today

US General Martin Dempsey warns of unrest

2011-12-09T22:15:00.000-08:00

The top US military commander, Gen Martin Dempsey, says he is concerned about "the potential for civil unrest" in the Eurozone, as Europe's financial crisis unfolds.

IMO: I hope we do not have to put in the troops to calm these feckless and inconsiderate people, like BAOR in the old days. Although BAOR people told me that it wasn't too bad, and was properly paid work at least. Britain has always been Europe's army, and I feel we could get French support as well, when 'cuts' bite. Maybe better than WW2.

This general effect applies to reviewers of scientific manuscripts as well as Taxi drivers, I suspect

2011-12-09T17:24:00.000-08:00

Cabbies who acquire "the knowledge", a stern test involving in-depth mastery of London's streets, suffer changes to their brains that could make them blinkered, research at the Wellcome Institute has shown. Those who pass the test develop more grey matter in the posterior hippocampus, the part of the brain they use to recall a mental map and calculate the shortest route from A to B. But this comes at a price because the tens of thousands of streets and landmarks they need to remember "fill up" their brain to its maximum capacity, researchers said.

Research shows that taxi drivers struggle more than most drivers to adapt to changes in the road network or to driving in unfamiliar cities.

Euro Crisis

2011-12-09T17:07:00.000-08:00

The "Daily Mail" and the "Telegraph" both have reasonable articles about the Euro crisis today, referenced on my blog.

Briefly, officials have noted that because the new pact will be outside binding EU treaties, sanctions against future fiscal offenders will be based on a “political declaration of intent". These will have no legally binding character and could be revoked following the election of a new government.

IMO: It is a wine lake on stilts. Such a lake is impractical and will overbalance to the amusement of others.

John Bull too honest for euro

2011-12-09T12:01:00.000-08:00

I think Cameron actually seems to have been victim of underhand behaviour by Merkel, Sarkozy. See Financial Times Dec 9 article by Parker. He was actually trying to help but Merkel and Petain (Sarkozy) had their personal agenda. At least the UK is out of the gillimaufry of that pair but it seems a shame that a sensible consensus had been made impossible. Still we are out of the way of the abominable Eurobeggers for the moment. The euro's fast speed seems simply absurd and impractical, without clean, honest, straightforward John Bull honesty.

Boris Johnson may be correct

2011-12-08T21:38:00.000-08:00

Is fiscal union, in actual fact rather than legal fiction, actually possible ? Are the fools now playing into the hands of the anarchists ?

Boris said: "If there's a new treaty of the 27 that creates a fiscal union, we'd have absolutely no choice either to veto it or put it to referendum". But he went even further in arguing that fiscal union itself was fundamentally undemocratic and economically disastrous. Or as Boris put it: "We're in danger of saving the cancer and not the patient"

This is very much not in the Number 10 script, which still clings to the Osborne line that fiscal union is the 'inevitable logic' of monetary union. But it is very much the same script of John Redwood and others who have warned the Chancellor to his face that backing fiscal union is 'insane'. And Jo Johnson may end up agreeing.

IMO: EU actions, right from the days of the wine lake and sugar mountain, have seemed like fiction to me. Or read Tuttle. How much more fiction can the world tolerate ? Continuous suggestions of uncontrolled anarchy - some would call it 'libertarianism' - become more and more credible.

Chris Huhne

2011-12-07T04:04:00.000-08:00

Chris Huhne has said he is confident that the police investigation into claims he persuaded his estranged wife to take his speeding points will exonerate him.

IMO: Seems quite likely that he is being framed, possibly both by his ex-wife and the police. CRI said Strauss-Kahn was probably framed in just that way, and Assange almost certainly was. Anyway, Huhne certainly couldn't have done a worse job for the Libdems than silly Clegg has. I'm sorry for the Libdem voters.

Zadari may resign

2011-12-07T00:10:00.000-08:00

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari was undergoing what his office said on Wednesday were routine medical tests in a Dubai hospital, but which fuelled rumors of his possible resignation.

A report posted on the website further claimed that Zardari was "incoherent" during his telephonic conversation with President Barack Obama which took place over the weekend.

IMO: It's probably the drink. I posted a picture on this blog showing Gilani apparently drinking alcohol. Anna Hazare said that in the good old days, if anyone drunk three times after a warning, he would be tied to a post and repeatedly flogged. About right for leaders anyway. I must say I had a yen to join Sri Ram Sena at one time, and this had very positive attitudes towards dealing with drunks. But Zardari has a rotten job anyway. You can't but feel sorry for him - and if he has been investigated by the Paki Army and they say he is OK, then THATS IT FOR ZARDARI.

Silly Clegg and his 'cuts'

2011-12-04T15:18:00.000-08:00

Universal benefits for pensioners, including free bus passes and television licences, should be means-tested, Nick Clegg has said.

IMO: A lot of older people desperately need these things, and there is unlikely to be substantial - if any - savings for such a 'cut'. Rather, there would be more useless 'jobsworths' (or babus) required to apply the cuts.

Conservative ministers are understood to be “dead set” against any move to water down universal benefits for fear of a popular backlash.

IMO: Quite right.

IMO: In India, Team Anna are trying to get a Lokpal bill passed, so that reasonably aggrieved people can get people like silly Clegg sacked from his job right away, before he does any more damage..

Is Didi right ?

2011-12-02T13:57:00.000-08:00

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made it clear to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that she did not wish to see the United Progressive Alliance regime toppled, but her party could not under any circumstances support the controversial decision to permit FDI in multi-brand retail.

IMO: Is good old Didi right again ? It is a time that I would be glad not to have to make a decision on the matter. Tehekha seems to feel that FDI made some sense, and even suggested that the regional parties perhaps should not have a voice. To me, that sounds like corruption on top of corruption. I felt at the time, a week or so ago, remembering perhaps many matters like Bhopal and Enron, that the profit-seeking cash-strapped Americans should not have such an easy target. But I remember even much earlier, to the days when my father had to ride daily on a train over the Hawkesbury River bridge in Australia. The train had to travel over the bridge at less than walking speed and he was somewhat worried that it might fall into the river. The bridge was eventually closed and a new one built near it. The reason ? Crap US contractors and engineers. And did we hear the details, again and again. I remember the somewhat unsafe Japanese nuclear power stations being built, and commented at the time, with thorium in mind. Well I hope I am still prepared to look at facts as least as much as sales figures, and I thought at the time of proposal of FDI, that Manmohan Singh, for all his merits, sounded like a Walmart salesman.

And what do we now see ? An attempted U-turn over Lokpal by Congress, allowing 60% of the babus to do as babus like to do. Mamohan Singh promised Lokpal again and again. What can I say now other than make a sordid quip about the "gang of four".

IMO: I hope even more for success and continued dedication from Team Anna. Otherwise it will be bad for all. Ask the still jailed Enron directors, or better still, don't ask them. Who wants to see the Koch brothers and the like in jail ? Let us face it, at this time Team Anna seem to be right. But Bal Thackeray would seem to think there is little chance of its success. India is said to be at about number 83 in the corruption index, barely beating Pakistan. Surely it can at least rise higher than USA which is way down the list for such a place ?

More money wasted & Weimar redux

2011-11-29T18:51:00.000-08:00

Never renowned for his modesty, Speaker John Bercow has outdone himself this week: unveiling not only his £22,000 official portrait, but also its £15,000 frame, which includes a new Bercow coat of arms. He used to best David Cameron on the court regularly.

IMO: We are not getting value for money with these politicians. That sort of thing may have made some kind of warped sense when a UK boast used to be that 'everywhere on the map you will see pink' (i.e. a British colony). But nowadays the Foreign Office is even warning embassies about doubts as to the safety of UK citizens in the German Eurozone. And Germany is printing lots and lots of currency - IN DEUTSCHEMARKS NOT EUROS !!

NATO under fire from Pakistan

2011-11-28T12:26:00.000-08:00

The NATO air attack on Pakistani military outposts over the weekend, in which 24 soldiers were killed, was an accident waiting to happen.

Military sources said that a US-Afghan special forces mission had been in the area, where they believed a Taliban training camp was operating.

They said the mission came under fire from a position within Pakistan, and they received permission from the headquarters of Nato's Isaf mission to fire back.

IMO: Obviously if NATO was attacked by Pakistan, they had to defend themselves. If Michelle Bachman supports US aid to Pakistan, something has to be very wrong. The point is that the US has to defend itself against the clear nuclear threats by such as Musheraff, and the US state department has tended to lack knowledge of the situation as it is. Pakistan is a failed state. It has survived through US support and now will seemingly get Chinese 'support'. If I were in Pakistan, I would not gripe about the US troops defending themselves and ultimately Pakistan. The Pakis are making things worse for themselves and must try harder to rid their country from extremism. Pakistan needs decent knowledgeable leaders, and it is hard for anyone to get those nowadays

Sule at Matoshree sets tongues wagging

2011-11-27T19:16:00.000-08:00

Supriya Sule's visit to Matoshree on Sunday sent ripples in Mumbai's political circles. Sule is Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar's daughter and NCP MP. Sule said she called on Sena chief Bal Thackeray to thank him for his support to Pawar who was assaulted by a youth in New Delhi last Thursday.

IMO: It would not be unusual in Westminster, and Sule claims the same for Maharashtra. Some claim a hidden agenda. It may just relate to Bal Thackeray's continued involvement in the polls. Anyway Sena seem to say the assault was undeserved, unlike many. Possibly they are right.

Proposal to have Tesco and Walmart in India

2011-11-24T19:22:00.000-08:00

That is the latest Govt. plan. But just down the road, the other day I bought 2 big dinners for a total of 80 rupees. That is about 1 UK pound. Not only did we get two really big, splendid and filling 5 course meals, but there was enough left for dinner and breakfast for two. Now even from the present Indian supermarkets you will certainly not get that, in fact sometimes they are even much dearer than the UK. The secret ? The average wage here is said to be 20 rupees a day so if you live local, costs have to be low. But if India has to live off Tesco and Walmart, then violent revolution, normally extremely unlikely in India, becomes a real possibility. Of course it is possible that those firms could introduce efficient transit methods but it will all cause more unemployment. Generally I do not favour allowing these foreign exploiters into India, the local supermarkets are already too expensive for poorer people.

Care of the elderly in the UK

2011-11-23T06:57:00.000-08:00

Today’s report has uncovered dozens of examples of appalling care provided by home helps.

IMO: In fact it is much worse than this, and with Cameron's cuts it will get worse still. Three times recently the UK people tried to kill me and have stolen a lot of money from me. And the swindling MPs and the jobsworths are much worse. I'm glad I am temporarily obliged to be outside the UK. and thank god I do not need a home help, I know about them too.

Here is a selection of the most harrowing, taken from the Daily Mail, and details also appear throughout the UK media:

Health And Safety Left OAP To Starve

An able-bodied, healthy 32-year-old female care worker stood and watched a 76-year-old woman with advanced cancer struggle from the lounge to the kitchen to microwave a meal, as the home help said she could not to do it ‘because of health and safety’ – although apparently this did not preclude the worker from dishing up the microwaved meal on to a plate.

78-year-old Pushed Back Into Her Chair

One 78-year-old woman described her treatment at the hands of carers: ‘Most of the girls were nasty; they were rough. Rather than say “sit in the chair”, they’ d push me back into the chair, and I didn’t like that. I couldn’t do anything about it. I can’t even walk – they know you’re vulnerable.’

Grim: The report said that pensioners don't complain about shoddy care because they fear the repercussions

Woman’s Weight Plummeted To 7st

An elderly woman’s weight went down to 7st because carers just left food beside her, even though she was physically unable to feed herself. She had Huntingdon’s disease, which means she needs an hour to swallow her meal and has to ingest 4,000 calories a day – but carers would simply plonk the food down and rush off to the next appointment.

Patient In Her 90s Put To Bed In Afternoon

One woman in her 90s was put to bed at 2.45pm because that fit in with the carer’s time slot.

Man Made To Shower In Front Of Trainees

One man, aged over 65, found himself being showered in front of a room full of trainees. ‘I have MS and am very severely disabled, and feel my dignity is not being respected when I have several trainees observing quite an intimate routine,’ he said.

Elderly Mother Left In Filthy Bedding

The daughter of a woman in her 80s said: ‘For several weeks mum was not bathed or had her hair washed. One time, carers decided not to do any of her washing any more, even though it was on her care plan, leading to my mum being left in filthy nightwear and clothes and bedding.’

Carer Ignored Blind Man On Visits

A care worker came round every morning to visit a deaf/blind man called Sam. She made him his breakfast and left it on the kitchen top – but never told him she was there, let alone that his breakfast was in the kitchen. Every morning, the breakfast went uneaten.

Dementia Patient’s Day Without Food

A woman with Alzheimer’s didn’t have anything to eat all day after a carer made her a sandwich, but simply put it in the fridge and told her to eat it at lunchtime. She forgot and did not have anything to eat until her daughter visited that night.

Syro-Malabar Catholic nun killed

2011-11-21T09:22:00.000-08:00

It is generally believed that the nun, Sr. Valsa John, was killed by people connected to a mining company she was campaigning against.

Archbishop Maria Soosa Pakiam of Trivandrum said of John: "With her exemplary life and courage to fight evil, Sister John has shown us that we need to rededicate our lives for our faith and work for the poor."

