New Green Movement

Iranians inching toward freedom?

Using the grey cells...

From the other side

Better start making lists, yeah? Since climate change is going to continue along merrily...

The Guardian has this one out.

Obama dropped in at Copenhagen, made an unconvincing speech dripping with hypocrisy, and left having promised nothing more than money to the poor countries. Oh, he also said the promises made by others could be monitored via satellites and the like.

Um, hello? What about responsible action on your part? Like cutting down emissions?

....

Ok, I guess America doesn't care. Wait, maybe it's more like the American government (i.e. rich folks in the US) do not care. But don't they read The Economist?

..the broad scientific consensus is that serious climate change is a danger, and this newspaper believes that, as an insurance policy against a catastrophe that may never happen, the world needs to adjust its behaviour to try to avert that threat. The Economist, Dec 5-11, 2009

Anyway, if the science hasn't convinced them, I doubt anything could. So let's just sit back and watch some movies, and wait for real catastrophe to happen, shall we?

And ignore this:



Regarding concerns that climate change is a 'elitist issue':

Rich countries are responsible for almost three quarters of global emissions. But it is poor countries that are bearing the brunt of the impact. Hundreds of millions face drought, floods, starvation, disease and death.

and

160,000 people are already dying each day because of climate change. The poorest in the world are the most affected by climate change yet they are the least responsible.

Taken from the World Development Movement website.

I *don't* think it's an elitist concern, exactly.

Here's the 'deal' reached, and here's the report card on the summit.

The last sentence of the article on the 'deal' :
However, if, in 2015, delegates wanted to adopt a new, lower target on global average temperature [rise], such as 1.5C rather than 2C, it would be too late.

For more on the world politicians' Copenhagen holiday that tax-payers paid for:
Blind faith
Saving the planet or just saving face?

Imaginary quote of the day -
Obama: WTF have I signed on for?! HELP!!!!!!!

Lost hopenhagen

Cacophony Central

You know, if the climate change talks actually manage to result in all countries working in tandem toward a common goal, it could be the first baby step toward the beginning of a unified world, under one single government. Like, the one in which when the aliens land and ask, "Take me to your leader", you actually know whom to take them to.

Of course, that's not going to happen at the summit, so chill. The summit is a pretty big mess. And aliens, if they're smart, will stay away from humans:)

Imaginary quote of the day -
US Arms Industry and Economy speaking in unison: World peace?! If there's no war, how will we make money?

War as a justification for peace

Childhood in ruins.

From the article:

The 23-day war in numbers

Statistics from the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme

• 1,420 Palestinians killed, 446 of them children

• 5,320 injured, 1,855 of them children

• 4,000 houses destroyed

• 16,000 houses damaged

• 94.6% of children aged six-17 heard the sound of sonic jetfighters

• 91.7% of them heard shelling by artillery

• 92% saw mutilated bodies on TV

• 80% were deprived of water or electricity

• 50.7% left home for a safer place

• 25.9% report one symptom of PTSD

• 39.3% report more than one symptom

• 9.8% report full criteria of PTSD

So I'm guessing the president of the US has a daily account of the casualties of war placed in front of him, everyday. What I don't understand is how he can still continue to justify war. He knows, probably better than most others, the numbers involved. And he still does not look for a more civilised solution to the US' problems. He hasn't even been completely frank with his own countrymen.

And I'd have appreciated him a lot more if he had declined the Nobel Prize. Be straightforward about what you are doing. Dressing up in nice clothes to accept a peace prize and attending fancy parties hosted by the Nobel Committee when the people you sent to war are dying...I honestly don't know how he sleeps at night. If you want to wage war, be open about it. Be honest. Don't try to reinterpret the situation to make it seem like you actually deserve the prize. Just say, 'No, thank you. You know, I've just sent 30,000 soldiers to the battlefield. I don't think I should be accepting this prize. I wish I could, but it's completely at odds with what my principles dictate right now.' That would have been so much more decent than what he's doing. Dude, the Nobel Prize isn't all that valuable, man. Not more valuable than the lives of all the people who are being killed to ostensibly bring about peace.

I hope he's not started believing others' delusions about his potential. Potential, in the world of politics and global affairs, is useless when it isn't converted into achievement.

From his speech:
And yet I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the considerable controversy that your generous decision has generated. (Laughter.)

