In today's news - Friday edition- Karat, 377, Moon walking and more

In today's news, CPM leader Prakash Karat pushed to the sidelines after the recent elections started raising the old commie bogeyman of foreign investment.

He expressed concern that the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government was trying to go ahead with its plans to open up the banking sector for foreign investment and allow foreign capital in the insurance sector, which he said were not in the interests of the country.

Apparently he would prefer his countrymen to be uninsured and unemployed than get paid by foreign companies.
In an editorial LIC commends the Center for

the Mayawati government for its spending on memorials and statues, drawing heavily from the Uttar Pradesh State exchequer brings welcome public scrutiny to an emphasis that has attracted considerable controversy.

Finally they drop the Dalit ke beti trash and start focusing on governance.

The Chindu has this annoying habit of kissing up to the Chinese however much they might pay them under the table. Read this statement and then tell me if an article around it is needed.

Last year the former NASA administrator, Mike Griffin, said he believed China had the capability to get to the moon and he wouldn’t be surprised if the next person to walk on the moon was Chinese.

I must say if Article 377 is MMS and co's strategy of bringing about religious unity, he has succeeded. The usual acerbic Muslim mullahs have asked for their brethren to condemn gay marriage.

The time has come for all religious leaders to unite on this issue and jointly protest the government’s proposed move to legalise gay rights. A consensus should be evolved for challenging the Delhi High Court order in the Supreme Court,” said Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umri, Amir (president) of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind.

The entire article is filled with one hilarious statement after another.

Lastly in a show of solidarity between states, Mu Ka and BSY (karnataka CM) are opening statues of legendary poets Tiruvalluvar and Sarvagna.
If its for real solidarity why not open statues of say Trisha and Ramya which would show real solidarity :)

Coming next - Swine of the week and Jackass of the week. (Suggestions welcome.)

What people of any distinct culture can learn from ants

I came across this interesting article Ant mega-colony takes over world on the BBC. There were many surprising facts discovered by scientists about these Argentine ants which have created nests all over the world.
One can draw any number of parallels to the behavior of these insects to current issues faced by mankind. The magnitude of the problem is defined here

In Europe, one vast colony of Argentine ants is thought to stretch for 6,000km (3,700 miles) along the Mediterranean coast, while another in the US, known as the 'Californian large', extends over 900km (560 miles) along the coast of California. A third huge colony exists on the west coast of Japan.

A unique behavioral observation was made

..whenever ants from the main European and Californian super-colonies and those from the largest colony in Japan came into contact, they acted as if they were old friends.

Who is worse Kashmiri terrorists or politicians?

The case of the Jammu & Kashmiri people is in many ways a story of agony. This is a state which best funded by the Central Government, has an incredible natural beauty with tremendous resources. But on the flip side the twin terrors of terrorism and useless local leaders.
This interview with Mehbooba Mufti of Kashmir by Chindu's village idiot Praveen Swami exposes Chindu's inability to pin an anti-National politician down and exposes Mehbooba's inability to talk about real issues.

But now, even officials say there are only 500 militants. There are hardly any encounters. It is time to give the Army an honourable exit from Kashmir.

Probably with Pak's fight against the Taliban, their hired hands mightv'e gone West, but this statement is ridiculous to say the least. Not a word about how she would influence development of the state or combat terrorism.

Fwd: Allocation for space research ridiculous : U R Rao

the bunch of jokers at upa are up to their antics and the media is not even squeaking. the systematic attempt at destroying indigenous endeavors of intellectual excellence is not covert anymore. and mind you, this is just the beginning of the term. not until the end of last term did upa let off Q. with upa getting so brazen even before celebrating 100 days in office, we can brace ourselves for one long painful ride. all those vested with powers to act as checks and balances to government overreach must have long been take care of by congress. for example, harish khare getting a post in govt. in fact, the ELM was all greased up long before it was asked to bend over.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: G

Rs 26 Crores for Cambridge University, Rs 23 Crores for Indian Space Research!   http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Ex-ISRO-chairman-terms-Rs-23-crore-fund-for-space-research--ridiculous-/482202   Professor U R Rao, the former chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the incumbent chairman of the Governing Council of Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, has called the Rs 23 crore fund allocation for space research in India, as "ridiculous".   He said given the amount of possibilities and the pace at which space research has evolved in the country, "we must provide enough support and allow scientists to work at their pace."

Finally the editorial on Lalgarh

And as expected, N.Ram comes out in support of WB govt actions. That it might serve as no additional deterrent is not the debating point. WB govt has failed to make the (symoblic) gesture that it opposes the Maoists. It would have sent out a strong message to everyone that it indeed is serious about curbing the maoist violence. Alas, it chose to support its ideological partners at the cost of national interest. Habitual communist behaviour. Traitors.

And N.Ram, instead of condemning this in strongest language, hides behind legal subtilities. It is also important to understand that CPI-Maoist political venture is a blotched attempt. It is a political party no more than chindu is a balanced paper. There is no reason why CPI-Maoist should be given any negotiating space through political discussions. Naxalism is officially the biggest national security threat -- all the more reason to deal with it in all seriousness. Has not our official policy been recently updated to not negotiate with terrorists.

The Hindu : Opinion / Editorials : The politics of proscription

Those who read too much into the fact that the West Bengal government has not done this forget that it is already a serious offence under the UAPA for a person to associate or profess himself or herself to be associated with a terrorist organisation (Section 38), to support such an organisation (Section 39), and to raise funds for it (Section 40). Given that the punishments under the UAPA are stringent in each case, it is doubtful whether anything much hinges on an additional proscription under another law.

