Ravi S. Iyer: Worldly

Last updated on 28th December 2014 The episode, Cold War 12 out of 24: MAD Nuclear warfare threat (1960 - 1972) , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEqaBdX6LiY , 46 min. 42 secs, shook me up. Of course I knew about how nukes could devastate cities but I did not know that way back in the 60s itself, the nukes had become some orders of magnitude more powerful than the ones used to destroy Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And the two superpowers were actively considering that the other may launch a nuclear attack! I felt it appropriate to transcribe some portions of this video about how powerful nuclear weapons had become even around fifty years back, and how tense both the superpowers were about this nuclear war possibility, and have provided it as a comment in the youtube link above (Specific comment link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEqaBdX6LiY&google_comment_id=z13qutgqjl2pzb2g004ci1bpmnbgipprpxs0k ). If I recall correctly, the then (60s) Russian ambassador to the USA says in the v...

I just saw a really great Amanpour interview of Yousufzai and Satyarthi. I checked the CNN site ( http://amanpour.blogs.cnn.com/category/latest-episode/ ) - it does not have the transcript (or video) of the show put up yet - perhaps it may get put up later on. If readers are interested in knowing about activism related to prevention of child labour, and universal child education, and did not see this program live I think they should view the video (if available) or read the transcript. Given below is the text of a mail I sent to Amanpour a little while back: Subject: Deeply touched by your interview-program of Yousufzai and Satyarthi, Nobel peace laureates 2014 Dear Ms. Amanpour, I was deeply touched by your excellent interview-cum-show/program of Malala Yousufzai and Kailash Satyarthi, the Nobel peace prize winners for 2014, which I watched on CNN International (and initial part on CNN-IBN (India)). You asked a lot of relevant questions which received quite good answers from b...

I visited London on two separate weekend visits in the 80s (from Brussels where I was stationed for a year+ software assignment), and was under the impression that the stuff reported below about child abuse & murder in the 80s, was impossible among the honourable top echelons of power in Britain - MPs & judges. [Such stuff happening at much lower levels in the power hierarchy and among criminals is a different matter - that would not be viewed as impossible.] I thought such stuff, at top echelons of power, happened only in poor third-world countries like India in the 80s with some top politicans being viewed as very dangerous people. Please note that the main victim mentioned in the reports below is a child of an Indian origin family. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/11242273/Metropolitan-Police-detectives-fears-of-Westminster-paedophile-cover-up.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/11239535/Father-claims-Scotland-Yard-covered-up-sons-murder-by-W...

In response to my mails related to Puttaparthi Clean India activity on Chitravathi river bed (see http://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2014/11/before-after-pics-puttaparthi-clean.html for details on it), a correspondent wrote: Did it need the prime minster of the country to tell us we need to keep our neighbourhoods clean? And if it did, why did no other prime minister spread this message? I responded (edited): Interesting thoughts. My view is that apathy in our civic infrastructure setup is very deeply set in. The current PM is playing the role of an inspirational civic reformer when it comes to Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan. That is good as he has the platforms to share his message with the people and the power to release some funds for related work. The correspondent responded: I was thinking of ourselves. What apathy and laziness we have sunk to that it needs the prime minister to tell us to clean our neighbourhoods! I responded (edited): I have a lot of input on what you raised ...

I am quite appalled by the reports about N. Srinivasan's strangle-hold on Indian cricket administration (BCCI), and given Indian cricket's massive money power, world cricket administration. Now I do not know the details of the Mudgal committee report and so it is not appropriate for me to comment on any alleged "misdemeanours" by N.Srinivasan (& others), http://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/disclose-mudgal-panel-findings-on-srinivasan-meiyappan-says-supreme-court/article6598975.ece . But I think it seems quite clear that when he was running BCCI he became a sort-of supremo/dictator. (Currently BCCI is run by a temporary chief appointed by the Supreme Court). One did not read much about dissenting views from other people associated with BCCI under his tenure. Day-before-yesterday I heard Lalit Modi being interviewed on CNN-IBN and he alleged that world cricket was being run from India Cements (N. Srinivasan's company)! That may be a kind of wild allegation ...

Last updated on November 3rd 2014 When the bird flu fear hit the world, including India, with a lot of culling of poultry (including in India) to prevent the spread of the disease, I had done some reading & viewing up on the matter. That was when the true extent of the danger of such dangerous diseases to human populations really came home to me. I then could far better understand the terror and massive damage in lives lost that diseases like the plague & cholera had caused in past centuries. Even Shirdi Sai Satcharitra has a reference to a boy suffering from plague (Section "Master Khaparde’s Plague-Case" in http://www.saibaba.org/satcharitra/sai7.html ). So, plague in India was a terror even in the not-so-distant past (early 20th century). But the bird flu problem got contained and, at least in India, it did not reach fear frenzy levels among the populace. From the time that I have been studying such matters (say over the past five years or so), this Ebola fea...

Today's Hindu carries a New York Times article by Paul Krugman, Monopsony is not okay, http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/monopsony-is-not-okay/article6521133.ece . Some notes including short extracts and comments: "Amazon.com, the giant online retailer, has too much power, and it uses that power in ways that hurt America." [Ravi: That's how he starts the article! Direct charge at amazon.com!] ... [Ravi: About Amazon having "robber-baron-type market power" in the USA books market similar to what Standard Oil of John D. Rockefeller had: I think I have been reading about online book seller(s) putting a squeeze on publishers for quite a few years now. I wonder what's new now. Maybe the squeeze has increased dramatically.] ... "Book sales depend crucially on buzz and word of mouth (which is why authors are often sent on gruelling book tours); you buy a book because you’ve heard about it, because other people are reading it, bec...

