Wednesday, January 31, 2007
couple of additional views on tata-corus
the indian investor has said a loud 'no!' to the acquisition, beating tata steel stock down 11%, no doubt troubled that tata paid too much. which may well be true. bidding wars are bad business.
http://news.independent.co.uk/business/comment/article2204149.ece
but tata steel has come through some seriously rough times mostly based on the fact of tata's integrity and sense of purpose. they have got the employees -- in almost japanese style -- to get with the program and be partners rather than the usual striking malcontents steelworkers are often stereotyped as.
i think the jury is out on this one, although tata was forced to pay a very hefty premium indeed. for a conservative company, this is a big one. the benefit is that it got tremendous brand exposure, although that may or may not be something they wanted. if it falls flat on its face, the tata brand will survive, but it will have some egg on its face. however, we had doubts about tata's ability to build a small car, and they sure showed us, didn't they?
i have a lot of respect for tata's ethics and integrity. this is one good company. and the good guys do win now and then.
something more general about the rise of india
http://news.independent.co.uk/business/comment/article2204135.ece
even the economist finds it hard to stomach marxist hypocrisy
even though they can't spell 'buddhadeb' and also are experts, in the usual atlanticist way, at talking out of both sides of their mouth.
they should also have thrown in the kerala example, where all meaningful development has been scotched by marxists. a former marxist minister, on being asked about prohibition, said, "of course we're against prohibition. without alcohol, there won't be poverty. and without poverty, who needs us?"
even more true now then when it was uttered.
http://www.economist.com/daily/columns/asiaview/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8621997&fsrc=nwl
nicholas dirks on empire
ghostwriter, thank you for the pointer to this. i have read excerpts from earlier works by nicholas dirks, and he seems both very competent and very fair. quite unlike most white academics working in india-related fields. another scholar who seems to be good is ronald inden.
http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/DIRSCA.html
anti-AIDS vaginal gel fails test in india and africa
the ethics of these field tests confuse me. they give the placebos and the real product to women who indulge in high-risk behavior? is that it?
anyway this sounds like a setback for AIDS prevention options under the control of women.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/health/20070131-1027-aids-microbicides.html
stanford: Reminder : India's National Innovation System Talk - January 31,2007
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: South Asia Electronic Mailing for Seminars/Conferences < sa-mailing@lists.stanford.edu>
Date: Jan 30, 2007 9:14 PM
Subject: Reminder : India's National Innovation System Talk - January 31,2007
To: sa-mailing@lists.stanford.edu
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on china's future
interesting blog post and comments.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/business/davosdiary/jan07/china.htm
Terrorists would get boost if Cong is voted to power: Modi
true.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Shahryar
| Terrorists would get boost if Cong is voted to power: Modi |
| Mumbai, Jan 28: In the run up to Mumbai civic polls, BJP tonight launched a scathing attack on Congress charging terrorists would get a boost to their morale if the party is voted to power in Mumbai in the wake of July 11 train bomb blasts while its ally Shiv Sena stuck to its Hindutva plank. Sharing the dais at a joint meeting here with Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi said terrorists would get a boost to their morale if Congress is voted to power in Mumbai in the wake of July 11 blasts as it would send a signal that terrorism is not an issue that mattered. Modi also attacked Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh for his "lack of concern" for development of the state. "Four states would have received 1495mw of power had Sardar Sarovar Dam been 121 mt in height but Vilasrao chose to adhere to the Congress' policy and voted against the proposal, against wishes of energy-starved state," he said. Thackeray asked Hindus to break down linguistic barriers and come together to build a "Hindustan for Hindus" that will bring down "Islam to its knees". "It is my dream that we built Hindustan for Hindus. Maharashtrians or Punjabis alone can not fight against Islam. That is why, I appeal to all Hindus to break the linguistic wall around them and come together so that we can bring Islam in this country down to its knees," Thackeray said, addressing rally of estimated over 60,000 people. Today's rally at Shivaji Park, a Sena stronghold in Central Mumbai, was the high point of Sena-BJP's campaign for retaining its hold on Mumbai Municipal Corporation which they have ruled for the last ten years. In his 20-minute speech Thackeray also dwelled briefly on problems faced by Mumbai and alleged there was a conspiracy to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra. "Let them even try to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra and we will give them a fitting reply. One hundred and five martyrs, mostly mill workers, had sacrificed their lives for the cause of Maharashtra with Mumbai and we will not let it go to waste," he said. The Sena supremo also sought to silence critics who had sounded his party's death knell, saying the party will live forever and prevail over those who seek to destroy it. He said Sena must not be held responsible for the closure of mills in Central Mumbai and his party would oppose construction of malls on the mill land. "If you have mall, we also have our `maul'" he said. At the rally addressed by several top leaders of Sena and BJP in the state, Thackeray had the last word grabbing the mike when rally was just about to close. "I have been told that my speech was disjointed but that is only because I was not sure how much time I should spare for our guest Narendra Modi," he said. "But I will meet all of you again at the victory rally in a few days," he said. Bureau Report |
New Yahoo! Mail is the ultimate force in competitive emailing. Find out more at the Yahoo! Mail Championships. Plus: play games and win prizes.
