Despite Boston Marathon blasts, America is still impenetrable

America will live on forever

Every city in the United States has since been put on high alert; same is the case in major cities of the world especially London which will host the next marathon in the series. The mayhem will remain etched in the minds of Bostonians and Americans for a long time to come but whether it will create as much paranoia as the 9/11 tragedy did in 2001 is a question that cannot be answered now.

This attack, treated as an “act of terror” by the White House, is the first successful terror strike against civilians in any US city since the September 11 tragedy. This does not mean that Barack Obama failed to protect his country; it simply means that every terror plot cannot be thwarted. The big question that arises now is how the US government reacts to this tragedy. Will they go all out in search of a terrorist group and invade a country like they did after the 9/11 tragedy?

Read the rest here with a prayer for those who died and were left scarred.

 

http://www.newsyaps.com/despite-boston-marathon-blasts-america-is-still-impenetrable/13669/

Killing the youth of Bengal

Eminent personalities protesting against the vandalism

It took Mamata Banerjee – the West Bengal Chief Minister – an unfortunate manhandling of her minister to realize that politics in this country has become “dirty” and “nasty”. The epiphany dawned on the temperamental chief of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) only after activists from the Student Federation of India (SFI) – an ‘undefined’ wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) – heckled her and Amit Mitra (Bengal’s finance minister and the grand nephew of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose) outside the Planning Commission in Delhi on Tuesday where she had gone to discuss the financial future of her state. Mitra landed in AIIMS while the chief minister left for Kolkata and was admitted to a clinic for treatment after she complained of pain in her joints. 

The SFI manhandling of Amit Mitra and the subsequent retaliation by TMC at the Presidency University shows the nadir of student union politics. Should student unions be banned throughout the country or should our politicians behave more responsibly? 

Read my argument here: 

http://www.newsyaps.com/killing-the-youth-of-bengal/13039/

Please do not forget to air your views in the comments section below.

(img courtesy: news.in.msn.com)

“Urine” remark indeed biggest blunder of Ajit Pawar’s career

Power Pissing on Powerless People

There is no point in raising a hue and cry over the “urine” remark of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. The comment was from a deeply frustrated leader constantly hounded by political parties over the abysmal drought situation in his state. What can Ajit Pawar do if there is no rain for the crops? He is not Lord Indra of the Indian mythology who can usher and order the clouds to open up wherever and whenever he pleases, is he? He is also not a magician who would utter some abracadabra and create a reservoir out of nowhere. Ajit Pawar is an ordinary human being, as ordinary as you and I are!

But why am I defending him, or am I at all? Find out here:

http://www.newsyaps.com/urine-remark-indeed-biggest-blunder-of-ajit-pawars-career/12243/

Praising beauty becomes Obama’s dilemma

Attorney General Kamala Harris

What’s wrong in calling a beautiful woman “beautiful”? Apparently, not much provided you are not the head of a state. And this is why US President Barack Obama cannot praise a woman’s beauty. His position makes him different from everyone in his country at least. Last Thursday, the suave and otherwise articulate Obama made a faux pas by calling Attorney General Kamala Harris as “the best-looking attorney general in the country”. If he had forgotten that he was the US President, his country’s media wasted no time in reminding him that he is the world’s most powerful man and, therefore, is forbidden from calling any woman beautiful other than his wife.

Obama, a not so reticent man by any stretch, must perhaps still be wondering exactly what part of his praise offended certain sections of the American society to the extent that he was forced to apologise the next day. Some were unforgiving in their reactions and went so far as to seeking “gender-sensitivity training” for the president. Most Twitter users branded Obama’s comment as “sexist”. Reports add that there were more negative comments for Obama on Twitter than there were in his support.

So, was Obama wrong? Find out here:

http://www.newsyaps.com/praising-beauty-becomes-obamas-dilemma/11876/

Pyongyang Nuclear Crisis: Will North Korea strike or is it just threats?

Will there be a third world war? The question, howsoever obtuse, is perhaps on the minds of a larger number of individuals than is the question on water shortage (an issue that warrants immediate attention of most countries in the world). The remotest possibility of a world war excites many, especially those who have no experience of war or do not live in war-torn areas. This is why events through the month of March in North Korea have raised hopes in the hearts of war-lovers who want to witness a grand dance of destruction and mayhem. However, some erudite minds are adopting a blasé attitude toward the Pyongyang Nuclear Crisis (as we would like to call it), and thankfully so.

Read why a war is least likely here:

http://www.newsyaps.com/pyongyang-nuclear-crisis-will-north-korea-strike-or-is-it-just-threats/11200/

Why 69 year old Din’s quest for a bride is inspirational

In a desire to marry a second time and have a partner who can share his luxurious life, a 69-year-old NRI multi-millionaire has sought a bride through a full page advertisement in the Matrimonial supplement of the Times of India this past Sunday (March 31, 2013). The man, a Parsi named Dinshah Vimadalal, self-proclaims himself as someone who is “older than 40 but (am) very young at heart, very young physically, very active”. In the full-page display ad, Vimadalal neatly describes his wealth and a bit about his life.

Read more about it here:

http://www.newsyaps.com/why-69-year-old-dins-quest-for-a-bride-is-inspirational/11398/

Manti Te’o hoax: Conflict between real and virtual

Just like much of the world was unaware of a genius named Aaron Swartz until he committed suicide, there is a high probability that people are oblivious to a scandal that has rocked college football in a corner of the United States. The Manti Te’o hoax, as it is being treated now, might end up as a feather in the hat of journalism or investigators. It has all the elements of mystery, viz. a boy, a girl, a love story, a tragic death and a rise-against-all-odds ending. It also has a setting unique to make it a Hollywood potboiler – virtual reality. Above all it is the latest, and perhaps the best, example of the growing importance (not just role) of virtual reality in our lives.

But what is the Manti Te’o hoax anyway? That’s a real question. Well, Manti Te’o is a linebacker at the University of Notre Dame from the city of South Bend, St. Joseph County, Indiana. He is quite famous at the American collegiate football level and, at 21 years, has a promising career at the NFL. However, in spite of all his skills on the field, Manti Te’o would perhaps be best remembered for the hoax that is being described as “one of the strangest stories in decades” by the US media. The Manti Te’o hoax involves the footballer and his “dead girlfriend” Lennay Kekua.

Read the rest here:

http://www.newsyaps.com/manti-teo-hoax-conflict-between-real-and-virtual/5186/

img courtesy: usmagazine.com