Prolefeed Dissident

Hindi Cinema

2010-11-21T13:41:00.001-08:00

It feels weird to realize that for past few decades adult male lyricists/producers have been expressing/selecting female and child feelings in Hindi cinema and in the process shaping them too! No wonder "Munni badnaam hui"!

Obituary

2010-08-05T11:01:00.000-07:00

RIP Oticon Tego. You were a good friend, constant companion and above all a great listener. I will never forget the day you first whispered into my ears. You died on a Tuesday morning when you started emitting sound worse than the SA Vuvuzela. You were unable to survive the heat and humidity of my land where you went to accompany me. You were 4 years old.

Growing food

2010-06-08T16:10:00.000-07:00

The need to shout!

2010-03-26T12:36:00.000-07:00

One his recent trip to Iowa, President Obama was “heckled”
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sc-dc-obama-healthcare-20100325,0,641546.story

The president was heckled at one point by a man in the crowd who said the bill should have gone farther and included a "public option'' – a government-run program that would compete with private insurance plans.
"That's not in it,'' Obama said.
"Why not?'' came the reply.
"Because we couldn't get it through Congress, that's why,'' Obama said, adding: "There's no need to shout, young man.''

Well there is a need to shout, Sir. You have the mike, he doesn’t.

Mass Detention of Over 5500 FARMERS in Ahmedabad - Feb 25th 2010

2010-02-26T23:35:00.001-08:00

Farmers Protesting Nirma Factory and Limestone Quarry in Mahuva Detained

Chunibhai Vaidya, Veteran Gandhian, Kanubhai Kalsaria, MLA and SanatBhai Mehta, ex Finance Minister Among Those Detained

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Michael Mazgaonkar - 09427188044

Swati Desai - 09429556163

Anand Mazgaonkar - 09426858117

Kanubhai Kalsaria, MLA of Mahuva, Ph: 98252-31012

Chunibhai Vaidya, Gujarat Loksamiti, Ph: 079-2755 7199/ 2755 7878

Sagar Rabari, Gujarat Loksamiti, Ph: 094288-25927

Photos: http://mozda.net/photos/mahuva/25feb2010/

Over five thousand farmers from the Mahuva area in the Bhavnagar district of Gujarat have been detained and prohibited from taking out a peaceful rally protesting the government's sanction for a Nirma factory and limestone quarry in their area. Chunibhai Vaidya, a veteran Gandhian who founded Gujarat Loksamiti, Kanubhai Kalsaria, MLA of Mahuva, and Sanatbhai Mehta, ex Finance Minister of Gujarat, Ilaben Pathak of AWAG and a senior editor Prakash N Shah are among those detained by the police in this illegal suppression of collective democratic rights.

The farmers were enroute to the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, from where they intended to start a peaceful march to Gandhinagar to submit their petition, signed by 11,111 affected individuals in their own blood, when the buses and other vehicles they were using were stopped by the police. The farmers have been taken to Shahibagh in Ahmedabad and have been detained in police grounds. Several hundred protestors who reached the Sabarmati Ashram directly were also whisked away in police vans and blocked from taking out the march.

These farmers from Mahuva area in Bhavnagar district are protesting the decision by the Government of Gujarat to sanction a cement plant by Nirma Ltd, which includes 288 ha. of land for the factory and another 3000 ha. for a limestone quarry. Mahuva area has among the most fertile lands in Gujarat, where farmers grow three crops, and export dehydrated onions and numerous other fruits. Moreover, the numerous onion dehydrating plants (turnover Rs. 300 crore) & cotton gins (turnover Rs. 3,500 crore) provide employment to an additional 10,000 people in the factories. The cement plant which the government proposes to build in the area will employ only 418 people for an investment of 2500 crore (Rs. 2.5 billion), but will end up devastating around 50,000 land owners, farmers & farm labourers, besides polluting the air and destroying the pristine coastal & inland ecology. It was only in the last few years that the Government had invested tens of millions of public money to construct structures for water conservation & prevention of salinity ingress in this very area.

The farmers of the area have been protesting the government policies for over a year, and have been facing the combined wrath of the government and company goons for doing so. The government appointed a committee under SK Shelat (ex-Chief Secretary) to look into people's grievances last year, and the company was required to stop work pending the presentation of the report of the Shelat Committee. This Committee, without either visiting the area or listening to the affected people, has now given the 'go-ahead' to the company for this project, which is likely to destroy the lives of around 50 000 people.

The attack on the protestors today follows a pattern of police repression of non-violent and peaceful expression of dissent by the affected villagers. On 13th December 2009, Dr Kanubhai Kalsaria, MLA, 92 year old Gandhian Chunibhai Vaidya, Sagar Rabari, Anirudh Jadeja, Lakhan Musafir and Anand Mazgaonkar were prevented from holding a public meeting in Vangar village. Two local leaders Shri Wamanbhai and Pravinbhai Kathiria were beaten up apparently by hired goons, and other villagers were manhandled by the police. A few days ago, on 20th February, the police lathi-charged a peaceful rally of villagers, and ten activists continue to be imprisoned on false charges. Dr. Kanubhai Kalsaria, the MLA from Mahuva area, his wife and companions were again attacked o way to Doliya village on 21st February, and their 4 motorcycles were badly damaged. Undeterred by these clearly State sponsored backlash, the people from the area pressed on with their original plans of a massive march from Sabarmati Ashram to Gandhinagar (State capital) today to present their petition to the Chie f Minister. This latest round of police suppression of this villagers' rally today is a sad testament to the declining space available for voicing dissent in Gujarat today.

Howard Zinn- R.I.P

2010-01-27T21:00:00.000-08:00

"Revolutionary change does not come as one cataclysmic moment (beware of such moments!) but as an endless succession of surprises, moving zigzag toward a more decent society. We don't have to engage... in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world. Even when we don't "win," there is fun and fulfillment in the fact that we have been involved, with other good people, in something worthwhile. We need hope.”- Howard Zinn in “The Optimism of Uncertainty”

Pnews

2010-01-11T23:58:00.001-08:00

Yet another word

Pnews [pronounced: News]: Paid news, advertisement shown as news.

The Hindu : Columns / Sainath : ‘It is shameful to misguide people’

In newspapers across the state, sometimes the same puff item appeared as ‘news’ in one newspaper and as an advertisement in another

Mnews

2010-01-11T15:54:00.001-08:00

Mnews [pronounced: News]: "News" reported with backround Music. (wink wink "Times Now", "Star News" etc).

So someone hurled an egg at her.

2010-01-08T09:45:00.001-08:00

Almost gloating, TOI informs us about how a few “tribals” hurled eggs and tomatoes at activists including Medha Patkar and Sandeep Pandey. They even had a video of some people supposedly shouting anti Medha slogans claiming that she supports the “Maoists”. Like Bush the Lesser’s declaration, it seems now you are either with the state or with “Maoists”. A label that can arbitrarily be applied to anyone who begs to differ with the state. I have been asked about what I think now that the “tribals” are opposed to the presence of these activists in their area.

The short answer is “Not much”.

The long answer is a bit complicated to explain. The most I learn from that news is that “Some people in that area don’t like these activists”. The other things that come to my mind are as followed.

It might be better utilization of resources if TOI covered the issues raised by the activists. But that is hard work and then you cannot “character assassinate” issues as you can do that to an activist. How could you say “the tribals hurled eggs at a protest against state sponsored killing of tribals”.
If TOI does indeed cover news from that area, it might better serve their readers if they also covered demonstrations against the State repressions and how Tatas and Essar have been pushing the tribals off their lands for their mining operations.
Why was the actual event (Jan Sunwai) not covered? What was disclosed at the event? What about the Sodi Sambo case? What about the press release from the event?
When the mainstream channels are done with the Ruchika’s case will they investigate the case of the tribal Ruchikas?
Oh, and the mandatory skepticism, was this all staged like the one to stop Himanshu Kumar's padyatra?

PS: Apologies for TOI character(?) assassination :)

20 things that happen in 1 minute

2009-12-28T16:53:00.000-08:00

Created by Online Education

Who’s Responsible? 100 Years of CO2

2009-12-18T10:27:00.001-08:00

Source: World Resource Institute.

Book Notes- Gandhi Today(1987) by Mark Shepard.

2009-12-16T13:15:00.001-08:00

I’d like to open with this quote from a recent New York Times op-ed for no particular reason.

From the New York Times :
Democratically elected leaders cannot ignore public skepticism, but they should not surrender to it when they know better.

I just finished reading the book Gandhi today : a report on Mahatma Gandhi's successors / by Mark Shepard and decide to write a little summary and notes to self.

The books is a treat for someone who wonders what happened to the mass movement that Gandhi shaped up during the Independence struggle. The history we read in schools offer no help here, it is as if the Gandhian’s suddenly wrapped up and left with the Britishers. There were some claims about “Gandhigiri” becoming cool again after release of a Bollywood movie “Lage Raho Munna Bhai”. The claims look very silly after reading the book, for, “Gandhigiri” never went out of style, its thrived, evolved and often triumphed. As Professor Nagler would say, it worked and it “worked”.

The book is mostly a short biographical accounts of people the author studied during his India trip. Other Gandhian workers like MLK etc are not mentioned. The list is in no way complete.

Vinoba Bhave aka “The Walking Saint”: One thing that Vinoba is most remembered for (besides his walking statistics) is that he was the architect of the famous Bhoodan(land gift) movement. Because its currently in news, I found it quite interesting that Telangana region was the origin of Bhoodan movement. In those days(1951) too it was the scene of armed insurrection, with the state repression worse than the guerrillas’. Vinoba was already well known among villagers and he was popular as the spiritual inheritor of Gandhi. During a village assembly as he tried to help a group of Harijans he asked if anyone could give them some land. A well to do farmer offered 100 acres to which the Harijans responded that they only needed 80 acres. This is when Vinoba realised that the solution was actually much simpler than he expected it to be, he decided to walk through the region and collect land gifts for the landless. He calculated that he needed a fifth of the held land for the poor and he would call himself the “fifth son” of the landlord and ask for his share. The book examines many reasons why he received donations including fear of communist take over, status/prestige or merely the chance to gain some “spiritual merit”. However some rich were truly affected too. Having heard about this phenomenon from Krishnammal and David Albert I didn’t find it all that unusual.

Bhoodan was later expanded into Gramdan where more and more land around a village was merged under the ownership of a village council. Gramdan later lead to envisioning of Bihardan.

Did Bhoodan work? The book offers some good statistics and reasoning for its apparent lack of targeted success of 50 million acres. Taking the rollbacks into account the movement was still able to redistribute 1.5 million acres of land which was far more than the “socialist” India’s land reform program. It was also able to offer a chance to demonstrate an alternative village model. It also allowed for creation of several pockets where the Gandhian workers would later carry out long term programs.

Jayaprakah Narayana (JP): During his early years(1921) JP dropped out of the college to participate in Gandhi’s call for non cooperation. But later he decided to resume his studies, so he jumped into a cargo ship an arrived in US to study in UC Berkley (and various other universities) for next seven years. It was in US he came in contact with communist students and professors and by the the time he landed in India in 1929 he was a confirmed Marxist. He openely criticized Gandhi’s non violent methods feeling that it was delaying India’s independence. He even tried to organize armed resistance during the WWII years. But around the time of India’s independence he had started questioning the notion of violence. He grew disillusioned with the direction communism took place in USSR. Watching the Hindu-Muslim riots in horror he started questioning if violence could ever bring the kind of society he yearned for. Following this he realigned himself with the Gandhians and declining the offer from Nehru to join the cabinet as his lieutenant he offered himself to the task for Bhoodan as the first Jivandan (life gift)

The book follows his years of work for Bhoodan and then later as he grew vocal against the Indira Gandhi government. At times he led 100K strong (and non violent) crowd protesting against the corruption, lack of employment, education etc. Many times these protestors were fired at, many died but the protests essentially remained non violent (perhaps not in the purest sense). The lack of Gandhian purity caused Vinoba Bhave to oppose some of these actions.

