Author Archives: vpdot

Movie review- A Wednesday

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Wow, what a delightful year for lovers of good Hindi movies! Four of the six movies last reviewed here have been low budget gems that also made good, pointing to a crumbling of the studio oligopoly that has existed in Bollywood for years.

Three of those have been set in Mumbai, a city whose encompassing moods and multiple layers of existence have been rich fodder for young writers and directors. While Jaane Tu dealt with romance in the hip, sophisticated side of this cosmopolitan city and Rock On was a coming of age movie set in the comfort of urban success, A Wednesday looks at the seamy side of Mumbai, where gangsters and politicians co-exist in relative amity, where the man on the street is just a pawn in the complex games of the powers-that-be.

A Wednesday has been unfairly clubbed with other movies dealing with bomb blasts in Mumbai. Terrorism is a subject that goes deep into the psyche of the average Mumbai resident and it is not surprising that different filmmakers try to deal with it in their own unique way.

But this particular movie is not a commentary on the issue like Mumbai Meri Jaan or Tahaan. What it is, first and foremost, is a tight, taut thriller, a cat and mouse game between the police chief, played by Anupam Kher, and an anonymous criminal (Naseeruddin Shah) who threatens to bomb five unknown locations in the city unless his demands are met.

The drama plays out in just 100 minutes of movie time( about 5 hours of real time on a Wednesday), but each minute is a cliff-hanger as the terrific script keeps us guessing till almost the very end. The direction by debutant director Neeraj Pandey is impeccable and worthy of the enormous acting talents of Kher and Shah. If I had a quibble, and it is a very small one at that, it is that a couple of supporting actors don’t quite measure up. This is especially true of the guy who plays the Bollywood star threatened by the Mob, but I am really nitpicking now. Given that this is a movie that was probably made on a small budget, this cost-cutting is pretty forgivable. Especially as there are some scenes which could be used for a master class in acting.

One in particular is the final scene between Kher and Shah. This is the only time in the movie in which the two share the frame. The freeze frame at the end captures a look on Shah’s face and he manages to convey so much more with just his expression in that one second than reams of award-winning dialogue can do in hours.

What is more encouraging than the fact that this is a really good movie is that it is a big hit back home, gaining some kind of cult status among movie fans. It is unashamedly bilingual, with the English dialogue sounding colloquial and appropriate, and has no songs. Isn’t it great that a movie that bucks the formula can do so well?

I’ve been feeling lately that there is a renaissance of sorts happening in Bollywood. Studios like Yash Raj Films have been turning out turkeys like Tashan and Thoda Pyaar, Thoda Magic while the indie crowd has been scoring all the goals. Young filmmakers have been making the films they want to make, not the ones they think they should and the results, while not uniformly good,( witness strange creations like Ugly Aur Pagli and Money Hai to Honey Hai), have been interesting.

At the very least, this new direction in Bollywood is giving character actors like Anupam Kher, Naseeruddin Shah and Ranvir Shorey their place in the sun. Like movies produced by Miramax in Hollywood, an alternate channel of small, intelligent movies is emerging in India. As an avid Hindi-movie watcher, I can only rejoice.

A Wednesday

*ring Anupam Kher, Naseeruddin Shah, Jimmy Shergill

Written and directed by Neeraj Pandey

My rating – 4.5 stars out of 5.

Harmeet Dhillon – Candidate for State Assembly

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UPDATE: Harmeet Dhillon lost her bid for State Assembly from California’s 13th district.

Harmeet Dhillon is one of a rare breed – a Republican in Democratic California. Arriving in the United States as a small child, Harmeet was educated in North Carolina and went on to Dartmouth College with an active participation in civil rights issues. She came into prominence when she questioned a music professor about an inappropriate level of political correctness (too much! according to her). An article about the same landed her an interview on 60 minutes.

