Tue 28 Apr 2009, 12:06 PM | Posted by Charles E. Carlson
For peace between Israel and the Philistines each side must have a government with an honest intent to represent its own tribe and to negotiate in good faith with the opposing one. This seems self evident, and we will assume it is so. This writer believes Israel's two year blockade and the December holocaust in Gaza demonstrates that Hamas is the only qualified government, and that the United States and Israel must allow it to negotiate. Instead, the negotiating has been done by the Palestinian Authority (formerly the Palestinian Liberation Organization), which the people rejected two years ago in a free election. Corruption has been exposed at the very top of the PA, just as it was in Yasser Arafat’s PLO, a blow to the PA, and affirmation for Hamas. Israle's reputation for honesty in office is worse. A Google search on the words “Israel corruption” turns up no less than 688 articles containing the exact phrase. A broader search reveals thousands of articles in Israeli publications about graft and criminal acts at the top of every administration in Israel’s history. Ehud Olmert stands officially accused of massive financial misdeeds. Ariel “The Butcher” Sharon slipped into a coma three years ago; his crimes can be more easily forgotten if he is kept on life support for the next 10 years. From its very beginning, the Likud has a history of constant wars on its neighbors, and it has campaigned on more war. Israel’s wars have destroyed two smaller, more helpless neighbors--Lebanon and Gaza--in as many years; occupation and division have destroyed the West Bank. The 2009 coalition government’s Avigdor Lieberman publicly boasted that the US Government will do anything Israel wants it to do. He wants to bomb Iran tomorrow. Meanwhile, the noble and historical ancient Philistines, who populate two provinces but have no nation, are led by two separate and opposing movements, each claiming to represent the people: the Palestinian Authority and Hamas. Americans are constantly reminded that the PA leaders are well-meaning but bumbling drones who don’t cause much trouble and are ready to compromise for peace; Mahmoud Abbas seems to be just such a drone…dull, pliable but honest. But we are learning that Mr. Abbas is a profiteer, like his predecessor, Yassar Arafat. Hamas has faults. It has often dealt violence when faced with violence. Some, including American Arabs with long memories, believe Hamas was at one time backed and funded by Israel in order to create a counterbalance to PLO growth and power. This was probably true at one time, but it does not matter now because it is clear from the Gaza holocaust that Israel has a bulls eye on every Hamas leader, who must be dedicated to want the job. Hundreds have been killed and arrested, so it is safe to say these were not Israeli agents. Organizations change. It is also well known that PLO leaders were at times protected by the USA government. The Philistines only supported the PLO as long as there was no one else. It is natural they would turn to Hamas because the PLO had a long history of losing ground every year while its leaders became more wealthy. We Hold These Truths listened to Jimmy Carter when he said the election that brought Hamas to power in 2007 was legitimate and represented the will of the people. His team had talked to the voters. Carter said democracy demands that the world recognize Hamas and let the people work out their own problems. Carter stood for self-determination--a decidedly American principle, and some Israeli's now agree. We went a step farther after the December annihilation of the Gazans, when we stated Hamas appeared to be an amazingly efficient and accepted governing body, functioning under impossible conditions. We based this conclusion in large part on Hamas’ development of the tunnel system that is saving the lives of the men, women, and children in the gulag called Gaza.
What more can a government do than help its citizen feed and care for themselves under impossible conditions? For their life-saving efforts, many Hamas leaders and their families have been systematically hunted and killed by Israelis. Whoever and whatever Hamas is, it has support because it delivers. We said this on January 1st, in The Lie That Justifies Mass Murder: "Hamas Hit Us First", and its time to repeat it. Recent developments:
Now there is new cause for every one of us to reject the corrupt PA, a fresh scandal that seems to prove our point. The Jerusalem Post’s story about obvious corruption in the Abbas family forced both embarrassment and reality on those who have wondered about the leadership of the Palestine Authority, America’s choice to rule over the Philistines. Yasser Abbas has emerged from nowhere as the wealthy 46 year old Canadian son of Mahmoud Abbas. Mahmoud was a long-time assistant to former PLO President Yasser Arafat and named his son after his boss. The son did right well, making millions with various enterprises operated in his father's jurisdictions. Yasser not only admits to complicity with the hated Israelis, but according to The Jerusalem Post, “one of his smaller companies, Falcon Tobacco, has a monopoly over marketing US-made cigarettes like Kent and Lucky in the West Bank and Gaza Strip…” Think of it, 1.5 million Gazans are locked inside a canary cage with food coming in through tunnels, and Abbas' son enjoys a franchise to sell them American cigarettes. Yasser's interview with The Jerusalem Post tells much about how the PA deals secretly with Israel. Yasser is proud of it and sees nothing wrong. Asked if he was doing business with Israelis, Yasser replied:
"How can you get merchandise into the Gaza Strip if the Israeli and Palestinian ministers of economy don't talk to each other? …Most Palestinians collaborate with Israel, while the rest live on the rain." In the wake of his son's scandal, Mahmoud Abbas is now trying to paint himself to be more firm in his stand with Israel. Today Arutz Sheva, Israel National News service, carried a story, Abbas Refuses Jewish Israel, by Malkah Fleisher, in which Abbas seems to have suddenly found his missing backbone.
"Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas openly refused Monday to recognize Israel as a Jewish State. The statement came as a direct slap against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's insistence that such an acknowledgement is a necessary condition for "progress" in final-status talks.... "A Jewish state, what is that supposed to mean?" Abbas asked at a speech Monday in Ramallah. "You can call yourselves what you want, but I don't accept it and I say so publicly."
Malkah Fleisher concludes this about control of the PA:
"The Ramallah-based Abbas government has been propped up by the United States and Israel since the PA's first democratic election in 2006, in which the Hamas terrorist organization won almost twice the number of parliamentary seats as Fatah. Both Israel and the United States rejected the election results, and instituted Fatah leader Abbas as PA "President," calling him a "moderate" alternative to Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and political bureau chief, Khaled Mashaal, who is based in Damascus...
Israel has also thwarted several assassination attempts on Abbas by providing intelligence to Ramallah-based PA officials before the attempts could take place." While the Gazans "live on rain" deprived of the simplest necessities such as rice and beans that must be smuggled in through tunnels, the PA president’s son can get American cigarettes in by dealing with the hated Yahood, who just killed 1400 Gazans with American-made weapons of mass destruction. Gazans with cash can get Lucky cigarettes to corrupt their lungs and to fatten the wallet of Abbas’ son, but Israelis will not allow baby formula or drugs in. No wonder the Gazans respect Hamas and despise Abbas’ Palestine Authority. Our own story, The Lie That Justifies Mass Murder, provides the logic for this one, and details as best we are able, the enormous and seemingly impossible accomplishment of Hamas in keeping Gazans most alive, while blockaded for two years or more. We quote a few paragraphs in hopes that you will take time to read it and give it wings. Unfortunately, it is all true that:
As a practical matter, Israel cannot kill all three or four million Philistines, although it has been officially considered. And, Likud politicians will do it if they can.... Israel’s objective, instead, is to eliminate Hamas, so they can once again control the Philistines, as they have in the past, by controlling its leaders... Israel, with the help of the USA, trained Yasser Arafat to be its kind of Arab leader and helped him to become a billionaire... The PLO’s role was that of a controlled terrorist…controlled in that it made lots of press, but never really gained any constructive ground for the Philistines... Hamas is the lawfully elected government of Gaza and the West Bank as well... Israeli and American officials lie about Hamas routinely, it’s strictly business to lie, and they are not ashamed when they are caught... Acquaintances, whose family live in Gaza, worry that for the first time, though their relatives do not complain, they "look emaciated" in cell phone photos. Their freedom, and their very lives depends on our government. Please make Gaza a priority in your life.
