is respect for the other person, and at the end of the fight, there is surprise at what was just "achieved". There is a feeling of being tired, more appropriately - spent. The next time, you'll think twice before getting into it even if you "won".

Now imagine a person wanting to kill with their bare hands, it can be safely assumed that he/she in for a long fight and they must really want the other person dead if they want to succeed.

Take away the method of violence; what remains is the effort it would take to resort to those acts. If world leaders, terrorists, soldiers, criminals, shooters, and pretty much anyone with intent to hurt or take life had no option but to fight with their bare hands. Just their bare hands, I have a feeling we'd have much less violence in the world.

We need to go back to the time when taking life meant murder, passionate revenge, directed violence, mano a mano. Instead, we have decimation, utter and complete obliteration, annihilation of people with no means to defend themselves as means to becoming a god or a martyr. We need emotion. The fact that taking life still means you're killing should be brought back into the consciousness.

I don't condone killing, but all I'm saying is that it's too easy now. It's easy to forget death when confronted by numbers. One dead, I can feel something, 2 dead - sure. What about five, or 10, or 78 dead, 150 dead, 45 injured. I hear the news tell me that 85-90 people died, why; don't the five people make a difference to the count? What does all this mean to me - ALMOST NOTHING! I shed a tear now and then. Once in a blue moon I shed two - one for the fact that so many people are dying, and one for the fact that I'm so inured to it that I could write something like this without shedding a single one.

http://snipurl.com/3j4x3 - My latest

2008-08-24T02:22:00.004+05:30

My newest post was pretty long (with this it wont be my newest anymore; but let's spare the technicalities), So I set the year of publishing as 1988 so it doesn't show up here and the other posts are visible as well. Read my latest at

http://ignisetglacies.blogspot.com/2008/08/im-not-going-to-talk-much-about-it.html

http://snipurl.com/3j4x3

Excerpt:
"
I'm not going to talk much about it. Instead I'll let my disdain for customer service in general and in particular with ICICI Lombard Insurance and particularly in India be known.

Here are transcripts of the chat I had with customer service. (with my contact details * bleeped * out)

Tilak: May I know what is your query?

Avinash CHandrashekar: yes

Avinash CHandrashekar: I was charged for an insurance policy that I tried to buy

Avinash CHandrashekar: but wasn't able to"

Read for yourself what follows at

http://snipurl.com/3j4x3

God, Calvin and Hobbes

2008-07-09T21:38:00.002+05:30

God is a concept we all wrestle with. Does god exist? Who is he? Or is it a she? Or does god transcend such trivialities? I haven't taken much time in my life to think about god, and I'm not sure I believe (s)he exists, and I don't feel any less complete for it.

I don't unbelieve in god either, because saying I don't believe in god is claiming knowledge about the truth of god, of which I have none.

Yet; if I was forced to pick a stand, I would say lean more towards belief than not; and this has nothing to do with my knowlegde of the truth of god's existence and more to do with the comfort and satisfaction the belief provides. There are times when I believe in god more strongly than others, and in my darkest times, that belief helps me.

I apologise if I sound confusing, but it may be of a little help if I draw a parallel to an exceptional comic that the genius Bill Watterson used to draw a long time ago called Calvin and Hobbes. The times I believe in god, or come as close to doing so as I do, my character is closer to that of Calvin and I view god as a friend and maybe a voice in my head, but at that point, god is almost as real to me as Hobbes is to Calvin.

And then there are the times when I don't think about god at all, and at these times, my character would be close to that of Calvin's parents'. They never see Hobbes as alive, maybe only because they don't think about him as such; and he makes no difference to their lives. Yet; at their darkest times, they view Hobbes differently. Calvin's mom talks to Hobbes when she sits next to a dying raccoon Calvin found, and talks to Hobbes, even mentioning that she does so when in such situations.

When their house was burgled, Calvin rushes to find Hobbes who they had left behind and Calvin's dad he wished he had a stuffed tiger to comfort them.

The reality of Hobbes itself isn't settled. For example; Calvin had Hobbes tie him in knots that couldn't be untied even by his father who is immensely surprised by that fact. On the other hand, Hobbes is never animated when Calvin's parents are present, maybe because of not needing to be or Calvin's parents not believing in him.

Hobbes seems neither a figment of Calvin's active imagination, nor a tangible entity. And that reminds me of the focus of the piece: God and his existence. But maybe that's the beauty of it all; we never do know the truth about God. Maybe that's how it's supposed to be, we can go on with our life being either believing in god or not, and he appears that real to us.

If there is a benevolent god and I have lived a full life, I will be rewarded, regardless of whether I believe or not. If there isn't a god, I would have still lived a full life.

And that is how I will lead it. God (if real) would approve.

(English) Literacy is for everyone

2008-06-21T22:06:00.003+05:30

One can't afford to be behind on the current affairs you see

Fuel Prices: Part 1.5

2008-06-21T00:10:00.000+05:30

A follow up to the earlier post.

I showed the post to my father who commented on an error in the post, which was identified again by my good friend Vatsan, and here is what he wrote; and what sums up the error; and my response

And yes; there will be another, more detailed and accurate analysis of fuel prices in the (near (hopefully)) future

Vatsan said...

dude, there is a mistake in your analysis of the prices.
even though you can get only 46% petrol from crude, that doesnt multiply the price of petrol by 1/0.46, because there are other components of crude that have monetary value.
these may of lower or of higher monetary value. and this could even give an error in the range of +50% (or more, or less. depending on the value of these other commodities obtained from crude) in the price of petrol.
and you also havent factored in the price of the fractional distillation and the refining. which would increase the price by a bit.
but, i do think that it is safe to say that all factors included, the price of a litre of petrol, without subsidies and duties, would be a sizeable amount lesser than 76 INR.

June 21, 2008 11:00 PM

Avi C said...

@ Vatsan; you're the second person after my dad to point this out to me. Yes; what you say is right. Absolutely correct. In fact, I was planning to write a new blog entry explaining my error.

I could say that I've chosen a worst case scenario, but then again, I haven't included the refining costs, etc.

I did look up the actual price and saw it mentioned somewhere and it was about Rs.71/L , which is about 5 rupees away from my estimate.

A best case scenario, on the other hand would be about 76*.46 (assuming all the crude is refined into petroleum and there are NO extra costs involved), which is about Rs.35 but that, obviously isn't the case. That said, I am planning on a blog entry with more variables involved.

June 22, 2008 12:08 AM

Traveller's Tales

2008-06-19T00:37:00.003+05:30

While I can't really say I've travelled too much, I can say, with all the confidence in the world; that I've made the most of each and every trip. To begin with; I'm the kind of person who's probably throw away a map just so I wouldn't look at it, and to say that a rainy day is only an occasion to eat something different. Yet; there was one trip that really wore me out; one from New York to Frankfurt, with my flight postponed by over eight hours, my luggage lost in transit, my phone battery running dead, having drunk black coffee without a meal; there was little I could do but wait.

I soon began cribbing to a fellow passenger. Misery loves company. I soon settled with being bored and looking at the pictures I had taken of my exploits before my arrival. All I was hoping for was a distraction, and it soon came in the form of a large man, who I've since tried to contact many times, but have been quite unsuccessful. We got chatting; but after a while, I could only remain silent. That was one of the few times in my life I can remember listening without saying a word.

