A Couple More Hours... 

..left in the year two thousand and three. In a few, the year will be two thousand and four or 2004 for short.  When I was 11 years old, this year was the future.  I could have sworn we would have been in flying cars by now. I can’t believe were four years past the millennium. I can’t even remember the 90’s anymore.

Remember when you used to say, “Lighten up man, It’s the 90’s” You cant even say that anymore. You gotta be like, “Lighten up man, it’s the 2000’s” Ha ok corny. Moving on.

Politically speaking, 2003 was a successful year for the President. What, you don’t think so? Lets try to recap what all has ensued in the last 365 days.  If we go waaay back to January, you’ll remember that the nation was trying to decide whether or not to go to war with Iraq. We finally went to war sometime in March or April – my memory eludes me – and now 8 – 9 months later, a government of tyranny has been toppled, an oppressed people have been liberated, A brutish dictator has been dragged out of his spider-hole, Libya has agreed to let in weapons inspectors and North Korea is ready for negotiations.  BUT we lost close to 500 troops and still no WMD’s  to be found.  HOWEVER,  it has been over 2 years since 9/11 and we have not had another major terrorist attack since. I think that’s all that counts. It is the president’s job to keep us safe, and I think he is doing a good job at it J

But aside from politics, 2003 can only be remembered by what you have accomplished and experienced in it. Perhaps this was the year that you got married, graduated school, had your first child, bought a home, went on an exciting trip, matured spiritually, matured physically, lost 10 lbs, lost 15 lbs.  Perhaps this was the year you lost a loved one, survived a major accident, diagnosed with a major illness, experienced clinical depression, contemplated suicide. Perhaps this was a good year. Perhaps it was not. Whatever the case may be, the year has come to an end, and a new year is ready to begin.

Dont repeat your failures. Learn from your mistakes. Dont ride your past success, Take one day at a time, set reasonable goals, breathe,  Pursue your interests. Pray,  Read a book. Read another book, Stay off drugs and keep coming back to IPF.  Were gonna be here till the cows come home, and not the mad cows, the good ones. See yall in 2004. Peace.

Christmas Shopping & Revivals

MURRY Christmas EVE Urryone. The Holidays are upon us and if you're like me and haven't done your Christmas Shopping yet...Then its Gift Certificates for everyone! Yeah its Bad. In Essence what a gift certificate really says is, I feel obligated to get you a gift but I am not willing to spend the time nor energy to figure out what you would like and then scavenge the stores to find it. I personally don't mind gift certificates, but I've always liked hand-picked gifts better. It shows that the person put some thought into getting your gift.

In my case, I simply procrastinated too long this year and now its too late. I went to Macy's the other day and its like a WARZONE in there. And don't you hate it when you're standing in a long line and every old lady has to ask for a price check. They had to pick the item that didn't have a price tag on it.

My advice -- pick the line with the most middle age men. They don't search their purses for coupons, they don't ask for price checks, they don't dispute prices that are clearly marked, and they DON'T make their decisions AT the register -- they pay cash and move on.

Revivals:  I thought Revivals were great this year. To be honest with you 2003 was a year of spiritual highs AND lows for me, but I was really uplifted and encouraged at this year's revivals -- through the songs, through the messages and through the Unity of the people -- especially the youth. It was great to see old faces and new. I'm glad that a lot of ya'll were able to come this year.

BTW, How'd ya'll like that Chinese food on Sunday? Never seen that done before right? You know how we do in Amity. Haha. Anyways, Have a wonderful Christmas and God bless.

LOTR: Good Vs Evil -- The Epic Struggle 

I have not seen LOTR 3 -- ROTK yet. In fact it was only 2 weeks ago that I saw The Two Towers for the first time, but I have to admit that I liked this film and I am looking forward  to its 3^rd installment. What it all boils down to is the epic battle, the ancient struggle, Good vs. Evil. Winner takes all.  

I heard a small excerpt from Rush, saying that liberals will not appreciate the values that this film instills into children.  It teaches them that evil must be rooted out completely, it cannot be comprised with and it cannot be tolerated. Good must prevail.

I know of a certain president that lives by that same principle ;)

In short, I guess the appealing factor behind the film, for me at least, was that it symbolized the epic battle that we face within ourselves -- or maybe I’m just making all this up. Yeah I think I am. Lets face it, you can’t beat a good battle scene. Get thousands of armored men with bows arrows, horses, chariots and swords charging at each other and Ill give it 5 stars in a heartbeat. 

