Shil1978's Xombytes

We've all wondered about whether life exists on other planets - haven't we? All we've know our whole lives is the tiny, blue sphere we call Earth. But, we wonder about life on other planets and none fascinates us more than Mars.

Am not sure how many have heard about this one, but apparently the world is going to end on Dec 21, 2012 - that's according to the Mayans. The Mayans were a highly developed ancient civilization that lived in what is now Mexico and Central America. The Mayans had a fascination for astrology. They studied the celestial bodies in quite some depth, probably because they thought the planets influenced the way they live on Earth.

There are so many different religions around the world that people follow and I was wondering if any one of those religions can claim that "their God" is the true God and their path is the right path. That, only following that belief system would lead one to salvation or heaven.

Most people would be familiar with outsourcing I guess. For those who don't know what it means, its the subcontracting of work to another company based in a different country (mostly developing countries are the recipient countries due to their cost advantage). So, is outsourcing good or bad? Well, the answer you get to that question depends on who you ask.

Most Americans are shocked at the level of hatred shown towards America by countries around the world. They just can't fathom why on earth people would hate their country so much. And its just not the Arabs and Muslims that seem to have a problem with America. Of late, it seems the Europeans too have joined the bandwagon. So, what is it about America that these countries hate? It certainly can't be that they hate the American culture. In fact, most countries around the world love the American pop culture, Hollywood, etc. So, it all boils down to American foreign policy and its actions around the world. Certainly, thats what these folks (including the Europeans) don't seem to like or agree with. Now, American foreign policy goes a long way back. But, it would be worthwhile to focus on American policy post 9/11 to illustrate how America is its own worst enemy when it comes to projecting a positive image of itself around the world.

Pakistan's role in fighting terrorism has of late been questioned in American military and diplomatic circles. It seems increasingly that Pakistan is not doing enough to root out terror groups functioning inside Pakistan. If you go by what the Bush Adm says, Pakistan is an "important ally." However, I don't know of allies who sign peace deals with the Taliban. Thats what they've done in the past and have sought to do recently. They say they are signing peace deals with the "tribal elders." Well, most observers think that they are signing this deal with groups that are fighting American and NATO forces inside Afghanistan.

Lots of people lose their lives in natural disasters and unnatural disasters. For example, we had the Indian Ocean Tsunami, the recent earthquake in China, the 9/11 attacks, deaths during wars, lots of other examples. Can any of this be explained in a religious sense?

I guess I would be right in saying that most countries think that Iran is a threat. No offense to the Iranian people, who I think are quite wonderful folks but the Iranian Govt. sure poses some serious headaches to World leaders. The Iranian regime's support of terrorist groups in Israel and Iraq and its nuclear and space ambitions are cause for serious worry.

How does one deal with Pakistan, the supposed "ally" in the war on terror. Seemingly these guys are "friends or allies" but really what have they done apart from handing over a token few Al Qaeda leaders? They haven't handed over their nuclear scientist who shopped around the world for nuclear material and then went around selling nuclear technology to Iran, North Korea and Libya. So, one asks are these guys really "allies." And if they are indeed "allies" - why are they so hesitant to hand this scientist over? What are they up to?

The world seems to have forgotten about the Tibetans, OR perhaps they just don't choose to see them, hear them, listen to them perhaps! Here's a group of proud, nonviolent folks who've ruled themselves for hundreds of years and continued to be independent in the modern era until the Chinese decided to swoop down on them and occupy them. Ah! the Chinese - those pompous folks who call the Dalai Lama a terrorist, how laughable. Here's a man, a Nobel Peace Laureate, and the Chinese have the gall to call him a terrorist.