where have all the leaders gone?

today times of india covered the perspective makeover of "Lalu"... not that i am surprised either by the makeover or by the coverage, but was just wondering where have all the days gone when the leader were judged by the work they did, not by the "image" they portrayed to the media.
i guess it is one of the hazards of media or maybe that leaders do not do any actual work so they need images or maybe the public would like to just believe the image and look into the work they have done or a combination of all.
(just wondering)

savior lions

Ethiopian girl reportedly guarded by lions from msnbc

strange story i wonder if it is actually true. i read it in a couple of other places too.

common practice

Indian girl, 14, wins a divorce from bbc

how the hell did she get married in the first place!!!!!!!!!!

read it carefully... :)

"One bright day in the middle of night two dead boys rose to fight. Back to back they faced each other, drew their swords and shot one another. A deaf policeman heard the noise, and saved the lives of the two dead boys. If you don't believe this lie is true, ask the blind man, he saw it too."

quotes

"An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind."
-Buddha

"Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. True friendship is a plant of slow grow, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation."
-George Washington

Never explain--your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway.
-Elbert Hubbard

In prosperity our friends know us; in adversity we know our friends.
-John Churton Collins

horrendous... yet again

A free woman from indian express

"I sympathise. From Karachi to the Khyber Pass, Pakistan is one of the most hospitable countries I’ve ever visited. So, President Musharraf, if you want to improve Pakistan’s image, here’s some advice: Just prosecute rapists with the same zeal with which you persecute rape victims.

Mukhtaran says she can’t talk about what happened after the government kidnapped her. But this is what seems to have unfolded: In Islamabad, government officials ferociously berated her for being unpatriotic and warned that they could punish her family and friends. In particular, they threatened to have the father of a friend fired from his job."

quote

WAR IS PEACE; FREEDOM IS SLAVERY; IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.
-- George Orwell, 1984

(i think this is so applicable to current world politics)