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World
Punishing Qatar
Are we in need of distractions? The political masters obviously think so. There have been hackings, cuttings, slayings and crushing events. As battles continue raging in Syria and northern Iraq, European cities face the next round of urban slayings. As that was taking place, eyes in the western media were taken off brewing troubles among the Gulf States. Eager pots[Read More…]
India
There Is An Alternative: A Story From Kerala
In a historical first, the government of a state has absolutely ‘shocked’ Indian democracy by submitting its progress report for public evaluation on completion of the first year of its tenure. Unsurprisingly, this ray of change comes from Kerala where the CPI (M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government is winding up its glorious first year with glittering achievements. The[Read More…]
Imperialism
The Chinese-Indian New Cold War
We are honored to present this multi-part paper from Andrew Korybko into the emerging New Cold War between China and India. This research will be released over a number of days to facilitate discussion and conversation, with a compiled briefing paper being provided at the end of the series. Theoretical Background Relations between China and India have been souring over[Read More…]
Human Rights
‘Rude Acts Of Mere Instinct’
Civil liberties and Democratic Rights organizations have for long argued that using Indian Army to prosecute war against our own people is to fight an ignoble war, because such wars are Dirty Wars under the very definition of Counter Insurgency warfare where our own people are treated as enemies to be suppressed by using military force. Coordination of Democratic Rights[Read More…]
Globalisation
Bechtel Corporation And Iran: A Story of American Corporatism-Imperialism
(Rome) Iran’s Islamic Revolution in 1979 resulted in the overthrow of the US-supported Pahlavi dynasty at that time under Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. The Iranian Revolution was a violent and widely popular overthrow of a ferocious US-inspired regime installed following the CIA-organized coup d’état of the democratically elected government led by PremierMohammad Mossadegh on August 19, 1953. Eventually led[Read More…]
Climate Change
Paris Quartet
One: An angry, malcontent species is making an angry, uninhabitable planet. A violent species is making a violent, uninhabitable planet. Political power craves greater power. Flexes pleasure in being above law and question. Flexes pleasure in domination. Corporate wealth craves greater wealth. Buys security through dispossessing. Time in a quantum theory may not be linear. Yet a straight line might[Read More…]
Resource Crisis
A Litmus Test For Academia
Of the issues which are totally ignored, for all practical purposes, there’s one that we can spotlight here which — if not addressed post haste — stands to take us over the precipice. That is that if we want to protect our environment , we must talk about population size and growth and actually do something about it.
Alternative Energy
Why Is India Lagging Behind In Tapping Solar Power?
Two emails come in simultaneously into my email box. One almost chortling that California breaks energy record with 80% of state’s power generated using renewable methods. The Golden State generated 67% of its energy from renewables in one day. I stare at the text, truly amazed at California’s drive to get clean. Meanwhile, the second email which is a Greenpeace[Read More…]
Counter Solutions
Climate: Limits And Opportunities For The New Economies
In a previous post titled Information, Energy and Human development, I concluded saying that we don’t know what will happen to our society if the planet will be overheated. I don’t have the answer, and maybe I will never have it, but I have surely been gaining new insights on what has been the influence of the climate on the[Read More…]
Environmental Protection
Educators Serving The Powers That Be: Results of a Recent Survey
In the months of April and May we conducted a random survey of 100 U.S. educators nationwide* — on all levels, in public and private institutions — and discovered that less than 10% of teachers and administrators** knew much at all about the 25 major environmental issues plaguing the planet today.
Communal Harmony
The Story of The Devil Called Muslim
Mumbai is known as the most cosmopolitan of the Indian cities. Muslims have a huge presence here. Generations of Muslims have lived here. The following is an example of some school children living in such a cosmopolitan Mumbai or its suburbs. But this instance can also be said to be representational. The picture may be a bit different in Andheri,[Read More…]
Annihilate Caste
No Court Of Law Can Stigmatise A Community
The Madras High Court comprising of Hon’ble Justices S Nagamuthu and N Seshasayeerecently laid down alandmark judgment wherein they strongly questioned: the prejudice that people belonging to aparticular community will traditionally indulge in commission of particular type of crimes and the same could be inherited like family trade. The Division Bench went on to observe that;“Judiciary cannot afford to[Read More…]
Patriarchy
Triple Talaq: Gender Equality, Justice And Economic Rights As Perceived In Courts And Society
The whole issue of triple talaq is resounding with conversations on gender equality and rights of women and minorities. There is sudden “awakening” about women’s rights and gender equality. It cannot be mere coincidence that this matter was chosen to be heard by Supreme Court in vacation while delaying equally important issues of right to privacy and threatened surveillance by[Read More…]
Palestine
A People’s Historian: Ramzy Baroud On Journalism, History And Why ‘Palestinians Already Have A Voice’
Palestinian-American historian, journalist and author, Dr. Ramzy Baroud, speaks on his upcoming book, just-released digital media project – Palestine in Motion – and why Palestinian history has to be urgently retold. When it comes to Palestine, we often see a dichotomy between mainstream media platforms – which are essentially molded out of a Zionist narrative – and a counter-narrative,[Read More…]
Kashmir
Kashmir, A Separate Country!
(UN showing Kashmir as a separate country confirms the historical fact known right from the ancient times!) There was recently a news item about the UN showing Kashmir as a separate country in some of its documents. The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) have depicted Jammu & Kashmir as a “separate country”. In the “Advanced search[Read More…]
South Asia
South Asian Progressives Commemorate 50 Years of Naxalbari Uprising In Canada
South Asian progressive activists came together in Surrey, Canada this evening to denounce ongoing state violence against oppressed communities and minorities in India on the occasion of 50 years of Naxalbari uprising. At a rally organized by Radical Desi, speakers were unanimous in their criticism of the growing attacks on Dalits, Adivasis and religious minorities under the right wing Modi[Read More…]
Life/Philosophy
We Need Their Voices Today: Mary Wollstonecraft
The first of a new genus Mary Wollstonecraft was born in London 1n 1759. Although her family had a comfortable income during her childhood, Mary’s father later lost his fortune through speculation, and the family entered a period of severe financial difficulties. He also subjected his wife to physical violence, and Mary often slept in front of her mother’s[Read More…]
Arts/Literature
They Came For Our Children
We grew up looking at the stars in the sky,
Every morning we wake up to the screeching sounds,
We happily lived in our beautiful homes that you derogatorily call jungle,
But one fine day they, came for our children.
Book Review
The Betrayal Of India: A Close Look At The 2008 Mumbai Terror Attacks
These days we rush from one media story to another, trying to keep up with the latest terrorist attack. Yesterday Paris; today London; tomorrow, who knows? These attacks are tragic enough when they are acts of violence by religious extremists who have outsmarted our police and intelligence agencies. But, of course, many of them are actually violent acts facilitated by[Read More…]
News
We Need Their Voices Today: Mary Wollstonecraft
The first of a new genus Mary Wollstonecraft was born in London 1n 1759. Although her family had a comfortable income during her childhood, Mary’s father later lost his fortune through speculation, and the family entered a period of severe financial difficulties. He also subjected his wife to physical violence, and Mary often slept in front of her mother’s[Read More…]
Punishing Qatar
Are we in need of distractions? The political masters obviously think so. There have been hackings, cuttings, slayings and crushing events. As battles continue raging in Syria and northern Iraq, European cities face the next round of urban slayings. As that was taking place, eyes in the western media were taken off brewing troubles among the Gulf States. Eager pots[Read More…]
Courage For Peace, Not For War, In Afghanistan
When activists like me return from visiting the Afghan Peace Volunteers in Kabul, Afghanistan, young seamstresses there often entrust each of us with about fifty sky-blue scarves. The word “Borderfree” is carefully embroidered, in English, on one end of each scarf; on the opposite side, they’ve stitched the translation in Dari, the language they speak. The scarves express their[Read More…]
Paris Quartet
One: An angry, malcontent species is making an angry, uninhabitable planet. A violent species is making a violent, uninhabitable planet. Political power craves greater power. Flexes pleasure in being above law and question. Flexes pleasure in domination. Corporate wealth craves greater wealth. Buys security through dispossessing. Time in a quantum theory may not be linear. Yet a straight line might[Read More…]
Kashmir, A Separate Country!
(UN showing Kashmir as a separate country confirms the historical fact known right from the ancient times!) There was recently a news item about the UN showing Kashmir as a separate country in some of its documents. The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) have depicted Jammu & Kashmir as a “separate country”. In the “Advanced search[Read More…]
They Came For Our Children
We grew up looking at the stars in the sky,
Every morning we wake up to the screeching sounds,
We happily lived in our beautiful homes that you derogatorily call jungle,
But one fine day they, came for our children.
Torment In American Sports And The Star Spangled Banner: A Life Sketch Of Colin Kaepernick
At every turn in American culture, be it politics, sports or the corporate world, the citizenry is constantly taught, some would argue brainwashed, to believe in the Cult of the Uniform & The Flag, be it that of the armed forces, local law enforcement, or sports. It’s a veritable religion that one ever dares to criticize at their peril. Political[Read More…]
Twilight Of The American Century And Chinese Ascendancy
Abstract The more evidence we have that the American century of international hegemony is waning because of an increasingly weaker economy, the more scholars and analysts of international political economy insist that the 21st century will not witness China’s global ascendancy. From prominent academics to journalists there is a refusal to acknowledge structural shifts in the global economy from West[Read More…]
The Betrayal Of India: A Close Look At The 2008 Mumbai Terror Attacks
These days we rush from one media story to another, trying to keep up with the latest terrorist attack. Yesterday Paris; today London; tomorrow, who knows? These attacks are tragic enough when they are acts of violence by religious extremists who have outsmarted our police and intelligence agencies. But, of course, many of them are actually violent acts facilitated by[Read More…]
There Is An Alternative: A Story From Kerala
In a historical first, the government of a state has absolutely ‘shocked’ Indian democracy by submitting its progress report for public evaluation on completion of the first year of its tenure. Unsurprisingly, this ray of change comes from Kerala where the CPI (M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government is winding up its glorious first year with glittering achievements. The[Read More…]
Lafzon ka Perh (The Tree of Words)
(This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to recent events or people is intentional, fiction after all is the step daughter of reality) Azadnagar was a unique place. It had birds which could speak. Yes, speak as we could. The people of Azadnagar loved their birds but no one knew how they could speak. The secret of the speaking[Read More…]
Gujarat Police Arrest Medha Patkar, Prafulla Samantara, Dr. Sunilam And 60 Others
Gujarat | June 07, 2017: Around 2 PM, Gujarat Police arrested well known social activist Medha Patkar, noted Goldman Environmental Prize 2017 winner Prafulla Samantara, Dr. Sunilam, Aradhna Bhargava, Madhuresh Kumar, Himshi Singh, supporters from Gujarat and approximately 60 more people at Gujarat Border in Chhota Udaipur district. People of Narmada Valley are not going to succumb to any Govt.[Read More…]
As Farmers Fight Back In India, Where Are We Headed?
I have a facebook group. It is called “Life in India is cheap, Damn cheap”. I started the group after seeing the death stunts of a circus group without any protection gears in a local festival. Yes, hundreds of thousands of lives in India are lost which could have been prevented if government took proper measures to tackle it. As[Read More…]
Questions To The Chief Justice of India on Justice C.S. Karnan’s Imprisonment Order
Sir, The seven judge Constitution Bench – which sentenced Justice C.S. Karnan to six months imprisonment for contempt of court through its order dated 9 May, 2017 states “Detailed order to follow”. Though thirty days have elapsed why has the detailed order not been made public till date through the Supreme Court’s official website(s) both old and new? We have[Read More…]
We Need Their Voices Today: Thomas Jefferson
Jefferson’s Education Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) was born in the British Colony of Virginia. His father, Peter Jefferson, who was a planter and surveyor, died when Thomas Jefferson was 14 years old, and Thomas inherited an estate of approximately 5000 acres. At the age of 16, Jefferson entered the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg Virginia. His studies there[Read More…]
Terror As Opportunity: Exploiting The London Attacks
The hallmark of any administration worth its corruptly curing salt is making hay while the sun shines its searing rays. Not long after the slashing and running down was taking place in London, moving from London Bridge to Borough Market, the tweets of blame and fire were already coming through. That nasty sovereign known as social media was already agitating.[Read More…]
USS Liberty: Little-Known Tale Of Betrayal And Cover Up
This column is about events so counterintuitive that Hollywood would reject the plot as being too unbelievable. Fifty years ago on June 8th, another nation intentionally attacked a U.S. Navy ship in international waters, and the U.S. didn’t respond. The attack The lightly-armed intelligence-gathering U.S. ship was under close observation for at least six hours before an air attack[Read More…]
Explaining The Dollar: How It Became The Global Currency And What It Means For You
Most working people think of the buck as the way they pay their bills. But its use goes far beyond the USA’s borders. The greenback is the major world currency for trade and finance. This international role bestows vast power on the U.S. government and the rich. But its status doesn’t help ordinary people much. Fundamentally, the exchange[Read More…]
Thousands Of Sardar Sarovar Dam Oustees Pledge To Struggle Against Forceful Eviction
Nisarpur, Madhya Pradesh | June 06, 2017: Thousands of Sardar Sarovar dam oustees gathered today for ‘Aam Sabha’ (general assembly) in the submergence zone village of Nisarpur as part of the 3-day Rally for the Valley that kicked off from Indore yesterday. Hundreds of students, activists, artists from all over India and affected-people from other destructive developments projects joined hands[Read More…]
Nuclear Power Plant In Gujarat Shifted To AP, Agitators Say ‘Not Here, Not Anywhere’
The Centre has told the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that the 6,000 MW nuclear power plant proposed at Mithivirdi in Gujarat will be shifted to Kovvada in Andhra Pradesh due to delay in land acquisition for the project. After the Centre’s submission, the NGT bench, consisting of judicial member U D Salvi and expert member Ranjan Chatterjee, disposed of a[Read More…]
Five Farmers Demanding Fair Prices And Loan Waivers Killed In Police Firing In Madhya Pradesh
New Delhi | June 06, 2017: Today afternoon, police forces opened fire at the protesting farmers in Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh. As per reports, five farmers killed and many left injured in the attack by police officials. The farmers have been on strike from June 1 to June 10 demanding loan waivers and fair prices for their produce. NAPM[Read More…]
The Little Acknowledged Legacy of Steve Biko
This opinion Piece was widely circulated through the Independent Newspapers Group and was published in the Daily News (08 Sept 2008), Cape Argus (11 Sept.2008) and in other newspapers belonging to the group. Thirty years ago in 1977 the beast of Apartheid snuffed out the life of one of the greatest thinkers in the liberation pantheon of South Africa: Steve[Read More…]
A People’s Historian: Ramzy Baroud On Journalism, History And Why ‘Palestinians Already Have A Voice’
Palestinian-American historian, journalist and author, Dr. Ramzy Baroud, speaks on his upcoming book, just-released digital media project – Palestine in Motion – and why Palestinian history has to be urgently retold. When it comes to Palestine, we often see a dichotomy between mainstream media platforms – which are essentially molded out of a Zionist narrative – and a counter-narrative,[Read More…]
The Unwanted ‘Bride’: Can the 1967 War Offer Opportunity for Peace
There is a saying that goes: “Be careful what you wish for, for you may get it.” This has been Israel’s dilemma from the very beginning. The Zionist movement, which held its first conference in Basel, Switzerland 120 years ago, wanted Palestine but not the Palestinians. They achieved this objective 50 years later, in what Israel termed as its[Read More…]
Exceptionalist Trump America Exits From Paris Agreement & Launches Neoliberal War on Terra
An exceptionalist Trump America has withdrawn from the Paris Climate Change Agreement and thereby launched a neoliberal War on the Planet (Terra). The US has 4.4% of the world’s population but contributes more to annual global greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution than China (18.6% of world population). The Paris Agreement’s upper limit of avoiding a catastrophic 2C temperature rise is[Read More…]
Fighting For Alternate Development Paradigm While Condemning US Withdrawal From Paris Accord.
Trump’s action withdrawing US from the Paris accord on climate change calls for outright condemnation. It should be opposed without letup. This US action is not new. His predecessors had taken almost the same attitude towards Kyoto Protocol like earlier agreements also. Imperialism means plunder and wars for plunder. No doubt, world public opinion should be created and intensified uninterruptedly[Read More…]
Educators Serving The Powers That Be: Results of a Recent Survey
In the months of April and May we conducted a random survey of 100 U.S. educators nationwide* — on all levels, in public and private institutions — and discovered that less than 10% of teachers and administrators** knew much at all about the 25 major environmental issues plaguing the planet today.
Kashmir: Not War Against Its Own People But Dialogue Is Need Of The Hour
“Not war against our own citizens, but dialogue with all stakeholders in Kashmir, including emerging youth leadership, is the only way to resolve the Kashmir issue.” – This was a common view expressed by all the speakers at a lecture programme on ‘Kashmiriyonka Najariya :Vastavaur Mithak’ (Kashmiri Peoples’ Perspective : Myth & Reality’) held on 3rd June 2017 at Shramik Patrakar Bhavan, Pune.
Triple Talaq: Gender Equality, Justice And Economic Rights As Perceived In Courts And Society
The whole issue of triple talaq is resounding with conversations on gender equality and rights of women and minorities. There is sudden “awakening” about women’s rights and gender equality. It cannot be mere coincidence that this matter was chosen to be heard by Supreme Court in vacation while delaying equally important issues of right to privacy and threatened surveillance by[Read More…]
Bhindranwale To Bal Thackrey: Indian State Exposes Its Hypocrisy In Dealing With Two Extremes
This month marks thirty three years of the death of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale – a fiery Sikh preacher who was accused by the Indian state of being involved in terrorist activities. He died fighting against the Indian army at the Golden Temple Complex, the holiest Sikh shrine of the Sikhs that was turned into a battlefield in June 1984.[Read More…]
‘Rude Acts Of Mere Instinct’
Civil liberties and Democratic Rights organizations have for long argued that using Indian Army to prosecute war against our own people is to fight an ignoble war, because such wars are Dirty Wars under the very definition of Counter Insurgency warfare where our own people are treated as enemies to be suppressed by using military force. Coordination of Democratic Rights[Read More…]
Black Lives Matter
White racists! Supremacists! Yes! We are dark!… Black! Egoistic imperialists! You are not on the right track! From Asia and Africa We were herded as slaves To serve your America From our birth to graves Without our toil and strain How can you make ‘ America great again’ ? Without our body and brain How much can America gain?[Read More…]
The Dreamer Begins His New Journey: A Tribute To M C Raj
It is difficult to believe that M C Raj is gone. We knew that he was suffering from Cancer, however we felt that he would overcome. M C Raj, the dreamer, intellectual and weaver of word is no more. He passed away in Banglore this morning leaving behind a family as well as all those who cherished his vision and[Read More…]
We Need Their Voices Today: Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine, defender of democracy, defender of human rights, defender of ordinary citizens against the tyranny of oligarchies, we need your voice today!
