‘Cause I don’t have time to even die…

Tags

blog watch, climate change, doomsday, Personal Reflections

Sorry people, I really must apologise, I just can’t manage any time to blog! So much important things goin’ on across the World, the first EU Navy attack on Somalian mainland in hot pursuit of the Pirates, which is a major shift in strategy, French election won by socialists, Greece spiraling down further,

Guess who’s back?

Russian resurgence and revanchism, US elections, China – India eyeball to eyeball militarization, Al-Qaeda English magazine and Pakistan…well…being Pakistan…and so much else…but I’m just too occupied with my research and assignments! I just finished a piece, which was supposed to be around 3500 words, which is already over 4000, and still not concluded. I now need to trim it down…

In short, I’m totally doomed.

Bye bye Nicolas Sarkozy. Good fight, Sir.

Tags

France, Nicolas Sarkozy

Bye bye Sarkozy. Le Petit Prince. I will remember you as the classic immigrant success story, not the ones people look down upon, but the one people should actually look up to. The last of the few classy, aristocratic, flamboyant leaders left in the World.

Couple of articles for those who are interested…

Tags

Agni V, china, foreign affairs, Foreign Policy, India, Realism, russia, USA

First of all…I wrote an Op-Ed, real journalism after a V-E-R-Y long time. It got published in Otago Daily Times here. The name of the piece is “Just a Natural Progression“, and it is on India, China and nuclear missiles, and stuff related to that. Do read, share and let me know what you think!

Secondly, I would like all of you to read this fascinating piece, on US Foreign Policy, which takes a look on what would have happened, if Realists were in charge, in place of Neo-Cons, or Liberal Interventionists, for the last two decades. It is an absolute MUST-READ.

That’s all thus far! Cheers!

GUEST POST : Grasping Free Reality

Tags

atheism, Guest Post, Religion

Apologies people, both James and I, are busy with our respective life, work and research, and it has been long we both wrote something. I am not having time to write any op-ed pieces either, just too occupied with research and some personal issues. However, I have a guest post for you all, from a Welsh gentleman who goes by the name of Crispy Sea.  Mr. Sea here is a devout atheist, and even though I’m just irreligious and not exactly an atheist, with the overdose of religion all across the World, I thought it was prudent that we publish a counterpoint of view. He has been blogging on anti-theism for over 6 years, and will soon be publishing a Novel. You can debate with him at his blog or on twitter.

Is it not time to leave behind the primitive savagery of pretenders in paradise and peril?
Is it not time to leave behind the religious?
Should we not step free of them?

Pre-2012 US Election survey questions by DWW authors – answer them yourself in comments we will include the best in later posts

Tags

capitalism, Economic freedom, Democratic capitalism, Powell Doctrine, Heinrich Heine, Market economy, Juris Doctor, Economic system

What’re your views on evolution and science?

 

JD: Need both. If you reject evolution you are rejecting most forms of modern medicine so don’t reach for that next pill or that miracle operation if you don’t believe in these. That said, evolution and science do not kill or crowd out the role of religion and spirituality in our lives.

SM: Agreed. People who oppose evolution in the name of religion (all the religions!) have not evolved much anyway. Pretty much a follower of Heinrich Heine.

” In dark ages people are best guided by religion, as in a pitch-black night a blind man is the best guide; he knows the roads and paths better than a man who can see. When daylight comes, however, it is foolish to use blind, old men as guides. ” – Heinrich Heine.

” The Last Day ”

Tags

Iran, Israel, Nuclear bombs, USA, War

UPDATE : I forgot to mention before, and it would be a major felony not to share this big news with my readers. I got the Scholarship. The University emailed me a couple of days back, that they were pretty much blinded by my light and decided that it was a no competition. So that’s that. Life is sunny for me now, even in this awfully cold and damp part of the World. Thanks everyone, and I’m bloody brilliant, ain’t I?

ORIGINAL : Now, I rarely do short posts with videos anymore…but this is different. This is a video that is going viral, about the ongoing Iran Nuclear Crisis. It is a five minute “doomsday” docu clip, named “The Last Day” depicting the day after Israel launches a preemptive strike on Iran, and Iran retaliates.

Now, there are absolutely unbelievable number of trash that can be found on Youtube, generally with utterly hilarious photoshop, or video editing, and borderline ridiculous to extremely irritating comments and prophecies. Also, they are biased on either side. The reason this clip is not that is because,

1. It is very intelligently shot, ( “Section 7, former center of Israel, Jerusalem and vicinity” at the beginning of the clip just totally floored me… ) with a gonzo lifelike shaky handheld camera, giving the motion sickness effect,

2. It is absolutely unbiased, not taking any side, or propaganda, just trying to show how gruesome war can be, and what people in Middle East, on either side of the religious spectrum might have to go through.

A conflict journalist will always be a conflict journalist at heart, no matter how sober and peaceful his life is right now…so I couldn’t resist sharing this clip, just in case you have not seen this already. Just a fare bit of warning, the hand-held camera work can be a bit nauseating for some…and it is absolutely not suitable for children.

