March 2006 Archives

"There are several forms of governmental structure, and among them the democratic structure is highly appreciated [by some persons]. Democracy is defined as "government of the people, by the people and for the people." But in fact it is the rule of the majority. Hence democracy means "mobocracy" because the government in a democratic structure is guided by mob psychology. The majority of the society are fools; wise people are always in a minority. Thus, finally democracy is nothing but "foolocracy". ~ Shrii P. R. Sarkar

In Towards Electicism, Professor of Peace Studies Johan Galtung is less concerned with Sarkar's particular contributions and more with mapping Sarkar with other grand thinkers. He argues that macro-historians have shaped our entire way of conceiving of ourselves, in History. They have mapped us on trajectories with the most intriguing curve shapes even if the linear and the cyclical tend to dominate. Giants as they are, there is always the temptation to yield to any one of them, like people in occident (and not only there) have done to Smith and Marx. There is the temptation to adopt the biblical approach and see their main work as The Book as the book.

In his essay, Galtung does not take that approach, rather, he sees that there is much to be learned from all the macro-historians. And even more to be learned by seeing their works, not as the end of the story, but as the beginning of a dialogue between these great thinkers. Here Galtung extends their works by taking us on a journey of juxtaposition - positing what ten great macro-historian might have taught, and learnt from, each other. For, according to Galtung, 'greatness can be shared: there is much room at the top of Mt. Olympus.' [Source: Transcending Boundaries Edited by Dr. Sohail Inayatullah & Jennifer Fitzgerald]

If a business is built with the help of loans from any source, then that enterprise is termed kátiká in Sanskrit. Suppose someone has no capital but wants to start a business by taking a loan, then that business is called kátiká vyávasá. You might have noticed that there are many countries which suffer from financial stringency, so they take loans from other countries. These loans are then used for ventures like constructing large dams on their rivers.

(03-24) 08:29 PST CALCUTTA, India (AP) -- One of the world's oldest creatures, a giant tortoise believed to have been about 250 years old, has died in the Calcutta zoo where it spent more than half its long life. Read More

"If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy."

-- James Madison, 4th US President and primary author of the US Constitution

THE fierce battle over the future of America's immigration system is spilling from Capitol Hill onto the airwaves, as conservatives accuse Democrats, human rights groups and even some labor unions of trying to stymie Republican efforts to stem the tide of illegal immigration.

But in recent weeks, some commentators and prominent Republicans have turned their swords against another formidable foe in their battle to tighten the borders: the Roman Catholic Church.

While the New York Times has treated the lopsided outcome of Belarus presidential election as confirmation of the allegations of the US-backed candidate Aleksandr Milinkevich that the vote was rigged, major media outlets have ignored their own previous reporting that predicted the incumbent, Aleksandr Lukashenko, was by far the most popular candidate and would likely score an overwhelming electoral victory.

"This is part of a strategy to engineer a color revolution in Belarus, following the same script used in Ukraine and Georgia, to oust pro-Russian governments there. According to the strategy, election results will be declared invalid, followed by members of a Western-funded youth group spilling into the streets in a planned "spontaneous" uprising, demanding the government's resignation."

The efforts of Western powers to overthrow Belarus’ Lukashenko government will culminate in rallies planned for Sunday night in Minsk to protest the outcome of the presidential election Lukashenko is sure to win, not because the election will be rigged, but because Lukashenko is by far the most popular candidate.

Arup Bandopadhyaya was one of my intimate friends. He was sweet in his dealings and multi-talented. His mind was as clear as a clean slate. It is difficult to find a man so good in a hundred thousand. Though he was born in a middle-class family, he was dedicated to public charity. His wife, Shipra, always assisted him in his noble work. Shipra also worked somewhere. The couple decided that with the income of one they would maintain their family, and the second income would be used for public welfare.

Shipra had a younger sister, Reba. Just after she took her exams for her B.A. from Bethune College, she came to visit her elder sister.

