For most people, the name Maldives brings to mind pictures of never-ending stretches of luscious white sandy beaches warmed by the sun, disappearing on all sides into waters glimmering in every shade of blue and green. But for the natives of Maldives, the country is more than just an archipelago created on this earth as a haven for scuba divers and the Brad Pitts of the world to languidly vacation at.

The island nation of Maldives, scattered like precious gems on the Indian Ocean, may have a GDP nearly twice that of the neighbouring country of India which dwarfs it both by total area and population, but the country seems to be dying a slow death under the torturous and never-ending regime of its president, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. The celebrations over the recent multi-party presidential elections have almost smouldered completely with hope fading from nearly every face as the people begin to realise, yet again, that it may become impossible to make the current president give up the reins of the country. An astonishingly shocking revelation made by the favoured opposition party, MDP, reveals that as a last attempt to gain his losing control over the country, Gayoom has opted to practically sell the country over to his younger brother, Abdulla Yamin.

In an obvious violation of the constitution of the country and international laws, Gayoom appears to have signed an agreement with People’s Alliance leader Yamin giving his party 25 percent of Gayoom’s cabinet and wide control over all government agencies. Titled ‘Agreement on Political Cooperation’, the papers would act as an MOU between the two parties and clearly state the formation of a six member committee (which includes Gayoom and Yamin) that would overlook the running of the whole country. How only six members plan to run a country, even one as small as the Maldives, all on their own without even the support of the cabinet is a feat worthy only of the likes of Dumbledore.

After the first stage of the first ever multi-party elections in the country, five of the six opposing parties joined together in a surprising show of national unity in hopes of ousting dictator Gayoom. Yet, it is unbelievable that even after thirty years of single-handedly ruling over the nation and the word ‘resign’ resounding from every corner of the country, President Gayoom still dares to hold on steadfastly to the delusion that he is the most desired candidate for the post of president.

The second stage of the presidential elections would be held on the 28^th of this month and would decide the future president of Maldives. Is the Maldives doomed to bear another five years with Gayoom and side-kick Yamin or would they finally see a new face? With accusations of the votes being rigged during the first round, the deciding vote may not make any difference for this struggling nation; or perhaps it would, with citizens swearing to take to the streets if Gayoom is elected. Perhaps only complete destruction of Gayoom and his family can save the country, and the hot blooded natives of the country have been pushed to the point of attempting to do so. Whether Gayoom succeeds or not, it is left to doubt if the result of the election would be due to rigging or as a result of the clouded brains of the people of the drug capital of Asia.

Via: Miadhu

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A bunch of hooligans chanting ‘Jai Maharashtra’ enter the Thane Railway Station in Mumbai and thirteen examination centres to rough up the students come to appear for the railway recruitment board exams. The gundas in reference are actually members of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and the victims are people from North India. And guess what? Nothing is done about it. I wonder why………

Let’s hear what the play actors say in this grotesque display of violence and insanity. I have taken the liberty of voicing North Indians who ufortunately are left with no option but flee for their lives.

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Since elections are largely a game of perception, the upcoming US presidential elections is at feverish pitch with smear campaigns. For Barack Hussein Obama, it’s working both ways on the perception scale. Those who are for him are accused of terrorism, while those against, of racism. The McCain-Palin camp brands Obama a terrorist. A Muslim-sounding name can easily be associated with Radical Islamism a.k.a. terrorism. So, if Obama wins, the hugely-budgeted US-sponsored campaign towards global collective panic and power of nightmares called War on Terror would have obviously worn out its use.

What’s in a name? A lot. A Muslim-sounding name makes for a Muslim stereotype which, in turn, makes for the terrorist stereotype. This is so because, in this day and age, the pervading mindset is that not all Muslims are terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims. So, someone with a Hussein in his name is “palling around with terrorists,” as Sarah Palin averred.
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I am worried about terrorism in India. Not just Islamic, which without any questions and doubts does get addressed and taken adequate action against, but also Hindu terrorism, which always escapes from the grip of authorities for lack of hard evidence. Honestly, if nothing is done about the situation in Orissa we shall probably have yet another terrorist group, but this time participated by Christians.

The ‘gorious’ work of the Bajrang Dal in Orissa is not a figment of anybody’s imagination. Innocent people are murdered in cold-blood, burnt alive, nuns raped…do we really need more facts to take a call against the religious group? PM Manmohan Singh wants to ban the group immediately but defiance within his party is problematic because they fear the BJP may reap dividends out of it. So, in the political plotting nobody really suffers but people like the Armyman who fought for our country in the Indo-Pak and Kargil War; his paralysed brother gets torched by fanatics chanting “Jai Hanuman” in Orissa.

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Already beleaguered about her ‘presumed’ incapacity as future VP of the world’s biggest economy that might soon be no more because of the economic meltdown and controversial bailout, Palin has now been found guilty of abusing her gubernatorial powers in her native Alaska. The state legislature probe asserts that Palin dismissed a senior state official Mr. Monegan for not firing a state trooper Mike Wooten. This might sound like any ordinary day in the life of Alaska’s governor except that Wooten is the governor’s former brother-in-law who is in a bitter custody battle with the governor’s sister.

