The Pressure To Be Good
posted by Deepak Chopra on May 09, 2008 at 01:14 PM
In a recent interview for his new book on democracy, Bill Moyers presented the bleakest face of goodness that one could imagine. He is too gentle to mount a jeremiad, yet Moyers' recent career has been one long lamentation. He says, "Politics can create problems that politics can't solve," citing the frightening rise of lobbyists, special interests, and ideological factions. The moneyed classes ride roughshod over the poor. Political power slides into lucrative influence peddling the minute a senator, congressman, or president leaves office. None of these genies can be put back into the bottle, as he sees it. The forces of greed and corruption are too strong, too deeply entrenched. Democracy has crumpled in the grip of dark forces. What remains of Moyers' brand of Sixties liberalism? Only a residual feeling in people's hearts that a society should be decent, good, and fair.
Continue reading "The Pressure To Be Good"
Hamstrung by Objectivity part 2
posted by Carter Phipps on May 07, 2008 at 04:08 PM
Anyone who enjoyed the previous blog entry might find this link interesting.
http://www.wie.org/j37/phipps.asp?ifr=hp-art
Hamstrung by Objectivity
posted by Carter Phipps on May 07, 2008 at 08:19 AM
The Fourth Estate. Murrow. Kronkite. The New York Times. CNN. All represent the great media pillars of American culture. Some might even say that the media is the last great bastion of objectivity in American culture, the great protector of an open society. But spend a few hours watching any cable news show cover the Presidential campaign and then try to say that with a straight face.
Continue reading "Hamstrung by Objectivity"
TIME article on the Dalai Lama
posted by Intent on May 01, 2008 at 02:17 PM
An article on the Dalai Lama by Deepak Chopra Dalai Lama
A Test Case for Obama's Idealism
posted by Intent on April 28, 2008 at 12:23 PM
A Washingont Post article by Deepak Chopra in response to their question: Jeremiah Wright's sermons continue to be an issue in the presidential campaign. Why? What do you think of his preaching style? What do you wish you understood better about it? A Test Case for Obama's Idealism
Un Mundo Mejor es Posible
posted by Mallika Chopra on April 26, 2008 at 11:17 PM
(This was sent to me by a friend who is at Kellogg Business School - where I did my MBA, as well.)
A better world is possible. These five words, omnipresent throughout Cuba, which our Kellogg group toured during Spring Break, were once spoken by the nation’s longstanding Patriarch, Fidel Castro.
Continue reading "Un Mundo Mejor es Posible"
Obama and "I'm Just Like You" Politics
posted by Deepak Chopra on April 21, 2008 at 09:00 AM
In recent weeks Barack Obama has been faulted for, among other things, misunderstanding working-class gun owners and church goers, bowling a 37, wanting a Philly cheese steak with goat cheese instead of Cheez Whiz, and associating with a former Sixties radical who is now a professor of English. These accusations, aimed at him by the Clinton campaign and various Republican sources, amount to a single insinuation: Obama has failed to pass the "I'm just like you" test. Previous politicians who have similarly failed: John Kerry for windsurfing, Michael Dukakis for posing in an Army tank, Al Gore for "throwing like a girl" when he played touch football in a campaign ad, and John Edwards for getting a haircut that allegedly cost $400.
Continue reading "Obama and "I'm Just Like You" Politics"
Pope Benedict and the Mystery of Two Worlds
posted by Deepak Chopra on April 16, 2008 at 12:06 PM
An article in the Washington Post on the Pope's visit. Pope Benedict and the Mystery of Two Worlds
Pangea Day
posted by Kanika Sethi on April 14, 2008 at 11:34 AM
Just caught this online -- a moving rendition of Indian's National Anthem sung by a Kenyan choir. (They also have a video of a Japanese opera singer singing for Turkey, Australians doing the Lebanese Anthem and the French singing The Star Spangled Banner.)
Here's the link. Enjoy! I really love this kind of thing.
Honorable Warriors in a Dishonorable War
posted by Deepak Chopra on April 09, 2008 at 09:17 AM
No one could fail to notice how honorable a soldier Gen. David Petraeus is, and that includes committed opponents of the Iraqi war. What made his latest testimony on Capitol Hill so moving was its reminder that a warrior's best qualities -- valor, coolness under fire, loyalty, and patriotism -- are no small thing. In fact, they used to be the test of manhood, and for centuries armies have served as the initiation and training ground for civil society.
That changed when war became a field for mechanized death and the push of a button could annihilate the enemy, with little regard for individual valor. But to forget that valor still exists is just as immoral.
Continue reading "Honorable Warriors in a Dishonorable War"
A Fatal Blow To Idealism
posted by Intent on April 05, 2008 at 08:19 AM
An article in the Washington Post by Deepak Chopra for the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s death. A Fatal Blow To Idealism
Tibet Isn't a Buddhist Litmus Test
posted by Deepak Chopra on April 01, 2008 at 03:48 PM
As the violence in Tibet has continued, the Dalai Lama issued a stern statement that he could not align himself with insurrection in his home country. Buddhism rests on several pillars, one of which is nonviolence. Tibet quickly became a kind of Buddhist litmus test. How much pain and oppression can you stand and still exhibit loving kindness and compassion? I wonder if that's really fair. The Tibetans face a political crisis that should be met with political action. Whatever that action turns out to be, nobody should be seen as a good or bad Buddhist, anymore than defending your house from an intruder tests whether a Christian is living by the precepts of Jesus.
Continue reading "Tibet Isn't a Buddhist Litmus Test"
Not without my father
posted by Rahul Pandita on March 30, 2008 at 07:59 AM
The story of how a young assistant director of Aamir Khan's Taare Zameen Par is fighting a battle for her father, who is under arrest on charges of being a Naxalite leader. Read Here.
