The Manifesto

A Smokers Bill of Rights - A brain dump

2008-08-10T11:06:00.005-04:00

Cruel World,

When you see us in the corner lighting up why do you give us that beaming stare. Have I wronged you in anyway? Then you have the nerve to give me one of those fake, crocodile coughs. Big deal. My lungs are filled with this shit, and I can still function.

Now I am not invincible and I know its bad for me, but please consider my experience. I grew up in a country with no laws on tobacco to minors. I smoked hookah when I was probably 12 in an establishment down the road from my modest 2 bedroom in Karama, Dubai. Oh I remember the days! Get on the terrace of the building, we used to bring cans of coke and quality tortilla chips. We strategically also bought with us some reserve deodorant. And for the creme-de-la-creme, a 20-pack of either Luckies (AED 4.50), Charms (AED 2.00), L&M (AED 4.50), Marlboro (AED 6.00), Gold Flake (AED 3.00), Peter Stuyvesant (AED 5.00) or Phillip Morris Menthols (AED 4.50). Oooooh the menthols...the first time was the best I've ever had.

Oh and it was convenient as well! Cafeteria's used to sell them for 50 fills (15 cents) a cigarette. I even had 'my special place' - it was my smoking alley, where no one could find me...no uncles, no aunties, no family. I even helped the watchman/doorman write the English address on a letter he was sending to India. And ever since, we've always met up when I go back to the alley. My friends have frequented the alley as well. It's a testament to my paranoia. In Hindi, it is my 'adha'!

Before I digress anymore, I'm pissed at paying $8.75 a pack. Little runts like me who smoke from an early age are fucking limited in numbers these days man. Increasing the price doesn't affect them because the U.S. has fucking tobacco laws.

I don't really mind the price increase, helps me cut down, but shit man... And for all you ladies out there that don't dig smokers...do you know what one of the reasons is that we took up smoking?? It's 'cool', yes...and you loved that shit. Not anymore apparently, you now like crooning hipsters with tight jeans and "figure me out..I'm deep but disturbed" little weed who has lived in the comfort of suburbia!! God damn it man, these punks spend more time on their hair than I spend on reading the 'Wealth of Nations' and the Bible.

Let me focus again. "Oh my god...that is so disgusting", "Quit or it will kill you" and "You stink" doesn't cut it man. I'm really really pissed. Please be sensitive, my situation is not that I'm a victim or a smoker by choice. i am a spectrum between the two. I didn't start in grad school or college....I started in the fucking 7th grade because I was a bored tool who didn't like video games. I'm hooked. When anyone asks a smoker whats that smell....we should reply.. "It's the fragrance of fucking death".

Oh and we do pay for it! It's tax dollars going to Medicare and Medicaid. And it is a multi billion dollar business. Where do I sue, and lawyers who read this, please advise? I need the sue both the public and private sector and make a shit ton.

When you see a smoker thank him...he/she is actually saving lives. We also keep folks employed in big tobacco American jobs - blue collar - raise taxes and they loose out, thanks to dead weight loss. You can't ship those jobs overseas man. You can ban smoking in the bars and I can take it....but if I'm outside the bar, please don't give me that look. I would much like to watch the scenery around me rather than waste my 5 minutes of reflection in accommodating you. I beg you...please don't judge me...I'm actually a good person. Smokers are a misunderstood bunch, they are either the villains or the anti-heroes in media. You must be thinking now...wow this mofo thinks he's really special. Yes I am, I'm like any non-smoker and I'm like any human being who despises type casting and discrimination. Dig yourself out of that one.

Phew! That felt good! I just justified my habit.

Big shout out to all the people who feel this way....wear a shirt saying "I fund your social welfare programs bitch". We don't need respect, we don't really need anything except an open air space. It isn't government property. And oh ya...fuck Heathrow...a real BIG HAZARD we were...fucking labor party socialists.

Dear New York

2008-08-10T04:01:00.002-04:00

"Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten
From the Battery to the top of Manhattan
Asian, Middle-Eastern and Latin
Black, White, New York you make it happen"

Beastie Boys - An Open Letter to New York

Thank you New York...