It then covers JP’s work during the 18 months of imposed Emergency in which Indira Gandhi’s government was able to tear apart the (MK) Gandhian network. JP went down fighting valiantly with failed kidneys and frequent requirement of blood purification.

to be continued….

Facebook links

2009-12-15T16:31:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, December 14, 2009, 1:36:40 PM Kabira

Vandana Shiva in Copenhagen: 12.12.09 Kombatrock

Source: blip.tv

Vandana Shiva at COP15 Climate Justice March Copenhagen 12.12.2009

Protests rocked Copenhagen on Saturday as anywhere from 30,000 to 100,000 people (depending on who you talk to) marched to the UN Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen to demand a strong climate treaty to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. Indian physicist, author, and activist Vandana Shiva spoke to the crowd before the march:

Sunday, December 13, 2009, 10:34:03 PM Kabira

Declaration · Klimaforum09

Source: www.klimaforum09.org

Et af de centrale resultater af Klimaforum09 bliver en global klimadeklaration, som præsenterer de ønsker, ideer og visioner, der findes blandt borgergrupper og sociale bevægelser i alle kroge af verden.

Many people have asked me about what the protestors are really asking for at Copenhagen. Views vary, but here is the most concise declaration from them.

[T]he declaration to be finalized at Klimaforum09 will put forth a vision of a more socially just world society. In addition it will emphasize the need to create substantial changes in the social and economic structures of society in order to meet the challenges of global warming and food sovereignty.
http://www.klimaforum09.org/Declaration

Saturday, December 12, 2009, 11:03:57 PM Kabira

Green holiday carols - Sustainable Wallingford

Source: greenwallingford.ning.com

carols copy.pdf I'm dreaming of a green Christmas I'm dreaming of a green Christmas. We'll learn again to grow our food. We'll build local turbines and share our grapevines. And find meaning in our jobs. ...

http://greenwallingford.ning.com/profiles/blogs/green-holiday-carols

Lent my voice to the 350.org Carolers.
Event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=204917436008&ref=mf

Friday, December 11, 2009, 9:23:34 AM Kabira

Left I on the News

Source: lefti.blogspot.com

Barack: World War II was a conflict in which the total number of civilians who died exceeded the number of soldiers who perished.

http://lefti.blogspot.com/2009_12_01_archive.html#3235978415383777105

A line by line commentary on Obama's speech during Acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo.

Thursday, December 10, 2009, 11:16:12 AM Kabira

http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticle/23327

Source: www.zcommunications.org

‘Scientists discover way to convert human hair into high grade fuel' read the innocuous looking news item tucked away in a corner of the technology pages of my daily newspaper.

http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticle/23327

Thursday, December 10, 2009, 9:49:43 AM Kabira

'Basically you're sleeping in the cold and the wet'

Source: www.komonews.com

To the 55 people who call Nickelsville home, escapes from the bone-chilling temperatures are few and far in between. "And at night, when you're in your tent, the condensation turns to icicles," said one resident.

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/78943642.html

Wednesday, December 09, 2009, 1:21:56 PM Kabira

Prolefeed Dissident: Personal experience post.

Source: onethoughtcriminal.blogspot.com

http://onethoughtcriminal.blogspot.com/2009/12/personal-experience-post.html

Notes from an acquaintance.

Monday, December 07, 2009, 11:30:02 AM Kabira

The Manufactured Doubt Industry and the Hacked Email Controversy CommonDreams.org

Source: www.commondreams.org

In 1954, the tobacco industry realized it had a serious problem. Thirteen scientific studies had been published over the preceding five years linking smoking to lung cancer. With the public growing increasingly ...

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/12/07-1

Friday, December 04, 2009, 1:16:41 PM Kabira

NYC New School Students Die en Masse to Protest Dow's Criminal Neglect in Bhopal The Yes Men

Source: theyesmen.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEThursday December 3, 2009The International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal (www.bhopal.net) and The Yes MenCONTACT:Aquene Freechild: 617-378-2579; aquene@gmail.comDwai Banerjee: 917-388-5210; ...

http://theyesmen.org/dowdead

Wednesday, December 02, 2009, 11:13:30 PM Kabira

Prolefeed Dissident: Bhopal, 25 years on.

Source: onethoughtcriminal.blogspot.com

Safreen and Satinath(Sathyu) who were available for panel discussion after the screening of Secrets and Lies left a lasting impression on me. Their optimism and dedication towards the goal of obtaining justice for Bhopal victims is commendable. ...

Recalling Sathyu's poem(A RABID OPTIMIST) to remind myself why even after 25 years and many setbacks(latest court ruling included) we are still hopeful that justice will be done some day and lessons will be learnt from the avoidable tragedy!

http://onethoughtcriminal.blogspot.com/2009/05/bhopal-25-years-on.html

Wednesday, December 02, 2009, 8:54:51 AM Kabira

Annie Leonard :: The Story of Cap and Trade

Source: www.yesmagazine.org

Annie Leonard's newest video asks tough questions about who cap & trade really benefits—and what effect it would really have on climate change.

From the creators of the "Story of Stuff" another story that needs to be told!

Tuesday, December 01, 2009, 2:59:20 PM Kabira

A Troop Surge Can Only Magnify the Crime Against Afghanistan CommonDreams.org

Source: www.commondreams.org

After months of waiting, President Obama is about to announce the new US strategy for Afghanistan. His speech may be long awaited, but few are expecting any surprise: it seems clear he will herald a major escalation of the war. ...

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/12/01-3

Monday, November 30, 2009, 9:54:31 PM Kabira

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/11/26/bc-amy-goodman-border-incident.html

Source: www.cbc.ca

U.S. journalist Amy Goodman was stopped at a Canadian border crossing south of Vancouver on Wednesday and questioned for 90 minutes by authorities concerned she was coming to Canada to speak against the Olympics.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/11/26/bc-amy-goodman-border-incident.html

Hmm, so what's wrong with the Olympics? Thanks Canandian authorities for pointing the curious minds in the right directions!

Link2: http://olympicresistance.net/content/what-wrong-olympics-0

Friday, November 27, 2009, 11:23:25 AM Kabira

The Hindu : Health : Malnutrition reaches epidemic proportions in M.P.

Source: beta.thehindu.com

A child holding placard during a Tribals rally to protest against the death of children due to malnutrition in Bhopal. File Photo: A.M. Faruqui

http://beta.thehindu.com/health/article56048.ece?homepage=true

Tuesday, November 24, 2009, 10:07:21 PM Kabira

Chanda Mama Playing For Change Song Around The World

Source: www.youtube.com

http://playingforchange.com/ - This Song Around The World is a folk tune from Chennai, India. We started the track in New Orleans and added musicians from the across the globe before finally delivering it the people of its origin. ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I23Bkk92124

Friday, November 20, 2009, 11:58:44 AM Kabira

UNICEF - Convention on the Rights of the Child -

Source: www.unicef.org

UNICEF’s mission is to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. UNICEF is guided in doing this by the provisions and principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Today is the 20th Anniversary of the "Convention on the Rights of the Child" the most widely and speedily ratified human rights treaty in the world.

US is the only other nation along with Somalia to refuse to ratify the convention. In a statement, Jo Becker of Human Rights Watch called the U.S. stance an “embarrassment...”, adding: “The US [is] in the sole company of Somalia, a country with no government.” (source: http://www.democracynow.org/2009/11/20/headlines).

Thursday, November 19, 2009, 8:34:19 AM Kabira

U.N. chief: Hunger kills 17,000 kids daily - CNN.com

Source: www.cnn.com

Somewhere in the world, a child dies of hunger every five seconds -- even though the planet has more than enough food for all.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/11/17/italy.food.summit/

Just many kids must die of hunger before we declare a "war"(with 1 US war sized budget) on that?

Tuesday, November 17, 2009, 11:45:05 PM Kabira

USDA: 1 in 7 U.S. Households Struggle for Food Online NewsHour Nov. 17, 2009 PBS

Source: www.pbs.org

Update from the Online NewsHour: USDA: 1 in 7 U.S. Households Struggle for Food: At some point in 2008, 14.6 percent of U.S. households had trouble finding food, a 3.5 percent increase from 2007 and the highest since the USDA has kept records.

Friday, November 13, 2009, 9:52:20 AM Kabira

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

Source: www.youtube.com

Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=0AC1046C93DE6ACB

This week's Chitrahaar.

Thursday, November 12, 2009, 1:38:25 PM Kabira

Prolefeed Dissident: About the Baucus Co-op Plan

Source: onethoughtcriminal.blogspot.com

http://onethoughtcriminal.blogspot.com/2009/11/about-baucus-co-op-plan.html

From: Democracy Now!

Coincidence perhaps:
If you look at the Baucus framework, which was the basis of the Senate bill. Just right-click on that document, and it turns out the author of the document was Elizabeth Fowler, who’s a former vice president of Wellpoint, the nation’s largest private insurance company, covering 35 million people

Thursday, November 12, 2009, 9:23:37 AM Kabira

The Big Lie of Afghanistan CommonDreams.org

Source: www.commondreams.org

In 2005, I was the youngest person elected to the new Afghan parliament. Women like me, running for office, were held up as an example of how the war in Afghanistan had liberated women. But this democracy was a facade, and the so-called liberation a big lie.

Kabira Heard Malalai Joya in a Seattle event yesterday- it's inspiring to see brave people like her working against such tremendous odds. Check out this piece about her: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/malalai-joya-the-woman-who-will-not-be-silenced-1763127.html and her article in CommonDreams.org below.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009, 9:49:38 AM Kabira

Himalayan Blunder: The Perils Of Denying Glacier Melting By Devinder Sharma

Source: countercurrents.org

Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh loves to challenge the dominant opinion (except in the case of Genetically Modified crops). Whether it is the stand India should take at the forthcoming Copenhagen conference ...

http://countercurrents.org/sharma101109.htm

An environment minister who fails to "get it" (also see his recent letter to PM). Reminds me of the poem by great poet Muhammad Iqbal ("Saare jahan se achcha" fame)
" Bas ek hi ullu kaafi hai barbaad gulistan karne ko, har shaakh pe ullu baitha hai anjame gulstan kya ho"!

Monday, November 09, 2009, 1:07:06 PM Kabira

Tehelka - India's Independent Weekly News Magazine

Source: www.tehelka.com

The government regulator gives a go-ahead to India’s first genetically modified food. SAMRAT CHAKRABARTI investigates why Bt brinjal should be kept far away from our plates

http://www.tehelka.com/story_main43.asp?filename=Ne071109uber_gene.asp

Another article on Bt Brinjal's harmful effects to consumers and enivronment.

Sunday, November 08, 2009, 10:08:01 AM Kabira

IRC- Coca-Cola - RALLY FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE! PROTEST AGAINST COCA-COLA!

Source: www.indiaresource.org

India Resource Center- Linking local struggles against corporate globalization

http://www.indiaresource.org/campaigns/coke/2009/mehdiganjrally.html

In the midst of near drought conditions, Coca Colar continues to extract millions of liters of water from the common groundwater resource. Coca-Cola reaches its maximum water use in the summer months - exactly when the water shortages to the community are most acute - exponentially exacerbating the water crisis. To add insult to injury, Coca-Cola has also polluted the groundwater and land in Mehdiganj.

Friday, November 06, 2009, 10:05:30 AM Kabira

Climate Justice Fast

Source: www.climatejusticefa...