We Hold These Truths Project Strait Gate PO Box 14491 Scottsdale, AZ, 85267 http://www.whtt.org 480 947 3329
My husband was working in a hospital as an IT engineer, as the hospital is planning to set up a database of its patients and he knows some of á á the doctors quite well. The doctors used to tell him that whenever they have a headache, they are not willing to take PANADOL / PARACETAMOL.
In fact, they will turn Herbal Medicine or find other alternatives. This is because Panadol is toxic to the body, and it harms the liver. According to the doctor, Panadol will remain in the body for at least 5 years. And according to the doctor, there was an air-hostess who consumed lots of Panadol as she needed to stand all the time and work under lots of pressure. She's now in her early 30's, and she is undergoing kidney cleaning (DIALYSIS) every month.
Whenever we have a headache, that's because it is due to the electron / Ion imbalance in the brain. Some alternative solution to cope with this matter is Drink lots of water. Another method will be to submerge your feet in a basin of warm water so that it brings the blood pressure down from your throbbing head. If you have a very high intake of Panadol áthroughout your life (Migraine, Menstrual cramps ) it is very likely that ánormal general á á á á anesthetics will have no effects on you áas your body is pumped / full with á Panadol and your body is so used áto pain killer áthat you would need a á á much stronger pain killer, Morphine????
The thought is scary enough to turn me to Herbal Medicine or other á á á á healthier alternative. áValue your health, value your life, THINK TWICE before you easily pop that familiar pill into your mouth again. Please don't take PANADOL always and try to inform this to people you care about.
The FT Article states: "State Street, a leading custodian bank which tracks equity flows closely"...thinks... “Institutional investors are backing this rally,” says the trust bank in its latest research. “The belle of the ball is the US,” it notes, highlighting the fact that the US institutional equity inflows that it measures are near their highest levels in 12 years.
Brad Durham, managing director at Emerging Portfolio Fund Research, says that since March 11, there has been an inflow of $3bn into US equity funds, excluding exchange-traded funds.
"With official interest rates set by central banks near zero in many countries, long-term investors fear there is a penalty for staying in cash and not investing in either equities or high quality corporate bonds. “We believe that investor excessive liquidity is playing a role,” say equity analysts at JPMorgan. "
Amid evidence that hedge fund redemptions are slowing, the bank says some funds “are deploying the sizeable cash cushions amassed in the past six months”.
The Financial Times goes on conclude by quoting its favored source: "Equity bulls argue that stocks should rally well ahead of the broad economy bottoming, as the market prices in a recovery.
For his part, Mr Niederauer cautions that trading volumes have not risen above levels that would indicate that investors had regained confidence in market fundamentals. “I think we’re waiting for another rally, in my opinion, in around June and July,” he said.
Meanwhile, flows into US equities are also facing competition, according to State Street. It says flows into emerging markets are running at their highest level since June 2007. Since hitting lows in early March, stocks in Brazil have risen 26 per cent, China has rallied 21 per cent, while Russia has surged 44 per cent.
State Street is quoted: “The cross-border equity flows of institutional investors suggest they are convinced that the US, UK and emerging markets will recover faster from the economic slump than the euro area.”
On the eve of the second season of Indian Premier League (IPL), the duration of the strategy break has increased from five minutes to seven-and-a-half minutes. The strategy break is taken after every ten overs. Sources familiar with the development said five minutes in all of the total seven and a half minutes will be free commercial time (FCT) with the balance being live content.
The idea behind introducing this break is to give teams time to evaluate their strategy. However, advertisers are not willing to pay the same spot rates, as what is paid for other breaks, according to media buyers. The reason for this is that viewership is expected to fall by as much as 70% during this long-break.
Commenting on the strategy break, Rohit Gupta, president (network sales), Multi Screen Media (MSM) said: “As of now, we cannot be sure how long the break is going to be because matches are live. Some part of the strategy break will be used for advertising, but we will have to telecast the strategy discussions live.”
The total FCT is at about 2,600 seconds per match. Those in the business say the seven and half minutes will be split in three parts of two and half minutes each. While the first and third part will air commercials, the one in between will be from the ground.
“The response to spots on IPL has been encouraging. If the break is longer, viewership will drop and advertisers, therefore, will not pay the same amount,” said a media buyer.
Currently, a 10-second spot for IPL is being sold at about Rs 3 lakh. MSM has paid about Rs 4,920 crore for the telecast rights of IPL for a nine-year period.
The global media rights for the tournament were sold to the World Sport Group for Rs 8,200 crore earlier this year.
Modern age was the time of reformation in India as well as in the whole world. After the Mughals invaded India, the British entered the country with an aim to spread their statute in the whole subcontinent. The British brought with them many new ideas and enlightened the Indians. The status of women in modern India is subjected to inconsistency. The Indian women in modern period outshine in certain areas whereas on the other hand she has to suffer the violence of the men dominated society. The condition of Indian women developed in the colonial period. After independence the scope for women increased and Women Education in Modern India widened.
The period and after 1948 in India, highest priority was given to women education. Women Education in Modern India became the major concern for both the government and civil society as educated women can play a vital role in the development of the country. Thus there was a great upsurge in awareness regarding women`s rights among all sections of society. Various developmental programmes and policies were introduced in order to improve the social status of women. Education is creditable as it is beneficial for women as this reduces female infant mortality and child mortality rates.
In India the educational system was modified and three-tier instruction process was developed. All citizens of India are offered the right to education and Women Education in Modern India was opened to a new vista. The structure of Indian education system came into being. Two important structures came into being: formal and Non-Formal Education programme. Various other educational programmes such as online education and distance education were also launched. The main aim of all the educational programmes is to make every girl child of the society literate.
At present, Women Education in Modern India has achieved a new height. Currently, entrance of women in engineering, medical and other professional colleges is overwhelmingly elevated. Most of the professional colleges in the country keep thirty percent of the seats reserved for females. In urban India, girls are opened to a far wider scope then the rural girls.
In cultural reality, the women enjoyed a privileged position in the Vedic period. The women had special customs, rituals and spirituality, with which men were not allowed to interfere. In medieval period though women had to suffer because of various foreign interferences, yet in modern times the condition of women developed gradually. Moreover, Women Education in Modern India increased the intellectuality of the Indian women. Indian history produces famous women saints, healers and priests. For instance Andal, a 6th century A.D. sage and Jnanananda Ma of the 20th century have contributed to the society.
