The pen is mightier than the sword ..

Pilot Baba and other con-men

2007-05-06T15:00:00.000-04:00

India certainly doesn't have a shortage of con-men who fool the public repeatedly in the name of religion. It amazes me that not only the illiterate,poor and uneducated, but also educated and affluent are fooled by these people. Some of these people therefore are extremely powerful and well connected politically. CNN-IBN has done commendable work in exposing some of these people, but as expected has been accussed of insulting Hindus and Hinduism.
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/india/05_2007/as-godmen-turn-conmen-vhp-looks-away-taxman-fumes-39860.html#

Kisses and Courts

2007-04-26T18:46:00.000-04:00

This whole Richard Gere kissing Shilpa Shetty controversy has been ridiculous right from the beginning, but the arrest warrant issued by the Jaipur additional magistrate is shocking and a gross misuse of the judicial system. It has rightly triggered an outrage among India's top legal experts who called it a "cheap publicity stunt" that bordered on "judicial indecency".
The magistrate apparently watched a CD of the function where the 'offending' act took place and pronounced that the act (which was a hug and a few kisses on the cheek )was "sexually erotic" and "indecent".... obviously he hasn't seen any recent bollywood movies , if he had quite a few actors and actresses would be charged following his logic.
The ruling has been criticised by former attorney-general Soli Sorabjee as reminiscent of the "Taliban moral police". He goes on to say that "the order is totally unsustainable and makes us look ridiculous." Other top legal experts have said that this is yet another instance of "hounding orders on frivolous complaints" and expressed a view that the act was not one "to deprave the morality of the nation".
I too support the general view that the ruling is incorrect and makes a mockery of the Indian judiciary and , that the high court should take 'suo motu' notice of the order and quash it.

The Art of Deception

2007-04-26T18:29:00.000-04:00

If I had read about the dean of a prestigious university in India resigning after nearly three decades at the uni , because of revelations that she had fabricated her academic records, I wouldn't have been too surprised. But the fact that the university in question is the prestigious MIT makes this not only shocking but quite funny to a certain extent!
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/26/education/26cnd-mit.html?_r=2&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Women and choices

2007-04-20T17:16:00.000-04:00

I admit I didnt follow the recent Supreme Court ruling on partial birth abortions as closely as I would normally have, because my mind like that of most of the United States and the world has been focussed on VT. But the article I read concerns me - in fact like the author, as a woman, I too am outraged by the decision. With even the 'less conservative' Republicans like Rudy Guiliani supporting this ban, its quite alarming to think what a Republican victory will mean for women's reproductive rights in the United States -

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18234963/site/newsweek/from/ET/

More perspectives

2007-04-20T16:52:00.000-04:00

I thought I'd write some more today... Although I'd rather be writing on my blog rather than writing my European Union law coursework, the latter beckons since I really do want to graduate this summer!
But here are some interesting and thought provoking articles I read-
The Economist has once again shown itself to be worthy of my regard ;)http://www.economist.com/opinion/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=9040170

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18217741/site/newsweek/

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1612492,00.html

Perspectives

2007-04-19T17:16:00.000-04:00

On the day of the shooting a friend , who is a phd student was locked in the computer lab in another building for safety - he was trying to find out what was happening from the internet news sites. I was just relieved he was safe.
But each day after the shooting has been awful as more details have been revealed -
Yesterday when I saw the picture of Prof. Loganathan - the Indian prof who was killed I felt physically sick because I knew him - you never imagine such a thing could happen to someone you knew - he was a wonderful man - I first met him at the ISA Association Diwali function and then met him a number of times later. He always stopped and talked to to me on campus to asked me how I was doing and how I was finding American university life. Apparently he was friendly with all newcomers.
Then I heard that an acquaintance was in the classroom that the israeli professor was shot in - he was among the students who jumped out of the window on the grass - he hurt his leg but is safe now.
Today, I saw the detailed map of the building on nytimes.com- the room where most people were killed - 207 Norris - was a class I can never forget- it was my TA class C Programming.
Often when you read about awful incidents you read them objectively like a third person but I guess your perspective shifts when you know people involved or if you have a close connection with the place....

VT

2007-04-19T16:50:00.000-04:00

I know I haven't blogged for ages ... I've been really busy with uni work etc and wasn't too inspired to write something voluntarily beyond the loads of compulsory coursework. The events of the last few days have disturbed me enough to blog again...
Virginia Tech -- a school known for engineering and college football has now become a household name for the worst possible reason - a horrific tragedy where 33 lives were lost on 16th April 2007.
I lived in Blacksburg during my first two years in the United States when I attended VT. Blacksburg was an idyllic univerisity town and the small and secure community helped me to made it easier to adjust to university life in a foreign country. Blacksburg was the safest place I have lived in the US- so much so that I could not believe it when I initially heard the news of the shooting on Monday - I was convinced it was the Northern VA campus near DC until I saw the coverage of the campus on TV. I have wonderful memories of Virginia Tech and Blacksburg as a beautiful and peaceful place. My friends and I often complained Blacksburg was boring but the word unsafe never came to our minds- after all it was a huge joke that the crime of the year was the theft of a bike being stolen which had actually been reported in the Collegiate Times! Thats the way a university should be - a safe haven for students - where they come to gain an education without fearing for their lives.
Over the next few days the press will write loads more about the killer, his motives, his mental state etc - the liberal press may write on the fact that VA has the most lax gun laws in the country - anyone can buy guns (ask me - I lived near the NRA headquarters in Fairfax, VA) but unless the government actually acts or does something seriously about access to guns or gun control theres a limitless potential for more tragedies to occur at universities and schools by pyschos who have access to heavy duty guns!

self imposed hiatus

2005-06-20T20:17:00.000-04:00

I just realised that my last blog was over 3 months back! That got me thinking about my self imposed hiatus from blogging - am I too busy or have I become too indifferent to things around me that I'm not outraged enough to blog anymore? Maybe I'm just lazy :)

Outdated Laws ??

