http://www.firstpost.com/india/fight-fire-with-fire-how-the-narendra-modi-government-can-prevent-a-full-blown-assault-on-the-nation-2638502.html
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sent from samsung galaxy note3 neo, so please excuse brevity
Monday, February 29, 2016
Quick notes: PC in trouble, Subsidy burden...
- Prosecute him: P Chidambaram got Ishrat’s LeT link dropped: G K Pillai... Raids dig up empire of PC’s son
- Ouch!: Tulsi Gabbard endorses Bernie Sanders.
- Mega rich are gobbling subsidies: “Aviation turbine fuel is taxed at about 20 per cent, while diesel and petrol are taxed at about 55% and 61%.”.
- VW scandal: Just 222 diesel cars were sold in the U.S. in January out of 1.15 million total new-car sales
- Industrial Overcapacity: China to lay off 1.8 million workers in coal, steel sectors
- Bhagwat Geeta Chapter 2 by Sri M:
- Aliens:
- Dance as therapy: Classical Indian dance helps trafficking victims to heal, study shows
95% Hindus kids in India have never ever seen Gita— No Conversion (@noconversion) February 28, 2016
let alone read it
How do you expect them to understand Hinduism?
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Fwd: Why I believe JNU row is Modi's Godhra-2
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: S G Naravane
From: S G Naravane
BJP and Sangh Parivar are set to benefit politically from the controversy.
Astrologers are almost unanimous in predicting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will come back to power in 2019, even after the BJP's defeats in Delhi and Bihar and a possible bad show in the coming state elections. Most of them make the same prediction: his stars are such that even if he is written off by one and all, he will bounce back with a bang and his rivals will be his biggest helpers.
I know two of his astrologers well - Mumbai-based Niranjan Shukla, a professional astrologer who predicted about Modi and BJP president Amit Shah with pinpoint accuracy in the past when their chips were totally down, and Amita Roy, a historian-cum-astrologer also based in Mumbai.
Only time will tell whether the BJP government will return to power at the Centre in the 2019 general elections or not. In the past though, astrological predictions about Modi, particularly his ability to bounce back from difficult situations, have invariably come true.
When 59 people, most of them Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) kar sevaks, were killed by a Muslim mob in a train near the Godhra railway station on February 27, 2002, the instant feeling in the Sangh Parivar was that it had suffered a political setback as killing of such a large number of Hindus by Muslims in a state ruled by the right-wing virtually meant the BJP's downfall.
Little did it know that its ideological rivals, the leftist NGOs and human rights activists and the Congress, would turn out to be the biggest contributors to its political resurgence.
These NGOs and the Congress launched a campaign in 2002 seeking justice for the hapless Muslims killed in the Gujarat riots, but at the same time committed the blunder of protecting, from behind the scene, the Muslim killers of Godhra whose act had actually triggered the bloodshed. Hence, a wave a repulsion exploded against the leftist activists.
Modi, on his part, played his cards well. While addressing a public gathering, he struck a balancing note saying what happened in Godhra was condemnable and what happened after Godhra was also condemnable. This was in sharp contrast to the one-sided approach of the so-called human rights activists.
And from then onwards, the more the NGOs indulged in pro-minority acts to put Modi down, including playing up fake encounter cases, the greater was the benefit that Modi derived. Modi might claim that his development plank made him the prime minister, but his image of a Hindu victim of an alleged Left and minority conspiracy also played a big role in it.
... deleted
Fwd: Ishrat Case Proves How Gandhis Were Spooked By The Rise Of One Man: Modi
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: S G Naravane
From: S G Naravane
Former Home Secretary GK Pillai's admission on Times Now - that an affidavit filed in the alleged "fake encounter" in Gujarat that killed four Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorists, including Ishrat Jahan, was deliberately changed under political direction to omit mention of their LeT affiliation - has set the cat among the pigeons.
