Refugees or Migrants? Role of Media in the European Crisis

(Syrian refugees - www.humanrightshouse.org)

The refugee crisis in Europe affects the entire world, and yet the world watches in a stand-by mode. Why?  Is it because we are ill informed about the crisis? Is the media playing a responsible role of keeping the world informed about what's happening on the ground in Syria and thereabouts, or is the tussle for supremacy between the social media and the print media exacerbating the crisis unfolding in Europe? 

(www.citypeek.com)

The print media is fighting to keep its hold on readership, and social media is trying its level best to make some permanent dents in the print media share.  While newspapers are trying to keep pace with the minute by minute updates of social media, the social media is upgrading its reliability of information and sources to compete with the reputed print media. However, this need for immediacy of news has compromised the quality of the end product, which is the news we get. Or else, why would established and reputed media casually use the word 'migrant' for a 'refugee' in several of its articles while reporting on the crisis? When reporting on the situation in Greece, Italy, France, Germany and other European countries being inundated by hordes of people from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and parts of North Africa, the media refers to these desperate people as 'migrants'.  It appears to forget or else disregards that the hordes in question are not 'migrants' by any definition; they did not make a planned departure from their homeland, nor do they plan to establish permanent residence in another country in pursuit of better opportunities. In fact, these are some awfully scared and frantic families trying to avert death and or torture at the hands of an apathetic, violent, and fundamentalist regime that has taken over their homeland, and they have no means of fighting it off. These are mothers and fathers seeking shelter, in any place possible, that promises their children the slightest hope at life, and no tear gas, legal document, or a border fence is going to stop this mass movement of frantic and needy people.

Undoubtedly, European nations feel overwhelmed by this endless surge of humanity pouring in at their borders, but wouldn't they have done the same had the roles been reversed? Rich European nations have to revisit their policies on immigration; the age old wall of disparity that exists between the have and the have not nations in and around Europe will not hold for long, as the current crisis proves.  A Germany and a France cannot sail peacefully if a Greece is sinking.  It's no different in the Americas; USA must ensure an economically viable and politically stable Mexico and Canada if the USA wants to maintain peace and prosperity within its borders. National boundaries can no longer deter people from finding safe haven when confronted by natural or man made disasters. And when masses of desperate people are on the move, as they are in Syria and other places in the region, it's no longer just a European crisis, it's a world crisis, and the media has a very large and significant role to play when reporting a humanitarian crisis of such proportion. The media cannot play games or seek leverage in the face of such mammoth human suffering.

Here are a couple of links to articles reporting on this crisis:

www.nytimes.com/.../migrants-push-toward-hungary-as-a-border-fence-ris...

news.yahoo.com/migrant-cafe-owners-greeces-kos-broken-refugee-crisis-0...

http://aje.io/9pqc

2013 Commencement Speeches : What Would Inspire Ivy League Graduates More? Bernanke's Wit and Commonsense or McNally's Dramatized Biography.

                              

 Ben Bernanke at Princeton. R.Schultz/AP

McNally at Columbia via Columbia Spectator

 

I thoroughly enjoyed Terrence McNally’s keynote address at the Columbia Commencement Ceremony this year, but I think Ben Bernanke’s Commencement Speech at Princeton where he made “Ten suggestions, or maybe just Ten Observations, about the world and your lives after Princeton” drew more laughs and had more relevance for the new graduates on the threshold of ‘real life’.

Here’s the script of Bernanke’s speech (parts highlighted are ones that had me smiling or ones that wrinkled my brow). I'd be curious to know which address would you pick....

“It's nice to be back at Princeton. I find it difficult to believe that it's been almost 11 years since I departed these halls for Washington. I wrote recently to inquire about the status of my leave from the university, and the letter I got back began, "Regrettably, Princeton receives many more qualified applicants for faculty positions than we can accommodate."

 

I'll extend my best wishes to the seniors later, but first I want to congratulate the parents and families here. As a parent myself, I know that putting your kid through college these days is no walk in the park. Some years ago I had a colleague who sent three kids through Princeton even though neither he nor his wife attended this university. He and his spouse were very proud of that accomplishment, as they should have been. But my colleague also used to say that, from a financial perspective, the experience was like buying a new Cadillac every year and then driving it off a cliff. I should say that he always added that he would do it all over again in a minute. So, well done, moms, dads, and families. 

 

This is indeed an impressive and appropriate setting for a commencement. I am sure that, from this lectern, any number of distinguished spiritual leaders have ruminated on the lessons of the Ten Commandments. I don't have that kind of confidence, and, anyway, coveting your neighbor's ox or donkey is not the problem it used to be, so I thought I would use my few minutes today to make Ten Suggestions, or maybe just Ten Observations, about the world and your lives after Princeton. Please note, these points have nothing whatsoever to do with interest rates. My qualification for making such suggestions, or observations, besides having kindly been invited to speak today by President Tilghman, is the same as the reason that your obnoxious brother or sister got to go to bed later--I am older than you. All of what follows has been road-tested in real-life situations, but past performance is no guarantee of future results. 

 

1. The poet Robert Burns once said something about the best-laid plans of mice and men ganging aft agley, whatever "agley" means. A more contemporary philosopher, Forrest Gump, said something similar about life and boxes of chocolates and not knowing what you are going to get. They were both right. Life is amazingly unpredictable; any 22-year-old who thinks he or she knows where they will be in 10 years, much less in 30, is simply lacking imagination. Look what happened to me: A dozen years ago I was minding my own business teaching Economics 101 in Alexander Hall and trying to think of good excuses for avoiding faculty meetings. Then I got a phone call . . . In case you are skeptical of Forrest Gump's insight, here's a concrete suggestion for each of the graduating seniors. Take a few minutes the first chance you get and talk to an alum participating in his or her 25th, or 30th, or 40th reunion--you know, somebody who was near the front of the Parade. Ask them, back when they were graduating 25, 30, or 40 years ago, where they expected to be today. If you can get them to open up, they will tell you that today they are happy and satisfied in various measures, or not, and their personal stories will be filled with highs and lows and in-betweens. But, I am willing to bet, those life stories will in almost all cases be quite different, in large and small ways, from what they expected when they started out. This is a good thing, not a bad thing; who wants to know the end of a story that's only in its early chapters? Don't be afraid to let the drama play out. 

 

2. Does the fact that our lives are so influenced by chance and seemingly small decisions and actions mean that there is no point to planning, to striving? Not at all. Whatever life may have in store for you, each of you has a grand, lifelong project, and that is the development of yourself as a human being. Your family and friends and your time at Princeton have given you a good start. What will you do with it? Will you keep learning and thinking hard and critically about the most important questions? Will you become an emotionally stronger person, more generous, more loving, more ethical? Will you involve yourself actively and constructively in the world? Many things will happen in your lives, pleasant and not so pleasant, but, paraphrasing a Woodrow Wilson School adage from the time I was here, "Wherever you go, there you are." If you are not happy with yourself, even the loftiest achievements won't bring you much satisfaction. 