In California, Harmeet continues to be active in civil rights legislation, providing legal services to political refugees, victims of domestic violence, and plaintiffs in civil rights litigation, including several First Amendment cases. She is also one of the up-and-coming members of the California Republican Party, being the Governor’s appointee to the party.

I spoke to her about her candidacy for the State Assembly from the 13th Assembly District of California, which includes many progressive, liberal, San Francisco neighborhoods.

You have been an active member of the Republican Party in California. What made you decide to run for office?
HD: In every county we have a Republican committee that’s elected by the registered voters of each party. This committee determines party policy in each county. I was appointed to a vacancy in 2004. Then I was elected to the committee in June in this year.. The party then asked me to run for State Assembly.

As assemblyman, what would your responsibilities be?
HD: The State Assembly is like House of Representatives for the state.  We have a bicameral legislature that is responsible for passing legislation, coming up with the budget etc.

How Republican leaning is your district?
HD: It’s virtually impossible for a Republican to win in my district. It is probably the most liberal district in the state. About 27% of the voters are registered as independent and I am focusing on them.

In that case, why would you run for office in this district?
HD: They are various reasons why you run. The first generation Indian Americans think the reason to run is to have power. I am doing it to educate the people and grow the party statewide. If I am able to increase the number of people voting Republican, I would consider my job done. I am also increasing my profile, increasing my chances of getting a  political appointment. It is a long term view. People who run for office can be arrogant. But they have never been involved in politics, never written op ed pieces. The way it works here , the party has to know you and the party has to back you. Otherwise you have no credibility.

Is party affiliation more important to the voters or the personality?
HD: That depends on your county. In San Francisco, the endorsement of the Democratic Party for ballot initiatives or school board matters a lot. Particularly in the non-partisan race, voters tend to be influenced by the recommendations of the Party.

What are the issues of concern to the voters in your particular district? Could you enumerate your positions on those?
HD: Environmentalism, the budget crisis in California, the economy. A lot of people are concerned about illegal immigration.
Education – We have a terrible system. The main culprit is the teachers’ unions. They grant teachers tenure after just 2 years. After that it is impossible to get rid of bad teachers, we cannot monitor performance. I advocate a full scale reform of the educational system. I support vouchers and more opportunities for home schooling. The state should allow a charter school program. People can go to vocational track. In North Carolina where I grew up, there was a boarding school for the gifted. That’s a great system where general schools deal with the average students and there are special schools for the bright kids. In California they tend to get lost.
Environment – I am a strong proponent of market based solutions. I think we are over reliant on fossil fuels. I am in favor of drilling as a long term solution. I would encourage car manufacturers to develop cars with better mileage. The way to do that is by judicious of tax credits for people and businesses and making it attractive for people to make that choice. In terms of protecting the environment, I am in favor of that. Conservation is a republican value.
Balancing the budget – I think the governor made one mistake in proposing the 3-year one cent sales tax increase. The budget process needs to be started earlier. The Governor should make it clear right now that he will not sign any legislation any bills  without a budget.
Crime – This is more of a local issue. It is somewhat related to the immigration issue. Certain cities like SF declare themselves sanctuary cities. This prevents police officers from informing the INS about criminals who are also illegal immigrants. This was horribly put to the test in the case of the Bologna family murders. The killer of the family members, who had previously been in trouble with the police, was allowed to roam free because there was no provision for the police to make sure he was deported.
Immigration – I believe illegal immigrants should get in line like the rest of us did.

Does the latest spell of bad economic news make it more difficult for you?
HD: I’m mot sure it will affect state races. San Francisco is a weird place. The majority of people are renters, so they don’t care about the housing market..they care about protecting rent control, which I am opposed to.

