What's With India, Pakistan And The UFLA?

I read about this several days ago, but have not had the time to post about it until now.

Apparently a discussion (or rather more like a debate) regarding Assam on Orkut has reached the India Gazette who quotes several people within the UFLA forum from last year (although the debate seems to have carried over well into 2007).

I decided to shop around Orkut to see what this UFLA debate was all about. I came across a forum called We Hate UFLA in which Bhargab explained some brief history regarding the whole event.

Historically Assam has been one of the most peaceful regions where various races and religions have lived in peace. Shortly after seven states were carved out of Assam in the early 70s, and towards the late 70s, the Assam agitation began. This agitation, started by students, sought to bring to the government's notice, two things:

1) Assam being neglected by the Central government in creating employment opportunities, despite Assam producing so much oil and tea,

2) Illegal migration by Bangladeshis and the Assamese slowly losing livelihood and land to them. These being pertinent issues, the whole of Assam supported the causes. This agitation carried on for about a decade, turning violent at times, and resulted in the Assam accord of 1988, when the Congress government at the centre, led by Rajiv Gandhi, made some lofty promises.

Assam was overjoyed and the student leaders became overnight heroes. Somewhere along the same time (late 70s) the ULFA (United Liberation Front of Assam) was formed; their agenda was similar to the students, except that they always demanded an independent nation.

Apparently things seemed to have spiraled down from there, with the current situation that is happening in Assam playing in front of the world stage.

Although terrorism in any form (in my opinion) can not be justified, at least there is some diolouge starting between the pro-UFLA and anti-UFLA crowds.

A long time ago my (former) boss told me that he didn't "want to hear your problems, I want to hear your solutions." Hopefully these two groups can come to a solution that pleases everyone, (at least a little bit) as war isn't the most fun of things to experience on planet Earth.

Saddam On Orkut

Aside from dating, hacks and discussions around technology, Saddam Hussein seems to be one of the major topics on Orkut.

With the execution of the former dictator of Iraq, some members are expressing joy or sorrow over the news of his life ending before the year was over.

Over in the United Nations forum, TicTac informs everyone of the news that Saddam is no more and calls for a beer.

Kristina disagrees, saying she would rather have Saddam rot in his cell than be executed. Sehtareh provides an interesting view of Saddam death and trial by saying:

I have vivid memory of Saddam's bombs dropping. I saw them first hand. I remember how enraged I was when I heard he had made a war memorial from the helmets of dead Iranian soldiers.

I wished him dead many times. But I would have been a lot happier person if he was hanged after a fair trial that exposed him for who he was. I dont want history to have any doubt about how evil he was, and the kangeroo court might just remain excuse for history to judge his fate.

There is also some discussion regarding Saddam's execution over in the American Politics forum, in which Brent thinks this event has made Saddam a god (note: Really?) in the eyes of the terrorists.

But the most interesting discussion seems to be in the International Relations community where Hugo has posted a humorous obituary (by Mario Benedetti) celebrating his death.

Interesting Note: I wonder what the Don't Kill Saddam forum is going to do now that their hero is gone?

President Bush Is The Devil?

I am surprised that this discussing is not in the United Nations forum, but over in American Politics community discussion is already picking up over Venezuela's President Chavez calling Bush a devil.

While some enjoyed the speech...

Wahab: haha omg, i just saw the news of the V. presidents bashing bush and how the white house has failed to comment. i just want to see what people think of this...

should the US bomb venezuela too? or should the US support another coup? or should the US simply stop importing oil from venezuela?

Mansoor (on page two): Hugo Chavez has insulted the devil by comparing him to Bush.

...others were not very impressed by it.

The Prophet: While Bush is an evil ****, Chavez' speech was childish and not worthy of the United Nations. It showed Chavez to be the lunatic **** that he is.

Charlie: As a Head of State, I would expect Chavez to show a little more class.I think he could make his point without being vulgar.

He's a low life.He should take a hard look at his own backyard before start talking about "democracy".Go to Venezuela and ask the folks there, and you'll find who the real Devil really is...

Bush is an idiot, but he's OUR idiot...

Later on throughout the post, Paul points out that Chavez may be on the UN security council and in frustration wishes he "could move to a different planet." (he will have to talk to LiftPort about that).

For those of you who have not seen the video clip, you can watch it over on Google Video.

Save Pluto?

A new forum has appeared called Save Pluto where users can (sarcastically) vent their feelings regarding Pluto's demise.

Boasting a little over 100 members, here is what some users had to say about Pluto's dwarf status.

