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Friday,
May 24, 2002, Chandigarh, India
  
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Vajpayee’s warning Humiliating defeat |
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Hari Jaisingh
Triumph
and tribulations of East Timor
Time for
India to redeem its honour
An
obligation to tell the truth
Devoted
dads less likely to stray
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Vajpayee’s warning PRIME
Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s hard-hitting speech at Kupwara (Kashmir) on Wednesday was, it seems, aimed at sending a clear message in four directions. One, he wanted the armed forces to be mentally and physically ready for the supreme
sacrifice as the time to take on the enemy — the source and sustainer of cross-border terrorism — had finally come. Two, the nation as a whole should tighten its belt to bear the enormous burden as a result of an unavoidable and imminent war, limited or otherwise. Three, he gave an ultimatum to Pakistan, though without naming it, that it was going to suffer the worst consequences of the proxy war, which had acquired intolerable dimensions. Indian troops will not leave their positions unless they had achieved their present objective. Four, the international community should have no doubts about India’s determination to find a final answer to the problem of terrorism it has been faced with for years. Now it is, therefore, for the concerned world leaders to force Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to quickly close the unholy chapter of proxy war to prevent the outbreak of military hostilities. The mounting pressure from India appears to have had its impact. Not only that there are conciliatory signals from Islamabad to resolve all disputes through negotiations. The day Mr Vajpayee addressed Army jawans at Kupwara the Musharraf regime issued a statement declaring that “no organisation in Pakistan will be allowed to indulge in terrorism in the name of Kashmir”. There was, however, a rider that Pakistan would continue to provide “moral, political and diplomatic support to the legitimate struggle of the people of Jammu and Kashmir....” One can understand the compulsions of the ruling General in view of Pakistan’s’ obsession with Kashmir. The significant statement has come after a joint meeting of Pakistan’s Federal Cabinet and the National Security Council presided over by General Musharraf who, perhaps, wants to impress upon the international community as well as India that he has not gone back on the commitment he made during his January 12 speech. As far as India is concerned, it will take General Musharraf’s words with all seriousness only when the regime in Islamabad puts a stop to the process of infiltration of terrorists to cause death and destruction on this side of the border. He can do so if he decides not to play the double game he has been fond of since he came to power in October, 1999. Reports suggest that the world is convinced that the General has the capacity to deliver on the cross-border terrorism issue. It has been wrongly believed in the West that he cannot, keeping in view his difficulties at home. Despite the rhetoric that Islamabad “is ready to fight if attacked” and that it will not hesitate to use the nuclear option as the ultimate weapon, there are reports of the realisation having dawned on the Musharraf regime that it is faced with catastrophic consequences. The world opinion has almost gone against its unrealistic stand on Kashmir. The current crisis can be defused only by reshaping Pakistan’s rotten Kashmir policy as was done in the case of Afghanistan. Let us keep our hope alive in the light of the latest developments. |
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Humiliating defeat NORMALLY in the game of cricket nothing can be said about victory or defeat until the last ball is bowled. But this rule does not apply to India. It is one of the most over-rated teams in contemporary cricket. The writing on the wall was loud and clear even before the first ball was bowled in the fifth and final Test against the West Indies at Kingston, Jamaica. A simple rule of thumb is to play to your strength. India’s strength lies in its batting. But no, skipper Saurav Ganguly after winning the toss invited the rival skipper to make first use of a green and bouncy wicket. The gamble may have paid off, but the three-man pace attack decided to practice non-violence. The Merv Dillon bouncer that broke Anil Kumble’s jaw in the previous Test must have woken up the Gandhi in them. They bowled in every direction except the stumps. Fair enough, they made amends by bowling out the West Indies for a paltry 197 runs in the second innings. However, taking a day off is not an exclusive privilege of the bowlers. The Indian batting, that lacks both a reliable head and a tail that wags, but a very robust middle order, just did not show the will to win and offered the series 2-1 to West Indian skipper Carl Hooper. Why do the Indians bother to travel all the way to distant shores in search of the elusive victory in a Test series played away from the safety of