 

3. The concept of success leads me to consider so-called meritocracies and their implications. We have been taught that meritocratic institutions and societies are fair. Putting aside the reality that no system, including our own, is really entirely meritocratic, meritocracies may be fairer and more efficient than some alternatives. But fair in an absolute sense? Think about it. A meritocracy is a system in which the people who are the luckiest in their health and genetic endowment; luckiest in terms of family support, encouragement, and, probably, income; luckiest in their educational and career opportunities; and luckiest in so many other ways difficult to enumerate--these are the folks who reap the largest rewards. The only way for even a putative meritocracy to hope to pass ethical muster, to be considered fair, is if those who are the luckiest in all of those respects also have the greatest responsibility to work hard, to contribute to the betterment of the world, and to share their luck with others. As the Gospel of Luke says (and I am sure my rabbi will forgive me for quoting the New Testament in a good cause): "From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded" (Luke 12:48, New Revised Standard Version Bible). Kind of grading on the curve, you might say. 

 

4. Who is worthy of admiration? The admonition from Luke--which is shared by most ethical and philosophical traditions, by the way--helps with this question as well. Those most worthy of admiration are those who have made the best use of their advantages or, alternatively, coped most courageously with their adversities. I think most of us would agree that people who have, say, little formal schooling but labor honestly and diligently to help feed, clothe, and educate their families are deserving of greater respect--and help, if necessary--than many people who are superficially more successful. They're more fun to have a beer with, too. That's all that I know about sociology. 

 

5. Since I have covered what I know about sociology, I might as well say something about political science as well. In regard to politics, I have always liked Lily Tomlin's line, in paraphrase: "I try to be cynical, but I just can't keep up." We all feel that way sometime. Actually, having been in Washington now for almost 11 years, as I mentioned, I feel that way quite a bit. Ultimately, though, cynicism is a poor substitute for critical thought and constructive action. Sure, interests and money and ideology all matter, as you learned in political science. But my experience is that most of our politicians and policymakers are trying to do the right thing, according to their own views and consciences, most of the time. If you think that the bad or indifferent results that too often come out of Washington are due to base motives and bad intentions, you are giving politicians and policymakers way too much credit for being effective. Honest error in the face of complex and possibly intractable problems is a far more important source of bad results than are bad motives. For these reasons, the greatest forces in Washington are ideas, and people prepared to act on those ideas. Public service isn't easy. But, in the end, if you are inclined in that direction, it is a worthy and challenging pursuit. 

 

6. Having taken a stab at sociology and political science, let me wrap up economics while I'm at it. Economics is a highly sophisticated field of thought that is superb at explaining to policymakers precisely why the choices they made in the past were wrong. About the future, not so much. However, careful economic analysis does have one important benefit, which is that it can help kill ideas that are completely logically inconsistent or wildly at variance with the data. This insight covers at least 90 percent of proposed economic policies. 

 

7. I'm not going to tell you that money doesn't matter, because you wouldn't believe me anyway. In fact, for too many people around the world, money is literally a life-or-death proposition. But if you are part of the lucky minority with the ability to choose, remember that money is a means, not an end. A career decision based only on money and not on love of the work or a desire to make a difference is a recipe for unhappiness. 

 

8. Nobody likes to fail but failure is an essential part of life and of learning. If your uniform isn't dirty, you haven't been in the game. 

 

9. I spoke earlier about definitions of personal success in an unpredictable world. I hope that as you develop your own definition of success, you will be able to do so, if you wish, with a close companion on your journey. In making that choice, remember that physical beauty is evolution's way of assuring us that the other person doesn't have too many intestinal parasites. Don't get me wrong, I am all for beauty, romance, and sexual attraction--where would Hollywood and Madison Avenue be without them? But while important, those are not the only things to look for in a partner. The two of you will have a long trip together, I hope, and you will need each other's support and sympathy more times than you can count. Speaking as somebody who has been happily married for 35 years, I can't imagine any choice more consequential for a lifelong journey than the choice of a traveling companion. 

 

10. Call your mom and dad once in a while. A time will come when you will want your own grown-up, busy, hyper-successful children to call you. Also, remember who paid your tuition to Princeton. 

 

Those are my suggestions. They're probably worth exactly what you paid for them. But they come from someone who shares your affection for this great institution and who wishes you the best for the future. 

 

Congratulations, graduates. Give 'em hell”

 

Courtesy Federal Reserve

Visiting India - "Blackout of the Century"! Yet, it Didn't Mean Much to Many Indians!

Yes,  I was in New Delhi during the 'blackouts' that occurred on two consecutive days this week and left 10% of the world's population without electricty! The world labels it the 'biggest blackout in World History'; yet, there were some in New Delhi who were oblivious of this catastrophic shut down, and then there were some who did not let out a cry or even a whimper, but simply sufferred it as if it were their due. Here are some first hand reactions to the blackout:

An entrepeneur in NOIDA who employs over 500 workers in her garment factory that exports to Europe and USA. "Oh there was (a blackout)? I didn't know.  We have generators that keep the factory running, and I have a generator at my residence. You react to this way too seriously."

A roadside tea stall owner in East Delhi:
"Madam, this happens everyday. You feel it, but I have not even a fan here, so I'm ok with it. It's business as usual. The 'bijli' will come...eventually; don't worry."

A housewife in a middle class residential neighborhood:
" This is inhuman; how can they do this.  Our inverter worked for the first three hours, but it is now discharged so there isn't even a fan to save us! Don't the 'netas' realize this heat and humidity will kill us.  In addition, now there is no water to wash and clean around the house because I can't operate the pump to draw water from the ground well...The food in the 'fridge' will go bad too! This is the second time this week I will miss an episode of my favorite 'serial' "Bade Achhe Lagte Hain". "

A South Delhi resident who runs a profitable advertising agency:
" This is how it is.  You shouldn't visit india over the summer. Why do you?  Besides you are staying in East Delhi. Everything there feels exponentially worse, even this blackout."

A senior citizen living in a high rise apartment in Patpargunj where all utilities are maintained by an agency:
" So long as I can watch today's Sri Lanka vs India one day Cricket match on TV the electricity outage doesn't bother me! The generator came right on, and we have had our fans working in all the four rooms, and the fridge is working too, so it isn't bad! I'm glad we moved into this apartment complex after retirement."

