Vivekananda's Quotes 

Go on bravely. Do not expect success in a day or a year. Always hold on to the highest. Be steady. Avoid jealousy and selfishness. Be obedient and eternally faithful to the cause of truth, humanity, and your country, and you will move the world. Remember, it is the person, the life, which is the secret of power--nothing else. Keep this letter and read the last lines whenever you feel worried or jealous. Jealousy is the bane of all slaves. It is the bane of our nation. Avoid that always.

Letter to Dr. Nanjunda Rao. From New York: 

April 14, 1896. Complete Works, 5.108.

Kashmir Conflict - Timeline

From 1947 to 2002

August 15, 1947 - India and Pakistan gain independence from Britain.

October 27, 1947 - Kashmir becomes part of India.

January 1948 - India and Pakistan go to war over Kashmir and finally agree to withdraw all troops behind a mutually agreed ceasefire line, later known as the Line of Control.

August 5, 1965 - India and Pakistan at war again over Kashmir. The war ends when both countries decide to adopt a UN-sponsored resolution to stick to the Line of Control.

May 7, 1999 - The Indian Army patrols detect intruders on Kargil ridges in Kashmir. India fights to regain lost territory.

March 19, 2000 - Then U.S. President Bill Clinton arrives in India, beginning his six-day visit to South Asia, partly in an attempt to ease relations between Pakistan and India over the disputed region of Kashmir.

July 25, 2000 - Hizbul Mujahedeen, a pro-Pakistan Kashmiri militant group, declares a unilateral ceasefire for three months in Jammu and Kashmir.

August 3, 2000 - India begins peace talks with Hizbul Mujahedeen, in Srinagar.

August 8, 2000 - Hizbul Mujahedeen calls off its 2-week-old ceasefire and orders its forces to resume fighting against Indian troops.

November 19, 2000 - Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee announces that security forces will suspend combat operations against militants in Jammu and Kashmir state during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

27 November 2000 - India puts a ceasefire into effect in Kashmir.

December 23, 2000 - Pakistan-based guerrilla group, Lashkar-e-Taiba, claims responsibility for a deadly attack on New Delhi's historic Red Fort.

February 22, 2000 - Prime Minister Vajpayee extends the unilateral ceasefire by three months.

April 27, 2001 - An executive from Kashmir's separatist All Parties Huriyat Conference (APHC), which claims to be the premier political representative of the Kashmiri people, rejects an Indian offer for a dialogue.

May 23, 2001 - India ends a six-month military ceasefire against Islamic guerillas in Kashmir while also inviting Pakistani military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, to peace talks aimed at ending five decades of hostilities between the two countries.

May 28, 2001 - India's peace negotiator for Kashmir, Krishan Chander Pant, visits the territory to meet a cross-section of people from Pakistan and Kashmir.

India refuses to yield any ground in talks and insists that the territory is an integral part of India and rejects Pakistan's calls for a referendum on the future of Kashmir.

May 28, 2001 - Pakistan's military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, formally accepts an Indian invitation for summit talks focused firmly on the Kashmir dispute.

June 18, 2001- Pakistan's military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, announces a visit to India from July 14 to 16 for the first summit talks between the neighboring states in two years.

June 20, 2001 - Musharraf dismisses President Rafiq Tarar as the nation's ceremonial head of state, dissolves the national and provisional assemblies and declares himself as new Pakistani president.

July 4, 2001 - India says it is releasing more than 400 Pakistani prisoners from its jails as a goodwill gesture 10 days ahead of the India-Pakistan summit meeting in New Delhi.

July 4, 2001 - President Musharraf issues an executive order, giving the president boundless powers through a newly devised National Security Council.

July 14-16, 2001 - President General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee meet in Agra, India for a three-day summit. The talks fail to produce a joint statement on Kashmir.

July 24, 2001 - Abdul Hamid Tantray, chief spokesman of the Hizbul Mujahadeen, one of Kashmir's largest militant groups, dies in what Indian authorities call an "encounter" with police in the village of Paloo.

August 8, 2001 - India imposes an indefinite curfew in Jammu as tension runs high in the city after the massacre of 11 people at a railway station.

October 1, 2001 - Militants attack the Kashmiri assembly in Srinagar, leaving 38 people dead. Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah urges the Indian government to launch a crackdown on militant training camps across the border in Pakistan.

October 18, 2001 -- The United States says its campaign against terrorism will pursue Kashmiri militants.

