Lasting Rose

Americans may not see it because they may not want to. But when it comes to basic human rights at least, the world is coming to see little to differentiate the U.S. from the Taliban it wants to get rid of in Afghanistan. The Taliban thinks women shouldn't go to school; the Americans think 32 million of them shouldn't have a mandatory health cover. What is the difference?

The United States of America may be the richest country in the world without universal healthcare for all, a situation Obamacare (Affordable Care Act) will certainly change. For the rest of the world, with no easy access to facts and figures to compare and who is unaware of the historical U.S reticence towards human rights, the United States of America, which wants to challenge and repeal Obamacare is looking more like a third world country.
That is the take away from the recent Obamacare judgement by the U.S. Supreme court, the dissentand the ensuing political battle cries, all of which have brought the U.S politics and the legal system to world focus, with some disbelief. Hey, is this the America everyone looks up to?

To many foreigners, thanks to its legal system, the U.S. had been the "Never Never Land" which gives shudders down your spine, nearly the same feelings an American family, who is offered a free holiday in Iran, gets in the guts at the thought of a trip.
The general apprehension about the U.S. attitude towards human rights might not be entirely without justification:
• When an Australian citizen seeks asylum in a third world country's embassy out of fear of incrimination and death penalty from a U.S. court if extradited to the U.S.?
• When an ex president of a "friendly" nation with a population of 1.3 billion can be stopped andfrisked at the airport because of his name and racial profiling?
• When a president of the World Bank is handcuffed and thrown in the prison cell overnight withoutrecourse to any legal aid because an illegal immigrant cried foul?
• When recent cases of miscarriage of justice have sent innocent people to the death row which all civilised countries have abolished by now?
• When Guantanamo and stories of renditions are still a reality?
That is to say that there is certainly a 'disconnect' between how the Americans see their justice system from a lot of other people around the world, who are apprehensive, or at least can't understand the way Americans think.
It was not surprising that the entire world, like the President himself, had resigned to the reality and waited for the U.S. Supreme Court, with a conservative majority, to throw the Obamacare, proposed by a democratic administration, in to the bin. That would have been treated as an internal matter and the fate of the U.S citizens.
However, how one judge decided to change history by passing the law has brought the issue to the attention of the world and its scrutiny. Whether Judge Roberts acted to avoid the Supreme Court verses elected representative controversy or out of conscience and a desire to bring the United States of America in synch with the social values the rest of the developed has long since taken for granted has become immaterial.
What gives credence to the question whether the U.S. has really evolved in its human rights view is the vehement and destroying fury of the dissent by the four judges, who have chosen to ignore the human rights implication, in their fervour to uphold the U.S. constitution and the free market.
But what is even more shocking and raises the question if the U.S. indeed cares a toss to be viewed as a third world country is the intransigent politics which has turned the Obamacare, which brings the Americans closer to civilised societies, in to the bone of contention of the next presidential election, with the GOP and its candidate Romney wowing to destroy it at any cost.
Twenty five years back as an immigrant from India in France, I was shocked by a scene when a nearly paralysed lady arrived in a supermarket for her weekly shopping, flat on her back, in a stretcher, being carried by two attendants. That day I had realised what universal healthcare really means in a caring society.
Today, I wonder what would have happened to that person if she lived in the richest country after the next presidential election of the U.S.A.

Article first published as Does Obamacare Make Americans Third World Citizens? on Technorati.

The election for the next president of India is over even before it is due to be held next month. The result is already known. India's Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will be the next President.

Like a school girl pulled up by the Head for throwing wild tantrums, Mamta Banerjee is sulking and has taken her woes to Facebook, of all places. If you miss watching the hysterics of Gaddafi or if you are bored with the damp dander politics of Romney, last week's TV drama of Mamta Banerjee, over the Indian Presidential election, might have been a good diversion. Besides, it could be important for the interests of the U.S.A!



If you wonder who can put up an act more interesting than Gaddafi, it Mamta Banerjee, the Chief Minister of the Indian state of West Bengal, who Hilary Clinton took extra trouble to say Hi to, during her recent visit to the Far East. Hilary and the U.S administration had plenty of reasons to call upon the mercurial leader of 90 million Indians, best described as a bundle of trouble by anyone who has tried to court her, politically.