RSK was a millionare, and that was past tense even when I met him. He was a prisoner, now free and on his way to his home country. As he went on, I got more than just a way to pass my time. He originally went to Nigeria for some business dealings, and things seemed to be going well until someone stole his identity and he was convicted of fraud. He went on with his story; he was forced to stay in dark, dingy cells and undergo inhuman treatment. He was forced to sign a confession everyday, and the only thing that stopped him from doing so was his integrity.

In spite of his inhuman treatment, he candidly admitted that of all the inmates, he was meted the best treatment; and there would often be fights in the prison on who would stay with him in the cell; him being the only "whitey" there. The impact of racism hadn't become as apparent to me until then. His own government seemed ill inclined on pursuing his release. He continued about how for many days he had almost no food to eat. His torment ultimately did come to an end six months later, when thanks to the intervention of the Goverment, he was flying on an Emergency Visa to Canada, hoping that he could take up his issue with his government.

I recorded many things on that trip on my video camera; but I missed recording this "interview". When I look back, I do regret it, but it wouldn't really have been the same with me pointing a camera at his face.

I decided, of course, I would keep in touch with such an interesting person, and asked him how I could contact him, and he scribbled his email behind the receipt for his Big Mac (or as he called it; his first taste of home) and handed it to me. I've never succeeded in contacting him, but I still have that receipt, safe with me, and a lone picture to remind me of him; or contemplate on when I have a really bad day.

Then again, I never really needed a picture: RSK is a man I will never, ever forget.

Fuel Prices: The Long and Short of it

2008-06-10T23:48:00.004+05:30

This is not a post that describes
1) Goverment Policies
2) Conspiracy Theories
3) Organic Chemistry
4) Eric Theodore Cartman

The short of it;
a litre of petrol; as of Tuesday, June 10th, 2008 should cost 76.3458 Indian Rupees, but it still costs less than Rs.60

This is NOT accounting for the numberous other charges that will inevitably add to the cost of petrol like duties, profit margins, sales tax, etc.

Feel free to draw your own conclusions

The slightly more in-depth analysis
Let's get on with it

Oil Dashboard
June, Tuesday 10 2008
$131.50

Anyway; that's the price for a barrel of crude oil according to http://oil-price.net/
So; how much is a barrel?

The barrel is the name of several units of volume

Oil barrel: 42 US gallons, 158.9873 litres,^[1] or 34.9723 Imperial (UK) gallons.

Taken from Wikipedia

so 158.9873 litres of crude for US $131.50 as of June 10, 2008.

This works out to about 131.50US$/158.9873 L of crude; i.e. about 0.82711009 US $ / L of crude. Keep in mind that this is NOT what you put into your vehicle.

Now how much PETROL do you get from a litre of Crude

I was wondering the same and so I did a bit of googlin and I found a nice little blog. The blog linked to a certain cars.com site which didn't work and so had to be accessed using the wayback machine

Click here for that site

From that source, we obtain the data that only about 19.5 gallons of the 42 gallons of crude cab be obtained as petroleum. Going ahead with the math, this is only
19.5/42*100=46.4285714%
Only about 46.42 % or .4642 of the crude is petrol.
This means from one barrel of Crude, we obtain .4642*158.9873 L=73.8019 L of Petrol per barrel
This means the cost/litre of petrol is
131.50US$/73.8019L=1.7817$/L of petrol.

How much is this in Indian Rupees (thanks to XE.com)

Live rates at 2008.06.10 20:26:13 UTC
1.7817 USD	=	76.3458 INR
United States Dollars		India Rupees
1 USD = 42.8500 INR		1 INR = 0.0233372 USD

There you have it; a litre of petrol; as of Tuesday, June 10th, 2008 should cost 76.3458 Indian Rupees, but it still costs less than Rs.60

This is NOT accounting for the numberous other charges that will inevitably add to the cost of petrol like duties, profit margins, sales tax, etc.

Feel free to draw your own conclusions

Hancock :D Will Smith FTW

2008-05-24T12:18:00.000+05:30

Things I don't understand (Short Version)

2008-05-22T23:53:00.008+05:30

Love
Patriotism
God
Me
Popularity
Consensus
Morality
Destiny
Relationships
Correctness
Celebrity
Censorship
Faith
Piety
Organic Chemistry
Acceptance
Patience
Virtue
Vice
Affiliation
Bigger Picture
Etc (this too; I do not understand et cetera)

What is it that you want the most. Tell Me; and you may have it

2008-04-19T22:28:00.000+05:30

I'm serious. You MAY have it. Ask for WHATEVER you want. Whatever. I wont tell you WHEN you'll get it. Or even IF you'll get it. But I can assure you that there IS a chance you will get it. I can also ASSURE you that if you don't ask, you DEFINITELY WONT get it.

Ask for anything. I already owe people (including me) a Lamborghini, a trip to space (or was it the moon), an engineering college, a HUGE treat, a few beatings, a phone repair, miscellaneous repairs, my music collection, one Avinash cooked meal, essays, a ferrari, a mac, 3 fiddy, etc.

Shoot the moon, though I don't assure you you'll get it; so make up a list; and we'll see what you get.

Fear, Hope, etc.

2008-04-10T21:36:00.000+05:30

Fear. What is it about it that so fascinates people? There's a word for every fear, from Arachibutyrophobia; the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth to the fear of long word; ironically called Hippopotomonstrosesquipped

aliophobia. All emotions; passion, joy, sadness, anger and vengeance atleast seem uniquely human. Yet fear is an emotion that permeates through all creatures. A surprising number of decisions seem to at some basic level have grounding in fear. Even extremely motivated decisions are sometimes beset with the fear of failure. Fear is what makes the M.A.D. (Mutually Assured Destruction) concept so very effective. Fear seems to make any situation worse. The ancients prayed to their gods for fear of divine retribution. The fear of fear is a device that moves forward many a movie. And speaking of movies, one doesn't often pause to think why the gun is never loaded. The gun is pointed to the head and the next thing to happen is not for the gun to go off, but for the (wo)man to slowly wrap the thumb behind the pistol and cock it. Death; formerly staring at you in the face, now stares you right in the eye. That is the power of fear.

And then there's courage. Courage, people say is not the absence of fear but the ability to face it. The primal instincts leave no room for courage. The first instinct is to fear, to stay away, the second is flight, to run and only the third is to fight. Yet courage seems almost the polar opposite of our basic survival instincts.

What motivates this instinct? Is it to break away from that which seemingly ties us to our "animal" roots? To be courageous is to be noble, to be human. It also symbolizes to some extent hope; in the words of the great Architect of the Matrix "The quintessential human emotion; simultaneously the source of your greatest strength and your greatest weakness." It really must be quite some emotion to be described as the quintessentia of humanity, and indeed it is. After all, it is the last thing to come out of Pandora's Box; the metaphorical box that was the cause of all suffering and disease also contained hope.

Nobody embodied hope as much as did Robert Krueger, a man I met while on my way to India from GYLC. Flying to Canada on an emergency Visa, he was imprisoned for eight months in Nigeria when someone stole his identity. A millionaire, he was forced to undergo brutal treatment at the hands of the authorities, yet he lost not hope and was eventually rescued.

Indeed, it is as much a strength as it is a weakness. It's what keeps people going when all seems lost. It's also why people risk so much in their attempt to gain something, when they know they could lose everything.