A reflection on 'The New American Realism'

2008-07-27T13:06:00.004-04:00

This Saturday I read Madame Secretary Condolezza Rice's essay on the journal Foreign Affairs. This is one of the most comprehensive summaries on the Bush Administration's foreign policy. The essay reveals the strategy of initiating a unique blend of realism and idealism into nation building and the sustained importance of it. In the post-Cold War era and after the 9-11 attacks, supporting despotism to primarily advance the cause of the national interest is not the proper way of advancing the new world order of democracy and free-markets. Key examples of this are the strategic arrangements that gave rise to Saddam Hussein and the Taliban, two entities which 'betrayed' the Americans.

With all the talk about the legacy of the Bush presidency, this paper tries to shed light on how the Administration would like to view itself in the history books in terms of foreign policy. She makes a fascinating argument that democracy is not unique to culture. That the right of people to choose its leaders is not a matter of the history of a nation. While it is true that new democracies take time to incubate and incur losses in the short run, it justifies itself in the long run in the realization of global stability It cites the examples of India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea and South Africa. These examples are very important because they stand for the apparent success (with great hardship) of the great experiment in democracy and free-markets.

The Bush administration's strategy with Iraq is a reflection of the future of American foreign policy. I am not speaking in terms of war, but in terms of the installation and support of democratic solutions throughout the world while balancing the American interest. This of course does not mean the forceful application of these ideals, but an aggressive diplomatic course of action, the culmination of which was seen in Pakistan, with General Musharraf stepping down as head of the Army and taking the role of the civilian President of Pakistan.

In the 20th century American idealism succeeded in Europe and Japan after World War II. Russia has somewhat gone astray from the ideals of democracy, while Africa's success story is seen in South Africa. The key to global stability now, according to Secretary Rice, is the resurgence of this effort in Asia the Middle East for the 21st century. We see the progression of a global trend which will probably end with Africa.

However efforts in Africa have not gone too well, with multiple instances of the defaulting of democracy in places like Zimbabwe and the events in Sudan. The international community, despite all their efforts could not respond soon enough to quell these threats. If the future of democracy is to be sustained, it is integral that the nations of Africa become a part of the international community to fulfill Rice's vision. This should accelerate over time with the competition of resources between the powers of the world. It is important that South Africa, India and the United States play a vital role is competing with China for both resources and ideals.

Even though I don't agree with the means that America has gone through with, we are at this juncture now. And Rice's comments are pretty enticing. It substitutes the indifference and realpolitik of the 70s and 80s for a more idealistic implementation of American foreign policy which we hope will lead to long term global stability.

FUCK IT! We're doing it LIVE!

2008-05-14T09:59:00.002-04:00

This is probably the funniest thing I have seen in a while!

"Papa Bear" at his Finest

The Talking Heads

2008-05-06T11:45:00.002-04:00

Psycho Killer - Qu'est-ce que c'est?

Pundits, pollsters, authors, partisans, retired generals have sounded the battle horns. It’s been one heck of an election season. The circus has just gotten vicious. Hillary is going ‘Scorched Earth’, Obama has all but lost his shine and McCain is just getting started with the low blows. We love every sumptuous bite the media feeds us and we’re getting fatter by the second.

Political consultants – the Karl Roves, the Lee Atwaters and their heirs are once again formulating the dynamics of the election. Wedge-issues are carefully crafted to split voter bases. The issues – controversial and divisive in nature – carry a ton of weight at the polling booth.

They somehow work under the assumption, that people, whether stupid or not, are carnal when it comes to politics. Their main weapons are their reams of historical candidate quotes and fuck-ups and we love it!

Distractions Include:

Jeremiah Wright, Tax Returns, Bowling, Shots of Whiskey, Elitists, Guns, God, Big Government, Blue Collar vs. White Collar, Main Street vs. Wall Street, Gas Tax Holiday

But really, whose fault is it? Pollsters and political consultants orchestrate this dirty business for a reason. It’s because we watch with baited breath, for the next verbal jousting match over nothing. Who is going to deliver the knockout blow?! Ratings are based on our demand, however unethical the media may be in the portrayal of any issue or wedge issue.

To be fair, there is nothing of substance to talk about when it comes to the race for the Dem nomination. The policies of both Clinton and Obama are fairly similar. They only thing they can fight is a personality war.