home pitches? They simply lack the will and team spirit to beat even mediocre teams. Before the departure for the West Indies the punters and pundits both backed India to win the Test series. From the very first Test Ganguly and his boys decided to prove both of them wrong. Rain saved them in the first Test. The West Indians should have won at Port-of-Spain too, but for the fact that like the Indians they too do not have a robust tail. Much was made of the 37-run victory and word went round that Ganguly’s gang was now hungry for more. There is no shame in losing to a better team. But the West Indies under Hooper had become the favorite whipping team of all Test playing countries except Bangladesh. Instead of making Hooper bite dust, the Indian team as a whole allowed players with suspect talent, including man of the series R. Chanderpaul, to walk like giants. Dillon who has been in international cricket for quite sometime managed his first five-wicket haul thanks to the benevolence of the Indian batsmen. Look at the awesome reputations of the West Indians of 1983 who were literally ambushed by a far less talented, but more determined, bunch of cricketers led by the redoubtable Kapil Dev in that famous World Cup final at Lords. If Kapil’s Devils were still available for selection only their skipper would have found a place in the present squad. What is the point of having the world’s best batsman Sachin Tendulkar and perhaps the world’s best middle order comprising Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and V. V. V. S. Laxman when India cannot play as a team and win? This cricket crazy country has been too generous in its praise of men with feet of clay. It is about time Indian cricket’s phoney divine entities are knocked down from the ill-deserved pedestals until such time as they learn to play as a team and win. The next port of call is England. However, only a fool and an optimist would put his money on India and come out smiling at the end of the series. |
Of nuclear threat and terrorism NIKITA Khrushchev used to say that atom bombs are not succulent cucumbers that he could offer to his people to be salted down. The then Soviet leader was at the helm in Moscow at the height of the Cold War between the USA and the erstwhile USSR. Moscow and Washington had tremendous stakes in the promotion of their strategic interests. They fought bitterly for global supremacy. Still, they were prudent enough to avoid the use of nuclear warheads. Prudence, however, is not a strong point of Pakistan's military rulers, General Pervez Musharraf included. Their outlook is hawkish and the mindset perverted and negative. Pakistani leaders have been obsessed with Kashmir which they wish to grab by hook or by crook in the name of Islam. Every trick has been tried for this purpose — from the sponsored tribal onslaught in 1948 to full-fledged wars to the on-going proxy war of terrorism and jehad. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto once held out the threat of an Islamic bomb and a thousand-year war with India. All military dictators in Islamabad whipped up mass frenzy by their anti-India hysteria and subversive activities. The present dictator, General Pervez Musharraf too is a highly dubious person. He never fails to rattle the nuclear bomb daily. Islamabad's fight is not for Islam but for the territory of Kashmir. It will be unfair to suggest that the Pakistani leaders are fond of Kashmiris. They exposed themselves in Bangladesh where they carried out a cold-blooded genocide against the Bengali Muslims in what was then East Pakistan. Still, the greed for paradise on the earth seems insatiable. The rulers in Islamabad have been waiting for the day when the valley becomes part of Pakistan so that they could buy land there and enslave the local people. The Kashmiris in those circumstances will add to the diaspora syndrome. Have the Kashmiris given a serious thought to such possibilities? Have they reflected on to their rich Sufi tradition and strong secular bonds. Have they searched their soul to realise that the Hindus, the Buddhists, the Sikhs and several other ethnic communities have equal stakes in the state of Jammu and Kashmir and that under no circumstance would they like to be part of the theocratic state of Pakistan? In any case, the Kashmiris will hate to be part of Pakistan. They are not for the cult of violence. It is a pity that they have become the victims of the gun of foreign mercenaries and other vested interests operating in the valley from across the border. The cold-blooded killing of Abdul Ghani Lone, a senior leader of the All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC), and the beheading of two National Conference activists on Tuesday are part of the ISI agenda to eliminate moderate elements in Kashmir to the advantage of pro-Pakistani hardliners. Islamabad's game is highly sinister. It does not want moderate persons within the Hurriyat and outside of it to contest the forthcoming election to the State Assembly. Will the White House take note of General Musharraf's
