windows 7 without default email program

If you got used to using outlook express 6 and later windows mail then be up for a shock. Windows 7 doesn't contain anything similar. But would require you to download their suite of programs named 'Essential' as if to mock at you who did not get it as part of your purchase of windows 7 . If it was essential why did not they give it to you with windows 7 CD.

Even despite this the problem would not have been so daunting until to your chagrin you find out that it is a very-very heavy file to download. But what can you do. You can either change to web interface of your favourite email provider or if you do wish mails to sit on your computer then either shift to the lighter programs like thunderbird or go for 'windows live essential' and wait endlessly for the download to be over.

The failure of microsoft strategy is again seen in the naming the bouquet 'windows live' especially that they have stopped using this name for their favourite search engine and are now re-branding under the name of bing to give google a loosing fight. 2GB requirement of Windows 7 is again a steep one. I don't know how one could even be so un-imaginative for hoping that computers in the world would change to 2GB RAM, must be another strategy of Microsoft of investing in major RAM manufacturers. So if software can't earn for you shift to hardware.

nuclear bombs for peace

What is the use of the new capability of the nuclear powered states to destroy each other? I think there is none that comes to your mind on the face of it. But if you see deeper then you find that the very fact that the two nations are nuclear capable, makes you think about avoidance of conflict. This is because none of the nation can afford a nuclear spill-over. Also one of the doctrines of no first use is another thought out strategy of any mature state. This is more of a peaceful stand rather than an aggressive stand.

What's your raashee, no no sorry sorry -- What's your race?

In India the debate of who were your ancestors -- North Indian or South Indian? rages on. Can you tell this from color of skin, size of ears, and texture of hair? Maybe no! If genetic mapping is done for you, you can be up for a shock for the fact most likely you may not be that different from someone else from another part of India.

Anthropologists, evolutionary scientists and genetic-researchers have worked over the last 50 years. The results that have come out comprehensively challenge numerous previously held beliefs about Aryan-Dravidian divide. Physical characteristics -- skin color, ears, hair -- are just some of it, which change according to climatic conditions and do not take millions of years. The new research is genome-based, examining SNPs or ‘single-nucleotide polymorphisms’.

Most Indians today are a mix of these two groups Ancestral South Indians (ASIs) -- who arrived about 60,000 years ago and Ancestral North Indians (ANIs), who came later. Interestingly, the genetic mix apparently pre-dates all our historic social self-conceived separations based on caste and endogamy. Shocked to hear that!! Fact is that we were all mixed up into Indians long before the origin of the stigmatic caste system and so called ‘purity’ maintained by it is only about 3,000 years old.

It has been observed regarding acceptance of the scientific findings that any society takes a longer time to interpret and accept scientific findings. The Christian dominated-west still has problems in fully accepting Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. But, as they say over the time the people who believe in older theory are not converted but they finally die out and a new generation of neo-believers takes their place. And it’s true also in other fields of scientific research like physics and astronomy as well.

The fact we all came out of Africa is more or less now accepted. The question is of when and how? The story of our journey out of Africa is fascinating as it is the story of all of us. Numerous streams of disciplines are working together -- archaeology, anthropology, evolutionary sciences, linguistics, history, sociology, genetics and more, in finding answers to these questions.

No matter how stubborn we are with our beliefs, yet, as we have seen, with every new scientific discovery, our lives do change, in both obvious and subtle ways. Whatever the outcome, the unraveling of the human genome would only make us better humans with out racial conflicts.

A choice for stillness

There was nothing. Nothing at all. Only feelings of sensations. But no movement. All peacefully still. The stillness was pregnant with power to act but yet conserving it. The action would precipitate reaction and in effect start chain of waves totally uncalled for. Knowing the nature of things the choice to be still was a powerfull act in itself.

costs and benefit analysis of happines

Happiness is free. Not being happy can cost you your peace. By being happy you do not make anyone incurr any cost. In other words you do not steal anything or reduce anything of this world by being happy. So stop being guilty if you choose happiness. :-)

24-point happiness formula revealed

Happiness is:
-An attitude
-A commitment
-A way of living
-A formal decision
-A choice
-A processs of self-discovery
-A true abode
-Its a home
-A restful home
-A trip
-A vacation
-A holiday
-A swimming pool
-A relaxing bed
-A peaceful cave
-A cool and restful abode
-Its my place
-Its my freedom
-A place in my mind
-A place that I can choose to live in forever
-Its my true nature
-Anything that takes me away from happiness is false.
-There is nothing that can seperate happiness from me
-Not being happy is curse