Tibet, the 'great game' and the CIA
posted by Deepak Singh on March 27, 2008 at 05:56 AM
I suppose that the CIA will never learn - http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/JC26Ad02.html
China-Tibet: Challenge to Conscience of The World
posted by DK Matai on March 21, 2008 at 02:49 PM
Dalai Lama & Nancy Pelosi, Dharamsala, India
Dear Friends, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, has called on the international community to denounce China's rule in Tibet describing China's crackdown as "a challenge to the conscience of the world."
Continue reading "China-Tibet: Challenge to Conscience of The World"
Why Wright Versus Wrong Matters
posted by Intent on March 18, 2008 at 12:33 PM
An article by Deepak Chopra in the Washington Post in response to the question: How should Barack Obama have responded to inflammatory remarks made by his former pastor, Dr. Jeremiah Wright? Are you responsible for what your spiritual leader says from the pulpit?
Why Wright Versus Wrong Matters
Sex In Glass Bedrooms
posted by Intent on March 14, 2008 at 12:49 PM
An article by Deepak Chopra in the Washington Post in response to the question: What does the Elliot Spitzer scandal say about our public and private morality? Should he have resigned? Sex In Glass Bedrooms
Thank God for Dick
posted by Gotham Chopra on March 12, 2008 at 10:30 PM
Just today as I paid almost $4 per gallon to fill gas in my car, I thought to myself, thank goodness the current administration is sending Vice President Dick Cheney to the Middle East to meet with oil executives with the intention of helping to bring down gas prices.
Continue reading "Thank God for Dick"
The Messiah Virus
posted by Deepak Chopra on March 10, 2008 at 11:51 AM
A month ago millions of people were discovering the allure of Barack Obama's charisma, and it made for a heady change in politics as usual. Caught on the wrong side of the charisma gap, Hillary Clinton applied the only remedy she knew -- more politics as usual -- and it seemed to work. Her wins in Texas and Ohio shifted the emphasis to toughness. The notorious "3 A.M. telephone call" ad gave voters second thoughts. Among those voters who made up their minds in the last day or two before the primary, a solid majority went for Clinton. Fear, deception, and innuendo have their uses, as we know all too well.
Continue reading "The Messiah Virus"
Why Jesus Lost the Nomination
posted by Intent on March 05, 2008 at 03:03 PM
An article by Deepak Chopra in the Washington post in response to their question: If the historical Jesus were running for president, what kind of candidate would he be? Republican or Democrat? For or against the death penalty, the Iraq war, abortion, etc.?
Why Jesus Lost the Nomination
Clinton-Obama-McCain: Who is likely to win? Why?
posted by DK Matai on March 05, 2008 at 02:58 AM
Dear Friends, post the recent results including Ohio and Texas, who do you think -- Clinton, Obama or McCain -- is likely to become the next US President and why?
Continue reading "Clinton-Obama-McCain: Who is likely to win? Why?"
The Red Phone
posted by Gotham Chopra on March 04, 2008 at 09:05 PM
If you've seen the latest "red phone ad" that the Hillary Clinton campaign ran in Texas this week, know that it's actually not that original. Back in 1984 Walter Mondale ran it on Gary Hart. And back in 1964, Lyndon Johnson's campaign created the original red phone ad asking who voters wanted in charge in the White House when the proverbial fit hit the shan.
Continue reading "The Red Phone"
Can Charisma Really Bring Change?
posted by Deepak Chopra on February 25, 2008 at 07:07 AM
It's generally acknowledged that Hillary Clinton's campaign has stalled on the wrong side of a charisma gap. The Democratic electorate has surged to follow Barack Obama, and yet this doesn't signal that Hillary is unpopular -- she still earns a high favorability rating. Nor does she suffer by comparison on issues of substance; if anything, she's ahead. But Obama has done something very difficult for an inspirational campaigner. He's kept building support. Enthusiasm isn't waning as the first glow of infatuation fades. This is testimony to Obama's integrity, a much used word in politics that rarely matches reality.
Continue reading "Can Charisma Really Bring Change?"
Memory and Machiavelli
posted by Deepak Chopra on February 22, 2008 at 11:38 AM
There has been much decrying in the anti-war movement of deception and disinformation, accusing the Bush administration of using both tactics to fool the American people into the invasion of Iraq. Little has been said about the shallowness of political debate that allowed the public to be fooled in the first place. On PBS this weekend there was an enlightening interview with Susan Jacoby, author of a new book, "The Age of American Unreason" (Pantheon, 2008), where she makes the point that ignorance underlies the war as much as trickery and deception. In a poll, college and high school-educated respondents were asked to find Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Israel on a world map. Only 23% of the college-educated under the age of 25 and 6% of high school-educated could find all four, despite the fact that the map they were given was labeled -- we are not talking about maps where the countries are left blank.
Continue reading "Memory and Machiavelli"
The Audacity of Enlightenment
posted by Deepak Chopra on February 18, 2008 at 10:37 AM
Although Barack Obama's slogan is "the audacity of hope," the words have deeper connotations at this moment. One of the most powerful, I think, is the audacity to wake up. In order for the right wing to succeed in its reactionary agenda, the American public had to agree with it. On the surface it wouldn't seem that people could agree to freeze their incomes, give tax breaks to the least deserving, amass a huge national debt, ignore the rising cost of health care, and various other aspects of the right-wing agenda. To offer their agreement, the public had to vote against its own interest, and doing that required them to be asleep.