LA Times story on Kerala Mohammedans
good question, indeed.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: K.V.
Prosperity and education are conventionally supposed to be the answers to fundamentalism and separatism. So, what does the following mean?
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-kerala28jan28,1,3976114.story?coll=la-headlines-world&ctrack=1&cset=true
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
death wish by BJP?
we saw ashok malik's terrific article on how well modi has managed gujarat economically.
here's a post (thanks, narayan) about how well modi has been received by the public in, of all places, kerala.
http://dailypioneer.com/indexn12.asp?main_variable=front%5Fpage&file_name=story3%2Etxt&counter_img=3
Modi's Kerala visit a grand success
Pioneer News Service | Thiruvananthapuram
Proving the perpetrators of paranoia wrong, Kerala welcomed Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Monday when he reached here to take part in the Hindu Maha Mela organised by the RSS as part of the MS Golwalkar Birth Centenary celebrations.
Modi's visit, which was projected by his political opponents as "intended to create fissures in the social fabric of Kerala", turned out to be one of the most well-attended public programmes the State has ever witnessed. "The credit should go to the State Police and the Home Department for ensuring that the programme takes place as per plans," said an ecstatic organiser half way through the rally.
... more
then we turn around and see that the BJP has kicked modi out of its central committee (i saw this news item, but don't have a URL).
what is it, death wish?
modi is the one candidate they have who stands tall.
maybe the moles are active at the highest levels still. there was one guy who was an absolute mole in the top echelons of the bjp (obviously i am not going to name names) and he was a pure-bred nehruvian. don't these guys do background checks on people before they take them on board? sheesh!
me on rediff on marxists continuing in imperial footsteps, bush's travails etc.
fyi
http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/jan/30rajeev.htm
i've posted it on my other blog as well.
Tata Wins Auction for Corus
well, there is a lot more to the story, of course.
indians used to make the finest steel in the world, called wootz, which was known to european crusaders as damascene, the steel for the mohammedans' very fine swords.
we *lost* the technology during the semitic invasions.
i am not averse to steel, but i'd prefer it if the steel production were done in third countries by indian companies. for instance, in third-world backwaters like britain. they can supply the brawn, indians can ship the iron ore there, use their coal, and make value added products to be sold around the world.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Kumar
From a talk given by LK Advani:
Britisher, who offered to eat Indian steel, had to eat his words!
Here I am particularly struck by the case of Tata Steel.
When Jamsetji Tata was dreaming of setting up a steel plant in India in the closing years of the 19th century and early years of the 20th century , he was encouraged by many patriotic Indians, including someone like Swami Vivekananda, who was far removed from the world of business. But Jamsetji's dream was also sneered and scorned at by the British, who thought that Indians were incapable of anything hi-tech. Steel-making, let's remember, was certainly hi-tech those days.
The chief commissioner of the Great Indian Peninsular Railway those days was Sir Frederick Upcott, a British gentleman. When he heard of the Tatas' plan to make steel in India and supply it to the Railways, which was then busy laying new lines in different parts of the country, he said, "Impossible. They just won't be able to do it. And if they do, I promise to eat every pound of steel rail the Tatas succeed in making."
Needless to say, history has kept no record of how many pounds of Indian steel this British gentleman ate after the Tatas' steel plant commenced production in 1912. But, surely, he would have turned in his grave after the media reported recently that Ratan Tata, the illustrious inheritor of the legacy of Jamsetji and JRD Tata, has made a bid to acquire Corus, the famous British steel company.
