Cricket meets its match

History of fixing the product of a corrupt society

Scyld Berry August 30, 2010

It is only natural that cricketers - or some of them at least - should reflect the society from which they come. And Pakistan is, and has been almost throughout its existence, riddled with corruption.

England supporters - and westerners in general - may tut-tut and disapprove of Pakistan, from its cricketers who have been implicated in match-fixing over more than two decades to its president, Asif Zardari, who chose to flaunt his wealth while the country he is supposed to rule was flooded. But, uncomfortable truth be told, Britain and the United States have complied with the governments of Pakistan in the basic form of corruption which pervades the country and derails society.

The military takes most of the country's wealth, leaving far too little money to fund civilian society: a euphemism for saying the state does not provide its people with schools and hospitals or any real social care.

In his book Pakistan - Eye of the Storm, the former BBC correspondent Owen Bennett-Jones wrote: "Between 1947 and 1959 up to 73 per cent of Pakistan's total government spending was devoted to defense. The average for the period was 60 per cent." And nothing had changed by the last time England toured Pakistan at the end of 2005. The British High Commission then estimated that Pakistan's military - including the notorious Inter-Services Intelligence - took 70 per cent of government spending for itself. No doubt official disapproval has been expressed, in private, but the aid has continued to pour in from Britain and the US without sufficient strings attached.

Anyone growing up in such a country therefore sees the state doing nothing for its people, feels no loyalty to the state in return, and makes what money he can for himself. And it is very difficult for someone in Pakistan, if not quite impossible, to make a decent living by honest means: what money there is does not go where it should but into official pockets.

My first experience of this was on England's 1977-8 tour of Pakistan. The Raj left behind some lovely hotels, Dean's, Flashman's, Faletti's, and they were all run down, apparently unrenovated since Partition. The money the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation received from government never went into the hotels which it owned.

For cricketers growing up amid corruption, the temptations are increased by Pakistan being the neighbours of India. Indian cricketers are well paid by their board, and lavishly sponsored. Pakistan players have always been poorly paid by their board, and sponsorship has never made good the difference as the country does not have the industry and private-sector economy which India has.

Pakistan's dressing room is unusual. The first language is not English and Muslim prayers are said and Ramadan, as now, observed. It has been hierarchical too. Traditionally the captain has lorded it over his team, like Imran Khan or Inzamam ul-Haq. The junior player has to conform, without allowance for individualism, to keep his place.

Not surprisingly, cricket match-fixing first reared its head in Pakistan. The inquiries by Justice Qayyum, even though the penalties were watered down by Pakistan's government to reduce international embarrassment, and by India's Central Bureau of Investigation, chronicle some of the nefarious activities which spread from 1980.

They were partly driven by human greed as well as the inequality of Pakistan society. But understandable human weakness was at play too. If you were a cricketer who worked part-time for a bank that collapsed, and some of the people whom you had persuaded to open accounts at that bank wanted their money back, and fast, or else your family would suffer: what would most of us do?

As Lord Condon, the first head of the International Cricket Council's Anti Corruption and Security Unit, told us earlier this year in a rare interview: the bad boys know perfectly how to entrap. Down the slippery slope the young cricketer goes, accepting the odd gift, and then money, in return for more and more important information, until he is one of the boys. And he is only following the example of his seniors, if not betters.

Sexual entrapment has been used as well. There is no going back to an honest life if you have taken the money, or if you have been photographed in a compromising position in a Dubai hotel, especially for players from a Muslim country.

And it is not like the good old days of the 1820s when Lord's was not so much the home of cricket as of gambling, and dodgy fellows/lovable rogues propositioned players as they went in and out of the pavilion.

The trail leads from corrupt cricketers through middlemen back to the biggest mafia bosses in south Asia, to men who have cut their teeth - and more than a few throats - in the Bollywood film industry. To men who are No.1 on Wanted Lists. In them cricket has met its match.


Source : The Daily Telegraph, London

What is true above of Pakistan populace in general is surely applicable to Indian politicians as well? - cr

For cricketers growing up amid corruption, the temptations are increased by Pakistan being the neighbours of India. Indian cricketers are well paid by their board, and lavishly sponsored. Pakistan players have always been poorly paid by their board, and sponsorship has never made good the difference as the country does not have the industry and private-sector economy which India has.