Some concerns crop up with the Nobel peace prize being awarded jointly to India's Kailash Satyarthi (and Pakistan's Malala Yousufzai), like: a) Does this honour India and Indians or is it kind-of critical? Should Indians (including me) and people with Indian roots/connections feel joyous or sorrowful? b) Why was it awarded jointly to an Indian Hindu man (Satyarthi is reported to have been mentored by Swami Agnivesh, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnivesh ) and a Pakistani Muslim girl? Was it just coincidence or was there more to it? I think the Norwegian Nobel Committee chairman's answers as given in this Hindu article are quite satisfactory to me, Important to honour Indians working for the greater good: Jagland, http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/important-to-honour-indians-working-for-the-greater-good-jagland/article6490465.ece . I found this Washington Post article on Satyarthi to be quite good, http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/peace-prize-recip...

The Hindu, a few days ago, reprinted a Harvard Busines Review Oct. 2014 article titled, The rise (and likely fall) of the talent economy, http://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/the-rise-and-likely-fall-of-the-talent-economy/article6471593.ece [HBR link, multiple pages and so a little cumbersome to read, http://hbr.org/2014/10/the-rise-and-likely-fall-of-the-talent-economy/ar/1 ] My comments (and a few short extracts of the article in quotes): Ravi: Hmm. I did not realize that IBM marked that sort of change in the financial world (a non natural resources company making it to the top 50 mainly on creativity of its employees). Sure, it was really big in the computing world, but changing the status quo in the world of big business? That was something that I had not realized. When one thinks about it though it is not surprising at all. ... "By 2013 more than half the top 50 companies were talent-based, including three of the four biggest: Apple, Microsoft and Google."...

Given below are extracts from and comments on the US-India joint statement made on Sept. 30th 2014/1st October 2014 after the meetings of USA president Barrack Obama and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi. The full statement is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/09/30/us-india-joint-statement and at http://pib.nic.in/newsite/pmreleases.aspx?mincode=3 under month October 2014 (click on left table entry titled "Joint Statement during the visit of Prime Minister to USA (01-October 2014)". The two leaders extolled the broad strategic and global partnership between the United States and India, which will continue to generate greater prosperity and security for their citizens and the world.  Prime Minister Modi emphasized the priority India accords to its partnership with the United States, a principal partner in the realization of India’s rise as a responsible, influential world power.  Given the shared values, people-to-people ties, and pluralistic ...

Given below are extracts from and comments on the joint editorial on renewed 21st century US-India partnership by Indian Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi and the US President, Mr. Barrack Obama, published in the Washington Post here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/narendra-modi-and-barack-obama-a-us-india-partnership-for-the-21st-century/2014/09/29/dac66812-4824-11e4-891d-713f052086a0_story.html . The text is also available at http://pib.nic.in/newsite/pmreleases.aspx?mincode=3 (click on the left table entry titled, "Text of Joint Editorial by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and US President Mr. Barack Obama, published on the website of Washington Post (30-September 2014)"). As nations committed to democracy, liberty, diversity and enterprise, India and the United States are bound by common values and mutual interests. [Ravi: Interesting identification of common values.] ... Ties between the United States and India are rooted in the shared desire of our ...

Some extracts from and comments on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address (translated from Hindi to English) to the UN General Assembly yesterday, from http://pib.nic.in/newsite/pmreleases.aspx?mincode=3 (click link on left table titled, "English rendering of the Statement by Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi at the General Debate of the 69th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) (27-September 2014)", currently 6th entry): India is a country that constitutes one-sixth of humanity; a nation experiencing economic and social transformation on a scale rarely seen in history. Every nation's world view is shaped by its civilization and philosophical tradition. India's ancient wisdom sees the world as one family. It is reflected in a tradition of openness and diversity; co-existence and cooperation. This is why India speaks not just for itself, but also for the cause of justice, dignity, opportunity and prosperity around the world. It is...

I had missed this article in Nov. 2013 but it got republished again at firstpost.com recently, http://tech.firstpost.com/news-analysis/mangalyaan-success-heres-why-western-criticism-to-indias-mars-mission-is-blatant-racism-215704.html . IMHO, the article does go overboard (especially the racism bits in the article) in some of its sarcasm aimed at the critics of India's Mars orbiter project, Mangalyaan, but it does tear down the criticism with solid arguments too. Some notes and comments: The article referred to a UK media article which refers to critics of British aid to India who are "angered" by India's Mars mission. The firstpost.com article states that the Indian economy is (around) 1 trillion pounds and is dismissive of the British aid to India of 300 million pounds. [Ravi: If the figures given above are correct then this British aid is insignificant and simply doesn't matter to India as a whole. What a great & positive change in India's fortun...

Excerpts mainly dealing with world stability and co-existence of religious communities from USA president Obama's UN General Assembly Address, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/09/24/remarks-president-obama-address-united-nations-general-assembly , are given below along with some comments of mine. [You can see the speech here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiI6crx4Z9k , 38 min 47 secs.] I have focused on the parts of the speech that may be acceptable to most people: Around the globe, there are signposts of progress.  The shadow of World War that existed at the founding of this institution has been lifted, and the prospect of war between major powers reduced.  The ranks of member states has more than tripled, and more people live under governments they elected. Hundreds of millions of human beings have been freed from the prison of poverty, with the proportion of those living in extreme poverty cut in half.  And the world economy continues to strengthen ...