An 18-year-old student commits suicide in China
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/01/international/01CHIN.html?hp=&pagewanted=all&position=
A 21-year-old engineering student commits suicide in Kerala
http://www.rediff.com/news/2004/jul/29rajeev.htm
An interesting study in contrasts, and I wonder what the Marxists of Kerala have to say about the situation for the poor in their idolized country, China. It is clearly far worse there for all but the urban elite. And the kind of rioting led by the Marxists in Kerala would not have been tolerated in China. The rioters would have been shot on sight.
Kerala's Marxists should be packed off to China. They don't know how good they have it in India.
Saturday, July 31, 2004
The full 9/11 Report
The full report is available for free at www.gpoaccess.gov , the us govt. printing office'swebpage. it's a 4.4 meg pdf file with 587 pages. i downloaded a copy with not much trouble.
an alternate address is www.9-11commission.gov
factoid: number of times the word 'pakistan' is mentioned in the report body -236
however, after much cogitation, in a breathtaking example of pretzel logic, thereport arrives at the conclusion that the musharraf show must go on withunabated american support and largesse! big 'if' indeed about Musharraf's intentions, what?
an alternate address is www.9-11commission.gov
factoid: number of times the word 'pakistan' is mentioned in the report body -236
however, after much cogitation, in a breathtaking example of pretzel logic, thereport arrives at the conclusion that the musharraf show must go on withunabated american support and largesse! big 'if' indeed about Musharraf's intentions, what?
Recommendation: If Musharraf stands for enlightened moderation in a fight
forhis life and for the life of his country, the United States should be willing
tomake hard choices too, and make the difficult long-term commitment to the
futureof Pakistan. Sustaining the current scale of aid to Pakistan, the United
Statesshould support Pakistan's government in its struggle against extremists
with acomprehensive effort that extends from military aid to support for
bettereducation, so long as Pakistan's leaders remain willing to make
difficultchoices of their own.
India-China parleys
These are going on at the moment, but I believe they are meaningless. Here are two takes on the matter, one from Indian strategic affairs expert Brahma Chellaney, and the other from the Economist magazine. Brahma has a lot more credibility, in my opinion. The Economist stringer appears to be merely regurgitating conventional wisdom. Besides, NATO has always leaned towards China (and any other dictatorship), and the Economist is pretty much the Voice of NATO.
The first article is at: http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/5922_914013,0015002200000057.htm
Forever Shanghaied: Brahma Chellaney
The second article is premium content at the Economist. I post only the first paragraph below:
Vaulting the Himalayas
Jul 29th 2004 DELHI
From The Economist print edition
The principle of peaceful coexistence: keep talking as long as possible
AMONG the mementoes Natwar Singh, India's foreign minister, showsvisitors is a photograph taken in Beijing in 1957. It captures him asa young diplomat, alongside Mao Zedong and other Chinese leaders. Itis a souvenir of a lost era of third-world solidarity, when India andChina devised and embraced their "five principles of peacefulcoexistence", whose 50th anniversary was celebrated in June. In 1962they flouted them all by fighting a brief, bloody border war. Chinarouted India, which has sulked ever since. Relations may now be on thepoint of recovery, though the "brotherhood" the giant Asian neighboursasserted in the 1950s remains a distant memory.
...
The first article is at: http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/5922_914013,0015002200000057.htm
Forever Shanghaied: Brahma Chellaney
The second article is premium content at the Economist. I post only the first paragraph below:
Vaulting the Himalayas
Jul 29th 2004 DELHI
From The Economist print edition
The principle of peaceful coexistence: keep talking as long as possible
AMONG the mementoes Natwar Singh, India's foreign minister, showsvisitors is a photograph taken in Beijing in 1957. It captures him asa young diplomat, alongside Mao Zedong and other Chinese leaders. Itis a souvenir of a lost era of third-world solidarity, when India andChina devised and embraced their "five principles of peacefulcoexistence", whose 50th anniversary was celebrated in June. In 1962they flouted them all by fighting a brief, bloody border war. Chinarouted India, which has sulked ever since. Relations may now be on thepoint of recovery, though the "brotherhood" the giant Asian neighboursasserted in the 1950s remains a distant memory.
...
Rethinking Indian History
Indian history has become a great battleground where the storm troopers of the Left have attempted, with considerable success, to brainwash an entire generation with a manufactured 'history' that fits into their pre-conceived notions of 'class struggle'. The most recent battles are now taking place under the auspices of the HRD ministry, which is hell-bent on re-toxfying textbooks with undigested half-truths and cold-blooded lies. At least someone is making noise about it:
THE PIONEER Saturday, July 31, 2004
TOP STORIES
Why should History books keep to the Left?Barkha Goel/ New Delhi
Politicisation of education needs to be stopped.If the UPA considers the NDA history texts to bebiased, the earlier texts are full of flaws,distortions and have Marxist
leanings. This iswhat leading scholars have briefed President APJAbdul Kalam
about as they sought to promote ahealthy national debate on history.In a letter
addressed to the President, elevenscholars headed by Swami Dayanand Saraswati,
hadasked the Government to work for a lighter,fulfilling and stimulating
education, based oninnovative "pedagogy and promoting great humanvalues and
achievements" of the Indian culture. ...
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