Barackface

Monday, October 06, 2014

War On Terrorism And Drones And Android Phones And India

Description: A Ku Klux Klan meeting in Gainesville, Florida, Dec. 31, 1922. Source: http://www.displaysforschools.com/history.html. Portion: Reduced from original size so it is no longer suitable for reproduction. Purpose: To illustrate the article Ku Klux Klan. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In geometry you define a point, you define a line as the shortest distance between two points, and so on to complex theorems. I take a similar approach to the War On Terrorism. As soon as 9/11 happened I equated it to Pearl Harbor. The Cold War ended, and this was a beginning to something new of the same magnitude.

Some of the postulates.

9/11 was Pearl Harbor to a new Cold War like era. It was the beginning of a new Front.
Freedom rings in every human heart. Democracy is thus not an American export. But the external conditions in any given country can be hostile to democracy, to freedom. America being the oldest democracy carries the historic weight on its shoulders. America has no bigger goal in the world than a total spread of democracy. That is why it was born. That is also in the best interests of the country.
India being the world's largest democracy and by now the third largest economy after China and America is America's natural ally. India is the new Britain. There are almost as many Muslims in India as in Pakistan. Only Indonesia has more Muslims. The Muslims in India have lived under a democratic republic for close to 70 years now. That is a long, ongoing experiment. But it is also a criticism of democracy that Muslims in India, like African Americans in America lag behind in every socio-economic indicator.
The War On Terrorism concludes when all Muslim countries have become full fledged, functioning democracies with regular free and fair elections, multiple political parties, minority rights, individual rights, and the major institutions of democracy.
In some countries democracy will arrive by conquest. That is almost always a bad idea.
In most countries democracy will arrive because people rose up and came out into the streets.
Can all this happen on its own? Or does America have a role? America has a huge role. America can be that catalyst that makes it happen much faster than it otherwise will.
Iraq was not a functioning democracy when the ISIS rose up. It has become an electoral Shiacracy in the aftermath of Saddam, which was a Sunni dominated dictatorship.
America toppled Saddam fast. But it did a poor job of nurturing democracy in the country. America did not get the bang for the buck, after over a trillion dollars spent, over 100,000 Iraqi lives lost, over 5,000 American lives lost.
Special forces are better than traditional combat forces, because they employ similar tactics to the terrorists. But special forces can not be the primary weapon.
The primary weapon in this war is the cheap Android phone that gets internet access beamed from the sky.
Google and Facebook both have working prototypes on which they plan on spending a billion dollars each. They are going to get a ton of drones up in the sky, above airplanes but below satellites.
The most important thing the American government can do is spend more than 100 billion dollars to rapidly scale out this Google/Facebook effort to blanket the entire planet with internet access from the sky. And flood the target countries with cheap Android phones, and cheap solar battery chargers. Dictator after dictator will topple. Terrorist groups that number in the thousands will look like insignificant minorities like the Michigan militia or the Ku Klux Klan in the Pacific Ocean of two billion Muslims.
But right now the US government is putting zero effort into this. Why? Because the military-industrial complex has a grip on the US government, directly as well as through the command they exert over public opinion. If the War On Terrorism only has military solutions, then that industry keeps making its hundreds of billions. And off we go.
The current debate on net neutrality in DC should tell you how naive and hopeless the tech industry is in DC. This net neutrality debate should not even be happening. But is happening. The tech industry should admit to its utter failure in DC. They need to go head on and compete with the military-industrial complex in DC. Because there is a War On Terrorism that needs to be taken to its logical conclusion. The fewer lives that are lost in the process, better it will be. Muslim lives are as valuable as Christian lives, believe it or not.
Drones from the sky, Android phones on the ground. That is one. The biggest political move Washington could make is to turn India into the new Britain. Muslims in India are best positioned to act as ambassadors of democracy across the Islamic world. On this India count as well America has so far failed.
This drone thing, this India thing. These would be proactive. But reacting to the ISIS is reactive. That is more expensive, and less effective. Much more expensive, and much less effective. You can cut down the ISIS in size in a very expensive way, and still not have managed to spread democracy anywhere.

