What it means to be me in Corporate America?

Hey ARJUN_M

Why not let the AMNESTY do its JOB

Amnesty and Indian diplomats trade blows





RASHMEE Z AHMED

TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ WEDNESDAY, JULY 24, 2002 10:17:19 PM ]



LONDON: Just days after the London-based human rights group Amnesty International went public with criticism of the Indian government for failing to grant visas for its researchers to visit Gujarat, Amnesty has accused India of trying to ``cover up state terrorism`` and covering its tracks by ``making up stories``.

``We can think of no other reason to deny us visas, considering Amnesty always does its own research and we have absolutely no one in India who can do our research,`` Amnesty?s Gulia de Ponte told TNN, rejecting the Indian argument that Amnesty had ``legions of local associates in Gujarat, collecting information on their behalf``.

Earlier, Satyabrata Pal, India?s deputy high commissioner had told this paper, ``We have received a request. It has been considered in Delhi. We have told Amnesty that we understand they have local associates who have been acting there and are collecting information on their behalf. And that we do not see over and above that what a few Amnesty researchers from here could do in Gujarat``.

But De Ponte, one of Amnesty?s two London-based researchers who had applied for visas, claimed that ``Indian officials always knew Amnesty was allowed to set up an office in Delhi only on condition that it engaged in no research``.

She admitted that Amnesty was ``in touch with several anti-communalism groups in Gujarat`` but claimed that ``this was limited to phone calls and emails and Amnesty could not take what they say as true till we see it ourselves``.

De Ponte?s comments come as Amnesty?s Indian staff reportedly said they would publish a Gujarat report anyway, based on information from ``secondary sources``.

The bickering about who said what to whom comes within days of eight MPs of Britain?s governing Labour Party announcing that they would travel to Gujarat in October on ``a fact-finding mission``.

The MPs are yet to apply for Indian visas but sources said that it was unlikely they would list ``fact-finding`` as their purpose in visiting India.

Officials dismissed the MPs` declared intention as bluster meant for ``domestic constituency consumption``, especially in strongly Muslim or Gujarati Muslim areas.

Analysts said the MPs? stated intentions and the new row over visas for Amnesty staff underlined the continuing Western interest in violence-scarred Gujarat.

Sources said that Amnesty?s visa applications appeared to have fallen foul of the authorities? stated determination to prevent the Gujarat issue being raked up again at a ``sensitive time, the worst possible time for Amnesty to be visiting``.

But Amnesty?s de Ponte defended her organisation as ``a respected international human rights group, which knows how to conduct itself in a delicate and sensitive situation such as Gujarat``.

De Ponte insisted that ``For research, we would have to travel from here and we always make our intentions clear to a government when we apply for a visa because we are a transparent organisation``.

Hey ARJUN_M

What goes up always comes down ...so relax bud dont get HYPER

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=16900403

India slips further down HDI index





TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2002 12:00:59 AM ]



NEW DELHI: At first glance it seems like a setback for India. Having been ranked 115 on the human development index (HDI) of the UNDP?s annual human development report last year, the country occupies the 124th slot this year.

However, UNDP officials said here Wednesday that the rankings are not comparable because the number of countries included in the index have increased.

Last year, 162 countries had been rated whereas this year, the number has increased to 173 countries. Had the number not gone up, India would have actually moved a notch higher, to 114, said Brenda Gael McSweeney, UNDP resident representative in India, at the release function Wednesday. Even then, as is the case now, India would have remained in the category of countries with ??medium human development??.

The HDI, an integral part of the report each year, ranks countries by a composite measure of life expectancy, literacy and income per person.

Leading the pack of 173 countries this year is Norway, followed by Sweden, Canada, Belgium, Australia, and the US. At the bottom of the list is Sierra Leone. In keeping with the theme of this year?s report, ??Deepening democracy in a fragmented world,?? an attempt has been made to assess countries in terms of governance. Noting the importance of politics and human development, the report says: ??Politics is as important to human development as economics.??

Interestingly, the assessment has been done both on the basis of subjective indicators of governance as also objective indicators. On the subjective indicators scale, while India gets a good rating in the civil liberties and political rights arena, it is ranked ??not so good?? where political stability and lack of violence is concerned. Expectedly, the country gets a ??poor?? rating for corruption.

Recognising the fact that the last two decades of the 20th century saw ??dramatic progress in opening up political systems and expanding political freedoms,?? the report says today 140 of the world?s nearly 200 countries hold multi-party elections.

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#: 93

shankar

dost-mittar,

{{But as long as we have some common racial, saritorial and cultural traits, people are going to mistake one for the other. Just take it in your stride!}}



Shankar

I have seen hindians frown with disdain on being called PAKI .In U.K. you might know all indo pak are called ``paki`` by the conservatives ``Powells``

Moreover it depends ,if you were repeatedly called by Americans as Muslims & Paki & you have that image of Pakistanis as all Taxi Drivers & Indo -Pak Grocers walla right or wrong ,i dont think you will take any kindlier to Pakistanis.