Ok I’m going to cut today’s update short. NY Revivals are in full effect. All are welcome. Pictures and briefings coming soon.  Keep it locked. I’m out. See ya next week.

Week in Review

Hi all. Good to see you on this Fine Friday. It was just this day last week, that the first snow storm of this winter hit the Northeast. We made it through this first one, but I have a feeling the worst is yet to come. I don’t think the Winter of 04 will be any kinder than the Winter of 03. So if you’re on the east coast and you haven’t invested in a snow-blower yet, now’s a good time as any.

“ End of semester-  Finals are coming up, and I'm sitting on the grass with a few of my friends, listening to the relaxing sound of the water fountain next to me and the birds chirping above me.  I'm really supposed to be studying for a final…..” 

Brenda --While you where sitting on the grass listening to the relaxing sound of water and the birds chirp, some of us were trying to drive through treacherous unplowed roads recently blanketed with two feet of white powder, only to come home and break our backs shoveling our driveways and sidewalks so the mailman could deliver the mail without slapping us with a lawsuit for falling on his spine.  

Brenda, the next time you decide to write about relaxing water and birds chirping, make sure its in May or June and not December!

Happy Wednesday After Thanksgiving

Hope ya’ll had a good holiday weekend. I wish I could of made it to DC revivals. Looks like it was a lot of fun. Hopefully I can make it next year.  My thanksgiving was spent in North Carolina visiting family and all.  It was a good time except for catching a serious bout of the flu. It’s Wednesday, and I still haven’t gone back to work. Oh well maybe catching the flu wasn’t that bad after all J  

The road trip to NC was a nice scenic 12 hour journey. The states we passed included, NJ MD and Virginia. Recently,  a lot of people -- especially Indians -- having been moving south to places to North Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia. I don’t know what lures them -- perhaps the prospect of buying a portion of prime real estate for a fraction of the NY price.

Altogether it’s a different world down there -- much different than NY. For one, the air is cleaner. Shoot I can almost taste the air. Mmmm that’s good air. When you look up at the sky, you can see the stars. The last time I saw the stars under a NY sky was during the east coast blackout.  People are a lot nicer down there too.  We happened to get lost on some local roads and to my amazement, a blue 87 mustang pulled up, with 2 teenagers in it. They rolled down their windows and asked us if we needed some help. In NY , if  your ever lost, don’t even bother to try and  honk your horn to get the attention of the driver to your left or right. In all probability, they’ll just ignore you and drive away. But after all is said and done, NY is still sweet home Alabama to me J

I’m not particularly fond of all these spurring realty T.V shows. Especially because its not Really Reality. These people know they are being taped.  They are consciously altering their behavior. They even have a stage set to apply makeup and wardrobe. You want REAL reality T.V?  Go put a camera at the local DMV or MVA.  Put a camera in a car and watch people sit through hours of traffic. Put a camera at the local Walgreen’s and watch people shop for incontinence products and dental floss. That’s Reality. Yeah it may not be that entertaining. But it’s real. Lets face it -- A construction worker having to choose which of 7 beautiful girls is going to be his wife is not real so why call it a ‘reality show’ ?

Happy Wednesday Before Thanksgiving

One more day to go. Cant update now. Must go loosen my belt. See you next Wednesday. Peace

Hahah Just Kidding. I'm just a little anxious to start the 4 day holiday weekend.

And looking at Susan's Turkey below is not helping. Mmmmm thats looks good.  Susan's a  good cook and I know from experience.  Among her many specialties are French crepes, Home-Made Jam, and Hash Brown Casserole. 

But enough about that, lets talk about the Pillsbury Crescent Rolls. How are these things so good?  They must have tons of butter in them. They're so soft and fluffy. Chris, I cant promise that I'll save the last one for you. In fact, if it comes down to you, me and that last roll -- get ready to throw down  :)

Ok now lets talk about more serious matters -- like the new Medicare plan that Congress has just passed. Actually --  I'll hold off on this topic until after Thanksgiving.  Lets talk about some more food.  What are some other thanksgiving favorites? Whatever they are, poori and chicken curry have no place at the thanksgiving table yet they always manage to make an appearance.  I just skip over them and go straight for my favorite three. Turkey, Stuffing and cranberry sauce. I keep it simple. 