Continue reading "The Audacity of Enlightenment"
Why I Support Obama - The Emotional Response
posted by Derrick N Ashong on February 12, 2008 at 06:10 PM
So we got a ton of positive feedback about that YouTube Interview and it raised a bunch of questions as well...
Continue reading "Why I Support Obama - The Emotional Response"
When God Splits His Vote
posted by Deepak Chopra on February 11, 2008 at 12:27 PM
It's been said that the fundamentalist movement is demoralized and fractured during this election cycle. The Republicans are gaining a candidate, John McCain, who is viewed suspiciously by the religious right, even after a series of half-hearted capitulations on his part. As a commentator remarked recently, if you aren't a thousand per cent pure, the religious right disapproves. In addition, younger Christians no longer vote in a rigid bloc like their elders.
Continue reading "When God Splits His Vote"
Afghanistan:It's time for UN and Muslim countries to step up
posted by Vijay Sappani on February 11, 2008 at 08:55 AM
The peace keeping mission has turned into a peace making mission. Is NATO doomed to stay there for ever?
Continue reading "Afghanistan:It's time for UN and Muslim countries to step up"
Obama or Clinton : Find out who thinks like you
posted by Vijay Sappani on February 08, 2008 at 07:45 PM
Can't decide between Obama and Clinton, take this 10 question test
Continue reading "Obama or Clinton : Find out who thinks like you"
President McCain? Reagan-Clinton-Obama Chess
posted by DK Matai on February 07, 2008 at 01:23 PM
Dear Friends, we have just finished watching Senator McCain's strong speech after the graceful bow out of Mitt Romney. As we were watching it, I was reminded of Ronald Reagan in 1980 and how he was 69 years old when he became the oldest elected US President. John McCain is 71. Is it possible that he becomes President whilst Clinton and Obama fight it out? Please note that being apolitical myself, my question is purely neutral...
Continue reading "President McCain? Reagan-Clinton-Obama Chess"
For Obama's Sake
posted by Derrick N Ashong on February 07, 2008 at 07:37 AM
So my boy Baratunde just posted this video on his blog. It's from an interview outside the Clinton/Obama debate last week. The interviewer was a little rude at the beginning, but we made friends by the end. ;) Check it out:
Continue reading "For Obama's Sake"
Senator Barack Obama Responds to the Open Letter
posted by Deepak Chopra on February 06, 2008 at 03:55 PM
1. How do you view the importance of being open to welcome and to encourage a more inclusive political dialogue with those who may be at the margins of the political establishment or with those who may be at the distant edges of the perceived rigidity of the mainstream political parties?
Continue reading "Senator Barack Obama Responds to the Open Letter"
Senator Hilary Clinton Responds to the Open Letter
posted by Deepak Chopra on February 06, 2008 at 03:43 PM
Dear Mr. Simmons, Mr. Chopra, and Dr. Chavis:
You know, as do Americans throughout our country, that the stakes in this election couldn’t be higher. We face enormous challenges – our economy is sliding into a recession, middle-class families are struggling to make ends meet, our schools are failing our children, and we have a war to end and alliances to rebuild all around the world. The next President must be ready to solve these problems from day one – ready to expand opportunity for all Americans and fulfill America’s promise of justice and equality.
Continue reading "Senator Hilary Clinton Responds to the Open Letter"
Super Tuesday
posted by Mallika Chopra on February 04, 2008 at 09:21 PM
I have to say, I am super excited to vote tomorrow. It feels like a shift is truly happening in the US - I sure hope so. People in the US have a chance to vote for a woman, an African American, a Mormon, a Baptist preacher, and a former POW. That is definitely more diverse than previous choices! Go out and vote (if you live in a US Super Tuesday state) tomorrow. Make your voice heard - we are so lucky to be able to do so!
War takes it toll on Civilians
posted by Vijay Sappani on February 02, 2008 at 09:21 AM
"On our way back we visited the grocery shop when there was a sudden bomb blast and after that loud gunfire. It was so close and we were so terrified. "
Continue reading "War takes it toll on Civilians"
An Immigrant For Obama
posted by Derrick N Ashong on February 01, 2008 at 06:05 PM
Friends,
I have never made a contribution to a political campaign in my life. I was born in a country where for the first 20+ years of my life no one could vote. I grew up under monarchic Middle Eastern regimes where the word "democracy" did not exist in our political lexicon. It was not until 2000 that my homeland saw the face of true democracy for the first time since our independence more than forty years earlier.
Continue reading "An Immigrant For Obama"
Politics of war reflects in media reporting.
posted by Vijay Sappani on January 30, 2008 at 05:12 AM
2o killed, including 11 children have been killed in Sri Lanka and here are three media groups reporting it.
Continue reading "Politics of war reflects in media reporting."
The Inconvenience of Democracy
posted by Deepak Chopra on January 28, 2008 at 02:56 PM
The confusion around picking a Presidential candidate in both parties has led to a much more open nominating process. For the first time in decades the potential front-runners are spending huge amounts of time and money in small states, and crossover independent voters have a significant voice in picking the winner. Could it be that democracy is cautiously rearing its head?
Continue reading "The Inconvenience of Democracy"
Why Political Optimism and Spiritual Optimism Are the Same
posted by Deepak Chopra on January 21, 2008 at 01:51 PM
There was a collective moment of euphoria for many people when Barack Obama gave his victory speech in Iowa, followed by two weeks of steady deflation. New Hampshire and Nevada didn't ride the wave of hope and optimism being generated that night. It's easy to become disillusioned by this, because experience teaches us that euphoria is temporary. The same pundits who wanted to anoint Obama on the spot now prudently observe that he has to fight if he wants to win the nomination of his party. America, we are told, wants and needs the spectacle of such a fight.