IMO: Quite so. If only the Anglicans and the Roman Catholics would do the same. Clearly the local Jharkand jobsworth politicians, along with the followers of Chaimen Mao, had arranged for about 100 people to come out and hack her to death.

Further, TwoCircles says this. and much more: "This certainly is not a question of persecution of a minority community. Sr Valsa was in Dumka not as a proselyser, as some in the print and electronic media make her seem, but as a human rights activist obeying her calling. But the murder does have a critical mission dimension. After being battered into some sort of submission to the will of the state during the seven year regime of the pro Hindutva Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance, and the last eight years of an insipid United Progressive Alliance, the church is at the cusp, or the precipice, of a great rethink.

The State has betrayed the Church on the issue of rights to Dalit Christians. It has given no clear answer in the Supreme court which is hearing Writ petitions by various groups on restoring the rights of Dalit Muslims and Christians which they enjoyed before the passing of the 1950 Presidential Order. The State has also shown no signs of reversing the notorious Freedom of Faith laws enacted by many Congress and BJP ruled States. The government is also playing an insidious game in using the Right to Education Act to “tame” the church institutions. These are signals as much as the central government’s silence to the call of that great Hindutva leader, oncologist Dr Praveen Togadia of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad who has called for the beheading of anyone who converts a single Hindu. Any other person would have been in jail for saying less.

Will the church be cowed down before this building pressure. There are some murmurs saying that the church must focus on faith and leave social action to others. A section of the Church wants to focus on insinuation building. A small but influential section of the church wants to stress its “nationalistic” credentials to cosy up to the right wing Hindutva elements and evade their political wrath. But this is not the majority of the Church."

IMO: Up to a point this echoes many people's feelings about the attitude of the right wing UK Press, and ludicrous atheists like Dawkins, towards the Archbishop of Canterbury who is trying to further decent views of reason against the 1%, who will even use toxic sprays against innocent people to further their satanic greed..

Team Anna bashings - BJP and VHP allegedly involved

2011-11-11T16:03:00.000-08:00

New Delhi, Nov 11: India TV on Friday night exposed with the help of hidden cameras miscreants who have planned to attack anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare and Team Anna member Medha Patkar when they visit Lucknow and Delhi.

The sting was carried out on the very same persons who had bashed up Prashant Bhushan in Delhi and had thrown a chappal at Arvind Kejriwal in Lucknow.

The stings carried out with the help of hidden cameras by India TV reporters in Lucknow and Delhi during the month of October and November showed that these persons having admitted that they were "professionals" who carried out such acts for money.

Vishnu Gupta, the man who beat up Prashant Bhushan in the lawyers chambers in Delhi on October 12 over his remarks on Kashmir, told the India TV reporter on Nov 4 at a coffee house in Sec-18, Noida on Nov 4 that Medha Patkar was their next target.

Inder Verma, another man who took part in beating up Prashant Bhushan, told India TV reporter at Nirula's Connaught Place, Delhi, on Oct 24 also confimed that their next targets were Medha Patkar and Anna Hazare.

Arun Upadhyay, a friend of Inder Verma, accompanying him during the sting said that they were given laptop and cellphone by a senior Shiv Sena leader after they bashed up Prashant Bhushan.

Tejinderpal Singh Bagga said, he had two persons - Medha Patkar and social activist Sandip Pandey - as his targets. He admitted he was in BJP one and a half years back.

Bagga said, VHP leader Acharya Dharmendra and several other leaders rang him up and thanked him for bashing up Prashant Bhushan.

Bagga revealed how he had planned to gather nearly 50 persons to bash up Prashatn Bhushan on October 1 itself, but it was called off at the last moment.

Norwegian report on Sri Lanka

2011-11-11T10:34:00.000-08:00

A disturbing report just released in Oslo, Noway, has appeared on TamilNet. This appears to have been produced by Norad, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation. PDF here.

Tamilnet itself produces many wise conclusions, well worth reading, one point being "Those who steered Norway’s peace process, especially in the last stages, were either in a dream world or miscalculated on bringing in ‘peace’ of their perception by making one of the two nations surrender to the other. They not only failed the peace efforts but have also endangered the world order and Norway’s future prospects. If Norway really worries about the dangers of ‘Asian model’ of conflict resolution, it is time for Norway to think of fresh strategies of peace building initiatives for its development paradigm by upholding the quest of nations without state to get their states. Norway could even inspire the entire west in this regard, and the independence of Eelam Tamils is a good beginning to set the record right".

So a bit more fairness, even independence, for the Eelam Tamils might well be good for everybody in the long run.

Now the complexities of the situation may easily be considered 'almost Byzantine' and less hardy minds may easily balk at them. In this short blog I will only make a few more points.

Delhi seems to consider itself as representing India in some way. People outside Delhi frequently differ and feel that it is bogged down in itself, in a kind of narcissistic way. Also the Gandhi family often seem to have a grudge against the Tamils. It probably got worse after the Tamils assassinated Sonia Gandhi's husband, which was one suicide bombing anyone could understand. And Rajiv Gandhi seems to had a very corrupt invovement with the arms trade, the Bofors gun scandal being just the tip of the iceberg. Even the often rather pro-Delhi "Times of India" seemed to admit India wanted the LTTE 'put in its place' - which seems unfortunately to have been the grave. Also, the A. Raja matter, involving some 30 bllion US dollars purloined, seems to have been directly connected with donations, mainly from Canada, and in fact intended effectively for the LTTE cause. That sort of money is somewhere near the order of the total indian military budget ! Then we have the high level of obstruction of free speech, and the censorship, in Sri Lanka. Now the Sri Lankans are supposed to be Buddhists and their bad behaviour shames Buddhism. Also they kow tow to the Chinese, hardly a free society at best. All this sort of thing cannot help the progress of the Dalai Lama, who complains correctly about the treatment of Buddhists in now occupied Tibet. The Sri Lankans appear less concerned with Buddhism than with cash, a bad mistake especially if dealing with China, Is Sri Lanka to become a sort of colony of China ruled by corrupt satraps ? India, or at least Delhi, does not seem to care. But that's Delhi diplomacy - for the wealthy 1% The Tamils are still often a devoutly religious people, so Tamil genocide may suit the worldly.

IMO: One must hope that the Anna Hazare program brings some worthwhile results.

Qantas again

2011-11-06T04:13:00.000-08:00

The UK Telegraph says:

"The clock is ticking for Qantas. Its fate lies with Labor's Fair Work Australia, a body loaded with ex-union bosses. Fair Work Australia has been examining allegations made about former Health Services Union boss and Labor MP Craig Thomson for three years (he denies any wrongdoing).

It is meant to sort out the Qantas crisis in the next two weeks or submit the parties to binding arbitration.

The process is flawed, the premise of the Fair Work legislation is wrong.

Labor's walking dead are oblivious to their fate".

IMO: The Gillard Govt has done what they can in many ways. For example, the carbon tax, disliked by so many, should be a very forward looking idea. But as a left oriented Govt in a country run by hicks all round, it does some very hamfisted things, whether deliberately or a a clumsy attempt to compromise. Also Joyce, in trying to economise, may not have taken Australia's global concerns accurately enough. I think it was ABC radio who recently pointed out that East Asians simply consider Australia as a quarry, run by simple-minded hicks. This implies a certain unwarranted contempt for all things Australian. So they naturally threaten Australian businesses whilst at the same time, cadging corrupt favours. The idea that Harold Holt did not drown, but escaped with secrets to China on a submarine, is probably not true but is an urban legend of merit. On the other hand, by and large Australia has benefitted a lot financially from the many Indian students (about 100,000 at the moment) who study there, and both countries have contributed greatly to each others cultural heritage. Just one case about Qantas and Asia: I was on a Qantas flight from the UK through China to Australia a few years ago. Part of the way I had to change carrier from Qantas to its subsidiary Jetstar. I was not warned in advance and my luggage quota was reduced at considerable cost to myself. In fact the extra I had to pay on the spot, overrode the advantage of using Qantas. I blame Joyce AND the unions for mismanagement throughout. I think Joyce was right in causing the lockout and from press readings, it looks like Joyce told the truth about giving lockout warnings and Gillard lied. Labor have got it wrong, Gillard is as naive as 'pig iron Bob' Menzies was in 1938, and Qantas looks like it is heading right down the pan at the moment. Australia needs clear, rational Govt.

Quantas

2011-10-29T22:05:00.000-07:00

The recent strike seems to be based on a labor dispute involving non Australian workers, in an area outside Australia. I also note that the gentleman running Quantas may be an African or a Tamil, by the look of his photo, which may be photoshopped. Nonetheless of course he may be a good person of Australian nationality. But in areas outside Australia, clearly there is a lot of scope for debate in all appropriate countries.

If Quantas has to be sold, I hope it goes to a good Hindu firm like Jet. I have a lot of diffiulties concerning Chinese carriers, in principle though not personally, and whilst Singapore Airways or Cathay Pacific sound the best, at the end of the day I would prefer a less snobbish firm like the outsider Tata, remembering its great history in early aviation.

Hazare & the 'Gang of Four'

2011-10-24T12:44:00.000-07:00

Hazare claims that the number of Ministers who are opposing Jan Lokpal Bill in Cabinet was handful, he said it was similar to a village where there are "two to four goons" who hold the entire village to ransom.

"Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has assured us in writing that he will pass a law in favour of Janlokpal Bill during this winter session. He has also given this assurance before television channels. Shri. Salman Khurshid too has promised people that he will see to it that Janlokpal Bill is passed during the winter session. This shows that righteous people are in majority as to 'gang of four'. The way these people are levelling allegations against Team Anna it shows they are not bothered for the well-being of our nation or society at large. They are casting aspersions on others for their own selfish interests. They are quite capable of pressurizing the government not to bring Janlokpal Bill and if need be might take help of the handful belonging to the opposition party".

IMO: I understand that Team Hazare are attempting to reduce corruption by the Jan Lokpal bill and it seems the PM has agreed to it. The original "gang of four" seems to have been in China and they were Mao Zedong's wife Jiang Qing, Wang Hongwen, Yao Wenyuan and Zhang Chunqiao."If they had carried on with all that left-wing stuff, there would have been no progress," said Wang Guixiu, a professor at the Chinese Communist Party's Central Party School. The US "gang of four" were some allegedly dodgy US Governors. Now the Indian 'gang of four' are four Union ministers who are part of the Lokpal drafting committee who allegedly are runnning a smear campaign against Hazare and his team.

Gadaffi

2011-10-23T23:01:00.000-07:00

On Slate, it says

"Muammer Qaddafi, the dictator of Libya, declared that 'we'd be content and happy if Obama can stay president forever.' Such lavish praise...tells you much of what [Obama's] approach to foreign policy is and the audience to which he is playing."
— Mitt Romney, in his 2010 book No Apology

IMO: Obviously Romney had it wrong. I would have thought it would have been hard for a Mormon to gain presidency etc. for reasons including belief (?) in 'John Smith's magic spectacles' etc. But it appears that Gadaffi may have genuinely trusted the USA, and so many of his other public utterances bear that out. It seems that he had planned to unite Africa etc. Many people will still feel Gadaffi was right. Certainly there was a much more stable situation in Libya with Gadaffi in charge

Bhatt

2011-10-17T04:27:00.000-07:00

Speaking to IBN18 Editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai, Bhatt said that Modi must be treated like a criminal and if he had any role to play, he must be brought to justice.

He said there were "ample evidence from various forums, and will keep on coming out".

IMO: It seems to be rather highhanded behaviour to have put Bhatt in jail, but they will really need terrifically good evidence to obtain a serious conviction of Modi. My experience is that this SEZ business has got right out of hand and seems to be polluting whole areas needlessly. Obviously many businesses will jump at the chance to do a quick and dirty job, and it is not good. Telco for example, was a model employee at the Pimpri/Cinchwad truck works but seemed to succomb to the lure of filthy lucre over the Nano in West Bengal, and now presumably in Gujarat. I am not a stickler but the Sativali area, near Mumbai, stinks, for example and we have already had to try to put forward the exploitation of out of state workers in Goa. These people, who did not know the safety requirements, were being obliged to work in conditions leading to blindness and death and we made and effort to stop this.

Scottish 'independence' will be an unfortunate joke

2011-10-16T18:21:00.000-07:00

Alex Salmond's dream of inching Scotland quietly towards independence is working – and Westminster does not know what to do about it. A significant new poll reveals that since the Scottish National Party won outright control at Holyrood in May, there has been a surge in support for breaking up the union.

IMO: If the European Union had worked it might have been a good idea. But, obviously the EU is no bed of roses. Scotland in effect is a UK Lichtenstein - too small to survive except to the benefit of warlords and so-called 'businessmen'. Whilst undoubtedly most of the Westminster parliament is not great, forsaking that is a mistake. Only rats leave a sinking ship, and constructive action against a weak ineffectual Government is certainly the right way.

'Right to Recall' sounds like a good idea for India

2011-10-16T18:03:00.000-07:00

Anna Hazare proposes it for India. The "powers that be" almost all oppose it.

'Right to Recall' means that politicians who do not do what people want can be sacked.