Pakistan's dressing room is unusual. The first language is not English and Muslim prayers are said and Ramadan, as now, observed. It has been hierarchical too. Traditionally the captain has lorded it over his team, like Imran Khan or Inzamam ul-Haq. The junior player has to conform, without allowance for individualism, to keep his place.

Not surprisingly, cricket match-fixing first reared its head in Pakistan. The inquiries by Justice Qayyum, even though the penalties were watered down by Pakistan's government to reduce international embarrassment, and by India's Central Bureau of Investigation, chronicle some of the nefarious activities which spread from 1980.

They were partly driven by human greed as well as the inequality of Pakistan society. But understandable human weakness was at play too. If you were a cricketer who worked part-time for a bank that collapsed, and some of the people whom you had persuaded to open accounts at that bank wanted their money back, and fast, or else your family would suffer: what would most of us do?

As Lord Condon, the first head of the International Cricket Council's Anti Corruption and Security Unit, told us earlier this year in a rare interview: the bad boys know perfectly how to entrap. Down the slippery slope the young cricketer goes, accepting the odd gift, and then money, in return for more and more important information, until he is one of the boys. And he is only following the example of his seniors, if not betters.

Sexual entrapment has been used as well. There is no going back to an honest life if you have taken the money, or if you have been photographed in a compromising position in a Dubai hotel. Especially for players from a Muslim country.

And it is not like the good old days of the 1820s when Lord's was not so much the home of cricket as of gambling, and dodgy fellows/lovable rogues propositioned players as they went in and out of the pavilion.

The trail leads from corrupt cricketers through middlemen back to the biggest mafia bosses in south Asia, to men who have cut their teeth - and more than a few throats - in the Bollywood film industry. To men who are No.1 on Wanted Lists. In them cricket has met its match.

The Daily Telegraph, London

Laws Newton forgot

Law of Queue: If you change queues, the one you have left will start to move faster than the one you are in now.


Law of Telephone: When you dial a wrong number, you never get an engaged tone.


Law of Mechanical Repair: After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch.


Law of the Workshop: Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.


Law of the Alibi: If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the next morning you will have a flat tire.


Bath Theorem: When the body is immersed in water, the telephone rings.


Law of Encounters: The probability of meeting someone you know increases when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with.


Law of the Result: When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will!


Law of Biomechanics: The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach.


Theatre Rule: People with the seats at the furthest from the aisle arrive last.


Law of Coffee: As soon as you sit down for a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold

Games Politicians play

The report of a sub-committee of the N.C. Saxena committee, which formed the basis of Mr Ramesh’s peremptory “stop work” order, has found niggling faults with the Posco land acquisition process. These objections, predictably, will be set aside in the coming months. But the delay is certain to give a fillip to the anti-Posco brigade, disrupt all schedules and even raise costs. These don’t concern Mr Ramesh. He is looking to create a situation whereby public faith in Mr Patnaik’s ability to manage Orissa’s development is called into question. More important, by seeking to identify Mr Patnaik with “big money”, he is aiming to hit at the chief minister’s credentials as a leader of unimpeachable integrity. This would explain why the inexplicable order on the Posco project has been carefully linked to the denial of bauxite mining rights to Vedanta in Niyamgiri hills.

In his triumphalist media interactions last Tuesday, Mr Ramesh made it seem that a pathetic Mr Patnaik had come to him pleading for Anil Agarwal. “I merely listened, smiled, and did not say anything”, he said with an air of smug superiority. The subtext was gin clear: “Who the hell is the Orissa CM?”

Mr Ramesh’s arrogance arises from two factors. First, by getting a member of the activists-dominated National Advisory Council to do his hatchet job, he has painted the war on Orissa as Sonia Gandhi’s project. Secondly, he carefully timed his decisions to coincide with Rahul Gandhi’s rally in Kalahandi. These are clear signals to the Prime Minister to refrain from protesting too much. Mr Ramesh’s admirers also say he has also got his own back on P. Chidambaram who once sat on Vedanta’s board of directors.

