Busy day, yet

(Cross-posted on Jacob's Blog.)

I had a very busy schedule yesterday. Even so, just before noon, I had a sudden urge to ring Ilari and Ildiko.



I chose Ildi's number. She answered immediately, her voice bubbling with excitement.

She told me that she and Ilari were waiting outside the Oulu Magistrate's Court room so that they could be married according to Finnish Civil Law. Her family from Hungary and Ilari's family from Oulu were present at this very private occasion.

I conveyed all the best from Annikki and me.

Later in the evening Ildi rang me to tell me all the details. Both Annikki and I were so happy that they have tied that knot which says the union is "for better or for worse" and "till death do them part". We wish them a happy comfortable journey.

Both Ildi and Ilari have become a loved part of our famiy. They are respected members of CHAFF. Ildi, in particular, has taken a large part of my load in helping Finns and foreigners in Oulu.

We will restart of CHAFF meetings on January 7th 2007 as most of the participants who have gone out for Christmas will be back.

This meeting is a special one asd it will be attended by Ildi's family, including her Nobel Peace Prize winning father - a wonderful personality, and her truly beautiful mother.

I am sure that many of you will want to attend to meet this wonderful couple who have raised such a fine character as Ildi.

Let me know, by return, if you are attending. The Pailin Restaurant may be too small for this event.

We may have to organise the location as soon as I know exactly how many of you intend to join us for the restart of CHAFF next Sunday, 7th January 2007 at 13:00 hours.

She is back, 2 months on

(Cross-posted on Jacob's Politics Blog.)

One of the most watched blogs is Baghdad Burning by the Girl Blogger from Iraq. On the eve of the execution of Saddam, she has posted a powerful piece End of another year.

Our heart bleeds for Iraqis like her, who are facing all the hardships that are thrown at them by the war criminals Bush, Cheney and Blair and their cabal of sycophants.

Today morning, after I listened to the news that Saddam had been executed at 6:00 am, I went to the local wholesale market. I met with an old friend, a Christian refugee from Iraq who has a couple of pizzerias here in Oulu. I sat down to talk with him. He shook his head in disbelief of what his fellow countryman had done. He now waits for the reaction.

As has been clearly outlined by the Iraqi Girl Blogger, the Americans deliberately polarised the issue to further promote the chaos in that country.

As she poignantly asks - the only people who benefit from all that has taken place has been Iran.

If Iran is apart of the axis of evil as defined by the US, why are they working so furiously to give them more leverage everywhere? Is it that they need to promote the confrontation between Sunni Saudi Arabia with the Shiite Iran? Further chaos and bloodshed?

I hope that Bush's trial in front of the International Court of Justice will as swift as that they held for Saddam. Luckily, in his case, there will not be any need to "fix" the evidence, as millions of Iraqis will be ready to volunteer evidence and also pull the lever to exterminate this vermin.

But I pray that they do not execute the psychotic madman but that they let him suffer a slow languishing painful death, just as that he has willed on several of his countrymen and millions of Iraqis!

I would to love to hear the ghastly cowardly laugh, not as a smirk but in pain, that he offers up everytime he hears of the death of one of his fellow countrymen or those who oppose him.

Thanks to blogging

Annikki and I greatly missed our girls, their husbands and grandkids this Christmas. They were holidaying in Florida at a place known as Kissimmee on the top end of a very Finnish sounding named lake, Lake Topopekaliga. It is about 50 km inland from Cape Canaveral.

We had a chance to speak to Joanna, Tony and Samuel on Christmas Day using Skype.

Joy and Jaakko in Birminghan

We also spoke to Jaakko and Joy on Christmas day.


Nirupa, Suchi, daughter Susanna, Chitra, daughter Joanna, Nandini. Grandson Daniel looks up at them!


Son-in-law Chris, Dipak, son-in-law Tony, Sajit, Michael


Granddaughter Asha, grandson Danny, Rohan, Anisha, grandson Samuel, Nikhil

But Susanna brought us right up to date with these three pictures from Florida. Thank you dear girl. And Joanna, congratulations - you are looking extremely trim.

Some odd issues of today

Yesterday was a day of waiting, as, despite it being a holiday for their department, the Office of Equipment Loan for Invalids, delivered, and then sent their technician to set up the motorised bed for Annikki's mother.



This is an electrically operated hospital style bed. It will make life much easier for both Annikki and me, and also much more comfortable for Hilja.



As I woke up this morning, I caught site of this glass display set up by Annikki of the beautiful glass objects given to us as presents by several of our Thai friends.

I remember the wonderful collection of glass objects given to her by skilled artists from north Karnataka, at the Mysore Exhibition. Sadly, those objects were destroyed when we left them with our belongings in India in 1984.