Mamta Banerjee, affectionately called "Didi", is in fact a true populist leader who has nothing but the misery of the poor and weak at the bottom of her heart, which is reflected in her most Spartan life style and attire not many Indian politicians can honestly claim their own. Some say Mamta Banerjee even fills in for the Late Mother Theresa in her actions and attitude towards the poor, which can bring a drop of tear to her ardent followers.
The root cause of her woes is the inordinately huge financial burden her predecessors, the Communists of India who mismanaged the State affairs for over 34 years had left her to handle and which she has no clue how to solve.
Unfortunately, Mamta Banerjee, as the head of the State Government, wanted and expected the Central Government in Delhi, which is crucially supported by her party's 19 members of parliament, to solve it for her.
Her hope was and now her bitterness is pinned on her fellow Bengalee, Pranab Mukherjee, the finance minister of India, who has consistently refused her demand for obvious financial and political reasons.
For over a year Mamta has tried her best to pressurise the government at the centre, blocking almost every reform, legislation and efforts for dispensing with price control, all of which caused great damage to the Indian economy, bringing down the growth rate.
Manta's last straw was her attempt to block the nomination of Pranab Mukherjee to the post of the President, which she has unwisely opposed, taking a political blow of alienating millions of Bengalees who would be honoured by the ascend of a fellow citizen to the top post of the country.
Mamta has gambled and lost, at least for the time being, and is politically alienated. Now Mamta has turnedto Facebook. However, unlike millions of others who find it as a place to hide and cry over the shoulders of unknown friends, Mamta wants to use it to take her fight rooting for her nominee, Kalam, a past president of India, considered suitable for the post by many people.
The truth is Mamta has only to blame the inept crowd of sycophantic men who surround her, without any knowledge or wisdom to offer practical advice or help in solving real life issues like the financial mess her government has inherited.
The result is the state, like the Ministry of Railways she was heading before, has seen no governance while the Chief Minister was enacting the drama and tantrums elsewhere, to the excitement of everyone.
In fact, by limiting the scope of her visit to niceties and photo shoots rather than addressing real issues where the U.S. could be of real help, Hilary Clinton and Mamta Banerjee have missed a real opportunity.
Hilary Clinton has showered a lot of praise on Mamta for getting rid of a 34 year old communist regime, but some concrete financial measures, behind the scene, could have meant more to Mamta in reality.
For now, "Didi" is plotting her next move and possibly another interesting episode of continuing saga of political shenanigans.

This is not mere Google bashing which has become very fashionable these days. It is not about the deterioratingsearch quality of Google everyone is starting to notice or why Microsoft's Bing is any better.

It is really about how the cyber world is changing and shaping the needs and expectations which have evolved beyond mere key word search and how services likeScoop.it will meet those because Google won't. Pretty soon the question will be "have you scooped it?" rather than "Have you Googled it?"

With the exponential growth of speed and capacity of the internet and cloud computing, the cyberspace has witnessed unprecedented creation and sharing of knowledge, especially through Blogging. If we used to search for information by punching in a keyword in to Google 5 years back, now everyone is searching for actionable knowledge and trickles of wisdom they can rely up on.

Mere information or the meaning of or explanation of something one doesn't know no more satisfy human mind. Thanks to the abundance of global information instantly made available through information technology and big strides in education, we are much better tuned to analyse, compare and judge before accepting anything.

In other words, we are likely to be looking for expert advice, guidance, opinion or recommendation we can trust on what we are searching for, even if we have no intention to use it right away. And there are plenty of those in the Cyberspace. Only problem is Google's search juggernaut can't deliver such 'condensed' knowledge. You need to wade through web page after web page, Google's powerful search machine will flash in front of your eyes even before you type in exactly what you are looking for. Who needs such boring and arduous labour anymore?

When it comes to human nature the observation of Bill Gates is so canny.
Well, in the search for easy grabbing of curated knowledge, that is exactly what the lazy world has done. They have encouraged a host of services like Scoop.it to pop up, which are ready to cull information and dish up curated knowledge on everything you wish to know.