India needs to take environmental concerns seriously and follow laws — although laws can’t be applied retrospectively and goalposts can’t be constantly shifted. It’s also a great idea to institutionalise a local stake in the region’s future growth. But these causes aren’t going to be served by converting the environment ministry into an instrument of blackmail and recrimination. Indira Gandhi used planning to settle political scores and dish out favours. Environment clearances are turning out to be the new instruments of political control in a market economy. Today it is Orissa; tomorrow it will be another non-Congress state.

Swapan Dasgupta is a senior journalist

---

Read the full story by Swapan Dasgupta in Deccan Chronicle :Source URL:
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/dc-comment/climatic-arthashastra-746

Julian Assange : Docs Show Brutality Of War

SPIEGEL Interview                                                                           26 July , 2010 

WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange on the 'War Logs': 'I Enjoy Crushing Bastards'

In a SPIEGEL interview, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, 39, discusses his decision to publish the Afghanistan war logs, the difficult balance between the public interest and the need for state secrets and why he believes people who wage war are more dangerous than him.

SPIEGEL: You are about to publish a vast amount of classified data on the war in Afghanistan. What is your motivation?

Assange: These files are the most comprehensive description of a war to be published during the course of a war -- in other words, at a time when they still have a chance of doing some good. They cover more than 90,000 different incidents, together with precise geographical locations. They cover the small and the large. A single body of information, they eclipse all that has been previously said about Afghanistan. They will change our perspective on not only the war in Afghanistan, but on all modern wars.

SPIEGEL: Do you think that the publication of this data will influence political decision-makers?

Assange: Yes. This material shines light on the everyday brutality and squalor of war. The archive will change public opinion and it will change the opinion of people in positions of political and diplomatic influence.

SPIEGEL: Aren't you expecting a little too much?

Assange: There is a mood to end the war in Afghanistan. This information won't do it alone, but it will shift political will in a significant manner.

SPIEGEL: The material contains military secrets and names of sources. By publishing it, aren't you endangering the lives of international troops and their informants in Afghanistan?

Assange: The Kabul files contain no information related to current troop movements. The source went through their own harm minimization process, and instructed us to conduct our usual review to make sure there was not a significant chance of innocents being negatively affected. We understand the importance of protecting confidential sources, and we understand why it is important to protect certain US and ISAF sources.

SPIEGEL: So what, specifically, did you do to minimize any possible harm?

Assange: We identified cases where there may be a reasonable chance of harm occurring to the innocent. Those records were identified and edited accordingly.

SPIEGEL: Is there anything that you consider to be a legitimate state secret?

Assange: There is a legitimate role for secrecy, and there is a legitimate role for openness. Unfortunately, those who commit abuses against humanity or against the law find abusing legitimate secrecy to conceal their abuse all too easy. People of good conscience have always revealed abuses by ignoring abusive strictures. It is not WikiLeaks that decides to reveal something. It is a whistleblower or a dissident who decides to reveal it. Our job is to make sure that these individuals are protected, the public is informed and the historical record is not denied.

SPIEGEL: But in the end somebody has to decide whether you publish or not. Who determines the criteria? WikiLeaks considers itself to be a trailblazer when it comes to freedom of information, but it lacks transparency in its own publishing decisions.

Assange: This is ridiculous. We are clear about what we will publish and what we will not. We do not have ad-hoc editorial decisions. We always release the full primary sources to our articles. What other press organization has such exacting standards? Everyone should try to follow our lead.

SPIEGEL: The problem is that it is difficult to hold WikiLeaks accountable. You operate your servers in countries that offer you broad protection. Does WikiLeaks consider itself to be above the law?

Assange: WikiLeaks does not exist in outer space. We are people who exist on Earth, in particular nations, each of which have a particular set of laws. We have been legally challenged in various countries. We have won every challenge. It is courts that decide the law, not corporations or generals. The law, as expressed by constitutions and courts, has been on our side.

SPIEGEL: You have said that there is a correlation between the transparency for which you are fighting and a just society. What do you mean by that?

Assange: Reform can only come about when injustice is exposed. To oppose an unjust plan before it reaches implementation is to stop injustice.

SPIEGEL: During the Vietnam War, US President Richard Nixon once called Daniel Elsberg, the leaker of the Pentagon Papers, the most dangerous man in America. Are you today's most dangerous man or the most endangered?

Assange: The most dangerous men are those who are in charge of war. And they need to be stopped. If that makes me dangerous in their eyes, so be it.

