Well it is too easy to bash America this week. Harriet Miers and Scooter Libbey. And Iraq of course!
However one must remind oneself that this country has a lot more to offer than its present state. If one were to look at the last week or for that matter events this year it is too easy to bash this countries policies. However one should really look at America from a historic perspective and things change.
One is very easily swayed by current events and extrapolate it. However if one were to lump all the negative things that this country has done and weigh it against the good things that have come out of this country; good outweigh the bad by a significant margin.
World Wars I and II were won decisively because of Americas entry. Cold war was won because of America. If one were to ask any average person in the world, not afflicted by any unrealistic passions, where he or she would like to be, the answer would be America. There is a reason for this. America offers opportunity for the ordinary person. Even today. Until this stops America will keep providing the inspiration.
Even countries like India and China, the supposed nations of the future, are using American economic policies. There is a lot to be learned from this country and a lot of admire about it. This country inspite of all its individual leaders will prevail because its individual people have a voice unlike any other nation on the face of the earth.
This country will prevail and will do so in conjunction with countries like China and India because this country is the true place of individual expression where any person can succeed. Unlike India and China where decades/centuries of cultural inertia exists, this country lives in the present!
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Saturday, September 17, 2005
Iraq, Katrina and No Tax Increase!
Well the deficit is on the rise again. I am surprised that Bush is still adamant about not raising taxes. I wonder how this determination of Bush will impact the future of this country.
Iraq, while avoidable, is a mistake United States will have to live with. This means bearing fiscal responsibility for the rebuilding of Iraq. This is being reflected in the increased budget deficits. Apart from the fiscal responsibility, of course, there is the emotional side which I will not want to touch on.
Katrina, while unavoidable, reflects years of government neglect and poor disaster planning. So now to make up for the poor planning the federal government and congress are bending backwards; making promises of enormous federal aide to rebuild the area. While the area definitely needs rebuilding, the federal deficit while already high is getter higher.
There in come the taxes. Why is the government not increasing the taxes. While I do think increasing the taxes will probably have a small negative impact on the economic growth in the short term, in the longer term the impact will be smaller. Coupled with the increased demand on oil and the increased deficits I wonder if the United States is setting itself up for a double whammy in the coming years. Already spending on education is being impacted (this will have a small short term effect but a huge long term effect especially considering the competition in technology development coming from China and India)
Dependence on oil is only getting worse in this country. The government seems uninterested in doing anything other than making half hearted attempts at reducing dependence on this resource. Half hearted attempts range from no initiatives being made for mass public transport (which will mean increase in taxes again) and increase in gas mileage from automobiles.
Overall I somehow feel this determination not to increase taxes given the situation this country is, is like ignoring a health symptom which can eventually being a major cause for surgery which may threaten the life of the individual!
Iraq, while avoidable, is a mistake United States will have to live with. This means bearing fiscal responsibility for the rebuilding of Iraq. This is being reflected in the increased budget deficits. Apart from the fiscal responsibility, of course, there is the emotional side which I will not want to touch on.
Katrina, while unavoidable, reflects years of government neglect and poor disaster planning. So now to make up for the poor planning the federal government and congress are bending backwards; making promises of enormous federal aide to rebuild the area. While the area definitely needs rebuilding, the federal deficit while already high is getter higher.
There in come the taxes. Why is the government not increasing the taxes. While I do think increasing the taxes will probably have a small negative impact on the economic growth in the short term, in the longer term the impact will be smaller. Coupled with the increased demand on oil and the increased deficits I wonder if the United States is setting itself up for a double whammy in the coming years. Already spending on education is being impacted (this will have a small short term effect but a huge long term effect especially considering the competition in technology development coming from China and India)
Dependence on oil is only getting worse in this country. The government seems uninterested in doing anything other than making half hearted attempts at reducing dependence on this resource. Half hearted attempts range from no initiatives being made for mass public transport (which will mean increase in taxes again) and increase in gas mileage from automobiles.
Overall I somehow feel this determination not to increase taxes given the situation this country is, is like ignoring a health symptom which can eventually being a major cause for surgery which may threaten the life of the individual!
Sunday, July 31, 2005
An Event goes Unnoticed in America!
Well this is the not the first time this has happened nor will it be the last. However the visit by the highest elected official from the worlds largest democracy to the worlds oldest one went largely unnoticed by the American media.
I always find it amazing about how localized the media coverage is in America. Even though America was instrumental in the globalization of the economy, the American media are mostly unaffected by this. The news coverage on countries outside the United States is sparing at best. There has to be a explosion or a tsunami for the media to really report it and even then they do a poor job of this.
Even respected magazines like Newsweek have largely ignored this event. Instead I find articles on Raven (the kid who appeared on Cosby) and why she is not celebrity even though she is a star!!!