What is your opinion on the budget stalemate in California?
HD:I think the original budget was a terrible budget and I’m glad the Governor stood firm and asked for some changes. Spending now needs to be cut. There are lots of wasteful and inefficient government programs. One, as I mentioned before, is the sanctuary city policy that coddles young criminals. The city allocated 650000 for cultural adjustment training for these young criminals, I think that’s an outrageous abuse of taxpayer funding. There is room to cut teacher’s pensions. The teachers’ unions have negotiated for a lot of unnecessary money. One thing I recommend is that the city and state should not be subsidizing education for illegal aliens. California currently subsidizes education  at the UCs and state colleges for illegal aliens. The irony is that they cannot find work once they graduate.
I believe we should spend on infrastructure. I am in favor of the high speed rail initiative and in favor of green technology. But wasteful bureaucracy must go.

I understand that you an ardent supporter of John McCain? Do you agree with all his policies?
HD: I don’t agree with the policies of any politician a 100%. On abortion, I believe a  woman should have the right to choose in the first trimester. I think he is correct in that we should get out of Iraq with dignity. I trust him because he is a POW. I agree on his immigration policy where he advocates guest worker program( Senator McCain has said since that he would not vote for his own bill). I support a path to legalization.

Do you have a message for Indian-American voters?
HD:  Indian Americans pay more than their fair share of taxes, more that their fair share of the intellectual process, but we are not sophisticated consumers of politics. We don’t run for school boards, state assembly. I am the first person to stand for election with the backing of the party. And we‘ve been here for a 100 years. Nobody’s even trying. We need to be more sophisticated. We need to get out there in the community and give back. Volunteer, work in public service. Take jobs in the public interest.

Incendiary politics

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I don’t know if this has filtered out of the blogosphere and into the traditional media, but there have been some pretty ugly things going on at the various Republican rallies.

–    In one incident, John McCain asks the audience, “Who is Barack Obama?” The reply comes back from the crowd – “Terrorist!”
–    At a Palin rally, as she accuses Obama of ‘palling around with domestic terrorists’ ( referencing Bill Ayers) a voice in the crowd shouts, “Kill him.” Unclear whether the directive is against Ayers or Obama.
–    Today at yet another rally there are references to “hooligans like Obama and (speaker) Pelosi. McCain pauses, then says, “I think you may be right.”

Politics is, has been and will be a dirty game. Not even the founding fathers of the United States were good role models for clean campaigning. Thomas Jefferson hired a writer named James Callender to attack President Adams who wrote that John Adams was “a hideous hermaphroditical character which has neither the force and firmness of a man, nor the gentleness and sensibility of a woman.”

Even Harry Truman is supposed to have said as he campaigned for Kennedy, “If you vote for Nixon, you’re going to hell!”

This year’s mudslinging seems positively tame compared to the outrageous rhetoric of elections past. Nevertheless, a cold shiver is going down my spine. Maybe it’s because I am an immigrant and a minority in this country. A scenario comes unbidden to mind of November 5th, when the sensible voters of this amazing country may have voted President Obama into office. Will the crazy crowds, whipped up to frenzy these last few weeks, have collective amnesia about the middle name “Hussein” that is being bandied around at every single public event? Or will mosques and gurudwaras( nobody ever said these crackpots were smart!) have to be on high alert?

It is not surprising that there are elements like these in civilized society; that is to be expected. What is disappointing is that the veneer of civilization is so thin.

What is disappointing is that politicians, whose job is to lead the country through troubled times, are not even trying to pour oil on the troubled waters. I certainly don’t blame McCain or Palin for the behavior of one or two nutcases at their events. But there is every evidence that they heard what was being said, and instead of elevating the level of discourse, kept quiet or agreed with the out-of-control elements in their base. That is sad and not a little shameful. Their tacit approval of these tactics may yet win them the election, but it will be a pyrrhic victory that will be celebrated in the shambles of a once-proud and great country.

There was a presidential debate last night?

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I don’t know about you, but I am exhausted by the excruciatingly long election season. First it was the interminable Democratic primaries, where we went through the entire gamut of emotions, from hope to disgust to frustration to disgust to incredulity to disgust..you get the drift. Now the post-conventions drama is played out with such glee in the mainstream media, one suspects it was orchestrated entirely by them so they’d have something to fill 24 hours of airtime with.