It runs ahead of the UN climate negotiations in Copenhagen in December, where world leaders will be effectively tasked with deciding the fate of our planet at the UNFCCC COP15.

http://www.climatejusticefast.com/pages/about-climate-justice-fast/

40 day, water only fast for climate justice. Thanks Srijan Chakraborty for sharing.

Wednesday, November 04, 2009, 9:56:35 PM Kabira

KBCS: :: Listen Live ::

Source: kbcs.fm

In the sidebar under Library click "Radio" then double-click "College/University Radio".You'll find us as "KBCS Community Radio."

East siders tune into 91.3 FM to hear Desi songs(and a funny Indian guy trying to speak American accent) or listen live at http://kbcs.fm/site/PageServer?pagename=listenlive

The Spice Route - Wednesdays 9-11 pmAn exploration of the immense variety of music coming from South Asia, ranging from the classical and folk traditions of Zakir Hussein and Ravi Shankar, to Bollywood film music and modern experimental sounds. Your hosts are Ajay Bhat, Arpana Sanjay and Ramendra Sharma

Wednesday, November 04, 2009, 3:15:34 PM Kabira

How To Spam Facebook Like A Pro: An Insider’s Confession

Source: www.techcrunch.com

Last night we wrote about the lead generation scams within social gaming networks. This is a guest post by Dennis Yu, the CEO ...

http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/11/01/how-to-spam-facebook-like-a-pro-an-insiders-confession/

Tuesday, November 03, 2009, 11:23:42 AM Kabira

Organ donors hit with shocking bills - UPI.com

Source: www.upi.com

Kidney donors may face huge medical bills because having one kidney may constitute a pre-existing condition under which coverage is denied, officials confirm.

http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2009/11/01/Organ-donors-hit-with-shocking-bills/UPI-10561257110887/

Just FYI

Tuesday, November 03, 2009, 8:57:56 AM Kabira

Fiji Water: Spin the Bottle Mother Jones

Source: www.motherjones.com

Obama sips it. Paris Hilton loves it. Mary J. Blige won't sing without it. How did a plastic water bottle, imported from a military dictatorship thousands of miles away, become the epitome of cool?

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2009/09/fiji-spin-bottle

Fiji's Green Campaign(http://www.fijigreen.com/) appears laughable after reading the other side of their story.

Sunday, November 01, 2009, 12:09:10 AM Kabira

The heart of India is under attack Arundhati Roy Comment is free guardian.co.uk

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Arundhati Roy: To justify enforcing a corporate land grab, the state needs an enemy – and it has chosen the Maoists

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/oct/30/mining-india-maoists-green-hunt

Saturday, October 31, 2009, 9:01:55 AM Kabira

Harry Belafonte & Odetta - There's A Hole In The Bucket . Slide show.

Source: www.youtube.com

Harold George Belafonte, Jr. (born March 1, 1927) is a Jamaican American musician, actor and social activist. One of the most successful popular singers in history, he was dubbed the "King of Calypso," ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlICWoBb5Ik

Friday, October 30, 2009, 6:34:52 AM Kabira

Clinton faces Pakistani ire at drone attacks - Pakistan - msnbc.com

Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton came face-to-face with Pakistani anger in a series of public appearances on the final day of her three-day visit.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33548966/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/

one man alluded obliquely to the drone attacks, saying he had heard that in the United States, aircraft are not allowed to take off after 11 p.m., to avoid irritating the population. "That is the sort of peace we want for our people," he said through an interpreter.

Friday, October 30, 2009, 6:32:29 AM Kabira

Food Democracy Now - Stop Big Ag in the White House - Say no to Monsanto - CropLife

Source: action.fooddemocracynow.org

Agribusiness executives are now in charge of USA's agricultural research and trade policy. I wonder if we are going to see an exemplary show of self-control/self-regulation/self-restraint from people with poor track record of exercising the same.

Thursday, October 29, 2009, 1:54:08 PM Kabira

DeFOX America

Source: defoxamerica.com

Fox "News" personalities are pushing an agenda that is dangerous to ordinary Americans. Using tactics such as placing individuals singled out for censure on a blackboard and linking them to murderous dictators ...

The news about Fox News is not new. The video just tells the other side of the ACORN debate.

Thursday, October 29, 2009, 10:40:29 AM Kabira

NoMad with "The bravest woman in Afghanistan" Malalai Joya

Source: www.youtube.com

Malalai Joya: The woman who will not be silenced Malalai Joya is an Afghan politician who has been called "the bravest woman in Afghanistan. As an elected member of the Wolesi Jirga from Farah province, ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTRpBtdTcmE&feature=player_embedded

For detailed interview watch/read on DN!
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/10/28/a_woman_among_warlords_afghan_democracy

Thursday, October 29, 2009, 8:39:56 AM Kabira

Car-Free Cities: An Idea with Legs CommonDreams.org

Source: www.commondreams.org

A quarter of households in Britain – more in the larger cities, and a majority in some inner cities – live without a car. Imagine how quality of life would improve for cyclists and everyone else if traffic were removed from areas where people could practically choose to live without cars. ...

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/10/29-8

An alternative to the "American way of life".

Wednesday, October 28, 2009, 6:55:49 AM Kabira

Will Texas Execute Another Innocent Man? The Case of Reginald Blanton

Source: www.democracynow.org

A controversial death row case is unfolding in Texas today. Twenty-eight-year-old Reginald Blanton is set to be executed tonight for the 2000 killing of Carlos Garza. Blanton was convicted of breaking into Garza's apartment and shooting him in the head. ...

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/10/27/will_texas_execute_another_innocent_man

Well, they did execute Reginald Blanton last night. His last statements.
"Carlos was my friend," he said. "I didn't murder him. What's happening right now is an injustice. This doesn't solve anything. This will not bring back Carlos."

Tuesday, October 27, 2009, 8:45:56 AM Kabira

Go Veggie to Fight Global Warming, says Expert CommonDreams.org

Source: www.commondreams.org

Nicholas Stern, the author of an influential 2006 review of climate change, said methane emissions from cows and pigs were putting "enormous pressure" on the world and people needed to think about what they ate.

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/10/27-6

Gentle reminder. There are, perhaps, more things one could do to stop climate global climate change.

Monday, October 26, 2009, 10:13:25 AM Kabira

India Together: Lakshmibehn's legacy of loss - 26 October 2009

Source: www.indiatogether.org

DISPLACED BY THE DAM A legacy of loss It is not only those whose villages have been submerged who have suffered, but hundreds of families have lost land to the building of Sardar Sarovar itself. Neeta Deshpande reports.

"Lakshmibehn is viewed as a mere obstacle, even a nuisance. In a developing, growing India, she must keep her truth, her loss, her hope, all to herself. For even if she speaks out, with her reservoir of courage and perseverance, who will hear her story?"

Thursday, October 22, 2009, 7:28:22 PM Kabira

Horribly Injured Americans Against Obamacare

Source: www.youtube.com

See more UCB Comedy http://www.ucbcomedy.com/ Subscribe to UCB http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=ucbcomedy Say NO to OBAMACARE. Paid For By American Families Against Healthcare. Credits: ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK2jmFIK9u8&feature=player_embedded

Thursday, October 22, 2009, 8:06:56 AM Kabira

Exclusive: U.S. Spies Buy Stake in Firm That Monitors Blogs, Tweets Danger Room Wired.com

Source: www.wired.com

America's spy agencies want to read your blog posts, keep track of your Twitter updates -- even check out your book reviews on Amazon. In-Q-Tel, the

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/10/exclusive-us-spies-buy-stake-in-twitter-blog-monitoring-firm/

Wednesday, October 21, 2009, 1:45:21 PM Kabira

The Anthropology Song: A little bit Anthropologist

Source: www.youtube.com

**October 20th** Wow, this video has skyrocketed! If you leave a comment, especially if you've watched this in a class, I'd love to know where/what school you're from. I'm so happy (and flattered!) to hear that so many people are enjoying and identifying with the song! ...

Wednesday, October 21, 2009, 8:39:37 AM Kabira

Trick or Treat for Climate Change CommonDreams.org

Source: www.commondreams.org

Halloween is around the corner, and children will soon be dressing up and chanting “trick or treat,” their demand for candy backed up by the threat of a prank. Climate-change activists, from pranksters to presidents, are doing the same. ...

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/10/21-1

Oct. 24 is the global day of action organized by the group 350.org, which includes environmentalist Bill McKibben. Named after what scientists have identified as a sustainable target for carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere, 350 parts per million (we are currently at 387 ppm), 350.org lists close to 4,000 events around the world on Oct. 24.

Monday, October 19, 2009, 9:21:43 AM Kabira

Asha for Education - Seattle

Source: www.ashanet.org

About us Donation Center Get Involved Events Project Partners Resources Contact us

requests all his friends to donate to "Asha for Education, Seattle Chapter". 100% of your donations will go towards one of Asha's projects in India. Ask me or visit the Asha Seattle website for more details. Microsoft friends, please donate via the Give Campaign which ends next week.

Monday, October 19, 2009, 7:44:07 AM Kabira

Maldives government meets underwater

Source: www.chinadaily.com.cn

The Maldives government has held a cabinet meeting underwater in a bid to attract attention to the problems caused by global warming.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/life/2009-10/19/content_8808662.htm

Monday, October 19, 2009, 6:04:46 AM Kabira

cagle.com

Source: cagle.com

http://cagle.com/news/BalloonBoy/images/breen4.jpg

Friday, October 16, 2009, 11:07:20 AM Kabira

World's hungry reach more than 1 billion in '09: U.N. Reuters

Source: www.reuters.com

ROME (Reuters) - A combination of the food crisis and the global economic downturn has pushed more than 1 billion people into hunger in 2009, U.N. agencies said on Wednesday, confirming a grim forecast

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsMaps/idUSTRE59D18D20091014

Today is World Food Day and more than a billion people in this world are hungry. Stop and think about that number again - One Billion - it's more than a mere number, it's one BILLION people on this same planet who don't have enough food..., NOT because there is a shortage of food. There is enough food to feed every single one in this planet. While you celebrate Diwali or any other festival - may be do something for them too?

Thursday, October 15, 2009, 12:26:33 PM Kabira

Bill Gates says ideology threatens hunger fix Green Business Reuters

Source: www.reuters.com

DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - The fight to end hunger is being hurt by environmentalists who insist that genetically modified crops cannot be used in Africa, Bill Gates, the billionaire founder of software

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE59E58120091015

It is really sad that alternative approaches that are more sustainable, just and clean are ignored and rejected to allow the propagation of unjust, harmful and often toxic technologies. One must also remember that once you get tied to cultivating(with some "charity" help) the current GM crops it is almost impossible to get out of the GM cultivation loop.

Watch: The World According to Monstanto.
Read: Vandana Shiva's take on environmental and social impacts of the Green Revolution in India.

Thursday, October 15, 2009, 6:38:30 AM Kabira

Fax Jairam Ramesh with just one click! « Safe Food Now

Source: bit.ly

There’s just 24 hours left before the government opens the floodgates to genetic contamination of our food supply. Make Minister Jairam Ramesh keep his word. Please act now!

Consider signing this petition!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009, 8:34:24 AM Kabira

The Hindu : News / National : Say ‘no’ to Bt brinjal: civil society

Source: beta.thehindu.com

Civil society groups have cautioned the government against introducing genetically modified crops in the food chain and questioned the credentials of a panel of experts to look into the biosafety of Bt brinjal, which will come up before the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) on Wednesday.