But in all seriousness now, We  have a lot to be THANKFUL for. I know I certainly do. So please, Tomorrow,  when you are with friends and family enjoying a nice meal, remember all the children that going to go hungry for yet another day. Remember all our brave soldiers out there in Iraq and Afghanistan who are sacrificing their lives, so you and I can live in peace. And most of all , remember the goodness and mercies of God. Not just tomorrow, but everyday. Have a safe one. See you next Wednesday.

Sorry I couldn't make my Wednesday update this week. I've been real busy, but I promised Chris, that come hell or highwater I would put out an update  this week and he told me Friday was my day. So here I am :)

Well Today is Friday and yes the weekend is here. Let the festivities begin!   We all made it through another week....... or did we?

If you are a student as I used to be ( and possibly will be again )  weekends were often  no better than weekdays. Usually, it was just a time to catch up on all the work that I couldn't get finished throughout the week.  

Stick in chores, church,  choir practice, car maintenance, dentist appointments, the weekend job and the horrible Monday quiz and  the weekend fares no better than a Tuesday or Wednesday.

Disclaimer: I am not equating Choir practice and Church to Chores   

If you are/were a procrastinator like I often was, then Sunday Night is the WORST.  You've noticed that your bookbag is in the same place you dropped it on Friday afternoon and now Monday  is less than 12 hours away and you have to cram though 8 chapters of molecular chemistry.  

To all those out there that are hitting the books , day in, day out. I feel for you. But be Strong. All that hard work is NOT in vain.  

Now that I'm not a student anymore, Sunday Nights are not that bad. 

In Fact, Sundays are not bad at all. I can come back from church, enjoy a leisurely afternoon nap, wake up, laze the evening away, eat dinner and then go back to sleep. True,  I have to wake up Monday morning, Gulp down a 16oz cup of Joe and fight the NY rush hour traffic, but at least I got to unwind on Sunday night. :)

However to be completely honest with you there's a part of me that MISSES being a student.  Deep inside, I miss the lack of routine. I miss the complete randomness. I miss ordering pizza at 10 pm while cramming for midterms with friends.  I miss hanging out in the student lounge/cafe.  I miss talking about how hard that calculus exam was.  Yeah you may think Im a dork, and for those of your who are still in school you may think I'm crazy but let me just say this. Enjoy it while it lasts. Learn as much as you can. Do something different everyday. Explore. Discover.  Challenge yourself to the Max. Take everyday as a blessing from God. 

Often in life we are all too anxious and impatient to get to our destination -- B.S,  M.B.A, Phd, Marriage, Parenthood, etc... IIn so doing, we forget to enjoy the journey.  

Congratulations go out to Betsy and Binny on the arrival of their healthy new baby girl Serena Koshy.  Chalk up another second generation Indian American. Can you believe it? The second generation is coming in and coming in quick. How much different will their childhood be than ours?

Myself, I was born in Brooklyn, NY.  Same ol’ story – Parents came here in '77 with only a few dollars to their name. They worked hard menial jobs--saved saved saved, Went into the medical field, and are now apart of middle-class America. People like myself were often found in a struggle between 2 clashing cultures – going to elementary school --- eating  sloppy joes and hot dogs and then coming home to chore and sambar. Learning about the nuclear family in the 3^rd grade and then coming home to a house of 11 including grandparents, aunts and uncles.  Teachers praising you on that 98 exam score and your parents asking you what happened to the other 2 points.

Matrix Re-Translated

Before I talk about the Matrix,  On Sunday a couple of us went to visit Vinod and Grace’s new little bundle of joy – Christian Thomas Varghese-- at North Shore Hospital.  We took the elevator up to the 3^rd floor maternity ward and as soon as the elevator doors opened, I saw Vinod sprawled out on the hallway bench with an exhausted look on his face like he just went through 30 hours of labor. Meanwhile, we go down the hall to visit Grace who is up and about, brimming with joy and excitement, with not a speck of tiredness to be found. It beckons the question, Who exactly went through the labor?  J Anyways, we here at IPF are happy for this new family and wish them all the best. Hopefully Vinod can continue his weekend post at IPF, but if not, We understand. 