 

A middle aged businessman driving a Honda SUV  in Gurgaon on way to T3 terminal of the Indira Gandhi Airport :
" Electricity outage means the traffic lights won't work; not that people really care about following traffic regulations. Looks like this one is an extended outage; the metros will stop working and the traffic on the streets will burgeon like you can't imagine. Let's hope you don't miss your flight! Auto rickshaws and cabs will make a killing today."

A 'kaamwaali' who cleans people's houses for less than $5/- a month (per house):
"Nobody slept last night! The mosquitoes ate us up, and the stench from the nearby drain was very strong because there was no fan to dispel it. The baby (her granddaughter) didn't stop crying, so my son got angry and beat up his wife.  It was an awful night; I'm glad to come to work where there are fans. How much does a generator cost madam?"

A 55 year old Greater Kailash resident who runs a business from home and takes at least two vacations a year with her family:
" If you live in Delhi, you have to get used to this.  Besides, we don't really feel it.  What's the generator for?  We have a medium sized generator which we plan to replace for a bigger one this year; can't afford to take a chance! Delhiites need to look at the Mumbai model; I worked there for 5 years and there were no electricity outages there! I guess it's further away from the corrupt politics of energy management, hehe."

A tenth grade student studying in a private school in NOIDA:
"I will hangout at my friend's; his house has a generator not an invertor. Besides now I don't have to study for tomorrow because school may be out due to this outage; thank goodness we don't have generators in school. Though lately some of the richer schools have installed generators on their campus, so those students will not be as lucky."

WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THIS?    
Apathy? Tolerance? Neglect? Ignorance? Numbness? Insensitivity? Disillusionment? Victimization?

Visiting India - 'Ganga Water' Obsession

The River Ganga, one of the largest and longest rivers located in the upper half of India,

 is the heart beat of every Indian, especially the Hindu who considers it sacred and gives it the title of ‘goddess’ and ‘mother’.  

 

Hindus worship ‘Ganga Jal’, the water of the Ganga and place it in their public and personal places of worship called the ‘mandirs’. Before a Hindu breathes his last he must sip some Ganga Jal if he aspires to be in heaven after death. Taking a dip in the holy waters of the Ganga is equivalent to going on the Haj for a Muslim. In fact the ultimate respect for a dead person is for his ashes to be immersed in the Ganga waters. The waters of the Ganga are considered medicinal and spiritually uplifting; they are believed to cleanse all the sins one accrues in a lifetime.  It isn’t surprising therefore that in Hindu mythology the Ganga emanates from the head of Shiva, one of the gods in the all-important holy Hindu trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh. Mahesh being the alternate name for Shiva whose function it is to bring an end to life and is thus the ‘destroyer’ in the holy trinity. Shiva with the Ganga pouring out of his head appears to be the most popular god at this time. Besides huge posters and hoardings all around, there are 100 feet tall statuettes of Shiva at multiple places across the city, and there is one that you can’t miss; it is even visible from a plane as it lands at the T3 terminal at IG Airport in New Delhi!

 

Aside from the fact that the River Ganga holds a prominent place in Hindu religion, it also provides livelihood and sustenance to the teeming billions that inhabit its banks in major cities, towns and villages.  There are several cities such as Allahabad, Kanpur, Patna, and many more that exist and flourish due to the waters of the Ganga. Civilizations in the past too owe their existence to this river and to the fertile plain that it offers for cultivation of crops. It is also the source for other major rivers such as the Yamuna and Gomati which provide drinking water and livelihoods to millions more. Given the mammoth utilization of its waters, the Ganga is obviously reeling under, especially in a country where environmental protection and hygiene is often ignored or given low priority. No wonder then “"While the permissible level of faecal coli form is 500 per 100 ml of water, the bacteria load is an alarming 20,000 to 50,000 for 100 ml of water in the Ganga. The main reason is that Ganga does not have enough water for dilution of such toxicants." (Deccan Chronicle)  Nevertheless, facts such as these do not deter the die-hard Ganga lovers who will go any lengths to procure Ganga water.

 

I am currently staying in an East Delhi suburb which unfortunately is outside of the NCR National Capital Region), and is therefore not eligible for Ganga water. Just a block away there are residents that have the ‘fortune’ of Ganga water running through their taps and faucets, water that is potable, isn’t ‘hard’, and does not leave stains and deposits on usage. Meanwhile I along with hundreds of thousands of others living in Ghaziabad have to purify the ground water that we get in the tap using ‘RO’, or then we ‘buy’ Ganga water every day at the rate of Rs.250/- per barrel (12 gallons). These past few days I have begun to understand why and how people obsess over ‘Ganga’ water and pay through their nose to get those barrels of Ganga Jal that get lugged on cycle rickshaws every day. It is amazing how those barrels get supplied to apartments and houses on a daily basis; a supply chain model that could easily become another Harvard case study similar to the one done on the ‘dabbawallas’ of Mumbai.

I would love to become another ardent devotee of Ganga Jal, except that having done some reading about these miraculous Ganga waters, I am now aware of the problems that ail the Ganga; two most important ones being the river’s level of contamination  and its depleting water supply. This sacred river gets dumped not just with fecal and other organic waste, but it also carries high levels of chemical waste that emanates from factories in cities and towns located on this river.  Despite its holy status, people don’t hesitate to contaminate the Ganga in whatever way possible.  The Ganga groans sacrilege as chemicals, trash, and human waste get poured into it by the gallons! Unfortunately, there are few who hear and heed these groans; the rest are too busy bowing their heads and praying to the holy but overused and polluted ‘Ganga Maa’!

The Ganga saga does not end here, because the Ganga affects so many different aspects of daily life as well. I write this post in the aftermath of an excruciating 6 hour car drive (to and fro) that I suffered yesterday which ought to have been no more than 4 hours at the max, and all because of the sanctity and popularity of the Ganga Jal. My nightmare started the moment the car got onto a freeway close to where I stay, the National Highway 24. The highway has six lanes altogether, but only two were operational, thanks to the ‘kanwariyas' carrying Ganga Jal on their shoulders and walking back from  Haridwar and Rishikesh to their respective villages ! Practically one lane was taken up to facilitate the walking 'Kanwariyas', and this meant frequent and long duration stoppage of traffic in the two lanes that were 'open'; the average speed of our car on the national highway was perhaps 20 kms/hr! I kept patient for the first hour, but the 'kanwariya' and their welcome arrangements on the road side were unrelenting; the mainstream traffic had to yield to the Ganga carrying Kanwariyas! Ganga reigned supreme yet again even as I fretted and fumed for six hours inside a car on a National Highway on way to Gurgaon!

