“A demoralized, timid, and hopeless mass bullied and crushed by every dominant interest and incapable of resistance.” Who said this about whom and when?
January 30, 2010
by Atanu Dey
2 Comments
Category Archives: Alternative Viewpoint
April 28, 2009
by Atanu Dey
3 Comments
Just deserts: India Deserves the Congress
In an opinion piece in the Financial Times of April 15th (hat tip: Sudipta), Razeen Sally writes that “the Congress deserves to lose the elections”. Right up front, Sally wrote about “the do-nothing, zero-reform record of Manmohan Singh, prime minister, … Continue reading
April 28, 2009
by Atanu Dey
4 Comments
The Taliban Are Coming
The topic of the Taliban gaining control of Pakistan is hot this summer. Newspaper editors are busy with lots of serious hand-wringing and mopping of sweaty foreheads. An editorial writer at the New York Times is obviously worried to distraction, … Continue reading
April 12, 2009
by Atanu Dey
2 Comments
The War and the Circus
Perhaps most humans are congenitally belligerent and can be reasonably expected to get into fights. But it takes institutionalized big businesses to create a war machine that raises ordinary human belligerence to levels of superhuman insanity. The war machine — … Continue reading
April 7, 2009
by Atanu Dey
3 Comments
In Praise of Dead White Men
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva’s recent accusation that the financial crisis was caused by “white people with blue eyes” at a joint press conference with UK Prime Minister Brown is illuminating if not entirely accurate. [1] Everyone involved … Continue reading
October 17, 2008
by Atanu Dey
3 Comments
Keith Hudson’s Lesson on the Present Crisis
I am privileged to be on Keith Hudson’s mailing list. He is an English polymath, a Renaissance Man in the strictest sense of the term. With his permission I am quoting from one of his musings on the present financial … Continue reading
September 28, 2008
by Atanu Dey
6 Comments
Why Pakistan is Useful Just the Way it is
The Acorn says that now is the time to drop trade barriers with Pakistan. Pakistan’s economy is in a tailspin. Since the second last thing that the international community wants in Pakistan is an economic meltdown, Friends of Pakistan are … Continue reading
September 20, 2008
by Atanu Dey
2 Comments
We must free the Kashmiris
The op-ed “India can’t afford to fall victim to psywar” in the New Indian Express of Sept 19th did not make much sense to me. I find the entire piece confusing. Perhaps I am simple-minded and cannot navigate through contradictions, … Continue reading
August 21, 2008
by Atanu Dey
2 Comments
Common Sense
[Posted by 59.162.93.226 via http://webwarper.net This is added while posting a message to avoid misuse.
Try: http://webwarper.net/webwarper.exe Example of viewing: http://webwarper.net/ww/www.deeshaa.org/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=1320 ] Continue reading
June 14, 2008
by Atanu Dey
1 Comment
Hitler in Good Company
From a Canadian publication ‘The Province’ (Tuesday, May 1, 1990), author: Crawford Kilian.
June 11, 2008
by Atanu Dey
5 Comments
Iraq now, Iran next, Saudi Arabia for later
“It’s the oil, stupid.” In an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal of 10th June, Edward J. Markey asks rhetorically “Why Is Bush Helping Saudi Arabia Build Nukes?” He points out that if at all the Saudis need more … Continue reading
June 5, 2008
by Atanu Dey
9 Comments
Mr Lee and Mr Chee agreed to have a fight
The NY Times of 30th May reports (“Power and Tenacity Collide in Singapore Courtroom” — Thanks, Naman) on the clash between two personalities — one powerful and famous, the other powerless — in a Singapore courtroom. Former prime minister Lee … Continue reading
June 3, 2008
by Atanu Dey
8 Comments
Begging for a World Class University — Part 2
This is a follow up to the previous post, “Begging for a World Class University.” In this I will address two responses to the post: one, the comment left by Aditya, and two, a post by Pramode titled “A Question … Continue reading
March 12, 2008
by Atanu Dey
1 Comment
What’s a “Patwa”?
A fatwa is a religious decree made by a mullah. A “patwa” is like a fatwa but made by Patil. A patwa, like a fatwa, is not based on reason or logic. But it is not just a matter of … Continue reading
January 30, 2008
by Atanu Dey
2 Comments
The Resurrection of Gandhi
Arvind Lavakare in an article titled The Myth of Mahatma Gandhi notes that the Gandhi icon had been losing its sheen for years until the present government began giving it a nice new varnish. Maybe it is an attempt to … Continue reading
January 29, 2008
by Atanu Dey
6 Comments
Rewriting Indian History: Book review by CJS Wallia
The following is a review of Francois Gautier’s Rewriting Indian History. (New Delhi: Vikas Publishing 1996). The reviewer is C J S Wallia who writes: From my own perspective as a secular humanist, I believe that any whitewashing of historical … Continue reading
November 13, 2007
by Atanu Dey
15 Comments
Do the Taliban have Buddha Nature?
Here we go again. In March of 2001, the Taliban destroyed the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan. These statues had stood there since the early 6th century. Symbols of universal compassion, these were in the eyes of Islam, something that had … Continue reading
November 3, 2007
by Atanu Dey
8 Comments
LOSADS!
Law of Supply and Demand Not to put too fine a point on it, but the law of supply and demand is a bitch. Stripped of all details it basically states that the price of something is determined by the … Continue reading
October 18, 2007
by Atanu Dey
4 Comments
Gore and the Nobel Peace Prize
Does anyone, other than the recipients and the Nobel Prize committee, take the Peace Prize seriously any more?
October 13, 2007
by Atanu Dey
6 Comments
Who’s the boss? — Part 2
When a pickpocket meets a saint, all he sees are pockets. Thus goes a well-worn Zen Buddhist saying. Our perceptions of the external world are filtered through our internal desires and motivations. This process is not linear; a powerful feedback … Continue reading