Tanmay: Give us back Pluto... i grew up learning that pluto is a planet so no matter what they say pluto will alwayz be a planet for me

Amlan: [...] even the Plutonians now know that there is this group fighting for them, leave aside our planetmates, n keep fighting for our common cause, that is to save PLUTO before its too late.

HAIL PLUTO!!!!

Avadhut Das: You puny Earthlings may believe it or not, but at Charon, every 2 legged spider, 3 tailed lizard and Clean Shaven Plutonian Cockroach believes that Charon is going around Pluto, so Pluto is a Planet. [...]

We want our Pluto's planetary status back and we want it NOW!

There is apparently a petition still going around to save Pluto's planetary status, although I am doubtful on how successful e-campaigns are in the real world.

But for those of you who are still in mourning, a Canadian rock group made a song called Pluto Rocks which may help relieve some of the pain.

Remembering September 11th

It's been five years since the attacks on September 11^th, and members of the September 11th "9/11" post their thoughts of where they were when they heard that the planes hit the towers.

Fahed: i was studying preparing for my mid term exams when a 5 year old kid from second floor of my apartment came to my door and said why dont u watch TV. A plane got Stuck in a building and they are trying to remove it..
i was like...how can a plane get stuck..i switched on my TV apparently to find one more plane hitting the WTCs that was terrible and SAD

Osama sucks. and yes m muslim

Gaurav: I was celebrating my B'day with my frenz here in India and it was late in the evening here wen suddenly i saw this news on TV channels which shocked me & i cut short my B'day party & celebrations & got hooked on to the news for 1 whole day....My condolences to all those who died in those terror attacks that day.

Candy: I was awakened by a phone call from work. I was told to turn on the TV. As I did, I saw a plane hit the World Trade Center. There was speculation that it was a small aircraft at the time. The footage I saw was a big plane.

I showered and sped to work. I work for United Airlines. We didn't have a TV at work, which was probably a bad idea! I never saw what the World saw. I only heard via word of mouth. I only saw the events unfold some 12 hours later.

Perhaps, this is why I can't seem to watch it on TV now.

Many Americans will be reflecting on what happened during that day, and where they were when they heard the news that the US was attacked. I, ironically first doubted the news, having visited New York many, many times throughout my childhood.

After friends pointed towards video being played on the news of the buildings crashing down, I was pretty much shocked by what I saw (as it is hard to imagine NY without those buildings).

The Google Video Blog has highlighted a video commemorating the event, which you can view over at the Google Video site.

Orkut Users Pay Tribute To Steve Irwin

On a personal note, I am rather saddened by the passing of this great legend. I am still coming to grips that I will no longer see new episodes of him, as he was one of the few people who made animals cool again aside from Jurassic Park (except in this case the animals were real).

Steve you will be missed greatly.

Members of Orkut have been expressing their condolences to Steve and his family, and here is what some of them had to say:

(From the Steve Irwin~The Real Hero forum)

Sujith: miss u man it is sad to hear we have lost great person like MR STEAVE IRWIN.it is huge loss to animal world. it is very difficult to find such humble and brave person like him. may his sole rest in peace.

Catherine: I am SOOOOOOOOOOO going to miss him :(

Thank you for making all of us aware and much more aware of nature and her animals. Thank you for being there and for supporting our planet.

(Over in the Steve Irwin RULES!!! forum)

Vastavika: steve was my one and only idol.. i actually started loving wildlife because of him..my favourite animals are crocs and snakes.. i've always watched him on tv and dreamed of meeting him next yr.. coz im planning to visit australia.. but i now i will just pay a visit to his grave.. may his soul rest in peace.. love u always mate!

Sandeep (on page two): He was Gr8, My Role Model.... Dont knw what to say... Im Crying.... Really missed him... I LOVED HIM AND STILL I LOVE HIM, There is no one on earth can stand upto him... He really was a HERO and 'IS ' a HERO........ STEVE i REALLY MISS U

Over in the Tributes for steve irwin forum, J. Mandy has started a game where everyone says one word in remembrance of Steve. And members of the Croc hunter Steve Irwin community remind each other that Steve will always live on forever in their hearts.

The Google Video Blog has setup a special tribute to the world's greatest conversationalist, which you can watch below.





Also, Wildlife Warriors is looking for donations to help continue the legacy of Steve and help preserve our environment.

Steve, you were one of a kind, and you will be missed. :-(

Death Of A President?

Over in the American Politics forum, there is some discussion relating to the upcoming controversial movie entitled the Death of a President (which will be premiering in Canada at the Toronto Film Festival later on this month).

Their are views on both sides of the issue, with some seeing this as merely a "future historical documentary" while others view it as a film that is crossing the line by mixing fiction with reality.