All other emotions seem to follow; love, courage, ambition and happiness, and it seems to answer why hope is so essential. It's a key to the other emotions; including happiness. If we never hoped and treated everything as mere fact, then none of the other emotions would exist. And if happiness is the reason to live, then we couldn't afford to lose emotion. After all, it isn't possible to feel happy without feeling anything at all. Is it?

The best of Sweeney Todd

2008-03-25T21:15:00.000+05:30

Wanna buy a bottle misses?

Sweeney Todd:
What is this?

Mrs. Lovett:
What is this?

Sweeney Todd:
Smells like piss

Mrs. Lovett:
Smells like, ew!

Sweeney Todd:(said with Lovett)
What is this? This is piss. piss with ink

Mrs. Lovett: (said with Sweeney)
I wouldn't touch it if i was you, dear

There's a whole in the world like a great black pit
and the vermin of the world inhabit it
and its morals aren't worth what a pin can spit
and it goes by the name of London.
At the top of the hole sit the previlaged few
Making mock of the vermin in the lonely zoo
turning beauty to filth and greed...
I too have sailed the world and seen its wonders,
for the cruelty of men is as wonderous as Peru
but there's no place like London!

Now we all deserve to die
Even you Mrs. Lovett...even I
Because the lives of the wicked should be made brief
For the rest of us death will be a relief
We all deserve to die.

No one's gonna hurt you,
No one's gonna dare.
Others can desert you,
Not to worry, whistle, I'll be there.

There's a hole in the world like a great black pit
and it's filled with people who are filled with shit!
And the vermin of the world inhabit it!

I will have vengenance.
I will have salvation.

AT LAST! MY RIGHT ARM IS COMPLETE AGAIN!

Please visit the page, rate it and comment on it

2008-03-18T18:42:00.000+05:30

Hey all. I am featured on the following page: http://www.globalyouth.net/science-and-technology/avinash-chandrashekar.html
It would be really nice if you could comment on it (on that page and here). And tell your friends about it by giving them the following snipped URL
http://snipurl.com/220my

Global Youth Awards

How polite rejections are!

2008-03-18T16:56:00.000+05:30

Dear Avinash,

The Admissions Committee has completed its review of your application, and I am so sorry to tell you that we are unable to offer you admission to MIT.

Please understand that this is in no way a judgment of you as a student or as a person, since our decision has more to do with the applicant pool than anything else - most of our applicants are not admitted simply because we do not have enough space in our entering class. This year we had almost 13,500 candidates for fewer than 1,600 offers of admission, from which will come our 1,000 freshmen. Since all of our decisions are made at one time and all available spaces have been committed, all decisions are final.

I am very sorry to bring you this disappointing news, and I wish you the very best as you continue with your education.

Sincerely,

Stuart Schmill
Interim Director of Admissions

I replied, so I reposted

2008-03-07T09:13:00.000+05:30

Just for fun people, dunt take it too seriously! Leave a comment if you want!

1. Who are you?
2. Are we friends?
3. When and how did we meet?
4. Do you have a crush on me?
5. Give me a nickname and explain why you picked it.
6. Describe me in one word.
7. What was your first impression?
8. Do you still think that way about me now?
9. What reminds you of me?
10. If you could give me anything what would it be?
11. How well do you know me?
12. When's the last time you saw me?
13. Ever wanted to tell me something but couldn't?
14. Are you going to post this in your notes and see what I say about you?

The gun is never loaded

2007-12-09T19:31:00.000+05:30

Ever wondered why the gun is never loaded? Have you thought about that one moment where the gun is pointed to the head. The next thing to happen is not for the gun to go off, but the pistol to be cocked. The (wo)man with the gun puts his thumb across the back of the revolver, and slowly cocks it. Ever wondered why?

Valentine's Day

2007-02-14T13:27:00.002+05:30

So today is Valentine's Day, and I'm not going to wish you, now because I am a spoilsport or I don't have a Valentine, I couldn't care less especially with my finals round the corner, but because I think the whole concept sucks. Don't get me wrong, I'm quite a sucker for celebration, but I think the concept sucks. Here are a few reasons why.
1) You're supposed to give gifts, and these are the kind that no one would accept at any other time of the year ( chocolates as always are an exception, i'd take them anyday)
2) It's a bad excuse to make good money
3) It makes you look bad if you don't have a "valentine"
4) It makes it seem like this is the only day in the year when we can celebrate "love"

Call me weird but I don't think today is the day to tell your friends and sweethearts you love them, its everyday. Why can't you just go and tell them the same thing that you would today? because today is "the day"?

Instead of wishing people a "happy valentine's day" why don't you just tell them you love them. Your friends may not be around forever, and today is a "good" day to tell them you love them, you might as well do that. Thats precisely what I'm going to do.

Thank you for being who you are, thats just the way I like it.
I love you. I hope you don't think I'm weird. Even if you do, I still love you.

I don't actually believe I could be asked all this ... but

2007-02-11T16:17:00.000+05:30

I don't actually believe I could be asked all this ... but
Next time you get asked an annoying Indian question, answer it like
this...read on, it's funny!

Q. What does that red dot on women's forehead mean?
A. Well, in ancient times, Indian men used to practice archery
skills by target practicing by aiming at their wife's red dot. In
fact, that is one of the reasons why they had many wives. You see,
once they mastered the art of archery and hit the target....

Q. You're from India, aren't you? I have read so much about the
country. All the wonderful places, the forests, the snake charmers,
the elephants. Do you still use elephants for transportation?
[note: This one we were actually asked in August '93 by a real
estate agent when house-hunting in Boston.]
A. Absolutely. In fact we used to have our own elephant in
our house. But later, we started elephant-pooling with our neighbors,
to save the air. You see elephants have an "emissions" problem.....

Q. Does India have cars?
A. No. We ride elephants to work. The government is trying to
encourage ride-sharing schemes.

Q. Does India have TV?
A. No. We only have cable.

Q. Are all Indians vegetarian?
A. Yes. Even tigers are vegetarian in India.

Q. How come you speak English so well?
A. You see when the British were ruling India, they employed Indians
as servants. It took too long for the Indians to learn English. So the
British isolated an "English-language" gene and infused their
servants' babies with it and since then all babies born are born
speaking English.

A variation to the above is a compliment ---
"You speak very good English."
Response: Thanks. So do you.

Q. Are you a Hindi?
A. Yes. I am spoken everyday in Northern India.

Q. Do you speak Hindu?
A. Yes, I also speak Jewish, Islam and Christianity.

Q. Is it true that everyone there is very corrupt?
A. Yes, in fact, I had to bribe my parents so that they would let me
go to school.

Q. India is very hot, isn't it?
A. It is so hot there that all the water boils spontaneously. That is
why tea is such a popular drink in India.

Q. Are there any business companies in India?
A. No. All Indians live on the Gandhian prinicples of
self-sufficiency. We all make our own clothes and grow our own food.
That is why you see all these thin skinny Indians -- it is a lot of
hard work.

Q. Indians cannot eat beef, huh?
A. Cows provide milk which is a very essential part of Indian
diet. So eating cows is forbidden. However in order to decrease the
population of the country, the government is trying to encourage
everyone to eat human meat.

Q. India is such a religious place. Do you meditate regularly?
A. Yes, sometimes I meditate for weeks without food and drink. But it
is difficult to keep my job, because I have to miss work when I
meditate like that. But the bosses there do the same thing. That is
why things are so inefficient there.

