Terror Attack-in-Kabul-Tale of us Inaptitude

Two days back I got up in the morning and saw the headline news that 13 US soldiers and another hundred local Afghans have been killed in a terrorist bomb attack. This attack has been attributed to ISIS. Joe Biden the US president made a bombastic speech that he would not forget this attack and take revenge I recollect a similar speech had been made by George Bush after the twin tower attack in New York but the net result has been that the US has retreated and shaken the hands of the very people who had been accused of terrorism and the US had declared it a terrorist organization. There is a certain amount of irony in all this and the fact is that the US has basically abdicated its responsibility as the leader of the world.

As a student of Military History I had expected this attack in Kabul and I am very sure some more attacks will take place against the US all over the world particularly in the Islamic countries. By throwing in the towel and negotiating a piece Donald Trump followed by Biden has let the free world down and it is the first time history will record that democracy lost and terrorism won. We are ordinary citizens and what we can do? All we can do is to vent our anger in blogs. That is about all because the fact remains the Americans have no longer the will to fight.

My Mustang

T

he word Mustang conjures up an image of a wild horse. These are very abundant in the canyons of America and are associated with speed and power. The Ford design team in the sixties when thinking of a name for their "muscle car" hit upon the Mustang as a name for it. The car made its debut and set the auto charts on fire. Now six decades have passed and the iconic car is still very much in production and sells in good numbers all over the world. The car is introduced in India and for those who are interested to know or buy one, costs Rs 95 lakhs on the road in Mumbai. I purchased a Mustang, about 3 years back and have been using it since then. Its a convertible model and the roof can be pulled back for an exhilarating drive. Mind you at anything above 150 MPH with the roof pulled down can be like adrenalin in the blood. The Mustang has been christened as the original " Muscle Car" by auto enthusiasts. This is because of the immense power it packs under the hood. It is available in two engine specifications namely the V-6 and V-8 which means 6 and 8 cylinders. The V-8 has an output of 396 BHP and a top speed of 200 MPH. I have personally driven the Mustang at 180 MPH and the car just breezed away without the trace of a ripple. The car comes both as a convertible and a coupe and has only two doors. The model introduced in India is a coupe and the pleasure of driving with the roof pulled down cannot be savored. The Mustang is a low slung car and once you get in the driver's seat one will get the idea that you are hugging the road. This is inevitable, as its a racing car and the designers have designed it to keep the drag -coefficient low. The car has a six-speed automatic transmission that apart from a high BHP of over 300 and develops torque at 280@ 4000 RPM. The automatic transmission is a must for such a car so that the driver can concentrate on just handling the car and not worry about changing gears. The car I own has 18-inch alloy wheels and manual AC. Frankly, if the hood is pulled up you don't need any air conditioning, as the wind whistles around your ear. The bucket seats are very comfortable and can seat 4 adults. The car has a cruising speed of about 100MPH but sadly you can't run the car at that speed in India, except perhaps on the Pune-Panvel freeway. Maybe the Agra -Delhi freeway also. But you can still cruise around the city as it has an extremely powerful engine and the drive is effortless and will certainly make the eyes of the people turn, more so if you have an attractive passenger in the front with you. Lastly yes, the Mustang is an excellent advertisement for the owner to latch on to a good looking girl for company. The Mustang is one of the flagship cars from America and shows that the American auto industry remains the best in the world.

LOVING A PARSI GIRL

The Parsi community is a vibrant community in India. Though they may number under 100,000 yet they certainly have made a mark in Indian society. The Parsi's believe in Zoroaster whose birth was in Iran or Persia as it was called earlier. They had their own empire and great kings like Darius and Xerxis ruled with aplomb. But defeats and the advent of Islam forced them to flee to the state of Gujarat in India. The community is however having a negative growth rate and the result is a declining population. Most Parsi girls would like to get out of the vice like control of the Panchayat and their priests and hence in India Parsi girls marrying non Parsi's is fairly common.

These girls are beautiful and generally very fair. We can almost refer to them as ultra fair. Thus in case you would like to live your life with a Parsi girl it will be a good idea to date her first. Parsi girls are more westernized than most Indians and hence you will have to match their ethos. It will be a good idea to learn something about the Parsi religion.Remember once a girl marries outside the community she is not regarded as a Parsi. So you must be ready for this. These girls will generally wear western dress and seldom wear saris. But they are intelligent and fond of chocolates and good food. When you fancy a Parsi girl be posh and nice to her. She will not tolerate slovenly characters that spew paan and the like. They prefer sophistication and hence you will have to vamp yourself. Parsi girls are generally emotional and you must convince her that you are the man for her, as for her it will mean breaking away fro her moorings as the Parsi religion will not accept her. Follow the rules of the game but do not be shy. Be bold and once you win her confidence and hold her hands. She will expect to be kissed like English girls. So be mentally ready for it. Girls from this community will generally not prefer spicy Indian food, so on a date order good continental or Chinese food. Parsi girls will love outings and long drives. Keep your car in good condition and take her around to distant picnic spots. After a couple of dates when you have her confidence kiss her and propose. You will be a winner and bag an ultra fair bride.

India has to Settle with China and Stop Living in a fools World

Should India appease China, or should it have an aggressive policy? Due to decades of neglect from the time of Nehru and subsequent leaders, India is militarily weak against China and is unable to take an aggressive stand. India has to except reality and putting forward a claim over an area where Indian never had any control is not a good thing. I am referring to Aksai Chin where India had no administration or police at any time. It is about time India faced the crunch. There is no choice but to have a settlement with China on their terms for the simple reason that militarily India does not have the capability to throw the Chinese even 1 mile back. It is time for Modi to bite the bullet. What does it mean? It means the border settlement with China, maybe on China's terms; I don't see any other option to it.

Why Napoleon Burned Moscow in 1812

Napoleon's campaign of 1812 is a classic example of a failed military campaign.

In this battle the aim of Napoleon was to bring Russia to its knees so that he could remain the dominent power in Europe. Unfortunately Napoleon’s strategy was wrong and he decided to concentrate on marching on Moscow which was not desirable. He expected the Russians to make peace and come for a meeting with him as he neared Moscow, as had been the case in battles at other places in Europe. However the Russians did not give in to him with the result in anger and short of supplies and food for his troops he decided to burn Moscow. In real fact it was a blunder of great magnitude because he burned all his bridges to Russia and had no option but to retreat and there were no supplies and food for his army. With the result the grand army which was almost 600,000 was decimated.