International coverage is highly biased. America still has a fascination with Britain. The coverage that a few years back when Lady Diana and Mother Teresa passed away was proof enough. Now with the terrorist attacks in London and Eygpt, the media coverage is highly biased. We had to listen to a hour by hour account on the happening in London, but the coverage on Eygpt was very sparse. I know it is probably difficult to get enough information from Eygpt than in London but isn't investigative journalism supposed to thrive in areas like Eygpt or has journalism lost its edge.
So coming back to the topic I started out on. The PM of India visited United States and the event went largely unnoticed. When Mr. Bush visits India later this year I wonder how the media coverage will be!
This large ignorance of the world by the American media and therefore the American public will I fear will play a large part in the eventual downfall of the American power. After all if the American public are not aware of the going on in the world outside then it is bound to take them by suprise (there is a reason why software jobs are headed to India and it is not all cost!)
I always find it amazing about how localized the media coverage is in America. Even though America was instrumental in the globalization of the economy, the American media are mostly unaffected by this. The news coverage on countries outside the United States is sparing at best. There has to be a explosion or a tsunami for the media to really report it and even then they do a poor job of this.
Even respected magazines like Newsweek have largely ignored this event. Instead I find articles on Raven (the kid who appeared on Cosby) and why she is not celebrity even though she is a star!!!
International coverage is highly biased. America still has a fascination with Britain. The coverage that a few years back when Lady Diana and Mother Teresa passed away was proof enough. Now with the terrorist attacks in London and Eygpt, the media coverage is highly biased. We had to listen to a hour by hour account on the happening in London, but the coverage on Eygpt was very sparse. I know it is probably difficult to get enough information from Eygpt than in London but isn't investigative journalism supposed to thrive in areas like Eygpt or has journalism lost its edge.
So coming back to the topic I started out on. The PM of India visited United States and the event went largely unnoticed. When Mr. Bush visits India later this year I wonder how the media coverage will be!
This large ignorance of the world by the American media and therefore the American public will I fear will play a large part in the eventual downfall of the American power. After all if the American public are not aware of the going on in the world outside then it is bound to take them by suprise (there is a reason why software jobs are headed to India and it is not all cost!)
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Terrorist Attacks in London
I and my wife have just been to London on vacation over a month ago. It is indeed sad and devastating to see the tragic events in London.
Our experience in London was one of the best we have had. It is a city full of life. It is melting pot of different cultures. London plays an important part in almost every corner of the world due to British history. People have different feelings about London because of the effect of the British Empire. But a visit to London and the Londoners win you over. A visit to Covent Garden is enough among other thing.
In light of this it was indeed very devastating to hear the news today. Our deepest sympathies go to the Londoners who were victims of this callous act.
So that brings us to the point what do we do about it. When the United States went after the Taliban/Al-Queda in Afghanistan, I felt they were fully justified. I wished they had stayed focused and completed the task. However I feel US got a little of cold feet of tracking down Bin-Laden, considering the backlash from the Islamic world. So instead they went after their second priority Saddam, thinking that they had crippled Bin-Laden. However the bomb blasts in Spain should have been warning enough. But the United States was already engaged with Iraq by that time so it was too late. So the US moved on. Now this.
So I wonder what it will take for the US to refocus on getting Bin-Laden. That is the key, I feel. Till he is alive he will always be a motivating factor for these terrorists. Lets get into Pakistan and get him even if this Pak government doesnot cooperate before more innocent people die! Better him than me!
However I want to conclude this essay with my deepest sympathies to the loss suffered by the individual Londoners. Sometimes we tend to roll up the casualties into statistcs, but this is no statistic to the people who have lost their near and dear ones.
Our experience in London was one of the best we have had. It is a city full of life. It is melting pot of different cultures. London plays an important part in almost every corner of the world due to British history. People have different feelings about London because of the effect of the British Empire. But a visit to London and the Londoners win you over. A visit to Covent Garden is enough among other thing.
In light of this it was indeed very devastating to hear the news today. Our deepest sympathies go to the Londoners who were victims of this callous act.
So that brings us to the point what do we do about it. When the United States went after the Taliban/Al-Queda in Afghanistan, I felt they were fully justified. I wished they had stayed focused and completed the task. However I feel US got a little of cold feet of tracking down Bin-Laden, considering the backlash from the Islamic world. So instead they went after their second priority Saddam, thinking that they had crippled Bin-Laden. However the bomb blasts in Spain should have been warning enough. But the United States was already engaged with Iraq by that time so it was too late. So the US moved on. Now this.
So I wonder what it will take for the US to refocus on getting Bin-Laden. That is the key, I feel. Till he is alive he will always be a motivating factor for these terrorists. Lets get into Pakistan and get him even if this Pak government doesnot cooperate before more innocent people die! Better him than me!
