TOILETS NOT STAR WARS

• This is what the sleeper car looks like that I have been riding throughout India. I sleep on the top rack. The car is air conditioned and the curtains close. Not alot of room to move around but more comfortable than you might think.

• India is a nuclear power but 79% of the rural population and 46% of city-dwellers have no toilets. You wonder how the country can afford to join the U.S. Star Wars program as a "junior partner"?

• When you wake up on the train workers go up and down the aisle calling out, Chai tea, chai tea"....it really sounds wonderful and the tea tastes great. I've had alot of tea since I've been here and love it.

• India's hosting of the Commonwealth Games has been the big story in the media while here. Corruption appears to have been rampant as money to build and staff the games was diverted off to line the pockets of certain people. The Secretary General of the Commonwealth Games Organizing Committee in India caused quite a stir with his statement that "they [the rest of the world & the media] may have one standard of hygiene and we may have another." Oops!

• The food has been great. I've eaten virtually everything that I am given (those who know me won't be surprised by that). I particularly love the breads.

• Our train arrived three hours late in Jammu from Agra. Sat on the tracks for at least an hour outside the city before heading in for the final leg. I've been reading the book by Admiral Bhagwat called "The Eye Opening As I Saw". A very fascinating learning experience to get the inside view from a high-level military man as he gives his views on U.S. corporate/military strategy; India's surrendering its independence and autonomy to the U.S.; China's role in the world; the oil wars; and a whole lot more. Once I get a chance I'll post some of his golden words.

• I love that expression...the other day in Nagpur a student was asked to sum up my talk, as is the custom, and she thanked me for my "golden" words...... very nice indeed.

• One last thing. I saw a bunch of emails about Obama's Department of Energy running a sub-critical nuclear weapons test. This pretty well indicates that he is absolutely not serious about getting rid of nuclear weapons. One more time he screws his base and he does it right before the November elections. Can anyone doubt that Obama works for the CIA?