Laughter?!?! When did the Prize turn into a joke? Shouldn't that 'laughter' actually read 'mild, uncomfortable squirming'?

Oh, and?
But there has been no Third World War.

Yet.

[I know the US president is not (directly) responsible for the Gaza strikes, but it's a specific example that illustrates the cost of any war. I'm not blaming Obama for Gaza.]

On Viruses...

Very interesting article.

A picture speaks...

A mock funeral for Planet Earth being held in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Things didn't go so well yesterday. Too many people making too many demands. I wonder what's going through the politicians' minds, the ones who've gathered there. Are they concerned? Are they aware enough? Do they know what the solutions are? Are they hopeful of some progress? Or are they certain that nothing can be done?
Hmmm...
It's just that the future of the whole of humanity depends on the outcome of this summit, on the agreements reached here (and, of course, the implementation of what's been agreed upon here). I hope they know what they're doing. (Not likely, but still...)
Meanwhile, here's what Mr Jairam Ramesh is saying about India's position.

Further reading:
Primer
Copenhagen climate summit: live
The Missing Billions

Future superpower? Really?

So here's some bad news. India still has a lot of poor people. Between the IT boom, the 'India Shining' campaign, the call-centre boom and the management boom some people seem to have slipped through the cracks. I still don't get how we can fancy ourselves a future superpower when we are doing absolutely nothing to solve our biggest problems: poverty and overpopulation. A booming economy can only help those who are already a part of it. How will it help someone who has never had a normal family life, normal parents, a normal school education, normal social peers? Never had the roti, kapda, makan? Someone who has been addicted to drugs since he was 5 years old? Someone who was raped when she was 12, and had a child soon after who's going to follow the same trajectory of hunger, disease and hopelessness? In fact, they can't even have hope when they don't know what's possible. They don't know that it's possible to live a life that includes three square meals a day, a clean home and clothes, basic education and job opportunities. That, in fact, some of these are their basic rights. That they are, in fact, human beings who deserve to reap as much from the economic boom as the rich currently are. Forget reaping, I'm sure a decent lifestyle would be welcome, if you look at things from where they stand.

Honestly, unless superpower = nuclear power, which we kind of already are, how are people so sure we're zooming to the top of the world order when they're likely seeing drug-addled little children begging at traffic signals on a daily basis?

Wealth distribution. Real equal opportunities. Real equal rights. All some of the things a just society considers fundamental.
We have a looonnngggg way to go.

finally, a little understanding on climate change

This article is the first one I've read that actually succinctly explains the main issues in climate change. I was not really interested in reading it, since it was written by an actor (as opposed to a "climatologist" or even an "expert on climate change"), but maybe that's why it's more easy to grasp. Apart from the fact that I'm slightly dumber than the average bear, he puts everything across quite neatly.
I now have (what I think is) a brilliant idea for circumventing the deep rift between the developed and developing countries' attitudes toward curbing climate change, but I've to read a lot more and understand even more before I lay it out, even here, where no one is reading it.

Television ain't totally hopeless yet

Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, putting things in perspective.

YAY, Buffy!!!!

This is one kickass video. School kids these days drool over Twilight?! Poor, deprived souls.

A picture speaks...

From Reuters. This lion is called Richie, and he's being shifted to South Africa from Bucharest, Romania, where he was taken care of all his life by Lucian Craita, whose hug he's returning.

The body as a canvas

I've attended, and participated in, body art shows in university, and got to see some really good work there. Which is why I found this interesting:

This was done by British make-up artist Alex Box, and photographed by Rankin.

And here's Gael Garcia Bernal (hehe), whom Box worked on for this shot. Photographed by Rankin.

Awesome work, huh?:)

A picture speaks...

This was taken in Bombay by Norwegian photojournalist Jonas Bendiksen. Take a look at his other images here.

Babri Masjid updates

So parts of the Liberhan Commission inquiry report have been leaked to the media. That's great news. Because, otherwise, the Congress would have had to answer mildly uncomfortable questions about the tens of thousands of farmers who rallied in Delhi, right? This is just a diversionary tactic, right? It's just a ploy by the media to up their ratings, right?

