From the LNC Quote Shop -Shopkeepers vs. Planners

Sauvik Chakraverti-

When we contrast shopkeepers with planners, we see that the two perform very different kinds of "work." The shopkeeper has his eye on physical stocks and their rate of depletion as he sells hundreds of goods to his customers. The planner has no customers. The planner studies government files and government reports. On the basis of the recommendations in these files, the planner decides to allocate "public capital" towards certain projects aimed at improving the lives of the people. All these projects are executed by the bureaucracy. In all these cases, the bureaucracy benefits - not the people, whose needs remain unsatisfied, despite all the complex mathematics and detailed statistics. It is no coincidence that anything planned is in short supply - like roads and electricity. Only entrepreneurs can produce "goods"; governments produce "bads."

(emphasis mine)

Some criminals near Jairam Ramesh

India's voluble environment minister Jairam Ramesh has declared that the use of SUVs in India is criminal and that SUVs are ’socially useless vehicles’.

Here are a couple of criminals in his own party-

Rahul Gandhi uses SUVs - a criminal?

 

 

Ma Sonia uses them too -the whole family is criminal?

Does he have the balls to directly berate Sonia & Sons? Or maybe his harangues are only intended to harass common people who do not have the power to fight back and must suffer his green crusades - more taxes on cars, more expensive electricity, higher prices for fuel, everything dearer in general to finance mega-billion clean energy pipe-dreams and other green nuttiness.

We pay so that Ramesh and his ilk may soothe their green conscience.

This is the welfare state.

Here's a challenge to Jairam - if you are really serious in your beliefs then publicly denounce your party persons and those in your government who use SUVs. They are in thousands if not tens of thousands.In particular start at the top -fish rots from there.If you cannot persuade Sonia and Rahul than either leave the CONgress party and the government or just shut up. 

socially useless vehicle

P.S. - we at the Liberty News Central have our own independent ideas about what or who constitutes a socially useless vehicle.

Nehru-Gandhi household cutlery goes far

In India, chamchas(sycophants)* do well, especially if they belong to the de facto rulers the Nehru-Gandhi family. However so far Home Minister P Chidambaram has kept up a sober, sophisticated image and one supposes that any chamchagiri(sycophancy) on his part  is discreetly undertaken.

However, at the Congress Plenary Session(yes, the same event that took the life of an innocent Indian citizen so that the Prime Minister could have his way), the facade crumbled under the pressure of bubbling sycophancy.

Video

Perhaps Chidambaram couldn't help it. Or perhaps it was coldly calculated -

“Close your eyes, listen to Rahul, you will hear (former Prime Minister and Rahul's father)Rajiv’s echo!” Chidambaram thundered during his address on Monday, proving that he can when necessary outdo any ordinary or garden variety of Congressman when it comes to in-your-face sycophancy. While his words were greeted with cheers and applause from the hoi polloi, observers noted that both Sonia and Rahul sat in frozen silence. This is being widely interpreted among political observers as a sign that Chidambaram’s days in the Cabinet may be numbered.

Just some loyal congressmen. Which is Chidambaram? The one on the farthest right -the biggest spoon?

 
Whatever the motive, Chidambaram tinkled loud and clear, even among that much cutlery assembled. As for Rajiv's echos, they must be of a very soothing frequency as the Home Minister

fell asleep while Rahul Gandhi was delivering his speech. At least three senior Congress members seated on the podium next to Sonia Gandhi confirm that Chidambaram’s gentle baritone snores were clearly audible even over Rahul’s high-pitched voice.

 And speaking of certain spoons, while I was researching for the earlier post I came across this from November, 2009 -

VIP security must be more sensitive, says Chidambaram

VIP security must be sensitive to the “emergency needs” of the people, union Home Minister P.
Chidambaram said here Friday while describing as unfortunate the death of a patient outside a Chandigarh hospital when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was visiting. Chidambaram hoped that the Special Protection Group (SPG) and state police had learnt their lesson and that such incidents would not happen again.

“The SPG is under the control of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). I think the Prime Minister’s Office said what needs to said that VIP security must be sensitive to concerns of people and emergency needs of people.

And yet, over a year later another two citizens are dead.
So what happened to that 'sensitivity'?  It seems that neither the Prime Minister nor the Home Minister could impart it to the forces under their order. Or cared to.

That makes them useless and/or callous.

Japanese had an honorable custom for those officials who failed their country. I am not suggesting that our masters(let's not insult our intelligence by calling them 'public servants') take that route. They may however, in true and tested Indian tradition, look for some chullu bhar paani* and quietly slink away into obscurity.

Only they are too shameless to do the right thing.



*The colorful Indian language translator-

     chamcha-

       In Hindi, a sycophant is called a chamcha. Chamcha is also the Hindi word for spoon. Thus, a  common wordplay in India is to call a sycophant(often in the context of politics) a spoon, say- "X is Minister Y's spoon."

Thus, the wordplay in the title of this post. 

chullu bhar pani -
refers to the colorful Indian expression -'ja, chullu bhar pani mein doob mar' which "which essentially says that the concerned person who has incidentally done something shameful should go drown himself in a handful of water"

Aam aadmi literally bleeds for Chacha Manmohan S Gandhi

These unlucky fellows, including a small boy, had the misfortune to get into Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's way-

Anil Jain

Sumit Prakash

Aman

Or should I say, more accurately, it was Manmohan Singh who got into their way.

 Result -they died.

Do the dead appreciate his speeches?

This man is deadly -

Family blames PM's security for man's death

The family of a 46-year-old man on Monday alleged that he died of a heart attack as he could not be rushed to hospital on time due to blockage of roads to facilitate passage of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's cavalcade.

Anil Jain died in an ambulance near Rajghat when he was being taken to a hospital at around 7:15pm last night.

---- snip - snip -----------------

"We called up the Police Control Room. They did not help us. They kept us asking us where we are. Had we not got stuck in the jam for 15-20 minutes, my father could have been saved," Deepak said.

 and-

"When we reached the hospital, the doctor said that even if we had brought him 10-15 minutes earlier, he could have been saved," the victim's son Deepak Jain said.

