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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We have to thank the self-proclaimed preservers of the Maratha culture like Bal Thackeray and the offsprings of his fundamentalist ideology, please read Maharashtra Navanirman Sena, to further divide our already divided country. The division of Indians on the basis of Maratha and non-Maratha and the exodus of many thousand north Indians from the state in the recent past is a shame to the much celebrated belief of ‘unity in diversity’. I seriously wonder why don’t they remove it from the school textbooks, isn’t the concept almost redundant?

Once again, the state of Maharashtra has attracted attention with the MNS asking shopkeepers in the state to write the name of their shops in Marathi. Don’t take me as anti-culture. I am as proud of our rich Indian culture as you are, but I am not for imposition. Why are we forcing everyone to do as we like? Don’t we live in a democracy where we can do as we please as long as we are not crossing anybody else’s right? The fundamentalists negate both, they impose and they interfere with the fundamental rights of others. Shouldn’t the MNS be writing the name of their office in Marathi with a hope that others will follow? I thought that was the correct, Gandhian way to do things.

do check out http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mumbai/Now_MNS_trains_guns_on_cable_operators/articleshow/3414650.cms

Being as objective as I can, I think the Bal Thackerays and MNSs suffer from an inferiority complex. How else will you explain their infantile obsession to force others to play along with their whims and fancies?

Via timesofindia

It’s scary to even think of the mindset behind protests like the VHP chakka jam that took over the nation yesterday. Apparently, it was a support agitation for the brothers in J&K angry over the Amarnath row. We know what happened there. And it wasn’t fair. But why spread the virus of hatred emanating from the political situation in J&K to the rest of India. Former CM of J&K, Farooq Abdullah expressed his “fear of communal hatred” that is generating from this issue across the country.
But I haven’t come to the most frightening aspect. An agitator in Delhi claimed on national television that he and his peers realise the inconvenience and hardships the common man has to face due to the protests but they are for the larger good (which he claimed was to awaken the Hindu brotherhood). “Sometimes, you have to go through difficult times to be enlightened,” he shared without batting an eyelid. Ram’s family would disagree. The 70-year-old heart patient died in Ambala yesterday when he could not reach the hospital in time due to the roads blockage by the VHP.
Is this the kind of enlightenment that religious fanaticism is leading to?
Via hindu

China sure will be the talk of the global town all this year. First, it was the anti-protestors stance then the earthquake and now the Olympics. Seems like they are trying a little too hard with the historical sporting event, maybe with the intention to make the world forget the demerits that the country has been laced with over time.
Let’s take a quick look at some of the absurd steps that China has taken to make the 2009 Olympics a ‘grand memory’.
1.    The fireworks ceremony held at a jam-packed National Stadium on August 8 was not all that it really looked like. The much touted incredible event was a mere illusion. After a controversy broke out over the issue, the game organisers admitted having used a series of illusions that even included a pre-taped footprint shaped fireworks segment.
2.    The venue managers were given instructions to use volunteer cheerleaders to fill empty seats in the stadium. A consequence of which was that the athletes’ families were unable to obtain the tickets for some events.
3.    But the most insensitive one of them all was when a seven-year-old girl was replaced because officials felt that her face was not suitable for the opening ceremony. An older girl was asked to lip-synch the Ode to the Motherland instead, which was recorded in the voice of the youngster.
4.     And didn’t we hear a few days ago that the Chinese authorities have asked girls with plump legs to wear black stocking.
What do I say about the facade that is being presented to the world? I wonder what exactly China is trying to prove here.
via ibnlive

Anubumani Ramadoss will surely be the most remembered Health Minister of India. Agreed that he received a lot of flak for his rigorous anti-tobacco campaign and the AIIMS controversy, I bet the gay community of India will always be grateful to the man. Attending the World AIDS meet in Mexico, Ramadoss made a controversial statement when he said, “The fight against AIDS will be significantly advanced when homosexuality is legalized in the country.” Now, this was a complete shocker for the conservative and homophobic Indian community. Currently under section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, men who have sex with men are regarded as criminals as this act is “against the order of nature”.
Well, he makes sense to me. AIDS is a result of multiple partners, among other reasons. So legalising homosexuality will make people more open about their sexual status. Also, dependence on drugs will be reduced. A recent study by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) finds that a majority of drug addicts in the Indian subcontinent are in fact HIV positive.  The report added that most drug users fell in the age group of 21 to 30 years and that just 20 percent of them used a condom before having sexual intercourse!
 Via newslocale

Democratic White House contender Barack Obama has given a chance to his critics to bad mouth him as he decides to take a week-long vacation in his place of birth Hawaii. Apparently, the Obama family is going on a holiday to recharge before the November’s election. “I am going to see my Grandma after so long,” the Illinois senator exclaimed.
The Beijing Olympics start today and Obama has the support of polls that suggest Americans are thirsting for a break from a year and a half of non-stop politicking on the White House trail. But even then John McCain’s spokesman Tucker Bounds didn’t leave an opportunity to accuse Obama of sunning himself while his voters suffer from an economic squeeze. Obama, in his defence, said, “According to a poll by the Pew Research Centre for the People and the Press released Wednesday, 48 percent of voters feel they have been overexposed to news about the Democrat. We are going to correct that this week.” Obama quipped. A smart choice indeed.
Via afp