Kobe and Shaq

Did anyone catch Jim Gray’s interview with Kobe Byrant?  Kobe and Shaq are having their troubles again, and this time it looks serious. I think the only resolution is for these 2 all-stars to part their own ways and play on different teams. Then we'll see who is the Batman and who is the Robin.  And mark my words, without Kobe, the Lakers are not going to win another ring, even with Malone, Payton and Shaq. But then again, I might be wrong, but Mark my words they won't win!

Where Jimmy Carter failed, where Reagan failed, Where Clinton and Bush 41 failed,  there is still hope, in the likes of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Anniston. This celebrity duo plans to take a trip with a few other Hollywood stars to the middle East, in the hopes of  negotiating a peace plan.

Welcome - Susan and Brenda

My first order of business is to extend a warm welcome to our newest webmasters, Susan and Brenda. I know its going be great working on the site with these two intelligent young ladies.  I know Susan from way back -- Her Mom and I are first cousins. That would make her my niece or something to that effect.  Brenda, I don’t know you all that well, but have heard very nice things about you from our very own Chung Lao. And Brenda, you may not know Susan, but let me tell you, she is quite an opinionated and diverse-interest person like yourself. In fact, Susan ranks as one of the most interesting Indian girls I know.

How is that, you ask?  When I asked Susan to describe her ideal lifestyle, here is what she said…

“I would like to work as a business woman in a busy city , wear the whole business suit outfit etc…. and then come home to my house in the country and raise my horses and sew homemade quilts”

Now she may have been  on some OxyCotin pills when I asked her this…Hopefully, she’ll do the SANE thing and settle for a nice husband and a house in the suburbs.

Ok lets move on to BR MANIA

Last night I checked the message boards and found that some clown(s) had plastered the board with the silliest and most inane stuff.  Nonetheless, I couldn’t help but chuckle at a couple of the posts. Frank and Ben -- no offense to you guys…but some of that stuff was FUNNY.  Some stuff was definitely uncalled for, but some of those POLLS were hilarious.  Anyway…I hope everything is cleared up. For those of you who don’t know yet, BR has removed their registration requirement and you are now allowed to post anonymously. They have also taken down that picture (honestly, I didn’t see the big deal with keeping it up –but hey that’s me). 

Finally I’ll wrap things up with a Bro Sam quote.

Bro Sam is the head minister at Amityville church and every once in a while, he comes up with these sayings that are worth collecting.  Here is his most recent one.

"Every house has a garbage can to throw out the trash. Whether it be a big mansion or a small apartment, every house , big or small, has a garbage can to throw out the trash.  Heaven has that same garbage can – Its called HELL”

Stuff

Yankees vs Red Sox:   

As a die-hard Yankees fan, I would love to see nothing more than the SOX eat dirt; however, if the yanks beat the SOX and face the CUBS, I think, part of me will want to see the CUBS, the underdog of all underdogs, get a ring. It’s been nearly a century since the CUBS won the penant. Meanwhile, the yanks win it every other year. I hope I’m not discrediting my yankee allegiance; All I’m saying is, if the yanks DO lose to the CUBS, it will be more tolerable than to see them lose to Boston. The cubs however will have to overcome game 7 with the champion Marlins who took them for a ride yesterday (winning, 8 – 3) in the top of the 8^th.

I don’t want to comment on this situation just yet until all the facts are cleared; however,  I will say, Don’t be quick to judge him. After all, no one is perfect and his situation is unique. He was not addicted to crack or heroine. He was addicted to prescription drugs. The same drugs his doctors had prescribed and kept him on for a long time after his unsuccessful back surgery.

Writers Block

Sorry guys, I just don’t have the energy today to muster out a decent update. What goes into writing an update you ask? Well it’s not as easy as it seems. I am no journalism major, but I can tell you that good insightful writing takes a bit of thought, planning and preparation. I usually don’t have any of that so I just blurt out anything that comes to my mind at the time. Well -- thats what I’ve been doing for the last 6 weeks at least. Unfortunately, today, nothing has come to my mind. My mind is a complete blank.

Binu's Top Ten 

10) Weather With the start of the Fall season a lot of NEW things are underway. New season premiers, new wardrobes, The NEW football season. Lots of stuff.  But what does it all really boil down to?  Seasons come and Seasons go. The real question is, Does Proactiv really work?