 

This preoccupation with the Ganga is both impressive and alarming. Its impressive how the religious fervor for the Ganga has not waned over hundreds of years.  The Ganga has captured the imagination of several different eras in Indian history, and even today the Ganga spells salvation for the Hindu majority, if only they’d keep it clean! What is alarming about this Ganga obsession is that it blocks or at least slows down rational thought processes and interventions that would facilitate alternatives to the over used Ganga water. Given that there is a water crisis worldwide, the multi-million strong Indian obsession with the Ganga would only exacerbate the problem.   

Check out Aamir Khan's latest Satyameva Jayate episode on Water Crisis in India

to be continued....

Visiting India.... A Banking Encounter in New Delhi

India remains an enigma! It is a queer bundle of contradictions that somehow mesh together and appear to keep the nation going. This bank in New Delhi, India's capital, exemplifies the phenomenon.

Today I had a first hand experience of the Indian banking system, and I couldn't help but share what I witnessed and felt. It was a sweltering 115 degrees outside when I walked into a nationalized bank located in a West Delhi suburb. At the semi-open doors of the bank, I, along with a few others,  were ushered into an 800 square feet of space by one benign looking guard carrying an antiquated rifle. To my relief, the bank had air conditioning, and it worked, so it was significantly cooler in there despite the fifty plus customers standing in 'line' awaiting their turn.

I was not alone; accompanying me was a friend, a Delhiite, who was familiar with banking operations in India and had offerred to help me. I found myself standing at counter number 7 behind three other people, two of who were seated and had a bank employees attending to them. While I was standing in line, I discovered that the two people sitting side by side who were being attended to were not together; the line at the counter progressed in a unique way such that at any given time the second person in line would virtually be privy to every detail of transaction carried out by the person in line before him who was being attended to by the bank employee behind the counter. What was even stranger was that even I, the fourth person in line, could listen on to and see some, if not most of the confidential information of all those who came before me in the line! For instance, I got to know the name and age of the person just ahead of me.  I also learned that the young girl with him was his daughter who was going to Austin, Texas on August 18th to start college on a partial scholarship. The father was applying for a loan against his Fixed Deposits, worth 14 lakhs, to facilitate his daughter Mini Saxena's move to Austin. Why do I know this, and more importantly should I know this? Whatever happened to client confidentiality?

Another aspect of this banking system, one that impressed me, was the multi tasking ability of the bank employee behind counter 7. He was confirming the personal details of a policy holder on his cell phone while he was attending to the first person in the line; alongside, the bank employee was also collecting and handing out various 'forms' to people not in line. These people would just walk up to the front of the counter to demand a 'form' or simply thrust out an arm that held a completed 'form' and this multi tasking guru would mechanically comply without even so much as looking at the person who made the request! However, the completed 'forms' he collected so absent mindedly would fluidly land in a tray on the side with one flick of his wrist. How did he do this? What if he made a mistake, and did he? All these questions flew through my mind even as I watched him with undisguised admiration; he would decidedly never be an Alzhimer's patient with all the muti tasking his brain is subject to!

So did I make to the front of the line? Yes I did, only to be directed to counter number 3, where I was now number eight in the line.

To be continued...

Dharun Ravi Sentence - Will 'Justice' be Served, or will he be the Sacrificial Lamb for a Society Unable to Deal with the Winds of Change?

What Dharun Ravi did was wrong, but will justice be done if this young man serves a ten year prison term for the wrong he did, is clearly debatable! If punishment accorded to the guilty in a court of justice aims to improve society, then the Dharun Ravi case does not appear to qualify.

By definition, society is a work in progress. With the passage of time social norms change, as does the social ethos, especially when new ideas and trends make their way into society; women’s suffrage was one such idea, cinema was another, and in recent times it is the advent of the internet that provides quick and easy dissemination of news and information. Our society is blanketed by this technology, and at times reels under its weight, especially that part of society housing the forty plus age group.  However, the same is not true about the younger generation; they have become adept users of trendy technology and at times use it with indiscretion, as did young Dharun Ravi. Youth by definition is foolhardy, and oftentimes falls prey to bravado and peer pressure; this may have been the case with the eighteen year old in question.

It isn’t just the fast changing technology, but also new ideas and new trends that frazzle us. One such trend being the need to acknowledge and recognize gay and lesbian rights unequivocally, and as a nation we are still grappling with this trend. I say grappling because until 2004, same-sex couples couldn’t wed anywhere in the country; however, now, gay marriage is legal in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, Maine and most recently New Hampshire. Nonetheless, it is still 6 states out of 50 that have a clear resolution on gay and lesbian relationships!  In the light of this statistic, would it be fair to expect an eighteen year old Dharun Ravi to be nonchalant about what he witnessed in his dorm room?

Clearly, Dharun Ravi’s case illustrates the limitations of a justice system that along with a puritanical bias  often times selects juries with limited exposure to advanced technology; the Dharun Ravi case is an example.  The wrong of Dharun Ravi is ‘modern’ by definition; nevertheless, deserves punishment as it embeds a wrong, but it also showcases the ills and challenges of the 21^st century which will not be recognized or/and addressed even after Dharun is sentenced because the justice system lacks the know how.  Unfortunately, it is still wearing blinders from the century before.  Our justice system, like our society, has some growing up to do, and expeditiously, so that offenders such as Dharun Ravi will receive punishment that is crime appropriate.

 Every now and again society is confronted with an idea or event that is avant-garde, and it is then that the flexibility and adaptability of a society is tested; the Dharun Ravi case is doing just that. The question here is not whether Dharun Ravi committed a crime with bias; maybe he did, but where did the bias stem from? Is this young man's proclivity unique to him, or do we all share in this prejudice which we often hide by feigning ambivalence? This, is the more significant question the jury and the justice system need to address: Do our fellow gays and lesbians enjoy equal status in society?  Until we, as a society, provide an unequivocal answer to that question, we cannot conclusively sentence a Dharun Ravi whose wrongdoing mirrors the predisposition of his family, his immediate community, and this society at large.  His biases, his thinking or his lack thereof, are a direct reflection of his environment, and yet he, an eigteen year old just out of high school, alone stands trial.  Dharun Ravi is scheduled to be sentenced in May this year, and the chances are he will be put behind bars, for a couple of years at least, with hardened criminals, and all this while a felonious society looks on. Dharun Ravi's wrong doing, a 'webcam case' of invading a dorm-mate's privacy, could well have been regarded as a teenage prank, were it not so closely associated with the larger issue of gay and lesbian relationships about which we as a society are still 'ambivalent'.

Nostalgia - A Magical Quicksand?

