Will the North Korean leader go berserk and launch a nuclear war? Twenty-nine year-old North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is playing up rhetorics transcending the frequency reached earlier by former Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez and present Iranian leader Ahmadi Nejad. Kim Jong-un has the inheritance of self-styled glorious leadership of his grandfather and father. This young leader could outwit his forefathers and do something nutty, that is what is feared by the US, South Korea and other world powers. The precocious N.Korean leader has threatened nuclear strikes on the US, formally declared war on South Korea and insists on reopening a nuclear reactor in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions. He has already put the world leaders on tenterhooks. In the normal course, no one with sensible thinking would launch a nuclear war. There were reports earlier that Pervez Musharraf was planning to launch a nuclear missile against India during the Kargil war. The-then US President Bill Clinton had intervened to salvage the situation. If a man goes berserk, anything could happen in the world. Major religions have anticipated an armageddon-like occurrence. Let the present threat be not that miserable.

Involve the Congress high command to draft Ramesh Chennithala into the Cabinet The allegation by Yamini Thankachi that she was cheated by all, including Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, was too much. The Chief Minister may not have understood the gravity of the murky goings-on in the family headed by R.Balakrishna Pillai. It seems there existed a situation that was incorrigible. It was this fact that could not be deciphered by the Chief Minister. Of course, he had the good intention to safeguard the cohesion of the government as well. Can that be faulted? If we look through a cross-section of the society, we could confirm that there are situations sometimes which cannot be improved upon, except the court's intervention. Even that could not save the relationships, but parties concerned can go their ways. The silver lining on the dark horizon could be that the Congress high command should be involved in finding ways to accommodate Ramesh Chennithala into the Cabinet. A lot of problems could be solved at one go.

Apparently, the party mantle has fallen on Narendra Modi The BJP has demonstrated in unmistakable terms about who would be leading the party in an attempt to recapture power at the Centre. The leader is Narendra Modi who has been re-inducted into the parliamentary board of the party. He has been kept outside for six years. Now, accepting the growth figures in Gujarat, the central leadership of the party has no doubt he would be the fit person. And that underscores the fact that the party would be playing the extremist Hindutva ideology. And that would be a great departure from the Atal Bihari Vajpayee days. L.K.Advani, Yashwant Sinha, Jaswant Singh and all would not be tall leaders vis-a-vis Narendra Modi. There may be many critics against this choice. But a party has the right to choose its nominee, even though Narendra Modi has not been chosen the Prime Ministerial candidate as yet. The writing is clear on the wall. The rival political parties have also the right to criticise the situation. But the right of any party to bring a particular person on the vanguard cannot be questioned. The results have to be watched at the appropriate time.

On again, off again, still on again support; something is wrong Once in a while it seemed Mamata Banerjee was coming back to the UPA II when DMK pulled out. It seemed Janata Dal (U)'s Nitish Kumar of Bihar could be roped in. But one thing has to be recorded Biju Janata Dal's Naveen Patnaik did not even hint at supporting the UPA II dispensation. Dr Manmohan Singh's Government has been hanging on with the outside support of Samajwadi Party's Mulayam Singh Yadav. But for a few days now, Mulayam Singh has been at his best to rip open the Congress. It seems, when P.Chidambaram complimented his son and UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, Mulayam has calmed down a little bit. But he is a past master at politicking. Remember, how he had hoodwinked Mamata Banerjee. Reports were apearing in the media that maybe Karunanidhi would return to the UPA fold. Lately, Karunanidhi has expressly confirmed there would be no going back to the UPA. Even the Prime Minister has hinted that there could be pulling out of allies, however as the leader of the ruling dispensation he should give out only remarks about the cohesion of the government. And that he has done. Everything may not be smooth going, and 2013 could be a cliff-hanger.

The marines' issue was miserably mishandled by the Italians Now we have heard about the resignation of Italy's Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi over the return of the two marines to India as assured to the Supreme Court of India. It seems Terzi was protesting against the return of the marines. No doubt, Terzi had a big role to play in the 'kidnapping' of the marines to Italy duping the sovereign nation of India. It all seems some people in India, maybe in the political sphere, maybe in the diplomatic or ex-diplomatic sphere, had given them false hopes. But the moment, the sovereign nation of Italy duped the sovereign nation of India and the Supreme Court of India, things had gone awry. The Italians were behaving like the mafiosi. The averrment that there is an agreement about not giving capital punishment to the marines is not tenable. Any law-abiding citizen in India knows that the marines' case would not come under the rarest of the rare cases. They would not get death sentence. The Italians should have shown perseverance and fought the case in India. On the political front, they could have drawn up an agreement with India allowing the marines to spend their time in Italy, if there is a small jail term for them. In sum, the marines' issue was a monumental mismanagement by the Italians.