deep-rooted game of spreading terror in the valley and beyond? For India, Kashmir is not a mere piece of land. It is linked with the rest of the nation with long history, culture, civilisational bonds and secularism which are the very basis of
Kashmiriyat. The Kashmiris enjoy full protection and democratic rights. They are masters of their land and destiny. There is no reason why India should be cowed down by Pakistani agents. The Kashmiris have seen what it means to take to the gun and repose trust in the ruthless foreign mercenaries. It will be in their interests to participate in the next Assembly elections in a big way. This is the only way to crush the spectre of terrorism. True, public support for militancy is on the wane. Even some Hurriyat leaders were toying with the idea of contesting the election. With the gunning down of Lone, there will be uncertainly on this count. The moderates within the Hurriyat establishment are genuinely tired of bloodshed. This is significant. However, the recent spilt in the Hizbul Mujahideen and the cracks in the Hurriyat setup have obviously upset Pakistan's calculations. Besides, General Musharraf is reportedly under pressure from the USA to put an end to Islamabad-sponsored terrorism. It is absolutely necessary that President Bush sees South Asia in a new perspective, beyond September 11. Tuesday's gory incident has, however, put everything in a state of flux. Lone's murder has once again revived the bitter memories of Pakistan's sinister terrorist activities. It is no use going into the ifs and buts of history. Indian leaders have committed a series of blunders since they neither learn from history nor from their own mistakes. Their responses are both slow and lopsided. If Kashmir has become a problem it is because South Block has made a mess of everything, right from the crucial days of accession. Regrettably, we have often allowed personal factors to determine national issues. Also, we do not adequately know how to deal with the sensitivities of a Muslim majority state. We thought we could purchase the loyalty of the Kashmiri Muslims by giving them dolls, subsidised food and concessions. Well, we have already paid a heavy price for this policy of appeasement and misplaced zeal of small-time politicians and their hangers-on. Be that as it may. It needs to be stated that India never had a better opportunity to settle the Kashmir issue than now, whatever be the odds, provided we are sure of our goals and targets and work firmly to achieve them. For years, the people of Jammu and Kashmir have suffered bloodshed. Their state is in ruin. They have lost the precious time to progress while others are moving ahead. Viewed in this context, the Prime Minister's visit to Jammu and Kashmir is noteworthy, notwithstanding the unfortunate Lone killing. Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee enjoys considerable goodwill and trust among the Kashmiris. His initiative for the unilateral ceasefire last year was very much appreciated by the people. It is true that elections were never quite free and fair in Jammu and Kashmir. In fact, barring one or two occasions, the elections were rigged. Frustration among the people in this context must have contributed to the rise of militancy in the valley. Interestingly, it was his defeat in the election through rigging by the National Conference which made Yousuf Shah turn to militancy. He is now Syed Salahuddin, the dreaded-leader of the Hizbul Mujahideen currently based in Pakistan. And Abdul Hamid Sheikh was then allegedly beaten up by National Conference activists. Kashmir today is not what it was a decade ago. Things have changed considerably. The people's attitude has also undergone subtle transformation. Of course, Pakistan has intensified its cross-border terrorist activities. This poses a big challenge to the Indian nation. We have to accept this challenge and crush terrorism ruthlessly. Coming back to the present tension at the border, General Musharraf ought to realise that he cannot grab Kashmir by military means. And if he decides to unleash a nuclear war, it is doubtful if Pakistan would survive such a misadventure. This harsh reality no one dare overlook. And the Kashmiris too must be aware of these basic facts. From its very inception, Pakistan has been a military-run state and hence its military psychosis. Islamabad is mostly ruled by men who are capable of any mad act, including pressing the nuclear button. Even during the Kargil flare-up, Pakistan's military establishment was said to be toying with the idea of using some nuclear device though there was a democratically elected government headed by Mr Nawaz Sharif. Of course, Islamabad has also been obsessed with the idea of establishing a military parity with India. It has attained a measure of parity, thanks to the help from the USA and China. However, the Indian Army is more powerful and can defeat Pakistan in a convention war, and that is why it has been bragging about a nuclear strike against this country. It is said that if Pakistan faces defeat in a conventional war, it will use nuclear weapons. So what? Will this bring Islamabad victory? Pakistan can survive a conventional war, but a nuclear war will mean its total annihilation. True, a lot of damage will be caused to India as well. But India will survive. The logic of the situation must be clear to any sensible person. For the present, what is important is to see that the Kalashnikov cult does not succeed in Kashmir. The people ought to see what damage fundamentalists and terrorists can inflict. A poignant example is Afghanistan! In the months ahead, Mr Vajpayee's India will be on a severe test. A lot will depend on how the authorities are able to tackle President Bush and General Pervez Musharraf besides key leaders in Beijing and Riyadh. We can succeed if we think and work in a coordinated manner and not at cross-purposes as has been the Indian
