The Daily Observer Comments http://observer.blogsome.com Commentary on politics, culture and more... Note: We observe daily, but we post whenever we feel like it. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:02:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.1-alpha by: buddhist amulet http://observer.blogsome.com/2006/03/09/left-is-not-right/#comment-14 Tue, 23 Jun 2009 05:11:04 +0100 http://observer.blogsome.com/2006/03/09/left-is-not-right/#comment-14 We need peace. We need peace.

]]> by: Jiggs http://observer.blogsome.com/2008/05/15/jaipur-jeopardy/#comment-13 Fri, 16 May 2008 05:19:16 +0100 http://observer.blogsome.com/2008/05/15/jaipur-jeopardy/#comment-13 U.P.A is out to ^^^^ the Hindu ehtos and thereby the Union of India, the alliance is full of ^^^^ ^^^^ and ^^^^. Hindus must unite on the lines of the Israelis and adopt the policy of eye for an eye....Retaliation is the need of the hour...not following Gandhian priciples....I say send in the IAF over ^^^^ and ^^^^ their ^^^^ ^^^^....this will send a clear message that any such nonsense will not be tolerated under any circumstances.....But we have a lame duck PM and the ^^^^ Antonia Maino in charge....However, this should be the policy....Our Tax money must count ....we must retaliate..... note : Comment edited by moderator, some words replaced with ^^^^. U.P.A is out to ^^^^ the Hindu ehtos and thereby the Union of India, the alliance is full of ^^^^ ^^^^ and ^^^^. Hindus must unite on the lines of the Israelis and adopt the policy of eye for an eye….Retaliation is the need of the hour…not following Gandhian priciples….I say send in the IAF over ^^^^ and ^^^^ their ^^^^ ^^^^….this will send a clear message that any such nonsense will not be tolerated under any circumstances…..But we have a lame duck PM and the ^^^^ Antonia Maino in charge….However, this should be the policy….Our Tax money must count ….we must retaliate…..

note : Comment edited by moderator, some words replaced with ^^^^.

]]> by: chow http://observer.blogsome.com/2007/12/29/pakistan-and-stability/#comment-12 Wed, 02 Jan 2008 02:47:25 +0000 http://observer.blogsome.com/2007/12/29/pakistan-and-stability/#comment-12 " running with the foxes and hunting with the hounds" This is so true. Like you pointed out later in your blog, If Pakistan breaks into a civil war and if the leadership falls into wrong hands,(say Al-Qaeda or Taliban sympathizers) the pain will be felt worldwide and it wont be pleasant for anyone. Needless to say, Nuclear weapons in wrong hands can produce devastating results for the sub-continent and the world. Religious bigotry and obsession with military amongst the Pakistan's populace has dimished their respect for democratic institution. There is some hope in the form of the moderates and progressive thinkers in the country who are in a great minority. hopefully they will succeed in convincing the public about the perilous times(if it is not already there) the country is heading and persuade them to understand the need for responsible leadership for Pakistan. If their past is any indication, I highly doubt that the leaders the prominence in Pakistan's politics today are cut out for the job ahead of them. Good luck to Pakistan. ” running with the foxes and hunting with the hounds”

This is so true. Like you pointed out later in your blog, If Pakistan breaks into a civil war and if the leadership falls into wrong hands,(say Al-Qaeda or Taliban sympathizers) the pain will be felt worldwide and it wont be pleasant for anyone. Needless to say, Nuclear weapons in wrong hands can produce devastating results for the sub-continent and the world.

Religious bigotry and obsession with military amongst the Pakistan’s populace has dimished their respect for democratic institution. There is some hope in the form of the moderates and progressive thinkers in the country who are in a great minority. hopefully they will succeed in convincing the public about the perilous times(if it is not already there) the country is heading and persuade them to understand the need for responsible leadership for Pakistan. If their past is any indication, I highly doubt that the leaders the prominence in Pakistan’s politics today are cut out for the job ahead of them.

Good luck to Pakistan.

