This image shows the Arctic as observed by the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite on September 16, 2007. The image shows a record sea ice minimum in the Arctic. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The phrase global warming draws this image where everything is the same except the temperature keeps going up and up, gradually but relentlessly. And that was never to be. The weather is a complex phenomenon. That is why predicting the weather is such a hard science.
So the earth warms up due to green house gases. That melts ice. One place that happens is the Arctic. Used to be land and ice were connected all through the year. Now in summer there is enough melt that you can navigate around the Arctic. Well, that has implications. Now the super cold winds in the North have more room to play. And they come way South.
And so you get more turbulent summers (like Sandy hitting NYC) and colder winters. Global warming actually means more cold. Go figure.
Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglican Church http://www.stjohnsashfield.org.au, Ashfield, New South Wales. Illustrates Jesus' description of himself "I am the Good Shepherd" (from the Gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 11). This version of the image shows the detail of his face. The memorial window is also captioned: "To the Glory of God and in Loving Memory of William Wright. Died 6th November, 1932. Aged 70 Yrs." (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
It is not the cow. It is what the cow means to the Hindu.
It is China's tragedy that free speech is not in its arsenal. Free speech is the most fundamental tenet of democracy. Everything else flows from it.
But when was the last time I saw someone make fun of Jesus? When I was the last time I saw cartoons of Jesus?
Black people getting stereotyped is considered bad. Free speech but bad speech.
Islam is a religion like Christianity. And it deserves an equal pedestal of respect.
Western democracies are Christian countries. It is so obvious when you walk around. Islam is going to have a major presence in the Arab democracies, and I am talking democracies with rights for women, democracies with space for opposition. Modern democracies.
Talking shit about Islam has to be put in the same category as talking shit about black people. Muslims should not be made to feel out of place just because they are Muslim. Most Muslims, like most Christians, just want to share cat videos online.
Don't make fun of the Muslim religion if you are not making fun of your own. Have respect.
There is an Islamism that rhymes with fascism, and there is an Islamophobia that rhymes with homophobia.
दिल्ली दुर है, बिहार तो घर है। इनको बिल्कुल माफी माँगनी चाहिए, मैदान से भाग गए थे।
अरे जरा फ्रंट से तो लीड किजिए।
बिहार को १० साल और दिजिए।
नितीश इस साल के चुनाव में दो तिहाई बहुमत के साथ लौटेंगे। अभी २३३ में १३० है जनाब के पास। चुनाव के बाद २४० में १६० रहेंगे।
मोदी केंद्र में अच्छा काम कर रहे हैं। केजरीवाल और नितीश दिल्ली और बिहार में अच्छा काम करेंगे। भारत भारत है, चीन तो नहीं। लोकतंत्र है, बगैर opposition के कैसे चलेगी?
Map of Rwanda from CIA World Factbook, with province boundaries and names added. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
In the worst case scenario, the ISIS territory, even if it does not expand -- I mean, it is not like anyone seriously thinks they will take over everything they want to take over -- is a Rwanda in the making. It is selfish to think the ISIS is a problem only if it blows up a cafe in some rich country. The killings inside ISIS territory have to be of concern. Once ISIS has reached its territorial limits and it becomes super hard for it to expand, it is going to turn inwards, and it is going to keep looking for enemies within. Already unacceptable levels of killings are going to go up several notches. What will the world do then? Sit and watch? What is the threshold? Is it half a million dead? At what point does the world intervene?
ISIS is not a religion, it is not a state, it is a cult. It is not even a terrorist organization like the Al Qaeda, it is a cult.
The Aam Aadmi Party's spectacular victory in Delhi was way better than even their own best predictions. It was obvious they would win, but their margin of victory has been surprising. There is no question now that Kejriwal will stay Chief Minister for the next five years, likely 10, make that nine. And he has to perform. He has to deliver. Protest to sab karte hain. Deliver karo.
And it is a good thing that AAP is thinking in terms of contesting state elections far and wide. The BJP has become the new Congress, the new natural party in power. But the Opposition space lies vacant. AAP is best positioned to grow into that space.
The Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, for example, is just the UP version of Laloo Yadav. Laloo challenged caste dynamics, and kudos to him, but there was zero deliverance on governance. Agar usi Mulayam ko Nitish apna neta mante hain to Opposition space mein ane ke liye the so-called Janata Parivar bhi right mindset mein nahin hai.
That leaves AAP to fill up the space. And that is a good thing. AAP has the potential to also spill over into the neighboring countries. AAP doing good work makes democracy an export item for India. That is just so wonderful. Why only Bollywood? Also export AAP.
Nitish will do well in Bihar. But his national options have been curtailed by his reliance on tired faces like Mulayam.