Q. I saw on TV that people there walk on burning coals. Why do they
do that?
A. We don't have shoes. So we burn the botton of our feet to make it
hard so that we can walk.

Q. Why do you sometimes wear Indian clothes to work?
A. I prefer it to coming naked.

Q. How do you celebrate Thanksgiving day in India?
A. By roasting an American....

Stupid/Sensible

2006-12-04T22:14:00.000+05:30

Sometime somethings actually make a lot of sense, but come from places you'd never expect . Check these lines from Kenny Dies
Man: [from the Make-A-Wish Foundation] I know! I'll bet you wanna meet Madonna, huh?

Kenny: [muffled] No. Fuckin' Madonna... [his words trail off and become unintelligible]

Man: What was that?

Kyle: He said Madonna is an old anorexic whore who wore out her welcome years ago, and that now she suddenly speaks with a British accent she thinks she can play guitar and she should go fuck herself. [the Foundation reps are stunned]

Madonna: [appearing in the doorway] Should I come in now?

Man: Um, not quite yet.

* Chef: Stan, sometime God takes those closest to us, because it makes him feel better about himself. He is a very vengeful god, Stan. He's all pissed off about something we did thousands of years ago. He just can't get over it! So he doesn't care who he takes. Children, puppies, it don't matter to him, so long as it makes us sad. Do you understand?

Stan: But then why does God give us anything to start with?

Chef: Well, look at it this way! If you want to make a baby cry, first you give it a lollipop. Then you take it away! If you never give it a lollipop to begin with, it would have nothing to cry about! That's like God, who gives us life and love and health, just so that he can tear it all away and make us cry. So he can drink the sweet milk of our tears! You see, it's our tears, Stan, that give God his great power.

The meaning of F*CK

2006-11-10T15:54:00.001+05:30

Saddam

2006-11-10T15:45:00.000+05:30

Why is there so much hesitation in awarding Saddam the death penalty. I would probably be sentenced to it for a few murders, or be convicted much quicker if I killed Saddam right now. So why this double standard?

The Greatest Idea - EVER

2006-11-10T15:43:00.000+05:30

How about a deodorant, not just any deo, but a pot deo. It would be so good that people would actually want to be with you just to get a whiff of you - no jokes. Hahahaha

Cheated

2006-11-09T21:19:00.000+05:30

I was cheated today, swindled of hard cash and talktime

Memories

2006-10-21T02:54:00.000+05:30

Its funny, how you slave day and nite to "mug" some chem, physics or, heck it doesn't matter. But do you remember ever having to memorise, what are now memories.

Leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

i'm confused

2006-10-16T05:10:00.000+05:30

im thinkin who my real friends are, and what i'll do abt chemistry and college and life and time and, heck does it really matter when im really sleepy?

thoughts running thru my hed at 12 last nite

Free Speech and Insanity

2006-04-18T03:22:00.000+05:30

This may be a lot late to write about this, yet this has been at the back of my mind for a long time. We had loads of news about the Mohammed cartoons, loads really and we even heard the news about the editors not feeling sorry for it and how it was to defend free speech. They MAY have been right, though I am of the opinion that they were not. Their argument about free speech falls flat on its face when one considers the fact that the widespread damage that the riots caused, not to speak of the fact that it cost a few lives.

Of course, I forget, we have been desensitised. Free speech be damned, anyone with some good sense will surely know that if their "wiggling fingers" "Right" comments cause damage, big damage, they must apologise for it. I have not seen the cartoons myself, yet I heard one of them carried the following line "Its hard to be loved by fools". Indeed, thats why those newspapers got that much coverage, loved by fools. I incidentally also heard that other papers were conducting a "Holocaust Cartoon Competition". This is utter madness, what is anybody trying to prove? And for those of you who would condemn me for writing this, let me tell you, I am not against free speech, only insanity. This is free speech, that is not. A lot of papers carried the cartoons, yet I dare even one to carry the picture I am attaching, not very well executed, but I hope it conveys what I am trying to say. I would never do a holocaust cartoon, but I would do this. And for those of you who feel that I have identified only one paper, please feel free to insert the other names that you so feel there.

Music List: My Fave Rock Songs

2004-12-25T09:49:00.000+05:30

My Fave Rock Songs

Fun Stuff

2004-12-18T05:40:00.000+05:30

Omigosh, I composed a really long blog and that was lost as the computer restarted for apparently no reason, so ill compose it again. There's a lot to write, but i'll start with computers, here's some nice websites and software.

Bittorrent: Get a good bittorrent "client", eg.ABC, G3 Torrent or Bittorrent lite(this one allows you to search) and install it, then go to a website like http://www.torrentreactor.net and search for the file you want. The download the link and drag it into the bittorrent window. The "client" will askk you where you want to save the file, so say where and save

File Sharing: Dont ever get kazaa, get kazaa lite and search for the files you want and then download it

Stumbleupon http://www.stumbleupon.com/ and figure it out

Sodaplay Http://www.sodaplay.com

Messenger 7 Beta http://www.messenger.com/beta

http://www.msnmessenger7.net

Evillyrics http://www.evillabs.sk

This software gets the lyrics for the songs you are playing automatically

Selective File Sharing I may have sent some of you (my good friends) invites, click on the links in the invites and then register. Then I can stream you music if I'm online - like radio and you can download CERTAIN FILES ONLY of my comp and vice versa

Free MP3 legal downloads http://music.download.com/

For physics and astronomy enthusiasts http://www.physlink.com

For your queries http://www.askearth.com

For anonymous mail

http://www.sharpmail.co.uk

For sending emails to me just like that without opening your email account

http://www.avinash.selfhost.com

Customer Service (In general, In Particular and in India)

1988-08-24T01:55:00.001+05:30

I'm not going to talk much about it. Instead I'll let my disdain for customer service in general and in particular with ICICI Lombard Insurance and particularly in India be known.

Here are transcripts of the chat I had with customer service. (with my contact details * bleeped * out)
You are now chatting with 'Tilak'

Tilak: Good Evening

Tilak: you have reached ICICI Lombard 24x7,

Tilak: how can I help you?

Avinash CHandrashekar: I have a complaint

Avinash CHandrashekar: Hello?

Tilak: May I know what is your query?

Avinash CHandrashekar: yes

Avinash CHandrashekar: I was charged for an insurance policy that I tried to buy

Avinash CHandrashekar: but wasn't able to

Avinash CHandrashekar: i did not see the policy on the web page

Avinash CHandrashekar: neither have I received it by email

Tilak: Do you have the policy number

Avinash CHandrashekar: and I haven't received it by courier/post either

Avinash CHandrashekar: And

Avinash CHandrashekar: it is NOT listed in my profile as well

Tilak: May I know the mode of payment used to purchase the policy

Avinash CHandrashekar: credit card

Avinash CHandrashekar: I cannot give you the policy number of a policy I have not seen

Tilak: KINDLY HELP ME WITH YOUR CREDIT CARD NUMBER TO PULL OUT YOUR POLICY DETAILS

Avinash CHandrashekar: I can only give you the reference number of the transaction

Avinash CHandrashekar: please pull out the policy details using my username

Avinash CHandrashekar: *not for public view*

Tilak: For verification of your identity, kindly verify the following details:

Tilak:

Tilak: · Name,

Tilak: · Date of Birth,

Tilak: · Contact No (Landline and Mobile),

Tilak: · Email id,

Tilak: · Address with Pin Code

Tilak:

Avinash CHandrashekar: Name: Avinash

Avinash CHandrashekar: DOB

Avinash CHandrashekar: *not for public view*

Avinash CHandrashekar: email id : *not for public view*

Avinash CHandrashekar: address: *not for public view*

Avinash CHandrashekar: *not for public view*

Avinash CHandrashekar: *not for public view*

Tilak: Contact No (Landline and Mobile),

Avinash CHandrashekar: *not for public view*

Avinash CHandrashekar: *not for public view*

Tilak: Thank you very much for verification

Tilak: You were purchasing travel policy

Tilak: Since there is no response from your side I have to disconnect the chat

Tilak: Since there is no response from your side I have to disconnect the chat

Tilak: Since there is no response from your side I have to disconnect the chat

Tilak: My Pleasure

Tilak: Thank you for chatting with ICICI Lombard,24*7

Tilak: Have a great day!

