Pakistan and India were one nation under the British rule.The legacy of the Brits "to divide and rule",left a scar which no passage of time can fill.There was no mention of Pakistan five years prior to the partition.It was the sidelining of Jinnah by the congress party that led to his taking a hardline stand and propose a two nation theory.
The partition saw worst of massacres and forced migration of millions of people by far the largest in history;maybe followed by forced evacuation of asians from Uganda under Idi Amin.The partition left many wounds for inhabitants of both the country.Soon after the partition Pakistan tried to capture Kashmir by force,but raja Hari Singh signed a hurried special treaty with India under which the state of J & K was given a special status in Indian Constitution under Article 370,and Indian forces went and defeated the Pak forces.
The next war started when Pakistan attacked India (code:Gibraltar) on August 5, 1965.
The war ended at a point of stalemate when the UN Security Council unanimously passed a resolution that called for a ceasefire. (India had a slight advantage, but not enough.) Soviet-brokered Tashkent Declaration was signed between the two countries sometime in 1966.This war derailed the Indian economy completely(though the Chinese incursion of 1962 also had had a part) and the five year plans were suspended for a few years.
The 1971 Indo-Pak war initially started as a civil war in East Pakistan (Bangladesh).East Pakistan and West Pakistan then were one nation though separated by thousand of miles.The crackdown on east Pak saw killing of many civilians and over 80 lakh refugees entered India. Indira Gandhi,the iron lady of India took a bold step and liberated Bangladesh in two weeks,with India taking 93,000 Prisoner of Wars.The peace came in the form of Simla pact.
This was a decisive victory for India and a massive loss of face for Pakistan.India despite being a land of contradictions and full of diversity that can be found in only a continent,could work towards a one nation theory and adopt a constitution- the longest in the world and also the source of power for the government.It talks about how "WE THE PEOPLE.....Give to ourselves This Constitution" in the preamble.The constitution set India to be Sovereign,Socialist,Secular,Democratic Republic; and India has been lucky to walk on this line despite the emergency misadventure of Indira Gandhi.Pakistan on the other hand could not find stability.Its internal affairs and governance were always in jeopardy with military playing as important (and some times even more so),a role as the civilian government.Add to it the chaos of semi independent chieftains of border areas.The nation of Pakistan according to the military,could exist only if a constant threat was portrayed from India.It was this threat that kept Pakistan alive as a nation.
Kargil,the most recent war started in 1999 when infiltrators were discovered in the Batalik sector.The intruders, comprising mostly Pak Army regulars, along with a sprinkling of Mujahideen, were defeated in the operation Vijay, a major offensive in Kargil and Drass sectors. Fortunately the war was a contained one and common sense prevailed on both sides, to stop it from becoming a major one.
The attack on Mumbai on the 26th of november was the latest in the line of events to bring the two countries closer to war.Though the Pakistani Govt. Is not directly implicated in the attack it is clear that it was perpetuated by Pakistan based elements. Here India has shown an exemplary restraint on her part and should continue to do so.Why?
1. An attack at this point would be against the economic wellbeing and wipe out a decade of progress.
2. The war has the potential of becoming nuclear.
3. The whole world is sitting on gunpowder.All it requires is a match.Though middle east is the most sensitive place,still the continuous war waged by the Israel has somehow become an accepted news.India pakistan war would change the dynamics of the balance of power and Russia,China and Iran could be drawn in.
4. No country can invade other country and keep it under its rule without suffering heavy casualities.US Iraq war has taught us this.
5. Though Pakistan has tried to bleed India Through "thousand cuts ", it has only brought the country together.With India's economy booming,India has started looking at the world as her Oyster and Pakistan no longer plays as important a role in the national consciousness.
6. Pakistan is fighting its own war against the separatists and its economy has tanked. There is a distinct possibility that it will collapse under its own weight.
The recent change in the presidential election in US has created a new dynamics.Obama has started leaning hevily on Pakistan.Now that may backfire.The US currently needs a threat to its security to keep its military machine busy.Mind it,it is a real threat.The new president needs a concrete name to point public's mind to it.Iran,Syria,Jordan and N.Korea can't be continued as he has promised for a change from past policies.So what better example than Pakistan.
However his policies present a twin edged sword for India.Though India has got her aim fulfilled of presenting the true face of Pakistan,too hard a stance now would be detrimental for her.Pakistan could easily be mired in a civil war and in order to keep the country united once again target India.It has worked in the past and it may work again.The current civilian Govt. in Pakistan is not strong enough to prevent another border excursion.This can be seen through the war of words going on between the two countries.
The threat of war betwwen the two countries is very real in the next six months. Indian Govt's and public's patience is wearing thin and another attack on Indian soil may force Her to launch a limited attack (surgical strikes) on Pakistan's soil.Otherwise also Pakistan may open a front for a contained war against India in order to divert the attention of world community.Any war now would only increase the hardships for the citizens of the two countries already suffering from the global recession. In case of war India should act prudently and behave like elder brother so that the war does not escalate and become nuclear.Pakistan has got nothing to loose,and India looses everything.
The Global balance of power is already in a state of flux and should see a war in order to resolve it.It is better if it does not start in this subcontinent.
OM! SHANTI!SHANTI!SHANTI! With this prayer...