Education is India was introduced in the ancient times and gradually it developed into divergent streams. Educating the people has helped the society to reach the position of a cultured, civilized and enlightened world. Imparting education became distinct. The education system was organized into various levels and Higher Education in India evolved. Higher education is that level of education which is imparted by the universities, vocational universities, community colleges, liberal arts colleges, institutes of technology. Higher education can be of different courses such as technical courses, vocational courses or trade syllabus.
Higher Education in India is guaranteed to all irrespective of caste, creed and sex. Right to education is Human Rights and the United Nations` International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights states that "higher education shall be made equally accessible to all, on the basis of capacity, by every appropriate means, and in particular by the progressive introduction of free education". The higher education system of the country is monitored by an apex body and is indirectly controlled by the Ministry of Human Resource Development. History of Higher Education in India is very extensive. In the ancient days there were Universities and colleges and they used to impart the oldest formal education. The education system in India changed with different invasions.
Education system is India is categorized as a three tier system. The first and basic stage is the pre- primary level that further continues to Primary, secondary and tertiary level. The tertiary level is the post secondary or the phase of Higher Education in India. It is a non compulsory form of education which introduces the students to colleges and universities. These institutions of higher education provide students training on all subjects including science, arts and commerce. The subjects taught take in mathematics, literature, philosophy and astronomy. Colleges in India are funded by central or state governments.
Higher Education in India includes Universities that are affiliated to the state governments or central government. Universities in India are engineering education and business schools that are monitored and accredited by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). Various professional courses are offered by these universities and institutions. The students interested in technology and engineering can enroll in the prestigious IITs in India. The higher education in the country also produces trained business administrators. They get their training in the premier institutions of management and most esteemed among the management institutes are the IIMs in India. Admission to all these professional education colleges is done through all-India common admission tests such as IIT-JEE, AIEEE, CAT and CPMT.
We would like to bring to your kind notice that, Income Tax Return Forms are notified for Assessment Year 2009-10. Department is expected to publish the notification and forms in their website shortly.There is an addition of field in TDS schedule for all the forms, where it asks UTN for every record. No other major changes found in the form till now.
Surprisingly, the Unique Transaction Number [UTN] is expected for deductions on or after April 1, 2009. But Providing in last year return is still a question. In respect of UTN, the forms says:
In order to enable the Income Tax Department to provide accurate, quicker and full credit for taxes deducted at source, the taxpayer must ensure to quote the Unique Transaction Number (UTN) in respect of every TDS transaction. In general the UTN would be printed on the TDS certificate issued by the deductor. However, in case it is not available on the certificate, the taxpayer should separately obtain the UTN either from the deductor or from the website of National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL) at http://www.tin-nsdl.com.
Income Tax Department is yet to give the more information on this.
Rule 49-O is a rule in The Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961 of India, which governs elections in the country. It describes the procedure to be followed when a valid voter decides not to cast his vote, and decides to record this fact. The apparent purpose of this section is to prevent the election fraud or the misuse of votes The Truth about 49-O:
If an elector, after his electoral roll number has been duly entered in the register of voters in Form-17A and has put his signature or thumb impression thereon as required under sub-rule (1) of rule 49L, decided not to record his vote, a remark to this effect shall be made against the said entry in Form 17A by the presiding officer and the signature or thumb impression of the elector shall be obtained against such remark. This Infers that in no case will there be a re polling in the said constituency, however the negative/neutral vote is registered and counted so as to cross check on the total number of votes polled. VoteIndia.in encourages Voters to cast a protest vote in case they feel there is no right candidate to vote for.
Here is what the Election Commission has to say on NEGATIVE / NEUTRAL VOTING:
The Commission has received proposals from a very large number of individuals and organizations that there should be a provision enabling a voter to reject all the candidates in the constituency if he does not find them suitable. In the voting using the conventional ballot paper and ballot boxes, an elector can drop the ballot paper without marking his vote against any of the candidates, if he chooses so. However, in the voting using the Electronic Voting Machines, such a facility is not available to the voter. Although, Rule 49 O of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 provides that an elector may refuse to vote after he has been identified and necessary entries made in the Register of Electors and the marked copy of the electoral roll, the secrecy of voting is not protected here inasmuch as the polling officials and the polling agents in the polling station get to know about the decision of such a voter.
The Commission recommends that the law should be amended to specifically provide for negative / neutral voting. For this purpose, Rules 22 and 49B of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 may be suitably amended adding a provision that in the ballot paper and the particulars on the ballot unit, in the column relating to names of candidates, after the entry relating to the last candidate, there shall be a column none of the above, to enable a voter to reject all the candidates, if he chooses so. Such a proposal was earlier made by the Commission in 2001 (vide letter dated 10.12.2001).
(A petition by the People is Union for Civil Liberties seeking such a provision filed at the time of the recent general elections is pending before the Honíble Supreme Court)
The world’s largest democracy is in the grip of election fever. In less than two weeks, approximately 714 million eligible Indian voters will have the opportunity to elect their leaders. To account for the size of the population and to ensure that security is not diluted across all polling areas, the general elections will be held in five phases over several weeks from April 16th through May 13th, instead of on a single day as in the U.S. Votes will be counted on May 16th and the new government will take its place by June.
Digital and Social Innovation Leveraging Technology
Three levels of technological innovation are in play in the 2009 Indian elections. The first example of increased technology use is the experimentation with social media by political parties and their candidates at the federal and state levels, some of whom have presences on Facebook and Orkut, fairly active blogs, and Twitter feeds. Gaurav Mishra, a Yahoo! Fellow at Georgetown who researches the use of social media in BRIC countries describes their experimentation in detail in the first of three informative posts on Global Voices. The BJP, one of the contending parties, has launched an online ad campaign and also plans to reach out to mobile users through text messaging.
The second area of innovative technology use is in election operations. The Election Commission in Bangalore distributed 30 GPS-enabled mobile handsets to sector officers across the state of Karnataka. The EC will use these handsets to communicate with officers and mobilize them quickly to rush to sensitive polling stations where electoral malpractices or voting conduct violations occur. The EC also built a web reporting system that allows the upload of media clippings and enables officers to easily report voting code violations. India will use one million electronic voting machines, as explained by cofounder of Infosys Nandan Nilekani on The Daily Show, making this one of the largest digital elections in the world.
Inspired by Obama’s tech-savvy, grassroots election campaign, young urban Indians with access to the Internet are designing and participating in voter registration, transparency, and political advocacy campaigns, constituting the third tier of innovative technology use in this election. Mishra’s second post covers the significant activity in this tier in detail. Endorsed by celebrities and popularized through TV ads, these campaigns include discussion forums, content on the candidates and issues, and an active social media presence. Citywide initiatives such as those for Mumbai and Bangalore focus on informing citizens about local MP candidates. Campaign for No Criminals in Politics is an effort worth special mention, given that that a quarter of those elected in 2004 to the Lok Sabha, India’s lower house of parliament, faced criminal charges. National Election Watch, a collaborative effort among 1200 NGOs and citizen groups, is a notable move towards greater transparency.