More Mass Destruction Weapons
On May 25, Donald Trump, the President of America, visited Brussels and the NATO. His visit concluded that Europe must meet its obligations and buy more mass destruction weapons for the security and democracy of the Western and free world. In a clumsy, arrogant and disrespectful way he insult America’s best and most loyal allies. After Trump had closed a[Read More…]
Predictable Exits: Trump And The Paris Agreement
The distress caused by US President Donald Trump in over the last week continues the theme of exit: old alliances and agreements need revision; compacts need unpacking. Thursday saw Trump add another graceless if direct announcement: the United States would be leaving the Paris climate agreement. “This agreement,” he claimed in a speech of fantastic make-believe, “is less about the[Read More…]
Our Responsibility After Trump’s Climate Withdrawal
President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement follows the path of previous presidents who have undermined international climate agreements. We disagree with Trump but it is important to understand his actions in the context of the history of the United States regarding previous climate agreements. Once again, the political problems in the US are bigger than Trump. His action brings greater clarity to the inability of the US government to confront the climate crisis and clarifies the tasks of people seeking smart climate policy.
A Coarse Trump And The Disunited States Of America
This Thursday, June 1, the U.S. decided to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord. Like Brexit, the process is not like instant coffee; if anything, it is much more of a slow brew to which one could add harvesting or even growing the coffee in the first place. To prevent disruption for other members, it calls for a period[Read More…]
The Story of The Devil Called Muslim
Mumbai is known as the most cosmopolitan of the Indian cities. Muslims have a huge presence here. Generations of Muslims have lived here. The following is an example of some school children living in such a cosmopolitan Mumbai or its suburbs. But this instance can also be said to be representational. The picture may be a bit different in Andheri,[Read More…]
Pulp Friction
Do the righteous amongst us choose formulaic thinking over science-based deductive observation? Pulp Fiction, released in 1994 as an American black comedy neo-noir crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, is from a story by Tarantino and Roger Avary. It was, and continues to be a cultural watershed…a great piece of cinematic art capturing the myopia within American culture.Samuel[Read More…]
Sri Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV -The Philosopher King of Mysore
While all over India citadels of royal families crumbled before the might of British onslaught, the Wodeyars of Mysore through their liberal, progressive and secular outlook and policies retained their domain till 1947. In the long history of Mysore it was under Sri Krishna raja Wodeyar IV who ruled from 1902 to 1940 that the state came to be referred[Read More…]
No Court Of Law Can Stigmatise A Community
The Madras High Court comprising of Hon’ble Justices S Nagamuthu and N Seshasayeerecently laid down alandmark judgment wherein they strongly questioned: the prejudice that people belonging to aparticular community will traditionally indulge in commission of particular type of crimes and the same could be inherited like family trade. The Division Bench went on to observe that;“Judiciary cannot afford to[Read More…]
Cow And Hindutva: Myths And Facts
The Hindutva juggernaut which rode on with Ram, love jihaad and ghar wapsi on top of it, is riding with cow this time. There have been countless incidents of lynching, maiming and robbing of Muslims and Dalits in the name of saving holy cows. It is to be noted that there are large number of such attacks which go unreported.[Read More…]
Who ‘Loves’ Mob Violence ? Unfolding Hindu Rashtra In Slow Motion
Jaipur — Rajasthan State Commission for Minorities has sought a factual report on a video that went viral on Thursday showing four Sikh men purportedly beaten up by local residents of Chainpura in Ajmer district.The 51-second video shows four members of Sikh community being abused and thrashed by a mob as people witnessing the incident filmed the entire episode…..three[Read More…]
The State-Name of Macedonia?
Preface The “Macedonian Question” is today actual for several reasons of whom two are of the fundamental importance: 1. The Albanian secession in the FYROM (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia); and 2. The Greek dispute with the FYROM authorities over several issues.[1] For the matter of illustration, for instance, Greece is so far blocking Macedonia’s joining the NATO and the[Read More…]
Climate: Limits And Opportunities For The New Economies
In a previous post titled Information, Energy and Human development, I concluded saying that we don’t know what will happen to our society if the planet will be overheated. I don’t have the answer, and maybe I will never have it, but I have surely been gaining new insights on what has been the influence of the climate on the[Read More…]
Trump Administration Announces US Withdrawal From Paris Climate Agreement
President Trump announced Thursday that the United States will withdraw from the Paris climate change agreement. The move, which repudiates even the most modest and nonbinding targets for greenhouse gas emissions reductions, takes place amidst growing conflicts between the major capitalist powers and a raging political crisis within the US itself. In a major 30-minute Rose Garden address, Trump justified[Read More…]
Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court To Revive Muslim Travel Ban
The Trump administration on Thursday (June 1) asked the U.S. Supreme Court to revive his controversial Muslim travel ban executive order which was blocked by lower courts that found it discriminatory. The Justice Department asked the apex court to temporarily lift injunctions that bar officials from carrying out Trump’s March 6, 2017 directive to suspend visa issuance to citizens[Read More…]
Higher Education In India: License To Loot
University Grants Commission (UGC) has drafted a new set of regulations/ guidelines and released it inviting feedback from public. (http://www.ugc.ac.in/pdfnews/9837591_Public-Notice-regarding-draft-Regulations-and-Guidelines.pdf ) These regulations/ guidelines are going to have profound impact on the higher education in the country and are in fact an extension of the thrust towards the assault on the public higher education and the attempts towards creating avenues[Read More…]
Dreamers Of The Third Kind
A Brief Sketch of Alternative Films: Making, Screening and Orgnising People’s Film Festivals in India When Martin Luther King (Junior) stated: `I have a dream’, he never meant that he wanted to become a film maker. When Lumiere brothers made the first documentary in the world, capturing the images of a train coming towards the audience, some of the audience[Read More…]
We Need Their Voices Today: William Blake
Education as an engraver and printmaker William Blake was born in 1757 in the Soho district of London. He was the third of seven children, two of whom died in infancy. His parents, who were English Dissenters, seem to have been reasonable wealthy during his childhood, since his father was able to purchase many books for him. Among these were[Read More…]
The U-Turn Queen: Theresa May in Action
Authoritarian styles can come at cost. The manner with which the British Prime Minister has reacted to the concept of debate has been one such point. While the joys of the Westminster system hardly suggest untrammelled enlightenment, one superficial element remains: the need to debate policies. Having called an election, the pollster community were more or less suggesting Theresa May[Read More…]
Question Deleted
For some time now, the discourse on Israel has been shifting from a place where Israeli “hasbara” disinformation had the upper hand no matter where one turned, to a place where Israeli criminal policies are more frankly discussed and the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions Movement (BDS), which is now championed by some academic associations, church groups and labor unions[Read More…]
Afghanistan: From Soviet Occupation To American ‘Liberation’
During the election campaign of 2008 before he was elected as the president, Barack Obama made an artificial distinction between the “just war” in Afghanistan and the unjust war in Iraq. In accordance with the flawed distinction, he pledged that he would withdraw American troops stationed in Iraq. The unilateral intervention in Iraq by the Bush Administration was highly unpopular[Read More…]
The Chinese-Indian New Cold War – Southeast and South Asia
This is the second part of The Chinese-Indian New Cold War series from Andrew Korybko, looking at the region of Southeast and South Asia. Please read Part I Introduction The first realm of rivalry to be explored between China and India is the interconnected strategic space of Southeast and South Asia. While geopolitically separate and not yet functionally integrated with[Read More…]
Wake Up: India Is Changing Faster Than We Can Imagine
Ever since the Rajasthan High Court judge made public, his suggestions on declaring the cow, the national animal of India solely based on his inner voice and also went a step further to enlighten us on his knowledge of the non-existence of sexual intercourse between peacocks and peahens, social media is in a frenzy with memes and jokes on the[Read More…]
Envisioning A World Where Women Inherit Property, Not Poverty
The Indian women farmer, almost never publicly acknowledged, reviled by superstition and patriarchy, and increasingly troubled by entrenched social and cultural mores and taboos bears the real burden of farm labour. Nearly 98 million Indian women have agricultural jobs, but around 63% of them, or 61.6 million women, are agricultural labourers, dependent on the farms of others, according to[Read More…]
Sermons
Brothers ! Sisters ! Listen !
Unite and hasten
To counter cow vigilantes
Forced religious conversions
Voice right to dissent
And rights of women empowerment
Release of illegal detainees
Without speedy trial and justice
‘Beef Ban’ Protesters Arrested In Bangalore
Around 25 people protesting the ‘beef ban’ in Bangalore were arrested and put under police custody today. About 500 people marching towards the Bangalore town hall were stopped by the police and at least 25 were arrested. Jagdish Chandra , New Socialist Alternative (CWI-India) , Balan (AICCTU) ,Shankar (Politburo member, CPIML), Narasimha Murthy ( Human Rights Defender) Rajan Chinnaiah (Karnatak[Read More…]
We Need Their Voices Today: Saint Francis of Assisi
Saint Francis of Assisi was born in 1181 in the Italian hilltop town of Assisi. His father, Pietro di Bernardone, was a prosperous silk merchant, and his mother Pica de Bourlemont, was a noblewoman from Provence. Saint Francis was originally called Giovanni, but his father later renamed him Francesco because of his successful business dealings in France and his admiration[Read More…]
John McCain in Australia
There is no getting away from the fact that a visit to that known outpost of American Empire, Australia, softens the mind and leads to a more vigorous wagging of tongues than usual. Away from the scrutiny of a full blooded Washington press corps, politicians can engage in speculation and hyperbole. The paternalists can slip into something more comfortable, and[Read More…]
Honoring The Rain And Our Overall Water Supply
A few years ago I saw a film of a weak and hungry mother leopard hunting day after day to try to find food for herself and her teenager, a son less adept at hunting than she was due to his being young. It was impossible since drought created water deficits indirectly caused in part by climate change impacts.[Read More…]
Indonesian Borneo Is Finished: They Also Rape Orangutans
How destructive can man get, how ruthless, in his quest to secure maximum profit, even as he endangers the very survival of our planet? The tropical forests of Kalimantan (known as Borneo in Malaysia), the third largest island in the world, have almost totally disappeared. Coalmines are savagely scarring the hills; the rivers are polluted, and countless species are[Read More…]
An Open Letter To People With ‘Mental Health’ Issues
As ‘mental health’ issues gain more attention, sympathetic and otherwise, in a wide variety of contexts and countries around the world, the opportunity for inaccurate perceptions of what causes these issues, and how to treat them, are likewise expanded. So if you or someone you know is supposed to have a ‘mental illness’ such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive[Read More…]
Now Float Me Down….
During our recent “celebration” of Memorial Day, I heard the rumblings of muscular motorcycles outside my window, on the streets below my apartment in Washington, D.C. There seemed to be many such displays in public places or on TV. A former judge in my apartment building told me about “festivities” taking place at the Kennedy Center, to mark the 100th[Read More…]
The Reason That I, A US Citizen, Stand Against The India Beef Ban
The reason that I care about this food issue, although I personally can eat beef any day of the week that I may please since I live in the USA, is really simple. It ultimately goes back to the underlying theme of this poem: “First they came …” is a poem written by German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984). It[Read More…]
We Need Their Voices Today!
We are honored to serialize the new book by John Scales Avery “We Need Their Voices Today!”. We are publishing the Preface of the book today. The chapters will be published in the coming days
Climate Criminal Trump America Contributes 20% Of World’s Annual Carbon Debt Increase
Man’s greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution goes into the one common atmosphere and one common ocean of all countries on earth. Each year the world adds 66 billion tonnes CO2-equivalent to its inescapable Carbon Debt that in dollar terms is increasing at $13.2 trillion per year. Trump America that threatens to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement has 4.4% of[Read More…]
To Avoid Straining Ties With Iran Pakistan May Quit Command Of Saudi-Led Muslim Military Alliance
Pakistan is reconsidering its position on the so-called 41-nation Islamic military alliance, led by Saudi Arabia, to avoid straining its relationship with neighboring Iran, according to Pakistan media reports. The military alliance was to be commanded by General Raheel Sharif, the former commander-in-chief of Pakistan army who retired from the Pak army last year. Its decision comes after statements[Read More…]
Saharanpur Stalls Gorakhpur
The Hindutva winds of Gorakhpur are being stopped by Dalit walls in Saharanpur. The wind had attained significant force through installation of Yogi Adityanath as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. This is being stalled by Dalit led Bhim Army at Saharanpur. Goraknath has been a center of Political activity, particularly the Hindutva brand of politics. Gorakhpur has attained the[Read More…]
Service Brat, Identity And Nationalism
Many recent posts of mine on Facebook – especially those dealing with the vexing issue of our respected Indian Army using a Kashmiri, and by all accounts a genuine citizen out to exercise his franchise, have been met with strange and often strong reactions – virtually telling me that as a daughter and wife of two former Navy Chiefs I[Read More…]
Vietnam War Memories Revived!
(The photograph of human shield and the subsequent award to the perpetrator of human rights violation have put the Army as well as the country in a very poor light!) A photograph of Farooq Ahmad Dar, a weaver from a village in Badgam Kashmir, tied to the front of an Army jeep and paraded through 30 odd villages during the[Read More…]
Toxic Relations: Stop Colluding With Monsanto And The Agrochemical Industry!
Environmental campaigner Dr Rosemary Mason has just written to the UK’s Policy Advisor Nigel Chadwick at the Chemicals Regulation Directorate of Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
Narmada Valley On High Alert
At least 40,000 policemen and women, if needed the army, is on alert and will be pulled in for forcible eviction of thousands of families whose list is announced through the extraordinary gazette notification issued by the Government of M.P., dated 27.05.2017, which is in the public domain, listing the names of 18,346 families. Various government officials are continuously moving[Read More…]
Indian Peasants Cry For Justice
India is now the world’s fastest-growing major economy, but years of drought and a failure to create jobs for a burgeoning young population has left millions of rural Indians struggling. India’s 120 million farmers are considered e the backbone of the country’s food security but disillusionment runs through almost entire rural India. Farming remains the country’s dark spot and[Read More…]
Tobacco Endgame Is Critical ‘Cog In The Wheel’ For Sustainable Development
Although governments have promised sustainable development by 2030 by adopting UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but tobacco triggered pandemics threaten to stall or even reverse the progress made. Tobacco is a major risk factor of killer non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardio-vascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases, among others. In addition to devastating health, tobacco is also linked to poverty,[Read More…]
CPDR Condemns Attack On A Scholar Of IIT Madras
Last week, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has issued an anti-constitutional gazette notification– Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017 –banning cattle slaughter and introduced severe restrictions on the sale of cattle to prevent their killing. The order applicable to the whole of India, except the State of Jammu and Kashmir, says that[Read More…]
Brutal Attack On IIT Madras Students Protesting Beef Ban
This is a brief account of what happened in the IIT Madras campus in the last two days. The central govt’s notification was a matter of serious discussion amongst students. On Sunday a group of students initiated the idea of holding a discussion on the issue, where cooked beef was also distributed. We shared the invite of the festival in[Read More…]
French Media Hail Macron’s Moves Away From US Anti-Russian Policies
Yesterday, French media applauded newly elected President Emmanuel Macron’s summit Monday in Versailles with Russian President Vladimir Putin. This enthusiasm was all the more significant as the newspapers made little effort to hide the fact that Macron was shifting towards Moscow despite Washington’s open hostility to Russia. “In the finery of the castle of Versailles,” Le Monde wrote in its[Read More…]
Eight Pygmy Hogs Released In Barnadi Wildlife Sanctuary
In a bid to revive the population of critically endangered Pygmy Hogs in its natural habitat a total of 8 captive breed Pygmy Hogs (four male and four female) were formally released in the Barnadi Wildlife Sanctuary of Udalguri of Asssam on May 29 by Khampha Borgayari,Deputy Chief of BTC in presence of Andrew Terry of Durrell Wildlife Conservation[Read More…]
The Mystical Journey Of The Unconscious Mind
Bismillaàh Some experiences sometimes in this journey called life are beyond words and description .The magnitude of their impact unmeasurable ……all these years I have carried a mystical enigmatical experience within me..merged into my being …the outer self questioning …is it true …possible ? the “ruh” never in doubt of this happening! A normal hectic working day I came back[Read More…]
Forrest Donations And False Charity
It is easy to sneer, and availing oneself of this chance, let’s. The celebratory guff floating on the media glow of mining magnate Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest for giving away $400 million to charitable pursuits is reminiscent to that of Mark Zuckerberg. At least he did not dig up the earth in the process. Within the kernel of philanthropic generosity lies[Read More…]
Time For Left And Secular Forces To Step Forward To Fight Fascism In India
The problem with our left and secular forces is that they don’t take the warnings of the communal fascists seriously and respond to such situations in a timely manner’ with consistency’. Before every disaster created by the communal fascists, proper signals are given. But yettimely’ and consistent’ responses are rarely undertaken by the left and secular forces. This is where[Read More…]
Fortress Europe; The Rise Of Fascism And Racism In The Netherlands
A few days ago I returned from Veldhoven, The Netherlands, where last April 13 in a breathtakingly fascist act of racism the Mayor of this small Dutch town deported over 600 Eritrean youth attending a conference, kicked out of their hotel and forced to leave the city in the middle of the night. I am not talking about Eritrean youth[Read More…]
The Chinese-Indian New Cold War
We are honored to present this multi-part paper from Andrew Korybko into the emerging New Cold War between China and India. This research will be released over a number of days to facilitate discussion and conversation, with a compiled briefing paper being provided at the end of the series. Theoretical Background Relations between China and India have been souring over[Read More…]
Peace Is The Plot
If you love peace, you need to see the channel Republic. You can’t always wait for peace. At times, you have to earn it. Fish it out of the madness which surrounds you all the time. There can be no two opinions on peace, just like you can’t have two suns or two moons. But peace is not about suns[Read More…]
Brutal Attack On Students In Banaras
CPDR expresses its deep concern over the brutality with which students’ expressions of dissent are being suppressed across the country. On 27 May, the UP police used brute force against students who were holding a protest at the gate of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) against the violent attacks on the Dalits of Saharanpur. This protest was organised by Bhagat[Read More…]
Trump’s Visit To Israel: How Palestine Disappeared From US Media Coverage
As if he has, overnight, been transformed into a master politician, Donald Trump’s 27-hour trip to Israel has left many analysts mystified. Quoting former Israeli political adviser, Mitchell Barack, the New York Times referred to Trump as the ‘Liberace of world leaders”, in reference to flamboyant, piano player, Wladziu Valantino Liberace. The latter, known as “Mr. Showmanship”, was, at times, the[Read More…]
How Israeli Moves In Jerusalem Are Scotching Trump’s ‘Ultimate Deal’
Nazareth: A decision by Donald Trump this Thursday could prove fateful for the immediate future of Jerusalem, the wider Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the region. He must decide whether to renew a presidential waiver, signed by his predecessor, Barack Obama, that expires on June 1. The six-month waiver delays implementing a law passed by Congress in 1995 that requires the US[Read More…]
A Litmus Test For Academia
Of the issues which are totally ignored, for all practical purposes, there’s one that we can spotlight here which — if not addressed post haste — stands to take us over the precipice. That is that if we want to protect our environment , we must talk about population size and growth and actually do something about it.