However I want to conclude this essay with my deepest sympathies to the loss suffered by the individual Londoners. Sometimes we tend to roll up the casualties into statistcs, but this is no statistic to the people who have lost their near and dear ones.
Sunday, June 12, 2005
We have to shame them into helping us!
Yep... that is a dialog I heard on the Movie " Hotel Rwanda" and it is the truth.
This is the state of affairs of the western world, I am afaird. It was pathetic that the western world didnot stop the genocide in Rwanda (and I doubt they will stop one in any part of Africa). I would also recommend one to read the book by Philip Gourevitch (We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda) if one wants to really hate what the west did in Rwanda.
Foreign Policy is unfortunately dictated by the countries own selfish interests (sometimes I feel rightly so). However the loser in this is the country that is at the receiving end of this like Rwanda. The only realy remedy for this is a strong, unfettered UN force. However the UN today is only shackled by the Western Powers.
If the balance of power shifts from West to East, unfortunately it will not change any of the responsiveness of the UN forces, it will only shift the priorities. The only real way to shift this is to have a completely independent UN Force. Even this needs to be thought through as one needs to ensure that a appropriate response from this independent UN Force is consistently sought.
The only real thought I would like to leave one with this essay is how can humans find this level of evil in them to cause suffering for fellow humans!
This is the state of affairs of the western world, I am afaird. It was pathetic that the western world didnot stop the genocide in Rwanda (and I doubt they will stop one in any part of Africa). I would also recommend one to read the book by Philip Gourevitch (We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda) if one wants to really hate what the west did in Rwanda.
Foreign Policy is unfortunately dictated by the countries own selfish interests (sometimes I feel rightly so). However the loser in this is the country that is at the receiving end of this like Rwanda. The only realy remedy for this is a strong, unfettered UN force. However the UN today is only shackled by the Western Powers.
If the balance of power shifts from West to East, unfortunately it will not change any of the responsiveness of the UN forces, it will only shift the priorities. The only real way to shift this is to have a completely independent UN Force. Even this needs to be thought through as one needs to ensure that a appropriate response from this independent UN Force is consistently sought.
The only real thought I would like to leave one with this essay is how can humans find this level of evil in them to cause suffering for fellow humans!
Monday, May 30, 2005
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Remembering World War II
Today was the 60th Anniversary for the completion of the European version of World War II. A lot things come of mind to write about this: - First I would like to see if the world celebrates the 60th Anniversary of the completion of the Pacific version of World War II. This will indicate if this was really a western war or not (atleast as far as reminiscing the war is concerned). The only real dominant eastern power involved in the war was Japan, otherwise this was really a western world war. All the eastern countries involved in the war were really involved as they were colonies of the western powers. - Second thing I would be interested in would be how the current western powers acknowledge the eastern nations contributions to the war. While I suspect this to be a minimum I would atleast expect some verbal acknowledgement from someone like Tony Blair, current leader of the dominant western power at the time. The only article I have seen is on BBC (See Link at Bottom of the Article) At the same time I don't want to understate the contributions of the western powers. A lot of people fought bravely during this time. Western leaders in America and Britain correctly assessed the negative impact Hitler would have had and made courageous decisions to win this war. Not only that, and I feel, they made more courageous decisions in post war planning (no doubt considering the impact Russia would have had). It is indeed a day to celebrate and remember the contributions made by countless people to the state of the world today. My hats off to them and I bow my head to them in respect. Link:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/4521947.stm
Saturday, April 02, 2005
Health Issues Take 2
Well I was so little informed when I wrote the last blog on Health. Since then I read the book on Genome. This is a very fascinating book I would readily recommend to anyone who wants to understand the Human Genome, get an idea how it has evolved and what it does as well as the potential in terms of the potential cures that may be possible for some of the human diseases.
There is so much I learned after reading the book that it would be almost impossible to cover this in the blog. Also at the same time if I do attempt at writing something along these lines it would reveal how ignorant I am about this subject. So I will not write what I learned about the genome but rather the impression it left on me.
First and foremost I want to convey the difficult and tedious history of how the genome was discovered. It seems to me like it is like first finding a book, one of a kind, in a library which has no catalogue of billions of book. Then discovering that the book has been written in a language unknown to anyone, trying to learn the language. Then after understanding the language we have been able to read the book but now we don't what the books message is. We know only some part of the message. So that is where we are!
Second thing I want to convey is the potential this understanding of the genome has on human diseases and other human concerns like aging. Manipulating genes though a major ethical concern could make major revolutions in cures possible. I would recommend the funding of such research. Some of the debate on the gene therapy I feel is hypocritical. Lets take the example of genetically altered seeds (agriculture). Humans have been doing genetically alteration of different agricultural plants since prehistoric times (Actually I would argue agriculture is nothing but genetic alteration). However now suddenly genetic altered agriculture is suddenly an issue. I agree certain precautions should be taken but other than that I feel that the current debate is just unjust!