specialty so far! It is not in India's interest to allow a situation of perpetual conflict. This is the Dead Sea fruit of our political process. The multiplicity of demands made on society will not be met by turning the country into a soft state and making its system of governance permissive. The country requires solid action against formidable terrorist groups which have now moved to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Why not smash their camps as part of a limited operation? I am sure even Uncle Sam may not disapprove of such a course. A country like India can be governed only with a measure of firmness. But this firmness has to be based on national interests and irrevocable principles. It is a pity that we have allowed our people's interests and principles to be eroded for the expediency of personal electoral politics! |
Triumph and tribulations of East Timor NOBODY
can empathise more with the trials, tribulations and the ultimate triumph of the East Timorese people than the Indians because of the similar history of the two. What the British did to India was done by the Portuguese and then the Indonesians in East Timor. In fact, the latter suffered a fate even worse than that of India, considering that Indonesia at times surpassed even Europeans in suppression. Now that the half-island entity has emerged as a full-fledged nation, the world is saluting it for its grit and determination. “I salute you, the people of East Timor, for the courage and perseverance that you have shown. Yours has not been an easy path to independence,” Mr Kofi Annan, the United Nations Secretary-General, said moments before UN peacekeepers lowered their flag before tens of thousands of East Timorese gathered in a dusty field on the edge of capital Dili on May 20. Ecstatic people sang, danced and hollered “Viva Timor Leste” (Long Live East Timor). But behind the joyous celebration was the dark story of machinations of big powers for whom the lives of these people were less important than the resources of their land. More than four centuries of Portuguese rule reduced this piece of land into one of the poorest places on earth. Its annual per capita domestic product of less than $ 450 puts it in the last place of the 162 countries measured by the UN. The human development index, which assesses life expectancy, knowledge and standard of living, ranks it alongside Rwanda in the 152nd place. But it did have vast reserves of oil and gas. It was this hidden wealth that made it a victim of a deep-rooted conspiracy. When the Portuguese moved out of their colony in 1975, the Indonesians stepped in on December 7, 1975, ending 10 days of unilateral independence. This occupation was to become notorious for unimaginable acts of brutality. Nearly two lakh people lost their lives due to murder, starvation and forced migration in 24 years. Considering that the total population of the island is no more than eight lakh, that the casualty figure is benumbing. Recently declassified documents reveal that former President Gerald Ford and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger gave ex-Indonesian dictator Suharto the green signal to invade East Timor before he sent in troops. The ground? Fighting communism! This was “Kissingerian realism” at its ugliest. Not only that, the USA supplied 90 per cent of the weapons used in the military occupation. Taking part in the independence celebrations, former President Bill Clinton, who was representing President Bush, admitted as much when he said that the US record had been less than sterling in East Timor. There was no word of apology. Mr Richard Holbrooke, who accompanied Mr Clinton, was Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs under President Jimmy Carter and oversaw the shipment of 16 A-4 Skyhawk jets that were used during the intensification of attacks on the East Timorese civilians. Although the UN passed several resolutions condemning Indonesia’s illegal occupation, Mr Ford’s Ambassador to the UN, Mr Daniel Patrick Moynihan, acknowledged in his memoirs that he worked to make UN efforts “utterly ineffective”! A UN commission recommended in January, 2000, that the Indonesian military should be brought before an international human rights tribunal for this scorched-earth campaign. But such a court has not been formed, while apologists for Jakarta point to the Indonesian ad hoc Human Rights Court on East Timor as an adequate substitute. What they conveniently hide is that the court’s