"Modi tells N.Y. crowd that India won’t look back" by Matthew Pennington | Associated Press September 29, 2014
NEW YORK — India’s new prime minister, once shunned by Washington, received a raucous reception in a famed New York sports arena Sunday where he appealed for help from Indian-Americans to help develop his country’s economy, vowing that under his leadership, the South Asian nation wouldn’t look back.
A day after addressing a hushed UN General Assembly, where headphone-wearing delegates rarely break into a smile, Narendra Modi received a tumultuous welcome from upward of 18,000 people.
He struck a chord by announcing plans to simplify the immigration bureaucracy for Indians living abroad and called on them to ‘‘join hands to serve our mother India.’’
A dazzling, Bollywood-style show warmed up the crowd before Modi appeared. About 30 US lawmakers attended — ringing the stage as the Indian leader came into the auditorium under a spotlight like a boxing champion.
The event had the feel of a political rally, and the audience periodically broke out into chants of ‘‘Modi! Modi!’’
On Monday, Modi will meet with President Obama at the White House, a meeting that both sides hope can improve strained relations between the world’s two largest democracies.
Being courted by Washington marks a major change since 2005, when the United States denied Modi a visa for his alleged complicity in sectarian violence in Gujarat state.
Several hundred anti-Modi protesters, mostly Americans of Indian descent, both Hindu and Muslim, gathered across the street from Madison Square Garden, chanting behind police barricades, ‘‘Modi, Modi, you can’t hide, you committed genocide!’’
Voices in the wind.
Inside, Modi spoke in Hindi from a dias at the center of the stage that occasionally rotated so he could face a different section of the audience. He vowed to fight corruption and champion India’s legions of poor, whom he said wanted to participate in the nation’s progress.
Be careful. That stuff is frowned upon by the ma$ters.
He also touted India’s promise as a tech giant, joking that it’s no longer known as a nation of ‘‘snake charmers.’’
‘‘Our country used to play with a snake, now we play with the mouse,’’ Modi said, drawing laughs and applause.
Modi is no stranger to a big stage. Backed by huge corporate wealth, he was the center of the slickest election campaign India has seen.
Why am I not $urpri$ed he was allowed to take power?
In addition to the raucous Madison Square Garden, about 800 people gathered to watch a live feed of the speech in New York’s Times Square.
At both venues, Indian-Americans likened the enthusiasm for Modi’s meteoric rise to that of Obama, who captured America’s imagination when he won the 2008 presidential election vowing to bring ‘‘change.’’
Related: Obama Unwanted by Democrats
That's what awaits Indians after six years then.
‘‘We haven’t seen a leader like Obama in our country ‘til we’ve seen Modi,’’ said Raj Thondepu of Jersey City, N.J..
I didn't know Gandhi, but....
Although Modi remains a divisive figure, the event at Madison Square Garden signified both his appeal and the growing clout of the 2.8 million Indian-Americans. It is one of the wealthiest diaspora communities in the United States and can help Modi spur trade and foreign investment.
A result of immigration policy.
--more--"
"Obama hosts India’s Modi for White House visit" by Josh Lederman | Associated Press September 30, 2014
WASHINGTON — Once shunned by the United States, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India rode a wave of enthusiasm and popular support Monday to the White House, where he began a two-day visit with President Obama.
And tremendou$ corporate backing, from what I heard.
And tremendou$ corporate backing, from what I heard.
The two leaders are working to put a brave face on the relationship despite widespread concerns that US-Indian ties have frayed in recent years.
I'm sick of the illusion and imagery of "diplomacy," sorry.
I'm sick of the illusion and imagery of "diplomacy," sorry.
Modi’s visit started with a private dinner with Obama on Monday evening, the day after thousands of Indian-Americans flocked to New York’s Madison Square Garden for a rare chance to see the new leaders of the world’s largest democracy.
With all those hungry people in both countries?
With all those hungry people in both countries?
The dazzling Bollywood-style dancers and dozens of US lawmakers taking part in the event highlighted the rock star welcome that Modi is enjoying on his first official visit to the United States since being elected in May.
