R.I.P. Michael Jackson: The Greatest of All Time

It still has not hit me. It feels so strange. Michael Jackson is dead. He was only 50 years old, a milestone age. He just celebrated the 25th anniversary of "Thriller," the best-selling album of all time, and re-released it in February.He was scheduled to start his show run in London in a few weeks at the O2.Maybe Michael's career had reached its peak, but I was not convinced that he was done with music. When he turned 50 last August,everyone wondered if he would make a comeback,if he would get past the controversies dominating his news coverage for the past 10 years.The answer was a yes. He had planned for a comeback concert at London.

People often underestimate the power of music, and the effect that it has on us. We sometimes forget how a great song with a feel-good message lifts us up, and makes us smile and remember the place we had the most fun dancing to it and with whom.Michael Jackson is one of the few artists in the history of the art form to be able to take one song, like "Billie Jean," and reach people of all age groups,races, and nationalities.Michael has done this time and time again for decades, as both a solo artist and member of The Jackson 5.

This type of legacy cannot be erased by even the most horrible of charges and allegations. His music and performances are historic and forever engrained in our hearts.He has been the guy considered invincible who always seems to come back. He is only 50. He was on the verge of such a big comeback with his concerts. No matter what he's gone through or what the crazy circumstances and dark period of his life with that poor trial-that taken aside-he is one of the musical geniuses of our times, truly the King of Pop.I never learned to do his moonwalk dance move, but like everyone else, I was blown away when I see him do it.

I know he had been dealing with a lot these last few years. I hope that at the time of his passing he was in a happy place. Reportedly, he had been rehearsing in Los Angeles for the last two months, preparing for his London dates. His 50-year-old life may have been short, but it was impactful. His accomplishments are tremendous.I offer my sincere condolences to his children, parents, siblings, and other family members, and to his friends and fans.

The New Limca Jingle

Its been sometime since the Coca-cola came up with this beautiful Limca ad. I don’t think I have seen any better cold-drinks ad than this one till date. It has become a rage these days with brands such as Airtel, Hutch, TOI, Insurance ads etc all trying to hit the emotional quotient of people and with this ‘freshness of emotions’ theme, I think, Coca-cola has gone one step ahead.

The idea of splashing of water was very refreshing and the cool melodious score in the background was just icing on cake. It reminds me of the song ‘bhaagey re mann kahin’ from chameli where most of the things except the purpose are quite similar to the ones in this ad. It maintains a subtle pace throughout the show and the perfect balance in all respects keeps everyone glued to it till the end. It’s a treat to watch it at the end of a long hard day work and the lyrics is also so soothing that one keeps humming it throughout the remaining time. With it providing both visual and audio appeal and the perfect execution by actors, singer and other artists, it has certainly gone down well with the young adults of our generation. Its something that everyone in todays fast moving world can relate to and it definitely deserves a place in my all time favourites. Kudos to it and would like to end with its lyrics only:

“Fuhaarein, bochharein, nazaaare chura lo na,

kuch boondein chura lo na;

Thaki si zindagi se, ruki si zindagi se,

kuch lamhe chura lo na…;

Kuch yaddein, aur sapne, apne chura lo na;

ooo Ruki si zindagi se, thaki si zindagi se,

raftaarein chura lo na…

lukka chupi khelti hai,

bheed mein hazaaron kaliyaan (hazaaron kaliyaan);

mmmm galiyon mein yun bheed banke,

chup gayi hain saari khushiyaan (saari….saari khushiyaan);

Khushiyon ko bula lo na,

muskaane churalo naaaa…

sulagti pyaas hai toh,

machalti pyaas hai toh;

ek limca churalo na.

Kuch yaddein, aur sapne, apne chura lo na;

Ruki si zindagi se, thaki si zindagi se,

raftaarein chura lo na…””

AK 47

Of all the weapons in the vast soviet arsenal, nothing was more profitable than Avtomat Kalashnikova model of 1947. More commonly known as the AK-47, or Kalashnikov.Chambered for the seven point six two milimeter. It's the world's most popular assault rifle. A weapon all fighters love. An elegantly simple 9 pound amalgamation of forged steel and plywood. It doesn't break, jam, or overheat. It'll shoot whether it's covered in mud or filled with sand. It's so easy, even a child can use it; and they do. The Soviets put the gun on a coin. Mozambique put it on their flag. Since the end of the Cold War, the Kalashnikov has become the Russian people's greatest export. After that comes vodka, caviar, and suicidal novelists. One thing is for sure, no one was lining up to buy their cars.