Chat InformationChat session has been terminated by the site operator.

http://server.iad.liveperson.net/hc/32440297/?cmd=file&file=chatStart&site=32440297&sessionkey=H7055188058127345408-4060130782698878559K120147164

Chat InformationPlease wait for a site operator to respond.

Chat InformationYou are now chatting with 'Chandrakant'

Chandrakant: Good Evening

Chandrakant: you have reached ICICI Lombard 24x7,

Chandrakant: how can I help you?

Avinash Chandrashekar: can you please connect me to Tilak

Avinash Chandrashekar: i was chatting with him

Avinash Chandrashekar: and i had to leave

Avinash Chandrashekar: for a few minutes

Avinash Chandrashekar: hello?

Chat InformationPlease wait while I transfer the chat to 'Tilak'.

Chat InformationYou are now chatting with 'Chandrakant'

Chandrakant: May I know what is your query?

Avinash Chandrashekar: I don't want to explain it again

Avinash Chandrashekar: could you please transfer me to Tilak

Avinash Chandrashekar: Tilak: Good Evening Tilak: you have reached ICICI Lombard 24x7, Tilak: how can I help you? Avinash CHandrashekar: I have a complaint Avinash CHandrashekar: Hello? Tilak: May I know what is your query? Avinash CHandrashekar: yes Avinash CHandrashekar: I was charged for an insurance policy that I tried to buy Avinash CHandrashekar: but wasn't able to Avinash CHandrashekar: i did not see the policy on the web page Avinash CHandrashekar: neither have I received it by email Tilak: Do you have the policy number Avinash CHandrashekar: and I haven't received it by courier/post either Avinash CHandrashekar: And Avinash CHandrashekar: it is NOT listed in my profile as well Tilak: May I know the mode of payment used to purchase the policy Avinash CHandrashekar: credit card Avinash CHandrashekar: I cannot give you the policy number of a policy I have not seen Tilak: KINDLY HELP ME WITH YOUR CREDIT CARD NUMBER TO PULL OUT YOUR POLICY DETAILS Avinash CHandrashekar: I can only give you the reference number of the transaction Avinash CHandrashekar: please pull out the policy details using my username Avinash CHandrashekar: *not for public view* Tilak: For verification of your identity, kindly verify the following details: Tilak: Tilak: · Name, Tilak: · Date of Birth, Tilak: · Contact No (Landline and Mobile), Tilak: · Email id, Tilak: · Address with Pin Code Tilak: Avinash CHandrashekar: Name: Avinash Avinash CHandrashekar: DOB Avinash CHandrashekar: *not for public view* Avinash CHandrashekar: email id : *not for public view* Avinash CHandrashekar: address:*not for public view* Avinash CHandrashekar:*not for public view* Avinash CHandrashekar: *not for public view* Tilak: Contact No (Landline and Mobile), Avinash CHandrashekar: *not for public view* Avinash CHandrashekar: *not for public view*Tilak: Thank you very much for verification Tilak: You were purchasing travel policy Tilak: Since there is no response from your side I have to disconnect the chat Tilak: Since there is no response from your side I have to disconnect the chat Tilak: Since there is no response from your side I have to disconnect the chat Tilak: My Pleasure Tilak: Thank you for chatting with ICICI Lombard,24*7 Tilak: Have a great day! Chat InformationChat session has been terminated by the site operator.

Chandrakant: as I come to know from your chat you have not received your policy

Avinash Chandrashekar: i have not

Avinash Chandrashekar: so i purchased a new one

Avinash Chandrashekar: and i find out i am charged for both

Avinash Chandrashekar: when i received only one

Chandrakant: be online I am trying to pull out details by your mobile number

Chandrakant: both policy amount debited from your credit card ?

Avinash Chandrashekar: yes

Avinash Chandrashekar: both

Chandrakant: please provide your policy number or your credit card number

Avinash Chandrashekar: I DONT HAVE THE POLICY NUMBER BECAUSE I HAVEN"T RECEIVED IT

Avinash Chandrashekar: and i don't feel safe about giving credit card details

Avinash Chandrashekar: i gave you all my account details

Chandrakant: policy number you have please give that

Avinash Chandrashekar: i can provide you with the reference number of the transaction

Avinash Chandrashekar: please try to understand

Avinash Chandrashekar: i have received only ONE policy

Avinash Chandrashekar: and i have paid for it

Avinash Chandrashekar: and I have those details

Avinash Chandrashekar: and I have no complaint about it

Avinash Chandrashekar: but i have NOT received the other

Avinash Chandrashekar: how do you expect me to give you those details

Avinash Chandrashekar: neither by post

Avinash Chandrashekar: nor by email

Chandrakant: please provide me that policy number which you have received

Avinash Chandrashekar: nor on the page

Avinash Chandrashekar: Policy Number *not for public view*

Avinash Chandrashekar: only ONE policy is listed on the My Policies page

Chandrakant: the same amount is debited for both policies

Avinash Chandrashekar: no

Avinash Chandrashekar: 872 is decucted for one policy

Avinash Chandrashekar: and 893 on the other

Avinash Chandrashekar: i tried to buy different policies

Chandrakant: with out your credit card number we can not find out details

Chandrakant: we asking only number please provide that

Avinash Chandrashekar: is it alright if i provide the last 4 digits of my card?

Avinash Chandrashekar: and I am not providing the verification code

Avinash Chandrashekar: now

Avinash Chandrashekar: please tell me the details of the policies YOU see

Avinash Chandrashekar: so i verify my belief that there is something wrong with your system

Chandrakant: ok

Avinash Chandrashekar: *not for public view*

Avinash Chandrashekar: those are the last four digits

Avinash Chandrashekar: i hope this is enough

Avinash Chandrashekar: please give me your email as well so I can continue this conversation with YOU

Chandrakant: *not for public view* this is your policy number

Avinash Chandrashekar: and not narrate my case to each and every person i meet

Avinash Chandrashekar: exactly

Avinash Chandrashekar: this is the policy that is listed

Avinash Chandrashekar: i have been charged for this

Avinash Chandrashekar: as WELL as another

Chandrakant: 11-Aug-2008 policy start date

Chandrakant: 19-Aug-2008 policy end date

Avinash Chandrashekar: the reason i bought this policy was because I did not receive the earlier one