mandate is limited to two months in 1999 and three of East Timor’s 13 districts. Ironically, the Bush Administration is on the verge of restarting aid to the Indonesian military with $8 million to train a counter-terrorism unit and another $8 million for domestic peacekeeping. Similarly, Australia found it more convenient to deal with Indonesia in carving up the fossil fuel wealth of East Timor and gave its tacit approval to this rape of the famished island. It is a tribute to the guerrilla leader-turned-President Jose Alexandre Gusmao, known throughout the country as Xanana, that he is still willing to let bygones be bygones. The 55-year-old poet spent seven years in jail and under house arrest and yet believes in reconciliation with Indonesia. Because of such democratic instincts and conciliatory spirit, he has often been compared with Nelson Mandela. The nation voted overwhelmingly for independence from Jakarta in August, 1999, in a UN-sponsored referendum. That provoked the Indonesian army and its local militias to kill about 2,000 people, rape hundreds of women and girls and force 2,60,000 others into the Indonesian West Timor. Not only that, they destroyed almost all its infrastructure. The world’s newest nation’s annual budget today is less than the price of a fighter aircraft. But international donors have pledged to give $ 360 million over the next three years. Revenue from the sale of oil will also start coming in in a few years. On its very first day as an independent nation on Monday East Timor signed a key oil treaty with Australia, dividing revenue from oil and gas reserves under the Timor Sea 90-10 in East Timor’s favour. This will bring in about $ 7 billion over the next 20 years beginning 2005. Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri’s government has to rebuild its shattered economy, ensure security from foreign threat, build a credible police force and, above all, guard against corruption. But the real problem of East Timor lies in the mischief that is already afoot. Indonesian hardliners are not at all reconciled to the loss of their 27th province. What must be remembered is that West Timor is under the control of the Indonesians and the border is scandalously porous. If the newly installed government tries to chart too independent a course, there is every danger that the Indonesian militias would resume their rampages or pay allies inside East Timor to cause violence. The new US coordination with Indonesia’s army might very well be taken as an invitation to such a mischief. |
Time for India to redeem its honour DO we trust the USA? The answer is no. The Lok Sabha debate clearly established it. And yet India and the USA were also holding joint military exercises in Agra! It called for the highest level of trust in each other. Contradiction? Yes. Speaker after speaker in the Lok Sabha warned India not to put its trust in America. According to L.K. Advani, Indo-US relations are “deeply disappointing.” And Sonia Gandhi asked: how can anyone take America seriously in its war against terror when it is in alliance with the country which is the epicentre of fundamentalism and terror? How then is one to explain this contradiction? I can only hazard a guess: India and Pakistan are serving different objectives of US foreign policy. The USA needs Pakistan in case it has to take on Saddam Hussein or to exploit Central Asian oil and gas. Pakistan is America’s best link to the Islamic world. And the USA needs India as a balancing factor against China and to secure the sea lanes of the Indian Ocean. A strange situation? Yes, hence the need to understand its logic. Indo-US military cooperation is directed against China and Pakistan. One can understand China. But why Pakistan? Because, in view of the grave developments in Pakistan, the jehadis may well capture power and seize the nuclear arsenal. The Indo-US para jumps in Agra may well be the prelude for an assault on Pakistan to prevent such a development. The Indian and US joint exercises in the North East (Arunachal) are clearly directed against China. But how is one to explain China’s silence? Because China has reassuring words from Colin Powell, the Secretary of State. In a recent interview he said: “We will continue to work with China as the situation evolves.” About US relations with China, he described it as “candid where we disagree, constructive where we see some daylight and cooperative where we have common regional and global interests.” It is said that Washington’s cooperation with Pakistan is of a short-term nature, that its immediate objective is to curb Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism. But cooperation with India, as it is emerging today, has a long-term objective. It has to do with America’s broader strategic and political goals in the Asian region and the Indian Ocean. This may well be true. The BJP has been a pro-US party. So when it came to power, it was thought that Indo-US relations would improve significantly. But Washington did not like Pokhran II. It created considerable acrimony between the two countries. Why was the USA against a nuclear India and not against a nuclear China? This