I find it hard to believe that there are still people left in this country who haven’t made up their minds..what were you doing, sleeping under a rock this last year? Those uncommitted people from Ohio or Pennsylvania or Indiana or wherever the battleground du jour happens to be? They’re lying – happy to have their moment in the sun, their 15 minutes of fame, knowing fully well which candidate they’re going to bubble in their ballots come November 4th.

Meanwhile, the rest of us have to go through the reality TV of weekly debates, where the questions are boring, the answers are predictable and the only thing that changes is the moderator itself, not the smugness or condescension with which the questions are asked. The candidates go through the motions, hoping to make it through 90 minutes without any obvious gaffes, though they can be assured that every hand gesture, every eye scan, every hesitation and stutter will be pounced upon by the vultures garbed as political pundits, even as the substance of their answers glazes the eyes.

Yesterday was no different. I was determined not to watch, my little protest against the inanity of these formats, where the candidates are leashed to their respective little territories, unable to argue or defend or in any way have a real conversation with each other or the voters back home. You can tell that they are on auto pilot, as stock phrases from the stump come rattling out through lips that are trained to stay non-committal, in case a misguided display of emotion makes it to the headlines the next day.

Still, I caught some of it when the hubby insisted on turning the TV on. We had it tuned to CNN where the audience meter put us in a Zen-like state.. we were watching the watchers. Is it possible for the insta-reaction from the focus group to not influence your own perceptions of the event? I eventually gave up listening to the debate, having been hypnotized by the undulating green and orange lines. At the end, the lines gave me a vague sense that women liked Obama more, which priceless nugget of information I could have given to you based on the Senator’s pearly whites right at the start of this whole circus.

Nothing new comes out of these debates- at best, they are a judge of whether the candidate has the composure to not scream out loud in boredom and frustration. But, hey, these guys are senators; if there’s one skill they have, it is to sit through long boring sessions in Congress which have no useful value and produce dubious results.

Of course, the pundits jumped on McCain’s use of the term “That One” to describe Obama( I hear T-Shirts with those words are being printed even as we speak.) Come on, this is a guy from your grandfather’s generation – you’ve got to cut him some slack – at least he didn’t call him “that cocky young whippersnapper” or “that darn tootin’ busybody.” Other than that, there were no momentous moments, no fodder for late-night TV and for me at least, no memories of even the little bit I watched. And anyway, today the tanking Dow is overwhelming what little interest there was in the debate in the first place.

These “debates” are awful. Goodie…I get to see another one next week.

I'm moving!

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First of all, a big thanks to all the people who have been reading me here. You guys rock!

Secondly, as some of you know, I have a full time blog called Water, No Ice that is an online magazine for Indian Americans. We recently went with a new theme( sort of equivalent to the urge to move the furniture around the house every couple of years or so) and there is room for my personal articles the way it is laid out now.

I’ve been writing there under the category called “Blog”. I would urge all you subscribers to move over to Water, No Ice and join there. Eventually we’ll move all the articles here to that section.

If you don’t want all the WNI posts and just want the “Blog” posts, I believe there is a way to subscribe only to this particular category. Try it out and let me have your feedback.

Once again, thanks for your support and hope to see you over at WNI.

Roots

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By Isheeta Sanghi

There’s something infectious about India. When we get off the plane, we are disgusted with the so called bus that takes us to the terminal, we cringe at the thought of those oh so familiar smells of poor hygiene, sweat, and masala.. And of course, none of us look forward to being bombarded by thousands of (mostly short) Indian men all advertising one thing as soon as we exit the airport ‘Taxi Madam?’ No baba, nahi chachiye- obviously NRIs have family coming to greet them!

