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!)

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.