IMO: It sounds like a good idea, already required in USA. Obviously the "devil is in the detail" and careful clear legislation is needed. Equally obviously, places like J&K will need careful consideration. But those in authority have had their own way for too long, and changes are necessary.

Letwin sacked after abandoning UK Govt documents

2011-10-14T17:00:00.000-07:00

It appears that he frequently used to throw Govt documents into public rubbish bins after he had glanced at them. And has even been photographed whilst doing so.

IMO: Practically everybody knows you should at least put such documents through a shredder for a number of reasons. It seems Letwin was an investment banker - or crook as some call that job. Bearing in mind that nowadays in the USA, quite serious sentences are obtained (e.g. 10 years) for the offences often needed to be committed if you intend to make money in investment banking, and Letwin was in a targetable job (senior M.P.), there must be an amazingly high level of mutual trust between these bankers and the police. Or possibly there are other reasons, like idleness and incompetence all round. Mr. Cameron claims we have a 'broken Britain'. If so, it becomes evidence where some of the 'breaks' are - and not just in Letwin, who on the face of it now just sounds like a sock puppet or 'front' for the other idle rich.

Indian satellite to monitor monsoon rains

2011-10-14T16:36:00.000-07:00

An Indian rocket carrying a weather satellite developed in collaboration with France was successfully launched from Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday. It is now safely in orbit.

The 1,000-kilogram Megha-Tropiques is a tropical weather monitoring satellite.

It is designed to collect data on the water cycle in the tropical atmosphere and will help climate change research and weather predictions including the seasonal monsoon rains.

It was the 19th consecutive successful launch by India's indigenously developed Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) official BR Guruprasad said.

IMO: It cost about $100 million. A lot of money but it helps to keep involved in international scientific collaboration. Data is likely to be fed into climate simulation models for weather prediction.

Dalai Lama

2011-10-08T19:33:00.000-07:00

The Dalai Lama on Saturday slamed censorship in China as "immoral" and poked fun at denunciations of himself in a video chat with Desmond Tutu after he was not granted a visa in time to travel to South Africa.

The Dalai Lama said hypocrisy and telling lies had become part of life in "the communist totalitarian system".

IMO: As far as I am aware, the genuine strength and urgency of Stalinist communism has now been etiolated to a certain strange level. In West Bengal, originally we simply had, fairly, a hard working and dedicated Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee but now it has become apparent to all, after Didi's victory, what a shambles West Bengal was becoming under communism. I have not spent long in China recently, but we are definitely finding there that the same problem, with different systems details, is applying. I am no Isaiah Berlin, so I will presume from pontificating at length about this matter in a short blog, but it does look as if factors like status and fear have perverted the communist ideal in China to the point where - correctly enough - the Dalai Lama is characterising a once brave and honorable ideal as "toxic".

Patients go hungry in half of UK hospitals:

2011-10-08T05:27:00.000-07:00

Elderly routinely left for hours without a drink

Nearly half of hospitals visited by undercover inspectors are failing to meet basic nutrition standards, a damning report has warned.

Elderly patients are routinely left without anything to drink for hours, with some so dehydrated they are being put on drips.

Other patients found themselves regularly being fed by their relatives because nursing staff were too 'busy' (IMO: probably 'corrupt and idle') to help.

Hospitals slip Do Not Resuscitate orders inside patients’ notes without telling them or their families.

IMO: The overpaid nurses are often too bored and lazy to do their work properly. And they prefer to have plenty of DNR notices to economise and avoid Cameron's "cuts". It is all very well to say 'nurses are great' but they are not. And many do not even speak English. I heard one nurse telling another nurse in Tagalog how to do an injection to a patient, and it was clear that neither nurse actually knew English nor how to do the injection. That is England for you, now and today.

Hazare again

2011-10-08T05:01:00.000-07:00

Social activist and Gandhian Anna Hazare's claim of not harbouring warm feelings for the RSS and the BJP notwithstanding, the people have been left wondering about the intention of his 'apolitical' anti-corruption movement.

While his earlier agitations were only against corrupt public officers, this time he has targeted the Congress at the Centre and in the states.

IMO: " It seems plain that it is difficult to see how Hazare can do otherwise. In fact we could claim that commentators who hold the view that Hazare is now acting politically, are themselves the people with a (perhaps unconscious) political bias.

But as Bal Thackerey seems to imply, possibly in these cases we need the gun and not the ballot box. In other words, shoot the corrupt bastards, But it is to be hoped that Ghandian methods will succeed for Hazare. It seems possible that the American police bashings of innocent American protestors are partly due to the possible US use of weapons to, as it were, 'kill the corrupt bastards'.

The world is rapidly becoming rather like Weimar on stilts, with the possible likely consequences. In the case we may be a little too sophisticated to simply blame the Jews, like Hitler did, though clearly many Jews are involved in US banking. But unfortunately the Danziger cartoon "In der Kuche mit Angela" may well sum up the current situation in Europe."

Cameron proposes full marriage rights for same-sex couples

2011-10-07T18:26:00.000-07:00

Some delegates walked out of the Prime Minister’s speech at his party’s conference when he announced that he supported same-sex marriage ‘because I am a Conservative’.

IMO: In fairness, the idea of actual same-sex marriage - as distinct from many somewhat similar looking ideas like formal sacred lifelong partnerships with many roughly equivalent legal rights - is total crap, and Cameron should resign. Look at Tory policies over many years. Earlier or later, it is not the case that the Tory view is for same sex marriage. Also, it is a rotten idea, and the Telegraph gives only a few of the reasons. Also there is the obvious biological difference between male and female, which created the reason for marriage in the first place. This matter really has only to do with tolerance in the sense that Cameron is now preaching intolerance for established factual and common sense views. In short, intolerance for Tory views. It is almost a step further than the difference between allowing Metropolitan Community Church to exist and insisting that the Church of England are legally required to allow 'gay' clergy. The latter would be clear intolerance of views which many feel are sacred. Cameron's views are not just antisocial and to many antireligious, but antifemale as well. Any fool should see that, but maybe Cameron does not.

IMO: Sack Cameron NOW. What we want is a Glass-Steagal Act and a Tobin tax. Santander (where my wife puts her meagre savings) and many other banks have just been downgraded by Moodys. Why ? Because of the clowns now running the Tory party.

Bal Thackeray opposes reclamation, praises Anna

2011-10-06T17:41:00.000-07:00

"The sea doesn't belong to you," he told the ruling Congress-NCP alliance. "With a pistol in my hand, I will stop any attempt to divorce Mumbai from the state of Maharashtra," Thackeray said amid prolonged cheers.

Stating that the Koli-Bhandaris were the original inhabitants of Mumbai, he said, "The Sena will take to the streets if the government does anything to jeopardize the interests of the two communities."

Our Central leaders are nincompoops-(defence minister) A K Antony can't protect himself...The Congress couldn't give enough toilets to countrymen in the last 65 years. How will it take care of India's defence? The Congress has turned India into a dumping ground."

Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray called Gandhian Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement a ‘joke.' “The people around him have turned his anti-corruption movement into a joke. Anna, corruption will not end in this country. Big fish are involved in this. Your net will get torn, but these fish will not be caught,” he said, suggesting that Anna deal with it more strongly.

IMO: At least his point on Anna may hold true. Thackeray actually seems to want something done NOW about corruption and praises Hazare. He has always favored a strong approach but one must hope for the best and that Anna's rather Ghandian methods do show some success. Reflect about Antony, and hope that the big money spending will lead useful results, especially in Afghanistan. BJP often talks big but do little that is useful. But when Bal Thackaray says "With a pistol in my hand" - that's what he means. Ah, Shivaji days.... But Congress still seems to be the best hope for India - unfortunately.

Videos show police brutality at Occupy Wall Street protests in USA

2011-10-06T17:20:00.000-07:00

Two peaceful female protesters were first penned in by police, then at least one of the young women is sprayed directly in the face at close range with pressurized mace. She then falls to her knees, and repeatedly screams in pain.

There is also a photo of a white-collar police officer reaching over a barricade and ripping a young woman's hair out.

IMO: Video and photo details here. There is obviously some reason for complaint by the general public. Thank goodness it is still not as bad in India, where at the moment only complaining MPs etc. are jailed.

Typical comment was "That is the most disgusting abuse of Police power I've seen this week. I can't say "ever seen" since the Cops in the USA are increasingly one-upping their flat-out-disregard for the bill of rights and civil rights in general on a daily basis. I see those women being abused like that and it makes me furious. Disgusting pigs."

IMO: Just wait till the Tea Party are running things

Badals doing to Lokpal IG what Modi did to Bhatt

2011-10-06T16:59:00.000-07:00

Congress say: "Congress MLA Sukhpal Khaira the Lokpal IG, an IPS officer, is being harassed as he is probing the allegations leveled against the Badals of promoting their family-owned transport business in the state.

Sanjiv Bhatt, also an IPS officer, is currently in jail, arrested, it is alleged, for testifying against Narendra Modi in a post-Godhra riots case".

Khaira said Lokpal IG Shamlal Ghakhar was also in the process of inquiring into the Rs 100 crore land grab scandal in Kapurthala in which Bibi Jagir Kaur is also involved, and to which the Chief Minister has been made a party.

IMO: It sounds bad for all these people, but at least things have not got to the point of the NY situation where harmless decent people are now bashed by the police for daring to protest against the Wall Street bankers. But I guess it may be only a matter of time before the lathi (baton) charges start again, as activists are holding candlelight vigils to support Bhatt's family and demand release.

CM lays corner stone for waste plant at Raia

2011-10-05T17:38:00.000-07:00

Margao: Chief minister Digambar Kamat on Sunday said "If children are given lessons on garbage management in schools, they will then prevail upon their parents not to dump garbage just about anywhere as is being done now. This will go a long way in keeping the city clean. The cooperation of locals is imperative for the success of any garbage treatment plant," Kamat said after laying the foundation stone for setting up of solid waste management plant at Sonsoddo which is expected to become functional by next monsoons.

IMO: Let us hope that these children do prevail on their parents not to dump garbage, and generally to be more socially responsible and not so mean and greedy. The children are supposed to be getting good educations very often and those matters certainly should be part of their education. Goa is a very wealthy place for India but much poorer people in other areas often behave better. It shows that money certainly does not bring spiritual excellence.

IMO: It is certainly true that people in Goa throw garbage everywhere. But there is still no efficient garbage collection service in many places. And collecting garbage by individuals is more socially expensive than having a proper garbage service. Where I lived in Mumbai a garbage lady came around daily and it did not cost much. The area was spotless, and other flat dwellers kept it that way. Maybe the children could help to insist on proper local garbage collections.

Kamat exuded confidence that the Raia project would turn into a success.

IMO: Raia still stinks, and has caused many disputes. I trust it will be improved as claimed. But they seem to have been offering improvements for 30 years and it has got worse not better.

Modi vs top cop: Sanjiv Bhatt says "won't compromise with goons"

2011-10-04T17:23:00.000-07:00

Suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt refused to make any compromise with the Gujarat government after a local court proposed that if he went on police remand for about three hours his bail plea could be heard today itself.

The "Kashmir Times" says Bhatt claimed a driver, Pant, appeared to be acting following "diktats" from political members of the state government. Bhatt had alleged his arrest was aimed at getting hold of the alleged evidence he had against Modi with regard to the 2002 communal riots, and destroying them.

Now the EconomicTimes says Pant claims he had not beem pressured to make the statement against Bhatt.

IMO: Well, he would say that, wouldn't he ? Presumably Pant does not want to be jailed also.

Bhatt's wife said "My husband has been victimised and arrested merely because a few politicians apprehended serious action against them because of the evidence Sanjeev is likely to give in the pending criminal cases."

Union home ministry on Tuesday asked the Gujarat government to provide adequate security to the jailed IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, his wife Shweta Bhatt and other family members on the basis of threat perception.

IMO: I am minded of the initial Kashmir hostage situation by Pakistani terrorists many years ago, where neither members of the then Indian Government nor opposition parties seemed to have acted strongly enough. And many people may well be worried as to whether all this talk becomes just more political hot air.

IMO: At least Manmohan Singh has now signed some sort of trade and security pact with Karzai of Afghanistan. And India has started stepping up its exposure to the security scenario in Afghanistan by operationalising an airbase in Tajikistan, which has since been used to strike at the top leadership of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. It has also sought permission to reopen a hospital at Farkhor on the Afghan border. All this sort of thing will cost India a lot of money of course. The Indian Air Force (IAF) will induct a total of 214 single and twin-seater variants of the advanced Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) being developed jointly by India and Russia. The fighters are likely to be inducted by 2017. The IAF is also set to acquire six more C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft manufactured by Lockheed Martin in addition to the six that had been ordered in 2008 at a cost of $1.05 billion. A pity all this money may have to be spent, besause of Chinese and Pakistani weakness and inadequacy to cope with the facts.

CMC's waste collection to reach all wards by Oct

2011-10-02T00:20:00.000-07:00

CUNCOLIM: Five months after the free door-to-door garbage collection programme was launched in two wards of the Cuncolim municipal council (CMC), the exercise will now be extended to all 10 wards by October.

IMO: They really should do this throughout Goa. Goa at the moment looks like a big filthy garbage tip. Even a weekly collection will also be very helpful. In the long run this will profit Goa as otherwise it will be shunned by tourists. It will not even be fit to be an SEZ, just a big Raia dump of filth. Congratulations to Cuncolim for taking action, the rest could do the same and it might be a sure way to win votes.