2005-03-30T15:05:00.000-05:00

I was pretty amused when Aki sent me this article about a law against cohabitation in NC.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/03/29/cohabitation.lawsuit.ap/index.html
The article said that NC was one of the 7 states with such a law. Also in these states convicted offenders faced a fine and upto 60 days in jail. Out of mere curiosity I googled "law against cohabitation" and found this link http://www.unmarriedamerica.org/News-About-Us/Anti-cohabitation.htm
It seems the 7 states with laws against cohabitation are Florida, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Virginia and West Virginia. Arizona and New Mexico "de-criminalized" cohabitation in 2001. (how progressive!)
So I guess this makes a lot of people I know * closely * law breakers;)
I *cannot* believe that these laws still exist even today. Even the county authorities don't take the law seriously I guess , because they don't prevent people who cohabit from buying a home together.. they can do that under federal law as "tenants-in-common".
Oh I really really need to move across the river now..

Pro Life

2005-03-22T18:47:00.000-05:00

While the whole country is engaged in debates on whether Terry Schiavo's feeding tube should be disconnected,with the pro-life lobby saying its a "sin" to take a life away, the horrible shooting incident in MN yesterday that claimed 10 lives(including the life of the shooter) seems to be a secondary issue. The shooter in question , a 16 year old named Jeff Weise, shot his grandfather ( a veteran police officer) and his companion, stole additional weapons , a holster, bullet-proof vest and the squad car and then proceeded to Red Lake High School, where he shot the security guard and opened fire on the students. He finally ended the carnage by shooting himself in the head. This is the worst shooting since Columbine in 1999. To be fair, the media is covering this incident avidly, and the President did issue a statement expressing "regret" over the incident. But I'm sure that nothing will happen beyond this - whatever details are revealed by the police and whatever recommendations are made to enhance security, Congress won't meet with the urgency they did for Terry Schiavo ( to appease the pro-life social conservatives and evangelists) . In fact no "real" steps will ever be taken since it would involve stricter gun laws and that would provoke outrage among the NRA and gun lobby. Unfortunately in a country where people who are pro-life go to any extent to prevent lives from being "lost" through abortions and euthanasia, so many more lives are "lost" every year because of opposition to gun restrictions by most of the same people.

Cheney-isms

2005-03-07T12:48:00.000-05:00

Pretty funny ... check it out -
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/07/opinion/07seely.html

Cows sell!

2005-03-01T11:47:00.000-05:00

After the failure of their mantra of "India shining" and subsquent disarray in the party, the BJP's gone back to what made it popular in the first place .. hindutva and ... cows..
Their souvenir store in Delhi sells cow products apart from the usual party memorabilia (like wall clocks with Vajpayee's face on them!) . The cow products include medicines which are advertised as "miraculous cures" to everything from cancer , diabetes, constipation and "ladies diseases". And this was the party that ruled us for 5 years and boasted of its focus on education , science and technology and taking India into the 21st century..
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1037082.cms

A twist in the tale

2005-02-24T17:30:00.000-05:00

The story's getting more convoluted (read previous post).. we should make a bollywood movie on this- Saurabh now says he appeared for an examination conducted by Oxford University, UK to study at NASA. Huh?
http://us.rediff.com/news/2005/feb/24pradhan.htm

Update : Oxford University denies holding such an exam!
http://headlines.sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=13679654&headline=Oxford~University~denies~UP~boy's~claim

Of Con Men and Delusion!

2005-02-24T13:39:00.000-05:00

I thought after NASA denied conducting any examination, Rashtrapati Bhavan denied that President Kalam appeared for any exam, when the media finally woke up and published the truth (see my related post) , this whole episode would be over. But the story doesn't seem to end, with relatives of the "whiz kid" Saurabh Singh insisting he went to London to appear for the exam.
In fact they've given copies of his "certificate" and the Presidents "congratulatory note" to rediff.
http://us.rediff.com/news/2005/feb/24nasa.htm
The story has taken an even more "dramatic twist", with villagers from Saurabh's village protesting and demonstrating against the government and local authorities.
http://us.rediff.com/news/2005/feb/24nasa1.htm

Makes you wonder who's fooled whom and who's delusional. The media could have prevented this had they exposed this earlier..

National Colours

2005-02-24T13:20:00.000-05:00

Ok .. so I knew we had laws in India to prevent misuse of the national flag, disrespect to the tricolour etc. But I think asking Narain Karthikeyan to remove the national colours from his racing helmet is taking things too far. There needs to be more discretion in applying this law and what "disrespect" means should also be redefined. A sportsman wearing his country's colours on his helmet (instead of selling the space to sponsors for logos) is a display of patriotism not disrespect. We're quick to point out how sportsmen play for money rather than the country .. well when any attempt made at displaying "national pride" is curbed in this manner theres no need to expect differently.
http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=32117

Thanks Drunkdancer for pointing this out !

Of Con men and the media

2005-02-23T13:23:00.000-05:00

India doesn't have a shortage of conmen for sure .. right from a sadhu who claimed he could walk on water to a man who claimed he could convert water into petrol.The media has given full pubilicity to these people who have later found to be conmen. They don't seem to have learned too much from the past considering the frenzy caused by this self proclaimed "whiz kid" from UP.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1030100.cms

Why I don't need to cross the river .... (yet)..

2005-02-11T00:43:00.000-05:00

Well the bill approved by VA House of Delegates died in the Senate. Virginia Senate took up the legislation yesterday quell the * international attention* it had received. Apparently,Howell's (who proposed this bill) office got phone calls from the media in Israel and Australia. Va Senators said they were also concerned it posed constitutional problems and that before they killed the bill, many senators received calls urging them to fight for the bill or admonishing them to focus on other matters.
Its good some people have good sense :)
Meanwhile we've missed watching protesters wearing underwear over their jeans taking to the streets !

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15387-2005Feb10.html

Why I need to cross the river..

2005-02-10T15:47:00.000-05:00

I always knew VA was a conservative state, having lived in the reddest part in the SW, when I was in school. I've moved more and more north ever since , now I'm just on the border, the river separates me from 2 blue states (DC, MD). Though my area is pretty cool and blue (being practically in DC), unfortunately the rest of the states getting redder. I've somehow hesitated to cross the river (too much paperwork to move to another state), but now when I can't even dress the way I wan to I'm tempted to jump and swim :)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12612-2005Feb9.html

Rummy Speaks ..

