Love - can't live without it!!!

Love is the superior power of the universe. Love is unconditional. Love is never-ending. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love is healing power. Love heals all things.

The world needs love. People need love. Children need love, especially in their formative years. They need the love of parents. They need the love of siblings. They need the love of community. They need love so they may grow up to be the leaders of tomorrow.

Love gives them peace. Peace gives them courage. Courage gives them hope. Hope gives them imagination. Imagination gives them dreams. And dreams give them the ability to create positive change. Without love, there is nothing.

If you think the future begins tomorrow, you’re wrong. The future has already begun.

Love and serve humanity...one individual at a time.

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive. 

Love ya all!!!!

D

What is US up to on Online Copyright Protection?

Wikipedia has blacked itself out. Google is doing its bit. So are numerous other sites. Please see below the lowdown on the draconian internet law, which if passed, will change the face of the internet.

Why is Wikipedia blacked out today?

Wikipedia is staging a public protest today to garner support for its opposition to the anti-piracy measures proposed in the United States Congress.

The move is to protest against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) Bill, which is aimed at combating issues like illegally copied films and TV content and and the proposed PROTECT IP Act (PIPA).

In a statement, Wikipedia said if the proposed legislation is passed, it 'would be devastating to the free and open web.'

Over 1,800 Wikipedians discussed the proposed actions the community wanted to take against SOPA and PIPA and came up with the decision to blackout the site for 24 hours, like other websites opposing the laws.

In his statement, the executive director of Wikimedia Foundation said, "Our concern extends beyond SOPA and PIPA: they are just part of the problem. We want the Internet to remain free and open, everywhere, for everyone."

In the pic: Sue Gardner, executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation

What is SOPA?

Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), also known as House Bill 3261 was introduced in the United States House of Representatives on October 26, 2011.  A similar legislation is known as PIPA in the Senate.

As per the provisions of SOPA, sites carrying user-generated content will be forced to impose restrictions on the content being posted. These are backed by movie studios and record labels as a way to crack down on online content theft. 

Google, the world’s most popular search engine, is also opposed to the move and will be carrying a link on it's home page to make public it's opposition to the proposed move.

The supporters of the bill (mainly publishers and film studios) say the move meant to curb IP theft and piracy, protects the intellectual property market and corresponding industry, jobs and revenue.

Those opposing the law, on the other hand, say it will endanger free speech and "set a frightening precedent of Internet censorship for the world."

How will it work?

If any site is seen as enabling copyright infringement, the US Attorney General will have the right to legally get the site in question to be shut down and make it virtually disappear for internet users in the US.

More importantly, even a user posting any copyrighted material as a comment on a website could lead to forceful shutting down of the website.

As an ordinary user, if you post copyrighted material onto a website, you could find yourself behind bars for five years. 

Also, sites will be blocked by domain name instead of Internet Service Provider (ISP). So before your ISP runs a Domain Name System (DNS) lookup, it will be examined if the searched site is an "infringing site". If so, you will be given an error message.

For example, if one uploads a video of a group of friends singing a song on Youtube, not only will Youtube be put under the list of "infringing sites", the people in the video may also face legal action.

How SOPA will change the internet?

SOPA, if passed, is likely to completely change how the online space is currently used. Any site that involves video sharing, blogging or other similar activities could be slapped with copyright infringement and shut down.

Even a single infringing link could lead to a website virtually disappearing off the internet. If one uploads any content that has music, quotes or any other form of intellectual property that is copyright-owned by a US company, under SOPA, it could be seen as an infringement. Activities like blogging, tweeting and sharing things that have become a second nature for us will never be the same.

You want to put that video of you dancing on a Shakira number? Think twice.

Who supports SOPA?

Organisations whose business depends on copyrights have come forward in support of the Act. These organisations include Motion Picture Association of America, the Recording Industry Association of America, Macmillan US, the Entertainment Software Association, Viacom and News International.
Who opposes SOPA?

Major social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn have spoken strongly against SOPA. Others who oppose the act include Mozilla, Wikipedia, Google, Zynga, eBay, Yahoo, Mozilla, Reddit, Boing-Boing.
 
These organisations feel that if such an act comes into play, it will hamper innovation and creativity and curb freedom of communication.
 
Websites like Wikipedia, Reddit, Boing-Boing, Mozilla, the Cheezburger network are protesting by shutting down their website for 24 hours on January 18. Google plans to place a link on it’s homepage to highlight its opposition to SOPA.

What are the implications for India?

Indian websites that are considered by the US as 'infringing sites' will not be blocked to US users, but will be de-linked from search engines and US-based websites.

It is important for us to know that a lot of sites with a '.com', '.org' or '.net' are registered in America, thus the US will hold the right to block a number of sites that are used by Indians on a daily basis.

The bill would also bar online advertisers and payment facilitators like Paypal, Visa, Master Card from doing business with the infringing website, thus affecting the way we do our online transactions too.

Dreams - do they really come true?

"Dreams are often most profound when they seem the most crazy". 
Sigmund Freud


Last night I dreamt of the future...not just my future but the future of our world. A world where adults are so happy that they smile like children. The distinctive character of a child's smile being the innocence. If you ever noticed the smile that a child has the innocence and tenderness that makes everyone shower love and be affectionate.