A member goes on to share their thoughts about the upcoming film by saying:

Menno: I believe the movie is trying to portray the fall-out that would come from such an event. [...] It's about the global reactions such an event would cause.

I think it will make for interesting TV.

Although some do not enjoy the current President, they do seem a bit troubled by the film's appearance as this member goes on to explain below:

Dan: The standard way of approaching these things is to set it in the near future with a fictional president. Excessive tangling of reality and fiction only serves to muddy the waters. [...]

I'd be delighted if Bush were no longer president, if it weren't for the fact that Cheney is next in line.

But as much as I despise Bush, I do not want to see another american president assasinated. I'm quite fond of regime change via election.

I doubt a film like this will make it inside US theatres as the Secret Service are (understandably) anal about protecting the president from all threats, whether serious or imaginary.

Related: A forum dedicated towards killing Bush? I bet the secret service are going to love that.

Fundraising For Hezbollah? (Or Rather Hizbollah)

It looks like networking works for anyone--even Hezbollah (or is it Hizbollah?).

Over in the Hizbollah forum, one of the members asks where he can donate Khums towards Hizbollah (and if you do not know what Khums are, simply Google it or visit Wikipedia for an explanation).

Here is a screen shot below of the request:



...and here is another snap shot showing the assist:



Although not a good thing to discover, I'm not too surprised to see these types of activities happening on Orkut. After all, if drug dealers are using the forums, what prevents terrorists from doing the same?

Related:

• We don't want Al-Qaeda's money


• Lebanon war debate--Who's at fault?

Who's The Terrorist?

Aside from dating, debate about terrorism seems to be the highlight of the day (or rather the week).

Ania from the Human Rights Watch forum has posted a video link with George Galloway showing adamant support for Hezbollah. Geoffrey does not seem too impressed with Galloway, and replies with:

Ah yes, George Galloway, terrorist sympathizer that was tossed out of his own party, Al Jazeera regular, Oil for Food scandal participant. I don't have to even watch that to guess what it shows.

If you want to form an honest opinion, why not start choosing independent sources, rather than forming an opinion then going to look for trash that agrees with it?

This of course kicks off a debate with Ania pointing out how the accusations against Galloway were defeated in court (it was a congressional committee, but he still defeated them) with more fun raging on pages two and four.

Over in the American Politics forum, James posts this image (shown below) which leads to much debate over who is at fault in the Lebanon war.



Here are some opinions from both sides of the conflict. From the pro Hezbollah side:

(Michael on page two) What Hezbollah has delivered, as a matter of historical fact, is the resistance of Israeli occupation of Lebanon, from 1982-2000. That resistance had several facets, not the least of which is providing a counterbalance to Israeli-backed Christian militias, such as the SLA which operated in South Lebanon, and was quite indiscriminate in brutalitizing the native Shia population there. So Hezbollah has street cred when it comes to defending actual Lebanese.

And from the pro Israeli side:

(Len on page four) Hezbollah did not "drive Israel out" in 2000. You'll find that the UN, US and the Knesset got Israel out. Hezbollah were not that powerful and still aren't. Annoying? Definiately. No matter how many rockets Hezbollah fires into Israel, they won't "drive them out".

The UN resolution that led Israel out also agreed that Hezbollah should be disarmed by the Lebanese gov't. Obviously this was not going to be easy given the Syrian manipulation of the Lebanese gov't, and Israel might have waited for the Lebanese gov't as of the end of last year to do something.

More debate continues on pages five, six and seven with Donald, Tejas, Wahab and Hamza jumping into the debate.

Related:

• Leeron (in Zionist Jews) discusses Hezbollah's goal of genocide.


• A.SIPRA in the Hezbollah forum asks whether it is fair to kill civilians (since Islam forbids this).


• Mirel (in the Conflict in Israel forum) declares that most terrorists are Muslim, something Raihaan and Xeni both dismiss as false.

What's The Fuss In Europe?

The Europe forum seems busy today, with many people posting and discussing their opinions about the middle east as well as what is happening in Europe.

Lola has sparked an interesting conversation regarding the war in Lebanon (which she is upset about) with people debating for or against Israel regarding the war.

Meanwhile Parikshit from India is angry about the apparent rise of anti-Semitism in Europe, a statement that some members took offense at.

Last but not least, it appears as if Poland is picking up some steam with news that the EU rebuffed them over the death penalty. Sigitas is arguing in defense of the punishment, although I think everyone else is arguing against it (although Mila does present some alternatives for the measure).

Dog Meat, Anyone?

Apparently several forums within Orkut are a buzz at discovering that in some parts of the world, dogs are a delicacy.