Life Cycle
My life Is a ‘ fatal accident’… An unintended incident Clock starts ticking As my heart starts beating Like countdown before a satellite Exploding into the sky straight I become an identity A family’s entity Assume a name, a caste, a sanctity A religion, a member of a community I start becoming greedy Sucking milk from a dead mother’s[Read More…]
India’s Cyber Vulnerability And PSUs: Government Must Retain Control Of Critical Sectors
Ransomware worm WannaCry struck at and crippled UK’s National Health Scheme, causing a national emergency of sorts. The operations systems of British Airways, Lufthansa and Air France were targets of cyber attack on passenger handling, causing economic loss but fortunately no accident. All this is cause for concern in India, because of India’s huge vulnerability to cyber attack. Now[Read More…]
Beef Ban And The Fascist Assault On Society
I wish the people in India the best of good fortune in this alarming situation taking place in India so as to end beef farming, the beef industry overall and beef consumption. What will the central government start to dictate next? Will it be clothing styles, lack of public schools for girls or people of lower castes, the diet that[Read More…]
India’s Beef Ban: Pinarayi Vijayan Must Stand Up To Lead
The new rule notified under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act of 1960 banning cattle trade across India is clear encroachment of states’ rights. It will end federalism and will be a death knell for farmers. It is a virtual beef ban across India and also will destroy the livelihood of millions of farmers. The states have to[Read More…]
The Merkley-Sanders Climate Bill Isn’t a Launchpad. It’s Quicksand
With the Trump administration poised to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, a climate bill cosponsored by U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Bernie Sanders and known as the “100 by ’50 Act” is sure to be back in the news. In April, Sanders called the bill, S.987, an important step in the fight against greenhouse warming. The leading climate[Read More…]
Trump, Israel And Saudi Arabia: Targeting Iran
In the wake of President Donald Trump’s visit to West Asia, is there even a faint glimmer of hope for peace in the most conflict-ridden region of the world? Or, has his visit to Saudi Arabia and Israel from the 20th to the 23rd of May 2017 only strained the region’s undercurrentsof friction and tension? Some reflections on areas[Read More…]
Human Rights Defender Thirumurugan Gandhi Arrested
Human Rights defender Thirumurugan Gandhi has been arrested under the notorious Goonda Act by the Tamil Nadu police, for being part of the Candle Light Vigil that was held in Marina Beach on 21st May, in remembrance of the Genocidal War against Tamils in Sri Lanka which killed at least 150,000 Tamil civilians. There was a police action against the protest[Read More…]
With All Chips Down, Modi Tries Selling A Swadeshi Nuclear Dream To India
The recent announcement that India will build 10 new Nuclear reactors took observers by surprise. In technical terms, India will set up ten new pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWRs) which are indigenous. Purely from a scientific point of view, this is utter nonsense because of India’s complete lack of experience with this type of reactor. But this article is not[Read More…]
Two Sides Of The Palestinian Coin: Hunger Strike/Gaza
The Palestinian hunger strike protesting Israeli prison conditions was suspended on May 27th after 40 days, at a time when many of the 1000 or so strikers were experiencing serious deteriorations of health, most were by then hospitalized, and the holy period of Ramadan about to commence creating continuity between the daytime fasting of the faithful and the prior desperate[Read More…]
Barging Through NATO: Donald Trump In Europe
From his big white bird did the President descend upon his dreading European hosts, looking much like natives waiting to be slaughtered or ravished. As Donald Trump pushed his way through NATO members (the Montenegrin prime minister, for one, felt his forceful shove), representatives shot glances of discomfort and bemusement. In a refreshing blast of brutishness, the Ugly American, made[Read More…]
Take Torture Off Agenda
According to President Donald Trump, people who are tortured deserve it. Trump’s initial draft executive order in January revealed his passion for reopening U.S. black site prisons, loading Guantanamo with prisoners, and rewriting the Army Field Manual to redefine allowable interrogation techniques. Sure, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis opposes torture. But multiple CIA agents, military brass, legislators, and citizens have[Read More…]
At The Mercy Of Rain Gods
Farmers in India do a lot of talking about the weather—especially, it seems, when there is no weather in sight. During the month of May, when the land heats up like a furnace and most fields lie fallow, when wells have run dry and the sun taunts from its broiling perch in a cloudless sky, there is no topic[Read More…]
Beef Poem
My harvest of poems
will be winnowed.
if done deftly,
the lighter shallow poems
blow away in the wind
while the heavier, meatier poems,
fall back onto the tray,
to become the fire in my belly
like beef.
Palestinian Hunger Strike Ends, Prisoners Declare Victory
After 40 days without food, hundreds of Palestinian prisoners have suspended their hunger strike in Israeli jails. The end of the strike came after 20 hours of intense negotiations between the strike’s leaders, including imprisoned Fatah figure Marwan Barghouti, and the Israel Prison Service, according to a statement issued Saturday morning by the prisoners solidarity committee. The committee hailed the[Read More…]
And The Minds of Children Closed
Schools are still shills for our collective addiction to belief in technological fixes as a decent approach to addressing climate change issues. That’s one reason to home school, among many. But my informal survey of home schooling parents nationwide has revealed that virtually no one is teaching youth that only a no-growth vision of economics can possibly give us[Read More…]
Every GI Who Invaded Vietnam, Iraq, etc. Was A Criminal By International Law & US Army’s Own Law
Memorial Day will someday mean a double mourning, a mourning for the violent deaths suffered by of millions of American military and a much more agonizing mourning for the deaths, maiming, destruction and suffering these Americans in uniform brought to millions of innocent men, women and children by committing crimes against humanity in their own beloved countries for the[Read More…]
The Renewal Of The British Left
Nowadays, the common sense can hardly believe in the tangible fact that NATO is endangering the safety of the two nuclear powers, Russia and China. Judging by the antirussian campaign in the Western media, as well as the deployment of NATO troops in Eastern Europe and the Far East, it is as if the war has already started. The territories[Read More…]
The President Has Taken Your Wives; Now You Must Eat Your God
Don’t take this too seriously; it’s something I dreamed up one rainy Sunday afternoon. -Sigmund Freud (in communication with Abram Kardiner) The psychoanalytic theorist, Eugène Enriquez, informs us that “Charles Darwin and evolutionary sociologists of the nineteenth century used a term of Tartar origin, “primitive horde,” to refer to the simplest possible form of social formation in existence during[Read More…]
Lynching
a gruesome truth we dare not speak
of violence with its bloody taunt
such terror stories seldom haunt
in lands where casteist pyres reek
Getting Sensible And Realistic About Maladaptive Behaviors
Feeding 9 Billion | National Geographic National Geographic1536 × 1152Search by image “Picture of [a] pig farm in Mato Grosso, Brazil, with sows confined …” [Presumably, they can’t stand, nor move. Stuck in one position, they are forced to lie on one side to nurse after being artificially inseminated. They do so day after day, week after week and month after month[Read More…]
The West Spreading New Wave Of Feel-Good Movies And False Hopes
Watch blockbuster movies from the “south” and chances are you will start to believe that the world is not really such a desperate place. Perhaps you might even get convinced that under the present imperialist and turbo-capitalist global arrangement things can always get better. If you live in a gutter somewhere in Sub-Continent or Africa, you could simply try[Read More…]
Fasting For Palestinian Justice And Dignity
Today is the first day of Ramadan. Muslims in many parts of the world begin their month-long fast today. Most of them are not aware that 1500 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails are on a hunger strike that began almost six weeks ago. These prisoners have undertaken a hunger strike to protest the denial of their basic human rights[Read More…]
Indian Establishment Acted As ‘Military State’ Under KPS Gill In Punjab
India’s most decorated and retired police officer Julio Ribeiro remembered KPS Gill, former Police chief of Punjab, who breathed his last in Delhi yesterday (May 26,2017) as ‘the best operations officer ..who ended Khalistani terror.… who hunted terrorists down single-mindedly with spectacular success’. Naturally, Ribeiro was supposed to give such tribute to his departed colleague who was second to[Read More…]
The Merry Life of Dragnet Surveillance
In the aftermath of Edward Snowden’s revelations in 2013, a grudging acceptance was made by the Obama administration that something had to be done about a roguish surveillance complex unhinged from its foundations. The National Security Agency had overstretched its powers, to the point where it was not only conducting its standard mischief against foreign targets, but against US citizens[Read More…]
Europe’s Terror Blowback: From Charlie Hebdo To Manchester Bombing
Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in August 2011 to June 2014 when the Islamic State overran Mosul and Anbar in Iraq, an informal pact existed between the Western powers, their regional allies and the Sunni Arab militants of the Middle East against the Shi’a Iranian axis comprised of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Iran’s proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah.[Read More…]
Trump Bullies Europe As Daesh Kills
The thirst for war is ancient. As old as disputatious neighbors or rival tribes, it is enticing — a siren call for the strong, presenting as it does a quick, easy and final solution. That it is often not, has hastened the end of royal dynasties (Hohenzollerns, Hapsburgs and Romanovs after WWI) and empires, including the British. There are[Read More…]
The WhatsApp Republic: Unfriending Saudi King Salman And Learning To Be Politically Savvy
Our mornings earlier started with roosters crowing, loud gurgles of the old neighbor, swoosh-swoosh of water flowing (If it is flowing from the taps for the few lucky Indians.) or the sweet sweeps of large brooms cleaning the front-yards. Gone are those backward days. Now our Ache din start with screechy Good mornings, from our phones as early in the[Read More…]
RSS Controlled Garbh Vigyan Sanskar In pursuit Of “Master Race”
The RSS agenda of Hindu Rashtra draws heavily on the superiority of Aryan race and greatness of Brahmanical values. The ideology constructed by this organisation tells us that Aryans are a superior race. The whole foundation of the concept of Hindu nation as the teacher-leader of the World derives from twin and inseparable notions of the racial theory, promoted[Read More…]
KPS Gill to Kalluri : How Barbarity Has Been Patronized By Majoritarian Democracy
“Anti terror law does not apply on those involved in Gujarat riots.” This was stated by the former Punjab Police Chief K.P.S. Gill in response to a question on anti Muslim pogrom engineered by the Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the Indian state of Gujarat in 2002. Gill- who passed away on May 26 is often[Read More…]
Cattle Sale Restriction: A Death Blow To India’s Farmers And Federalism
On the third anniversary of Narendra Modi government, the government of India dealt a death blow to Indian farmers and its federal structure by bringing severe restrictions on cattle trade, virtually enforcing a cow slaughter ban across India. The new rule was issued by the ministry of environment. Hindustan Times reported, The central regulation for cattle business notified this week[Read More…]
Mani Shankar Aiyar On Wrong Foot
This write-up is in response to the interview of veteran congressman, Mani Shankar Aiyar, published in daily Rising Kashmir of 24th May 2017. Let me say at the outset that I hold Aiyar in highest esteem for his unwavering commitment to secularism. Sticking to secular views against heavy odds and even after his party and its mandarins adopted ‘soft[Read More…]
Riyadh Speech: State Terrorist Trump’s Fake News Ignores Muslim Holocaust & American Holocaust
President Donald Trump has inherited from Obama the mantle as the world’s worst presently operating state terrorist, serial invader, war criminal, killer of children, opiate drug pusher and climate criminal. Trump’s Riyadh speech was a narcissistic concoction of fake news through lying by omission and lying by commission as Religious Right America and Wahabi Islamist Saudi Arabia are united[Read More…]
Narmada Oustees Hold Rally
Barwani, Madhya Pradesh: 25 May 2017:: The people displaced due to Sardar Sarovar Dam, including farmers, laborers, potters etc. held a rally with bullock carts filling the streets of Badwani. Starting the rally from Krishi Mandi, with farmer and fish-workers men and women sitting on the bullock carts, they reached the pillar of martyrdom, where they paid homage to the[Read More…]
There Is More To It Than Meets The Eye: India’s Boycott of The Recently Concluded OBOR Summit
It is ten days since the One Belt One Road (OBOR) Summit called and hosted by China at Beijing from May 14 to 15, 2017, concluded. Significantly, India did not participate in OBOR. But the subject is so important for peace, development and stability or otherwise in the region and beyond , that it has continued relevance and requires a[Read More…]
Why Is India Lagging Behind In Tapping Solar Power?
Two emails come in simultaneously into my email box. One almost chortling that California breaks energy record with 80% of state’s power generated using renewable methods. The Golden State generated 67% of its energy from renewables in one day. I stare at the text, truly amazed at California’s drive to get clean. Meanwhile, the second email which is a Greenpeace[Read More…]
South Asian Progressives Commemorate 50 Years of Naxalbari Uprising In Canada
South Asian progressive activists came together in Surrey, Canada this evening to denounce ongoing state violence against oppressed communities and minorities in India on the occasion of 50 years of Naxalbari uprising. At a rally organized by Radical Desi, speakers were unanimous in their criticism of the growing attacks on Dalits, Adivasis and religious minorities under the right wing Modi[Read More…]
Breaking The Poverty Cycle
An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics. ― Plutarch It has been said that women who are closest to the world’s most pressing issues are best placed to solve them. Women are economic factors: They produce and process food for the family; they are the primary caretakers of children, the[Read More…]
How To Lynch A Man
it’s really simple. what you need first is
a man, preferably alone, poor or looking
poor, carrying no weapons and exhausted
from work, starving, and apparently
belonging to a lower caste or a muslim.
Humans Have Done Too Much Killing, Try Peace Now Before It’s Too Late!
We approach Memorial Day honoring the ultimate sacrifices made by 1.4 million American military men and women who died in America’s wars since 1775. We must discuss the horrific impact of war on surviving soldiers and civilians. For only they can teach us working for peace is a better option than fighting wars. Each death in war brings everlasting tragedy[Read More…]
Instability Widens In Mali And The Sahel Region of Africa
The first foreign visit of the new French President Emmanuel Macron, after a now habitual trip to Berlin, was to Gao in northern Mali as head of the French military. The visit was an attempt to be seen as paying attention to the efforts of French troops in operations in northern Mali and other states of the Sahel region of[Read More…]
Fear As An Obstacle To Peace: Why Are Israelis Afraid?
Bat-Hen Epstein Elias’s long article on Iranian Jews is interesting. Parts of it, in fact, are heartwarming. Yet, despite the lack of any serious evidence, the story is entirely framed in the language of fear. Entitled, “All the Jews there live in fear that their telephones are tapped,” the story in‘Israel Hayom’ peddles the idea that, although Iranian Jews[Read More…]
Past And Future: Evaluating Three Years Of Modi Raj
Narendra Modi government is completing three years of its rule tomorrow. It’s time to take stock of the government and the governance. Though three years in a span of seventy years of Independent India is not much, there are some important issues that should be discussed which may provide guidelines for the future. Rise of The Right Since the first[Read More…]
From Afghanistan To My #Mother!, And The Child In Everyone
Dear mom and fellow members of the human family, I love my 77-year-old frugal, hardworking, self-sacrificial Han Chinese Singaporean mother, so when Trump’s military/government dropped what they nicknamed the ‘Mother of All Bombs’ ( MOAB ) on Achin District in Afghanistan, I knew I had to do something about this psycho-social disease of ‘war’. I mean, my mom is nothing[Read More…]
The May-Trump Guide To War And Terror
Bomb, terrorize and slaughter Middle Eastern majority-Muslim countries for strategic self-interest, but call it humanitarian. Thereby destroy the state’s security and infrastructure creating the perfect conditions for terror groups to operate. Arm, train & fund terror groups who are/have the same ideology as those you claim to be fighting against, but call them rebels. Create 100s of thousands of refugees[Read More…]
Kashmir: Idea, Not leaders!
(Kashmir’s new revolution is following an idea and not any particular leaders!) Recently, there was a sting operation conducted by a TV network regarding money being received by some of the leaders of the present movement for “Azadi”. In fact, the discovery was proclaimed all over the country like the discovery of the principle of floatation by Archimedes who ran[Read More…]
PUDR Condemns Award To Major Gogoi
PUDR strongly condemns the commendation conferred on Major Leetul Gogoi by none less than the Army Chief for taking Farooq Dar hostage, tying Dar to the front of his jeep allegedly to ward off attacking stone-pelters, and then driving around for several hours to warn people that a similar fate awaited them. The incident where Dar was used as a[Read More…]
Countering The Fake News Industry
While fake news industry has existed in some form or other in the past too, the rise of BJP into power has coincided with the disproportionate growth of fake news industry. What makes it alarming is these fake news sites are closely connected to BJP IT cell. They are on a continuous run to produce fake news which is used[Read More…]
Why Is Saharanpur Burning?
Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh is on the boil for over one months as the Thakurs who are also known as Kshatriyas or Rajputs have been engaged in violent attacks on the Dalits in which several people have been killed, several other injured and houses burnt in village Shabbirpur. Western Uttar Pradesh is a very fertile land of powerful[Read More…]
Is Renewable Energy A Commons?