December 13, 2001 - Unidentified men attack the Indian parliament in New Delhi. Fourteen people are killed, including the five assailants.

December 20, 2001 - The Indian army deploys troops on its border with Pakistan in the northern states of Kashmir and Punjab in response to a Pakistani troop build-up across the frontier.

December 25, 2001 - Pakistan detains the leader of an Islamic organization blamed by India for the suicide attack on the Indian parliament.

December 27, 2001 - Indian police verify reports that a group of al Qaeda members led by a close associate of Osama bin Laden entered Kashmir.

January 2, 2002 - India stops long-distance calls from all public telephone offices in Kashmir to prevent militants from communicating with each other.

New Delhi tells Pakistan to wipe out Pakistan-based Kashmir separatist groups Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad. Row triggers military build-up, diplomatic sanctions, and closure of transport links.

January 7, 2002 - After weeks of heated rhetoric, accusations and military posturing, Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee says at the South Asian Regional Cooperation meeting in Kathmandu, Nepal, that his nation is ready for "dialogue" with its fellow nuclear power.

January 9, 2002 - A siege between Indian troops and two militants holed up in a mosque in Kashmir ends after one of the gunmen was killed and the other surrendered.

January 11, 2002 - India's army chief says the nation is ready for war with Pakistan and would use its nuclear weapons if its neighbor were to launch a nuclear strike first.

January 13, 2002 - Welcoming Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's pledge to crack down on religious extremists, India says it will judge its neighbor's actions before it begins a military de-escalation or resumes dialogue.

January 13, 2002 -- Two suspected militants were shot dead after they allegedly tried to attack a paramilitary camp in Srinigar.

January 16, 2002 - U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell visits Islamabad on the first stage of a South Asian tour designed to kickstart a dialogue between India and Pakistan.

January 21, 2002 - Unidentified gunmen kill eight members of a family including several women and children in a small village in Kashmir.

February 4, 2002 - The radical Kashmiri group Jaish-e-Mohammed suspend operations in the rest of India in order to focus on Kashmir.

February 17, 2002 - Militants kill eight Hindus in Kashmir.

February 25, 2002 - India's parliament resumes for the first time since a suicide attack in December with a new strategy from the government on Kashmir designed to stamp out terrorism.

March 25, 2002 - A Kashmiri separatist leader was arrested under an anti-terrorism law in connection with the seizure of large sums of cash India says was smuggled into the region from Nepal by two activists.

May 14, 2002 - Suspected Islamic militants open fire on an army camp in Indian Kashmir, killing at least 30 people and wounding 40, marring a new effort to ease the tension between India and Pakistan.

May 17, 2002 - A blast rips through the capital of Kashmir as India's parliament debates how to respond to an earlier deadly attack in the disputed region.

May 19, 2002 - Fourteen people, including eight security personnel, were killed and 17 injured in fresh rebel attacks Kashmir.

May 20, 2002 - Three Pakistani villagers were killed after Pakistani and Indian troops traded fire across their tense border in Kashmir, a Pakistani official said.

May 21, 2002 - Gunmen open fire on a meeting of Indian Kashmir's main separatist Hurriyat alliance, killing separatist leader Abdul Gani Lone.

May 22, 2002 - A Pakistani girl was killed and three people wounded as Indian and Pakistani forces face off in Kashmir trade fire. India Prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee heads for India's front lines.

Ref: http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/south/05/24/kashmir.timeline/index.html

Cure for cancer - Imitinef Mercilet or Imatinib mesylate - medicine for Blood Cancer

I just came to know about this amazing new medicine which is able to treat CLL type of Blood Cancer. I have no clue what this terms mean at this point. But I am just publishing this information with proper link to the source of the news in this blog. This might help those invisible readers (if any) of my blog.

--------------------
I first came across this news in a email forwarded by a friend. Before proceeding to fwd it to other people I did some google search on the topic. I found 2 responses which looks genuine.

----------------------http://www.hoax-slayer.com/free-blood-cancer-medicine.shtml --
Outline
Message advises recipients that "Imitinef Mercilet", a medicine that cures blood cancer, is available free of charge from the Adyar Cancer Institute in Chennai, India.
Brief Analysis
The Adyar Cancer Institute is a real health facility. "Imitinef Mercilet" is apparently an alternative spelling of the cancer drug, Imatinib mesylate. It is true that Imatinib (or "Imitinef") is available free of charge for patients who have been admitted to the Adyar Cancer Institute hospital for cancer treatment. However, the Institute is not handing out the drug freely to all as suggested in the message. Moreover, the drug does not actually cure all blood cancers as claimed in the message.

