HyperionReactor

Lyrics: http://www.roger-waters.com/lyricsbeirut.html

bq. Why can't you simply let the people of the Narmada valley drown? They are mere tribals and villagers - marginal people. Peripheral to our lives. The kind of farmers who commit suicides in high numbers and spoil our cocktail dinners. The kind who support naxalites. The type who demand reservations in jobs that rightly belong to the elite. The uncouth majority who can't distinguish a chardonnay from a chappal. The non-consumers, without disposable incomes. Many of them are mere freeloaders, demanding all kinds of rights when they do not even buy a bike or a computer to contibute to the glowing health of "our" economy. But for you, we would have happily underplayed them in our newspapers and TV news bulletins, like we ignored Medha Patkar and NBA activists for the first 8 days of their starvation but carried images of Modi's designer hunger strike in its first 8 minutes! Why did you have to play the spoilsport and draw attention to the issue? Why are you speaking of the Supreme Court, justice and equity? Grow up, Aamir, don't you know we are not a welfare state anymore?

Everyone knows hows the city crumbled after the rains on 4th of July. The BMC claimed to have spent Rs. 250crs on the preventing such a incident from happening again. We all saw how well that money was spent. The High Court is currently asking the BMC to pick up all the contractors and BMC officials who were in-charge of the affected areas. For some reason I do not think; any good is going to come out of this move.

The day after the floods instead of the Chief Minister holding a press conference and talking about how the he plans on tackling the situation, he was on the paper talking about how he wants to build a status of Shivaji in the Arabian Sea. I do not get it. People are dying, business are suffering a heavy of losses, private and public included, the transport systems such as airports, trains and busses are bleeding money cause of the flooding. And all our beloved representatives can think about is the location of the a statue? I do not understand how a statue of Shivaji can stop floods.

*Have people been victimized who used RTI and exposed corruption?*

Yes, there have been some instances where people were physically harmed when they sought information which exposed large scale corruption. But this does not mean that ever applicant faces such a threat. Filing application to seek status of your grievance or for knowing other similar routine matters does not invite any retaliation. It is only when information is likely to expose bureaucratic-contractor nexus or any kind of mafia that there could be a possibility of retaliation.

*Then why should I use RTI?*

The entire system has become so rotten that if all of us individually and together do not do our bit, it will never improve. If we don't do it, who will? Therefore, we have to act. But we should do that with a strategy and minimize risks. And with experience, there are some safeguards and strategies available.

*What are these strategies?*

Please go ahead and file RTI application for any issue in the first instance. Normally, anyone would not attack you immediately. They would first try to cajole you or win you over. So, the moment you file any inconvenient application, someone would approach you very politely to request you to withdraw that application. You should gauge the seriousness or the potential of the person approaching you. If you consider it to be serious enough, ask 15 of your friends to immediately apply to the same public authority asking for same information. It would be better if these 15 friends were from different part of India. Now, it would be most difficult for anyone to target all of your 15 friends all across the country. And if they threaten anyone from amongst the 15, let more people file similar applications. Your friends from other parts of India can file their applications by post. Try and give it wide media publicity. This will ensure that you will get the requisite information, and you would have sufficiently minimized risks.

Have you ever wondered how the Maximum Retail Price of a product decided in India? Is it decided by the companies manufacturing it? Is it by the government? Do the retail outlets and wholesalers have a say in it?

The answer is yes. The price for a product is decided by all of them.

When a product is launched, wholesalers, retailers, manufactures and governments have a say in the price. So every time you buy a bottle of Cola, and you end up paying a buck extra for it; you are doing something wrong.

India is currently trying to implement a maximum allowable profit on the maximum retai

Hey San Francisco Democrats! My friend Jason Wong is running for San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee. He's on the the last page on the ballot, so vote for him on June 6th! If you want to read up on him, go to his "website":http://www.jasonwong.org.

[textile]
Many myths have come up about Bush surrounding his presidency, and about things that concern him. Well. here's the truth as I see it.

Myth 1.: George W. Bush has created a bad economy because of the "Clinton Recession"-This is entirely false, because, if I remember right, there was a $40 billion SURPLUS the day Bush took office, which he managed to turn into a debt within a month of claiming his throne.

Myth 2.:Bush is highly educated and intelligent-G.W. did go to Yale, a highly repected school. However, he got in because his father donated generously to the college, and he earned straight C's during his attendance. He also had a cocaine addiction and a DUI. Yeah, sounds like a real Gore Vidal...

[textile]
h3. Stingy Uncle Sam?

"We are a very generous, kind-harted nation," said George W. Bush on Wenesday. Maybe, but a quick view glances at some figures gives us a idea of the United States of America's priorities.

h3. Then

%{color:red;}Cost of US war in Iraq:% %{color:blue;}$288 milloin/day%
%{color:red;}Amount spent by Kerry and Bush campaigns:% %{color:blue;}$400 million%
%{color:red;}US reconstruction aid budgeted for Iraq *(never spent)*:% %{color:blue;}$18 billion%
%{color:red;}Estimated cost of Bush's second Inauguration and Ball:% %{color:blue;}$40+ million%

h3. Now

%{color:red;}*Amount the US offered initially in aid to Indian Ocean tsunami victims*:% %{color:blue;}$15 million%
%{color:red;}*Amount the US offered in tsunami aid after being chastised by a UN official*:% %{color:blue;}$35 million%
%{color:red;}*Amount the US offered in tsunami aid after Bush is questioned about the amount*:% %{color:blue;}$350 million%

I'll let you think for your self now..