9) Politics: Annold is showing huge leads in the polls. Looks like it may be the terminator for Kaly-For-NIA. Hasta Lavista to Huffington who cant cope with the numbers. Huffington dropped  out of the Recall on Tuesday. Oh well. Its not like she had a chance anyway.

8) Business: While standing in line at a local Starbucks yesterday, I was approached by a man who asked me if I liked to make money. I said I would enjoy that kind of activity.  We spent the next 45 minutes sipping cappachinno and analyzing utility curves. He gave me a 20 minute spiel of  How Quixtar changed his life. Now I’m not going to knock on Quixtar ( formerly AMWAY ). I think it’s a legitimate business venture for all those daring and willing to try it. Are there any success stories out there? If so I would like to hear about them. Personally, Ill stick with Tony Robbins.

7) Sports: Jets Suck.

6) Book Review: I just finished reading former NYC mayor Rudolf Giuliani’s book, Leadership. I picked it up about 4 months ago and just recently read it in its entirety.  It’s a great book for all you business types and MBA’s. Giuliani was one the most successful mayors in history and Time Magazines person of the year in 2001. He transformed the façade of  New York City from a crime-ridden, gangster-run city filled with prostitutes and drug dealers into an enriching city abounding with cultural diversity and financial opportunity. In his book, his basically outlines 13 principles of Leadership that he followed. Every principle was illustrated  by examples galore. If you’re curios about these 13 principles, Ill list them for you for you in a future update.

5) Automobiles: My 1992 Honda Accord just topped 250,000 miles and its still running strong. Yeah, there are those people that tell me to get a new car. Ill tell them, GO TO HE-aven! I'm sorry I cant do that. There’s a special bond between a man and his car. It’s a bond that transcends time and space. You know what the key to our successful relationship is? Oil changes! That’s right. Oil changes.  I change my oil every three months religiously.  Sometimes Every two. You treat your car right and it will treat you right!  

4) Classifieds: 1992 Honda Accord Coupe for sale. Sunroof, 5 star rims, exhaust, AC, Manual, Hwy miles only! $2000. email bpv192@yahoo.com 

3) Dating and Personals: Lonely 1992 Honda Accord coupe seeks loving and loyal driver who will treat her with the respect and care she needs. Enjoys taking long drives on the beach and cruising in 5^th gear.

2) Health: I’m an avid  coffee drinker. I need about 3 – 4 cups of Joe per day to keep me going. Am I overdoing it? Some studies say that a moderate amount of caffeine is good for you and decreases the chances of some types of cancer. Is this true? And , If so what amount is Moderate? Are there any doctors out there that can comment on this?

September 24, 2003 - Binu       

GrandParents - S.S Anniversaries & Episode III

Sorry I missed last week’s update. As Vinod mentioned, my grandfather had passed away last Tuesday and I took a hiatus to mourn his loss. He was someone who I was really close to. I learned a lot from his life and I really enjoyed the time I had with him.

A lot of you may not be so close to your grandparents, perhaps because of the language barrier or it may be a matter of proximity; however, I urge you to spend some quality time with them. Especially before it’s too late. Discover your roots. Think about it. They are the ones that raised your dad/mom. You have ¼ of their genes. They were probably alive during some milestone events of the 20^th century. They were there before radio, before T.V, before INTERNET.  Talk to them. Let them impart to you their wisdom and most of all their blessing.

What else is going on hmmm…… Oh yeah those D.C Sunday School Anniversary clips were hilarious. I don’t know of any other church that’s puts on a production like DC. I remember, back in the day, Queens and Yonkers used to put on one heck of a show. We went all out – renting out an auditorium --  crucifixion scenes – 40 member casts – 4hour shows – the works! Those were the days. Now Amityville is down to a 30-minute mix of bible verse recitation and nursery songs.

Finally, Ill leave you on a high note. All you star wars fans out there today is your lucky day. IPF agents have been able to track down the very sought after STAR WARS EPISODE 3 TRAILER.  Now Star Wars 3 is not scheduled to come out until 2005, but a few trailers have been made in the production process and we have managed to snag one of them. Don’t ask us how we did it. 

