Blog OnSet

A new Beginning...

Now a bit about Unity !!!

Some Pointers !! 

Newer Ubuntus have a custom desktop environment on top of gnome called Unity . 

Speed Up Your Ubuntu With Preload ... simple enof download it 

sudo apt-get install preload

Apt-Fast Accelerates Your Apt-Get Download Speeds

• Apt-fast is a simple command line utility that can make installation and upgrading of softwares in Ubuntu/Debian much faster. 

• Apt-fast make use of Axel app which accelerates HTTP/FTP downloads by using multiple sources for one file. Author claims that, apt-fast could make your installations and upgrades up to 26x faster! Do the following in Terminal to install it.

 

 

New to Ubuntu.. but better late than never

After a day long fight with installing the latest version of Ubuntu .. finally I'm up and ready .. and running !!! (though very tired to run actually ) :P

Installing Racket v5.1.1
post downloading the file-racket(i86_64).sh ,
run
change permissions - chmod +x  of the file
./file.sh
 
then its asking certain options which are :


Do you want a Unix-style distribution?
  In this distribution mode files go into different directories according
  to Unix conventions.  A "racket-uninstall" script will be generated
  to be used when you want to remove the installation.  If you say 'no',
  the whole Racket directory is kept in a single installation directory
  (movable and erasable) unit, possibly with convenient external links
  into it -- this is often more convenient, especially if you want to
  install multiple versions or keep it in your home directory.
Enter yes/no (default: no) >

I say NO.

Then .. it asks ,
Where do you want to base your installation of Racket v5.1.1?
  (Use an existing directory.  If you've done such an installation in
   the past, either use the same place, or manually run
   'racket-uninstall' now.)
  1 - /usr/... [default]
  2 - /usr/local/...
  3 - ~/... (/home/dhall/...)
  4 - ./... (here)
  Or enter a different directory prefix to install in.
>

Then, whichever options I enter.. It doesn allow me to install it ..
it says

Error: cannot write to "/usr/local".  (or for that matter any option I enter. )


SO THE SOLUTION IS .. .to use sudo ./file.sh  !!!
then choose
YES
and 1 respectively
after which it asks
Do you want to install new system links within the bin, lib, include,
man, and doc subdirectories of "/usr", possibly overriding
existing links?
you say YES..


downloaded !!! :D


for SVN

post uploading the public key on the server...


run the repository ---- check out

svn co svn+ssh://rishabh.dhall@popl.iiit.ac.in/home/rishabh.dhall/svn/popl

which ever folder u run it .. creates a popl directory ...   then do stuff !!! (svn basically )

IIIT Hyd, MUN Society Orientation Event

A great day ... an enthralling Experience.. amazing Participation... and What Enthu !!!
Great team work.. And to top it all ... a great chairing experience !!! :)
My Sweet OC !!! : Kshitij Ingle Anubhav Chaturvedi S.p. Mohanty Nishith Maheshwari Kaushik Srinivasan Srijan Tiwari ..  

Starting with my Speech to the Ending Note.. One Fun-filled Experience . 

"The first ingredient of political stability is an informed citizen. The first ingredient of economic progress is a skilled
worker. And the first ingredient of social justice is an enlightened society. Education is thus the key to global peace and
prosperity”- Kofi Anan

Good evening young munners.

It gives me great pleasure to welcome the new Muners in our society as well as a very warm welcome to my old team members who hav been a great support and amazing team in the last session.

Though MUN can seem intimidating, be it your first or your tenth conference experience, the key to success is good preparation.

As delegates, it is your prerogative, your right, to be on top of your subject and understand diplomacy in the true sense of the term. You will be faced with several situations which will test your knowledge of the issue at hand, as well as your negotiating and debating skills. One, who strikes the perfect balance between maintaining his /her foreign policy and compromising in order to attain a larger goal, will be rewarded.

As the Youth of Today and the leaders of tomorrow the gun is upon us to focus on solving the greatest problems that the World faces today through constructive debate and deliberations by Students from all over the world.

