There are some 1400 NGOs registered with the NGO Secretariat. Various people, some from NGOs and some 'companies' which operate as though they are NGOs and indeed believe they are representatives of 'civil society' (are corporate entities also part of 'civil society' and do CEOs of top companies come for 'civil society' events?), came out and protested. They were protesting what they consider to be unnecessary and anti-democratic 'rules'. Here's the rub. Not even 300 turned up for the demonstration. Most of the movers and shakers are not from NGOs but outfits registered as 'companies'. Some claim to have networks with over 100 affiliates, but could only bring a handful of people to the demo. So it's the big name boys and girls plus the usual gaman-gaasthu protesters. Are we to take it that the other 900 odd NGOs don't care about these new 'rules'? Or don't they even exist? Looks like some people exposed themselves, DONORS please take note!
UN eyes
The United Nations has called for an immediate and independent investigation about the Malaysian Airlines planes downed in Ukraine. Good. Now when will Ban Ki-moon get upset and call for a 'late' but 'independent' investigation into missiles fired into civilian areas by Israel?
Aney Pillay
The colloquial term for drugs, especially powdered narcotics, is kudu. This literally means 'dust'. Now it has come to light that 100 kg of kudu worth some 700 million rupees have been smuggled into the country hidden in grinders. Makes sense. But what are the true 'grinders' in this business of drug trafficking? A set of innocuous looking machines or a political system and a security regime that is so full of holes that narcotics not just in kudu form big-sized guli (lumps) can be smuggled in?
Navi Pillay's 'investigation team' has run into a problem. No one in South Asia is willing to give them visas. Now South Asian countries have fairly relaxed visa policies. There are no cavity searches to talk about. That stuff happens in the 'civilized' West. So if Pillay's buddies are such bad eggs that even countries in South Asia don't want them around, they must really smell bad!
The true kudu-grinders
The colloquial term for drugs, especially powdered narcotics, is kudu. This literally means 'dust'. Now it has come to light that 100 kg of kudu worth some 700 million rupees have been smuggled into the country hidden in grinders. Makes sense. But what are the true 'grinders' in this business of drug trafficking? A set of innocuous looking machines or a political system and a security regime that is so full of holes that narcotics not just in kudu form big-sized guli (lumps) can be smuggled in?
The most sacrificed species
The Chief Justice, in his wisdom and compassion, has appealed to the trustees of the Munneswaram Badra Kali Amman Kovil to reduced the number of animal marked for ritual slaughter. Talking of sacrifice, it seems that no species is subject to regular and ritual sacrifice than the voter. Can anyone put a stop to this business of sacrificing voters (their time, energy, hopes etc) so one or two people get to have a good life courtesy robbing, contracts, commissions, tender-fraud and so on? It's almost as though the voters are sent (one by one) into a giant machine called 'Election' which spits out at the other end a fattened politician!
This article, with various edited subjects with added comical pictographs is much appreciated, as they deal with very succint points/facts. Thanks Malinda.
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