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Slumdog Millionaire
I had almost given up watching movies,but somehow a movie worthwhile would come along which would keep my interest going,never giving me the reason for complete dissociation with movies.You can gauge my indifference to movies,especially hindi, from the fact that the last movies i watched were Swades,Chak de and Taare Zameen par. Oh, i know i have missed many;but then i have kept my sanity.
Among english movies the last few that I remember are:City of god, Red,Requiem for a dream, Tsotsie etc. I watched a few mindless ones like wanted,next,death race,war;to a few ok ones- 7 pounds,i am legend,eagle eyes etc.But none were the movies(barring the first 4;god..tsotsie) that would give me satisfaction.
And then slumdog happened.Though a simple rags to riches story with a bit of love thrown in, it is a portrayal of India unseen, of dreams and ambitions, of a place where tradition and modernity collide, and biggest of all :DESTINY. Maybe it is all written.Indeed!
This is a story brilliantly told.And for that matter I am thankful to Mr. Boyle.Why is it that foreigners make better films on India than us?Gandhi was another masterpiece which got an oscar for the indian dress designer.Maybe this film will also get some Indian contributer an oscar. But why can't we on our own come up with such masterpieces?? Some period films have been tried like the one on Netaji by Shyam Benegal, but those were pathetic movies....Maybe all we are good at is the normal song and dance routine!But beware,hollywood has started tapping that also.Pretty soon all of 550 odd films that India produces maybe overshadowed by a few produced by western studios. Thankfully,chandni chowk was not it!May be Warner Bros should have replaced Advani(or Adnani?) with some western director!
The other point which made an impact on me was the role given to destiny.For each answer has a story behind it and these answers propel the hero towards his first millions; some of the answers which would fox even pundits.Does destiny really play such role in a person's life?
Anyway the movie was good,and it would keep my faith in cinema intact for a long time. But I would not watch the movie a second time, for i believe that it would destroy the good and positive feeling towards the movie. The innocence and credulity of watching a movie first time is often replaced by the cold and critical attitude when you watch it again. And i don't want to ruin my experience of watching a good movie.
Among english movies the last few that I remember are:City of god, Red,Requiem for a dream, Tsotsie etc. I watched a few mindless ones like wanted,next,death race,war;to a few ok ones- 7 pounds,i am legend,eagle eyes etc.But none were the movies(barring the first 4;god..tsotsie) that would give me satisfaction.
And then slumdog happened.Though a simple rags to riches story with a bit of love thrown in, it is a portrayal of India unseen, of dreams and ambitions, of a place where tradition and modernity collide, and biggest of all :DESTINY. Maybe it is all written.Indeed!
This is a story brilliantly told.And for that matter I am thankful to Mr. Boyle.Why is it that foreigners make better films on India than us?Gandhi was another masterpiece which got an oscar for the indian dress designer.Maybe this film will also get some Indian contributer an oscar. But why can't we on our own come up with such masterpieces?? Some period films have been tried like the one on Netaji by Shyam Benegal, but those were pathetic movies....Maybe all we are good at is the normal song and dance routine!But beware,hollywood has started tapping that also.Pretty soon all of 550 odd films that India produces maybe overshadowed by a few produced by western studios. Thankfully,chandni chowk was not it!May be Warner Bros should have replaced Advani(or Adnani?) with some western director!
The other point which made an impact on me was the role given to destiny.For each answer has a story behind it and these answers propel the hero towards his first millions; some of the answers which would fox even pundits.Does destiny really play such role in a person's life?
Anyway the movie was good,and it would keep my faith in cinema intact for a long time. But I would not watch the movie a second time, for i believe that it would destroy the good and positive feeling towards the movie. The innocence and credulity of watching a movie first time is often replaced by the cold and critical attitude when you watch it again. And i don't want to ruin my experience of watching a good movie.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Must have software (internet radio )
I have been a late entrant to the internet bandwagon.So though i knew internet radio existed i never took it seriously.Until now. My only exposure was to visit BBC radio and listen to their world news.All that changed when I was introduced to the genre of Trance. In India the genre of trance,to say the least is nonexistant. So I got a few tracks from my friends,downloaded some from the limewire and had a mini collection.But it didn't whet my appetite,so I turned to radio(internet that is).
My first choice was to access it through windows media player 11.It is a good software but i became fed up of it due to two reasons- one,it is a resource gobbler and with only 512mb RAM on my lappie, I would struggle to run other applications along with it.And,Two-It deleted my favorite station list every few days.So ended my romance with WMP11.
So while in search of a internet radio player I came across Screamer Radio.Its just 1.6 MB big and is very easy on resources.Also it has a large built in library of stations available according to genre,region,network and language.It is minimalist in design but very intuitive. The only negative I have come across is that it has some dead links.Now that can be easily managed by entering manual links pointing to resources.So I would recommend this piece of software to anyone who is willing to experiment with the internet radio.
Enjoy!
http://www.screamer-radio.com
This is the homepage from where you can download the software.It is a freeware and leaves very small footprint on your system.
My first choice was to access it through windows media player 11.It is a good software but i became fed up of it due to two reasons- one,it is a resource gobbler and with only 512mb RAM on my lappie, I would struggle to run other applications along with it.And,Two-It deleted my favorite station list every few days.So ended my romance with WMP11.
So while in search of a internet radio player I came across Screamer Radio.Its just 1.6 MB big and is very easy on resources.Also it has a large built in library of stations available according to genre,region,network and language.It is minimalist in design but very intuitive. The only negative I have come across is that it has some dead links.Now that can be easily managed by entering manual links pointing to resources.So I would recommend this piece of software to anyone who is willing to experiment with the internet radio.