Corporate Social Responsibility: Citizenship Initiatives
Even Google has jumped on the election bandwagon with the Google India Elections Center developed in partnership with Hindustan Times. Available in English and Hindi, the site allows users to locate their constituencies and polling stations, access election news and candidate quotes, and become better informed of the issues by making available area-specific development data such as urbanization, crime rate, literacy rate, and poverty, among other indicators.
The three largest citizen mobilization campaigns are those backed by corporate houses: Jaago Re supported by Tata Tea, My Idea sponsored by Idea Cellular, and Lead India, backed by The Times of India, India’s largest English language daily. My Idea is an online space for citizens to submit and discuss their ideas to change India. Lead India, which began as a televised talent hunt for India’s next generation of leaders, positions itself as the voice of young India and features active discussion forums on various hot topics. Jaago Re, started by civic-minded youth in their twenties, is most directly tied to the election with its online voter registration facility and FAQs, an issues blog, and election news. Mishra’s third informative post offers in depth coverage of these three corporate backed campaigns.
Attitude Shifts Spark Systemic Innovation
The digital outreach in the 2009 Indian elections partly stems from a growing civic consciousness among young educated urban Indians. The median age in India is just under 25 years and 35% of the population is younger than 15. Why then, Lead India asks, is the youngest country in the world run by the oldest parliament? In a country where the retirement age of 58 does not apply to politics, ministers are well into their 70s and 80s. Citizens across the country, many of them young people, have their own agendas for India’s future and are increasingly concerned about being heard by the higher echelons of an aging government. It is estimated that one in four eligible voters in the upcoming election will be under 30. This renewed belief in the political process is markedly different from Indians’ historically pessimistic attitude towards the government’s ability to create change. Having grown up in Mumbai, I speak from personal experience.
The upper middle class and the rich have historically been particularly apathetic towards politics and voting. Only about 620,000 people of over 2 million in affluent South Mumbai were on the 2004 electoral rolls. However, last November’s heinous terror attacks in this area brought scores of residents to the streets, protesting government negligence and demanding change. Terror attacks are commonplace in India; the country has been plagued by bombings for decades. Yet, until last November, upper middle class urban Indians considered bombings and attacks regrettable but ignorable incidents that didn’t impact their neighborhoods. The 26/11 attacks coupled with the impending elections and burgeoning understanding of India’s place in the new world have catalyzed a paradigm shift in the attitude of young urban Indians towards the power of their vote.
Widespread apathy was not the only barrier to greater participation in the political process. I left India before I reached voting age but my parents and relatives have shared with me their frustrating experiences with voter registration. Registering to vote was a tedious and time-consuming ordeal that involved multiple visits to the local municipal corporation whose bureaucracy was enough to dampen anyone’s spirits and deter the most enthusiastic voter. One had to supply a ration card and other identification, fill out multiple forms, and get proof of residence from one’s housing society or apartment building. In linguistically diverse and cosmopolitan Mumbai, the forms were only available in Marathi (the regional language) and English. Even after surviving the rigmarole, voters would often show up at polling stations only to find their names inexplicably absent from the electoral roles, probably to serve a corrupt scheme designed to favor one or the other candidate. Some of these ‘unregistered’ voters would then attempt to supply identification and forms at the polling booth, to no avail.
Even more transformative than the society-wide shift in civic consciousness is the work of some citizen groups to simplify this daunting voter registration process. Jaago Re provides an online registration survey that automatically generates the appropriate government forms required to vote, based on the personal details entered by the applicant. VoteIndia.in offers electronic downloadable copies of the actual government forms. iVote, an Ashoka Youth Ventures funded initiative, worked with the Chief Electoral Officer of Maharashtra (the state of which Mumbai is the capital) and the NGO Agni to introduce two innovative electoral process reforms: allowing mass collection of the required Form 6 in colleges and accepting college principals’ certification of enrolment for students as proof of age. Students no longer face the deterrent of having to personally deliver their form. Moreover, being able to rely on their colleges to supply proof of age documents further eases the process for student voters. In partnership with Agni, iVote ran college voter registration drives across Mumbai earlier this year. Its activities align with its mission to encourage civic participation and voter registration among upper middle class urban youth and to reform the electoral process for first time voters. By bringing permanent change in the electoral system and demystifying civic processes, the students running iVote have proven themselves to be true social entrepreneurs. Founded in 2007, iVote predates all the voter registration initiatives sparked by election fervor. The success of these efforts is reflected in the 43 million first time voters newly registered on the 2009 electoral rolls - no small feat!
Election Results and Beyond
Interestingly, except for the BJP’s SMS campaign mentioned earlier, there seem to have been no significant mobile voter outreach efforts either by political parties or by concerned citizens. India’s mobile phone penetration grew 25x from 10 million subscribers in 2002 to 250 million in 2008 – compare this to the roughly 42 million internet users as of 2007. Given the deeper mobile penetration, mobile voter outreach might be worth exploring in the run-up to the election. With only 3.7% internet penetration (as of 2007) in India, online voter information and registration services only impact a small, mainly urban segment of the population. Ironically, except for the Google India Elections Center, most of the home-grown voter prep websites are available only in English, making them readable by less than 10% of the population. Though the digital approach to the Indian elections is significant and impressive, it will not greatly impact the election results. The Indian elections will be primarily decided by the poor rural population of the country, many of whom have never accessed a candidate comparison website.
The media excitement around the election is being generated by young urban middle-class Indians who are awakening in masses to their potential to create change and broadcasting their power to the world. It remains to be seen how much of the fervor for change remains post-elections. Government watchdog agencies must care about accountability and transparency beyond the election process and devise ways to keep tabs on these attributes in the next administration. It would behoove the government to consider building an interactive Obama-style rapport with the public. There is need for more organizations like iVote that have proven their sustainability beyond the election season and aim to enlist youth in other areas of democratic participation. The half-billion Indians under the age of 25 can reap what Nilekani calls their ‘demographic dividend’ only if their motivation for change lives beyond the immediacy of elections and the horror of terrorism. They must denounce cynicism as the defining characteristic of a bygone generation and hold on for dear life to their refreshing change in civic-mindedness. It is their attitude that will decide if this century will truly witness India Shining.
These elections are seeing an unprecedented amount of activity on the part of the educated Urban India – Young and Old. There is a never-seen-before sense of wanting change, wanting change from the present to a rosier, better future! 80 Million First time voters and over a 100 urban constituencies could make these elections an election where the urban voter and indeed the young vote count!
The rhetoric and sloganeering of Political parties and a willing media continue unabated and doesn’t make the choice of who to cast your vote for easier and as one young first time voter-to-be asked me quite innocently – how do I decide who to vote for?
