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CMaaS – Content Management as a Service
I haven't written much about cloud because, frankly, I don't think its as revolutionary as people think and because the demand for it has been largely vendor induced. Whatever you think about cloud however, it is here, it is a driving force, and it will continue to be a conversation topic for a while.
I wrote on a previous article (Cloud and SaaS for dummies), that cloud is like a train: Someone else has to maintain it and make sure it it there on time, all you have to do is buy a single ticket and hop on it when you need it. At least that's the oversimplified theory… For Content Management however, the reality is a bit different: When you get on the train, you don't carry your bookcase, your briefcase and your children's photo albums with you, and you certainly don't leave them there expecting them to be available and in tact next time you hop on the train. You take the train to go from A to B, and you keep your personal belongings with you.
The train analogy works well for Software as a Service (SaaS) cloud models, but not for Content.
The financial argument of SaaS is compelling: Buying software capabilities on demand moves the financial needle from CapEx to OpEx; the total cost of ownership reduces, as support costs & administration skills burden the provider; technology refresh secures ubiquitous access; and economies of scale dramatically reduce infrastructure costs.
Microsoft, Google, Apple, Box, Dropbox and every other ECM and Collaboration vendor, are offering content storage in the cloud – often free – to entice you to move your content off your premises, or off your personal laptop, to a happier, more abundant and more resilient place, which is all good and worthwhile. What isn't good, is the assumption that providing storage in the cloud (or as I've seen it incorrectly mentioned recently "CaaS – Content as a Service"), is the same as providing Content Management in the cloud. It is not!
We (the ECM industry) have fought for years to establish the idea that managing content goes a lot further than just storing documents in a file system. It requires control: Security, versions, asynchronous editing, metadata, taxonomies, retention, integration, immutable flags, workflow, etc. etc. Unfortunately the new fad of EFSS (Enterprise File Synching and Sharing) systems, is turning the clock back: Standalone EFSS environments, are just another way for users to bypass IT and Security controls (Chris Walker articulates this very well in his article You're out of your mind).
Now, before you jump on my throat and tell me that EFSS came about exactly because of the straitjacket that compliance, governance and ECM have put organisations in, let me say, "I know!". I've lived and breathed this industry since it was born, so I understand the issues. However, we (ECM and IG practitioners) risk throwing out the baby with the bathwater: Ignoring EFSS and all other file external sharing mechanisms is dangerous, at best. Blocking them is impractical and unenforceable. Institutionalizing them (as Chris suggests) adds a layer of governance over them, but it does not solve the conflict with the need for secure internal repositories and regulatory control.
So, what if you could have your cake and eat it too? Instead of accepting EFSS as an externally imposed inevitability, why not embrace EFSS within the ECM environment? Here's a revolutionary idea: Why not have an ECM environment that incorporates EFSS capabilities, instead of fighting against them? An ECM repository that provides the full ECM control environment we know and love, as well as keeping content synchronised across all your mobile and desktop devices, so that you can work
I try to stay impartial on my blog and refrain from plugging IBM products, but in this case I cannot avoid the inevitable: IBM Content Navigator offers this today (I don't doubt that other ECM vendors are or will be offering it soon).
What we are starting to see, is the evolution of proper "Content Management as a Service – CMaaS": Not only storing content in a cloud and retrieving it or sharing it, but offering the complete ECM capability, including sync & share, offered as a cloud-based, on-demand, scalable and secure service.
Why should organisations settle for either an on-premise heavy-weight ECM platform, or a light-weight low-compliance cloud-based sharing platform, when they can combine both?
George Parapadakis
Nightmare definitions: What is Information Governance?
Some concepts are extremely difficult to articulate succinctly. Not because we don't understand them, but because they are just too complex. I believe H.L. Mencken said: "For every problem, there is a solution that is simple, elegant and wrong".
Take the example of Enterprise Content Management. A 25-year old industry and a multi-million software market. Every few months, we will invariably have another debate on what the correct definition should be, what it encompasses, if the name should be changed, how it overlaps with other terms, etc. etc. Yet, most people understand pretty well what it is.
Enter… Information Governance
If you haven't yet, please read Barclay T. Blair's ebook: "Making the Case for Information Governance". It is an excellent summary of some of the reasons why Information Governance (IG) is important to an organisation. The ebook focuses more on the rationale behind its existence, and much less on its structure and scope. The ebook also reviews some of the existing definitions of IG, by The Economist and by AIIM and proceeds to explain their salient points.
More recently however, BTB presented IG Initiative's attempt to create a simpler definition, validated by a popularity poll and summarized in an attractive infographic:
Information Governance is: The activities and technologies that organizations employ to maximize the value of their information while minimizing associated risks and costs.
I have to be honest and say that I don't like that definition. 99% of people would agree that "Fruit is nutritional, affordable and refreshing, and reduces health risks". That may be a true statement, but it does not make it a good definition of what a fruit is! Ok, I am being facetious, but my point is: The broader the definition the less accurate it is and the less value it adds. The IG Initiative definition above, is both too wide (e.g. analytics and collaboration are used to maximise information value, but they are not in themselves IG tools), and incomplete (e.g. governance involves the people, not just activities and technologies; compliance is another key driver, alongside cost and risk). In my view, this definition, by itself, falls short.
I have to mention that several other people have attempted definitions of IG, and each one has its merits. The one offered by Wikipedia is not too bad, and there are others by Debra Logan at Gartner, IBM, and many other vendors.
Personally, I would err on the side of a slightly longer but more comprehensive definition, that combines the ones mentioned in the ebook and the new one by IG Initiative. Here is my offer:
Information Governance is a framework of people, principles, processes and tools, that defines why, when and how information is managed within an organisation, in order to maximise its value, fulfil obligations, reduce costs and reduce risk.
I would be very interested to hear your feedback on this.
Whichever definition you choose to use however, BTB makes a very valid point in his blog: "…the definition you use is less important than having a common understanding among your IG team". And you will probably need a lot more than 145 characters to achieve that!
Stop comparing Information Governance to Records Management – Take 2!
A debate is a blogger's ultimate reward
Judging by the sheer number of retweets, favorites and comments that I had as a response, I seem to have hit a raw nerve with my last posting on the relationship between Information Governance (IG) and Records Management (RM). Feedback is a great source of knowledge for me. Debate is always good for our industry.
Laurence Hart (@piewords to his friends) was kind enough to specifically comment on my article in his blog. I have a lot respect for Laurence's opinion and always enjoy reading his views, even if we don't always agree. As it turns out, in this instance, we agree more than we disagree.
There are a few things on my original article that I'd like to clarify though, just to avoid ambiguity, and in the process address some of the points that Laurence makes:
"IG is a discipline, not a tool", I wrote…
A few people took exception to that. Nobody disputed the fact, but they assumed that I somehow implied that RM is not a discipline, only a tool: something I never said! I take it for granted that everyone, at least everyone reading these discussions, knows that RM is a discipline too. The point I wanted (and obviously failed) to make was very different: The term Information Governance has been hijacked by a large number of vendors (ECM, eDiscovery, Storage, Security, Big Data, etc.) to peddle their wares. I have seen an inordinate amount of marketing atrocities being perpetrated in the name of Information Governance. My point is that the tools will not sort out the IG problem, it requires a different way of thinking. With hindsight, I can see why people misread what I wrote though.
Divorce Information Governance from the discussion of how it is going to be done
This seems to be Laurence's main contention with my views. Interestingly, I don't think I said that anywhere in my article either, but it must have been implied somehow. Laurence is right: the WHY and the HOW of IG cannot be divorced, of course, otherwise IG will always remain an academic exercise. The point I was making is that IG needs to have a coherent, consistent and complete overview of the principles behind all information management within the organisation. It is the decision making hub. Underneath that hub there are a number of spoke mechanisms that manage different aspects: RM is just one of them; eDiscovery, Classification, Legal Holds, Privacy & Security, Archiving, Application decommissioning, Storage tiering, Location management, etc., are various others. These should all be driven from a single, unified, coherent and authoritative decision making framework, which is what I see as the role of IG.
Of governments and armies…
Laurence, inadvertently perhaps, came up with a much better analogy of the distance between IG and RM. I created a metaphor liking them to Government and school governors, but Laurence compared them to Government and the Military. A much better analogy! The Military has a very specific and defined jurisdiction for enforcing Government policy and law. It has ultimate planning and execution responsibility for military personnel, but it cannot enforce law on civilians (at least not in most democracies, anyhow…). The Government has responsibility for every law in the country, regardless if it applies to civilians or military. Just as IG has responsibility for all decision making for Information Management, RM has responsibility for enforcing some of the functions on some of the overall Information estate.
"That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet"
I am not interested in the semantics of where IG definitions overlap with IM or RM, or the delineation between the policies (WHY), the practices (HOW) or the tools (WHAT WITH). My point is that IG and RM are two different, if overlapping, disciplines and that the functions that I defined in my 8 points in the earlier article, must be addressed by a coherent information governance framework which, historically, has not been an area where traditional RM excels. If you prefer to call that evolving business function a "Holistic RM", "RM Continuum" or "Super RM" or whatever else, I'm not worried about the nomenclature as long as we agree that it needs doing, and that it needs doing properly.