And as my friend here puts it, This is in order to be more able and more literate in the political scenario !!

If the United Nations does not attempt to chart a course for the world's people in the first decades of the new millennium, who will? 

I'd like to end my speech with the words of the honorable former Secretary General of the United Nations, Sir Kofi Anan :

More than ever before in human history, we share a common destiny. We can master it only if we face it together. And that, my friends, is why we have the United Nations.

Thank you.. 

regards,

Rishabh Dhall

General Secretary

IIIT MUN Society

A Prayer in Time of War

the war will change many things in art and life, and among them, it is to be hoped, many of our own ideas as to what is, and what is not, "intellectual." 

 

Thou, whose deep ways are in the sea, 

Whose footsteps are not known, 

To-night a world that turned from Thee 

Is waiting -- at Thy Throne. 

The towering Babels that we raised 

Where scoffing sophists brawl, 

The little Antichrists we praised -- 

The night is on them all. 

The fool hath said . . . The fool hath said . .. 

And we, who deemed him wise, 

We who believed that Thou wast dead, 

How should we seek Thine eyes? 

How should we seek to Thee for power

Who scorned Thee yesterday? 

How should we kneel, in this dread hour? 

Lord, teach us how to pray! 

Grant us the single heart, once more, 

That mocks no sacred thing, 

The Sword of Truth our fathers wore 

When Thou wast Lord and King. 

Let darkness unto darkness tell 

Our deep unspoken prayer, 

For, while our souls in darkness dwell, 

We know that Thou art there. 

by-

 Alfred Noyes 

Cascade: Russia and Georgia .. A Glitch

Cascade: Russia and Georgia .. A Glitch: "You are perhaps aware that certain parts of Georgia want to be recognized as independent countries- Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Both region..."

Russia and Georgia .. A Glitch

You are perhaps aware that certain parts of Georgia want to be recognized as independent countries- Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Both regions have submitted formal requests to Russian federation for recognition of their independence. Consequently, the Russian federation acknowledged two regions as separated countries form Georgia, and supports them in international aspects.

From Georgia’s point of view, it has won its independence and was admitted into the United Nations as a sovereign state with its borders defined as the Georgian Soviet Republic, under international law- therefore, the breakaway territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia clearly belong to Georgia. In short, Georgia considers it to be an internal issue, and there ought not to be more intervention than as necessary for maintaining diplomatic relations, especially from Russia.

But even as Georgia might consider it to be only an internal conflict, there are chances that the issue could transform into an international crisis in various ways.

My first point is that this issue should be treated from an international perspective because it might cause an imbalance in the world: economically, militarily and politically speaking.

The first issue of conflict could be regarding, an oil pipeline that stretches across Georgia, and eventually extends towards Europe. Considering the fact that oil is one of the main energy sources, this can swell into an oil crisis in European countries. Then as a result of increase in oil prices, inflation will follow causing destabilization of the largest economic institution in the world. If this continues, there will be huge impact on the global economy as a whole, not only with regards to oil price but also other products.

For example, when the 2008 clash between Russia and Georgia occurred, the crude oil prices rose to a whopping $117 per barrel. At that point of time, there was no damage caused to the pipeline whatsoever. However, the pipelines are sure to sustain harm in the event of continued crisis.

Secondly, military conflicts may arise, mainly between two parties; the supporters of Georgia, and those who recognize the independence of the two disputed regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia on the other hand. One of the major supporters of these regions is Russia.

Georgia is, on the other hand, one of the strong allies of United States of America, and has the support of the NATO members also. In fact, Georgia is working towards a NATO membership and when this issue was put to vote in a national referendum, nearly 77% of those present voted for it. At the present though, Georgia is not a member of NATO, so there are no obligations on the Western countries to come to its defense. Also, Georgia so far has asked for diplomatic but not military assistance from the West. However if Georgia becomes a member of NATO, it could result in a possible return of the “Bloc Wars”- NATO members vs The Russian federation.