The fact remains that we all make the pilgrimage home at some point in our lives, maybe even a few times a year, because that’s what we do. We know that our grandparents, maybe a handful of aunts and uncles live there and that is the primary reason that we go. As a child, the trip is somewhat monotonous. The same things being said ‘oh the last time we saw you…’ or ‘oh you’re so big now!’ You get to a point in life though, when that trip is worth more than just bringing back lehngas (which are rarely worn) and pictures of exotic India to share with friends. It’s more of a homecoming. We’re exposed to our roots and our heritage, which in today’s fast paced world is something that we all will learn to appreciate more and more.

Roots are the origin- the starting point, and no matter how high up a tree may grow, branches may extend and leaves may appear- the root remains the origin. Likewise, no matter how much we may try to convince ourselves that after being born and brought up in America, that we are truly only American is a little bit of a lie. No matter how far apart we may grow from our traditional colourful culture, values and heritage; there is a part of us that will inevitably always be connected to our roots.

Initially I was hesitant about acknowledging my heritage. I convinced myself and everyone around me that I did not care for anything Indian. What I realized, after living in India, is that it really is not all that bad. Sure there are things that are ‘typical’ Indian that still I am still ashamed of- like the underworld that rips away the innocence of so many young girls and boys, the lack of preservation of the many monuments, and of course the smelliness of some of the gullies. However, there are more things that make me proud to be of my heritage. I love the family values, the colourful festivities, and the warm people.

Going back to your family’s heritage is amazing, and if you are lucky, you will have family members who have it all mapped out, and you can see where your origins lay. You may not have met most of the people, but just knowing about them gives you a sense of pride. You can smile at the accomplishments of those who came before you, and recognize that if they didn’t do what they had done, you probably wouldn’t be in the place that you are in right now. I learned that if my great grandfather had not pushed my Dada out of the country to pursue his higher education, we would be leading a very different life.  Since my Grandfather studied outside the country, he saw some benefit in it, and encouraged his own sons to venture out as well. When you hear about things like that you only learn to appreciate your roots- either family roots or cultural roots- even more.

Like you learn to love people, you learn to love India. You start to take pride in the fact that the country has come a long way- a very long way- sure it’s not perfect, but what place is? It takes time, and it will take a lot of compromise from your end, you will have to treat it like a child, and forgive its inconsistencies and wrongs.

Picture courtesy this blog.

Golu season!

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While the rest of the Indian crowd is flashing dandiyas and twirling around in their ghagra cholis these couple of weekends, the Tam-Bram community in the Bay Area is quietly celebrating Navaratri with Golus, the collection of dolls arranged in odd-numbered steps.

I write this while recovering from an overdose of shundal, badam halwa, murukku and kesari, a culinary orgy that is going to take more than a few visits to the gym to correct. All the pretty salwar-kameez outfits have been put back in the mothballs, having been properly shamed by the display of kanjeevaram and raw silk sarees.

In a whirlwind tour over the weekend, I visited several Golus, meeting and catching up with friends who had taken the time out of their ultra busy lives to set up and decorate their tableaus, cook delicious sweets and savories and shop at the local craft stores for the all important vettalaipakku, which has evolved from the simple fruit, betel leaf and kumkum to goody bag proportions, containing little crafts for the kids and small household items for the married women.

My mother has an interesting theory about the origins of this tradition. Since girls used to be married off pretty early (as young as 7 years sometimes!) they usually carried their dolls and playthings with them to their new house. During Navaratri, they displayed all their precious possessions in creative ways, showing off their talents in sewing, cooking, music and art.

Only married women and unmarried girls are invited to the Golus, with the men and boys hovering around in the fringes and enjoying the food! The women sing the classical songs they have learnt over the years as they sit at the foot of the Golu and admire it.

The Golu, which is tiered in 5, 7 or 9 steps, represents in its purest form the ascendancy of man. At the bottom is the householder, tied to the mortal plane by the ties of marriage and social interaction. The Chettiar, or merchant, plays an important role in the householder’s life and is represented by a bobble-headed paunchy man and his wife. Dolls depicting various married couples are also auspicious. In the higher tiers, mythological stories and characters are presented. It is a great opportunity to tell the kids Krishna and Rama stories. The top tier contains the Trimurti, or the holy trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, representing the highest plane of existence.