Neither am I an interpreter of dreams, nor am I a seer who predicts the future...all I long to see in this world is harmony, peace and love towards each other.


As we grow up we must have definitely seen several instances when people used the slightest of opportunity to break into a fight or have an argument with one another...if the same focus is laid on being positive and waiting for the slimmest opportunity to show love, to share, to be kind to each other...will it not make a huge difference. 


Most people have this great worry in their head "If people knew what I am in reality, they would all hate me". And then the path is laid to reach the pseudo aims or targets which have only one result, negativity. As the initial path was laid on the foundation of negativity, it is but obvious that there is no better goal to be reached than chaos.


And on this path we find road rage, fights, abuses, frustrations, family bickering, hen pecked husbands, tortured wives, direction-less youth, aimless bureaucrats, selfish opportunists, fame hungry celebs, who are ruining the society. 


But if you look at it from another angle, I believe our generation has a huge opportunity here to make the world a better place.


If each person, irrespective of race, caste, community, sex, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, age, colour etc. has the time to think of What future are we going to pass on to our next generation?, then the human angle to life will see the light of the day.


It is not that everyone is born selfish and greedy and unkind. It is just that the relentless pursuit of material things that turns humans beings into beings without humanity. 


We think we know, but do we understand why the innocence of a child is so precious? The wisdom of these things is what is worth pursuing, yet we get caught up in the "wisdom of the world" which teaches us we are something we are not. No wonder there is so much treachery and pain in the world. The constant demand that we become something we were never supposed to be overwhelms every mind that makes such a demand.

Our next challenge is not conquering outer space, world peace, global warming or feeding the world . It is not protecting the world economy or our environment. The next challenge that we have today is preserving something that we all are born with and it needs to be re-introduced into the world each time a child passes the threshold from childhood to adulthood. That trait that is so cherished is nothing but "love". The same love which helps us in being the human that we need to be. This is the challenge for this millennium. Spreading the message of love.

Small changes in our day to day activities can have a huge impact on the future of our human race.

I'm in no way saying that one needs to let go off the pursuit of wealth to know the true meaning of life...

All I am saying is if each one of us spends five minutes in a day just to think what we can do to change the day from being dull and morose to being happy and content for everyone around us, I think we will all make a huge difference.

for eg. while driving your car to the office, if there is someone who is trying to cross the road, we can slow down and stop for a minute to allow the pedestrians to cross;
while buying some food at a canteen if we find someone begging for food, we can buy them a meal;
while working in the office if there is someone who is unable to get his work done, we can help them out to finish their task;
if our parents or elders want to visit a relative or a place of worship or a library , we can spend some time fulfilling their small wish, 
if our neighbour is in some trouble, we can spend some time to hear them out and understand their trouble.


There are hundreds of such examples  and if each one tries do their bit, I am sure that  not only can we dream of a better place but we can also expect such dreams to come true!!!


"Heal the world...make it a better place for you and for me and the entire human race" - MJ

Kal kya hoga?

The only question that is lingering on the minds of people around me today is "Kal kya hoga?"


The reason being again, a section of the people who want a separate state for their region are going on a protest...but there is a difference. This time the creative heads of protesting groups have come up with a novel and unique way of pressurizing the central government..."Million March"


There is no clear cut communication from any one in the government or the corporate sector. But everyone is expected to work as usual, as if nothing is wrong, as if it is just another day...actually this has become common practice.


Every Hyderabadi (by this I mean every person living in Hyderabad irrespective of the time he has stayed in Hyderabad) is now used to these kind of protests...so much so that offices have ready made Business Continuity Plans (BCPs) to execute so that business goes on without getting affected by the protests. People have a ready made plan for their personal life as well...a friend of mine is using his Personal Leave to good effect and taking tomorrow and Friday off to go for a long weekend vacation, another is planning to come to the office early and leave late...while the other is planning to work from home.
All these just at the drop of a hat! One just has to hear the word Protest and things flow in well planned precision.


I just have some questions which I am sure a lot of Hyderabadis (those living in Hyderabad as well as those who have a bond with this wonderful city) have as well!


Where are we headed with these protests?
When are these protests going to end?
When is peace going to be a guarantee for 30 days continuously?
When is the Central Government going to get out of its Vote Bank Politics and take a decision?
When will the State Government make us feel comfortable again in our own backyard?
When will the Police concentrate on eradicating crime, which by the way is on the rise in our city and state, rather than provide protection to public property during protests?
When will the Decision come?


I seriously, couldn't care much about what decision the Government takes, as I am sure that the state of political affairs of AP have come to a new low and people's lives will never matter to the powers to be as long as Vote Bank politics rule decision making.


But what I do care about is why is there so much neglect towards a state which has more than 30 MPs from the ruling party...
why is there no one concerned about the deteriorating investments in the state?


To give a separate state or not! that is no longer the question!!!


To decide, irrespective of whether a separate state is given or not, is the important thing to do!!!


IF it gets too late, then I am sure, Egypt's influence on the Arab world will not take much time to rub off on the people of AP.


Humanly yours
D Abhivaktha