With the whole hullabaloo about Bhopal gas tragedy victims not receiving adequate compensation, the central government seems to have taken a stern step by setting aside a large fund for compensation and environmental impact.
who are we kidding? what happened to $400m+ compensation that was paid by Union Carbide? where was the GoM for the last 20 odd years? once again, the media have come to the rescue of the common man. who knows how long it will last, but one thing is for sure- the government doesn't give a damn. instead of taking responsibility- frankly, i don't trust them to pay the victims even this time around- they are trying to pin the blame on Dow Chemical? Dow had nothing to do with the tragedy- it didn't even own Union Carbide at the time.
Let's face it, once again, the victim is the common man but the criminal is not even Union Carbide. it is our own administration who has shafted victims time and time again and stolen public funds for personal gain. why weren't victims compensated 25 years ago? simply because nobody noticed. Union Carbide paid and got out- our civil servants sold us out yet again!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
to ban or not to ban the Vuvuzela
Even if you're not a football fan, you'll likely have heard of the damned Vuvuzela, which has likely made more news that Japan beating Cameroon or Italy coming close to its WC finals opening match defeat. i've been watching football since 1992 and i believe this is the first world cup in which i can hear not the players, fans, referee or even the commentator- and i'm talking about TV.
Joseph Blatter, the FIFA prez says it's native to South Africa and will *not* be banned. to clarify, i'm not writing on whether i believe it should or should not be banned, but the underlying principle of the matter. The fans in favor of the Vuvuzela suggest that the world cup cannot be South African without the Vuvuzela. it's the taste of Africa so to speak. Me personally? I find it irritating and frankly, overdone. we can do much better without it. South Africa surely has a lot more to offer than a constant, high pitched, irritating buzz. Shakira's Waka Waka only comes a close second!
What is more important- fans, host preferences, majority mandate, players or the game of Football? I used to believe it's the last, but Football surely cannot do without fans and players, and surely their opinion counts. We have a situation where FIFA will not allow fans to wear jewellery (poor Ronaldo!) or any other signature 'marks', but seems to take no exception to something that is not only irritating, but is a serious health hazard. more importantly, what is the message they're sending out?
Next quarter, as India hosts the commonwealth games, we will find a complete ban on traffic movement, strict security which disallows banners, jewellery, plastic bottles and common sense. Plus there is likely to be yet another tax to fund non-attention to security measures. Is that going to be India's unique 'mark' on the CWG? or will it be large mounds of dust, poor infrastructure aka potholes on flyovers and spit stains on national monuments?
We will likely find the entire world coming together to criticize India on its poor preparation (c'mon, who're we kidding!) and poor spirit- yes i did say that. i don't think anybody is more excited than Ms. Sheila Dikshit. FIFA, take a step back and evaluate!
Joseph Blatter, the FIFA prez says it's native to South Africa and will *not* be banned. to clarify, i'm not writing on whether i believe it should or should not be banned, but the underlying principle of the matter. The fans in favor of the Vuvuzela suggest that the world cup cannot be South African without the Vuvuzela. it's the taste of Africa so to speak. Me personally? I find it irritating and frankly, overdone. we can do much better without it. South Africa surely has a lot more to offer than a constant, high pitched, irritating buzz. Shakira's Waka Waka only comes a close second!
What is more important- fans, host preferences, majority mandate, players or the game of Football? I used to believe it's the last, but Football surely cannot do without fans and players, and surely their opinion counts. We have a situation where FIFA will not allow fans to wear jewellery (poor Ronaldo!) or any other signature 'marks', but seems to take no exception to something that is not only irritating, but is a serious health hazard. more importantly, what is the message they're sending out?
Next quarter, as India hosts the commonwealth games, we will find a complete ban on traffic movement, strict security which disallows banners, jewellery, plastic bottles and common sense. Plus there is likely to be yet another tax to fund non-attention to security measures. Is that going to be India's unique 'mark' on the CWG? or will it be large mounds of dust, poor infrastructure aka potholes on flyovers and spit stains on national monuments?
We will likely find the entire world coming together to criticize India on its poor preparation (c'mon, who're we kidding!) and poor spirit- yes i did say that. i don't think anybody is more excited than Ms. Sheila Dikshit. FIFA, take a step back and evaluate!
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