Shunning the Mahatma

2011-10-01T23:56:00.000-07:00

This much quoted article makes a great number of correct points

For example

"In the India we made, we have successfully deprived the poor of their voice in its making. We have created an India where more than 17,000 farmers commit suicide every year. We have created an India in which 830 million people live on Rs. 20 a day."

And India has very many other problems mentioned in this most worthwhile analysis

IMO: Nonetheless it is possible to say with pride at the end of the day "This IS the India that Gandhiji created". We just have to compare other nations like for example USA, UK and the EU - there is still room for pride, but much more has to be done. I will not compare these other places in a derogatory way at this time, but as somone who has spent a great deal of time in all of them, I can certainly see the difference. But we must continue to excel, and live up to the high standards of the Mahatma. For example Gandhiji said Indian culture is neither Hindu, Islamic, nor any other, wholly; it is a fusion of all. even with its gross imperfections, this is still true. And certainly, one improvement would be a working prohibition system and more vegetarianism. Many things can be done. For India, certainly all is not lost.All may well be lost for totally decadent countries like the UK, but India can still look to the future with hope and pride.

Vicker's Report : What a scam

2011-10-01T20:57:00.000-07:00

Vickers:

‘As to the form that separation might take, a balance must be struck between the benefits to society of making banks safer and the costs that this necessarily entails. Full separation – i.e. into separate entities with restrictions on cross-ownership – might provide the strongest firewall to protect retail banking services from contagion effects of external shocks. But it would lose some benefits of universal banking.’

IMO: The "benefits of universal banking" are that the banks get a chance to gamble with our savings and make a lot of money for themselves. The report is simply fraudulent. All the MPs, and even much of the press, think it is grand. But their proposed 'ring-fencing' will be hardly better than the 'Chinese walls' the banks had before. So, there is to be nothing like Glass-Steagal, just more foul play at the taxpayer's expense.

IMO: The above sums it up. Basically the public are to be left unprotected. Lobster 61 (pdf) and plenty of others doubtless know the true situation.

Cartoonist jailed for Narendra Modi caricature

2011-10-01T15:07:00.000-07:00

A cartoonist of a leading city-based eveninger was arrested on the charges of "fanning communal sentiments" through a cartoon perceived to be based on a controversy surrounding Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's fast and his move to allegedly refuse wearing a skull cap, police said today.

39-year-old Harish Yadav alias Mussveer was arrested from his residence in Malharganj area last night, they said.

"Yadav has been booked under section 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings or any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of IPC for the cartoon published in 'PrabhatKiran' on September 20," Malharganj police station in-charge Suresh Saijwar said

IMO: At least they have not yet arrested Bal Thackeray..

Modi

2011-10-01T05:22:00.000-07:00

Taking a dig at his ally BJP over the Advani-Narendra Modi 'cold war', Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray on Saturday said the "triphala churn" (an ayurvedic mix of three herbs used to detoxify and rejuvenate the body) concocted by the RSS, Gadkari and Advani is troubling the Gujarat chief minister.

Thackeray's comments, in an editorial in party mouthpiece `Saamana', come amid reports of the two day BJP national executive meet being overshadowed by a cold war between the party's two big guns -- L K Advani and Narendra Modi -- with the latter conspicuous by his absence.

BJP national vice president Vinay Katiyar said, "Haven't read what is written in the Saamna article. BJP is not some family's party, but a party of its workers. Party workers have the ability of expressing their opinion and whatever decision is taken, it is unanimously followed."

IMO: Shiv Sena is also a party of a lot of workers. Bal Thackeray's views must be taken very seriously.

'Saamna' also had an article entitled "How Modi's dandiya has the BJP in a tizzy', and carried a caricature of Modi playing the Dandiya. The article makes fun of how the BJP top brass was at a loss to explain his absence.

Ii is not all a barrel of laughs, Bhatt's house has been raided again by the Gujarat police and his wife fears for his life.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, "Bhatt is being victimised. His premises are being raided again and again. There is no law and order in Gujarat."

According to Tehelka, Modi made a serious slip. On the evening of 27 February 2002, after the terrible Sabarmati train carnage in Godhra, Modi had called a ‘law and order meeting’ at his residence, at which, in an unforgivable act, he is infamously reported to have told his officers, “Let the Hindus vent their anger.” The signal was sent. The mayhem that followed is history.

IMO: Other aspects of the articles by Tehelka also suggest that Modi is seriously in the wrong. Tehelka is a very serious paper which is frequently correct. For example, it gained fame over its exposure of George Fernandes where it actually produced videos of Fernandes in the process of taking a bribe. Pant, who allegedly made the comment leading to the arrest, apparently holds views not shared by other witnesses.

IMO: India does not need another Rick Perry. And the whole SEZ situation for example, especially in Goa, should be re-examined.

Didi and the Naxals

2011-10-01T01:54:00.000-07:00

Maoists have said talks and anti-Maoist operations by joint forces cannot continue simultaneously - a tit for tat reply to Ms Banerjee's recent statement that talks and Maoist killings cannot continue at the same time.

"Who has given you the right to kill? I am all for negotiation, so I have given lot of time...I will give more if you want. But you will murder and negotiate...that cannot be. You can't do both. You have to choose one,"

IMO: My memory of the recent past of this matter is that when CPI offered to negotiate, it seemed to be a kind of ruse to kill the Naxal negotiators. Also there has been wrong on both side in the past. And it seems obvious that in Chattisgargh, to some extent both sides are trying to gain the advantage of the innocence of many of the tribals. It may well be not so bad in Bengal, but all sides will find it difficult. My bet is that TMC will do a lot better than CPI. But the message seems to be that it will not be easy for any of the parties to come to terms.

Tory conspiracy of silence over serious poison epidemic in UK

2011-10-01T01:40:00.000-07:00

250 people ill and one already dead – but the public has only been told now. After six months of investigation by the Health Protection Agency, which has only just acknowledged the outbreak, the infection has ultimately been linked to people handling loose raw leeks and potatoes in their homes.

Was the chair of the FSA told about the outbreak? And did the chair share that information with other board members? Were the board members responsible for the secrecy or were they kept in the dark? Or was the key decision in favour of non-disclosure taken by ministers in the Department of Health? Until those questions are answered, and the policy culture changed, public confidence in UK food safety policymaking will revert to its longstanding downward trend.

IMO: Surely Mr.Cameron's 'cuts' could be implemented on these useless jobsworths. And how about 'cutting' the overpaid nurses who actually refuse to wipe the arses of desperately ill OAPs. When I was in hospital relatively recently in the UK, the complaints about that sort of thing certainly seemed true, and worse. I remember my father dying on the NHS and he never had any sympathy, and now things have got worse still

Saudi woman to be lashed for driving car

2011-09-27T17:51:00.000-07:00

A Saudi woman has been sentenced to to 10 lashes for challenging a ban on women driving.

Sheima Jastaniah was sentenced on Monday by a court in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, where she was caught driving in July.

There is no law banning women from driving, but there is a law requiring citizens to use locally issued licences while in the country. Such licences are not issued to women, making it effectively illegal for them to drive.

IMO: I have every sympathy for the Saudi administration for trying to enforce their own views in the 21st century, but it is quite difficult to avoid absurd and even harmful anachronisms and the like. One feels in the difficult present day situation it is rather easy to compare disparagingly the Saudi behaviour of a woman apparently trying to obey the Koran in terms she believed best, and the Saudis apparently avoiding real problems like the connivance of the Chinese and Pakistani authorities not just to spread nuclear terror, but to attempt to force the Uighur people to breach Islamic law. Surely the Saudis could be a lttle more responsive to world conditions without any real loss.

Chinese involvement with Pakistan's illegal nuclear proliferation

2011-09-27T10:46:00.000-07:00

It appears that confidential letters by AQ Kahn, many dating back to 2003, are being slowly leaked to Fox News.

IMO: Fox News is part of the Murdoch empire. Sometimes it obtains useful factual information.

Last week Fox News allegedly obtained Khan's 2003 letter to his wife in which the nuclear engineer reveals a stunning degree of proliferation between Islamabad and Beijing, evidently with government compliance.

In the letter Khan says, "You know we had cooperation with China for 15 years. We put up a centrifuge plant at Hanzhong. We sent 135 C-130 plane loads of machines , inverters, valves, flow meters, pressure gauges . Our teams stayed there for weeks to help and their teams stayed here for weeks at a time. Late minister Liu We, V M (vice minister) Li Chew, vice minister Jiang Shengjie used to visit us."

The C-130 military transport planes were given to Pakistan by the US under a military aid program, presumably to combat terror. China and Pakistan appeared to have collaborated to do exactly the opposite In fact, documents relating to Pakistan's proliferation through much of the 1990s suggest US was asleep on the watch through much of the nuclear exchanges involving Pakistan, China, North Korea , Iran, and Libya.

Khan also reveals that "the Chinese gave us drawings of the nuclear weapon, gave us 50kg enriched uranium , gave us 10 tonnes of UF6 (natural) and 5 tonnnes of UF6 (3%). Chinese helped Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission in setting up UF6 plant, production reactor for plutonium and reprocessing plant." Further, Khan said "Gen Jehangir Karamat (chief of army staff 1996-8 ) took $3 million through me from N Koreans and asked me to give them some drawings and machines" .

IMO: On the basis of the above information, it seems that if there is really a "war on terror", the administrators of both Pakistan and China are on the side of the evil doers. And Pakistan apparently is helping China to suppress its Muslim minority - hardly a pro-Islamic thing to do. That sort of thing would not be allowed in India.

UN vote on Palestine

2011-09-24T04:46:00.000-07:00

Dr. Ahmed Jaber, perhaps a typical educated Palestinian-American, says whether you are for, or against the UN statehood bid, the fact is that it has raised more questions than answers.

“Is it going to make problems on the street in the West Bank and Gaza? Will there be a third intifada? What is really the 1967 border, does that exclude the Palestinians who were inside the Green line in 1948 Palestine? What will happen to them? Are we abandoning them? How about the right of return?” Jaber asked. “Whether this step is good for the Palestinians or not, I don’t know, we have to wait and see.”

But some Palestinians have described the UN vote as a "powder keg" that could set off further violent protests – which will almost certainly prompt a harsh reaction from the Israeli government, with consequences for all Palestinians.

"These people are crazy," said a minibus driver, shaking his head as he sped past the protesters fighting at Qalandia. "This vote at the United Nations, it is like a bomb waiting to explode."

IMO: Part of the trouble seems to be the present "veto" system at the UN, and there are many other problems. Why should once powerful but now declining countries like USA and Russia have veto rights. and to be honest, the idea of China having any veto rights at all, which I believe it does now, seems totally bizarre - the reasons are perhaps obvious, I hope so. And then there are factors like the Ostrogorski paradox, and the fact that even withinin the USA, the relative voting rights for individual States is still unclear and still contested. Probably Palestine will get some sort of minor recognition, but largely due to the US jewish lobby, not a lot. And even who is to say that that is bad ? But it is genuinely difficult to see a likely suitable conclusion and probably the UN should improve its arrangements.

"Guilty Men" by Oborne & Weaver

2011-09-23T13:40:00.000-07:00

IMO: It's a good book, well worth reading. Perhaps a ltttle sharp in its rebuke on those who gave bad advice etc. But of course they should have got it right - and the man in the street is the loser, not the well paid advisors and perpetrators. Find the book on Google.

Some quotes:

"The cruel fact is that countries like Greece, Ireland, Spain and Portugal have been condemned to far worse austerity than Britain, precisely because of their membership of the Eurozone. It is the single currency in which Hutton so fervently believes that has brought up such terrible austerity across much of the European continent – and our own cuts would have been far worse had Britain taken his advice and joined."

and Lord Wilson said in 2005
"Although the BBC wishes to be impartial in its news coverage of the EU it is not succeeding".

On promises by politicians and would be statesmen.

"We were told that there could be no financial bail-outs of embattled member states – there have been three so far.

We were told they (financial bail-outs) were illegal – retrospective legislation is being introduced to change this.

We were told there could be no fiscal transfers between member states – the European Central Bank (ECB) in Frankfurt, as it provides tens of billions of liquidity to bankrupt peripheral economies, is now turning into a mechanism for quiet fiscal transfer, ultimately at the cost of the EU taxpayer.

We were told that the ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet would “defend the European Central Bank’s independence under any circumstance and with all my strength”. This promise proved futile and he and his bank have both been captured by the big EU politicians. As a result the balance sheet of his bank is now in ruins. Like ECB independence, it has become a fiction, since the ECB marks at or near to book value its vast holdings of near worthless Greek, Irish and Portuguese debt."

IMO: I certainly hope somebody sorts out the EU but the less I have to do with it, probably the better.

Speed of light broken - an expert's view

2011-09-23T05:12:00.000-07:00

If CERN scientists are correct in claiming they have observed particles travelling faster than the speed of light it would fundamentally change our understanding of the laws of physics, experts say.

Prof Jenny Thomas, of University College London, says the claims, if proven true, would call into question our very understanding of physics and the universe.

She said: "It would turn everything on its head. It is too awful to think about.