Services like Scoop.it depend on a community of millions of hard working experts who wonder what to do with the wealth of knowledge and wisdom they have accumulated in life and are happy to share it if there is an easy way to make any good of it for fellow humans. Thankfully there is also an army of lazy, time constrained and content hungry, bloggers too to lap up what the experts can share.

Scoop.it in fact is a lot of fun. If you have ever cherished being an editor and creating a colourful magazine like Hello everyone will go gaga about, you can do it easily with Scoop.it. If you have enjoyed cutting and collating things in to your scrap book in school, you already know how to use Scoop.it and what you can do with it.

In fact the power of Scoop.it is in its capability to pull together visually appealing web pages rather than inanimate links to the urls which hide the information behind them.

The way Scoop.it will help you build your powerful magazine is simple. Once you chose the key words you are interested in and like to curate, and you christen your magazine, Scoop.it will scourge the social web tocollate a list of web pages, tweets and comments etc and will present to you the latest of them every time you visit your dashboard. All you need to do is to literally drag what is relevant in to the column and curate by adding your bit of endorsement, comment of approval, disapproval etc.

It is a win-win situation for everyone. You give extra traction to the publisher of the web property you select to add to your little magazine, you add your stamp of little satisfaction to it and dish it out to someone who trusts your views or expertise. Everyone is happy with Scoop.it.

At the end of the day, Scoop.it, which is free, is the right answer for information seekers and providers as well as the experts who like to show off their expertise.

A happy meeting place where the cyber world is fast moving in to at the cost of Google!

Article first published as How Long Before You Will Scoop.it Instead of Google It? on Technorati.

Perhaps it is time the Americans considered changing their electoral system for something 'funnier' like the Presidential election of India. In the Indian Presidential election a candidate some parties refuse to declare their support for has more of a chance to be elected as the President of the country than others they chooses to support. It is merely the negative political sentiments which come in to play irrespective of the calibre andsuitability of the individual.
With the trend of latching on to the 'negativity' in every statement, every faux pas the president or his opponents make and blowing it out of proportion, the American democratic process also beckon the question if it is a desirable trait for a free and fair electoral process of a leading democratic nation.
In terms of political power, the two presidencies have no comparison, except in an emergency when the Indian President can assume unlimited and unprecedented executive powers like those of the US president. Yet,the electoral processes which decides the president by an election or a unanimous choice can reflect the political balance in the Indian context.
By all counts, Pranab Mukherjee, India's finance minister fit the bill to be elected unanimously as the country's president. If Mukherjee, despite his three decades of service to the country as part of various governments including that of Indira Gandhi, is not well known outside India it is his own fault for being a thorough, non controversial and soft spoken gentleman politician, which has made him universally acceptable. Yet In the Indian system even an eminently suitable candidate like Mukherjee has to be propped up by negative and partisan vagaries of the political class.
Four years back, when the congress party president Sonia Gandhi chose to install Pratibha Patil as the first woman President of the country, perhaps with a vision in to the future for herself, it was the refusal of BJP, the main opposition, to support the incumbent President Kalam which led to her success.
Interestingly, an open declaration of support of BJP to Kalam this time has simply precluded his chances of ever becoming the president again, as practically ever party rejected the suggestion.
A few weeks back the Indian communists declared their support for Pranab Mukherjee, a native of West Bengal and India's minister for Finance, as the new president. Though this had increased the support for Pranab, Mamta Banerjee, chief of Thrinamool Congress who rules West Bengal did not support, merely because of her opposition to the communists. Such is the nature of egoistic negative politics of India.
However, the communists now have changed their mind and are clamouring for someone outside the ruling congress party as the new president. This no doubt has increased the fortune of Pranab Mukherjee as Mamta Banerjee now has no excuse but to support him.
What is interesting is the credentials and capability of a person to be the figurehead of the largest democracy of the world has no relevance in this incredibly idiotic process which, every Indian needs to be ashamed of.
These ridiculous vagaries of the Indian politics which several regional players play out, may never infect the American system, clearly established in a two party political debate and balance. However, the bickering and wrangling amplified by the media and social web certainly take the sheen out of a process which may inside and outside the country believe must be a model for the fledging democracies of the world.
Article first published as If Only Barack Obama Could Win The Presidency By Negativity, Like Pranab Mukherjee of India. on Technorati

When faced with real issues in life astrology is only the last resort to many people. Yet for millions around the world, it is what gives hope and support to carry on from day to day. Astrology doesn't stand on firm grounds when questioned based on logic and hard scientific principles, but thanks to modern computing software, subjectivity of astrology pundits at least is removed.

