Ravi S. Iyer: Worldly

Given below are the contents of USA Senator Bernie Sanders' post, https://www.facebook.com/senatorsanders/posts/10156628213447908 , dated 30th Dec. 2017: Erica Garner was an exceptional young woman. She was a loving daughter, sister, mother, friend -- and though she didn't ask to be an activist, she responded to the personal tragedy of seeing her father die while being arrested in New York City by becoming a leading proponent for criminal justice reform and for an end to police brutality. I had the honor of getting to know Erica and I was inspired by the commitment she made working towards a more just world for her children and future generations. She was a fighter for justice and will not be forgotten. Jane and I send our deepest condolences to the entire Garner family and to all those she has impacted. [The above post shares this article: Erica Garner, Who Became An Activist After Her Father's Death, Dies, https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/12/30/574514217/

Last updated on 31st Dec. 2017 Pyaar Deewana Hota Hai, Hindi film oldie superhit romantic song, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lslZptXok8o , around 4 min. 30 secs. It is from the 1971 movie Kati Patang (Severed Kite),  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kati_Patang . It has the superstar of those days, the Late Rajesh Khanna, whose birthday fell on 29th Dec. yesterday, as the hero, and Asha Parekh as the heroine, both of whom are the main actors in this song video. The singer is the great (Late) Kishore Kumar and the lyricist (song writer) is Anand Bakshi. Many oldie Hindi film romantic songs have a theme of the dangers of falling in love. A favourite metaphor they use for the dangers of romantic love is that of the moths who are attracted to the burning flame of the candle and going towards it, get burned and destroyed by the burning flame. Here are a few lines of this song which use the same metaphor Shama kahe parvane se pare chala jaa [The burning candle tells the moth to go

In Signing Sweeping Tax Bill, Trump Questions Whether He is Getting Enough Credit, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/22/us/politics/trump-tax-bill.html , 22nd Dec. 2017 This CNN link has a short video of Trump saying a few words explaining his decision to get it done before Christmas in this informal manner so as to keep his promise to the American people (instead of a formal ceremony a couple of weeks later): http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/22/politics/trump-sign-tax-bill-mar-a-lago/index.html Hmm. That's it then. President Trump and team have ushered in great changes to USA tax policy which are being claimed by the Republicans as just the right medicine needed to boost USA economy and jobs but which are being savagely criticized by Democrats (and Democrat leaning Independents) as giveaways to the rich with little benefit to the middle class, with the increased debt possibility raising fears of near-future cuts into Social security, Medicare and Medicaid. It seems to me that the c

Note: This post is copy-pasted from  https://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2017/12/usa-un-ambassador-haleys-angry-speech.html . Last updated on 23rd Dec. 2017 USA UN ambassador Nikki Haley shows her anger at the UN vote that went against the USA:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYkrjW7QlDs , around 1 minute. Nikki Haley says in the above video, "The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the General Assembly for the very act of exercising our right as a sovereign nation. We will remember it when we are called upon to once again make the world's largest contribution to the United Nations. And we will remember it when so many countries come calling on us, as they so often do, to pay even more and to use our influence for their benefit. America will put our embassy in Jerusalem. That is what the American people want us to do and it is the right thing to do. No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that. But this vote will

This post is copy-pasted from  https://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2017/12/i-support-indias-vote-at-un-on.html . I normally try to avoid commenting publicly on super-sensitive international political matters. But here I felt it appropriate to make an exception. As an Indian citizen living in India, and as a Hindu, I approve of India's vote in the United Nations, along with 127 other nations, for the resolution against the USA's rather high-handed move and what seems to me as "might is right" approach in USA "recognizing" Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. 9 nations voted against and there were 35 abstentions. There were 21 nations/delegations that were absent (seems to be different from an abstention). 128+9+35+21 = 193 which is the total count of nations/delegations represented in the United Nations. The countries that voted against the resolution were USA, Israel, Guatemala, Honduras, Togo, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru and

https://www.facebook.com/senatorsanders/videos/10156601273572908/ , Around 5 mins. Ravi: I am willing to view Senator Sanders' comments as politically coloured and so am willing to accept that Republicans may be able to counter his views. But I tend to view the remarks of UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Philip Alston, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Alston , as being more fact based and less politically motivated. Of course, he also could have got some things wrong and so could be challenged on his views on extreme poverty in the USA by others who present facts that challenge those views and conclusions of Alston. Note that Alston is also a Professor of Law at New York University School of Law. Having said the above, I find the remarks made by Alston in this video, which I tend to believe to be largely, if not wholly, truthful, to be a source of great sadness. I hope and pray that USA federal and state governments take serious note of the extrem