"The basic thing it that would be questioned is that there is an absolute speed limit which is the basis of special relativity and that is a huge building block of modern physics.

"It permeates everything to do with how we have modelled the universe and everything. It would be very hard to predict what the effects would be."

IMO: It is not too surprising, and special relativity works - up to a point.

ISI behind strikes on American targets, says US at last

2011-09-22T20:24:00.000-07:00

The US panel's decision to reel back aid and make it conditional came after several US officials made scathing remarks about Pakistan's continued use of terrorism to achieve its objectives in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

IMO: Also, the US is short of funds because of bad planning for many years. Infrastructure throughout USA has been neglected and now unemployment levels have reached a high standard on a worldwide basis.

The ISI specifically directed, or urged, the Haqqani network to carry out the September 13 attack on the US embassy and a Nato headquarters in Kabul, two unnamed US officials said, recalling a similar ISI-sponsored attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul which killed a diplomat and a military attache.

US lawmakers also said that Pakistani officials had knowledge of illicit money transfers to Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad, following up serious charges by the US ambassador to Islamabad Cameron Munter to the effect that ''there is evidence linking the Haqqani Network to the Pakistan government".

Washington believes the Pakistani government to engage in terrorist activity. In a Congressional hearing on terrorism financing on Wednesday, Democratic Representative Richard Blumenthal substantiated this view by saying the major source (of funding) for Shahzad was in Pakistan, ''possibly with the complicity of the financial institutions there, possibly with the knowledge of officials in Pakistan."

IMO: Of course you cannot really blame the man in the street. And what is worse, many Pakis actually believe the oily speeches their leaders make, most of which bear no relation to the truth. Imran Kahn, for example, seems to be as well brainwashed with the lies of a few Saudis and his own over opulent country members. You realise that Bush's comment that he would "bomb the Pakis back to the stone ages" at least would resolve the problem as the Paki leadership do not seem to be doing so. I feel sorry for the police and even many of the ordinary soldiers

Chandor Frogs

2011-09-21T22:56:00.000-07:00

12 New Frog Species have been discovered in India’s Western Ghats Western, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra. All the new species are night frogs, which made the research projects more challenging. Six of the new species are already in a highly vulnerable state due to damage to their habitats. “The major threat to amphibians in India is massive habitat loss. Taking any conservation effort for amphibians will indirectly conserve several other important biodiversities of that area,” said one of the researchers.

IMO: We mentioned this matter some time ago and even published a photo of one of our attractive 'designer frogs'. Recently more photographs of some of these frogs have been published. Right now there are three frogs sitting happily in the well. They actually live in the well. They look exactly like number 7 on the list here. The area around here has been identified as one of the ten hottest biodiversity hotspots in the world.

The Ostrogorski paradox

2011-09-21T18:10:00.000-07:00

The Nationalist Congress Party has indicated its displeasure over the proposed Prevention of Communal and Violence Protection Bill which has been close to the heart of Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Interestingly, several alliance partners supporting the Congress coalition government in the UPA government have opposed the Bill. The most vocal has been the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress. Some of the leaders representing the DMK and the National Conference (NC) have also expressed reservations to the Bill in its current form.

IMO: Such a bill may well be a good idea, but it would need to be drafted carefully and deal with local conditions, and indeed possible or contrived local conditions, carefully to reach a reasonable effect.

RR Patil (of Maharashtra) said, “If we go by presumptions that majority Hindus are the target in states like Gujarat or Maharashtra. Then we should not lose sight of the fact that in Kashmir the Hindus would be in minority. Or in several northeastern states, Christians would be in majority etc.”

Interestingly, the Assam Sentinal says "The Communal Violence Bill as suggested by the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council is unacceptable and must be opposed" . In fact the Sentinal writes quite a good case to support its viewpoint. For example "Under (the Bill's) definition of “group”, in a State like Assam, by way of illustration, where about eight districts have already become Muslim majority, due to influx, the religious majority in those districts would continue to be minority at the State level, and hence would get all protection, though some of their members could be involved in inciting or engaging in communal hatred and violence in different forms against the Hindu community, who happen to be a majority in the State but minority in those eight districts".

IMO: Looked at on the broader scale, we also should perhaps consider the Ostrogorski paradox and related matters.

Foreign criminals are allowed to stay in the UK

2011-09-21T00:56:00.000-07:00

Europe’s corrupt judges rule that – regardless of what the British public and legal system may think – a Nigerian sex offender should be allowed to stay in the UK. For good. His right to a family and private life must be protected, the judges say – and to hell with the rights of his victim or anybody else for that matter. Yet again, it is proof that Strasbourg’s unaccountable judges – who most notoriously granted the vote to convicted UK prisoners - have zero respect for laws made by the British Parliament, or the verdicts of our courts.

IMO: All this is why many decent people want to leave the UK for good, if they have the chance. The UK citizens were never given a proper vote on EU membership and now the euro seems to be becoming trash. There are no really good and obvious reasons for the UK to remain part of Europe any longer, and two of the 'cuts' it seems Cameron should making are (1) cut salaries of MPs, teachers and 'civil' servants. (2) Get out of the EU fast (except possibly as an associate) so as to cut out paying money to it. Otherwise the money will just go to benefit German industrialists, doubtless of the Zyclon B variety - they are toxic waste.

US and Mayawati

2011-09-17T12:25:00.000-07:00

The US has recently lauded the efforts of two Chief Ministers — Gujarat’s Narendra Modi and UP’s Mayawati for their efforts in development of their respective States. But why Mayawati when there are so many allegations by the Opposition accusing her of corruption. Even the Ministers in her Cabinet have been indicted by the Lokayukta for their involvement in corruption. The silver lining to all the allegations is that the US report states that Mayawati has done commendable work in constructing highways and in the power sector.

IMO: Neither Modi nor Mayawati sound like the sort of persons those who approve of Hazare would like.

For example, Mayawati flies a private jet to Mumbai when she needs sandals. Mayawati is undoubtedly the most controversial women in Indian politics. She has been charged in a series of cases including disproportionate assets and Taj Corridor case etc. The self-proclaimed face of the poorest of the state's poor Dalits who came to power on the call of 'sarvajan hitaye' (for the benefit of all) has always getting richer and richer. Her net worth in 2010 was at 87 crore, an increase of at least Rs 35 crore in three years' time. Besides these, she owns properties in different parts of the country, the cumulative cost of which is valued around 73 crore. The Dalit queen has been fighting many legal battles over cases relating to the Taj corridor case, diamond-laden lavish birthday parties, disproportionate assets case and spend large sums of money on building statues of herself. The UP Chief Minister has been exposed by WikiLeaks to have a "penchant for corruption".

IMO: Well Tony Blair was approved of by many in the US. He was head of the UK party supposedly representing the poor and the underdogs, and many people feel he mainly acted badly and mulcted the funds. It all sounds somewhat like a very shady version of the Teamsters.

Interestingly, emboldened by WikiLeaks revelation that Sonia holds a soft corner for Mayawati, a section of the Congressmen even feel Mayawati could be a suitable support option. Nothing can be ruled out, though it is too premature to predict anything yet, remarked a senior Congress leader, when contacted. However, the prospect is alarming for some of the leaders in the saffron army. Having shared power three times, the BJP and the BSP are considered natural allies. The UP Chief Minister has been exposed by WikiLeaks to have a "penchant for corruption".

IMO: Chilling. India certainly needs more people like Anna Hazare.

Jimmy Carter

2011-09-12T20:46:00.000-07:00

Carter says: "It's not just George W Bush who has blood on his hands, but Tony Blair too". "Blair's made a fortune since leaving office".

IMO: Only too true.

On Carter's Presidency: "We never went to war. We never dropped a bomb. We never fired a bullet. But still we achieved our international goals. We brought peace to other people, including Egypt and Israel. We normalised relations with China, which had been non-existent for 30-something years. We brought peace between US and most of the countries in Latin America because of the Panama Canal Treaty. We formed a working relationship with the Soviet Union."

IMO: And unlike most of today's heads of state, Carter did not mulct the US funds - he now lives in a small cheapish bungalow where he lived before he became President. What a shame there are not more heads of State like Carter.

Criminals now post their photos with robbery loot on Facebook

2011-09-11T01:17:00.000-07:00

“GIVE ME ALL THE MONEY OR ELSE EVERYBODY DIES!!! 100s 50s 20s ONLY," is one typical quote.

IMO: Apparently it can happen a lot. (The above case happened in the US). In the UK, the "bankers" steal £100 million, £50 million, £20 million etc and do not even have to take the trouble to post their photos. We all know who they are. Obviously, things are going from bad to worse with the Cameron Tory party.

But what have we now ?

2011-09-10T21:41:00.000-07:00

Eight CMs, including two of Congress- ruled states, skipped the NIC meeting - Mamata Banerjee, Narendra Modi, Jayalalithaa, Nitish Kumar, Mayawati, Parkash Singh Badal, Ashok Gehlot and Ooman Chandy.

The National Integration Council (NIC) meeting in Delhi was called after a gap of three years.

West Bengal's finance minister Amit Mitra spelt out the Trinamool Congress's stand on the issue.

"Our government has serious objections to the introduction of such a Bill. The contemplated Bill is tantamount to a direct intervention of constitutional and functional powers of a state government and undermines the very principle of federalism.

"Instead of bringing such a Bill, we suggest that if serious violence breaks out in a state, the Centre should commit to give full cooperation to the state in handling such an exigency," Mitra said.

IMO: I am curious as to what happens next. I am thinking of the relevance of such procedures to other situations, such as the rather more homespun would-be U.S.E. and the 'ignorants' movement in Greece. They would have said in London "What London does today, Manchester does tomorrow" if anyone in London cared what happened elsewhere, and of course Manchester rather feebly but loudly inverts the reference. What I am saying could happen is, reasonably, "what Greece does today, the UK does tomorrow". Maybe there will be defenestration not just at Westminster, but of all the overpaid local Government buffoons, and plenty of the Nazi coppers as well. I am not expressing a view as to what should happen in the UK, but thank my lucky stars that I spend a lot of time in India..

Didi again

2011-09-10T14:11:00.000-07:00

I now gather that Banerjee’s objection to the Teesta deal was not over the release of 50 per cent of the water to Bangladesh. It was due to the clause which put a 25 per cent cap on discharge, which would have been harmful to North Bengal’s interests in the dry season. In fact, the draft treaty was submitted to Trinamool Congress’s Dinesh Trivedi just two hours before the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs met. Trivedi refused to be intimidated into accepting the draft in its existing form despite Pranab Mukherjee’s stern reprimand.

In contrast, the Congress government in Assam went along blindly with the Centre’s treaty and now finds it difficult to explain to the people of the state why such large tracts of land were handed over to its neighbour.

Incidentally, Banerjee who has an excellent personal relationship with Sheikh Hasina, sent an emissary to the Bangladesh Prime Minister to make clear that she would be willing to agree to the fifty per cent sharing of river water, once the other clause had been re-worked. No doubt, at that stage Banerjee will pay a delayed visit to Bangladesh to personally capitalise on the treaty.

IMO: Well, that's all right then ! (Though not for Assam). Perhaps shows the general value of coalitions, though they have not quite worked it out in the UK.

We are all doomed

2011-09-09T18:45:00.000-07:00

We are all doomed. So says Prince Charles, who warns that the human race faces extinction unless action is taken to stop the rapid decline of biodiversity on earth.

The temptation is to shrug off yet another warning from a king-in-waiting who has carved himself a controversial role with contentious comments on the environment. But Prince Charles is in good company when speaking about the demise of the human race. Stephen Hawking, the theoretical physicist, Lord Rees, the Astronomer Royal, and Professor Frank Fenner, the scientist who helped eradicate smallpox, have all warned of the imminent danger of extinction.

IMO: Even the pink FT seems to be prepared to concur. So eventually all these billionaires who have mainly seemed to have purloined everyone else's money will hopefully realise that they also will not be able to live with this matter. It will not be like a new version of the movie "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" where a few rich people and a few carefully chosen people will be able to hide away and perhaps continue to live in luxury. No, not only do these billionaires have to work out what will happen, but they will have to realise that it will happen to THEM as well.

UK Parliament has no time for 100,000+ signature e-petitions

2011-09-09T10:25:00.000-07:00

The UK's e-petitions initiative, intended to get the public's issues debated in the Commons, has fallen at the first hurdle, with two petitions on ice due to lack of time.

The e-petitions website lets the public start a campaign and invite people to sign to support it. Once signatures go over 100,000 – as has been the case for a petition for cutting benefits for rioters as well as one seeking the release of documents on the Hillsborough disaster – the issue is supposed to be debated by the House.

Commentators say: "100 people raising the same issue with a single MP should be enough to the thing brought before parliament."

IMO: Possibly. But I doubt it. The original 100,000 petition idea could be considered further with a view to improving it sufficiently to make it workable. Like most of Cameron's ideas, so far it has proved unworkable and is generally regarded - perhaps correctly - as self-serving spin.. The e-petition idea could relatively easily have been made more workable. For example it could have required fines and additional taxes to ALL MPs if the e-petitions were not dealt with properly. That could ensure that further redrafting of the legislation to avoid inappropriate use of the facility - which hardly anyone takes seriously at the moment. E-petitions could be made an important democratic feature. Anyway, the current Government seems to have done nothing useful at all, except criticising poor old Rupert Murdoch, and that has not helped much either.

