Ravi S. Iyer: Worldly

Last updated on 29th March 2016 I was not aware of this side of the Late Andy Grove of Intel. Here's his thought-provoking and insightful 2010 article, Andy Grove: How America Can Create Jobs, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2010-07-01/andy-grove-how-america-can-create-jobs . While I would recommend readers interested in this topic to read the whole article, given below are a couple of short extracts from it: --- start short extracts --- You could say, as many do, that shipping jobs overseas is no big deal because the high-value work—and much of the profits—remain in the U.S. That may well be so. But what kind of a society are we going to have if it consists of highly paid people doing high-value-added work—and masses of unemployed? ... Our fundamental economic beliefs, which we have elevated from a conviction based on observation to an unquestioned truism, is that the free market is the best of all economic systems—the freer the better. Our generation has seen ...

Bernie Sanders Upstaged By A Bird At Rally, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv0vtxDRWTw , 1 min. 14 secs, published on March 25th, 2016 Bernie Sanders, after the bird flies away having perched on his podium right in front of him for a few seconds, delighting him and the crowd, says, "I think there may be some symbolism here. I know it doesn't look like it. But that bird really is a dove asking us for world peace. No more wars!" Terrific impromptu take from Senator Sanders! More power to such world peace and no more wars symbolisms during the USA presidential election cycle. [Peace which includes self-defence against terrorism.] Please note that I have a NEUTRAL informal-student-observer role in these posts that I put up about the USA presidential elections. Of course, as I am an Indian citizen living in India, there is no question of me voting in these elections.

Last modified on 24th March 2016 [This post is largely based on my part of a mail conversation.] My first foray into blogger-activism was in the field of Indian Computer Science & Information Technology academic reform, http://eklavyasai.blogspot.in/ (started in Sept. 2011 after the Mahasamadhi chaos in the Sai university due to which I quit the Sai university in March 2012). In the course of time it became very clear to me that large part of Indian academia (barring elite institutions like IITs or IISc) was centrally managed and so very strongly influenced by the political leaders in power. Further, some top academic administrators were rumoured to have acquired their positions due to political influence rather than pure merit. I wanted to avoid any political colouring of my Indian Computer Science & Information Technology academic reform activism blog. I had to write to the union Human Resource Development (HRD) minister(s) in charge of higher education (federal mini...

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/03/11/want-to-know-why-trumps-winning-heres-whats-really-driving-angry-white-voters.html A very small extract from it: The other thing few can afford is a college education. Tuition and other college costs have been percolating along at gains of 3 percent above inflation annually, even during the recession. Medical expenses continue to be the No. 1 reason that families file for personal bankruptcy. Even routine costs for people with medical coverage, such as deductibles and co-pays are on the rise. --- end very small extract --- Ravi: In my considered view, India is getting into the same problems (has already got into them to some extent) as mentioned above in the context of USA. Health insurance coverage in India is very limited though I don't have the numbers. So any major illnesses (e.g. cancer) when treated in "corporate hospitals" which have the best facilities for treatment of major illnesses, is usually a massive economic...

DNC Chair Comments On Tulsi Gabbard’s Resignation | Andrea Mitchell | MSNBC, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMzGQy-VFLk , 6 min. 23 secs, published on March 1, 2016 DNC Chair Says Superdelegates Exist to Protect Party Leaders (MSNBC), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb2rnnRNKIk , around 5 mins, published on Feb. 20th, 2016 DNC chair on possibility of a brokered convention (CNN), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RawGr83DxpE , around 5 mins, published Feb. 11th 2016 RNC chairman: Contested convention process is fair (Fox News), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1h7TBNnEqOE , 8 min. 37 secs, published March 16th, 2016 Contested Convention Looms Over Race For GOP Nomination - Reince Priebus - Sunday Morning Futures (Fox News), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StYmCuFswys , 9 min 20 secs, published 20th March 2016 Please note that I have a NEUTRAL informal-student-observer role in these posts that I put up about the USA presidential elections. Of course, as I am an Indian citizen li...