Throughout the world, the AK and its variants are among the most commonly smuggled small arms sold to governments, rebels, criminals, and civilians alike, with little international oversight.In some countries, prices for AKs are very low; in Somalia, Rwanda, Mozambique, Congo and Ethiopia, prices are between $30–$125 per weapon, and prices have fallen in the last few decades due to mass counterfeiting. Moisés Naím observed that in a small town in Kenya in 1986, an AK-47 cost fifteen cows but that in 2005, the price was down to four cows indicating that supply was "immense".The weapon has appeared in a number of conflicts including clashes in the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia.

After the Soviet retreat from Afghanistan, the Soviet Army left quantities of weapons including AKs which were subsequently used in the civil war between Taliban and Northern Alliance and were also exported to Pakistan. The gun is now also made in Pakistan's semi-autonomous areas. It is widely used by tribes in Africa like the Hamar, amongst others.

The World Bank estimates that 75 million AK-47s are available worldwide, out of 100 million Kalashnikov family weapons and 500 million total firearms.Mikhail Kalashnikov addressed the United Nations in 2006 at a conference aimed at solving the problem of illicit weapons, saying that he appreciated the AK-47's role in state-sponsored defense but that counterfeit weapons carrying his name in the hands of "terrorists and thugs"caused him regret.

Western cultures, especially the United States, have seen the AK-47 most often in the hands of nations and groups the United States condemns; first the Soviet Army, then its Communist allies during the Korean and Vietnam Wars. During the 1980s, the Soviet Union became the principal arms dealer to countries embargoed by the United States, including many Middle Eastern nations such as Syria, Libya and Iran, who were willing to ally with the USSR against U.S. interests. After the fall of the Soviet Union, AK-47s were sold both openly and on the black market to any group with cash, including drug cartels and dictatorial states, and most recently they have been seen in the hands of terrorist factions such as the Taliban and Al-Quaida in Afghanistan and Iraq. The AK-47 has thus garnered a reputation in Western nations as a symbol of anti-Americanism, and has gained a stereotypical role as the weapon of the enemy. In the United States, movie makers often arm criminals, gang members and terrorist characters with AKs.

But Personally I think the Kalishnikov is the most Practical and Sought after Weapon in the world!The nuclear weapons the whole world is worried about sit safely in thier silos in all but pristine conditions,Giving nothing but a cold stare to thier enemies.But the kalishnikov and its variants alike do all the dirty work for people on both sides of the law!Seen in all third world countries it is blamed and feared as the killer But the truth is as the famous ATF quote goes "Guns dont kill people.people Kill people".

The Card spells DOOM

Cliche'd as the title may sound,it is true.Not to sound Dramatic but you dont realise that you are in debt until the cold hard truth called the Credit card bill hits you in the face.Credit cards have become an inevitable factor in growing up. Once you turn eighteen it all starts. You receive applications in the mail daily and commercials appear on television as well.You also recieve those annoying phone calls in the middle of an important class,from some bank congratualting you on how lucky you are for being approved for a card you dint even apply for in the first place. This starts to spark an interest. So you say to yourself, "I think I'm responsible enough to get a credit card,I'll only use it for emergencies."  

And the sort of emergencies the teens run into these days."Those darling pants in the window which i dont have the cash for" seems like an emergency to the fashion sensible ladies.Of course the guys want a new pair of alloys for their bikes.   Almost everyone has 'maxed out' their card at one point of time.Not only the adolescents but even sensible adults have.Sometime's it may have been a necessity.The most sensible thing to be done is to pay off the total bill. But wat is done is that they pay off the minimum amount without knowing wat is in store for them.And so the credit debt starts and you start falling deeper into this endless pit.On a recent survey it was determined tht 70 percentage of profits of a credit company is from tht debt payment where the interest is as high as 10%.Credit card debt is said to be higher in industrialized countries. The average U.S. college graduate begins his or her post-college days with more than $2,000 in credit card debt.And Credit card debt amount in the USA is nearly 961 billion dollars.Bottom line,use your credit card wisely.