I am not saying whether it is right or wrong - for that is NOT the way to look at this.

Displacing farmers out of their farmland is the neo-liberal economic growth model - prescribed by World-Bank so that India can throw away its agrarian economy and embrace the new world order.

Is India poor?

Its a good question but when you look at the records of how much black money the corrupt and the rich have stashed away in Swiss banks, you realize that the amount of "dirty money" is more black money than the rest of the world combined!! The figure is $1.5 Trillion (~ 13% of world's total $11.5 trillion).

And here is the sad part:

The USD 11.5 trillion of assets held offshore would generate a return of about USD 860 billion a year at a 7.5% rate of return, and a consequent tax loss of USD 250+ billion for sovereign nations, more than three times the OECD countries' official development assistance to the entire world.

There is a reason why the tax system and law policing in India should be better! Despite being the country with the largest booty stashed in off shore accounts, India still has been growing substantially! Imagine if all this wealth could have been harnessed for the country's use?

Surprisingly, India -- still regarded as a poor country by many -- has USD 1.5 trillion in Swiss banks, which is more black money than the rest of the world combined. This is thought to be unaccounted money earned in India by inappropriate means as otherwise any Indian citizen or corporation wishing to open a bank account abroad has to take permission from the Reserve Bank of India and records do not show any such permissions granted for deposits in Switzerland. A 2006 report of the Swiss Banking Association claims Indians are the biggest depositors of black money in banks located in Switzerland. Top five countries in terms of such deposits are:

India: USD 1,456 billion
Russia: USD 470 billion
United Kingdom: USD 390 billion
Ukraine: USD 100 billion
China: USD 96 billion

A few policemen in New York city saw a homeless Guatemalan immigrant dying on the roadside. What do you think they did?

(i) take him to hospital emergency
(ii) stood around joking about him and laughing away while he was dying?

Well, it was the second! They were taped chuckling and joking - making fun of Rene Perez while he was dying. And what do you think the Police Chief comes and tells everyone?

"We are not callous or indifferent."

Oh yeah???!!! Maybe he doesn't get English or simple things in life.. but these cops in NYC are just clueless about life and intelligence in general! I am not sure how the New Yorkers can keep such lawless idiots in their midst as their law enforcers!

Police officers were taped joking about a dying, homeless Guatemalan immigrant after he was found on the side of a deserted road in their suburban town, a TV station reported.

Just in.... after so many other scandals.. here is another scandal that involves the thoroughly corrupt Bush Administration! See the process below in a Drishtikone presentation....

What is happening is this:

The lucrative arrangements are known as "monitorships," unusual contracts in which an outsider comes into a troubled company with vast power to expose corruption and change business practices. The deals allow scandal-plagued companies to avoid criminal charges -- and they give prosecutors a way to ensure businesses keep their promises and clean up abuses. But legal experts and lawmakers are expressing growing concern about inconsistency and secrecy surrounding the appointments.

Thomas Edison - as a person - was never really "Above board"! He was at times unscrupulous and was more interested in personal gains than science and its advancement! He could go to any lengths to discredit others and take credit for himself for even things done by others. Nikolas Tesla was working in his office as an employee and he is credited to have done most of the inventions, but Edison was the one who took the credit! Here is an example of how he used Tesla - a Slovenian immigrant!

Rs 153 crores that should have been in the Post Office savings accounts in the name of poor people are no longer there. They have simply vanished or were never deposited! All with the knowledge and connivance of the Post office administration!

This is PRECISELY the reason why the Government employees should not be handling private money! They have never handled tax money properly ever.. so why should one even deposit any paisa in the post offices. I still remember these places are as corrupt as they come! I remember my Mother telling me long back that to simply take your OWN money out of these savings account, you have to bribe the guy on the counter! Such absolutely LOWEST level of corruption exists only in African countries like Nigeria. But that is what these idiots are.. the lowest of the lowliest.

TOI has learnt that the post office savings bin is leaking. In three years, Indians across the country have lost a mind-boggling Rs 153,22,06,773.25. That's over Rs 153 crore. In most cases, the fraud appears to have been perpetrated by agents acting hand-in-glove with PO officials. The agents take money from would-be depositors and channel it elsewhere.

Netherlands is one country where Coccaine and Prostitution is legal. And it does not mean that these two evils are more in this nation. Others where they are banned, it is a greater problem. Same goes for the ban on alcohol in Gujarat. Arguably, in no state of India is liquor - from the black market - consumed as much as in Gujarat! And there are no safe-guards!

Now, bribing is also an evil in India. Here comes a Municipal Commissioner (Ajay Shankar Pandey) in Ghaziabad who has made Bribery LEGAL.. yes legal in his city. So, you dont have to push the money "under the table". Contractors simply issue a cheque!

