VISA - Its your license to mint MONEY!!!

A VISA is required for the following:

1.To pursue your masters / doctoral degree
2.Travel to USA
3.To work in the USA

Some things in life require a VISA. For everything else, there is MasterCard

How badly I wish that my father's "VISA" card could buy my freedom to fly to the US.. Huh.. well that is never going to happen. So whats the point of this fruitless discussion? To save myself from this agonizing wait [filled with boredom], I thought of passing on some interesting information.

Someone said that the Consulate of USA at Madras receives the maximum applications for VISA and is second only to Philippines [do filipinos even speak english?]. Well, all said and done, here we are in good ol' Madras with all its greeneries [er...], waiting in this everlasting queue just beneath the cool shade of Gemini Flyover. Pedestrians and Auto wallahs alike, look at us with that same disgusting attitude ["ha, another set of idiots, fooled by the greenery on the other side of the world", they think].

In the distance, where the queue takes a turn to enter the Consulate, I see a cemetery gate!! Is this the way you'd welcome someone to your house? Well, moving on, the consulate seems to have changed. It almost looks like the coliseum and we are the gladiators [who are born to die] awaiting instructions from the ring leader. The next instant I am awake, thanks to my mom's continuous yacking.

That dream made me realize how foolish we really are, and that how low we stoop to please others. I still wonder what is it that has made so many young minds to look west. Is there not enough opportunities here? Is there not advanced technology here? Are there not reputed institutions here? The list of questions is endless. So is it the Money?

All is fair in love and war and money making, and thats exactly what we youngsters are doing. When all is fair, why do we even care about our homeland, our nation, our freedom, the continuous brain drain, the lack of even the basic amenities for the poor, and several national issues which can be solved by utilizing the power of youth?

Oh come on cut the crap. Where is the money? There is no big money here. We just need enough money to guarantee a "comfortable" life.

That reminds me of the quote which inspired me to write this.
"Somethings [0.0001%] in life are priceless. For everything [99.9999%] else, we need money".
So go ahead and grab your VISA. It is your license to mint money.
Period

What strikes me first when I hear about the new regulations regarding the use of helmets and seatbelts is this question: Helmets have been around for as long as two wheelers have been there and every sane human being knows that wearing helmets reduce the chance of head injuries. Why then don't the majority wear helmets??!!

My answer is that they have answered a very simple question on economics intuitively. What is the chance that a person meets with fatal head injuries in his entire life that could have been prevented if the rider wore a helmet? Quite possibly less than 0.1%, though the result is truly disastrous. But, wearing the helmets in this extremely hot weather (which could even lead to permanent skin rashes) is not an easy task .Would anyone wear an American football gear in Chennai weather just because it would lead to greater safety on roads? Also, I have had riders telling me that with your helmet on, you can’t hear that well and your field of vision (I mean the angle) is reduced. Having all these discomforts for the rest of your life is equally bad! So when confronted with two options, viz. wearing helmets and protecting oneself from fatal accidents that happens possibly to one rider in every 1000 bike users but face the some painful discomforts for the rest of your life while driving or not wearing a helmet and be “unprotected”, the majority finds the latter option a better choice!

I am not against helmets but all I am asking is if adequate scientific analysis has been done by the authorities using relevant data on the nature of bike accidents. If the government has done that, then they will be able to better decide what kind of helmets are required, maybe helmets that cover just the upper part of the head is sufficient! That way, wearing one is not too much of a burden and also eliminates other difficulties mentioned above. If the government has done this analysis and comes up with the finding that the current designs of helmet are the best, then they should provide suitable solutions to eliminate these problems (for example, vents in the helmet for ventilation or just the habit of wearing a linen cloth on the head) and make it available and known to the public.

Take the case of wearing seatbelts while driving cars. I can think of two ways in which wearing seatbelts can be more dangerous! Firstly, experimental studies have shown that wearing seatbelts could lead to a different body trajectory during high momentum impacts (remember that seatbelts only have a limited strength) and can make it more fatal for the driver and passenger. Secondly, there is a fair chance that the driver wearing the seatbelt is more reckless while driving and thereby increasing the chance of a fatal accident. Indeed, some experts have questioned the utility of a seatbelt. Has the government thought about this??!

Decisions made undiscerningly only leads to general displeasure. Every decision must necessarily have a backing of a thorough scientific and economic analysis. This is something I would like to know if the government is aware of!?!

Helmet or HELL MET ?

Helmets are from now compulsory for all bikers. Well thats the Headline... the fact is, I still wonder if the rule can be properly enforced by the police. With all the corruption in the law enforcement agencies, the layman could get away with a 'warning' by giving the constable a bunch of tenners.

The compulsory helmet rule has been under the scanner for like ages and thanks to the spiralling increase the number of head injuries, it has finally materialized.

This again is turning out to be a politically motivated rule, with the CM against 'rigorous enforcement' keeping in mind the 'hardships' that could afflict the public!!!

"All SC/ST and OBCs are exempted from using helmets, as we (DMK) believe that they have not been trained properly on how to use it" could be the tag line of the next general elections.