It is quite easy for anyone to be an astrologer these days. All you need to do is to download and install a free piece ofsoftware written by Narasimha Rao, an ex software engineer from PictureTel Corporation and feed some basic information like a place, date and time of birth of a person in to it. If you have some basic understanding of the tenants of Vedic Astrology, it could really add to the fun.

So pondering on the question of the birth of Barack Obama, which has been a matter of controversy in the past and which is recently resurrected, it was intriguing to see what the software will produce. The personal details of celebrities were always difficult to obtain, but thanks to the controversy, the long form birth certificate President Obama was published and is available on the US President's website for anyone interested. According to this document also available here he was born in Honolulu on the 4th of august 1961 at 7.24 PM., which is the basic data used to give it a whirl for the fun of it.
A lot of what the software output is really for the expert astrologer but there is also some plain English which states the qualities and positions in life the person will achieve.


Now Barack Obama might have been born or not as stated in the certificate, but the results certainly reveal a lucky individual with some qualities worthy of a president of the United States.

For a discerning believer in vedic astrology, there are also some important and obvious indications in his birth chart like the excellent positions of the planets, enough to explain why he has become the first Black President of the US or why he succeeded in bringing justice to the victims of a great US tragedy.
Obviously for those clamouring about his worthiness to be a US president, despite being born and delivered to a white female citizen of the United States of America, this is no answer, but for lovers of astrology, there is enough evidence.

Pranab Mukherjee has never dared, but will soon be the next president of India. Today, there is every reason whyPranab Mukherjee, India's Finance Minister will be its next president. Perhaps it can turn out to be the best thing for India, beset with a series of reversals which have crashed the hopes of western investors and the morale of Indian entrepreneurs.

Pranab Mukherjee, the suave Indian politician and finance minister is a seasoned trouble shooter and negotiator, more like a Full back of a soccer team. Yet when the Team India manager and UPA chair person Sonia Gandhi formed her alliance's second ministry, Pranab Mukherjee, much like David Beckham of Manchester United, chose to play as its striker, setting for himself huge goals of fiscal balance and growth rates.
As a striker finance minister, Pranab Mukherjee is a disaster. Despite being recognised as a no risk taker, letting him have a go at the finances of the country, when keeping the momentum of growth is crucial to political success, is the biggest mistake of Sonia's United Progressive Alliance.
Mukherjee has missed two vital fiscal years and budgets without hitting any goals of reforms and growthwhile a roaring international audience of investors waited for action. The stock markets have tumbled since he took over the ministry. The recent announcements of India oriented tax policies, 2G spectrum licence reversals and corporate penalties have confused everyone. Has India gone back to the eighties?
The result is a disastrous crumbling of investor confidence in India's growth rate. The Indian game is over for them, they have left with their cans of coke and pop corn for action elsewhere. withdrawing huge amounts of investment. The world would rather have someone who played ball like everyone else, especially when they see Indian corporate houses like Mithal, Ambani and Tata grabbing a fair share of international business.
Perhaps this cautious, no risk approach, a typical Indian strain, is what made Pranab Mukherjee a 'political loser' despite his long 43 years in the Indian politics. In his long career he has never become a Chief Minister of his own state of West Bengal or the Prime Minister of India.
Yet, by a strange coincidence of political forces which props him for the post of the President of India he will be elevated to that positioning July. His elevation, in political terms, will be like conferring a doctorate on someone who failed his degree and post graduation. Pranab Mukherjee and most of India will however welcome this as a stroke of immense luck like the famous long shot goal David Beckham scored against Wimbledon which instantly made him a household name.
Pranab Mukherjee non partisan amicable nature makes him naturally acceptable for the various political factions whose votes he must secure as they have nothing to worry about him. This has already assured his position to a large extent with Sonia Gandhi and the congress managers being able to strengthen that support to evolve a consensus.
However, the most compelling reason why Pranab's will be the chosen name for a consensus candidate is his erstwhile party colleague, compatriot and alliance partner Mamta Banerjee. Like Mukherjee, Banerjee hails from the State of west Bengal and is its current chief minister.
However Mamta is seen more and more as a "black mail" politician. Mamta is at logger heads with the Finance minister and the UPA leadership, and has blocked almost every effort for much needed reforms in policies and governance using the support of her MPs crucial for the parliamentary majority.
But when it comes to Pranab Mukherjee for the President of India she is undoubtedly in a catch 22 situation. West Bengal never had a President or Prime Minister in history and to be seen as someone who spoilt a chance will be almost unforgivable for any Bengalee, especially its Chief Minister.
Chances are Mamta will have to cave in, especially with her personal equation with Pranab Mukherjee who has ceded the position of Chief Minister to her, without contest, in the past.
Though the elevation of Pranab Mukherjee is being viewed in his party circles as 'weakening' of the government by the loss of a crucial trouble shooter, at the end of the day, it can induce much needed financial policy handling talent to gain international confidence in the India story.
Playing and winning the 'Mamta' game will be the ultimate test and proof of the ability of Sonia Gandhi as a political manager of a nation with 1.3 billion people. From a lady to lady Mamta can't afford to let her down.
It is a mere coincidence Pranab Mukherjee will be the real winner in this ladies club contest.