Chandrakant: you policy is expired now

Avinash Chandrashekar: I need none of this

Avinash Chandrashekar: I want to know

Avinash Chandrashekar: why I was charged for a policy I did not receive

Chandrakant: but your policy is already expired

Avinash Chandrashekar: So what

Avinash Chandrashekar: i was charged for a policy i did not receive

Avinash Chandrashekar: the details you have given me

Avinash Chandrashekar: are for the policy I received

Avinash Chandrashekar: which would have been useful had i fallen sick

Avinash Chandrashekar: and the amount for the policy has been deducted from my account

Chandrakant: you take the pritout of your policy on our web site also

Avinash Chandrashekar: do you undertand what i'm saying

Avinash Chandrashekar: this was a policy that i carried with me when i travelled

Avinash Chandrashekar: and i bought it

Avinash Chandrashekar: because I did NOT receive the previous policy that i tried to buy

Avinash Chandrashekar: WHY

Avinash Chandrashekar: was i charged for that

Avinash Chandrashekar: and I also want your email or the email of the person who is in charge of these issues

Chandrakant: we have despatched details about that policy

Avinash Chandrashekar: which policy

Avinash Chandrashekar: i do not need details of that policy

Avinash Chandrashekar: I need to know why i did not receive it

Avinash Chandrashekar: i have no use for a policy which is already expired

Avinash Chandrashekar: why did i not receive a policy for which i was charged 893 rupees

Chandrakant: ok

Chandrakant: I am going to take request for that

Avinash Chandrashekar: i don't see where this is going; I have been charged for more than i have received and you seem to only be telling me what i already know. Please tell me whom I should address this to

Chandrakant: please sent mail along with credit card statement to customersupport@icicilombard.com and the number which I am going to provide you

Avinash Chandrashekar: i do not want to correspond with a wing

Avinash Chandrashekar: i want a specific person

Avinash Chandrashekar: so i needn't repeat what I said again and again

Chandrakant: please sent mail along with credit card statement so customersupport@icicilombard.com and with in 48 hours they will revert back to you with clarification

Chandrakant:

Avinash Chandrashekar: give me your email and phone number Mr.Chandrakant

Avinash Chandrashekar: or that of your team leader

Chandrakant: please call us 1800 209 8888 this is our customer care toll free number toll free from all mobile as well as land line

Avinash Chandrashekar: i want YOUR number

Avinash Chandrashekar: or that of any INDIVIDUAL

Avinash Chandrashekar: who will handle my complaint

Avinash Chandrashekar: I don't have to go through this again

Chandrakant: sorry we are not allowed to provide personal information

Avinash Chandrashekar: and you have asked for my credit card details

Avinash Chandrashekar: and my policy number

Avinash Chandrashekar: when the fault clearly lies at your end

Avinash Chandrashekar: and you expect me to provide it

Chandrakant: I Apologize for the inconvenience caused to you

Avinash Chandrashekar: i don't want an apology

Avinash Chandrashekar: give me a complaint number

Chandrakant: please sent mail along with credit card statement so customersupport@icicilombard.com and with in 48 hours they will revert back to you with clarification

Chandrakant:

Avinash Chandrashekar: and your email/phone number

Chandrakant: be online I will give you complaint number

Avinash Chandrashekar: alright Mr.Chandrakant; I understand that it is company policy to not reveal your email address

Avinash Chandrashekar: i have created a new one in your aname

Avinash Chandrashekar: *name

Avinash Chandrashekar: icicickant@gmail.com

Avinash Chandrashekar: with password complaint

Avinash Chandrashekar: please login to correspond with me

Avinash Chandrashekar: i am sure you are familiar with gmail

Avinash Chandrashekar: login at http://www.gmail.com

Chandrakant: we are not having assess of that

Avinash Chandrashekar: assess?

Avinash Chandrashekar: go home and access it

Avinash Chandrashekar: it doesnt matter

Avinash Chandrashekar: \

Avinash Chandrashekar: use a proxy server to login

Avinash Chandrashekar: but i need to be in correspondence with one person

Avinash Chandrashekar: and if it isn't you

Avinash Chandrashekar: let it be someone else

Chandrakant: we are not allowed to do that

Avinash Chandrashekar: you are not allowed to access internet at home Mr.Chandrakant

Avinash Chandrashekar: this is a laugh

Chandrakant: I Apologize for the inconvenience caused to you

Avinash Chandrashekar: i hope you are recording this for internal training purposes

Avinash Chandrashekar: because so am i

Avinash Chandrashekar: and i want someone i can correspond with

Avinash Chandrashekar: that's all

Avinash Chandrashekar: i paid for this

Chandrakant: have you created any user ID for the policy which you have not received

Avinash Chandrashekar: I have bought both id's using the sme account

Avinash Chandrashekar: *same

Chandrakant: be online

Avinash Chandrashekar: how long Mr.Chandrakant

Chandrakant: I am getting only one policy on that number

Avinash Chandrashekar: exactly

Avinash Chandrashekar: one policy

Avinash Chandrashekar: but two charges

Avinash Chandrashekar: now do you understand

Chandrakant: so I am requesting you please sent mail along with statement and they will revert back to you with in 48 hours

Avinash Chandrashekar: what is the use of chatting with you if i have to repeat the entire thing again

Avinash Chandrashekar: and then again to someone else

Avinash Chandrashekar: anyway

Avinash Chandrashekar: i will do that

Chandrakant: Is there anything else I can help you with ?

Avinash Chandrashekar: and i will correspond with icicickant@gmail.com as well

Avinash Chandrashekar: i request you to please correspond with me on that

Avinash Chandrashekar: if my request fails

Avinash Chandrashekar: very honestly

Avinash Chandrashekar: you haven't helped my with much

Avinash Chandrashekar: goodnight

Chandrakant: My Pleasure

Chandrakant: Thank you for chatting with ICICI Lombard,24*7

Chandrakant: Have a great day!

Junk gets more interesting by the day

1981-04-02T15:51:00.000+05:30

Vegetable SPAM™ Stuffed Acorn Squash

Servings: 6
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

Directions
Heat oven to 400°F. Lightly coat 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Cut squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds. Place squash, cut sides down, in pan. Bake 40 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, in large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté SPAM® 2 to 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from skillet. Add bell pepper, jicama, onion, tomato, and pepper. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add soy sauce. Bring to a boil. Return SPAM® to skillet. Heat thoroughly. Fill each squash cavity with SPAMtm mixture. Sprinkle with green onion.

Nutrition (per serving)
235 Calories
8 Grams Fat
13 Grams Protein
45 Milligrams Cholesterol
31 Grams Carbohydrates
1,372 Milligrams Sodium
With that delicious note, I move on to some very fascinating spam that I've received.

ASSALAM ALAIKUM
From Mrs fatima jumai abdoul .
Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire,

Assalam alaikum.

May the Almighy Allah be with you,

I know this may come as surprise and sceptic to you.Since we do not know
each other,but i am contacting you with trust and faith i have, that you
will never fail me.

My name is Mrs fatima jumai abdoul a nationality of Liberia. I am married to
late Mr. Umar Abdoul who worked with Liberia embassy in Ivory Coast for nine
years before he died in the year Octorber 2003. We were married for twenty
years with a child. He died after a the illness that lasted for long four
days.Before his death we were both a good muslim.