With Tax Overhaul, Trump Fulfills a Campaign Promise and Flexes Republican Muscle, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/20/us/politics/with-tax-overhaul-trump-fulfills-a-campaign-promise-and-flexes-republican-muscle.html , 20th Dec. 2017 The article has a 35 minute embeded video of USA President Trump and members of Congress who played a lead role in getting the bill passed through both the House and Senate, gathered together and facing what may be a significant number of supporters, on the White House lawns. It is a victory lap video even though the bill's formal signing into law by President Trump had not been done at that time. [I don't think that signing has been done as of now - 9.15 AM, 21st Dec. 2017, Indian Standard Time.] The video presents a Republican majority in House and Senate that are solidly supportive of President Trump. Trump received effusive praise from all those (other than Trump himself) who spoke in this video, including Vice-President Mike Pence, Senate

Note: This post is based on contents of some recent Facebook posts of mine. USA Senator Chuck Schumer's live Facebook video: https://www.facebook.com/senschumer/videos/10156129261059407/ , 20th Dec. 2017 (IST). Text accompanying video post: Whats next for the #GOPTaxScam and the end of year funding agreement? Senators Patty Murray, Ron Wyden and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders join me LIVE with the latest: --- end text of USA Senator Chuck Schumer --- My (Ravi) comments: 18 mins; Gives a clear picture of how strongly the USA Democratic party (and Democrat leaning Independent) senators oppose the Republican "Tax cuts and jobs" bill, at this pretty late stage (the video was posted live around 17 hours back) with the bill all set to become law. [Will share a USA president Trump post on it shortly.] ----- Text of USA President Trump's Facebook post, https://www.facebook.com/DonaldTrump/photos/a.488852220724.393301.153080620724/10160323100150725/ , 20th Dec. 2017 (I

Here are some media articles on the matter: 1) China and Russia slam new US national security strategy, http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/12/china-russia-slam-national-security-strategy-171219195116748.html 2) Russia Calls U.S. Security Strategy 'Imperial,' China Denounces 'Cold War' Thinking, https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-security-strategy-russia-china-reactions-cold-war-mentality/28926630.html 3) China, Russia hit out at ‘imperialist’ US, http://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/donald-trump-china-russia-hit-out-at-imperialist-us/news-story/dd4ace2ec8fec51bdbec1ab1684f3692 4) Cooperation, not confrontation: China responds to US security strategy, https://america.cgtn.com/2017/12/19/china-usa-national-security-strategy-response 5) US National Security Strategy: China urges cooperation with US as 'only correct choice', http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/us-national-security-strategy-china-urges-cooperation-with-us-as-only-correct-choice 6

Republicans in USA Congress are very close to passing what they claim is a once in a generation "tax cuts and jobs" bill, https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/19/congress-tax-bill-votes-304908 House Speaker Paul Ryan is quoted by the article as saying, “This is a day I have looked forward to for a very long time” .. “Today is about how much better things can be: More jobs, fairer taxes and bigger paychecks. Faster growth and real upward mobility. A strong economy that makes all of us stronger.” Senate Majority leader, Mitch McConnell is quoted in the article as saying, "From a Republican point of view, this is as good as it gets and we’re more than happy to take our argument [for the tax bill] to the American people in an election contest". So the Republican point of view seems to be that they will be able to convince voters in an election contest (like the upcoming mid-term elections in 2018) that their "tax cuts and jobs" bill is good for the pe

Here's the 68 page document itself: The National Security Strategy of the United States of America DECEMBER 2017, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/NSS-Final-12-18-2017-0905.pdf . ---- Given below are media articles on it: Trump Delivers a Mixed Message on His National Security Approach, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/18/us/politics/trump-security-strategy-china-russia.html , 18th Dec. 2017. A short quote from the above article: "But it [Ravi: the national security strategy] is animated by a single idea: that the world has been on a three-decade holiday from superpower rivalry, and it suggests that that holiday is now over." It then quotes the document: “After being dismissed as a phenomenon of an earlier century, great power competition returned”.. [China and Russia] “are determined to make economies less free and less fair, to grow their militaries, and to control information and data to repress their societies and expand their influence.”

This post is copy-pasted from  https://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2017/12/usa-congress-subcommittee-dec-2017.html . I came across a recent post by Terry Reis Kennedy,  https://www.facebook.com/terry.reiskennedy/posts/10215235470418874 , which shared this video: Subcommittee Hearing: U.S. Policy Toward Tibet: Access, Religious Freedom ...(EventID=106697),  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFXRRPUR2iE&feature=youtu.be&t=42m  (note the link starts the video at 42 mins which seems to be when the hearing starts), streamed live on Dec. 6th 2017. I made the following comment on Terry's post: Thanks a ton Terry Reis Kennedy for sharing. I saw the whole of the hearing part of the video. Recently I have been doing a fair amount of reading on Chinese and Tibetan history in the past few centuries from Internet sources like wikipedia and some videos on youtube. Therefore it was very interesting for me to see this hearing giving a contemporary USA Congress view of the matter involving