No one knows exactly when a person will be called to family life -- not even the astrologers or matchmakers. While Reba was with her sister, three or four proposals were coming every week. Reba, as was the custom, used to appear at every marriage "interview board" and answer all their queries. Now, Reba was endowed with beauty, intelligence and good character. The marriage brokers would have taken to her, but the problem was the dowry.

Ranchi: Giving vent to their grievances against polygamy among the Santhals, around 800 tribal women from several states demanded abolition of the age-old practice.

At a two-day workshop here, speakers said tribal women as a rule have no right over any land owned by the family. A polygamous male could very well divorce his wife at his will, they alleged.

It is a paradox that the two most populated countries in the world -- China and India -- which together have some 2.3 billion people, are running low on young women. That's because both China and India traditionally value boys more than girls. Modern technology has made it possible to identify the sex of an unborn child and to abort it if it is a girl. Other female babies are quietly disposed of after birth. That could mean long and lonely bachelorhoods in the near future for millions of men unable to find partners.

"We are at the beginning, not the end, of a profound crisis in the US' relations with NATO. European nations may now articulate a political identity that is both in their national interests and conforms to their values - the very thing that the US hoped NATO would prevent from occurring when it created it over a half-century ago. The Bush Administration may very well compel them to become more independent. That is to be welcomed."

Read more at http://www.antiwar.com/orig/kolko.php?articleid=8717

Well ... maybe not the Department of health and Human Services, but the Government as a whole, they do pretty well off of tobacco.

On the average, every smoker saves the government twenty thousand dollars per head on costs saved. That's because cigarette smokers die early and don't collect so much retirement money. You might think they make up for it in added health care expenses, but that twenty thousand is after those are deducted.

London: Low carb diets like The Atkins could cause serious health conditions, according to medics.

Doctors from New York, writing in the Lancet, describe a 40-year-old woman on the Atkins diet who developed dangerously high acids in her blood.

Public health doctors writing in the journal said low carb diets were "far from healthy".

By society ordinarily we mean a collective body of men and women, but the innate spirit of the word 'society' is not this. Samája or society in the true sense of the term implies an action of moving together (Samánam' ejate). We come across groups of persons in buses, trams and trains moving together; but this occasional movement cannot be termed society either. Being inspired by a common ideology, when different individuals move towards the common goal and become active for its achievement, this can be called a society. The appropriate English equivalent for Samája should not therefore be society. Social advancement, which is a type of social action, means that the tie of mutual unity among the persons moving together has become strong.

Prout supports intervention in sovereign nation states by a duly created world body. It rejects intervention by particular nation-states, even broad based coalitions. This is largely as the self-interests of nation-states (geo-political control, resource and ideology control) go against the self-interests of the planet.

Ideologically, Prout rejects the UN as such a world body, as the UN is foundations are based on inequitable world order. Moreover, eligibility into the UN is based on acquiring national status, thus leaving out social movements, cooperatives, and individuals.

Ideologically Prout rejects identity politics particularly religious politics, including the hindu variety ( eg, BJP genocide in Gujrat), of the Islamic variety (terrorism globally and in Kashmir) of the Christian Vatican (the feudal politics of the Vatican) and of the Jewish variety (Zionism).

In nearly all countries of the world economically privileged or advanced groups are mercilessly exploiting other economically backward groups and sucking their vitality, gagging their voice and closing all the doors of their future progress. To overcome this tyranny and exploitation, movements will have to be launched for those suppressed people so that they can stride boldly forward, fight against all exploitation and attain economic independence. Nobody can deny the need of such an approach, of such movements, because such an approach is truly humanistic. If such an approach is not adopted, it be something unnatural and anti-human. In fact, to oppose such movements amounts to working as an agent to protect the interests of the exploitative and reactionary forces.

"The imam's road trip led to an outburst of Muslim indignation. Copenhagen was puzzled until the Danish tabloid Extra Bladet got hold of the 43-page report that the imams were handing out. It included three cartoons that had never been published in Jyllands-Posten, nor in any other Danish publication."

"From ancient times human beings have struggled against their obstacles. Struggle is the essence of life. Those who cry for disarmament are enemies of human beings. They are reluctant to fight even against criminals. Of course, with the spread of civilization human beings will not attack the unarmed and the weak.