SPIEGEL: You could have started a company in Silicon Valley and lived in a home in Palo Alto with a swimming pool. Why did you decide to do the WikiLeaks project instead?

Assange: We all only live once. So we are obligated to make good use of the time that we have, and to do something that is meaningful and satisfying. This is something that I find meaningful and satisfying. That is my temperament. I enjoy creating systems on a grand scale, and I enjoy helping people who are vulnerable. And I enjoy crushing bastards. So it is enjoyable work.

Interview conducted by John Goetz and Marcel Rosenbach

© SPIEGEL ONLINE 2010

Dirty Tricks

US Defence had demanded that WikiLeaks return all the 15000 odd documents that WikiLeaks had announced that they are going to publish. Amidst threats of grave consequences, they had pleaded the documents to be a security risk to the Defence Department personnel engaged in war.


WikiLeaks have refused to hand over the documents - and fearing "dirty tricks" from the US Intellegence agencies, had created an elaborate method to ensure publications of the documents by hosting the entire package in an encrypted file over 1 GB in size for download from their multiple websites and mirrors. All it needed was a password for it to be opened. They had withheld the passward as an insurance to prevent CIA from indulging in diry tricks.


US media reported that federal prosecutors were looking at possible criminal charges against WikiLeaks for releasing the confidential military documents. The Wall Street Journal claimed that the US Defence and the Justice Departments were exploring legal options for prosecuting Assange and others on grounds that they encouraged the theft of US Government property. On the other hand, it is public knowledge that the agencies are out to discredit WikiLeaks and it's founder - because they have failed in everything they tried so far!


Last week Assange further stoked the flames of controversy when he claimed that the Pentagon was ready to talk to WikiLeaks about its unreleased documents. A Pentagon spokesman said a phone call had been arranged with the WikiLeaks lawyer but no conversation had taken place. He denied that the Pentagon was willing to co-operate with WikiLeaks.


Then suddenly, there was news that Julian Assange was wanted for rape in Sweden!


"Julian was clearly preparing to release more sensitive documents, which is what he was doing in Sweden, and he had also been working with Swedish television on a project.


Friends of the secretive founder of WikiLeaks, the website behind the biggest leak of United States military documents in history, claimed yesterday that he was the victim of a smear campaign after prosecutors withdrew a warrant for his arrest in connection with rape and molestation allegations.


On Saturday a spokeswoman for the Swedish prosecutors office in Stockholm confirmed that an arrest warrant for Julian Assange had been issued and urged him to "contact police so that he can be confronted with the suspicions"


Assange's online supporters were quick to point the finger at US intelligence agencies. Typical tweets included: "America will silence you one way or another." Another asked: "Can't you spooks frame up with something more original?"


Gavin MacFadyen, director of the Centre for Investigative Journalism, and a friend of Assange, said: "A lot of us who had any notion of what he was doing expected this sort of thing to happen at least a week ago. I'm amazed it has taken them this long to get it together. This is how smears work.


"The charges are made and then withdrawn and the damage is done."


In any case, this will make interesting reading as days go by - and a whole lot of drama remains to be played out, as there is growing support for WikiLeaks.

From Raja's quote..

Time Magazine's quote on Sachin:

"When Sachin Tendulkar travelled to Pakistan to face one of the finest
bowling attacks ever assembled in cricket, Michael Schumacher was yet
to race a F1 car, Lance Armstrong had never been to the Tour de
France, Diego Maradona was still the captain of a world champion
Argentina team, Pete Sampras had never won a Grand Slam. When
Tendulkar embarked on a glorious career taming Imran and company,
Roger Federer was a name unheard of; Lionel Messi was in his nappies,
Usain Bolt was an unknown kid in the Jamaican backwaters. The Berlin
Wall was still intact, USSR was one big, big country, Dr Manmohan
Singh was yet to "open" the Nehruvian economy. It seems while Time was
having his toll on every individual on the face of this planet, he
excused one man. Time stands frozen in front of Sachin Tendulkar. We
have had champions, we have had legends, but we have never had another
Sachin Tendulkar and we never will."

A strange nuclear story

This is a story of how the US under Nixon issued a nuclear bluff. This could have gone seriously wrong - and caused havoc - Read the whole story, it is interesting.