Actually the answer to this question is far simpler than you think.
Lok Sabha elections are always a referendum on the incumbent Central Government, in this case in 2009, the Manmohan Singh government! Similarly State elections are a referendum on the performance of the State government! Therefore the question to ask yourself before you vote in the coming days is – Are you happy with the performance of the Manmohan Singh Government over its term or do you want Change?
So either you are amongst those Indians, who have followed the many pages of advertisements in the leading newspapers (paid for by Taxpayers of this country!) and agree that he ran a great government and deserves to be brought back, in which you need to say Welcome back and vote for him/Congress and give him one more term.
Or you are amongst those who think that - a government with each minister pursuing his own agenda, the tragedy of 26/11, of being in government when more lives were lost to terrorism (except Iraq!), the cash for votes enabled confidence vote victory in Parliament, allegations of fixing the Supreme court by its own Political ally, constantly changing political alliances/partners with no constant ideology, a derailed economy with concerns of security and joblessness - are not signs of great achievement (as I do!) then you say Thanks but no thanks to another term and vote him out and get change!
And if you are amongst the second category of Indians, Who do you vote in as the change?
Ask the same questions – With the Taliban at the borders, with failed/ unstable countries all around like Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Sri Lanka around us – Who will provide us the leadership for a secure India? Who can take our economy and the increasing joblessness and revive the economy with strong, decisive steps? Who can take our broken Government and fix it and make it more accountable and responsive to all of us?
Voting is never difficult if you ask the right questions!
One of the most oft used phrases in contemporary Indian politics is secularism – as in “we are a secular front and they are a non-secular front”. The phrase secular was meant to differentiate between those parties that were pro-minorities and respected the secular constitution of our country and those that allegedly (according to the secular parties) did not!
The BJP has been very successfully demonized by the Congress, Left and other ‘secular’ parties in recent years – especially post Godhra – assisted in part by its own actions, conduct and unconvincing answers to questions that were posed to it. I actually think, going into these elections the BJP political space had been squeezed by forcing it into this non-secular, anti-minority space –made worse by the alleged oratory skills of Varun Gandhi.
However, recent events have put a spotlight on the ‘secular’ parties – the Congress and its friends – Hate speeches of Varun Gandhi have been matched by hate speeches by Cong ally Lalu Prasad, Andhra Pradesh Cong President Srinivas and Imran Kidwai! Also, Jarnail Singh and his shoe have woken us all from our slumber and reminded us of the crimes committed 25 years ago, in our Nations Capital against the Sikh community – at a time when there was no Television coverage and media as we know it today - a crime for which in Chidambaram’s words “not enough people have been punished”. There are many such political crimes Meerut, Bhagalpur in our history that remain unpunished and have unfortunately been consigned to the seemingly deep dustbins of our history by all our short memories.
These elections, I think all of us should be telling Political parties that espouse values of secularism to walk the talk and not get taken by the “we are good and they are bad” nonsense that gets tossed around and unfortunately blindly accepted by too many of us. The fact is all our Political parties have stained pasts and blood on their hands! These elections must force our political leaders to help break us from this past of political violence and crime! For the sake of the many innocent lives lost and traumatized, let Maya Kodnani, Jagdish Tytler and Sajan Kumar and their cohorts be tried fairly and fully – and then we can say as a nation we have come to terms at least a little with our past sins! Can we get there? And focus our debate/agenda be about the real challenges and questions that face us? Will we be able to ever do that?
"We have to reach early," I told a friend. "Or else we will never find a place to sit."
Sure enough, even though we reached a good 45 minutes before the actual event, the seats in the first row were occupied.
We contented ourselves by sitting in the second row and discussing what was most likely a "historic moment" - at least for us film journalists - actors Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan on the same podium, speaking in one voice, as "friends".
Keep in mind that these stars were once taking pot shots at each other almost daily in the media, so this sudden camaraderie was somewhat of a bolt from the blue. No wonder then that pretty much the entire press corps was in attendance, and even before the two Khans entered, their agenda was being dissected.
"They are already in the building.. they are discussing what should be said.. Aamir was the one who initiated the talks," were some of the whispers one heard.
Given the anticipation was so great, when the two stars did appear on stage, almost every eye in the room was on them, trying to read between the lines.
Although the topic at hand was the ongoing tussle between producers and exhibitors, it was obvious the real story was the two Khans together on one podium, and each and every action was up for scrutiny.
Why was Shah Rukh looking into space when Aamir was talking? Did Aamir forget to mention any SRK films when he talked about the blockbusters of the decade? Was this a put-on act for the sake of the cameras?
Yes, I know, journalists have an overactive imagination - it's a professional hazard.
Every time, the two Khans even leaned towards each other, a hundred cameras worked overtime, prompting the evening's moderator, filmmaker Karan Johar to remark - "We promise you they will both hug at the end of the conference."
A Mumbai tabloid went one step ahead and asked a well known psychologist to "decode" the body language of the two stars - and the good doctor concluded that it was "an act."
But Shah Rukh Khan said he had "no problems" sitting on the same dais, same car, same house and working in the same film as Aamir, and said all talk of their rivalry was a "non-issue".
Aamir, for his part, said (jokingly, we hope) - "I think we should get out the boxing gloves now."
I think I am going to take that with a pinch of salt. What about you? Do you think these two megastars have actually kissed and made up?
The two main political alliances - UPA led by Congress and NDA led by BJP - have announced their Prime Ministerial candidates. NDA has declared L K Advani as it’s prime ministerial candidate, while Sonia Gandhi has hinted that Manmohan Singh would continue as the PM should the UPA win the coming Lok Sabha elections.
However, noises have started coming from both Congress and BJP on the possibility of different PM candidates. Leaders in Congress, like Pranab Mukherjee, have been touting Sonia Gandhi’s son, Rahul Gandhi, as the next PM .
* Minister hints Rahul Gandhi could be India’s next PM, Reuters India, Jan 9, 2009 * Rahul Gandhi’s birthright, Express Buzz, Jan 10, 2009 * Rahul is perfectly suited for PM’s job: Cong, Press Trust of India, Jan 10, 2009 * Rahul can wait, Sonia backs Manmohan, Times of India, Jan 9, 2009
Former Vice-President and BJP leader Bhairon Singh Shekhawat on the other hand has insisted on contesting the Lok Sabha elections and even questioned the candidacy of L K Advani for the PM post. He has got the backing of NCP, led by Sharad Pawar, for this.
* Shekhawat unrelenting; says will contest Lok Sabha election, Press Trust of India, Jan 10, 2009 * NCP open to Shekhawat as PM, Economic Times, Jan 12, 2009 * I am seniormost in the party, says Shekhawat, The Statesman, Jan 8, 2009 * Shekhawat raises doubts about Advani’s leadership, NDTV.com, Jan 8, 2009
For now, the question has been answered by spokesmen of both parties that there is no change in their PM candidates. However, as we get closer to the elections one can expect more such noises from within both the parties.
