Global Shoe Throwing Pandemic

What began as a one off incident when an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at then US president George Bush has gone viral across the global.

The latest victim of this global shoe throwing pandemic is namma CM Yeddy. The pandemic's victims includes who's who in the political class including Wen Jiabao, P Chidambaram, LK Advani, and Manmohan Singh.

With so much action and drama happening with the shoe throwing pandemic and the high profile victims, who cares about the other pandemic that is sweeping the worlds.

Vodafone Commericals

These commericals for Vodafone are a clever way to demonstrate the various features that a Vodafone network has to offer. All of the ads are brilliantely designed.

Below is the one which depicts the Maps and GPS feature in the Vodafone phones and network

Questions For Karunanidhi

M Karunanidhi, the honorable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, began what was ultimately a fast of less then 24 hours to bring attention to the plight of Sri Lankan Tamils refugees.

I agree that the refugees that are caught in the crossfire between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE rebels need to be granted safe exit. And the ceasefire may be the step in the right direction.

But my question to the earstwhile CM is why play politics with this issue? Was this just a political stunt during the election season to draw Tamil voters towards the DMK by playing the sympathy card? Ultimately what goal is it going to serve? Now that there is a ceasefire in Sri-Lanka, what is Mr Karunanidhi's next move? What has the CM done to ease the plight of millions of people in India who live in poverty?

Quantity Vs Quality – When it comes to Democracy What Matters?

Timesonline had a recent editorial in the current elections in India. The editorial questions whether, India the largest democracy, is just that or if there is any substance to the democratic process and the outcome as a result of it.

The editorial does raise some very serious questions about the role of government in improving the lives of its citizens, social and economic policy as well as the how the government going to position India in the changing world.

However, what the article does not address is that, for a country the size and scale of India, where every state is so much diverse in terms of culture, religion, languages etc, the fact that every five years we have a democratically elected government is a success worth celebrating in itself.

Also, India has been a democracy for a little over 60 years. And in these 60 years there has been tremendous progress to get the voice of the people heard. Granted there are still challenges in terms of factionalism, dynasty politics, corrupted elected officials, criminalization of politics, and the transparency of the various political parties in how they manager and choose leaders.

But with the growing clout of the middle class and the raising awareness of these issues among them are heartening signs that there is hope improvements can be achieved. In addition work being done by various organizations like the Association for Democratic Reform is creating awareness about the criminalization of politics will go a long way in cleaning up the elections process.

After all you don’t expect a diverse country like India to be a perfect democracy in just 60 years. Even America, which has been democratic for the last 200 years, is still a work in progress when it comes to democracy.

Cash or Credit - Which is Greener?

How many of us have thought about the environmental impact of using cash or credit card when we make any purchases? I know I have not. When it comes to being green and environmentally friendly, is one better then the other?

A recent article in Slate, How Green is the Greenback tries to explore the environmental impact of using plastic or paper money. Though for now there are no clear answers, at-least its a start.

Recovery, What Recovery?

With stock market recording the best six weeks since 1938, and banks reporting earnings which better numbers then analysts expectations (even if it is a loss as in the case of Citi Group, there is talk that the recession may be turning the corner.

In post for The Big Picture, Jack McHugh wonders if the Recovery is Just Around the Corner

While there was precious little in the way of actual positive news for investors to seize upon, hopes continue to rise because many parts of our economy are worsening at a slower rate. And, if “less bad” becomes widely accepted as the new “good”, then our capital markets may continue to work higher for a spell. The decision facing investors who are agonizing over whether or not to chase the ongoing rally in U.S. equities may come down to just how true are the claims that “recovery is just around the corner”.

The Future of India

With Indians voting to elect the next government, the scene emerging from most exit polls and political analysts is that of another fractured mandate where no single party will have enough seats to form the government by itself. One of two major parties, Congress or the BJP will win the most number of seats. But what will happen after that is anybody's guess right now.

In this uncertain political times, Ramachandra Guha looks at the past of the Indian elections and wonders how long will the era of coalition politics and uncertinity last.

In recent decades, then, Indian democracy has been increasingly influenced by identity politics, by parties and interests representing (or claiming to represent) various castes, ethnicities, regions, and religions. It is likely that a majority of Outlook readers, themselves urban and cosmopolitan, are not in sympathy with this trend.

Rather than 18-or-20-party coalitions, they would like to see a single party dominating the central government, such that it might frame the rational, sustainable policies this country desperately needs. The question is: will they get such a government in their lifetime?

Some trends are promising. More Indians now live in cities, where the pressures of caste and locality matter less than in the countryside. More Indians now contract marriages outside their communities. With economic development, more Indians are abandoning traditional caste-based occupations. In factories and offices, they work and break bread with Indians of different social backgrounds. These secularising tendencies are reinforced by TV and the Internet, which alert the young to mentalities and lifestyles very different from those of their parents or grandparents.

Can these trends collectively produce an electorate that shall come to vote not on the basis of identity, but with regard to the policies on offer?

Read the complete article at Past and Future of Indian Election