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article33559.ece

Tuesday, October 13, 2009, 12:35:53 PM Kabira

The Hindu : Sci-Tech / Energy & Environment : Vedanta v. villagers: fight for sacred mountain

Source: beta.thehindu.com

Adivasis from Dhogria-Khonds addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Nov. 16, 2007, against Vedanta, a UK-based mining company's Bauxite mining project in the Niyamgiri mountains, Orissa. Photo: S. Subramanium

http://beta.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/article33320.ece?homepage=true

Tuesday, October 13, 2009, 5:17:12 AM Kabira

Reconsider Columbus Day

Source: www.youtube.com

Reconsider Columbus Day Presented by Nu Heightz Cinema rethink columbus day reconsider christopher columbus anti columbus day

Friday, October 02, 2009, 10:25:07 AM Kabira

The Population Myth By George Monbiot

Source: www.countercurrents.org

It’s no coincidence that most of those who are obsessed with population growth are post-reproductive wealthy white men: it’s about the only environmental issue for which they can’t be blamed. ...

http://countercurrents.org/monbiot300909.htm

George Monbiot explains how Money(consumption) and not Sex is the reason for the environmental issues of today.

Thursday, October 01, 2009, 10:52:23 AM Kabira

Operation Hey Mackey! - Whole Foods, Oakland

Source: vimeo.com

John Mackey, the CEO of Whole Foods has argued that American workers do not deserve a health care system. We believe that heath care should be affordable for everyone, not just rich people. So Mr. ...

http://vimeo.com/6774515

Monday, August 24, 2009, 11:02:17 PM Kabira

Banks of Marble - by Pete Seeger

Source: www.youtube.com

Pete Seeger singing the classic "workers' rights" tune from the 1950's. Lyrics below: BANKS ARE MADE OF MARBLE I've traveled round this country From shore to shining shore. It really made me wonder The things I heard and saw. ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-o3CJytIPE

Tuesday, August 18, 2009, 10:35:38 PM Kabira

Noam Chomsky on Health Care--Why has reform taken so LONG

Source: www.youtube.com

Noam Chomsky spoke to a full capacity crowd at the Orpheum Theatre 4-7-09. Here is what he said about health care.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvo9O4A18d0&feature=player_embedded

My Name is not “Those People”

2009-12-15T16:19:00.001-08:00

Came across a nice poem/song.

Click on the link to listen.

My Name Is Not 'Those People', music with spoken word by Danny Glover.

I am a loving woman, a mother in pain,

giving birth to the future,

where my babies have the same chance to thrive as anyone.

My name is not "Inadequate."
I did not make my husband leave – he chose to,
and chooses not to pay child support.
Truth is though, there isn't a job base for all
fathers to support their families.
While society turns its head, my children pay the price.

My name is not "Problem and Case to Be Managed."
I am a capable human being and citizen, not a client.
The social service system can never replace the compassion
and concern of loving Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Fathers,
Cousins, Community – all the bonded people who need to be
but are not present to bring children forward to their potential.

My name is not "Lazy, Dependent Welfare Mother."
If the unwaged work of parenting, homemaking and community building

was factored into the Gross National Product, my work would have untold value.

And I wonder why my middle-class sisters

whose husbands support them to raise their children are glorified –

and they don't get called lazy and dependent.

My name is not "Ignorant, Dumb or Uneducated."
I live with an income of $621 with $169 in food stamps.
Rent is $585. that leaves $36 a month to live on.

I am such a genius at surviving that I could balance the state budget in an hour.

Never mind that there is a lack of living-wage jobs.
Never mind that it is impossible to be the sole emotional, social and economic support to a family.
Never mind that parents are losing their children

to the gangs, drugs, stealing, prostitution, social workers, kidnapping, the streets, the predator.
Forget about putting money into schools – just build more prisons.

My name is not "Lay Down and Die Quietly."
My love is powerful and my urge to keep my children alive will never stop.

All children need homes and people who love them.

They need safety and the chance to be the people they were born to be.

The wind will stop before I let my children become a statistic.
Before you give in to the urge to blame me,
the blames that lets us go blind and unknowing into
the isolation that disconnects us, take another look.
Don't go away.
For I am not the problem, but the solution.

Personal experience post.

2009-12-09T12:57:00.000-08:00

He came to work for us today(wife loves to organize things in cabinets :)). He told me the situation is bad even here in Seattle(as opposed to what we hear that things are still good here). He asked me to just checkout the workers line near Home depot every morning (even in -6 degrees celcius). Many of his friends have been kicked out of their homes and his income fell by more than 20%. At his income level 20% is perhaps low in absolute terms but its substantial hit in every department of expenditure. He also pays more than I would pay for his apartment, because he has no credit history. Some of his friends are working night shifts, repairing roads in this cold weather. Perhaps they work in night so that we don't get stuck in jams during the day.

He also had an appendix surgery that cost him 12k (paying in installment, so more due to interest). He has no insurance because he is undocumented and because he is undocumented he has not visited his home country for last ten years. He tells me the situation in his home country is bad, very bad. They recently shutdown their free healthcare too. We joked that the only difference between him and me was that my "boss" was able to pay for my documents.

He and his wife also had a baby recently. My best wishes are with them.

PS: ....and for my new friend I dedicate this song

http://www.yesmagazine.org/audio/musicpicks/48Wanderer.mp3

Lyrics here

About the Baucus Co-op Plan

2009-11-12T13:27:00.000-08:00

It might well be a coincidence, but it's an interesting one!

If you look at the Baucus framework, which was the basis of the Senate bill—it’s here on the Senate Finance Committee website. Just right-click on that document, and it turns out the author of the document was Elizabeth Fowler, who’s a former vice president of Wellpoint, the nation’s largest private insurance company, covering 35 million people.

For complete discussion proceed to http://www.democracynow.org/2009/11/11/study_over_2_200_us_veterans

Little Indians

2009-11-03T14:37:00.000-08:00

A Poem by Prof. Bardi Raina

Little Indians.

Millions of little Indians, Hindus Muslims and others
for them no law, no land, no fathers mothers brothers.

They slave in little tea shops, they beg along the road,
they sleep upon their little feet, they have no bed, no board.

Government makes new budgets of which they are no part.
Governments feed on government grants, they eat their little heart.

The rich perform ablutions to please the gods above;
the gods return their favours and increase their treasure trove.

Little Indians find employment in hell holes we call factories;
their lungs fill up with poison gas, government collects the taxes.

Some little Indians go to public school in bus or car or jeep;
a million others look for food in wayside garbage heap.

Their schools are in Government file, their meals are part of Plan,
but when nation needs an atom bomb, they eat whatever they can.

Little Indians, they are taught to sing 'mera bharat mahan';
Little Indians wipe their hunted eyes - they wonder what is on.

-- Badri Raina.

On Gandhi Jayanti

2009-10-02T11:23:00.000-07:00

"I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man [woman] whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him [her]. Will he [she] gain anything by it? Will it restore him [her] to a control over his [her] own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to swaraj [freedom] for the hungry and spiritually starving millions?Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away."
- One of the last notes left behind by Gandhi in 1948, expressing his deepest social thought.

Mine: Story of a sacred mountain - Survival International

2009-08-19T22:21:00.000-07:00

The Dongria Kondh are one of India's most remote tribes. They live in Orissa state's Niyamgiri hills and worship a mountain as a God. As Vedanta Resources, a London-based mining company prepares to destroy their forests and sacred mountain... to build a vast open-cast mine, Survival's new film asks... What will one tribe to do save everything they know? Watch the film and take action here: http://www.survival-international.org/films/mine

Gujjar agitation

2009-06-22T21:49:00.000-07:00

If you thought Gujjar agitation was only about 5% OBC quota and that they just wanted a piece of pie it's because you did not know the complete story.

Vandana Shiva, in her latest interview on Alternative Radio explains.

From:Vandana Shiva on Gandhi for Today’s World

The Gujjars are a pastoral tribe in Rajasthan. Over the last few years, as part of globalization, the pastures have been enclosed. This land makes up about 70 percent of Rajasthan, which is a desert state where only about 30 percent is used for agriculture. The Rajasthan government passed a law making the pastures available to grow jatropha, a biofuel crop used for cars. As a result, the pastoral economy has absolutely gone. The Gujjars have lost their livelihood base. They came out in a very, very strong way, and they blocked the rails and roads of India for about two months. Parts of the country could not function, and the government was brought to its knees. All they were seeking was a few jobs, because they’ve lost their livelihoods in grazing.

I did a quick google news search putting Gujjars and jatropha together and the above website is the only news site currently that connects the dots.

Read the rest of the interview to get an interesting analogy between terrorism and weeds(as applied to agriculture).

Bhopal, 25 years on.

2009-05-30T12:02:00.001-07:00

Safreen and Satinath(Sathyu) who were available for panel discussion after the screening of Secrets and Lies left a lasting impression on me. Their optimism and dedication towards the goal of obtaining justice for Bhopal victims is commendable. These are some of the many heros who we rarely come to know of. There is another chance for Seattle folks to meet them this evening(See below for details). I will have more to write after today’s meeting but I would like to share the Sathyu’s poem that he recited to us with as much optimism and passion in his voice as the poem talks about. In a way this is his reply to those who ask him why he is still clinging on to an issue of past or why he doesn’t give up even after 25 years.

Sathyu Sarangi

A RABID OPTIMIST
Yes I'm a rabid optimist
For me every tree that continues to stand
Every stream that continues to flow
Every child that runs away from home
Is an indication that the battle is not only on
It is being won
You may tell me about the nuclear arms race
And all I can tell you is that an unknown child held my hand with love
You will try to draw me
Into the plato of practical life
Tell me that not only god
But all the religious and irreligious leaders are dead
And I will tell you that across the forest lives a young man who calls the earth his mother
You will give me the boring details
Of the rise of state power after every revolution
And I all I can tell you is that In our tribe we still share our bread.
You will reason with me and I will talk nonsense like this
And because the difference between breathing and living life
Is the difference between reason and poetry
I'll recite poems to you
Poems full of dreams
Poems full of optimism
And maybe a poem better than this.

Today's event:

Panel Discussion on "Corporate Crime, Environmental Injustice and Toxic Trespass: Lessons from the 1984 Union Carbide Gas disaster in Bhopal, India."
When: Saturday, May 30, 2009. 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm
Where: Communications 120, Stevens Way E, University District, University of Washington
www.washington.edu/home/maps/northcentral.html?CMU

Who:
Safreen "Rafat" Khan: A 16-year old second-generation victim of Union Carbide's poisons, Safreen is co-founder of Children Against Dow Carbide, a children's group that has committed itself to keeping the fight for justice in Bhopal alive for as long as it takes.

Satinath Sarangi: A long-time Bhopal activist, and founder-trustee of Sambhavna Trust clinic, an award winning free holistic clinic for survivors of the Bhopal disaster.

Dr. Sheela Satyanarayana: Asst Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Univ. of Washington. An accomplished physician with expertise in pediatric environmental health, Dr. Satyanarayana has been a forceful voice of science in advocating for more stringent regulations on toxic chemicals, including Bisphenol A and phthalates.

Local Sponsors: South Asia Center of University of Washington, Association for India's Development, Washington Toxics Coalition, Tasveer, WashPIRG (Students - UW), WashPIRG, SEED (UW), South Asia Students Association (UW), Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility, Amnesty International, Collaborative on Health and Environment - Washington, Commonweal-Northwest

Austin Lounge Lizards

2009-05-23T00:41:00.000-07:00

Pete Seeger Turns 90

2009-05-06T18:58:00.001-07:00

Special coverage on DN!: http://www.democracynow.org/2009/5/4/legendary_folk_singer_activist_pete_seeger

The song Get Up And Go comes to mind as I think of Pete strumming his way to the 90s.

Get Up And Go

How do I know my youth is all spent?
My get up and go has got up and went
But in spite of it all I'm able to grin
And think of the places my get up has been.