Unfortunately, there are many persons in this world who think of themselves as civilized but mercilessly crush the help less and the innocent. The pitiable destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki bears witness to the uncivilized action of the so-called nations. Though they are culturally advanced, they are most backward in civilization. They should sit at the feet of the Indian Adivasis [aboriginal communities] and learn about civilization. Those who possess atom and hydrogen bombs have to be taught the lesson that this universe is for human beings and not for demons. More powerful weapons have to be invented to counteract these uncivilized persons."

This article is intended as a contribution to a discussion on taxation in a Proutist economy. Sarkar has written little on the subject and what there is, is better understood by reference to the existing literature. As can readily be imagined, the literature is vast and detailed, having evolved over many centuries. This article attempts to distil relevant principles guided partly by Sarkar's comments and partly by common sense. The final conclusions are not concrete policy suggestions because too much depends on the time, place and circumstance in which a tax is levied. There is much to learn about taxation and the author hopes that this article offers Proutists a helpful introduction. The author also believes that the mode of argumentation required to discuss taxation policy can usefully be carried over to other areas of debate about Proutist economic policy. ..... Read More

"In the name of religion so many sanguinary battles were fought in the past, and even now people belonging to one religious group cannot rely on other groups, or pay credence to other groups. Thus one should remember that only the pinnacled Entity, the apexed Entity is our Saviour - He is the only goal of our life. This is the panacea for all psychic ailments."

By Sanjoy Majumder, BBC News, Delhi

A day after twin blasts rocked the Hindu holy city of Varanasi the focus has shifted towards the investigation.

Police and special investigators are scouring the site of the two attacks, looking for any leads that could point to who or which groups might be involved.

So far the authorities have been cautious, saying only that the attack is almost definitely "a terrorist attack".

The last two weeks there has been an uproar over who manages our ports. The uproar began when it became public that the British company Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co., who manages terminal at 6 US ports was being bought out by Dubai Ports World. DPW is owned by Dubai which is one of the 7 Emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Since then there has been many statement made that have no bearing in fact. Any debate needs to be based on facts and not fear and political posturing. While I believe that no port operations should be managed by companies from out side the United States, I do not agree with using false information to promote that position.

"Movement which is devoid of logic and reason is called "dogma" and a collection of dogma is called "ism". When the advocates of dogma and the followers of isms lacked sufficient charisma to convince people through the power of their personalities, they tried to persuade them by taking the name of God."

Since the inception of the Progressive Utilization Theory (PROUT) by P.R. Sarkar in the late 1950s, there have been numerous efforts to come to terms with the various implications and applications, and structures and meanings of this theory. The purpose of this essay is to comment on these commentaries and to surface in the context of PROUTist texts the problem of inquiry. How, for example, does one constitute the real, what categories of thought does one use, and furthermore in what ways is one's method of inquiry related to or constitutive of the object of inquiry as well as to the discourses (texts, practices, the social construction of what-is) that frame one's method. Thus, this is a discussion of various epistemological approaches.¹

The nation's liberated economy -- portrayed by globalization forces as an antidote to poverty -- has done little for nearly 300 million poor people, the most of any country

New Delhi -- Among India's poor, survival is still won by acts of despair and cunning. It's a daily quest whose reward is a plate of rice or a simple medication.

"Psycho-economic exploitation is the latest form of dangerous and all-devouring capitalist exploitation. It is a special type of exploitation which first weakens and paralyses people psychologically in various ways, and then exploits them economically. Some of the methods of psycho-economic exploitation include, first, the suppression of the indigenous language and culture of the local people; secondly, the extensive propagation of pseudo-culture, exemplified by pornographic literature which debases people's minds and undermines the vitality of the youth; ... and eightthly, placing the control over different mass media such as newspapers, radios and television, in the hands of the capitalists. Intellectual exploitation and psycho-economic exploitation are great dangers to the entire humanity today."