This last snap is one which is the cover of Annikki's book, "...for the hour of His judgement is come:...".

This was one of the first books published on the internet, way back in 1995-6.

On Christmas day, I had an email from a young Bangladeshi boy in Bangalore who is suffering the same trauma that Annikki went through over 25 years ago.

The young boy is being played like a violin by unscrupulous lawyers and others as he lives in fear of deportation which will affect his entire life.

He wrote to me a few days ago saying that the lawyer who is handling his case has already decided that there is no hope for him. She is prolonging his agony in Court so that he can complete his studies before being deported.

This, in my mind is criminal behaviour by the lawyer. Justice delayed is justice denied.

I told this youngster that when I was fighting Annikki's case, I did not depend on one strategy. I had at least six different lines of attack to fight for my wife's innocence. Only one depended on the lawyers, who fought the issues based on some of the aspects. I took up the matter with strongly worded petitions which clearly laid out all the facts, to several levels of people, including the Chief Minister and the Home Minister of the State, the Chief of Police, the Finnish Embassy in New Delhi and the Finnish Government in Helsinki, the Indian Central Government Home Ministry, plus the conscience of the Judges involved with the matters. In addition I had high profile individuals who believed in my wife's innocence to help with my petitions. This included well known industrialists, respected persons of the judiciary, and leading politicians who knew us intimately.

Those were not the days of computers. I can still remember sitting many nights penning each petition in a manner that was powerful with words that would move the minds of the strongest of men. I did not depend on typists to write those words. They had to flow from my mind through my veins to the paper to be truly moving. Each powerful stroke of the pen was filled with the innermost emotions of only a man who was possessed with the devotion to justice could put on paper.

It was only this combination of high profiled attacks that ensured that there was no miscarriage of justice. Too many people knew the entire background of the case to make a move which would result in the miscarriage of justice. I did not depend on the media - I was the media as I carried the message to every place that it had to reach!

If one depends on just one line of attack to prove one's innocence, it is just not going to happen.

But, above all, trust in one's Lord and Master of this Universe is required.

That was from where Annikki, with her deep faith, fought her battle from. That was why she received true justice after so much anguish.

Her book, even as I read it for the hundredth time, is truly gripping right till the last chapter!

And every word of that is the true reflection of her faith in a Superior Being.

My heart bleeds for this youngster in Bangalore, but it is impossible for me to fight his case from 7000 km away! But what I can do is pray for him.

Great greetings

Annikki and I got some outstandingly beautiful, some really deeply emotional, and many other types of greetings this year. Each one was viewed and appreciated.

As a tradition as of today, every year we intend to pick out the most unusual one for the blog.

Here, in our legally non-binding, uniquely humble and completely personal opinion, is our choice of the possible winner for this year, which choice may be modified if anything seemingly more unusual is received during the following days of the year, or even during any subsequent period, if it can been shown that it was dispatched during this current year, 2006 and relates to the current year:

Holiday Greetings to everyone !

I wanted to send some sort of holiday greetings, but it is so difficult in today's world to know what exactly to say without offending someone. So I met with my lawyer yesterday and on his advice I wish to say the following:

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender neutral celebration of the winter/summer solstice holiday, practised with the most enjoyable traditions of religious persuasion or secular practices of your choice with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or other traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.

I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2007, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make our country great (not to imply that it is necessarily greater than any other country) and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.

By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms...

This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawals. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.

Yours in spirit.

--
____________ _________ _________ _________ _____
Cosma Papouis

Thank you Catherdralite 54er Zarin Aga for sending us this!

Merry Christmas to all our friends

(Cross-posted on the CHAFF Blog.)

It is Christmas morn. Annikki and my email Inboxes are filled with greetings from all corners of the globe.

63er Stephanian Ajay called me on a Skype video link from his farmhouse in Lund, Sweden. (I was able to see him, but as I am still having a problem finding an economic web camera for my Apple Mac, he could not see me!)

Chaff participant Kannan, who is taking his mother on a pilgrimage called us from Kashi, Varnasi, India.

Chaff participant Tingting checked in from her home town in Northeast China where she reported all the shops were open and brimming with customers.

63er Stephanian Aftab Seth (the twin brother of Roshan Seth who acted as Nehru in the movie "Gandhi") from Japan, 66er NCRTer Christie Robert from Malaysia, 60er Cathedralite Mehfooz Ahmed from Saudi Arabia, 62er Ranko Ivancevic from Cerbia, 95er Oulu University Ramesh Devu from Silicone Valley, California, USA; from India - 57er Cathedralite and 61er Stephanian Ashok (Tony) Jaitly (retired Chief Commissioner in Kashmir) from New Delhi, Cathedralite 59ers Viney Sethi and Vijay Shivdasani from Mumbai, cousin Satish Abraham from Kerala, Catheralites 43er Naval and 54er Armaity Patel from Mysore, etc...., from Finland Rotarian Ville Suomi, Women's Empowerist Ildiko Hamos, Chaff participant Pekka Keranen and family, on and on.... were among those who shared their greetings with both Annikki and me.

