Barackface

Friday, October 03, 2014

Modi: BJP's Nehru

Modi shows all signs of being in the Prime Minister's seat for three terms. I take two terms for granted. I think he might also do a third stint.

According to the World Bank, India's current GDP is $6 trillion. If it grows at 10% it doubles every seven years. So by the time Modi's 15 years are over, the GDP should hit $24 trillion.

Anything less than that, and I am going to say Modi failed. Only such a rapid growth could lift hundreds of millions of Indians out of poverty.

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Peace

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Challenges To The Nation State

European Union (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The nation state has not been around forever, just like democracy has not been. And so the fact that it is being challenged should not surprise us. These are growing pains.

One major challenge is coming from technology. The individual is greatly empowered through technology, and so the nation state's space needs to shrink. But the nation state is refusing to be a happy, willing partner.

Another challenge is coming from globalization and the redrawing of national boundaries. Europe is a fine example. Europe has the ultimate in infrastructure. It has the roads and the trains and the communications technology. But old cultural identities have not gone away. There are identity movements threatening to break up several countries in Europe right now. I am not sure that is bad news. That is the nation state feeling the pressure.

Scotland is a good example. If Scotland breaks away, I think that will be a vote for the European Union. Defense and monetary policies are best served through larger structures like the European Union, India and the United States. But cultural identities need bigger expressions. That is only healthy.

I don't agree with the methods of the ISIS (at all), but maybe the World War I political boundaries in the Arab world are not sacrosanct after all. Maybe it is good if the Kurds break away. Iraq's boundaries perhaps need to be reimagined.

Sri Lanka is the most literate nation in South Asia. But it has the most complex ethnic problem of anywhere in the world. There has to be peaceful options where an oppressed minority can get justice when a unitary state's majoritarian government is not willing to act fair.

China is another challenge to the nation state. This nation state has lifted more people out of poverty than any other in world history. Give them some credit. Fundamental political reforms are long overdue. I envision a future for China where it has become a multi-party democracy, where it is federal, and Tibet and Taiwan are both part of it. But I feel China can teach America a thing or two about campaign finance reform. When you don't take money out of politics, your democracy is more than a little bit screwed.

Immigration reform failure in America is another challenge to the nation state. America is not keeping up. That is bad news.

Scotland peacefully separating has to become a model for many other parts of the world. If Scotland should move away from London and closer to Brussels, that will be an exercise in deeper, larger political integration. I am all for that.

Tuesday, September 09, 2014

King Khan: Badshah

How to get Shah Rukh Khan's body from 'Happy New Year'

SRK's diet Eggs with two pieces of brown bread Coffee Chicken sandwiches Chicken salad Protein supplement through the day Snacks of white egg omelette or sweet potato Grilled fish or chicken or stir fried vegetables for dinner The last one month we added an extra meal of chicken every day like a chicken salad

Revealed: Shah Rukh Khan’s secret to an 8-pack body!

He’d work out five days a week for an hour and twenty minutes

How to Get Six Pack Abs like ShahRukh khan?

The first thing Shah Rukh tells is that if you do not watch what you are eating, it is no use following your exercise routine religiously. The abdominal area can not be asked what you want it to do when it is full of unwanted stuff. You can say good bye to your six packs. He had resolutely given up his favorite biryani for months in order to achieve the desired results. ....... Food that contains a high protein and negligible carbohydrate is the ideal menu thatt you should follow. Avian meat like chicken and lean meat are fine. Egg whites and skimmed milk along with some pulses and fish are good too.....Cakes and biscuits contain carbohydrates and are to be avoided. On the other hand, if you can, eat wheat bread, cereals and vegetables because they have high fiber content and are beneficial to those who want to develop six packs. ...... Water is, aftel all, the elixir of life. Drink it in large quantities. Like, 3 litres of it! Everybody likes to taste something sweet now and then. If you are on a trip of sugar craving, go for fruits which are sweet but full of fiber contents. ....... Cardio exercises are the ones that you need to concentrate on. Walking, running and cycling are the aerobics that would take you down the right path. Abs exercises sans cardio will be like form without substance. The abs will not show because the belly fat can protrude out and hide them. ........ Rather than doing crunches, you must concentrate on sit-ups. It is not necessary nor advisable to do the abs exercises everyday. Muscles that involve abs development need a little rest between exercises and this could be given to them by doing the exercises on alternate days.