has to do with US assessments about India and China. I believe the USA is more worried of India’s potential. But two years of dialogue between Jaswant Singh and Strobe Talbot of the State Department brought about a thaw. Perhaps a strategic understanding? Clinton was responsible for this change. There are a number of reasons for it — the emergence of China as a threat, of India as a nuclear power and a major world market, and so on. But I believe that at the back of it all is a new perception of India as a positive civilisational force. But Washington was not ready to change its equation with Pakistan. It was the best link with the Islamic world. But September 11 changed all that. The fact is: Pakistan failed to stop it. There was need to contain the new global scourge: Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism. American opinion on Pakistan is, however, divided. After September 11, American public opinion is largely hostile to Pakistan and Islam. Americans recognise Pakistan as a centre of fundamentalism and terrorism. American think-tanks have been warning the State Department against any long-term strategic relations with Pakistan. The Cato Institute, a leading think-tank, said recently: “Washington should view Pak with its dictatorship, failed economy and insecure nuclear arsenal, as a reluctant supporter of US goals at best and as a potential long-term problem, at worst.” There was a time when Washington was committed to promote democracy in Pakistan. Now, no more. Populist democracy, under unscrupulous civilians, led to the growth of fundamentalism. Only the army can contain it. So Pakistan is in for a long spell of army rule. The referendum in Pakistan may be a hoax. But Washington supported it, for a day before the referendum, the World Bank announced a loan of one billion dollars to Pakistan! The USA will continue to regard India as a more reliable and stable regional partner than Pakistan in the longer term. This view is expressed in a survey by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies. For far too long India has tried to please world opinion by its good behaviour. More so, for its support to India’s stand on Kashmir. The result has been disappointment. Today, the BJP government is on the same path. But it has already discovered its folly. Or has it? The western world is not a just world. The entire Europe is moving today to the right, all because of Muslim immigration. And yet they were once welcome. The West is in panic after September 11. It wants to put a stop to Muslim immigration. At the same time, it wants greater control over the oil and gas reserves of Muslim countries. To achieve this, it wants to make use of Pakistan. Such is the cynicism. There is a lesson for India too to learn in all these. The anti-immigrant British National Party is openly committed to an “all-white Britain”. A bitterly racial Britain will infect America. Can India put its trust in such an America? For 15 years India has been subject to this proxy war, which has spread from J&K to the rest of India. And yet the world community has not come to India’s rescue. It has not been willing to support strong action by India. All that we have got, as Omar Abdullah has said, from the international community has been a dose of lip service. In contrast, Pakistan has been a gainer. For over 50 years, Pakistan has been after Kashmir. The 1948, 1965 and 1971 wars were inconclusive. The Kargil adventure flopped. Through the proxy war Pakistan has been able to make India bleed white. What is more, with a stock of nuclear bombs, it is able to blackmail India. And we seem to be almost paralysed. All that we can do is to issue threats of reprisals. India has reached a stage when it can no more tolerate this humiliation and affront. It is not enough to say: we’ll teach them a lesson. Which reminds me of the cripple at the octroi post. To all those who failed to pay, the cripple would says if only I can get up, I will teach you a lesson. India is a cripple today. Thanks to its rulers. |
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An obligation to tell the truth JOURNALISTS bear witness to some of the worst crimes that humans perpetrate against one another but, having described such moments to their audience, have they fulfilled their responsibility? Or should they be prepared to take the stand in court to play a part in the trials of alleged war criminals? At the latest hearings at the war crimes tribunal on the former Yugoslavia the focus has switched from the crimes of Slobodan Milosevic to whether Washington Post newspaper veteran John Randal should be compelled to testify. This argument echoes far beyond the courtroom. It is not just about ‘the media’ but the effectiveness of bringing future cases against war criminals and tyrants in an era in which the world community is trying to implement international laws of war and human rights. The International Criminal Court begins sitting in July, hampered by the outright hostility of the United States. Now, the Washington Post, seeking special provision to exclude journalists from the arena of justice, further threatens the court’s