That time of the year when we have special issues out on all magazines, newspapers and news channels, talking about freedom and what india has achieved and what it has not..

the same old debates every year.. we certainly have not gt freedom from that yet :)

thankfully,  one gets to read other than anything about crime and religion, which is what actually runs media today, .......and then there will be those forwarded msgs.. some jokes and some prose... ppl will cme out with their creative best on this independence day....

till last to last year.. i would be thrilled as well.. would buy a flag.. from one of those children selling it on Delhi streets.... or would search for an old flag i would have kept from previous years.. folded somewhere in the mess that i had in the one room seater of mine ( i thought  i would save up money  that ways.. students in their college days do have to plan out shoe-string budgets.. :)

In the society were i live...  the spirits of children were high.. i think all the `patriotic' bollywood numbers were performed on.. some of these children in fact read out the pledge one is supposed to read everyday during school assembly.. i had long forgotten it.. i could recognize it only by the way it went.. you know there are particular ways of how these school assembly songs and prayers are read out.. all have this particular rhythm to them ....

there were people dressed in tri-colours.. ...

all these celebrations set my skepticism over celebrating independence day aside for  a moment....

there was a sprinkle of innocence to these celebrations.. while i really don't feel like going gaga over independence day... i was tempted to appreciate these celebrations....i guess sometimes it's nice to just not let any funda/ideologies/cynicism  affect ones mood for celebrations.. na?

Като едно от мобилните маркетинг животинчета, послушно се възползвах от това миналия петък, като за целта изрових от нета инфо къде има free wifi и си поставих за цел да проверя къде работи :)

За всички вас, миуи мишуета, които планират своя i day през следващите месеци, ето ги листнати тук долу:

Един линк с карта на свободните точки - тук

И малко мързелива информация за тези, на които не им се рови:

Магазини с wi-fi

Mall of Sofia ул. Брегалница 43
Vision ул. Тодор Каблешков 13
TM Auto Toyota бул Цариградско шосе 163

Заведения с wi-fi

Pizza Hut www.pizzahut.bg/
J.J. Myrphy’s jjmurphys-sofia.com/
Before & After - ул.Христо Белчев 12 - www.club-cabaret.net
Tifany - ул.Денкоглу 12-14
Fox & Hound - ул. Ангел Кънчев 36
Вино Бар - Цар Овободител 7
АРТ КЛУБ МУЗЕУМ ул. Съборна 2
АПАРТАМЕНТ 52 ул. Парчевич 52
БЛЕК ЛЕЙБЪЛ бул. Цар Освободител 7
БРЕК ПОЙНТ ул. Георги С. Раковски 184
БУДА БАР ул. Леге 15
ВЕГЕТАРИАНСКАТА КЪЩА бул. Патриарх Евтимий 10
КАРГО ул. Съборна 11
КЪЩАТА С ЧАСОВНИКА ул. Московска 15
ЛАВАЦА КЛУБ бул. Витоша 13
МЕДИТЕРАНИ ул. Цар Иван Шишман 37
ОНДА бул. Цар Освободител 8А
ОПЕРА ул. Георги С. Раковски 113
ПАРЛАМЕНТ ул. Добруджа 9
ПЧЕЛА ул. Свети Седмочисленици 2
РЕТРО ул. Росарио 1 (в парк-хотел Витоша)
СПИРИТ ж.к. Люлин 9, бл. 959
ЧЕКПОЙНТ ЧАРЛИ ул. Иван Вазов 12
ЧЕРВИЛО бул. Цар Освободител 9
ЪПСТЕЪРС бул. Витоша 18

Бензиностанции OMV с wi-fi

Ломско шосе бул. Ломско шосе 2
Малинова долина Околовръстен път
Корабче бул. Цариградско шосе
Мусагеница бул. Д-р Г. М. Димитров
Автокам бул. Ботевградско шосе
Черен кос кв. Княжево
Младост Цариградско шосе - Младост
Бъкстон бул. Бъкстон
Пробива ул. Гюешево 83

Платени wi-fi зони в София

1. WiFi McDonalds
2. Гранд Хотел София (326 m)
3. WiFi McDonalds (413 m)
4. WiFi Mcdonalds - срещу ЦУМ (484 m)
5. WiFi Mcdonalds - Тодор Александров (856 m)

Хотели с wi-fi

ДАУНТАУН бул. Васил Левски 27
ЛАЙТ ул. Веслец 37
ЛОЗЕНЕЦ ул. Свети Наум 23
РАДИСЪН пл. Народно събрание 4
Хотел Родина бул. Тотлебен 8
Грандхотел София Гурко 1

Инфото е от http://internetreklama.com/internet/wifi-zone-sofia/

Аз опитах да се вържа към мрежата на Living Room в парка "Оборище"... и успях... Лошото е, че заведението е в самия край на парка, където няма особено удобни места за сядане и си прекалено близо до паркинга... но въпреки това си струва!