How relocating energy in the commons helps scaling-up renewables & saving energy Is energy a mere commodity, or is it a common good? Why is this relevant in the first place? Here we look at why energy is part of our commons, from the sources to the product itself. In a second time, we will see that relocating energy in[Read More…]
Twenty-Seven Hours: Donald Trump in Israel
It was time to do the Zionist boogie within a mere period of 27 hours, and anyone wishing to see two muggers of history enjoying each other’s company found themselves peering at Donald Trump of the United States, and Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, nearly arm in arm on the recent tilt in US policy. “We understand each other,” effused the Israeli[Read More…]
Resisting Imperialist Militarism On Memorial Day
The United States is the most militarized and jingoistic nation on earth. Its foreign policy is guided by imperialist militarism, neoliberal capitalism and racial xenophobia. For more than sixteen years now, three presidential administrations have carried out a so-called “War on Terror” (GWOT), a perpetual state of war that is waged globally, under the depraved reasoning that “the world is[Read More…]
Standing by Truth Together
The thing is, a core group of citizens are — first — going to have to get off of the Untruthful Treadmill that they’re on. Talk about the toxicity of the blacktops that cover the only roads now available. And, then, carve out unprecedented inroads in the realm of the electoral arena.
Naxalbari May 25, 1967: A tribute
Naxalbari is still alive. Half a century has passed, yet the struggle is as bright as the crimson sun. Naxalbari is alive in the politics of people. The politics of dominating classes with all its power, and after so many years, is still failing to ignore Naxalbari, now, name of a politics, and has failed to wipe out Naxalbari[Read More…]
Enforcing Monolingualism, Endangering Multilingualism
Every language is an asset; it carries the wisdom of elders, history, and memories. Based on the rich linguistic diversity and multilingualism, accommodating 1652 mother tongues, India has been called as a ‘sociolinguistic area.’In the November 2006, deliveringthe inaugural speech at the 28thAll India Conference of Linguists, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Prof. U N Singh [the then director of the[Read More…]
The Adani Port In Kerala Runs Into Rough Weather
The Vizhinjam sea port being constructed by Adani Ports and SEZ Private Limited has run into rough weather as the Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG) report has found that the unfavourable conditions in the concession agreement of the project have gone against the interests of the Kerala State government. The CAG report says that the standard concession period for PPP[Read More…]
In Visit To Israel, Trump Escalates Attacks On Iran
Donald Trump made clear from the moment of his arrival in Israel Monday that the purpose of his trip, promoted by the White House and the media as part of a quest for “Middle East peace,” is the consolidation of reactionary regional alliance in support of a US military buildup against Iran. The US president flew to Tel Aviv directly[Read More…]
Giving Rights To Trees. But Forgetting The Forests That Are Destroyed
Some four weeks ago, I posted my text on the “Rights of Rivers” (see here!), with which I had responded to a discussion that was going on in a google discussion group called Radical Ecological Democratic List. That was the beginning of another discussion in the said group: on the right to life of individual chimpanzees. A participant had informed[Read More…]
An Inherent Ecocidal Death Wish Of Humanity
Our problem: There is a high probability of massive pain and suffering and then human extinction within the next one to two hundred years. The problem extends well beyond global warming denier Donald Trump and his American followers. It even extends into the bowels of the American “Liberal Left” and their US Media. It extends beyond America itself. The problem[Read More…]
Donald Trump’s Riyadh Circus: Farcical, Nasty, And Dangerous
Although there’s no reason to take Donald Trump’s erratic behaviour, and his ambivalent and nasty assertions seriously, yet we can’t ignore his latest gimmick, the circus he staged in Riyadh in the name of defeating Islamist terrorism on May 21st. To paraphrase Shakespeare, Trump’s so-called Islamic-Arab-American Summit was “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing”. The whole thing was[Read More…]
British Media Are Siding With Iranian Regime To Undermine Ahwazi Arabs’ Struggle For Freedom
Recently we have seen the mainstream media in the UK, supplemented by the film industry, undermine the struggle of an already oppressed people, the Ahwazi Arabs, by making a film about their plight, but wrongly labelling it ‘terrorism’. There was no coverage of the human rights violations which have been perpetrated upon them by the Iranian regime, nor the[Read More…]
Questionable Legality Of The Surrender Process In Chhatisgarh: The Podiyam Panda ‘Surrender’
The Podiyam Panda ‘surrender’ is the first one being challenged before a court. The entire experience shows the questionable legality of the surrender process in Chhatisgarh. In the habeas case filed by his wife, Muiye Panda, Podiyam Panda came and went before the High Court under police guard. What value does such a production have? The Supreme Court has held[Read More…]
India Needs To Focus On Its Development Warriors
India spends more on programmes for the poor than most developing countries, but is not getting the expected dividends that significant public expenditure would seem to warrant, and the needs of important population groups still remain partly addressed. This has been haunting social scientists and policy makers . India has ranked a lowly 131 among the 188 countries surveyed for[Read More…]
Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant: Second Reactor Also Commissioned Illegally
The KNNPP is a technological hoax, an abominable goof-up. The dogged determination to have commissioned it shows that the authorities is mortgaged to alien corporate interests reminding us of Andrew Undershaft in George Bernard Shaw, “Well, I am a millionaire and that is my religion”.
Reflections Of A Seed
I wish I remain
In the cozy lap of mother Earth
Safe without pain
Of germination and growth …
Trump’s Speech In Riyadh Signals US Escalation Against Iran
Riddled with hypocrisy, clichés and absurdities, President Donald Trump’s speech Sunday before an assembly of monarchs and despots in Saudi Arabia spelled out an agenda of escalating US militarism throughout the Middle East and a buildup in particular toward war with Iran. Hailed by a fawning American media as “presidential”–supposedly eclipsing for the moment the crises and factional struggles engulfing[Read More…]
Getting Julian Assange: The Untold Story
Julian Assange has been vindicated because the Swedish case against him was corrupt. The prosecutor, Marianne Ny, obstructed justice and should be prosecuted. Her obsession with Assange not only embarrassed her colleagues and the judiciary but exposed the Swedish state’s collusion with the United States in its crimes of war and “rendition”. Had Assange not sought refuge in the Ecuadorean[Read More…]
Back to Realpolitik: Trump in Saudi Arabia
“You are a unique personality that is capable of doing the impossible.” President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to President Donald Trump, New York Times, May 21, 2017 The business of making money on property, badly, has shifted to the business of making money, greatly, for the US industrial arms complex. This is the technique of President Donald Trump, who has[Read More…]
Trump in Riyadh And Oil Wars
Historically, this latest eruption of American militarism at the start of the 21st Century is akin to that of America opening the 20th Century by means of the U.S.-instigated Spanish-American War in 1898. Then the Republican administration of President William McKinley stole their colonial empire from Spain in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines; inflicted a near genocidal war[Read More…]
Truth or Delusion?
One inevitable outcome of the phenomenal violence we all suffer as children is that most of us live in a state of delusion throughout our lives. This makes it extraordinarily difficult for accurate information, including vital information about the endangered state of our world and how to respond appropriately, to penetrate the typical human mind. ‘Phenomenal violence?’ you might ask.[Read More…]
The Death of Gaia
It is known scientifically that the Earth System, or Gaia if you will, is organized and functions similarly to other scales of biology, including organisms and old-growth forests. Gaia is a self-regulating, reproducing life-form, and as such is alive. As industrial human growth destroys Gaia’s naturally evolved ecosystem organs, the human family is failing to embrace a rich and truthful[Read More…]
Israel’s Genocide Towards Palestinian Arabs
Kafir Qasim Massacre Several truths become manifestly clear to all those who remain truthful to the historical record and to themselves, and who have ever undertaken a serious read of the original imperialistic design and intent of the early Zionist visionaries and plotters towards Palestine in the late 19th century and 20th century; and those who have come after[Read More…]
The Illyrians – Autochthonous Balkan People
It is true that every story about the Balkan Peninsula begins with the ancient Illyrians.[1] Historians believe that these Indo-European people were one of the largest European populationsto inhabit the western portion of the Balkans from the coasts of the Ionian Sea and the Adriatic Sea to the Alps about 1000 B.C. Their eastern neighbours were also Indo-European peoples –[Read More…]
Happiness In The (Un)Real World, (Un)Happiness In The Real World
In a first in India, the Government of Madhya Pradesh (GoMP) has set up an “Anand Mantralaya” (Ministry of Happiness) with the Chief Minister himself in charge, and a “Rajya Anand Sansthan” (State Institute of Happiness), headed by a CEO. [“Madhya Pradesh to devise Happiness Index”; http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/madhya-pradesh-to-devise-happiness-index/article18516488.ece; The Hindu, Bengaluru; 21 May 2017]. Without in any manner belittling the initiative[Read More…]
Connecting ‘Silos’: Interdependence Is Key To #EndTB in Sustainable Development Era
(CNS): When major weak-spots go beyond the purview of health ministry, inter-sectoral programming becomes critical to progress towards ending tuberculosis (TB) by 2030, globally. Indian government has committed to end TB by 2025 – a welcome political commitment indeed – but warrants urgent and unprecedented actions to muscle up the required pace to keep this promise. As our governments[Read More…]
“Peak Hats.” Social Change And The Coming Demise of Private Cars
For a long time, hats were oversized and expensive status symbols more than tools for protecting people’s heads. During the past half century or so, they have nearly disappeared. A similar destiny may befall on private cars, also oversized and expensive status symbols rather than tools for transporting people. With the disappearance of cars, we may see hats coming back. [Read More…]
Lynchdia: The New India
Pete and Laura, old friends from Derby were visiting. They were here for a month and wanted to go around and discover the land of Buddha. “We want to go to Agra and see the Taj Mahal”, she said with a mouthful of English accent. “Hmm…Taj Mahal? That’s in Uttar Pradesh, nearer to Dadri where Akhlaq was lynched.” “And then[Read More…]
America’s Retarded Awareness
Alternative ideas don’t come easily to Americans. It seems that Americans imported colonial hierarchal practices from Europe to cultivate them to their own advantage.Over millennia, Europeans had come to accept the authority of Church, Monarchy or State Principalities to be the places wherethe ‘rightful-centres’ existed. The ‘rightful-centre’ was always beyond the reach of the masses. Pontiffs and warlords alikehad[Read More…]
Growing Up With A Monster In Your Life!
As children, my sister and I used to feel sorry for ourselves from time to time while having a brother, who’s a pathological narcissist. He was by no means easy with whom to interact day after day and year after year while growing up. Pathological narcissism | definition of Pathological narcissism by … medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Pathological+narcissism a psychiatric diagnosis characterized by an[Read More…]
Thinking About The Brain Thinking About Changing The World
Albert Einstein said, “The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking, it cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” Changing our thinking requires an understanding of how our brains work. Scientific research has led to the discovery that our thinking brain is strongly influenced by our primitive emotional brain, known as the limbic system,[Read More…]
The Navajo Way!
It is sickening, tiring and frustrating to year after year deal with racism and bigotry. What does it matter whether directed against darker skinned peoples, people from other cultures, people designated as less than equal due to a caste system or the fact that some group wants the resources or land that the other group has and, so,[Read More…]
Cleaning Up The Air We Breathe
(CNS): My first personal brush with the severity of asthma was several years ago, when one of my students suddenly started gasping for breath in the middle of her Physics Practical final examination of Class 12. We were clueless about the cause of her sudden affliction. Other than making her sit in the open air and force her to drink[Read More…]
Strutting Fascism And Swaggering Militarism
It’s their strutting. That detestable image of the strutting that links them, the strutting and prancing Fascists and their swaggering and parading military cousins, up front for their conveniently concealed corporatist controllers. Il Duce among Blackshirts. A strutting and swaggering couple they are, Fascism and the entrenched class of war. Their distorted visions of gallantry and nation come so naturally[Read More…]
Julian Assange, Sweden, And Continuing Battles
It had been, from the start, a cruel wait and see game. Lacking logic and consistency, the Swedish effort to extradite Julian Assange from the United Kingdom, not for formal charges but the pretext of questioning him over sexual assault and rape, collapsed on Friday. The Director of Public Prosecutions Marianne Ny and Chief Prosecutor Ingrid Isgren, in a press[Read More…]
On Being Presidential And The Judgment Of History
There is in the U.S. a certain notion of being presidential. Toss missiles at Syria or bomb Afghanistan and everyone reflexively calls it presidential. Added to warmongering is peace making, visiting foreign countries, meeting with foreign leaders, holding joint press conferences with a slew of foreign reporters, all in a whirlwind of activity eagerly seized upon by the home[Read More…]
Disappearance of Daughters!
Nobel Laureate, Economist Amartya Sen, in way back 1990’s introduced the term “missing women”, showing a deficit in the number of women relative to the expected number of women in a region. He argues that “an advantage they enjoy not only after they are forty years old but also at the beginning of life, especially during the months immediately following birth, and even in the womb”. Thus Sen, attributes the phenomenon to the discrimination in basic nutrition and health care.
Positioning Popularity Properly
“Frequently the cock combines the lifting of his tail with the raising of his voice. He appears to receive through his feet some shock from the center of the earth, which travels upward through him and is released: Eee-ooo-ii! Eee-ooo-ii! To the melancholy this sound is melancholy and to the hysterical it is hysterical. To me it has always sounded[Read More…]
Consuming Passions And Environment
“Runaway growth in consumption in the past fifty years is putting strains on the environment never before seen.” The United Nations’ Human Development Report 1998 (UNDP Report) WHEN WILL WE EVER LEARN – LAMENT When will we ever learn? That “conspicuous consumption” only satisfies our shallow need for positive appraisal, self-esteem and Identity. That happiness is not the result of[Read More…]
Israeli-Zionist Genocide And Racism Unmasked
Is Israel and its infamous Wall of Separation representative of a modern evolving democratic state, based upon Biblical principles and teachings, as applied towards the original indigenous Palestinian peoples of Palestine, or is it an example of yet another ethnic-cleansing, apartheid state, possessive of the same genocidal-racist tendencies as those 19th century colonial-imperialistic powers – like the United States, Canada,[Read More…]
The Indian Mainstream Media Continues To Damn Justice C.S. Karnan While His Pronouncements Stand Censored
Articles published in the mainstream media continue to damn Justice Karnan. Permit us to refer to one such article titled “SC right in convicting Karnan, wrong in gagging him, media” (The Times of India, 15.05.2017). The writer Dhananjay Mahapatra, associate editor with The Times of India, has spent about twenty seven years in journalism, twenty two of which have been on legal beat.
Obama Presidential Center In Chicago Could Cost $1.5 Billion
Earlier this month former US president Barack Obama spoke in Chicago about his plans to build his presidential center on the city’s impoverished South Side. Astonishingly, when the center is completed by 2021, the accumulated cost of building Obama’s monument to his political legacy could exceed $1 billion dollars. The early-phase spending, which includes the costs of building a library[Read More…]
Intervention: Inter-Parliamentary Union’s No To The Imperialist Procedure – Part II
The costs to be calculated The most important part of these intervention-costs lacking in most of these calculations are the cost and price the intervened countries, the societies and the people in these countries had to pay/are paying. In any of the countries going through intervention process, there’s no scope of pursuing productive, democratic, and educational-cultural-intellectual activities in usual, normal[Read More…]
Love Vs Pornography, Revolution Vs Passivity
You say that you want facts – facts and more facts, before you can commit. Before you finally decide to become part of something: a political party, a movement or another human being. You already have plenty of them: an avalanche, a tsunami of facts. “In fact”, your life is overflowing with facts. Most of them are brought directly[Read More…]
Was Chelsea Manning Motivated By Moral Injury?
“My guilt will never go away,” former Marine Matthew Hoh explained to me. “There is a significant portion of me that doesn’t believe it should be allowed to go away, that this pain is fair.” If America accepts the idea of fighting endless wars, it will have to accept something else as well: that the costs of war are[Read More…]
Syria: The Afghans Are Coming!
There’s a phrase that keeps popping up in discussions of Syria. It’s a string of words that always appear together, without variation, which is a tell for propaganda phrases and talking points. In the context of Libya, there was a line about “African Mercenaries”. The one I keep hearing about Syria is that Assad has “Afghan Shia militias” fighting[Read More…]
Is Trudeau Moving To The Far Right?
This afternoon (Thursday, May 18, 2017) CBC’s Power and Politics host Hannah Thibedeau hosted ex-Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk (“ex” as in being forced out of the current Poroshenko government). Apparently Yats has been traipsing around western political circles looking for support for his neoNazi anti-Russian stance in the Ukraine. Support for this would obviously be easy to find in[Read More…]
Reform Of The Financial System: Money Without Debt or Interest
The current financial system cannot provide sufficient funds now to reduce unemployment or to alleviate the suffering of the 800 million across the world who are in poverty, close to starvation. The only remedy is for governments to provide debt free money without charging interest. This will not be easy. Governments will want to provide infrastructure. Roads, Transport, Hospitals, Schools[Read More…]
Hail Emmanuel Caesar! The Bankster Macron And Pax Francais in Africa
Emmanuel Macron wears the crown of Caesar in France today, with Presidential powers of Imperial proportions with his vision for Pax Francais in Africa pointing towards more of “Hollandism”, his predecessors practice of putting more boots on the ground to insure French access to Africa’s natural resources. Africa is Pax Francais’ last major bastion of neo colonialism, and it’s continued[Read More…]
The Release of Chelsea Manning
It was one of the brighter acts in a darkening turmoil in the last parts of the Obama presidency, but the decision to commute Chelsea Manning’s sentence added a zest of enlightenment. Manning had already found herself on the slippery slope to doom, having made two attempts at suicide the previous year, and facing the torment of incarceration in a[Read More…]
The Public Or The Agrochemical Industry: Who Does The European Chemicals Agency Serve?
Agrochemicals are fueling disease and environmental destruction across the world and corporations need to be properly held account for their crimes and charges laid against them in an international court of law.
Tale of Tahir , Who Dreamed To Become A Journalist ,Is Now Behind The Bars
Tahir Ahmad Mir, a student of Journalism of Kashmir university is a criminal in the opinion of the police because of his alleged involvement of pro-freedom activities and is behind the bars for the last long six months. Tahir was arrested in November allegedly for having involvement in pro-freedom activities during the peak of 2016 uprising. A resident of Kashmir’s[Read More…]
Hindutva: The “Opium” Of The People!