Last updated on 17th Dec. 2017 Today's The Hindu carried this interview of Lucas Chancel: High growth does not necessarily mean high inequality, says Lucas Chancel, http://www.thehindu.com/business/Economy/high-growth-does-not-necessarily-mean-high-inequality-says-lucas-chancel/article21653028.ece , 14th Dec. 2017. Lucas Chancel's bio can be seen here: http://www.lucaschancel.info/biography . The India related figures of the World Inequality Lab is available here: http://wid.world/country/india/ . Chancel asks for more data to be released by the Indian government so that they can better assess the inequality data. So the figures Chancel gives may be based on limited data and I wonder whether Indian govt. agencies would agree with those figures. I request readers to keep that in mind as they see some key figures from the above interview and the India page of the World Inequality Lab. which are given below: 1) Income growth for the average Indian is close to 4% per ye

This post was triggered by this Guardian article: A journey through a land of extreme poverty: welcome to America, https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/dec/15/america-extreme-poverty-un-special-rapporteur , 15th Dec. 2017 This journey is that of a UN monitor on human rights who is making a fact-finding study over two weeks of extreme poverty in the USA, the richest country in the world today, and perhaps in the history of the world! The article claims that USA wealth and income inequality is already the "most extreme" in any industrialized nation in the world, referring to a Stanford University, Center on Poverty and Inequality document titled, "State of the Union";"The Poverty and Inequality Report 2016", http://inequality.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/Pathways-SOTU-2016-2.pdf . Also see the US Bureau of Labor Statistics produced graph here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_productivity_and_real_wages.jpg , showing that while produ

Chris Gayle hammering 18 sixes in 2017 BPL final, around 5 mins, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4ZIowT8Zzs . Chris Gayle's awesome batting dominance brings back memories of the heyday of West Indies' batting dominance (besides bowling dominance) over world cricket during my cricket fan days. Clive Lloyd (his build was like Chris Gayle's build), Vivian Richards (greater batsman but build and sheer power wise I think Lloyd was bigger and so Lloyd's hits perhaps were bigger than Richards typically (I don't have that clear a recollection though)), Roy Fredricks (he took the Aussie fast bowers apart in Perth in an unforgettable fashion scoring a century in the only match they won in the series; they lost the series to Australia) and Gordon Greenidge. Alvin Kallicharan was a force to reckon with but I don't think I would put him in a batting dominance category like the four batsmen mentioned earlier. These four could tear apart test match level bowling sides. C

Rep. Trent Franks offered $5 million to aide to bear his child, resigns amid inquiry, https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/rep-trent-franks-facing-ethics-investigation-says-he-will-resign-immediately/2017/12/08/bec2f630-dc55-11e7-b859-fb0995360725_story.html , 8th Dec. 2017. The article states that the unnamed former lady aide of USA Republican Congressman, Trent Franks, told Associated Press that she "was asked a few times to look over a ‘contract’ to carry his child, and if I would conceive his child, I would be given $5 million." The USA House of Representatives Ethics committee seems to have investigated Rep. Franks for behaviour "that constitutes sexual harassment and/or retaliation for opposing sexual harassment." They also came to know that the Congressman had asked two female aides (employees) of his to be a surrogate mother. House Speaker, Republican Paul Ryan, after the quick investigation, asked Congressman Franks to resign. Franks resigned and

USA Senator from Minnesota, USA announced his resignation from the USA Senate in the coming weeks through a speech he deliverd on the Senate floor. Here's the video: Sen. Franken - FULL SPEECH - "I will be resigning as a member of the United States Senate." (C-SPAN), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdGuJNYI83Y , 11 min. 38 secs, published on 7th Dec. 2017 and here's the statement transcript from his Senate office: https://www.franken.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=3807 . An annotated transcript is available here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/12/07/al-frankens-defiant-unapologetic-resignation-speech-annotated/ . I have given, later on in this post, large extracts from the transcript of his speech. Here are my comments about his speech: As a lover and supporter of democracy in India (I am an Indian living in India), USA and other parts of the world, I think USA Senator Franken did the right thing. For me the key words related to his res

Recently I made some comments on social media elsewhere about the cult book: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig. This post is based on those comments of mine. Some extracts from the wiki page of the book:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_and_the_Art_of_Motorcycle_Maintenance are given below: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values (ZAMM), by Robert M. Pirsig, is a book that was first published in 1974. It is a work of fictionalized autobiography, and is the first of Pirsig's texts in which he explores his Metaphysics of Quality. The title is an apparent play on the title of the book Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel. In its introduction, Pirsig explains that, despite its title, "it should in no way be associated with that great body of factual information relating to orthodox Zen Buddhist practice. It's not very factual on motorcycles, either." Initially, the book sold at least 5 million copies wo