efficacy. Randal’s presence is requested by the defence in the case of Radoslav Brdjanin, a Bosnian Serb charged with genocide and the mass persecution and deportation of Muslims. Brdjanin’s lawyers want to question Randal about an article he wrote in 1993, and which the prosecution wants to bring into evidence. Randal declined to appear, the court moved to compel him and now the Post is seeking not only to protect its own, but all his kind. At a hearing last week, a leading international lawyer, British-based Geoffrey Robertson, argued that journalists working in such areas as Bosnia-Herzegovina should be covered by special rules granting them ‘exemption from testifying’, akin to those covering officials of the Red Cross. The gist of the argument as presented in court is that the reporter’s neutrality on the ground becomes jeopardized by a potential compulsion to testify, so that he or she becomes inoperable at best, endangered at worst. The Court needs reporters to stand by their stories on oath. The work of some journalists has already had an impact beyond mere ‘reporting’: in El Salvador, East Timor, Rwanda, the Balkans and elsewhere. Now we are entering a new world that seeks not only to report the legacy of tyrants and mass murderers, but to call them to account. My belief is that we must do our professional duty to our papers and public, and our moral and legal duty to this new enterprise. Why should journalists of all people - whose information will be of such value - perch loftily above the due process of law?
The Observer |
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Devoted dads less likely to stray WOMEN
interested in knowing whether their men are likely to stray should find out their testosterone levels. In birds, low levels of the male hormone encourage fidelity while higher levels mean they are more likely to play the field, and the same could hold true for humans. Scientists at Harvard University have discovered that married men who spend time with their family have lower testosterone levels than bachelors. When anthropologist Peter Gray and his colleagues measured testosterone levels of 58 men they found that levels dropped after a natural peak in the morning but the decrease was more prominent in the married men than in bachelors. “And fathers seem to show an even more dramatic difference from unmarried men,” Gray told New Scientist magazine. So devoted dads, who are less likely to stray, probably have lower testosterone levels. Gray believes it could work both ways. Lower levels encourage men to spend time with their family and being in a family may lower the hormone levels. In his next project, he plans to study levels of the hormone in men separated from their wives but who have joint custody of their children to separate the impact of marriage from parenting.
Reuters Power dressing for the elderly An inflatable Lycra suit will be the new fashion must-have for the weak and elderly if a Japanese scientist has his way. Hiroshi Kobayashi of the Science University of Tokyo has designed a garment which could give new meaning to the term “power dressing.” The Lycra suit is covered with inflatable muscles to give elderly people more strength and stability to get around. It has its own power supply and pressure sensors that tell the artificial muscles when to inflate and assist the wearer. “The beauty of the suit, according to Kobayashi, is that the wearer’s own bones and joints act as supports and fulcrums for the inflatable muscles,” New Scientist magazine said. Power for the suit is supplied by compressed air stored in small canisters throughout the suit or in a tank on the back.
Reuters |
If destiny favours what has gone beyond the ocean comes back. But if destiny is unfavourable, what is within one’s grasp is lost. —
A Sanskrit quote *** It is destiny alone that bears fruit, not education or human effort. —
A Sanskrit quote *** Whatever is destined to happen, happens and whatever is destined not to happen, does not happen. —
A Sanskrit quote *** That which God writes on thy forehead thou will come to it. —
The Koran *** There must have been a moment in your life when you wanted nothing, when you felt entirely content. Rest in this contentment and become tranquil. Contentment opens your heart. When you apply yourself to spiritual practices, you experience God’s energy so strongly that you will never again feel you have to face life alone. You will feel so loved by God. Because of this your contentment will grow, your appreciation of life will grow, And you wont’ want to waste a single moment. —
Swami Chidvilasananda, Gems from the magic of the Heart. *** The real performance of a devotee consists in the practice of Truth, contentment and compassion. —
Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Sri Rag *** Absorption of holy teaching Brings truthfulness, contentment and spiritual illumination. —
Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Japuji *** Those who are contented truly serve the Lord... Their feet do not traverse the path of evil. —
Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Var Asa M 1 |
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