INDIAN POLITICAL SCENE - “THEATRE OF THE ABSURD”

Indian political scene is replete with many political players. Hence there are no dearth for political developments. They happen day by day - one fades into the background, another occupies its place and such happenings go on and on and on. Today it may be Mayawati-Rita Bahuguna Joshi spat or frisking of APJ Abdul Kalam or something international like Hillary visit or Dr.ManMohanSingh at Sharm-el-Sheikh and the End-Use Monitoring Arrangement related to the purchase of defence purchases and controversies following it. Only a few examples. There are umpteen of them. Our political commentators get a lot to write upon and also reach their conclusions following analyses which may vary from commentator to commentator, which is also natural. View-points differ from person to person.



Now come to some of the recent developments which caught the national attention. Sorry sir, some of them may interest us, some may force us to sit and ponder and some make us fume with rage.



For example, take UttarPradesh. The State considered as the stepping stone to its way for occupying the ‘gaddi’ at Indraprastha by a political party. Remember A.B.Vajpayee’s famous utterings here. Most often we get something to have a hearty laugh thanks to Mayawati, the UP Chief Minister for her Tuglaq model reforms and orders like installation of her own statues not one or two but innumerable, even she has lost count of them alongside those of her mentor Kanshi Ram and B.R.Ambedkar. But she didn’t stop there. To protect the statues from vandals and political adversaries like Mulayam Singh and Amar Singh, the Samajwadi Party leaders, police men are deployed day in and day out and also making it incumbent upon them and their immediate superiors to report latest state of the statues to DIG Neera Raut on a weekly basis. Befooling oneself may be a way of deriving satisfaction for a few. Otherwise the CM’s penchant for installing her own statues somewhat displays her narcissist bent of mind bordering megalomania.



Our political commentators as well as her political adversaries and also the ‘ever-vigilant’ media left the subject then and there after they got something new to harp on. Can we call this ‘the great Indian circus” or the “Theatre of the absurd”? Sorry sir, I do not know.



The latest one being Mayawati-Rita Bahuguna Joshi spat. Ms.Joshi, the Chairperson of Indian National Congress of UP unit and her incarceration by Mayawati for the former’s mouthing of “uncivilized gutter language” against Mayawati and the latter’s spur of the moment reaction, all shook the nation by storm and all eyes turned to the ugly drama unfolding in UP. With the grant of bail to Ms Joshi by Moradabad district Magistrate, the raging fury of Joshi’s supporters and the defence of Ms. Joshi by her party’s national leaders, the ugly drama has come to a close, at least for the time being, leaving the next step of analyses and conclusions to the political commentators.



The other news which shocked us all was the reported exposure of news about the frisking of our former President Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam by an American based Airlines- Continental Airlines- at Indira Gandhi International Airport at New Delhi . ( there are two schools of thought anyhow) The bizarre drama happened way back on April 24, even then the disclosure took place only two or three days before. Why the whole thing was kept under wraps is somewhat a mystery. It all points to USA’s nightmares after 9/11 disaster and they are still nursing the fears.



As per the latest reports the Airlines have tendered an apology to Dr.Kalam for the sordid happenings which caused immense pain to him. Whether a mere apology is all that necessary for the hurt and pain caused to the former President?



The other news which led to anger and disillusionment among certain quarters was one related to the agreement reached at Sharm-el-Sheikh between our Prime Minister ManMohanSingh and Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani on the sidelines of 15th Non-Aligned meeting.



Political commentators differ in their perspectives. Those who differ term it as a ‘sell-out’. India’s consent to include Pakistan’s contention of the ‘former’s interference’ in Baluchistan and also the bracketing of composite dialogue process and terrorist attacks were not in the least expected by members of opposition leading to a flurry of protests against the government. In the days to come whether protests will gain momentum or fade into the oblivion- wait and see.



Similar is the case with the visit of Ms.Hillary Clinton, the American Sate Secretary and the defence pact signed between her and her Indian counterpart related with India’s assent paving the way for USA’s access to information relating to India’s defence purchases by signing “end-user monitoring arrangement”. The opposition’s vehement protest against the controversial pact and government’s defence in the Loksabha and Rajyasabha led to the stalling of two houses.