Being happy

Being happy is very important for us. This is because its our natural state. But still most of us are totally bereft of happiness. In all our lives all our efforts are to achieve happiness but we never achieve it. The most common reason for it is that whatever we do is counter-productive to our aim for happiness. We mostly have a misplaced belief that the happiness is somewhere outside. We generally seek happiness in an external object or state, but always fail to realise true happiness. We fail to realise that the source of happiness is in ourselves. To be happy we have to just commit to ourselves that we are going to be happy and remain happy. Basically we have to wish happiness to our selves. We have to know that to be happy we don't have to take away something from someone. As to be happy is our natural state and right of every being. Also while being happy ourselves we wish others also the same happiness despite our relations with that being. :-)

life hai masti

life hai masti. yahan khushiyan hain sasti. khana-peena gaana-bajaana. laga rahey yeh taana-baana. issmein hee time beet jaana. phir kisko pataa kisney loat key aana.
life hai masti.yahaan khushiyan hain sasti. koi gamm nahi na koi gila. dost banaa liya jo bhee mujhko milaa. pension ki tension chorr dey. kisko pata kalko kya ho bhalaa.
life hai masti. yahan khushiyan hain sasti. tujhko kya karna kisne jama kiya kitna. asli kamai khushiyon ka ehsaas hai. jitney pal khush nahi samjho utna waste kiya.
life hai masti. yahan khushiyan hain sasti.

What is the definition of a friend

Friend is a person who knows you inside out and he doesn't use it for personal ends. He or she uses that knowledge for making you aware about your weaknesses and strengths. Just like a mirror.

where on earth are they shot?

When the Indian Idol programme began 4-5 years ago it was very popular and was avidly watched by people. But later it lost its popularity to similarly formated programmes. When any such new programme begins its newness also adds to the excitement it generates and it forms the part of public discussion. Later when a new season of the same programme comes, it invites inevitable comparison with the previous year's programme.

It would be interesting to know where are these reality programmes like 'sarkar ki or big boss shot?

Woman empowerment leads to woman emancipation

Traditionally India has been a male-dominated society. Women were confined to the domains of the household and it was left to men to venture out and earn a living and take upon social leadership roles. So in-effect, when the various laws were legislated, both during pre and post independence period of India, the majority of people who comprised the legislature were male. So much so was the sex-ratio skewed against women in these legislative bodies that to give a perspective that there were only 23 women members in the first Lok Sabha out of total of 446.

What came into being even though not intentional was that many of the laws had in them a strong male-biase. These laws included personal laws such as those related to marriage, divorce, maintenance, inheritance and guardianship. Also there was absence of laws related to women-specific problems like domestic violence, dowry, sexual harassment at work-place etc. All this left a gaping-hole in the legal-judicial system that kept women bereft of sense of justice. All this belied the promises enshrined in the principle of gender equality in the Indian Constitution. The Constitution not only grants equality to women, but also empowers the State to adopt measures of positive discrimination or reservations in favour of women.

But despite all these promises, the women in Indian society kept on suffering. The evil of gender disparity against women manifested itself in various forms in our society. The most obvious being the trend of continuously declining female ratio in the population in the last few decades. Other forms of this discrimination included social stereotyping and violence at the domestic and societal levels. Discrimination against girl children, adolescent girls and women continued to persist in many parts of the country.

In the course of time all this started changing with following women specific legislations:

• Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961
• Dowry Prohibition Rules, 1985
• Indecent Representation of Women, 1986
• The Commission of Sati (Prevention) Act, 1987
• National Commission for Women Act, 1990, to safeguard the rights and legal entitlements of women.
• The 73rd and 74th Amendments (1993) to the Constitution of India to provide for reservation of seats in the local bodies of Panchayats and Municipalities for women, laying a strong foundation for their participation in decision making at the local levels.
• Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005
• The Protection of Women against Sexual Harassment At Work Place Bill, 2007

Also the women’s movement and a wide-spread network of non-Government Organisations (NGOs) which have strong grass-roots presence and deep insight into women’s concerns started contributing and inspiring initiatives for the empowerment of women.

Today women are more confident and more liberated than ever before. The path breakers of Indian society like Kalpana Chawla, Indira Gandhi, Sania Mirza, Shiela Dixit, Barkha Dutt, etc. have become role models for the women in India.

However, there still exists a wide gap between the goals enunciated in the Constitution, legislation, policies, plans, programmes, and related mechanisms on the one hand and the situational reality of the status of women in India, on the other. Still there is no legislation for reservation for women in the parliament and it is still a debatable issue for quite some time now with no government having the courage to come out with a concrete law. So, more and more empowerment is the only way forward in fields of executive, judiciary and legislature. Till we don’t see equal participation of women in all decision making fields, emancipation of women would still be a dream.

But on the positive side, all the effort also definitely has brought about the change in our society. Today more and more people are aware of all these evils. Becoming aware of the evil is first step in removing it. A great role also has been played by the entertainment industry with popular films like ‘Damini’, ‘Bandit Queen’ etc. and popular serials like ‘Balika Vadhu’ , ‘Na aanaa iss dess meri lado’ etc. in highlighting these social evils as they exist in our society.

So we can clearly see that all the above mentioned efforts have proved that empowerment does not only lead to an emancipated woman but a woman who is infact more confident and more liberated. Only empowerment of woman can transform a woman once known as -- ‘Abala’ to what she has the potential to become – ‘Shakti’.