This is getting to be a serial thing(cue a haunting music from some serial killer flick):
First there was Sumit Prakash-

A 32-yr-old kidney patient lost his life outside the Post Graduate Institute for Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) hospital, Chandigarh, after he was stopped from entering the hospital due to security reasons.

 So what happened-

The Prime Minister was visiting the hospital. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has said that the Prime Minister is saddened by the incident and that it has demanded a full report on the incident.

Sure he was saddened. He is a decent man, as our media persons keep chanting. Who can doubt the media chorus? So the politicians/bureaucrats concerned  must have learned a lesson and improved the security procedures after some deep soul searching. Right?
Don't be stupid! They have no soul.

So then came, Aman, an 8 year old boy.The poor boy's crime? Sheer bad luck  -Manmohan Singh was in town that day:

The death of their only son due to roads being blocked for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's convoy in Kanpur on July 3 has provoked the parents to make a humble appeal to United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi. Seriously injured and profusely bleeding seven year old Aman was being rushed to Kanpur's Regency Hospital by his parents, when a roadblock on account of the PM's visit disallowed them quick access to the nearby hospital.

Holding the bleeding child in their hands, the parents make fervent appeals to the cops and administrative officials on duty, who refused to use their discretion in order to save his life. Wading through crowded bylanes, when they eventually reached the hospital, Aman had breathed his last. He was declared "brought dead".

The hapless parents were told "perhaps Aman's life could have been saved if you had reached the hospital 10 minutes earlier." Aman's father Tahadud Hussain Khan and mother Usha on Tuesday shot off a letter to Sonia Gandhi asking her to use her to prevent such tragedies in future.

So the poor parents met Sonia Gandhi and pleaded and wept. They should have slapped her. Even that might not have worked (except landing them in jail). The hubris is too great in high places to check it's heady ride of power lust over such minor matters as the death of a poor person's small child.

 So, Manmohan Singh government's response - wash one's hands off, much like Pontius Pilate(remember Singh Saheb is otherwise a decent guy):

The Centre on Saturday sought to delink the death of a 8-year-old injured boy with the security arrangements for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit here and asked Uttar Pradesh government to hold a high-level probe into the incident and fix responsibilities for it. 

---- snip - snip -----------------

(Union Minister)Jaiswal said if Aman was seriously injured, the local police administration should have ensured an alternative route to take him to a hospital or if this was not possible police should have transported the boy in their own vehicle.

 But wait a minute! The latest death(murder?) happened in Delhi and Delhi police is run by the central government -which means the Home Minister and the Prime Minister. So why didn't the Delhi police take Union Minister Jaiswal's months old advice and make arrangements to take Anil Jain to hospital?

But that is a rhetorical question. We all know why -because they don't give a shit. The police would rather be a lapdog of the VIPs than be a helper to the citizens. VIPs like it that way. Meanwhile we shall go on footing the bill of these moral monsters.

Welcome to the Indian democracy.

********************
Suspense.

A serial killer(s) is/are stalking India's streets. Who will be the next victim?

The killer(s) is/are high and mighty.
No one dare name him/them.
No one dare touch him/them.

Now wouldn't this make a nice film script!
*********************

 

So because this gentleman(?) had to give a speech somewhere and bask in accolades three person are dead. Since Sonia and Manmohan (or Chacha Manmohan S Gandhi, as Sauvik Charavarti delightfully calls the duo) claim to weep so much for the aam aadmi(common man), an enquiry has been ordered. Again!

It was gracious of them to do so since they are so busy blowing off thousands of crores (hundreds of billions) on some Nehru-Gandhi-Rajiv-Indira yojna(scheme).

But that is a mere formality -it's not as if they are going to arrest Manmohan or the commissioner of Delhi police. If these two are not responsible then who is? I would throw the home minister in too. Arrest the three and charge them with some form of homicide. Only then can we expect these high and mighty to have even a bit of actual concern for the common man instead of some pitiful crocodile tears.

Notice the nature of their concern for the aam admi -

1)  First loot the aam aadmi (taxes, inflation)
2)  then distribute that loot among thieves(politicians,bureaucrats,contractors,the politically connected) while sanitizing it by calling it some scheme for the poor etc,
3) but when an aam aadmi is actually dying and needs help  -then the official response is :

FUCK OFF!

Pardon me, I'm not a vulgar person but this bit of obscenity seems appropriate.

Chacha Manmohan S Gandhi's heart(is it one or two?) bleeds for the aam aadmi, we are told. But it is the aam aadmi who actually, literally bleeds for them.

The Art of Gurmeet 2011 calendars

The Book Art Calendar-

Download from here.

The Fine art Calendar-

Download from here.

Postmodern science -science by loot, for loot

We are in the era of postmodern everything. Postmodern art has become banal and predictable  -the next big frontier is the postmodern science . Like everything else postmodern, the postmodern science, its theories, models and 'evidence' always provide 'proof' for the wisdom of dismantling the old, established, oppressive systems of hegemony created long ago by foggy old white men: the free market system.

Thus, the climate science 'proves' that to save the planet we must destroy our economy and go under the jackboot of of an oppressive worldwide green regulatory regime. (If you think that a regime run by the likes of Pachauri and Sunita Narains of this world and their Greenshirts won't be a nightmarish one I wish you a merry continued dreaming on in la-la-land) .

Thus, the medical science 'proves' that the state, or it's wife, must take up more interference in your life to keep you healthy. Left to your own devices you might gorge yourself to death. So what you eat must be approved by the government. Science said so.

Thus, the environmental science(the most postmodern of all 'sciences') 'proves' that for a cleaner world you must cramp your family in a small, unsafe car risking death, pay through your noses and asses for the very expensive 'clean' electricity or shiver in the cold to save bills and give up a million other small and large pleasures and necessities.