Hotel heiress Paris Hilton and pop star Britney Spears are pissed off. Recently, John McCain featured the two controversial babes in a political ad that attacks Barack Obama without their knowledge and consent. Britney’s rep said that she won’t give importance to such a petty thing and has bigger things to worry about than who runs for president. C’mon Britney there are things far more important than loving puppies! As for Paris, she has not seen the ad yet as she is touring with Benji Madden and isn’t watching television. But she is aware of the ad and is certainly not happy about it. Now, isn’t that interesting for Paris’ parents are strong supporters of McCain so much so that they have even contributed to this presidential campaign but it turns out she is not declaring publicly who she is standing by for the elections. 

That was about the varying opinion in the Hilton household but coming back to McCain; well he has stooped too low with this ad campaign. He has defined a new low, even lower than mudslinging. Imagine equating Obama to Paris and Britney. Indeed, the attempt is very below the belt. I hope the citizens of the world view this thing with open eyes.

Via thesuperficial

Niketa and Harsh Mehta have been in new for the last two days with their 24-week foetus that they want to abort. The High Court has still not decided the fate of the foetus diagnosed with congenital heart disease. The existing law does not permit abortion more than 20 weeks after conception. This has led to quite a nationwide debate as the mother of the unborn child says, “I just want a healthy child. I don’t want it to suffer. Even if you do not consider the suffering me and my family will go through, at least think of the miserable life the child will be forced to lead.” Even their doc Nikhil Datar stands by the appeal with a medical reason. “The child will have to be fitted with a pacemaker the moment it is born, which will have to be replaced every four years.
In my opinion, the Mehtas are not justified in taking the life of their unborn child. C’mon won’t more than half of our nation come forth to abort their female foetuses saying, “Oh, it is so difficult for a girl to have a normal life in our country. They are molested, raped and discriminated against all the time. I don’t want a miserable life for my child.” The argument is as shallow as the one offered by the Mehta missus. Life should be given a chance to take its own course because miracles and breakthrough medicine do happen all the time. I can’t seem to understand what the Mehtas are panicking about? I even hear some activists willing to adopt the unborn kid.

Via CNNIBN

Imagine being one of the 37 passengers on a Greyhound bus travelling in Canada while one of your co-passenger calmly stabs another about 40 times before decapitating him. It surely would not be comfortable place to be in. A couple of months earlier, a Tomohiro Katō unleashed fury with his dagger in the busy Electric town of Akihabara in Tokyo eventually killing 7 people and injuring another 12. Both the attackers were arrested by the police eventually but had this been India, I wonder how this would have ended. I also have my doubts if Kato would have managed to carry on his rampage for so long.

Lynching of criminals is a growing concern in India, or is it? The people of Bihar seems to be OK with it, given the fact that even the policemen there have been caught on camera punching and kicking a chain-snatcher on the streets. Delhi and Mumbai too gets its fair share of mob justice.

Lynching seems directly proportional to the crime rate of the state. Furthermore, it would be safe to assume that Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat is one of the promoters of this summary justice, looking at the controversy of Sohrabuddin Sheikh. You tell me, how many Indian movies have you seen when in the end the bad guy does not get his ass kicked?

Coming back to the point, even though we might blame our Judicial system or the law-enforcing agencies as the primary reason for mob fury but it’s not just about justice. If the crowd at Akihabara or group of people inside the Greyhound had intervened, maybe some innocent lives could have been saved. I am not advocating the idea of Extra-Judicial punishment but there are times when the so called mob is salutary. Post Akihabara massacre, 12 more people have been arrested who have stated their intention to follow the steps of Kato. The Police of Japan surely seems to be on an alert, but are the people of Japan?

Via CBCCA

427 TV channels in India!!! Or so the TAM guy says. That is not the only fact to be thrown your way dear reader. While people criticize print media for selling out big time news space to rich advertisers, they seem to overlook the shortcomings of the news channels they so like to depend on. Hear hear, apparently a Hindi news channel has been a running 19 minutes of advertising in a 30-minute prime time slot. WHAT??? I know this must be the word coming out of your mouth. Wondering where the news went between the breaks.

I mean you cannot just crucify one media group when there are others who have very tartly played with the 19-11 edit-ad ratio to a 17-13 at primetime by bringing back recognised faces. Also 33 per cent of the ticker space at prime time is sold to ads, a phenomenon that BBC and CNN are totally unaware of!
And IBN7 is currently obsessed with aliens. There is nothing newsworthy unless it is other worldly. I mean talking about images from space that show the faces of Hindu gods and Mahatma Gandhi is like what??? Then there was the news report on Area 51, as if it was something new. What’s up with the news guys…….?

Via PressTalk