Thu 9 Apr 2009, 12:52 PM | Posted by Charles E. Carlson
Thou shall not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of anything that is lent upon usury. Unto a stranger thou may lend upon usury. Deuteronomy 20:19
Lloyd Blankfein, president of Goldman Sachs, spoke Tuesday to the Council of Institutional Investors, a group representing public, corporate and union pension funds, with an estimated $3 trillion in assets.
According to RTTNews, “Much of the past year has been deeply humbling for my industry," Blankfein said, acknowledging it could take years to rebuild the investor confidence lost in the crisis caused partly by industry practices that appear "self-serving and greedy in hindsight.” The story repeats the rumor that Goldman Sachs hopes to return its $10 billion investment from the government under the financial bailout program as soon as possible. Goldman’s stock responded by going up again to $120.00 per share, or about $55 billion in total equity. What would the public do if it knew the company has received as much as $44 billion directly from the taxpayers?
Blankfein is pleading guilty to illegal parking in front of the Treasury building, when in fact, he committed grand theft!
President Blankfein’s contrite admission of greed is a giant lie of omission. Additionally, his associates have just pocketed massive bonuses that had to come from the bailout funds. Numerous reports have traced how much bailout money Goldman has received, and it’s a lot more than $10 billion. “Goldman Sachs, Welfare Queen, Wall Street's most storied firm is surviving on taxpayer dollars” by Daniel Gross, carefully itemizes $22.9 billion mainlined into Goldman’s artery, plus taxpayer guarantees of bonds it sold to the public in the amount of some $21 billion. That alone adds up to 43.9 billion dollars that Goldman would not have but for us, the consumers and taxpayers! (1) (http://www.financialpost.com/executive/story.html?id=1422135) Author Daniel Gross concludes: “People sometimes refer to the firm as Government Sachs because so many of its former employees wind up in high positions in Washington (Robert Rubin, Henry Paulson, etc.). But the sobriquet sticks today because the company is heavily reliant on the government for support. Tally up the various forms of direct and indirect taxpayer assistance Goldman has received in the last several months, and it turns out that you and I are providing billions of dollars to bail out the proud firm. The former undisputed heavyweight champion of the financial services sector has become one of New York's biggest welfare queens.”
There is probably more there to be uncovered. The Federal Reserve System has surreptitiously pumped an estimated $3 trillion into banks and unknown governments, without disclosing to us or to Congress. The Federal Reserve admits they did it but will not disclose who got the money!
The most persistent monitor of Goldman’s heists is Bloomberg.com, which even tried a freedom of information suit to learn who the FED is mainlining. To Bloomberg's credit, it has published one documented story after another. All lead to the conclusion that what Goldman Sachs is reported to have carried home in cash is only the tip of the iceberg. Investors have lost much more due to gross misrepresentation of derivative products. Goldman packaged and peddled derivatives to individuals, pension funds, and institutional investors. Some have become “toxic.” Congress and the Treasury are probably shielding Goldman from private lawsuits. No one knows how many billions, perhaps even trillions, of dollars of liability should fall on the Goldman gang from defrauded investors.
Only this week the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin disclosed on the evening news a heartrending account of its teachers’ retirement fund, 95% of which was lost when it bought broker guaranteed income investment from a well-known Wall Street firm, now toxic derivatives created in a Wall Street bank. Goldman is well documented to be deeply involved in similar high loss deals with defunct American International Groups… losers for the investors while Goldman Sachs profited and secretly bailed out of its own losses.
Bloomberg has also told us that Goldman is now “eyeing” the toxic assets portfolio the Treasury has just purchased from banks. It seems Goldman and others may be allowed to buy them back for a fraction of the cost, dipping in for a third or fourth time, and grinding out new derivatives to give its customers to replace the old fraudulent ones. Mr. Obama can get our money back from Goldman and give it to us! He set a precedent by firing the President of GM; what I suggest is also within his newfound powers. In order to recapture Goldman’s pilfered debt for the taxpayer/consumer, Mr. Obama can order Goldman to pay back every cent right now, or else issue nine shares of Goldman Sachs stock to each of the 112 million heads of American families who file tax returns--a total of about 100 million shares. Every holder could choose to sell or hold his shares, signed by the slippery Mr. Blankfein. Further, if the US Government continues helping Goldman get even more rich, the taxpayers would be participants from the start, at least in theory. The more bailouts to Goldman the more dollars for grass roots America! Mr Obama should love it!
As with GM, so also with Goldman The president (the Romans would call him "the oligarch”) should take a proxy to vote all the new Goldman shares into a temporary Presidential Office of Confiscated Businesses (yes, call it what it is). Voting control over Goldman would thus be immediately vested in the President of the United States. Mr. Blankfein and his fellow executives could live a long time on their 2008 bonuses!
I hope you know your author is not joking. Our government has permitted usurious banks to become more powerful than the auto industry, farming, or all manufacturing combined. Goldman Sachs and a few allies have become huge while feeding off of the usurious printing presses of the Federal Reserve and Treasury. They can afford to issue shares to every American who files a 1099; it would cost in same order of magnitude what Goldman spent on management bonuses in 2009! My conclusion for this story may sound like parody, but I am dead serious. Some might ask how I, as a longtime advocate of small government and individual liberty, can suggest this plan…after all, do I not oppose the anti-christian, anti-Islamic principle of a system of usury run by an oligarchy?
Of course I do. But as we speak, we are in free fall…already over the precipice, all but controlled by an international, usurious corporate banking system that surrounds its Kingfish--the secret Federal Reserve Bank. Let us wake up and admit it.
Let the Oligarch in the White House do something for the people for a change! Perhaps then, if we know he is on our side, and not the side of the bankers, America can be rebuilt from political scratch on principles we once knew but that have been long lost.
We Hold These Truths Project Strait Gate PO Box 14491 Scottsdale, AZ, 85267 http://www.whtt.org 480 947 3329
These days, you can't retire without using the returns from investments. You can't count on your social security checks to cover your expenses when you retire. It's barely enough for people who are receiving it now to have food, shelter and utilities. That doesn't account for any care you may need or in the even that you need to take advantage of such funds much earlier in life. It is important to have your own financial plan. There are many kinds of investments you can make that will make your life much easier down the road.
The following are brief descriptions for beginning investors to familiarize themselves with different kinds of investment options:
401K Plans The easiest and most popular kind of investment is a 401K plan. This is due to the fact that most jobs offer this savings program where the money can be automatically deducted from your payroll check and you never realize it is missing.
Life Insurance Life Insurance policies are another kind of investment that is fairly popular. It is a way to ensure income for your family when you die. It allows you a sense of security and provides a valuable tax deduction.
Stocks Stocks are a unique kind of investment because they allow you to take partial ownership in a company. Because of this, the returns are potentially bigger and they have a history of being a wise way to invest your money.
Bonds A bond is basically a promise note from the government or a private company. You agree to give them a set amount of money as a loan and they keep it for a set number of years with a predetermined amount of interest. This is typically a safe bet and one that is a good investment for a first time investor because there is little risk of losing your money.