Let's hope we see more of this kind of activity.
corporate raider carl icahn sets his sights on MOT; corus; etc
immediately MOT shoots up 6%! i guess the market thinks he'll shake up old ed zander and crew.
btw, that reminds me: when i look at major US corporations, very few of them -- even in technology -- have indian-origin people at the top manager level. intel is one of the few that does, with arvind sodhani; motorola has padmashree warrior; of course there's pepsi and indra nooyi.
it seems to me that the much-trumpeted rise of indians in the executive suite is a flash in the pan: didn't rono dutta and menezies and the head of mckinsey all move on? then there was the disaster with CA and kumar. arun sarin is the only indian-origin CEO i can think of at a major global company (other than of course the mittals and ambanis and tatas).
btw, tata has won the corus beauty contest. did they pay too much? is this a pyrrhic victory? interesting though, two BRIC companies bidding over a brit company.
el nino, drought, inflation and other monsters
the extreme cold weather that hit california recently is supposed to be el nino related. and we know from good old mike davies (late victorian holocausts: el nino and the making of the third world) that the result is drought in the deccan.
what does this portend for the indian stock market? a sharp drop in 2007 as the rains fail?
with inflation already shooting up, this is a scary prospect.
if stocks are going to drop, have to abandon the equity mutual funds. if inflation is going up and interest rates too, then have to abandon the bond mutual funds.
if both are happening, then cash is king, i suppose. this might also burst the real estate bubble. i hear prices have stabilized in bangalore and delhi after shooting through the roof recently.
Monday, January 29, 2007
big retail comes to the grocery segment
is this good news or bad? we shall have to wait and see. there was a recent story about how the costcos and other hypermarkets depend on unnecessary impulse buys by people too.
on average, i think it's good for the producer, since the number of middlemen will go down. it's not good, obviously, for the small retailer. it's probably good for the consumer. most retail in india is dingy; although some have improved, eg. in bangalore, i find that the average retail store, eg. in trivandrum, is most off-putting in terms of a) lighting or lack thereof b) random stacking of stuff with no order c) dust d) poor merchandising and display
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/447fd92a-afce-11db-94ab-0000779e2340.html
nytimes: on food and "food"-like substances
jan 29th, 2007
i don't know if any of you ever read the (yup, limey magazine) New Scientist, which i used to regularly when i was a student. it had a series of cartoons about a lab developing what was known as 'nufud', a food-like substance that was sometimes indistinguishable from the real thing. looks like it wasn't humor after all... (btw, the magazine also had good writing, esp. from a columnist named ariadne.)
fascinating article in the nytimes. i've begun to dread the words 'high-fructose corn syrup', but it's so hard to avoid that ingredient in anything you buy in the US! fortunately, indian food technologists haven't discovered this ingredient yet. but oh yes, they will. it'll probably be high-fructose sugarcane syrup or something.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/magazine/28nutritionism.t.html?ei=5087%0A&em=&en=ce28063f61d4a925&ex=1170219600&pagewanted=all
i listened to an interview with michael pollen when his book 'omnivore's dilemma' first came out. sounded fascinating. amazing that his answer is simple: eat local food, not stuff transported from far off (partly because it's fresh, partly because you have evolved alongside the food and it's most suited to the local climate and soil and so forth, partly because it costs less in oil to transport it). eat less (or preferably no) meat. eat lots of vegetables and fruit, especially green leafy things. eat less of everything. pretty much what Mom has been saying all along.
this monstrousness is what you get with too much industrialization of food technology. it is a bit of a nightmare. in many ways, it's better to be less efficient in food production, even if that wastes land and effort, to not get to bizarre things like what we are eating. once again, this shows food security is not an option. we have to invest in it. india is abandoning food security in a headlong rush towards industrialization, which we shall regret at leisure.
as a result of eating all this food-like stuff, children are getting so laden with hormones that girls are menstruating at the age of 8 in america.
conversely, and i don't remember what the medical explanation was, there was a story about women ceasing to menstruate at 30 in india.
vatican, rogue state: der spiegel
the theme is pertinent, the content is not :-)
http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,460967,00.html
the vatican *is* a rogue state, and it's not because of those pickpockets and petty thieves. it's because it is the largest purveyor of hoaxes in history, as well as the biggest ethnic cleanser in history. it killed hundreds of millions of people all over europe, asia, latin america, africa. it is also the oldest and richest, and most ruthless MNC in the world, masquerading as a state. it is like saudi arabia in a sense: a grand extorter of money using people's blind faith as a weapon. (i believe the meccans worked a bargain with mohammed so that he would urge all mohammedans to come to mecca, which of course generates nice profits for the locals providing victuals and housing. similarly pilgrimage to the vatican is a big money-earner for them godmen.)