Continue reading "Why Political Optimism and Spiritual Optimism Are the Same"
An Open Letter to the Presidential Candidates
posted by Deepak Chopra on January 16, 2008 at 07:18 PM
OPEN LETTER
To
Hillary Clinton
John Edwards
Rudy Giuliani
Mike Huckabee
Duncan Hunter
Dennis Kucinich
John McCain
Barack Obama
Ron Paul
Mitt Romney
Fred Thompson
Continue reading "An Open Letter to the Presidential Candidates"
Don't Pass the Torch, Put It Out
posted by Deepak Chopra on January 14, 2008 at 09:00 AM
One hears considerable talk, either with panic or jubilation, that no one is emerging as the bearer of the torch of Reaganism in the Republican party. Conservatives who have held sway since 1980, taking only eight years off during the Clinton era, can't reach a consensus. Commentators are predicting that the fractured Republican primaries, having picked two different winners in Iowa and New Hampshire, may pick a third or fourth winner in Michigan, South Carolina, and Florida, adding Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani to the list. Perhaps the attempt to fuse together a united right-wing coalition is as doomed as the attempt to resuscitate the Roosevelt coalition in the Fifties.
Continue reading "Don't Pass the Torch, Put It Out"
Will the Tigers follow the IRA way in 2008?
posted by Vijay Sappani on January 10, 2008 at 08:15 AM
The Tamil Tigers have been one of the most sophisticated armed rebel group in the world. Will they get smart this time to bring peace in Sri Lanka?
Continue reading "Will the Tigers follow the IRA way in 2008?"
The Gender Thing
posted by Mallika Chopra on January 09, 2008 at 10:40 PM
For the first time, I am experiencing a clear gender difference about Hillary Clinton. The important women in my life - my mother, my children's nanny, my sister-in-law, my girlfriends, and their mothers - are celebrating Hillary's comeback in NH. And, it is not anti-Obama. Everyone finds him inspiring. Rather, it is about her and about what she represents -- a woman who is smart, has worked hard, stood firm when attacked, put in her time. I wanted to share an email my friends mom sent her today which so captures this sentiment...
Continue reading "The Gender Thing"
The Audacity of Hope
posted by Mallika Chopra on January 08, 2008 at 11:48 AM
As I read about Barack Obama's surge in popularity and the polls, I have felt discomfort. Something deep inside me is stirring, and its all about myself.
Continue reading "The Audacity of Hope"
Obama and the Call: "I Am America"
posted by Deepak Chopra on January 05, 2008 at 08:45 PM
Rarely has a public figure done as much good for himself with one speech as Barack Obama did with his victory speech after winning in Iowa. Commentators did the fastest flip in broadcasting history. You could visibly see their minds whirling as they went from Position A: Obama appeals to intellectuals and naive idealists, to Position B: Obama is unstoppable.
Continue reading "Obama and the Call: "I Am America""
Friends don't die
posted by Rahul Pandita on January 02, 2008 at 07:43 AM
“He was carrying his revolver when they shot him dead.” The old caretaker at the Ghadar Memorial Hall in Jalandhar takes out a blue handkerchief and spreads its content on the table. There is an old spectacles frame and a blood-stained bus ticket, recovered from Darshan Canadian’s shirt pocket. Read More...
Nepal close to recognizing same sex rights
posted by Vijay Sappani on December 21, 2007 at 06:15 PM
Nepal has set the example for other South Asian countries to follow : on armed conflict resolution and human rights
Continue reading "Nepal close to recognizing same sex rights"
How Your Story Changes the World
posted by Deepak Chopra on December 17, 2007 at 01:59 PM
Every life is part of society, and therefore every personal story is part of society's story. When you use the word "America," an unfolding story is implied. America stands for a history that has its own values, prejudices, crises, hopes, and fears. The same is true when you talk or just think, about topics like religion, immigration, terrorism, or the economy. All these topics are actually unfolding processes, and with each one comes a story.
Continue reading "How Your Story Changes the World"
It's Hard Being Purple
posted by Deepak Chopra on December 14, 2007 at 12:14 PM
The polar ice is melting at an alarming rate, but the political ice jam in this country isn't. While the public looks on with increasing disgust, a Democratic Congress can't get President. Bush and his loyal Republicans to budge on any key legislation. Health care for children has been vetoed twice, war funding reaches new levels, tax reform is stalled, immigration reform is dead, and a government budget bill is being held hostage. Even as we learn that public approval of Congress has sunk to 21%, lower even than Bush's dismal ratings, calls for meaningful progress between the two sides go unheeded.
Continue reading "It's Hard Being Purple"
Are You Running With Me, Jesus?
posted by Deepak Chopra on December 10, 2007 at 12:11 PM
Many right-wing Christians are suspicious of Mormonism, as they are of every religion besides their own, and as a result Mitt Romney was forced to hold a press conference in which he affirmed his belief that Jesus is the "Son of God and Savior of mankind."
Continue reading "Are You Running With Me, Jesus?"
The Oprah Factor
posted by Mallika Chopra on December 09, 2007 at 07:53 PM
Oprah Winfery is attracting unprecedented crowds for US politics, giving a passionate call for change to be led by Barack Obama, praising his "ear for eloquence and tongue for unvarnished truth." Can Oprah help get Obama elected? Do people make voting decisions because
Continue reading "The Oprah Factor"
Religion's Greatest Enemy?
posted by Deepak Chopra on December 07, 2007 at 11:16 AM
Decades after Monty Python came to an end, John Cleese is dapper, intelligent, freethinking, and still funny. I heard him give an impromptu talk and came away with one of his best lines: "The biggest enemy of religion is spirituality." The talk was in California among people who immediately applauded.