How the other half live…
There was something very paradoxical about the comments on my original article, by the RM community: Inevitably, the experienced, established and professional Records Managers, will object to my simplified definition of RM. They know how much bigger the problem is and most of them have extended their reach and responsibilities to address some of the IG issues within their organisations. Kudos and respect to them. But they see the RM world through rose tinted glasses, because it is the world they have created and influenced.
I, however, am not a Records Manager. I have seen and talked to a lot of organizations where their RM program either does not exist, or is extremely narrow, or very badly implemented, or lives on a folder on a shelf, or a PDF file on the intranet, or manages a spreadsheet fileplan, mapped to a folder structure on a shared drive. Most of these organizations, have an even bigger IG problem: No information disposition program, no unified classification, no automation of anything, no association between security policy and security reality, no mechanisms to address Data Protection, an un-managed email archive that grows exponentially, scores of network drives with debris and "just in case" copies of data, and many many many other issues. These organizations do not have the luxury of a well-established Holistic RM program, or the time to implement one. They have a very real IG itch that needs scratching… And a lot of vendors are quick to exploit that.
In my view, RM will always be a subset of IG. If you understand the bigger scope of IG, and you are already addressing it under an RM moniker, or any other name, then pat yourself on the back. But on the other hand, if you are a CIO looking at IG issues, do not assume that it is RM's problem to sort out. And if you are a records manager, don't assume for a minute that your RM world will not go through a radical transformation, if you try to take on the IG requirements, on top of RM.
Stop comparing Information Governance with Records Management!
Information Governance has been all the rage in the ECM world in the last year. Chris Walker, Laurence Hart, James Lappin, John Mancini, Barclay T. Blair and many other writers whose opinions I respect, are all writing about it.
That, in itself, is a good thing: I've been an advocate of Information Governance for a while now [Data Governance is not about Data] and it's good to see it taking a prominent (and permanent) position in IT dialogue.
As with any other IT topic however, the more we talk about it, the more vague it becomes, and the more confusing and overlapping the definitions get. One of the latest symptoms of this, is the recent dialogue (read these posts by James and Laurence) discussing where Information Governance (IG) sits with Records Management (RM).
The points they are making are valid, but I believe that the premise behind these conversation is fundamentally misplaced, and here's why:
1) Information Governance is a discipline, not a tool. The purpose of IG is to define all aspects of how information is being managed. The purpose of RM is to do the managing of some of that information.
2) According to Corporate Governance and Oversight Council, the information kept under RM's control represents less than 20% of the total information managed by an organisation. IG has responsibility for 100%, including the 20% managed by RM.
3) RM is typically focused on the lifecycle management and protection of unstructured information, mostly documents. IG creates common policies that apply to both structured and unstructured information.
4) RM works with a defined and agreed taxonomy and schedule. IG is perpetually juggling with overlapping policies, laws, cases, security, legal holds, costs and business demands.
5) IG scope includes all information sources: The RM repositories, the other ECM repositories that are not RM platforms, all the SharePoint instances, the live email server(s), the email archive(s), the shared network drives, the personal network drives, the PST files, the data archive system, the notebook C: drives, the cloud drives, the detachable storage drives, those servers that came with the last acquisition and nobody quite knows what is on them, Jim's old desktop, etc., etc.
6) RM tends to accumulate all the information it manages in a centralised, controlled environment. IG does not have that luxury: It needs to assume that most information will be managed in its native environment (unless of course it's information that should explicitly be moved to RM's control).
7) RM has a well defined function: store, classify, protect, secure and dispose of business records. IG has the function of telling RM what should and should not be protected, as well as determining security policies, disposition schedules, data protection risks, storage tier management, archive policies, data ownership, etc., for all other enterprise information.
8) RM stakeholders are mostly records managers and/or compliance managers. IG answers to Compliance, Audit, Security, Legal, IT, Finance and Business Operations – a very different audience with often conflicting interests.
Trying to compare IG and RM is a bit like trying to compare Central Government (or Federal for my US friends) with a local school's governing body. Both have something to govern, one takes direction from the other and… there the similarity ends. Neither one is a replacement for the other.
And I'll finish on a separate but related bug bear of mine: Governance is about taking ownership, making decisions and setting rules. Management is about acting on the decisions, executing the policies and enforcing the rules. Therefore, Information Governance and Information Management are not the same thing and the two terms should not be used interchangeably!
Update: Read the follow up article to this, with some more detailed explanations and comments [Part 2]
Cloud and SaaS for dummies…
On-premise/Licensed: You buy a car and you drive it to work whenever you want. You pay for Insurance, Service, MOT, tyres and petrol. You can tweak it or add "go faster" stipes if you like. If it breaks down, you pay to have it fixed.
Cloud: The government buys a train and pays for its maintenance. You hop on it when you need it, and pay a ticket. If you are going to use it regularly, you buy an annual pass. If the train breaks down, the company sends another one to pick you up and they refund your ticket.
Hybrid: You drive your own car to the station and then take a train to work.
Simple enough?
The mobile (R)evolution – A historical review
Unless you live in a cave, you will have not failed to notice that mobility has taken over our life. As I write this, I'm sitting in a train full of commuters who, almost to a man, are holding a smart phone, a tablet or a laptop. The odd ones out, are reading a book… on a Kindle.
There is no denying that mobility is an established phenomenon and it's here to stay. The IT industry is actively embracing it as the new Amalthean horn (alongside that other nebulous revolution – The Cloud). With Mobile First (IBM), The Mobile Imperative (Gartner), Enterprise Mobility(Accenture), 3rd Platform (IDC), etc., etc. .. one by one every major vendor and analyst is releasing their "mobile" strategy that will drive growth in the next 3, 5 or 10 years. And undoubtedly, it will.
But is our current obsession with mobility, really that revolutionary? Is the change in our culture and behaviour really so sudden and dramatic? Prompted by a very stimulating conversation at AIIM's Executive Leadership Council (see the recent paper: The Mobile Reality), I decided to look at the historical milestones of computer mobility. Its heritage, if you like. The picture it paints is very interesting.
Let's look at the impact of mobility on a decade by decade basis.
The starting point. Computer access was restricted to a single physical location, determined by the location of the computer machines themselves. Access was granted to few, selected, highly trained computer boffins, who were responsible for allocating the computing resource on a time-share basis, and deliver the results to the outside world. There is zero mobility involved at this stage.
The 70's introduced the first layer of mobility to the organisation, and it had a transformational impact. "Dumb" terminals, could be distributed across the organisation, connected with RS-232 serial connections. Mobility was location-based, since connectivity was hard-wired and employees would have to physically go to wherever the terminal was, in order to access it. Systems became multi-user giving selected, trained, specialist users simultaneous access to computing power on-demand. Suddenly, computing power and business applications were no longer constrained by the physical location of the computer, but were distributed to core departments across the organisation.
The '80s saw the introduction of PCs. A hub-and-spoke revolution, where autonomous business machines could execute tasks locally, wherever they were located, and could communicate transparently with each other and with centralised servers. More "intelligent" connectivity through network cables introduced the client-server and email era. Mobility moved outside the constraints of the physical building. With the advent of "a PC on every desk", users could work anywhere within the organisation and could communicate with each other, from building to building, and from town to town. Or copy their work on a floppy-disk and continue their work on their PC at home.
In the 90's mobility went through another revolutionary phase. PCs gave way to laptops, work would be taken anywhere, and modems could allow dial-up connectivity back to the office. Location, for users that had been issued with a company laptop and modem access, was no longer constrained to the confines of the organisation. They could easily work connected from home, or from a customer site anywhere in the world. Mobile phones became a corporate tool, eventually obliterating phonecards and phoneboxes, and wireless handsets, brought telephone mobility within the home. All that mobility created its own cultural revolution, bringing faster on-site customer support, home-working and flexible hours. At the same time, the internet and world-wide-web broke out of the military and academic domains, and the first commercial internet applications started appearing.
With the millennium Y2K scare out of the way, mobility re-invented itself again. Website access and intranets, meant that every employee could access the corporate environment regardless of the physical machine they were using: A corporate notebook, home PC, Internet café, or hotel lobby, would be equally useful for checking emails, writing the odd MS-Office document, or finishing the latest marketing presentation. Virtually every employee had remote access to the organisation, and was actively encouraged to use it to reduce travelling and office-space. Internet commerce became universally accepted transforming the retail market. Computer form factor started reducing, with lighter notebooks and PDAs with styluses, touch screens and hand-writing recognition (remember Palm and Psion?), became the first truly portable devices. Mobile phones penetrated the personal consumer market, while Email and text messaging (SMS) started replacing phone calls, as the preferred mediums for short conversations. ADSL networks brought affordable broadband connectivity to the home, and the first 3G networks and devices allowed internet connection "on the go".