the entire der spiegel issue is interesting:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,k-7054,00.html
thanks to habc for the original link, on the hilarious "we capitulate" story. hilarious, if it weren't for the fact that this is what the kaangress, the marxists, and other invertebrates have been foisting on india for a long time. it is, therefore, more like black humor. you feel like weeping rather than laughing.
here's the link:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,462149,00.html
why the 'eminent donkeys' will never see the aryan invasion bullshit is wrong
as pointed out in this book, it usually takes people from another field to come in and blow the cobwebs off the brains of the groupthinkers in an ossified field.
this is why the witzels and other pseudo-historians steeped in religio-fascist lies are deathly afraid of engineers using simple tools like: "let's look at this from first principles", "does this follow from the axioms without extraordinary leaps of faith?", "is this circular reasoning?"
no, the eminent donkeys do not want you to ask embarrassing questions.
http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml;jsessionid=QPLASBK3O1ZNQAKRGWDSELQBKE0YIISW?id=2823
Sunday, January 28, 2007
intel and ibm on new chip technology
the new intel 'breakthrough' has been hyped a lot (and ibm is claiming they have the same thing too) -- something to do with new hafnium-based processes to improve the insulation and thus reduce the leakage current and thus heat generation.
intel has always had an edge in the chip design and the *process* such as CMOS, HMOS, etc. and have not been that good at the actual manufacturing activity.
any comments by anyone on these new developments?
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2088078,00.asp
i own intel stock and am hoping this will push it up. i missed out on buying some texas instruments stock, and it has done rather well recently.
ballmer's vision for microsoft
a lot of people are talking about the end of microsoft's dominance. they may have met their match this time, but i thought that about java also in the past.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/business/yourmoney/28ballmer.html?th=&emc=th&pagewanted=all
PINR: china's anti-satellite test
this is quite a significant escalation, and india should not take it too lightly and blithely, whatever soothing noises 'china's national newspaper' and sitaram yechuri make.
http://www.pinr.com/report.php?ac=view_report&report_id=609&language_id=1
firm evidence that jesus *did not* exist
complete fabrication. total lies. yeah, the 'greatest story ever told' -- the biggest hoax ever perpetrated.
www.jesusneverexisted.com
missionaries trespassing at Hindu festivals...
these people ought to be drawn and quartered. disgusting bigots.
also note that KPYohannan is yet another religious scamster of kerala christist origin. if you look around, a large number of the major christist scams have a solid kerala christist component. if someone digs around, they'll probably find that KPYohannan was also an imported nurse-husband who latched onto the ignorance of yanks to make big bucks for himself.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Moksha
rajeev,
too bad these missionaries can't intrude at the Haj festival in Saudi Arabia ..we all know where that would lead them to ...straight to the gallows :)
***
GFA missionaries arrested at Ardh Kumbh
Posted January 24, 2007
January 23, 2007
Crusadewatch.org
http://www.crusadewatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=614&Itemid=67
Allahabad : Police arrested six Gospel for Asia missionaries for tresspassing at Ardh Kumbh festival. Scores of Gospel for Asia leaders and missionaries camped at the Ardh Kumbh location to "offer the pilgrims an alternative to the traditional rituals by introducing them to Jesus".
Some piligrims got into an argument with some missionaries who were denigrating Hindu gods. Police sensed trouble and asked missionaries to leave the place as it is against law to deinigrate other religions. The women's team retreated while the men's team was belligerent. Police arrested the leaders and released them a day after. The missionaries claimed that they had talked about Christianity to over 200,000 pilgrims.
*
Christian persecution? an oxymoron..
Gospel For Asia Missionaries Beaten, Arrested at Indian Festival
Added: Jan 23rd, 2007 10:35 PM
ALLAHABAD, INDIA (ANS) -- Gospel for Asia (GFA) native missionaries--including a state leader--have been driven away, beaten and even arrested by police at the site of the Ardh Kumbh, a massive festival during which millions of Hindu pilgrims bathe in the confluence of two sacred rivers at the north Indian town of Allahabad.
Yesterday (Monday, January 22), an estimated 20 million people bathed in the Ganges where it meets the Yamuna River, and up to 60 million are expected to have taken the religious plunge before the 45-day event is over on February 16. To help accommodate the huge crowds and promote safety, officials have set up a "city" of 50,000 tents over a 30 square-mile area, brought in 25,000 toilets and deployed a police force of around 20,000.
Traffic has been rerouted from all roads leading to the river. As a result, GFA native missionaries ministering at the event had to walk or ride bicycles about 10 kilometers (6 miles) to reach the festival site. GFA native missionaries and Bible college students were attending the event to offer the pilgrims an alternative to the traditional rituals by introducing them to Jesus.
