Obama's address to Congress

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7908476.stm

I have heard every one of Obam's speeches, I think this is the best speech from him. Critics alwayed used ask for more details and today he gave good amount of them, especially how he is going to reduce deficit(I like the one about farm subsidy and military expenses). He spoke about individual responsibility and the one struck me was him urging parents to turn-off TV and make kids focus om home work.(I do not think it is all school that is responsible).

Major departure from previous years, focus was not on how US is going to take revenge and slice enemy throats.

Regarding economy, I am not sure Govt. should prop-up banks, not on ideological grounds but banks are in coma state, let them die, we can rebuild new ones.

I like how Obama highlighted the banker for sharing his money with his employees. Along with this, with his characteristic sincere and confident tone, his speech was very inspirational. No doubt he is such a grand speaker.

Jindal from GOP, sounded like younger version of McCain. He spoke about same things, I am so bored, I do not even want to write them.

Google s/w is no angel compared to that of MS

If any one thinks that s/w written by Google is any better than that of MS, no it is not. MS writes sh*t load of s/w to take care of. Here is one of Google's bugs that frustrated me enough to blog

1) In the blog editor provided in blogger.com, add a custom HTML code like & nbsp ; to the body of post and click 'Save'
2) View the final post, you would see the effect of & nbsp ;
3) Now, click 'Edit', to modify the same post and you will that version shown in editor will not have retained & nbsp ; So every time you modify the post, you have to add these special HTML characters. What an annoying piece of cr*p.

Today, I was editing following posting, about the poem by Oscar Wilde, and I inserted & nbsp ; in to post, to retain the indentation that is there in book. I saved and everything was fine but on re-edit, I lost all my special HTML chars. http://asnowfall.blogspot.com/2009/02/grave-of-keats.html

Good that Google is not in to writing enterprise s/w....

The grave of Keats - OscarWilde

Rid of the world's injustice, and his pain,
He rests at last beneath God's veil of blue
Taken from life when life and love were new
The youngest of the martyrs here is lain,
Fair as Sebastian, and as early slain.
No cypress shades his grave, no funeral yew, <--
But gentle violets weeping with the dew <--
Weave on his bones an ever-blossoming chain. <--
O proudest heart that broke for misery!
O sweetest lips since those of Mitylene!
O poet-painter of our English Land!
Thy name was writ in water--it shall stand:
And tears like mine will keep thy memory green,
As Isabella did her Basil tree
ROME

Comments: The part caught my attention is marked with <--
The phrase ever-blossoming chain is
simply superb.

Diorama's Times galore

I recently went back to Diorama's Times galore; this time sounded nice. When I first heard this song few of the lines made me cringe and dislike those lines were:
....
Time - doesn’t every angel fall?
I’m hunting shadows at night
...

But now went back to hear again and found some intriguing lines like these; they give merit to lyrics and background score was always to my liking. I wonder how these writers come with up such lines.

alive
within another brain
within another maze
a wonderful donation

I'll throw it away
stone by stone
sit down and cure
forgotten fever
....
who cares?
for you and I will once
flutter in these winds of scorn
while my little lake is so calm
....
....

"sin skinner" and "soul stripper"

Just last year, I found Diary Of Dreams, what a complete band. Diorama once worked for them and gives one more reason to love them. In fact, in the beginning, I could not differentiate DOD songs from the ones by Diorama.

DoD has two interesting song titles "sin skinner" and "soul stripper". For me, "sin skinner" brings the image of confession in church and "soul stripper" brings the image of confession of God because in Hinduism Yama is the God or angel of death.

I think lyrics of DoD are not always great but still they sound entertaining. Here is the line that I caught my attension and you should the watch this song being performed for video "Nine in Number"

My friends of slaughter
Noble brothers
Sisters of violence
And fathers of destruction

I enslave you all
You shall not deny me
You must obey
Marching into death with me
Die with me!

This is my gift for you
This is my therapy of hate
This is the poison room
This is your home my friend