Who wants to live in a world run by Sunita Narain? Not me

The postmodern science always calls for greater state control of your  life.

The postmodern science is everywhere. Almost everyday some 'study' 'proves' the need for another regulation.

And of course, the postmodern science calls for more funding of postmodern scientists.
Thus, billions of our hard earned money go to 'researchers', all of whom are incentivised to produce more alarming studies to prove the necessity of more control by the government.

The postmodern science is extremely well-funded.
By loot(tax money).
It calls for loot( more taxes).
We might call it the looter's science.

I'm afraid, like postmodern art, postmodern science is fast becoming banal and predictable too.Before reading the next 1000 page 'scientific' study we already know the conclusion -call for more action by government.

Does anybody know of any 'scientific' study that proves that citizens are best left alone?

WikiLeaks expose Cuban healthcare

Methinks WikiLeaks's leaks are having unintended consequences -unintended for it's champions. The purpose of the leaks was to embarrass the US, 'exposing' the vile conspiracies and plots hatched by the evil military-industrial strength imperialists. What came out was the mostly ho-hum of a generally timid diplomacy. However while nothing egregious was discovered against the hated Americans, the blind rapid fire leaks have hit targets closer to the hearts of WikiLeaks supporters-

WikiLeaks expose Cuban healthcare. Yes, that vaunted product of the socialist system. And they expose, again and as if it needed to, what an ass Michael Moore is-

Cuba banned Michael Moore's 2007 documentary, Sicko, because it painted such a "mythically" favourable picture of Cuba's healthcare system that the authorities feared it could lead to a "popular backlash", according to US diplomats in Havana.

The revelation, contained in a confidential US embassy cable released by WikiLeaks , is surprising, given that the film attempted to discredit the US healthcare system by highlighting what it claimed was the excellence of the Cuban system.

But the memo reveals that when the film was shown to a group of Cuban doctors, some became so "disturbed at the blatant misrepresentation of healthcare in Cuba that they left the room".

Castro's government apparently went on to ban the film because, the leaked cable claims, it "knows the film is a myth and does not want to risk a popular backlash by showing to Cubans facilities that are clearly not available to the vast majority of them."

(emphasis mine)

For long the supposedly 'excellent' and free Castocare has been the justification of his brutal rule. It was always a sham but the intellectuals and media over the world lapped it up. That is not innocent ignorance but a willful one. And very well practiced too. How do these people sleep?

Very well. I'm afraid.

From the LNC Quote Shop

Instapundit, Glenn Reynolds -

Socialism starves. Capitalism enriches.

Who can doubt that - and yet so many in the academia/intellectual/media circle root for socialism. What are those high-falutin' degrees for(often gathered at taxpayers' expense)? For such enormous blindness?

Do read Instapundit's excellent post on communist apologias. It includes such gems as-

(In Mao's China) In all, the records I studied suggest that the Great Leap Forward was responsible for at least 45 million deaths.

Between 2 and 3 million of these victims were tortured to death or summarily executed, often for the slightest infraction. People accused of not working hard enough were hung and beaten; sometimes they were bound and thrown into ponds. Punishments for the least violations included mutilation and forcing people to eat excrement.

What the Communists want to do is far worse than racism. Communism feels the need to control someone, because they have legally built up wealth, or want to through their own endeavours (and want to keep it). That wealth makes that person “deserving” of being plundered. “Workers of the world unite!” is OK, but for what? The unspoken goal is to plunder those who have. It is not a call for brotherly love. It is a mobilisation call for a lynch mob.

Unmissable.

Dogistan

Hindustan has become Scamistan. The country has gone to the dogs. Even its awards go to power brokers

Barkha Dutt receives Padma Shri award

Everyone who is anyone seems to be on the racket.
Politicians venal and corrupt.
Police venal and corrupt.
Anti-corruption officers venal and corrupt.
Bureaucrats venal and corrupt.
And now, as we long suspected, journalists, well you know, venal and corrupt.



Looters and scamsters have made us Dogistan.

Think that is harsh.
I agree, it is harsh.
On the dogs, I mean.

Apropos which, Vidya Subrahmaniam has an article on the Radia affair in The Hindu that is worth catching-

With the Radia debate into its third week, it has become more than apparent that a new kind of journalism has completely rewritten the rules of engagement in the profession. For those working with television, the glamour and fame can be overpowering, with the high visibility translating into throbbing, pulsating fan clubs, enormous following on social media networks and celebrity status on the party circuit. For the likes of Ms Radia, the “celeb journo” is a sitting duck, a vulnerable target both for passing on and acquiring information. News gathered this way slowly and inevitably acquires a legitimacy that eventually allows all lines to be crossed. From this to concluding that news cannot be got any other way is a small step. The trappings of power work similarly for politicians and journalists. Cut off from the rude realities of the normal world, both begin to live in a bubble of their own making. But whereas the politician, used to voter mood swings, will quickly learn his lesson when the truth hits home, the journalist, not tutored in this art, will react in anger and shock and go into spasms of denial.

Do read it all, as they say.

The cactus president

This man needs a large dose of Nycil for all that prickliness-

In perhaps his touchiest press conference yet, President Obama reiterated his opposition to the extension of current tax rates on top-earners, while defending a deal he brokered with Republicans that would do just that. 

A prickly Obama, at times raising his voice, called Senate Republicans “hostage-takers” and “bomb-throwers” for opposing his agenda, and said critics on the Left who portray him as weak on core issues are “sanctimonious.”

“Hostage-takers” and “bomb-throwers” ??!  Now, that is civility that Obama once pretended to strive for.

Obama?

Compare his testiness to the soberness with George W.Bush faced an invariably hostile press. No wonder he is more popular now than the thorn-man that followed him.

Tom Friedman -all hot air and no balloon

Smacking down China lover Tom Friedman is now becoming a cottage industry. It is simply too easy. Even so Pejman Yousefzadeh does a masterful job that is worth reading. What is left of Friedman at the end of a thorough fisking is yet another clueless New York Times pundit, all hot air and no balloon that goes anywhere.