It wasn’t always so. When Modi requested a visa to visit the United States nearly a decade ago, Washington said no. That rejection came three years after religious riots killed more than 1,000 Muslims in the state of Gujarat, where Modi was the top elected official.
That's okay. We can turn around on it quick enough as long as it suits U.S. political goals. What human rights?
That's okay. We can turn around on it quick enough as long as it suits U.S. political goals. What human rights?
Another potential wrinkle in Modi’s visit: A human rights group is offering $10,000 to anyone who can serve Modi with a summons issued by a federal court in New York to respond to a lawsuit the group filed accusing him of serious abuses. The lawsuit is on behalf of two unnamed survivors of the violence.
He's minded his manners.
He's minded his manners.
Modi has denied involvement in the violence and India’s Supreme Court has said there was no case to bring against him. As a head of state, Modi has immunity from lawsuits in US courts. White House officials said they doubted the issue would cloud the visit.
Yes, give me my political illusions and imagery!
Yes, give me my political illusions and imagery!
‘‘Whether it’s security and counterterrorism or strengthening the economy or a host of other regional issues, there is a broad framework where India and the US work closely together to advance our shared interests,’’ said White House spokesman Josh Earnest.
India is an important wedge and bulwark against Pakistan and China and will be on the front lines of WWIII.
India is an important wedge and bulwark against Pakistan and China and will be on the front lines of WWIII.
The two leaders will seek to reinvigorate soured relations between their countries, starting with the state dinner in the Blue Room. Modi, who is fasting to honor the Hindu goddess Durga, was expected to consume only water or lemon-flavored water.
A diplomatic faux pas?
A diplomatic faux pas?
Obama and Modi are to hold an Oval Office meeting Tuesday, marking a rare second day of attention for a visiting head of state.
During their talks, Obama and Modi are expected to focus on economic growth and cooperation on security, clean energy, climate change, and other issues, the White House said. They will also address regional concerns.
China, Pakistan, war.
China, Pakistan, war.
--more--"
I'm unimpressed.
"Few signs of progress as Obama meets India’s new prime minister" by Josh Lederman | Associated Press October 01, 2014
WASHINGTON — President Obama showered praise on India’s new prime minister in an Oval Office meeting Tuesday that sought to infuse new energy into the sluggish relationship between the two countries. Yet for all the pomp and pageantry, there were few signs that Obama and Narendra Modi had resolved vexing issues that have often kept the two democracies at arm’s length.
Give me my pomp and pageantry at taxpayer expense.
Following their first formal meeting, Obama hailed Modi for his energetic approach to addressing India’s challenges since taking office. The president singled out the prime minister’s focus on addressing ‘‘the needs of the poorest of the poor,’’ as well as making India a source of peace and stability in the region.
Meaning it's a crucial component of empire and he needs to keep them.
‘‘We have so much in common, it is critical for us to deepen and broaden the existing framework and partnership that already exists,’’ Obama said.
Keep that $tatu$ quo empire and advance it.
Modi, speaking through a translator, said he expected the economic partnership between the United States and India to ‘‘grow rapidly in the coming years.’’ He offered optimism that the two governments could work through trade disputes and obstacles to nuclear energy cooperation with US companies.
Oh, they get nuclear cooperation and Iran does not?
The visit ‘‘has reinforced my conviction that India and the United States are natural global partners, based on our shared values, interests, and strengths in the digital age,’’ said Modi, who was elected with broad support in May while pledging to help reform India’s economy.
Still, although the two leaders said they had covered key issues including economics, climate change, and regional security, they closed their meeting without announcing any breakthroughs on lingering issues or major commitments to boost collaboration in the future.
While military ties and defense trade between India and the United States have grown, the economic relationship has been rockier, with Washington frustrated by India’s failure to open its economy to more foreign investment and address intellectual property complaints.
But given the geopolitical situation the U.S. is in no position to make a $tink.
Challenges with an existing civil nuclear agreement and the arrest and strip search last year of an Indian diplomat have further frayed relations.