Since this allegation has more or less been admitted by P Chidambaram in an interview to NDTV, it shows the extent to which the Gandhi family saw Narendra Modi as a clear threat to its political domination even as early as 2009 (or even earlier), when the Congress party had just trounced the BJP in the general elections.Chidambaram told NDTV: "The original affidavit did say that A, B, C, D were terrorists, but the IB's position was we don't name or charge anyone as terrorists... therefore a second affidavit had to be filed to clarify (that)," and that he "owned the decision" to file the second affidavit. (Read here).
What is shocking is not merely that the affidavit was changed, but it was changed in a way that made threats to national security secondary to the political interests of the Gandhi dynasty, Sonia and Rahul.
The change in the affidavit was wrong in principle for two reasons, even though it is fair to claim that details about the affiliation of those killed by the Gujarat police were not as important as the charge that they were killed in a "fake encounter".
First, who is being killed is not immaterial to how the fake encounter case is finally decided – especially if it leads to conviction. As an analogy, let's assume a woman is being prosecuted for the murder of her husband. Is it immaterial to let the court know that she was beaten daily and that may be the cause that led to her murdering her husband, assuming it is all provable? Similarly, in a "fake encounter", who was killed is not an insignificant fact. The court can show leniency even if there is a conviction if it was clear that the persons killed were threats to national security.
Second, if Pillai is to be believed, there seems to have been wilful suppression of important national security aspects of the operation, Till the affidavit was changed, the Ishrat-LeT case was considered a successful Intelligence Bureau (IB) operation to lure and trap LeT terrorists, but this success was sacrificed and converted to criminality for political expediency, leading the UPA to finally target even the IB officer involved in the operation as an accused. If the country's intelligence resources are to be compromised so casually for political purposes, the Gandhi family – or the persons acting in their interest – can indirectly be accused of sacrificing national interest in the pursuit of their political enemies.
In fact, that is really the point of this article. That the Gandhi-led UPA put an enormous amount of state and party resources to ensure that one man – Narendra Modi – was nailed and prevented from posing a challenge to the family's political dominance, and the Ishrat Jahan affidavit change was only the most diabolical of those moves.
That various non-governmental organisations, the courts and even individual journalists helped in this endeavour shows how the eco-system created by the Congress-Left political forces acts to support the dynasty's interests.
... deleted
Fwd: Swarajya Conversations: Sanjeev Sanyal On Global Economic Trends And India’s Challenges
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: S G Naravane
From: S G Naravane
'Swarajya Conversations' is a brand new series of events which will consist of a 60 minute tête-à -tête between a distinguished guest and our host. Conversations will feature thought provoking discussions with some of India's leading thinkers, economists, technologists, business leaders and figures in public life.
The first Swarajya Conversations event was held in Chennai on the 9th of February 2016. The speaker was Sanjeev Sanyal a historian, urban designer and an economist. Sanjeev Sanyal is one of Asia's leading economists, best-selling author of Land of the Seven Rivers: A Brief History of India's Geography, Eisenhower Fellow and Rhodes Scholar,
Chandu Nair hosted the event. Chandu Nair is the co-founder of Scope e-Knowledge Center, a pioneering knowledge process outsourcing company that scaled up to 1000+ people before his exit, his areas of focus were business development and fund raising, and his passion was enterprise building and transformation.
The subject was, "On Global Economic Trends And India's Challenges".
Discussing a wide range of topics in economics, Sanjeev Sanyal spoke at length about the China factor in the global economy, the downstream effect of the Chinese slowdown and how the country would deploy the excess capital it accumulates. He also spoke at length about demographics and explained how many of us may end up working well into our 70s. The discussion also veered into how India's cities must be organised to capitalise on the new knowledge economy.
Towards the later part of the the discussion Sanjeev Sanyal dwelt on the Arthashastra and Ashoka's Edicts and how King Ashoka was 'anti-Kautilyan' in many ways. Sanyal, a firm believer in a 'Chanakyan State' spoke about how a strong and a limited state is important. He explained how modern Leftists have appropriated the Ashokan ideal of a nanny state to give legitimacy for their welfare state rather than adopt the Kautilyan model .