2005-02-07T01:28:00.000-05:00

Here are some quotes from Rummy's interview on CNN's Late Edition
1) On the US military - "It's clearly stressed, but they're performing brilliantly"
2) On recruiting more troops-
Lt. Gen. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau said last week "As it pertains to the National Guard, the Army National Guard in particular, we were woefully underequipped before the war started. It's getting -- gets a little bit worse every day."The chief of the Army National Guard, Lt. Gen. Roger C. Schultz, said that the Guard met only *56 percent*of its recruiting quota in January. Maj. Dave Griesmer, spokesman for Marine Corps Recruiting Command told the press "The Marine Corps fell 3 percent short of its recruiting goal for January, the first time the Marines have missed a monthly goal since 1995."
Rummy said - "a few" goals have not been met, but the situation is not critical. "Basically overall, recruiting and retention are roughly on track."
Rummy also said - "If a second war front should open, "it might take somewhat longer, it might be done in a slightly different way, but the estimates I get are that, basically, we're capable of performing the tasks that the president has assigned."
3) On current number of Iraqi troops- Rummy insisted there were136,000 Iraqi security forces but acknowledged that some are "green as grass."
His justification - "Numbers are interesting, but they're not determinative.
-"Their quality is also important.Some of them just came out of training.
They're green as grass."

All this makes so much sense. No wonder W apparently rejected his resignation twice. It would have been a real blow to his cabinet to lose a Defense Secretary who is so articulate and such a fine thinker.
:)

Its fun to shoot some people!

2005-02-04T09:49:00.000-05:00

Lt. Gen. James Mattis , a senior US Marine Corps General who commanded troops in Iraq and Afghanistan said "Actually it's quite fun to fight 'em, you know. It's a hell of a hoot. It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up front with you, I like brawling." He went on to say during a panel discussion, "You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil.You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." These comments where made at a conference in San Diego, CA. Incidentally Mattis will be portrayed by Harrison Ford in an upcoming Hollywood movie. Hmm .. I wonder whether these comments will be used as dialogues in the movie .. but then that might be too politically incorrect in Hollywood..
Not too many people seem to be concerned with these comments made by a high ranking military officer. In fact they're lightly being brushed off or justified by his military record.
Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Michael Hagee praised Mattis as "one of this country's bravest and most experienced military leaders." He said,"While I understand that some people may take issue with the comments made by him, I also know he intended to reflect the unfortunate and harsh realities of war.Lt. Gen. Mattis often speaks with a great deal of candor. I have counseled him concerning his remarks and he agrees he should have chosen his words more carefully."
"Counseled him".. shouldn't stricter action have been taken ... the man is a Lt. General .. should he not have any reponsibility about what he says keeping his rank in mind? This is not the first time he's made such a comment. In November 2001, after Marines took over a desert airstrip in Afghanistan, Mattis had declared "We have landed and we now own terrain in south Afghanistan." Maybe "choosing words" would not make any difference at all, especially if what he said, truly reflects the way he thinks. I guess its this general attitude toward the "invaded people" that results the abuse thats been rampant at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib..

Temple Tragedy

2005-01-26T13:25:00.000-05:00

More than 300 people were killed in a stampede at the Mandhardevi Kalubai hill temple in Wai (Satara district yesterday). The stampede was caused when some devotees slipped and fell near the entrance of the sanctum sanctorum, sending a wave of panic through the other 2 lakh devotees. Apparently, the floor became slippery because of excess oil near the deepmaal and water from the coconut-breaking ceremony. Panic stricken devotees tried to rush down and continued slipping on the surface, people coming up also fell down and were trampled upon. When I read the news yesterday I felt terrible. But a few questions also came to my mind - the hilltop temple attracts 3-4 lakh pilgrims in Dec-Jan (Paush) *every year*, especially on the Purnima Day(as was yesterday). The temple is located on top of a hill with and the only access path is a narrow,steep, unkempt winding road. So many people and a single path is a disaster waiting to happen. Could the local authorities/state govt not taken precautions? I understand this is easier to say in hindsight and managing large crowds is tough, but some basic regulations could have been made atleast to prevent stalls (for the mela) from cropping up on the path and limiting the already confined access to the temple.
Its not as if these stampedes at pilgrimages are a rare phenomenon, they happen all the time aj Haj .. and the last major stampede occured in Maharashtra in 2003 during the Nasik Kumbh Mela where *only 41* people were killed.
Maharashtra Governor SM Krishna expressed his *shock and anguish * and *graciously cancelled* his Republic Day reception at Raj Bhavan. CM Vilasrao Deshmukh announced a *judicial enquiry* into the incident and announced compensation for the victims- *1 lakh to relatives of the dead, 25000 to the seriously injured and 10000 for those with minor injuries *
Is a judicial enquiry going to help anything .. even if they find out how the stampede was caused (theres plenty of speculation on that already), will it prevent future stampedes( considering that we haven't learnt from past stampedes)? As for the compensation.. who knows when people will get it , if at all they do. After all victims of the Bhopal tragedy are still waiting after 20 years..
This news made the headlines yesterday.. but today most news papers preferred to focus on the Republic Day celebrations where the "country showcased her military might". On one hand we have sophisticated weapons and fighters and on the other hand we have 300 plus poor devotees who were killed for no fault of theirs. Their moment of glory in the headlines is over, as more sensational news items prepare to replace them.Probably signifies that life is really cheap in our country, where 300 lives being lost really makes no difference. I hope not...

G'bye Mr. Safire

2005-01-24T13:10:00.000-05:00

William Safire, an Op-Ed columnist for the NY Times since 1973, wrote his last column today. Safire , formerly a senior speech writer for Nixon, was one of the few "conservative" columnists who wrote for the Times. Although he was conservative and a Republican supporter, his political leanings were more to the center than some of todays "right-wing" columnists. He didn't hesistate to take a stand and write about issues he felt strongly about.. he criticized people he disagreed with without being abusive (a pretty rare phenomenon today). This made his columns good reading even if I disagreed with most of what he said in his political columns. His columns about protecting the freedom of press and about the Tsunami were wonderful. I didn't like the column he wrote last week about Bush's inaugural speech.. the only thing I agreed with was that it could be called the " Freedom Speech" (because he used the word freedom so many times), but it definitely was not among the top 5 inaugural speeches in history!
Safire's written 3 columns today , of which the column titled " Never Retire" is a must read. I thought it was well written and truly inspiring.
Adios Mr. Safire .. and Never Retire!