When my late husband was alive we deposited the sum of $10.5Million (TEN
Million FIVE hundred U.S.Dollars) with one of good banks here in Cote
d'Ivoire . Presently, this money is still with the bank.I have been diagnose
with Esophageal cancer .It has defiled all forms of medical treatment, and
right now I have only about a few months to live, according to medical
experts.Recently my Doctor told me that I would not last for the next three
months due to my cancer problem.Though what disturbs me most is my stroke.
Having known my condition I decided to donate this fund to mosque or better
still a muslim individual that will utilize this money the way I am going to
instruct here in. I want a person or muslim member that will use this fund
to orphanages, research centres and widows propagating the word of Allah and
to ensure that the house of Allah is maintained. The Holy Qur’an made us to
understand that blessed is the hand that giveth. Now that my health has
deteriorated so badly, I cannot do this myself anymore this is why i seek
for your assistance, I once asked try a member of my family to distribute
the money which I gave him to the charity organization here they refused and
kept the money to themselves. Hence, I do not trust them anymore, as they
seem not to be ontended with what I have left for them.

I took this decision because I have a child that will inherit this money but
my son can not carryout this work only because i and my late husband decide
to use some of the money to work for Allah and live some for our son to have
a better live. our son is just 17yearold now and been grow up in africa, he
have low manterity and my husband´s relatives are not muslim and I don´t
want my family hard earned money to be misused by unbelievers.

I don´t want a situation where this money will be used in any way that those
not concern the will of Allah. Hence the reason for taking this bold
decision. I am not afraid of death hence I know where I am going to. I know
that I am going to be in the bosom of the Allah. I want your telephone
communication in this regard because of my health because of the presence of
my family relatives around me always .

I don´t want any of my husband family relatives to recieve this money. With
Allah all things are possible. As soon as I receive your reply I shall give
you the contact of the Finance/bank. I will also issue you a letter of
authority that will empower you as the new beneficiary of this fund. I want
you and your muslim individual to always pray for me because the Allah is my
shepherd. My happiness is that I live a life of a worthy muslim.

Whoever that wants to serve Allah must serve him in truth, Please always be
prayerful all through your life. Any delay in your reply will give me room
in sourcing for a mosque or muslim individual for this same purpose. Please
assure me that you will act accordingly as I stated here.

I pray to Allah for his providence for a smooth transfer.

If this picks your interest, please do contact me immediately through this
email address fatimajumaiabdul@yahoo.fr for more details . I will be highly
appreciate to receive your telephone and fax number.

Remain blessed in the name of the Allah.

Mrs FATIMA JUMAI ABDOUL .

FROM JOHN TOM.
DEAR,
I am well confident of your capability of executing this business for the
mutual benefit of our both families, believing that you will not expose or
betray the trust and confident I am about to repose on you. I am contacting
you with the greatest delight and personal respect. I am JOHN TOM, the
first son of CHIEF ONI TOM Personal Assistant to the former minister of
Mineral Resources of the Republic of Sierra-Leone who was recently
murdered by the Forces Loyal to Corporal Foday Sankoh, due to his
support to the incumbent elected President Tejan Kabbah to remain in the
office. Few days before my father was assassinated,he confided in me
and ordered me to go to his underground safe and moved out immediately
with the deposit agreements and cash receipt he made with a Security
Company in Abidjan where he deposited one trunk box which contains
cash sum of US$3,000,000 (three million United States Dollars). I
successfully smuggled out of the country to Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire with the
help of some rebels loyal to My father and have gone to the Security
Company with the deposit Documents to confirm the deposit myself.
Unknown to the Security company my father declared the contents of the
trunk box as HOSPITAL EQUIPMENTS belonging to his foreign partner, that
the keys are with him in order to prevent them from knowing the real
content. I am now seeking for your direct assistance to front you as the
owner of the consignment and lift the fund out of this country to your base
for onward profitable investment which necessitated my contacting you.
We are to open a non residential Bank Account here in Abidjan in your
name through which the fund will be remitting from to your Bank Account
abroad and your reward for this noble assistance is under negotiable.
Further detail will be made known to you on confirmation of your interest to
assist me towards this project You will also comfirm to me that know third
party should hear about this transaction. Contact me through this telephone
numbers (0022505384273)EMAIL(jj198

2tt@yahoo.com)
Expecting your immediate response.
Yours sincerely.
JOHN TOM

daughter must see this young prince. Where is the king, and mypast, since they so happily have ended. And then Prospero embracedThese fair nightwandering ladies, now no longer rivals, became
simple yet elegant manner in which Perdita conversed with his son didspeak, she would mock me into air. O you wrong your cousin, saidchurch, have sate at good men's feasts, and from our eyes have wiped
given him about his neck.

This false friend began his tale with many artful speeches to thewife, and tell her how I have loved you! Bassanio in the deepestof Britain upon the head of her son Cloten for she knew that, if themaster your life I cannot ask for.
be prepared, for he would go to his other daughter, Regan, he anda deed so abhorrent to her , but that she feared her husband'sforesight of his coming, were engaged in preparing their dreadful
compliments and lovediscourse he addressed to Helena were precious

compliments and lovediscourse he addressed to Helena were preciousfoully snatched. At this moment Diana and her mother entered, andwas in, and advised him to pass for a merchant of Epiium thisdiscourse at leisure of the blessed ending of their adverse fortunes.
affair, and then I will go to Angelo. Commend me to my brother soonreturn, would you not tell her that you could not love, and must notshe would most joyfully suffer death to give her master ease. But
timeflies. They, crowding out to avoid him, left the house more

and would have struck young Romeo dead. But his uncle, the old lordwith the prince, to enquire into the causes of the disturbance. TheA rumour had reached the ear of young Hamlet, that an apparition,forehead of Jupiter, the eye of Mars, and a posture like to Mercury
for her ruin.Symonides, commonly called the good Symonides, because of histo Pericles of the wayward changes in her own fate, telling him from
Ho! guests, what are you merchants or wandering thieves he
his coming from heaven, could stop the daring foot of Ulysses, whomslaughtered in desart hills upon the earth. For the dead delight inher, and of my country earth. If any , envious of my return, shallrushes that grew on its banks seemed to point out the place where he
whose subject was, The stern Strife stirred up between Ulysses andwere past all shores that the sun shines upon, I would invoke him as aThen said Ulysses, Reckon up their numbers that we may know their
me the mastery. With that he let fly a deadly arrow at Antinous, the suitors. But she gave no heed to their words, but thought thattown but a few months before. I was quite ashamed of my bad memory. when we are in great distress, there is always, I think, something
passing through my mind, Ann had obtained my mother's pardon. InsteadI am under the greatest obligation in the world to this good Dr. it was a fine thing to live in the country, and play with my little
house. I did not speak any more till we entered the box, but afterhead nodding over her prayerbook her lips mumbling the words as shefor the inoffensive whale. Many other pretty sights he used to shew

Dear Shekar,

I know this letter will come as a surprise to you, but I would like you
togive it a top consideration so as to help my family and me from our
Present Predicament. I am Eric
Morgan, the first daugther of Mr. Philip Morgan, an Australian Farmer Based
In Zimbabwe.

My father is now dead as a result of his incarceration by The Zimbabwean
Government under President Robert Mugabe who ordered the White Farmers
inZimbabwe to vacate their Farm Land and go back to their country.

But my father,due to his large investment in the farm land refused to Quit
Zimbabwe for his country.