Enjoy!
http://www.screamer-radio.com
This is the homepage from where you can download the software.It is a freeware and leaves very small footprint on your system.
Triumph of human will : Full circle for African-Americans
The 44th president of USA is fulfilling the destinies of many African-Americans gone before him who faught for civil rights and an individual's dignity.Though America was found on the maxim "All men are created equal",the country refused to acknowledge equal rights for blacks(African americans). The country went to civil war over the issue and thankfully slavery was demarcated to history.
Now who would have thought that a country as polarised as US would choose a candidate who didnot belong to the predominant color.That they would look past the skin color and vote for inherent strength.True the failure of previous government played its part as well as the never ending war in Iraq and Afganistan.Added to the conundrum were a slowing economy (sub prime crisis wasn't in public domain then) and rising taxes,plummeting rating for Bush and republicans;and the growing aversion to US in the world community.
Amid these trying conditions Obama came like a fresh breeze.His "Yes,WE Can" message held the promise of rejuvenating America and her past glories.Son of a kenyan father and american mother, he did some schooling in Indonesian madarsas before coming to the land of dreams,USA. Here he showed what stuff dreams are made of! He worked hard and entered harvard law school passing from there in 1991.Obama published an autobiography in 1995 Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance which went on to be a bestseller.Even greater success was the book : Audacity of Hope. In the old Washington politics, his voice was different and refreshing.He is a master orater and several of his speeches played a key part in mobilising the support of masses.
His speech from Lincoln memorial said "anything is possible in america" and he was "as hopeful as ever that the United States of America will endure—that the dream of our founders will live on in our time."
His life is a living example of what he says.And nothing could be as fitting as the above image of his Standing in front of Lincoln.One president saved America from breaking off and pointed her in the right direction. The same is expected from the current president. He is supposed to steer America's ship from the current quagmire of crisis upon crisis to a new and vibrant future. Truly " change has come to America", and "together,we can".
The current president needs the well wishes of all human beings and some help from God too.May America's torch of liberty keep shining brightly in the years to come!
Good luck, Obama, and Godspeed!
Monday, January 19, 2009
Five Things To Watch Out For In 2009
It's 2o'clock in the night now and I am on the 19th day of breaking my new year resolution : Sleep early,Wake up early.The resolution flows from attending vedanta classes.Well more on that in the next blog...
So at this godforsaken hour, the idea about what would be the five things to watch out for came.So here is the list.
1. T-Mobile G1
We all know that google reinvented the internet.Without it our life would have been as barren as its homepage.Later it came out with maps,earth,videos,youtube etc.It has not shied away from experimenting and is now working towards cloud computing,where everything would be online barring that notebook or netbook of yours.
So it was in the gradual evolution of google that mobile operating system came about.It's ANDROID platform is an open source work unlike the other 2-Symbian from nokia and Microsoft's mobile windows.So it promises a lot of content to be developed at an exponential rate.
The Mobile running the android o/s is a sleek one and has a plethora of features:
Touch screen, full qwerty keyboard,3.2 MP camera,1 touch google search , google apps,
3G, WI-FI, you tube, email,customizable home screen.
I, for one am looking forward to its launch in India.Its cheap and is only going to get better.
2. N 97
The grand daddy of all cellular companies has come out with another great product.just when you thought that N95 was the perfect convergence device. I fear that Nokia may fall to its own pace of introducing innovation for moore's law ain't for the mobile industry.Any way this for now looks the ultimate dream machine.
This is a touch screen offering from nokia with full qwerty keyboard, 32GB yes u're reading it right,of space(16 GB expandable - extra if u need it;taking it to 48GB), 3.5 inch screen,GPS ,maps,wi-fi,5MP camera: you name it and it has gotten all. Nokia, unlike apple is not about skin deep beauty but sensible functionality. Only downside is going to be its steep price.Heck,but since when did an object of desire became cheap???
3.Hulu.com
oh,yes it is a site.No, its no use accessing it from India. But if in the future it does become available thru out the world it could be the TV killer. you can watch sitcoms,movies and tons of user generated content on that site.Currently only the Americans can enjoy the show,but web being ubiquitous,its not far when we will too.
4.Large Hadron Collider
For once the tumultuous media is silent. For the media,which went on a overdrive saying that the end was near and a black hole was about to be created on the earth,nothing more could be better than the clamp down on the project to check out Higgs Boson. These are the hypothesized particles that would come into play when two protons travelling at the speed of light would collide.Why?? To unlock the secrets as to how the universe was made! That's why!Angels,Be afraid!Be very,very afraid.No secret is away from the reach of humans now.
The LHC, is a technological marvel. It runs below Switzerland and France ( CERN is the parent body) in 27 km long tunnel.Unfortunately it came online on 10th sep2008 and went offline on 19th due to overheating of some wire.It is supposed to come online again in mid year this year.Another chance for the end timers to cry hoarse!
5. Windows 7
Now if we are talking about technology then can Microsoft stay behind?Its vista os, though radical in departure from previous os's wasn't loved by the public much.Though it was a safer application than before,it was slower in loading despite having phenomenal resources(All that RAM).
Windows 7, is supposed to address the shortcomings of vista. Though the core of the OS will remain the same like vista,it is supposed to load faster.It will also be a multitouch OS;much like that of iphone( just to give u a picture).