Is nostalgia becoming a modern day epidemic? Nostalgia for... a place that once was, a country one left behind,  a people we once were, a lifestyle that once was, the person you once were, the friends you once had; the list is endless! If indeed nostalgia has taken such mammoth proportions, one wonders why that is so, and what it will lead to.
Mohsin Hamid a  renowned writer of "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" fame claims, "we live in a world that is changing more and more rapidly, and the desire to look back with longing is growing more and more strong. But we can't return to the past and it is dangerous to try."  Nostalgia, as suggested by Hamid, may be a result of the rapidly changing world that we now inhabit.  A world that is shrinking every minute because distances have ceased to matter. The instant and super-fast connectivity of the internet and the i-phone have certainly resulted in virtual proximity, but then why the nostalgia? Hamid's answer is because " I liked my new existence, but I'd liked my old one too, and I imagined places where the two could come together."  Which points to the very ephemeral nature of our modern day existence; we barely get our hands on our present, and it is gone or has evolved into something smarter or more complex. Given the transient nature of our present, we are compelled to go back to it in order to fathom it and enjoy it.  That going back is nostalgic,  and it is invariably colored by that which we are seeking at that moment in our lives. Nostalgia thus becomes that utopia which we frequently inhabit to feel in control of our fast paced and fast changing lives; nostalgia allows us to 'spin our straw into gold' as Sandra Cisneros would have said.

Much as I love immigrant literature, I have to admit that it is usually born out of nostalgia, whether it's Lahiri, Jelloun, Allende, or Cisneros.  They all write about the indomitable human spirit that will not give up even when rooted out of its natural environment and coerced  to adapt and assimilate in foreign soil.  However, there exists a monotony of theme and thought in these writings because, "Nostalgia, as always, had wiped away bad memories and magnified the good ones. No one was safe from its onslaught."  (Gabriel Garcia Marquez.). The Mohammad's and the Willie Loman's of  Literature are tragic heroes no doubt but are losers in real life because they too indulge in nostalgia which spells their doom. Nostalgia implies a disconnect with the present because we are embedded in a magical past, and it will never let go, thus killing any likelihood of a future that might have been. A dangerous predicament for sure, especially in a world that's 'full of care, and we have no time to stand and stare'  into the magical quicksand of nostalgia.

Noam Chomsky on 'Occupy Wall Street' Protests

Noam Chomsky , a renowned scholar, linguist, and a Professor at M.I.T., supports the 'Occupy Wall Street' protests, and paints a grim picture of what is unfolding in the US.  

His claim is that:

• 'democratic system isn't functioning and the public knows it "
• 'campaign spending for each candidate in the 2012 US election is about 2 billion dollars...and campaign funds come from financial institutions...and they will expect to be paid back'
• ' immense power in concentrated capital'
• 'US in vicious cycle of social issues ..unemployment levels like those during the depression...in some areas in NY there is serious poverty like that in Africa....infrastructure collapsing, schools collapsing... and it's time to protest'

I plan to be in Times Square this weekend to add my voice to this protest.

Anna Hazare Uses Gandhi's Ahimsa to Battle Corruption in India

For a man who has "no bankbook", lives "in a temple", and has "a plant and a bed" as his only two personal assets, Anna Hazare may bring about the Indian Summer to bring attention to and perhaps curb the rampant corruption that exists in India today.

NEW DELHI — "In a “new” India often obsessed with wealth and status, where cricket batsmen and Bollywood movie stars are wildly idolized, Anna Hazare is a figure from an earlier, seemingly discarded era. His pointed white cap and simple white cotton clothes evoke a Gandhian simplicity. His rural, homespun demeanor ordinarily might elicit snickers from India’s urban elite.

Yet Mr. Hazare, 74, has emerged as the unlikely face of an impassioned people’s movement in India, a public outpouring that has coalesced around fighting corruption but has also tapped into deeper anxieties in a society buffeted by change.

His arrest on Tuesday, made while he was en route to a park in New Delhi where he intended to commence a hunger strike as part of his anticorruption campaign, drove thousands of people onto city streets across India. Under public pressure, government officials tried to release him within hours, but Mr. Hazare refused to leave jail unless the government released him unconditionally. On Thursday, the two sides reached a compromise, and Mr. Hazare is expected to leave jail on Friday to lead a hunger strike and mass protest in central New Delhi to push his demand that the government create a powerful, independent anticorruption agency.

The popular outpouring he has set off has inevitably drawn comparisons with the democratic uprisings of the Arab Spring. Most analysts agree, though, that India’s moment is a different one. But in its own way it may prove to be no less important.

India already has the democratic freedoms sought by protesters in the Middle East and North Africa and has enjoyed rising global influence after two decades of fast economic growth. Yet India is also experiencing what one observer has called a “churning” period, as public frustrations are boiling over about poor roads, shoddy schools, inflation, rising inequality and the pervasive reach of official corruption.

Running through each of these issues is a deepening public disillusionment with India’s political process and a growing disconnectedness between the governing class and the governed, making the corruption issue especially explosive. As the crowds supporting Mr. Hazare grew larger and more passionate this week, person after person seemed to arrive on the New Delhi streets carrying their own tale of official graft.

“It is the middle class who is worst affected by corruption,” said Asha Bhardaaj, a woman who traveled more than 30 miles from the suburbs to join a rally. “The upper class is not affected. The upper classes can get what they need by paying money.”

Mr. Hazare’s appeal seems partly rooted in the traditional values he embodies. He is a longtime social activist who has campaigned against corruption for nearly two decades in the state of Maharashtra, living off a military pension and financing charitable work through donations. If his clothes evoke Mahatma Gandhi, India’s founding father, then so do his protest tactics of nonviolent hunger strikes and peaceful marches.

Yet Mr. Hazare and his advisers have also proved adept at the necessities of modern politics: they have adroitly outmaneuvered the police and government officials who sought to defuse the anticorruption movement, after the decision to arrest him backfired dramatically. They also have exploited the nonstop, often sensationalistic coverage on India’s television news outlets to build public support for their cause. Mr. Hazare’s face is now visible in almost every corner of India.

Mr. Hazare and his advisers — a group of prominent lawyers and social activists nicknamed Team Anna — have spent months campaigning across the country. His aides distribute a flurry of daily e-mail updates to journalists, and his close advisers have used social media to connect with young followers. Early Thursday, one adviser, Kiran Bedi, used Twitter to announce a breakthrough in negotiations with the authorities.

Later on Thursday, Ms. Bedi released a video of Mr. Hazare made inside Tihar Jail, where he is being held. “I got my energy after seeing the young protesters,” he said. “Today is only the third day of protest. I can continue like this for another 10 or 12 days more.”