The Apprentice - new season

2005-01-20T22:45:00.000-05:00

Donald Trump seems to have become more pompous than ever. He's shown in his private jet, helicopter and limo. When the limo pulls up outside Trump Tower and he gets out, people around start clapping. Jeez , how cheesy is that?
Caroline and George are just the same .. C's as bitchy as ever .. her smile is getting more and more diabolical and evil .. shes a good candidate as a vampire (if she goes brunette) in a horror movie..
The contestants - theres a slight difference this time.. 9 people are college graduates and professionals and 9 are high schools graduates/ college dropouts who risen because of hard work etc etc. The women seem like bimbos, guys are very weird and seem either like jocks or total nerds. The first two seasons had better lookers/personalities as far as the men were concerned.
I really feel that the show is predictable and totally dictated by ratings , you know whom they're going to fire...
I guess it still runs with high ratings because of morons like me who will continue to watch it despite all the shortcomings ..

A few thoughts on the Inauguration ...

2005-01-20T13:07:00.000-05:00

1) Totally unnecessary -he's a sitting president , shouldn't waste so much money in war time. Also when he was so stingy about giving money to the tsunami victims (increased the amount only after arm twisting by the UN and Powell) its quite shameful that he would want to spend more than double (the original amount pledged) on celebrating his own victory.
2)A damned inconvenience .. road closures due to "security" have forced me to sit at home (which is not too bad since I have flu ..)
3) Its so bloody cold outside ... I can see the snow and the frozen monuments from my window ..totally admire the enthusiasm/idiocy/compulsion of people who have to go outside in this weather to view the event
4) everyone seems to be bundled up .. and forcing a smile on their faces..which then freezes in that position. I feel so bad for the soldiers and the band conductor.. they have shaved heads (no hats) and no gloves .. now thats torture !(Maybe all the soldiers * and their superiors * who were responsible for the naked pyramid in Abu ghraib , should be made to march naked on the national mall .. that'd be appropriate punishment.)
5) I just heard the cannons go off in the distance, when Rehnquist finishing administering the oath of office to W.. can now hear the music. Just realized how close to downtown I live .... maybe I should be glad for all the security measures they take in this area..
6) W's speech is crap .. has been going on and on .. about "liberty" ( appears atleast once in each sentence) , "freedom" (same as liberty) with many cliches thrown in like "america will not bow to bullies" (irony??), "the only way to have freedom and liberty in our world is by spreading it in other worlds." (didn't quite understand the distinction between " our world" and "other worlds" .)
7) Yay .. he's finally done .. they're playing some church like music. Revd. Colwell is about to deliver the benediction (another prayer.. there were quite a few earlier in case I forgot to mention it) and then it'll finally be over when the national anthem is sung.

Swades

2004-12-14T15:35:00.000-05:00

Ever since I arrived in Bombay a week ago I've been feeling great about being home. Swades was definitely the right movie to watch. My Chitra Pachi (aunt) was invited by Ashutosh Gowariker for a preview of Swades today. They go back a long way from the time he acted in her TV series Kacchi Dhoop in 1985-86. Chitra Pachi ofcourse asked him if she could bring her family along and we all (my parents, Ritwik and I) tagged along. Ashutosh remembered Ritwik and me as kids hanging around the set during shooting. (Incidentally, we also had some small forgettable roles in the serial). He was quite amazed at how big we had grown :)
The film was awesome. The cast performed really well. Shah Rukh Khan was surprisingly good- I walked into the theater expecting nothing from him , especially after seeing Veer Zaara recently, but he gave a powerful performance. He didn't ham as usual - and emoted effectively using his facial expressions and eyes in a subtle manner. The lead actress is a new comer and was pretty good too.
Ashtosh deserves full credit for the concept and the script. He has managed to make a regular hindi commercial film , omitting cliches in the storyline like villians and tragedy and breaking the stereotypes in the depiction of certain characters like villagers, lower caste people and even foreigners (in this case Americans- who speak in English instead of Hindi with silly accents !). The concept is quite different from the run of the mill stories, the script is crisply written and is witty . The songs blend into the storyline and there are no "item numbers".
The cinematography and locations selected were beautiful.
There are some shots taken from SRK's apartment which show the memorials in Washington DC. Looking at those shots I knew they could be taken only from Rosslyn (where I live- the fact that some shots were taken literally from my backyard did make me happy). The big glass windows made me suspect that the building was Beldevere which is very close to my building and Ashutosh verified this.
I could go on and on - but since the movie hasn't been released yet , I won't ruin it (more!) for everyone else.
Let me just say - its the best Hindi film I have seen in ages .. considering the BS thats churned out these days - so go watch it.

Torture? No way!

2004-12-02T13:21:00.000-05:00

After the Abu Ghraib scandal broke out, Pentagon officials claimed there were "isolated" incidents and proceeded to court martial Lindy England and the other soldiers in the pictures. This was the right course to follow, except that none of the higher ups were held accountable for the incidents. Rumsfeld ofcourse denied any knowledge of these incidents and has been in denial ever since.
A couple of days back, Red Cross released a report which said that methods being used on detainees at Guantanamo Bay were "tantamount to torture".It was the first time that the Red Cross, which has been conducting visits to Guantánamo since January 2002,had made such a strong assertion. The reportwent on to say that methods used for interrogation included "humiliating acts, solitary confinement, temperature extremes, use of forced positions." This has been one of the strongest criticism on detainee treatment at Guantanamo Bay and comes in the wake of revelations made by British former detainees after their release and a court ruling that the tribunals used for trying detainees were unconstitutional.
The Pentagon's response was as expected- they brushed off the Red Cross' complaints on Guantanamo , just as they had done with Abu Ghraib in the past. Rumsfeld, still in denial, refused to accept the charges and his spokesperson said, the Red Cross had "their point of view," which was not shared by the Bush administration. Fair enough- but, the Red Cross' point of view is reflected in the Geneva Conventions and in American law.
Accountability and responsibility have definitely not been the strong suits of this administration. If this were true Rumsfeld would definitely not be in office after the mess in Iraq and the Abu Ghraib scandal. The general who set up the system at Guantánamo has now been promoted to take charge of prisons in Iraq. If you thought Ashcroft was bad, think again - Alberto Gonzales, the new Attorney General nominee is one of the architects of the administration's prisoner policy. Gonzales has gone on record saying that the the standards of the Geneva convention are "outdated". Given these facts, we can expect the White House, the Pentagon and the Justice Department to continue to remain in denial and not address the abuse.
Its very distressing that an administration which was elected because of "moral values" and "ethics" continues to support totally immoral and unethical practices, literally in its own backyard. Its even more distressing to note that, while these issues get international media coverage, they are covered only by the "liberal" media in the US, systematically ignored by the right wing media stations that cover the red states.

