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I am re-posting this article of mine published in Economic and Political Weekly, immediately after the tragic event. Some of the intellectually well-meaning criticisms of many policies of US governments have been internalised as hatred of America and Americans in the conscious or unconscious minds not only of the lunatic fringe of religious fundamentalists but also of large numbers of apparently rational people, particularly in the poorer countries. In the aftermath of the maniacal attacks of September 11 the foremost challenge will be to dispel the clouds of hatred if irrationality is not to triumph over reason Remembrance: 9/11 (2001)Reason or Irrationality: Time to Choose  Today (12th September) as I post  this,  I also remember my mother, C.A. Annamma, who left us in 2006.

For some time I have truly been a bit out of touch with developments in Open Source software. To me, the flagship Open and Free application was OpenOffice. There are of course, mightier and more beautiful ones like MySQL. But this one is closer to one's finger tips, purring on our Laptops and Desktops. Quite unlike others enthroned on the arrogant servers or known only to developers. OOo (OpenOffice.org) was for me a good enough substitute for MS Office. It was steadily improving. But sadly, our worst fears – of commercial greed choking this great effort – seemed to have come true. As many are aware, Oracle, the database major, acquired Sun Microsystems some time back. Sun had developed Java. Sun had placed the licensing of its Java implementation under the GNU General Public License in 2006. Java had, by then, already become the hot favourite on the web and on all sorts of devices – from big computers to cell phones. Hmm, Yes! I do mean – Java everywhere! It was too true. ...

Hodgy Podgy, beware The house is on fire It is doggie, dodgy politics out there But has it gone to the dogs? Bark, bark, my beloved country There are, indeed, so many sayings and phrases Seems tailor made for every dog Every dog has its day, but today dog just aint yours! (due apologies - Toby Keith) Once bitten, twice shy Matters have come to such a pass It is a dog-eat-dog world, after all With and without apologies Come to think of it, It's a dog's life, all said and done No bitching Have any doubt? Coming to the subject of dogs and licking - Boots, food and leftovers In Malayalam, there is a phrase: Among dogs, there are some that lick the leftovers And some left to lick the cheeks of other dogs (Malayalam: ela-nakki pattiyum, ela-nakki pattiyude chiri nakki pattiyum ) When it comes to licking boots, it seems there is a cyclic affliction Regretfully, the dogs can't straighten their tails No matter how much they try Respectably, let ...

The 26/11 trial is barely over. People are patient. But the media isn't. The shrill voice of news readers wants punishment to be delivered in the manner of 24X7 reporting. While waiting for the judgment, hysteria is being orchestrated more or less demanding a time table to hang the only 26/11 terrorist captured alive. At the final stage of the trial, while the arguments are being heard on the punishment for those found guilty, an unseemly ‘debate’ is being carried on almost non stop in some of the TV channels. This borders on baying for blood, almost equating justice to revenge. Debate on death penalty is relevant. In a very large number of democracies it is not on the statues. But, in the present debate anyone who takes a moral position against capital punishment is almost made to look unpatriotic. The discussion is not about leniency to a particular criminal. It is not on showing mercy or a lesser punishment. Debate is not whether this particular criminal deserves capital ...

Now, that IPL spectacle is into a new and blood curdling phase, it is time to talk of many things - of cabbages and kings; of data flows and operating systems! Mind you, the valuations and profit projections of IPL were from the most reliable of sources.  Hope you heard it right - the leaked email was, indeed, a great revelation! No team owner stands to earn one Paisa (not a Cent, not a single Penny) of profit for the next several years! Isn't that great! This proved to be such an exciting info to Minister-X that his email inbox imploded (virtually)!  It further strengthened his resolve to bat for his team!  After getting to know that there is no way of earning profits for a very long time to come, the Kochi bid went up by several million dollars! What a brave new world of business we are into now! Forget the sub-prime crisis, global recession and bubbles. You haven't even imagined how big the bubbles could get! Yes, must get back to the note. One leaked file...

The irony is that film stars 'own' the team – i.e., the players! Our sports icons are now like gladiators. May be, not so brave. In awe and with fluttering hearts they mix with the glamorous stars of the show business and real business. Occasionally they remember: Hey boy! This one really owns me, my God! What have I got into? The gladiator partying with his owner! They do it, not because they always like to party after a bad defeat, but so be it, it is part of the deal, you know.  It is the new Compulsive Relaxation Therapy, prescribed by the IPL. Partying in prescribed doses is a lot more than mere fun. Also, it is good to party if the defeat was, perhaps, well and truly expected. May be, even anticipated. You know why! No rewards for guessing! If still in doubt, ask your bookie. It just happens that the celebrations get a bit wilder when the results go against the odds! In this format of the game, both losers and winners can rejoice! It is a great game, come o...

      The extent of media coverage, bigger frenzy than the game itself, seems to be a good indicator of how large a space the heady mix of business, entertainment and sports - in that order (!) has come to play in this country.    IPL vs BPL: On one side millions given away as tax concessions; on the other side millions of real people starve.     We are not even sure how to count those living below the poverty line (BPL). So says the hapless decision-makers; those at the very top. Not joking, my BPL friend!    Our great decision makers are on the horns of great IPL vs BPL dilemma. Neither are they able to count the millions of dollars that IPL makes! Nor can they count the number of poor!    They can’t figure out neither the rich nor the poor.  This is true Nirvana of the State. It not untrue that ignorance is bliss!    They are, as we can see, truly well balanced. They maintain a level playing...