Golus in India are incredibly creative. There was a recent craze for current-event Golus, depicting figures of George Bush and Osama bin Laden. But apparently the dolls have reverted to the traditional now, just bigger and flashier. Imaginative ladies use wheat and mustard sprouts to create little gardens and zoos, populated by play animals, and often have displays that spill over to more than one room.

Of course, here in the Bay Area, limited by access to new figures, the Golus are simpler, but no less enjoyable. My 6-year old daughter and I had a great time going from house to house and she was even persuaded to learn a small bhajan so she could sing in front of the displays. We successfully identified the Ganeshas and the Hanumans and used the peacock-feathered crown to figure out which dolls were the Krishnas.

The nine days of Navaratri, which celebrate the manifestation of Shakti, or the divine goddess, in various forms, are an opportunity for women to socialize without the constraints imposed by familial restrictions. For us, it was a chance to take a break from the mundane chores of shopping, school drop-offs and soccer games and revel in the friendships and sisterhood that sustain us through the rest of the year. We dressed up, we chatted, we sang and we ate. Can one ask for more from a special occasion?

Obama vs. McCain – Flip flops

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Over the course of the last election season, flip-flops went from being an item to carry on your summer vacation to a weapon of political destruction. Republicans successfully painted Senator John Kerry as a “flip-flopper” and the candidate did not help matters by issuing absurd statements like “I was for it before I was against it.”

This year this particular attack against the Democrat has not been as successful, though there are very specific instances of changes in positions by Senator Obama which have given even progressive voters heartburn. Perhaps the ineffectiveness of the meme can be explained by the even more egregious, almost dizzying, revisionism practiced by the Republican candidate for President.

While opponents of both candidates have eagerly pounced on every inflection, every nuance and every little bit of political ass-covering by the candidates, we recognize that not every change is a cause for censure. Keeping that in mind, we bring to you the highlight reel of the flip-flops of each candidate. It is by no means comprehensive, but since there are blogs that exclusively deal with each candidate’s position hopping, we thought we would use a common sense filter to remove the nonsensical accusations on both sides.

Barack Obama
Telecom Immunity – Obama’s U-turn on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance provoked outrage from the left-wing blogosphere. He defended his decision with an email to Daily Kos, http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/6/20/155839/542/779/539258 but this particular flip-flop had supporters fuming and threatening to cut off donations. Obama had promised to filibuster it if it retained the provision immunizing telecom companies from lawsuits arising from the companies’ compliance with Administration requests—orders, really—to coöperate in patently illegal activity. The bill did retain that provision, and Obama voted not only for the bill but against the filibuster.
Oil Drilling – After speaking out against offshore drilling when Sen. John McCain proposed striking down the federal moratorium banning offshore oil and gas drilling to help alleviate high gas prices, Obama said that he would be willing to compromise on his position against offshore oil drilling if it were part of a more overarching strategy to lower energy costs. “My interest is in making sure we’ve got the kind of comprehensive energy policy that can bring down gas prices,” Obama told The Palm Beach Post.
Public financing – Obama replied “yes” in September 2007 when asked if he would agree to public financing of the presidential election if his GOP opponent did the same. Obama then attached several conditions to such an agreement, including regulating spending by outside groups. After his enormous success raising funds from small donors, he decided to opt out of public financing, a move that has given him a distinct advantage in the home stretch to Election Day.