Do read it all.

Obama administration found racist by U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

 I am not surprised at the findings nor are those who are aware of the 'real' Obama - as opposed to the heavily cleaned up, polished version presented to us in the media.

This is a huge story. And if it had happened under a Republican administration the media would be 24X7 on this, with cries of impeachment renting the air.

The Justice Department stonewalled efforts by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to investigate the dismissal of a civil complaint against the New Black Panther Party, leaving open the question of whether the department is willing to pursue civil rights cases "in which whites were the perceived victims and minorities the alleged wrongdoers."

In a 144-page report completed in November and released over the weekend, the commission said its lengthy investigation had uncovered "numerous specific examples of open hostility and opposition" within the department's Civil Rights Division to pursuing cases in which whites were the victims.

The report, posted on the commission's web site, said testimony obtained by the panel during its investigation included allegations that some Justice Department lawyers refused to work on cases involving white victims; that lawyers who worked on such cases were harassed and ostracized; and that some employees, including supervisory attorneys and political appointees, openly opposed race-neutral enforcement of voting rights laws.

(emphasis mine)

Do, do read it all. This might open your eyes to the racism in the Obama team. Eyes that the Obamamedia would like you to keep closed. Which is why this will be mostly ignored in the MSM.

After this, can anyone, even an Obama supporter, honestly say that these are not grounds for an impeachment? If racism isn't then what is?


Update -
   A comment at the article(by 'New User fb3c5 ') -

Of course! What did you expect? One of Rev. Wright's pupils is running the whitehouse!

Yes, what else?

Bush’s job approval now higher than Obama’s

Take that, you lefty boy! And his support chorus in the media and the pundit class!

Notice President George W. Bush’s approval is at 47 percent.
Meanwhile, Gallup also finds President Obama’s current approval is… 45 percent.

For 8 years and more they demonized Bush. And for the last 3 years or so they have assiduously covered Obama's dirty ass (Rev.Wright, Bill Ayers, Rashid Kahlidi, Van Jones ..... a long list). The public after suffering under the idiotship of the "brightest" president ever(almost God) has been getting wiser. The American public at least. Many foreigners still think he is great. Maybe a way could be devised so that Obama can become the president of the world while America gets a replacement who can at least count the number of states in the Union (no, they are not 57 or 58).

Two of a kind -Tharoor and Thomas

Even as we are told that -

Centre embarrassed again, SC issues notice to CVC

The Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to chief vigilance commissioner P J Thomas, the country's top watchdog against corruption, and the centre on the basis of a petition challenging his appointment. The apex court also issued notice to the government on the petition challenging the Vigilance Commissioner on the ground that he is facing corruption charges.

(emphasis mine)

Disgraced former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor ("Tharoor resigned as Minister of State for External Affairs in April this year at the height of the IPL Kochi row") is defending the CVC. Among his defenses is this highly persuasive blast-

He pointed out that the IAS officers association in Kerala had openly supported him(CVC)

Well, as if the IAS officers are world famous for their integrity and honesty.
And as if a regional association of bureauRats bureaucrats wouldn't support one of their own.

By the way, wasn't Tharoor Kofi Anan's sidekick when corruptocrats were looting billions in the oil-for-food mess? These two top dogs of the UN slept while the thieves cleaned up the place. Or more likely, as I suspect, pretended to sleep.

And sleep is the only way an Indian citizen can get away from these looters. Otherwise they are everywhere, rule everything, manipulate all.

Only I don't sleep too well.

Lady Godiva of the Tea Party

If Lady Godiva lived today she would happily be part of the Tea Party, perhaps the only mass, influential movement for a smaller government and lower taxes in the world.

Lady Godiva

by 

John Collier

c.1897

Her story is remarkable as recited by Roger of Wendover (died 6 May 1236), an English chronicler of the 13th century-

The Countess Godiva, who was a great lover of God's mother, longing to free the town of Coventry from the oppression of a heavy toll, often with urgent prayers besought her husband that, from regard to Jesus Christ and his mother, he would free the town from that service and from all other heavy burdens; and when the Earl sharply rebuked her for foolishly asking what was so much to his damage, and always forbade her evermore to speak to him on the subject; and while she, on the other hand, with a woman's pertinacity, never ceased to exasperate her husband on that matter, he at last made her this answer: "Mount your horse and ride naked, before all the people, through the market of this town from one end to the other, and on your return you shall have your request."

On which Godiva replied, "But will you give me permission if I am willing to do it?"

"I will," said he.

Whereupon the Countess, beloved of God, loosed her hair and let down her tresses, which covered the whole of her body like a veil, and then, mounting her horse and attended by two knights, she rode through the marketplace without being seen, except her fair legs, and having completed the journey, she returned with gladness to her astonished husband and obtained of him what she had asked, for Earl Leofric freed the town of Coventry and its inhabitants from the aforesaid service, and confirmed what he had done by a charter.

The Lady Godiva technique is unlikely to work in a country suffering under a corrupt, venal administration. She would be arrested for immodesty while those indicting her would carry on shamelessly with looting the nation.

The Countess' husband could be embarrassed into doing the right thing. Manmohan Singh is no Earl Leofric.

Obama Jobs Deficit -7.3 million!

From The Heritage Foundation blog-

 The Obama jobs deficit, which stands at 7.3 million jobs, measures the extent to which he has failed to deliver on his promised job creation.

-----------------snip snip --------------------------------

The President’s original target for jobs creation set during the campaign in the fall of 2008 was 2.5 million jobs. But as employment fell at the end of 2008, he increased the employment target by 1 million to 3.5 million jobs. At the time, employment stood at about 135.1 million, according to the Department of Labor’s most commonly used measure. This establishes the current Obama jobs target at 138.6 million. According to the latest jobs report, total U.S. employment stood at 130.5 million in November, which means that the cumulative Obama jobs deficit—the difference between the end target and the current employment level—stands at 7.3 million. (The actual figure is 7.58 million—138.58 million in December 2010 minus 131 million in November 2009.)