Culprits smuggle themselves into the groups of just and fair and argue for truth More than 4 billion people live without access to the protections of law. This leaves them, their families, and their homes vulnerable to exploitation and violence at the hands of the rich and powerful. But now there’s an opportunity to change this. Because poverty will only be defeated when the law works for everyone, Chris Stone, President of Open Society, says along with George Soros, Amartya Sen. What we see now-a-days is the heightened form of inequality, the rich and the powerful get away with whatever they want. All the film stars will argue out the case for acquittal of an accused arraigned by the Supreme Court. This comment is without going into the merits of the culpability of a person who was once a drug-addict. There are millions of examples of inequality and disparity, in wealth acquisition, working of the law, justice and fairness. Now what we see is a strange phenomenon, the real culprit smuggles himself into the just and fair and argues out for justice, equality and fairness. What a paradox!!!

It would be just pulling on till the elections, in 2013 or 2014? It is a game of numbers in Parliament, there can be no mincing the matter. Whether the MPs belong to national parties or regional parties or some parochial ones, their support and votes count in the sustenance of the government. Coalition set-up runs in many countries, particularly in Israel, Japan, Italy etc There, when they find the going tough, they call for fresh elections. The post-election scenario would bring out a little different outcome, still coalitions pull on. Now the UPA II Government in India is facing the worst of its crises. Those who do not want to sing a swan song in Parliament now (for where is the guarantee that the same MPs would return after fresh elections?), would try to stitch some support so that the government survives. Who would all be coming out with support, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Mayawati, Mamata Banerjee, Biju Patnaik or so? For the Congress Party, announcement of elections should be at a convenient time. Is it the time now which is convenient? Lo, elections are on the horizon, at least during winter time this year!!!

Definitely, the atmosphere in Kerala has been vitiated by vitriolics but expediency demands that there would be no political killing Be he K.B.Ganeshkumar, P.C.George or some other leader, political expediency does not allow a killing. When the survival of the very government is dependent on complacency, that would be the rule. Any amount of waxing eloquent on the issues would not result in action. Now that P.C.George-Gowri Amma row has surfaced, Ganeshkumar issue had a reprieve of sorts. For, the problem remains only if it is in the air through television channels. Otherwise, it is just pass. No doubt, the goings-on in Kerala in the political sphere have been undesirable. But no one has a solution. The only solution seems to be to create a fresh controversy to suppress a previous row. And people are thriving on the telecasts of leaders washing dirty linen. We, Keralites, may think that ours is the ideal political atmosphere. Actually, we are ignoring the genuine issues that confront the people. We go on speaking about treating wastes at the source and solving the mounting garbage problem, which is the biggest woe for people of the state. Just tinkering with the issue by assurances of treating wastes at the source would not do. There should be gargantuan cauldrons and incinerators and mega level automatons that should burn off the wastes. That is costly and may necessitate crucial planning and execution. If the garbage problem can be solved at a mega level, much of the infectious diseases, viral fever, and other fevers caused by mosquitoes can be prevented. Demands for axing particular leaders would hog the headlines at breaking news realms for some time, the problems would escape into thin air, unless of course there would be a decision of the courts.

Unbelievable there could be such a Pontiff as Pope Francis I In this world of the riches-seeking, pleasure-playing and luxury-indulging times, it is unbelievable that there could be such a pontiff as Pope Francis I, who is in his first blessing asked the people to pray for Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI as well. The new Pope coming from Argentina of Latin America loves football. Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as he was, gave up a palace for a small apartment, cooked his own meal, rode public transport. He is a history-making pontiff, first from Latin America, who gives importance to social outreach. Definitely, this prelate from humble beginnings can work to make the world a better place to live in.

Gorbachev, Pope Benedict XVI are trend-setters Mikhail Gorbachev and Pope Bendict XVI are the trend setters of the new world. The actions of Mikhail Gorbachev led to far-reaching changes in the world. Even though he had not anticipated the dissolution of the former Soviet Union, wanting only multi-party system to come into being instead of totalitarianism, other powerful and popular leaders emerged, along with new nations. Freedom for millions of people was the result of Gorbachev's actions which are not liked by traditional Communists. All the same, freedom is valuable. In the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI did not want to put up with things he could not bear. Rather than living a life of duplicity, he chose to remain steadfast in his beliefs. Abdicating the most powerful position on Planet Earth is not that simple. He has done that, now leading to the process for election of a new Pope. Now-a-days renunciation is a far cry for even those who are sworn to renunciation.