The last few minutes were spent on discussing 'complex adaptive systems' in which a large number of independent or semi independent agents are continuously interacting with each other and are adapting to the existing system. Examples of cities, businesses and cultures were cited. A short Q&A session with the audience brought the event to an end.
Published at Today, 2 hours ago
sent from samsung galaxy note3 neo, so please excuse brevity
Paid for by your friendly neighborhood soul harverter
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 34 US lawmakers have expressed “grave concerns” over “increasing intolerance and violence” against members of minority communities in India.
It refers to a June 2014 ban on “non-Hindu religious propaganda, prayers, and speeches” in their communities imposed by 50 village councils in Bastar, Chattisgarh, which it says has effectively “criminalized the practice of Christianity for an estimated 300 Christian families in the region”.
The letter then said the “nearly country-wide beef ban is increasing tensions and encouraging vigilante violence against the Indian Muslim community”.
It went on to cite the death of two Sikh men in October during protests over the desecration of the religion’s holy book, Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
..Really? How many Sikhs died due to hate crime in the US in recent years.
Concerted campaign by Breaking India forces.
Christian missionaries ideology is based on colonial expansionism— No Conversion (@noconversion) February 27, 2016
They never gave up dream of ruling the world through religion
Saturday, February 27, 2016
Quick notes: S-Curve, Ageing Japan...
- S-Curve: Bloomberg predicts explosive growth of EVs and resultant oil crash.
- Japan now has million fewer people than in 2010: The rapidly ageing population has contributed to a stagnating economy and worries of increasing health costs.
- “It was a political decision”: Ex-home secy GK Pillai distances self from Ishrat affidavits
- Is Kannur, India's political murder capital? "The CPI-M leaders are in real life not pro-poor. They fight against foreign universities coming to Kerala, but they send their children to study abroad. They fought against self-financing colleges. Now the CPI-M is the largest owner of self-financing colleges in Kerala. The rank and file understand this."
NJ Governor Christie Endorses Trump
In a surprise move, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has given a ringing endorsement of Donald Trump for President. This is comparable to Jaitley endorsing Modi for PM. Trump now goes into the main Republican electoral contest (SuperTuesday) with huge momentum over that of his rivals, and as a strong favorite to win the party nomination.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-trump-idUSMTZSAPEC2Q623QQT
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35674192
Indeed, Trump may be about to do a Modi:
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/why-democrats-fear-donald-trump
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-trump-idUSMTZSAPEC2Q623QQT
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35674192
Indeed, Trump may be about to do a Modi:
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/why-democrats-fear-donald-trump
Friday, February 26, 2016
my firstpost piece on the fake #JNU outrage: sedition is treason anywhere
http://www.firstpost.com/india/jnu-sedition-debate-treason-and-untempered-free-speech-are-men-with-no-country-2635756.html
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sent from samsung galaxy note3 neo, so please excuse brevity
jay bhattacharjee on Barkha Dutt's track-record during the Kargil war - a letter to Gen. VP Malik
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jay Bhattacharjee
From: Jay Bhattacharjee
MY OPEN LETTER TO GEN. VP MAIL, ARMY CHIEF DURING THE KARGIL WAR, TO CLARIFY THE NUMEROUS ALLEGATIONS ABOUT BARKHA DUTT'S DUBIOUS TRACK-RECORD WHILE COVERING THE KARGIL WAR IN 1999
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Since Ms. Dutt has written a highly egregious and provocative "open letter" to the PM with her pet
peeves about secularism, intolerance of the "majority" etc., I was compelled to try and bring down this
god-awful poseur a few notches. Therefore, I wrote an open letter to Gen. VP Mailk, COAS during the
Kargil war, to clarify the allegations about Dutt's extremely dubious conduct while covering the war.