Which brings us to today: Enter the iPhone and iPad generation, where the preferred device factor is smaller (smartphones), more portable (tablets, phablets) and more universal (Smart TVs, Wifi Cameras, etc). Mobile connectivity became a bit more reliable and a bit faster, using faster 3G and 4G networks on the street. WiFi Fibre optic broadband at home, in fast-food restaurants and at coffee chains, brought faster downloads and HD streaming. Consumers are moving to apps as the preferred interface (rather than websites) and internet access has become accessible to everyone and the preferred customer interaction medium for many businesses. The delineation between personal computing and work computing has more or less disappeared, and the internet (as well as the office) can be accessed almost anywhere and by everyone. SMS text messaging is still prevalent (but virtually instant and virtually free) but asynchronous email communications declined in favour of synchronous Social Network access, Instant messaging (Skype, Twitter, FB Messaging, WhatsApp) or video chats (Skype, Lync, FaceTime, Hangouts).
But we're not quite there yet! The much heralded "ubiquitous" access to information, or "24×7″ connectivity, is still a myth for a lot of us: While I constantly have to worry if my phone should connect via 3G or WiFi (a cost-driven and availability decision), while I can have internet access on a transatlantic flight, but not in a commuter train, while my broadband signal at home drops the line every 20 minutes because it's too far away from the telephone exchange, while my WiFi router signal at one end of the house does not reach the dining room at the opposite end, and while I need a 3G signal booster at home (in a 450,000 people town) because none of the mobile networks around me have strong enough signal, mobile connectivity is not "ubiquitous", it's laboured.
Having lived and worked through 30 years of mobility transformation, I would argue that today's "mobile revolution" is more evolutionary than revolutionary. What we are experiencing today is just another step in the right direction. Mobility will continue to have a transformational effect on businesses, consumers and popular culture, just as computer terminals transformed the typical desktop environment in the '70s and '80s, and as modems enabled home-working and flexible hours in the 90's and 00's. I expect that in the next 5 years we will see true "permanently on" connectivity and even more internet enabled devices communicating with each other. I also expect that businesses will become a lot more clever and creative with leveraging mobility.
Nevertheless, I don't expect a mobile revolution.
2020 and beyond… The mother of all Information Management predictions
I've been wanting to write this article for a while, but I thought it would be best to wait for the deluge of 2014 New Year predictions to settle down, before I try and look a little bit further in the horizon.
The six predictions I discuss here are personal, do not have a specific timescale, and are certainly not based on any scientific method. What they are based on, is a strong gut feel and thirty years of observing change in the Information Management industry.
Some of these predictions are more fundamental than others. Some will have immediate impact (1-3 years), some will have longer term repercussions (10+ years). In the past, I have been very good at predicting what is going to happen, but really bad at estimating when it's going to happen. I tend to overestimate the speed at which our market moves. So here goes…
Behaviour is the new currency
Forget what you've heard about "information being the new currency", that is old hat. We have been trading in information, in its raw form, for years. Extracting meaningful value however from this information has always been hard, repetitive, expensive and most often a hit-or-miss operation. I predict that with the advance of analytics capabilities (see Watson Cognitive), raw information will have little trading value. Information will be traded already analysed, and nowhere more so than in the area of customer behaviour. Understanding of lifestyle-models, spending-patterns and decision-making behaviour, will become the new currency exchanged between suppliers. Not the basic high-level, over-simplified, demographic segmentation that we use today, but a deep behavioural understanding of individual consumers that will allow real-time, predictive and personal targeting. Most of the information is already being captured today, so it's a question of refining the psychological, sociological and commercial models around it. Think of it this way: How come Google and Amazon know (instantly!) more about my on-line interactions with a particular retailer, than the retailer's own customer service call centre? Does the frequency of logging into online banking indicate that I am very diligent in managing my finances, or that I am in financial trouble? Does my facebook status reflect my frustration with my job, or my euphoric pride in my daughter's achievement? How will that determine if I decide to buy that other lens I have been looking at for my camera, or not? Scary as the prospect may be, from a personal privacy perspective, most of that information is in the public domain already. What is the digested form of that information, worth to a retailer?
Security models will turn inside out
Today most security systems, algorithms and analysis, are focused on the device and its environments. Be it the network, the laptop, the smartphone or the ECM system, security models are there to protect the container, not the content. This has not only become a cat-and-mouse game between fraudsters and security vendors, but it is also becoming virtually impossible to enforce at enterprise IT level. With BYOD, a proliferation of passwords and authentication systems, cloud file-sharing, and social media, users are opening up security holes faster than the IT department can close. Information leakage is an inevitable consequence. I can foresee the whole information security model turning on its head: If the appropriate security becomes deeply embedded inside the information (down to the file, paragraph or even individual word level), we will start seeing self-describing and self-protecting granular information that will only be accessible to an authenticated individual, regardless if that information is in a repository, on a file-system, on the cloud, at rest or in transit. Security protection will become device-agnostic and infrastructure-agnostic. It will become a negotiating handshake between the information itself and the individual accessing that information, at a particular point in time.
Oh, and while we are assigning security at this granular self-contained level, we might as well transfer retention and classification to the same level as well.
The File is dead
In a way, this prediction follows on from the previous one and it's also a prerequisite for it. It is also a topic I have discussed before [Is it a record, who cares?]. Information Management, and in particular Content Management, has long been constrained by the notion of the digital file. The file has always been the singular granular entity, at which security, classification, version control, transportation, retention and all other governance stops. Even relational databases ultimately live in files, because that's what Operating Systems have to manage. However, information granularity does not stop at the file level. There is structure within files, and a lot of information that lives outside the realm of files (particularly in social media and streams). If Information Management is a living organism (and I believe it is), then files are its organs. But each organ has cells, each cell has molecules, and there are atoms within those molecules. I believe that innovation in Information Management will grow exponentially the moment that we stop looking at managing files and start looking at elementary information entities or segments at a much more granular level. That will allow security to be embedded at a logical information level; value to grow exponentially through intelligent re-use; storage costs to be reduced dramatically through entity-level de-duplication; and analytics to explode through much faster and more intelligent classification. File is an arbitrary container that creates bottlenecks, unnecessary restrictions and a very coarse level of granularity. Death to the file!
BYOD is just a temporary aberration
BYOD is just a transitional phase we're going through today. The notion of bringing ANY device to work is already becoming outdated. "Bring Work to Your Device" would have been a more appropriate phrase, but then BWYD is a really terrible acronym. Today, I can access most of the information I need for my work, through mobile apps and web browsers. That means I can potentially use smart phones, tablets, the browser on my smart television, or the Wii console at home, or my son's PSP game device to access work information. As soon as I buy a new camera with Android on it, I will also be able to access work on my camera. Or my car's GPS screen. Or my fridge. Are IT organisations going to provide BYOD policies for all these devices where I will have to commit, for example, that "if I am using that device for work I shall not allow any other person, including family members, to access that device"? I don't think so. The notion of BYOD is already becoming irrelevant. It is time to accept that work is no longer tied to ANY device and that work could potentially be accessed on EVERY device. And that is another reason, why information security and governance should be applied to the information, not to the device. The form of the device is irrelevant, and there will never be a 1:1 relationship between work and devices again.
It's not your cloud, it's everyone's cloud
Cloud storage is a reality, but sharing cloud-level resources is yet to come. All we have achieved is to move the information storage outside the data centre. Think of this very simple example: Let's say I subscribe to Gartner, or AIIM and I have just downloaded a new report or white paper to read. I find it interesting and I share it with some colleagues, and (if I have the right to) with some customers through email. There is every probability that I have created a dozen instances of that report, most of which will end up being stored or backed up in a cloud service somewhere. Quite likely on the same infrastructure where I downloaded the original paper from. And so will do many others that have downloaded the same paper. This is madness! Yes, it's true that I should have been sending out the link to that paper to everyone else, but frankly that would force everyone to have to create accounts, etc. etc. and it's so much easier to attach it to an email, and I'm too busy. Now, turn this scenario on its head: What if the cloud infrastructure itself could recognise that the original of that white paper is already available on the cloud, and transparently maintain the referential integrity, security, and audit trail, of a link to the original? This is effectively cloud-level, internet-wide de-duplication. Resource sharing. Combine this with the information granularity mentioned above, and you have massive storage reduction, cloud capacity increase, simpler big-data analytics and an enormous amount of statistical audit-trail material available, to analyse user behaviour and information value.