Well, whether it is or isn't doesn't matter. What matters is that the government, the opposition and the media have reduced the enormity of what happened back then to some little joke, a dead mouse to be kicked around and played with. What matters is that almost 15 years have passed with no justice for those who suffered.
And now it's being touted as a diversionary tactic? Please give more importance to the contents of the report than to the fact that it was leaked at a suspicious time. This report contains details of one of the most horrific crimes in the history of our country. Don't gloss over that. Just because a lot of time has passed, it does not mean the wounds have healed. It does not mean the victims have forgiven and forgotten (not that they ever will/ should). Show a little respect, please, to what happened back then.

And, in case you need a memory-boost, this is what happened:



Back to present-day:
The Congress was not unduly worried. It feels that this [leak of the report to the media] may be a storm in a teacup and will die out soon. "The issue is already settled politically and those who had to pay the price have already done so," said a senior minister who did not want to be identified.

Well, Mr "senior minister who did not want to be identified", the only people who have paid any sort of price are the victims of the massacre. The people who had to pay the price are currently free. Free to orchestrate the same event again and again. And again. Let me repeat, the masterminds and perpetrators of that crime have not paid any price for their actions. If anything, they have gained tremendously from it. Going strong since 1992.

There has been a tendency to label these incidents as "Hindu-Muslim riots," but as is typical in most instances of communal violence, there is mounting evidence that many people killed have actually been the victims of police gunfire. Why has such violence been used against innocent people? One wonders what stopped the government and the security forces from maintaining the peace and preventing the demolition of the mosque as the terrible events of 6 December were unfolding. Why has such tolerance been shown toward the attackers in Ayodhya, who were permitted, for over a day an a half, to demolish the mosque, build the "temple foundation," and leave the city in special buses and trains without being apprehended, even after the state had been under direct president's rule for more than twenty-four hours? It is hard to understand how, despite such questions, the prime minister of India, P. V. Narasimha Rao, could claim at a recent news conference that he did not feel in any way responsible for what took place. -Excerpt from Political Implications of the Demolition of the Babri Mosque; Journal article by Association Of Indian Progressive Study Groups; Bulletin of Concerned Asian Scholars, No. 4, 1993.

"Storm in a teacup", indeed! How dare you. No wonder you didn't give your name, you coward.
And, FYI, this isn't just an "issue", it's the central event of thousands of peoples' lives, something that changed them forever. And not for the better.

It's times like these when you need to hear what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. believed: the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.

It's just too bad that more often than not, the arc is longer than the lifetime of the average human being.

He wants to die in a lake in Geneva

I listened to this song after ages, and I still love it.



And this is one cool photograph of hers:)

About time

Social commentary is very rare in India. What's even rarer is good commentary. I read two pieces today, both, funnily enough, on the same topic - Manu Sharma's parole. One was a witty, and painfully close to target, article by Shobha De. The other was Santosh Desai's opinion piece.
Excerpts from Santosh Desai's piece in today's TOI:
"The role of public institutions like the bureaucracy, the judiciary and the media cannot be to echo what is a popular sentiment merely because it is popular."
And
"When we blur the idea of justice with notions of fairness as one section of society sees it, we create a system of informal justice that is nothing but a contest between two powerful forces each safeguarding its own interests. Justice becomes subject to market forces, and the one with greater power wins."
Good read.

Pathetic piece of shit # 299083474

Read this.

Pathetic piece of shit # 10988667

These girls come from all over India, drink, smoke, and walk around in the night spoiling the traditional girls of Mangalore. A girl from Punjab was drugged, raped, and killed last month. There was no hue and cry then. Why should girls go to pubs? Are they going to serve their future husbands alcohol? Should they not be learning to make chapattis? Bars and pubs should be for men only. We wanted to ensure that all women in Mangalore are home by 7 pm - Pravin Valke a 40-year-old, fifth-standard drop-out, who is a founding member of the Sri Rama Sene.

All I have to say: fifth standard drop-out? Hahahahaha

Money matters 101

My uncle had sent me a powerpoint show that someone clever had made which explained the sequence of events from the subprime mortgages to the current worldwide panic. It was fun to read---cos of the cartoons and lots of fuck-yous---but I still didn't have a good grip on understanding the enormity of it. Why should the entire system collapse like a deck of cards because of some stupid (greedy) decisions made by some American bankers? Then I stumbled onto this explanation.