The Readers' Editor's Goodbye

Today featured the final write-up of the Readers' Editor K.Narayan. I quote below what I thought were the key elements in his article:

...As for fairness and balance, my concepts were different from what was practised and I was told the kind of balance I expected was not possible. “Improving the performance of the paper” was a no-go area: it was seen as questioning editorial judgment. [emphasis added]

It was therefore no surprise when the critics concluded that the Readers’ Editor was content with clarifying and correcting errors and was not “the conscience-keeper” of the paper, as some wanted him to be. He was just being a postman conveying readers’ views to those in charge. There were yet others who felt I did not express opinions but merely quoted readers’ letters instead of addressing their complaints. These critics assign to the Readers’ Editor a role and powers he does not have; he is not a Super Editor.

I made it clear at the outset that I was neither an advocate nor an adversary. My aim was good journalism. I did express my opinion and question the editorial judgment when the occasion demanded it — on issues like Tibet, China, Bengal, Orissa and so on. Some might have felt it was understated. But that was my way; I do not believe in screaming and shouting. At times like these, the Editor-in-Chief told me that he disagreed with what I wrote and that I sometimes presented a purely negative picture of the paper. But then it is your column, he added. [emphasis added]

...Finally, does the institution of Readers’ Editor have a future? Yes, it has, if the paper has a set of core values and principles and adheres to it. As long as readers look for ethics, transparency, and quality of information in newspapers, the ombudsman will have a job to do. For a newspaper “its most precious asset (is) the bond with its readers,” as Rupert Murdoch has said. Stephen Pritchard of The Observer and President of the Organisation of News Ombudsmen (ONO) quotes Murdoch as saying: “It takes no special genius to point out that if you are contemptuous of your customers, you are going to have a hard time getting them to buy your product. Newspapers are no exception.” [emphasis added]

Well said and well done. It is true, unfortunately, that the Readers' editor is primarily a carrier of letters and his power appears limited to correcting grammatic errors and factual errors only in news reports. News reports can be found in other newspapers, television, etc; what has given The Hindu considerable weight is its editorials and opinions. Here again, The Readers' Editor has no authority to correct factual errors without the permission of the writer even when it involves no special technical knowledge to do so. That leaves the position with only enough power to acknowledge readers' disapproval and dissent and perhaps register a protest against the Editor's actions. Since he was clearly told that the performance of the paper cannot be improved and editorial judgment is not to be questioned, it begs the question why. In any case, as he points out in the end, 'if you are contemptuous of your customers, you are going to have a hard time in getting them to buy your product. Newspapers are no exception'. A good parting shot from a man of humility and integrity.

Push for China

DNA India: India news, World news

Not a swipe-and-smile case. Providing multipurpose ID cards to 1.2 billion Indians and preventing their misuse won't be easy.

At a time when India is embarking on its own, equally ambitious project in UID, N.Ram chose to talk about China's healtcare plans. He then goes on to highlight how India is woefully short of China.
The Hindu : Opinion / Editorials : China’s push for health

‘Health for all’ in a country with 1.33 billion people is a giant challenge. But it also presents a great opportunity, as China is telling the world.

News flash: Google banned in China, Chindu to build new official search engine

When you read the subject it might seem I'm bluffing or joking. But read this article by Ananth Krishnan (replacing the old dame who used to publish the Chinese Xinhua approved trite, I forget her name) you will see the truth :)

Chinese authorities on Thursday accused Internet giant Google of violating the country’s laws even as access to the widely used website remained disrupted for users in China since Wednesday evening.

I'm sure there's some ulterior motive for the ban, probably someone did not give a "gift" or grease some palms. The self righteous posing is simply ridiculous.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang did not comment on whether the disruptions had been caused by the government, but he did accuse the website of spreading “large amounts of vulgar content that is lascivious and pornographic” and of violating Chinese laws.

No wonder Chindu is barking in support of its master's tune.
Coming soon to China new PC's with some safety locks,

Last month, the government announced a controversial plan to install Internet-filtering software on all computers sold in China after July 1. The plan has been widely criticised by many Internet users who see the move as an effort by the government to widen censorship. Access to many websites and blogs, particularly those discussing politically sensitive subjects, is restricted in China.

Thanks to kuttychathan for bringing this up.

How to suck up to any leader - by Natwar Singh

Thanks to T.Chaturvedi for pointing to this editorial.
Mr. Natwar Singh former external affairs minister in this editorial reminisces fondly on old stories about Iran and his association with Ayatollah Khomeini the leader of Iran. In what is an article filled with incidents of how he "adeptly diplomatically managed" relations with the Ayatollah. There are insights like this,

The Iranian political-cum-religious establishment is very powerful, very secretive. Vital decisions are taken behind closed doors. The word of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khomeini cannot be ignored. One may disagree with him in private, but public criticism is not permissible.

He warns those opposing the Ayatollah with,

The Ayatollah is still the supreme leader. The West and Israel would be unwise to take him on.

But Mr. Natwar Singh the Ayatollah you are talking about is dead more than a decade ago! There's a new sheriff(Ayatollah) in town and given your position of ridicule in Indian politics, this statement has little merit. However thanks for you have again proved this blog's point of laughing at the ineptness and ignorance of most Indian politicians and bureaucrats.