If clicking on the above link does not work, then copy and paste the link below into your browser address bar :


http://www.wired.com/politics/security/magazine/16-03/ff_nuclearwar?currentPage=all#ixzz0wbWpMqUT

Angelvoice

Alas, Angelvoice's mother-in-law is no more.   (One of Angelvoice's old emails)       The occasion    ......      after the loss   The time           .....      after it's gone ------------------------------------------------ What a wonderful story!      "Hugz"!!!

An interesting little story.  Have a blessed day May her soul rest in peace.

Sehwag's century should stand.

With scores level, when Sehwag was about to face the controversial ball, he had already played 98 balls and was batting on 99. Next is the no-ball which he hits for a 6. On the records, it is shown that India has won the match, and Sehwag is left unbeaten on 99, having faced 100 balls. According to the pundits, since the “no-ball came first” India had won the match, so the 6 is not counted in the record book.

With so much of hue and cry over the matter, everyone is blaming the bowler, the captain, team and the SL board. All experts have had their say in print and visual media with all sorts of view expressed – but none actually examining the law itself. So, let us look at what the laws of cricket actually say, which can be applicable and relevant to this episode? According to the law :

a)      The ball does not become “dead” once the no-ball has been bowled.

b)      A penalty of one run shall be awarded instantly on the call of no-ball. Unless the call is revoked, this penalty shall stand even if a batsman is dismissed. It shall be in addition to any other runs scored, any boundary allowance and any other penalties awarded.

The operative part of the law is, “the penalty of one run shall be in addition to any other runs scored”.

The argument is this. First, the match is not over with the no-ball declaration, since the ball is not “dead” yet. The match gets over only after the ball is “dead”.

Secondly, the penalty is in addition to other runs scored – so, the 6 should be the winning run, and penalty of 1 run is added for the no-ball.

Hence, Sehwag’s century should recorded as such in the scorebooks.

Spirit of the Game

16th August 2010, India are playing Sri Lanka in a tri-series game at Dambulla. Sehwag is on 99, India need a run to win. Suraj Randiv is the bowler. Randiv oversteps by a long way, by a foot in fact. His back-foot is close to overstepping as well whereas the front-foot is way over the front line. As soon as the ball is delivered, Sehwag comes down the track and launches him into the stands. Everyone for a second are delighted thinking that Sehwag has got to his hundred with that six, but since the no-ball came first, the game finished at that point, meaning Sehwag was stranded on 99

What does the law say?: The no-ball law paints a completely different picture. According to Law 24 in the MCC's laws of cricket, it is clearly stated that the no-ball does not become a dead ball once it has been delivered. Also it states that the runs made by the batsmen will stand in addition to the one penalty run given for the no-ball. If that is the case then Sehwag should have been not-out on 105 and not left stranded on 99 as was the case. Here are those laws which give a fair idea of what happens when a no-ball is bowled. 

Law 24 no-ball - 11. Ball not dead 

The ball does not become dead on the call of No ball. 

12. Penalty for a No ball 

A penalty of one run shall be awarded instantly on the call of No ball. Unless the call is revoked, this penalty shall stand even if a batsman is dismissed. It shall be in addition to any other runs scored, any boundary allowance and any other penalties awarded. 

13. Runs resulting from a No ball - how scored 

The one run penalty for a No ball shall be scored as a No ball extra. If other penalty runs have been awarded to either side, these shall be scored as in Law 42.17 (Penalty runs). Any runs completed by the batsmen or a boundary allowance shall be credited to the striker if the ball has been struck by the bat; otherwise they also shall be scored as No ball extras. 

Also according to Law 21.6(c) which says 'If a boundary is scored before the batsmen have completed sufficient runs to win the match, then the whole of the boundary allowance shall be credited.' But this law is applicable only if the delivery bowled is a legal one and does not have any mention of what happens if it is a no-ball. 

This above law needs to be looked into and needs a tweaking in order to prevent more such incidents in the future. 


credit : Srivathsa

How to write?

(Eric Steven Raymond, often referred to as ESR, is a computer programmer, author and open source software advocate. His name became known when he picked up maintenance of the "Jargon File" in 1990. After the 1997 publication of "The Cathedral and the Bazaar", Raymond became, for a number of years, an unofficial spokesman of the open source movement. He has written several FAQ’s and Howto’s for the Linux community and I found his “instruction for those who ask for help” quite informative, and worth repeating.)

