Chindia in Africa

New Post (196) : Chindia in Africa

The Chinese role on the African continent has grown dramatically. Whether in Sudan and Zimbabwe, or in Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria, that role is primarily economic. Focused on two main activities: building infrastructure and extracting raw materials.

The Indian state is content to support Indian mega-corporations in Africa. Granted it has yet to develop a coherent overarching state strategy. But the Indian focus too is mainly only economic.

In contrast the Western powers “interventions” in Africa are wholly meddlesome.
A violation of sovereignty.
Africa – is faced with western neocolonialism in the 21st century. Bad ! Very bad !
Bad habits die hard.

Charlie Brown

My nephew says - Glass beats plastic.

New Post (195) : My nephew says - Glass beats plastic.

My (school going) nephew is always coming up with these strange observations …read on …

At school he learned that - The fingertips contain some of the densest areas of nerve endings on the body.

So (soon after) this is what he comes up with.

1. Try this (he says).

Chill any aerated beverage of your choice. One in a glass bottle. Another one of the same beverage in a plastic (PET) bottle. {put both in the same freezer for identical lengths of time)

His observation:
The glass bottle feels cooler to the touch.

2. Further, try this (says he).
{Use a friend as a volunteer.}

Blind fold your friend.

Hand him a “chilled” bottle of water “to hold”, stick a straw in his mouth, stick the other end of the straw into another bottle of “water at room temperature”. Ask him to take a few sips.

Your friend will believe he has had a sip of cold water.
His cold hands will trick his mind into this response.

His conclusion:
A glass bottle is “cooler to the touch” and makes the beverage more satisfying (than from a plastic bottle) as - a thirst quencher……i.e.…..even when the beverage itself may not be quite as “chilled”.

-------------------------------------------------

Now you may ask why beverages are increasingly being made available in plastic bottles.
(plastic is an insulator)

All the more so because glass bottles can be refilled (it’s a returnable package) several times over, whereas plastic bottles are not refilled (it’s a one way package).

At this point, I caught myself thinking about – “beer”

So says he - Glass is a friend of the earth. Is plastic a friend of the earth ?
He just stumped me with that one.

Allied questions that he raises :
-What is the available guidance on the "ideal" serving temperature of a cool beverage ?
-Are visi-coolers + dispensers in stores set to that ideal cooling temperature ? (and reset “daily”).

Of late I find I can’t keep pace with my (school going) nephew’s overly agile questioning mind.

Charlie Brown

Justice delayed - Indian style.

New Post (194) : Justice delayed - Indian style.

No comment …

The authorities of the Central Prison, Vellore, have fixed September 9 as the date of execution of the three death row convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case — Santhan, Murugan and G. Perarivalan alias Arivu.
On Friday, the prison authorities received the official communication from the Government of India that the President had rejected their mercy petitions.
Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated while proceeding to an election meeting in Sriperumbudur on May 21, 1991.
The three convicts, along with 23 others, who stood trial in the case, were sentenced to death by the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act Court-1, Poonamallee on January 28, 1998.
The Supreme Court, which heard appeals by the convicts, confirmed the death sentence on four of the accused — Nalini (wife of Murugan), Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan, reduced the sentence of three others – Robert Payas, Jayakumar and Ravichandran – to life imprisonment, and acquitted the remaining 19 accused, in its judgement on May 11, 1999.
The review petitions filed by the four death convicts were dismissed by the apex court on October 8, 1999.
The four convicts sent clemency petitions to the then Governor of Tamil Nadu Fathima Beevi. Disposing of their petitions on April 25, 2000, the Governor, acting on the advice of the Council of Ministers of the State government, commuted the death sentence on Nalini to life, but rejected the petitions of the remaining three convicts.
Following this, they sent mercy petitions to the President on April 26, 2000.
These petitions were rejected by the President in the first week of this month, 11 years after the submission of the petitions and 20 years after the assassination.
Arivudainambi, Superintendent of the Central Prison, Vellore, told The Hindu that immediately on receipt of the communication from the Government of India on Friday afternoon, he conveyed the information to the convicts. He fixed the date of execution as September 9, and this was also conveyed to them.
Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary Vaiko who met the convicts in prison this afternoon, told newspersons that they would send a written appeal to the Chief Minister appealing to her to take appropriate steps to stay the execution and annul the death sentence. He said ..............................................................the three were not dejected but were confident that they would be saved in the wake of fervent appeals made by human rights activists and the feelings expressed by the people of Tamil Nadu.

… No Comment.

Charlie Brown

Anna Hazare’s fasting fist

New Post (193): Anna Hazare’s fasting fist

Indian politicians are a breed apart.
Shameless, arrogant, vainglorious,... & "servile" ! ...

The status quo stands challenged.

The “fist of fasting” is giving them a “pummeling”.

And it has the politicos totally confused.

Get this ...

In a country where hunger and suicides have long ceased to have any news value whatsoever….

… the government is trying it’s utmost to prevent an old man Anna Hazare from going on a protest hunger strike.