- Shrii P. R. Sarkar, 1981, Calcutta, from 'Capitalism In Three Spheres' - "A Few Problems Solved" - Part 9

"Ism overshadows human intelligence in such a way that even if one has been defeated through logic or reason, one refuses to accept the defeat. Therefore, human beings have to extricate their minds from the serpentine shackles of Ism."

Last month, numinous luminaries, including President Bush and three former U.S. presidents, honored Coretta Scott King, wife of the great American civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., assassinated in 1968, at her funeral ceremonies in Atlanta, Georgia. Though lasting for hours, these ceremonies were rich in story and music and quite impressive. Among those speaking was Atallah Shabazz, daughter of another great African American leader of the 1960s who was also assassinated, Malcolm X. Unknown to most, she used the occasion to undermine her father's legacy. ...... Full Article.

"The fascists socially and culturally uproot the victimized community by imposing a foreign language and culture on them. Because the local people cannot easily express their individual and collective feelings and sentiments in a foreign language, they develop a defeatist psychology and inferiority complex with respect to the exploiters. This defeatist psychology destroys the natural spiritedness and will to fight of the local people, and the fascists skillfully utilise this golden opportunity. The primary interest of the fascist exploiters is to gradually suck the vitality of the local community so that they can pillage and plunder their natural resources, but if necessary they will obliterate the local community from the face of the earth.

During the British rule of India, the unfortunate Bengalis were the victims of various types of rapacious psychic exploitation by the British fascists. The British adopted three main methods of psychic exploitation. The British exploiters, obsessed with crushing freedom struggles and national revolts, tried to destroy the revolutionary spirit of the Bengalis, so they started psycho-economic exploitation also. Besides this, in order to reduce the Bengali population, they divided Bengal into different regions and annexed them to the adjoining states. A large section of the population became separated from the mainstream of Bengali life and identified with the cultural heritage of the newly formed states. The same legacy is being followed even now."

Prout's approach is that the medium of instruction from primary to tertiary level should be in the local language. The sum total of human expression is culture, and language is the best medium to express human culture. While different groups should encourage every language, each unit should use the local language to inspire self-confidence and self-respect amongst the local people. Encouraging a positive cultural identity is an important ingredient in the development of the local area, and is an essential factor in generating a sense of affinity and unity amongst the people.

Every living being has its own inherent tendency to express and symbolise. In the evolutionary process of creation, where higher species have evolved, living beings try to express their feelings by gesture, posture or by some sound. In a general sense, this acoustic expression of ideas is called language.

QUEVEN, France -- Day and night on France's windy western coast, Radio Kerne transmits a bright mix of music sprinkled with local news. It is a new station run by young people for a young audience -- but with a difference. Most of Radio Kerne's operators are volunteers, working with the zeal of missionaries. Their preferred music comes from bagpipes and flutes. And they broadcast only in Breton, a Celtic language spoken for more than 2,000 years that until recently seemed doomed to disappear. "Saving the culture of Brittany is very much on people's minds," said Isig Flatres, who is the manager of the station. "This generation is no longer embarrassed about speaking or being Breton."

While we are all aware why we do not have peace in south asia, there is a paucity of explorations on how to create a better future. The lack of peace defined as both individual peace (inner contentment), social-psychological peace (how we see the Other), structural peace (issues of justice, particularly territorial justice) and epistemological peace (toward a plurality of ways of knowing) are among the major factors contributing to poverty in south asia. Government expenditures in each nation, especially India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka go for military purposes and not for education or health. Every time a positive economic cycle begins, yet one more confrontation sends military expenditures higher. Few, except military leaders and a few corporations (mostly foreign), benefit from this escalation.

"No race can claim the absolute purity of its blood. Hitler's claim of the purity of [Aryan] blood misled people. Europeans are many races: Nordic, Mediterranean, Alpine, Greek, etc. Indians are also many races: Austric, Austrico-Negroid, Dravidian, Mongoloid, Negroid, etc. No race is perfectly pure without any blending. Everywhere there is universal blending. There is no single original race or language anywhere in the world. So human society is a singular entity. All the merits and demerits of society are ours, they are common patrimony. It is foolish to claim that the merits are ours and the demerits theirs."