2004-11-18T13:51:00.000-05:00

I was well fed this Halloween (isn't the trickling blood enough evidence?). Look at the innocent cowboys next to me and my accomplice .. they sure didn't know what was coming.*evil laughter * Ha ha ha

2004-11-18T13:49:00.000-05:00

Since I'm doomed to burn in hell anyway, I'll let you in on a little secret.. I'm a Vampire !

Tom DeLay and Wisdom Teeth

2004-11-17T22:55:00.000-05:00

When President Bush won the election on "moral values" it gave Republicans all over the United States a renewed sense of pride in their moral superiority. Since ethical standards are something that only the morally inferior need to follow, the GOP is moving to abandon an 11-year-old party rule that required a member of their leadership to step aside temporarily if indicted.This rule was originally adopted in August 1993 to put a spotlight on the legal troubles of prominent Democrats. The election loss has eternally damned the Democrats as immoral and faithless, so focussing on their legal troubles will not prove anything new, thus making the rule obsolete.
Under the revised rule, an indicted leader can keep his or her post while the Republican Steering Committee( controlled by party leaders ) decides whether to recommend any action by all GOP House members. The rule change applies equally to state and federal indictments. This new rule will allow Majority Leader Tom DeLay (Tex.) to keep his post even if a grand jury indicts him. The grand jury in Austin has indicted three of DeLay's political associates in connection with fundraising activities for a political action committee closely linked to DeLay. The investigation by the district attorney Mr. Earle, a Democrat, involves charges of illegally using corporate money to help Republicans win state legislative races in 2002. Those Republican victories in turn gave the state party enough legislative muscle to win redistricting changes that helped Congressional Republicans gain five additional seats in Texas on Nov. 2.
Mr.DeLay strongly came out to defend himself when he told reporters that he did not expect to be indicted but supported the rule change. He said that if there was no rule change Democrats could "have a political hack decide who our leadership is" by engineering a baseless indictment. He said Democrats "announced years ago that they were going to engage in the politics of personal destruction, and had me as a target." He went on to say that the charges being investigated by the "partisan" Earle, were " frivolous" and had "no substance and accused him of "criminalizing politics". I think DeLay's last comment should be taken very seriously and in order to keep politics free from crime , all investigation into dubious deals made by politicians should be stopped.
DeLay also said thatRepublican lawmakers "fixed the rules so that Democrats cannot use our rules against us." This makes perfect sense because ethical rules do not apply to people who have transended the bounds of moral superiority.
All Earle had to say in his defense was that partisanship played no role in his investigation and he had prosecuted more Democrats than Republicans during his long career (Thereby proving how devoid of values Democrats are).
Mr. Bonilla, a long time crony of Mr. DeLay, said revising the rule had been necessary to prevent politically inspired criminal investigations by "crackpot prosecutors" from determining the fate of top Republicans. I totally agree and think that these partisan prosecutors should be banned from conducting investigations, which should instead be conducted by unbiased "independent counsels" (like Ken Starr).
Some house Democrats (the whining losers) criticized this rule change and said the Republicans had "reached a new low" and "sold their soul" to maintain their grip on power. This seems ironical coming from a party that got whipped in the elections for the very same reasons.
The pain caused by my two emerging wisdom teeth has opened my eyes. Apparently people with good values are blessed with painless wisdom tooth growth , so I still have hope for the remaining two - *writhes in pain*
Go GOP .. Get Arlen Specter."
Hope this works !

And the new Secretary of State is ...

2004-11-16T23:49:00.000-05:00

Surprise, surprise its Condi Rice! President Bush wasted no time after Colin Powell's resignation in appointing Condoleeza Rice who served as his "faithful" National Security Adviser for the last 4 years, as Powell's replacement.
President Bush in a ceremony in the White House Roosevelt room with a teary-eyed Rice by his side said,''During the last four years, I have relied on her counsel, benefited from her great experience and appreciated her sound and steady judgement. Now I'm honoured that she's agreed to serve in my Cabinet.'' Hmmm..now we know who gets the actual credit for the administrations brilliant strategies for the last 4 years and I'm sure we can depend on Condi for even more brilliant diplomacy in the next 4 years..
Many top Republican leaders have said that," as secretary of state Ms. Rice would continue to promote the views of the president rather than her own." Condi has been Bush’s single closest foreign policy adviser and confidante from his Texas days. She tutored the "little traveled" Bush on foreign affairs during the 2000 presidential campaign. So profound was her influence on him then that he said "" . However Condi indignantly denied the magnitude of her influence in an interview early this year and said that the President now influenced her as much as she influenced him.Since then they've had a close relationship- Condi spends weekends with the Bush family at Camp David- and Bush trusts her completely to endorse his views, carry out his wishes and even complete his sentences. Thats definitely a lot of influence :)
Ivo H. Daalder, a foreign policy expert at the Brookings Institution said,‘‘Her appointment means that the President wants to surround himself with the people he’s most comfortable with, and who are most loyal to his view of what foreign policy’s all about.That wasn’t the case with Powell. The President sees himself as vindicated by re-election, and therefore he’s going to implement a foreign policy that is closely tied to the one he has been wanting to run all along.’’
Well I have nothing more to say except if this is not ensuring that the "political capital " which was earned is being spent , then what is?