Sidebar has been scrapped and the gadgets are there on the desktop itself. The user interface has been completly redesigned.Also support for various devices has been added. The mankind's future seems to be filled with a number of different devices that will need to interact with each other.MSW 7 seems to be a step in that direction. Some screen shots of the new OS now in beta stage..
Enough for today.Next time something about vedanta or Israel story part 2.
So at this godforsaken hour, the idea about what would be the five things to watch out for came.So here is the list.
1. T-Mobile G1
We all know that google reinvented the internet.Without it our life would have been as barren as its homepage.Later it came out with maps,earth,videos,youtube etc.It has not shied away from experimenting and is now working towards cloud computing,where everything would be online barring that notebook or netbook of yours.
So it was in the gradual evolution of google that mobile operating system came about.It's ANDROID platform is an open source work unlike the other 2-Symbian from nokia and Microsoft's mobile windows.So it promises a lot of content to be developed at an exponential rate.
The Mobile running the android o/s is a sleek one and has a plethora of features:
Touch screen, full qwerty keyboard,3.2 MP camera,1 touch google search , google apps,
3G, WI-FI, you tube, email,customizable home screen.
I, for one am looking forward to its launch in India.Its cheap and is only going to get better.
2. N 97
The grand daddy of all cellular companies has come out with another great product.just when you thought that N95 was the perfect convergence device. I fear that Nokia may fall to its own pace of introducing innovation for moore's law ain't for the mobile industry.Any way this for now looks the ultimate dream machine.
This is a touch screen offering from nokia with full qwerty keyboard, 32GB yes u're reading it right,of space(16 GB expandable - extra if u need it;taking it to 48GB), 3.5 inch screen,GPS ,maps,wi-fi,5MP camera: you name it and it has gotten all. Nokia, unlike apple is not about skin deep beauty but sensible functionality. Only downside is going to be its steep price.Heck,but since when did an object of desire became cheap???
3.Hulu.com
oh,yes it is a site.No, its no use accessing it from India. But if in the future it does become available thru out the world it could be the TV killer. you can watch sitcoms,movies and tons of user generated content on that site.Currently only the Americans can enjoy the show,but web being ubiquitous,its not far when we will too.
4.Large Hadron Collider
For once the tumultuous media is silent. For the media,which went on a overdrive saying that the end was near and a black hole was about to be created on the earth,nothing more could be better than the clamp down on the project to check out Higgs Boson. These are the hypothesized particles that would come into play when two protons travelling at the speed of light would collide.Why?? To unlock the secrets as to how the universe was made! That's why!Angels,Be afraid!Be very,very afraid.No secret is away from the reach of humans now.
The LHC, is a technological marvel. It runs below Switzerland and France ( CERN is the parent body) in 27 km long tunnel.Unfortunately it came online on 10th sep2008 and went offline on 19th due to overheating of some wire.It is supposed to come online again in mid year this year.Another chance for the end timers to cry hoarse!
5. Windows 7
Now if we are talking about technology then can Microsoft stay behind?Its vista os, though radical in departure from previous os's wasn't loved by the public much.Though it was a safer application than before,it was slower in loading despite having phenomenal resources(All that RAM).
Windows 7, is supposed to address the shortcomings of vista. Though the core of the OS will remain the same like vista,it is supposed to load faster.It will also be a multitouch OS;much like that of iphone( just to give u a picture).
Sidebar has been scrapped and the gadgets are there on the desktop itself. The user interface has been completly redesigned.Also support for various devices has been added. The mankind's future seems to be filled with a number of different devices that will need to interact with each other.MSW 7 seems to be a step in that direction. Some screen shots of the new OS now in beta stage..
Enough for today.Next time something about vedanta or Israel story part 2.
Friday, January 16, 2009
The Palestine-Israel Equation : PART 1- FOUNDATION
Jerusalem is a place to which three religions lay claim: Jews, Christians and Muslims. Jews originally were a collection of tribes, in Palestine and Old Testament tells their story. Christian messiah Jesus was said to be the fulfillment of all ancient prophesies of the Old Testament. Jesus like Buddha had no intention of founding a new religion. Sadly the Jews did not think of Jesus of Najreth as their messiah and were instrumental in producing him before the roman governor Pilate to be crucified on cross. The story of Jesus coupled with the writing of his disciples (Mark, Matthew, Luke & John) forms the New Testament.
Jews were repeatedly conquered, enslaved and suppressed and they never had a nation of their own. They were dispersed around the world by the various conquering hordes. It is a fact that a few Jews even came to India. But their longing for a nation state was always there. A few lines from the psalms brings out the pain and longing beautifully –
By the waters of the Babylon we sat down and wept: when we remembered thee, O Sion.
As for our harps we hanged them up: upon the trees that are therein.
For they that led us away captive required of us then a song, and a melody, in our heaviness: sing us one of the songs of Sion.
How shall we sing the Lord’s song: in a strange land?
They call Jerusalem as Zion and it has always been the Promised Land for them, and Zionism is this call for the past that always pulled them to Palestine. Palestine always had been home to Arabs with few sprinklings of Jews and Christians in between. During world war Britain made a declaration in 1917, called the Balfour Declaration for establishment of “Jewish national home “in Palestine under Zionist pressure. It should be kept in mind that Jews though few in number, held commendable financial resources in their hands. The declaration was welcomed by the Jews. But there was a problem that was overlooked. Palestine was not uninhabited land. It was already someone else’s home. The Jews started pouring in from all corners of the world to Palestine. This saw a major conflict flaring in between Arabs and Jews.