UK joins laser nuclear fusion project

2011-09-09T05:48:00.000-07:00

Requiring only pellets composed of hydrogen isotopes and producing helium and neutrons, this method of nuclear fusion would provide nuclear power without many of the downsides of nuclear fission – the process that powers our nuclear power plants today – and sweep away many of the current geopolitical energy problems around fossil fuel supplies.

IMO: It could be extremely important if successful. But I am not yet sure that it may not be 'spin' caused by tight budgets. It will take several years for practical results, and how often have we heard that about nuclear fusion ? Maybe for 50 years. Anyway I hope it works,

Manmohan Singh had to direct Hamlet without Ophelia

2011-09-06T22:51:00.000-07:00

According to media reports Mamata Banerjee believes the Teesta agreement will grant Bangladesh upwards of 33,000 cubic feet per second, or cusecs, of water each year instead of some 25,000 cusecs she had agreed to in earlier discussions.

IMO: So Teesta deal seemed scuppered but Singh got his brief hour of fame over some attention at last to the enclaves caused by princely gaming by kings in the days of the Raj.

Darling & his memoirs

2011-09-04T15:21:00.000-07:00

Some say "If David Miliband had the courage to tell Darling that they should oust Brown, history might be very different. They could have forced Brown out, changed economic course and lured the LibDems into a post-election coalition".

A comment made was "The turd Darling signed us up to the EU bail outs, he exploited the rotten expenses rules to the full and now he continues his greed and lack of personal qualities to cash in on his version of a relationship with a man unsuited for office. Both Darling and Blair never had the guts to feed Brown to the wolves or in Blair’s case sack him. Too many dirty deals."

"Parliament is still in need of radical change. Institutionalised corruption pervades all corners of Westminster. None of the current political leaders of the three main stream parties have the moral fortitude to bring about that change. The public needs to bring change by voting UKIP to send a clear message to these corrupt people. The taxpayer has suffered enough from these greedy self indulgent incompetent fools".

IMO: All the above and more in quite an interesting post. UTAP I share the views in the last paragraph. I even mentioned earlier that a UKIP vote might help, but now I'm not so sure. The country has too much inertia. Shirley Williams helped to liven things up for the Libdems but now we just have Clegg. I think we need a new Tory party as stated earlier.

A flawed bill threatens the very future of the UK NHS

2011-09-04T05:50:00.000-07:00

"The new health bill displays an unhealthy fascination with the discredited US system." says Shirley Williams.

IMO: Yes, the bill is flawed and very bad. A pity so many people were gulled into voting Cameron Tory. Maybe there should be a new 'Democratic Tory' party which could do a lot of things. e.g (a) bar any member or previous member of the Bullingdon and similar clubs. The Tory party is not for lifelong wealthy criminals and louts, and should not be allowed to be. (b) stick to its pre-election promises, and only change the way of doing things after open and transparent scrutiny and then within reasonable bounds. Insurance salesmen would be jailed if they broke their promises as easily as the Cameron Tory party is doing. (c) Cameron Tories should not destroy the NHS and all donations should be given careful scrutiny, particularly in view of previous apparenly fraudulent donations to the Tories to ruin the NHS. Surely £750 million cannot be easily covered up..... And much more.

Protests against the Government's controversial health reforms took place across England on Saturday, with union leaders warning of a "battle" over the future of the NHS.

Candlelit vigils and demonstrations were being held, petitions organised and street stalls mounted in towns and cities on Saturday and Sunday.

Protests were held in areas including Reading, London, Cambridge, Norwich, Sunderland, Jarrow, Manchester, Burnley, Brighton, Leeds and Portsmouth.

Unison said the so-called NHS Big Weekend showed opposition to the reforms from health workers and members of the public.

IMO: Let us hope these protests work. When Blair was complained about, he took no notice. And neither will his pal Cameron unless much stronger pressure is brought to bear.

USA aided Gadaffi against England and France till the end

2011-09-03T00:44:00.000-07:00

Al Jazeera uncovers evidence that influential Americans tried to help the now-deposed Libyan leader cling to power.

IMO: Well, you cannot be surprised at that from a fraudulent, debt-ridden country that was even led by the Republican Party, who let little kids starve on rubbish heaps and gave money to billionaires.

The disgusting details are in the BBC spinoff Al Jazeera. David Welch and Denis Kucinich are two names mentioned. Welch (now with Bechtel) was expected. Kucinich I don't know about but he seems to have made odd decisions a lot in the past in other directions.

IMO: At this rate, we may really get the so-called 'rapture' (or Armageddon) after the next major US election. It could make one rethink views on present voting systems.

Darling’s ‘dentist’ swipe at Brown in latest leak

2011-09-02T20:42:00.000-07:00

Dealing with Gordon Brown was “like having dental treatment with no anaesthetic”, Alistair Darling’s memoirs say, according to yet more leaks from the book.

The words are supposedly attributed to Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister, about his successor in No 10 with whom he had numerous heated run-ins.

IMO: There is clearly a lot of difficulty in dealing with the British people as they all seem to be half way crazy. The "Prime Mentalist" as Brown was called, just seem to be one sad sample. And the metaphor quoted by Darling is actually not even that of the relatively timid Darling, but of spin-happy Blair. It is such a pity that UK politics is so badly organised. You'd think they could find some psychologists/psychiatrists (say like Ariely, who apparently really had problems and faced them) to sort out the whole lot for the good of the nation.

Bullingdon Club & Cameron

2011-09-02T20:26:00.000-07:00

The PM, who was in Oxford University’s infamous Bullingdon Club, was asked if there were similarities between being a member of “a youthful gang that engages in violent behaviour” and the rampaging mobs who brought anarchy to our streets.

IMO: So, like me and many many others, the BBC "see it" unlike Cameron and Blair. So no wonder those two crooks want to close the BBC.

John Mann, MP for Bassetlaw, said: “David Cameron has questions to answer after his claim that he did not witness people throwing things through windows or smashing up restaurants during his days as a Bullingdon Club member.

“This is very different to what other people remember.

“If we are to get more responsibility throughout our society following the riots then the Prime Minister should set an example.”

But no: The PM yesterday hit back with his own attack on the BBC’s reporting of the riots.

IMO: So basically Cameron is both a fool and the sort of weak, naive hypocrite who wishes to censor those who expose his exploitation of the public, his intolerance, and his weakness of character.

IMO: I really think I might have felt better if Cameron had led the riots from the front, and admitted it. Then we might have a PM who faces up to life's challenges, like I have had to do, and so have many others. All we seem to have is a weak guy with money who says we have a 'nanny state' just because many people try to have a sense of responsibility.

More need for a Tobin tax

2011-09-02T12:37:00.000-07:00

The New York Times says "...banks, hedge funds and venture capitalists are geared toward investing in financial instruments and software companies. In such endeavors, even modest investments can yield extraordinarily quick and large returns. Financing brick-and-mortar factories, by contrast, is expensive and painstaking and offers far less potential for speedy returns".

IMO: So more and more money in supposedly 'safe' banks will be wasted on "spin", "vapourware" and the like. They are turning the banks into CCC rateable garbage, like some say the PIIGS economies are already. Give us Glass-Steagal back, give us Tobin taxing.

Ganesh Chaturthi

2011-09-02T05:39:00.000-07:00

The London Stock Exchange has made a bid for a majority stake in Clearnet on Friday.

2011-09-01T19:13:00.000-07:00

The bid values Europe's last remaining independent clearing house at about 1 billion euros ($1.4 billion).

IMO: The LSE seem to be in competition with Markit for this clearing house. FYO Markit is the old Lance Uggla firm (Lance Uggla is on Facebook and Twitter).

Hysteria is sweeping Germany

2011-09-01T05:37:00.000-07:00

Christian Wulff, Germany's president, stunned the country last week by accusing the European Central Bank of going "far beyond its mandate" with mass purchases of Spanish and Italian debt, and warning that the Europe's headlong rush towards fiscal union strikes at the "very core" of democracy. "Decisions have to be made in parliament in a liberal democracy. That is where legitimacy lies," he said.

The Bundesbank condemned the ECB's bond purchases and warning the EU is drifting towards debt union without "democratic legitimacy" or treaty backing.

Joahannes Singhammer, leader of the CSU's Bundestag group, accused the ECB of acting "dangerously" by jumping the gun before parliaments had voted. The ECB is implicitly acting on behalf of the rescue fund until it is ratified.

"An unlimited transfer union and pooling of debts for any length of time would imply a shared financial government and decisively change the character of a European confederation of states," said a CSU draft, obtained by Der Spiegel.

IMO: A pity if this marks the end of the Eurozone. This could hurt the UK as it could wipe out 1/3 of UK banks assets. This will be OK if there is not a big run on the bank and Cameron does not panic and order banks to raise huge amounts of capital in a few weeks. Cameron has done nothing much but panic since he has been in office. We should at least get a Tobin tax. I am also a little worried about the Chancellor's proposed deal with Switzerland on numbered accounts as I hardly think it will help, probably the reverse. The Germans may wind up better in the long run if they do not panic, but they need a Tobin tax and tighter external control. Soon it will be like when if the English went to France, they had to try for a toast 'a bas Wilson' so they could cadge free beers, as they were only allowed a £5 travel allowance! Maybe it will be 'a bas Merkel' now. either way. It looks like a good idea to continue to try for the USE anyway by now, but more care and preparation should have been done long ago.

UK 'Guardian’ publishes contributors who reject Israel’

2011-08-31T21:40:00.000-07:00

Jerusalem Post claims that British newspaper UK 'Guardian’ consistently publishes commentary from Palestinians who reject Israel’s legitimacy.

IMO: The Guardian has this right, and it doesn't use megaphone diplomacy - it can hardly get an MP elected when it wishes to. Plenty of Jews outside as well as within Israel are sick and tired of Israel's alleged corruption. Of course I can see they have problems there.

The Palestinian leadership is expected to present their request to be admitted to UN membership when the general assembly meets in September. Membership of the UN requires security council approval, which the US has already said it will veto.

The Palestinians are then expected to request an enhanced "non-member state" status, which needs a two-thirds majority in the general assembly. They claim to have the backing so far of 124 of the UN's 193 members, and expect to get a majority by the time of a vote.

IMO: In fact as I pointed out earlier many believe that Israel was founded by Adolf Htler, and many Jews appear to be neo-Nazis. This can not help matters. Ben Hecht could see that and brought out some of the Nazi/Jew collaboratin details, and so can many other later Jews. The average Zionist woman you can easily meet through 'TimeOut' for example, even brings things to the point where you could think the Nazis were almost lenient on Anne Frank. Bad stuff.

IMO: I did say earlier "we can look forward to a unilateral declaration of statehood in September" FWIW. And I also said "it is a great pity that none of these people seem to be able to come to sensible terms, In the long run a measure of syncretism should have helped the opposing Middle Eastern groups, and quite possibly even the USA".

Porn star teacher in strip act

2011-08-31T11:46:00.000-07:00

He can return to work in the classroom.

The disciplinary committee heard that Mr Garrett had been stripping in clubs and working as a naked butler while he was employed as head of personal, social and health education at Beal High School in Ilford, east London.

Mr Garrett has stated his belief that being an adult film performer or a stripper was not incompatible with being a teacher.

An allegation that Mr Garrett left inappropriate voicemail messages on the mobile phone of the school's associate head teacher was unproven.

IMO: The UK is lucky to get anyone to be a teacher. Again and again I've heard of people who cannot stomach it. There seem to be not enough legal methods of discipline, even though very little actual discipline is usually necessary for a really good teacher. Soon even the male strippers and the drug dealers will not take the job, I'd say, as they can easily push the drugs outside on the pavement or sell them over the counter at the tuck shop. I guess Garrett must have cheeked the head teacher and that is really why he had to be mildly rebuked. Constantine Fitzgibbon's "When the Kissing had to Stop" used to be considered an unlikely account of the very far distant future. Now we have even gone much further. And Cameron's 'cuts' will remove any hope left for the UK. Charities will likely find it more efficient to work overseas where some people try to help, not just mulct the funds. And Clegg's silly idea to effectively hand over more non local taxpayer's money to people who countenance 'baby P' type activity is almost incredible, even in today's London.

Lokpal : still plenty of worries

2011-08-31T00:43:00.000-07:00

No resolution was adopted either in the Lok Sabha or in the Rajya Sabha

Except for forcing Parliament to hold a special Saturday sitting discussing issues it wanted Team Anna has, so far, gained nothing from the 12 day protest fast.

Against the chorus that Parliament had backed anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare’s demands, the records show that no resolution was adopted either in the Lok Sabha or in the Rajya Sabha. Replying to the day-long debate on Saturday, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, however, made just one change in his speech in Rajya Sabha incorporating the word “resolve”.

It might be said that Hazare's victory was more general than specific, significant less for what it managed to wrest in the realm of policy than for what it achieved in terms of mass mobilization against corruption and an upsurge of political consciousness, particularly among the Indian middle classes, which have long been derided for their political apathy.

IMO: It will be well if the Hazare supporters remember that "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance". 'Rome was not built in a day' but admittedly Hazare is still alive and if - despite the probable intent of many - his supporters still press on in a planned and directed way, there is still some chance of good results. After all, Didi seems to have succeeded to some extent over Singur recently. so protests sometimes work in India.