Typically, visiting heads of state spend just a portion of a day at the White House meeting with Obama and other leaders. But Modi, whose election has been cheered by many Indian-Americans, was welcomed with the type of grandeur generally reserved for the closest of US allies.
On the eve of Tuesday’s talks, Obama hosted Modi for a private working dinner at the White House — despite the fact that the Indian leader, a devout Hindu, was fasting. After spending the night at Blair House, the US government guesthouse across from the White House, Modi was greeted by a military honor cordon that lined the White House driveway as his black SUV pulled up to the West Wing entrance.
And following their Oval Office meeting, Obama and Modi traveled together to the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial on the National Mall, just a few blocks from the White House. Standing shoulder to shoulder along the Potomac River, they gazed up at the towering white sculpture and chatted before Modi headed to the State Department for lunch with Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry. Later, Modi traveled to Capitol Hill to meet with House Speaker John Boehner and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi.
For that drone missile dropping monster to be anywhere near that monument makes me sick.
Crowds that had gathered outside the White House gates cheered for the Indian leader, with some holding signs reading ‘‘DC loves Modi.’’ It was an encore of sorts for Modi, who received a rock-star reception on Sunday at New York’s Madison Square Garden, where thousands of Indian-Americans flocked for a rare chance to see the new leader.
The prime minister’s visit also marked a remarkable reversal from barely a decade ago, when Modi was denied entrance to the United States after large-scale violence in his home state of Gujarat that killed more than 1,000 Muslims. Modi has denied involvement in the violence, but human rights groups continue to accuse him of serious abuses.
Beyond the economy, Obama and Modi said they discussed shared intelligence on terrorism and regional concerns, including Afghanistan, where the United States is winding down its 13-year military involvement.
Are we?
Also on the agenda: clean energy, medical collaboration to fight diseases, and scientific efforts to improve sanitation and hygiene throughout India.
--more--"
Related: India’s prime minister visits US, raises new hopes
Time to start cleaning things up:
"India launches $10b effort to clean up dirty cities, villages" by Rama Lakshmi | Washington Post October 03, 2014
NEW DELHI — With brooms in hand, politicians, bureaucrats, police officers, and citizen groups descended on the streets Thursday to sweep away trash as part of an ambitious new effort to clean up India.
The country’s $10 billion Clean India campaign aims to build more toilets, end open defecation, improve trash disposal, and educate citizens about the link between sanitation and public health. Thursday’s launch was timed to coincide with the birthday of independence leader Mohandas Gandhi, who was assassinated in 1948.
Brought me to tears because once again I forgot to post a tribute to the Great Soul.
"Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and
blood walked upon this earth."
Einstein was so right when one looks at what has happened in this world since his death.
‘‘We have to give Mahatma Gandhi something on his 150th birth anniversary in 2019,’’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi said. ‘‘Just like the whole nation united to fight for freedom back then, we have to work together to clean India now.’’
On what is usually a public holiday, officials were ordered to report to work to clean their offices and grounds, and to take a pledge to devote 100 hours a year to cleaning.
Public spaces in India’s cities are often eyesores full of rotting piles of trash along the streets, in neighborhoods, public parks and playgrounds, outside fancy air-conditioned malls, and even five-star hotels.
The Mahatma's heart would be broken were he to see that.
While other politicians have long ignored the problem, the garbage is Modi’s pet peeve. He has urged cleanups in several speeches since his party won a resounding victory in May.
Modi’s campaign coincides with a nascent stirring among India’s affluent middle class that regards the garbage problem a national shame.
So that is where AmeriKa's middle class went.
But fixing the trash problem won’t be easy. India’s cash-strapped municipalities, with too few trained urban managers, are woefully ill-equipped to tackle the problem.
Like here, the question has to be where did all the money go amidst the prosperity?
Forty percent of India’s waste remains uncollected and unprocessed. Human sewage flows directly into the rivers in many cities.
Yeah, don't go swimming.
About 46 percent of India’s homes have no indoor toilet, 49 percent of the population defecates in the open, and the rest use public toilets, according to the census data.
Must be the untouchables.
--more--"
Also see: 12 Killed as 2 Trains Collide in Northern India
Didn't make an impression in the web version.