Example

Subject: Free Medicine for Blood Cancer!!!! Please don't delete this without forwarding

Dear all,

I have forwarded it to the maximum I can.

Let it reach the 110 crores Indians and the remaining if any.

Put yourself, if you or your brother or sister or your mom and dad or any x, y, z near you, got affected, then how u would have reacted, think it, Forward it.

'Imitinef Mercilet' is a medicine which cures blood cancer. Its available free of cost at "Adyar Cancer Institute in Chennai". Create Awareness. It might help someone.

Forward to as many as u can, kindness cost nothing.

----------
Detailed Analysis
According to this message, India's Adyar Cancer Institute is distributing, free of charge, a medicine named 'Imitinef Mercilet' that cures blood cancer. The message is circulating rapidly via email and is also making its way around the Internet via blogs, forums and social networking websites.

The Adyar Cancer Institute is a real health facility located in the city of Chennai, India and, as its name implies, it indeed specializes in cancer treatment and research. The Adyar Cancer Institute has achieved great results in the treatment and research of cancer since its establishment in 1954.

I contacted a spokesperson at the Adyar Cancer Institute to ask about the veracity of the message. He sent me the following reply:

Only the Part of this message is true. The medicine Imitinef is available free for only qualified persons and not for all. It is free for those who have admitted in the hospital for treatment.

'Imitinef Mercilet' is apparently an alternative spelling of the drug Imatinib mesylate which is used in the treatment of some forms of leukemia along with other types of cancer. Imatinib, often referred to a "Gleevec", has proved to be an effective treatment for some forms of cancers. However, "blood cancer" is a generalized term for cancers that affect the blood, lymphatic system or bone marrow. The three types of blood cancer are listed as leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. These three malignancies require quite different kinds of treatments. While drugs (including Imatinib), along with other treatments such as radiation can help to slow or even stop the progress of these cancers, there is currently no single drug treatment that can be said to actually cure all such cancers.

Moreover, it should be noted that Imatinib is available for cancer patients in many different health facilities around the world, not just the Adyar Cancer Institute.

Thus, although there are some elements of truth to this message, its is also potentially misleading and contains inaccurate information.

Imatinib is a drug used treat certain types of cancer. Imatinib works by overcrowding an abnormal enzyme feature of the disease. Imatinib is the first accepted drug to directly turn off the signal of a protein well-known to cause a cancer. Imatinib is swiftly engrossed when given by mouth, as well as is highly bioavailable: 98% of an oral dose reach the bloodstream. Metabolism of imatinib occur in the liver .Though the long-term side effects of imatinib contain not yet been ascertain, research suggests that it is usually very in good health tolerated. Broadly, side effects such at the same time as edema, nausea, rash and musculoskeletal pain are general but soft.Hhardly ever it has been associated by means of damage to heart muscles.


References
Adyar Cancer Institute
Imatinib mesylate
What is Blood Cancer?


---------------------------

- Response of a person at a forum about this news being hoax----
@ http://www.healthcaremagic.com/community/Cancer/IMITINEF-MERCILET/76773

Re: IMITINEF MERCILET

That is not a hoax.
But med is effective for CLL type blood cancer only.
Contact number: 044 22350131.
It is free of cost but only for poor patients.

I've confirmed it myself.

police

Reference: www.rediff.com

Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and Ayaskant Das
As far as the states are concerned, the acceptance of the seven directives of the Supreme Court to reform policing has been uneven at best or, at worst, ignored completely, say Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and Ayaskant Das.

The image of the policeman in popular Indian cinema has hardly changed over the decades. He is either a bungling buffoon. Or he is corrupt to the core. The honest cop who is also efficient is hard to find -- and even he is certain to be in a woefully small minority in a battalion where jokers and crooks proliferate.

Compared to many countries the number of police personnel per person in India is quite low: Roughly 130 for every 100,000 residents, against around 350 in the United States, Australia, Thailand and Malaysia, over 550 in Italy, 280 in South Africa and 180 in Japan. The norm suggested by the United Nations is 220 per 100,000.

The issue is not merely the number but the quality of people who become part of the police force, the facilities provided to them and, perhaps most importantly, the laws that govern policing -- laws that are, at least in India, frequently subverted and manipulated by politicians and bureaucrats holding positions of power and authority.