A To Z Of Indian Politics

While in school we are taught a for apple , b for ball and such stuffs , school of politics of India has entirely different teaching. Here is how it looks like :

A for Aam Aadmi : India is very diversed country with all major religions , various languages , caste living in one country. But chiefly there are only two set of people. Aam and Khaas. aam includes 99% of people of India while khaas includes top business and corporate heads , IAS ,IPS and political brass . Of course with their families. So since aam aadmi is majority , Indian politics runs of claims of doing wonders for aam aadmi and ending up doing wonders for khaas!!!!!!!!

B for Babri Mashjid :

It is very sensitive issue involving two major religions in India . Hinduism and Islam. But for Indian politics babri is important issue to divide and get votes. Secular takaat is defined by those who didnt participate in babri and communal are those who did participate.

While this is fading into being no issue with urban masses but it still continues to form psychic of people who actually vote.

C for Caste :

Not important factor is metros and mega cities , caste is still a very important social issue and form basis of votes. Mayawati's social engineering concept and her massive victory showed how caste matters in politics.

D for Delhi :

Its dream of all political parties. Har karam apna karenge ae kurshi tere liye is slogan of all . Now just Indian politicians , a defense expert according to pakistanis and comedian according to Indian , Zaid Hamid also dreams of ruling delhi someday!!!!!!!!

E for Election Commissioner :

A person who is not liked by all political parties but are left with no option but to obey his orders!!!!!

F for Farmers :

Farmers committing suicide is blamed on previous government ,farmer loan waver is taken credit by all . Sugar cane price becomes issue for which all political parties try to take credit


G for Gandhi :

No. Its not mahatma gandhi. Mahatma gandhi is for 2nd october and international branding. For Indian politics gandhi is indira gandhi , rajeev gandhi , sonia gandhi and rahul gandhi. Ohh i forgot priyanka gandhi , varun gandhi and ofcourse menka gandhi.

If its congress politicians , pledge loyality to sonia gandhi and rahul gandhi is obligatory . If politician is from other party opposing this gandhi family is number one thing .

H for Hindi :

Ask raj thakeray and abu azmi , how a language can be made into issue and score political points using that.

I for Industrialization :

For details ask communist on singur issue!!!!!!

J for Junta :

Faceless community which can be manipulated , divided and used for political mileage.

K for Karunanidhi :

One cannot make government in delhi without his support. UPA has it , NDA had it. Karunanidhi is ingredient without which no political collation recipe seems complete.

L for Lal Krishna Advani :

He dreamt of becoming prime minister but that dream was never realized. Lal krishna advani would be judged in history of modern India who practically polarised the votes by his babri campaign.

Lately he tried to correct his image but he could never succeed in it.But even after retirement he would be part of indian politics being in psychic of Indian voters , specially right wings and minorities.

M for Madam/Mamta/Maya :

Dial M for Indian Politics. Indira gandhi was one big madam of Indian politics and now we have mayawati , mamta and madam sonia gandhi. Indian politics has had femine power which has potential to rule . They can be bully at times , they can be ruthless at times but largely they are good for running their parties giving one success after another.

N for Naxals :

Naxals is said to be biggest threat to country. But for political reasons effective counter naxal strategy becomes difficult to be formed. Lalu blames communist who blame mamta who blames again communist. So its merry go round and naxals keep on striking.

They are india's taliban. While taliban of pakistan want to implement their version of a holy book , naxals want to implement their version of holy book called mao , marx and lenin theories.

O is For Opposition :

A position in parliament which gives license to go for rampage . A position which is not liked to be held by any party and goal remains to get out of this position at any cost.

P is For paisa , power and parliament :

While goal is to reach parliament , the other two Ps are side product of reaching parliament and for some main goal.

Q is For Quitting Party :

Ability to quit party and forming own party is key to political success. But it can back fire too. Famous and successful quitters are sharad pawar , mamta banerjee , chandra shekhar and upcoming is raj thackeray.