(The Hindutva wave of violence during the elections and after is not really against Muslims and for the safety of the cows. It is an excuse to administer what Karl Marx called the “Opium of the people” to the millions of poor Indians!) The ultimate goal of every religion is to explain the purpose of human existence to make it[Read More…]
Come to the Okavango
First there was the dry. Then it rained high up and far away in the mountains. And water flowed. Life giving water filled the river banks and overflowed. Life giving water which itself gives up its life in a few months when it sinks into the sands of the Kalahari Desert. But while it lasted, it would be called by[Read More…]
Little Damini
As the Devil tiptoes into the room, The little girl’s hands seize the cane As he walks towards doom, His gaze fixed at her bane Brutus will make his deft move, But Caesar’s honour will not demise No longer trapped under his cove, The Damini in her is swift to rise Daddy’s little girl is now mature Ready to strike[Read More…]
Blow Jobs
Government of the blowjobs, by the blowjobs, and for the blowjobs
Government of the warmongers, by the warmongers, and for the warmongers
Is not war the ultimate blowjob?
Jewish Nation-State Bill: Israel’s Precarious Identity Is Palestine’s Nightmare
The Israeli Knesset (parliament) has hurriedly passed a new bill that defines Israel as the “national home of the Jewish people.” Although the association between Jewishness and Israel goes back to the foundation of the state, the new law also carries clear discriminatory elements that target the country’s Arab communities, numbering nearly two million people. The ‘Jewish Nation-State Bill’[Read More…]
![Intervention: Inter-Parliamentary Union’s No To The imperialist Procedure [Part I]](http://web.archive.org./web/20170608095532im_/https://i0.wp.com/www.countercurrents.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/uncle-sam.png?resize=200%2C150)
Intervention: Inter-Parliamentary Union’s No To The imperialist Procedure [Part I]
The Venezuela government has recently accused the US of financially propping up violent opposition groups in the country: Promoting an “unprecedented and systematic attempt” to intervene in the internal affairs of Venezuela. A statement of the foreign ministry of Venezuela said: “US financing and logistical support for violent groups in Venezuela have facilitated an armed sedition”. The statement added:[Read More…]
Trump Slip Ups in The Oval Office
It has the air of a hunting party, and the quarry, on this occasion, was a lumbering US President with a loose tongue. The individual aiming the rifle in this case was The Washington Post, assisted by the murmurings and breathless whispers of various concerned officials as to what Donald Trump did in his meeting with Russian foreign minister, Sergey[Read More…]
In Desperate Need Of A Social Reform
To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. And as long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest. Above quote by Nelson Mandela forces us to think if we are really free and if[Read More…]
Trumpist-Populism, Neo-Liberalism And Anti-Semitism
Introduction Nearly three decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the reintegration of the former Communist countries into the capitalist world economy, rightwing populism with authoritarian if not Fascist aspects, is thriving not just in Eastern and Western Europe but most notably in the US that presents itself to the world as a democratic society. An eclectic ideology[Read More…]
Comic Faith, Wonder And Activism
Proactive concerned citizens attempting to bring about institutional changes in the midst of our horrid momentum — rife with what makes us wretch morning, noon and night now — must embrace humor as they heft their sad sandbags onto barricades being used to fight the powers that be.
Ballad of People
Fifty springs have passed
Number of people martyred
But, till democratic equality is not attained
Future torch – bearer is Naxalbari
Bahubali And The Propagation Of Gender Stereotypes
With the path-breaking commercial success of the Bahubali series, it has become imperative to highlight certain other noteworthy achievements of the movie. While focusing on grossing billions and establishing landmarks in the world of commercial cinema, the makers of the movie did-not even attempt to window-dress the glaring prejudices and biases that the movie series conveys. The most blatantly and[Read More…]
Make The Anthill Great Again! The Ant Colony And The Human Ones
Image above: the 1998 movie “AntZ”. This post was inspired by a post by Antonio Turiel titled “Of Ants and Men” where he used the example of an ant to discuss the difficulties that humans have to perceive the real problems facing humankind today. Here, I examine again, a little more in depth, the same issue. Imagine yourself as an[Read More…]
Fantasies of Worth: Macron’s French Mission
The outcome of the French presidential elections did not suggest a France on the verge of rapid, vigorous renewal. It suggested the opposite, a state in atrophy, the Fifth Republic in terminal decline before unleashed historical forces. Dejected, voters feared by way of a majority that Marine Le Pen was simply too potent to be catapulted into the Élysée Palace[Read More…]
Protesters Take Net Neutrality Issue To FCC Chair’s Home
Arlington, VA – Ajit Pai, the Chair of the FCC, is on a mission to destroy the Internet by reclassifying it so that it is no longer a common carrier where we all have equal access and repeal net neutrality rules so Comcast, Verizon and A&T can discriminate based on content. Net neutrality protesting outside of Ajit Pai’s home on[Read More…]
Standoff In Venezuela
Venezuela has been rocked in recent weeks by almost daily protests and counter-protests, as right-wing opponents of socialist President Nicolas Maduro seek to bring down his government. While the media portrays these events as a popular rebellion against an authoritarian government, supporters of the pro-poor Bolivarian revolution initiated by former president Hugo Chavez say the country is witnessing an escalation[Read More…]
Tracing Potential US View of ISIS As Strategic Asset
Gelhorn prize winner Gareth Porter notes this week that in 2008, after the US had destroyed Iraq, killing hundreds of thousands of people and sending millions fleeing, George W. Bush wanted to establish indefinite military occupation of the country. But the then Iraqi government lead by prime minister Nouri al Maliki “rebuffed that demand” and forced the largely defeated US[Read More…]
Israel Tutors Its Children in Fear And Loathing
Nazareth: A display of Israeli-style community policing before an audience of hundreds of young schoolchildren was captured on video last week. Were the 10-year-olds offered road safety tips, advice on what to do if they got lost, or how to report someone suspicion hanging around the school? No. In Israel, they do things differently. The video shows four officers[Read More…]
The US Embassy Will Stay in Tel Aviv
The US embassy will not be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem before a peace deal between Israel and Palestine is reached. Having talked to the Arab leaders, US President Donald Trump and his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have finally understood the importance of such a move. It would be an offense not only for the Arab world but[Read More…]
“Me And My Shadow-Drone”
The computer whined
a kind of laugh….
“You’re on a biometric leash!
We know your thoughts before you strew them
haphazardly about.”
The Method And The Manner of Punishing Justice Karnan Raises Questions of Law of Great Public Importance
Commanding respect and not demanding is the central virtue of Courts administering justice. Supreme Court of India, being the Apex Court of the land has a constitutional responsibility to set an example in cultivating such a virtue. The method and the manner in which a sitting judge of Calcutta High Court Sri Justice C.S.Karnan has been convicted for contempt[Read More…]
How Do You Degrow An Economy, Without Causing Chaos?
‘Houston, we have a problem’. On the one hand, there is growing acceptance among environmentally conscious people that rich nations and affluent regions of the global economy must dramatically reduce overall resource and energy consumption levels – that is, undergo a process of ‘degrowth’ – if humanity is to bring about a sustainable world order. On the other hand, we[Read More…]
The Future Is A Pluriverse
Some believe that the commons are incompatible with commodity markets. Others claim that markets and commons may form mutually beneficial relations with each other. What are your own views on this issue? I think it is entirely possible for markets and commons to “play nicely together,” but only if commoners can have “value sovereignty” over their resources and community governance. [Read More…]
The Film Bahubali Amidst An Ethos of Hinduism
Considering its huge budget, it is perhaps not surprising that there has been so much orchestrated praise in the media for the film Bahubali 2 with its record box office collections. It is disturbing enough but more questionable is the RSS mouthpiece Panchjanya championing the film as an ideal expression of Hindu values . One can give any spin[Read More…]
RSS Rolls On Nazi Racist Project Of Producing ‘Aryan’ Babies In India
According to press reports, one of the RSS offshoots, Garbh Vigyan Sanskar (Uterus Science Culture), following the Vedic preaching and post-World War II experiments in Germany, is conducting live trials in many parts of India for producing ‘fair’ and ‘tall’ ‘customised’ babies. According to Dr. Hitesh Jani, convenor of Arogya Bharati, another outfit of RSS which is part of the[Read More…]
The World For Ransome: The Effects of Wannacry
What a stealthy bugger of a problem. Malware deftly delivered, locking the system by encrypting files and making them otherwise impossible to access unless a fee is paid. A form of data hijacking that can only be admired for its ease of execution, for its viral-like replication that seeks, even hunts, vulnerable “unpatched” computer systems. The global information environment is[Read More…]
Left Liberals And Counter-History
I read a Facebook post by an American Liberal comparing the refusal of the French Far-Leftist Jean-Luc Melanchon to choose between Emmanuel Macron and the rightist Marine Le Pen as President of France to the Left’s rejection of the German Social Democrats on the eve of WWI, resulting, ultimately, in the emergence of Naziism. He cited other similar cases where[Read More…]
Prominent Lawyer Prashant Bhushan Urges Indian Government to Stop Commercialisation of GM Mustard
The environment ministry in India will make the final call after the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee recently gave a positive recommendation for the commercial cultivation of GM mustard. Whether the crop is commercially cultivated could depend on the Supreme Court, which is hearing a case seeking a moratorium on its commercial release. The government has stated it will abide by[Read More…]
The Hand
Around nine years ago, I read a very powerful poem called “The Hand.” It haunts me to this day as it perfectly summed up the utter travesty, ugliness and brutality of warmongering activities whether nation to nation or in smaller scale regional conflicts. The aftermath of carnage explained in the poetry was straight to the point. It starkly showed the[Read More…]
How Al-Nusra Front Split Up From Islamic State?
Since the beginning of the Syrian conflict in August 2011 to April 2013, Islamic State and al-Nusra Front (currently Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, JFS) were a single organization that chose the banner of “Jabhat al-Nusra.” Although the current al-Nusra Front is led by Abu Mohammad al-Julani but he was appointed as the emir of al-Nusra Front by Abu Bakr al Baghdadi,[Read More…]
Investigation
Your honour!
Stifling his right of expression
Punishing him with incarceration
Is nothing different from anticipation
But continued centuries of strangulation
Of justice generation after generation !
Sardar Sarovar Dam Affected People Are Being Threatened Of Brutal Eviction
After almost 32 years of struggle, lakhs of people in the Narmada valley to be affected by Sardar Sarovar, are being threatened of brutal eviction. The government of M.P has begun sending its emissaries to convey to the farmers, labourers and all inhabitants of the valley that they will have to move out of their homes and hearths, their farms[Read More…]
Resist Mamta Banerjee’s Goonda Raj in West Bengal
Soon after the massive Raj Bhavan march on 8th May, the goonda bahini of ex MLA of TMC, Arabul Islam, supported by the police are engaged in all nefarious moves to errorize and attack the people violating the assurances given by the DM on 19th April to the delegation which met him. He had assured that the villagers going outside[Read More…]
Trump Threatens Comey Over Leaked Account Of White House Dinner
The crisis engulfing the Trump administration was compounded Friday by the president’s early morning tweet threatening fired FBI Director James Comey over leaked accounts of a White House dinner that contradicted the story given out by the president in an interview the previous day with NBC News. In the interview, broadcast two days after Trump fired Comey without warning,[Read More…]
Commoners Against Rape In Bangladesh
Commoners in Bangladesh are raising their voices against rape. There are protest march, meetings, stand-ins. Days ago, an incident of a rape came out to public light. The victims were two university-students. The incident occurred weeks ago in the capital city of Dhaka. But, the victims dared not to lodge any complaint with the concerned authority as the perpetrators were[Read More…]
Six Years Ago, Famine Killed 260,000 People In Somalia. Now, It’s On The Brink Of Happening Again
Years of drought and violence have left half of Somalia’s population in urgent need of humanitarian aid. With food prices rising and animals dying, millions of people don’t know where their next meal is coming from. Humanitarian organizations are working hard to deliver aid to the most vulnerable people in affected areas. To make a donation click HERE UN agencies[Read More…]
Kashmir, A Way Forward
Kashmir is said to be paradise on earth. However when India started implementing its policy of ” Kashmir baharat ka atoot ang hai ( Kashmir is a integral part of India ) ” , Kashmir once the valley of red apples became the valley of blood. Successive Indian governments couldn’t resolve the problem and Kashmiris kept the pot boiling. There[Read More…]
We Can Learn To Express More Boldly From Manto
If the great Urdu writer, Saadat Hasan Manto was alive today, he would have been 105 years old. I wonder whether his spectacled and now old eyes would be surprised at how the world had further degraded in values of humanism. On second thoughts I doubt todays India or Pakistan with its ever increasing intolerance, extremism and gender inequality would[Read More…]
Indo-Pak Confrontation: A Suicidal Militaristic Adventure
Official reactions to the recent incidents on the Indo-Pak border ( killing of Indian jawans, the death sentence passed on an Indian national by the Pakistan judiciary , the incessant cross-border firings), follow a predictable pattern. At the diplomatic level, the foreign secretaries of the two states, perpetually miffed with each other, exchange angry notes. At the military level, the [Read More…]
Fact Finding Report On Assault of Prof Waghmare Following WhatsApp Post
This is a report of an eight-member fact finding team constituted by the Joint Action Committee for Social Justice, Mumbai to inquire into the assault on Prof Sunil Waghmare, head of Commerce department of KMC college in Khopoli (district Raigad, Maharashtra). The series of events related to this incident took place between 15th and 17th March, 2017. Following media reports,[Read More…]
UN Urges India To Lift Social Media Ban In Kashmir
Raising alarm over the impact of internet and social media restrictions imposed by authorities in Kashmir, United Nations human rights experts have called on the Government of India to protect the right to freedom of expression and to pursue an open and democratic dialogue to address the region’s social and political conflicts. The UN special rapporteur on freedom of opinion[Read More…]
Mounting Contradictions As Trump, Aides Defend Firing of FBI Director
The Trump White House plunged deeper into political crisis Thursday, as President Trump and top aides gave conflicting accounts of how and why Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, and FBI and Justice Department officials flatly contradicted the White House version of events. As the Trump administration scrambled to defend the decision to fire Comey, Democrats have seized on the[Read More…]
Critics Shocked By Trump Admission on Comey
While it’s hard to keep up with the shifting reports of how the decision to fire FBI Director James Comey came about, President Donald Trump on Thursday admitted to directly asking the former head of law enforcement if he was under investigation—a move many said presented a shocking conflict of interest. “A dinner was arranged, I think he asked for[Read More…]
Power Crisis Hits Gaza Hospitals As Israel Tightens Siege On Sick
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is growing more dire against the dimming possibility of a reconciliation between the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority controlled by Mahmoud Abbas, and the Islamist movement Hamas, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process has warned. UNSCO says the friction between the competing Palestinian regimes that operate under Israeli occupation in the West Bank[Read More…]
The Power of Grey – Towards A Harmonious And Peaceful World Order
The society and humankind has been painstakingly trained, through centuries, to be fascinated by black and white. This is irrespective of the fact that if human soul was to be assigned a color, it most definitely would have to be grey, neither black nor white. So deeply have we been prejudiced that black is associated with darkness, negativity and all[Read More…]
Tributes
Oh! Mother of civilization !
We are out to destroy
The meticulous creation
You nourished for us to enjoy
Urgent Appeal For Social Justice In The Narmada River Valley
In the current context of planned closure of the SSP dam sluice gates (understood as planned for 09 May 2017 by NCA), about 40,000 PAFs (2,00,000 people) in Madhya Pradesh alone, along with their villages and one township, will be drowned. Their forcible evacuation by police action is being planned and is imminent. Such action will bring utter shame on our Republic.
Fact Finding Team’s Report on Ambedkar Nagar Demolition
This is a report of the five-member fact finding team constituted by Committee for Protection of Democratic Rights (CPDR) to inquire into the demolition of homes and police harassment of residents of Ambedkar Nagar, Colaba between 3rd and 7th May, 2017. The Fact Finding Team members were Shraddha (Nirmala Niketan College of Social Work), Tanmay (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research),[Read More…]
The Apple And The Ant
Antonio Turiel keeps what I think is one of the best blogs in the world (perhaps the best) dedicated to energy and fossil fuels: The Oil Crash. Too bad that, despite the title, the blog is written in Spanish. But if you can read Spanish or are willing to spend some time to decipher a Google translation, then you can truly[Read More…]
Supreme Court Gags The Entire Press Around Justice Karnan: Worse Than Indira Gandhi’s Emergency of 1975-76
Co-Written by Chitta Ranjan Behera & Dr. Krushna Chandra Bal The order of the Supreme Court delivered on 9 May 2017 while directing the arrest and imprisonment of Justice C.S. Karnan for contempt of court did also forewarn the media not to publish any order issued by him. There are compelling reasons for which we the people of India need[Read More…]
China Should Be Our Model For Swachh Bharat, Public Transport
Beijing, the Chinese capital could well be a model for India’s Swachh Bharat mission of cleanliness. Toilets are everywhere in the city, I noticed during my two-week visit to Beijing last month. It could also be a model for us in public transport. I experienced this through my constant walks in different parts of the city and travel by[Read More…]
Jeremy Corbyn’s Electoral Vision: Labour’s Leaked Manifesto
It is unfortunate that policies otherwise deemed middle of the road and social democratic tend to be seen in Britain as offspring of a lunatic mother long held in indefinite detention at Her Majesty’s Pleasure. But such is the nature of the current electioneering round, which has seen a source, most likely a disgruntled Labour hack, leak the manifesto of[Read More…]
Pro-Apartheid Australia’s New White Australia Policy & Compulsory Australian Values Statement
US lackey Australia (Oz) is second only to the US as a supporter of Apartheid Israel that denies 4.7 million Occupied Palestinians all human rights. Oz has a racist New White Australia Policy for visitors and immigrants who must also sign a compulsory Australian Values Statement that hides the ugly reality of a massive Australian culture of mendacity, racism, invasion,[Read More…]
Fixing the Waste and Garbage Problems (Sort Of)
Garbage, pollution, toxins, diseases: All can be carried in the air, via the water supply and through the land, itself. Anyone who doubts that this is so needs only to look at what Indian Point nuclear plant, concerning which 17 million people live within fifty miles of it, has done: It doesn’t take an accident at the Indian Point nuclear[Read More…]
Lebanon: Hedonism And War
Text and Photos: Andre Vltchek Palestinian refugee camps are up in flames, across the country, a result of the disputes between the rival factions, but also of ‘unsavory’ influences from abroad. As everyone knows here, there are, for instance,the Al Qaida-affiliated militants hiding in the South. There are Israeli incursions into Lebanon, both by land and by water. There are[Read More…]
New Charter: Should Hamas Rewrite The Past?