A Political Immigration Detention

President Barack Obama and Senator John McCain in a press conference, taking place on March 4, 2009. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I went in the precise day Hillary lost to Barack in 2008. I came out a few days after Barack Obama beat John McCain. I had not been out but a few days I got an email from one of the two Co-Chairs of the New York State Democratic Party. She had sent it to me on Facebook, one on one. She had invited me to a DL21C event. At the time it was illegal for me to show up for a DL21C event. Why would a Co-Chair of the state Democratic Party, someone I had never met, invite me to an event in an open invitation to flaunt the law of the land?

There were people who never expected to see me again. They were offended I was back in town.

Friday, October 03, 2014

Modi: BJP's Nehru

Modi shows all signs of being in the Prime Minister's seat for three terms. I take two terms for granted. I think he might also do a third stint.

According to the World Bank, India's current GDP is $6 trillion. If it grows at 10% it doubles every seven years. So by the time Modi's 15 years are over, the GDP should hit $24 trillion.

Anything less than that, and I am going to say Modi failed. Only such a rapid growth could lift hundreds of millions of Indians out of poverty.

Monday, September 22, 2014

Peace

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Challenges To The Nation State

European Union (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The nation state has not been around forever, just like democracy has not been. And so the fact that it is being challenged should not surprise us. These are growing pains.

One major challenge is coming from technology. The individual is greatly empowered through technology, and so the nation state's space needs to shrink. But the nation state is refusing to be a happy, willing partner.

Another challenge is coming from globalization and the redrawing of national boundaries. Europe is a fine example. Europe has the ultimate in infrastructure. It has the roads and the trains and the communications technology. But old cultural identities have not gone away. There are identity movements threatening to break up several countries in Europe right now. I am not sure that is bad news. That is the nation state feeling the pressure.

Scotland is a good example. If Scotland breaks away, I think that will be a vote for the European Union. Defense and monetary policies are best served through larger structures like the European Union, India and the United States. But cultural identities need bigger expressions. That is only healthy.

I don't agree with the methods of the ISIS (at all), but maybe the World War I political boundaries in the Arab world are not sacrosanct after all. Maybe it is good if the Kurds break away. Iraq's boundaries perhaps need to be reimagined.

Sri Lanka is the most literate nation in South Asia. But it has the most complex ethnic problem of anywhere in the world. There has to be peaceful options where an oppressed minority can get justice when a unitary state's majoritarian government is not willing to act fair.

China is another challenge to the nation state. This nation state has lifted more people out of poverty than any other in world history. Give them some credit. Fundamental political reforms are long overdue. I envision a future for China where it has become a multi-party democracy, where it is federal, and Tibet and Taiwan are both part of it. But I feel China can teach America a thing or two about campaign finance reform. When you don't take money out of politics, your democracy is more than a little bit screwed.

Immigration reform failure in America is another challenge to the nation state. America is not keeping up. That is bad news.

Scotland peacefully separating has to become a model for many other parts of the world. If Scotland should move away from London and closer to Brussels, that will be an exercise in deeper, larger political integration. I am all for that.

Tuesday, September 09, 2014

King Khan: Badshah

How to get Shah Rukh Khan's body from 'Happy New Year'

SRK's diet Eggs with two pieces of brown bread Coffee Chicken sandwiches Chicken salad Protein supplement through the day Snacks of white egg omelette or sweet potato Grilled fish or chicken or stir fried vegetables for dinner The last one month we added an extra meal of chicken every day like a chicken salad

Revealed: Shah Rukh Khan’s secret to an 8-pack body!

He’d work out five days a week for an hour and twenty minutes

How to Get Six Pack Abs like ShahRukh khan?

