Ravi S. Iyer: Worldly

Last updated on 2nd Oct. 2018 Please note that this post is very disturbing. People who don't like to read about such matters may please skip reading this post. Given below are some edited mail exchanges I had over the past month or so, with a USA based correspondent which paint a very harsh and sorrowful picture of life for the poor in the USA. I was hesitating to publicly share these views as I had concerns about me being viewed as an anti-USA person and the US based correspondent's (who BTW is a white USA citizen) remarks being viewed as unpatriotic. I think the lady mass shooter matter which I had posted recently has pushed me to explore this topic even at the risk of me being attacked as an anti-USA social media writer. There surely are some Americans who would be outraged that an Indian (as India is definitely far poorer than USA) is writing about America's poor being in dire straits when India has so many people who are in far more desperate poverty, going by...

I think one of the big issues poor people face in the USA is the cost of medical care when one is not covered under health insurance. In India, health care and associated cost is a big challenge. But in what I have seen in some parts of India, there are doctors, sometimes with less level of medical qualifications, especially in rural India, who charge less for their consultations and perhaps prescribe affordable medicines for most complaints that come to them, thereby making them popular with the poor. Now these doctors may be looked down upon by other better qualified doctors. But the point is that the poor get some level of health care at reasonable cost for most complaints. If the complaint is related to a big disease and/or requires surgery then the cost can become very high, and so the poor get stuck with no proper treatment unless they are able to borrow, what to them would be, large amount of money. But in the USA I think the poor do not get such low cost health care option...

Today I saw the opening statements of both the sexual assault accuser Dr. Christine Ford as well as the accused Judge Brett Kavanaugh who has been nominated as a Supreme Court Justice. Christine Blasey Ford delivers opening statement at Kavanaugh hearing, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD8MlhOosEk , around 18 mins, published by ABC News on 27th Sept. 2018 [I saw Dr. Ford's opening in statement in a longer video but this video seems to be her statement video.] Brett Kavanaugh delivers opening statement at hearing, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVJdy3FmlCo , around 45 mins, published by ABC News on 27th Sept. 2018 Both opening statements are very powerful. One can't figure out who is saying untruth which could be unintentional untruth which is mistakenly assumed as the truth. But it is Brett Kavanaugh and his family whose life has taken a terrible battering. Yes, Dr. Ford and her family too have faced nasty verbal attacks on them. But it is Brett Kavanaugh who is bein...

Last updated on 30th Sept. 2018 I think finally it boils down to fairness of process. We are talking of, on one side, the name, reputation and life of a man and his family, and, on the other, about the very serious allegations of sexual assault that a lady/2 ladies claims was inflicted on her/them by Kavanaugh. Traumatic stuff! Saw this interview of Judge Kavanaugh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxEGNt5EwGo , around 20 mins. published by Fox News on 24th Sept. 2018 What I liked in it was that the Judge repeatedly said that he wants due process so that he can give his view and protect the name and reputation of him and his family. I think the demand of the judge is very fair. But then he & his family, as well as the person(s) making the accusations against him, have got caught up in US Senate confirmation rules and politics. The majority in the Senate may not bother so much about due process which will take long (e.g. an FBI investigation) but focus on achieving their ...

US President Donald Trump said in his recent United Nations speech: "There is India, a free society (of) over a billion people, successfully lifting countless millions out of poverty and into the middle class". As an Indian citizen and resident I think what US President Trump has said is the truth, and I thank him for saying this truthful nice thing about early 21st century India. Note that I am in the mid-fifties age group now with most of my life being spent in India. So I have personally witnessed this material progress that India has made (and contributed to it in a small way through my work in the software development field for around three decades). I pray to God that such progress that India has made inspires other developing and poor nations in the world to take a path to progress that combines ***freedom*** (democracy with its vital freedom of speech and freedom of religion) and material progress, even if the speed of that progress is slower than some alternativ...

Now it's a 26 year old woman mass shooter who killed 3 people and then killed herself in Maryland, USA! 4 dead, including 26-year-old female suspect, in Maryland shooting, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/aberdeen-shooting-maryland-rite-aid-distribution-center-suspect-snochia-moseley-today-2018-09-20/ , 20th Sept. 2018 It is terribly sad to know that a 26 year old woman has joined the ranks of mass shooters in the USA. Something must be done about this madness that seems to have gripped quite a few people in the USA who try to settle any argument with a gun, and, then many times, turn the gun on themselves to avoid the misery of police arrest, trial and incarceration! These incidents in the USA bother me a lot, as I have relatives, old friends and many Sathya Sai devotee Facebook friends who live in the USA. I want them to be safe from this madness. We cannot do much against acts of nature and accidents. But this mass shooting madness in the USA has to stop! Note that if the...