There is a connoisseur in every art, sport, entertainment form; don't trespass Cricket is the fort of personalities like Sachin Tendulkar and music that of Yesudas, Lata Mangeshkar and their class. Everyone can play cricket in the private domain, and everyone can sing like that. In public domain, there should not be a burden from small worthies playing cricket and singing songs, to 'entertain' the people. Only the players are entertained. The sight of worthy actors spoiling cricket and some of them orchestrating musical strains for the 'benefit' of the fans is illogical. There is a connoisseur in every art, sport and entertainment form. Don't trespass.

A lot of pressures are there, but Oommen Chandy had said not a leaf would move On the surface of it, the Oommen Chandy Government should fall by the wayside going by the sort of machinations against it. But Chief Minister Oommen Chandy himself had said not a leaf would move out of the Congress-led UDF bandwagon. The NSS-SNDP Yogam combine is gleefully waiting for the fall of its persona non grata government. M.V.Raghavan is not satisfied with the spoils of office offered to it, even as it has no MLA. So is the case with K.R.Gowri Amma. But they cannot simply move out, for if they venture out, there might be split in their own forts. Now Minister K.B.Ganeshkumar is being given a taste of being arrogant. His paramour's husband had given him blows at the ministerial bungalow itself, according to government's own Chief Whip P.C.George. But Oommen Chandy and the UDF have no complaint against Ganeshkumar by the aggrieved party. One should expect a bland statement from the UDF leaders after the front's meeting on Thursday. Everybody should behave and fall within the pattern of the UDF discipline. There is no complaint from the aggrieved parties, so would go on the fulminations. K.M.Mani is being shown an olive branch by the LDF, without cogent plan of action. Mani may not be that indiscreet to be hoodwinked by anyone.

Why not try expenditure tax as well? We have exhausted all forms of taxation. Where is the tool to extract more money from the people? Expenditure tax could also be pursued. The rich and the poor could be roped in at one go. Expenditure tax is a taxation plan that replaces the income tax. Instead of applying a tax based on the income earned, tax is allocated based on the rate of spending. This is different from a sales tax, which is applied at the time the goods or services are provided and is considered a consumption tax. Experts say there are four basic issues surrounding an expenditure tax: equal distribution between rich and poor, collection methods, tax brackets, and rates. The most obvious issue with this model is the difference in available income for spending. The lower the income, the more of that income is spent to meet daily needs. Saving is a luxury that is only possible after all spending needs are met. This model would have the wealthy, who have more income available to save, and thus shelter from tax than the poor and working classes. To address this issue, adjustment mechanisms would need to be built in to the tax reporting process for people with lower incomes.

Systemic changes needed for instant implementation of budget proposals There was a comment about Railway budget proposals that it would take fifty years to implement the suggestions. Therefore, the point is clear, there should be a systemic change to realise actual implemenetation. Finance Minister P.Chidambaram says the women's bank with a start-up capital of Rs 1,000 crore would be set up this November. If that happens, it would be a wonder, in India which is in a quagmire of procedural wrangles otherwise. We speak about 80,000 crore for rural development, Rs 1,000 crore for women's empowerment, Rs two lakh crore for defence and the like. But when it comes to actual implementation a year, the figures would be much less. When the world is moving at rocket speed, our snail's pace implementation would only add up to all sorts of deficits, fiscal, current account, and so on. But there would be cut-back on confidence, added inflation and frustration all around.

Mani is having fun; it should be a nice feeling being invited by rivals Kerala Congress (M) supremo K.M.Mani is definitely enjoying the fun of it all. Initially, the CPM said something would be done to rattle the UDF bandwagon. Then, none other than V.S.Achuthanandan said Mani is welcome to the LDF fold. Now Pinarayi Vijayan says there is no such decision to welcome Mani. Vaikom Viswan says only those who have similarity of views would be accepted. Could the game-changer be that simple? Mani has nothing to gain unless he is offered Chief Ministership. Would the CPM come down to that? Would LDF allies agree to this? Will K.M.Mani's own MLAs in full accept this proposal? Several imponderables are there. Suppose there would be a third front government at the Centre after the Lok Sabha elections. Changes could come easily then.