Old age is golden so I've heard said
But sometimes I wonder as I crawl into bed
With my ears in a drawer, my teeth in a cup
My eyes on the table until I wake up.
As sleep dims my vision I say to myself:
Is there anything else I should lay on the shelf?
But though nations are warring and business is vexed
I'll stick around to see what happens next.

When I was young my slippers were red,
I could kick up my heels right over my head.
When I was older my slippers were blue,
But still I could dance the whole night thru.
Now I am older my slippers are black,
I huff to the store and I puff my way back.
But never you laugh; I don't mind at all,
I'd rather be huffing than not puff at all.

I get up each morning and dust off my wits
Open the paper and read the obits
If I'm not there I know I'm not dead
So I eat a good breakfast and go back to bed.

Child Labor

2009-04-15T10:15:00.000-07:00

Archiving a link to a Child Labor Photo Journal

http://www.zoriah.net/blog/2009/04/guest-photographerphotojournalist-gmb-akash-child-labor.html

Green Festival this weekend!

2009-03-27T10:09:00.001-07:00

Speaker List includes:

See you there!!

Book List

2009-03-22T08:22:00.001-07:00

Author and esteemed journalist P. Sainath was gracious enough to send this list of books that he considers as must reads. I am attaching his message and the list below.

Here’s the promised list. There’s a full 100 below in the table. Above the table are 20 which I figure should be fairly easy for you to access, since they are mostly American. The list has no particular order of priority, only the top 20 above are all relatively recent books (with the exception of titles like Now Let Us Praise Famous Men and a couple of others). Allow for a mistake here and there as this was mostly done from memory. Also some of the titles in the top 20 might not be there in the main list. Sorry if that’s confusing.

Will keep updating the top 20 as and when I get idea or remember some other titles and will let you know later suggestions

At any rate, the books are guaranteed to transform you or your money back. (They were chosen for you guys after careful deliberation by a select committee comprising me. Now comes your part of the job - READ).

1	A Peoples History of the United States	Howard Zinn	24	Against Empire	Michael Parenti
2	A Zinn Reader	Howard Zinn	25	King Leopold’s Ghost	Adam Hochschild
3	One Market Under God	Thomas Frank	26	Global Media	Robert McChesny & Edward S. Herman
4	Manufacturing Consent	Noam Chomsky	27	Rich Media, Poor Democracy	Robert McChesney
5	Trading with the Enemy	Charles Higham	28	Luce & his Empire	A.L. Swanberg
6	IBM & The Holocaust	Edwin Black	29	Politics of Rich & Poor	Kevin Philips
7	Lies My Teacher Told Me	James Loewen	30	The Mind Managers	Herbert Schiller
8	Fast Food Nation	Eric Schlosser	31	Tube of Plenty	Erik Barnouw
9	All Govenments Lie	I.F. Sone	32	The Sponsor	Erik Barnouw
10	The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb	Gar Alperowitz	33	Ending Corporate Welfare	Ralph Nader
11	The Fateful Triangle	Noam Chomsky	34	The Press	A. J. Liebling
12	Palestine: Myth & Reality	Norman Finkelstein	35	The Second Front	John MacArthur
13	American Holocaust	David E. Stannard	36	On Writing	Sol Stein
14	Late Victorian Holocausts	Mike Davis	37	Joe McCarthy & The Press	Edwin Bayley
15	When Corporations Rule the World	David Korten	38	Common Sense	Thomas Paine
16	Jihad Vs. McWorld	James Barber	39	The Rights of man	Thomas Paine
17	The U.S. Presidency	Gore Vidal	40	Citizen Paine	Howard Fast
18	The Media Monopoly (6^th ed.)	Ben Bagdikian	41	Spartacus	Howard Fast
19	Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee	Dee Brown	42	Viva Mexico	John Reed
20	The State of Native America	M. Annette Jaimes	43	Ten Days that Shook the World	John Reed
21	Coming of Age	Studs Terkel	44	The Debt: What America Owes Blacks	Randall Robinson
22	Man’s Wordly Goods	Leo Huberman	45	Inventing Reality	Michael Parenti
23	The Press & the Cold War	James Aronson	46	Roughing It	Mark Twain
24	Don’t Blame the People	Robert Cirino	49	The souls of black folk	W.E.B. DuBois
25	Wizards of Media Oz	Cohen & Solomon	50	Black Reconstruction	W.E.B. DuBois
51	Vindication of the Rights of Woman	Mary Wollstonecraft	75	The Cold War & Culture	FranesStonor Saunders
52	The Wretched of the Earth	Frantz Fanon	76	The Suppression of the African Slave Trade	W.E.B. DuBois
53	What Apartheid Means	Jean Paul Sratre	77	All Governments Lie	I. F. Stone
54	The Law of Manu	Anon.	78	Gandhi Autobrography	M. K. Gandhi
55	The First Casualty	Phillip Knghtley	79	The Prince	Machiavelli
56	How the Other Half Dies	Susan George	80	The struggle is my life	Nelson Mandela
57	The Debt Boomerang	Susan George	81	Karl Marx	Francis Wheen
58	The End of Food	Paul Roberts	82	The Trial of Socrates	I.F. Stone
59	Information & Inequality	Herbert Schiller	83	The Communist Manifesto	Marx & Engels
60	Culture Inc.,	Herbert Schiller	84	Imperialism: the hgihest stage of capitalism	Lenin
61	Black Skin, White Masks	Frantz Fanon	85	Fads & Fallacies	Martin Gardiner
62	Through the Media Looking Glass	Normon Solomon & Jeff Cohen	86	A Peoples History of England	A.J.L. Morton
63	Global Parasites	Winin Perira & Jeremy Seabrooke	87	The History	Herodotus
64	History will absolve me	Fidel Castro	88	The Republic	Plato
65	Murdoch	George Munster	89	The Wealth of Nations	Adam Smith
66	Maxwell	Tom Bower	90	The Affluent Society	J.K. Galbraith
66	Passport	Wifred Burchett	91	The Culture of Contentment	J.K. Galbraith
67	At the Barricades	Wilfred Burchett	92	On Colonialism	Amilcar Cabral
68	Poverty & Famines	Amartya Sen	93	On Colonialism	Marx & Engels
69	The Globalization of poverty	Michael Chossudovsky	94	The History of the Standard Oil Company	Ida Tarbell
70	The Geopolitics of Information	Anthony Smith	95	War is a Racket	Gen.Smedley D. Butler
71	A Fate worse than debt	Susan George	96	Seize the Time	Bobby Seale
72	World Hunger	Francis Moore Lappe	97	Profits over People	Noam Chomsky
73	Ecology & Equity	Madhav Gadgil & Ramachandra Guha	98	The Lords of Global Poverty	Graham Hancock
74	All in God’s name	David Yallop	99	The Age of Empire	Eric Hobsbawm
75	Voices of Revolution	Roger Streitmatter	100	The Age of Capital	Eric Hobsbawm

Monsanto Ki Roti

2009-03-17T00:33:00.000-07:00

My wife and I follow this weekly ritual of making chappatis on weekends. A kind of bread that is staple diet of north Indians. If Monsanto had its way we would have to apply to Monsanto for a license. Producing chappati's without that may have been a theft of intellectual property. Strange, because it wasn't Monsanto who taught us this art. It's a family tradition that our ancestors have mastered and refined over generations.

Every year millions of Indian couples go out in their farm to produce Nap Hal. The strain of wheat used to make chappatis. If Monsanto had its way they may have to pay royalties to Monsanto. Producing Nap Hal without that may have been a theft of intellectual property. Strange, because it wasn't Monsanto who invented the seeds. They are the result of a collective effort of generations of farmers in India who spent years crossbreeding crops.

Follow the links to these news

Monsanto's Chappati and Nap Hal Patent:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2004/jan/31/gm.food

EPO revoked the patent after Greenpeace filed a legal opposition.
http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=13582831

On sixth anniversary of the killing of American peace activist Rachel Corrie

2009-03-17T00:13:00.000-07:00

DN reports:

An American activist from Oakland, California was critically injured Friday when Israeli soldiers fired a tear gas canister directly at his head at the close of a weekly nonviolent protest against the wall in the West Bank village of N’alin. Thirty-seven-year-old Tristan Anderson underwent brain surgery on Saturday, and parts of his right frontal lobe and shattered bone fragments were removed. He remains in critical condition.

Here is a video of another American casualty of Israeli violence. Contrast the coverage these Americans recieve with the others who get killed/wounded due to action of the "bad" guys.

NYT article on chid hunger in India

2009-03-13T09:12:00.000-07:00

The idea of starving Indian kids is not new to the West. In earlier days western moms are said to remind their kids of starving Indian kids when they did not eat ther veggies. I have written about depressingly high rates of malnutrition among Indian children a few times. Every time I have encountered a weird sense of denial among many Indians to acknowledge this fact. The same people who would otherwise hail the Western policies around the world and swear by their news paper/channels claim that there is a Western bias or denial to accept India's shining. This is not surprising as the Indian media itself props this notion. They celebrate any western collaboration that would benefit a few of their advertisers and comfortably forget to followup of western reports that point at the real issues that infest the country. Analysis of how the policies of the country might be affecting the poor in the country and providing a thorough understanding to a well fed Indian reader is missing from the media. This once-in-a-while reporting and citing some report (even an Indian report) has almost become a regular drama. Even though we are hailed as democracy(and we are quite democratic) its a shame that there are still people who have more control over the policies than the rest. The Indian media has been severly restricting their access to these analysis and allowing them to disregard a truth as vital as this.

One such report that will meet the same end has been just released by NYT. It is a good report but as usual, the policy analysis is minimal and the implementational inefficiencies take bigger blame. ( Read these article by P Sainath called "It's the policy stupid" Part I and Part II )

NYT Report: As Indian Growth Soars, Child Hunger Persists

In India, by contrast, despite robust growth and good government intentions, the comparable number is 42.5 percent.....

India’s public expenditure on health remains low, and in some places, financing for child nutrition programs remains unspent. ...

Others point to the efficiency of an authoritarian state like China. India’s sluggish and sometimes corrupt bureaucracy has only haltingly put in place relatively simple solutions — iodizing salt, for instance...

as the [Chinese]government safety net has shredded with its adoption of a more market-driven economy. ...

AT&T's public channel "censorship"

2009-03-11T00:05:00.000-07:00

For those like us who prefer to watch community/public channel and news from Democracy Now AT&T may not be a good choice.

When someone's tragedy is another's fun

2009-03-10T23:52:00.001-07:00

Coming up.. commentary on

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090309/ap_on_bi_ge/landlord_nation

International Women’s Day

2009-03-09T00:36:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I wander over to Times Of India website to check their coverage on some important events. Not surprisingly, on IWD they were conducting this poll to choose the “Absolute Woman”. Here are the shorlisted candidate:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshowpics/4239388.cms

The nominees for the Absolute Woman are... Katrina Kaif, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Chanda Kochar, Preity Zinta, Priyanka Gandhi, Farah Khan, Ritu Beri, Sania Mirza, Kiran Majumdar-Shaw, Saina Nehwal

I wondered why Times Of India did not mention some names that I would expect to be on that list. Perhaps TOI could not fit these other ladies in their print. Perhaps its because these women are not just two dimensional, rather they possess certain depth of character. Perhaps because these other ladies think that true women liberation lies beyond the freedom of wearing skimpy clothes, freedom to hop bars or to hold/kiss their valentines. Not that there is anything wrong with that!(Sorry Seinfeld).

Disheartened, I have only one option left. To release my addition to this list on this 100 hits a month webpage. But before we do that it might be a good idea to understand the concept of IWD.

History of IWD:

According to the UN website : http://www.un.org/events/women/iwd/2008/history.shtml

1909: The first National Woman's Day was observed in the United States on 28 February. The Socialist Party of America(Yes, America) designated this day in honour of the 1908 garment workers' strike in New York, where women protested against working conditions.