Очаквайте продължение... навила съм си на пръста да разджиткам някоя събота (надявам се тази, която идва) всички централни части на града и да направя подробен репортаж къде кое как работи :)

П>>

For the sports faithful, I-Day means that now we wait for the official recruit list to come out. Usually it takes a day or two to make sure that everyone actually gets sworn in, so hopefully we'll see something by the weekend.

UPDATE: Maybe a lot sooner than the weekend... The basketball recruit list is already out.

And here's the football release.

It wasn't any fault of his own, really. He is the best athlete I've ever known, recruited to play both soccer and lacrosse. When you are that high-profile of a recruit, the detailers already know who you are. Everyone ends up getting some time in the "spotlight" eventually during Plebe Summer, but my roommate had the honor of being first. When the detailers wanted to drop the platoon for pushups, it wasn't unusual to hear the process begin with one of them yelling, "You're just here to play lacrosse!"

Fast forward a few years to 2003. In his book, Recruiting Confidential, David Claerbaut chronicles the college recruiting process experienced by his stepson, Chicago running back James Velissaris. James committed to the Naval Academy, and his family made the trip with him to Annapolis to see him sworn in on I-Day. When it came time to take the oath, though, James didn’t do it. Reading over the commitment papers, he felt that he was only there to play football; to him, that wasn’t reason enough to sign. Velissaris would end up playing for Harvard.

Two different stories, but with similar themes: sports as the primary motivation in choosing to attend the Naval Academy. As I was reading James Velissaris’ story, the same thought occurred to me as when I would hear my Plebe Summer detailers barking at my roommate: is there really anything wrong with that?

June has arrived. It is the time when a select group of high school seniors across the country are about to trade the cap and gown of the graduate for the dixie cup and whiteworks assigned to the Naval Academy’s lowest of the low. Included in this group preparing for the challenge of Plebe Summer are the athletes recruited to fill out the rosters of Navy's several varsity sports. On I-Day, these athletes are going to face decisions of their own. Like James Velissaris, they might find themselves questioning their own motives. They shouldn't. It is perfectly acceptable that being recruited to play a varsity sport would be someone's main attraction to the Naval Academy. It should be expected, and in a lot of ways, encouraged.

Plenty of Academy alums would bristle at that thought. Some of these graduates seem to think that every midshipman-to-be that passes through the gates of USNA does so because each one of them is driven to have a career as a Navy or Marine Corps officer. Some of them are. Or at least they think they are. Let's be real, now; how many 18 year-olds coming straight out of high school really have any idea what it means to be an officer in the Naval Service? I am a third-generation Academy graduate and spent my entire childhood surrounded by all things Navy. I thought I had a pretty good idea going into I-Day. It took all of 15 minutes of Plebe Summer for me to realize that I didn't know squat. If most grads would take an honest look at their own experience, they'd probably admit the same thing. If a person doesn't truly understand what being a Naval officer entails, then he can't truly be dedicated to a Naval career from day one. It's unfair to expect otherwise.

In fact, the Navy itself doesn't expect it. Have you seen Navy advertising on television? A recent Navy ad shows three Navy officers who turned their Navy experience into successful civilian careers. All branches of the military use college money and other benefits to bring people to the recruiting office. The Marine Corps sells itself as an exclusive club. It's true, obviously; but it's also secondary to to what being a Marine really means.

There is a bit of a double standard at work here, too. Many of the same graduates and onlookers who cringe when a recruit says that he came to play football have no problem with other reasons that a midshipman might give. I don't think I've ever heard anyone complain when a mid says that he came to USNA for the quality of the education. When someone comes to Annapolis because his father or brother or sister did, it's generally regarded as a heartwarming nod to family tradition. How are these reasons any different? The Naval Academy does a lot to make itself attractive to applicants as a school. Athletics are a part of that, as are academic programs, extracurriculars, traditions, etc. Coming for any of these reasons is no different than coming to play a sport. None of them are the same thing as saying, "I want to be a Navy or Marine Corps officer."

Those who question the mindset of these soon-to-be midshipmen need to remember the mission of the institution. It is not the job of the high school senior to be dedicated to a career of naval service; it is the job of the Naval Academy to motivate him to do so. As long as coaches are upfront with kids on the recruiting trail about the challenge that lies ahead, there really is no bad reason to come to USNA. That's why the Navy is comfortable advertising about how it can help jumpstart a civilian career. Those who want to use their Navy experience to do so, can. But some of those people brought in by that ad might find that a Navy career is more rewarding than they realized, and they'll stick around for a while. There's a cliche at the Academy about how the guys who'd swear they would be in for life end up getting out as soon as their commitment is up, and the guys who'd swear they would get out as soon as possible end up becoming admirals. There's some truth to that; no matter what you think going in, it isn't until you've actually experienced the life of a Naval officer that you'd know if it is for you. Very few of these young men and women about to take the oath really know what's waiting for them on the other side, but they're willing to give it a try. The country needs people who are willing to give it a try, even if it doesn't always work out in the end.

We should be thankful for each and every one of those who will raise their right hand on June 27th, regardless of why they're doing it.