For all the talk against adultery and severe - actually inhuman - punishments in Islam and specifically carried out in Arab states, the Arab men are remarkably adulterous! Everyone knows about the Sheikhs from Saudi Arabia and other countries - how they travel to Asian countries to satisfy their urges.

Now, here is Libyan leader Qaddafi openly requesting 200 attractive French females in his tent while he will be there to sign a nuclear agreement!

Suchitra Krishnamurthi talks about the power of the Pink color.. and provides links to this story of women of Banda area in UP who are dressed in pink (or is it purple?) and call themselves "Gulabi Gang". They strike fear in the hearts corrupt politicians and officials by going on protests. Hundreds of women are part of this gang. Cool concept huh? If they were in the US, they would have already started a comic strip or written a racy TV series on it..

The several hundred vigilante women of India's northern Uttar Pradesh state's Banda area proudly call themselves the "gulabi gang" (pink gang), striking fear in the hearts of wrongdoers and earning the grudging respect of officials.

Today I talked about Belgium having no National Government running the country for last 6 months. Now here is an example of an entire FAKE Municipal Government office running in Jhansi in UP! They had employed people and were issuing certificates and doing work normally until the people in that office complained to the seniors in the REAL office that they hadn't gotten any salary! Hmmm... the "seniors" thought, do we have an office in that town? Well, if we dont function there, how the heck are you to get paid? Because YOUR office IS running, dummies!

This is the lowest any employer can possibly get to! And who do you expect but WALMART! Walmart is the lowest of the lowest in human principles... it just looks at its profits. PERIOD! This one company is so much responsible for totally upstaging US with China as the major economy that the coming generation will wonder why didn't anyone ever question this company? Just as East India Company was so directly responsible for colonization of India, Walmart will get that honor for destroying the US economy in the final analysis.

Just read this story carefully:

This is a usual problem with the Indian legal system. I believe some analysis should be done and the areas where more cases are pending and which create major mess (say, like property) should have a distinct and separate legal sub-system created.. just for it! It is time to branch off the stress to new sub systems.. rather than to burden the existing system!

The judges are overworked, the infrastructure is shabby and the judicial system is creaking at several levels, especially in subordinate courts.

It took US until 1960's to give women permission to vote, while India gave it as soon as we were independent! Here is a mad woman, Ann Coulter, as crazy as they can possibly come - who is the toast of Republican crowd - who believes that women should not vote because they have lesser brains! And the reason why Republican party of the US is a smarter party because more men vote for it!

She is also surprised that a light bulb could make Oceans warmer. She thinks that even primitive people would laugh at that. Well, sure they would! Because they would not know - just as she does not... being the stupid female that she characterizes other women to be - that light bulb is run by electricity.. and it takes carbon at most times to get those electrons going.. which hurts the ozone and so the Oceans get warmer.

Anti Dowry Act in India was enacted to protect women from becoming victims of dowry greed and to punish those who tortured and even killed brides for dowry. But it seems that some empowerment has gone awry and increasingly en are getting the wrong end of the anti dowry law.

There are dozens of cases of husbands and in-laws being thrown into the slammer on the mere accusations of torture for dowry.According to Orissa's (India) State Commission for Women it is only the tip of the iceberg. The Number of such atrocities against men by women is rising.

This is also becoming a common practice in the Metros of India. A know a classic case of this kind. The wife in the garb of the anti dowry act deprived the husband from meeting his new born daughter for full five months. The intervention of relatives and the decision of the husband to seperate drove sense into the minds of the girl and family.Very recently the couple has been blessed with a son.

Kalahandi in Orissa is one of the poorest districts and where people regularly face starvation - which the Government vehemently denies! The truth is that the food hardly reaches the starving and hungry. But even that knowledge does not provide the utter unhuman behavior of the Indian babus in this area of utter hopelessness! Here is what is happening:

Remember in our school we were told that Marconi discovered wireless? Well, it turns out that was nonsense! It was really Jagdish Chandra Bose. Marconi usurped the credit to himself.. and the Western world complied because Bose was a citizen of colonized people! (MIT paper . Sciencemag) [Chronology of Events].

Well, that wasn't the only thing for which the Europeans just took the credit shamelessly. Now it turns out even Calculus was invented at least 250 years before Newton in India! (We all know that don't we?). Newton just seemed to have stumbled on it a few centuries late.. (or stolen from the various manuscripts of Indian scriptures that were stolen anyways - who knows??). [story credit to Raj]

Remember the racket in fake currency run in India sponsored by the "friendly neighborhood" ISI (Pak Intelligence agency)?? (Headlinesindia . Yahoo)

Well.. you know all that is correct and you are truly in Pakistan when the ATMs of even the top banks start giving away fake local currency (Pakistani Rupee) to its own customers!!! THAT is the height of corruption and proof enough of the complicity of that countries top folks in this world-wide racket!

