How Obama is unraveling Reagan Republicanism

How Obama is unraveling Reagan Republicanism - Salon.com:

There was a time when ' political parties ' were considered as the Dark Continent because political scientists did not consider as a subject fit for serious attention. Not so now. Political party has, now, acquired centre stage in the study of Political Science. Abraham Lincoln's Republican Party has given way to Ronald Reagan's Republican Party. The Republicans fear that the White House is trying to ' annihilate them ' and ' shove (them) in the dustbin of history'. Same is the case in India where the so called liberal-secular and leftist parties in cohort with liberal-secular intellectuals & media are trying to shove BJP into the dustbin of history.

Speaking the Politically Incorrect Truth

Ashis Nandy's comments on SC, STs creates furore at Jaipur Festival - India - DNA:

We are a nation of hypocrites. What we know and believe is, more often than not, hidden behind a number of platitudes and explanations. Prof Ashis Nandy has said something which we all know and have ourselves experienced a number of times. In private conversations we talk about this, but from public platform to say that OBC, SC& ST officials are more corrupt than others requires courage. We don't know from where Prof Nandy has mustered this courage.

Dharma For The State? | Jyotirmaya Sharma

Dharma For The State? | Jyotirmaya Sharma:

One of the ironies of our time is that people with jaundiced view begin to analyse events, personalities which are beyond their comprehension. Sanatan Dharma is no religion in the sense Christianity, Islam & the like are. What is called Sanatan Dharma has no single book, no prophet, no messenger; doesn't talk about proselytization or conversion. It doesn't quarrel about the method of worship; one is free to choose his/ her method. Sri Ramkrishna Paramhans was a Sanatani in the true sense of the term. Swami Vivekanand, on the other hand, was concerned with the contempt the Sanatan Dharma was held in by the other religionists and some of the Sanatanis also. Swami Vivekanand wanted to awaken the sleeping Hindu nation like Swami Dayanand Saraswati. These Swamis through Sangathan, lectures, discussions wanted to rouse the Hindu nation, which during 1000 years of alien rule has acquired many faults & shortcomings.  

Jared Diamond: It’s irrational to be religious -

Jared Diamond: It’s irrational to be religious - Salon.com:

Religion has its own reason which only the religious understand. Rationality, as it is understood, and Faith are two different manifestations of our personality. Religion, basically, is a device to make us human and self-controlling.

Joan Acocella: The Radical Vision of St. Francis of Assisi : The New Yorker

Joan Acocella: The Radical Vision of St. Francis of Assisi : The New Yorker:

There were both Brahminical and anti-Brahminical elements in St Francis's thought. Like a true Brahmin he renounced wealth and detested hoarding; but his disdain for books & learning was anti-Brahmin.

15 GREAT THOUGHTS BY CHANAKYA

15 GREAT THOUGHTS BY CHANAKYA | Self Improvement Blog on Speakingtree.in:

The beauty, & sometimes real meaning, are often lost in translations. Yet take delight in these quotes of great Chanakya.

The war on female sexuality: Is globalization to blame? - Salon.com

The war on female sexuality: Is globalization to blame? - Salon.com:
This is not simply a struggle for or assertion of power; nor a conflict over d propriety right over female body, but a manifestation of the weakening of value system and resultant anomie.

Progressives don’t hold a monopoly on science -

Progressives don’t hold a monopoly on science - Salon.com:

The politicization of science, particularly social science, is a reality and must take notice of this.

Shakespeare's Tremor and Orwell's Cough : A Visit To Literary Ward

Book Review: Shakespeare's Tremor and Orwell's Cough - WSJ.com:

A very insightful peep into the diseases of some of the West's greatest literary figures. Find out what type of treatment they had to endure.