The governing Indian National Congress Party, by contrast, has seemed rattled, unprepared for the public anger against the government and incapable of delivering a consistent counterargument. One party spokesman personally attacked Mr. Hazare, describing him as a corrupted figure, while another spokesman blamed the United States for supporting the anticorruption movement.

“This is a moral moment,” said Jayaprakash Narayan, a social activist in the city of Hyderabad. “Everybody is sick and tired of corruption. And in dealing with this, the government has shown no political sense at all. There is a lot of anger in the country, not only to end corruption but to end politics as it is conducted today.”

Mr. Hazare was born Kisan Baburao Hazare in 1937 in rural Maharashtra. He still speaks Marathi as his primary language and eventually assumed the name Anna. Beyond his admiration of Gandhi, Mr. Hazare drew inspiration from Swami Vivekananda, a prominent reformer during the 19th century. Having stumbled across the teachings of Vivekananda while serving in the Indian Army, Mr. Hazare decided to dedicate his life to public service after narrowly escaping death while posted on the Pakistan border, according to his official biography.

He served 15 years in the military, qualifying for a pension, and retired to Maharashtra to take up social work. He was awarded two of India’s highest civilian awards for his work, which includes drought-relief efforts and working to create a sustainable Gandhian “model village.”

By the 1990s, Mr. Hazare had begun staging hunger strikes in Maharashtra to pressure state officials linked to corruption. Several were ultimately removed from office. At one point, countercharges against him claimed that money from one of his trusts had been used to pay for his birthday celebration. A government-appointed commission concluded that the money was improperly spent, but Mr. Hazare was never implicated in any personal corruption.

His national profile has risen sharply since this spring, when he came to New Delhi to begin a hunger strike demanding that the government introduce a bill in Parliament to create the anticorruption agency, known as a Lokpal. When thousands of people unexpectedly came out in support, government officials invited Team Anna to join a special committee drafting the Lokpal bill.

For several weeks during the early summer, Mr. Hazare was a periodic visitor at a government guesthouse in New Delhi while attending committee meetings. During an interview in early June, he often spoke with dramatic flourish about the need to eliminate corruption, while also predicting that people would support him again, if necessary.

“I’m confident that people will stand up again,” he said. He had been traveling the country, appearing at rallies to gather support for a Lokpal. “Yes, I feel empowered,” he said in June. “It happens because a large number of people are standing with you. Otherwise, what do I have? I’m a beggar. I live in a temple. I do not have a bankbook. I have only a plant and a bed.”

His methods and goals have not impressed everyone. Critics accused him of trying to hijack the democratic process through protest pressure tactics. Others warned that the type of Lokpal he envisioned could upset the balance of the country’s democratic institutions and accused his group of refusing to compromise.

Ultimately, negotiations broke down in June on the Lokpal legislation. The government has since introduced a bill in Parliament during the current session, but Mr. Hazare has criticized it as too weak. This week, he came to New Delhi to begin another hunger strike when the police arrested him.

Under the compromise reached for his release, Mr. Hazare agreed to limit his hunger strike to 15 days, and the police said they would remove their original restrictions on the number of supporters allowed to attend the protest.

Outside Tihar Jail and elsewhere in the city, people have chanted Mr. Hazare’ s name and voiced anger over the pervasiveness of corruption in daily life. One college student complained that rich families are able to buy admission for their children to top colleges. A man who has a trucking business complained that he had to pay a 10 percent bribe to a petty official in order to get a certificate proving he paid a transport tax on his vehicle.

“Today, when we were coming, a traffic cop stopped our vehicle and suggested that we shell out some money,” said Ajab Singh Gujar, the owner of the trucking business. “I shouted, ‘Victory to Anna Hazare!’

“The cop immediately allowed us to pass through without any bribe.”

Hari Kumar and Nikhila Gill contributed reporting.

By JIM YARDLEY

Published: August 18, 2011

NYT

US Debt Ceiling Crisis Holding the Country Hostage? Congressman Rush Holt Feels Crisis a Result of "Economic Brinksmanship "

I had sent an email to Congressman Rush Holt (Dem) on the current 'Debt Ceiling Crisis" and this was his reply:
(the parts highlighted in red caught my attention)

"Thank you for contacting me about the federal budget. I appreciate hearing from you.

The debate over the budget goes to the heart of how we govern and how we increase economic opportunity and create jobs. On one side are those who believe we need to invest in our workforce and our infrastructure, just as we did with the GI Education Bill, the national highway system, and our science workforce after the Russians beat us into space with Sputnik. On the other side are those who respond that "investment" is a code word for wasteful spending. This debate gets to the basic reason our founders banded together to make a more perfect union. They realized there are things we can do as a nation, as a self-governing people together, to improve opportunities for individuals and their families, to provide fairness in bearing the responsibilities and costs of civilization, and in providing both economic and physical security.

Today Americans find ourselves with more than 15 million people who need to get back to work. That is by far the most important concern we face. To get Americans back to work in jobs where they can thrive is not only the humane thing to do; it is the essential, missing piece of dealing with our lackluster economy and our deficit and debt problems. That is where Congress should be focusing our efforts.

Although the debate over who should be helped by our government and who should pay for it is as old as our country, it has come to a critical point now because Congressional Republicans have said they will not pass a routine extension of the debt limit unless the President and the Senate first cut back on government services. This is not only short-sighted and cruel, it is backwards. The debt is the result of past decisions on spending and taxing. The decision before us today is whether we should pay our debts and let the world know that the U.S. always pays her debts. Of course, we should pay our debts. Not to pay these debts would be dishonorable and very expensive to individuals, to businesses, indeed, to all Americans.

In May I voted in favor of a stand-alone measure to raise the statutory debt limit, which failed to pass the House. This bill would have prevented the United States from defaulting while providing Congress and the President with the time necessary to craft thoughtful policies to improve our economy in the near-term and address the debt and deficit over the long-term. Unfortunately, the vote was the latest example of economic brinksmanship, which is becoming all too familiar in Washington. After bringing the federal government within minutes of a shutdown in April, now Congressional Republicans are once again playing a game of chicken with the national debt, needlessly endangering our financial security. According to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, without Congressional action, the United States will begin defaulting on its debts on August 2, 2011.

In the 1990's Congress balanced the budget. A mere decade ago the United States had a budget surplus. It did not require a Balanced Budget Constitutional Amendment; it required some sensible decisions by Congress and the President to match our taxes and our expenditures. It is worth remembering that Democrats in Congress passed tax increases along with cutting Cold War-era defense spending in the early 1990's, without any Republican votes in support, and put the country on the path for a decade of prosperity. As a result, our families and workers had more after-tax income than they had had in decades. The U.S. would have paid off most of its debt if we had stayed on that course and not pursued the unpaid wars of the Bush years and other poor economic policies.