Mutual Funds Mutual funds are a kind of investment that are based on the gains and losses of a shareholder. Basically one person manages the money of several or many investors and invests in a list of various stocks to lessen the effect of any losses that may occur.
Money Market Funds A good short-term investment is a Money Market Fund. With this kind of investment you can earn interest as an independent shareholder.
Annuities If you are interested in tax-deferred income, then annuities may be the right kind of investment for you. This is an agreement between you and the insurer. It works to produce income for you and protect your earning potential.
Brokered Certificates of Deposit (CDs) CDs are a kind of investment where you deposit money for a set amount of time. The good thing about CDs is that you can take the money out at any time without paying a penalty fee. We all know life isn't predictable, so this is a nice feature to have in your option.
Real Estate Real Estate is a tangible kind of investment. It includes your land and anything permanently attached to your piece of property. This may include your home, rental properties, your company or empty pieces of land. Real estate is typically a smart and can make you a lot of money over time
MISTAKE ONE : Lack of Knowledge and No Plan It amazes us that some people expect to trade the stock market successfully without any effort. Yet if they want to take up golf, for example, they will happily take some lessons or at least read a book before heading out onto the course.The stock market is not the place for the ill informed. But learning what you need is straightforward – you just need someone to show you the way.The opposite extreme of this is those traders who spend their life looking for the Holy Grail of trading! Been there, done that!The truth is, there is no Holy Grail. But the good news is that you don't need it. Our trading system is highly successful, easy to learn and low risk.
MISTAKE TWO : Unrealistic Expectations Many novice traders expect to make a gazillion dollars by next Thursday. Or they start to write out their resignation letter before they have even placed their first trade! Now, don't get us wrong. The stock market can be a great way to replace your current income and for creating wealth but it does require time. Not a lot, but some. So don't tell your boss where to put his job, just yet! Other beginners think that trading can be 100% accurate all the time. Of course this is unrealistic. But the best thing is that with our methods you only need to get 50-60% of your trades "right" to be successful and highly profitable.
MISTAKE THREE : Listening to Others When traders first start out they often feel like they know nothing and that everyone else has the answers. So they listen to all the news reports and so called "experts" and get totally confused.And they take "tips" from their buddy, who got it from some cab driver… We will show you how you can get to know everything you need to know and so never have to listen to anyone else, ever again!
MISTAKE FOUR : Getting in the Way By this we mean letting your ego or your emotions get in the way of doing what you know you need to do. When you first start to trade it is very difficult to control your emotions. Fear and greed can be overwhelming. Lack of discipline; lack of patience and over confidence are just some of the other problems that we all face.It is critical you understand how to control this side of trading. There is also one other key that almost no one seems to talk about. But more on this another time!
MISTAKE FIVE : Poor Money Management It never ceases to amaze us how many traders don't understand the critical nature of money management and the related area of risk management.This is a critical aspect of trading. If you don't get this right you not only won't be successful, you won't survive!Fortunately, it is not complex to address and the simple steps we can show you will ensure that you don't "blow up" and that you get to keep your profits.
MISTAKE SIX : Only Trading Market in One Direction Most new traders only learn how to trade a rising market. And very few traders know really good strategies for trading in a falling market.If you don't learn to trade "both" sides of the market, you are drastically limiting the number of trades you can take. And this limits the amount of money you can make. We can show you a simple strategy that allows you to profit when stocks fall.
MISTAKE SEVEN : Overtrading Most traders new to trading feel they have to be in the market all the time to make any real money. And they see trading opportunities when they're not even there (we’ve been there too).We can show you simple techniques that ensure you only "pull the trigger" when you should. And how trading less can actually make you more!
Sun 5 Apr 2009, 18:19 PM | Posted by Charles E. Carlson
Israel Defense Forces trains snipers to kill, but who are they trained to target?Many of us had military training at one time or another and the thought of killing a human is something soldiers must be prepared for.But based on the result, something about Israel's sniper training must be very different, for the thought of killing a woman, much less a child, never entered the mind of any soldier I have ever known.
These graduates of IDF sniper school came out wearing t-shirts that promoted killing children, women, and especially graphically about killing pregnant women. (Note 1)
Israel has played the “self defense” card since 1948.It no longer works.The t-shirt orders were approved by officers, or at least by Platoon Sergeant, according to Haaretz.That means the commanders also had to know
Haaretz, the leading daily paper in Israel, broke the t-shirt story soon after it featured another story involving murders in Gaza admitted to by active duty IDF solders, who made it plain that this attitude is not confined to barracks’ latrines talk (Note 2)
The sniper-graduates of the IDF kill school intended that these shirts be seen.They are not ashamed of what they’ve been taught to do and what some of them surely will do; they want to advertise it. Only those who do not want to know can fail to recognize the pride Israel takes in its death culture.Its young men and women are trained and conditioned to hate and kill Arab men, women, and children without reservation.
In recent Haaretz new stories, veterans of the January campaign in Gaza revealed that they see nothing wrong with executions because their leaders expect it of them.
A soldier knows he can get away with any murder, so long as he does not do it at point blank range in front of a camera held by an Arab news service like Aljazeera. If he makes this mistake, then some minimum discipline may make him out as one bad apple in the Israeli barrel.
Israel’s death culture extends beyond the mass killing fields of Lebanon and Gaza. Israelis also kill their own kind with impunity. They have killed many more Jewish Israeli babies (some 20,000 a year or more) than all the Philistine men, women, and children they have shot, burned, and starved in its 60 year life.Israel’s low live birth rate is the principle reason it cannot compete in a democratic society with the Arabs.This should horrify Christian Zionists who claim to be pro-life almost to a man.
Arabs have families in both Israel and Gaza. With rare exceptions, they do not abort their children. Israelis, however, have a high rate of abortion, subsidized by its national government.The most dangerous months of a young Israeli’s life are not those spent carrying a gun in the IDF, but those spent in his mother’s womb.
Blame for the ongoing abuse of the Palestinians rests with the Israelis, with American Zionist Jews, the cowardly Congress, and flagrantly biased, Zionist-monitored media.How many times have you seen the t-shirt story, or the IDF confession story on ABC, NBC, or CBS?Once for ten seconds would be more than expected.
But the real villains who enable Israel’s Death Culture are the 70 million evangelical Christian Zionists who are led by a handful of fanatical leaders who reap huge personal profits from their Israel-worshiping donations and junkets.
“Christian Zionism” is the oxymoronic name we gave this biggest of all cults nine years ago, and it stuck.We defined it as “Those who believe the State of Israel is the fulfillment of biblical prophesy.” Christian Zionists worship Israel and feel they have authority to pronounce curses upon anyone who criticizes Israel.I know, because I have had curses pronounced on me to my face, not to mention the silent ones I have been told about.
Conclusion:
Israel is a dragging anchor weighing down our Ship of State.Once we were a giant luxury liner, and the weight of Israel hanging from our bow was not noticeable; but now we have hit an iceberg and we are taken on water in a rough sea. The dead weight on our bow is enough to sink us.