This made us feel profoundly humble that so many hundreds of you, of every age group, took the time to share your thoughts of the season with us.

On our part, we have made it a tradition to ask a couple of young foreigners who have no family here in Oulu, to join us for our very simple Christmas meal.

Year-before-last it was a young Tanzanian lady, Christine. Last year it was Kannan. This year we called two youngsters, Benjamen Hayes and Kanchan Gupta.



Benjamin is from Australia. He has been here for a few months. He is all what I call Australian, friendly, outgoing, understanding and a lovely human being.

We have a rule in our home that no gifts are exchanged at Christmas. For us, the time for giving is not one day, but the whole year.

Despite this, Benjamin brought me a CD which he cut of some of really best jazz tunes he has collected. Even as I write this I am listening to the CD "Jazz for Jacob". Forever-lasting melodiies, oldies rendered by many great artistes, as George Benson (Eternally) and Diana Krall's "Cry Me A River".

There is beautiful message on the back cover:

"And promise will come
To those whose kindness,
Leaves you without debt,
And bends the shape
Of things to come,
That haven't happened yet."

These are words of the New Zealand pop star Neil Finn, whose career from 1976 till today has been an inspiration to many, including me.

We had also asked Indian newcomer to Oulu, Bihari Kanchan Gupta, to join us. Unfortunately, he went for a walk on the previous day, fell and hurt his hand. He obviously consumed an overdose of pain-killers, which put him to sleep.

When I rang his doorbell to pick him up, and also rang his mobile several times during the course of the evening, he was in deep sleep and dead to the world.

He woke up after our meal was over, just about midnight, telephoned us, apologetic, but sadly, he missed a feast!



Annikki's mother, now 86, was also in a festive mood wearing the elf's hat, as she enjoyed what delicacies that were on offer.

I prepared the turkey. As I was thinking what filling to make, Annikki, as usual, came up with a most humourous and unusal suggestion. We had a box of chicken wings on the shelf. She suggested I stuff the turkey with that.

We laughed our guts out.

I had fun making a new Christmas dish, roast turkey stuffed with chicken wings beautifully flavoured with herbs and light spices carried in plenty of onions!

The meal was fully traditional Finnish in other ways.

The menu: Apple juice and orange juice to accompany Christmas brown bread made with a trace of molasses syrup, pickled herring, salted salmon slices, freshly tossed salad, potato salad, mushroom salad, turnip casserole, carrot casserole, roast potatoes, and, of course, the roast turkey stuffed with chicken wings! Afters were whipped cream with chocolate swiss roll and Annikki's own Christmas cake, full of all the rich dry fruits. Coffee to end the evening.

Mika, had his fill as well. Annikki's brother, who lives as a hermit in the forest, also landed up on the doorstep. Annikki put him to sleep in the cellar. He slept through the meal but enjoyed it later!

It was a true Christmas spirit as Benjamin had a tour around Annikki's garden and enjoyed the humour and simplistic creativity and beauty of what makes us so happy, day-in and day-out!

We finally thanked our Creator and Maker for all the simple things in life which make us so happy.

But, this year we dearly missed our grandchildren, Daniel, Asha and Samuel, who are holidaying in Florida with their parents!

Welcome to a new Indian in Oulu

Fazila was the first AISEC trainee that came here during our time. She became a fast family friend. Tanya was the next. She seems to have vanished into the billion plus in India.

Now we have a new arrival, Kanchan Gupta.

I met up with him a few weeks ago at the International Festival. But I lost his contact and was hoping he would check in.

I was happy when he called me. We met up a couple of times during the last week as he settles in to life in Oulu.

Kanchan is from Bihar and has also lived in Bangalore.



Welcome Kanchan and have a great time in Oulu.

Annikki and I had a chuckle today morning

The main headline in today's local newspaper was how Finland expects to get 100,000 tourists from India next year.

Knowing how the Finnish Embassy has been handling genuine business visitors from India in issuing them visas, asking them for all sorts of guarantees, banks statements, and other proof that they are not trying to come in settle in their "land of milk and honey", I think the Finnish Embassy will have to increase its staff a hundred fold if they hope to achieve even a tenth of this projection.