My recommendation is to get basic cable and watch PBS from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM for some class. Get rid of the other fluff – CNN, Fox, ABC, MSNBC, NBC, etc. They can take their ratings and shove it. I also think John Stewart’s appearance on cross-fire was something I have tried to articulate but got lazy. Click here for the video(s).

Looking forward to graduation

2008-04-29T00:07:00.001-04:00

So why did I do it? I could offer a million answers, all false. The truth is that I'm a bad person, but that's going to change, I'm going to change. This is the last of this sort of thing. I'm cleaning up and I'm moving on, going straight and choosing life. I'm looking forward to it already. I'm going to be just like you: the job, the family, the fucking big television, the washing machine, the car, the compact disc and electrical tin opener, good health, low cholesterol, dental insurance, mortgage, starter home, leisurewear, luggage, three-piece suite, DIY, game shows, junk food, children, walks in the park, nine to five, good at golf, washing the car, choice of sweaters, family Christmas, indexed pension, tax exemption, clearing the gutters, getting by, looking ahead, to the day you die.

-Trainspotting

God damn it!

Good Opinion on International Olympic Protests

2008-04-07T19:53:00.005-04:00

Opinion Link

I disagree with the manner of the protests going on. The locals (not Tibetans) of London, Paris and San Fransisco should take into account the Dalai Lama's views. He is after all, described as the leader in exile of the Tibet people. Also factor in the views of billion people who are experiencing a once in a lifetime event, in which the nations of the world are supposed to 'come together'. This has the potential to be a 'transcendent' experience for the Chinese people. They could incorrectly view it as the Tibetans sabotaging their moment which may lead to more violent crackdowns in the PRC.

I do not justify what the Chinese have done or are doing in Tibet.

This is an article on the Dalai Lama's public view

I also do not agree with the 'efforts' by Indian authorities to ban Tibetan exile protests when the torch passes through the country.

There is also an article on the BBC about the history of Olympic protest. Its called 'Power Games'.

People might look at this and call me an armchair critic.

I don't care.

Increasing Scruitiny of Chinese Policy

2008-04-03T06:53:00.004-04:00

Hello Everyone!

I know its been a long time and apologize for the delay.

Now for the story...

Breaking news on BBC and other Western media outlets indicate that Hu Jia, a 34 year-old Chinese human rights activist and dissident, has been arrested and possibly sentenced by Chinese officials.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7327718.stm

The actions of the Chinese government are reprehensible. I hope that the officials release him as soon as possible, if he is truly innocent. Even if he is not innocent, the sentence of 3-and-a-half years is too much. However, let us explore something else - the Western media's sense of moral authority.

The West of course claims the moral high ground. Following the faint screams of their hippies and "Free Tibet" wannabes, we have a media frenzy. Tibet, Dissident, Torture, Human Rights, Arrested, Detained, Repression - these key words for headlines on China have gleamed in the past few days.

It boils down to this: maximize damage against the Chinese system during their most vulnerable time - the Olympics. The frenzy does not have the appearance of a genuine attempt to reform China. It seems like an exercise in the strategic or the subconscious propagation of the idea to be suspicious of the competing East.

The people, have gotten used to reading stories about China and have been drilled (Orwellian style) to think, "Oh no! those Chinese are up to no good again!". Why don't you question the media? Why is China the big bad red?

What if Mr. Jia was actually espousing lies? If he was, how do you feel about the 'good Christians' at Fox News? I know the left would figuratively enjoy Bill O'Reilly' s head on a platter.

Has anyone heard of Sami Al Hajj - an Al Jazeera journalist held at Guantanamo Bay (since December 15th 2001) by the U.S. Government?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sami_Al_Hajj
http://www.prisoner345.net/

Compare this to the massive campaign to free Alan Johnston - who was detained by the Army of Islam in Palestine, and released on the insistence of Hamas.

I'm not saying this is a conspiracy but I do think skepticism is healthy.

Gavin

Update

2007-08-31T01:38:00.000-04:00

My Brain has been dead for a while due to school work. Totally drowns the passion out of someone.
Please be patient....whoever

Religion and Classes

2007-07-13T17:14:00.000-04:00

Just recently there was a story on the O' Reilly Factor about special accommodations being made for Muslim students. The students in a small high school (I forget which town) in the USA were being taken aside during non-class hours and allowed to pray during recess time.

