Mumbai Terror Attacks—The Corollary

In the aftermath of the terror attacks in Mumbai, India, authorities are currently investigating into who is responsible for these insane and reprehensible actions. The initial evidence apparently points to a terrorist organization based in Pakistan or Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, though the government of Pakistan denies any involvement.

As investigations continue into the cause of the attacks, I can only hope that the responsible parties, whomever they might be, are aware of the scale of the consequences of their actions. Essentially, this attack is like throwing a lighted fuse into a powder-keg—the powder keg of potential global nuclear war. I can only hope that the aftermath of this attack does not precipitate a nuclear exchange between the nuclear-armed nations of India and Pakistan, which could potentially result in global nuclear war and World War III.

Horizon Cybermedia, meanwhile, remains committed to being creative and rational in the face of the deranged, destructive, mentally retarded, and ultimately, mortally dangerous rogue operatives in our volatile world, as it threatens to teeter on the brink of global nuclear catastrophe.

So, whomever it was that devised this ill-advised, ill-conceived operation to wreak havoc in the peace-loving, cosmopolitan city of Mumbai, you might well have triggered off the events leading up to World War III and global nuclear devastation.

As they say in the movies, "Have a nice day."

Wishing you the very best,

Uday Gunjikar,
Founder and CEO,
Horizon Cybermedia, Inc.

Terrorist Attacks in Mumbai, India

The recent, ongoing spate of terrorist attacks against major landmarks in the city of Mumbai, India deserve the strongest condemnation from the international community. I, for one, am deeply concerned for the well-being for my family and friends in the region and for the hostages currently still being held by the terrorists. The deliberate targeting, by extremist Islamic militants, of westerners and Israelis, is particularly reprehensible, as is the chaos wreaked upon prestigious landmarks in the vibrant, progressive city. I have to commend the courageous and effective response of the Indian anti-terror special forces and elite commandos who continue, as we speak, to engage terrorists in various locations in the city. Indeed, the scenario is reminiscent of the terrorist attacks during the Munich Olympic games in the '60s.

By an amazing coincidence, I was filming at a few of these very landmarks earlier this year. The Taj Mahal Palace hotel, which was one of the terror targets, is featured, along with the Gateway of India monument, in Horizon Cybermedia's first film in the Exploration series, the Elephanta Caves. Other major landmarks in Mumbai that were targeted by terrorists include the Oberoi Hotel and the C.S.T. Railway Station, as well as hospitals, cafés and even a Jewish center. It is an eerie experience for me, considering my recent visit to the city of my birth and the fact that I filmed one of the popular tourist excursions from the city. The city is a vibrant, cosmopolitan center of culture and commerce, the seat of one of the world's major film industries as well as a major technology hub in Asia. It is a sobering experience to witness the city being targeted by forces of militant extremism.

This only strengthens my resolve to continue to document, on film, the major centers of culture and civilization around the world. I feel a deeper sense of purpose in the face of the forces of barbaric extremism and cowardly destructiveness who threaten to undermine the stability, integrity and security of the major cultural centers in the world. I am sure that Mumbai will recover quickly from what is, undoubtedly, a traumatic experience and continue to thrive and succeed like other cities that have recently been afflicted by monstrous terrorist attacks, such as New York, London, Paris, Madrid, and others.

Horizon Cybermedia remains undeterred in our creative efforts to produce art, culture and, ultimately, the artifacts of civilization—we are, if anything, only more determined in our efforts in the face of the destructive savagery of militant extremism and terrorism.

Wishing you the very best,

Uday Gunjikar,
Founder and CEO,
Horizon Cybermedia, Inc.

Geography Lessons

Recently, one of the major news stories was that Vice-Presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin was unaware that Africa is a continent, not a country. This flagrant ignorance of basic high-school geography called into serious question her qualifications to serve is VP and, potentially, as President of the United States and Leader of the Free World. It is, indeed, a scary thought that someone with that level of ignorance could come so close to ruling the "free world," as it were, particularly on the heels of the disastrous Bush administration of the previous eight years—an epitome of the calamitous consequences of ignorance in power and leadership. One can only hope that the new Obama administration possesses some basic knowledge and understanding of geography as it pursues its foreign policies and, given the extent and globally savvy nature of President-elect Barack Obama's education, things do appear to bode well—from a geographic standpoint at least.

It has almost become a cliché to disparage the geographic knowledge of most Americans, but the fact is that we live in a world of increasing specialization and unless one happens to be an academic, a statesman or a world explorer, most people tend to forget one's high school geography lessons by the time one reaches adulthood. After all, if it isn't relevant to your day-to-day life, why would you care about it?

Furthermore, one's knowledge of geography tends to be stronger the closer it is to home. For instance, most Americans are clearly aware that the Rockies are the major mountain range in North America while the Andes are the the major South American mountain range, but how many Americans know (or care) what the capital of Tibet is? And, likewise, how many Tibetans know (or care) anything about the Rockies or the Andes?

So, in an effort to expand our collective geographical knowledge—at least in an attempt to ensure that the next presidential candidates have some basic knowledge of the rest of the world, Horizon Cybermedia continues to present our flagship film series, Exploration with Uday Gunjikar. Check it out at http://www.explorationtheseries.com and do stick around for many more amazing voyages of exploration to come.

Wishing you the very best,

Uday Gunjikar,
Founder and CEO,
Horizon Cybermedia, Inc.

Political Advertising

In this heated political season, Horizon Cybermedia continues to make every effort to remain a politically neutral space. It is our intention to focus exclusively on the arts and to avoid addressing political issues in our content and messaging. To that end, we make every effort to filter any and all politically oriented advertising content from our site.

Most recently, we noticed that advertising in support of the controversial "Proposition 8" was displayed on our website. Please note that this advertising is in no way an indication of Horizon Cybermedia's political views. We have already taken measures to filter out this advertising and we will continue to remain vigilant and keep any and all political messaging out of our websites.

We hope that our policy does not offend the proponents and/or opponents of any political views. The simple fact is that Horizon Cybermedia wishes to remain a politically neutral space because our website is about getting beyond politics and addressing issues that relate to our common humanity.

Wishing you the very best,

Uday Gunjikar,
Founder and CEO,
Horizon Cybermedia, Inc.