(emphasis mine)

For some unfathomable reason Obama is considered a brilliant intellectual in some circles. Maybe he is. And like many supposedly brilliant minds, a complete failure outside of Ivory Tower. We could live with that if only the price for his failings were not paid by millions. Paid by millions and in trillions.

Lets not elect someone so bright next time.

From the LNC Quote Shop

John Hinderaker-

Speaking of superstition, it was fitting that the Cancun conference began with an invocation of the ancient Mayan jaguar goddess Ixchel. If you believe in the jaguar goddess, you'll probably fall for global warming, too.

(emphasis mine)

The cold, dead heart of the State

As the cold gets really biting and dangerous -especially at night - an old homeless man tries to cosy up in the stately corridors of the posh Connaught Place, Delhi.

 

The Indian state just went through a mad, drunken orgy of spending where it burned up (allegedly) 70000 crores (700,000 million!)of yours and mine hard earned rupees on Commonwealth Games(sure gives a poignant turn to the word 'Commonwealth'). A large part of it is supposed to have been wasted and looted. Actually for me all of it was wasted. And all looted.

But not a penny for this poor chap-

India is run by looters and thieves and there is not a thing a honest person can do except kill himself.

Indian media -asses covering asses of other asses

It's not just me that gets the impression that Rajdeep Sardesai, the top honcho of CNN-IBN,  is trying to distract us from probing deeper into the ethical woes of his media colleagues. His latest column is like pointing at the sky and saying -look a pink elephant! while the rat of journalism sneaks by. Or, as the neglected TV film reporter Smita Smitten, Showbiz Kitten used to say in the delightful comedy Goodness Gracious Me to divert viewers from her woes- "Look, there goes Art Malik!"

I won't bother to fisk the article-I'm too tired now and tomorrow is another day - but comments below the column have done that to an extent already, some in a cruder way than I would have. Some samples -

They fly so that you won't

For several years at the Hindustan Times  Bharti Chaturvedi has been the reliable greenie scold - so predictable that you could almost say aloud her thoughts a second in advance as you read her tedious screed column.

She is/was recently in New York and the denizens of one of the most liberal states of  America did not leave her too pleased-

To further green the city, the mayor Bloomberg has added about or 402 km of bicycle lanes in the last four years. By any standards, it is a fantastic achievement because it encourages cycling and offers one more green option for travel.

But it has been greeted by such protests by car drivers and people in businesses that nearly four km of the lane is actually being removed in Staten Island!

So she does what she does - scolds:

But it seems the Americans won’t make the little adjustments to their lives to help the planet remain healthy. 

But with the greenies "the little adjustments" are a one way bicycle lane. There is no question of Bharti Chaturvedi making these adjustments in her own life, say by not flying off to America in a jet that emits tons of planet killing gases. As with other hypocrites of her kind, she flies so that you won't.


Update -
  missing link to Chaturvedi's article added. My apologies.

Liberty News Central renews

UPDATE - all stuff related to the Typominima template and possible solutions is now posted here-
http://libertynewscentral.blogspot.com/2011/07/all-solutions-to-typominima-headaches.html


As you might have noticed, the new look of Liberty News Central blog is here with a new commenting system . Out you greedy pigs of Haloscan/JSKit(keep asking for 40$ !) and in Disqus!

The blog had become creaky and languid with an overloaded and confusing code with trying loading times. I was shopping around for a new blog design - Ok, kidding, a cheapo like me seeks far for free stuff -when I came to this wordpress design Typominima by Blogsessive touted as "clean and beautiful". And they were right - it is damn right gorgeous. Have a look. Happily it had been adapted for Blogger by the talented Vikas Bhargava. My gratitude to him and the coders at Blogsessive.

However for my own purposes the minimal look -while a killer -was simply too inadequate for this blog. A couple of sidebars for all the gadgets and neon signs were indispensable. So there went a few long, wasted days. This is the only 3 column version of Typominima as far as I know. It was widened from a single column of 770px to a three column width of 960px. The central column was reduced to 616 px to keep to this width. Also the usual Blogger stuff that had been left out like comments, labels, timestamp, author name et al was restored. I expect this to be a happy compromise of beauty and utility.

I am not a coding expert so I expect there will be some/plenty bugs and glitches and especially some innocuous(hopefully!) bit of code that has not yet been cleaned up. So far so good though. If you notice anything do let me know.


So GOODBYE old look -

which I loved.

But I love this one more. Welcome!

A note on the comments -
scores of comments left at this blog are currently not visible as Haloscan has been replaced with Disqus. However don't worry, they are not lost in ether- they shall be brought back into the new system soon enough.




Update -
 If you wish to use this template, then download it from here-

3 COLUMN TYPOMINIMA TEMPLATE FOR BLOGGER

Just one condition: do not remove the credits at the very bottom. A lot of effort by multiple persons(who have probably never met!) went into this. Also you will need to replace the header image and a few other things I suppose and if possible host all the images used in this template on your own server.


Update 2-

   Another version of Typominima for Blogger, this time adapted to a magazine or news site look-

    LIBERTY NEWS CENTRAL

Update 3 - 

  if you prefer the single column template but would like to add the missing time stamp, author stamp, labels, post comment link etc then try this-


1 COLUMN TYPOMINIMA FOR BLOGGER WITH TIME STAMP, AUTHOR STAMP, LABELS, POST COMMENT LINK ETC




If you have already customized your Typominima template and would just like to add the missing elements then download the instructions in this text file-
                http://www.mediafire.com/?b4ka5a7epkqfcn1




My apologies for the spelling mistakes in the text file. Spell checker was off. How much one has come to depend on such things.

Inspired by Misstaki in the comments and hat tip to Kristen.




Update 4- 

   Update 3 is now redundant. All problems and solutions related to the Typominima template are now neatly posted here.