The late K.Karunakaran might be the only political stalwart who had taken criticism in his stride The late K.Karunakaran was probably the only political stalwart in Kerala who took criticism in his stride. Those times,when a multitude of television channels were absent, newspapers used to tear him to pieces when he was Chief Minister and otherwise. He wouldn't mind even calumny against him. For a fact, it should be noted that the very concept of the UDF then was based on protecting the interests of various communities. Karunakaran would visit Guruvayur temple every first of the Malayalam month of Chingam. That was the way of his passion about Hinduism. But then, he was close to various community leaders. And they trusted him. With regard to J.C.Daniel not having been accepted as the first Malayalam film maker, some confidantes of Karunakaran might have told him that his was not a talking film in Malayalam and that was that.

Terrorism is lurking everywhere; no one knows when it would strike We may not know, terrorism could strike in our backyard. Everywhere its tentacles have a strong-hold. The attacks could be in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad or any other place. The powers-that-be appear to have intruded into almost every echelons of our society, masquerading in different forms and entities. The US has always been criticised for seemingly oppressive forms of search, questioning and detaining suspects. But then, it has contained the menace quite well. Now what is haunting the US is trigger-happy gun firing only. In India, because we are so liberal, to the extent of being unique in the world, any terrorist can pass as ordinary citizen, hoodwinking the authorities. Now reports say Indian Mujahideen leader Yasin Bhatkal was in the custody of Kolkata police in 2008 in disguise. Another report says he has two Malayali accomplices with him. The cops had no idea that the person in custody was Yasin Bhatkal. That drives the point home that there should be a federal set-up to deal with terrorism. But no one even speaks about the National Counter Terrorism Centre. There should be co-ordinated efforts to nab terrorists infiltrating the society.

Add your Comment Paradoxes of democracy, capitalism; no one paying heed to the real issues I have always been perplexed by certain issues which confront our democracy which is fast leading to comrephensive capitalism. Liberal ideas, free speech and unfettered articulation, business and the like are, no doubt, far better than totalitarianism and suppression of independent thinking. But some of the real issues confronting the people, the society, the workers are looked askance at. One has to look at the welfare provisions existing in developed nations. There are nation-wide social security networks in all such countries. We have to have a nation-wide social security department giving social security numbers to each and every family and individual. When one finds himself or herself without gainful employment, the social security department comes into full play and provides minimum decent living expenses and amenities. Children are provided good amounts for health and education. We have this MNREGA and other minor welfare schemes. But we have not thought of providing a social security number to each individual. The system of unique identity number should be provided to all first, and then this should be used as the base facility for comprehensive social security measures. Another paradox is the free-for-all of employers, that is in the system of capitalism everywhere. That system has come into being in India as well. Employers, after careful procedure of finding merit and qualification, give jobs to youths. After some time, by mismanagement or otherwise or non-profitability, they announce that they cannot retain so many of the employees. Okay, some of you have to leave the organisation. This is sheer one-sidedness and unilateral application of mind. The courts also do not take cognizance of the real problem. No one, after selection and infusion into service, should be thrown out. First, all avenues of non-profitability should be probed and the real issues found out for correction. If the managers, including owners, are found to be at fault, they have no right to ask the employees to clear out. Mismanagement, if any, should not be tolerated. Wasteful expenditure and lavish way of living of the management, including owners, should be scrapped. If nothing works out, the losses should be evenly distributed, without asking the employees to quit. If everything goes awry, there is no right for the company or institution to continue. Let this be wound up. Let all the parties share the burden. Will anyone take heed to this sort of justice?

Temporal powers and spiritual powers are with him, but he has no qualms about stepping down People occupying some posts and enjoying the power should give attention to the grand gesture of Pope Benedict XVI who has temporal and spiritual powers bestowed on him. The keys of heaven are his, in his capacity as the successor of St Peter. No doubt, temporal powers are unfathomable in his capacity as head of the 120 billion -strong Catholic faithful spread over all the globe. For more than six centuries no Pope abdicated his position, be he hale and hearty or bed-ridden. In the world which is teeming with leaders who cling on to even vestiges of power, this gesture of calling it a day when he can stand up and walk around, is unique. When all seems to be lost with the world for values, ethics and justice, lo there is a silver lining. Everyone would admire his gesture.

Merry-go-round of plea for action, no-action likely with regard to VS The merry-go-round of the state panels of the CPM demanding strongest punishment for V S Achuthanandan and the central leadership looking askance at it could, in all probability, repeat. V S Achuthanandan knows it for a fact that no action could be taken against him, if the party wants not to create worst problems. By the basic standards of discipline, V S Achuthanandan could have been expelled for his forthright comments in the media against the state leadership. But the party, which did not think twice in expelling Somnath Chatterjee, has been dilly-dallying with regard to V S Achuthanandan, who is convinced that he has been provoked. Gradually, the CPM may also be convinced that it is like any other party regarding disciplinary action.