The team for the festival outreach included staff members from the GFA state office, women from local churches, students and staff members from Bible colleges as well as pastors from Allahabad. As of January 21, more than 200,000 pilgrims had happily accepted the Gospel tracts.
On that day, however, radical anti-Christian thugs beat up three native missionaries, stole their materials and told them to leave the festival. One of the missionaries was taken to the hospital with severe injuries, although he is responding well to treatment.
Anti-Christian sentiment was also evident yesterday morning, when police told a GFA women's team to leave. The women retreated, but a men's team, headed by a state leader and two pastors, continued to share the Good News with those attending the festival. The police then arrested six of the Christians, questioning them for a day before releasing them. One of the arrested pastors called it "an honor" to be persecuted for the sake of the Gospel.
GFA President K.P. Yohannan asks Christians to pray that the persecution will not escalate. "Please pray for our workers who were serving at this event, and that many pilgrims will receive the Good News of forgiveness through our Lord," he said.
http://www.christianpersecution.info/
turning god's own country into devil's own country
the worshipers of he-who-doesn't exist are at it again -- stealing culture.
following in the esteemed footsteps of archbishop nikon, i think it would be quite appropriate to call these thieves devil-worshipers.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Moksha
Jesus in 'yogic posture' to adorn church hall
The idol in golden-and-copper hues installed in the meditation hall named 'Jagat Jyoti Mandir', built by the Catholic church at Parimanam village, depicts the Christ sitting cross-legged in 'padmasanam' posture with his right hand raised showing the 'yogic mudra' and the left hand resting on the lap as Hindu and Buddhist sages are often depicted in Indian art for centuries.
The mantra "aum yeshu christuve namaha", echoing the vedic invocation of the supreme being, has been displayed prominently in the prayer hall.
"It is an attempt in incarnating the Christian experience in the religious ethos of India by bringing about a blending of Western and Indian art forms to transfuse the Christian theology in Indian motifs. The mandir will provide the right ambience for meditation," said Fr Romance Antony, Director of the Quilon Service Society under the Kollam Catholic diocese.
Set on the sylvan banks of the Ashtamudi lake, the mandir was also designed as a place to promote inter-religious dialogue through meditation, prayer and conventions, he said.
--- PTI
Goldman Sachs commences operations in India
alas, ananth may be right. this may explain the extreme bullishness exhibited by goldman sachs.
on the other hand, the big ibanks entering india is good news. it means they expect massive growth, and what's more, they'll talk things up so that such high growth does occur. also remember that the treasury secretary poulson is a former goldman sachs guy.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ananth
To:
Regards,
Ananth
---------------------------------------
Financial Times
Goldman joins rush to provide services to India
By Joe Leahy in Mumbai
Published: January 10 2007 02:00 | Last updated: January 10 2007 02:00
Goldman Sachs is poised to begin stockbroking and advisory services in India, joining a growing number of international investment banks that are either expanding operations in the country or starting from scratch.
The bank, which has spent much of the past year building a new team after splitting with local company Kotak Mahindra Bank in March, received licences for investment banking and stockbroking operations in the country in December.
It has so far hired 60people for its investment banking, securities trading, asset management and private equity businesses. India has been attracting growing interest from global investment banks because of a boom in its equity markets and rising interest among its companies in overseas mergers and acquisitions.
... deleted
Friday, January 26, 2007
who recently got VC money in the valley?
to those looking for investment opportunities down the road, or a job at a startup :-)
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/business/financial_markets/venture_capital/15952030.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
indian ambassador speaks at stanford feb 1
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: South Asia Electronic Mailing for Seminars/Conferences < sa-mailing@lists.stanford.edu>
Date: Jan 25, 2007 12:13 AM
Subject: Invitation: Thursday, February 1 - Contemporary Asia Seminar
To: sa-mailing@lists.stanford.edu
Thursday, February 1 – Contemporary Asia Seminar
"Changing Dynamics in US-India Relations"
Ronen Sen, Ambassador of India to the United States
Mr. Sen was born on 9 April 1944. After graduating from college he
joined the Indian Foreign Service in July 1966. From May 1968 to July
1984, Sen served in Indian missions and posts in Moscow, San
Francisco and in Dhaka and in the Ministry of External Affairs. He
has also served as secretary to the Atomic Energy Commission of India.
