Imagine a 100,000 people killed and over 2 million injured. I'm not talking about an earthquake or a hurricane. This isn't a tornado, nor a flood.
This is driving. And this is India.
In 2006 over 100,000 people were killed in car accidents in India. And over 2 million people were seriously injured.
India now has the deadliest roads in the world.
Part of the problem is that people are able to buy a licence rather than earn it through a test. Another reason for the shocking figures is that many drivers don't know what many of the road signs mean. A third problem is that infrastructure on the roads is so absent, its scary! There are no lane markings on the roads, and pedestrian lights for people to cross the road safely are rare.
Top that off with the boisterous attitude of a class that can suddenly afford a car and you get a hundred thousand dead people.
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C.
Showing posts with label bbc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bbc. Show all posts
Monday, June 9, 2008
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Burma
Again, Why??? What does the Burmese Junta government think they are gaining by NOT helping their people? Somehow having death on their hands is what they want.
After the cyclone that hit Burma last week, they have hardly let any international aid or aid workers enter the country. And to stoop to an even lower low, they are marking the aid boxes with their logos and using government representatives to hand out the aid, as if they were the ones helping. Its a sad sad show they are putting on.
Put yourself in the shoes of the family members who lost someone. You or your loved ones are dying. You have no home, no clean water, and not at all enough food. The whole world is wanting to send aid and help. Your government stops them. So your family member dies.
Dead, and they suffer till the very end from hunger and dehydration. It is not a quick death. And it could have easily been avoided.
At least democracy is still flourishing! The Burmese government is going ahead with its vote on an amendment to the constitution today :) Yes, it doesn't matter that you have a disaster affecting over a million people at one end of the country. Hell, the rest of the country is dry! They can hold the elections there. The army is being deployed to help maintain "order" at the referendum stations. Another slap on the face of the population. Oh, and you aren't allowed to campaign against the government on this referendum.
Absolute shame on the selfish Junta government.
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C.
After the cyclone that hit Burma last week, they have hardly let any international aid or aid workers enter the country. And to stoop to an even lower low, they are marking the aid boxes with their logos and using government representatives to hand out the aid, as if they were the ones helping. Its a sad sad show they are putting on.
Put yourself in the shoes of the family members who lost someone. You or your loved ones are dying. You have no home, no clean water, and not at all enough food. The whole world is wanting to send aid and help. Your government stops them. So your family member dies.
Dead, and they suffer till the very end from hunger and dehydration. It is not a quick death. And it could have easily been avoided.
At least democracy is still flourishing! The Burmese government is going ahead with its vote on an amendment to the constitution today :) Yes, it doesn't matter that you have a disaster affecting over a million people at one end of the country. Hell, the rest of the country is dry! They can hold the elections there. The army is being deployed to help maintain "order" at the referendum stations. Another slap on the face of the population. Oh, and you aren't allowed to campaign against the government on this referendum.
Absolute shame on the selfish Junta government.
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C.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Government of China
Back in 2003, in the run-up to the US invasion of Iraq, anti-US sentiment was quite high. Till today, the image of the US abroad has not quite recovered. "US Bashing" was not only common, it was accepted.
Today, China seems to have taken on that role. The Olympic flame has been touring the world, and with it protests against China's claim over Tibet have sprung up too. Talk of Tibet has led to talk of other grievances people have with the government of China; human rights (eg freedom of speech), democracy, the environment, economic practices are some of the very broad issues people have with this government.
For Tibet, the argument that the government has presented for its occupation is that Tibet belonged to China throughout history, and thus should now too be a part of China. But according to that logic, Pakistan and Bangladesh should join India, East Timor should join Indonesia, Yugoslavia should join back right away. And what about China's neighbour, Russia. Shouldn't all the former CIS countries be reconquered by Russia? This argument seems to lack precedence, and even logic.
Again, comparing the US of 2003 to the China of today, what strikes me is the pride both these governments have. The Bush administration didn't care what the world had to say about its invasion. They thought they had the moral right, and the best army in the world; enough to win over Iraq. 5 years later, they are still in there, and it is a mess. The government of China too has a sense of pride and arrogance. They are proud that China is today on the rise economically. China is booming, its people are getting richer and a more comfortable lifestyle is now attainable by some of its people. After the dark days of colonialism and imperialism, China is now soaring.