From the LNC Quote Shop

Richard North-

Rajendra (Pachauri)wants to send mirrors into space. A better idea might be to send the old pornographer into space himself, permanently (joined by Louise Gray, of course). The hot air saved would bring the temperature down a degree or too[sic]

North also exquisitely takes The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)'s  language challenged Manish Shrivastava to task. Do catch it all.

Looking in the mirror is for others

Over at the Hindustan Times Samar Halarnkar ponders over the dodgy ethics of his many allegedly distinguished media colleagues as exposed in the Radia tapes and gives us this eternal wisdom of the heavens-

It is always hardest to look within and acknowledge one's failings. 

Ironical.

This blog has at various times analyzed and criticized the highly biased "reporting" in this paper by none other than Halarnkar himself. For example see this and this. It was sheer advocacy of an agenda -hardcore environmentalist agenda in this case - that masqueraded as "news" and such is the media world so hermetically sealed in its perceived intellectual superiority and arrogance that neither Halarnkar nor his editors could make out the difference between belief systems and facts. In the few emails and comments we exchanged he simply laughed off all criticism.

I guess media persons do find it hard to look in the mirror. Either that or their mirror is frosted.

Disemboweling Sarah Palin onstage

Now how is this for civility -

Costume rock band GWAR disembowels Sarah Palin onstage

Screenshot-

Nice people!

Obama too busy to be a good president?!

Now how is that for an excuse? A lousy presidents gets lousy excuses made for him. And this from the GRREAT! Bob Woodward himself-

Bob Woodward on Sunday tried to excuse Barack Obama's ineffectiveness by claiming his "day is crazy" with "so many meetings, so many outings, so many handshakes, and so many trips to Ohio and here."

Reagan's official biographer Edmund Morris essentially responded -

Reagan Was Just as Busy


But Obama is no Reagen,we all know, don't we?


Update - language slightly modified for clarity.

Patience.. patience .. not long now

These words are as much for me as for anyone else... but, hey, the wait might be worth it. Liberty News Central will be back very soon with plenty of changes under and over the hood.

A new look and a much cleaner code.
Like a shampoo and a bath for a weary traveler.

'Tis the season of renewal, after all.

From the LNC Quote Shop

Rush Limbaugh today told his audience that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Obama had marital problems because, “They’re both in love with the same guy.”

Video.

Green Death -the future under the environmentalist regime

The tireless Delingpole (does he sleep?) has this painting on his blog with the caption - "Our glorious green future"

Our glorious green future

It is a detail from the The Triumph of Death by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (c. 1525 – 9 September 1569) -

The Triumph of Death

oil on panel

117 cm X 162 cm (46 in X 63.8 in)

by

Pieter Bruegel the Elder(painted c. 1562)

A detail-

And another -

Yes, it does look like a world run by environmentalists. Think this is hyperbole? Then you haven't been paying attention to millions now dead and millions that will continue to die because of Greenie's war on DDT. This makes environmentalists bigger killers than Hitler,Mao or Stalin. Over sixty million dead in Africa alone by one estimate.Not only are they indifferent to this massive suffering, some(many?) are quietly satisfied-

Those who were initiated into the higher mysteries of environmentalism saw the reduction of the human population as a benefit, although they’re generally more circumspect about saying so in public these days. As quoted by Walter Williams, the founder of the Malthusian Club of Rome, Alexander King, wrote in 1990: “My own doubts came when DDT was introduced. In Guayana, within two years, it had almost eliminated malaria. So my chief quarrel with DDT, in hindsight, is that it has greatly added to the population problem.” Another charming quote comes from Dr. Charles Wurster, a leading opponent of DDT, who said of malaria deaths: “People are the cause of all the problems. We have too many of them. We need to get rid of some of them, and this is as good a way as any.”

Nice people!

Next time you come across a Greenie who wants your help(and your wallet) to save the planet, ask him about the ban on DDT and if that weighs on his soul.You may discover that likely he doesn't have one.

Poster earlier at the What the heck is art?

Jesters trying to save the clown.

John Nolte-

Obama’s Palace Guards: Desperate Maher, Colbert, Jon Stewart Go All In to Save Dems


Remember when American comedians went after the powerful in an effort to bring them down to earth with the sharp satire of accountability? Today, they appear to only protect the powerful. Well, unless the powerful aren't liberal enough. As things stand now you have the likes of David Letterman and Louis C.K. savaging Sarah Palin's family, SNL terrified to rip Obama with any real zeal, cartoonists proclaiming President Teleprompter too cool to mock, and Will Ferrell films flaking for corrupt public unions, all in an effort to protect the corrupted leftist elitists currently holding power.
-----------------

In desperate Hail Mary moves to protect Obama and Democrats from what's looking like a November rout, three of the left's most beloved Palace Guards have just upped their game considerably.

Yes, that sums it up - the joker in the White House is being defended by comedians.

Read it all.

Kiss and gargle

Whoopi Goldberg to Ground Zero Mosque Protesters: 'Kiss My Butt'

Kiss my ass

Do so if you must, just don't forget to use a strong mouthwash afterwards. Really strong.

Proving Nehru evil

Sauvik Chakraverti gave it a try in 2003 in the pages of the Times of India-

It is very easy to prove that the great Jawaharlal Nehru, our first prime minister, who founded a democratic dynasty that still lives on, was an evil man. My logic is based on the writings of Frederic Bastiat.

----------------

In which case, let us now take a close look at the Nehruvian legacy: What did this socialist dynasty encourage? It will be instantaneously obvious to anyone who remembers those hard socialist times that this dynasty stifled enterprise and promoted plunder. Nehru put in place what Rajaji called the 'licence-permit-quota raj': he fettered enterprise in every possible way so babus could plunder entrepreneurs. He encouraged bright young people to join his public enterprises, which were funded by looting the taxpayer. His daughter even went on a nationalising spree, the effects of which are still with us. In her heydays, the only jobs available were under the state. Young people were not encouraged towards enterprise; they were encouraged to join the state and plunder the people.

