P. Sainath on American Elections: Socialism haunts America

Pro-Obama television channels are running dictionary definitions of ‘socialism.’ These aim to clear the air by establishing that nothing he has proposed falls into that dreaded territory. In no other electoral democracy in the world is this kind of response possible. Certainly not in Europe where so many of Washington’s allies wear the labels — if not the legacy — of ‘socialism’ and ‘labour.’ To those from most other countries, this ‘debate’ must seem whacko. In the United States, it still has adherents, even if they are confounded by the scarier spectre of economic crisis. Two million families could lose their homes in the mortgage avalanche. But the buzzword, for the Republicans at least, is ‘socialism.’ “Obama says he wants to spread the wealth around,” Mr. McCain now protests. “That’s a basic tenet of socialism. If I were President, I would never do that.”  more  

 NewsBlaze Published: October 25,2008

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Obama Wants A Welfare State For America

By National Black Republican Association

Thanks to Joe the Plumber, we now know for sure that Barack Obama wants to "spread the wealth around." But the Democratic candidate still hasn't come clean on just how much of a European-style socialist he is.

Look at the "tax cut" he says he'll give to 95 percent of Americans. In fact, this is simply a government check he'd hand out - including to millions who don't pay income taxes, since each year 38 percent of Americans already get a full refund. In other words, his "rebate" is a welfare plan, plain and simple.

When called on this, Obama's answer is that those 38 percent still pay payroll taxes, so he's rebating part of those payments. But that actually puts him deeper into the socialist hole. Here's why.

Payroll taxes go to fund Social Security and Medicare - the main US social-insurance programs. The taxes are dedicated because these are insurance programs - you're paying so that you'll be covered when you hit retirement age.  more

Bishop told to file affidavit

DNA INDIA

Mayura Janwalkar

Saturday, October 25, 2008  03:46 IST

HC wants to know if there is a sale deed by the church land trust

The Bombay High Court on Thursday asked bishop of Mumbai Prakash Patole to file an affidavit stating whether or not there is any sale deed between the Bombay Diocesan Trust Association (BDTA) that runs Afghan Church and any private builders.

Additional public prosecutor Sangeeta Shinde said the case will be heard on November 17 by when Patole will have to submit his affidavit.

Former bishop of Mumbai Baiju Gavit and other trust members of the BDTA that runs Afghan Church in Colaba had moved the high court urging it to quash a complaint of forgery and cheating filed at Colaba police station.

Gavit with trustees Bishop Vijay Sathe, Shrikant Salvi and the bishop of Pune Rajnikant Salvi, in their application stated that an activist, Cyril Dara, had filed bogus complaints against them for allegedly striking illegal deals worth crores of rupees with various builders for development of the land where the Afghan Church, a heritage structure, stands on.  more

3-year-old goddess of Nepal: abuse or worhsip?

Nepal appoints 3-year-old as new living goddess

By YUVRAJ ACHARYA, Associated Press WriterTue Oct 7, 9:59 AM ET

KATMANDU, Nepal - Hindu and Buddhist priests chanted sacred hymns and cascaded flowers and grains of rice over a 3-year-old girl who was appointed a living goddess in Nepal on Tuesday.

The new "kumari" or living goddess, was carried from her parents' home to an ancient palatial temple in the heart of the Nepali capital, Katmandu, where she will live until she reaches puberty and loses her divine status.

She will be worshipped by Hindus and Buddhists as an incarnation of the powerful Hindu deity Taleju.

A panel of judges conducted a series of ancient ceremonies to select the goddess from several 2- to 4-year-old girls who are all members of the impoverished Shakya goldsmith caste.

The judges read the candidates' horoscopes and check each one for physical imperfections. The living goddess must have perfect hair, eyes, teeth and skin with no scars, and should not be afraid of the dark.

As a final test, the living goddess must spend a night alone in a room among the heads of ritually slaughtered goats and buffaloes without showing fear.

Having passed all the tests, the child will stay in almost complete isolation at the temple, and will be allowed to return to her family only at the onset of menstruation when a new goddess will be named to replace her.

Devotees touch the girls' feet with their foreheads, the highest sign of respect among Hindus in Nepal. During religious festivals the goddesses are wheeled around on a chariot pulled by devotees.

Critics say the tradition violates both international and Nepalese laws on child rights. The girls often struggle to readjust to normal lives after they return home.

Nepalese folklore holds that men who marry a former kumari will die young, and so many girls remain unmarried and face a life of hardship.  read it all 

I Too Am Hurt Dear Father

October 06, 2008
Vivek Bharat

Reacting sharply to the attack on Churches in Karnataka, the Archbishop Bernard Moras of Bangalore fumed indignantly that Christians were deeply hurt. I, too, have been badly traumatized, dear Father, not once but repeatedly. Your compatriots have consistently trampled upon my sensibilities and those of millions of others like me for sometime now. The only difference is that I am a Hindu and in the broad framework of India's warped secular ideology, Hindu sentiments are dispensable to maintain this hollow but grandiose show of communal harmony that has been essentially built on the backs of the Hindu community. So, neither you or nor the authorities have bothered to take any corrective action to assuage the Hindu hurt. It does not even register as a cause for remedy on your moral radar. more

Friedrich Schiller, dead for more than 200 years asked to pay TV Radio fees

Dead German poet gets TV demands

Friedrich Schiller is one of Germany's favourite poets The celebrated German poet Friedrich Schiller, dead for more than 200 years, has been sent reminders that he should pay his TV and radio licence fee. The German fee collection agency, GEZ, mistakenly sent letters to "Mr Friedrich Schiller" - which arrived at a primary school bearing his name. The author of Ode to Joy had been registered with GEZ as a householder. With the annual fee of about 200 euros (£157) unpaid since 1805 Schiller would owe more than 40,000 euros.