From July 1984 to December 1985, Mr. Sen served as the joint
secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs. He was thereafter
joint secretary to the prime minister of India from January 1986 to
July 1991 where he was responsible for foreign affairs, defense, and
science and technology.
Mr. Sen was ambassador to Mexico from September 1991 to August 1992;
ambassador to the Russian Federation from October 1992 to October
1998; ambassador to Germany from October 1998 to May 2002; and high
commissioner to the United Kingdom from May 2002 to April 2004. Sen
assumed charge as ambassador of India to the United States of America
in August 2004.
The Ambassador participated in summit meetings in the United Nations,
Commonwealth, Non-Aligned Movement, Six Nation Five Continent Peace
Initiative, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, IAEA,
G-15 and other forums and also in over 160 bilateral summit meetings.
He had several assignments as special envoy of the prime minister of
India for meetings with foreign government representatives and heads
of state.
4:30 – 6:00 p.m.
Philippines Conference Room
Encina Hall, third floor, central
616 Serra Street, Stanford University
http://aparc.stanford.edu/events/4771/
Contact Neeley Main at nmain@stanford.edu or 650-723-8387 for more
information.
The Ambassador's visit is co-sponsored with the Center for
International Security and Cooperation at Freeman Spogli Institute
and the Stanford Center for International Development at Stanford
Institute for Economic Policy Research.
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wharton: IK@W January 26 - February 8, 2007
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Knowledge at Wharton < knowledge@wharton.upenn.edu>
Date: Jan 26, 2007 6:36 AM
Subject: IK@W January 26 - February 8, 2007
To: rajeev
Raoul Maino Implicated on Gang Rape Charges
disclaimer: i am just forwarding this message without verifying it.
there's been a slew of messages about this. maybe there's something to it, although the usual pseudo-secular, dynasty-sucking-up-to EL media has clammed up about it. on the other hand, would even rahul, not exactly a genius, do something as self-destructive as this, especially immediately after the white world has anointed him crown-prince?
but then, he did apparently get caught trying to smuggle $200,000 into the us a few years ago. and he did (does?) have a colombian drug-cartel girlfriend. maybe his handlers didnt tell him what to do.
i have been thinking of obama as a manchurian candidate, but rahul would be the perfect manchurian candidate, wouldn't he? (anybody seen the original film? i saw the recent one, which was not bad, not great.)
kumar asks a good question -- where are the women's rights banshees, shabana azmi, teesta setalvad, et al? or is it ok if a woman is allegedly raped by the dynasty scion? i guess since the woman is only a hindu, it's ok.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Kumar
http://scotland.indymedia.org/newswire/display/3659/index.php
Rajeev,
Is there any way to campaign for this poor girl's rights? Can we press the UN or any women's rights groups to condemn this crime? Just because he's a member of the most powerful clan in India doesn'r mean he should be allowed to get away with this crime.
[PINR] 26 January 2007: Intelligence Brief: U.S. Moves to Regain Leverage over Iran
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: PINR Dispatch
Drafted By:
http://www.pinr.com
4M Report - 25 Jan 2007
as usual SABHA is mocking all those frailties of the self-important :-)
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: SABHA < sabha@sabha.info>
Date: Jan 26, 2007 7:12 AM
Subject: 4M Report - 25 Jan 2007
To: 4mreport@sabha.info
| ||||||||||
| South Asian Bleeding Hearts Association welcomes comments, suggestions and leads for items published here. Please send your comments to feedback@sabha.info. If you wish to unsubscribe, or have been forwarded this mail and would like to subscribe, click here. | ||||||||||
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
a chastened state of the union address by bush
not exactly nationalism, it's jingoism
indo-Pak ties in dangerous phase - Arun Jaitley
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From:
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), national general secretary and former Union Law Minister, Arun Jaitley termed the Article 370 a historical blunder and blamed the ideological milieu of that time for incorporating this Article in the Constitution that gave the special status to J&K state. This Article is the root cause of all problems as its objective was to create a separate society in Kashmir , he said, adding the Kashmiri Pandits (KPs) have become the victims of this blunder that resulted in conspiracy hatched during 1989 to force their migration from Valley and the Government was caught napping.
Arun Jaitley also accused the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) of bringing dead issues at the cost of those who have actually suffered during the 17-year long terrorism in the State. The senior BJP leader said over the 17th death anniversary of Prem Nath Bhat, the function was organised by Prem Nath Bhat Memorial Trust in Jammu. Terrorists had gunned down Bhat, a Kashmiri Hindu, on December 27, 1989
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Give poor Muslims guidance, not dole
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From
By M.V. Kamath
Questionable tactics seldom pay. Economic discrimination, howsoever well meant, will only invite retaliation. There is no single answer to the alleviation of poverty among any one class of people.