---------------------

The history books tell us that Nehru fought for freedom. But are Indians free today? We are ranked 122 in the World Economic Freedom Index, 2002. We are still, after 10 years of this voodoo liberalisation, an economically repressed nation. Our natural ability to trade, to 'truck, barter and exchange' — a gift which every Indian child is blessed with in abundance — is still not allowed to flourish, and free trade is still a distant dream. Currency controls, trade res-trictions, high tariffs and continued licensing hinder our ability to generate wealth for ourselves. And they encourage a 'rent-seeking society' which the personnel of the state, under the Nehruvian system, have become.

---------------------------------


The country is in a horrible state. Corruption rules the roost everywhere. Every city is dying. Every town is decrepit. Evil ideologies hold sway.

(emphasis mine)


Hard hitting, no? But no harder than the average Indian has been hit by, nay crushed under the wheels of the brutal Nehruvian state.


I also highly recommend his blog ANTIDOTE.

Truth leaks out on solar energy

Truth seeps out even when dammed with a ten meter thick block of lies-

The Obama administration has rebuffed climate activist Bill McKibben’s bid for re-installation of a White House solar panel put up by President Jimmy Carter and taken down under President Ronald Reagan

Among standard-issue dissimulations the real reason somehow slipped the lip-

the White House roof was not available for a gesture with very little energy-saving potential

"Really?", asks Henry Payne,

So why are we taxpayers subsidizing 30 percent of the cost of residential solar panel installation with federal tax credits?

Whose hatred is greater -Terry Jones's or Abdel Bari Atwan's?

Was it yesterday or the day before when an obviously peeved Asieh Namdar of CNN had Abdel Bari Atwan,the editor-in-chief of al-Quds al-Arabi, on to denounce pastor Terry Jones? The same Bari Atwan who said "that he would dance in Trafalgar Square if Iranian missiles hit Israel".And he meant nuclear missiles.

But killing a few million Jews -why that's nothing.The real outrage is burning one's own property (Pastor Jones planned to burn his own copies of Koran).

The would be dancer on the graves of the Jews is a favorite at the BBC too.

Yes, sir, this is how morally loathsome the media elites have become.

Do's and don'ts of the postmodern times

Burning Korans -

No, no, no!
(could get you beheaded)


Pissing on Christ-

Yes,yes,yes!
(could get you an arts grant)

Piss Christ is a 1987 photograph by photographer Andres Serrano. It depicts a small plastic crucifix submerged in a glass of the artist's urine........ Serrano received $15,000 for the work, part of it from the taxpayer-funded National Endowment for the Arts. - Wikipedia

Vir Sanghvi parades his prejudices

In a column about prejudices of all and sundry, the heavyweight(pun intended) of Indian media Vir Sanghvi does not shy away from parading his own-

"The real reason why we are so horrified by Terry Jones’ prejudice and venom is because we believe that somehow, Americans will be different. It is all right for some mad mullah on the West Bank to bless suicide bombers, we say, but how can an American pastor go on television and exhibit such prejudice and ignorance?


In doing so, we vastly over-estimate American sensibilities. It is tempting to see America through the refined prism of the East Coast establishment or savvy Hollywood film-makers. But far away from these global advertisements for American culture lies the heartland, a dark underbelly of foolishness and insularity.


Indians are always shocked to discover that nearly 75 per cent of Americans do not have passports. It is not as though they cannot afford to travel abroad. They simply don’t want to because they have no interest in the world beyond their borders. They regard it as mysterious and uncivilised."

So your prejudices against the decent folk of the American heartland are alright, Mr.Sanghvi?


As if on cue, Janet Daley had an article in The Telegraph the same day that had something to say about people like Sanghvi-

One publicity-crazed loony threatens to commit an irresponsibly offensive act, to the virtually universal disgust of his own countrymen and the populations of America’s allies, and that’s it: the annihilation of any chance of bridge-building or conciliation between Muslim countries and the Western nations.

That this absurdity became the immediately accepted received wisdom suggests that the world (and not just the Muslim parts of it) must be very eager indeed to find a plausible excuse for casting America as a cartoon country whose heartland is dominated by bigoted know-nothings.

Sanghvi had earlier distinguished himself by running the Hindustan Times as a New York Times' clone -with all the biases included.There's a shared ideology, a very broad consensus shared across the world by the ruling and media elites.That is why Sanghvi and his ilk(e.g. Barkha Dutt) are comfortable with "the refined prism of the East Coast establishment or savvy Hollywood film-makers" but not with the ignorant "rednecks", the pilloried conservatives or the dreaded neocons. That is why newsrooms across the globe(and certainly at the Hindustan Times) drooled over an Obama victory and sicced their attack dogs on Sarah Palin.


Note -
I left the following comment at Sanghvi's post. It has not yet been published(after approx.24hrs)-

Janet Daley, by coincidence, has an article today that seems to fit you well, Mr.Sanghvi. She speaks of people who-
"must be very eager indeed to find a plausible excuse for casting America as a cartoon country whose heartland is dominated by bigoted know-nothings."

That would be you, sir. Do read it all-
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/janetdaley/7996761/The-Terry-Jones-saga-shows-the-strength-of-anti-Americanism.html

From the LNC Quote Shop

John T. Bennett-

Our scholarly president has explained all we need to know about Islam. Our president tells us that terrorists have “distorted Islam and falsely used the banner of Islam to engage in their destructive acts.”

If Obama the theologian is right, and he has to be or else we’re racist, then that means the ground zero mosque Imam has distorted Islam! http://archives.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1009/08/lkl.01.html
The Imam claims that if we don’t build the Islamic victory community center, “anger will explode in the Muslim world.” How dare the Imam explicitly state that Muslims will behave violently for political ends!? That sounds like bigotry to me! Real Muslims would not “explode in anger”, so the Imam is just distorting Islam. He may even be turning against Muslims if he’s willing to make those terrible inferences about the religion of peace. The President warned us about people like him.

