Saturday, December 29, 2012

Pros-Cons of Capital Punishment for Rapists -


She succuumbed to her injuries.

So why are we divided on whether the brutal, desensitised, violent rapists / murderers should get capital punishment or not?

The ones who advocate capital punishment wonder what else would put fear in future violators. What would make them hesitate just a bit before they commit their crime?

Besides, without capital punishment there's the possibility that the police / politicians, with a little "incentive" in their pockets  might wait for a few years and quietly set these brutal rapist / murderers free. I believe one of the culprits is underage and will walk free within a year. Where's the deterrance for him? Or for future rapists? What action should we take then?

With our feelings running so high capital punishment for those low lives resonates with many of us. And yet I hesitate. Responsible people like Medha Patkar have written to say "severe punishment - yes, capital punishment - no." 

Another doubt in my mind - what if the government uses this law to punish the innocent?

So here's a link to a very good site that discusses the pros and cons of capital punishment.



Saturday, December 22, 2012

Citizens At Work



Do protesters make politicians uneasy? Not really. Not yet. Although this time the politicians and police did not dare suggest it was the victim’s fault. They were decidedly uncomfortable because ordinary citizens – both decent men and women were out on the streets in their droves protesting at the assumptions of the rapists – that they would get away with it as so many had done before them; that whatever they did, however violent their actions and however public the place, the police would try not to register the case on some flimsy excuse - that the victim would be blamed for being out late on public transport (or for wearing a salwaar kameez, a saree or jeans) that the police and politicians would try and draw attention away from their crime and make their actions (the poor helpless culprits that they are) the victim’s fault. 

Citizens were incensed at the confidence these rapists had that it would be so.

The rapists did not expect citizens to react quite the way they did. Nor did the politicians and police. At least not so many of them. Their first attempt was to try and quash the droves of protest marchers by gettingthe police to water blast them. Wonder what, about a peaceful protest, that is allowed within the Indian constitution so alarmed them this time?

I think, nip the trend in the bud is what they really want. It isn’t a new trend but the numbers of citizens protesting is growing and that makes them distinctly uncomfortable.

Even if they don't give a whit their hand, for once, is being forced. The pressure isn’t letting up. There have been marches all over the country. The politicians are used to dictating what actions to take, against whom and never mind why. They are used to working the puppet strings and now, to their extreme discomfort, the puppets are banding together and forcing their hand.

Citizens on marches on this scale aren’t what they are used to. It started with those movements against corruption and is now spilling over into movements against rapes. Whatever next? How are they expected to keep their goons happy? How are they expected to show their power is supreme if they are forced to take action by these little upstarts, these nobodies, who belong to their constituencies? Even if the action forced out of them is the mere mouthing of words against rapists, it compromises their position of supreme power.

Previously they believed the aam insaan would quieten down after expending their energies on a march, satisfied for having let off steam; that within no time it would be business as usual with them dictating terms or dispensing favours with little regard for the law as they'd been used to. But this time they tried to nip the peaceful protest marches in the bud by, as mentioned earlier, getting the police to water blast the marchers. These marches are perhaps getting to be too huge to handle. More power to the people. United, they can not only conquer mountains but even politicians.
We understand how little politicians care if we denounce them but let’s do it anyway. They've tried muzzling social media before and it hasn't worked. And so, shame on them.

They will be watching carefully to gauge the mood of their voters. On the face of it, if it means their votes are compromised, they will start giving the cause more lip service. If it compromises the blatancy with which rapists get away with attacks, so be it. They don't want some upstart to win the next elections (in 2014) and gain all that power and state machinery simply because they sided with rapists.

Citizens’ united actions are the most effective way to make our democracy work and to force their hands. If there are any more marches I hope everyone who can, will take active part and social media will give the marches enough of an airing before the fact and after.

Here’s the link again that shows Indian citizens at work.
 
This is what people are saying on twitter. Please click on the picture to enlarge the print. There are a million more tweets on the same topic.


Wednesday, December 12, 2012

What Americans Say about Mega Stores

There is a lot of speculation about Foreign Direct Investment or FDI in India. The government has snuffed out the opposition through moves most of us don't really understand and opened its doors.

For India it isn't such a brand new concept as we already shop in mega malls. But each of those shops are independently owned. We are, to date, a country with variety. We don't yet have the same shops in every shopping mall. That has its pluses and minuses. The definite plus is that we know what to expect by way of quality. The definite minus - having the same shops in every mall is incredibly boring. Seen one mall and we've seen them all.

Another point - we don't quite know how to react to having everything - from edibles to a carpenter's tools sold by the same company. For that we have to turn to the seasoned American consumer.