We do not need to be told what poverty is: It is a perpetual agony, devastating and unbearable. The poor, whether they are Muslims, Hindus, Christians or Sikhs need help as much as possible and as quickly as possible. Poverty among Hindus is not more bearable than among Muslims and if the State intends to help the poor, it cannot discriminate on grounds of caste, creed, ideology or religion. That is why when Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh says that Muslim poor should get first preference in any State poverty alleviation programme, one can only feel sick in the stomach. No doubt Dr Singh means well.
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Cong losing sleep over BJP’s ‘silent march’ in Karnataka
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From: Manju
Karnataka
Anita Katyal
Tribune News Service
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070123/nation.htm#7
thanks to reader horizon for the new BRIC report
fabulous article on modi by ashok malik
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
new BRIC report from goldman sachs
Christian Indian-American group expresses concern over HP Conversion bill
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From: Moksha
Christian Indian-American group expresses concern over HP Conversion bill
An Indian-American Christian outfit in the United States has expressed concern over a bill passed by Himachal Pradesh, alleging that it was aimed at harassing Christian workers in the Congress-ruled state.
In a letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, the Federation of Indian American Christian Organisations sought help in stopping the bill passed by Himachal Pradesh in December 2006, saying the law will be used to harass and intimidate minorities.
Protesting the "so-called anti-conversion legislation", the letter, copies of which were sent to President A P J Abdul Kalam and Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, said, "We cannot understand the basis of these anti-conversion bills/laws.
We wish to point out that past experience shows that these laws will be used to harass and intimidate minorities and unethically prosecute Christian institutions and their workers," Dr Joseph Nidiry, president of the federation, has said in the letter.
"Many legal experts attest that these laws would be hard to implement, but easy to be abused for harassing and intimidating minority institutions. We've already seen several instances of such abuse," he said.
"As you mentioned on several occasions, particularly in your letter to Dr John Dayal of the All India Christian Council on July 27, 2006, the Congress party was opposed to this divisive, hate-filled anti-religion strategy used by some bigoted members of certain political parties," he said.
"Everyone knew about your views on this issue. The development in Himachal therefore comes as a profound shock to us. We express our utmost disappointment and urge you to use your influence to ask the state to rescind the law or withdraw it altogether," he added.
The vice-president of the federation Abraham Mammen has also appealed to Sonia that she, as the president of the Indian National Congress and leader of the coalition partners in the state of Himachal Pradesh, "must undo the grievous damage being done to the sanctity of the Indian Constitution and to the freedom of faith of the Indian people."
http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/jan/23hp.htm
Congress-sponsored communal brutality
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From:
The Arabs’ Suddenly Sensitive Feelings
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From:
Like all young Muslim, I was brainwashed to believe that Islam is the perfect way of life. My mind was happy to accept everything that came in the Islamic package and carries the Islamic label. Without ever doubting their wisdom, I had no trouble in accepting the Islamic sharia law with all its absurdities like polygamy and wife-beating. However, I had real difficulty in accepting that part in sharia, which deals with corporal punishment (hudud) like cutting off hands and capital punishment for trivial offences such as leaving Islam or criticising Mohammed. During all my 'Islamic years', I deliberately attempted to dissuade such thoughts to intrude my mind, because the mere thought of those draconian Islamic provisions was too disturbing to my natural feelings. So it was a tremendous relief for me, after I left the circle of darkness, to be able to go by my natural human feelings and say a big no to ending anyone's life, even for a proven criminal. After all, I thought, even notorious criminals and serial killers, once in captivity, become only as good as dead.
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PINR: russia scared of chinese missiles
Republic of the dynasty - Sandhya Jain
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From:
- Sandhya Jain
PINR on the pakistanis saying 'the taliban have won'
how embarrassing that this fellow is at stanford's hoover institution!
Monday, January 22, 2007
Club America
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From: Shahryar
Club America
by Victor Davis Hanson
Tribune Media Services
When Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman pulled up to Savannah, Ga., after his legendary March to the Sea in December 1864, he was savagely slandered in the Southern press as a renegade leader of a "vandal horde."
But at that same time, leading Confederate officers privately appealed to him, hoping he would guarantee the safety of the relatives they had left behind in Savannah. Why, Sherman wondered, would his sworn enemies trust that such an enemy might be kind to their loved ones — unless they knew that their own slurs about him were mere rhetoric?