The illusion of money. Sort of explains a bit the unbelievable bonuses that some of my investment banker/ consultant friends were getting the last couple of years. Annual fixed bonus of a month's pay, and the variable bonus (which depended on the company's performance) of about 4 to 5 times a month's pay (the banks were doing really well). And these are normal people, i.e. fresh grads, not CEOs. The rest of us (green-eyed whiners, no doubt) used to wonder how these otherwise unremarkable human beings could be worth so much.

Does this signal the collapse of a system? [1], [2]

Eyeless in Gaza

Read this.

What women really want

I had the most reassuring conversation with my dad yesterday. He's quite the feminist, and was telling me how women are the future of this country. Girls need to get educated, women need to be recognised in the workforce---and this doesn't need to be done by the men; if it did, it would have happened by now, don't you think? It's the one solution: education. It might be oft-repeated, but that's because it's the truth: if the woman is educated, the whole family benefits. If the woman is financially independent, her children's future is secure. And, if a woman is educated and independent, no one will get away with ordering her around and treating her like a piece of shit. This is not to take away responsibility from the men---sorry, animals---who disrespect women and get away with it, but it is an important step in securing the footing to fight for our rights. Otherwise, what do we plan to do? Wait for men to rescue us?

In the interest of liberty, equality and justice, which is what women really want, the solution is EDUCATION.

My dad ended the conversation with, "So go get educated, and go out to pubs and have fun."

Cheers to that.

The Age of Madness

Of course, nobody has the time to realise, and fully understand, how frightening the situation is in India, today. Is this where we are headed? Looks the same to me.

Whether it takes place in Afghan wastelands, in Mangalore or in Margaret Atwood’s dystopian republic of Gilead, one thing is obvious: every form of religious coercion involves the regulation and control of female behaviour.>>> Indian Express

Apart from the reference to women as 'female', and by extension passive, entities, the rest of it sounds about right.

This might be extreme pessimism, but we should not head down this path.

Goodbye to the ex-president

One of the (very, very) few untainted politicians of the country passed away today. As one of the wise and tremendously fair-minded individuals involved in the drafting of the Constitution of India, his death, at the ripe old age of 98, is a blow to the country that is currently at cross purposes with its own diversity.

Rest in peace, Mr Venkataraman.

Current employment toppers

The Best Job in the World

The Worst Job in the World

A Pessimist's Obama Wishlist

It's impossible to prioritise them in order of urgency. They're all urgent. Red-alert urgent.

1. Combat human rights violations. In all forms. Let's start with ending wars: Gaza-Israel, Iraq, Afghanistan, India-Pakistan, Sudan, Zimbabwe, to begin with. Restoration of civil liberties: China, Guantanamo Bay, Iraq prisons. Undoing Bush's doings inside the United States: wiretapping, torture (basically everything that compromised on ideals in favour of "safety"), the Patriot Act, the abysmal healthcare system, gay rights...again, to begin with...

2. The environment. I think this needs more work than just signing the Kyoto Protocol (which expires in 3 years in any case). A lot more work. And imagination. Good luck.

3. The economy. Oh god.

C'mon, get cracking!

Time will tell

It finally happened. Barack Obama is now the president. For real. Bush is history. It's like the whole world got a shot of endorphins, the way people are behaving. Not a bad thing to happen. Hope, after all, is what keeps everyone going, and it's in terrible shortage today. Nice speech also, although I expected something more. But I suppose this high-expectation-followed-by-slight-disappointment feeling is something I'll have to get used to, as there's absolutely no way he can match up to the unfair standards I have decided to judge him on.

Anyway, right now, it's easy to find Obama-gushing, but it would be prudent to look at some brickbats as well. Disappointingly, and perhaps not surprisingly, they're mostly from the right-wingers of the world.

After being led down completely by Tony Blair, I don't blame this guy for his lack of eagerness to embrace Obama's message of Change, but bashing Obama as someone who can just give a good speech is a bit of a stretch. And then, also, Obama might make unpopular decisions, but that's hardly different from what Bush did. It's just that, this time, the choices will be unpopular with a different group of people. It is what happens when parties change at the helm.
But this part his rant got to me:
The most powerful nation on earth is confronting its worst economic crisis under the leadership of its most extremely liberal politician, who has virtually no experience of federal politics. That is not an opportunity but a catastrophe.