In the Animal Protection forum, RAKESH was shocked by what he saw and wrote:

i could not stop crying looking at it .it is horrible.plz lets do something about it....we r showing them hell right here on earth .its not fair..i am ready to do anything for them.plzz lets do something........i beg u all on behalf of those innocent animals...

In another forum (the Animal Adoption/Rescue to be exact) several members expressed outrage with some expressing threats to the dog butchers who...well...made the meat available to the masses.

The PETA (In English) forum by far is the most interesting, with members debating whether its wrong to eat other animals or not.

(Rohit) It is not humane to put an end to smebdys life..
It is not humane to eat sme1s flesh as a delicacy..
It is not humane to b so numb to sme1s suffering..

I wouldn't want someone to hurt me, definitely not.... coz it 'hurts'.

(Mani on page three) see, at the moment i am speaking from a purely biological point of view. we are omnivores and that is indisputable. every human has the right to eat meat and plants. [...] since we are biologically programmed to eat meat, if anyone wants to you have no right to stop them.

unless of course they are eating an endangered animal!!

Although there are some cases I believe warrent our attention, (like what Nishant posted in the No Fur forum) when it comes to food you pretty much lose all protesting rights.

After all, if its his custom to eat the animals that guard my house, as long as he is not eating my pets, then I see no reason to start a fight.

Staying Positive In A Negative World

Simply reading or listening to what is happening in the world today is enough to make a person want to never get out of bed (or at least take a drug to survive the day).

Some Orkut members have discovered an alternative towards sleeping in (as well as taking the pill) and over in the Personal Growth and Development forum, Ritesh lists five ways on how a person can stay positive in a negative world.

1. Take a news sabbatical. Listening to the news can be downright depressing. All bad news all of the time can drag you down and keep you there. Give yourself permission to stop listening to the news, especially before bed time.



2. Use your influence to do good where you live. Shift your focus from what is happening in other parts of the world to your community. Get involved in making a positive change or contribution.



3. Focus on what is working in your life. Choose one thing that you are grateful for and focus on it for the rest of the day.

You will have to visit the forum for the last two, (sorry folks, you need to explore inside Orkut for this one) although I can personally say that I have tried out number one and two.

For those looking for ways to change negative people into positive people (what is desperately needed in this world) then Bryce in the Conflict management forum has some great advice in this arena.

Why Do Women Show Off Their Skin?

Over in the Men Ask, WOMEN ANSWER forum, Sixthly was bold enough to ask this question.

Do women feel a need to show more & more skin?

Is it getting to an age where you have to show more skin than what one showed in the '90s, simply to get guys' attention?

Since I was also curious about this question myself, I decided to investigate the responses from this post. Ironically, it seems that Diana was offended by the question and sharply replies with:

It's not about getting attention. It's about feeling good about the way we look. Why must you translate the show of skin as an attempt to attract the male species?

Ouch. Sixthly later on asks how would some of these women dress if their were no guys on planet Earth (wouldn't that be boring?). Here are some of the responses below.

Curious: Actually, I'm not sure how I'd dress if there were no males.

I'm not convinced it's about what you wear anyway. Because if it was I'd not have guys chasing after me when I'm at the barn, dressed in some old work cloths, hair tied up in a mess, sweaty because it's so hot and humid, no make up.... I don't get it.... but for some reason guys like that also.

Mari: If there were no males on the planet, then I'd obviously wear no clothes!!!

Suprisingly Sixthly thinks those responses were "so gay," although I think he means the happy version of gay. Or does he mean dumb? Hmm...

Israel, Hezbollah, And The Lebanon Crisis

By now, unless you have no access to media, you have probably heard about the crisis in Lebanon. It seems like the buzz is finally spilling into Orkut itself, with much of the action within the Israeli and Hezbollah forums.

Over in The War In Israel forum, Naor posted his first impressions of the war.

i was today at work, 5 minutes after i entered the office we heard the bombs and then we saw them from the window in the office, it was scary !
but we have strength and we don't mind to be in shelters as much as it takes until our great army will distroy the Hizbullah and disarm them !!!

With Israel on the hunt for Hezbollah (as well as for their missing soldiers) it seems that not everyone is happy with what the Kosher army is doing to Lebanon, as Juliana (over in the Lebanon forum) is screaming for Israel to "Stop Destroying Lebanon."

Juliana is soliciting aid within the forum I hope it's for the Lebanese and not some terrorist group (hint: Hezbollah).

Speaking of Hezbollah, over in their forum, MaRoOf has decided to return back to Lebanon with the blessings and cursings of members within the forum.