1929 saw big Arab- Jew riots over “Wailing Wall “ dispute. this is a part of the wall which surrounded the Herod’s temple in old times (when Jews were great people). Subsequently a mosque was build there, and this wall was made a part of the structure. The Jews recite their lamentations in a loud voice there which is objected to by the Muslims as it is a part of Al Aqsa mosque, their third most important place of worship in the whole world.
The onset of third world war saw one of the worst atrocities committed against Jews by the Nazi Germany. The Holocaust was the systematic annihilation of six million Jews by the Nazis during World War 2. In 1933 nine million Jews lived in the 21 countries of Europe that would be military occupied by Germany during the war. By 1945 two out of every three European Jews had been killed. 1.5 million Children were murdered. This figure includes more than 1.2 million Jewish children, tens of thousands of Gypsy children and thousands of handicapped children.
The extent of horror committed against them left everyone shocked and aghast. The 1945 Anglo- American committee recommended the immediate admission of 100,000 Jewish victims of Nazi persecution. The 1947 committee appointed by UNO proposed bifurcation of the Palestinian state into 3 parts: an Arab state, a Jewish state and the city of Jerusalem under trusteeship council. Jewish agency welcomed the prospect of creation of a new state, but the Arabs were bitterly opposed to any plans of partition.A bitter strife flared up between the two factions and reached alarming proportion in 1948.
On may 15,1948, Britain terminated its mandate over Palestine. The Jews were able to to anticipate the decision in advance and proclaimed the establishment of a new independent state of Israel in the area they occupied with Tel Aviv as as its capital.USA &USSR recognized the new state at once.Dr. Chaim Weitzman was chosen as the first president.
The newly founded state of Israel had to fight for its survival as neighbouring states attacked it. But Israel held its position with tenacity till an armistice treaty was signed between Israel and her neighbours, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. In 1949 Israel became a member of UN as an independent state.
I plan to write a three part essay on the topic on my understanding of the ongoing conflict. I havn’t made any specialized study nor do I want to write a scholarly essay. I merely want to point to few facts as an educated individual.
Jews were repeatedly conquered, enslaved and suppressed and they never had a nation of their own. They were dispersed around the world by the various conquering hordes. It is a fact that a few Jews even came to India. But their longing for a nation state was always there. A few lines from the psalms brings out the pain and longing beautifully –
By the waters of the Babylon we sat down and wept: when we remembered thee, O Sion.
As for our harps we hanged them up: upon the trees that are therein.
For they that led us away captive required of us then a song, and a melody, in our heaviness: sing us one of the songs of Sion.
How shall we sing the Lord’s song: in a strange land?
They call Jerusalem as Zion and it has always been the Promised Land for them, and Zionism is this call for the past that always pulled them to Palestine. Palestine always had been home to Arabs with few sprinklings of Jews and Christians in between. During world war Britain made a declaration in 1917, called the Balfour Declaration for establishment of “Jewish national home “in Palestine under Zionist pressure. It should be kept in mind that Jews though few in number, held commendable financial resources in their hands. The declaration was welcomed by the Jews. But there was a problem that was overlooked. Palestine was not uninhabited land. It was already someone else’s home. The Jews started pouring in from all corners of the world to Palestine. This saw a major conflict flaring in between Arabs and Jews.
1929 saw big Arab- Jew riots over “Wailing Wall “ dispute. this is a part of the wall which surrounded the Herod’s temple in old times (when Jews were great people). Subsequently a mosque was build there, and this wall was made a part of the structure. The Jews recite their lamentations in a loud voice there which is objected to by the Muslims as it is a part of Al Aqsa mosque, their third most important place of worship in the whole world.
The onset of third world war saw one of the worst atrocities committed against Jews by the Nazi Germany. The Holocaust was the systematic annihilation of six million Jews by the Nazis during World War 2. In 1933 nine million Jews lived in the 21 countries of Europe that would be military occupied by Germany during the war. By 1945 two out of every three European Jews had been killed. 1.5 million Children were murdered. This figure includes more than 1.2 million Jewish children, tens of thousands of Gypsy children and thousands of handicapped children.
The extent of horror committed against them left everyone shocked and aghast. The 1945 Anglo- American committee recommended the immediate admission of 100,000 Jewish victims of Nazi persecution. The 1947 committee appointed by UNO proposed bifurcation of the Palestinian state into 3 parts: an Arab state, a Jewish state and the city of Jerusalem under trusteeship council. Jewish agency welcomed the prospect of creation of a new state, but the Arabs were bitterly opposed to any plans of partition.A bitter strife flared up between the two factions and reached alarming proportion in 1948.
On may 15,1948, Britain terminated its mandate over Palestine. The Jews were able to to anticipate the decision in advance and proclaimed the establishment of a new independent state of Israel in the area they occupied with Tel Aviv as as its capital.USA &USSR recognized the new state at once.Dr. Chaim Weitzman was chosen as the first president.
The newly founded state of Israel had to fight for its survival as neighbouring states attacked it. But Israel held its position with tenacity till an armistice treaty was signed between Israel and her neighbours, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. In 1949 Israel became a member of UN as an independent state.