Modi has been doing good work, and I think he will be rewarded accordingly in 2019. The BJP might go for a one party government at the center after the 2019 elections. Might as well. But maybe in 2024 it will be Kejriwal's turn to take the helm. Don't underestimate the power of a common man.
Dono bania, dono halwai.
The Opposition Party has to be a party that is ready to take power. That is not the Congress, and that is not Mulayam's Janata Parivar. Independence ke momentum ne Congress ko 40-50 sal diye. Uska baad Mandal politics aya. Ab kamandal+development politics chal raha hai. Uske baad common man ki baari ayegi. AAP's landslide victory in Delhi: ET examines the party's future prospects in 10 states
Instead of the scattershot approach which it adopted in the Lok Sabha election, AAP now wants to be methodical in its expansion. The Delhi win changes little on the ground in most states; the strategy to build ground-up had begun in June 2014, one of its main objectives being to beef up units across the country. ...... it is only a question of time before the party becomes a national political alternative, but it will have to first deliver in Delhi. Never mind that some of its prominent faces in the rest of the country think the iron is hot enough. ...... it needs to do what it did so effectively in Delhi: engage with the electorate long before an election through initiatives like 'Delhi Dialogue', which Sanyal calls a "game-changer" for the party.
"If left unchecked, ISIL will pose a threat beyond the Middle East, including to the United States homeland," Obama said. ........ Obama is offering to limit authorization to three years, extending to the next president the powers and the debate over renewal for what he envisions as a long-range battle.
These ISIS folks are not exactly people you have the option to invite to the debate table. The hard nosed truth is force is necessary. Terror attacks in Australia and Paris are all emanating from there. It is only a matter of time before something happens in the United States. They sure have the intention. These people would let go off a dirty bomb the first chance they got at any location of convenience.
The Al Qaeda never had territory. The Taliban had territory, and the Al Qaeda used it like a parasite. These guys are worse than the Al Qaeda, if that is possible, and they command a bigger territory than the Taliban, more strategic, and have robust revenue streams.
Waiting for them to strike when they have a clear intention to do so is like waiting for them to build up their capabilities. It does not take much to blow up one cafe, but the incident scares an entire nation.
The ISIS running a state is not something that can be tolerated.
The Middle East is not some problem that will simply go away if you will ignore it. And it is not an easy problem.
This is the right move by the president, a Nobel Peace Prize winner. Sometimes you need boots on the ground to keep the peace. It is in his job description.
As to the details, I am no military expert. But it makes political sense to build a large coalition of countries. Because every democracy is a target. It makes sense to have a limited, well defined ground operation where you try and work with local allies. The ISIS offends pretty much everybody in that neighborhood. Air power would play the decisive role. Intelligence would play a big role. But there is no avoiding firefights. That is the sad truth.
I still think beaming internet from the sky and flooding the land with cheap Android phones is the best way to make progress in that part of the world. You want hundreds of millions of Muslims sharing cat videos. That is cheaper, better, and it minimizes the violence.
The near total sweep by Kejriwal in Delhi is a sign that the Indian democracy is working. That same electorate gave a clean sweep to Modi in the national elections last year. That is a mature electorate that knows the difference between the national government and the state government.
Kejriwal swept Delhi. And news is India now has become the fastest growing economy on the planet. Thank you, Modi.
Right now I feel like Nitish will do well in Bihar later this year. The BJP, just like in Delhi, does not have a clear Chief Minister candiate. Who?
I hope Nitish comes back with a major mandate, because he has done more for Bihar than anyone since independence. Bihar could use him for 10 more years.
President Nixon meets with China's Communist Party Leader, Mao Tse-Tung, 02/29/1972 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Richard Nixon going to China is considered his saving grace. It was a major move. Similarly Hillary Clinton making a difference on Burma was mind blowing to me, even more so because I had not been reading up on the build up to it. It only came to my notice once it happened. And I am like, Da What! What just happened? I did not see it coming. I was not expecting it. Getting Su Kyi released is almost like getting Nelson Mandela released. It was a big deal.
That one move alone makes Hillary Clinton a great Secretary of State, methinks. It was a big, bold move. It was heartwarming to me.
English: San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris speaking at an event (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Having a woman president is historic, but not quite enough. I think it is time for a two women ticket. And Kamala Harris would bring California on board. A New York - California ticket would be great for the progressive cause.
Harris is running to be Senator. That makes her federal!
There will also be a generation balance. Also a cultural balance. Hillary is not minority female, only female.
Barack Obama and Michelle Obama (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I volunteered for Barack Obama in 2007 expecting him to be a wonderful president. He has been more wonderful than I expected him to be. What more can one ask for!