The IT organisation becomes irrelevant
The IT organisation as we know it today, is arguably the most critical function and the single largest investment drain in most organisations. You don't have to go far to see examples of the criticality of the IT function and the dependency of an organisation to IT service levels. Just look at the recent impact that simple IT malfunctions have had to banking operations in the UK [Lloyds Group apologies for IT glitch]. My prediction however, is that this mega-critical organisation called IT, will collapse in the next few years. A large IT group – as a function, whether it's oursourced or not – is becoming an irrelevant anachronism, and here's why: 1) IT no longer controls the end-user infrastructure, that battle is already lost to BYOD. The procurement, deployment and disposition of user assets is no longer an IT function, it has moved to the individual users who have become a lot more tech-savy and self-reliant than they were 10 or 20 years ago. 2) IT no longer controls the server infrastructure: With the move to cloud and SaaS (or its many variants: IaaS, PaaS, etc.), keeping the lights on, the servers cool, the backups running and the cables networked will soon cease to be a function of the IT organisation too. 3) IT no longer controls the application infrastructure: Business functions are buying capabilities directly at the solution level, often as apps, and these departments are maintaining their own relationships with IT vendors. CMOs, CHROs, CSOs, etc. are the new IT buyers. So, what's left for the traditional IT organisation to do? Very little else. I can foresee that IT will become an ancillary coordinating function and a governance body. Its role will be to advise the business and define policy, and maybe manage some of the vendor relationships. Very much like the role that the Compliance department, or Procurement has today, and certainly not wielding the power and the budget that it currently holds. That, is actually good news for Information Management! Not because IT is an inhibitor today, but because the responsibility for Information Management will finally move to the business, where it always belonged. That move, in turn, will fuel new IT innovation that is driven directly by business need, without the interim "filter" that IT groups inevitably create today. It will also have a significant impact to the operational side of the business, since groups will have a more immediate and agile access to new IT capabilities that will enable them to service new business models much faster than they can today.
Personally, I would like all of these predictions to come true today. I don't have a magic wand, and therefore they won't. But I do believe that some, if not all, of these are inevitable and it's only a question of time and priority before the landscape of Information Management, as we know today, is fundamentally transformed. And I believe that this inevitable transformation will help to accelerate both innovation and value.
I'm curious to know your views on this. Do you think these predictions are reasonable, or not? Or, perhaps they are a lot of wishful thinking. If you agree with me, how soon do you think they can become a reality? What would stop them? And, what other fundamental changes could be triggered, as a result of these?
I'm looking forward to the debate!


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First come the runways, then the sales. Net-a-porter is riding the hot athletic wave and introducing a new shopping site.
The aptly named Net-a-sporter will launch on July 9 in 170 countries. Featuring 37 brands across 11 disciplines — tennis, golf and running among them — the e-tail shop will increase the parent company's presence in footwear as well.
"We're incredibly excited about launching Net-a-sporter. Activewear has long been a part of our offering," Alison Loehnis, president of Net-a-porter, said in a statement. "We know that fitness is an increasingly integral part of our customers' lives across all of our markets."
With prices starting at 25 pounds (or $43 at current exchange), Net-a-sporter will be the exclusive online stockist for Ballet Beautiful, Live the Process and Weargrace, with new lines to be added throughout the year.
"[Women are] looking for product to take them from a Pilates class to lunch with a friend, adapting their workout wear into more of a day look. If a woman is paying close attention to her shoes, bags and makeup, then she shouldn't have to compromise on her style while she's exercising," Loehnis added.
The new shopping destination is also set to include capsule collections produced with Lisa Marie Fernandez and Zimmermann.
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Preview: No. 4 UCLA vs. No. 13 Tulsa
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The quest for the 2014 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship has officially arrived! In the second round, the No. 4 UCLA Bruins square off against the No. 13 Tulsa Golden Hurricane... Read More »
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Saints Talk |
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List of Mini Camp participants Posted by fightingtigers98 on 5/9 at 7:48 pm P Dalton Botts, Miami (Fla.) 41.5 yards per punt. originally committed to LSU K Jose Maltos, No college -Mexican Kicker K Josh Jasper, LSU -Most accurate kicker in LSU history LS Billy Johnson, Tulane -Son of Dline coach Bill Johnson QB Jon Richt, Mars Hill -originally at Clemson, son of Mark Richt QB John Beck, BYU -secound round pick in 07 with Miami. Started a couple times for Redskins in 2011 QB Ryan Griffin, Tulane -udfa, 9026 yards with 56-35 TD-INT WR Kyle Fisher, Bloomsburg Went to same college as Jahri Evans 496 yards with 6 touchdowns this year WR Brent Leonard, ULM UDFA 104 catches 1118 yards and 10 touchdowns lead NCAA in first down catches on 4th down in 2011. WR Saalim Hakim, Tarleton State His brother dropped the ball, signed late last year, he has incredible speed. WR La'Rod King, Kentucky 6'4 big body receiver who caught 48 balls for 488 yards and 4 tds. RB Khiry Robinson, West Texas A&M 6'0 220 big running back, who rushed for 669 yards and 11tds on 103 carries. Led Blinn JC along with Cam Newton to a national championship. WR Duron Carter, Florida Atlantic Son Cris Carter, transferred from Alabama, and originally at Ohio State. Has 13 rec for 176 yards and a td in his career. WR Charles Hawkins, Southern 5'8 runs a 4.3. 31 catches 467 yards and 7 tds WR Kenny Stills, Oklahoma 5th round draft pick of the saints in 2013. deep threat who caught 204 passes has 2600 yards and 24 touchdowns at Oklahoma. Caught 82 passes 958 yards and 11 tds TE Keavon Milton, ULM built like an OT, he had 146 yards on 14 catches in 12 TE Andrei Lintz, Washington State another big blocking te. 10 rec 114 yards and 2 tds in career. TE Ryan Deehan, Colorado Last year was at Col in 2011, has 723 yards and 3tds in career. TE Josh Hill, Idaho State UDFA, originally at Boise St. A receiving te who had 630 yards an 5 tds last year. DB Chantz Stevenson, Southern did not find anything DB Brandon Robinson, Liberty father played for ATL, GB, SEA, and CAR DB A.J. Davis, Jacksonville State was on the team last year, and played in the last game of the season. DB Jermaine Robinson, Toledo Strong Safety, has 8 career ints DB Wayne Warren, Rutgers Another SS, considered the glue of the defense. Had 2 int last year. DB Ryan Lacy, Utah UDFA height seemed to knock him down off of many draft boards, but still had 5 career ints and was Utahs best corner. DB Dion Turner, Southern Utah Was with the team last year, and is a converted safety to corner. DB Kenny Vaccaro, Texas First round pick out Texas in 2013 Leader of a bad, but talented Texas defense. Hits like a brick shite house and has incredible ball skills. DB Damein Anderson, Mississippi State couldn't find anything on this guy. DB Rod Sweeting, Georgia Tech UDFA a physical corner who made some plays for GT 5 career INTS DB Vaughn Carraway, Temple DB Brandyn Thompson, Boise State DB Nate Ness, Arizona DB Luke Anderson, Wyoming DB Malcolm Bronson, McNeese State RB Nathan Hoyte, Albany State RB Eric Stephens, Texas Tech RB Shawne Alston, West Virginia FB Taimi Tutogi, Arizona LB Ray Shipman, Central Florida LB Baraka Atkins, Miami, Fla. LB Kevin Reddick, North Carolina UDFA,Had some of the best instincts in college football, has a nose for the ball. He can rush the passer from Mike, and NC used him as a DE in some situations. An extremely versatile defender. LB Eric Martin, Nebraska LB Chase Thomas, Stanford UDFA, A versatile LB who had 27.5 career sacks. Was graded as a third round prospect who fell due to a 4.9 40. He is very quick off the ball, and be a force in the run game. LB Rufus Johnson, Tarleton State Who? A 6th round pick in 2013, he was a small school player who impressed scouts at a regional combine. He will be a developmental player like Broughton, Galette, and many others. He can rush the passer exceedingly well, and will be on the field in 2 years. LB Bill McHale, Yale LB Bill Ross, Arkansas-Pine Bluff LB Shaq Wilson, South Carolina LB Robert Maci, Purdue LB Joshua Lynn, Furman OL Jeremiah Warren, South Florida OL Elliot Mealer, Michigan OL Terron Armstead, Arkansas-Pine Bluff Fastest offensive lineman in Combine history with a 4.72 40. He has all the tools, but needs to put it together. Will be battling for the starting LT spot OL Cory Proctor, Montana OL Quinn Ojinnaka, Syracuse OL Tim Lelito, Grand Valley State OL Patrick Brown, Central Florida OL Lou Alexander, Syracuse OL Blaize Foltz, TCU OL Tyler Deacon, Arkansas DL Brian Schaefering, Lindenwood DL Eric Norwood, South Carolina Was a really really good college player. If I remember, he's kind of a tweener. 4th round pick by the panthers a few years ago. One year in the UFL and one year in the arena league. May not be bad for depth as a 3-4 DE. DL Josh Downs, LSU Not sure the Saints are a great fit for him. Strong and quick kid, but injured a lot. Not sure he's a 3-4 defensive lineman. More of a prototypical 4-3 DT. DL Semisi Tokolahi, Washington DL Braylon Broughton, TCU A developmental player, who was brought in last year. He has potential to be an above average player in the NFL. He can play either DE or OLB DL Glenn Foster, Illinois DL John Jenkins, Georgia 3rd round pick in 2013. He is a mammoth of a man standing at 6'6 350 who is very quick and agile. Will play NT behind Bunkley. Should be our starter in 2 years. also if people want to help add some stuff for the players please comment. This is a lot of players so any help would be appreciated. This post was edited on 5/10 at 4:24 pm Reply Back to Top |