Thank god for Bill who can Spin around a story like a bloody top. Accusations of burgeoning Madrassas made by the guests were some of the high/low points of the discussion. The perception is that much of liberal America supports such actions. The ACLU will never rise against minorities but rather wants to scare white Christians shitless. The ACLU does have a double standard. Extreme Political Correctness seems to be the mantra of the ACLU.

Moving on i think the issue of religion in school is fair as long as the practise maintains that there are people of many different faiths. In fact I laughed at the silliness of all this. I agree with a separation of Church and State when it comes to matters of executive decision making (e.g. the crusades or jihad).

I grew up in a Muslim country filled with expats. We had Muslims, Hindus, Christians, Janis, Farsis, etc. As children, we made fun of accents and race but never stooped to the level of insulting religions. When we prayed in class it was a general prayer (pray to your respective gods). We cannot turn something as innocent as children praying into our political battles.

Atheists can meditate if they want to, but denying kids religion in the classroom to achieve some P.C. euphoria is ridiculous. Prayer and/or Silence for 5 minutes in class should be encouraged. Its really simple. Show no favoritism to one religion, but understanding for all, including those with no religion.

I am not very religious but lets keep Political Correctness to personal discretion and not the Government's.

The Daily News

2007-07-02T19:36:00.000-04:00

Today I want to concentrate an issue very close to my heart. 'Fair and Balanced News'. Do you think that such an ideal exists. In my personal experience I have found BBC World to be as close as it gets to comprehensive and fair news.

I used to live in Dubai where the news was surprisingly fair. Being a monarchy or Sheikhdom, the Sheikh is rarely criticized and as of late, crimes committed by citizens were not being told to to the largely expatriate population. Apart from that, the news we got was....well...fair and balanced. We had the local news channel, GulfNews (an excellent newspaper) and cable news. The largely Conservative news channel Fox News was allowed to broadcast (some may say it has an anti-arab bias) along with the regional channel Al Jazeera (which some say has a pro-Arab agenda).

I used to have a hardcore approach to News: News must portray all sides of the story and there must be governmental regulation in place to counter free-market-tabloid-esque news broadcasts.

As of late I am inclined to fell this is a lost cause.

Free-Market-News
Internet: The 'vocal' users of the internet are largely slanted to the left where websites like digg.com represent either liberal or libertarian points of view (the Ron Paul and Mike Gravel phenomenon). Views are either hidden or shown based on user approval in the form of 'diggs'. I just used digg as an example. I visit the website everyday because it is still a great source

Television news: For years cable news has had an aspect of Fear and Hollywood has been emphasized. In the previous weeks we saw hundreds of hours of news coverage dedicate to Paris Hilton or Chris Benoit (pro wrestler who murdered his wife, son, and committed suicide). Interest pieces like these have become the cornerstone of cable news. Suposedly this is driven by market forces. I feel this is some twisted attempt to get people hooked on 'Reality News', a mechanism which drove the 'what would happen next' feelings of 'Reality TV'. There is something sinister about reporters cashing in on these interest pieces which has cheapened the value of media in a democratic society. Its all about killers and starlets. That's why a famous rock band named itself Marilyn-Manson. I watch these channels everyday because they are still good sources to understand culture and hear discourse - just not good hard news.

In the days to come I will outline my solutions on how to tackle this problem and I need people's help and feedback to make this possible. If your a free-market kind of guy/gal - trust me there is a huge market for free and informative news.

In the words of a guy I talked to in a bar, who was interested in my culture: "All the high schools and the news taught me was propaganda and bullshit....the reason I wanted to talk to you about where you're from is because I have been taught nothing"

There have been 0 posts on this site and 22 visits in the last couple of days.....Come on people...live a little! Post your views!

