via youtube.com
Remember that lovely song from the Coke commercial in the library?
Monday, February 28, 2011
Turkey's election: A Muslim democracy in action | The Economist
Popular uprisings in the Arab world are drawing new attention to the example of Turkey’s democracy
“VOTE for AK. Write Your Own Constitution.” This is the slogan under which Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development (AK) party will launch its campaign for the general election that is to be held on June 12th. On one level, the outcome seems predictable. Opinion polls have consistently suggested that the mild Islamists who came to power in 2002 will bag a third term of single-party rule, with over 40% of the vote.
Rather less predictable is whether AK can win enough seats in the grand assembly (it needs 367 of a total 550) to approve a new constitution on its own. But Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the prime minister, insists that the new document will be based on consensus and that it will give Turkey a full-blooded, Western-style democracy. Can he be taken at his word?
via economist.com
Turkey can become the role model for the newly liberated Arab countries when they get their first whiff of democracy in ages.
King's Speech gathers awards in a "boring" Oscars 2011 show | Salon Magazine
Oscar has fallen, and he can't get up. Now, if you get that reference, you're probably: A) too old to belong to the demographic that was supposedly being hunted by the producers of Sunday night's dreary and confused telecast, and B) too young to have written most of the shtick. Presented with one of the most varied and interesting lists of nominated films in recent memory -- many of which had actually been seen by large numbers of paying humans -- the academy managed to screw up its messaging totally and create a soul-sucking black hole of boredom.
via salon.com
Of course, if you happened to be looking at the lovely and exquisite Natalie Portman throughout the show, there's now way you'd be bored.
Indian Budget 2011 targets poor, bets on brisk growth | Reuters
(Reuters) - The government boosted spending on hundreds of millions of its poor in a budget gambling on brisk economic growth to cover the cost of appeasing voters angered by corruption scandals and stubbornly high inflation.
The 2011/2012 fiscal plan unveiled on Monday met with market scepticism, with economists saying New Delhi's budget deficit and economic growth forecasts looked too optimistic, especially given high global oil prices that may inflate its subsidy bill.
via in.reuters.com
Agriculture seems to be the star of the day again.
Cricinfo: India v England, World Cup 2011: India have lost the favourites tag
First things first. The fans and the organisers must give thanks to India and England for conspiring to produce an extraordinary finish that has ignited the World Cup after ten days of relative torpor. Six hundred and seventy six runs, 18 wickets and a heart-stopping tie ensure that the match will linger in the memory of anyone present. But in the cold light of cricket logic, the reverse of what is normally said of a tie will apply to this match: the tie was a fair result because neither team deserved to win.
via espncricinfo.com
Sambit Bal's analysis of the implications of yesterday's thriller on the rest of the tournament.
The Daily Moo: The Clash: Straight to Hell
via youtube.com
After a match yesterday which has left my eardrums damaged, we have something rather peaceful to listen to today. Enjoy this reggae and dub inspired classic from the band which defined Punk.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Charts showing income disparity in the US
via motherjones.com
These charts show how income disparity has been increasing though the decades in the US. The figures are most probably worse for India and are bound to get worse and we model ourselves more and more on the US economy.
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