Goodbye Mr. Powell

2004-11-16T21:10:00.000-05:00

Colin Powell’s resignation was not unexpected,but that he would resign so soon before the second term officially began did come as a surprise.
Mr. Powell assumed office with the strong credentials of being a retired 4 star general and having served as Joint Chief of Staffs during Gulf War I under President George HW Bush. There was a strong expectation that he would set a course for foreign policy, but for all his international celebrity, he never developed a close bond with the president and more often than found himself at odds with Cheney, Rummy and other resident hawks like Condi Rice. His supporters say that he did not get credit for the work he did in improving relations with Russia and China. That may well be true- but that and anything good done by Mr. Powell will always be overshadowed by his image on Feb. 5, 2003, when he stood before the United Nations Security Council, and lied on the behalf of the Bush administration, making a case for the war on Iraq. That one single incident made him lose face in front of the international community.
But inspite of that, Mr. Powell was this administrations saving grace. I had hoped he would stick around because I think he fully understands the importance of resolving the Israel -Palestine conflict in order to establish stability and peace in the Middle East (Cheney and Rummy think that this issue is “overrated”) . Despite the UN debacle, he is still the most ( and probably only) respected member of the Bush cabinet overseas and the only person who is capable of the diplomacy required to address this issue.
I wonder what prompted a man like Colin Powell to stick by Bush in a war he did not support , stick out his neck and damage his credibility by lying just to make a case for this war and continue to remain in office when his foreign policy plans were constantly undercut by the White House. Will we ever find out? Maybe if he writes another book- but given the record of his loyalty I don’t think that’ll happen till 2008…..

Kanchi Shankaracharya's arrest

2004-11-15T22:03:00.000-05:00

Tamil Nadu police arrested the Kanchi Shankaracharya in Mehboobnagar after investigations established that he was a prime suspect in the murder of an employee of Kanchi mutt. The arrest was based on the confessions of 2 of the 14 people arrested in connection with this case. This arrest came as a surprise considering the seers proximity to influential and powerful people like industrialists and the AIADMK administration.
This story, which has the makings of a political potboiler, is on the front pages of all national publications. The self-proclaimed saviors of Hinduism are obviously using media attention to vent their spleen. Here are some of the outraged comments –
Jaideep Patel, VHP state unit General Secretary said “Shankaracharya's arrest is an insult to all Hindus and we will protest this till the end. Revenge will be taken for this act. Is the Central government trying to appease a section of the minority community by doing this?" I’m sure talk of revenge comes very easily to Patel given his background of instigating riots in Naroda Patia , which was supposedly revenge for Godhra.
Not to be left behind ,Praveen Togadia predictably said “this is an onslaught on Hindus". The man seems to think *anything * is an attack on Hinduism. He’s used this line so many times that its become stale. Togadia added "This is for the first time in the history of Hindus that Shanakaracharya has been arrested. Why all of a sudden, the seer was arrested while performing trikal puja.” The logic behind his statement (if there is any) baffles me. Does he mean to say that other shankaracharyas were not arrested inspite of their involvement in crime? Would he have been ok with the arrest had it taken place after the puja? Does he hope (like me) that this "historic" arrest will set a precedent and send a message that religious leaders are not above the law? Or am I reading too much into his statements (whe he's being idiotic like always)?
While protests happened elsewhere and the VHP claimed that this issue was no less serious than the attack on the Somnath temple, the temple town of Kanchi has remained quiet and protest free. The best quote which echoed the general atmosphere in Kanchi came from a taxi driver Saravanan, who said ,“Who cares what becomes of him? If he got a man killed, let him pay for it.” Hear hear ...
Well I for one hope that this really happens and that the case is not swept under the mat because of politics. I hope that somehow justice prevails and if that if the Shankaracharya has committed the crime he pays for it , thereby setting a precedent for the future and showing that no one is above the law , even if they think are “spiritually superior”.

Updates for last week

2004-11-15T13:00:00.000-05:00

Lots of events occurred last week like Arafats death, Ashcrofts resignation and new developments in Zahira's case - I have been writing about this in my diary but have been traveling so haven't had the time to blog this stuff. Watch this space for updates ..

What the Bleep do we know?

2004-11-08T14:54:00.000-05:00

I saw “What the bleep do we know?” yesterday. It is the wildest film I have seen in a long time. It is part documentary, part story, part visual effects and animation.The film describes the power of thought and talks about the science of possibilities in terms of creating your own reality.It equates human thoughts,emotions and actions to certain phenomena in quantum physics. Among the many issues explored is the relationship between religion and science and is dealt in a interesting way in this film.
This film was made by a group of scientists which include a number of physicists , neurologists, anaesthesiologists,physicians,spiritual teachers , mystics and scholars and stars the hearing impaired actress Marlee Martin. It was initially rejected by most big studios, but has managed to become quite popular against the odds.
I can’t really describe what this film is about more in detail than I have because it is something that you can understand only after watching it and savoring the experience.Visit www.whatthebleep.com for more details

Who Knew - Part II:For Holley

2004-11-07T22:40:00.000-05:00

WHO KNEW…
you’d earn the Silver Star
trading your life for a man you couldn’t save and a medal you’d never see.
The men said you were their hero because your life was enlightening,
your sense of humor wicked and your dedication unwavering.
They were so proud of you and as far as they were concerned
it should have been the Medal of Honor.
With all their hearts they love you still
but even that can’t bring you back.

--dedicated to Harry “Doc” Bowman and the men with him
1st Marine Division, 3/5, Mike Company
Thua Thien Province at Hai Van Pass ©

Who Knew ?? Part I

2004-11-07T18:33:00.000-05:00

I had the honor of meeting Holley Watts a few months ago,when we were in a course together. As an avid history buff I had read a lot about the Vietnam war when I was in college. When I first met Holley, the war was once again in the spotlight with all the unnecessary discussion about Kerry’s war record. In the one of our conversations she mentioned she had served at Vietnam and written a book about her experiences, which she was trying to get published.Just talking to her and reading her book, touched me in ways I had never imagined.
Her book, which is called “Who Knew…. Reflections on Vietnam”, is a memoir with witty and often poignant paragraphs and compelling pictures. Each page, which is a thoughtful compilation of words and pictures, effectively conveys Holley’s experience and tugs at the heartstrings of the reader.I asked Holley for her permission to quote a paragraph she had written about a soldier that had touched me deeply, on my blog. She asked me to point out which one it was and when I pointed out the page to her, she simply said, “I’m glad you chose that one – he was my boyfriend.” She went on to show me a few more pages, which had references to the same soldier. I was overwhelmed and had tears in my eyes.
Who knew how much difference an ordinary person who has had an extraordinary experience, can make to another person by just sharing?
The excerpt from Holley's book is in my next post.
This is a great book and definitely worth reading. Its also being used as educational material in schools like James Madison University in VA.
For more information or to order a book please contact Holley: email - holleywatts@yahoo.com or call at 540-476-1369.

headline in a london paper

2004-11-06T10:04:00.000-05:00

London's Daily Mirror screamed in a Page 1 headline this week: "How can 59,054,087 people be so DUMB?"