This is what they've said about one mega store, Walmart.
  • They cut hours all the time when I quit I was working 16.5 hours a week. It cost more in gas to drive there.
  • Walmart has caused many independent and small chains to go out of business...yes, that can be considered progress. 
  • However, the wages of these big-box stores are so low they are not what can be considered a "living wage"---also, most of the jobs offered by Wal-mart, etc, are very low to no skill types of jobs, with little to no opportunity for advancement. 
  • Walmarts, etc. will open a store within just miles of another and then cut down the workforce to a bare-bones crew so one will stand in line longer. 
  • Some facts this story left out is if you read the ingredients of nearly every food item on Wal-Mart shelves, soy is in there. I stopped shopping at Wal-Mart to eat healthy raw veggies and fruit from local farmers who do not use pesticides. Meat in stores are full of antibiotics and growth hormones which contribute to unhealthy sick families. Which in turn raises your health care bills. So by buying cheap mostly processed food and meat full of junk, you are spending more money for doctors and prescriptions. 
  • You might drive 10 miles to Wal-Mart and only need a few things, but the store is so big you will spend 4 times as much time and buy more things than you need. You can buy everything cheaper on-line. 
  • I never appreciated Wal-Mart with their predatory price-fixing purposes. 
  • So many people I run into every day charge up credit cards on cheap Chinese made goods that are low-quality. 
  • The fact that our politicians are financed by these corporations and can dupe and prejudice their way into office is beyond maddening and despicable, it's unpatriotic to say the least. 
  • I purposefully go out of my way to find products I need, yet for me, must be U.S.A. sourced, otherwise I DO NOT touch it, especially clothing.
So now we have it from the horse's mouth. (The comments section has over 300 comments. These are just a few.)

Yet, if our government is wise they'll ensure there are clauses in place to ensure our farmers and other tradespeople not only improve the quality of their product (for which they need at least the basics like water, electricity and roads) but also have no middle men to deliver their product to the mega stores. 

Perhaps our farmers could form co-operatives to eliminate the middle men. It shouldn't be their hard work and someone else's massive cut from the fruits of their labour. 

It would reduce India's and Walmart's carbon footprint to buy local and sell local. The Americans in the US lost out because their labour isn't cheap. We don't have that "problem".

I wonder how it will all pan out. The Walmarts and their shareholders have a goldmine within their grasp. They will (and should) look out for their bottomline. 

If, what one of the Americans above said is true, that, 
The fact that our politicians are financed by these corporations and can dupe and prejudice their way into office is beyond maddening and despicable, it's unpatriotic to say the least.
politicians are all set to benefit unless we have a vigilant public. 

With the reaction of some to what the AAP's suggested, that there should be a referendum - I can safely conclude a huge number of people aren't interested in discussing the issue much less policing the government. Hope they at least understand and appreciate how much Arvind Kejriwal and their team have taken on. It isn't only the monolithic government with huge funds to do with as they please, it isn't just land grabs for personal gain in the name of the country, it isn't just the rape of a four year old girl, it isn't just crores of rupees worth of scams where money has gone into individual politician's pockets, nor is it just the pricing of goods or irrigation scams or the state of our roads or the garbage piled two storeys high that is dangerous for the health of our young, it is also the apathy, indifference and cynicism of some of our ordinary citizens.

But that is by the way. If - the biggest IF - the benefits of FDI trickle down to our farmers and other trades people it will be a win-win-win all around.



Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Green Collar Jobs

When the industrial and computer revolutions took place, countries and individuals who recognised the trends and changed direction were way ahead of the game. 

I remember listening to the radio, not even a couple of years ago, when a talk show host consistently heaped scorn on the idea that humans were responsible for changes in the environment. All of a sudden he’s gone silent. That we are responsible has been established beyond a doubt. 

Not too long ago, anyone who talked of going green or of conservation was considered a bit of a fraud. Many people thought they didn’t really have time for all this fad -ish nonsense. That perception is changing and not only because it is pc to be a greennie. Today going green has become a huge job opportunity. 

Cars that don’t belch environment polluting fumes are selling even if they’re slightly more expensive. Soon, there’ll be an increasing number of innovations that make the technology for the manufacture of such cars cheaper and therefore, more people will want to buy them. Within months or years, those cars will be the obvious ones to buy. The ones who invest in this technology now are ahead of the game. The same applies to organically grown food.

In India, bio technology caught on really quickly. Now it is huge. People work in various jobs like natural pesticides, health, vaccines, the veterinary field, teaching biotechnology and more.

Builders and architects are changing the designs of their buildings. All this might seem high tech but it isn’t always. In many cities even steep, sloping walls are used to grow produce. And they call these walls, living walls. In NZ, they’ve started talking of city farming and community farming. The philosophy is that while it’s great to have sweet smelling and attractive looking flowers we, city dwellers should also grow fruit and veggies, especially since NZ is earthquake prone. Community efforts are often supported by grants from the government and are important because they help us diversify and teach us to co-operate.

Who, according to me, is the title holder for the best green collar job since as early as the seventies? It is Anna Hazare, of course. According to this link, http://www.speakingtree.in/spiritual-blogs/masters/self-improvement/the-ideal-village-that-anna-built he changed Ralegan Siddhi from a “poverty ridden, waterless and drought affected village, to a model village with environmental conservation, discipline among villagers, self-sufficiency and cooperation.

This is what he achieved. He prevented soil erosion by planting trees; harnessed readily available solar power and biogas for energy; after winning the trust of his villagers, he helped them build bunds and trenches to capture rain water for healthy crops and grazing for cattle; started a milk co-operative; started a beautiful school with lunch provided for kids so that, on a full stomach, they would learn better. And Anna, being Anna, did not make a penny out of the entire project.

The undeniable fact is that Anna (and people like the “Flowerman of Rouerkela”) are more the exception. Ordinary people today make heaps in green collar jobs. Those jobs are definitely one of our future trends.


On a completely different note, I've entered a short story competition for Harper Collins, India. We're supposed to submit our story idea and you, my dear readers are supposed to "like" the idea. Here's mine. If you like it, please click on the red heart.