Weelll, right now it all depends on who's doing the judging. But, as with everything else, time will tell, and in just a few days we'll all know how right or wrong we were. The truth is anyone will look brilliant after George Bush, so maybe this "Obamamania" is an overreaction. But, personally, when I hear someone (and not just someone, but a President who's a civil rights lawyer and, happily, a "most extremely liberal politician") declare that "we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals," it can only be a good thing. Maybe not as good as we all want---and hope for---but good, nonetheless. I'm a cynic when it comes to the current state of the world, but I feel if there's any hope for improvement, it's quite possibly in Obama's hands.

So consider my fingers crossed.

But say something about Gaza already, damnit!

Another bubble burst

The reassuring sense of prosperity, and the resultant careless disregard for quality and substance, has come back to bite the elite in the ass. And since there's no longer any money to throw around, the art market is one of the biggest casualties. And this is definitely good news for those concerned with trivial matters like talent and creativity and hard work.

For those who, over the last few years, have been wondering why seemingly terrible works of art are being bought for a lot of money, it's because of rich people who have a lot of cash, but know nothing about art. Who believe that if the price is high, then it must be worth that amount. The fact that the price tag was clipped on by "art consultants" who were luring the moneyed people didn't matter when the money was available. But now that it's not, the fake inflation of prices is starting to matter. Of course, this goes for everything that can be bought with money. But art somehow stands out, because it had become a popular commodity in the last few years, and an idiot-proof instrument for investment. But, hey, now that the money is draining out, maybe quality will rule (ironic how it's the opposite of the whole meritocratic concept of capitalism. But that argument's for another time.)

Now, we're getting to re-learn that art is something that can't truly be "bought", no matter how much - or little - it costs. Much like education, whose price tags will also, hopefully, come down in the near future.

Goodbye and Good Riddance, Asshole

The village idiot has said the final tata with a 13-min address. Among the lies that came spewing out of his mouth, "I have followed my conscience and done what I thought was right." and "I have always acted with the best interests of our country in mind."

Other gems:
"If America does not lead the cause of freedom, that cause will not be led." This isn't a Bushism. He's saying no other country is capable of leading the cause of freedom. Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay and the Patriot Act? Swept under the carpet of denial and retrospective falsification.

"When people live in freedom, they do not willingly choose leaders who pursue campaigns of terror." Ah, so does this explain what happened in the 2004 American elections?

"America did nothing to seek or deserve this conflict [terrorist attacks]." Yeah, right.

"America must maintain our moral clarity." You can't maintain something you don't have.

My favourite?
"Murdering the innocent to advance an ideology is wrong every time, everywhere." And, yet, he cannot see it when he's giving orders for war. George W. Bush and introspection can never be used in the same sentence. Although I just did.

Goodbye.

Update on the "CC2C" crap

The NYT, as usual, has a clueless, pandering-to-exotic-Indian-cinema "good" review. What is also said is: In a film impressed with Chinese gadgetry — including a pair of leg cuffs that help the dance-challenged — and with scenes set in the sleek urban landscape of Shanghai, it’s hard not to see a broader point: India, don’t be afraid of China’s accomplishments. Be yourself. You will succeed.

Where did that come from? Again, clueless. This time culturally.

But here's the good part:
Read bad review here and here.

And here.

And as this review rightly says, If only "Taare Zameen Par" could have gotten its hands on that magic potato [of worldwide Warner Bros-backed publicity].

When will the Hindi film industry learn that mediocrity can only work so many times?

51-crore P.O.S.

This movie cost a bomb to make, and it doesn't even get basic facts right.

But, first, the trailer:


It's releasing tomorrow. There are so many fucking prejudiced stereotypes in just this 2:51 min trailer. If there's any doubt: I don't think I will watch the full movie at all. There's enough ignorance and stupidity around without having to pay for 2.5 hours of it.

Selective hearing/ seeing/ understanding

While we're all paying close attention to what's happening in and with Pakistan, here's a hardhitting glimpse into the goings on in Sri Lanka. We don't know much about it because the media doesn't think it's important enough to cover. The latest victim (although he was no victim) is Lasantha Wickramatunga, editor of The Sunday Leader in Colombo. He was shot dead, the final, successful bid on his life after numerous threats and murder attempts. He wrote this editorial with instructions to publish it after his death---he was that certain of it. If it makes you feel worse: he leaves behind a wife and three children. And greater despair for those who followed him and his "call of conscience."

Rest in peace.