]]> by: chow http://observer.blogsome.com/2006/04/23/reservations-about-reservations/#comment-9 Mon, 24 Apr 2006 15:11:46 +0100 http://observer.blogsome.com/2006/04/23/reservations-about-reservations/#comment-9 I agree that the Caste system has been a shameful social practice in India. times have changed and changed a lot, Caste system and caste based discrimination are almost non-existent in many of the cities, Rural areas of India have more prevalance of this evil practice but not as much as it has been before. This evil social practice is on a rapid decline amongst the educated people. If the government really wants to benefit the caste discriminated section of the populace, the right way to do is to empower them with education and skills, the market will take care of the rest. This has been the "Idea" behind reservations originally, the major flaw in the implementation of this idea is that the politicians tried to do this by penalising the talented people who do not belong to the "Backward Castes"....This is a form of discrimination too! Subsidising the education and related expenses for the people who were trampled by the caste system in the past is a good idea but forcing the educational institutions and businesses to hire people not based solely on talent is very bad idea.Its bad both for the business and "beneficiaries" of such handout. Right now there are reservations existent in almost any field you can think of jobs,schools, political institutions...There are many instances(especially in state run education institutions) where the about 50% of the admissions are reserved for people based on their caste. Will this ever change ? The answer lies with the people - people who go(and don't go) to cast thei vote in the ballot box every five years. this system will change as much as the people want it to change. I agree that the Caste system has been a shameful social practice in India. times have changed and changed a lot, Caste system and caste based discrimination are almost non-existent in many of the cities, Rural areas of India have more prevalance of this evil practice but not as much as it has been before. This evil social practice is on a rapid decline amongst the educated people.

If the government really wants to benefit the caste discriminated section of the populace, the right way to do is to empower them with education and skills, the market will take care of the rest. This has been the “Idea” behind reservations originally, the major flaw in the implementation of this idea is that the politicians tried to do this by penalising the talented people who do not belong to the “Backward Castes”….This is a form of discrimination too!

Subsidising the education and related expenses for the people who were trampled by the caste system in the past is a good idea but forcing the educational institutions and businesses to hire people not based solely on talent is very bad idea.Its bad both for the business and “beneficiaries” of such handout.

Right now there are reservations existent in almost any field you can think of jobs,schools, political institutions…There are many instances(especially in state run education institutions) where the about 50% of the admissions are reserved for people based on their caste. Will this ever change ? The answer lies with the people - people who go(and don’t go) to cast thei vote in the ballot box every five years. this system will change as much as the people want it to change.

]]> by: Chow http://observer.blogsome.com/2006/04/23/reservations-about-reservations/#comment-8 Sun, 23 Apr 2006 21:10:39 +0100 http://observer.blogsome.com/2006/04/23/reservations-about-reservations/#comment-8 Recent reports in the Indian media suggest that the government is actually considering tax incentives as opposed to mandatory quotas for SC/ST/OBC's in the private sector. I'm glad some sense is prevailing. Recent reports in the Indian media suggest that the government is actually considering tax incentives as opposed to mandatory quotas for SC/ST/OBC’s in the private sector. I’m glad some sense is prevailing.

]]> by: Scott http://observer.blogsome.com/2006/03/18/jessica-and-values-in-india-today/#comment-7 Sat, 18 Mar 2006 22:07:28 +0000 http://observer.blogsome.com/2006/03/18/jessica-and-values-in-india-today/#comment-7 I think it's important to clarify that the US recognized (at its formation) that all men are equal *in the eyes of the law*. Your wording of it seems to put it more like an advocacy of egalitarianism, which it definitely was not. The US was founded on the basis of Individual Rights; "Individual" being the operative word there. As such, more collectivist ideas (such as the belief that there is a such thing as "inherent civilizational traits") stand in opposition to any rational definition of Rights, Freedom, and Justice. What would help India (nay, the entire known world) the most is a rejection of the collectivist ethics and the embracement of the concept of Individual Rights. I think it’s important to clarify that the US recognized (at its formation) that all men are equal in the eyes of the law. Your wording of it seems to put it more like an advocacy of egalitarianism, which it definitely was not. The US was founded on the basis of Individual Rights; “Individual” being the operative word there. As such, more collectivist ideas (such as the belief that there is a such thing as “inherent civilizational traits”) stand in opposition to any rational definition of Rights, Freedom, and Justice. What would help India (nay, the entire known world) the most is a rejection of the collectivist ethics and the embracement of the concept of Individual Rights.

]]> by: Scott http://observer.blogsome.com/2006/03/14/job-security-without-jobs/#comment-6 Sat, 18 Mar 2006 15:21:04 +0000 http://observer.blogsome.com/2006/03/14/job-security-without-jobs/#comment-6 http://www.CapMag.com/article.asp?ID=4606 Good article on the subject that I came across. http://www.CapMag.com/article.asp?ID=4606

Good article on the subject that I came across.