AQSA: best of luck for martrdom
all the best and drop bombs and rockets [and] kill as many jews as possible .

best of luck for martrdom but if death is not destined then may Allah give u life till khilafah

Donald: Good luck *****. I hope you get martyred real quick. I hope a lot of muslims around you do too. Blessings!

Not too suprisingly, this terrorist forum is known for promoting death against Israel, although some Muslim extremists have decided to share that information within the Israel forum, which is not receiving very many "happy replies."

Sigh...and you thought we all could get along on this blue little world. Perhaps when the Space Elevator is built, I can take a trip towards Mars. Anyone else want to come along?

Do We Need Religion?

Over in the Philosophy forum, Pallav asks the community "why do we need religion?" Answers varied from yes we do towards religion is evil, as well as everything in between. Here are a few responses towards Pallav's question.

Taha: closure- human beings need religion to give them the answers to questions science and human reasoning cannot. we are blessed and cursed with the ability to think. if we know that life is finite and there is nothing beyond this world we will plunge into chaos.

some people in the world might even commit suicide. religion or any ideology is all that sustains us as societies.

Amar: we do not need religion...the fact that so many people subscribe to it is simply that they [are not] yet mature to think for themselves. we, as humans, like to stay in our little 'comfort zone', knowing that nothing majorly wrong has taken place in the past thousand years (and attributing it to religion) and hence adopting a "why not" approach. man reserves every right to do what pleases him and gives him peace and satisfactin. i feel nothing wrong in following a religion, IF it doesn't interfere with other religions and IF it is tolerant enough of other religions.

Note: Edited slightly for grammar.

Mo: a religeon is not only a code but also a compilation of ideas...not only the law of a state...but a history book as well...the difference between religeon and science is that science has proofs.

religeon depends on faith and spiritual perspective and reasoning n all tht stuff...and mind you religeon doesnt always clash with science...

I personally enjoyed Mo's response the best, as I feel we should not label religion as entirely evil. You can find more of my thoughts over in the Philosophy forum (check the near the end of the discussion).

For those who are die hard fans of what is known as "the God debate," within Orkut, you can try heading towards the Atheist vs. Theist forum where "civil debate" takes place.

Superman Was Jewish?

Q. F. Azeem posts an interesting secret regarding the man of steel over in the Jewish/Judaism/Jew forum. Apparently Superman has jewish roots, at least in parable form which leads to some humorous (yet enlightening) discussion in the kosher community.

Daniel: [...] Even his Kryptonian name is Hebrew! (I wonder how they'd call him up for an aliyah? "Yaamod, Kalel ben Jorel...")

Milt: The facts of Superman's origins began in the fertile minds of 2 Jewish art students in the 1930s, Joe Shuster and Jerry Seigal, as a reaction to the threat to the Jews in Europe during the rising Hitler era in Germany. [...]

The Kryptonian names were not particularly Jewish unless there was an inside joke by the authors/illustrators. My own guess is that the names were "accidentally" Hebraic because the two originators were not that long before, Bar Mitzvah boys.

Carlos: In fact, not only Supermen... the guy whom created Marvel Comics, Mr. Stan Lee, is jew... so, the major part of the superheroes are from jewish genetic origin...

That last point is interesting because in X-men Stan Lee briefly goes over Magneto's (who is a super villain) jewish roots (plus many others).

Are the people of the book also the people of the comic books? If so, then that means all of my child hood hero's were kosher. That probably explains why I love falafels so much.

An Inconvenient Truth (Al Gore)

A new forum promoting Al Gore for 2008 discusses his latest film entitled "An Inconvenient Truth." The film discusses global warming, storming and a host of other bad news that generally makes a good day into a bad one.

Here is what Vivek had to say about the film.

This is the documentary movie starring Al Gore. I give it 5 thumbs way up! [...]

In this documentary, Al lays out the facts in such a meticulous manner, you've got to think, how can there be global warming skeptics. I've also had the opportunity to read the book he wrote back in 1992, Earth in the Balance.

Besides his dedication to the environmental cause, it's amazing how he predicted a lot of the events associated with global warming way back then, such as the emergence / spread of diseases and stronger storms.

Global warming has been a semi major issue in the US, although the topic can not compete with the War on Terror and American Idol.

Apparently there are some who doubt that global warming is a valid issue, although I lack the scientific geek powers to decide one way or another (since you can find plenty of scientists on either side of the debate). Anyways, Vivek points readers towards a theatre listing and here is a preview of the film below.

How Would You Change The World?

Over in the World Peace forum, (which can also be accessed over at PeaceTalk.org) Angel is asking members what would they alter about their world if they could change just one thing.

W