Based on this reason he was arrested and Imprisoned and as a result of his
protracted sickness [Diabetics] he died in Manfe Prison on 19th sept
2002.May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace.After his death, all efforts
by my mother who is a Zimbabwean to secure Most of my father's
investment was frustrated by the President Mugabes Government.

Towards this end my mother discovered an original certificate of depositfor
a trunk box containing the sum of Fifteen million united state
Dollars(US$I5, 000,000) deposited by my late father in custody of
asecurity/financecompany, the money right now is in SPAIN(EUROPE)The
Money Belonged to my late father Which he intented to use in purchasing
heavy
duty tractors before he was imprisoned and eventually died.

We were able to trace the security and finance company in SPAIN
(EUROPE),where the box containing the money is presently deposited, declared
as family jewellries and antiquities as to avoid raising any eye brow from
the authorities here. All documented proofs in respect of this
deposited consignment are in our family attorney's possesion.

As it is, I am looking for a reliable Person who can help us safe-guide and
invest this money very prudently in his/her company as advised by my
mother.20% of this money will be given to you in appreciation for your
assistance.

Also note that this transaction is 100% risk free, Please confirm your
intereston this transaction and contact me on my email address
(ericmorgan_family@yahoo.ie)At present, I, my younger sister and my mother
are in neighbouring country Lesotho following threats on our lives when we
filed a suite against the unjust act.

Our family attorney also relocated to London.He will be the one to issue
you every document as regards the transaction.

I really want you to confirm this site to believe what my story is all
about
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=03/04/07/034243
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4937310.stm

Thanks and Remain blessed as I await your response.
Eric Morgan

FULL TRUST

I am MRS.SUSAN SHABANGU, a mother of three children and
the Deputy Minister of
Minerals and Energy since 1st April 1996 to
date under the auspices of
The President of South Africa MR THABO
MBEKI. You can view my profile
at My Website www.gov.za then clicks on
deputy ministers, and then
clicks on My name (shabangu Susan) THE
PROPOSAL, after my swearing in
ceremony As the Deputy Minister of
Minerals and Energy, my husband Mr.
Ndebele Shabangu died while he was
on an official trip to Trinidad and
Tobago in 1996. After his death, I
discovered that he had some funds in
a Dollar account which amounted
to the sum of US$30.5M with a security
And finance institution in
South Africa of which I will divulge the
Information to you when I get
your full consent and support to go for a
Change of beneficiary and
subsequent transfer of the funds into your
Account of choice. This
fund emanated as a result of an over-invoiced
Contract which he
executed with the Government of South Africa.

Though I assisted him
in getting this contract but I never knew that it was
Over-invoiced by
him. I am afraid that the government of South Africa
Might start to
investigate on the contract awarded. If they discover
This money in
his bank account, they will confiscate it and seize his
Assets here in
South Africa and this will definitely affect my
Political career in
government.Mail me back with this email for security purpose
(susanshabanguq1@yahoo.co.uk).

Thanks,

MRS.SUSAN SHABANGU.

From :MORIS KAMARA.
Abidjan, Ivory Coast
West Africa.

My Dear one,

Permit me to inform you of my desire of going into business relationship with you. I got your name and contact through site . I prayed over it and selected your name among other names due to its esteeming nature and the recommendations given to me as a reputable and trust worthy person that I can do business with and by the recommendation , I must not hesitate to confide in you for this simple and sincere business .
I am MORIS KAMARA the only son of late Mr. and Mrs.PATRICK KAMARA. My father was a very wealthy cocoa merchant and Gold dealer in Free Town , the economic capital of Sierra Leon, my father was poisoned to death by his business associates on one of their outings on a business trip .
My mother died when I was a baby and since then my father took me so special. Before the death of my father on october 2004 in a private hospital in Free Town in Sierra Leon. he secretly called me on his bed side and told me that he has the sum of Ten Million, Five Hundred Thousand United State Dollars. USD ($10,500.000.00) left in fixed / suspense account in one of the prime bank in Abidjan the economic capital of Cote d' Ivoire ,that he used my name as his only son for the next of Kin in depositing of the fund. He also explained to me that it was because of this wealth that he was poisoned by his business ssociates.
That incase he die I should move out of the country down to Cote d' Ivoire where he made the deposit to seek for a foreign partner in a country of my choice where i will transfer this money and use it for investment purpose after my education such as real estate management or hotel management .
Dear, I am honourably seeking your assistance in the following ways:
(1) To provide a bank account into which this money would be transferred to .
(2) To serve as a guardian of this fund since I am only 22years.
(3) To make arrangement for me to come over to your country to further my education and to secure a resident permit in your country.
Moreover, Dear, I am willing to offer you 15% of the total sum as compensation for your effort/ input after the successful transfer of this fund into your nominated account overseas.
Furthermore, you indicate your options towards assisting me as I believe that this transaction would be concluded within Seven (7) days you signify interest to assist me.
Anticipating to hear from you soon.
Thanks and God bless.
Best regards,
MORIS KAMARA

Make free worldwide PC-to-PC calls. Try the new Yahoo! Canada Messenger with Voice

FROM THE DESK OF DR.YUSFU GARUBA
BILL AND EXCHANGE MANAGER
BANK OF AFRICAN BOA)
OUAGADOUGOU, BURKINA FASO.
WEST AFRICA.

DEAR ,

plaese reply to yusfugaruba01@yahoo.com
I am the manager of bill and exchange at the foreign remittance department BANK OF AFRICAN OUAGADOUGOU BURKINA FASO. I got your contact address through internet when searching for a good and reliable person that will assist me in this transaction.

In my department we discovered an abandoned sum of 30.5m US Dollars in an account that belongs to one of our foreign customer (MR.ANDREAS SCHRANNER from Munich, Germany), who died along with his entire family in Monday,31 July,2000, in a plane crash.FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT THIS SITE BELOW: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm
Since we got information about his death, we have been expecting his next of kin to come over and claim his money because we cannot release it unless somebody applies for it as next of kin or relation to the deceased as indicated in our banking laws and guidelines but unfortunately we
learnt that all his supposed next of kin or relation died alongside with him at the plane crash leaving nobody behind for the claim.

It is therefore upon this discovery that I decided to make this business proposal to you and release the money to you as the next of kin or relation to the deceased for safety and subsequent disbursement since nobody is coming for it and i don't want this money to go into the Bank treasury
as unclaimed bill.

The Banking law and guideline here stipulates that if such money remained unclamed after six year, the money will be transfered into the Bank treasury as unclaimed fund.The request of foreigner as next of kin in this business is occasioned by the fact that the customer was a foreigner and a Burkinabe cannot stand as next of kin to a foreigner.I agree that 30% of this money will be for you as foreign partner, in respect to the provision of a foreign account 10% will be set aside for expenses incured during the business and 60% would be for me.

Therefore to enable the immediate transfer of this fund to you as arranged,you must apply first to the bank as relations or next of kin of the deceased indicating your bank name, your bank account number, your private telephone and fax number for easy and effective communication and location where inthe money will be remitted.

Upon receipt of your reply, I will send to you by fax or email the text of the application. I will not fail to bring to your notice that this transaction is hitch free and that you should not entertain any atom of fear as all required arrangements have been made for the transfer.
You should contact me immediately as soon as you receive this mail massage to en-able me send to you all the detail information concerning this transaction.

Waiting for your urgent reply without any delay.

Your's faithfully.
DR.YUSFU GARUBA
BILL AND EXCHANGE MANAGER
AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK(BOA)