NEXT DAY UPDATE:
"India’s dengue reporting challenged" by Gardiner Harris | New York Times Syndicate October 08, 2014
NEW DELHI — Nearly 300 times as many people are hospitalized with severe dengue infections in India as are officially reported by the government, according to a study published this week.
Must be the unsanitary conditions, right?
The study of the mosquito-borne disease, by researchers at Brandeis University, is part of a growing body of literature demonstrating that no country in the world suffers as many dengue infections as India....
Related: Caribbean Chikungunya
There sure are a lot of strange viruses going around these days.
The Brandeis study was funded by Sanofi Pasteur, which is in the midst of trials of a dengue vaccine. Sanofi Pasteur has a financial interest in suggesting that dengue’s reach and costs are high, but investigators said that Sanofi Pasteur had no control over the conduct of the research.
So what are they doing, creating cu$tomers?
It doesn't take a scientific genius to start making connections, folks, not after all we have seen and learned lo these many years.
--more--"
I'm unimpressed.
"Few signs of progress as Obama meets India’s new prime minister" by Josh Lederman | Associated Press October 01, 2014
WASHINGTON — President Obama showered praise on India’s new prime minister in an Oval Office meeting Tuesday that sought to infuse new energy into the sluggish relationship between the two countries. Yet for all the pomp and pageantry, there were few signs that Obama and Narendra Modi had resolved vexing issues that have often kept the two democracies at arm’s length.
Give me my pomp and pageantry at taxpayer expense.
Following their first formal meeting, Obama hailed Modi for his energetic approach to addressing India’s challenges since taking office. The president singled out the prime minister’s focus on addressing ‘‘the needs of the poorest of the poor,’’ as well as making India a source of peace and stability in the region.
Meaning it's a crucial component of empire and he needs to keep them.
‘‘We have so much in common, it is critical for us to deepen and broaden the existing framework and partnership that already exists,’’ Obama said.
Keep that $tatu$ quo empire and advance it.
Modi, speaking through a translator, said he expected the economic partnership between the United States and India to ‘‘grow rapidly in the coming years.’’ He offered optimism that the two governments could work through trade disputes and obstacles to nuclear energy cooperation with US companies.
Oh, they get nuclear cooperation and Iran does not?
The visit ‘‘has reinforced my conviction that India and the United States are natural global partners, based on our shared values, interests, and strengths in the digital age,’’ said Modi, who was elected with broad support in May while pledging to help reform India’s economy.
Still, although the two leaders said they had covered key issues including economics, climate change, and regional security, they closed their meeting without announcing any breakthroughs on lingering issues or major commitments to boost collaboration in the future.
While military ties and defense trade between India and the United States have grown, the economic relationship has been rockier, with Washington frustrated by India’s failure to open its economy to more foreign investment and address intellectual property complaints.
But given the geopolitical situation the U.S. is in no position to make a $tink.
Challenges with an existing civil nuclear agreement and the arrest and strip search last year of an Indian diplomat have further frayed relations.
Typically, visiting heads of state spend just a portion of a day at the White House meeting with Obama and other leaders. But Modi, whose election has been cheered by many Indian-Americans, was welcomed with the type of grandeur generally reserved for the closest of US allies.
On the eve of Tuesday’s talks, Obama hosted Modi for a private working dinner at the White House — despite the fact that the Indian leader, a devout Hindu, was fasting. After spending the night at Blair House, the US government guesthouse across from the White House, Modi was greeted by a military honor cordon that lined the White House driveway as his black SUV pulled up to the West Wing entrance.
And following their Oval Office meeting, Obama and Modi traveled together to the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial on the National Mall, just a few blocks from the White House. Standing shoulder to shoulder along the Potomac River, they gazed up at the towering white sculpture and chatted before Modi headed to the State Department for lunch with Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry. Later, Modi traveled to Capitol Hill to meet with House Speaker John Boehner and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi.
For that drone missile dropping monster to be anywhere near that monument makes me sick.