"I know in my heart that man is good. That what is right will always eventually triumph. And there is purpose and worth to each and every life." Pic below is courtesy: http://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2012/10/31/archives-spotlight-the-ronald-reagan-presidential-library-and-museum/ Here's an interesting documentary: Ronald Reagan - American Idol (BBC Documentary), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgKC_Se1xaA , 1 hr 36 min. 45 secs, published Apr. 22nd 2015

I found the speeches (remarks) of both USA President Obama as well as Judge Merrick Garland to be noble and uplifting. It also gave me some insight about how serious and vital the nomination of USA supreme court judges and the role of the USA supreme court is, to sustain USA democracy. I guess it would be similar in other democratic countries including India, though the nomination process may be significantly different. India does not seem to have any public hearing for appointment of a judge to the Indian supreme court. Here's the youtube video, President Obama nominates Merrick Garland for Supreme Court, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6EHfK_FEiE , around 26 mins Some extracts from the associated transcript, Remarks by the President Announcing Judge Merrick Garland as his Nominee to the Supreme Court, https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/03/16/remarks-president-announcing-judge-merrick-garland-his-nominee-supreme , dated March 16th 2016, are given below. [USA ...

Rubio drops out as Trump wins Florida, North Carolina and Illinois primaries; Kasich takes Ohio, http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-gop-primaries-20160315-story.html A short extract from it: Donald Trump romped to a landslide victory Tuesday in Florida, dealing a devastating blow to home-state Sen. Marco Rubio, who abruptly quit the race and removed one more obstacle to the businessman’s march toward the Republican presidential nomination. Trump also won the Illinois and North Carolina primaries, networks projected, but Ohio Gov. John Kasich prevailed in his home state, fueling the hopes of those seeking to stop Trump and throw the race open at a contested convention this summer. --- end extract --- Hillary Clinton had an amazing night — and not just because of her victories, http://www.vox.com/2016/3/15/11243096/hillary-clinton-super-tuesday-nominee A short extract from it: Tuesday night was an amazing night for Hillary Clinton because Marco Rubio dropped out of the rac...

Very looooooong article but a fascinating read for folks interested in such stuff: The Obama Doctrine; The U.S. president talks through his hardest decisions about America’s role in the world. By JEFFREY GOLDBERG, http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/04/the-obama-doctrine/471525/ , April 2016 issue.

Last updated on 15th March 2016 I came across this fantastic, though cynical, quote on (democratic) politics. Politics is the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich by promising to protect each from the other. - OSCAR AMERINGER, http://www.quotery.com/authors/oscar-ameringer/ .

It was very disturbing to see a protester vaulting over a barrier and making a charge at Mr. Donald Trump as he was making a campaign speech in Dayton, Ohio, USA. See the video titled, Attempted attack on Donald Trump at Dayton Ohio March 12, 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06d4t1704N8 , 1 min. 47 secs. The security staff (most of them being US Secret Service agents, I guess) did a great job in stopping the man before he could get on/climb on to the stage from where Mr. Trump was making his speech. As the video shows, the security staff immediately formed a protection ring around Mr. Trump, while the protester was tackled and taken away. This article, http://www.newsweek.com/trump-ducks-protester-ohio-436316 , shows a picture of the protester being taken away (and has the same video whose link I gave above). Here's a video where Mr. Donald Trump speaks about this incident, Donald Trump Talks About Security Scare in Dayton, Praises Secret Service, https://www.youtube.com/wa...

Ravi: I have had the blessed good fortune of having been born in a democractic country (India) and enjoying the benefits of free speech (with some restrictions regarding hate speech especially in the context of religion which I find to be quite appropriate for India). Further, I have experienced many democratic protests in India even though I do not recall actively participating in any protest. And I have seen how the right to protest and right to engage in political action have resulted in largely non-violent change. Change through the ballot (including perceived influence of protest groups in future ballots) rather than the bullet! As a writer and commenter on social media I felt I should do my small bit for democracy and so I am making a rare departure from my neutral stand in my informal study of the current USA presidential election cycle. I mean, as I have read and viewed (videos) about events around the world in the past few years, I have realized how FORTUNATE I am to live i...

Here's an interesting article, US election: If it's Donald Trump vs Hillary Clinton, it will be thanks to the 'rust belt revolution',  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/us-elections-2016/US-election-If-its-Donald-Trump-vs-Hillary-Clinton-it-will-be-thanks-to-the-rust-belt-revolution/articleshow/51337389.cms , dated March 10th 2016. [BTW this is a reprint of an article in The Independent, a UK publication, by Rupert Cornwall, a British author (who I just learned from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupert_Cornwell , is the step-brother of one of the greatest spy story writers, John le Carre (David Cornwell). So the view presented in the article is essentially a Britisher's view of the current USA presidential election.] A very short extract from it: ... Michigan, with its combination of epic industrial collapse and large student population, is as good as it gets for him [Ravi: him is Senator Bernie Sanders] in terms of rust-belt states. [Ravi: Apologies to any ...