Israel is lionized by Jewish Zionists and deified by the American Christian Zionists movement, but is not respected by one else in the world. Every government including ours knows this and most say it. Evangelical Christian Zionists can also no longer afford their love affair with Israel because it is a toxic ungodly affection that abandons traditional Biblical values. (Note3)
The American Government must cut loose the anchor and let Israel sink to its natural level; but for this to happen evangelical Christians must let go of the anchor chain.Israel’s Death Culture was always there, but it has been exposed in Gaza and Lebanon, and even the American media cannot put it back in the bottle. It is time to end Israel’s free ride on America’s bow.
What can we do personally about Israel’s Death Culture?Tell your Congressman you blame him for the blood and lives lost.Refuse to purchase products of any kind that are imported from or use materials from Israel; check labels or ask merchants and let them know what you’re doing; withdraw your patronage from anyone who supports Israel. Ask local merchant, then walk out if they do.
Followers of Christ should not take a tour to Israel until it grants full equality to the Palestinians. Tourism supports Israeli killing. If you know a church that offers tours, go to members, including the tour leader and the pastor, and show them why they should stop!
There is no doubt that Indian money is being deposited at foreign bank and this has been continuing since long. Government of India has come out so many times in the past with schemes for voluntary disclosure of black money. It is government who first frame such rules which forces businessman to hide income and hoard black money either in Indian bank in fictitious name or in foreign based Swiss bank. Again it is government who instead of punishing the creator and hoarder of black money gives him an opportunity to get rid of punitive action under Voluntary Disclosure Schemes.
This is why businessmen hide money at foreign bank and always wait for new scheme for Voluntary disclosure and get immunity from legal action. Wrong culture has been inculcated in businessmen by the government only and it is bitter truth and undeniable fact that under such schemes officers and politicians also get an golden opportunity to convert black money ( earned by bribe and unfair means) into white money.
Black money is produced in Indian economy at greater speed than real white money. This black money is also invested in real estate or in Gold or in shares where ample opportunity is still available to conceal the black income. It is due to black money that in India all landed property , apartments, flats, commercial houses, shops or any type of building are traded at two rates , one for black money and one for white money. Flat of value of Rs.30.00 lacs will be sold in Rs. 10.00 lacs as while money and residual Rs. 20.00 lacs as black money for which no receipt is issued by seller of property. Registered deed is constructed for value of Rs.10.00 lac only. As such there is huge black money in Indian economy flowing for years and years without any interruption. Obviously real estate sector is the safest heaven to park black money for officers and traders as well.
After all, black money is the real engine of growth in all sectors. Even politicians will not survive if they do not take black money as donations from businessmen and servicemen .Political workers collect donations from all rich houses without issuing any bill or receipt or you can say without accounting for the same. Political parties account for money only to that extent which is received by cheque from big corporate houses.
It is an open secret that nine out of ten big and attractive houses built in any town or village is built by black money. An honest servicemen or true businessmen abiding all Income Tax rules strictly cannot imagine of having a house worth living. Most of luxurious cars are purchased only by those persons who have illegal income more than legal income.
Government need not therefore go to Swiss bank to verify and demand black money parked there. There is no need to place the matter at G20 meeting to demand disclosure of deposits of Indian parked in Swiss Banks. If there is strong will Government may get the culprit here itself and discover black money at least hundred times of what they suppose to be parked in foreign bank. But who will take such initiative seriously is the million dollar question. When all officers, political workers and all business houses are working in unison and in collusion with each other, none has guts to take strong initiative to stop the unhealthy practice flourishing in India for decades and decades. After all who will bell the cat when all are birds of the same feather?
Spiritual heritage of India is all well known in the whole world. India is still respected for its spiritual achievements. Two ancient religions of the world, Hinduism and Buddhism, have their origins in India. Yoga and Ayurveda are two major disciplines of health and hygiene with wide following throughout the world and they have their practices lined with spiritualism. Let us not mistake spiritualism for religion. Spiritualism is universal and religion is specific. Religion is the outcome of spiritualism. Interestingly it is also a path to spiritualism. At the pinnacle of spiritualism, there exists no specific religion. We know of many spiritualists who are non-believers. Atheism is accepted as a part of many religions including Hinduism. In fact it helps to start as a believer to become an agnostic. Agnostics are in a way spiritual. Ethics, etiquettes and values were all formulated out of some kind of spiritualism.
But in modern India, the tradition of spiritual thinking is severely endangered. It is very painful to see that all the non-believers have joined together as a group of pseudo-secularists and with other so-called secular politicians and intellectuals they act against the whole dharmic fabric of India. There is no surprise that their first targets are the ethics and values of Hindus, the majority community of India. We may notice the glee in their eyes, while they celebrate any discomfiture undergone by majority Hindu community. This trend has lead to the decay of spiritual values, which eventually leads to all kinds of extremisms, including Islamic and naxalite terrorisms. It appears that our Dharma, and in fact, the whole aanmik (spiritual) values are in grave danger. Not only Hindus, even other aanmik movements including Islam, Christianity and Budhhism should take grave note of this trend. Even though these nastik forces may now appear to appease other religions, it is high time the leaders of other religions realize that these forces are against all aanmik convictions including Islam and Christianity. Many political parties in India and especially in Tamil Nadu are in the same anti-aanmik mood. This spells danger for the entire civilization of the world including India. Here comes my humble appeal to leaders of all major communities in India, be they Mullahs, be they Sanakaracharyas or be they Arch Bishops. To save India from these non-aanmik forces, these community leaders should start a new movement which should totally partake in open political activity by supporting those who believe in dharmic values. I even have thought of a name for this movement – Anmika Mamandram. In the next elections, be it for Assemblies or Loksabha, this Anmika Mamandram (shortly AANMA), should support candidates with dharmic values. AANMA may include dharmic people from all communities including Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and other minority communities. AANMA should give strong and open support to dalits and backward communities. This is the only way to keep other anti-social and political exploiters, away form these vulnerable communities.
On the eve of the second season of Indian Premier League (IPL), the duration of the strategy break has increased from five minutes to seven-and-a-half minutes. The strategy break is taken after every ten overs. Sources familiar with the development said five minutes in all of the total seven and a half minutes will be free commercial time (FCT) with the balance being live content.
Three levels of technological innovation are in play in the 2009 Indian elections. The first example of increased technology use is the experimentation with social media by political parties and their candidates at the federal and state levels, some of whom have presences on Facebook and Orkut, fairly active blogs, and Twitter feeds. Gaurav Mishra, a Yahoo! Fellow at Georgetown who researches the use of social media in BRIC countries describes their experimentation in detail in the first of three informative posts on Global Voices. The BJP, one of the contending parties, has launched an online ad campaign and also plans to reach out to mobile users through text messaging.
We contented ourselves by sitting in the second row and discussing what was most likely a "historic moment" - at least for us film journalists - actors Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan on the same podium, speaking in one voice, as "friends".