Vince Cable favours a Glass-Steagal type reform NOW

2011-08-30T18:22:00.000-07:00

Chancellor George Osborne could be set for a Cabinet collision course with colleague Vince Cable over banking reforms which are designed to protect savers.

Mr Cable wants immediate regulations to force banks to ring-fence their high-street banking and keep riskier investments separate from ordinary customers. And even silly Clegg is obliged to agree with this !

Even the pink FT says "Mr Cridland protests too much. While it is true that a run of poor economic news has exposed the continuing frailty of the banking system, this is not an argument for leaving things as they are."

IMO: And a Tobin tax as well, please.

LibDem plans for more taxes on an impoverished country already swindled by politicians

2011-08-28T23:53:00.000-07:00

Households in more affluent parts of the UK should pay more tax so money can be “transferred” to poorer councils, a party policy paper says. Lib Dem officials have identified almost 70 areas where better-off residents should pay significantly more in tax than their council spends on services for them.

IMO: Hmmn, in my opinion certain aspects of Cameron's view are more sensible than silly Clegg's. For a start, just about all the local authorities pay too large salaries to council employees, and money intended for matters like bona fide charity work is never handed out. The 'cuts' should be made right now in local authorities salaries and their pensions should not be paid unless they are efficient, that means - not subject to any public complaints. This should go WELL beyond cases like the notorious 'baby P' case where senile and/or corrupt judges overturned public Labor and Tory decisions for reasons which seem non-existent or of no real merit. So let us get on with it, and SACK AND TAX THE OVERPAID JOBSWORTHS 'WORKING' FOR THE COUNCIL. The only problem is to make sure the right people are kept, and the wrong ones removed and their pensions returned to the serving of the public. Make these council criminals see what real poverty and hardship is like. I grit my teeth when I see council pamphlets of a self-serving self-congratulatory nature. And then see fat thugs who run the council simply pocketing the public money, directly or through theft and fraud, usually perpetrated against the very people they were supposed to help - usually the sick, the old, and the vulnerable. Never mind the worthless bastard Clegg and his corrupt views. Sack Clegg NOW, and confiscate his salary for breaking public promises and all the other reasons. In many countries, even USA, people like Clegg are tarred and feathered and ridden out of town on a rail.

Disneyland uses child labor suicide sweatshops claim

2011-08-28T23:08:00.000-07:00

Disney's best-selling Cars toys are being made in a factory in China that uses child labour and forces staff to do three times the amount of overtime allowed by law, according to an investigation. One worker reportedly killed herself after being repeatedly shouted at by bosses. Others cited worries over poisonous chemicals. Disney has now launched its own investigation.

Thomas the Tank Engine range, Matchbox cars, Cars, Toy Story, Barbie and Fisher Price products, Scrabble and the Hot Wheels sets and many others.

IMO: A lot more of this must go on in China if they can keep such prices as they charge. A Taiping style revolution due ? Its a thought. But when you go to China you will see only the very glamerous bits of the country and perhaps get an entirely different thought. A bunch of crooks making cheap toys for little British louts.

Al Megrahi

2011-08-28T15:45:00.000-07:00

I hear he is said to be 'terminally ill in his palatial mansion' but given no help by Gadaffi very recently.

Why do not the US offer to give him substantial medical care ? After all he was ill in a Scottish jail. Some say that just being in Scotland is almost enough to make you terminally ill. But even after a brief view of a Scottish campsite, I think that fear to be greatly exaggerated. And after all, if the US were nice and kind to him he might give them sufficient information to take their own investigations further (e.g with regard to Syrian involvement), and he could obtain exemption from further trial, say under some witness protection act.

Libya - Al Megrahi

2011-08-28T04:51:00.001-07:00

Will he be expected to be retried in Scotland, or in Libya - or at all?

IMO: Perhaps a more interesting matter than one may imagine. This is because he may have been simply the stooge or front for the main players - in Syria. Post script: On listening to LBC - extraordinary rendition ro GITMO ?

$106,911.93 medical bill for swallowed false teeth

2011-08-28T00:59:00.000-07:00

IMO: So oldsters - do not swallow your teeth in California. Lets hope Obama gets his healthcare bill soon. Opponents literally seem mentally ill. But the first time I heard that this sort of thing happens, not in the Congo but in the USA "Gods own Arsehole" was as a child of 7 years in Australia, reading a story book about (white) children having to live in a trash heap because of medical overcharges. A Democrat story book, evidently. What price tolerance of Indian corruption now ? We do not pay that much here.

Lalu questions need for debate on Lokpal

2011-08-27T04:42:00.000-07:00

RJD’s Lalu Prasad was the odd man out in the Lok Sabha today when he questioned the need for a debate on the Lokpal issue saying a bill in this regard was already before a Parliamentary Standing Committee.

IMO: With all due repects for Mr. Prasad, I bet he did.

Continuous cyber warfare by China against the USA shown accidentally on Chinese TV

2011-08-25T23:15:00.000-07:00

"A standard, even boring, piece of Chinese military propaganda screened in mid-July included what must have been an unintended but nevertheless damaging revelation: shots from a computer screen showing a Chinese military university is engaged in cyberwarfare against entities in the United States.

The documentary itself was otherwise meant as praise to the wisdom and judgment of Chinese military strategists, and a typical condemnation of the United States as an implacable aggressor in the cyber-realm. But the fleeting shots of an apparent China-based cyber-attack somehow made their way into the final cut.

The screenshots appear as B-roll footage in the documentary for six seconds—between 11:04 and 11:10 minutes—showing custom-built Chinese software apparently launching a cyber-attack against the main website of the Falun Gong spiritual practice, by using a compromised IP address belonging to a United States university. As of Aug. 22 at 1:30pm EDT, in addition to Youtube, the whole documentary is available on the CCTV website.

The screenshots show the name of the software and the Chinese university that built it, the Electrical Engineering University of China's People's Liberation Army—direct evidence that the PLA is involved in coding cyber-attack software directed against a Chinese dissident group.

The software window says "Choose Attack Target." The computer operator selects an IP address from a list—it happens to be 138.26.72.17—and then selects a target. Encoded in the software are the words "Falun Gong website list," showing that attacking Falun Gong websites was built into the software."

IMO: You can certainly see why the Chinese are illegally forcing smaller countries to return to China, people who have legally left China. This is totally illegal and contrary to international law. More of the documentary and other information, seems to make it clear that China are already at cyberwar with the US, like it or not. The cold war with Russia went on for years, during which the US was continually blackmailed for its natural resources by the then USSR. Now there is a cold war with China, like it or not, and US citizens are quietly being made aware of that. No wonder people like Wendy Deng (Rupe's wife - who still has the cheek to go back sometimes) got out, they knew what was good for them, all right.

China deploys advanced n-missile on Indian border: US

2011-08-25T04:42:00.000-07:00

The PLA has replaced liquid-fuelled, nuclear-capable CSS-2 IRBMs with more advanced and survivable solid-fuelled CSS-5 MRBM systems to strengthen its deterrent posture relative to India, the Pentagon has said in its annual report on Chinese military build up to the Congress. The report also says that Beijing is pumping in huge investments on border infrastructure developments laying more roads and rail network along the Sino-Indian border.

Pentagon said that New Delhi remains concerned by China's close military ties with Pakistan and its growing footprints in the Indian Ocean, Central Asia and Africa. The report noted that Pakistan continued to be China's primary customer for conventional weapons and sales to Islamabad included newly rolled out JF-17 fighters with production facilities, F-22P frigates with helicopters, early warning and control aircraft, tanks, K-8 trainers, F-7 fighters, air-to-air missiles, anti-ship cruise missiles and missile technologies.

IMO: Such a pity that some Chinese are so paranoid. Surely it would be a lot easier just to steal the Spratleys from the Phillipines if they seek immediate criminal advantage. There are so many completely happy senior Chinese in India, probably making genuine benefits to India, and many most certainly do not want to go back to China, which is after all still a police state, with worries - perhaps rightly - about the Uighar Muslim minority which they are still illlegally forcing less serious nations - like Thailand - to force back to China when they have legitimately left. All this could be stopped by sensible controls within China. How long, then, before they try to illegally 'repatriate' unwilling Chinese even from poor little New Zealand. And the now corrupt Australian Governments with their 'bagmen' and needless taxes on the rural community, are even unsuccessfully trying to end India's peaceful nuclear program, and have already murdered for no good reason, harmless and decent Indian citizens. It all seems a shame, and China, which has a great many internal problems, looks from outside almost to be encouraging another - or indeed several - Taiping rebellions, and this certainly is not in anyone's interest. Unlike free, democratic India, unfortunately China is a country with many real internal problems which could - and should - improve a lot. Many Chinese are peaceful people, but like Gadaffi's Libya, are hindered by an over strict 'welfare state' which many Chinese run from when they learn the truth - though China is very ready for open ness and improvement. China might well have been the next Libya were it not for the "great firewall of China" and many other internal inequities. After the recent big rail crash there is some evidence that the Chinese authorities are beginning to "smell the coffee" and realise that they continue to be a bunch of Gadaffis, but it is possibly all too little, too late.

'Disturbing rise' in UK arrest deaths

2011-08-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

Investigations have been launched into the death of a man who was shot with a Taser.
Campaigners have warned of a "disturbing trend" over fatalities from police confrontations as investigations were launched into a man's death following a Taser shooting. The 53-year-old, named locally as Philip Hulmes, was hit with electric probes from the police weapon after barricading himself in his house on Tuesday.

IMO: That was the second Taser police killing in a week, and there are a lot of recent police killings. This is clearly partly due to Cameron's cuts. The plods are probably scared of the cuts. It is only too obvious that they will probably be made unjustly. And of course the lower orders are afraid of being killed by the police by now, as we know from the recent riots. It looks like it can only get worse. Hope overseas visitors enjoy their Olympics.

Corruption in India has become worse: Ratan Tata

2011-08-24T08:56:00.000-07:00

Top industrialists have expressed concern over the impact that worsening corruption has on their businesses and said there is no short-cut to becoming a billion-dollar company other than doing things the right way. “I think corruption has become worse and if you choose not to participate in this, you leave behind a fair amount of business,” Tata Sons Chairman Mr Ratan Tata said.

IMO: Unforunately Tata is right about the high level of corruption and his own firm rightly has a reputation for honesty and generosity. But a large international firm does have to work with locals. And he had real problems at Singur and Nandigram with the CPI and did leave quite a large area of bad land which should have been cleared up. He should have to pay for the clean up. Let us hope that Tata Steel Minerals Canada Limited does not have its reputation needlessly destroyed by the lack of understanding vis-a-vis CPI. People in Canada for the most part seem prepared to overlook Singur and Nandigram - so far - but it would be wise if both Canada and Tata kept their dealings cleaner. And in the UK, Tata's pal Mandelson is apparently now considering purchasing an 8 Million pound house - having risen rapidly from being broke, and that occurs 'in one way' ,as statstics show - and styles himself as some kind of royalty. Mandelson is not a good Labor supporter. It all causes worry about apparent US and business support for Hazare. If we are not careful, Lokpal really could take us in the wrong direction, but hopefully the organisers will ensure that it does not. The UK once had a good balance between state and private enterprises and it used to be a far better model than China. Years of Tory and Labor greed and corruption have removed that chance - but it can be put back. Proper banking laws, duly implemented, could help. Now (honest) appropriate Chinese advisors could help the UK, I suspect. But frankly the UK now reminds one of Gadaffi's Libya in some ways, right down to the dodgy Muslims in Bradford and the slightly relatively cleaner situation in London, all thanks to Ken. What the UK needs is its own version of Mamata Banerjee, but this vile cesspit of corruption is not likely to get it. The UK citizens may raise a level of protests like Gadaffi's Libya - but with much more violence - if the Tories do not pull up their socks and at least try to clean up the Augean stables of the City of London.

Good riddance to bad rubbish

2011-08-21T21:05:00.000-07:00

Michael Spencer, the wealthy founder and chief executive of Icap, the world's biggest interdealer broker, said of the Tobin tax that such a levy on bank transactions would severely undermine the City if it was not adopted globally. Spencer said at the weekend a European Tobin tax could drive business that is currently dominated by the City overseas to financial centres like New York and Singapore.

IMO: Hm, he calls it a "silly" tax. Does this mean Merkel and Sarkozy are "silly" ? Sounds like hasty speech or bad judgement. Sure, he and his ilk may not remain as operators in the EU. But are they really wanted anyway? Certainly not in the EU, and they do seem to have ruined the UK economy and caused nothing but chaos. "Good riddance to bad rubbish" sounds a fair verdict. A saving in tar and feathers if they leave voluntarily, some may say. I will not comment about Bernie Cornfeld and his alleged walking on water on Lake Geneva, as you would have had to see the state of Lake Geneva then to appreciate the point.

Tony Blair makes reasonable comments

2011-08-21T04:28:00.000-07:00

According to the UK "Daily Mail" Tony Blair writes:

#1 if people started to believe Britain had lost its moral compass society at large would be depressed and the country's image abroad would be ruined.