US Sanctions Won't Impact India-Russia Defence Ties: Nirmala Sitharaman, https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/us-sanctions-wont-impact-india-russia-defence-ties-nirmala-sitharaman-1917828 , 17th Sept. 2018 A short extract from it: "Ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin's India visit next month, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has clearly indicated that India will not allow its time-tested defence and security ties with Russia to be impacted by the US sanctions on military transactions with Moscow." The article quotes Indian Defence minister Sitharaman as saying, "India has maintained its sovereignty as regards to its relationship with countries. We shall maintain it in all earnestness". Ravi: As an Indian citizen based in India, I fully support the stand of the Indian govt. as expressed in above extract and quote. As I have publicly written in the past, on multiple occasions, Russia/ former USSR has supported independent India (after India freed ...

Got delivery a little while back today, of the book Fear: Trump in the White House - Hardcover - by Bob Woodward, https://www.amazon.in/Fear-Trump-White-Bob-Woodward/dp/1471181294 . I had ordered it on amazon.in on 12th Sept. 2018. Flipped through the pages. The color pics somewhere in the middle of the book are good quality (photo) paper pics. Was surprised by that as I did not expect that at Rs. 599 (Rs. 200 off cover price of Rs. 799) with free delivery. The back cover of the book quotes Donald Trump as saying on 31st March 2016, in an interview while running for president of the United States: "Real power is - I don't even want to use the word - fear." [Ravi comment: I am afraid that there is some truth to the above view when it comes to life in many parts of India, including in spiritual ashram systems whether Hindu, Muslim, Christian or any other religion associated ashram system, now and certainly in the past centuries and millennia. end-Ravi comment.] Not...

Some Time-pass stuff :-) The picture-perfect beauty of Hema Malini, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hema_Malini , a famous Hindi film heroine of the 70s and 80s. Now she is a Member of Parliament in India. [To open pic in higher resolution, right-click on pic followed by open in new tab/window. In new tab/window you may have to click on pic to zoom in.] Kisi shayar ki ghazal - dream girl [English: Some poet's poetic composition - dream girl] Kisi jheel ka kamal - dream girl [English: Some lake's lotus (flower) - dream girl] Those are really apt lines for Hema Malini of those days. And here's the song with those lines from the Hindi film, Dream Girl (1977), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Girl_(1977_film) : About 5 mins, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00tWBa-rRJU

The abandoned mansions of Pakistan (Full Documentary) BBC Stories, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fOYJ3_ZppM , 43 min 8 secs, published by BBC Stories on 2nd Sept. 2018. From the youtube video description: In the last few decades hundreds of mansions have sprung up in villages throughout Pakistan's Punjab. We follow three local men who decided to migrate to Oslo where they have worked, got married, and had children – for a better life. But all three have realised their dream on building a mansion on what they consider their real home, and with time, have built mansions to show how far they have come in their lives – but with every mansion built comes heartache. --- end youtube video description --- My (Ravi S. Iyer) comment on the video: Utterly fascinating! What a superb capture of the Pakistani immigrants to Norway story and how Norway has helped them lead a good life and be happy! But I am not sure whether the Pakistani side of the story is fair. Perhaps an interview ...

Some extracts from UNDP article titled - "India ranks 130 on 2018 Human Development Index", http://www.in.undp.org/content/india/en/home/sustainable-development/successstories/india-ranks-130-on-2018-human-development-index.html . India climbed one spot to 130 out of 189 countries in the latest human development rankings released today by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). India’s HDI value for 2017 is 0.640, which (puts) the country in the medium human development category. Between 1990 and 2017, India’s HDI value (increased) from 0.427 to 0.640, an increase of nearly 50 percent – and an indicator of the country’s remarkable achievement in lifting millions of people out of poverty. Norway, Switzerland, Australia, Ireland and Germany lead the ranking, while Niger, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Chad and Burundi have the lowest scores in the HDI’s measurement of national achievements in health, education and income. Within South Asia, India’s HDI...

Just joking :-). Money, money, money, must be funny in a billionaire's world! ... Aha aha all the things I could do if I had a little money Jamie Dimon of $$$JP Morgan Chase$$$ implies that he could run for USA president and beat Donald Trump, but later Dimon backtracks. That backtracking was too late for him to avoid getting twitter-bashed by Trump! Well, even if you are a US billionaire, you can't be sure to win a presidential race. Here's an article covering Jamie Dimon words and Donald Trump tweet reaction: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2018/09/13/donald-trump-jamie-dimon-again-off-again-relationship/1288996002/ And here's the Abba song which I liked a lot in the past as I was having to negotiate the money world during my software career days: Abba - Money, Money, Money, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETxmCCsMoD0 , around 3 mins. Here are the lyrics of the song: https://genius.com/Abba-money-money-money-lyrics .