Following years saw some anti war protests by women and further protest for better working conditions and right to vote(!) on March 8th.

1975 was International Women’s Year and since then UN has celebrated March 8th as the IWD.

Here is the UN General Assembly’s observance on the need for IWD:

Two reasons:

human rights and fundamental freedoms require the active participation, equality and development of women; and to acknowledge the contribution of women to the strengthening of international peace and security. For the women of the world, the Day's symbolism has a wider meaning: It is an occasion to review how far they have come in their struggle for equality, peace and development. It is also an opportunity to unite, network and mobilize for meaningful change.

So without further ado, I present my nomination list. Since these exceptional ladies or their work rarely make it to print/screen it might be a good idea to put in a few good words for them.

The Nominations Are:

1) Irom Sharmila Chanu: This brave woman continues her 9 year fast to persuade the Indian govt and people to dispel the repressive and dread law called AFSPA act. Here is the latest news on her.

Sharmila Released, Resumes Stir

2) Krishnammal Jagannathan: The winner of year 2008 Right Livelihood Award and the founder of LAFTI (Land for Tiller Freedom). I met this incredible woman during her Seattle visit and in her singing tone she narrated her story to us. Curious I read her biography called “Color Of Freedom” and discovered how this tireless woman has been constantly fighting for “equality, peace and development”. Here is a short video from democracy now(please follow to part II)

3) Dayamani Barla:

Tribal activist and journalist from Jharkhand, Dayamani Barla has won several prestigious awards for her coverage on displacement of tribals due to Arcelor Mittal’s steel plant. Born to parents who were cheated out of their land she paid her way to University by working as maid and sleeping at Railway stations to save money.

Here is BBC coverage on her: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7610127.stm

Here is another interesting article on her work.

http://www.indiatogether.org/2008/dec/ksh-steel.htm

4) Women of Khabar Lahariya:

Khabar Lahariya - Bundeli for ‘News Waves’ - is a fortnightly rural newspaper written, edited, illustrated, produced and marketed by a group of women - most of them from marginalised Dalit, Kol and Muslim communities - in Chitrakoot and Banda districts of Uttar Pradesh in north India.

Checkout these clips on the newspaper: http://www.nirantar.net/khabar_taaza.htm

5) Arundhati Roy: Thanks to her best selling novel and activism she does not need an introduction here. I nominate her for her continued activism and her articles like "9 is not 11" and "Listening to the Grasshoppers". Some good writing from her is on http://www.zcommunications.org/zspace/arundhatiroy

There are many more like Vandana Shiva, Medha Patkar and those others who are never talked about in the mainstream media. Forget about getting an hour’s worth of coverage like Amrita Arora got on her wedding on Star Plus. This list, therefore, will remain incomplete.

PS: Here is TOI's last year IWD winner: http://onethoughtcriminal.blogspot.com/2008/12/meanwhile-in-wonderland.html

Short film

2009-02-27T23:10:00.000-08:00

Bhagat Singh's Jail Notebook

2009-02-23T18:57:00.000-08:00

It is always inspiring to read the notes Bhagat Singh kept in jail before he was hanged to death. Bhagat Singh's greatness is usually restricted to his heroic hanging. The fact that this young 24 year old was a great thinker is always missing from the narrative. Read his notes keeping his age in mind.

http://www.shahidbhagatsingh.org/index.asp?linkid=30

My favourite entry in his notebook:

Child Labour:

No fledgling feeds the father bird !
No chiken feeds the hen,
No kitten mouses for the cat -
This glory is for men.
We are the Wisest , Strongest Race -
Loud may our praise be sung !
The only animal alive
That lives upon its young !
[ Charlotte Perkins Gilman ] { now C F J p442}

Coming close is this quote on Democracy

Democracy : ----
Democracy is theoratically a system of political and legal equality . But in concrete and practical operation it is false, for there can be no equality , not even in politics and before the law , so long as there is glaring in equality in economic power. So long as the ruling class owns the worker’s jobs and the press and the schools of country and all organs for the moulding and expression of public opinion; so long as it monopolise all trained public functionaries and disposes of unlimited funds to influence elections , so long as the laws are made by ruling class and the courts are presided over by members of that class, so long as lawyers are private practitioners who sell their skill to the heighest bidder and litigation is technical and costly , so long will the nominal equality before the law be a hollow mackery.
In a capitalist regime the whole machinary of democracy operates to keep the ruling class monority in power thrugh the sufferage of working class majority, and when the bourgeois goverment feels itself endangered by democratic institutions, such institutions re often crushed without compunction.

Modi's vibrant Gujarat

2009-02-19T22:36:00.000-08:00

Even TOI is now covering how cuts in health spending has impacted Gujarat.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Ahmedabad/BIMARU_Gujarat/articleshow/4157934.cms

Beneath the hype of a prosperous state dispelling the global gloom is an ugly underside, that of a decaying health infrastructure which puts Gujarat in the league of the worst performing states
...
Out of 100 affected persons, 29 have died of suspected hepatitis B, most of them children. It has taken quite a while for the doctors to figure out what had actually hit the patients flooding the government hospitals in the area over the last one week.
...
the epidemic has once again exposed the rickety health infrastructure put in place in the countryside of Gujarat which otherwise boasts of prosperity. Compared to the huge revenue collections in Gujarat, spending on health has been low.

This for a state whose chief minister has been endorsed by Sunil Mittal and Anil Ambani for PM of India post!

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/anil-ambani-sunil-mittal-endorse-modi-as-pm/410621/

Speaking at the valedictory session of the Fourth Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit, Ambani said, "Narendrabhai has done good for Gujarat and what will happen if he leads the nation."
"Gujarat has seen progress in all the fields under his leadership. Now, imagine what will happen to the nation if he leads the nation," he said and added, "Person like him should be the next leader of the country."

One can only imagine what will happens if he leads the nation..

Because being in the cold is not that nice

2009-02-18T12:05:00.000-08:00

Today's Democracy Now show had coverage on Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign. The group is taking matters into its own hands and finding housing for homeless people in foreclosed and vacant homes.

DWAYNE CUNNINGHAM: Well, it’s like this. I’ve been homeless for a while, so I’m just going to cut this short. But the home I just was blessed with by the homeless association, I couldn’t have got no better, because I’m outside of the cold, and being in the cold is not that nice. And trying to get in to talk to landowners or people who may foreclose their own homes, I can’t get in no doors. I have no numbers. I can’t get no door. So the best number I have and the best door I can walk through is this door right here....And I know it’s going to help me

More here: http://www.democracynow.org/2009/2/18/as_obama_unveils_foreclosure_plan_activists

This reminds me of the the famous song "This land is my land" which was played at the Obama inauguration ceremony by Pete Seeger and Bruce Springsteen. Included were lyrics that are seldom played.

There was a big ole sign there
Said "private property"
but on the other side
it didn't say nothing
That side was made for you and me

Obama Speech

2009-02-18T12:04:00.001-08:00

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Changefest '09 - Obama's Inaugural Speech

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Funny Political News
Joke of the Day

What's in a Name

2009-02-18T10:12:00.000-08:00

Blackwater Worldwide is abandoning the brand name that has been tarnished by its work in Iraq, settling on Xe (pronounced zee) as the new name for its family of two dozen businesses.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/14/us/14blackwater.html

And in other news from Democracy Now

Guatemala has issued a formal apology to Cuba for taking part in the US “Bay of Pigs” invasion of 1961. The Kennedy administration used Guatemalan soil to train the group of militants used in the ultimately failed attack. On Tuesday, Guatemalan President Álvaro Colom said he wished to “officially ask Cuba for forgiveness.” The US has never apologized for the Bay of Pigs invasion.

Cuts in Obama's Stimulus Package

2009-02-09T13:36:00.001-08:00

In case the mainstream media did not make it clear.

The Senate is expected to vote to end debate today on a compromise version that will cut more than $100 billion from President Obama's economic stimulus plan. The cuts include $35 billion for education, $5 billion for jobless workers' healthcare and $8 billion to refurbish federal buildings.

And the banks laughed all the way to the banks

2009-01-27T10:26:00.001-08:00

That's a quote from P. Sainath's latest article titled: The Free Falling Economy.

http://www.counterpunch.org/sainath01232009.html

Excerpts:
According to the Government Accountability Office, two-thirds of corporations in America paid no federal income taxes at all between 1998 and 2005. This includes a fourth of all large US companies. (That is, those with at least $ 250 million in assets or $50 million in receipts). And this, despite all these corporations collectively reporting trillions of dollars in sales.

Indeed, corporate profits were on record highs. By 2006, they made up a historic 14.1 per cent of the nation's total income. Yet, as the New York Times says: "the percentage of these profits paid out in taxes is near its lowest since the 1930s." (An earlier GAO report showed that 61 per cent of US corporations paid no federal income taxes between 1996 and 2000 - also a period of high growth and huge corporate profits.) Enough to have one wit declare that America had moved from the historic slogan of "No taxation without representation" to "Representation with no taxation."

Now a war on begging.

2009-01-26T10:43:00.001-08:00

Excellent Harsh Mander article in The Hindu

http://www.hindu. com/mag/2009/ 01/25/stories/ 2009012550090300 .htm

The war against begging

BY HARSH MANDER

Being destitute in our country has been made a crime. And the punishment is often inhumane…

Padma Shree to Akki and Ash.

2009-01-26T00:17:00.000-08:00

Somedays I imagine its all just a bad dream and I can't wake up.

http://movies.ndtv.com/newstory.asp?section=Movies&id=ENTEN20090081420

It is a proud day for Bollywood. The 60th year of the Indian republic saw top
civilian honours awarded to two immensely popular actors.
Akshay Kumar and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan were awarded the Padma Shree by the Government of India.

Apparently Barkha Dutt is a winner too. No not in the Arts category (I thought so too).

Gaza attack analysis

2009-01-26T00:00:00.000-08:00

For extensive context, history, and analysis,

Please Read:

Shalom: Q/A on Gaza
On December 27, 2008, Israel launched its brutal assault on Gaza, Operation Cast Lead. The aim here has been to collect in one place the most frequently-asked questions and to offer answers and sources.

Chomsky: Gaza 2009 ...

Hamas is regularly described as "Iranian-backed Hamas, which is dedicated to the destruction of Israel." One will be hard put to find something like "democratically elected Hamas, which has long been calling for a two-state settlement in accord with the international consensus" -- blocked for over 30 years by the US and Israel, which flatly and explicitly reject the right of Palestinians to self-determination. All true, but not a useful contribution to the Party Line, hence dispensable.

Martin Luther King Day

2009-01-19T22:49:00.000-08:00

Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" is well known and very inspiring. But there is another MLK speech that is just as powerful and awesome. On MLK Day I spent some time re-reading it.

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkatimetobreaksilence.htm

War Mentality.

2009-01-14T22:59:00.000-08:00

I came across this Forbes magazine article on google news today. Some Tunku Varadarajan was lamenting India's "misfortune" that they could not "do a Gaza" on Pakistan. The main reasons he cites are

1) Logistics
2) Rationale not enough just yet.
3) Israel's alliance with US.
4) Pakistan's alliance with US.
5) Israel's defiance of international court/opinion.

I sincerely believe that Mr Tunku accidentally forgot to mention the fact that "doing a Gaza" is an act of aggression and is illegal.

Cindy Corrie Speaks At Gaza Rally

2009-01-11T22:17:00.000-08:00

Cindy Corrie ( Rachael Corrie's mother) speaks at Gaza Rally in Seattle on 1/10/2009

Obama and Gaza

2009-01-06T11:32:00.001-08:00

Finally Obama breaks his silence and utters a few words of sympathy. He has yet to make any statement condemning the Gaza attack. Why? Because..