It is common knowledge that the Indian Police Act, 1860, was formulated by the colonial rulers of the country to check mass uprisings that started with the revolt of 1857, which the British described as the 'Sepoy Mutiny' and nationalist historians called the 'First War of Independence'.

After 1947, there was widespread consensus across different sections of Indian society that the colonial act would have to be amended and comprehensive reforms ushered in to improve the system of policing in a democracy. Unfortunately, despite the recommendations of many commissions and expert bodies appointed by the central and state governments over the years, very little has been achieved in reforming the policing system.

Policing is a subject listed under the state list in the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India and hence, it is largely the prerogative of state governments to bring about policing reforms. As for Union territories, there has been a persistent demand from civil society organisations that the Union government take the lead in enacting a new police law or a Model Police Act (MPA) for all Union territories based on directions that were laid down by the Supreme Court.

On September 22, 2006, the Supreme Court of India delivered a historic judgment in the Prakash Singh vs Union of India case (on the basis of a petition that had been moved a decade earlier) instructing the central and state governments to comply with a set of seven directives to reform policing in the country. One of these directives concerned the Union government, namely, to establish a National Security Commission.

The court sought to achieve two broad sets of objectives: First, to ensure functional autonomy for the police through security of tenure, streamlined appointments and transfer processes and the creation of a 'buffer body' between the police and the government and to enhance accountability of the police at an organisational level and also to curb individual misconduct.

The Supreme Court required all governments, at the Centre and in the states, to comply with the seven directives by the end of 2006 and to file affidavits of compliance by January 3, 2007. Whereas a few state governments complied with the directives on time through executive orders, there were many that were vehemently opposed to the directives and perceived these to be measures that would erode the autonomy of state governments.

The short point: As far as states are concerned, the acceptance of the seven directives of the Supreme Court has been uneven at best or, at worst, ignored completely.

Prakash Singh, former director general of the Border Security Force and the Uttar Pradesh police, told rediff.com that the states that have been the "most defiant" in accepting the directives of the Supreme Court are Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. The Bihar government has enacted a "perverse law that makes a mockery of the Supreme Court directives" while Uttar Pradesh has "perhaps been the worst in implementing the directives while making contrary claims."

Mr Singh added that certain states in north-east India such as Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram had promptly accepted the directives of the court but were tardy in implementation. "Rajasthan has passed the best law but this has not yet been implemented," he said.

The Union government formed a Police Act Drafting Committee (PADC) in 2005 under the chairmanship of Soli Sorabjee, the eminent jurist and former attorney general of India. The PADC submitted a proposition for a Model Police Act, MPA, in October 2006, the broad scheme of which was endorsed by the Second Administrative Reforms Commission, ARC, set up by the central government under the chairmanship of Veerappa Moily (who is now the Union law minister).

In its review of the system of policing and criminal justice, the ARC had suggested a few additional provisions in the proposed MPA, notably a penalty for illegal orders that were tantamount to interference in investigation by the police and obstruction of justice.

In September 2009, Union Home Secretary G K Pillai requested Delhi Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna to send a legislative proposal for amendments to the Delhi Police Act, 1978, in conformity with the directions of the Supreme Court and the provisions of the MPA. In February 23 this year, the lieutenant governor forwarded a draft Delhi Police (Amendment) Bill, 2010, to the home ministry. This bill was also placed in the public domain for comments and objections.

Three civil society organisations keenly interested in police reforms -- Common Cause, the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, CHRI, and the Foundation for Restoration of National Values, FRNV -- did an independent study of the bill. They arrived at the conclusion that it is practically impossible to overcome the inherent limitations of the Delhi Police Act, 1978 through the amendment route.

These organisations have argued that the proposed amendments cannot give the Delhi Police Act 1978, adequate teeth to meet the contemporary needs of policing in the context of a hostile security environment, mounting social tensions and rapid urban expansion. Several eminent citizens echoed similar views at a workshop organised by the Bureau of Police Research & Development on April 10 in New Delhi.

The three civil society organisations have jointly drafted an alternate bill that has, among other provisions, provided for well-defined structures that would ensure operational autonomy of the police force along with institutional arrangements to assess performance and enforce accountability. The alternate bill seeks to clearly define the role, functions, duties and responsibilities of police personnel vis-a-vis other civilian authorities.

The alternate bill seeks to enhance levels of professionalism and leadership qualities in the police force through regular training and also by improving the infrastructure and facilities made available -- transport, computerised databases, communication networks, modern weapons, better police stations and so on.