R is For Regionalization :

Divide and divide and divide. Golden mantra of Indian Politics since eternity. Why only maharathi manoos?. Manoos for every state and win state election , send one or two mps to center , support center government and get job done.

S is For Secularism :

A term which is undefined in Indian politics. While official definition means position that religious belief should not influence public and governmental decisions; The related political belief in the separation of religion and state but largely secularism in India is used as term to keep right wing out of government. Often countered by right wing by word calle pseudo secularism.

T is For Terrorism :

Terrorism is not modern phenomena but lately this has seen rise in leaps and bounds. Weak government , strong government , terrorism and religion etc are important political issues.

U is for Unity under Obligation :

Other name is coalition which is practise of current Indian politics.

V is for Votes :

Vote ka mamla hai dilbar , khalbhali hai brain ke andar. Votes is right given to people to pass verdict about who would rule them. Votes designed to give power to people has been nicely used by politicians. Those who understand are lazy enough to vote and others who vote are lazy enough to understand!!!!!!!

W is for Wealth :

No need to elaborate . In time of recession one buisness strives.

X is for X-Factor :

This x-factor is unseen factor which has largely remained undefined. Is it charisma or is it in born?. Good speakers but bad implementers or ability to loose memory once elected. Its something in politicians that make them impossible to be ignored , impossible to give up and impossible to remember their election promises.

Y is for Yes Sir/Madam :

The ability to re assure leaders of respective parties about loyalty , about their way of thinking and in turn being able to survive in highly lucrative career.

Z is for Zero Hour :

An hour designed to raise questions to government and not infamous for absenteeism in parliament

Will Corruption Continue to Hold Back Brazil´s Economic Growth?

Corruption has, for a long time, been an unfortunate characteristic of Brazil and a concern of international investors and business people. With the most prominent forms appearing in the country's political system, below are some short descriptions of the most publicised cases:

- Fernando Collor (president from 1990 to 1992) was exposed as having undertaken a number of corrupt extortions in a fairly unsubtle manner and subsequently resigned to avoid impeachment. In 1994, he was acquitted of corruption on the grounds of inadequate evidence and is now back in the Brazilian Senate.

- In 2002, $BRL 1.3 million was uncovered in a police raid at presidential hopeful Roseana Sarney´s husbands office. Despite the controversy at the time, she is back serving as state governor of Maranhão.

- The 'Mensalão' affair of 2005 saw the chairman of the Brazilian Labour Party (Partido Trabalhista Brasileiro, PTB) - Roberto Jefferson - being implicated in a bribery case. A Parliamentary Commission was set up where Jefferson stated that there were several MPs receiving money to vote for specific legislation. In the same period, campaign manager Duda Mendonça admitted that undeclared and illegal funds (derived from private sources and laundered money through an advertising agency) were used to finance the PTB electoral victory of 2002.

- In 2009 Federal District governor, José Roberto Arruda, was caught handing bags of money to his legislator allies. What made this case particularly notable was the fact that that when Arruda's behaviour was exposed - the news was made widespread throughout the country and the politician was publically arrested and placed in custody: an unprecedented event in Brazil's history.

Whilst a 2010 study by German NGO Transparency International pointed to Brazil leading ahead of its BRIC counterparts (Russia, India and China), the recent Index of Economic Freedom stated that uncontrolled corruption amongst the political elite remains one of the main factors impeding the country´s excelled growth. Many of the Brazilian public believe that it is one of the main problems that the country faces.

According to Levy Brandão, leader of the campaign to oust José Arruda, the root causes of the problem are a lack of whistle-blowers and public transparency. He believes that, for Brazil to truly be able to grow sustainably, the political system needs to instill higher ethical standards than currently exist which, in turn, will filter into the economy and business world. Many campaigners also state that the punishment for corrupt politicians needs to be greater - many cases continue to go unnoticed and trials can take long periods of time within which corrupt politicians can renew their careers.

Nevertheless, several Brazilian commentators and industry leaders debate that modern day principles of decency, avoidance of greed and abuse of power are emerging. According to Jorge Gerdau, chairman of Grupo Gerdau, one of Brazil's largest steelmakers: "There is a historical, cultural problem of a certain backwardness which is very hard to overcome but there is also increasing public demand for transparency and respect for the electorate."