Continue reading "Religion's Greatest Enemy?"
Coup d'état
posted by Saira Mohan on December 04, 2007 at 04:24 AM
US spies give shock verdict on Iran threat...
My Name is Muhammad
posted by Kanika Sethi on November 30, 2007 at 01:00 PM
So a British school teacher working in Sudan has been jailed for 14 days for allowing the seven year old students in her class to name a class teddy bear Muhammad and write about the bear's experiences in a journal called "My name is Muhammad". Thankfully,
Continue reading "My Name is Muhammad"
How can we resolve the Middle East crisis ?
posted by Vijay Sappani on November 22, 2007 at 06:33 AM
Canada is uniquely positioned to be a leader in armed conflict resolution, but will it choose to do it?
Continue reading "How can we resolve the Middle East crisis ?"
Omar Khadr on 60 minutes
posted by Vijay Sappani on November 20, 2007 at 06:09 AM
Is Omar Khadr a terrorist, child soldier or an innocent child misguided by his family ?
Continue reading "Omar Khadr on 60 minutes"
"I'm rich. I have a gun. Please be my friend."
posted by Deepak Chopra on November 19, 2007 at 08:49 AM
Recently the term "smart power" has been surfacing more and more in discussions of America's role in the world. The basic idea is that "hard power" and "soft power" need to be balanced in an intelligent way when dealing with other countries. Hard power means military and economic strength. Soft power means
Continue reading ""I'm rich. I have a gun. Please be my friend.""
Curing the Post-Colonial Hangover
posted by Deepak Chopra on November 16, 2007 at 11:55 AM
You have to come from a post-colonial country, perhaps, to understand that the difference between the occupying power and those being occupied is psychological. In India, for example, the actual strength of the British army was minuscule, but their assumptions of superiority, their confidence and domineering attitude held sway over a society that lacked all these qualities. Right now one is witnessing the entire Third World, as it used to be called, waking up from the hangover of colonialism.
Continue reading "Curing the Post-Colonial Hangover"
The Second Injection
posted by Deepak Chopra on November 12, 2007 at 01:05 PM
This seems to be an opportune moment to reconsider the death penalty. By giving last-minute stays to executions in Mississippi and Texas, the Supreme Court has effectively brought about a moratorium on all executions until next spring. At question is the accepted method of administering lethal injections, a method adopted by 37 of the 38 states that allow the death penalty. It's unlikely
Continue reading "The Second Injection"
"THEY GAVE THEIR TODAY FOR OUR TOMORROW"
posted by Vijay Sappani on November 11, 2007 at 10:05 AM
"They'd promised their families they'd come back soon. They more than kept their word. Went as mere men. Came back as heroes. In coffins."
Continue reading ""THEY GAVE THEIR TODAY FOR OUR TOMORROW""
A glimpse into a failing state: SriLanka
posted by Vijay Sappani on November 05, 2007 at 01:55 PM
War clouds are looming over Sri Lanka and the signs are very clear that a full blown war is going to break out. The Tigers have vowed to strike back and this is going to get dirty.
Continue reading "A glimpse into a failing state: SriLanka"
Pakistan in Turmoil
posted by Mallika Chopra on November 04, 2007 at 05:59 AM
A year after 9/11, General Musharraf came to Los Angeles to have dinner with leaders and businessmen. A friend of ours, a businessman and influential Republican supporter (he actully really is the nicest man), invited Sumant and I to attend as his guests to the dinner. Aside from the fact that we actually couldn't go, I remember Sumant asking our friend how the US
Continue reading "Pakistan in Turmoil"
The Discreet Charm of the Ruling Class
posted by Deepak Chopra on October 22, 2007 at 11:21 AM
Elected officials are sent to Washington to govern but not to rule. This may sound like a question of semantics or at best a fine distinction. But rulership isn't a legitimate part of democracy. When a governing class develops in a democratic society, it loses contact with the people who elect it. In many ways America is burdened with such a class, which has amassed power over the past fifty years, until it arrived at a place where its right to rule goes almost unchallenged.
Continue reading "The Discreet Charm of the Ruling Class"
Bobby Jindal Youngest Governor Elected in US
posted by Mallika Chopra on October 21, 2007 at 08:54 PM
The first non-white to hold a post since Reconstruction. And, the first Indian American Governor, as well.
He won't remember me, but Bobby and I were undergrads at Brown University together.
I actually remember him because he was part of group of people who converted to Catholicism at Brown - a process that fascinated, and honestly, baffled me. (One of my best friends converted at that time, as well.)
Continue reading "Bobby Jindal Youngest Governor Elected in US"
Your Apocalypse or Mine?
posted by Deepak Chopra on October 19, 2007 at 10:02 AM
Some time back I wrote a post entitled "The Seduction of Apocalypse" (April 7, 2006), pointing out the dark appeal of believing that the world is coming to an end. This seems like a good time for a follow-up, because in fact there are two versions of the apocalypse teetering on the brink, one Christian, the other Islamic.
Continue reading "Your Apocalypse or Mine?"
Benazir Bhutto Survives Assassination Attempt
posted by DK Matai on October 18, 2007 at 12:58 PM
Several blasts have occurred near the motorcade carrying Pakistani ex-PM Benazir Bhutto, during her triumphant homecoming after eight years in exile...
Continue reading "Benazir Bhutto Survives Assassination Attempt"
Who are you really aligned with?
posted by Kanika Sethi on October 09, 2007 at 05:29 AM
Which American presidential hopeful are you supporting? I thought I was a Hillary supporter -- I guess I still am based on emotions -- but in theory turns out my views are really much more in line with Dodd's, Kucinich's and Edwards'. (Who'd have thought I'd be supporting a white, male candidate?)