:)

17 Reasons not to Slit Your Wrists - Michael Moore

2004-11-05T12:52:00.000-05:00

17 Reasons Not to Slit Your Wrists...by Michael Moore
Dear Friends,
Ok, it sucks. Really sucks. But before you go and cash it all in, let's, in the words of Monty Python, “always look on the bright side of life!” There IS some good news from Tuesday's election.
Here are 17 reasons not to slit your wrists:
1. It is against the law for George W. Bush to run for president again.
2. Bush's victory was the NARROWEST win for a sitting president since Woodrow Wilson in 1916.
3. The only age group in which the majority voted for Kerry was young adults (Kerry: 54%, Bush: 44%), proving once again that your parents are always wrong and you should never listen to them.
4. In spite of Bush's win, the majority of Americans still think the country is headed in the wrong direction (56%), think the war wasn't worth fighting (51%), and don’t approve of the job George W. Bush is doing (52%). (Note to foreigners: Don't try to figure this one out. It's an American thing, like Pop Tarts.)
5. The Republicans will not have a filibuster-proof 60-seat majority in the Senate. If the Democrats do their job, Bush won't be able to pack the Supreme Court with right-wing ideologues. Did I say "if the Democrats do their job?" Um, maybe better to scratch this one.
6. Michigan voted for Kerry! So did the entire Northeast, the birthplace of our democracy. So did 6 of the 8 Great Lakes States. And the whole West Coast! Plus Hawaii. Ok, that's a start. We've got most of the fresh water, all of Broadway, and Mt. St. Helens. We can dehydrate them or bury them in lava. And no more show tunes!
7. Once again we are reminded that the buckeye is a nut, and not just any old nut -- a poisonous nut. A great nation was felled by a poisonous nut. May Ohio State pay dearly this Saturday when it faces Michigan.
8. 88% of Bush's support came from white voters. In 50 years, America will no longer have a white majority. Hey, 50 years isn't such a long time! If you're ten years old and reading this, your golden years will be truly golden and you will be well cared for in your old age.
9. Gays, thanks to the ballot measures passed on Tuesday, cannot get married in 11 new states. Thank God. Just think of all those wedding gifts we won't have to buy now.
10. Five more African Americans were elected as members of Congress, including the return of Cynthia McKinney of Georgia. It's always good to have more blacks in there fighting for us and doing the job our candidates can't.
11. The CEO of Coors was defeated for Senate in Colorado. Drink up!
12. Admit it: We like the Bush twins and we don't want them to go away.
13. At the state legislative level, Democrats picked up a net of at least 3 chambers in Tuesday's elections. Of the 98 partisan-controlled state legislative chambers (house/assembly and senate), Democrats went into the 2004 elections in control of 44 chambers, Republicans controlled 53 chambers, and 1 chamber was tied. After Tuesday, Democrats now control 47 chambers, Republicans control 49 chambers, 1 chamber is tied and 1 chamber (Montana House) is still undecided.
14. Bush is now a lame duck president. He will have no greater moment than the one he's having this week. It's all downhill for him from here on out -- and, more significantly, he's just not going to want to do all the hard work that will be expected of him. It'll be like everyone's last month in 12th grade -- you've already made it, so it's party time! Perhaps he'll treat the next four years like a permanent Friday, spending even more time at the ranch or in Kennebunkport. And why shouldn't he? He's already proved his point, avenged his father and kicked our ass.
15. Should Bush decide to show up to work and take this country down a very dark road, it is also just as likely that either of the following two scenarios will happen: a) Now that he doesn't ever need to pander to the Christian conservatives again to get elected, someone may whisper in his ear that he should spend these last four years building "a legacy" so that history will render a kinder verdict on him and thus he will not push for too aggressive a right-wing agenda; or b) He will become so cocky and arrogant -- and thus, reckless -- that he will commit a blunder of such major proportions that even his own party will have to remove him from office.
16. There are nearly 300 million Americans -- 200 million of them of voting age. We only lost by three and a half million! That's not a landslide -- it means we're almost there. Imagine losing by 20 million. If you had 58 yards to go before you reached the goal line and then you barreled down 55 of those yards, would you stop on the three yard line, pick up the ball and go home crying -- especially when you get to start the next down on the three yard line? Of course not! Buck up! Have hope! More sports analogies are coming!!!
17. Finally and most importantly, over 55 million Americans voted for the candidate dubbed "The #1 Liberal in the Senate." That's more than the total number of voters who voted for either Reagan, Bush I, Clinton or Gore. Again, more people voted for Kerry than Reagan. If the media are looking for a trend it should be this -- that so many Americans were, for the first time since Kennedy, willing to vote for an out-and-out liberal. The country has always been filled with evangelicals -- that is not news. What IS news is that so many people have shifted toward a Massachusetts liberal. In fact, that's BIG news. Which means, don't expect the mainstream media, the ones who brought you the Iraq War, to ever report the real truth about November 2, 2004. In fact, it's better that they don't. We'll need the element of surprise in 2008.
Feeling better? I hope so. As my friend Mort wrote me yesterday, "My Romanian grandfather used to say to me, 'Remember, Morton, this is such a wonderful country -- it doesn't even need a president!'"
But it needs us. Rest up, I'll write you again tomorrow.
Yours,
Michael MooreMMFlint@aol.com http://www.michaelmoore.com/ .com

Yasser Arafat

2004-11-05T10:53:00.000-05:00

We've been hearing conflicting reports about Yasser Arafat's condition since yesterday. The fact remains that he is critically ill and the Palestinian authorities are trying to appoint a leader to replace him in anticipation of the worst news.
Theres been a lot of speculation about what a new Palestinian leader would mean for Israel-Palestine relations. The new leader will definitely have a heavy burden on his shoulders to be acceptable to both parties in order to revive the peace process which has reached a stalemate.

