Monthly Archives: August 2004

Mutineer in Battle

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I generally avoid posting overtly political stuff here BUT, I figured at least a few of y’all might be interested in my other blog persona – The IronBlogger Libertarian.

I’m currently debating “The Purpose of Arms” against a challenger and my opening statement is up –

The ultimate goal of arms is for the individual to defend himself, his rights, and his property against other individuals through the credible threat of mortal force. This is a very complex topic so I’ll expend some effort here to crisply articulate a small number of core points and avoid the statistical barrage that characterizes so many gun debates.

1. Violence is an intrinsic part of human nature…

Check it out if you’re interested in this sort of stuff.

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A warm shot of SAKI

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For those that haven’t noticed, South Asians for Kerry (SAKI) has a website up and running. Although I don’t know for sure what the “I” in the acronym stands for, I suspect it is placed there simply so that the organization’s name is a homonym of the glorious alcoholic beverage, Sake. Well done, I say.

In an effort to energize the South Asian presence in the political process South Asians for Kerry in 2004 (SAKI) was formed in March of 2003. SAKI is officially recognized by and works closely with the Kerry campaign with chapters in Boston, Washington D.C., New York, and the Bay Area.

SAKI is focused on driving fundraising, voter registration, and policy initiatives throughout the South Asian community.

What I found most interesting on the site was the one-page issues primer.

According to my friend in NYC who works closely with SAKI, there is also an article in the WSJ today titled, “In the U.S., Indians Gain Political Clout.” Unfortunately my poor ass can’t afford the WSJ so I can’t be more helpful.

Bhardwaj makes Olympics finals

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The U.S. women’s gymnastics team made it into the finals yesterday, in 2nd place after Romania. Mohini Bhardwaj also qualified for the individual finals in the floor exercise. That’s the event that resembles acrobatic street teams in New York City, but without the black people 🙁 And it’s got some dated, frou-frou, high school cheerleading moves interleaved with all the tumbling, as breaks for muscle recovery.

Now, most of these teen gymnasts look incredibly stressed with the weight of national prestige on their shoulders. You can see the relief on their faces when they step off the mat. In contrast, if you watched Bhardwaj on Monday, her features settled into a frightening, wide-eyed, murderous look the instant before she launched onto the runway; later she said she needed to dial back on her aggression to land her vaults. Sistah is so hardcore. Her style seems higher on power than grace, the opposite of the skinny, lanky Russian diva Svetlana Khorkina.

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what the world needs now

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a Gandhi for our generation? this article has more:

Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson, Arun Gandhi, is to kick off an unarmed Palestinian movement against Israeli occupation which is being launched by a group of social and political activists in Ramallah.
Gandhi, head of the MK Gandhi Institute for non-violence in the US, will be the star attraction at three mass rallies planned in Ramallah, Abu Dis and Bethlehem on August 26.
The campaign is being organised by a group of Palestinian social and political activists in Ramallah, who have joined hands with anti-fence activists, NGOs, and Fatah activists headed by minister without portfolio and Fatah member Kadura Fares in the wake of the International Court of Justice’s ruling condemning the construction of the West Bank barrier by Israel.

Harold and Kumar go to Washington DC

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sorry vinod and abhi, but rather than end the “DRUM”/patchouli/”harold and kumar” debate on poor maria’s ass (because no ass deserves such responsibility or hardship), i say we send the cast and crew of the stoner movie that “couldn’t” to the following:

A Different Kind of Dude Fest: August 20-22. Washington, DC
This is not “just” a fest. It’s a space for men to take stock of their internalized sexism and to discuss strategies for change, for ways we can divest of patriarchy and be responsible feminist allies. To that extent, there will be:
(1)A website/zine/reading group project to foster discussion and self-reflection before and after the fest.
(2)Workshops and discussion spaces to explore issues of privilege, sexism and patriarchy, and to learn from non-gender privileged perspectives.
(3)Two nights of shows with amazing, pro-woman, pro-queer bands, many of which are involved in organizing the fest, where we can start following through with our obligation to not take gender dynamics for granted, and to forge new visions of collective liberation. And we may even have a little fun. Come!

for those of you who are utterly perplexed by this post, i implore you to go read the comments after this SM entry. it will all make sense then, dear ones.

now if you’ll kindly excuse me, i have to go berate my bf for not sympathizing with my vaginally-centered plight. he is obviously a privileged, sexist, patriarchal jerk who has not divested himself of the horrific issues that “harold” and “kumar” also suffer from….he is complicit! all of the other mutineers are! stop objectifying! patchouli for all!