Take this short quiz to find out who shares your take on the issues.
With God Off Our Side
posted by Deepak Chopra on October 01, 2007 at 11:40 AM
One of the bitterest complaints against both sides in the Iraq war is that religion has been a prime cause. When President Bush proclaimed that the war on terror represented a clash of civilizations, he implicitly meant Christianity versus Islam, a view reinforced by his further claim that he was guided by God in his decision-making. No one supposes that a universal God spoke to him. It was specifically a Christian God. Even Judeo-Christian would be a stretch.
Continue reading "With God Off Our Side"
HQR*: One World by Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)
posted by DK Matai on October 01, 2007 at 01:20 AM
Dear Friends, Mahatma Gandhi's birthday is fast approaching on 2nd October and his message of "One World" is worth noting in the context of HQR*!
Continue reading "HQR*: One World by Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)"
How to Feel Safe and Secure (Part 2)
posted by Deepak Chopra on September 28, 2007 at 12:21 PM
It would seem illogical that national security depends on how you handle your own personal fears, but in large part it does. One can take for granted that governments play a role in policing the streets and keeping vigilant for possible dangers from abroad. However, those strategies can go only so far. At a certain point the law of diminishing returns comes into play. It is impossible to track the comings and goings of every suspicious person in the world.
Continue reading "How to Feel Safe and Secure (Part 2)"
Burma Revolution: Last moments of Nagai Kenji
posted by DK Matai on September 27, 2007 at 01:56 PM
Japanese journalist shot while covering protest
Continue reading "Burma Revolution: Last moments of Nagai Kenji"
How to Feel Safe and Secure
posted by Deepak Chopra on September 24, 2007 at 11:07 AM
Six years past the attacks of 9/11, politics still hinges on the question of national security. Should another major terrorist incident occur, the candidate who plays upon fear and insecurity would almost certainly win. Thoughtful commentators have pointed out a major disconnect between rhetoric and action in the current administration, however.
Continue reading "How to Feel Safe and Secure"
Does Peace Have a Future?
posted by Deepak Chopra on September 21, 2007 at 09:51 AM
If the pundits and pollsters are right, the American public has tuned out the Iraq War. It's become a foregone conclusion that the conflict will grind on until at least Jan. 2009 when a new president takes office. The anti-war movement has been completely blocked, and grass-roots efforts against the war have become more or less futile. In realistic terms war remains a stubbornly unchanging policy controlled by the right wing. Does that mean that the rest of us -- the vast majority who oppose the war -- are left without options?
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Hey Van, It's Nancy Polosky on the phone By Julie Bergman Sender
posted by Julie Bergman on August 19, 2007 at 07:02 AM
On Saturday August 4th, the House passed the Clean Energy Bill. Contained in that bill was the Green Jobs Act of 2007: $125 million dollars to train 35,000 people a year in Green collar jobs.
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Goodbye, Karl Rove...
posted by Mallika Chopra on August 13, 2007 at 09:59 AM
Thoughts? What happens now? Who becomes the target now that the "boy genius" and "architect" of the Bush administration is gone? Will Rove escape all the scandals that surrounded, yet somehow never touched him?
Two sides to the story
posted by Salman Ahmad on July 31, 2007 at 10:47 AM
Friends, this is a very painful video to watch but it shows the US soldiers' predicament and frustration in Iraq as well as the hell inflicted upon Iraqi society as a result of the war...
peace,
salman
The Dalai Lama, George Soros And You.
posted by James Boyce on July 30, 2007 at 11:01 AM
At first glance, the Dalai Lamai and George Soros would seem to have little in common. One a religious leader from Tibet with few worldly possessions, the other one of the world's wealthiest men, and greatest philanthropists. But both men have a vision that you, and I, could use to spin a cliche, make the world a better place.
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Pearls Before Swine…
posted by Julie Bergman on July 27, 2007 at 10:01 PM
“I live at an intersection of politics and public service. Public service is all about action.”
`Who said that?
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What Have They Got Against Girls' Sports?
posted by Joe Kelly on July 19, 2007 at 04:51 AM
A dad named John Humphreys recently wrote to me upon learning that the Department of Education is weakening Title IX, the federal civil rights law granting fair access to sports for girls and women. He asked “Why ever should there be any darn sex discrimination at all?” Like John, I’m stumped, too. But the fact of the matter is that discrimination still exists—which means we parents and others who care about girls need to do something about it.
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The Case of the Evil Doctors (Part 3)
posted by Deepak Chopra on July 13, 2007 at 12:07 PM
In earlier posts the nature of evil was being dissected into its component parts. We need to face that truth that evil cannot be defeated without understanding. Too often we think we understand evil simply because it is so familiar when in fact there are many unsolved mysteries hidden inside it. The next piece of the puzzle is entrenched mythology. I was recently in Colombia where the evils of the cocaine trade and its attendant violence are known to the whole world. What one observes there, however, isn't so simple as good versus evil. There are three entrenched mythologies warring for dominance.
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Imperial History of the Middle East
posted by Saira Mohan on July 13, 2007 at 08:24 AM
Who has controlled the Middle East over the course of history? Pretty much everyone. Egyptians, Turks, Jews, Romans, Arabs, Persians, Europeans...the list goes on. Who will control the Middle East today? That is a much bigger question...