If that sounds like a story that is discussed inside one’s kitchen, this development takes the cake: the investigation was a partisan-led inquiry sponsored by supporters of Obama. If personal grudge is behind her abuse of power, the probe’s exorbitant 263-page report is an indication of what being the running mate of Republican standard bearer John McCain has to offer in the dirty world of politics. Surely, the report would have less number of pages if she were just plain governor.
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According to international nuclear inspectors, a Russian scientist helped the Iranians with technical know-how and also helped them conduct complex experiments on ways of detonating a nuclear weapon. The fact that this information was revealed excitedly on the New York Times has more political reasons  than any real danger from either the Russian scientist or the Iranian nuclear hounds.

The U.S. has been trying to create the image of an impending calamity due to Russian aggressive behaviors when the real reason why Russians are growing increasingly aggressive is because they have their own fears. The Iranians may or may not pose a threat to the world, but a bigger threat to the world lies in the form of American foreign policies and propaganda such as the one about the Russian scientist. What appalls me is that a venerable newspaper like the New York Times is also not immune to prejudice and, directly or indirectly participates in the dissemination of American propaganda.

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It is surprising to note that Muslims in the U.K have a greater freedom than anywhere else and they receive governmental grants and funds to build mosques in prime locations in British cities including London. A predominantly Christian society, the British have been quite tolerant in accepting immigrants and also allowing them to practice their personal beliefs. However, the fate of Christians in the Muslim world is one that has to be dealt with cautiously. Christians have been persecuted and marginalized in most Middle Eastern countries and recently, in India too.

However, the idea is to live peacefully and with religious tolerance. Though Atheism and non-religious societies are always welcome and of course safer too, it is difficult to change the way people think. If the British decided to avenge the persecution of Christians in the Middle East and promptly persecute the Muslims of Britain, it would be harking back to the Middle Ages. The Old Testament law of an eye for an eye and a hand for a hand would not work in a modern society and free societies must set up an example by not tolerating ‘other’ religions but in fact discouraging overt religious behaviors anywhere. In fact, avoiding religious topics and stopping the funds for religious institutions would do well and the money could be diverted to saner purposes like education and research.

The concept of religious tolerance must be thought over and when it is thought over, we would know that there really isn’t much to think, except allow others to live productive lives while we live our own live productively.

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Via: Guardian

The Bombay High Court is furious at the Maharashtra government. Justice J.N. Patel publicly reprimanded the Deshmukh sarkar for not taking adequate actions against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray. The world has been hearing of Thackeray’s escapades of regional discrimination in the state. And it’s the same thing on everyone’s mind – why are the authorities not doing anything about it?

After the MNS activists vandalised shops without a Marathi name, complaints were registered by the frightened shopkeepers. The police booked a case against many vandalisers but not Thackeray. In such a scenario, Patel expressed his disappointment in the law protectors and enforcers; because of them the law system of our country has been put in a negative light.
As per Patel, if the authorities don’t take strict action against the miscreants, people will think that there are some who are untouchable by the law. The police is hardly controlling the chaos and the politicos are deliberately ignoring the issue. This may encourage anti-social elements to create more damage.
Via hindu

Robert Mugabe has been one of the most enigmatic and disastrous leaders to ever walk this planet. White farmers have been ousted from their land and have been subjected to heinous treatments under a lawless government. The fact that Mugabe still is in power and that the power sharing business has no value is a matter of great concern to me. What I refuse to accept is that a white man can be killed because his ancestors were bad to the black.

What we are seeing right now is a reverse racism where white people have been subjected to racial attacks in Zimbabwe and South Africa. In fact, many Southern African leaders have supported white killings and many have been killed too. Of course all these incidents are seldom reported because of the so called ‘white man’s guilt’. The guilty must definitely be brought to justice and handed over to law. But the farcical nature of the entire issue is that there is neither any law nor any justice.

I would like to ask the readers which court of justice could try and hang Mugabe and his cronies or the political but terrorist-like Zanu PF that is in fact behind President Robert Mugabe! This is shocking and unacceptable that we continue to watch such incidents take place in a modern and developed society.

Via: TimesOnline

It’s more than shocking when I read Maati Saari’s merciless psychedelic killing spree that took ten of his classmates’ lives and also his own post the massacre. The most horrible part of the whole scene was when he put them on fir post the massacre. The victims have been left beyond recognition due to the results of the severe burns received by the corpses. What dumbfounded me the most is the bold step that he took by uploading a video on YouTube, which shows him shooting at a range. The question is, why couldn’t the Law react to this illegal video on time? Reports validate that this particular video was posted on Finnish social networking site and with circulation it had reached the YouTube.

It seems to me that the Law is washing its hands off and not taking the charged completely on its own, obviously for political issues. But who will control this killing spree which is reported to occur frequently especially in educational institutes. It’s a tough nut to crack, as nothing seems to be conspicuous. Nobody has the precise clues as to why this heinous crime is committed by the school and college students. What stimulates these youngsters to take themselves into this scandalous crime should be the Law’s concern. This merciless crime should be nipped in the bud not by the Law alone but collectively which involves all the citizens.

Educational institutes are no more safe. Acquiring education has equally become as dangerous as facing a troop of army in the battlefield. Who will save the innocent people now? Whose fault is it that the innocent lives have been taken forcefully. Maati Saari killed his ten classmates but who will control this insane crime? How many more Maati Saari are people going to withstand? Acting upon this serious issue at once will perchance ameliorate the safety of the innocent people. It’s time to wake up and be harsh on the concerned people who are responsible for this kind of an unforgiving crime. One must obliterate this crime forever. Can a one person alone do this? Possibly not, so join your hands together and allow no more such a crime to be registered in the history.

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Via: TimesOnline