Google satellite photos worry President Kalam

1. Rashtrapati Bhavan
2. Indian Navy’s aircraft carrier
3. Yelahanka airport, Bangalore
Indian President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam expressed concern on Saturday about a free mapping program from Google Inc., warning it could help terrorists by providing satellite photos of potential targets.
Google Earth, an Internet site launched in June this year, allows users to access overlapping satellite photos. Although not all areas are highly detailed, some images are very high resolution, and some show sensitive locations in various countries.
At a meeting of top police officials in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad, Kalam said he worried that “developing countries, which are already in danger of terrorist attacks, have been singularly chosen” for providing high resolution images of their sites.
The governments of South Korea and Thailand and lawmakers in the Netherlands have expressed similar concerns.
South Korean newspapers said Google Earth provides images of the presidential Blue House and military bases in the country, which remains technically at war with communist North Korea. The North’s main nuclear facility at Yongbyon is among sites in that country displayed on the service.
The Google site contains clear aerial photos of India’s parliament building, the president’s house and surrounding government offices in New Delhi. There are also some clear shots of Indian defense establishments.
Officials at Mountain View, Calif.-based Google did not immediately return a phone call and e-mail seeking comment.
Responding in August to the concerns of two Dutch lawmakers, Google spokeswoman Catherine Betts noted the software uses information already available from public sources and said its benefits “far outweigh any negatives from potential abuse.”
Kalam, a scientist who guided India’s missile program before becaming president, called for new laws to restrain dissemination of such material. He said existing laws in some countries regarding spatial observations of their territory and the United Nations’ recommendations on the practice are inadequate.

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A NEW INDIA ..?? A mail sent by Dean IIT Madras, about a real Indian (Worth reading it)

Dear Friends,

Here is a personal experience, as well as a moment of national pride,which I want to share with you. Hope you find it worth the time youput in reading it :"In the middle of 1965 India-Pakistan war, US govt - then a closefriend of Pakistan - threatened India with stopping food-aid(remember "PL-480"?). For a food deficient India this threat wasserious and humiliating. So much so that in the middle of war, PrimeMinister (Late) Lal Bahadur Shastri went to Ram Leela Grounds inDelhi and appealed to each Indian to observe one-meal-fast every weekto answer the American threat. As a school boy, I joined thosemillions who responded to Shastri ji's call. I continued the fasteven when the war was over and India became self sufficient in food.Hurt deep by the national humiliation suffered at the hands of the USgovt, I had vowedto stop my weekly fast only when India starts giving aid to USA.It took just 40 years. Last week THE day arrived. When Indianambassador in Washington DC handed over a cheque of US$ 50 million tothe US govt, two plane loads of food, medical aid and other reliefmaterials were waiting to fly to the USA. Time to break the fast?With no bad feeling about the USA, and good wishes for the Katrinavictims, this humble Indian feels proud of the distance India hascovered in 40 years. Let's celebrate a New India!"- Vijay Kranti.