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The Case of the Evil Doctors (Part 2)
posted by Deepak Chopra on July 09, 2007 at 08:25 AM
In the first part of this post on the nature of evil, which was prompted by the conspiracy of doctors centered in the UK who have turned to terrorism, I brought up the ingredient of perception. Perception subjectively colors what we call good and evil, and this happens on both sides, the perpetrator's and the victim's. Even in the most extreme cases, such as Nazism, there is an element of mistaken perception that is more viable as an explanation than resorting to religious concepts of absolute evil.
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Update - UK Critical Alert; Response to Lord Desai
posted by ATCA on July 02, 2007 at 03:17 AM
We are grateful to Prof Jean Pierre Lehmann, Founder Director, Evian Group, based at IMD Lausanne, Switzerland, for "Crossing the Chasm: Evolution Towards a Liberal Society;" HE Basil Eastwood, former British Ambassador to Switzerland & Liechtenstein and Syria, for "Role of Islam in Politics;" and Florian Lennert, Director, Corporate Relations, LSE, from Kigali, Rwanda, for "Avoiding Human Catastrophe."
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Lord Desai: The Roots of Terror: Islam or Islamism?
posted by ATCA on July 01, 2007 at 01:01 AM
We are grateful to The Lord Desai based at the Palace of Westminster, London, for his submission.
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The Cruelty of Semantics
posted by Deepak Chopra on June 29, 2007 at 07:23 AM
The average citizen has a right to be perplexed by yesterday's Supreme Court decision that overthrew decades of school integration programs. Or did it do the opposite? The majority opinion cited the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education as its guiding light. The four dissenters, however, claimed that Brown had been compromised, betrayed, and misunderstood.
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Love In Action
posted by Velcrow Ripper on June 24, 2007 at 06:11 PM
This week was a journey through the history of the American Civil Rights movement, a story we've all heard of time and time again. I thought I knew the story myself, but it was not until I actually set foot in the historic heart land of the movement -
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Two Muslim Girls
posted by Mallika Chopra on June 12, 2007 at 09:54 PM
Bahnaz Mahmod - killed by her Kurdish father in an "honor killing" for falling in love with an Iranian Kurd. Fatima Salary, an Indian slum girl who obtained an Engineering degree with the help of her husband.
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MEANWHILE
posted by Gotham Chopra on June 10, 2007 at 09:23 PM
While you and I have been doing whatever it is that we do for the last 5 years, several dozens or hundreds of prisoners (no one really knows because it's in the interest of national security our government won't full disclose a real number) have been toiling away in the Guantanamo detention center.
Bush and Iraq
posted by Saira Mohan on May 24, 2007 at 12:13 PM
Bush said today that "We'll Leave Iraq If They Ask Us".
...so why can't the world convince Iraq to ask?
Funding and Crying: Why the Dems Capitulated to one of the Least Popular Presidents in US History to Support one of the Least Popular Wars in US History?
posted by Rabbi Lerner on May 24, 2007 at 05:52 AM
A response from the Religious Left -
When I lived in Jerusalem and worked with the Israeli peace movement, we described our spineless Labor Party and some of the allegedly pro-peace intellectuals as "shooting and crying"?first they'd support military action, then they'd lament how terrible it felt to be "forced to stoop to the level of violence" (allegedly by "the enemy").
No Accounting?
posted by Deepak Chopra on May 04, 2007 at 08:55 AM
The issue of accountability has suddenly flooded the news. George tenet, the ex-chief of the CIA, has written a memoir pointing fingers at the White House inner circle for reckless drumming up war with Iraq. Bill Moyers aired a doleful report on the run-up to the war, in which every major news organization, almost without exception, uncritically accepted any flimsy lie or misinformation provided by the administration. (When Sen. Edward Kennedy,
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Silence of the Guns
posted by Deepak Chopra on April 30, 2007 at 08:27 AM
In the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shootings, editorials in Europe repeated a familiar theme, that America is gun happy. Current estimates hold that 1 in 3 households has a gun. Laws to control gun ownership have weakened over the years, as witness the lifting of the ban on assault weapons. To outsiders, U.S. politics is bizarre. You would think that no one could get elected to Congress without a Bible in one hand and a rifle in the other. The NRA and the Christian right want that image to continue, and together they claim to have swung the 2000 presidential campaign, not to mention many others on the congressional and senatorial level.
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The Threat of the Threat
posted by Deepak Chopra on April 27, 2007 at 08:59 AM
Peter Clarke, Britain's top security official, delivered a grim overview of the state of Al-Qaeda last week. He made several points, chief of which was that Al-Qaeda has survived a multi-national campaign to destroy it. This itself wasn't news, but Clarke went on to say that young British Muslims are following a trend of traveling to Pakistan to be trained in terrorist tactics; their intent is to return home to plot further attacks like the subway bombings that rocked London in the summer of 2005. Currently Britain has more than 100 terror suspects awaiting trial. Clarke's final assessment was that the country would be attacked again in the future.
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A wife's influence...
posted by Kanika Sethi on April 26, 2007 at 03:23 PM
Do you think Laura ever rolls over and looks her husband in the eye as they're turning in for the night, sighs, and says, "You know, George, maybe the rest of the country is right..." How I wonder...
The Upper Hand In Iraq
posted by Deepak Chopra on April 20, 2007 at 07:49 AM
From the recent wave of bombings in Iraq that continue to tear that country apart, it has become obvious that the U.S. no longer has the upper hand there and never will. The power struggle that will decide the fate of Iraq has rendered American participation irrelevant. This fact needs to be considered in the war debate at home, yet both sides, Democratic and Republican, continue to act as if decisions made in this country translate into reality in Baghdad. This is yet another illusion that is dying in the war.
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Loner, Alien, Guns
posted by Mallika Chopra on April 17, 2007 at 12:16 PM
As I read more stories about the Virginia Tech rampage, these words keep coming up:
Loner
Alien
Guns
My stomach turns each time I read them.