Quoting from the first page of our (authored by Annikki and me) book "Handbook for Survival in Finland" published in 1994:

The half-witted comment by a TV announcer describing the Ambassadors attending the reception at the Presidential Palace in December 1992 to celebrate 75 years of Finnish Independence typifies the ignoramus attitude prevailing among some sections of the population. The proud Finn had the audacity to say the Ambassadors must count themselves to be "Lotto Winners" to be posted to this great land. He would be shocked if he had heard what some Ambassadors have said about their experiences in his country.

Further, one Indian like me has been more than enough for the Finns. What if another 100 like me turn up and start asking embarrassing questions?

The Finns will go crazy!

It was only a few years ago that the Finns were talking disparagingly about the "poverty-ridden" India. India was depicted in all the school text books in Finnish schools with cows wandering aimlessly on the streets of big cities!

Former Finnish President Matti Ahtisaari was most insulting about India and its intention not to sign up to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty during one of his visits to India.

Isn't it interesting that just now the US has withdrawn its restrictions on transfer of nuclear technology to India!

The wheel has spun, and spun far from where the Finns thought it would end. They desperately want to be liked by the Chinese and the Indians as they try to get into their bulging pocketbooks!

Another intersting news item from Finland today was about Heikki Kovalainen being chosen to drive for Renault in the next season's Formula 1.

Short Biography of Heikki Kovalainen (from the BBC website)
Born: Suomussalmi, Finland, 19/10/81
Started racing: 1987
2000: Elf Masters karting champion
2001: Formula Renault UK, fourth overall, two wins
2002: Joins Renault driver development programme; five wins in British Formula Three
2004: Nissan World Series champion
2005: GP2 runner-up
2006: Renault F1 test and reserve driver

With Kimi Raikkonen driving for Ferrari, the arrival of this exciting young Finnish driver on the Formula 1 scene is going to be a great boost to race driving in Finland, already one of the most followed sports here.

Absent for almost 11 days

Thanks for all the concern - Annikki and I are quite well.

Both of us have been extremely busy.

I was helping my former school friends, the Mumbai Cathedral School Class of 56 (I am from the Class of 59) to put up their report about their 50th Year Reunion and processed close to 200 photographs and created a 2 hour online slide show for them.

Annikki and me strolling through a park in Rauma.
(Photo by Kannan.)

Oulu is sizzling at the moment. One wonders where winter has vanished. temperatures are in the +3 to +5 C range and with just 12 days to Christmas there is no snow on the ground. The days are dark as without snow the whole landscape becomes dark in the early evening. But just think, in 10 days the days will start getting longer!

Annikki's mother is in the Old People's Home for the interval care. Annikki is enjoying a much needed rest (if she can!). She has also been doing some spring cleaning and we are reducing the junk at home. I have taken a lot of stuff to the Flea Market and every day we have a few loads to put there. Today I will put a lot of old magazines up for sale.

More in a couple of days. Some exciting news may be in the pipeline.

How do they get your money?

After I posted my last blog entry, many of you have asked how these fraudsters get the money out of you when they are offering you money.

Over the years I have researched this very carefully.

I found that they use several techniques.

But, you have to be a real idiot, filled with greed, be in so serious financial difficulties, or believe that God has magically appeared in your life, to be tricked into parting with your money.

And I have met all these types during my time of investigating these fraudsters.

I give below one typical example which the fraudsters use.

These fraudsters work in groups. Sometimes they operate from several locations around the world. The most used method is to string you along with correspondence so as get your confidence you are working with very very senior officers in companies, politicians relatives, banks, lawyers. They show you offices and access in different parts of the world (all bogus).

As they continue the correspondence, they finally offer you several alternatives to get the golden jackpot. To get it, they say that they can transfer the money to any place that you want or that they can send someone with the money to a suitable location, etc.

In each of these cases there are expenses, such as filling out a particular authorisation form that will allow them to transfer the money or providing the money to cover the travel costs of the individual who will carry the money to you, cover the insurance, etc.

Most often used is the need to complete a specific FORM. This FORM X will only be available when you purchase it from the "BANK" which is a bogus BANK. You will be dealing with te "Financial Controller" of this BANK.

The FORM may cost anywhere between Euro 5000 to Euro 20000, depending on how much of a sucker they think you are.

Or the travel bill is usually upto about Euro 10000 to bring you the money.

Once you part with this money, the whole operation vanishes into THIN AIR.

There are several other techniques used by the fraudstaers, and if you are interested, do email me and I can let you have them by return.

But above all, it is GREED that drives people to continue cooperation with these fraudsters. And I think it is best to let those who lose money to suffer their loss!

These fraudsters are dangerous people. Do not fool around with them as they usually have all your sensitive information. You can be compromised in several ways.

BE WARNED.