Posted by Brettesaurus Rex on 5/9 at 8:41 pm to fightingtigers98 quote: I thought he had signed with Minny? Reply Back to Top |
Posted by IIxxBREADxxII on 5/9 at 8:48 pm to Brettesaurus Rex quote: He went the route of Russell Shepard and told Minny that he already signed with New Orleans Reply Back to Top |
Posted by fightingtigers98 on 5/9 at 9:24 pm to Brettesaurus Rex quote:so did i, but i guess he switched. he could have agreed in principle but not signed Reply Back to Top |
Posted by Maximus on 5/9 at 9:42 pm to fightingtigers98 no Emory Blake?Reply Back to Top |
Posted by fightingtigers98 on 5/9 at 10:34 pm to Maximus quote:i copied it from Nola.com Reply Back to Top |
quote:No, he signed a FA contract with the Rams Reply Back to Top |
Posted by LooseCannon22282 on 5/9 at 10:54 pm to fightingtigers98 I was kind of looking forward to Blake getting a shot in New Orleans. he still had a pretty decent season despite very incompetent QB play @ Auburn last year. He was basically the only receiving threat AU had in 2012. Edit: oh well... This post was edited on 5/9 at 10:56 pm Reply Back to Top |
Posted by Patrick O Rly on 5/10 at 6:19 am to fightingtigers98 quote: Image: http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/091/284/eso_es_racista.gif Reply Back to Top |
Posted by Suntiger on 5/10 at 7:23 am to fightingtigers98 quote: Was a really really good college player. If I remember, he's kind of a tweener. 4th round pick by the panthers a few years ago. One year in the UFL and one year in the arena league. May not be bad for depth as a 3-4 DE. quote: Not sure the Saints are a great fit for him. Strong and quick kid, but injured a lot. Not sure he's a 3-4 defensive lineman. More of a prototypical 4-3 DT. IMO Reply Back to Top |
quote: He was someone I liked coming out of USCe, but I think he's being brought in more for a OLB. Seems too light for a 3-4 DE at 6'1" 241 lbs. Reply Back to Top |
quote: I remember him in college. He was a 4-3 DE for USCe. I think Carolina tried to make him a LBer in a 4-3. But like I said, he's kind of a tweener. Reply Back to Top |
Posted by crazytiger on 5/10 at 8:22 pm to Suntiger quote:I sat next to him on the plane Thursday. He was a cool dude! Reply Back to Top |
Posted by whodidthat on 5/10 at 9:46 pm to Suntiger quote: More like OLB. Did really good his final year at USCw as an OLB. Then he got drafted as a DE by Carolina for their 4-3. The 3-4 is a good spot for him. He has the talent and some experience. I actually wanted the Saints to draft him a few years ago Reply Back to Top |
Posted by Lester Earl on 5/11 at 12:21 am to fightingtigers98 Brent Leonard will stick around imoReply Back to Top |
Posted by GOON on 5/11 at 11:07 am to fightingtigers98 quote: How is he eligible for a rookie camp if he's started a couple of games? Reply Back to Top |
Who is eligible to attend: First year players and rookies. Per the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, a rookie is any player who has never signed an NFL contract, or a player who has only signed a contract to a practice squad. A first year player is one who has signed an NFL contract previously but has not earned a season of pension credit (think Nick Toon). So the Saints will invite all their draft picks, undrafted free agent pickups as well as several long shot players trying out. Seems like this would eliminate beck Reply Back to Top |
Posted by Lester Earl on 5/13 at 3:00 pm to Lester Earl quote: Reply Back to Top |
Posted by fightingtigers98 on 5/13 at 4:45 pm to Lester Earl quote:good call Reply Back to Top |
Posted by Patrick O Rly on 5/13 at 5:03 pm to Lester Earl I mean, you did call it, but bowing to your own quote? Reply Back to Top Refresh |
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Fortunately, a culinary détente seems to be in the making. Steadily and without much pachanga, a cadre of restaurateurs are trying to drop a Douglas Rodriguez on upper Manhattan's Dominican palate. Trying to hew to their Caribbean culinary roots while embracing innovation, variety, possibility, and, yes, a little thing called brunch.
Café Largo, on Broadway and 137th Street, is the granddaddy of the upstarts. Started out as the one place in the area for those of us who grew up Dominican but who did so inside the United States; the one restaurant in the area where you could order mangú and mimosa, where they served up a brilliant pasta puttanesca alongside a top-notch chicharrón de pollo, where the flan's so existentially sabroso that people truck in from as far as NJ to get some. (Now, that's the sign of quality, when you have NJ Cubans traveling into NY for a piece of flan.) After a prolonged hiatus, Café Largo has returned to its former digs and brought along a pair of friends: The raw-brick restaurant is now linked to an immaculate taqueria (which seems to be struggling) and an upscale gourmet store called Vinegar Hill (which does not). Vinegar Hill serves dynamite salads and prepared meals and excellent bread and what I would argue is the second-best uptown pizza, just a point shy of Patsy's gold standard. Marc Calcano, the handsome, intense master of this empire, grew up in an apartment around the corner from the place. "When I was a kid walking down Broadway," he said to me while standing in his kitchen, "I always thought my community deserved better. I wanted people in the neighborhood to be able to eat quality and variety. I don't think that's something that has to be reserved only for downtown."
Calcano must have been tapping into the zeitgeist, because at or around the same time that he opened Café Largo, El Alto got its very own fine-dining Italian restaurant, Aquamarina, and also Hispaniola, an Asian-influenced heavy hitter with top-level cocktails like the Rubirosa and El Generalísimo and superb contó-style box meals. And there's 809 (named after the Dominican Republic's main area code), opened only recently by the Moronta family (who are also the proprietors of Dyckman Express) but already popular. 809 is more relaxed than the Arka Lounge and has an inviting vibe I for one love. But the newcomer to the movement is also the one to beat: The Mamajuana Café. From its décor to its menu to its impeccable service, the Mamajuana was clearly designed to impress. On Tuesdays they offer an outstanding flamenco night; their waitstaff (as all the women around me continue to point out) includes some of the cutest Dominican boy servers ever; and they produce one of the best brunches north of 96th. The Mama-juana is named after a traditional Dominican home brew, so as you might imagine, their cocktail menu rivals the ones at both 809 and Hispaniola; and their signature Mamajuana Mojito, a Mojito first courtesy of Kathy Peña, must be sampled to be believed, and will without question soon be imitated. The manager's recommended dish is a puerquito, but unless you're a party of five or looking to attain yokozuna weight, I advise you to stay clear. It's caramelized pig leg heaven, but the portion in question is roughly the size of the pig it was taken from. Turned our take-out bag into a mace, could have broken a door with it.
Now, four or five restaurants might not seem like much—especially if you live in the LES or in Silver Lake—but for those of us who've lived through 20, 30 years of nothing-but-mangú, it feels like the birth of a whole new era.
Of late I've had both the bad old days and the bright new ones on my mind. Maybe it's because I live in Boston during the school year and in El Alto the rest of the time. Maybe it's because I have some friends who will only eat Dominican food if it's being served in a Café Largo or 809—too fino for anything else. And other friends who will only eat at the traditional joints, at the Caridads and the Dyckman Expresses—no newfangled fusions for them. Maybe it's because I'm not for one campo or another. I've been in-country over 30 years, a decade of that time in upper Manhattan, and I've yet to succumb to either side of the New World–Old World debate. I guess ultimately I'm just one of those Shazam mother*******. I'm two people simultaneously, held together by the lightning that is memory. Sometimes I like to sit in Margot on Broadway and have a sancocho with a side of concon. Sometimes I like to drop in on a Hispaniola or a Mamajuana and have the pasta or the butterfish or even, yes, the puerquito. Sometimes I want mangú and sometimes I want steak and eggs and sometimes I want them both. I guess it's the fate of immigrants como yo: to live in multiple worlds simultaneously. Can be a real pain in the ass though. In a world that privileges singular identities, we multiples are often ill-served. So imagine how thrilling it is, how nourishing, to have a neighborhood, a community, that is starting to catch up to you, catching up to how you like to eat. No wonder I call it home.
Address book
Café Largo 3387 Broadway (212-234-1811). Caridad Restaurant 3533 Broadway (212-862-4053). La Casa del Mofongo 1447 St. Nicholas Ave. (212-740-1200). 809 Restaurant Bar & Grill 112 Dyckman St. (212-304-3800). Hispaniola Restaurante 839 W. 181st St. (212-740-5222). El Malecon 4141 Broadway (212-927-3812). Mamajuana Café 247 Dyckman St. (212-304-0140). Margot Restaurant 3822 Broadway (212-781-8494). Restaurante Rancho Jubilee 1 Nagle Ave. (212-304-0100). Vinegar Hill 3385 Broadway (212-281-2083).


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Sikhism Forum for discussion of Sikhism and its similarities with Hinduism. |
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Sikh and Hindu traditions.....
I would like ONLY our Sikh friends in this forum to help me with my understanding, or lack thereof, of our almost identical/slightly diverging spiritual paths. If my thought process is flawed at any point, it was by no means meant to show any disrespect, and I would like to be corrected on that.