The Good BRICS, eh?

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BRICS, china, democracy, Foreign Policy, Human rights, India, Interventionism, neo liberals, russia, syria, USA

Occasionally there are times, when you read something that is so utterly devoid of depth, lacking unbiased analysis, filled with pretentiousness and holier-than-thou hubris, that you almost pity the imbecile who wrote it in a fleeting moment of emotional rush. Then you find out that the person who wrote that is not some first year student of diplomacy, or an activist in some obscure NGO, but a quite respected middle aged gentleman who is member of a number of policy think-tanks. And your outrage gives way to hopelessness, you lose your sense of humour, and patient disposition. You instantly understand the cause why the World is heading from one woollyheaded disaster to another.

This article, by James Traub, in Foreign Policy magazine was one such.

Was Ralf Dahrendorf right about the Euro?

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austerity, bankruptcy, cds, Dahrendorf, David Graeber, debt, Economic, European Union, Eurozone, Ireland, Politics, Ralf Dahrendorf, russia, Social science, Social Sciences, United States

Before we attempt to dig into question let me be formally introduced to World Watch readers.

“Ladies and gents, welcome James Dellinger who will be writing on Daily World Watch alongside me from now on…on economics and other stuff, but economics surely as my knowledge of the subject is worse than all the PIIGS nations joined together. My erstwhile colleague, former boss, and editor of the now defunct Washington Examiner’s Opinion Zone blog who was not happy with me frivolously running this blog…just decided he would help and guide me…which I happily accepted. So DWW will now be run as Russia’s tandem of Putin/Medvedev…without the seedy undercurrents. Congrats everyone on this milestone… welcome James and cheers! – World Watcher “

Thanks World Watcher, I am glad to join you and give your readers some food for thought on subjects in international political economy. I will do my best to keep my more ideological and meanderingly partisan content over on my Cantankerous Gentlemen perch.

Have you ever heard of the Dahrendorf hypothesis?

If you are American like me, then the answer is likely, no.

Green Day!

Tags

Amsterdam, Cannabis legalisation, Civil Disobedience, Marijuana, New Zealand, NORML, Otago

Hello ladies and gents…if you are still surviving the neverending onslaught of Presidential election campaign and primaries of USA, and the absolute lack of any such election debates or campaign in Russia…then congratulations! I somehow did. Due to lack of Teevee news, and a disturbing laptop. I am now writing a column for Critic magazine, New Zealand. Don’t let my awesome literature floor you though, do check out the whole magazine…it’s quite fun! My pieces are supposed to come out every alternate week, unless ofcourse my senile editor Joe “Oldman” Stockman simply forgets to run the magazine…which is a real chance. Kidding…he is a mighty cool guy, a towering persona…one I look up to…both figuratively and quite literally.

Okay, enough buttering. Now what I am here for is an interesting short chat up which I had with Otago Norml “smokesperson” and marijuana legalisation activist Abe Gray. Minnesota born Abraham Gabriel Gray, who left his native country in 2003 to settle down in South Island, works in the University after he completed his Masters in…you guessed it, Botany. That is when he is not dead stoned. I was interested as we don’t have any such activism back in India, which is a weird country anyway. By weird I mean we have marijuana legally prohibited, but it is a must use item in any Hindu religious function, with the North Indian Himalayan Hindu ascetics all doping much more than Jim Morrison could ever imagined. Also, it is pretty readily available. Like say regular groceries, one shotter handguns, RDX, mosquitos, etc. But that’s the fun of India, isn’t it? Being one of the most socially conservative, morally liberal, culturally diverse and totally awkward country, things are pretty easy to find! No wonder Pakistani movie actors, as well as the non-state actors both are attracted to our “holy” land.

Am I turning, or leaning left now? Hahha…nah…not so fast, mate! But the next fifteen minutes were fun…went like this…

RIP Marie Colvin

Tags

journalism, Marie Colvin, syria

When we blame all journalists for the political reasons and affiliation of Rupert Murdoch or Julian Assange, or for reporting the interminable dross some people churn in the name of wordsmithery, that majority of the shallow, superficial and vapid urban populace spend time reading and discussing, meaningless page 3 parties and celebrities, we forget the real journalists who face the bullets, tear gasses, bombs, strafing fighter planes, artillery shells, horrible mutiliation, torture and rape. Stan Storimans, who was killed by a Russian fighter plane during the 2008 Russia-Georgia war, Lara Logan molested during the Egyptian “democratic” revolution, Jineth Bedoya raped for years by communist guerrillas, Salim Shahzad, tortured and mutiliated to death by Pakistani ISI, to war correspondents, journalists and conflict photographers like Tim Hetherington, Chris Hondros, both killed in Libya, and Gilles Jacquier, killed last month in Syria.

Tonight we lost two more brave souls. Remi Ochlik and Marie Colvin of Sunday Times…probably the most gutsiest of contemporary women conflict correspondents.