I plan to write a three part essay on the topic on my understanding of the ongoing conflict. I havn’t made any specialized study nor do I want to write a scholarly essay. I merely want to point to few facts as an educated individual.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
THE END OF AMERICAN DREAMS : NEW WORLD AND 21ST CENTURY
It’s an old story that Columbus started out in search of India and in the process discovered America. This land of the native red Indians was colonized by white people from Europe and beyond. The country came into existence when thirteen colonies rebelled against England in 1775. After seven years of bloodshed, she was given recognition by England by the peace of Versailles. USA came out with a federal constitution, drawn by the Philadelphia Convention, in 1787. The USA’s constitution is the best example of a federal constitution with spheres of federal and state influence clearly demarcated. George Washington became the first president and held the term from 1789 to 1797. These were the times of war between France and England (French Revolution ) and by maintaining neutrality US escaped the consequences associated with war. Thomas Jefferson, the third one to hold office of president, purchased the state of Louisiana from napoleon in 1803, for a sum of fifteen million dollars.
The declaration of independence doctrine that “ all men are created equal “, more or less led to the civil war (1861-1865). The then president, Abraham Lincoln , handled the issue superbly and forged the nation into steel through the fire of hatred. The southern states who had tried to secede were defeated and towards the end Lincoln was assassinated by a southern fanatic.
The monumental epoch event that saw US emerge as numero Uno superpower was the dropping of “little boy” and “ fat man” on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The oncoming decades saw major rivalries between the aspirant and the leader. It was a clash of culture, belief, and way of life. The era also saw one of the most rapid advances made in the realm of science. It came to an end symbolically with the demise of USSR as a nation towards the end of 1991.
The victory gave a new meaning to American way of life where consumption was the first priority. All resources of the world started pouring into America and she became the engine of globalization. She was, and is , the largest importing country in the world. The dollar is the world currency, and American way of life, aspirant world behavior. However all that seems to be changing with the current crisis going on in US of A.
The USA so fuelled on by the baby boomers generation, came into a quagmire created by its own hands.Alan Greenspan days saw the lowest level of federal interest rates and a mad rush for credit expansion. The numerous financial institutions present in USA, in a bid for higher and higher profits (the remuneration of employees was based on this),started doling out loans to each and every Tom, Dick & Harry.This was successful initially as the housing industry was booming then.Then came the next masterstroke from such firms- Cutting the subprime mortgages into different tranches –and bundling them into different and complex instruments that even the rating agencies couldn’t understand (or,how would it explain the high ratings given to such instruments). It was a case of unbridled corporate greed all around.
The proverbial house of cards started coming down as the circumstances began to change. The housing market started falling, at the same time interest rates of NINJA’s (no income, no job, no assets) started rising(they were given teaser loans when the initial down payment is absurdly low only to rise higher and higher with passage of time.) .Also the economic outlook at that time wasn’t very positive. So many decided to default on their loans. The banks seized the properties and put it on sale: putting a further downward pressure on prices. The banks in order to avoid uncertainties started holding cash and tightened the credit given to other banks (inter bank lending).
This credit squeeze led to a number of companies going bust. While Freddie mae & Fannie Mac and AIG could tide over this mess with the help of Govt’s generosity Lehman and Bear Stearns folded. The crisis soon spread to other parts of the globe and is an ongoing crisis.
The Bush govt came out with a 750 billion dollar financial package and president elect Obama announced another 350 billion financial stimulus.But these packages havn’t had much effect on ongoing crisis.
Gerald Celente, the CEO of Trends Research Institute, who is renowned for his accuracy in predicting future world and economic events, paints a bleak picture about the future. He says that 2012 America could see revolution marked by food riots, tax revolts and job marches.
"We're going to see the end of the retail Christmas....we're going to see a fundamental shift take place....putting food on the table is going to be more important that putting gifts under the Christmas tree," said Celente, adding that the situation would be "worse than the great depression".
Celente, successfully predicted the 1997 Asian Currency Crisis and the current subprime fiasco . He also said that the dollar would eventually be devalued by as much as 90 percent.
Ravi Batra a cyclical analyst also discussed about the coming end of US dominance.His Law of Social Cycles states that there are four different types of people who find basic fulfillment in four different kinds of ways: Warriors- (having strong bodies, vigorous physical energy and a sharp intellect.They are prone to taking physical risks);Intellectuals (have a more developed intellect than the warriors, but generally lack the physical strength and vigor);Acquisitors( money minded);Laborers (The laborers are the peasants, serfs, clerks, waiters, janitors, doormen, cabdrivers, garbage collectors, truck drivers, night watchmen and factory workers who keep society running smoothly by working diligently ).
These divisions crept in from the purushsukta of Rig Veda in India. In local nomenclature they are known as kshaktriya, Brahmin, vaishya and sudra.
Batra suggests that each of these classes find their fulfillment in various cycles.No single class can remain dominant indefinitely, and power passes from class to class in a prescribed order, or cycle. The age of warriors is followed by an age of intellectuals, which over time merges into an age of acquisitors.The current times saw” growing poverty and a vanishing middle class, overwhelming CEO greed and ruthlessness, mounting official corruption and incompetence and above all the demoralizing war in Iraq “.According to him the world is in the throes of change :
“All of the symptoms that I expected to see before the start of an anti-acquisitive rebellion are now here. I anticipated many social and economic cancers, such as abysmal wages, growing poverty, rising homelessness, educational decline, family breakdown and loose morals. They are all here, so revolution cannot be very far away.”