Article first published as Why Pranab Mukherjee Be the Next President of India on Technorati.

If 1.3 billion people of India, one fifth of the world population, have one common weakness it is their infatuation for the game of Cricket and Sachin Tendulkar is its icon and 'Little Master'. You hit Sachin, you hit the underbelly of India; you get Sachin and you win the battle in India.
By getting Sachin Tendulkar on her side, Sonia Gandhi, the president of the National congress party is proving that she has mastered the hitting style and technique of Sachin Tendulkar and can deftly deliver her own sixes in the game of Indian Politics.



Twitter / @MildlyClassic: Ok if you really want to # ... via kwout

By offering Sachin Tendulkar a seat in 'Rajya Sabha', the upper house of the Indian parliament, Sonia and her Congress party managers have virtually 'stolen thunder' from their arch rival, the Bharatiya Janatha Party (BJP) who would have loved to have him as their own MP.
The BJP is virtually crying out "Damn them! They will not let our play run, but they steal our thunder." In fact what the BJP legislator Madhav Bhandari said had a taste of sour grapes:

"As a fan of Tendulkar, I will welcome this move, but as an observer of politics, it will be like keeping him away from his biggest passion - cricket. I also see this as a trick to keep Tendulkar from a Bharat Ratna (an award of honour)."

The political game of war of words have escalated in to a war on twitter with a trending hashtag#unfollowsachin which was allegedly created by members of BJP, gaining a lot of tweets criticising Sachin Tendulkar and supporting him, which however seems to have backfired.

By accepting the offer from Sonia Gandhi, Sachin has proved to his distracters and supporters alike that his achievement as a master blaster of cricket is as much the manifestation of a brilliant mind as it is in seizing a rare honour and opportunity bestowed up on him by destiny.
Even though the decision to nominate Sachin to the Rajya Sabha seems to have been taken much before, around the time he scored his 100th century in international cricket in a match in Bangladesh, where Sonia Gandhi really scores is in the timing and speed with which she has taken the country by surprise by securing the support of its national icon.
The timing and announcement has in fact come as a huge and successful distraction and diversion from the new revelations on the Bofors Gun deal scandal, by the Swedish police chief Sten Lindstrom which the BJP and the opposition tried to capitalise on both in parliament and outside, with new demands for investigation against Rajiv Gandhi and the Congress party.
If Sachin Tendulkar, who along with his wife was invited by Sonia and gave his acceptance, was the biggest catch and new asset to the ailing party in need of new blood and leadership, Sonia Gandhi's choice and nomination of another Indian Icon movie idol, Rekha is no less a master stroke.
Such is the beauty and personality of Rekha, a star of yester years, that this new MP will no doubt ensure the attendance and good behaviour of all her party members and even the opposition in the house whenever it will be in session in the future.
Sonia Gandhi, the widow of Rajiv Gandhi is surely mastering the art of getting the pulse of India her mother in law of Indira Gandhi was a master of.