As per my understanding of the Sikh practices, 1. The Guru Granth Sahib is considered the Guru. 2. The Guru (in the form of) Guru Granth Sahib is given a place of honor, which is decorated with flowers and symbols; and the scripture covered with nice/expensive pieces of cloth. 3. Everyone prostates before this Holy book which represents the Guru. 4. Hymns are read/sung from this Holy book and the Pathi explains their meaning. 5. A food plate is kept by the side for the blessing of the Guru, which is mixed with the rest of the food to make it Langar. In Hinduism, 1. The devotees prostrates before a deity, which represents God Himself. 2. God (in the form of deity) is given a place of honor on the alter and is decorated with tilak, nice outfits and flowers. 3. Hymns are read from Bhagwad Gita and their meaning explained in the form of a Pravachan. 4. Food offered to and blessed by the Lord is mixed with the rest of the food to make it Prasadam. In one case I am supposed to believe that some ordinary paper with hymns printed on it becomes sacred and represents the Guru; while in the other case, clay or marble or a piece of wood formed into a deity represents God Himself. In one case devotees prostrate before the Book representing the Guru; in the other case they do it before the deity representing the Lord Himself. In both cases, they read/sing hymns which essentially define their dharma. Both eat the food sanctified by the presence of divinity in their middle. In both cases people are exercising their beliefs in front of a Guru or a Deity. Why the acrimony? On a different note, Regarding the caste system in Hinduism, Boota Singh has been cabinet minister in many central governments in India because he represented the Dalits and the Sikhs. And the people working in the crematoriums in Punjab are served food outside of the main dining area of a Gurdwara. We do have Dalits among Sikhs too. It is something culturally rooted amongst people of all religions there. We have so many varnas and social groupings in Hinduism. If one were to check the matrimonial section of any Sunday paper in Punjab or Delhi, one would see the various groupings that the prospective Sikh brides/grooms belong to, and the request that suitable matching families from those groupings only need apply. Why cant we just accept the fact that we have two sets of books in two different languages meant to meet the spiritual needs of people based on their religious affiliation? Why do the beliefs/practices of one have to be shown as better than the other? Why can't we accept that some of our common deficiencies are culturally rooted. Most of all, why must each group pick apart what they consider to be deficiencies of the other and gloat over them? |
Re: Sikh and Hindu traditions.....
I completely agree with your last sentence. People who think their religion is superior are the stupidest people. Especially true for hindus and sikhs whose religion preaches that everything and everybody is manifestation of God.
I would like to make just few comments ( to highlight the difference): 1. Sikhs who practice the caste system are doing it opposite of what the religion tells. Basically, they can't defend their practice by quoting religious text. 2. The halwa becomes prasad only by Kirpan, not by sitting besides the guru granth. And all prasad is eaten, nothing is left for the "guru" Not a ideological difference, but a practice difference, is amount of time visitors spend in listening to the kirtan. The times I have visited the temple with my hindu friends, they just rang the bell, did matha-tek, took prasad and out. |
Re: Sikh and Hindu traditions.....
1. The Guru Granth Sahib is considered the Guru. vs. 1. The devotees prostrates before a deity, which represents God Himself. First of all, Sikhism has a lineage of 10 dedhari (in the body) Gurus who have all died. All 10 are believed to be One Jyot which was merged in God Consciousness and cannot die. According to ancient traditions the Guru is the same as God. Guru Gita Verse 32Verse 32 of the Guru Gita states++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਨਾਦੰ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਵੇਦੰ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਰਹਿਆ ਸਮਾਈ ॥------------------------------ aacaaryam maam vijaaniyaan naavamanyeta karhichit na martya-buddhyaasuyeta sarva-devamayo guruh "Know the acharya to be as good as Myself. Never disrespect him. Never envy him or consider him as an ordinary man for he is the sum total of all the demigods."--------------------------------------------- shikshaa-guruke ta'jani krsihnera svarupa antaryaami, bhakti-shrestha ei dui rupa " One should know the shiksha guru to be Krishna Himself. As guru Krishna has two forms__as the Supersoul and as the best of devotees."--------------------------------- ਗੁਰ ਚਰਣੀ ਜਿਨ ਮਨੁ ਲਗਾ ਸੇ ਵਡਭਾਗੀ ਮਾਇ ॥**************************** The tradition is that Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the 10th Master placed His own Jyot into the Adi Granth and gave the Shabad Gurbani within the pages the Gurgaddi. So let's take another look at that first tuuk/verse: ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਨਾਦੰ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਵੇਦੰ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਰਹਿਆ ਸਮਾਈ ॥From the Primal Nada comes the Sound current which is Guru's words. And later in Japji Sahib it says: ਅਖਰੀ ਨਾਮੁ ਅਖਰੀ ਸਾਲਾਹ ॥So we see these Vedic Sanskrit concepts which are rooted in Sruti being expressed in Guru Granth Sahib. Veda are those fundamental Tattvas, from whom the Cosmos has sprung up and grown. That Veda which we know - has been termed as Shabda Veda. The foundation of Shabda Veda is Tattva Veda, which is all-pervading in the cosmos. It is only on the foundation of Tattva Veda that, Veda Granthas have been written by the Rishis...Now I am not a Vedic scholar, but I think it's clear that the "theology" of Sikhism is rooted in the Sruti of the Vedas. The Ek Akshara Shabda Brahma is a form of Parabrahm. The Gayatri Mantraੴ ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਕਰਤਾ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਨਿਰਭਉ ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਅਜੂਨੀ ਸੈਭੰ ਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥ Ik▫oa'nkār saṯ nām karṯā purakẖ nirbẖa▫o nirvair akāl mūraṯ ajūnī saibẖa'n gur parsāḏ. One Universal Creator God. The Name Is Truth. Creative Being Personified. No Fear. No Hatred. Image Of The Undying, Beyond Birth, Self-Existent. By Guru's Grace ~ ~SGGS Ji ang 1 Ik▫oa'nkār Ek Omkar Ek Akshara Aumkara Really, we are in root basic terminology only talking about the same concepts which are modernly encrusted over with a multitude of obscurities to forge divisions and differences. |
Re: Sikh and Hindu traditions.....
Actually.... to show how superficial are these "differences." ਜਿਤਨੇ ਭਗਤ ਹਰਿ ਸੇਵਕਾ ਮੁਖਿ ਅਠਸਠਿ ਤੀਰਥ ਤਿਨ ਤਿਲਕੁ ਕਢਾਇ ॥ Jiṯne bẖagaṯ har sevkā mukẖ aṯẖsaṯẖ ṯirath ṯin ṯilak kadẖā▫e. All of the devotees and servants of the Lord have the tilak, the ceremonial mark, applied to their foreheads at the sixty-eight sacred shrines of pilgrimage. ~SGGS Ji p. 733 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Even the Sikh Guru is wearing tilak mark (and bearing a "caste" name). ਰਾਮਦਾਸ ਸੋਢੀ ਤਿਲਕੁ ਦੀਆ ਗੁਰ ਸਬਦੁ ਸਚੁ ਨੀਸਾਣੁ ਜੀਉ ॥੫॥ Rāmḏās sodẖī ṯilak ḏī▫ā gur sabaḏ sacẖ nīsāṇ jī▫o. ||5|| The Guru then blessed the Sodhi Ram Das with the ceremonial tilak mark, the insignia of the True Word of the Shabad. ~SGGS Ji ang 723 ------------------------------------------------------------------ And if that isn't enough similarity, according to Gurbani, even God, in the roop of Vishnu, is wearing tilak. ਸੰਖ ਚਕ੍ਰ ਮਾਲਾ ਤਿਲਕੁ ਬਿਰਾਜਿਤ ਦੇਖਿ ਪ੍ਰਤਾਪੁ ਜਮੁ ਡਰਿਓ ॥ Sankẖ cẖakar mālā ṯilak birājiṯ ḏekẖ parṯāp jam dari▫o. He is adorned with the conch, the chakra, the mala and the ceremonial tilak mark on his forehead; gazing upon his radiant glory, the Messenger of Death is scared away. ~SGGS Ji ang 1105 In Sikhism, the Guru Granth Sahib is treated as a Living Guru because the Shabad Bani and mantra NAAMs of the Lord's names are in it and are considered to be a boat of mukti if you jap them, or sing the sankirtana of the Lord's praise. ਗੁਰ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਮਾਇਆ ਅਉਖਧੁ ਹਰਿ ਪਾਇਆ ਹਰਿ ਕੀਰਤਿ ਹਰਿ ਸਾਂਤਿ ਪਾਇ ਜੀਉ ॥ Gur sabaḏ kamā▫i▫ā a▫ukẖaḏẖ har pā▫i▫ā har kīraṯ har sā'nṯ pā▫e jī▫o. Acting in accordance with the Word of the Guru's Shabad, the medicine of the Lord's Name is obtained. Singing the Kirtan of the Lord's Praises, divine peace is obtained. ~SGGS Ji ang 446 -------------------------------------------- ਹਰਿ ਜਪਿ ਜੀਅਰੇ ਛੁਟੀਐ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਚੀਨੈ ਆਪੁ ॥੩॥ Har jap jī▫are cẖẖutī▫ai gurmukẖ cẖīnai āp. ||3|| Chanting the Name of the Lord, O my soul, you shall be emancipated; as Gurmukh, you shall come to understand your own self. ~SGGS Ji ang 20 ------------------------------------------- ਮਿਲੁ ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਭਜੁ ਕੇਵਲ ਨਾਮ ॥੧॥ Mil sāḏẖsangaṯ bẖaj keval nām. ||1|| Joining the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, vibrate and meditate on the Naam, the Name of the Lord. ~SGGS Ji ang 378 ------------------------------------------- "Many of you, as spiritual seekers, would be practicing japa sadhana. When you were initiated you would have been told that you should do japa,Tat japah jadarthabhavanah - the recitation, chanting or japa of the mantra is to be accompanied by a contemplation on its importance or meaning. As a matter of fact, japa, according to Patanjali, is not merely a mechanical chanting of the Name, although chanting is also Japa, but it is tadartha bhavana or the contemplation on the meaning of the mantra. To give an instance, 'Om Namo Bhagavate Vaasudevaya' is a mantra. Chanting this is japa. Japa can be of two kinds: external verbal japa, as well as internal manasika japa, or mental japa. Japa is the repetition of a mantra, which is a mysterious group of letters or phrases so connected with one another that when the mantra is chanted a peculiar sensation or vibration is generated in the entire system. That is the difference between ordinary words or sentences or groups of phrases and a mantra. A mantra is the result of a vision of a seer and it is the concrete manifestation of the deity or devata through the world of language, which is made to manifest in the mantra." http://www.swami-krishnananda.org/disc/disc_90.html |
Re: Sikh and Hindu traditions.....
