iWorld

Andrew Sullivan worries that technology has given us the power to totally customize the world around us. Bye bye Serendipity.

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Nazi Sympathizers in Britain

An illuminating article by Christopher Hitchens about how both the abdicating King Edward and the new King George were and remained Nazi sympathizers well after the Czech sellout. Hitchens cannot resist needling Churchill too. But Churchill's seems to have been found guilty mostly by association with King Edward, not because of any explicit Nazi sympathies. Here is however a funny line about how Churchill once called himself the lone warrior against the twin evils of Hitler and Gandhi! Hitchens is obviously disgusted with the British Monarchy and end the article by with memorable flourish. Almost the entire moral capital of this rather odd little German dynasty is invested in the post-fabricated myth of its participation in "Britain's finest hour." In fact, had it been up to them, the finest hour would never have taken place. So this is not a detail but a major desecration of the historical record—now apparently gliding unopposed toward a baptism by Oscar.
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Indian Elections

In the recent elections in the North East, one election official dejectedly told the media how the politicians undermine the people's faith in democracy for 5 years and the Election Commission does its best to restore it, if only for the one day on which polling happens. This detailed and interesting article by Mr. Gopalaswami, Chief Election Commissioner of India about the recent election in UP is inspiring in that it restored my faith in the ability of our Government organisations to do their job exceptionally well. Since bogus voting can be largely prevented only if the identity of the voters is correctly established, a massive attempt was made to issue Electoral Photo Identity Cards (EPIC). Between December 2006 and the second week of April, 2007, a total of 2.69 crore EPICs were issued covering 22% of the electorate throughout the state, raising the coverage to an average of 80% in the state. As many as 85% voters who turned up to vote produced the EPIC as identity while the...
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Tanzania 1 - The Maasai

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I watched them as I tried in vain to keep at bay the army of flies that were attacking my freshly cooked and newly dead goat.  The boys were wearing the bright Red and Blue  Shukas .  For hundreds of years, those colors have  terrorized lions  and inspired awed tales of young boys  hunting lions with spears .  There are now too many boys and too few lions. This is where the boys were instead.  The muggy heat was enervating.  The streets were filled with men and women in Shukas.  It was market day and the men had brought their cattle over for sale.  In a crumbling shed off the main highway stood a gleaming pool table.  A large host of Masai teens stood all around it, all in their Shukas.  Sipping beer, betting and talking animatedly.  Pool sticks, not hunting spears seemed weapons of choice.  There was not a girl among them. The goat was a bit too fresh.  Besides, I was sure the flies had alread...
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