Advertising Gimmicks.

Just as I was glued to television for the last few days, as ICC champion trophy unfurled itself with many surprises during the tournament, Not a single team has completed 50 overs. The pitch for every matches seems to be under prepared. The team entering semifinals now depends on other performance in the last matches. Bluntly speaking the tournament seems to be lacking competitiveness as well as excitement, which previous ICC tournament held.
But what really caught my attention was, Now with every company coming out with new products in the competitive market, in order to gain upperhand most of the ads they broadcasted were garnished with scientific terms. Bike company proclaims they have Quantum Core Engine. Referigerators highlights they have Green Ion technology. Air-Conditioners have Nanopore for purification, wherelse some other claim they have DNA technology embeddded in there product.
For the buyer these claims really appeals the product, with every possible chance of there sell-out. Should I say these methodology of introducing scientific vagaries in ads is like really misleading the audience. Such scientific claims looks absurd, for individual like me, who are from scientific background. Take for example, this is by no mean is to target a company. Few years ago, a well known reputed fan company came out with fan with PSPO technology, which became a buzz words in commercial ads. Any electrical engineer will tell you, PSPO stands for Peak Speed Performance Output. This is judging criteria for most of the electrical devices, and nothing more. But the comapany seems to have cashed heavily on these term and claimed heavy profit over there product.
The question is not wheter you can use such scientific claims for your product, as it's well known most of the huge companies invest in R&D for there new products, trying to churn out new gadgets and products, better compared to there previous and opponent product. But by highlighting such technical details in ads for your product, without complete information to the audience, just using such technical terms in order to lure customers buying your product. Well these company are very much within the boundaries of commercial laws. So they arent really to framed to be culprit if you end up buying there product in case you get lured by such claims.
Its left to the customers to get themselves acquianted with all the scientific claims, rather than get carried away with such claims, and end up buying up product which not match upto the claim it carried.

Nobel for a NOBLE cause.

Just as Nobel commitee announced its decision to award M Yunus and his organization Grameen Bank, "for their effort to create economic and social development from below." the nobel peace award for the year 2006. The statement says it all.The significance of the award is just not the fact its the first Bangladeshi Economist to be rewarded with the most coveted award one can dream of. But acknowledge the fact that Nobel committee has recognised that lasting Peace cannot be acheived and sustained without completely eradicating and handling Poverty from the grass root level. With no background from economics I really cant judge the impact that his pioneering idea of microcredit , translated into action from his Grameen Bank that has given millions of bangladeshi poor people a hope for better survival.
But what is well known is the idea of microcredit the brain child of Yunus was an unknown concept 3 decades ago. But today its operating succesfully in more than 100 countries. Although Yunus concept of microcredit has won him many acclaims worldover. But by providing Nobel Award its a befitting award to an individual and his institution that has worked incessesantly day in day out at the grass root level trying to eradicate poverty not by giving charity but JUST by lending money to the poor. In comparision to last year prize that was awarded to IAEA for making every effort to use Nuclear energy for peacefull purpose. Or even the earlier awards that were awarded to certain individuals who during there tenure tried to diffuse tension between hostile nations.
Its clear that sustainable peace lies in that region where poverty has no place for itself. Every other effort to bring in peace in region without addressing the issue of poverty can never claim success for itself. Just a week ago there was an article in the BBC website that punters had listed out possible contestant for the peace awards. Many of them were diplomats involved in peace mission. Some were musicians who campaigned worldover to eradicate poverty. Others were human right campaigner. While one of them were religious leader. But By providing the award to an organization that work at root level in order to bring about sustainable peace by eradicating poverty. I feel the Nobel committee has made a right decision by awarding M Yunus and Grameen Bank this year Nobel Prize for peace.
More information about the working of grameen bank can be found at http://www.grameen-info.org/.

Clemency OR Capital Punishment.

The country seem to have caught up in one more controversial issues, with people from President to victim being caught up in the ruffle. With Afzal being one of accused in taking part in dastardly act of bombing the very seat of indian democracy, which resulted in loss of nine of our soldiers trying to protect the parliament. Well this is just one of the situation where court has come up with death sentence to the accused. We had many more such victims before like Dhananjay accused for rape, then Dara singh for burning Graham staines to death.
The situation has taken up more of emotional appeal rather than logical view, for the fact that many familar social activist are taking stand in favour of Afzal to be granted clemency, for the various reason such as trial wasn't fair. On other hand people seems to be asking him to be given death punishment, this will ensure message is reached to criminal that we aren't a soft nation.
Now it took lot of my grey cell to really analyse the situation, before i could express my say. When someone accused is convicted of crime that takes a huge toll of human life. The activities that are well planned and executed by these hard hearted criminals. It's important that the state provide the harshest of punishment to these criminal, for they have no value for human life. Thus they should not be spared as they might involve themselves in many more dastardly act, taking more human lives. Look at it with different viewpoint, it cost the state to maintain them at the prisons. In my opinion i feel the criminal involved in crime such as Mass murders, Rape and Terrorism should never be spared. As they are living threat to entire mankind.
Is capital punishment the only solution to get rid of these hard hearted criminals.
Its important to confirm, wheter capital punishment is a solution to handle crime and criminals, is it a deterrent to commit an crime. Does an individual taking up crime thinks about his end, while commiting or indulging in such activities. Then how can presence of capital punishment in the law book deter him from commiting the crime. However cold hearted an individual is, that forces him to take up crime under some pressurizing situation. For one thing is for sure no one like to commit crime for he might take pleasure in commiting it. Its only environment one is bred that shapes his motives. So when an individual is accused of crime, by providing him an chance to regret his/her decision we can ensure he might come back to normal life stream. Thereby we can be sure we not only lose a life, but MAY BE get back a reformed individual. Well it seem i might be painting a bright picture hoping that all criminal accused to change, leading a normal life thereafter. But the fact is with enforcing capital punishment we highlight the fact even we have no value for human life too. Human life is precious, every effort to preserve them is a noble cause by itself.
I would like to end on the note that by providing clemency to the accused criminals doesnt suggest we are a soft nation, But by providing death penalty we showcase the fact even we are such stone hearted that we dont value a life.