While the United States must address its long-term budget problems, in the near-term it is more important for Congress and the President to confront directly slow economic growth and persistent unemployment. Higher employment will increase tax revenues and reduce the strain on the social safety net, naturally lowering deficits. As Douglas Elmendorf, Director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, has noted repeatedly "there is no intrinsic contradiction between providing additional fiscal stimulus today, while the unemployment rate is high and many factories and offices are underused, and imposing fiscal restraint several years from now, when output and employment will probably be close to their potential."

There are many worthwhile ideas to help boost our economic vitality. For example, Congress could match federal funding with state and private investment to upgrade our nation's aging infrastructure through the development of national infrastructure development bank. I am a cosponsor of legislation that would establish such a bank. Congress could provide states and localities with money to prevent layoffs of teachers and first responders and provide strong incentives for businesses to hire more workers. I have supported such efforts. Congress also could extend popular renewable energy and energy efficiency tax credits that will expire in December. We could pass my bills that extend the research tax credit, make it valuable even to start-up companies with little profit, and reward investors in those companies.

Congress must promote innovation, improve math and science education, fight for policies that keep jobs in America, make college more affordable, invest in advanced industries such as biotechnology and clean energy, and reform the tax code so that it encourages investment while being fair to middle-class families. In short, economic growth should be our focus, but we will not get it through the voodoo economics of Congressional Republicans that is long on rhetoric and short on historic evidence that it works.

Over the long-term, as we continue to stimulate the economy, Congress must enact fiscal policies that bring down our national debt to its post-World War II historical average of approximately 40 percent of Gross Domestic Product. I support the "pay-as-you-go," budgetary principle to accomplish this goal. This is only one tool, but it is a strong one to return our nation back to fiscal stability. It forces Congress to identify inefficient or ineffective programs whose funding can be cut to fund higher priorities. I am disappointed that Congress forgot this simple lesson last decade.

Of course, we always should be looking to remove wasteful spending and ineffective programs. It is unfortunate; however, that the public debate has focused so singularly on the deficit, rather than more broadly on economic vitality and fiscal policy. Deficit reduction should not be an end in itself; it is the result of wise government actions and economic growth.

I have supported and will continue to support thoughtful budget cuts that eliminate unnecessary spending and costly tax expenditures. Military spending, in particular, could be curbed significantly. At more than $650 billion, the Pentagon's annual budget accounts for nearly as much as all military spending of all other countries in the world, allies and adversaries alike. I am leading a bipartisan effort in the House of Representatives to make defense spending cuts part of any plan for deficit reduction. While we pursue cuts, we also must preserve investments in infrastructure, research and education, along with safety-net programs that assist the most vulnerable among us in obtaining housing, health care, and food – essentials that are necessary for a humane society.

Any fiscal plan hoping to reduce federal budget deficits will have to generate more revenue and not rely on spending cuts alone. Currently, federal taxes are at their lowest level since 1950 – 14.4 percent of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP), while federal expenditures equal 25 percent of the GDP. These must be brought more in line with each other. To raise sufficient revenues I support removing the tax subsidies for large and successful companies. How can anyone justify a company like GE paying almost no taxes, or a company like ExxonMobil—the most profitable company in the history of the world—getting billions of dollars in subsidies? I also support getting a fair share of support from the top two percent of taxpayers, returning their taxes to the levels they had during the prosperous 1990's.

Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me. As Congress considers measures concerning the federal budget and national debt, I will keep your thoughts in mind. I look forward to hearing from you again about this and other issues.

Sincerely,

RUSH HOLT

Member of Congress"

American Educators to "Stand and Deliver" - US Students Poised to Become Globally Competitive?

"...winning the future depends on being able to out-innovate, out-build and—yes—out-educate our competitors" Barack Obama

"President Obama’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) recently released Prepare and Inspire, a report on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. This report generated relatively little fanfare in the mainstream and online press, but it may someday be seen as a watershed in our nation’s educational history."

Clearly, initiatives like Prepare and Inspire are the need of the hour if the US is to bring forth a work force that is globally competitive and can survive the onslaught of a fast growing Chinese economy with tentacles spread across and into every continent. Public education in the US has to gear itself up not just in Science and Math, but also in Language Arts. We need a workforce that is predominantly bilingual like it is in China and India, or else we start off disadvantaged. Putting in state-of-the-art technology in high schools is not a solution by itself . We need teachers to use that technology in order to enhance learning and critical thinking among our students, and that learning has to be at a level that matches up with what's being learned in other developing and developed countries across the world. We cannot dumb down our academics, neither should we manipulate data to get passing numbers that would insure state and federal funding for our schools. We can no longer afford to teach to a test which is antiquated to begin with, and does not meet the standards of a global learning environment. Academic rigor should be the mantra in our public schools, and this mantra has to be designed and implemented by the 'STEM Force' of Jaime Escalantes; Jaime Escalantes who can overcome the system's built-in inertia . The question is how do we identify these 100,000 Jaime Escalantes for the STEM initiative and then find sufficient funding to support them. Furthermore, how do we ensure that the selection of this STEM Force is kosher and not dependent upon and/or embroiled in bureaucratic and administrative politicking. Finally, how do we distribute this STEM Force of Jaime Escalantes such that it reaches the remotest parts of our country? The aforementioned are some difficult questions that the Obama PCAST has to find answers to before a STEM Force can take charge of our debilitate education system.

As an educator, I strongly support President Obama s Prepare and Inspire initiative that encourages teachers to 'Stand and Deliver', and I would gladly volunteer time and effort to make this initiative a working reality.

Visit to India Part II - "An Ode to Fairness".

In India for a fortnight...

Billboards, hoardings, and TV /radio commercials universally shout out- "Fair is Beautiful"! That appears to be the universal mantra in India. Ever since I landed at the T3 Airport in India's capital city New Delhi, the one thing I could not help but notice is India's preoccupation with skin whiteners. 'To whiten' seems to be the eternal pursuit of every Indian complexion, be it male or female, old or young, South Indian or North Indian.

The rich, the powerful, and the beautiful are almost always light skinned. Whiteness automatically gets associated with a higher socio economic status and appears o get preferential treatment in every setting, corporate or personal. Consequently, there is great demand for cosmetics and medications that claim to make faces lighter. I have yet to watch more than 15 minutes of TV without coming across at least one or more commercials for whitening complexions; needless to say almost all models are 'fair'.