If you haven’t seen Star Wars 2 then you probably wont understand this trailer, but If you are a star wars fan like me ( and I’m not one of those crazy star wars groupies – just an admirer of the series ), then you’ll really enjoy this Trailer – especially the special effects. For those of you who are not familiar with Star Wars -- it the the epic story of the struggle between the forces of good and evil. There are many biblical references and analogies, much like the Matrix series. Episode 3 is when Anakin Skywalker completes his transformation to the dark side and becomes Darth Vader.

Click on the link below to play the trailer. You will need windows media player to view the trailer.  Don’t allow it to open in the browser player. It won’t do the special effects any justice. Turn up the volume and dim the lights. Ok enough talking. Enjoy. See you next Wednesday.

September 10, 2003 - Binu       

2^nd Democratic Debate

The Democratic Black Caucus and the Fox news channel hosted the second Democratic Debate that featured all 9 democratic candidates, including Al Sharpton this time.

I will leave the detailed analysis for Benj on Friday, but here are a couple of my thoughts. Instead of doing an individual candidate analysis, I will do an issue analysis.

IRAQ and the WAR on Terror: With the exception of Lieberman, none of these candidates have a grounded foreign policy. Most of them argue that preemptive action against IRAQ was a terrible mistake without the support of the international community and that President Bush rushed into war.

Their Solution: Pull back troops and wait for International support.

My Thoughts: President Bush went to the U.N time after time and got umpteen resolutions, but to no avail. Iraq was not cooperating and France and Germany were not willing to help. The president did not rush to war. His coalition included the support of some 40 nations, many of whose troops are stationed in Iraq right now. These include the Poles, aussies, Brits and others.

I'm not saying we cant use International support right now, but even if we get international support (France and Germany) it will be another 6 months before their troops arrive in IRAQ.

Lieberman had the right idea; send more troops in now to support our existing troops until International help arrives.

Education, School Vouchers, and No Child Left Behind:

The majority of Parents including over 50% of  Black Parents are open to the idea of school vouchers but the democratic party and Teachers Unions are staunchly opposed to it.

Their solution: Pump more money into a failing public school system.

My Thoughts: Vouchers are the only viable solution. I don’t see the solution as pumping tons of tax money into the system.  It won’t work.

The Economy:

More than a debate, You Decide 2004, was more of a Bush Bashing festival.  I don’t think these candidates can win against Bush in 04 on an anti-war campaign. If they’re going to beat him, they will have to offer solutions for the economy and last night, I heard none. John Edwards' plan  is to nationalize healthcare. What is that going to do?

There was also rolling back the tax-cuts, which is one reason the tax cuts aren’t working as good as they should be. Tax cuts should offer people an incentive to spend, but when you have 9 candidates, promising to rollback tax-cuts, people will save, instead of spend.

Again, Bush senior lost due to a hurting economy, and its possible that W might too. Sure, one of these candidates can become President and the Economy might be great during their term, but its not because they did something about it. Its called business cycles. The economy was bound to recover in 5 – 6 years anyway. Also stabilization in the Middle East, which will possibly occur in the next 2 years, will also stimulate the economy. Consider how the fall of the Soviet Union (a feat accomplished by Reagan) led to 10 years of prosperity.

Closing thoughts: I wasn’t impressed by the debate at all. The only thing that kept me watching it was the constant interruption by LaRouche supporters and Al Sharptons clever responses. Al Sharpton is definitely not going to win the nomination, but he makes this whole thing fun.  So far, my favorites are John Kerry and Lieberman; the others are just too extreme on the issues.

That’s all for now. This update is getting quite long.

2^nd Anniversary of 9/11 is tomorrow. Hold true to the words of Tom Brokaw, Never Forget.  I really hope they show all the footage again in the media. Yeah It may bring back hurtful memories for some, but we cant forget the cause were fighting for. This tragedy should never happen again. See ya next Wednesday.

September 3, 2003 - Binu       

Cranium, Democrats and Scabs!

Another Labor Day weekend has come and gone. My outdoors plans were cancelled due to the incessant rain, but that didn’t stop the indoor festivities. What indoor festivities you ask?

CRANIUM!

Man is this game fun, Especially with a lot of people. It’s a game that combines, Trivia, Pictionary, Buzzword and much more, into one creative, fun filled package.

Mix this game with soda, pretzels, pizza and 14 people and your asking for trouble!