So what is the future going to be? Well, no one knows that for sure. But we can definitely sense the changing times. And such a time is now. America no doubt has been a holder of individual dignity, freedom and liberty. It has been a great country. It achieved in a century what Europe and other civilizations took thousands of years to achieve. The 21st century belonged to America. And I’m afraid it’s time as a ruler may come to an end. Terrorism, delusion and stagnation have started taking their toll. The oncoming depression may well spell an end, or if managed may shift the decline to a few more years.
But “death comes to us all”, and,” all things that have a beginning must have an end”. NO MATTER HOW GREAT.
The declaration of independence doctrine that “ all men are created equal “, more or less led to the civil war (1861-1865). The then president, Abraham Lincoln , handled the issue superbly and forged the nation into steel through the fire of hatred. The southern states who had tried to secede were defeated and towards the end Lincoln was assassinated by a southern fanatic.
The monumental epoch event that saw US emerge as numero Uno superpower was the dropping of “little boy” and “ fat man” on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The oncoming decades saw major rivalries between the aspirant and the leader. It was a clash of culture, belief, and way of life. The era also saw one of the most rapid advances made in the realm of science. It came to an end symbolically with the demise of USSR as a nation towards the end of 1991.
The victory gave a new meaning to American way of life where consumption was the first priority. All resources of the world started pouring into America and she became the engine of globalization. She was, and is , the largest importing country in the world. The dollar is the world currency, and American way of life, aspirant world behavior. However all that seems to be changing with the current crisis going on in US of A.
The USA so fuelled on by the baby boomers generation, came into a quagmire created by its own hands.Alan Greenspan days saw the lowest level of federal interest rates and a mad rush for credit expansion. The numerous financial institutions present in USA, in a bid for higher and higher profits (the remuneration of employees was based on this),started doling out loans to each and every Tom, Dick & Harry.This was successful initially as the housing industry was booming then.Then came the next masterstroke from such firms- Cutting the subprime mortgages into different tranches –and bundling them into different and complex instruments that even the rating agencies couldn’t understand (or,how would it explain the high ratings given to such instruments). It was a case of unbridled corporate greed all around.
The proverbial house of cards started coming down as the circumstances began to change. The housing market started falling, at the same time interest rates of NINJA’s (no income, no job, no assets) started rising(they were given teaser loans when the initial down payment is absurdly low only to rise higher and higher with passage of time.) .Also the economic outlook at that time wasn’t very positive. So many decided to default on their loans. The banks seized the properties and put it on sale: putting a further downward pressure on prices. The banks in order to avoid uncertainties started holding cash and tightened the credit given to other banks (inter bank lending).
This credit squeeze led to a number of companies going bust. While Freddie mae & Fannie Mac and AIG could tide over this mess with the help of Govt’s generosity Lehman and Bear Stearns folded. The crisis soon spread to other parts of the globe and is an ongoing crisis.
The Bush govt came out with a 750 billion dollar financial package and president elect Obama announced another 350 billion financial stimulus.But these packages havn’t had much effect on ongoing crisis.
Gerald Celente, the CEO of Trends Research Institute, who is renowned for his accuracy in predicting future world and economic events, paints a bleak picture about the future. He says that 2012 America could see revolution marked by food riots, tax revolts and job marches.
"We're going to see the end of the retail Christmas....we're going to see a fundamental shift take place....putting food on the table is going to be more important that putting gifts under the Christmas tree," said Celente, adding that the situation would be "worse than the great depression".
Celente, successfully predicted the 1997 Asian Currency Crisis and the current subprime fiasco . He also said that the dollar would eventually be devalued by as much as 90 percent.
Ravi Batra a cyclical analyst also discussed about the coming end of US dominance.His Law of Social Cycles states that there are four different types of people who find basic fulfillment in four different kinds of ways: Warriors- (having strong bodies, vigorous physical energy and a sharp intellect.They are prone to taking physical risks);Intellectuals (have a more developed intellect than the warriors, but generally lack the physical strength and vigor);Acquisitors( money minded);Laborers (The laborers are the peasants, serfs, clerks, waiters, janitors, doormen, cabdrivers, garbage collectors, truck drivers, night watchmen and factory workers who keep society running smoothly by working diligently ).
These divisions crept in from the purushsukta of Rig Veda in India. In local nomenclature they are known as kshaktriya, Brahmin, vaishya and sudra.
Batra suggests that each of these classes find their fulfillment in various cycles.No single class can remain dominant indefinitely, and power passes from class to class in a prescribed order, or cycle. The age of warriors is followed by an age of intellectuals, which over time merges into an age of acquisitors.The current times saw” growing poverty and a vanishing middle class, overwhelming CEO greed and ruthlessness, mounting official corruption and incompetence and above all the demoralizing war in Iraq “.According to him the world is in the throes of change :
“All of the symptoms that I expected to see before the start of an anti-acquisitive rebellion are now here. I anticipated many social and economic cancers, such as abysmal wages, growing poverty, rising homelessness, educational decline, family breakdown and loose morals. They are all here, so revolution cannot be very far away.”
So what is the future going to be? Well, no one knows that for sure. But we can definitely sense the changing times. And such a time is now. America no doubt has been a holder of individual dignity, freedom and liberty. It has been a great country. It achieved in a century what Europe and other civilizations took thousands of years to achieve. The 21st century belonged to America. And I’m afraid it’s time as a ruler may come to an end. Terrorism, delusion and stagnation have started taking their toll. The oncoming depression may well spell an end, or if managed may shift the decline to a few more years.
