Oct 17, 2009 New York Edition Vol. 5 No. 14 Events   There are 2 upcoming events listed in our New York calendar. Click here for calendar. Happy Diwali Indogram wishes all Gram Sabha readers a Happy and Prosperous Diwali! Egg(plant) on the Face? The Government of India has approved the use of genetically modified GM brinjals (eggplants). The controversial decision comes in the face of widespread protests against the move by farmers groups, environmental activists and others, who fear the disappearance of plant diversity, unexamined health implications, as well as the monopoly of agribusiness companies. It is worth noting that the European Union (EU) has banned GM crops for fear of exactly the same consequences. Why I threw that Shoe Released recently from an Iraqi jail, the man who became famous for hurling a shoe (make that two) at George W. Bush writes about what led a journalist to do what he did. Mantadhar al Zaidi does not repent what he did, which he sees as keeping the honor of his country against an aggressor. More... Women hold up Half of Heaven Who said that? Mao Tse-Tung did, and his revolution just completed 60 years this month. John Walsh examines just one aspect of the Chinese Revolution -- the liberation it has brought to China's womenfolk. It also offers an insight into why this aspect alone may have helped the Chairman's China solidify and hold firm for six decades. More... Early days of Doordarshan With the cacophony of channels on today's Indian TV set (sorry, should we have said, 'set top box'?), it seems hard to recall a time when there was only one channel, or even none. Who better than the first Director General of Doordarshan to relive some of those experiences? PVK reminisces. More... Marx and Lenin Reconsidered When a former senior member of the Wall Street Journal editorial staff, and a veteran of the Reagan Treasury Department praises Marx and Lenin, it is worth taking notice. But the intrepid Paul Craig Roberts has always called 'em as he sees 'em. More... From Also Ran to Oslo Ran? British PM Harold Wilson said, "A week's along time in politics". So it was for President Obama, who got a thumbs down from the Olympic Committee one week, and the Nobel Peace Prize the next. But the Nobel is no guarantee of a successful presidency, cautions Niranjan Ramakrishnan, dredging up the history of another Nobel laureate reduced to doing ads for television. More... Wish we could all live in Krita-Yuga Continuing his series on Indian culture, Ram Sriram writes about the cyclical view of time and evolution envisioned in Indian texts. Time is divided into Yugas, and of these, the most pristine and innocent is the Krita-Yuga. Sriram tries to imagine what it would be like if we lived in such a time, and examines some of the implications of such a view for our own attitudes and approaches to life and living. More... Movies     There are currently no Indian movies playing in New York. Updates... Obamanobel? As Jay Leno, said, President Obama's main achievement as president has been to...win the Nobel Peace Prize! The Peace Prize for a one who has disavowed the Iraq War (85000 dead by even the Iraqi government's count, 600000 by Lancet) only in technical terms, because it was a 'dumb' war? A Peace Prize for a president who has kept the number of troops in Iraq at roughly the same level as when he took office, and then escalated the war in Afghanistan with threats of more war? Who has continued all the restraints on liberty (PATRIOT Act) and retained all the draconian aspects of his predecessor's attitude to civil liberties? Who refused to meet with the Dalai Lama for fear of offending the Chinese? It was Dr. Johnson who called a second marriage a triumph of hope over experience. Hope has done it for Barack Obama -- again. About us |Submit articles |Advertise | Contact us |Subscribe FREE |Privacy Policy |Archives Copyright© indogram - the global Indian village in your neighborhood™