The alternate bill emphasises core police functions and duties and argues for the need to phase out non-core functions to state and local institutions in accordance with the intent and provisions of the Constitution of India. It also argues for transparent procedures for recruitment, promotion and redressal of grievances and suggests various welfare measures for the lower ranks of police personnel.

The alternate bill was given on May 3 to Home Secretary Pillai who is known to be in favour of many of these suggestions for reforming the country's police system. Whether legislators would be responsive is another story altogether.

Real Reason behind India's freedom

I just found this link .. a very interesting and convincing analyses of the streak of events that followed from 1942 to 1947 and that finally led to India's freedom from British Rule.

Please read on..

http://folks.co.in/2009/10/who-brought-freedom-gandhi-or-netaji/

Indo-US ties: A 26-Point Agenda

Tarun Das, former chief mentor of The Confederation Of Indian Industry (CII), suggests a charter of action for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to US--- a report from TOI

Over five decades of distance and mistrust have been gradually replaced by an evolving friendship and partnership, cooperation and collaboration between India and the US. There is still much distance to travel because mutual suspicions still remain in different corners of the bilateral relationship. The visit of PM Manmohan Singh to the US could be the right time to move ahead, together. Here’s an A to Z roadmap for going forward
Aviation: Going beyond the few direct, non-stop flights connecting India and US,there should be 20 non-stop flights daily connecting different cities on both sides.
Business:The target for this,taking trade and investment, should be $100 billion (to move forward to $200 billion). We should have a bilateral investment treaty and an online portal for small enterprises on both sides to connect. The India-US CEO forum must make these happen.
Climate: There should be collaboration in energy and environment beyond where it is today. A private sector-led Indo-US Climate Change Centre would make sense, adding to the Green Business Centre (GBC) in Hyderabad which focuses on Indo-US cooperation in energy efficiency. C is also for capital markets, for cooperation in financial regulation, corporate governance, insider trading issues, etc.
Defence: A beginning has been made but progress is slow because of concerns and insecurities. This cooperation is critical for international security and must go beyond expanding dialogue, defence purchase by India, joint exercises and a somewhat flexible offset policy against US defence sales to India.
Education: The 100,000 plus Indian students in US could be raised by 50%; Indian investment in top American universities is desirable. American institutions also need to open in India. There should be cooperation in disabilities training, vocational education, curriculum flexibility and student-level exchanges.
Food: With 60% of India in the villages, the Green Revolution with US partnership in the 60s needs revisiting. This time, the focus should be on R&D, technology, productions, storage, warehousing, distribution, nutrition and high value agriculture. An industry-led Indo-US Institute of Agribusiness Management and Technology makes sense.
Going Green: Green factories, green homes, green schools, green buildings all of this should drive our environment agenda. The Indian Green Building Council and the US Green Building Council partnership is the foundation for this.
Healthcare: This is beyond medical tourism. India’s challenges to provide quality healthcare to a billion-plus means upgrading hospital standards, expanding training, developing R&D, NGO collaboration, all of which represent a massive joint agenda for mutual benefits.
Infrastructure: With India set to spend $500 billion on building infrastructure like roads, ports, railway, airports, etc, US participation through investments, sale of equipment, consultancy, and training, is crucial. A joint group on infrastructure needs to go beyond the macro and work on the micro and implement projects.
Judiciary: The American judicial experience, technology and systems would help immensely to clear the backlog of cases and usher in best practices.
Knowledge: This includes technology transfer, intellectual property rights (IPR) protection, innovation, nanotechnology, standards, all of which result in deep exchanges and mutual development at lower costs.
Leadership: Partnerships such as the one between Aspen Institute, USA and Aspen Institute, India, should be replicated to help build value-based young leaders using a unique methodology and encompassing all segment of society.
Media: And, of course, entertainment. The film industries of the two countries are the biggest in the world and cooperation is just about beginning. The potential here is huge.
Nuclear: The nuclear agreement dominated the bilateral landscape for over three years. It’ s now time to implement and establish, jointly, nuclear power plants that will promote clear energy.
0 not including mnipatient to lecture to : Or listen each to endure to other each . It all other will things be and a , new experience for both Indians and Americans. To be patient. To try to understand. To learn to trust.
People: People to people links have happened long before the two governments developed links or did businesses. It needs to be enlarged. India centres in American cities are required.
Quest: For R&D, space exploration, underwater exploration, ocean development technology, weather forecasting and much more that need to be central to the bilateral agenda.
Reforms: Both nations need these to happen, in a calibrated way and through consultation and collaboration. It should happen across economy and society. Two open democracies can support each other in minimizing mistakes and help make the future more stable.
Security: It’s an essential cooperation to deal with terrorism. It involves sharing intelligence and technology, training and equipment.
Training: Good training of both young and the old would empower people of the both countries. It’s an enormous area of potential partnership.
United Nations: History shows years of differences between India and US at UN. It’s time now to bridge the gap and help frame consensus on global issues. US support for India for a permanent seat on the UNSC would help move the process.
Visas:Actually,it’s more than just visas; it’s about freer travel both ways, especially since more and more Americans are relocating to India for work. The vision should be to converge on systems and standards and aim to reach a visa-free regime.
Water: The key to security of people, especially the poor, is access to safe drinking water. In the US, even tap water is safe to drink. Indians must have the same facility and the US can assist.
Xenogogue: This means guide. The two countries must evolve their strategic partnership to a level where, mutually, the role of guide is performed by each for the other.
Youth: That’s the future. The next generation. To harness the young Indians network and build connectivity with US counterparts and chart out future.
Zenith: Or the peak. President Obama and PM Manmohan Singh can take the Indo-US relationship to a new peak. This is the real possibility.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ref:-