Har Shaakh par uloo baitha hai;
anjaam-e-gulistaan kya hoga.

Barbaad-e-gulistaan karne ko;
bas ek hi uloo kaafi hai.

(There is an owl on every branch;
wonder what is the future of such a garden.
For to destroy a garden completely;
Only ONE owl will suffice!)

Yesterday US President George Bush pardoned Scooter Libby from going to jail. The combine of Dick Cheney, Bush, Libby and others had put a big part of the US Intelligence in danger by compromising the identity of one Intelligence operative. Libby was the fall guy. Or so people thought. Until Master Bush came to his rescue. It was all stage managed. And it shows most spectacularly the extent and amount of corruption that is prevalent in the US!

Why is important?

Every great society has some unwritten rules that are followed with a "gentleman's" grace. They neednt be written into the books but be understood. The reason: More rules make a society rigid and therefore less successful. Unwritten rules set a tradition that is useful.

But sometimes a fool comes along and crosses all lines and in turn makes rigid rules a NECESSITY.

Did you know that Mahatama Gandhi was an athlete? That he was participating in the Indian National Games for 20 km walk event as late as February 2007? The Indian Olympic Association President has even issued the late Mahatama Gandhi a certificate of participation for the event!

Amazing these days its difficult for 60 year olds to walk and Gandhi is busy participating in National Games 60 years AFTER his death!! He was kinda special.. wasn't he?

courtesy: Hindustan Times

Congress has led and governed the country in a very questionable fashion since our independence. Even now. If this story is true then some senior ministers and, indeed Indira Gandhi were on the payroll of the CIA! Throwing out the communists from Kerala was a good thing.. but there were several other things that they could have done bad.. In fact, some influential politicians were also on the payroll of KGB.

Good for these F***ing B***ards!! Both of them should be should be disallowed to practice any further! In fact more and more such stings should happen.

The Supreme Court Bar Association on Monday suspended senior advocates R K Anand and I U Khan, who were shown by a TV channel allegedly influencing a witness in the sensational BMW case.

Show-cause notices were also issued to the two advocates as to why action should not be taken against them, SCBA President P H Parekh said.

The decision was taken at the meeting of the association's executive committee. The SCBA action came two days after Bar Council of Delhi also issued show-cause notices to the two advocates asking them to respond by July 20.

Finally someone shows what we all suspected forever! These lawyers - specially the senior ones have been taking money and compromising on justice! I am not sure what this Anand guy - he is a senior lawyer, btw in Delhi - talking to his opponent lawyer on how to help him.. I am sure it wasn't motivated by his suddenly found love for that lawyer. Somewhere along the line a quid-pro-quo happened!! And before RK Anand started thinking or talking along those lines... money would have been delivered to his door already!! That is a safe assumption. Now, how much he jeopardized his client's case is anybody's guess and how much he cheated him can be debated. But he definitely has lost a lot of reputation as has Khan. Having worked on a case (civil one) in Delhi High Court, I would strongly say that you keep a sharp eye on your lawyer!

What is wrong with people? Why does one have such a mean streak in him/her? These idiots were millionaires.. so why would they treat someone so bad? I can understand that they would not want to pay someone enough.. because they are so blinded by money.. but denying food? And beating people? That just doesnt make sense!! But oh well!!

Btw, look at her bloody face!! If the guilt wasn't proved by those filipinos, I will give her sentence (if I were the jury) just for looking so bitchy!! She looks soooo mean... ready to enslave anyone.. most probably, she must be thinking how to beat those filipinos up for venturing out and telling the world.. her expression says it all!! :-)

These are today's headlines from HT..

Despite the fact that India is probably the only country where a Death Penalty can be given for rape... its capital, Delhi, is also the capital of Rape! Shameful rape cases come to light. Priyadarshini Mattoo was a prominent one where the well connected was accused who was acquitted by the Trial Court.. but awarded Death Penalty by the High Court!

But many just go un-noticed!

Here is some sense of the stats in this area.. two things stand out: 1. The incidents are too many!! 2. Chances that the rapist is known to the victim are the highest! Specially relatives and neighbors!

A woman is raped in the Indian capital every 24 hours and, in an overwhelming majority of cases registered by police in the last six months, the rapists were known to the victims.

These are among the startling findings of an extensive analysis of 2,359 rape cases registered by Delhi Police between early 1999 and June this year.