Crowds that had gathered outside the White House gates cheered for the Indian leader, with some holding signs reading ‘‘DC loves Modi.’’ It was an encore of sorts for Modi, who received a rock-star reception on Sunday at New York’s Madison Square Garden, where thousands of Indian-Americans flocked for a rare chance to see the new leader.
The prime minister’s visit also marked a remarkable reversal from barely a decade ago, when Modi was denied entrance to the United States after large-scale violence in his home state of Gujarat that killed more than 1,000 Muslims. Modi has denied involvement in the violence, but human rights groups continue to accuse him of serious abuses.
Beyond the economy, Obama and Modi said they discussed shared intelligence on terrorism and regional concerns, including Afghanistan, where the United States is winding down its 13-year military involvement.
Are we?
Also on the agenda: clean energy, medical collaboration to fight diseases, and scientific efforts to improve sanitation and hygiene throughout India.
--more--"
Related: India’s prime minister visits US, raises new hopes
Time to start cleaning things up:
"India launches $10b effort to clean up dirty cities, villages" by Rama Lakshmi | Washington Post October 03, 2014
NEW DELHI — With brooms in hand, politicians, bureaucrats, police officers, and citizen groups descended on the streets Thursday to sweep away trash as part of an ambitious new effort to clean up India.
The country’s $10 billion Clean India campaign aims to build more toilets, end open defecation, improve trash disposal, and educate citizens about the link between sanitation and public health. Thursday’s launch was timed to coincide with the birthday of independence leader Mohandas Gandhi, who was assassinated in 1948.
Brought me to tears because once again I forgot to post a tribute to the Great Soul.
"Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and
blood walked upon this earth."
Einstein was so right when one looks at what has happened in this world since his death.
‘‘We have to give Mahatma Gandhi something on his 150th birth anniversary in 2019,’’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi said. ‘‘Just like the whole nation united to fight for freedom back then, we have to work together to clean India now.’’
On what is usually a public holiday, officials were ordered to report to work to clean their offices and grounds, and to take a pledge to devote 100 hours a year to cleaning.
Public spaces in India’s cities are often eyesores full of rotting piles of trash along the streets, in neighborhoods, public parks and playgrounds, outside fancy air-conditioned malls, and even five-star hotels.
The Mahatma's heart would be broken were he to see that.
While other politicians have long ignored the problem, the garbage is Modi’s pet peeve. He has urged cleanups in several speeches since his party won a resounding victory in May.
Modi’s campaign coincides with a nascent stirring among India’s affluent middle class that regards the garbage problem a national shame.
So that is where AmeriKa's middle class went.
But fixing the trash problem won’t be easy. India’s cash-strapped municipalities, with too few trained urban managers, are woefully ill-equipped to tackle the problem.
Like here, the question has to be where did all the money go amidst the prosperity?
Forty percent of India’s waste remains uncollected and unprocessed. Human sewage flows directly into the rivers in many cities.
Yeah, don't go swimming.
About 46 percent of India’s homes have no indoor toilet, 49 percent of the population defecates in the open, and the rest use public toilets, according to the census data.
Must be the untouchables.
--more--"
Also see: 12 Killed as 2 Trains Collide in Northern India
Didn't make an impression in the web version.
NEXT DAY UPDATE:
"India’s dengue reporting challenged" by Gardiner Harris | New York Times Syndicate October 08, 2014
NEW DELHI — Nearly 300 times as many people are hospitalized with severe dengue infections in India as are officially reported by the government, according to a study published this week.
Must be the unsanitary conditions, right?
The study of the mosquito-borne disease, by researchers at Brandeis University, is part of a growing body of literature demonstrating that no country in the world suffers as many dengue infections as India....
Related: Caribbean Chikungunya
There sure are a lot of strange viruses going around these days.
The Brandeis study was funded by Sanofi Pasteur, which is in the midst of trials of a dengue vaccine. Sanofi Pasteur has a financial interest in suggesting that dengue’s reach and costs are high, but investigators said that Sanofi Pasteur had no control over the conduct of the research.
So what are they doing, creating cu$tomers?
It doesn't take a scientific genius to start making connections, folks, not after all we have seen and learned lo these many years.
--more--"