Transparência, a São Paulo based NGO, claims that although political bribery does occur, some of the money is in fact used to fund election campaigns. Politicians often feel the need to bypass Brazil's orthodox campaign finance laws to further their chances of gaining seats in the Senate.

In late 2009, President Lula signed a bill encouraging members of the public to report acts of corruption whilst, at the same time, offering support and protection for those that do. Indeed, most of Brazilians want to see corrupt politicians and people in power exposed and, in turn, more grass roots organisations are appearing across the country. The 'Arruda Out' campaign (run by student groups) was an excellent example of the power of self-creating groups taking to the streets to call for a more ethical Brazilian political system (the ´Arruda Out´ campaign attracted over 30,000 members). The leader of the campaign believes that the country is moving in the right direction - particularly with regards to media exposure as well as the internet allowing news to be spread quicker and easier. The fact that Arruda was placed in public custody should leave an impression on future generations of politicians to not impeach the law for their own gains.

In the business community, there are more companies wishing to decrease the level of corruption - one particularly successful organisation is the Pacto Empresarial pela Integridade e Contra a Corrupção (the Business Pact for Integrity and Anti-Corruption) which has over 1,300 members and rising, including most of Brazil´s major companies.

Green Energy Sources Have Many Benefits

For a very long time, we have relied on fossil fuels. It provides heat to our homes, gas for our cars and electricity. Since we are now using it more than ever, there is a consequence. We are depleting our resources and slowly killing our planet. Fortunately, we can change our ways and then shift our attention to green energy sources.

But why green energy sources? Well because there are advantages to using them which we will never be able to get if we don’t change our ways. This is also even if some will argue that the problem with green energy is that it is sometimes difficult to generate the power we need. While that may be true, that is why there are other green energy sources available and we just to know which ones are viable given the geographic location.

The various green energy sources such as solar, wind, wave, hydropower and geothermal do not produce anything harmful which may have a negative effect on the environment. This is the exact opposite of what you get when you continue to operate a coal or nuclear power plant.

Coal you have to remember releases carbon dioxide into the air. On its own, it may not cause that much damage but there are currently 50,000 coal plants around the world and that number is expected to grow.

Nuclear plants may not release anything harmful into the air. The issue is how we dispose of the spend rods and if another nuclear accident should occur. We remember Chernobyl and Three Mile Island. We have probably learned better ways to prevent another incident from happening. Through the years, a few minor accidents have occurred and although the leak was contained, just imagine if it wasn’t?

Green energy sources may not be maintenance free but at least it does not require that much to maintain them compared to conventional means. In the end, we save money because such facilities don’t cost that much to operate.

The next advantage of using green energy sources is that we will never run out of them. For centuries, the sun’s rays have reached so has the wind which is blown from the sea. By using it, we decrease our dependence on oil which is a nonrenewable resource.

If you think about it, many of us have taken these green energy sources for granted. If we do the right thing now, future generations will not have to face the mess that we could have handled on our own years before.

In short, the power is in our hands. We have the technology and we know what to do with it. The only thing we need is to do is to put our money where our mouth is because despite the number of conferences on global warming and climate change, little has happened.

It is easy to talk about how concerned we are about the environment but you have to ask yourself when will more solar panels or wind turbines will be erected? When will the number of coal or nuclear power plants be reduced?

Green energy sources is the solution to the environmental, political and social problems of this lifetime. By spending more on these technologies, no country will have to depend on another or even a corporation for their power needs because they are self dependent and free.

Daniel has spent his career helping people uncover the truth. The truth is the anquish of low quality lingers long after the sweetness of low cost is forgotten. Visit Daniel's latest website that explores oil filled radiator heater and various electric oil filled radiator products that every home needs for targeted warmth and cozy comfort.

Massey Energy Mine Explosion-Do we need more green energy

It is now one day since an explosion in West Virginia that killed 25 miners and left 4 unaccounted for.. The corporation that owns the mine, Massey Energy, saw an 8% pullback tuesday in their stock.