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More News from Pandora's Box
posted by Deepak Chopra on April 16, 2007 at 07:32 AM
History moves forward from causes that cannot be controlled. A reminder of that fact was delivered this week in a New York Times story about a potential nuclear arms race in the Middle East. The rush is on from Egypt, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia to develop nuclear power, with as many as a dozen states ready to follow suit.
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The Glory of Education: Part II
posted by Saira Mohan on March 31, 2007 at 09:08 AM
If I had one wish, it would be for everyone (in the world) to read this hot-off-the-press book prior to the 2008 Presidential election. Second Chance: Three Presidents and the Crisis of American Superpower ...
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The British hostages in Iran
posted by Deepak Singh on March 30, 2007 at 03:34 PM
Why dont the EU and the USA stop buying oil from Iran until the hostages are returned? Hit them where it hurts.
Or is it politics as usual?
Elizabeth Edwards and the Campaign
posted by Mallika Chopra on March 26, 2007 at 11:16 AM
"You know, you really have two choices here. I mean, either you push forward with the things that you were doing yesterday, or you start dying," Elizabeth Edwards said on 60 Minutes.
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population 2050
posted by Sandeep Sood on March 26, 2007 at 11:05 AM
Worldmapper.org warps world maps based on factors such as birth rates, GDP, and population. It amazes me how much more significant it feels to see a visual representation of something rather than to read facts and figures (which is why Al Gore climbing a ladder to show the rise of global warming in an Inconvenient Truth was an excellent touch).
Check out how fat India looks based on its population in 2050.
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A Happiness Check List
posted by Deepak Chopra on March 26, 2007 at 10:08 AM
Recently I posted on the new trend in corporate America toward well-being, which may signal a shift in values. Well-being has been a hard sell in alternative medicine, because rather than relying on proven means to stay healthy, people wait for a serious crisis and then rush to the doctor for drugs or surgery. Similarly, any kind of addictive behavior
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The Right Reasons for Going, The Right Reasons to Stay
posted by Deepak Chopra on March 23, 2007 at 01:44 PM
As the Senate and House move closer to making the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq happen faster and sooner, those loyal to Pres. Bush and his war policy mutter darkly about letting down the troops and crippling "forward" motion in the war. Partisan bickering has turned into a smokescreen, behind which lies a baffling and very sad reality. Iraq seems doomed whether the U.S. leaves or stays. Therefore, the future remains clouded; no one can possibly predict whether either course would lead to a greater catastrophe than the one now at hand. Moral judgment needs to come into play here. Leaving Iraq isn't more moral than staying, nor is it more immoral. There are bad reasons being offered to back both strategies.
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Visiting "Hometown Baghdad"
posted by Deepak Chopra on March 19, 2007 at 07:02 AM
Mass media coverage has hammered home the impression that Iraq is a country of street people constantly embroiled in religious strife. Because of the dangerous conditions in Baghdad, Western cameras only go where the army goes. Now we can glimpse a different, much more humane view of daily life in the city, thanks to a video project known as "Hometown Baghdad."
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The Absurdity of Peace
posted by Deepak Chopra on March 16, 2007 at 08:15 AM
Recently I posted on America's war system, the vast economic web that ties every sector of the country into the business of war and the death it produces. One responder expressed sarcastic disdain for the following sentences about the Cold War era: "The race to develop the atom bomb, considered so critical back then, proved to be a chimera in the end. A peace pact could have been made with the Soviet Union not to proliferate atomic and missile technology, saving untold billions of dollars." In response he writes, "A peace pact with the Soviet Union! Wow! How come nobody thought of that before?!? It's genius!! Go run and tell the government about your new idea, Deepak!"
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Persistence pays, so does Peace.
posted by Vijay Sappani on March 16, 2007 at 05:42 AM
When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
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The Rove Gonzalez Connection
posted by Mallika Chopra on March 15, 2007 at 10:42 PM
Can someone explain to me what the big deal around the attorney firings is? And why
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Well-Being: A New Standard for Happiness?
posted by Deepak Chopra on March 12, 2007 at 07:26 AM
The new watchword in corporate America these days seems to be "well=being," a term associated with alternative medicine, not the hard realities of business. Google and Apple, among other corporations, have won admiration for providing work environments full of amenities like on-site gyms, day-care centers, and other life-enhancing add ons. Japanese corporations pioneered this trend decades ago. But now a new dimension has been added: the well-being of the public at large, which includes the well-being of the environment. Business is beginning to take seriously that their future depends on going green.
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Laying Off 'Evil' For a While
posted by Deepak Chopra on March 09, 2007 at 09:19 AM
Five years ago, in a rousing speech before Congress, Pres. Bush brought back one of the right wing's favorite adjectives: evil. The Axis of Evil was a clear bid to equal Reagan's Evil Empire, and since the Soviet Union fell, there has been a prevailing myth that calling them evil played a key role. That's dubious, but
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election 2008 - is outsourcing an issue again?
posted by Sandeep Sood on March 08, 2007 at 02:38 PM
On March 7, Bill Gates testified before the US Senate about bringing IT workers into the US:
"We have to welcome the great minds of this world, not drive them out of this country," Gates said.Nice. To be clear, he is discussing the H1-B program, which currently allows 65,000 foreign professionals into the US every year. He went on to say
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"Scooter" Libby Found Guilty
posted by Mallika Chopra on March 06, 2007 at 09:09 AM
Guilty on 4 counts. Meanwhile, today, 2 suicide bombers killed 120 people in Iraq and 9 US soldiers d