This is about everything that is evolving around us with time .... The changing trends .... Their highs and lows .... The changes that are making an impact on our lives .... From technology to social, economic and political issues ... Some books, some sports, some personal anecdotes.
Saturday, October 29, 2005
2nd term blues of US Presidents
The second term of US Presidents have been controversial. Right now, George Bush is in the thick of it. Earlier, we had Bill Clinton with Monica Lewinsky. Then Ronald Reagan was embroiled in the Iran-Contra scandal. NTY has a very interesting article on these second-term controversies.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Bangalore drowned
Today's rain was the worst Bangalore saw during the last many decades. The city registered a record rainfall of 52.5 cm up to 2 pm today for October surpassing the five-decade old high of 52.2 cm as several layouts, including posh ones, in southern parts of the city where several IT firms are located, were marooned.
Rain was one factor. But we can't ignore the contribution of lack of quality roads and drains. Most of the flooding was not because of the rain, but because of blocked drains and overflowing of ill-maintained lakes. We are not lacking in ideas. We have world-class technocrats (but not politicians, who play a crucial role in a democracy like India). But sadly, at times of crises like today's, we find that ideas have remained just that.
Heavy rain and flooding of cities is not new to Bangalore or India. Every city in the world faces the problem. But I am sure in an advanced society, people won't be cribbing about bad politicians and poor basic amenities, like we do here. The US and Europe faces heavy flooding every year, but the governments there fail-safe institutionalised disaster-management systems. When it fails like it did in New Orleans it becomes world news. New Orleans is not the norm, it was an exception. But here right from prediction of bad weather to getting down to doing something about it is pathetic, and worse, it is the norm.
Our weakest link is the delivery mechanism at the implementation stage. There is an acute lack of commitment and accountability, compounded by high-level of corruption. We have debates about debates. Bangalore really needs to be shaken up, and people have to get to their jobs on hand.
Rain was one factor. But we can't ignore the contribution of lack of quality roads and drains. Most of the flooding was not because of the rain, but because of blocked drains and overflowing of ill-maintained lakes. We are not lacking in ideas. We have world-class technocrats (but not politicians, who play a crucial role in a democracy like India). But sadly, at times of crises like today's, we find that ideas have remained just that.
Heavy rain and flooding of cities is not new to Bangalore or India. Every city in the world faces the problem. But I am sure in an advanced society, people won't be cribbing about bad politicians and poor basic amenities, like we do here. The US and Europe faces heavy flooding every year, but the governments there fail-safe institutionalised disaster-management systems. When it fails like it did in New Orleans it becomes world news. New Orleans is not the norm, it was an exception. But here right from prediction of bad weather to getting down to doing something about it is pathetic, and worse, it is the norm.
Our weakest link is the delivery mechanism at the implementation stage. There is an acute lack of commitment and accountability, compounded by high-level of corruption. We have debates about debates. Bangalore really needs to be shaken up, and people have to get to their jobs on hand.
Friday, October 21, 2005
World Press Freedom Index 2005
It is tragic that Guardian's Iraq reporter Rory Carrol was abducted (and later released after 32 hours in a darkened room with handcuffs) around the same time Reporters Without Borders released the World Press Freedom Index 2005. Hats off to journalists, like Rory, who work under very dangerous conditions especially braving the threats of the state machinery.
The report says "North Korea once again comes bottom of the index. It is closely followed in the 167-country list by Eritrea (166th) and Turkmenistan (165th), which are other “black holes” for news where the privately-owned media is not allowed and freedom of expression does not exist.
"At the top of the Index once again are northern European countries Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, Norway and the Netherlands, where robust press freedom is firmly established.
"Some Western democracies slipped down the Index. The United States (44th) fell more than 20 places, mainly because of the imprisonment of New York Times reporter Judith Miller and legal moves undermining the privacy of journalistic sources."
India is ranked 106 -- very surprising. The probable reason: news on radio is still under complete government control. The FM which was unshackled from government control just a few years back, still have no right to broadcast news.
This may look very strange when there are so many 24 hour private TV news channels. But government knows radio has a far greater reach than TV. Private radio news channels, when allowed, have every chance of becoming very popular in a country like India, which is not only politically vibrant but also has high levels of current awareness. It is easier to open a radio station than a TV station, and probably the government is fighting shy of a scenario where villages too will slip out of government's propoganda radar, like cities already have.
Except during the period of Emergency (1975 to 77) media in India has not come under any government control. The media, barring radio, even now is not at all under any government control as far as content goes. Probably the survey has taken into account the government control and licensing that is restricting the growth of the media.
The report says "North Korea once again comes bottom of the index. It is closely followed in the 167-country list by Eritrea (166th) and Turkmenistan (165th), which are other “black holes” for news where the privately-owned media is not allowed and freedom of expression does not exist.
"At the top of the Index once again are northern European countries Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, Norway and the Netherlands, where robust press freedom is firmly established.
"Some Western democracies slipped down the Index. The United States (44th) fell more than 20 places, mainly because of the imprisonment of New York Times reporter Judith Miller and legal moves undermining the privacy of journalistic sources."
India is ranked 106 -- very surprising. The probable reason: news on radio is still under complete government control. The FM which was unshackled from government control just a few years back, still have no right to broadcast news.
This may look very strange when there are so many 24 hour private TV news channels. But government knows radio has a far greater reach than TV. Private radio news channels, when allowed, have every chance of becoming very popular in a country like India, which is not only politically vibrant but also has high levels of current awareness. It is easier to open a radio station than a TV station, and probably the government is fighting shy of a scenario where villages too will slip out of government's propoganda radar, like cities already have.
Except during the period of Emergency (1975 to 77) media in India has not come under any government control. The media, barring radio, even now is not at all under any government control as far as content goes. Probably the survey has taken into account the government control and licensing that is restricting the growth of the media.
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