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/washington/05diplo.html?hp

“President-elect Obama is closely monitoring global events, including the
situation in Gaza, but there is one president at a time,” said Brooke Anderson, chief national security spokeswoman for Mr. Obama, repeating what has become a mantra for the incoming administration.

But then Mr Obama got involved with the economy.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i5YPdJqW_fJxyVWKPuw1UxhkBREwD95H8V8G1

Obama, who takes office two weeks from Tuesday, has said there can be only one
president at a time — and he repeated that principle Monday "when it comes to
foreign affairs." But when it comes to the floundering economy, he clearly feels
he cannot sit by until the swearing-in.

Breaking his silence today he repeated this line.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28404637/

President-elect Barack Obama, breaking his silence about the Gaza conflict,
said the loss of life in Gaza and Israel "is a source of deep concern for me."
But Obama otherwise said he would adhere to his principle that only President
George W. Bush would speak for American foreign policy at this time.

However, when it came to terrorist attacks on Mumbai, apparently America had a different consitution?

http://change.gov/newsroom/entry/president_elect_barack_obamas_statement_on_the_terrorist_attacks_in_mumbai/

"President-elect Obama strongly condemns today's terrorist attacks in
Mumbai, and his thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and
the people of India. These coordinated attacks on innocent civilians demonstrate
the grave and urgent threat of terrorism. The United States must continue to
strengthen our partnerships with India and nations around the world to root out
and destroy terrorist networks. We stand with the people of India, whose
democracy will prove far more resilient than the hateful ideology that led to
these attacks," said Brooke Anderson, Chief National Security
Spokesperson.

The Tank Man (continued)

2009-01-04T12:00:00.000-08:00

Refer here for the original post

Fares Odeh from Gaza, age 13, throws a stone at an advancing Israeli tank sent to disperse demonstrators with live ammunition. Nine days later, as Fares was throwing stones at another Israeli tank, he was shot in the neck by an Israeli sharpshooter and killed. Photo by Laurent Rebours of the Associated Press, 2000.

Gaza Attack Protest in Seattle

2009-01-03T23:11:00.000-08:00

Terrorism.

2008-12-29T00:21:00.001-08:00

Is it not terrorism if you use helicopters, planes and tanks?

Some pictures of the recent Gaza massacre by Israeli forces are here: http://www.uruknet.de/?s1=1&p=49933&s2=27

Hungry Kya?

2008-12-28T19:39:00.001-08:00

Arundhati Roy in her article points out thus,

a small box on the top left-hand corner in the inner pages of a national newspaper (sponsored by a pizza company, I think) said, "Hungry, kya?" ("Hungry eh?"). It, then, with the best of intentions I'm sure, informed its readers that, on the international hunger index, India ranked below Sudan and Somalia.

No news channel bothers to chase this issue like I would like to see. Here is BBC on th International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) report.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7669152.stm:

Twelve Indian states have "alarming" levels of hunger while the situation is "extremely alarming" in the state of Madhya Pradesh, says a new report

....

"When Indian states are compared to countries in the Global Hunger Index, [the central Indian state of] Madhya Pradesh ranks between Ethiopia and Chad," it says.

The report, released as part of the 2008 Global Hunger Index, ranks India at 66 out 88

Here is the chart and how Indian states are ranked.

Arent you a bit surprised that Modi's "Top investment destination" state is ranked worse than Orissa?

Here's an article by corporate spokesman Suhel Seth titled "Why India needs Narendra Modi":

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/why-india-needs-narendra-modi/375103/

The passion for development; the passion for an invigorated Gujarat; the passion for the uplifting the living standards of the people in his state and the joy with which he recounted simple yet memorable data-points. For instance, almost all of the milk consumed in Singapore is supplied by Gujarat; or for that matter all the tomatoes that are eaten in Afghanistan are produced in Gujarat or the potatoes that Canadians gorge on are all farmed in Gujarat.

Hmm, so now you know?

India Shining? Think again.

2008-12-28T19:37:00.001-08:00

Next time you are worried about India's superpower status, remember this report from the Govt. of India website: (Let it be known that governments seldom accept their failures).

http://nceus.gov.in/Report_on_NCEUS_NAFUS.pdf

(Report submitted to Prime Minister on 5th November' 2007)

says:

Such a buoyancy in the economy did lead to a sense of euphoria by the turn of the last century. However, a majority of the people, who did not have even Rs. 20 a day for consumption,were not touched by this euphoria. At the end of 2004-05, about 836 million or 77 per cent of the population were living below Rs.20 per day and constituted most of India's informal economy. About 79 per cent of the informal or unorganised workers belonged to this group without any legal protection of their jobs or working conditions or social security, living in abject poverty and excluded from all the glory of a shining India

...

what is quite significant is that 79 per cent of the informal or unorganised workers, 88 per cent of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, 80 per cent of the OBC population and 84 per cent of the Muslims belong to the poor and vulnerable group. They have remained poor at a bare subsistence level without any job or social security, working in the most miserable, unhygienic and unliveable conditions, throughout this period of high economic growth since the early nineties. There have been some inter se changes within this total group, such that the proportion of the Extremely Poor and the Poor has come down, while the number of marginally poor and the Vulnerable gr

groups have increased. But the percentage of population suffering from poverty and vulnerability has remained substantial.

...

Since data from the 61st Round of the NSS are now available we are in a position to compare our estimates of the 55th Round (1999-00) with those for 2004-05

....... What this means in simple terms is that the entire increase in the employment in the organised sector over this period has been informal in nature i.e. without any job or social security. This constitutes what can be termed as informalisation of the formal sector, where any employment increase consists of regular workers without social security benefits and casual or contract workers again without the benefits that should accrue to formal workers.

....

While the percentage of population below the poverty line has come down, albeit at a slower rate during the nineties and until recently compared to in the eighties, the movement is within the group of broadly poor (41 per cent) or the poor and vulnerable (77 per cent) of the population.

....

It is quite evident that the Indian growth story has been characterized by a rapid growth of middle class and the rich, expanding their consumption of non-food, non-essential and durable items and thereby providing a huge market of 253 million people that includes imports of these items from the global market. There is no doubt that this "Shining India" has expanded in the past and is still expanding at a very high rate. But this picture is spoiled by a virtually stagnant consumption expenditure and miserable working and living conditions of the 77 per cent of our population who are poor and vulnerable.

This group includes the overwhelming population of the dalits and adivasis, OBCs and Muslims. This is the other world which can be characterised as the India of the Common People, constituting more than three-fourths of the population and consisting of all those whom the growth process has, by and large, bypassed.”

....

So much for the piss on (err trickle down) economy!!!

Enuf said!

PS: Thanks Sainath for pointing out the document!

David Rockefeller Quote

2008-12-28T19:36:00.001-08:00

"We are grateful to the Washington Post, The New York Times, Time Magazine and other great publications whose directors have attended our meetings and respected their promises of discretion for almost forty years."

"It would have been impossible for us to develop our plan for the world if we had been subjected to the lights of publicity during those years. But, the world is now more sophisticated and prepared to march towards a world government. The supranational sovereignty of an intellectual elite and world bankers is surely preferable to the national auto-determination practiced in past centuries"

chomsky interview.

2008-12-28T19:35:00.001-08:00

http://www.alternet.org/audits/101290%20chomsky%3A_%22the_majority_of_the_world_supports_iran%22/

GM

2008-12-28T19:34:00.001-08:00

http://www.greenpeace.org/india/news/greenpeace-uncovers-illegal-gm

http://www.greenleft.org.au/1999/362/18737

Today Pillsbury food products are made from genetically engineered crops. Other genetically engineered foods include Crisco, Kraft salad dressings, Nestle's chocolate, Green Giant harvest burgers, Parkay margarine, Isomil and ProSobee infant formulas and Wesson vegetable oils. Fritos, Doritos, Tostitos and Ruffles chips -- and chips sold by McDonald's -- are genetically engineered.

By next year 100% of the US soybean crop will be genetically engineered. Eighty per cent of all the vegetable oils in US foods are derived from soybeans, so most foods that contain vegetable oils will contain genetically engineered components by next year or the year after.

http://gmoguide.greenpeace.ca/shoppers_guide.pdf

Get ready for more "reforms"

2008-12-28T19:33:00.001-08:00

With the Left off its back, the government is all set to initiate major reforms, especially in the financial sector, are expected in the coming months. Labour reforms too are long awaited, but the government knows that this is much more politically fraught, and is unlikely to do anything on which there is no consensus among UPA allies.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Get_set_for_major_reforms_by_UPA/articleshow/3276690.cms

So what really are these reforms and who is asking for them? You dont have to look very far.

In other news

2008-12-28T19:32:00.001-08:00

http://living.oneindia.in/cosmopolitan/cosmo-trends-n-style/expensive-gifts-241107.html

Mukesh Ambani India's richest man and owner of Reliance Industries Ltd Gifted his wife a Luxury Jet with entertainment cabins, a sky bar and fancy showers for her birthday, He gifted $60 million Air Bus on her 44 th birthday. Rumours are that he is planning to gift her $1 billion home on her next birthday which is a 27 storey home with a helipad, health club, and six floors of car parking and 600 staff

Jerk!

Vandana Shiva

2008-12-28T19:31:00.003-08:00

Here is an interesting observation from Dr Vandana Shiva*.

http://www.aislingmagazine.com/aislingmagazine/articles/TAM24/Masculinisation.html

The war mentality underlying military-industrial agriculture is evident from the names given to herbicides which destroy the economic basis of the survival of the poorest women in the rural areas of the Third World. Monsanto's herbicides are called "Round Up", "Machete","Lasso". American Home Products which has merged with Monsanto calls its herbicides "Pentagon", "Prowl", "Scepter", "Squadron", "Cadre" ," Lightening", "Assert", "Avenge". This is the language of war, not sustainability.Sustainability is based on peace with the earth

*Dr. Vandana Shiva is one of the world's most dynamic and provocative thinkers on the environment, women's rights and international affairs. A physicist, ecologist and activist, she won the alternative Nobel Prize in 1993

TOI bats for Monsanto

2008-12-28T19:31:00.001-08:00

Was I amazed that the news outlet that generally presents a rosy picture of "India" was prophecising a dark future when I read the following headline?

By 2020, India a 'chronic' importer of foodgrain?
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/By_2020_India_a_chronic_importer_of_foodgrain/articleshow/3161680.cms

Well almost, until the smoking Chekhov's* gun appeared in the fine prints.

A yet-to-be-released report of ASSOCHAM has warned that India could become a chronic net importer of rice and wheat by 2020 if the trends are not reversed.

Ah the ASSOCHAM (stands for Chamber of Ass-os).. werent these guys the same people who said (my emphasis)

http://www.monsanto.com/biotech-gmo/asp/biotech_news.asp?newsid=nr20070711&yr=2007

With adoption of BT cotton technology, farmers engaged in cotton cultivation earned additional income of Rs. 7,039 crores in 2006¹; saved Rs. 1,600 on pesticides use in their one hectare of farm land compared to farmers growing conventional cotton hybrids; and had higher access to social services important for family health and welfare, according to two studies on "BT Cotton Farming in India" released today by The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).

Yeah right, and because of the improved conditions and more money they weren't happy with life anymore and started commiting suicides? Yes?

(my emphasis)

In the year 2007, 1095 farmers committed suicide in Vidharbha, that is one in every eight hours.

Vidharbha in Maharashtra has emerged as an epicenter of farmers suicides over the last decade

Vidharbha is also the region where Monsanto sells most of its genetically engineered Bt. Cotton.

http://www.navdanya.org/articles/articles2.htm

also see: http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/12/stories/2007111253911100.htm

So you see, this is just the ground work to convince people to eventually support more GMO/BioTech enhanced agriculture. Nothing wrong with that, unless you realize that its only going to work for them not us! For, we will either pay with our lives or thru our noses.

