Global controversies.......
There are two controversial incidents that, actually, seem humorous.
The first one, involves, President Bush ( when it comes to him, what isn't funny??) He shocked the world, with his reaction and the federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina. But more than that he shocked his supporters and rocked the foundation on which his presidency was built- homeland security!!! ( What is that again??!!) Watching the state of New Orleans, the Mardi Gras party town, disintegrate into the drowning, helpless swamp it has become was heartwrenching. Of course, Bush's main concern continued to be the new country he discovered growing up- Iraq. The hilarious part- he has been asking Americans for money to help rebuild Iraq. Apparently, he has managed to raise precisely $600 for Iraq- the price of two Ipods. Several millions on the other hand, have been raised for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. I guess the homeland gets priority.
Meanwhile, in India, where handling crises of various categories has developed our expertise, we have a controversy of a very different kind that seems to have developed a life of its own. Cricket players versus the coach. It is rather entertaining. As the story goes, Saurav Ganguly asked Greg Chapell ( who was not aware of the Indian art of ego boosting), if as his older brother he thought that Ganguly was a good captain. Chapell said no ( talk about being brutally frank). This became fodder for the media when Ganguly announced that he was asked to step down as captain. Then Chapell sent an email to the BCCI with his reccomendations and this was promptly leaked. The poor coach, had painted Ganguly in a less than flattering light, observing that he was not mentally or physically fit to be captain ( in other words he was not motivated. Indians don't think that way when they see the word "mental"), that he did not follow the training regimen and that he did not practice efficiently and that he was unable to motivate the players. Camp Ganguly was up in arms( I don't blame them. He was being criticised). They were gathering information to defend him and slay Chapell's reputation instead. Chapell was more concerned about the email leak of private and confidential information and did not want to discuss it further ( Shucks!!). Now suddenly, Ganguly has a supporter among the cricket players, in the form of Harbhajjan Singh. Why? Because he complimented the guy( thats how the journalist in the Indian Express put it.). So Harbhajjan Singh commented that Chapell should " stop making the players feel insecure and worried" and let them continue playing the game (Hello!!)
Being a cricket player is like any other job. JUst because you have been chosen to be on the team doesn't mean that you can sit back and rest on your laurels. If you play badly, you can be thrown off the team just like you would be if you did not complete your responsibilities at a regular job. And you should be insecure about your position but that should make you want to be a better player. Hells bells, it will do your confidence and self esteem good too. Duh!!

My cousin, Pia, left today for Bangalore and she will leave for the States on Saturday with her husband and son Zefan. Zefan is such a darling!! One of the cutest babies any of us has ever seen and, of course, the apple of our eyes. He looks alot like his grandfather. He has the sweetest laugh.
He learns different things from various aunts. Susan ( Pia's sister) and I are there to teach him all the naughty stuff- climb trees, monkey faces, dancing when he should actually be sleeping. Then there's Neha, another mischievous aunt. She was staying over once and decided to sleep in Pia's room with the baby. Everytime Zefan woke up, Pia would try to make him go back to sleep, and there was Neha who felt she had an obligation to greet him everytime and when she did, he decided it was playtime rather than beddybyes.
He also associates different actions with different people. For example: My aunt has a maid called Vani who does kitchen work and looks after Zefan. Zefan now associates food and eating with Vani and calls her "num mmm..." when he sees her. He has also learnt the one word most mothers dread to hear- "NO". He doesn't just say it once, he says it multiple times, "No no no no".
We all have nicknames for Zefan- Zef, Kutta P, Kuttapen ( which someone heard as Peter Pan). And then there's Vanis mother who can't say Zefan, so she calls him "Japan".

Things I miss about American T.V.:
1. Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.
2. Monk
3. Judge Judy
4. Food Network
5. Keeping Up Appearances
6. America's Next Top Model
7. Sex and the City
8. Everwood ( The reason I wanted to live in Colorado)

There must be more.........

We have decided to call my sister, Sandhya, St Achamma of Stray Animals. She has this inane need to go touch any animal she sees. I don't know if cows are included in the category. She brought home a kitten once. My mother is not too fond of cats, so the feline was cast away. Well he went to a friend whose house is like Animal Planet.
Sandhya went to Ennore today to do a research project. When she got the there she saw a tiny little puppy, no bigger than her hand, sitting there and shivering. So she picked him up and walked around with him all day. Brought him to Madras, took him to the vet and left him at a shelter.
It turns out that the pup had distemper, a viral disease, that effects the nerves. It cannot be cured but it can be prevented. Unfortunately it is too late for the pup and he will die. Guess what!! It is contagious, so the vet called and told us not to let her near our dog until she gets cleaned up.
Sometimes my sister has such a big heart, makes you want to hug her. None of us could. One was holding the dog back. Someone else opened the grill. My mother was waiting to burn her clothes. Very efficient!!
In case anyone is wondering, Achamma is her Christian name.