Thirdly, it will set a wrong precedent for other independence movements; for instance, Republic of Chechnya in The Russian Federation, in terms of the violent ways adopted to accomplish the purpose.

The paradigm which I have in mind is probably quite different in situation and background in contrast; however it brings to light the contagious nature of such revolutions and the influence it has on future nationalist revolutions.

The recent events in Tunisia, which involve protests against the corrupt bureaucracy, has led to a wave of similar movements across the Middle Eastern Region with countries like Egypt, Yemen and Bahrain having their own bourgeois uprisings. As people from all over the world witness the huge success of the Egyptian protests, with regards to the political issue at hand, people with similar issues in their own nation states might be inspired to bring about positive change in their home environments too. The republics situated in the Southern Caucasus like Chechnya are geographically vulnerable to absorb such credo along with the guerilla tactics employed.

As I already mentioned, Russia is supporting Abkhazia and South Ossetia’s separation from Georgia. In this regard Russia is contradicting its own policies, because they are unwilling to give independence to one of its own republics, Chechnya which had been causing internal and external problems like terrorism for the purpose of their independence. If Russia is encouraging independence movement of other regions in the other country, why can’t Russia first recognize Chechnya as a country, and solve their unrelieved headache?

As this question arises, we can conclude that the support from Russia to those regions (Abkhazia and South Ossetia) could be political calculation and bit of emotion.

In fact, Russia offers Russian citizenship to people who live in Georgia’s breakaway regions and arming separatist forces under president Putin. According to the data, in 1989, only 5% of the population of South Ossetia was Russians. However, as of 2009, about 87.5% of the population have acquired Russian citizenship. Regards to Russian constitutional law, the legal position of Russian passport holders in the disputed regions is as same as the Russian citizens living in Russia. So that, Russia is making a way out from the blame when they use military force/ invade Georgia as in justifying that they are going to protect “their citizen” wherever they are, even though the place is south Ossetia or Abkhazia. In this case, anyone can guess that there must be hidden political calculation of supporting the regions.

Not only offering the citizenship, but also they are providing financial assistance. Russia was supplying two thirds of South Ossetia's annual budget, and one of the gas producing state-controlled company from Russia is building new gas pipeline and other infrastructures, social security institutions and etc have being done by Russia which worth in economical and social aspect in long term. I personally feel that all these supports and assistances are kind of procedure of swallow up the area even after the independence from Georgia.

In the early 90’s, Russia accused Georgia of assisting Chechen separatists. Whichever country would be suspected by Russia helping Chechnya, the suspicion clearly delivered the idea or the policy towards republic of Chechnya, Russia will never think about leaving them as an independent country. The reason behind would be again resource and economical issue, Chechnya has oil pipeline which connects to Europe. If the Russian federation recognizes Chechen as a country, there must be official trade between both countries. For Russia it is lost in long term, becasue to export oil or natural gas to European countries it has to cross Chechnya, then they will obviously ask for commission or any form of payments for using the pipeline which crosses through their territory. It is very similar from the perspective of Georgia’s issue; oil and gas pipeline.

The Ethnic conflict underlying the claims posed by these regions for separate countries must be considered from a serious standpoint. Russia has accused Georgia of committing genocide against the ethnic populations of those regions to subdue their demands for a separate county. But these Russian intelligence reports have not been accepted by USA and other NATO members. But any reason behind, genocide towards any ethnic group is not at all acceptable or justifiable on humanitarian ground. It is violation to fundamental human rights. This matter cannot afford to be overlooked and needs to be of primary concern.

This issue seems to be Georgia’s internal problem in an angle, however it has a lot of factors which could affect other countries in various ways. Therefore, the issue has to be looked upon international perspective and seek for the solution in peaceful manner as soon as possible. There are disputed regions all over, most of the conflicts looks like it has only political issue but it consist almost every matters of life; from economical and social issue, ethnic issue and finally the conflict results in violating human rights at last. There should be effort from both sides and they need international cooperation to find fundamental solution to solve current issue and maintain the harmony in the world.