The Republicans make a play…

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In an election where every vote will make the difference, you have to pick and choose which minorities you might be able to lure into your camp, and then make a play. The ball is in play and we are it. Sify news reports:

In a first advertisment of its kind, the Republican party has re-counted the strides made in the India-US relationship urging Indian-Americans to help re-elect President George W. Bush.

The advertisement, issued by Marc Raciot, chairman of the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign, said Bush understands India’s potential to become one of the great democratic powers of the 21st century and has worked to transform the US-India relationship.

“Throughout his first term in office, President Bush has honoured the many contributions of Indian-Americans in our country by advancing policies that reflect their priorities. We are grateful for the support the President’s campaign has obtained from Indian-Americans and we look forward to working together to re-elect President Bush,” the advertisement read.

Now I can’t seem to find this “advertisement.” Was it simply a verbal ad or was it print media, or television? I checked both the Bush-Cheney website and the RNC website but no luck so far. Will keep you updated. At times like this I wish there was a Karl Rove equivalent on the Dems side.

Can A Trip to India Change Your Life?

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Budge Travel has run an interesting travelogue piece (reprinted on MSNBC.com) on Five trips that can change your life. Installment 1: India.

“I had not come to India on any kind of Mission Enlightenment, but the funny thing about change is how it creeps up on you when you are busy acting like a brat. As soon as we left Delhi, the little kindnesses started: When I fell sick in the Lawrence of Arabia worthy desert town of Jaisalmer, a restaurant owner named Rama became my temporary mother, easing my stomach pain with desert cures and my loneliness with long, intimate talks.”

click here to read the full story

The best thing about D.C. in the summertime…

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…the huge influx of smart, cute interns. Oh, stop being so self-righteous. You know that you were thinking it too, I am just saying it out loud. One of the many reasons I miss my old ‘hood.

A survey on Capitol Hill interns last year reveals how the interns straddle two worlds: a left-behind college campus where nose rings reign, and a high-powered city dotted with power ties.

The following quote sums it all up:

Says Ketaki Gokhale, 21, who interned with Congressman Jim Langevin: “I should write a diary: My Experience On The Hill. It’s a slog. I don’t think I’d work there as a staffer. But the nightlife rocks.”

Smart but Poor…

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This article discusses the (surprising to some) LACK of empirical relationship b/t formal education and income at a national level –

Over the past decade it has became an article of faith that education and skills make a vital contribution to economic performance (1). Deficiencies in national labour productivity and economic growth are increasingly attributed not to inadequacies in productive investment, but to educational shortfalls and weak labour skills (2).

…’African countries with rapid growth in human capital [the fashionable term for people’s work abilities, especially levels of education] over the 1960 to 1987 period – countries like Angola, Mozambique, Ghana, Zambia, Madagascar, Sudan, and Senegal – were nevertheless growth disasters. Countries like Japan, with modest growth in human capital, were growth miracles. Other East Asian miracles like Singapore, Korea, China, and Indonesia did have rapid growth in human capital, but equal to or less than that of the African growth disasters. To take one comparison, Zambia had slightly faster expansion in human capital than Korea, but Zambia’s growth rate was seven percentage points lower.”

The Mallu economic malaise is a perfect example – statistically, at least, it’s the most educated state in India but, alas, also one of the poorest. Books, degrees, and examinations mean little for economic growth without a comprehensive social fabric that praises constructive, gritty real world results over idealized, intellectual banter….