Now that the Palestinian Islamic Movement, Hamas, has officially changed its Charter, one should not immediately assume that the decision is, in itself, an act of political maturity. Undoubtedly, Hamas’ first Charter, which was released to the public in August 1988, reflected a degree of great intellectual dearth and political naïveté. “Allah is great, Allah is greater than their[Read More…]
Iran’s Elections: An Empty Charade for Ethnic Minorities
With the Iranian presidential election scheduled to take place on Friday, May 19, the six candidates are competing for every vote, with all vying to win the essential backing of the country’s ethnic minority regions, whose peoples collectively comprise over 50 percent of the Iranian population. All six candidates – Hassan Rouhani, Ibrahim Raisi, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, IssaqJahangiri, Mustapha Hashmi[Read More…]
The Other Side Of The Sukma Attack
The April 24 attack on India’s Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) contingent by the Maoist insurgents in Chhattisgarh state has evoked sharp reaction not only from the Indian leaders but also from Israel. The ambush left 26 soldiers dead. The incident occurred in the Sukma district of the state that remains under influence of the ultra leftist Maoist insurgency for[Read More…]
All We Like Sheep Are Being Led Astray
“Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd.” ― Bertrand Russell We are often taken aback by the vehemence with which our friends, associates and acquaintances disagree with our observations, especially while discussing the political motivation of politicians. We are also surprised by their loyal devotion to the[Read More…]
The ‘Political Buddha’ of Dalits in UP
Buddhism as a religion owes its origin to present day UP as ‘Buddha after attaining knowledge’ , he gave his first sermon at Sarnath, near Banaras. He and his pupils travelled widely in and around UP and Bihar, and propagated his ideas and philosophy before finally attaining Mahaparinirvan (death) at Kushinara (current Kushi Nagar, UP) in c483 BCE. Since[Read More…]
Revoke Varsha Dongre’s Suspension: Safeguard Adivasi Rights
Revocation of suspension orders of upright, Dalit woman officer, Ms. Varsha Dongre, Asst. Jail Superintendent, Raipur Central Jail and restoration of peace and good government in the V Schedule adivasis areas of Bastar
On A Journey To Humanize Jinnah: Sheela Reddy On The Challenge of Understanding Jinnah Through His Disastrous Marriage
What is important in life? The sages and wise women will tell you that the journey is important, not the destination. But ask veteran journalist and author Sheela Reddy and she will say both are important, the journey as much as the destination. She knows better, I guess, having both journeyed and having reached her destination of having published her[Read More…]
The New “Iron Curtain”!
(The Digital India has failed to control the Social Life in Kashmir in spite of the strongest curbs ever put on all the social networking sites sand TV channels!) In the erstwhile Soviet Union there was such a blackout of communications with the outside world that the measure got the name of the “Iron Curtain”. It was virtually an Iron[Read More…]
Delhi Metro Fare Hike: Another “Surgical Strike” on Peoples Pocket
Most of the mainstream newspapers since the announcement of fare hike in Delhi Metro carried out the same narrative fed to them by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, that the fare hike is the result of Staff Salaries and other Operational expenses incurred by them causing a loss of profit to the Company. The DMRC is registered under the Companies[Read More…]
Photo Essay: The Band Wallahs of Indian Weddings
Marriages in India are considered to be a sacrosanct social institution. Amid the glitz and the glitter of the wedding are men, whose music has become entwined with the wedding affair, the band wallahs. But who are these men, whose job is to be perpetual celebrants on behalf of other people. What kind of existence do these band wallahs lead?[Read More…]
As Justice Karnan Fights His Legal Battle, His Safety, Well-being Must Be Ensured
Ever since the Supreme Court of India passed the order on 9th May, 2017 of arrest of Justice C.S. Karnan, a judge of the Calcutta High Court, he has been rendered untraceable. Since the Supreme Court order had put press censorship of sorts,rumours are afloat about Justice Karnan’s whereabouts. A disinformation campaign has been launched in the mainstream media to[Read More…]
Why A Just And Sustainable Economy Looks Like A Doughnut
I see a lot of books presuming to explain what’s wrong with the economy and what to do about it. Rarely do I come across one with the consistent new paradigm frame, historical depth, practical sensibility, systemic analysis, and readability of Doughnut Economics by Kate Raworth. Especially unique and valuable is her carefully reasoned, illustrated, and documented debunking of the[Read More…]
The Conquest of Chattisgarh: Unearthing Sangh Ascendancy In The State
Odisha followed by Madhya Pradesh enacted the so called Freedom of Religion Acts for the first time in India. State of Chattishgarh was carved out of Madhya Pradesh which inherited the same law. Recently media reported of a series of Ghar Wapsi and attacks on Christians led by Dinesh Kashyap, a BJP MP from Jagdalpur, Chattishgarh. I joined a fact[Read More…]
The Case For An Intellectual Discourse On Islam
The righteous rage that boils over into lynchings, mobs, suspicions and allegations of blasphemy shows a loss of balance and rationality in our social behaviour. This is a disturbing truth that needs a serious collective introspection. Among other things, a lot of this (self) righteous rage is because of an inability and unwillingness to intellectually confront and address diversity,[Read More…]
From The Ashes of Standing Rock, A Beautiful Resistance Is Born
If you’re like me, you are probably feeling a deep sorrow in your heart over the news that oil will soon flow through that black snake of death, the Dakota Access Pipeline. Despite the largest gathering of tribes in over 100 years, despite the prayers and militant resistance, despite hundreds of water protectors facing trumped up felony charges, despite the[Read More…]
Chopping James Comey
“Having refused to admit his errors, the [FBI] Director cannot be expected to implement the necessary corrective actions.” US Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein Any sense that Donald Trump had found some accord with James Comey of the FBI gathered from his investigative zeal regarding Hillary Clinton’s improper use of a private email server should always have been doubted. Trump[Read More…]
The Relationship Between Forgetting Ourselves And War
“The essential thing is to WANT to sing.” — Henry Miller “Education in this country just boxes you in.” — Emil White Just prior to Emil White dying, I had a chance to interact with the publisher, artist and well-known friend of Henry Miller at the Henry Miller Library in Big Sur, California in the late eighties. One of[Read More…]
Three Found Poems
Three eruptions of unintentional poetry plucked from prose works, on topics ranging from homelessness in India to neocolonialism to death.
Israel Resorts To “Psychological Warfare” To Try To Break Strike
More than 1,500 Palestinian prisoners entered their fourth week without food on Monday as Israel intensifies its efforts to break the hunger strike. The striking prisoners are demanding improvements in conditions and an end to solitary confinement, heavy restrictions on family visits and administrative detention – prolonged imprisonment without charge or trial. Israel has refused to negotiate with or discuss[Read More…]
In Defence Of Justice Karnan’s Constitutional Rights
The Supreme Court’s order of today (09 May, 2017) sentenced Calcutta High Court judge, Justice C.S. Karnan to six months imprisonment for contempt of court; additionally media has also been barred from publishing pronouncements of Justice Karnan. This order undermines the Constitution of India as it violates Article 19(fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression) and erodes the[Read More…]
Go Electric, Young Man! The Story of the Electric Fiat “500”
Some ten years ago, myself and my friend Pietro Cambi had the weird idea of “retrofitting” Pietro’s old Fiat 500, turning it into an electric car. To understand why we embarked in such a task, you have to consider that we were (and are) both “peak oilers”; but also we were (and are) both Italian and the Fiat 500 is[Read More…]
Midnight Raids And Fabricated Surrenders of Niyamgiri Suraksha Samiti Activists
CDRO expresses deep concern about the intensifying repression on the Dongria Kondhos of Niyamgiri mountains whose sustained resistance against bauxite mining is a fight for their survival and livelihood. CDRO condemns the midnight raid of the CRPF on the night of May 1, 2017 and the illegal and arbitrary manner in which 20-year old Kuni Sikaka was forcibly taken to[Read More…]
The Macron Denial
The cheer was always going to be qualified. The bubbles would be less effervescent, more a case of relieved sighing rather than frothy exultation. After another electoral hack, and another round of threats, the French election was being played out in an era that may, in time, be given the Trump name. The pollsters did rest a bit easier after[Read More…]
Pakistan’s Tense Relations With Its Three Neighbors
The head of the Iranian armed forces warned Islamabad on Monday (May 8) that Tehran would hit bases inside Pakistan if the government does not confront militants who carry out cross-border attacks. Ten Iranian border guards were killed by militants on April 26. Iran said Jaish-al-Adl (the Army of Justice), a militant group, had shot the guards with long-range[Read More…]
Threat To Muslim Identity: Perception And Reality
While growing up I learned that a sense of Muslim identity in me is not only a source of pride and joy, but also of great strengths, warmth and confidence. I did not find any conflict in my Muslim identity and being patriotic towards my own country. But gradually, I felt betrayed when I realised that my sense of belonging[Read More…]
What’s So “Interesting” In Bangladesh Today?
Interestingly, “interesting” is an English expression, which may hide one’s actual opinion about something one considers “interesting”. What I read in Bangladesh media in the last one month is very “interesting” to me. Stories that I read are absurd, bizarre, entertaining, frightful, and sickening. I learnt from media reports and articles that there’s nothing immoral, or impossible in Bangladesh today.[Read More…]
The Presidential Election Show In Iran
The Islamic Republic of Iran has started propagandas for its 12th presidential election which is on Friday May 19. This is not a free election because the major secular political parties are banned and prevented to designate their candidates. Islamic Republic is a misnomer, the regime is neither Islamic nor a republic. It is a theocratic totalitarian regime ruled by a[Read More…]
Hindu Rashtra: Is It Good For Hindus?
Hindu Rashtra is the goal of Hindu nationalist politics, which is also called as Hindutva. In contrast to Hinduism, Hindutva is a politics in the name of Hinduism with Brahmanism as the core of the same. In a nutshell Hindutva is a politics based on Brahmanical values of caste and gender hierarchy. The concept of Hindutva-Hindu nation is a modern[Read More…]
How The Law That Bhanwari Devi Inspired Fails Marginalised Women Like Her
India has recently seen a spate of allegations of sexual harassment at the workplace. While analysing the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, we caught ourselves wondering – would the Act have changed anything for Bhanwari Devi?
Communal Politics In India Is primarily Due To Absence Of Land Reforms; Absence Of Process Of Secularization And Failure To Reduce The Hold Of Clergy: Dr Ram Puniyani
Dr Ram Puniyani has been one of the foremost voices against communalism and has been active in promoting communal amity and national integration through various engagements at the grassroots. A regular commentator on the important socio-political issues, Dr Ram Puniyani has written as well as edited many books on communalism and for secular polity in India. In this detailed conversations[Read More…]
Poetry Against Violence: A Prayer For Peace
Poetry has ever been a conversation with self, with the other that we tend to call society, with nature and with mystery that envelopes all beings. Ocatvio Paz, wrote in his introduction to Poesia en Movimiento ( Poetry in Motion ) an anthology of contemporary Mexican poetry : “There can be no poetry without history, but poetry has no[Read More…]
Centenary of Osmania University 1917-2017: A Grand Function Where Students Were Alienated, And Police Took Over The Whole Campus
India’s President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the much-awaited, three day-long, Centenary Celebrations of Osmania University (OU) on April 26, 2017 at Hyderabad. One of the oldest and biggest, once prestigious, OU has now 720 affiliated colleges with 3.2 lakh students including about 5000 from 87 foreign countries. The HINDU that morning reported: The Vice Chancellor Professor Ramachandram in a media[Read More…]
Death Toll Rises To 37 Amid Continuing Clashes In Venezuela
The death toll rose to at least 37 Thursday in the nationwide protests and street clashes that have gripped Venezuela over the past month. The identity of the latest victims reflects the violent and provocative character of the campaign being waged by Venezuela’s right-wing opposition, as well as the increasingly repressive crackdown being carried out by the government of President[Read More…]
Turbulence Theory: Reactive Mismeasures: The New Yorker And The “New” Cold War Propaganda (Part 5)
This is the fifth part (of 5 ) of a paragraph by paragraph commentary on a recent article posing as journalism in the March 6, 2017 issue of The New Yorker. I hope to demonstrate that this article is basically a totally mendacious concoction of cold war US propaganda constructed out of unsubstantiated opinions expressed by US government officials[Read More…]
#AadhaarLeaks: Why UIDAI And PwC Are Responsible
In India, on past one month there are many news reports on various #AadhaarLeaks from Aadhaar seeded Govt services. As of now combined number of Aadhaar numbers leaked will cross 200 million , considering various leaks from Employment Guarantee, minor /student scholarship portal leaks, Social assistance schemes, and various pension schemes. Yesterday I was closely following Attorney General of India’s arguments[Read More…]
Climate Change Proof To Convince Even The Most Irrational
The People’s Climate March on Saturday, April 29, 2017, flooded Washington, DC, with over 100,000 protesters. Organizers claimed 150,000, with marches in 330 other cities across the country and in three dozen solidarity events abroad. Coinciding with President Trump’s 100th day in office, the marchers also protested his anti-environmental actions. The previous Saturday (April 22, 2017), thousands of scientists[Read More…]
The North Korean Nuclear Conundrum
The world is watching with much fear and anxiety, admixed with some curiosity, the unfolding confrontation between President Trump and Kim Jong-un the supreme leader of North Korea. We still do not know whether the confrontation will lead to hostilities with predictably unpredictable and disastrous consequences or the two sides along with other interested parties will sit down and talk.[Read More…]
Margins And Solidarity At Perils In Assam: The Case of Kaziranga National Park And Beyond
I grew up as a sick child, having suffered a chronic cough for over seven years. My parents tried everything to cure my illness. In one of such pursuits, I found myself traveling to Mayong with my father[1]. We travelled in a bus from Sadiya, the easternmost place in Assam, along with many others. Some were known to me and[Read More…]
Olympian Politics: The Australian Olympic Committee
It was a scrappy affair, and it resulted in a predictable result: the re-election of veteran administrator John Coates as president of the Australian Olympic Committee by 58 votes to 35. Such a process was all in all dull but for the notable lid it had blown off regarding Olympic harmony down under. King Coates, as it were, has ruled[Read More…]
Of Frequent Net Ban: A Repressive And A Vindictive New Norm
The best possible option with the clueless state government would be to call a spade a spade and stop this provocative Net banning ritual. Instead the Centre should start the institution of “unconditional dialogue” with all concerned stakeholders to put out this long-burning fire. There is no point in trying to divert the focus from the core to its surface.
Avoiding Another War In North Korea
During the Korean War, the United States dropped more bombs and napalm on North Korea than was used against the Japanese during World War II. The carpet bombing destroyed all of the cities and most of the villages in North Korea. More than 3,000,000 Korean civilians died in the war—most were in the North. Since the war ended with a[Read More…]
A Few Lines From Young Marx
It was 1830, the July Revolution forced abdication of king Charles X in France, and Louis Philippe became constitutional monarch. Twenty-eight years prior to this development in France, in 1802, the first factory law was introduced in England; and the law pertained to child labor. In the same year, John Dalton introduced atomic theory into chemistry. In the Congress[Read More…]
A Victory for Theresa May Will See Britain Dragged Further Towards War With Russia
British Prime Minister Theresa May has been warned by various political leaders in Britain not to rush to attack Syrian government forces if she wins the general election in June. The Guardian reported that she might hold a vote on military action this summer. If this is the case, it would imply that she wants to press ahead without UN backing. May[Read More…]
In Yemen, Shocked to His Bones
The ruins carpeted the city market, rippling outwards in waves of destruction. Broken beams, collapsed roofs, exploded metal shutters and fossilized merchandise crumbled underfoot. In one of the burnt-out shells of the shops where raisins, nuts, fabrics, incense and stone pots were traded for hundreds of years, all that was to be found was a box of coke bottles,[Read More…]
Greater Albania And The Balkan Problem
The Balkans has always been cursed by a recurring theme: that each entity within it can, at some point, become greater and more consuming in territory than the next neighbour. Each nation has, and in some instances continues, to nurse dreams of enlargement, pecking away at borders and assuming that few will notice. Strategies of expansion tend to have one[Read More…]
Nine Key Political Propositions For Building The Commons
The following piece is extracted from a series of reviews on Common: An Essay on Revolution in the 21st Century, a book by Pierre Dardot and Christian Laval, from which Martin O’Shaughnessy summarizes the authors´ nine political propositions: In an earlier post (here), I summed up Dardot and Laval’s position on how we should think the common. What I want to do[Read More…]
Why We Should Be Concerned About Low Oil Prices
Most people assume that oil prices, and for that matter other energy prices, will rise as we reach limits. This isn’t really the way the system works; oil prices can be expected to fall too low, as we reach limits. Thus, we should not be surprised if the OPEC/Russia agreement to limit oil extraction falls apart, and oil prices fall[Read More…]
‘Butcher of Kabul’ Returns To Kabul In An Afghan Peace Deal
Lord Palmerston, the 19th century British Prime Minister, has famously said: “The Great Britain has no friends, no enemies, but only interests.” It was rephrased by Henry Kissinger as “America has no permanent friends or enemies, only interests.” This applies to current Afghan politics where Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a former anti-Soviet “mujahideen” commander, arrived in the capital on Thursday (May[Read More…]
Pope And I In Cairo
In Cairo, Pope Francis, once again, did what he usually does best: he snapped at the state of immorality and selfishness, which is governing the world, particularly in the West. The message to Egypt’s priests couldactually be directed at the population of the European and North American cities: “The first temptation is to letting ourselves to be led, rather[Read More…]
A Billion Dollars Isn’t What It Used To Be
One of the metrics of success in a mature capitalist economy is the number of billionaires present in its ranks. This term, billionaire, is the defining adjective of our time. Billionaire hedge fund manager, billionaire real estate developer, billionaire media mogul, billionaire investor, billionaire tech innovator. Where does it go from here? Asked and answered. Quoting from Credit Suisse’s 2013[Read More…]
The Bad Brother!