Pakistan may be an independent sovereign country but to a south indian is just as unseen & unknown as NEFA borders Tripura ,Assam or Kashmir .Its not in Indian patriotic duty to hate Pakistan just b/c India had border skirmishes 4 times.

Umer Murtaza

Dear Sarwari,

Hah?!?! You wrote the article in the box and sent it off just like that??? Wow. You`re good.

I can`t believe it!!! I wrote a nice, shiny 7000 word (boring in the open university sense) essay on stem cell technology after ACT michigan had cloned a blastocyte at the 6-cell stage during late November last year. Can you believe it? The chowki fellas didn`t post it.

Unbelievable I tell ya. Un - bloody - believable:)



Umer M

Next time send such biological science Shop Talk to Science to -day or Junior Scientist weekly

Next time write about broken promises of Gandhi -Azad-Zakir_Nehru to Minorities of India ..so that all can relate to

jay #75 Your concern for the welfare of pakistanis is most touching. Particularly given that we are merely low-caste hindu converts who formed the country to take over hindu property (as you indicated once), and given the joy with which you report every single murder in Pakistan as proof that Pakistan is doomed. I am therefore supplementing your prescription of pills with anti-hypocrisy therapy sessions as well. Please report to the clinic every day BEFORE you write your chowk posts (not AFTER).

arjun_m,

Related article. It seems that FBI investigation of Pakistani is causing a Karachi Stock exchange boom. Positive fallout ?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/2146379.stm

no offence but doesnt anyone edit the articles that are put up on chowk?

zafar bhai #90, ``Hey, Scout! Do they still have the Islamabad Café on a very hairy block of 14th NE in DC? (Somewhere north of P.) It’s right next to a housing project and you practically have to be carrying to get there safely, but the food makes it all worth it.``

i have no idea what you`re talking about. i`m not in DC.

is there anyone in DC who can help zafar bhai?

dost-mittar,

{{But as long as we have some common racial, saritorial and cultural traits, people are going to mistake one for the other. Just take it in your stride!}}

BEAUTIFULLY SAID!

If a Canadian is mistaken for an American or an Austrian is mistaken for a German, they correct people..yes. But they dont feel OFFENDED!

Miss hoity-toity here (& her ilk) get ...(whats the proper word?)..offended, hurt, angry, outraged or irritated if someone...God forbid , thinks they are Indian!

At least thats the message I get from her rantings! I mean..does she feel Indians are lepers or something, that..GASP one should`nt be even innocently identified as them?! Would such emotions be evoked in Her Majesty if she was misidentified as Persian, Turk or Arab?...maybe she`d feel flattered!

I remember once she took umbrage, when I innocently grouped Indians & Pakistanis as ``desis``! Thats what I mean when I say ,she has ``a chip on her shoulder``...as if being lumped together with Indians is an INSULT to her..

Hey..screw you, Miss sarwari,..if you have that kind of attitude, I dont feel particularly proud that a bozo like you is identified with us, either..

I mean, its one thing to be proud of your separate identity..no problem...but GOD FORBID if someone mistakenly calls you an Indian, I think you automatically assume ``aha, we Pakistanis will be assimilated into India again``...Spaaaare us; Pakistan is no Shangri-la that Indians covet..OK? get that into your thick skull..

for your information, TODAY, most Indians feel that if Pakistan is gobbled up by India, India will die of food poisoning! Its been 50+ yrs since Partition...the generation that regretted Partition is old & dying out. The new generation(s) of Indians have grown up accepting Pakistan as a different country & dont want it back even if you say ``pretty please..with sugar on it..``

so rest easy...i think your soldier boys have brainwashed you that if it wasnt for them, Pakistan would be part of India today! 25 yrs ago the Indian army was in Dacca..is Bangladesh part of India, today?!

Politically, Pakistan thinks its a matter of ``national honor`` to DEFY Indian ``hegemony``!!...yeah right...Pakistan is so obssessed by that, that it will GROVEL in front of Americans & Saudi Arabs & be led by the ear like a goat by those two nations, in order to ``stand tall`` against the Indians! Wake up & just LOOK at how your brave, courageous, honorable & sincere Mushy is acting. He can tolerate being called Busharraf...but GOD FORBID..if anyone calls him Vajurraf...he will KILL that person for blasphemy!

Plese KEEP your precious Pakistan to yourself & stop telling your children ...``if you dont eat your peas & carrots, the bad Indian boogey man will steal you in the middle of the night!``

SHEESH! get a LIFE!

Anika Zaidi #87
Amazing how insecure men are on chowk, for instance take yourself who post under what, 15 pseudonyms? and yet get unsettled by my merely pointing out a Time cover story.

Reply PM # 77

``...totally disarming without being frivolous!``

Thanks. Vaisai I think Ayesha is not disarmed, and I am actually deeply friv. Too much Ab Fab in formative years, I think.