The first thing Shah Rukh tells is that if you do not watch what you are eating, it is no use following your exercise routine religiously. The abdominal area can not be asked what you want it to do when it is full of unwanted stuff. You can say good bye to your six packs. He had resolutely given up his favorite biryani for months in order to achieve the desired results. ....... Food that contains a high protein and negligible carbohydrate is the ideal menu thatt you should follow. Avian meat like chicken and lean meat are fine. Egg whites and skimmed milk along with some pulses and fish are good too.....Cakes and biscuits contain carbohydrates and are to be avoided. On the other hand, if you can, eat wheat bread, cereals and vegetables because they have high fiber content and are beneficial to those who want to develop six packs. ...... Water is, aftel all, the elixir of life. Drink it in large quantities. Like, 3 litres of it! Everybody likes to taste something sweet now and then. If you are on a trip of sugar craving, go for fruits which are sweet but full of fiber contents. ....... Cardio exercises are the ones that you need to concentrate on. Walking, running and cycling are the aerobics that would take you down the right path. Abs exercises sans cardio will be like form without substance. The abs will not show because the belly fat can protrude out and hide them. ........ Rather than doing crunches, you must concentrate on sit-ups. It is not necessary nor advisable to do the abs exercises everyday. Muscles that involve abs development need a little rest between exercises and this could be given to them by doing the exercises on alternate days.

The Shahrukh Khan Diet Plan

Shahrukh Khan is a Bollywood film star renowned for his six-pack abs, which he claims he developed in just three months at the age of 42 through diet and exercise. Khan followed a high-protein, low-fat, low-carb diet combined with a weight-training regimen, which involved hitting the gym four days a week. ...... Khan says he drinks eight to 10 glasses of water every day because staying hydrated is "extremely important." ...... Shahrukh Khan's diet is very strict. He avoids all breads and rice, as well as high-fat foods made with ghee -- clarified butter. Lean meats, chicken, turkey, egg whites, paneer -- a type of farmer's cheese -- fish and skim milk are allowed. All simple carbohydrates, including refined grains and anything with added sugars should be avoided. High-fiber complex carbohydrates such as vegetables, legumes and whole grains are acceptable. Khan recommends eating a piece of fruit if you have a craving for something sweet and drinking between two and three liters of water each day. He also suggests a protein drink after every workout. ...... Khan believes it's important to allow muscles time to recover and suggests that you only lift weights and train your abdominal muscles four times a week -- resting one day in between strength training. However, you need to sweat -- cardio will help you lose body fat to reveal your six-pack abs. The Bollywood actor also says that if you slip up on the diet, doing 50 minutes of cardio will get your body back on track. Try 30 to 60 minutes of running, jogging, cycling or aerobics every day. ..... Khan's diet plan emphasizes lean proteins and includes unlimited amounts of vegetables and high-fiber grains, there shouldn't be any problem getting the proper nutrients in your daily diet. ..... Avoid alcoholic beverages and try to eat grilled, rather than fried, food. Although Khan's plan is not low-fat, he does shy away from excess calories. Fat has 9 calories per gram, while protein and carbohydrates only have 4 calories per gram. Avoid snacking in between meals. Start slowly; Khan says you can expect to see results in 30 to 40 days, but that you must be very disciplined. If you are strict and regular with your exercise and diet, you will succeed.

SHAHRUKH KHAN WORKOUTS AND DIET

he does 100 push ups and 60 pull ups daily to maintain his abs. According to the actor doing push ups and pull ups regularly for month will start showing the results. ....... Drink 4-5 litres of water everyday Follow a low carbohydrate and high protein diet Have a protein drink after your workout Avoid sweets. If you have a craving for anything sweet, eat fruits as this is usually enough to satisfy and sugar cravings Increase your intake of protein rich foods such as chicken,egg whites, turkey, lean meats, skimmed milk, pulses .... Never train your abs more than 3 times a week, that too on alternate days.