Write in clear, grammatical, correctly-spelled language

We've found by experience that people who are careless and sloppy writers are usually also careless and sloppy at thinking and coding (often enough to bet on, anyway). Answering questions for careless and sloppy thinkers is not rewarding; we'd rather spend our time elsewhere.

So expressing your question clearly and well is important. If you can't be bothered to do that, we can't be bothered to pay attention. Spend the extra effort to polish your language. It doesn't have to be stiff or formal — in fact, hacker culture values informal, slangy and humorous language used with precision. But it has to be precise; there has to be some indication that you're thinking and paying attention.

Spell, punctuate, and capitalize correctly. Don't confuse “its” with “it's”, “loose” with “lose”, or “discrete” with “discreet”. Don't TYPE IN ALL CAPS; this is read as shouting and considered rude. (All-smalls is only slightly less annoying, as it's difficult to read. Alan Cox can get away with it, but you can't.)

More generally, if you write like a semi-literate boob you will very likely be ignored. So don't use instant-messaging shortcuts. Spelling "you" as "u" makes you look like a semi-literate boob to save two entire keystrokes. Worse: writing like a l33t script kiddie hax0r is the absolute kiss of death and guarantees you will receive nothing but stony silence (or, at best, a heaping helping of scorn and sarcasm) in return.

If you are asking questions in a forum that does not use your native language, you will get a limited amount of slack for spelling and grammar errors — but no extra slack at all for laziness (and yes, we can usually spot that difference). Also, unless you know what your respondent's languages are, write in English. Busy hackers tend to simply flush questions in languages they don't understand, and English is the working language of the Internet. By writing in English you minimize your chances that your question will be discarded unread.

What does Oracle expect to gain?

Simple Reasoning and then, Complex?
A good summary. After several days of thinking about this I can only come to two conclusions, neither of which I like:
a) Oracle is realizing that mobile is strategic and has decided this is how they will get in on the action. They think it is much more important than Java. They will force Google to license Java from them and that way gain not only royalties, but actual control of Android.
b) This is purely about damaging Android. There is an agreement we know nothing about yet between Apple and Oracle that if Oracle takes down Android something will happen in return from Apple. They don't care if they win or lose, they just want to smash adoption of Android. It could as easily be a move from MS but it is hard to think past the bitterness and sense of betrayal expressed by Jobs about Android, or the frequently reported "close friendship" between Ellison and Jobs.
I wish these were conspiracy theories but I can't account for Oracle's willingness to detonate what is still an incredibly valuable Java asset any other way.
(Blog - Hacker News)

Google's response to Oracle suit

“We are disappointed Oracle has chosen to attack both Google  and the open-source Java community with this baseless lawsuit," a Google spokesperson said in an e-mailed statement. "The open-source Java community goes beyond any one corporation and works every day to make the Web a better place. We will strongly defend open-source standards and will continue to work with the industry to develop the Android platform.”

The Idea of India

The idea of India 

This is an excellent essay by Shashi Tharoor. What a shame it is, that a person of his caliber is found to be unfit as a minister, because he used twitter to insult a holy cow, equating the gentle animal to the crooks in parliament or something like that. I must also say, he is extremely charitable in many parts – but that’s understandable because of the position he holds, he has to avoid controversy. Since I have no such pretensions to sophistication, let me take off from what he has left unsaid.

Let us focus on those issues that have plagued this country - those that are a massive blot on the face of the nation. He rightly points out, that amid India’s myriad problems are social oppression and caste tyranny and, that democracy has given Indians of every imaginable caste, creed and culture the chance to break free of their lot.  And how does this democracy help the victim to break free of the lot? The answer is that he can wait patiently and vote out the government (once in 5 years, of course). He has left unsaid the obvious, that the normal recourse is judicial remedy; which is rarely used because, few can trust this system to deliver justice within one’s lifetime. Though this system exists and thrives, it is mainly used as an instrument of harassment, and usually by the Government, itself! – so, not much of a remedy, Shashi, don’t you agree?

And yes, vote them out they do repeatedly – very well aware that they have no choice. They vote out one corrupt and inefficient government, which just causes another even worse, to take its place, and the cycle repeats itself and has continued for 63 years!