What’s he guilty of ?

He is calling attention to the monumental scale of corruption in the Indian government.
And wants it fixed, so common citizens can “impeach” the high and mighty. With no one being except from scrutiny.

Clearly - This one old man's fasting in protest is now inescapably turning into one mass clenched fist of the people - that will have consequences - for the government of the day.

In the tradition of a Gandhi and a JP, this man Anna Hazare – has the love and respect and follower-ship of all Indians.

You may want to look up – Gandhi, "Satyagraha", "anshan", fasting, non violence, peaceful, Anna Hazare, "Jan lokpal" bill, protest…………..
Search now. Explore more. To get a fuller appreciation of the unfolding challenge to the status quo in India.

Anna Hazare speaks for “all” of India.

Charlie Brown.

Debt is not a 4 letter word.

New Post (192): Debt is not a 4 letter word.

With the unfolding hi-drama in the USA and (southern) Europe most observers have been treating debt like the bubonic plague.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Debt is what finances the deficit of a nation.

Currency too is a form of sovereign dept.

It is what a government chooses to do with finances raised through debt that can potentially do harm.

The sourcing of funding is not an issue. The subsequent deployment of that funding is a problem---or can be.

The key to it all is --- oversight ! (ceaseless hawkish regulation)

We are blaming the car for the driver’s recklessness.

Raising the debt ceiling is like kicking the cans down the road. Eventually all we would see is only a pile up of cans and no road.

There is an urgent need to make fashionable once again the idea – “live within your means”.

This might even save the environment……….

A combo of the gold standard together with penalty points for carbon footprint may encourage greater responsibility by nations.

Charlie Brown

The Nepalese Maoist's view of Nepal's situation.

New Post (191): The Nepalese Maoist's view of Nepal's situation.

In terms of per capita income, Nepal is the poorest country in Asia.

Just before he was elected prime minister of the country, Nepal's Maoist leader Prachanda stated this rather immaturely I’d say: "Nepal," he said, "is dynamite between two rocks."
A creative variation on – Being caught up between “a rock and a hard place”.
Prachanda was probably & unwisely so trying to get India and China to take him more seriously by - playing Nepal's giant neighbors off against each other.
He should know better.
The game is not at all about getting regional superpowers to fight over you, but to get them to cooperate in lifting Nepal out of poverty.
The poorest country in Asia can't afford to base its foreign policy on the insecurity of its neighbors. It must try to put them at ease and benefit from trade and investment.
It’s economy, ravaged by a decade of war and poor governance, is growing at 3% or less.
But it borders two economies with more than a billion people each and both growing in the double digits. To the awe & envy of the world at large.

Nepal must hitch its wagon to both the locomotives in its vicinity. Without taking sides or seeming to be doing so. I think they call it the policy of maintaining - “EQUIDISTANCE.”

Charlie Brown

What every spokesperson ought to know.

New Post (190): What every spokesperson ought to know.

The Guerilla journalist’s agenda is to catch a spokesperson off guard and derail his agenda.

It’s a “game” of “agenda versus agenda”.

So - Here’s what every spokesperson ought to know.

I quote: (from an astute observer of this “game”)

Research reporters before agreeing to an interview – Take a look at some of the reporter’s past work. Does he (or she) have a history of entrapping interviewees with harsh questions? Does he have a track record of breaking controversial stories? Is he what you would call a guerilla journalist? You need to pick your battles wisely, and be willing to turn down an interviewer if you suspect things could go south.

Try to avoid on-the-fly interviews – As spokesperson for your company, it’s your job to eliminate as many PR variables and keep things as controlled as possible. The lower the risk, the better the chance is of having a successful interview. When you take an on-the-fly interview, anything can happen because you haven’t done your homework. You’re in an uncontrolled environment asking for trouble.

Be proactive rather than reactive – You have to be looking forward, trying to anticipate issues before they occur. Don’t wait for reporters to dig up negative information. It can be better to release it yourself first if it’s going to get uncovered at some point. This allows you to control the message.

Think before opening your mouth – Whenever you blurt out something without thinking, more times than not, it’s going to end badly. When getting interviewed, take a moment after each question to collect your thoughts and give the best possible answer. Go easy on being eager to impress or desperate to please.

You’re always on the record – [It’s like the Miranda warning] “Anything you say can and will be used against you.” There isn’t really such a thing as “off the record.” If you say something juicy off the record, a reporter will find a way to confirm it and put it on the record. Remember, “You have the right to remain silent.”

Stay on message – Try to steer the conversation as much as possible back to your main message and key bullet points. Use transitional phrases to guide answers back to these messages, and emphasize the positive while avoiding saying anything negative.

Practice makes perfect – The better prepared you are for an interview, the less likely it is that you’ll slip up and say something damaging. Practice the interview in your head, and focus on being able to deliver your key points clearly and confidently.

I hope this wisdom put in practice will help many a career spokesperson and prevent his/her being led on and spiked by any - guerilla journo!

Charlie Brown