I’m so glad we have a scholarly president who can explain to us what is going on in the minds of people who call themselves Muslim. That helps me understand group behavior.

There's more. Do read it all.

Bad luck, guys

I'm still alive!

Supreme Court fails to comprehend socialism

Over at the Ayn Rand - India blog, Shanu takes Indian Supreme court justices to task for being ignorant about the meaning of socialism-

The Supreme Court dismissed as withdrawn a writ petition challenging the insertion of the word “Socialism” in Indian Constitution. According to the constitution, every Indian political party should swear allegiance to Socialism. The court said that it will consider the petition when the situation comes. Earlier the application of Swatantra party was rejected because it failed to do so.

------------------------


The chief justice said this while rejecting a petition in the past: "Why do you take socialism in a narrow sense defined by the Communists? In a broader sense, socialism means welfare measures for the citizens. It is a facet of democracy. It hasn't got any definite meaning. It gets different meaning in different times." This is worse than nonsense. Words are not to be used loosely, without assigning any proper meaning. In the words of Ayn Rand, “Every word of man’s language, with the exception of proper names, denotes a concept, an abstraction that stands for an unlimited number of concretes of a specific kind.” The word Socialism means a politico-economic system (If it can be called so) in which all property is centralized in the hands of the state. If words are used without assigning proper meaning, it will assume meanings some scoundrels want it to assume. People(Even non-Marxists) look at it benignly only because they haven’t given it much thought or think that Socialists won’t venture to go that far. They foolishly believe that it is a system which favors welfare of the common man.

To make it mandatory that every political party should swear allegiance to socialism is to prevent people from choosing the political system people want. It is an assault on individual liberty and Capitalism. This would mean that anyone who wishes to fight the brutality of socialist policies would be prevented from doing so at the outset. It proves that even the pretense to “democracy” is a sham. It shouldn’t escape our attention that the 42nd amendment was passed during the emergency period. So, the intentions behind it should be evident for everyone to see. People should see the word for what it is and act upon their knowledge if we are to move towards a society which respects individual liberty.

(emphasis mine)
Do catch it all.


Ignorance in high places is not a bug but a feature.Clueless elites with life and death power over the rest of us are a standard for the modern welfare state system that is now ubiquitous.There is no escape -the idiots rule everywhere (even in America -or especially in America at present).

The bigger picture-Humans good for biodiversity

So the ever evil humans are bad for biodiversity? Like much of what is drilled into us by the dint of constant repetition in the media, it is a myth!

Ronald Bailey-

Here’s a fact that I suspect most people don’t know: Wherever we humans have gone in the past two centuries, we have increased local and regional biodiversity. Biodiversity, in this case, is defined as increasing species richness.
----------------------

The fear among opponents of "invasive species" is the aggressive outsiders will cause a holocaust among the native plants. That might initially seem reasonable because there are a few species, like kudzu, purple loosestrife, and water hyacinth, that grow with alarming speed wherever they show up. But that doesn't mean other species are in danger. “There is no evidence that even a single long term resident species has been driven to extinction, or even extirpated within a single U.S. state, because of competition from an introduced plant species,” Macalester College biologist Mark Davis notes [PDF]. Yet this spurious threat of extinction persists as one of the chief reasons given for trying to prevent the introduction of exotic species.

As they say, read the whole thing.

From the LNC Quote Shop

Menachem Ben Yakov -

He (Fareed Zakaria) proves, once again, that talent and real intellect are not required for either financial success or popularity.

He gives the dim witted hope that they too, one day, may host a network television show of their own.

Not to be missed in this context- Noel Sheppard takes Zakaria to the cleaners.

Ha!
Instapundit-

GAIA’S REVENGE: SUV hits an eco-friendly mass transit bus, careens into a greenhouse. And, of course, there’s a huge heat wave in the Northeast. The Goddess is angry. Probably because of the Al Gore “sex poodle” incident. I guess we’d better push him into a volcano or something to appease her.

NASA's new main mission -to boost Muslim self-esteem

Is this man nuts?

Obama’s new NASA mission-

In a far-reaching restatement of goals for the nation’s space agency, NASA administrator Charles Bolden says President Obama has ordered him to pursue three new objectives: to “re-inspire children” to study science and math, to “expand our international relationships,” and to “reach out to the Muslim world.” Of those three goals, Bolden said in a recent interview with al-Jazeera, the mission to reach out to Muslims is “perhaps foremost,” because it will help Islamic nations “feel good” about their scientific accomplishments.

I'm not normally at loss for words but I admit - I'm speechless.


This is too freakin' crazy! If somebody had put this in a film script it would rejected out of hand as too incredible, even for Hollyywood.

Didn't all those legions of highly educated,eminent journalists and commentators tell us that Obama was the smartest president -ever? Didn't Barkha Dutt shed tears of joy when he was elected, so relieved was she to see the evil cowboy regime come to an end?


It is so starkly obvious what a stupid lot this is -the army of sycophantic pundits and their clueless messiah.

And as for NASA, space exploration doesn't seem to interest it as much anymore.Unless Obama can lay out the target of putting a Muslim on moon.

Birthday of an unloved uncle

Happy Birthday, America!

The world hates you, even as tens of millions from this same outside world hope, dream and strive to enter in your land, by hook or crook(mostly by crook). Risking their lives-

Cuban boat people -fleeing the Cuban paradise in a 1951 Chevy pickup fashioned as a raft.

 And die trying.

The world hates for what you stand - reason, liberty, freedom, capitalism. Even as it loves it's leftist and theocratic dictators-

Brazilizn president Luis Inacio Lula da Silva greets Iranian strongman Mahmud Ahmadinejad

and pays homage to terrorists-

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pays homage to Yasser Arafat

and sits in a star chamber stuffed with strongmen(A rogues’ gallery at the UN) in judgement over you.


Today,and only today, I forgive you for electing a man who feels no love for you. You are already regretting it-

OBAMA=One Big Ass Mistake America

Here is wishing you well on picking up the pieces after 2012.