By articulating the above, Shashi Tharoor has laid bare the inherent flaws that the system has been unable, nay unwilling to correct. When you have the symptoms staring at you, and you don’t correct them, that is when we call it a flawed democracy. He brings out the stark truth in his mild statement, saying “the poor quality of our country’s politics in general offers less cause for celebration” – The reasons are also very well put forth. Democracy has failed to create a single political community. It has become looser, and more fragmented – mainly because we embraced the very ideals that divided us in the first place – religion, caste, language, ethnicity, and institutionalized the same, in the process, making a mockery of our own constitution! Further, even as you read this, our political leaders are considering the caste equation to be further ingrained into our census for posterity! – because, they want to create a class which can live on doles, and claim them as a matter of right so long as they vote on lines amenable to their political masters.

So, it is now being emphasized that it is more important to be a “backward caste”, a “tribal”, or a religious sectarian than to be an Indian. This goes against the basic principles of our own constitution – which promises equality, and is quite emphatic on the basis against discrimination. Still, to overcome temporary hurdles and score narrow unprincipled victories, they promote and espouse divisive tendencies to continue as a matter of state policy.

It is here that the Election Commission should have stepped in and stopped the power of old identities, habits, faiths and prejudices. There is urgent need to “transcend” these, but there is no political will to do so! Believe me you, the British created an India for us. We have failed to create Indians.

Eventually, this democracy stands stark naked and open to be hijacked by goons, criminals, sectarians, and narrow minded religious fanatics. Politics has become a money making profession where there are no ethics and morals. Values have changed – what was banked offshore in crores a few decades back, changed to hundreds, and then to thousands of crores – yet, they debate such colossal fraud at taxpayers expense for a whole week in Parliament and then decide a mere rap on the knuckles is all it deserves!  These are the guys that will dictate our policies, and frame our laws. Is there anything that can prevent the catastrophe from happening – if it has not already? Are there any “good men” left in those portals? Will they be allowed to survive and grow in numbers – because, numbers are important in democracy?

For those who would rather brush aside these thoughts as far fetched, or alarmist, kindly bear in mind that people like Shibbu Soren who has murdered a few people, and Suresh Kalmadi and a host of others, who are accused (but never proved, because their cases remain locked up conveniently in the deep freeze of the judiciary or some forgotten inquiry commissions) of murders, wife beating, corruption et all, will continue to be our political leaders, while the likes of educated, intelligent, suave, people like the author of the article under discussion, will find themselves out of this “elite” group for using twitter!

Why is there such reluctance, or opposition to long pending reforms in our Police, Judicial and Electoral systems? Why is the polity reluctant to take up these crying demands? If we are talking about this today, on our 63^rd Independence day, isn't it already too late? So, if the ideals enshrined in our constitution are contested by stone-throwing young men in the streets of Srinagar and rifle-wielding Maoists in the forests of Chhattisgarh, who is to blame?

Something new?

One man drove 12,238 miles across 30 states to scrawl a message that can only be viewed using Google Earth. His big shoutout: “Read Ayn Rand.” 

Nick Newcomen did a road trip over 30 days that covered stretches from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. First, he identified on a map the route he would need to drive to spell out the message. He put a GPS device in his car to trace the route he would follow. Then, he hit the road.

“The main reason I did it is because I am an Ayn Rand fan,” he says. “In my opinion if more people would read her books and take her ideas seriously, the country and world would be a better place — freer, more prosperous and we would have a more optimistic view of the future.”

Newcomen, unlike previous GPS artists, actually traveled the lines he traced on the map. He used a GPS logger (Qstarz BT-Q1000X) to “ink” the message. Starting his trip in Marshall, Texas, he turned on the device when he wanted to write a letter and turned off the device between letters. The recorded GPS data was loaded into Google Earth to produce the image above.

“The first word I wrote actually was the word ‘Rand’, then I went up North to do the word ‘Read’ and finished it with ‘Ayn,’” says Newcomen.

And for those who don’t know, Ayn Rand is a Russian-American writer whose books Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead are among the world’s best-selling novels.

Newcomen’s venture sounds pretty crazy, though he gets points for ambition.

What message would you write using a GPS?

Photo: Nick Newcomen
www.wired.com