Kargil war, to clarify the allegations about Dutt's extremely dubious conduct while covering the war.
My essay has just been published.
https://kalyan97.wordpress.com/2016/02/24/gen-malik-please-tell-the-nation-what-barkha-did-at-kargil-jay-bhattacharjee/
Jay Bhattacharjee
-------------------------------------------------------- Jay Bhattacharjee MA(Cantab), FCS
Advisor (Corporate Laws & Finance)
------------------------------------------------------
Advisor (Corporate Laws & Finance)
------------------------------------------------------
sent from samsung galaxy note3 neo, so please excuse brevity
Fwd: U.S. can ill afford 2 COLD WARS+PAMPORE TERRORIST ATTACK – ‘A Special Kind of Failure’+Nurturing Capital Acquisitions+South China Sea patrols brings no benefit to India
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sanjeev Nayyar
From: Sanjeev Nayyar
1. Cosying up to Sri Lanka by G Parthasarathy 25.2.16 http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/cosying-up-to-sri-lanka/200773.html
The growing Chinese interest in port facilities in Sri Lanka and the offer by Pakistan to supply Sri Lanka Chinese designed JF 17 fighter aircraft at favourable terms, suggests the emergence of the joint China-Pakistan axis to establish a cooperative defence network, across the Indian Ocean.
Sri Lanka appears determined to go ahead with the Colombo Port City Project with China, though it is likely to have the terms amended to address concerns of its other partners. '
2. Pakistan Army provide weapons training to the ISIS in Afghanistan by vikram sood 25.2.16 http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/pakistan-military-provides-weapons-training-to-isis-in-afghanistan/article8280787.ece
3. PAMPORE TERRORIST ATTACK – 'A Special Kind of Failure' 24.2.16 by Manvendra Sinh: http://blogs.economictimes.indiatimes.com/et-commentary/pampore-terrorist-attack-a-special-kind-of-failure/
In a hostage situation, time is essential as delay means deaths. But in Pampore, an assault was ordered before it was clear whether there were hostages, where they were, and how many terrorists held them. Because Pampore is Srinagar and a multistorey government building meant the exigency was getting the hostages out fast.
So, let them adapt, find the route, even if it is not a 'fair' one. At least precious lives wouldn't have been lost, for the sake of time, which in the end doesn't tell. Only statistics do. And in that the army botched up. Badly.
4. Army Deployment Why this goof up in Haryana 26.2.16 http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/why-this-goof-up-in-haryana/201099.html
'Under no circumstance can the Army be placed under the command of the police. This is an essential part of fair civil administration because the Army is expected to be totally impartial and unprejudiced while dealing with an explosive law and order situation, which might have arisen because of excess committed by the police resulting in a head-on confrontation with the rioting public. Neither is there any provision for "bulk requisitioning" of the Army by the Chief Secretary or the Chief Minister directly dealing with the Army Chief or the Defence Minister. '
5. Pathankot Pampore and Indo Pak Talks by Lt Gen Prakash Katoch 25.2.16 http://www.spsmai.com/experts-speak/?id=185&q=Pathankot-Pampore-and-Indo-Pak-talks
My take – There is nothing to talk with Pakistan yet keep on talking knowing its futility. BJP can stop being defensive and quietly take the battle into Pakistan camp.
6. Nurturing Capital Acquisitions by Amit C 25.2.16 http://www.idsa.in/idsacomments/nurturing-capital-acquisitions_acowshish_250216
7. Veer Savarkar breathed his last on 26th Feb. Read 50 years on: Who was the real Savarkar 26.2.16 by Lt Gen Ashok Joshi and Col Anil Athale http://www.rediff.com/news/column/fifty-years-on-who-was-the-real-veer-savarkar/20160226.htm
My take – must read. Wish the respected authors had included Savarkar's thoughts on foreign policy esp China.
