Ordinary world ...

Our Independence is valuable to us as is our survival. M.K. Gandhi showed that India needed to survive the British and fight fiercely for the survival of the nation as one. We should not now leave the path of struggle when we are free to do what we can; not to turn away from our duties as a nation, especially those that concern our survival.

When will we as a nation stand up to the real issues concerning us? One look at the innumerable news channels on cable TV is conclusive of the fact that Shah Rukh Khan is more important to us than expensive and unaffordable insurance premiums, health care, drought, vanishing ground water, and what not!!! But the government aims only at hiking tax of individuals and not corporates. Where would we go if we cannot afford to live? We all need alternate sources of fuel/energy, health care, and above all employment rights that are being denied to us by planned government efforts.

I fail to understand why in such a poor country like India the Prime Minister is not nailing the real issues, when a richer country like the USA; their President can put up a fierce fight against corporates for each individual's basic necessities.

We are an ordinary people with ordinary needs. We need to survive before we can aim for luxury. Affordability of necessities should be addressed first ...







References:

Obama invokes late grandmother in health crusade

Obama attacks insurance premiums

NASA says Groundwater vanishing in North India

Draft code may make individuals pay more tax

Drought woes claim lives of 20 farmers in Andhra

Drying out

Shah Rukh may have been victim of random selection parameter

If a spade can dig, so can a shovel, if the soil is loose and unsettled ...

The Agricultural Produce Market Committees are marketing boards established by the state governments of India to facilitate farmers to sell their produce to the APMC and get a reasonable price for it. However, due to middlemen creeping in, the system has become so profiteering that the ultimate price to the end consumers is more than 100% of the price of procurement from the farmers!!! It is also illegal to circumvent an APMC under state law. But due to political reasons, the Shiv Sena has shown that circumventing the system can enable them to sell agro-produce to the end consumer at 1/2 the retail market rates, without affecting the agro-procurement prices or the nominal profit margins.

This development poses a very interesting intersection of law, politics, consumer interest, constitutional duties of governments and above all the duty to serve by upholding justice (that may or may not include upholding the law!!!).

As it has been rightly said, Law is merely a tool, if its breaking serves the purpose, so be it.




References:

Eyeing vote gain, Shiv Sena sells veggies at no-profit-no-loss rates

Sena members stage protest against price rise

A.I. Salvation ...

and are we scared of the inevitable? Also known as Technological Singularity, a self-awareness of A.I. Are we on the brink of it, because it is not human to discuss such things out of a science fiction context, except when it becomes inevitable!!!



References:

Scientists fear a revolt by killer robots

Scientists secretly fear AI robot-machines may soon outsmart men