I don't believe that all Hindu sects routinely read Bhagavad-Gita in their temples. So I don't see what this comparison is trying to show. I do believe that bowing is a cultural sign of respect shown to a Guru or devata in every Hindu sect. Just as Hindu's will object to worship shown to murthi being mischaracterized as worship of an inanimate object, so a Sikh will object that he is bowing down to a Holy "Book or a mere "representation." A Sikh submits to the Shabad-Jyot which resides in the words of Guru's bani and the Naams of the Lord which are originating from mantras. So in this respect, a Hindu will worship a certain form and the Sikh will worship another, but both are worshipping the actual One Absolute Divine which is pervading in all forms. Quote:
"On 2 May 1905, Arur Singh, the manager of the Golden Temple, ordered the removal of a large number of images from it's precincts. This single measure precipitated a fierce public controversy all over the province, with members of the Singh Sabha, the Arya Samaj, the Brahmo Samaj and several other key socio-religious organizations leaping into the fray. In addition the general public, particularly Sikh soldiers, exhibited a keen interest in these lively proceedings. http://books.google.com/books?id=1NK...page&q&f=false Moreover it needs to be said that original Sikh tradition was sanatan, and origin of this term comes from the shared Hindu Dharma. In 1905 the British Raj had installed a caretaker of the central Harimandir Gurdwara after the reform Singh Sabha had usurped power from the original Sanatan Singh Sabha. This "jathedar" held a position given to him by the British. It did not ever before exist in Sikh history. Traditionally the pujaris and mahants of the Udasi and Nirmalay sects were the caretakers of the Sikh Gurdwaras. This British appointed "jathedar" not only did he place a siropa of honor around the neck of General Dyer following the Jallianwalla bagh massacre committed by the British against own Punjabis, but in 1905 he REMOVED the murthis from the Harimandir Sahib (Golden Temple). It is known that removed included a lifesized murthi of Vishnu, a murthi of Chandi-Durga, a murthi of Bhagavan Krishna and a murthi of Guru Ram Das Sodhi. So it is correct to say Sikh "religion" has been altered by influence of the British with deliberate intent to drive a wedge between Hindu and Sikh community, to oppose Indian Nationalism as pro-British Sikhs worked as soldiers-sepoys upholding British rule. This is the legacy of separation, deliberate distortions, exaggerating differences, even actual editing and manipulative translations of Sikh religion existing to this day. And if we closely analyze the collection of evidence what emerges from Sikh history is something decidedly and recognizably Hindu in orientation. While Max Arthur McAuliffe achieved the position of Deputy Commissioner in Punjab in 1882, Macauliffe wrote the popular Tat Khalsa text. It is admitted that a knowledge of the religions of the people of India is a desideratum for the British officials who administer its affairs and indirectly for the people who are governed by them so that mutual sympathy may be produced. It seems, at any rate politic to place before theSikh soldiery their Gurus prophecies in favor of the English and the texts of their sacred writings which foster their loyalty. The Sikh Religion,1909, M.A. Macauliffe, Preface xxii |
Re: Sikh and Hindu traditions.....
"In one case I am supposed to believe that some ordinary paper with hymns printed on it becomes sacred and represents the Guru;" Sikhs don't worship a "book." They worship the Sruti Truth in the Shabda, the beej mantra syllables of the Names of the Lord as being capable of creating a vibrational Presence of the Shabda Parabrahmha directly. "while in the other case, clay or marble or a piece of wood formed into a deity represents God Himself." Because of the mantras, and the prayers and the thoughts and vibrational energy of the worshippers, ordinary objects are made to contain shakti, which again is energetic vibrational Presence. I'm sorry if you cannot accept, do not believe, or cannot understand this. But neither a Sikh nor a Hindu can be described as "believing" what you have written in your paragraph. |
Re: Sikh and Hindu traditions.....
There is only One Dharma. All Dharmic religions observe this, be they Jain, Buddhist, Hindu's, or Sikhs. Again modern Tat Khalsa Sikhs will define Sanskrit and Braj terms differently to exaggerate the differences. But the Adi Granth, Sarbloh Granth and Dasam Granth were written primarily as translations from Sanskrit and Braj or actually in Sanskrit and Braj. So, having brahmin Sanskrit scholars in the very households of the Gurus and having the sanatan sects of Udasis and Nirmalay being themselves Sanskrit scholars, only the conundrum of modern "re-interpretation" of these ancient terms and philsophical concepts becomes "separate" and "problematic." Prior to the British sponsored Tat Khalsa movement 100 years ago, the Sanatan Hindu-Sikh community respected the Vedic and Puranic origins of these teachings. It makes no sense logically whatsoever that Shri Dasam Granth contains Devi Mahatmyam in praise of Devi, or that Shri Guru Granth Sahib describes the sargun God in terms of Vishnu's das avtaray and suddenly we have to "reject" that Dharma to "Sikhs" means one thing and "Dharma" to Hindu's suddenly means another. Hindu means of the culture and heritage of the Indus Valley. Quote:
Because the British Raj ruled by creating divisions and mischief like altering and editing scriptures to divide and conquer and keep the population subjected, ignorant and subservient. All forms of Indian Nationalism and unifying aspects like religion were manipulated and suppressed. The British brought Muslim Butchers into Amritsar to sell cow meat and promote meat eating, particularly among the British soldiery/Indian sepoys aka Sikhs. They were met with an uprising from the Sikh Namdhari sect which killed the Muslim butchers for committing what was always a crime in Sikh ruled Punjab under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The same Sikhs who call God after Krishna Naams, including Gopala and Govinda, Protector of the world and protector of the cows, fought to the death and received torture of being blown apart by cannons in massacres to terrorize the population into submission. After this, the British worked with M.K. Gandhi and Nehru to divide the Punjab in partition giving Sikh territories to "Pakistan," deceived Sikh leaders about giving Sikhs back a kingdom in the form of "Khalistan," Millions were dislocated, beaten, raped, tortured, killed during the riots and madness of partition creating huge scars and blame against Indian government for failing to defend Sikh interests. There's just a lot of bad political history with Akali Dal morcha/agitation to promote Anandpur Resolution and the weakness of the Indira government in emergency to appropriately and diplomatically reach an accord with those points of grievance. After all that transpired, asking for recognition of language, respecting state boundaries, capitol of Chandigarh and some sugar mills, seems a tiny demand. At this time too, Sant Bhindranwale began lashing out at the "servitude of the Sikhs as second class citizens in India and promoted independant state of Khalistan, there precipitated an armed confrontation, an attack on Golden temple with resulting casualties of innocent unarmed pilgrims, resulting in retaliatory assassination of Mrs. Gandhi. Subsequent retaliatory anti-Sikh riots in which thousands were raped and killed and properties destroyed. Subsequent anti-Indian government uprising which lasted twenty years and which succeeded by colluding with Pakistani terrorists. Subsequent gallughara against Sikh militants and their families by Punjabi police which resulted in extra-judicial killings, disappearances, rapes, tortures, etc. and finally suppressed the militancy. Why the acrimony? Because we live in Kaliyuga, and people are just messed up. Because this has been a long, sad, miserable war of brother hating brother. And I hope and pray that it should heal and end for all time, and that land of Bharat will truly be Nation bright and shining in Dharmic justice as well as economic justice and success. Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji's shaheedi for being willing sacrifice to face execution rather than be forced to convert to Islam. (For which He became known as the Hindu di Chaddur, blanket of protection of the Hindus, because His action spared the destruction of the Kashmiri pandits from same fate of forced conversion.) ਹਰੀਕ੍ਰਿਸਨ ਤਿਨ ਕੇ ਸੁਤ ਵਏ ॥ ਤਿਨ ਤੇ ਤੇਗ ਬਹਾਦਰ ਭਏ ॥੧੨॥ |
Re: Sikh and Hindu traditions.....