(http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOI&BaseHref=TOIKM/2009/11/23&PageLabel=15&EntityId=Ar01500&ViewMode=HTML&GZ=T)

How to win Noble Peace Prize in just 12 days!!

To all those readers who care to read this blog......

Here is a report from Fox News and their analysis on how President Obama won the Noble Prize within his first 12 days of Presidency. The facts are daunting .. and I expect that Dale Carnegie would re-written his best seller "How to win friends and influence people" .

Check this out .....
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tommy De Seno, FOXNews.com, October 09, 2009

Let’s take a look at the president’s first 12 days in the White House according to his public schedule to see what he did to deserve a Nobel Peace Prize.

Editor's Note: Although President Obama had only been in office for 12 days before the nominations for this year's Nobel Peace prize closed the entire process actually takes a full year. According to the official Nobel Prize Web site invitation letters are sent out in September. Every year, the Norwegian Nobel Committee sends out thousands of letters inviting a qualified and select number of people to submit their nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize. The deadline to submit nominations is February 1. -- Two hundred five names were submitted for the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, 33 of which are organizations. A short list of nominees is prepared in February and March. The short list is subject to adviser review from March until August. At the beginning of October, the Nobel Committee chooses the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates through a majority vote. The decision is final and without appeal. The names of the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates are then announced."

Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize this morning. Over the last decade the only requirement to win the prize was that the nominee had to be critical of George W. Bush (see Al Gore, Mohamed El Baradei and Jimmy Carter).

President Obama has broken new ground here. Nominations for potential winners of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize ended on February 1. The president took office only 12 days earlier on January 20.

Let’s take a look at the president’s first 12 days in the White House according to his public schedule to see what he did to deserve a Nobel Peace Prize:

January 20: Sworn in as president. Went to a parade. Partied.

January 21: Asked bureaucrats to re-write guidelines for information requests. Held an “open house” party at the White House.

January 22: Signed Executive Orders: Executive Branch workers to take ethics pledge; re-affirmed Army Field Manual techniques for interrogations; expressed desire to close Gitmo (how’s that working out?)

January 23: Ordered the release of federal funding to pay for abortions in foreign countries. Lunch with Joe Biden; met with Tim Geithner.

January 24: Budget meeting with economic team.

January 25: Skipped church.

January 26: Gave speech about jobs and energy. Met with Hillary Clinton. Attended Geithner's swearing in ceremony.

January 27: Met with Republicans. Spoke at a clock tower in Ohio.

January 28: Economic meetings in the morning, met with Defense secretary in the afternoon.

January 29: Signed Ledbetter Bill overturning Supreme Court decision on lawsuits over wages. Party in the State Room. Met with Biden.

January 30: Met economic advisers. Gave speech on Middle Class Working Families Task Force. Met with senior enlisted military officials.

January 31: Took the day off.

February 1: Skipped church. Threw a Super Bowl party.

So there you have it. The short path to the Nobel Peace Prize: Party, go to meetings, skip church, release federal funding to pay for abortions in foreign countries, party some more.

Good grief.

Read more Tommy De Seno at www.JustifiedRight.com