CIA's Family Jewels

2007-07-01T17:40:00.000-04:00

Click

Pleasently Sickened

2007-07-01T07:50:00.001-04:00

So I just completed watching Moore's latest opus....Sicko. And I have to say it is pretty convincing. However there were hints of bias and the satire maybe misunderstood, his main goal is to compare and contrast and take home the good ideas. Seems simple but then there's Washington lobbying. PR and political fallout will be interesting in the next couple of days. I didn't like Fahrenheit 9/11. But Moore definitely has hit a home run with this one.

I bitched, laughed and caught some dust in my eye....WATCH IT!

John Appleseed

2007-07-01T04:07:00.000-04:00

I checked out the iPhone with a friend from work on June 29th. Being the armchair tech geek who does not indulge, I waited for 40 minutes at an AT&T store in suburbia just to take a spin on her.

She was Beautiful. Beads of sweat and the loss of reason was setting in. "Should I buy it?! It's worth it...I mean a PHONE (long pause), an iPOD (breathing heavily) and an Internet COMMUNICATOR (heart failure). However my credit limit has been exhausted with a much needed bland beige box (Dell Laptop).

What you see on the ad is what you get. A beautiful screen which is reasonably scratch resistant. The glass hides the fingerprints quite nicely. The interface is unparalleled. However the keyboard takes a little work and EDGE is slow.

The blackjack and other smart phones look like ancients

The 'Enemy' Within

2007-07-01T03:39:00.000-04:00

In light of the Glasgow and London car bombs CNN aired a special with Christiane Amanpour called the Enemy Within. The documentary was about the spreading ideology of extremism amongst the Muslim youth. The documentary took on two schools of thought with Islam in the UK. The extremist side and the more moderate side. A failed attempt to integrate immigrants or mix the proverbial melting pot can probably be cited as a reason for the resurgence of extremist points of view.

The United States probably doesn't see the threat of home grown terrorists for a couple of reasons

Difference between USA and Britain in immigration policy:
Between the 50s and 70s a large number of South Asian Immigrants came to live in Britain due to their previous status as 'subjects of the empire'.

1.6 million Muslims in Great Britain (Total population: 60 million)
2 million Muslims in the US (Total Population: 300 million)

Immigration policy in the US and Canada is regulated such that individuals from Asia and Europe must be skilled workers, investors or seeking amnesty.

South Asian and North African 'Ghettos'
France: The French pride themselves of being the most sophisticated liberal thinkers in the world. However the rise of North African ghettos and separation of blue-collar immigrants with the rest of the population and the fact that the government neglected them (in terms of municipal services) clearly show hypocrisy

Britain: The same phenomenon can be seen in Great Britain with large congregations of South Asians living in homogeneous pockets in city centers like Birmingham. These backfire on the majority as poverty leads to centers of dissent.

However I want to pose this question: Is segregation a natural choice of blue-collar immigrants or is it stealthily forced upon them by the government?

Blair and The Middle East

2007-06-28T09:11:00.000-04:00

It is the end of an era in Britain as the former Prime Minister stepped down yesterday to give way for the less-than-charismatic Gordon Brown. I will miss good ol' Tony. The wannabe rocker turned politician has been somewhat of an inspiration to me. I especially enjoyed it when Bush and himself appeared together for debriefs to the press. Blair - the intellectual, the verbose and the voice of reason; alongside Bush - the guy next door, texas swaggermonger and the voice of ideology.

In Blair's new role, he considers being a special envoy of the Quartet (four nations who gave birth to the 'road map' for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict). The last special envoy left because of frustration in May 2006. My opinions of Blair in this new role are quite mixed. Blair has the label of being a Washington lackey after his role in the Iraq war. Arabs will not be charmed. He is still pro-west and the Quartet lacks an Arab entitiy (e.g. the Arab Leaugue)

However I hope in this role, Blair can bring in more public awareness and diplomatic solutions to the issue. The Middle East is clearly going through hell. Israel-Palestine, Lebannon and Iraq. Blair cannot and sould not be a puppet in the hands of the administration in Washington - he's too good for that.

First Post

2007-06-27T23:31:00.000-04:00

This is my first blog post ever. I hope that this blog will be an avenue to express my views and thoughts on the happenings in the world today. Discussion topics will include politics, media coverage and maybe the occasional daily activity. I am an Indian citizen who grew up in the Middle East and am now studying in the USA. I am not a clever or witty writer so please bear with me.