My younger brother, Rick, wasn’t meant to be born. That is — he wound up as an accidental birth concerning which my mother had mistakenly gotten pregnant only one month after I was born. Her ob-gyn was alarmed by the occurrence. He was the one, along with my mother and my father since the twosome were co-joined in decision-making[Read More…]
Why Americans Distrust The Press More Than They Distrust Trump
A Morning Consult poll published on April 28th showed that “roughly half (51 percent) of Americans said the national political media ‘is out of touch with everyday Americans,’ compared with 28 percent who said it ‘understand the issues everyday Americans are facing’.” Plus: “Thirty-seven percent of Americans said they trusted Trump’s White House to tell the truth, while 29[Read More…]
Politics, Not Religion, Is The Source Of Sunni-Shia Conflict
Lately, it has become a habit of Orientalist apologists of Western imperialism to offer reductive historical and theological explanations of Sunni-Shi’a conflict in the Middle East region in order to cover up the blowback of ill-conceived Western military interventions and proxy wars that have reignited the flames of the internecine conflict in the Islamic World. Some self-anointed “Arabists” posit that[Read More…]
It’s Time To Reawaken The Spirit of Occupy For The Starving Millions
The world is now facing an unprecedented emergency of hunger and famine, with a record number of people requiring life-saving food and medical assistance in 2017. Since the start of this year, the largest humanitarian crisis since the end of the second world war has continued to unfold, while the international community has failed to take urgent commensurate action. The[Read More…]
New Mantras For India’s Development
A decade or two ago, many in India’s development community acted with the best of intentions, but without the best of evidence. If households lack clean water—help build wells ; if people suffer ill health—set up health services; if the poor lack capital to start businesses, give them credit. But the actual reality is not simple, it is very[Read More…]
Political Illiteracy Of Banker And BJP Spokeperson Syed Zafar Islam
Syed Zafar Islam, former managing director of the Deutsche Bank and now a BJP spokesperson has penned a piece of wisdom for Indian Muslims on behalf of the Hindutva camp titled ‘Why Muslims must give BJP a fair chance: The community has devalued its own vote by becoming captive to self-styled secular parties’ (The Indian Express, May 4, 2017).[i] A banker[Read More…]
Hillary Clinton’s Lament
“I’m back to being an active citizen and part of the resistance.” Hillary Clinton, May 2, 2017 Predictability in these tumultuous times will get you removed from office, or render you unelectable. Such a tendency has more than just a faint stain of the establishment, however accurate this might be in fact. This is not a point the defeated presidential[Read More…]
Kashmir: Generals Call For Political Solution!
(Recently a number of retired Generals of the Army including a former Army Chief have opined that Kashmir needs a political solution rather than a military one!) In a recent interview, the former Chief of the Army Staff General Ved Prakash Malik said that Kashmir needs a political solution and bringing peace is not solely the task of the Indian[Read More…]
The New India of Cow Age
Welcome to the New India. This is nothing but a world of a Cow Age India. In this Cow Age India, Cows have ultimately achieved an up gradation. From non-citizenship, they have acquired citizenship. They will be offered an Aadhaar number which will become a proof of her Indian Citizenship. About eight crore cows which did not have an identity[Read More…]
US Sends B-1 Strategic Bombers Over South Korea
The US Air Force sent two B-1B Lancer strategic bombers from Guam to the Korean Peninsula on Monday to engage in bilateral training exercises with South Korean and Japanese military forces. The provocative move was taken amid continuing threats by the Trump administration to launch military action against North Korea. A US Air Force spokesperson claimed that the flight was[Read More…]
Korean Tensions: Could They Slip Out of Control?
There have been over the years since the 1953 armistace periodic increases of tensions related to the policies of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea). Currently, the nuclear program and missile launches of North Korea, the establishment of sophisticated anti-missile systems in South Korea, increased sanctions against North Korea voted[Read More…]
I’d Rather Be ‘Intellectual’ Than Stupid
Politicians, once they come to power, blame ‘intellectuals’ and ‘liberals’ for slowing down their bid for absolute control and power over all of us citizens. Politicians use the words ‘Intellectual’ and ‘liberal’ to malign, belittle and disparage social thinkers and independent minded social commentators who differ and disagree with them. Social commentators and all those who do not agree with[Read More…]
Empty Values: The Australian Concept of Citizenship
It has been a lowering conversation, and one that Australia’s politicians have been engaging in with various degrees of discomfort. The Australian prime minister, for one, doesn’t seem to know where to place his feet on this one, showing considerable trouble in navigating the term “Australian values” before probing questions. Would such values, posed Leigh Sales of the ABC to[Read More…]
National Guard, Pentagon Hold Drills Testing Preparations For Nuclear Attack On The US
With little public notice, government agencies at the local, state and federal level, in conjunction with the Pentagon, began exercises at the end of last month war gaming the reaction of emergency responders and the military to the detonation of a nuclear bomb in a major American city. Contemporaneous exercises are taking place around the country involving thousands of emergency[Read More…]
Variables Vitiating Viewpoints, Visions
I’m not using the “V” here to allude to the 2009-2011 mini-series, the 1983 television production, the Guy Fawkes mask, Thomas Pynchon’s debut novel or any other silly or pseudo-serious treatment of radical response to the powers that be. Rather, for me, there’s a need to address the repetition that we’re experiencing in the realm of activism, whereby — ad nauseum — vociferous citizens are voicing[Read More…]
Britain Must Break Free From The Agrochemical Cartel
Agrochemical manufacturers are knowingly poisoning people and the environment in the name of profit and greed. Communities, countries, ecosystems and species have become disposable inconveniences. Corporate totalitarian tries to hide beneath an increasingly fragile facade of democracy. The agrochemicals industry lobbies hard to have its products put on the market and ensures that they remain there. It uses PR firms and front[Read More…]
Aren’t Rohingyas Bengalis, And Arakan Integral To Bangladesh?
Every society has certain taboos – cultural/religious, social, and political – set apart and designated as restricted or forbidden to associate with, or even to bring in ordinary discussion. The Rohingya issue (for some strange reasons) seems to be such a taboo in Bangladesh. Both people and government here don’t want to go beyond certain limits to have a[Read More…]
The Omnipotent And Omniscient
But if you risk life
Continue strife
Spread collective power
High over the infinite ‘ Sky’ tower
Will the big brother follow you?
The Trade Dreams of Boris Johnson
“My chances of being PM are about as good as the chances of finding Elvis on Mars, or my being reincarnated as an olive.” Boris Johnson, UK Foreign Secretary Few characters in history have seen so much spoken about him for one seemingly so irrelevant. Out of obscure follies and foolhardy decisions, he rose from being a questionable journalist for[Read More…]
The Prisoners’ Revolt: The Real Reasons Behind The Palestinian Hunger Strike
Gaza is the world’s largest open air prison. The West Bank is a prison, too, segmented into various wards, known as areas A, B and C. In fact, all Palestinians are subjected to varied degrees of military restrictions. At some level, they are all prisoners. East Jerusalem is cut off from the West Bank, and those in the West Bank are separated from one[Read More…]
Australian ABC And UK BBC Fake News Through Lying By Omission
The UK BBC and the Australian ABC (Australia’s equivalent of the BBC) pride themselves on superiority over the Yellow Press as typified by the sex and scandal tabloids of the Murdoch media. However, as analysed below, both the Oz ABC and the UK BBC betray their audiences with fake news through lying by omission over horrendous Australian, British and[Read More…]
Remembering Karl Marx
While most of the European thinkers and philosophers are famous, not all of them are as relevant as Karl Marx who is often referred to as the father of revolution. As a student of social sciences it was a privilege for me to study Karl Marx during early days of my graduation and at doctoral level. The present piece of[Read More…]
Who’s Afraid Of Aadhaar UID?
Political corruption is a manipulation of policies, institutions and rules of procedure in the allocation of resources and financing by political decision makers, who abuse their position to sustain their power, status and wealth. www.transparency.org It was around midnight, and the family was having their late, last supper. As the clock struck twelve, they heard the dreaded midnight knock![Read More…]
Statement on Suicide of Sagar in IISER, Kolkata
The Coordination of Science and Technology Institutes Students’Associations (COSTISA) expresses its grave concern at the suicide of Sagar Mandal, a 2nd year undergraduate student of IISER, Kolkata on 1st May, 2017. Sagar Mandal, a student from a poor family and rural background, is the latest in the case of suicides by students of the elite science and technology institutes in[Read More…]
Unfortunate Set of Circumstances
It was a cloudy Sunday morning and Vesna was cooking up a storm for her two colleagues from work. All three of them were immigrants from Eastern Europe with similar pasts, comparable presents, and daunting futures. Back in their youth they were oblivious optimists, but a series of debilitating clean sweeps gradually turned them into neurotic toilet scrubbers who could[Read More…]
Where Farmers Are Taking Lives, Women Refuse To Die
The large swathes of cotton farms in Central India have been the epicenter of a global crisis that has gripped the rural population in crippling debts and has driven thousands of them to suicide. But the great news is women in this region have creatively and doggedly used the power of hope to reemerge form the ruins. This new[Read More…]
Reign of Idiots
The idiots take over in the final days of crumbling civilizations. Idiot generals wage endless, unwinnable wars that bankrupt the nation. Idiot economists call for reducing taxes for the rich and cutting social service programs for the poor, and project economic growth on the basis of myth. Idiot industrialists poison the water, the soil and the air, slash jobs and[Read More…]
Doctor And Predator
Welcome to the nation!
‘ Doctor President’ Erdogan!
Let dictatorship and despotism
Integrate fanaticism with fascism!
Trump’s Deportation Priorities Aim At Creating Fear
The Trump administration is implementing new deportation priorities with the aim of creating fear as people are lifted from highly sensitive locations like schools, courts and places of worship, says Julia R Wilson of OneJustice. She was of the view that the Trump administration doesn’t believe in ANY immigration. Addressing a civil rights forum of the United Muslims of[Read More…]
Bahujan Leaders And May Day
Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and Krantijyoti Savitribai Phule (1827 to 1890) fought throughout their entire life for • Decreasing the working hours from 12 to 8 • Special leaves for pregnant women • Abolition of the child labor • First leader to unite the labourers and farmers • Land to the tillers • Special protection for the tenant labors etc. Savitribai[Read More…]
May Day 2017: In solidarity With Maruti Workers’ Struggle
More than 130 years from today, in 1886 May 1st, several thousand workers in Chicago city had participated in the massive strike demanding eight-hour working day and several workers sacrificed their life to achieve this demand. From that day onwards, May 1st is celebrated as the International Workers Day, as a symbol of working class unity against the capitalist class.[Read More…]
Korea: Leading To War?
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is deeply concerned that escalating tensions between North Korea and the United States of America could lead to war. This view was expressed at the end of the 30th ASEAN Leaders’ Summit in Manila on the 29th of April 2017. Given the gravity of the situation, ASEAN could perhaps have been a[Read More…]
Is The U.S. Going To War With North Korea?
In a continuation of the theater of the absurd, all 100 U.S. senators were driven to the White House to listen to a top-secret intelligence briefing on North Korea. North Korea now has missiles capable of reaching Hawaii and will soon be able to extend its reach to California. As they also have nuclear weapons, putting two and two[Read More…]
Days of Illusion: Donald Trump’s First 100
The human capacity, notably in cultures where measurements are valued, places much stock in numbering deeds. In the case of the US presidency, power is supposedly meant to translate into something within the first hundred days, a ring fight between the president and other arms of government, a race to the policy making podium. The US political system, in its[Read More…]
Rays
Sun zooms into sky
Like aspirations of workers of ‘ Maruti Suzuki ‘
Toiling daily with casting and moulding
And turning and fitting
Gears, accelerators and brakes
Or cushioned seats and side glasses
In the sweltering heat
And iron rust
Killing Kids at Yale Law School
Early January 1977 Just out of Harvard Law Looking for a job Landing at Yale Law 26 years old 2 hour faculty presentation In faculty lounge To my right Dean Harry Wellington Arrayed left and right Across the room Yale Law Faculty all Most distinguished crowd Sitting in the back Directly opposite Clear line of sight Glaring right at[Read More…]
Abbas Fears The Prisoners’ Hunger Strike
Nazareth: The Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas is due to meet Donald Trump in the White House on Wednesday to discuss reviving the long-cold corpse of the peace process. Back home, things are heating up. There is anger in the West Bank, both on the streets and within the ranks of Abbas’s Fatah movement. The trigger is a two-week-old hunger strike[Read More…]
May Day 2017: Trample All Forms Of Sectarianism
One hundred years ago, the proletariat in Petrograd celebrated the historic May Day in jubilation and honor. “Thousands of people turned out for the 1917 May Day parade. They carried […] banners and posters, which became the main elements of the decorations in Petrograd.” (Natalia Murray, “Feast in a time of plague, May Day celebrations of 1917-1918”, Baltic Worlds, vol.[Read More…]
The U.S. Political Scene: Whiteness And The Legitimacy Crisis of Global Capitalism
Progressive, left, and social movement forces in the U.S. need to build on successes of the past as well as move beyond them, taking on, for instance, a more pro-active position against militarism and a deeper critique of capitalism. Reaching out across racial and gender lines to working and lower income people, such a movement cannot allow for itself to fall under the hegemony of corporatist political actors. Rather it must be a project that provides a real fight back to the Trumpian right and the permanent war state it now inhabits.
The Forgotten Message Of Ambedkar To The Working Class
( The following are extracts from A paper presented by Dr KS Sharma at the XXXII Indian Social Science Congress held at New Delhi from 18′” December to 22nd December 2008. The Paper quotes Dr. B. R. Ambedkar extensively and seeks to bring out some views he had expressed at one stage in his political life. A few extracts focussing[Read More…]
North Korea’s Military Gambit
“All options for responding to future provocation must remain on the table. Diplomatic and financial levers of power will be backed up by a willingness to counteract North Korean aggression if necessary.” Rex Tillerson, Apr 28, 2017 The theatre unfolding in various international forums regarding North Korea is garnering top prices for front seats. The press corps await the next[Read More…]
Muslim Profiling At US Borders Escalates During President Trump’s First 100 Days
President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office were a frightening experience for the seven-million strong Muslim American community. According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest American Muslim civil advocacy group, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) profiling of Muslims accounted for 23 percent of cases in the first three months of 2017. This represents[Read More…]
Conflict Resolution: White Feathers of Peace
Absolutely, I get deeply angry at the carnage that our species demonstrates towards others of our kind and other species, the ones that are a part of the natural world that we dismantle for economic growth. Yet sometimes anger is necessary as it pushes one to where he doesn’t want to tread and to be someone he’d like to avoid[Read More…]
No Just War
Moral Injury and Nonviolent Resistance is not an easy train read. It is, however, a “Must Read” and very compelling. In a culture where war is taken for granted, whether it be on a foreign battleground or in a domestic arena, the Lynds offer their book as a plea for Peace. Peace through nonviolent actions. Peace through voices speaking[Read More…]
The Necessary Ground of Being for Dyslexic Activism
In the early days of hip hop, most of the artists either lived in or were born in New York City’s South Bronx. That area was devastated in 1929 by the building of the Cross-Bronx Expressway, which displaced 60,000 Bronx residents. Although the white residents who lived in the realm moved to the suburbs, many of the poor African-American[Read More…]
Witness To The Revolution: Radicals, Resisters, Vets, Hippies, And The Year America Lost Its Mind And Found Its Soul
Witness to the Revolution: Radicals, Resisters, Vets, Hippies, and the Year America Lost Its Mind and Found Its Soul by Clara Bingham is a valuable contribution to further understanding and popularizing the radical upsurge of the 1960s. The book is an oral history and we hear from well-known figures of the time such as Ericka Huggins, Tom Hayden and Robin[Read More…]
Hybrid War: Reactive Mismeasures: The New Yorker and the “New” Cold War Propaganda (Part 4)
This is the fourth part (of 5 ) of a paragraph by paragraph commentary on a recent article posing as journalism in the March 6, 2017 issue of The New Yorker. I hope to demonstrate that this article is basically a totally mendacious concoction of cold war US propaganda constructed out of unsubstantiated opinions expressed by US government officials[Read More…]
Kashmir: Remembering The Unsung Heroes
29 April 1865 is marked as the bloodiest day in Kashmir history. On this day the Dogra army brutally massacred 28 Kashmiris at old city’s Zaldagar, when shawl weavers peacefully protested against the Dagh shawl department and the cruel taxation of the government.This protest was in the backdrop of their frustration, their extremely difficult working conditions, meagre wages, excessive[Read More…]
Heat Wave Scalds Orange Farmers
Nagpur’s oranges, which were the pride of the country, are fast losing sheen. Nagpur still retains the appellation of “Orange City” but the scene today is nowhere near the mystical description that famous Englishman Major Henry Bevan gave following his visit to Nagpur in 1818. “The greatest ornament of the garden is… (an) orange tree called Cintra (santra) or[Read More…]
Reducing Spaces of Critical Voices And Clampdown on Human Rights Organisations
In recent times, the suppression, attempts of arm twisting and cancellation of FCRA of NGOs have been a subject of debate among various circles in India. Most of these NGOs have been either organisations belonging to minority communities or organisations critical of the Government’s policies on development or those involved with human rights issues. The recent clampdown on the human[Read More…]
Jeremy Corbyn Is Britain’s Best Hope
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has suggested the UK could join US military action against the Syrian government without parliamentary approval. Johnson said he and PM Theresa May agreed that in the event of another chemical attack by the Assad regime, it would be hard for the UK to refuse any request to join military action. No evidence has been provided that[Read More…]
A World In Free Fall In A Dangerous Universe: Syria, Afghanistan, North Korea, Iran, What’s Next, An Asteroid?