]]> by: cy http://observer.blogsome.com/2006/03/06/2/#comment-3 Mon, 06 Mar 2006 04:11:20 +0000 http://observer.blogsome.com/2006/03/06/2/#comment-3 Its unfortunate that this type of behavior is not addressed in the Indian Penal system. Also it is unfortunate that the ethics commitiee (if there is one) of the state's legislature did not find fault with this guy's statements. during about the same time frame, in Hyderabad two MIM legislators(both sons of MIM supremo Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi ) were charged with giving inflamatory hate speeches on the cartoon issue to the muslim crowd after their weekly Friday prayers. Their speeches resulted in the riots in the part of the city where MIM has a strong hold.Luckily the city police had the presence of mind to video tape the speeches, which made it difficult for these two to escape the charges. hopefully the courts handout a verdict that is more than just a slap on the wrist . Its unfortunate that this type of behavior is not addressed in the Indian Penal system. Also it is unfortunate that the ethics commitiee (if there is one) of the state’s legislature did not find fault with this guy’s statements.
during about the same time frame, in Hyderabad two MIM legislators(both sons of MIM supremo Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi ) were charged with giving inflamatory hate speeches on the cartoon issue to the muslim crowd after their weekly Friday prayers. Their speeches resulted in the riots in the part of the city where MIM has a strong hold.Luckily the city police had the presence of mind to video tape the speeches, which made it difficult for these two to escape the charges. hopefully the courts handout a verdict that is more than just a slap on the wrist .

]]> by: AS-BGOD http://observer.blogsome.com/2006/03/04/bush-in-india/#comment-2 Sat, 04 Mar 2006 20:35:50 +0000 http://observer.blogsome.com/2006/03/04/bush-in-india/#comment-2 Well said. In spite of what pseudo-secular lefty pinko 'intellectuals' may say about George W, W does have a genuine commitment to the emergence of India as a global democratic power. This stems from his belief that global democracy is the best defender of long term American commercial and security interests. Previous US Presidents either lacked this commitment , or were frustrated with India's pre-1991 non-aligned status (which basically meant that Indian diplomats supported the Soviet Union whenever it invaded countries like Hungary, Afghanistan, etc but would never hesitate criticize the US). The recent changes in the contours of the Indo-US leadership are not just a tribute to George W (and to a much smaller extent Bill Cllinton), but to the vision of people like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Jaswant Singh and Manmohan Singh who had the political courage to break away from the previous non-aligned norms and instead concentrated on letting India occupy her rightful place as a proud , influential democratic , powerful country in the comity of nations. The fact that Manmohan decided to remove a left winger (Natwwar Singh) from the External Affairs ministry did not make matters worse, either. Howevevr our pinko, pseudo-secular leftists are too bogged dongwn in vote-bank politics and harmful ideologies to see anything positive about anything that will help India become a stronger force (either militarily or economically). They would rather organize bank strikes , shutdown airports ,incite communal passions, and organize poetry contests in praise of Stalin. Well said. In spite of what pseudo-secular lefty pinko ‘intellectuals’ may say about George W, W does have a genuine commitment to the emergence of India as a global democratic power. This stems from his belief that global democracy is the best defender of long term American commercial and security interests. Previous US Presidents either lacked this commitment , or were frustrated with India’s pre-1991 non-aligned status (which basically meant that Indian diplomats supported the Soviet Union whenever it invaded countries like Hungary, Afghanistan, etc but would never hesitate criticize the US).

The recent changes in the contours of the Indo-US leadership are not just a tribute to George W (and to a much smaller extent Bill Cllinton), but to the vision of people like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Jaswant Singh and Manmohan Singh who had the political courage to break away from the previous non-aligned norms and instead concentrated on letting India occupy her rightful place as a proud , influential democratic , powerful country in the comity of nations.

The fact that Manmohan decided to remove a left winger (Natwwar Singh) from the External Affairs ministry did not make matters worse, either.

Howevevr our pinko, pseudo-secular leftists are too bogged dongwn in vote-bank politics and harmful ideologies to see anything positive about anything that will help India become a stronger force (either militarily or economically). They would rather organize bank strikes , shutdown airports ,incite communal passions, and organize poetry contests in praise of Stalin.

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