| 8. Autonomy for universities does not make them liberated zones by Swapan Dasgupta 26.2.16 http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160226/jsp/opinion/story_71295.jsp#.Vs_gunp8OSc |
| It is instructive to recall that in the 1970s, the hostels of Jadavpur became armed fortresses, with Naxalites calling the shots. It was also the campus where the vice-chancellor was hacked to death by students proclaiming "China's chairman is our Chairman". 9. U.S. can ill afford 2 COLD WARS 25.2.16 by Dr Subhash kapila http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/node/1950 10. South China Sea patrols brings no benefit to India 25.2.16 http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/970471.shtml "Even though New Delhi obeys Washington, it's not likely that it will see the desired return. The White House's sale of fighter planes to Pakistan provides the latest example. India once mulled over deepening its military cooperation with the US in hope that the latter would cancel the endorsement for its perennial regional rival. But the US has its strategic needs by the sale of weapons and has never changed minds despite India's long-running objection. In economy, politics and security, China is far more capable of making trouble for India than the reverse. The Modi government's refusal to launch the joint naval patrols shows that it has no attempt to provoke China on the one hand and that its ties with the US are not firm enough on the other". 11. Vietnam opposes China's activities in East Sea 25.2.16 http://english.vov.vn/politics/vietnam-resolutely-opposes-chinas-activities-in-east-sea-313231.vov 12. Manipur likely to lose land to Myanmar 26.2.16 http://www.thesangaiexpress.com/manipur-likely-to-lose-land-to-myanmar/ 13. NSF State Govt standoff continues 26.2.16 http://www.thesangaiexpress.com/nsf-state-govt-stand-off-deadlock-continues/ |
Warm Regards
sanjeev nayyar
to unsubscribe write back
sanjeev nayyar
to unsubscribe write back
sent from samsung galaxy note3 neo, so please excuse brevity
Fwd: On the Fiftieth Anniversary of Savarkar’s Atmarpan
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Savarkar.org Team <admin@savarkar.org>
Date: Fri, Feb 26, 2016 at 7:37 AM
Subject: On the Fiftieth Anniversary of Savarkar's Atmarpan
To: rajeev.srinivasan@gmail.com
From: Savarkar.org Team <admin@savarkar.org>
Date: Fri, Feb 26, 2016 at 7:37 AM
Subject: On the Fiftieth Anniversary of Savarkar's Atmarpan
To: rajeev.srinivasan@gmail.com
| Today, 26 February 2016 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the atmarpan of Swatantryaveer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. The day according to the Hindu cale
|
sent from samsung galaxy note3 neo, so please excuse brevity
Thursday, February 25, 2016
US Blocks Modi's Solar Initiative Via WTO
A WTO ruling on a complaint filed by the US has struck down the Modi govt's new solar power initiative, on the grounds that its local content quota requirement is protectionist:
http://grist.org/climate-energy/wto-swats-down-indias-massive-solar-initiative/
http://grist.org/climate-energy/wto-swats-down-indias-massive-solar-initiative/
Quick notes: Lying press, E-scooter...
- Lying Press: Germans Lose Faith in the Fourth Estate. The media had long concealed the extent of crimes committed by refugees and migrants.
....In fact, the media and govt tried (unsuccessfully) to find any German perpetrators in the Cologne assaults so that they could gloat, "See? This is widespread crime. It is racist to blame the refugees". - Flipkart-backed Ather unveils e-scooter: Eyeing e-car segment next.
- Bullet Train Syndrome: The bullet train syndrome perpetuates an elitist approach to the Indian Railways, which consists of creating a pleasant fast track for a privileged minority at the cost of slumdog treatment for the rest.
- Poop Transplant: A solution to one of the world’s biggest health problems could be fecal pills
- Barley 'reduces appetite and improves metabolism': Incorporating barley into the diet reduces the risk of diabetes and lowers blood sugar levels.