A universal truth was revealed by the recent chemical weapon tragedy in Syria’s Idlib Province and the MOAB bombing of Afghanistan. Namely, that as the human world continues to tear itself asunder and make a mockery of the United Nation’s concept of international law and the sovereign rights of nations – supposedly intended to protect them from unprovoked, preemptive[Read More…]
Middle Eastern Surgeon Speaks About The ‘Ecology Of War’
Text and Photos: Andre Vltchek Dr. Gus Abu-Sitta is the head of the Plastic Surgery Department at the AUB Medical Center in Lebanon. He specializes in: reconstructive surgery. What it means in this part of the world is clear: they bring you people from the war zones, torn to pieces, missing faces, burned beyond recognition, and you have to[Read More…]
The Shame of Killing Innocent People
On April 26th, 2017, in Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah, the Saudi-led coalition which has been waging war in Yemen for the past two years dropped leaflets informing Hodeidah’s residents of an impending attack. One leaflet read: “Our forces of legitimacy are heading to liberate Hodeidah and end the suffering of our gracious Yemeni people. Join your legitimate government[Read More…]
Climate Change And Other Dire Difficulties
To do nothing what-soever except minimally (such as recycling garbage) in light of coming climate change impacts for a small portion of the world — well, we know to where this feebly enacted, but basically empty non-action leads. Same-old patterns exist until forcing a change as the same-old ones are no longer workable given changing impacting variables at the[Read More…]
Science And Wars Against The Environment
At the Boston Science March this past Saturday, April 22 , I did not notice any signs proclaiming “SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE, NOT FOR PROFIT” or “SCIENCE FOR PEACE, NOT FOR WAR.” (1) Were there any? The few scientists I have known personally believe that science is value-free, unconcerned with politics or morality. It exists as pure truth born of[Read More…]
Yemen: Effective Humanitarian Aid Depends on a Peace Accord
The United Nations (UN) together with the governments of Sweden and Switzerland which have often led humanitarian issues in the UN system held a high-level pledging conference in Geneva on April 25, 2017 to again draw attention to the deepening humanitarian crisis in war-torn Yemen, currently the largest food security emergency in the world. Some 60% of the population[Read More…]
Yassmin Abdel-Magied Censored On Anzac Day – Jingoists Trash Australian Free Speech
On Australia’s Anzac Day, Muslim, feminist social advocate and humanitarian journalist Yassmin Abdel-Magied (who works for the ABC, Australia’s equivalent of the UK BBC) posted on her Facebook page: “Lest we forget (Manus, Nauru, Syria, Palestine)”. Savaged by public outcry, Ms Abdel-Magied rapidly deleted the post and apologized. The post was correct and her silencing by rabid jingoists is[Read More…]
Turkey’s Kurdish Agenda
Any doubts that Turkey’s involvement in the conflict against Islamic State is purely symbolic were dispelled by a latest round of air strikes against Kurdish positions in northeast Syria and Iraq’s Sinjar region, killing at least 20 fighters. (The number from Ankara is a more inflated 70). Iraqi government officials were flawed by the action, infuriated by its audacity; the[Read More…]
Palestinian, Jewish Voices Must Jointly Challenge Israel’s Past
Israel has resorted to three main strategies to suppress Palestinian calls for justice and human rights, including the Right of Return for refugees. One is dedicated to rewriting history; another attempts to distract from present realities altogether and a third aims at reclaiming the Palestinian narrative as essentially an Israeli one. The rewriting of history happened much earlier than[Read More…]
Regardless Of Lifestyles We’re Too Numerous To Be Sustainable
To survive and live well we must reduce our population back to 2 billion as it was 80 years ago. Why did we allow our world population to keep growing to an unsustainable 7.4 billion, and passing on to our children the task of feeding and managing 9 billion people on a planet of degrading soils, acidifying and rising oceans[Read More…]
A Revolution of Values
Angela Merkel, in her congratulatory message to Donald Trump after his election victory, struck a reminder of the values connecting Germany and America: “democracy, freedom and respect for the law and the dignity of man.” Merkel alluded to the so-called Wertegemeinschaft, or community of values, that many politicians and citizens of Western countries frequently invoke. The term not only implies[Read More…]
Bechtel Corporation And Iran: A Story of American Corporatism-Imperialism
(Rome) Iran’s Islamic Revolution in 1979 resulted in the overthrow of the US-supported Pahlavi dynasty at that time under Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. The Iranian Revolution was a violent and widely popular overthrow of a ferocious US-inspired regime installed following the CIA-organized coup d’état of the democratically elected government led by PremierMohammad Mossadegh on August 19, 1953. Eventually led[Read More…]
Question
When life is uncertain
Death certain
How long can 1%
Live with wealth of 99% ?
Options Before Us: To ‘Cow Down’ or ‘Stand Up’!
Column article titled Silence is not an Option by Neera Chandhoke appeared in “The Hindu, April, 2017, brings to the foreground the layers of silence that the citizens of the country maintain to a maze of issues that they confront day in and day out. In nuanced ways Neera swipes at the problems that would drastically altar and significantly change[Read More…]
Terrorism And Militancy: Are They Quite The Same?
Maoists (or Naxals, according to some) ambushed a 100-strong CRPF road-opening patrol (ROP) on 24 April in Chintagufa Police Station limits of Sukma District of Chhattisgarh, killing 25 CRPF personnel and wounding six. The Maoists were reportedly around 200 in strength, and they ruthlessly continued engaging the pinned-down CRPF patrol for about one hour. The killing and wounding[Read More…]
Who Runs India?
(A view of the various economic and political activities reveals that it is the Brahmins and Banias who practically run and control India!) Sometimes one wonders how such a large country is run and who really runs it? Arundhati Roy calls India, “An Upper Caste Hindu Corporate Republic”! One would have thought that she may have been saying this in[Read More…]
Internet Service Officially Banned In Kashmir For One Month
Jammu and Kashmir government has ordered suspension of internet services in the trouble-hit valley for a period of one month or till further orders. In an order, the Home Department has said that internet services in Kashmir valley shall not be transmitted for a period of one month or till further orders. The state home department invoked powers conferred on[Read More…]
Every Story Has Two Sides: Kashmir Is No different
http://www.amazon.in/Scattered-Souls-Shahnaz-Bashir/dp/9352641248 I recently finished reading Shahnaz Bashir’s “Scattered Souls”, which is a collection of powerful short stories depicting the price that ordinary citizens living in Kashmir are paying because of excessive militarization. The Indian Government may justify this as much needed policing against the Kashmiri insurgents, to maintain internal security. But with all due to respect to the National Security[Read More…]
The Contradictory Bahujan of the BSP
The BSP was formed in 1984 after a long span of preparatory activities by the All India Backward and Minorities Communities Employees Federation (BAMCEF) and the Dalit Shoshit Samaj Sangharsh Samiti (DS-4). Its founder Kanshiram used to say that the Indian society and politics is marked by the hegemony of 15% upper castes and they rule over the rest 85%[Read More…]
The Unwanted Male Calf
Just a few days back one of the cows at our Prerna Kendra delivered a male calf. My colleague called me to inform about the birth of it. Everyone there was waiting for the cow to deliver and as usual each one was expecting a female calf. My colleague was sad to inform me about the birth of male calf.[Read More…]
The Snow Girls
The battle lines were drawn up.
The snow girls with books in backpacks.
The olive green troopers with guns.
An eagle perched on a white cloud
relayed the proceedings to Times Now.
Short Choices: The French Presidential Elections
The establishment got another burning in the French elections on Sunday, revealing again that there is no level of voter disgust that will not find some voice in the current range of elections. The terror for pollsters and the establishment now is whether Marine Le Pen will realise her anti-Euro project and drag the French nation kicking and moaning into[Read More…]
Egyptian Kangaroo Court Sentences 20 People To Death
A court of Egyptian military leader, General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who assumed the title of Field Marshal after overthrowing the elected President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, Monday sentenced 20 supporters of Morsi to death. The brutal military dictator el-Sisi has been cracking down on the opposition since the overthrow of President Morsi. He has killed more than 800[Read More…]
Securing Sweetness For Sugarcane Souls: A Tribute To Paulo Freire
“…there neither is, nor has ever been, an educational practice in zero space-time—neutral in the sense of being committed only to preponderantly abstract, intangible ideas.” — Freire, Paolo (2014) Pedagogy of Hope: Reliving Pedagogy of the Oppressed, New York: Bloomsbury, p.67 “Paulo Freire says that reflection and action… action… action should be directed at the structures that need to be[Read More…]
Who Cares About Helping Homeless Women?
I hadn’t seen J. in more than a week and that was concerning. It always worries me when one of my “regulars” vanishes. Often, this situation has resulted in me eventually encountering them and getting updates about illnesses, hospital visits, and/or surgeries. Whenyour mission is offering food, clothes, supplies, and more to New York City’s homeless women, you quickly learn[Read More…]
Is Pope Francis the World’s Most Powerful Advocate for Climate Stability?
Maybe not now. But that’s what he could well become. Pope Francis’ Encyclical “On Care for Our Common Home” recognizes the incredible damage being done to climate change and biodiversity. Few realize how strong his beliefs are and the unused power of persuasion he has. Here’s 10 ways that power could be used. 1. Francis could call for a[Read More…]
Endless Atrocities: The US Role In Creating The North Korean Fortress-State
Paul Atwood, a Senior Lecturer in American Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston, provides a concise summary of the history that informs North Korea’s “relations with the United States” and “drives its determination never to submit to any American diktat”. Excerpts from Atwood’s summary are here used as a framework, with other sources where indicated. Atwood notes it is[Read More…]
Trump, Public Imagination, And Islamophobia
Donald Trump’s crafty manipulation of Islamophobia, we are told, was one of the factors that propelled him to the presidency of the United States of America. He was very much aware of the prevalence of negative sentiments towards Islam and Muslims within segments of the American electorate. Because Islamophobia was part of the public imagination, he had no scruples[Read More…]
Kashmir: Is It True?
After violent protests on April 9, the day of by polls to the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat, rumors spread that the Mehbooba Mufti government had been dismissed. My next door neighbor, currently based in New Delhi called me on phone and said, ‘’I don’t know how to break this news to you, but Mehbooba Mufti is not now J &K[Read More…]
India-Bangladesh: Trust Can Take Us A Long Way
North-eastern region of India has always been a tumultuous region since 1947. Also, this is one of the most backward regions in terms of economic and political development. It helped giving birth to the insurgency in the area, which once again, hampered its growth. It is a landlocked and mountainous region, while Bangladesh is almost situated between it and[Read More…]
Africa’s War Lord Queen; The Bloodstained Career of Liberia’s Eleanor Sirleaf Johnson
Eleanor Sirleaf Johnson is the Harvard educated, Nobel Prize winning President of Liberia with a long bloodstained history of support for warlords both past and present. She used to be the de facto foreign minister for that most bloodthirsty of warlords former Liberian “President” Charles Taylor, and she addressed the US Congress in his support. President Johnson is the queen[Read More…]
Anzac As Apologia And Religion
Soaked to the core, Melbournians gathered around the War Memorial in thousands, gazing at the flickering, all-resistant eternal flame in an annual tribute to Australia’s fallen. Each year, the secular religion of Anzac (the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) receives more adherents, gathers a few more followers, and nabs a few more converts among the young. This also shows[Read More…]
Prosecution of Assange Is Persecution of Free Speech
US authorities are reported to have prepared charges to seek the arrest of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. This overreach of US government toward a publisher, whose principle is aligned with the U.S. Constitution, is another sign of a crumbling façade of democracy. The Justice Department in the Obama administration could not prosecute WikiLeaks for publishing documents pertaining to the US government, because they struggled[Read More…]
Donald Trump A Man of Evil?
The Abrahamic concept of “evil” has to some extent left the Western vocabulary. The time has come for Americans to bring it back. They can do so by answering these questions: Is their country now under its control? Could Donald Trump and his followers bring down not just the country but human civilization? My essay provides answers. XXXXXXX As Donald[Read More…]
Rage Against The Establishment : Naxalbari And Dalit Panthers Movement
In the era when most of the government regimes all over the world are being installed by the multinational companies and transnational corporations behind the garb of parliamentary electoral set up or in the name of democracy (21st century’s – White man’s burden) to facilitate naked plunder of natural and human resources; it then becomes the responsibility of every person[Read More…]
Trump Does A Dirty Harry – And Africa Starves
So;President Trump launches 59 Tomahawk missiles(each costing over $1 million) to obliteratea Syrian air base because, we’re informed, he was moved by footage of chemically impacted children.As it turns out, it was, according to Fairfax’s Paul McGeogh, one of the Trump family members, Ivanka, who was so moved. Still, thes hocking images apparently drove the President to the final moral[Read More…]
Poor Women Deliver Rich Dividends
We live in a world in which women living in poverty face gross inequalities and injustice from birth to death. From poor education to poor nutrition to vulnerable and low pay employment, the sequence of discrimination that a woman may suffer during her entire life is unacceptable but all too common. When we want to help the poor, we usually[Read More…]
How Cow Vigilantes Are Being Projected As ‘Modern Day Freedom Fighters.’
Cow vigilantes attacked six people, including a 9-year-old girl in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday and fled away with their flock. The vigilantes beat up the nomad community blue and black and the minor girl has suffered multiple fractures when the community was en route to Talwara area… (http://www.timesnow.tv/india/video/cow-vigilantes-attack-6-including-9-year-old-in-jammu/59745) In yet another chilling instance of self-styled[Read More…]
The Chhattisgarh PUCL Condemns The Ruthless Ambush Carried Out by Maoists at Burkapal
The Chhattisgarh PUCL severely condemns the ruthless ambush carried out by Maoists at the Burkapal area under Police Station Chintagufa limits in district Sukma on 24th April 2017, and expresses its deep grief at the killing of 25 jawans, mostly young persons of poor families. According to initial reports, this attack, the most lethal of its kind in five years,[Read More…]
The Soothing Hand
When I hear the degradation of nature I think of the tender touch of Helen Keller! When I hear of the inhuman bombings of warmongers I remember the odyssey of Homer …! When I read of children with hunger I console myself in the music of Stevie Wonder When there are so many suffering around me Still living with hope[Read More…]
Dealing With Tragedies In Life
Unavoidably, we all sometimes face seemingly insurmountable tragedies in our lives that can disassemble us in dreadful ways, such as a death of an only child or a deeply loved mate. So what do we do to pull ourselves back together after such overwhelming loss? It’s all about the ways that we use outrageous, totally devastating tragedies in their aftermath[Read More…]
Prafulla Samantara Receives The Goldman Environmental Prize, Asia, 2017
New Delhi, April 24: Prafulla Samantara, National Convener, National Alliance of Peoples’ Movements and the leader of Lokshakti Abhiyan, Orissa has been awarded The Goldman Environmental Prize, Asia, 2017. The Goldman Environmental Prize honours the achievements and leadership of grassroots environmental activists for their sustained and significant efforts to protect and enhance the Natural environment. He has been awarded the[Read More…]
On Anzac Day Australia Ignores Its Complicity in Horrendous War Crimes & Climate Crimes
25 April is Anzac Day commemorating the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) invasion of Turkey at Gallipoli in 1915, the day after the commencement of the Turkish Armenian Genocide (1.5 million Armenians killed) that was precipitated by the prior prolonged Allied naval bombardment. On Anzac Day Australians utterly ignore Australia’s complicity in horrendous UK and US[Read More…]
The Conspiracy Behind Babri Demolition
After the long wait, the Supreme Court Chief Justice J.S. Khehar opined that long pending dispute of Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid should be settled out of court. (March 2017) He even offered to mediate himself in the matter. Uniformly most of the spokesperson from RSS Combine welcomed the move, while large number of Muslims and other elements have been surprised[Read More…]
More Aadhaar Numbers Leaked On Chandigarh PDS And Swacch Bharat Mission Websites
Raising major privacy concerns truck loads of Aadhaar numbers and other personal details of individuals are being leaked. Yesterday, it was revealed that the personal details over one millions Aadhaar subscribers were leaked on a website run by the Jharkhand Directorate of Social Security. Today, it is reported that the Aadhar numbers and other personal details of Public Distribution System[Read More…]
As Colleges re-open, Clashes In Kashmir
As colleges opened on Monday in Kashmir after five days, students of Shri Pratap Higher Secondary school clashed with police in Srinagar. Students held a march from the school premises and marched towards MA road, making their way by breaking the gate of school. The students later blocked road that was followed by clashes between forces and the students. Meanwhile,[Read More…]
A Fallen Republic’s New War Against Kashmiris
In the totalitarian times that we are living in currently, one is constantly reminded of George Orwell’s prophetic lines: “Poetry might survive in a totalitarian age, and certain arts or half-arts, such as architecture, might even find tyranny beneficial, but the prose writer would have no choice between silence or death.” Nobody is fond of painting a dystopian imagery on[Read More…]
Our Common Oceans And Seas
The United Nations is currently preparing a world conference 5-7 June 2017 devoted to the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal N° 14: Conserve and sustainable use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. Non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the U.N. are invited to submit recommendations for the governmental working group which is meeting 24 to 27 April[Read More…]
Mike Pence in Oz
Vassal visiting time, and the next slot in the US imperium tourism schedule was one of America’s more cosy allies, Australia. The US Vice President Mike Pence popped in to keep an eye on matters just to make sure that all was in order. There had been that issue of the notable phone call, when Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull[Read More…]
Putin’s World: Reactive Mismeasures: The New Yorker and the “New” Cold War Propaganda (Part 3)
This is the third part (of 5 ) of a paragraph by paragraph commentary on a recent article posing as journalism in the March 6, 2017 issue of The New Yorker. I hope to demonstrate that this article is basically a totally mendacious concoction of cold war US propaganda constructed out of unsubstantiated opinions expressed by US government officials[Read More…]
South Indians Are Black: Tarun Vijay Learned It Sitting At The Feet Of His Guru Golwalkar
Tarun Vijay, the former editor of RSS Hindi organ, ‘Panchajanya’, a prominent ‘ideologue’ of the organization (in-charge of the RSS project of spreading Hindutva politics in Tamil Nadu), ex-member of the Rajya Sabha, who also heads India-Africa Parliamentary Friendship Group, has come out with another gem of wisdom. The Gulf-based news channel Al Jazeera sponsored an online discussion last week[Read More…]
MaaAranganathan (1932-2017): Chonicler of the Ordinary
In the demise of MaaAranganathan, 83,the Tamil literary world has lost a writer known for bringing out deep meaning and great beauty through very simple, detailed depictions of the mundane. Known for his artistry, modernity and unique use of language Aranganathan’s tales are a product of his observations of the lives of very ordinary people and his deep study of[Read More…]
Artificial Intelligence: Socioeconomic, Political And Ethical Dimensions
Introduction: Humanity’s Future in AI-Biosynthetic World In a few centuries or perhaps a few decades, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and biosynthetic engineering will be perfected to the degree that androids will closely resemble humans and biosynthetically engineered humans will resemble androids. Despite the nightmares of such a prospect for some scientists, humanist scholars and theologians, AI will be a dream becoming[Read More…]
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