Third thing I want to convey is my ignorance. This subject is so vast and complex that I have to admit my incomprehensibility. I have so many questions and I will and try and get an answer to this. One good website I encountered is the webpage on the NIH Website: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/omim . This is a wonderful website that lists all the known diseases due to mutations in genes on certain chromosome. Remember always: GENES DON'T CAUSE DISEASES. It is the issues due to mutation of the genes that cause the diseases.
Apart from this there are other issues that have left an imprint on me. However I don't want to cover these as these are trivial compared to the above three. I will try and update the blog as and when I read more about this subject.
There is so much I learned after reading the book that it would be almost impossible to cover this in the blog. Also at the same time if I do attempt at writing something along these lines it would reveal how ignorant I am about this subject. So I will not write what I learned about the genome but rather the impression it left on me.
First and foremost I want to convey the difficult and tedious history of how the genome was discovered. It seems to me like it is like first finding a book, one of a kind, in a library which has no catalogue of billions of book. Then discovering that the book has been written in a language unknown to anyone, trying to learn the language. Then after understanding the language we have been able to read the book but now we don't what the books message is. We know only some part of the message. So that is where we are!
Second thing I want to convey is the potential this understanding of the genome has on human diseases and other human concerns like aging. Manipulating genes though a major ethical concern could make major revolutions in cures possible. I would recommend the funding of such research. Some of the debate on the gene therapy I feel is hypocritical. Lets take the example of genetically altered seeds (agriculture). Humans have been doing genetically alteration of different agricultural plants since prehistoric times (Actually I would argue agriculture is nothing but genetic alteration). However now suddenly genetic altered agriculture is suddenly an issue. I agree certain precautions should be taken but other than that I feel that the current debate is just unjust!
Third thing I want to convey is my ignorance. This subject is so vast and complex that I have to admit my incomprehensibility. I have so many questions and I will and try and get an answer to this. One good website I encountered is the webpage on the NIH Website: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/omim . This is a wonderful website that lists all the known diseases due to mutations in genes on certain chromosome. Remember always: GENES DON'T CAUSE DISEASES. It is the issues due to mutation of the genes that cause the diseases.
Apart from this there are other issues that have left an imprint on me. However I don't want to cover these as these are trivial compared to the above three. I will try and update the blog as and when I read more about this subject.
Saturday, March 26, 2005
Health Issues
Health has been a thought, these past few months, on my mind. We have personally faced the ugly face of bad health this past year. This has got me thinking why there seems to be a prevalence of "incurable" diseases in the world today. Was it always like this in the past.
I believe humankinds' war against disease has always been part of our history. We have always tried to conquer the germs. But so far I would say that the battle is far from won (by either side). For every germ and disease that is conquered there seems to be a more challenging disease ahead.
I think there are two types of diseases. One is caused by humankinds fight with the germs. AIDs, Influenza, Cancer (Maybe) fall into this category. Here the war is against another living organism which can mutate rather rapidly defeating our various treatment options. It is really a survival of the fitest kind of struggle. For this war sometimes humans have the upper hand and some times the viruses. Here we are dependent on the scientific brains to come up various vaccines to protect us against these.
The other type of disease is what are called chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes etc. Here the battle I feel is with ourselves. I feel that these diseases represent what is a gap in technological evoluation and the human evolution. Human ingenuity has significantly improved our lives. For example transportation has significantly improved travel but has also reduced physical exercise for humans. The inability of the human body to cope with these technological advances especially the pace of these advances I feel has resulted in chronic diseases. We can definitely improve our chances of fighting these diseases by maintaining a level of physical activity and healthy diet to over come the gap between this pace of technological advance and the pace of evolution.
I believe humankinds' war against disease has always been part of our history. We have always tried to conquer the germs. But so far I would say that the battle is far from won (by either side). For every germ and disease that is conquered there seems to be a more challenging disease ahead.
I think there are two types of diseases. One is caused by humankinds fight with the germs. AIDs, Influenza, Cancer (Maybe) fall into this category. Here the war is against another living organism which can mutate rather rapidly defeating our various treatment options. It is really a survival of the fitest kind of struggle. For this war sometimes humans have the upper hand and some times the viruses. Here we are dependent on the scientific brains to come up various vaccines to protect us against these.
The other type of disease is what are called chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes etc. Here the battle I feel is with ourselves. I feel that these diseases represent what is a gap in technological evoluation and the human evolution. Human ingenuity has significantly improved our lives. For example transportation has significantly improved travel but has also reduced physical exercise for humans. The inability of the human body to cope with these technological advances especially the pace of these advances I feel has resulted in chronic diseases. We can definitely improve our chances of fighting these diseases by maintaining a level of physical activity and healthy diet to over come the gap between this pace of technological advance and the pace of evolution.
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