*"If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don't put it there."

GE(Genetically Engineered) Crops in India

2008-12-28T19:30:00.001-08:00

Bush Lies media buys. As usual.

2008-12-28T19:29:00.001-08:00

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1806579,00.html?imw=Y

President Bush has never been known for his eloquence, but his comment earlier this month that India's growing middle class was demanding "better nutrition and better food, and so demand is high, and that causes the price to go up" was neither particularly mangled nor, at first flush, offensive. .....

But Bush was not completely wrong, either. There's no doubt that China and India's growing middle classes are consuming more and different types of food. As people get richer they tend to eat more meat and dairy products, for instance, and that's exactly what's happening in China and India.

We all know how Indian press reacted to this news. Most of them blaming the US for eating more instead and asking them to stop policing. Over all readers may have been left with an impression that things are much better off in India and they are now eating more, thanks to globalisation. The response that was metted out did not correct that impression and instead showed that US folks ate even more and that they should not bully.

Some like TOI even reacted thus:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Now_White_House_says_bon_appetit_to_India/articleshow/3028933.cms

While the Indian government, including the Prime Minister, maintained a dignified silence on the matter, it was mostly the media, his headline seeking colleagues, and Left politicians who feasted on the controversy and made a meal of it in the end.

Only a few had the courage to show that it was not just a dumb statement out of Bush's potty mouth, but a blatant lie! And for that lie, Sir, I DO take offense.

http://www.countercurrents.org/kavita090508.htm

But in India, since the entry of globalisation, the average per capita consumption of food grain has actually gone down from 177 kg per person to 155 kg per person: which is the same as the hunger levels seen during famine in times of the British Raj. And in India, foodgrains absorption is rising fast for the (mainly urban) middle class, which boosts the national average. A large section of rural poor are actually reduced to as low as 136 kg per capita per year – which is the same as that of starvation-hit sub-Saharan Africa. Bush grudges the 350 million-strong Indian middle class its improved diet: he is blithely silent about over 350 million rural Indians who are below the average food energy intake of sub-Saharan African countries! Studies have shown a long-term tendency towards declining per capita calorie consumption, especially in rural India – that is, Indians are growing hungrier year after year. Deaths by hunger are an all-too common phenomenon which Indian rulers are united in denying.

Geetanjali 2008 experience.

2008-12-28T19:28:00.001-08:00

They say the music was great and the event was highly entertaining. I wouldn't know, for, I was outside doing my own "bounden duty" distributing the Irom Sharmila pamphlets not very different from the one below. Six hundred or so people with at least three hundred of them adults showed up. There must be something missing in the pamphlet or my approach when I speak, for I only got around thirty signups for the petition. So far so good. But I am still a long way from beating Sanjay Dutt petitions. Sigh!

But this is not the thing troubling me tonight, for, I am hopeful that some day people will see Irom's point. What troubles me is a small incident that happened as I tried to get my thoughts across to a small group of people who disagreed with me. There were some valid concerns in their argument and had I handled it properly I could have explained to them why AFSPA may not be the only solution in that situation. That's when one of the guy saw "manipur freedom" at the bottom of the pamphlet as an information reference and screamed as if he just met a traitor. He refused to even consider the petition for the sake of anyone who "says he wants to separate from India". A patriot in his own eyes, he must have been appalled at my attitude for he threw the pamphlet in the Waste can right in front of my eyes. I felt as if I really failed at communicating the very message that I have been trying to convey for past few weeks. That's when I lost my "cool", I shouldn't have and I feel sorry for it. This happened as the other guy in the group was raising the concern about how does the army control a rioting mob if they have to give fair trial/respect human rights etc.

I rambled some random things starting from how AFSPA is much worse than Rowlatt Act and how I could use the same argument he made and justify Jalianwallah Bagh massacare by British officers. My eyes returning to look at the waste can* again and again as I spoke. I don't even know how it all ended. I probably went into the argument that the fact that we needed army to control the general population of a state for 45+ years says about their (democratic) choice. That's when I lost them perhaps, I changed the issue from the plain simple issue of human rights to politics. Bad idea. My personal opinion instead of a well accepted fact.

I wish I could go back in time and behave differently. I wish I had four more signs for the petition. I have not seen the law books but I have some answer for them. I wish I said :

To the guy asking about the riot:

In case of the riot the army may fire back in self defence. (However much I hate saying that). The firing on a rioting public may still not come free, in the absence of AFSPA their will be an investigation, that will need witnesses. The officer issuing firing order will probably have less reasons to do so if he is aware that there can be consequences.

To the guy who threw my pamphlet: Excuse me, this pamphlet business is pretty expensive stuff. But if you still feel like throwing it in trash can as a protest gesture please use the "Mixed paper" can instead of the "Waste". We have gone Green sir.

If I am to meet a few more people like them, I really wish "Indian Unity" or perhaps TimesofIndia starts covering AFSPA and Irom Sharmila so that I can fix the information references.

* I retrieved the pamphlet from the trash. I still have it with me.

Meanwhile in the wonderland

2008-12-28T19:27:00.003-08:00

We continue to celebrate another woman.

http://movies.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2846133.cms

(printed in news paper on March 8th 2008, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/archive/year-2008,month-3,starttime-39515.cms)

And that's why most tend to whish her off. They comment on her 'plastic face', her 'irritating giggling-syndrome', her 'much practiced behaviour', her 'boring diplomacy', and mock her when she is in the company of her in-laws and hubby playing the family woman to the hilt. However, it's for all the above mentioned reasons that we intend to salute Aishwarya today – on Woman's Day. We call her the Balancer, for she balances her professional life with her personal so beautifully. And we swear, that every woman who despises her does so because somewhere deep inside she knows that she can never get there

Talk about choosing a role model on Woman's day, bah! Not that there is anything wrong with that.

Btw, Times of India gave ZERO coverage to Irom Sharmila's release and re-arrest.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080309/jsp/northeast/story_8998102.jsp

Immediately afterwards, Sharmila went to the office of the meira paibis (women activists) in her locality, Kongpal Kongkham Leikai, to resume her hungerstrike.

The police took her into custody again at 2.30pm today, International Women’s Day, for trying to commit suicide by refusing to eat.

Oh wait I almost forgot, isn't Times Group hunting for a new Indian Leader or something? Lead India perhaps, hope they notice. Yeah right!

Aaj Tak Masterpiece. Indeed sabse tez!

2008-12-28T19:27:00.001-08:00

Unless I forgot how to read Hindi(and right now I am hoping I did), the (self declared) "nation's best channel" informs us that Mr. Amitabh Bachchan has caught cold! Do I really need to comment on this "National Emergency"?

Btw, now I am wondering what other "lagi"s of Mr. Amitabhi Bachchan are covered in the mainstream Indian Media!

Media treatment: Herman/Chomsky's Fifth Filter

2008-12-28T19:26:00.001-08:00

Two brave people, standing against oppression. Two oppressing regimes. Did they get different media treatment?

The Tank Man:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tank_Man

Against China (Them)
The tank tried to avoid and finally stopped. See video(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-nXT8lSnPQ)
Tank Man not hurt, later arrested.

Rachel Corrie:

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article1248.shtml and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Corrie

Against Israel( Us/Ally)
The bulldozer continued its destruction, while trying to avoid.
Rachel Corrie perished as she was "accidentally" crushed by bulldozer.

Times of 'Elite' India

2008-12-28T19:24:00.001-08:00

Converting my mail to blog entry on a friendly request.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India_short_of_6_lakh_doctors_/articleshow/2921262.cms
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Private_sector_can_help_overcome_doctor_shortage_Report/articleshow/2921291.cms

This has made the Planning Commission suggest that the medical education sector should be opened up completely for private sector participation and companies should be allowed to establish medical and dental colleges just as they have been allowed to open nursing colleges.

Yeah first they make pathetic investment in health sector(.99 percent of GDP), then they make govt. medical college education very unattractive by making quixotic rules, then call in the big brothers. I may be missing something here, how does opening for private sector solve the problem or doctors leaving the country?

Also I had a tough time finding the findings of these report on: http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/planrel/11thf.htm, you can try your luck and let me know.
Those wishing to read other perspectives about health system proceed to : http://www.indiatogether.org/2006/jan/psa-health.htm

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/George_Bush_to_the_common_man_Fools_all/articleshow/2919943.cms

And believe it or not, our readers' second choice of the 'Biggest Fool' is the India's common man himself. Of course, he takes various avatars such as the Indian Public, Public, citizens of India, Indian citizen, the common man, I, me, general public and aam aadmi .

In a clear message that the Indian voter is dissatisfied with the choices he makes, at number three comes the Indian voter and his various avatars such as 'I who voted' and even 'The Indian voter for letting politicians take him for a ride'.

Its quite shocking huh? After the 2004 election shock isn't it so obvious that the common man/voter is an idiot? Only we(the elites) know what's good for him. Right? Don't tell me it was a self depricating humor, because, if it were the whole survey is moot.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/IIM-A_chairman_rules_out_roll_back_of_fee_hike/articleshow/2920953.cms

"The Minister was concerned about the meritorious poor students who will not be able to afford the burden of fee-hike," Singhania said adding IIM-A has decided to increase the scholarship manifold.

Of course the scholarship will be provided to RIGHT kind of students, students who are disciplined and go along the dictat and not express any dissent. They will be well behaved and must agree with the form of management and studies WE say are right.

For Irom Sharmila Chanu

2008-12-28T19:19:00.001-08:00

May be its is more important for me to know about each and every move the Bachchans make or when Shahrukh smokes. May be I am supposed to go dancing in the streets when the media rejoices that India has more billionares in top 10 than any other country. But 7 years of apathy, I tell you TOIs, the Hindus, the rediff and other mainstream medias of India., that's a FRAUD you are doing with your readers. Today starts depressing, not just the news, but the fact that for seven years it was not even discussed. The fact that this doesnt bother any of our "leaders". "Leaders" who come running to talk when a bottle gets thrown in Bachchan mansion.

Call your local newspaper/media and demand to know more about this brave woman and her fight.

http://www.kanglaonline.com/index.php?template=headline&newsid=41395&typeid=1

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200803071758.htm

Here's an interview from last year by tehelka.

http://tehelka.com/story_main23.asp?filename=Ne120906The_unlikely_CS.asp

Here are some more details covered in alternate media.

http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticle/2676

Oh and by the way don't forget to sign the petition if you wish to contribute to her cause. (Yes petitions do work)

http://www.petitiononline.com/afspa/petition.html

Pamphlet for Irom Sharmila

2008-12-28T19:17:00.001-08:00

The following pamphlet was distributed at the Tasveer's Aaina 2008 event after we watched Tales from the Margins by Kavita Joshi.

Real life joke

2008-12-28T19:16:00.001-08:00

Consider this petition
http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?savebaba

Desperte pleas to save Sanju baba saying that 6 years in jail will be a grave mistake. For a mistake he commited long time back. Nothing funny about that.

See the signatures: currently at 4356.

Compare with the petition for Irom Sharmila

http://www.petitiononline.com/afspa/petition.html

See the signatures: currently at 509

Laugh with me. Hahahaha.

PS:
Wait there is one more for sanju http://www.petitiononline.com/Sanju786/petition.html
See the signatures: currently at 5717

Laugh some more.. will you?

Sub Prime Simplified

2008-12-28T19:14:00.001-08:00

Here is a great way to understand the sub prime crisis.

Link Here: http://docs.google.com/TeamPresent?docid=ddp4zq7n_0cdjsr4fn&skipauth=true&p