Warning: Viewers who can't handle gunshot violence should skip reading the rest of this post. It is very good that the lady officer who was shot by the suspect, survived. My God! How dangerous police duty in the USA can be, is graphically shown in this video! I salute the brave police officers of the USA for their work in keeping the law-abiding people of the USA safe. I am bowled over by the level of transparency and reporting to the public that this video of LAPD, USA shows. Short 39 second Twitter video, https://twitter.com/LAPDHQ/status/1039189357112918016 published by LAPD HQ on 10th Sep. 2018. Fuller Youtube video of around 10 mins having multiple camera videos as well as slow motion video clips, published by Los Angeles Police Department on 10th Sep. 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ny7dBpqdOc&feature=youtu.be

Living Wages, Rarity for U.S. Fast-Food Workers, Served Up in Denmark, https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/28/business/international/living-wages-served-in-denmark-fast-food-restaurants.html The above 2014 article mentions that the Fast Food worker in Denmark: * Is paid equivalent of US $20 an hour * Has 5 weeks paid vacation * Has paid maternity and paternity leave * Has a pension plan I (Ravi) added: * Has free healthcare A few days ago, I checked whether the above information is correct from a person who is knowledgeable about Denmark. He said that the info. is correct and that "the basic pension is more generous so that the pension contribution from the employer (which goes into a centrally managed fund) is less important." He added the following point: * (Has) free education [See Note 1 at the end of this post for more info. on it.] All of the above enable a fast food worker in Denmark to lead a decent life. Some other thoughts of mine on the matter: Over ...

USA Judge Kavanaugh Supreme Court nominee's senate confirmation: Democratic senators raise fear of Roe v. Wade being overturned if Judge Kavanaugh gets elected to US Supreme Court as they fear he could be the crucial 5th vote in the 9 member US Supreme Court which may overturn it. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) asks Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh about it in the context of an email of Kavanaugh that was previously confidential but is now public: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krHk1WTiRc8 , 6 min. 32 secs. Citing the principle of judicial independence, Judge Kavanaugh dodges the direct question about whether he thinks Roe v. Wade is correctly settled law or correct law. Extracts from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe_v._Wade : Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973),[1] is a landmark decision issued in 1973 by the United States Supreme Court on the issue of the constitutionality of laws that criminalized or restricted access to abortions. The Court ruled 7–2 that a right to ...

[To open pic in higher resolution, right-click on pic followed by open in new tab/window. In new tab/window you may have to click on pic to zoom in.] Above Pic courtesy: https://www.facebook.com/India.usembassy/photos/a.190766654372705/1888143371301683/ ------- I made the following comment today, on 6th Sept. 2018 on Facebook post of U.S. Embassy India, https://www.facebook.com/India.usembassy/posts/1887498054699548 dated (late night) 5th Sept. 2018, having pics of US Secy. of State Mike Pompeo being welcomed by Indian External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and U.S. Secy. of Defense James Mattis being welcomed by Indian Defense minister Nirmala Sitharaman : Warm welcome to India to USA Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, USA Secretary of Defense James Mattis and their teams for the inaugural U.S.-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue. As an Indian citizen based in India, I fully support strengthening USA - India relations, due to shared values of democracy  including its vital a...

Warning: Those who prefer to not read posts about violence and violent threats may please skip reading rest of this post. First I would like to say that I have a PUBLICLY (POLITICALLY) NEUTRAL informal-student-observer role in these posts that I put up about USA politics. Of course, as I am an Indian citizen living in India, there is no question of me having voted in USA elections. In other words, I do NOT publicly write either in support of or in opposition to US President Trump from a US politics point of view. At times, however, I do write about my concern about some reports about US govt. policies e.g. a recent resignation letter from a US govt. official which was critical about US govt. actions to resolve or mitigate the $1.5 trillion dollar student loan problem in the US. I write this post out of concern for well being of the free press in the USA. Calif. man charged with making threatening calls to Globe, https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/08/30/california-man-arres...

When author of post or comment is not mentioned, it should be assumed that it is me (Ravi S. Iyer). https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/2295275400689024 Really enjoyed this young man singing the old time hit of Mahendra Kapoor - Nile gagan ke tale! https://www.facebook.com/dn.reddy.52/videos/1878685132213823/ =============================================================== https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/2295096500706914 Its really been awesome to see Stevie Wonder in this 2015 video. I remember being wowed by him in the 1980s in the USA! What a hero that man is! Around 11 mins, Stevie Wonder Carpool Karaoke, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqrvm2XDvpQ ================================================================ https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/2284183528464878 The Czech lady spoke far better Tamil than I can. I did not learn Tamil in school and at home we used to speak a Tamil variant which had a lot of Malayalam (Palaghat Tamil...