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Boston Dynamics Unveils Latest Atlas Robot
Google-owned robotics company Boston Dynamics has unveiled the newest iteration of its bipedal Atlas robot:
http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/humanoids/next-generation-of-boston-dynamics-atlas-robot
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/02/dive-into-the-uncanny-valley-with-boston-dynamics-newest-bipedal-robot/
As you can see, the thing has been improved by incorporating an onboard power supply, as compared to the previous one walking with a long power cord trailing behind it. The first Atlas was only created a couple of years ago, so at this rate of improvement these increasingly humanoid machines should be approaching human-levels of agility and capability within 10 years time.
As with Driverless Nano, India should get onboard the robotics bandwagon to develop its own human-capable robots. ISRO should even try to put them on the Moon and Mars. While India does have a large labour pool, it's notoriously prone to strikes and agitation, while eschewing menial work. Ironically, the word "robot" originates as a Czech word meaning menial work and drudgery, like cleaning toilets.
http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/humanoids/next-generation-of-boston-dynamics-atlas-robot
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/02/dive-into-the-uncanny-valley-with-boston-dynamics-newest-bipedal-robot/
As you can see, the thing has been improved by incorporating an onboard power supply, as compared to the previous one walking with a long power cord trailing behind it. The first Atlas was only created a couple of years ago, so at this rate of improvement these increasingly humanoid machines should be approaching human-levels of agility and capability within 10 years time.
As with Driverless Nano, India should get onboard the robotics bandwagon to develop its own human-capable robots. ISRO should even try to put them on the Moon and Mars. While India does have a large labour pool, it's notoriously prone to strikes and agitation, while eschewing menial work. Ironically, the word "robot" originates as a Czech word meaning menial work and drudgery, like cleaning toilets.
Trump Wins Nevada
As predicted, Donald Trump has won the Nevada caucuses, in his 3rd straight win in a row:
https://www.yahoo.com/politics/nevada-republican-caucuses-results-donald-trump-050344035.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/24/us/politics/nevada-caucus-gop.html?_r=0
At this rate, it will be impossible to prevent him from becoming the Republican nominee, because he'll have the required number of delegates.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/02/23/donald-trump-is-on-course-to-win-the-1237-delegates-he-needs-to-be-the-gop-nominee/
It's also worth mentioning that Trump has garnered 46% of the Hispanic vote, which shows that his frank talk on border security is helping rather than hurting him.
https://www.yahoo.com/politics/nevada-republican-caucuses-results-donald-trump-050344035.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/24/us/politics/nevada-caucus-gop.html?_r=0
At this rate, it will be impossible to prevent him from becoming the Republican nominee, because he'll have the required number of delegates.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/02/23/donald-trump-is-on-course-to-win-the-1237-delegates-he-needs-to-be-the-gop-nominee/
It's also worth mentioning that Trump has garnered 46% of the Hispanic vote, which shows that his frank talk on border security is helping rather than hurting him.
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Quick notes: Kaangress games, Urdu in Pakistan...
- Inciting violence: KKKangress caught fomenting caste conflict in Haryana
- Ditch Urdu, UNESCO advises Pakistan. "The continued use of Urdu as the language of instruction, even though it is spoken at home by less than 8% of the population, has contributed to political tensions". ... similar to English in India
- Fixing traffic congestion: What happens in Delhi is important to the whole country because Delhi is facing problems which will affect other cities over time as their incomes, number of cars and level of pollution increase in tandem.
- Jerry Seinfeld talks Transcendental Meditation:
- EPA to VW: Build EVs in U.S. as Penance for Diesel Cheating
- The next President:
you can't unsee this. pic.twitter.com/VPgekMcm94— chelsea hassler (@chelseaadelaine) February 19, 2016
Fwd: Selection Engineering: Political Filters in JNU’s Admission Process
awesome. nice work by arvind, digging up this dirt.
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---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Arvind Kumar
From: Arvind Kumar
sent from samsung galaxy note3 neo, so please excuse brevity
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