IMO: Indeed. They do believe Britain has lost its moral compass and certainly held that view since the enormous virtually non violent protests at the policies of Blair over Iraq. So now we just have violent protests, after a supposedly populist Government seemed to lose its way. I am not taking a view on the Iraq matter here, just observing what happened. And the image of the UK has definitely gone down in the world, perhaps a pity just before the Olympics.

#2 The left argued the rioters were the victims of social deprivation and the right said they needed to take responsibility for their actions, both sides 'just miss the point'.

IMO: Indeed. And the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Neither side have done much about these problems as they have been too busy helping themselves to the public funds or taking a blind eye to the financiers doing so. Where is Glass-Steagal ? Where is Tobin ? Indeed, where even is Dodd-Frank ? Perhaps more important, where are the funds to pay more police to socially help these fellows/give the thugs a thrashing (choose one or both). I'll tell you where, in pockets of the politicians (including Tony Blair) and their cronies.

#3 The 'big cause' lay with alienated youths from dysfunctional families living outside 'any canons of proper behaviour .

IMO: Exactly. The 'alienated youths..' are members of the Bullingham Club and those who try to emulate them. The 'lower orders' used to try to emulate the Queen. Indeed, years ago, at the cinema if you did not stand up when "God Save the Queen" was played, you were quite likely to be beaten up. Unfortunately members of the Bullingham Club, including Mr. Blair, are said by some to reach the depths of depravity and so they are emulated - obviously easier to emulate. It is no joke.

Tobin tax- another sensible view

2011-08-20T04:44:00.000-07:00

Emanuel Derman, Head of Risk at Prisma Capital Partners and a professor at Columbia University, where he directs their program in financial engineering says: " A Merkel-Sarkozy Tobin-style transactions tax on trading is worth trying, but not because it raises money for the government. It’s good because it puts a small amount of sand in the gears of frivolity whose demand for increased lubrication only seems to be useful ."

IMO: Wise words from Columbia University. There are other things which may also be done, but a carefully executed Tobin tax should work wonders. The Dodd-Frank Act, recently signed into law by Pres. Obama, is also a step in the right direction. Obviously induced time delays could help as well, but IMO not so much as a well done Tobin tax. And there is a lot more, but will Obama have time enough as President to do all the US requires. I still say : "bring back Glass-Steagal", and that would be just for a start.

Tobin tax - U.S.E. may survive

2011-08-18T22:45:00.000-07:00

I never thought the day would come when the EU would favour a sensible idea like the Tobin tax. Merkel and Sarkozy are in favour of it, as am I.

Further, the Austrian Prime Minister Werner Faymann - along with many others - is in favour of the Tobin Tax as an important means for guaranteeing fairness. "Taxing financial transactions," said Werner Faymann, "is an important means for guaranteeing fairness also at a European level. Since the beginning of this crisis I have continuous devoted my self to this and I am sure the objective will be achieved."

IMO: I very much stress, as do the UK FT apparently, "When the details emerge, then the number-crunching can begin". The United States of Europe may yet survive.

Another one bites the dust

2011-08-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

James Desborough, a former reporter at the News of the World, has become the 13th person to be arrested by police looking into illegal practices at the now-defunct tabloid newspaper.

Mr Desborough, who has been living in Los Angeles as the tabloid’s US editor since 2009, joined the paper in 2005 as a showbusiness and news reporter. He is still technically employed by the paper and is on a 90-day consultation period.

This adds to the legal and regulatory threats facing Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, the US parent company and owner of the Fox television network, Fox News, and Dow Jones.

IMO: Not only that, Mr. Murdoch, but it seems Fox News are no good at physics and would not even reach the standard of an A level student. See "Fox Fails Physics" URL. And after all the shenanigans involving Standard & Poors, is the Dow Jones fit for purpose. Bearing in mind what the polis say about Murdoch and the crippling insults similar organisations like S & P are getting, I very much doubt it. What a mess we seem to find in News Corp.

Hazare

2011-08-17T23:21:00.000-07:00

According to the Bombay Times, Congress party spokesperson Rashid Alvi's comments questioned US "support" for Hazare and a foreign power trying to destabilise India.

They said Rashid Alvi "said the sophisticated nature of the orchestrated campaign called for urgent attention to the hidden hand while recalling in the same breath the surprise statement from the US State Department urging the Indian government to respect democratic protests".

Washington now claims it said that it supported the right of non-violent protest universally.

IMO: A lot of people thought the US seriously tried to destabilise the UK when at one point (about the Wilson era) it thought that the UK was getting "too commie". Many thought the US were planning a 'coup' of the UK. The point is that Alvi was not being unreasonable if he did make a provocative statement like that. Australia had the problem of the UK with their Winston Churchill at Gallipoli, and after WW2 we were firmly warned as children not to let the worthless UK pommie bastards try it on for a third time. And then the US brought us into Vietnam. India also had a problem with the Brits. But hopefully Hazare will have a strong enough protest and benefit will ensue. India is an older and basically more stable country than the US, so it is hoped that it will sort out these problems and cut down the corruption. In the longer term, that should be the best for most people. Support for Hazare is swelling, anti graft cries grow louder and as India is probably the greatest democracy on the planet, we should be able to handle it all.

UK police corruption

2011-08-17T07:14:00.000-07:00

The Register readers say

"Woman gets 5 months for taking a pair of nicked trainers worth a few quid, plod gets let off for taking bribes in the form of spa breaks worth £19,000 wasnt it?

Guy gets arrested for wanting to organise a water gun fight, plod gets off even after being filmed smacking a peaceful protestor 1/2 his size twice with a baton.

Guy loses TWO jobs for tweeting a joke about wanting to firebomb Nottingham Airport, plod gets let off for killing a Brazilian electrician and then photoshopping his picture to make him look like the guy they SHOULD have been following...

says a lot about this country really...."

"the investigation has been ended because these people have pre-emptively resigned and therefore the IPCC can take a position that it has no authority to investigate further.

It is manifestly deciding not to pursue certain lines of inquiry which may lead to real evidence against them on this basis.. And is saying the any further investigation must be done by the government inquiry"

IMO: In other words the authorities are covering for their own people, just as the councils are defrauding charities. The sounds are like some which Congress have made about the Anna Hazare matter. One reason the Brits got thrown out of India is because they were behaving in the way they still are. And anyway, if these MPs were a real government and not just a bunch of hypocrites, they could take still the matter further. The most we can probably hope for is the throwing out of the Murdochs, and the morals and issues there are totally different if perhaps equally repugnant.

More RTI activists attacked and murdered

2011-08-17T03:30:00.000-07:00

Bhopal-based activist Shehla Masood became the latest victim of a rising trend in attacks on such people who have tried to expose wrongdoings through the information disclosure law. In 2010 alone, at least 10 RTI activists were killed, apparently in revenge attacks.

IMO: Commonly believed to be just another murder by the 'tiger mafia' in her case, since she had been working on alleged malpractice in the state’s wildlife conservation, tourism and other departments, Plenty of people now will not venture an opinion on anything at al in case some government official is offended. I suppose the first time I fully appreciated the corruption problem in India was many years ago, when I had the opportunity to ride in an 'ordinary' government offical's motor car. Austerity was the name of the game, and this was a Hindustan Ambassador. But inside I had never had such comfort, and it drove better than a Rolls Royce. Now they are saying in the media that these babus have their own expensive business jet planes. Something should be done or it will end up as bad as in the UK, where habitually members of pariament buy a television or some such - paid for by illegal confiscation of public funds - and then make a speech saying that people who steal televisions should be jailed.

World's oldest working steam loco is Indian

2011-08-16T04:47:00.000-07:00

1855 built steam loco ran from Egmore to Guindy in Chennai yesterday.

IMO: Must have been an interesting and colourful sight, see URLs

Rockhopper raises Falklands discovery estimates

2011-08-15T05:38:00.000-07:00

Says at mid-case estimate, oil discovery could produce 325 mln barrels.

IMO: Not bad, seems to put it at least in the same range as Germany and Turkey. And Tony Bliar wanted to hand it to the Argies. Shows how the MPs are selling out the UK, after so many Britains died to protect its rightful heritage. Treason can mean the death sentence, almost anywhere and the current bunch of crooked MPs are about due for it.

Crooked UK MPs

2011-08-14T23:26:00.000-07:00

The Roman Catholic based UK Telegraph says:

"David Cameron, Ed Miliband and the entire British political class came together yesterday to denounce the rioters. There was something very phony and hypocritical about all the shock and outrage expressed in parliament. MPs spoke about the week’s dreadful events as if they were nothing to do with them.

The criminality in our streets cannot be dissociated from the moral disintegration in the highest ranks of modern British society. The last two decades have seen a terrifying decline in standards among the British governing elite. It has become acceptable for our politicians to lie and to cheat. An almost universal culture of selfishness and greed has grown up."

IMO: I'm sure the Telegraph would know about corruption, after all it is run by RCs and we know how their priests operate with small boys. All we need now in the UK is Michelle Bachman. Current Danziger URL explains how Bachman could help..

Anna Hazare’s second indefinite fast

2011-08-14T16:12:00.000-07:00

With less than 48 hours left for Anna Hazare’s second indefinite fast on the Lokpal issue, the UPA government and the ruling Congress today upped the ante, launching a scathing attack on him. While the Congress cited the findings of the Justice P B Sawant Commission to allege that Hazare was “corrupt from head to toe”, the government said his protest was “undemocratic” and “unacceptable”.

But Hazare maintained that the allegations against him were “baseless”. “I want the government to lodge an FIR against me and conduct an inquiry... Even if the Jan Lokpal Bill is cleared in Parliament, I will not call off my indefinite fast till the charges levelled against me are proved or my name is cleared,” he said.

Hazare claimed the Sawant Committee had noted that he did not indulge in corruption, while it had named some Maharashtra ministers against whom there were complaints. He said he had asked for a probe, but there had been no response.

IMO: Anyway, this sounds like the way Govt Officials tend to work. First they try to ignore a complaint, then they bluster that it is worthless in some way. Maybe now we should get some real action, but of course I do not know what.

Congress spokesperson Manish Tiwari said Hazare’s movement was backed by “armchair fascists, over-ground Marxists and apolitical anarchists”.

IMO: And that really sounds like bluster if ever I heard it, assuming - as is probable - that it is a direct quote.

Cameron and the cuts

2011-08-14T01:09:00.000-07:00

Paul McKeever, president of the Police Federation, said Cameron's stance on police cuts was indefensible. "He is like a scientist who has a pet theory which has been completely debunked by exposure to reality. But he refuses to face that. The 16000 officers who have been on the streets in London are the number he wants to cut - that is the reality."

IMO: Seems correct. Cameron should have listened to Cable, and taken slower action. Things could still be put right, but they will almost certainly not be. Basically the fault was with the bankers, to start with we need at least a much stronger Glass-Steagal type act, and a Tobin tax NOW. Cameron is being bribed by the bankers, by Rupert, by the private doctors and just about every other wealthy thief he can find, so he will not even try to put things right. The hoodlums can be handled if he gets his accounts straight, which he will not do.

Hero died protecting others

2011-08-13T17:12:00.000-07:00

His brother said : “The Army should have been brought in. The police could not control the situation. If the Army was on the streets my brothers would still be alive. The police protected the city centre, but they weren’t in the multi-cultural areas until it was too late. There was no one here protecting us. Why were the police just in the city centre when there was a chance the races were going to clash around here?"

IMO: Part of the problem is that use of the the Army by Cameron would lead to too much collateral damage if the Army followed orders and did their job. But my feeling is that the police and other extremely well paid members of the public want to gain privileges formerly given only to the upper classes and this does not make co-ordination easy.

Police impose terms on Hazare

2011-08-13T16:51:00.000-07:00

The stage was set once again on Saturday for a confrontation between Team Anna and the government. While the anti-corruption activists rejected the Delhi Police's demand that they restrict the turnout as well as the duration of the fast the Gandhian is set to start from August 16 to press for a Jan Lokpal, the Prime Minister brushed aside an appeal to intervene in the matter.

While co-activists Shanti Bhushan and Arvind Kejriwal termed the police's demand "unconstitutional", Anna Hazare made a direct appeal to the PM. "You are 79 years old and occupy the highest position in the country. What else do you want from life? Show some gumption and take concrete steps. We are willing to sacrifice our lives for the country and look to the leader of the country to give us an appropriate place," Anna said reading out from a letter to the PM.

Manmohan Singh responded to the Gandhian leader's appeal by suggesting that his grievances could be addressed by appropriate authorities.

IMO: Hmm, Manmohan Singh is almost sounding like a 19th Century Englishman occupying India and patience is even wearing thin on 20th Century English politicians in England. Maybe there should be a better understanding all round

Nancy Wake

2011-08-12T18:51:00.000-07:00

Nancy Wake, who died on August 7 aged 98, was among the most decorated secret agents of the Second World War. She had become famed as a resourceful, dauntless Resistance leader, who topped the Gestapo’s most-wanted list and had saved hundreds of Allied lives.

IMO: She tried to get a job as an MP where I lived in Sydney but did not succeed. I recall her well, from when she was canvassing. When you think of the total rubbish that do get made MPs in the UK like Cameron and Clegg, it seems a pity now but she did compete against Evatt, probably a mistake.

Revised London Olympics logo, now with rioter!

2011-08-12T09:47:00.000-07:00

Logo is here