Xingjian Whirlwind by Rajinder Puri
President Hu Jintao's decision to cut short his visit to the G-8 summit in Italy and rush back home to address the Uighur unrest in Xingjian is significant given the Chinese passion for always keeping face. The aborted visit is admission of a crisis more severe than is recognized by global media. It is surprising that the Xingjian crisis erupted so late. During the run-up to the Beijing Olympics this scribe had predicted that Xingjian Uighurs would create a more violent backlash than Tibetan monks could ever muster. Read On

India's Budget Places Common Man
Above Fiscal Responsibility
by Sushma Ramachandran
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has pleased the "aam aadmi" (common man) but made the "khaas aadmi" (the elite) unhappy in his 2009-10 budget proposals. Constrained by the global recession and domestic economic strains, he has provided a much awaited further stimulus to the economy by raising plan expenditure by as much as 25 per cent in real terms. Read On
► Pranab Mukherjee’s Union Budget Speech

Obama's Economic Team Male Member’s Disease Diagnosed by Gaurang Bhatt, MD
In neurology some diseases are easily diagnosed as the patient enters the doctor’s office. The scraping toe and spastic gait of the hemiplegic is unmistakable. Lesions in the cerebral cortex or sub-cortical region on one side cause a flexed upper limb bringing the hand nearer to the mouth and a stiffly extended lower limb with the foot flexed downward at the ankle towards the ground (on the opposite side as the brain lesion). The knee is extended and stiff and the above two defects makes the paralyzed leg longer than the normal one. Read On

What To Do about the Planning Commission?
by Vasant G. Gandhi 
Formulating a nation’s Five-Year economic plan isn’t easy; it is based on many assumptions, variables, and unknowns, and it may or may not bring about the planned results.  On a smaller scale, for example, grocery shoppers who buy grains and spices once a year, in bulk, must anticipate their families’ needs for an entire year. They must know how much to buy, which brand to buy, from where to buy, what prices to pay for each kind of grain and spice, and how many containers would be needed to store the supply, among other things. Our government, like the shoppers, prepares a plan—however inaccurate it may be—for the things our nation needs. Read On

Another Sovereignty Transfer Charade
in Baghdad by K. Gajendra Singh 
People and media have such short memories. The first charade of transfer of sovereignty to Iraq was conducted in a secret, short and pre-poned ceremony from 30 June to 28 June in Baghdad. Wrote New York Times; “At 10:26 a.m. on 28 June, L. Paul Bremer III, (US Viceroy), head of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq “restored formal sovereignty to Iraq in a simple meeting deep inside the heavily fortified area known as the Green Zone, Mr. Bremer handed Dr. Iyad Allawi (PM) a leather-bound note from President Bush, indicating that the Coalition Provisional Authority led by Mr. Bremer since last May was dissolved.” Read On

The Good News from Iran Today
by William R. Stimson 
It has happened now in Iran like it did in Myanmar a while back. Common people, secular and religious, cried out with one voice against injustice only to have their rulers bludgeon them back into silence. Today on the internet we hear not a whisper from Iran, save official lies. Read On

Democratic Faiths by J. Ajithkumar 
General elections, whether rigged, manipulated or impartial, are the most vital and visible signs of life in any functioning democracy. Be it presidential or parliamentary, democracy has been widely accepted as the nearest form to minimum acceptable governance embodying the vital elements of liberty, human rights and equality that are ‘beyond-bargain’ parameters for dignified human existence. The harsh reality ... Read On

Tenderness by Ola de Sas 
That day I went to see my friend the doctor, to return his precious tennis racket. George and I were sport fanatics. We played tennis, rugby and loved swimming. Throughout our school days we were both in the A teams and we never gave up our sports. George was busy with a patient, so I spoke to his receptionist. I noticed she was new. I silently congratulated him on his choice; her face was like Rafael’s Madonna. Read On

The Unfulfilled Dream of A Daughter
by Lakshmi Menon 
I was on my way to Kentucky in USA to visit my daughter's family. It was my first international journey and obviously I was a little worried, as I was travelling alone. I had to change my flight from Amsterdam and then again from Detroit. I was able to make a friend in Mumbai International Airport, a Dutch girl, who was also going to USA, but her destination was Minneapolis. Read On

The Life We Are Given
- A Review by Satya Chaitanya
The Life We Are Given, described as “A Long-Term Program for Realizing the Potential of Body, Mind, Heart, and Soul,” is a manual for personal growth based on what the authors call Integral Transformative Practice. It is based on certain principles from Leonard’s book on long-term practice, Mastery, some of which are: Lasting transformation requires long-term practice; the most effective transformative practices involve ... Read On

Recession:
Looking Towards Indigenous Solutions
by Dr. Perumal Koshy 
The global market has a lot of potentials worth exploring, but how far we can we explore job creation potentials just outside our homes, within our local economy? Entrepreneurs emerge when things look gloomy. It is the innovative spirit that facilitates an economy moving forward towards recovery and not just the financial packages. There are areas that can be harnessed as feasible ventures that generate employment both in manufacturing and service sectors. At a time when ... Read On