Challenging times

My notion that 'the world is getting a better place to live' gets defeated whenever I try to keep up with the news...last few days were no different, but so many things happened at the same time at so many places and at so many levels that I have to vent it out right here right now...

Finally N Korea did what was being speculated for a long time...thats right they finally successfully conducted Nuclear tests last Monday. What bothers me personally is that this is not the end but the start of nuclear rat race in this world and would only spread in coming years to many many countries. I don't think I can blame N korea for what they did, because every nation wants to get powerful, and if others can have it why not them. So in that respect they are right. I do not think that most countries will agree to the fact that only select countries can keep nuclear arms, so the deal about NPT and all is just a waste of time. The only way to get out of this dangerous mess is when all countries decide to dissolve their nuclear weapons. If things are not taken care of anytime soon, it could really get ugly specially when those weapons gets in the hands of extremists.

Another episode which made big headlines was the downfall of auto giant GM...this certainly was very historic specially in US, where auto industry is the backbone of economic growth here, and

so many other businesses are run from the demands of the auto industry. I realized last Thu that the semiconductor company which funds my Phd and speciallizes in CO2 based lasers, lost half of its business because auto industry was their big customers, so when things are so interlinked, falling of such a giant company is hard to swallow. What lead to their downfall and all is a good case study for management students and other companies, but the fact is that they are no more in existence. I personbally believe that they took things for granted, the management lacked long sightedness and practical assessment of the demands of the changing world, crumbled to stiff competition from others. Its not all over yet and I do see a silver lining. I don't think US is technology deficient, all it needs is implementation in the right earnest. So yeah if some good moves are taken, the auto industry just might bounce back.

Another bizzare incident was the shooting of Dr George Tiller while he was attending church. Dr Tiller was known to perform late term abortions. Well random shootings by some disturbed soul is not something new to US, but the approval of his murder by different groups of people...some of them I know personally, was something very shocking to me. I do think I could ever reach to a point in my life when I could celebrate someones death even if I really dislike the person.

One more incident which made headlines specially in Indian subcontinent is the increase in the attack on Indian students pursuing higher education in Australia. The poor students who go there for better education are being targetted by local people. Whats annoying is the goverments cold reaction to whats going on. While the gov of aus is busy making money off these students ($4 billion/yr), these students at different stages of their education stand helpless.

So while at one end we are taking steps for advancement of human society and introducing new tools to the system which helps in making our lives better, safer...but at the same time, the age old hunger for power, and policy of hate is still thriving at large and in a way challenges the progress we have made so far.