The explosion took place aproximately thirty miles south of Charleston on Monday

The Upper Big Branch Mine, one of 44 mines operated by Massey Energy suffered this explosion while in the middle of a shift change Monday and was the deadliest mine accident in over 2 decades. The cause was still not known as of tuesday afternoon.Tuesday.



Massey Energy has been fined in the past as a result of violations at the Upper Big Branch and other of it's mines."Massey has probably had more fines and other issues than it's competitors," said David Lipschitz. He is a senior analyst at Credit Agricole Securities.





There have been 3 other deaths at this same mine in the past 12 years.Proposed penalties against Upper Big Branch Mine were almost $1 million last year. That's more than three times any other year on record.More than three times any other year.Included in these were penalties for escape routes for mine workers and air quality ventilation.





Massey Energy paid $4.2 million in fines after a fire at the Aracoma Alma Mine in Logan County. This was the biggest settlement in industry history and was a result of safety violations including inadequate water supply to the fire hoses. That fire occured in 2006.



This mining catastrophe could possibly elevate an already hot political climate in Washington. The top two federal officials that conduct mining safety once worked for unions and Massey Energy has historically taken a strong anti union position.Massey could be targeted for more scrutinizing without attacking the mining industry in whole.



Massey Energy has also had enviromental penalties including $20 million in fines for Clean Water Act violations in West Virginia and Kentucky. The hugest penalty in the EPA's history levied against a company for wastewater discharge permit violations. That happened January 2008. Some amounts of metals, sediment, and acid drainage into waters of West Virginia and Kentucky were at levels ten times over the limit according to the EPA.



Explosions like this could possibly escalate the political argument for and against renewable energy. With more Green energy products regularly coming on the market there are hopes that these kinds of disasters will one day be a thing of the past.happen much less often.

There are several places to get information on green renewable energy. Some even offerprovide do it yourself instruction if you are on a tight income.

Make the effort to see what Green energy products are available.




As we all know solar and wind is whot comes to mind when we think about green energy. There have been incredible improvements in these fields. I'm sure most of you have driven along and saw the big windmills, some seem to go on and on. That is called a windfarm.

You may have never heard of zero point energy but you must take a look at it. It is way cool.

Get more info on Green energy at http://masseyenergyexplosion.blogspot.com/

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

I know you were thrilled after reading my post titled:YOU HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE THE SYSTEM.But wheres the excitation now,your blood that boiled when you were thinking of the present state of our system,but now your blood has cooled down,the anger has diminished and you are back to the motto of keeping living the life as earlier.
I didn't expect this from you.
Cm on man change your attitude.You yourself  aware of the power that is hidden in you.Think of Gandhi,Mandela,Luther king and many more.they were same as you.Its just your laziness that is holding you back.
Wake up now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ITS TIME TO ACT
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

HOW TO TACKLE TERRORISM?

Whenever it comes to fighting terrorism,we generally think of fighting them with guns,tanks,bombs,etc.One thing I wanna tell you that these are the methods of fighting terrorism and not containing it.You cant stop radicalisation or rebellion using any military weapon.History is evidence and ongoing present also.In present all the nations that are the epicenter of terrorism have crowded by military of different nations.But terrorism is growing on and on.

So what can be done to bring terrorism to halt.
First of all we have to understand the cause of people getting radicalized.It may be due to loss of living,discrimination,denied rights,Occupation of homeland to some other nation or people etc.

After understanding the cause the next step is to ensure that importance is given to their cause and proper respect should be given to their cause.International community needs to know why these people are being forced to take such extreme steps that are prohibited in every society,community,religion,region etc.Steps should be taken to ensure that they are not denied of anything which is theirs.

It is generally seen that terror hit nations and regions are poverty torn or are facing some extreme conditions natural or man made.International community must provide financial and infrastructural help to these regions so people can lead a satisfactory life.

Next comes the role of community.Elders of community should make sure that youth follow right path for fighting their cause.Religious leaders and community leaders should socially prohibit the practice of killing innocents.

Following the above the steps,terrorism could be tackled in a much better way rather than sending military to terror hit areas.