That same sort of pretense is evident in the Middle East, where the leaders of countries and organizations hostile to or critical of the United States often trust us far more than they let on.
Nabih Berri, the Lebanese Amal militia chief who is now allied with both the anti-American Hezbollah and Syria, has much of his family residing in Dearborn, Mich.
Amr Salem, until recently a cabinet minister in Bashar Assad's anti-American government in Syria, was a senior program manager at Microsoft. His family still lives in the U.S.
Bilal Musharraf, son of Pakistan strongman Gen. Pervez Musharraf, has been a Boston-based consultant and a Stanford business and education student. Meanwhile, his father's government is either unwilling or unable to arrest on his soil the remnants of al-Qaeda, among them, most likely, Osama Bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Prince Bandar bin Sultan, former Saudi ambassador to the United States and high cabinet official in a monarchy that funds much of the world's radical Islamist madrassas, is selling his 56,000-square-foot mansion in tony Aspen. The asking price is $135 million — the most expensive home ever put up for sale in the United States.
What are we to make of these incongruities and others like them?
First is the obvious hypocrisy. Allying with radical Shiites in Lebanon, anti-American Syrians or Islamists in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia does not seem to disqualify Middle Eastern politicos from appreciating the freedom, security and opportunity of the United States.
For all the talk of America's faults, no Middle Easterner worries about vengeful Americans kidnapping or car-bombing his relatives. And few seem to consider that if the worldview of a present-day Lebanese militia or Saudi Arabia ever sweeps the globe, there would be no Dearborn or Aspen for their kin to find sanctuary.
Second, the wide gap between what many in the Middle East say and do should be a reminder that much anti-Americanism is poorly thought out or mostly for show. Many who decry America to the press and cameras privately prefer to send their loved ones here to take advantage of our success brought about by secular education, gender equality, meritocratic democracy and the primacy of law.
Third, the families of leaders of autocratic nations often hostile to the United States are kept safe and sound in this country precisely because of our openness and respect for guests and foreigners. Unlike most of the Middle East, where it is nearly impossible for Christians, single women or homosexuals to live openly and freely, Americans are a tolerant people who are not captive to tribal, religious or sectarian vengeance.
Americans may also think that these personal ties of Middle East authoritarians to the United States will lead to either liberalization back home or at least more favorable impressions of us there. Sadly, that hasn't happened. In the case of Syria's Amr Salem, his tenure at Bill Gates' Microsoft seems to have made him only a more perfect minister of computer surveillance.
Indeed, sometimes exposure to American culture creates feelings of ambiguity — a sense of guilt among conservative arrivals at their newfound liberal appetites. In other cases, the perception arises that someone or something must have prevented the Middle East from enjoying what Americans take for granted.
The United States probably will not — and probably should not — deny entry to the families of Lebanese militia leaders, Pakistani dictators, Saudi sheiks or Syrian high officials. But we should at least point out to them, as Gen. Sherman once did to his grandstanding detractors, that there is certainly a reason why Bandar, Berri, Musharraf and Salem want their children over here — and apparently as far away as possible from the countries where they themselves are in charge.
All new Yahoo! Mail "The new Interface is stunning in its simplicity and ease of use." - PC Magazine
book on limey barbarity
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From:
Here's a more complete history of the brits. A
bloodthirsty bunch if there ever was one. "Hinsra
jaat" according to my grandmother!
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JS00vMjAwNy8wMS8xNCNBcjAwODAw&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom
Rudra
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Don't pick lemons.
See all the new 2007 cars at Yahoo! Autos.
http://autos.yahoo.com/new_cars.html
is this deliberate yank naivete? they must know taliban == ISI
Sunday, January 21, 2007
burmese counterpoint to pat robertson, 10-40 club, joshua project etc.
you try to wipe out others, others may do the same to you.
can someone find this 'secret' burmese document and post it?
of course, this could be a red herring intended to bring about a white 'peace-keeping force' in burma, as they did in east timor. then these guys can hook up with the nagas and mizos and demand 'greater christianstan' including parts of india and parts of burma.
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From: Kaushal
Date: Jan 21, 2007 12:55 PM
Subject: Burma 'orders Christians to be wiped out'
To: Rajeev Srinivasan
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=AC3F4052YJL13QFIQMGCFGGAVCBQUIV0?xml=/news/2007/01/21/wburma21.xml
Burma 'orders Christians to be wiped out'
By Peter Pattisson in Kayin State, southern Burma, Sunday Telegraph