Why does everyone always go there? Quote:
Modern Tat Khalsa Sikhs in turn with the British Raj loudly condemn Hindu religion on basis of perceived "evils" and injustices of caste system. However worst discrimination of casteism and obsessive concerns regarding jati evolved in correlation with racist colonial system of British. Quote:
According to Guru Granth Sahib and Dasam Granth, Sikh religion did not (yes contrary to Tat Khalsa ideology) "reject" the Caste system. Dasam Granth speaks plainly about Bedi and Sodhi dynasty of Khatri/kshattriya caste being descended from Luva and Kusha, the sons of Shri Ramachandra of Avodhya. It simply restored the original Vedic conception which was propagated by the Vaishnav sants and bhagats of North India which influenced the culture during time of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. So just as some Vaishnav sects accepted women, such as famous bhakta Mirabai, famous mleccha/Muslim born Vaishnav Sant Kabir Ji, and famous low caste bhagat Ravidas... these radical reform teachings influenced Sikhism. Meaning, it was Vaishnavism's radical bhakti sants who included traditionally shunned classes into the sadhsangat (women, outcastes and lower castes as spiritual equals and true brahmanas) in literal conformity with Bhagavan Krishna's teachings in the Gita. Quote:
ਅਧਮ ਚੰਡਾਲੀ ਭਈ ਬ੍ਰਹਮਣੀ ਸੂਦੀ ਤੇ ਸ੍ਰੇਸਟਾਈ ਰੇ ॥ Aḏẖam cẖandālī bẖa▫ī barahmaṇī sūḏī ṯe sarėstā▫ī re. The lowly outcaste becomes a Brahmin, and the untouchable sweeper becomes pure and sublime. ~SGGS Ji ang 381 |
Re: Sikh and Hindu traditions.....
Darshan Singhji,
Thank you very much for stopping by and taking the time to read and respond to the post. Respectfully, I would like to have a heart to heart talk about the issues raised and try to remain mindful of your feelings. Quote:
As an aside, I have heard many times that Sikhism incorporates the best of Hinduism and Islam. I don't get it. To me it is reformed Hinduism, pure and simple. Islamists killed a Guru, entombed two sahabzadas alive; and committed untold atrocities against Sikhs. They made every attempt to convert the whole Sikh community to Islam. They don't want any adultration of their fanatic creed. They hate and killed both hindus and sikhs with equal vengeance at the time of partition. As we can see in today's environment, they cannot co-exist with people of other religions and would like a world domination. There are a handful of verses in the Guru Granth sahib written by mystics who were nominally muslim. Mardana was just another villager who came under the influence of Guru Nanak and should be classified as a sikh rather than a muslim. He surely did not shape/influence Sikh theology. Why are they given so much prominence in Sikhism as if they had a hand in shaping the Sikh spiritual values? Is this is subconscious way to distance themselves from Hindus and protect their identity? It is hurtful for the two groups - Hindus and Sikhs - born of the same Punjabi blood to be picking on each other all the time. And it is discouraging to hear the claim that Sikhism is Hindusim, reformed as a result of Islamic values/influences. It was reformed because of the Bhakti movement of Guru Nanak and the base values creeping into the "practice" of Hinduism at the time; not because of the Islamic influence. I just hope that some day, the fear that Hindus want to see Sikhism disappear is purged from the Sikh psyche and they find themselves at peace without having to play the "muslim influence" card to protect their identity. |
Re: Sikh and Hindu traditions.....
The terms "Hindu" or "Muslim" mean different things to different people. So making generic statements a best-of-hinduism-and-islam doesn't mean anything. Now the disciples of gurus were both hindus and muslims and detractors also were both hindus and muslims. Guru Arjan Dev was tortured and killed on the orders of Jahangir, but Mannu, a hindu, gave the testimony. Guru Gobind singh fought 13 or so battles, and 11 of them were against hindu kings of himachal area. Another hindu gangu betrayed Mata Gujri and two sahibzade, who were eventually entombed. And prince of malerkotla tried to help sahibzade. The sikhs felt so much indebted to the prince of malerkotla that even after 250 years, during the riots of 1947 partition, when utter madness struck everyone, no muslim was killed within the boundaries of malerkotla. This is just to reiterate that the gurus and hence sikhs are against the tyrants and untruthful exploiting people, not against particular religion. The definition of God is sikhism is very similar to advaita god with added human-like qualities such as mercy, love and so on; this definition is very different from islamic god. The concepts of cycles of rebirth are same as hinduism. Moksha concept of concept is their in sikhism with a slight difference that "aim-is-not-moksha-but-aim-is-gods-feet". The difference with hinduism is again in practice. Hardly any hindu practices worship of formless god. And some hindus get offended if I don't bow to idols in a temple. This is where some authors will say its similar to islam. There is not much similarity with islam. Again to say it reformed hinduism may put-off some hindus, who say, we are already the best and complete. We don't need any reformation. So its safe to say that sikhism is a new religion; which has many similarities with hinduism. As a note, Mardana, Baba Farid and Kabir were born muslims. Their bani is found in Guru Granth Sahib. The bani of many hindu saints - namdev, ramanand, ravidas, jaidev, dhanna is also in Guru Granth Sahib. Thus when I bow to Guru Granth Sahib, I bow to the word of all of them. A hindu friend of mine was taken aback that in guru granth the synonym of god was also allah along with ram, mohan, giridhar, gopal and so on. Its again our narrow mind who sees the word allah with disdain. Or the actions of present day muslims is giving it a bad name. Present day sikh anger against hindus is because of the events of 1980s. Sikhs felt betrayed by hindus when Golden temple was attacked and destroyed. Sikhs felt further betrayed when 5000 sikhs were brutally killed in Delhi, and 10000 in the whole country; over a period of 3 days. Sikhs felt betrayed by hindus when they gave Rajiv Gandhi a huge victory just 3 months after the massacre he orchestrated. Sikhs felt betrayed by hindus when after 25 years just 10 people are convicted for the killing of 10000 sikhs. Sikhs feel betrayed when some godmen (ashutosh and sacha sauda guy) does actions to insult sikhs and their gurus; and govt takes no action. I can go on and on. Also you will see many posts in this forum who say that guru gobind singh was bhagat of Chandi; and some using the words that sikh gurus were self-styled godmen and such. These people are either uneducated, or silly, or mischievous. I just consider them uneducated. Some sikhs may see them as mischievous which causes further rift. |
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text:
Letters to the editor
Readers write in about global warming, the Federal Reserve, e-books, Greg Mortenson, and the US Postal Service.
War's impact on CO2
Gregory's M. Lamb's article, "A cooling on global warming?" (Dec. 6), provided much food for thought. I often wonder if there is any way of assessing the effect of war on the temperature of the atmosphere. Every bullet shot, every gun fired, every bomb exploded, and every rocket launched must contribute to global warming, and it has been going on for centuries. Can this be assessed? Could it be one more reason to avoid war?
Neville A. Merry
Tewantin, Australia
Who's on watch?
David Francis's column, "Does the Federal Reserve need an audit?" (Dec. 20), invites the rather obvious answer of yes. Of course no individual or institution relishes the idea of close procedural examinations. However, auditing such an institution should not be political. Instead it must be performed by expert accountants well versed in the banking and economic disciplines.
These experts must also report to an apolitical committee and they must report to Congress without prejudice. Anything else only invites a political circus. As the classic graphic novel "Watchmen," put it:" Who's watching the watchmen?"
Richard C. Geschke
Bristol, Conn.
E-book dangers
After reading every word in the Dec. 20 issue, I agree with those who compare these first years of the e-book to the time of the first printing presses. These events change the world. But the changes also feel monumental for reasons that have nothing to do with reading. Case in point: The young man interviewed for "The e-generation speaks" says it won't be dangerous to read his e-book while walking down the street because you can buy a case to protect it in case you drop it.
My husband and I, writers and readers of retirement age, laughed pretty hard at that answer. Our answer would be yes, it is dangerous to read while walking down the street because you could injure yourself tripping on a manhole cover, run into someone and knock them down, or be run over by an inattentive driver at an intersection.
Cottonwood, Minn.


text:
On The Media
From Milk Prices to SuperPACs
Friday, November 04, 2011
The 2012 election is the first presidential race in the post-Citizens United era - and the first in which SuperPACs are expected to have a major impact. Peter Overby, Power, Money and Influence reporter for NPR, traces the history of campaign spending, from Watergate-era donations by milk companies through Karl Rove's Crossroads GPS.
Kid Loco - "The Viaduct"
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