The Shahrukh Khan Diet Plan

Shahrukh Khan is a Bollywood film star renowned for his six-pack abs, which he claims he developed in just three months at the age of 42 through diet and exercise. Khan followed a high-protein, low-fat, low-carb diet combined with a weight-training regimen, which involved hitting the gym four days a week. ...... Khan says he drinks eight to 10 glasses of water every day because staying hydrated is "extremely important." ...... Shahrukh Khan's diet is very strict. He avoids all breads and rice, as well as high-fat foods made with ghee -- clarified butter. Lean meats, chicken, turkey, egg whites, paneer -- a type of farmer's cheese -- fish and skim milk are allowed. All simple carbohydrates, including refined grains and anything with added sugars should be avoided. High-fiber complex carbohydrates such as vegetables, legumes and whole grains are acceptable. Khan recommends eating a piece of fruit if you have a craving for something sweet and drinking between two and three liters of water each day. He also suggests a protein drink after every workout. ...... Khan believes it's important to allow muscles time to recover and suggests that you only lift weights and train your abdominal muscles four times a week -- resting one day in between strength training. However, you need to sweat -- cardio will help you lose body fat to reveal your six-pack abs. The Bollywood actor also says that if you slip up on the diet, doing 50 minutes of cardio will get your body back on track. Try 30 to 60 minutes of running, jogging, cycling or aerobics every day. ..... Khan's diet plan emphasizes lean proteins and includes unlimited amounts of vegetables and high-fiber grains, there shouldn't be any problem getting the proper nutrients in your daily diet. ..... Avoid alcoholic beverages and try to eat grilled, rather than fried, food. Although Khan's plan is not low-fat, he does shy away from excess calories. Fat has 9 calories per gram, while protein and carbohydrates only have 4 calories per gram. Avoid snacking in between meals. Start slowly; Khan says you can expect to see results in 30 to 40 days, but that you must be very disciplined. If you are strict and regular with your exercise and diet, you will succeed.

SHAHRUKH KHAN WORKOUTS AND DIET

he does 100 push ups and 60 pull ups daily to maintain his abs. According to the actor doing push ups and pull ups regularly for month will start showing the results. ....... Drink 4-5 litres of water everyday Follow a low carbohydrate and high protein diet Have a protein drink after your workout Avoid sweets. If you have a craving for anything sweet, eat fruits as this is usually enough to satisfy and sugar cravings Increase your intake of protein rich foods such as chicken,egg whites, turkey, lean meats, skimmed milk, pulses .... Never train your abs more than 3 times a week, that too on alternate days.

50 Shades of Fantastic: Shah Rukh Khan's New Body Proves Impossible is Nothing
Here's How

Hillary Clinton And Dick Cheney Out Selling Books

Dick Cheney, Vice President of the United States (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Nothing like a controversy around a President Of The United States to sell books.

Dick Cheney slams Obama in his bio, causing controversy

Saturday, September 06, 2014

Mary Kom: Seeing Priyanka Chopra For The First Time

Watching Mary Kom felt like seeing Priyanka Chopra for the first time.

Monday, September 01, 2014

A Comprehensive War

In the book, Blair writes that he hoped that George W. Bush would win a second term as President of the United States in 2004. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Russia is unfinished business. Just like George W Bush prematurely declared Mission Accomplished after a few days of airstrikes in Iraq, it can be argued Bush Sr. did the same thing when the Soviet Union collapsed. It was a tectonic milestone, no doubt, but unless Russia becomes a democracy, it will keep causing trouble.

Suddenly there are two broad fronts. There is Russia. And there is ISIS, which is in a stronger shape than the Al Qaeda ever was, with the same ill intentions to match. It would not flinch to unleash a biological attack somewhere, it would detonate a dirty bomb if it could. The dangers are grave. Obama might have similarly prematurely declared the death of Al Qaeda with the death of Bin Laden.

I happen to think the top idea here is what Google has. Beam internet from the skies and flood the earth with cheap Android phones. Google already has the prototype. I think the US government should massively scale it. If Google is thinking one billion, the US government should pump in 100 billion into the same effort. That would go a long way to the spread of democracy.

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Bihar, Microfinance, Entrepreneurship, Teachers

English: Bihar Districts (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Nitish did very well as Chief Minister. But he had his weaknesses. He exhibited a singular focus on law and order, and on roads and bridges. That alone gave the state impressive growth rates. But he could do more for entrepreneurs - especially those in the lower income brackets - and for teachers.

Instead of being jealous of corporate houses giving Modi money, Nitish should compete to woo them. It is not a zero sum game. Helping big entrepreneurs create wealth and jobs is not anti-poor.

Access to credit is "infrastructure" to entrepreneurs. And Bihar could opt to take the lead on microfinance. Say you start with a $100 million fund. The idea would be that the fund need not make profits. As long as it does not diminish in size is all that matters. The idea would be to entitle every poor person in the state to an annual $100 loan. As long as you keep making your monthly payments, you keep getting your loan. If you mess up your credit history, the loans stop. The fund should factor in writing off 5% of the loans. And it should charge a low interest rate, something like 5 per cent. Because the idea is not to make profits. The idea is to help the poor build businesses without diminishing the size of the fund. Use of mobile phones (think M-pesa in Kenya) would go a long way to doing it right.

Training and hiring teachers is as, if not more, important than building roads and bridges. There also Nitish fell a little short.