Ok onto serious stuff.  Another Presidential Election is on the heels. Who are you going to vote for, come 2004? Do you even know who's running against Bush? According to a recent poll, 57% of democrats in New Hampshire cant even name a single person on the democratic ballot! Wow. Looks like Bush may cruise into his next 4 years. Or will he?

August 27, 2003 - Binu       

Think about the Irony   

Some unfortunate news for all the Jets fans out there. Chad Pennington is estimated to be out for 12 weeks. What a blow to the Jets season. Pennington led the Jets to the playoffs last year after the team started the season 1- 4.  The Jets were looking forward to another promising season with Pennigton leading the way  but instead the Jets will have to turn to 40 year old Vinny Testeverde, who by the way, went to the same high school as me J. Now I’m not saying the season is over with Testeverde, but lets face it, he hasn’t had a meaningful snap in over a year. But who knows, maybe he will surprise everyone. What’s ironic is that Pennington came in for Testeverde a couple of years ago when Testeverde went down with an injury and now look who’s coming to bat for Pennington. Think about the Irony.

Funny Story: Ok here’s a true story that cracked me up yesterday. It was so hilarious, I just have to share it with you all. It’s a story out of  the book written by Jason Williams ( The Ex-Nets  basketball player who shot his butler ). This story is courtesy of Vincent V who tells the story much better than me.  Anyways it goes like this. Jason Williams describes a time when he was driving with a buddy of his in a sleek car around the Beverly Hills area.  His Friend was driving rather recklessly and Jason Williams cautioned him to slow down. His Friend replied “Relax, this is Beverly Hills, everyone knows me around here. Don’t worry.”  Soon enough, a cop pulls him over for running through a stop sign. The cop approaches the car and informs the friend that he just ran through a stop sign. The friend replies, “Yeah I know but I slowed down”. The cop says, “But it’s a stop sign and you didn’t  STOP”, to which his friend again replies, “Yeah I KNOW , but I SLOWED DOWN”.  At this point the cop deems it necessary to illustrate his point more visually so he takes out his baton and starts hitting him over the head with it and says, “Now what would you like me to do, STOP or SLOW DOWN?”  

August 20, 2003 - Binu       

Alabama Chief Justice, Roy Moore defied a district court order to remove a monument of the 10 commandments from the rotunda of an  Alabama judicial building.

“The order stems from lawsuits filed in 2001 by the ACLU and two other groups, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Southern Poverty Law Center, charging that the monument violates the First Amendment.”

                                                                    --- www.reclaimamerica.org

I applaud Chief Justice Roy Moore and his bold stance against the district court. Moore recognizes God as the ultimate giver of laws and states he would fail his constitutional duty of “invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God”  if he took the monument down.

They’ve removed God and the word “God” from the pledge, from the schools and now from the courts. What’s next? Why don’t we just remove “In God we trust” from the dollar bill?

Many forget that before our founding fathers drafted the constitution, they gathered in one room, got on their knees and prayed and asked God for his guidance. This is a country founded on the tenets and principles of Christianity and we are quickly drifting away from that foundation.  I am afraid of the direction that this country is headed in. Yes, it is a nation of prosperity, opportunity and freedom but it has also lost its moral roots and traditions. 

August 13, 2003 - Binu       

Hey guys, this is Binu. Many of you may know me and some of you may not, but that’s ok. I’m not an experienced and reputable webmaster like Benj, Vinod  or Crystal, so let me take a little time to introduce myself. I’m a New Yorker, a republican, a Yankees fan, a GIANTS fan, and uh hum "cough" "cough", a Knicks fan.  My interests vary from sports and politics to interior design.  I also like to indulge in a nice steak every so often.

I feel real privileged to come on board with this new IPF crew.  I can tell you that Chris put a lot of effort into this new design, and I want to make sure I don’t let him down on this new venture.  With that said, lets go straight to the issues. 

Do you have Windows XP? Well if you do, make sure you have some sort of virus detection on it. There are 2 new viruses out that are spreading like wildfire. I am telling you this because my computer fell prey to one of them this past weekend. I had to re-install my entire operating system. It was a terrible ordeal and I hope none of you will have to go through it. We here at IPF are looking out for your safety.  You have been warned.

Anyway that’s all I have to say for today, but you can look forward to my updates every Wednesday.  Keep it locked. Peace.

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