Former South African Cricket star and a friend of Bob Woolmer is certain that he was killed due to his knowledge of the match-fixing world... by the bookies themselves! Also, notice how he talks about the death of Hanse Cronje, who was killed in a plance crash - inexplicably! The world of match fixing is far more complex than you and I think it to be! It is a fairly dangerous thing!

"He was very aware of match fixing. He'd witnessed it and he knew what goes on with it," Rice told ninemsn. "It's the only reason he would be killed."

Rice speculates that following Pakistan's shocking World Cup loss to Ireland on St Patrick's Day, Woolmer may have confronted his team with allegations of match-fixing.

"His reputation got hauled through the coals because of these bad performances. He might have challenged some of the players that this was going on."

It is being said that Bob Woolmer the Paki cricket coach was in the process of writing a book on his life, specifically the coaching aspect. And some say he might have been thinking of exposing the match-fixing world of Pakistan. One person has said that there were some suspicious "movement" in the betting world a month before the Pak-Ireland match.. which Pakistani team lost against all odds!

Meanwhile why does Mushtaq - Pakistan's Assistant coach have bruise on his nose? And team manager Talat Ali change his room the night after the murder under a fake name? Hmm .. Interesting..

Bob Woolmer had planned to write about his experiences as coach of Pakistan as part of a book based on his coaching experiences around the world. He had asked several writers to collaborate, including Ivo Tennant, co-author of Woolmer's original autobiography, and Osman Samiuddin, Pakistan editor, cricinfo.com.

Woolmer made Samiuddin the offer in an email on September 18 last year and revealed that he only planned to write it after the World Cup. "I am going to write a book on my tenure as Pakistan coach," Woolmer wrote to Samiuddin, "and wanted [a Pakistan collaborator - hopefully yourself] also an SA and English one as well so that I can cover probably one of the more interesting periods of my cricket career.

Are the rural programs for development useful? Do they work? Rajiv Gandhi said only 15% of the money given out makes it to the poor. I remember once listening to an Indian economist who said that if the money given todate (that was 1987) for constructing hand pumps in Bihar had actually been used for the purpose, every inch of Bihar would have been covered by a hand pump!! The corruption in this area is endemic. CAPART, the government's donor organization gives money to the NGOs for development projects.... you need to be a 3 year old registered NGO for that. And the money given by CAPART is almost free money! So, 3-yr old NGOs have been given in dowry in Bihar!!

Gucharan Das is a management guru and former chief executive based in Delhi.

I sat with him in the garden of his home in an affluent Delhi suburb, his words interrupted by the piercing cries of the birds.

"We just do not have the delivery mechanisms," he said. "The thing everyone quotes is what Rajiv Gandhi once said: that only 15% reaches the poor."

He shook his head sadly. "But now there are people who doubt whether even 15% reaches the people it is intended to reach."

Mr Das is not the only person worried about implementation. One of the ironies is that India's poorest states which need the scheme most are generally its worst governed too.

After talking to Mr Das, I travelled overnight to the heart of Uttar Pradesh, a vast state, India's most populous and one of its poorest.

If you have ever flown Air Deccan, you would know how bad it is. I have flown it once and it was like a fish market!! There was no security worth its name.. there was this old lady who was sitting there on the wheel chair, whom nobody knew who brought her in and whoever did had taken all or substantial money from her and gone! First off the bat, as I was checking in.. to get my boarding pass, there was a big fight as passengers from other flight were angry that their flight was cancelled, so they wanted to close all other counters! And they meant business in the wrong manner!

It was a miracle that I could go in. And when I was in - apart from that old lady - there were many instances that gave rise to total chaos! There were 6 flights taking off from two gates with just 2-3 people at different times, trying to manage the entire crowd! There were times when people would crowd those two reps from Air Deccan to stop them from sending any plane to a destination that was different from theirs! Amazing? Yeah! It was!

In plain words - Air Deccan is a Grave Threat to the Indian National Security!

Jalianwala Bagh Massacre was perpetrated by the British against Indians in Amritsar. According to private sources, over 1000 were shot in cold blood! Every one was aghast at the murders.

Today we are free. Sadly, last week India had its yet another "Jalianwala Bagh" moment. This time the perpetrator was the our own Government. At least 14 people were killed and 70 injured in Nandigram, about 150 km southwest of Kolkata, on Wednesday in police firing.

This is the same Government that beats its chest about it being the "champion" of the poor and against commercial interests! Why did they do it for? To beat back a protest against industrialization in West Bengal! These sick and dastardly idiotic communists in India should be put in a long camp - tough one - to teach them that India is NOT communist China.. but democratic India!! And there is a goddamn difference between the two!