Political Capital

2004-11-05T01:00:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately,I think I’m right about what I said yesterday – that the Presidents declaration of reaching across the divide doesn’t ring true. Today in a press conference he said “ "Let me put it to you this way: I earned capital in the campaign, political capital, and now I intend to spend it." He also mentioned that this was “ his style”. Claiming that he earned "capital" in the campaign is definitely not a move towards unity, because though he won a majority, almost half of American voters voted against him. Most of the people I know are upset about his triumph. But most of his remarks have sounded arrogant and stressed that he is free to do whatever he wants. If he ignores how many people are passionately opposed to him , it will only serve to increase the divide and will perhaps be one of his biggest blunders.

What upsets me most

2004-11-04T16:15:00.000-05:00

I had always looked at America as a land of freedom and opportunity from what I had read, seen and heard. After I came here that feeling was reinforced. I have always felt that one of the most wonderful American values is tolerance for ideas other than one’s own. It is this value that has drawn so many immigrants and made this country a melting pot. I’ve always thought that this value was responsible for people of diverse cultures and religions living here peacefully, without rioting. What upsets me is that this election, which was based on fear and intolerance, shows a complete move from this value. Let me end by quoting Tom Friedman, who put my thoughts into words so clearly in his column- “But what troubled me yesterday was my feeling that this election was tipped because of an outpouring of support for George Bush by people who don't just favor different policies than I do - they favor a whole different kind of America. We don't just disagree on what America should be doing; we disagree on what America is. Is it a country that does not intrude into people's sexual preferences and the marriage unions they want to make? Is it a country that allows a woman to have control over her body? Is it a country where the line between church and state bequeathed to us by our Founding Fathers should be inviolate? Is it a country where religion doesn't trump science? And, most important, is it a country whose president mobilizes its deep moral energies to unite us - instead of dividing us from one another and from the world?”

The day after the verdict...

2004-11-04T10:22:00.000-05:00

Now that the disappointment and outrage of the outcome has lessened and acceptance has begun to sink in here are a few more thoughts –
I think that this election endorses the brilliance of Karl Rove’s political strategy. When I say this , it does not mean that I personally agree with his strategy, but the fact that his plan was successful cannot be denied. This can clearly be seen not only in the outcome of the election but also in all the 11 states that voted to ban gay marriage. Mr. Rove understood that the loss of popular vote in 2000 could be avenged if the “base” came out to vote and he made sure of that by running a divisive campaign.
I’m sure the democrats are bitterly analyzing their loss right now. The news channels are probably doing a deeper analysis of the same. Theres going to be brow beating and finger pointing. I’m no political pundit, but I believe that the Democrats should use this as an opportunity to get their act together and redefine themselves as a party with vision and clear principles that can be understood by everyone. They should be able to tell people why they should vote for them rather than why they should not vote for the GOP. This is the only way they will be able to connect to the ordinary people who currently view them as a party of “liberal elite”. One thing they should be wary of is falling into the trap of trying to bridge the ideological gap between themselves and the Republicans in order to increase their base. That’s an easy trap for a political party to fall into and I’ve seen it happen in India. By doing that they would be alienating their own base in order to pander to a one that will never vote for them at all. They can expand their own base and reach out to the moderates and independents by clearly defining their values and principles like I had stated earlier. Last but not the least, they need a leader who is able to effectively represent the party, connect to the people and communicate to them what he and the party stand for.

4 more years of “catastrophic” success???

2004-11-03T22:30:00.000-05:00

I hate to be negative, but I’m not looking forward to the next 4 years. When Kerry spoke about ending the division and beginning the healing in his concession speech and the President spoke about reaching across to the people who did not vote for him, I initially felt warm and fuzzy. But reality bites- In 2000, when he won the election running from the middle, he moved quickly to the right and this is reflected in all his policies. This time he ran from the right, in a bitterly divisive campaign and his victory is being touted as a “broad mandate” by the Republicans, is there any reason to believe that he will move from the right to the center? After all he is answerable to the religious conservatives who put him in office. I might have still believed what he said except that even when he was making his speech several Republican senators talked about how they could pursue their conservative policies now that they had a house majority. Also, he has refused to admit that any of his policies was a mistake- he could not even answer that question in the debate. I’ m curious to see how he plans to handle Iraq, the fiscal deficit and his other mistakes over the last 4 years (which he has refused to admit), which are now a colossal mess.
I really hope that he gives me a reason to think my pessimism was unfounded..

Polls and predictions

2004-11-03T17:03:00.000-05:00

All the pollsters who predicted that Kerry would win based on exit polls are eating humble pie. The exit polls done in India during the last general elections were also totally inaccurate. Makes me feel that exit polling should be scrapped totally, so that we can be misled by our own imaginations until the actual results are declared :)
On a more serious note, the polls said that most of the people who voted for W, did so based on "moral values" like abortion, stem cell research and gay marriage. Webster's dictionary defines moral values as "accepted notions of what is right and wrong (in a community)." That gives the term a very broad meaning. So its important today to ask oneself what is considered moral in our community - Is it moral to start a war, based on fabricated evidence, that has led to the deaths of more than 100,000 innocent Iraqis and 1,100 American military personnel? Is it moral to permit prisoner abuse by snubbing the Geneva convention? Is it moral make the junior officers scapegoats and not penalise the higher ups? Is it moral to ignore civil liberties and suspect people of being terrorists because of their faith? Is it moral to cripple scientific research and take no measures to prevent environmental pollution? Is it moral to pass fiscally irresponsible tax cuts which are pro-rich and create a huge deficit? Is it moral to take no action about the rising healthcare costs, which affect the poor who cannot afford insurance?
Lastly, is it moral to divide a country based on fear and intolerance?

Total disbelief

2004-11-03T12:53:00.000-05:00

My eyes are still drooping from having been up all night watching the election coverage. After FL was called for Bush and PA for Kerry, it was evident that everything depended on OH. Totally taken in by the "too close to call" spin from news channels , I stayed up hoping that somehow Kerry would get OH, although it was obvious that W was leading. Now, after the concession , when W's been formally declared the winner, I'm left with this sense of disbelief that he won. Simply because irrespective of who is opponent was and what each of their policies were, the fact remains that his administration had a terrible record for the last 4 years and in my country an incumbent administration with a similar record would have been kicked out on their butts so hard that they wouldn’t have been able to sit for weeks! Well I guess democracy works its wonders in mysterious ways …