Isn't it really amazing how the 20th century media could make ordinary mortals in to Gods and dispatch them to oblivion in the 21st century?
Millions of people around the world perhaps came to believe through the modern media and the internet that Satya Sai Baba of India was God himself.
Though he died only a year ago, the Baba has virtually disappeared from the world media, and from the minds and memory of most people who came to know about him, with hardly any mention even on the anniversary of his death.
Is it the media who should be really blamed for this forgetful ignoring of a Guru who had over 6 million followers when he died?
After all Jesus Christ and Gautham Buddha who are also credited with miracles and teachings, were not forgotten but loved, revered, remembered and worshipped for thousands of years before the advent of modern communications.
It is not surprising that no one, including the leading News papers, magazines and TV around the world want to remember or bring back the memory of Satya Sai Baba despite the $9 Billion assets he amassed during his life of 84 years, some of which he had spent on various charitable projects.
Despite the huge followings and philanthropic work, there was something not very honest and straightforward about this Godman who declared himself to be God and whose life was "dogged by controversy including allegations, never proven, of sexual abuse and charlatanism" as per a BBC report.
Whether he was God or not, at the minimum, he knew exactly what lead to the massacre of several young people in his Ashram one night and the serious allegations of sexual abuse brought out in the BBC report of 2004.
Satya Sai Baba chose to leave the earth by not leaving clear answers and an aura of suspicion and doubt in place of divinity. No God has ever survived in human memory with such questionablecredentials.
Perhaps this is the biggest reason why no one, including millions who believed in him, wants to talk about or remember Satya Sai Baba despite the numerous good causes he has supported with his immense wealth.
If his life and intentions were questionable even when he was alive, the intentions and behaviour of his relations and close people who have inherited the Trust with the immense wealth has done nothing to instil devotion and confidence in the Godman after his death.
Instead, they have only raised serious questions about their own integrity and intentions which has lead to public demand for take over and administration of the trust by the government.
Millions of his followers desperately want him to return to earth as Prema Sai before they lose their faith completely even as the fame and prosperity he brought to his village Putta Parthi seems to dwindle fast.

It was  a question of when and not if the name of Sonia Gandhi, the president of the Indian National Congress party and one of the most powerful and influential women in the world as per the Forbes and Time Magazine lists, will be dragged in the messy affair of Enrica Lexie.

The inevitable has now happened and everyone is delivering their hidden punches saved since the Italian saga unfurled on the Indian shores, at the unfortunate widow of Rajiv Gandhi.

If Enrica Lexie was flying another flag, chances are it would have been released  and home and dry long time back. The problem is it is Italian like Sonia Gandhi was before she became an Indian citizen.

From the beginning, it was pretty clear that if Enrica Lexie, lured and forced to remain anchored at the Idyllic Port of Kochi in Kerala, a southern state of India, it was not the weight of its huge iron anchor but the immense political weight of the Indian political leader Sonia Gandhi was to be blamed. It was clear that any attempt favouring the Italians would be seen as orchestrated by the Italian born Sonia.
The reason is nothing but the Italian origin of Mrs Gandhi, and the paranoiac mindset of the Indian political system, still suffering from a sort of inferiority complex despite successfully test firing an inter continental ballistic missile.
The truth is, if the tragedy of the Titanic were to happen near the Kerala coast, the narrow minded politicians of Kerala, especially its ridiculous communists, would have made some political capital out of it before even thinking about sending a boat for the rescue. Since the Titanic was a British ship, there wouldn't have been any rescue attempt at all.
Things have hardly changed in a hundred years. They still must get some political mileage if they can, out of even the tragic death of the two poor fishermen who died in the incidence.
A lawyer representing the central government, under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi has argued, perhaps rightly, in the supreme court that the action of the State of Kerala in the whole affair was not legal as per international law.
This was sufficient for the politicians of Kerala to cry foul and raise accusations of an Italian conspiracy by the Italian born Sonia to favour Italy, something they were waiting to jump at all along.
It was clear that for the state government of Kerala headed by Sonia's congress party and facing a crucial by election, any attempt for a reasonable settlement would have lead to same accusations, which explain the stiff handling 'as per law of the land'.
You can't blame kerala's politicians not to know or understand the intricacies of International law. After all, international law doesn't apply to Kerala, deemed "God's Own Country" because no one is ever taught.
In any case, for many of Kerala's political leaders the closest to education was the time they spent under the roofs of its schools only to escape the occasional torrential rain. You really can't blame them for what they don't understand.
If anything, it is the captain of Enrica Lexie to be blamed for taking his ship in to this disaster zone. It is clear that he has no interest in History or current affairs and politics.
If he had any notion of the narrow political mentality and complex religious influence in the lives of the people of the beautiful state of Kerala, he would have been happy to welcome the Somali pirates he was trying to avoid, abord his ship instead of taking his ship anywhere near it.
At least the Italians now know what is meant by the English saying "between the devil and the deep sea".
Article first published as Sonia Gandhi - The Hapless Italian Anchor of The Enrica Lexie Affair on Technorati.