Pride is not always a bad thing, but there is a limit to how much you should flaunt it, especially when there are so many grievances against you on other fronts. Yes, you are an economic powerhouse and yes, you got the Olympics. But what about the censorship of the internet, newspapers and other media? What about the displacement of millions of your population due to the three gorges dam? What about the environmental costs of this dam? What about the brutality in Tibet? After all, no one likes a bragging bully.
I see the protests around the world not only about Tibet, but against a government that is controlling its people to an unacceptable level. I am curious to see how this plays out in August, during the Olympics...and whether the Chinese government has opened the gates to making "China Bashing" acceptable.
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C.
Today, China seems to have taken on that role. The Olympic flame has been touring the world, and with it protests against China's claim over Tibet have sprung up too. Talk of Tibet has led to talk of other grievances people have with the government of China; human rights (eg freedom of speech), democracy, the environment, economic practices are some of the very broad issues people have with this government.
For Tibet, the argument that the government has presented for its occupation is that Tibet belonged to China throughout history, and thus should now too be a part of China. But according to that logic, Pakistan and Bangladesh should join India, East Timor should join Indonesia, Yugoslavia should join back right away. And what about China's neighbour, Russia. Shouldn't all the former CIS countries be reconquered by Russia? This argument seems to lack precedence, and even logic.
Again, comparing the US of 2003 to the China of today, what strikes me is the pride both these governments have. The Bush administration didn't care what the world had to say about its invasion. They thought they had the moral right, and the best army in the world; enough to win over Iraq. 5 years later, they are still in there, and it is a mess. The government of China too has a sense of pride and arrogance. They are proud that China is today on the rise economically. China is booming, its people are getting richer and a more comfortable lifestyle is now attainable by some of its people. After the dark days of colonialism and imperialism, China is now soaring.
Pride is not always a bad thing, but there is a limit to how much you should flaunt it, especially when there are so many grievances against you on other fronts. Yes, you are an economic powerhouse and yes, you got the Olympics. But what about the censorship of the internet, newspapers and other media? What about the displacement of millions of your population due to the three gorges dam? What about the environmental costs of this dam? What about the brutality in Tibet? After all, no one likes a bragging bully.
I see the protests around the world not only about Tibet, but against a government that is controlling its people to an unacceptable level. I am curious to see how this plays out in August, during the Olympics...and whether the Chinese government has opened the gates to making "China Bashing" acceptable.
---------
C.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Thinking of the World
I know that its not really big news anymore, but the internet is amazing! Well, maybe it is the world that is amazing. I love how small the world has become, or rather how close it has become. I love that people from all over the place have more opportunities to interact with each other now than they ever had. I think keeping a global perspective on things should be expected from each one of us. I don't think we live in just one country anymore. Or rather, I don't think we should feel like we live in just one country anymore. I honestly feel like we are all living in 1 large country...which spans the globe.
This small scale world, though, comes with some baggage. Something happening in one country does affect me. A stubborn dictator in Zimbabwe angers me. Displacing millions of people and sinking ancient villages in China for a hydro dam annoys me! Storing seed samples of all the crops on the planet in a dooms day vault fills me with joy! Selfish journalists in Denmark make me feel sad for the citizens who now have an even bigger target hanging over them.
Ofcourse global warming, international economies, international law, various national foreign policies all have an effect on me too.
Think back to a 100 years ago. 1908. Letters! Penpals! Holidays within your own country! Ha!! How things have changed!
Politics, Rants and Philosophy (and occasionally, happenings in my life).
Welcome to my blog!
---------
C.
This small scale world, though, comes with some baggage. Something happening in one country does affect me. A stubborn dictator in Zimbabwe angers me. Displacing millions of people and sinking ancient villages in China for a hydro dam annoys me! Storing seed samples of all the crops on the planet in a dooms day vault fills me with joy! Selfish journalists in Denmark make me feel sad for the citizens who now have an even bigger target hanging over them.
Ofcourse global warming, international economies, international law, various national foreign policies all have an effect on me too.
Think back to a 100 years ago. 1908. Letters! Penpals! Holidays within your own country! Ha!! How things have changed!
Politics, Rants and Philosophy (and occasionally, happenings in my life).
Welcome to my blog!
---------
C.
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