Special interests – In January, the Obama campaign described union contributions to the campaigns of Clinton and John Edwards as “special interest” money. Obama changed his tune as he began gathering his own union endorsements. He now refers respectfully to unions as the representatives of “working people” and says he is “thrilled” by their support.
Illegal immigration In a March 2004 questionnaire, Obama was asked if the government should “crack down on businesses that hire illegal immigrants.” He replied “Oppose.” In a Jan. 31, 2008, televised debate, he said that “we do have to crack down on those employers that are taking advantage of the situation.”
John McCain
Regulation in the financial markets – After the bailout and the recent financial crisis, McCain said on the stump “Under my reforms the American people will be protected by comprehensive regulations that will apply the rules and enforcements to the fullest.” But McCain has had a long history of supporting deregulation. His own words have been, “I am fundamentally a deregulator.” McCain’s last experience with an economic crisis was during the Savings and Loans bust where he was one of the Keating 5, using his senate standing to press regulators to not get involved. His economic advisor, Phil Gramm, was one of the key architects of a piece of deregulation that’s been a big contributor to the current crisis in the financial markets.
Roe v. Wade – After stating categorically in 1999 that “I would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade, which would then force X number of women in America to [undergo] illegal and dangerous operations,” McCain now enthusiastically supports overturning it. The landmark 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade gave women the right to choose an abortion to terminate a pregnancy.
Tax cuts – In 2001, McCain said of President Bush’s tax cuts, “I cannot in good conscience support a tax cut in which so many of the benefits go to the most fortunate among us, at the expense of middle class Americans who most need tax relief.” He now supports extending the same tax cuts.
Immigration reform – McCain co-authored with Senator Ted Kennedy a comprehensive immigration reform bill in 2005, which worked towards giving illegal immigrants a path to citizenship as well as increased funding for border enforcement. When asked this year if he would vote for his own bill, he replied, “No, I would not, because we know what the situation is today. The people want the borders secured first.”
Offshore drilling – In 1999, Senator McCain opposed offshore drilling. He is now a staunch proponent of the same, inciting supporters to chant “Drill, baby, drill!”
Rights for detainees at Guantanamo – in 2005, Senator McCain said –“ I think, on balance, the argument has got to be–the weight of evidence has got to be that we’ve got to adjudicate these people’s cases, and that means that if it means releasing some of them, you’ll have to release them.” When the Supreme Court ruled this year that detainees were entitled to a fair trial, he said it was one of the worst decisions “in the history of the country.”
Privatizing Social Security – McCain has long been a proponent of privatizing social security, saying in 2004 – “Without privatization, I don’t see how you can possibly, over time, make sure that young Americans are able to receive Social Security benefits” and expressing his support for President Bush’s proposal to do the same in March of this year. However in a town hall event in New Hampshire in June he abruptly reversed position, saying, “I’m not for, quote, privatizing Social Security. I never have been. I never will be.”
Warrant-less wiretapping –  Early this year, McCain said, “McCain said, “There are some areas where the statutes don’t apply, such as in the surveillance of overseas communications. Where they do apply, however, I think that presidents have the obligation to obey and enforce laws that are passed by Congress and signed into law by the president, no matter what the situation is.” In June of 2008 however, a top adviser to Senator John McCain says Mr. McCain believes that President Bush’s program of wiretapping without warrants was lawful.

And now, for your viewing pleasure.

Changes to WNI

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Folks,

We are going with a new theme for Water, No Ice. The idea behind this theme is to give a little more visibility to our excellent guest authors and also to let some of our meatier articles stay on the front page longer.

Let us have your feedback.

Movie Review – Welcome to Sajjanpur

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By Vidya Pradhan

Why give your movie an English name when it is entirely set in the North Indian heartland? Shyam Benegal’s latest is set in the sleepy village of Sajjanpur, situated at a vague distance from the big bad metropolis of Mumbai and populated by quirky characters straight out of Nukkad.

In tone and treatment, this movie resembles nothing as much as Hari Bhari, the director’s previous folksy effort from 2000. Mahadev(Shreyas Talpade), is a letter writer for the village and its surrounding district. He ekes out a fragile existence in the age of SMSs and email, lucky to be surrounded by illiterate people with serious issues. Continue reading →