The 'whiteness' bug didn't spare the Indian gods too because some of the idols in the temple are light skinned while others are not ; there are the black granite idols and then there are idols where the Hindu 'gods' look more European, only dressed in traditional Indian garb. I wonder if the devotees coming into these temples observe a color code, and have to be 'fair' or 'dark' skinned to pray to their respective gods. Furthermore, I also wonder whether the sun god is in fact doling out punishment to the poor who swelter under his direct rays and consequently have darker skins while the rich can afford to hide and protect themselves from the wrath of 'Ravi' the sun god by using creams and remedies to lighten their sun damaged skin.


Does that mean that the Indian population shuns anyone who is dark skinned? Apparently not because Indians can be seen crooning and swooning over a tall, 'dark' and handsome Bollywood hero, or the tall and 'dark' President Obama. Denzel Washington may be the favorite Hollywood icon for an Indian female who spends most of her waking hours experimenting with face creams such as 'Fair and Lovely'. This same Indian female could also be participating in a protest against racial profiling and color bias even as she is telling her friend about this new 'fairness' cream she has tried out and strongly recommends. On the surface of it, her behavior is clearly contradictory, but here, in India, it is not perceived so. You could be a knee jerk liberal, yet pursue the fetish for a lighter skin.

Strangely enough Indian males are not judged by the whiteness of their skin, but most of them would seek a 'fair' partner if given a choice. An Indian male can be dark skinned and yet be successful and be appreciated in society like the many Bollywood heroes who have unprecedented fan following. The 'darkness' of the male can be overlooked if he is rich and or powerful; however, that is not true for the Indian female who has to pay a price for the color of her skin.

Despite all the corruption and poverty that one sees and experiences in India, 'fairness', and the pursuit of it, is clearly a national obsession, and has been for a while : )

Full Veil Niquab Ban in France _ Sarkozy's 'Veiled' Agenda?

"France's ban on full face veils, a first in Europe, went into force on Monday, making anyone wearing the Muslim niqab or burqa in public liable to a fine of 150 euros (133 pounds) or lessons in French citizenship."

France has a 5 million Muslim population of which less than 2000 wear the face veil and it is this small group of individuals that will be affected by the new law that went into effect today. However, contrary to expectation, France protested this law but in a controlled and subdued manner as compared to the rage and criticism expressed by Muslims living abroad who called the law an "impingement on religious freedom".

In 2004, Sarkozy's Government had banned the use of head scarves and other religious symbols in schools, as a step toward enforcing the separateness of church and state. At the time Sarkozy went as far as to call " these veils “unwelcome in France” as a symbol of the subjugation of women and backed the call for an inquiry. Today's law will ban veils and niquabs in all public places which includes streets and public transportation, and one wonders whether Sarkozy is using this measure to improve his public approval ratings in a France caught in the grip of Islamaphobia.

Good bye 2010! Greetings 2011...

Cheers to:
new beginnings
fond memories
unconditional love
friendships that feel
productive workplaces
relationships that hold
children who care
places that nurture
words that pacify
ideas that intrigue
nuances that excite
touches that tingle
universal health care
nameless ties
minds sans boundaries
technology that facilitates
immigrant workers who weather all worries
globalization that makes differences disappear

a rock bottom economy that can only get better
a winter that makes us think spring
a hand that heals
a gaze that guards
a heart that warms
and a hug that holds promise.
......

...and that list is endless, so do add your own : )

Happy New Year!

Here are some contributory additions:
a Feliz Ano Nuevo ( Berenice)
a comfortable religion (Georg)

Sarah Palin's Run for Presidency - Palaver on a Non Issue!

I am putting myself in the line of fire here, but I am willing to take it on because I believe in the sanity and intelligence of the American electorate, and because I have great respect for the American Presidency. I believe that the American electorate is neither naive nor stupid to want a simpleton like Sarah Palin to govern the country that the entire world calls the superpower, and that we as citizens are so proud of, and also love so much. I am amazed and saddened by all the debating and talk about Ms. Palin's claim to presidency, something that we all know is not even remotely possible. Yet the discussions and debating continue, and I am tired of having to listen to them, and I also feel as if they are an insult to my intelligence. We are a proud people who take immense pride in our nation. Why do we then want the rest of the world to make light of the American Presidency? Which American would jeopardize the interest of this land that he holds so dear? This is, after all, our ' land of the free and the home of the brave', and we Americans 'can see', and our 44 elected presidents are proof of that 20-20 vision!

I wish to apologize to fellow Americans who seeing the complete senselessness of the Sarah Palin claim, wonder why I am posting on it. This is clearly a non-issue for any thinking American. Ms. Palin's run for presidency, if it ever comes to be, will be an embarrassment to the American public, and Americans know it. The issue has been blown out of proportion by the media, worldwide, and we know why. The media always resorts to sensationalism when it finds itself in a vacuum of things-to-report, especially when the next day's deadline hangs ominously close and there are pages that need filling. It is unfortunate that journalism in a capitalistic society sometimes has to sacrifice its ethical core. As a result, non-discretionary readers often get mislead into believing all that they see and hear in the media as the gospel truth. Such happens to be the case with the Palin story, and that is all it is , a story; one that will run its course among the uninformed and the politically naive, but eventually it will die its natural death, and may not even make it into the annuls of US history.

The United States of America is 'a leading political and cultural force in the world', and is termed so for a reason. We, as a people, have exercised our freedom wisely and consistently for close to three hundred years toward the betterment of this country. We have always elected a leader who has had a proven track record in public service and had a sound academic background. Who in his right mind would think we would do otherwise this time?

The "Dream Act" Passes in the House of Representatives!

The US House of Representatives passes the "Dream Act" with a 216 'Yea' and 198 'Nay' vote. It is to be voted upon in the Senate at 11 AM tomorrow!

Listening to the House debate over the Dream Act on CSPAN this evening, made it evident that some of the congressmen and women representing us are pretty vacuous and ill informed, even on those issues and causes that they call their own!

For example there were Republicans who said

• the Dream Act would give illegal immigrants preferential treatment over American citizens!
• the Dream Act beneficiaries would petition for their parents' naturalization right away!
• the Dream Act provides 'amnesty' to illegals!

Clearly, these people had not done their homework on the Dream Act or they would not have said all of the above. Yet they did, and sadly enough, what they said may have been accepted as the truth by a majority of American viewers. After all, channel changing is our national pastime, and not very many of us would have stayed long enough to hear the rational and impressive rebuttal of Howard Berman, who pointed out the misrepresentations made by his colleagues, and then provided the accurate information in its stead.

The Dream Act will be voted upon in the senate tomorrow, and if passed, this "legislation would give hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants a chance at becoming legal. The requirements state that, to be eligible, a person must have been brought to the United States before he or she was 16, been in the United States for five years, earned a high-school degree and be attending college or be in the military."

However, I wouldn't hold my breath over the outcome of tomorrow's vote!