But “death comes to us all”, and,” all things that have a beginning must have an end”. NO MATTER HOW GREAT.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Whats on the next curve?
Maybe the oldest invention that was good for mankind was fire(leaving the accident of agriculture and Darwin's evolution behind).It made man a civilized beast and he could control one of the forces of nature.In Indian mythology fire was regarded as god and was said to be intermediary between the humans and the gods, i.e.whatever was offered as sacrifice to fire was supposed to reach the heavens.It provided warmth,kept wild animals away,was useful in slash and burn agriculture etc.
The next major invention to occur was wheel.It helped man to conquer distances and also led to mass exodus of population.The aryans were said to move from central europe to indian subcontinent destroying a far greater civilisation than their's(Harrapa & Mohenjadaro which saw town planning to such a great extent not seen even now in India).
The next major shift seems to be the clamour for religion and feudal age.Suddenly every one wanted one world religion and the the rise of christianity is associated with one of the worst phases of human civilisation - the dark ages.Every independent thought was to be muffled. Muslim religion also followed the same path and arab world which was scientifically open also closed down.The age of Ibn Batuta,Ibn baruni etc. came to an end.
Luckily the only constant in world is change and it doesn't wait for anyone.
The next major change occured when man tapped the power of steam thereby giving rise to the industrial revolution.It changed the face of the world completely.It also gave rise to colonism and the middle class.
Next in line were the methods of communication and transportation.Telegraph and railways made a near simultaneous appearance and shrunk the world furthur.The remaining nail in the coffin was put by aeroplanes and telephones.
The period also saw one of the worst periods of living- accentuated by two world wars.clearly the twentieth century was the most disturbed in the history of mankind.
The next major shift occured when communication convergence occured.During this time advancements made in telecommunications, satellites and computer came together to give a completely new face to society nesseciating the coining of the word "digital age ". This led to a complete change in the rules of the game.What the invention of writing and printing could not do in millenia, the digital age did in decades. It brought people of all nationality together on a common platform and it also taught them to question.
This is where our story ends.We are still in the throes of the digital revolution with changes occuring at a very rapid pace.But no disruptive innovation has occured that can change the face of earth(leaving nuclear bombs and climatic changes aside). No new technology has come up that can take human civilisation to the next curve.Biotechnology and Nanotechnology were supposed to be the next things,but they have remained just that - next things for the past quarter of century. Quantum computers are also supposed to be the next generation technology but they are not practical in real worlds.Robotics and artificial intelligence havn't reached the pinnacle they were supposed to.
So,my point is, what lies ahead? Which new technology has the potential to change the contours of global village?where will it come from?Will it be the one that will promote equality between countries or will only widen the gap between have and have nots?
I eagerly wait for the advent of some new technology.I believe we are living in the most exciting times.The amount of changes and the amount of freedom we are seeing is unheralded.What lies in future....Who knows?
The next major invention to occur was wheel.It helped man to conquer distances and also led to mass exodus of population.The aryans were said to move from central europe to indian subcontinent destroying a far greater civilisation than their's(Harrapa & Mohenjadaro which saw town planning to such a great extent not seen even now in India).
The next major shift seems to be the clamour for religion and feudal age.Suddenly every one wanted one world religion and the the rise of christianity is associated with one of the worst phases of human civilisation - the dark ages.Every independent thought was to be muffled. Muslim religion also followed the same path and arab world which was scientifically open also closed down.The age of Ibn Batuta,Ibn baruni etc. came to an end.
Luckily the only constant in world is change and it doesn't wait for anyone.
The next major change occured when man tapped the power of steam thereby giving rise to the industrial revolution.It changed the face of the world completely.It also gave rise to colonism and the middle class.
Next in line were the methods of communication and transportation.Telegraph and railways made a near simultaneous appearance and shrunk the world furthur.The remaining nail in the coffin was put by aeroplanes and telephones.
The period also saw one of the worst periods of living- accentuated by two world wars.clearly the twentieth century was the most disturbed in the history of mankind.
The next major shift occured when communication convergence occured.During this time advancements made in telecommunications, satellites and computer came together to give a completely new face to society nesseciating the coining of the word "digital age ". This led to a complete change in the rules of the game.What the invention of writing and printing could not do in millenia, the digital age did in decades. It brought people of all nationality together on a common platform and it also taught them to question.
This is where our story ends.We are still in the throes of the digital revolution with changes occuring at a very rapid pace.But no disruptive innovation has occured that can change the face of earth(leaving nuclear bombs and climatic changes aside). No new technology has come up that can take human civilisation to the next curve.Biotechnology and Nanotechnology were supposed to be the next things,but they have remained just that - next things for the past quarter of century. Quantum computers are also supposed to be the next generation technology but they are not practical in real worlds.Robotics and artificial intelligence havn't reached the pinnacle they were supposed to.
So,my point is, what lies ahead? Which new technology has the potential to change the contours of global village?where will it come from?Will it be the one that will promote equality between countries or will only widen the gap between have and have nots?
I eagerly wait for the advent of some new technology.I believe we are living in the most exciting times.The amount of changes and the amount of freedom we are seeing is unheralded.What lies in future....Who knows?
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