Documentation from my female genital mutilation cake performance earlier today at stockholm moma. This is After getting my vagaga mutilated by the minister of culture, Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth. Before cutting me up she whispered "Your life will be better after this" in my ear. -- with Makode Linde and Paula Slav at Moderna Museet.

It is curious that in the age of the cyberspace, innocuous images in print, with arguably difficult to decipher messages, can create political storms. The cover of Economist Magazine purportedly depicting a bleak future for an Independent Scotland raised political temper, with its regional leader Alex Salmond warning:
“Economist Magazine Will 'Rue The Day' It Mocked Scotland”


There are some parallels in the resurgence of nationalist feelings in the British Isles and the Indiansubcontinent, which has seen recent electoral victories of regional parties, which is questioning the unity and integrity of the nations, which is being seriously flagged by the media.
While such expose by the media result in venting of emotions by political leaders like Alex Salmond in Europe, In India it is turning more sinister with the media choosing to be a silent observer and taking a subservient role.
Recently Mamta Banerjee, the regional leader of India's West Bengal, has gone totally bizerk by ordering and later defending the arrest of a professor of the prestigious Jadavpur University merely for circulating a collage of images poking some innocent fun at her autocratic handling of the nation's Railway Ministry.
The allusion is Mamta colluded in a 'cloak and dagger' plot with a subservient political colleague to sack an able and US educated administrator who wanted to seriously salvage the biggest employer in India facing financial melt down.
In fact the whole episode is funnier than the collage which is being described by the media as a 'cartoon' for some strange reason. A professor of Chemistry found some innocent distraction by putting together a collage of pictures of the three politicians with some captions, comparing the episode as reminiscent of a forgotten movie by the famous Bengalee director Satyajit Ray.
However when he merely circulated his artistic creation to his neighbours by E mail, it took a serious turn and became a cyber crime in the fiefdom of Mamta Banerjee, leading to the political harassment and torture of the professor by her supporters and his arrest by police on dubious charges of cyber crime.
The action of Mamta and her coterie smacks of the Cultural Revolution in China and the rule by the "Gang Of Four" during which several such 'purging' incidents were reported on a daily basis.
It is not the first time Mamta Banerjee has ridden rough should over freedom of expression. A few weeks back her government banned some prominent English Language news papers for being critical of her government.
The event caused uproar in the country about her autocratic behaviour, but surprisingly several news papers came out with editorials which gave up the fight fearing litigation with a mercurial and unpredictable female leader.
Though the media by and large reported the "cartoon" event, none of them has dared to put the controversial cartoon itself on their pages, fearing political and financial repercussions to their publications.
The very fact that an e mail message circulated only to one's neighbours should be reported to the police and the ruling government smacks of political snooping reminiscent of Hitler's Gestapo and Stalin's Gulag.
For West Bengal, the land of India's only Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore and for its capital Kolkota, which prides as the political and cultural capital of India, these recent actions of the government of Mamta Banerjee, India's Giant Communist Killer, pose the question if they like to be a new island in the Archipelago of suppression of freedom of expression and democracy.