Caught Colluding with the Gas Industry ~ New Testimony Alleges Corruption at the Pennsylvania DEP

           The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has created incomplete lab reports and used them to dismiss complaints that Marcellus Shale gas development operations have contaminated residential water supplies and made people sick, according to court documents and other sources.

          As a result, state Rep. Jesse White, D-Cecil, today called on state and federal law enforcement agencies to investigate the DEP for "alleged misconduct and fraud" described in sworn depositions in a civil case currently in Washington County Common Pleas Court.

         "This is beyond outrageous," Mr. White said in a press release. "Anyone who relied on the DEP for the truth about whether their water has been impacted by drilling activities has apparently been intentionally deprived of critical health and safety information by their own government."

Ref: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/marcellusshale/state-representative-calls-for-probe-of-dep-water-testing-reports-660215/#ixzz2B7hEvjsl

THE SKY IS PINK 

by Josh Fox and the GASLAND Team

        This  is an emergency short film from Josh Fox, the Oscar-nominated director of GASLAND addressing the urgent crisis of drilling and fracking in New York state. 

Go to NYAgainstfracking.org for more info and to get involved. Connect with us at https://www.facebook.com/NewYorkersAgainstFracking
http://twitter.com/#!/NYAgainstFRACK

Posting this via Josh Fox (Filmmaker, Activist) Follow and find out more at,

http://www.gaslandthemovie.com/

Outrage, But No Surprise At DEP Corruption Charge

         Fellow citizens of Pennsylvania, we have a serious problem.  The suspicion that PA DEP is colluding with the gas industry, a belief long held by many living in the Marcellus Shale, has just been supported by the sworn testimony of two whistleblowers.  

      
        Two employees from within the PA DEP, Taru Upadhyay and John Carson, have given depositions describing outrageous breaches of trust by the PA DEP, alleging they deliberately failed to report the presence of metals, which are known hydrofracking-related contaminants, in water wells it tested in the Marcellus Shale:

Aluminum
Copper
Silicon
Lithium
Molybdenum
Zinc
Nickel 
Cobalt
Titanium
Boron
In addition, the following volatile organic compounds commonly found in the Fracking process were also found in the wells and not reported:
Acteone
Chloroform
T-butyl alcohol

         Don Hopey has been reporting in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the DEP has systematically been producing incomplete lab reports on water wells affected by hydraulic fracturing and has been using those tainted reports to refute the claims of those Pennsylvanians whose water has been affected by drilling operations.
       
        These are VERY serious allegations.  People in PA usually only request water testing by the DEP because they suspect their water has been contaminated.  PA Rep. Jesse White is rightly calling for a State and Federal investigation.  If the PA DEP has been deliberately altering or obstructing test data and telling people their water was safe, then, as Rep. White says "anyone who relied on the DEP for the truth about whether their water has been  impacted by drilling activities has apparently been intentionally deprived of critical health and safety information by their own government".

         Many throughout PA have waited months for DEP water test results, only to find out that they were mysteriously hung-up in Harrisburg.  many have experienced disceprancies between the costly independent water tests they ordered from private labs and "official" test results from the DEP.  As a result, many have long suspected misconduct or some form of obstruction at work within the DEP.  I'm one of them.  But this week's revelations are jaw-dropping for even the most jaded conspiracy theorist.   They leave me shocked and outraged.
          
         This egregious behavior represents a naked example of putting corporate profits ahead of public health and safety, even at the cost of poisoning our water and our faith in government.
What a sad contrast with what we've seen in the last week as federal, state and municipal governments mobilized an unprecedented and moving response to Hurricane Sandy.  All across the eastern seaboard we are mourning the lives taken by this storm and sending our thoughts to those whose loved ones have been lost.  While we reel from its effects, we're also aggrieved that these extreme weather events, which grow in intensity and destructiveness every year, are only beginning to be acknowledged as effects of climate change.  


         Fracking and other extreme techniques for extracting and increasing our reliance on fossil fuels only stand to make it worse.
         
         Pennsylvania's citizens have had enough of being exploited by big oil and gas.  They deserve an immediate and thorough investigation into this brazen, and what seems to be illegal conduct of Krancer and Corbett's DEP.  If the whistleblower's allegations and the Post-Gazette's reporting turn out to be true, we should call for the impeachment and/or recall of the Corbett administration.

Posted by Jai Krishna Ponnappan

Blessed are the Peacemakers

         
        This a comment in response to an interesting article pertaining to a very important subject seen on Truthout.org . You'll find the original post here.

"It's Not About Religion: A Conversation With Author and Middle East Expert Gregory Harms

Image Ref. http://truth-out.org/news/item/11967-its-not-about-religion-a-conversation-with-author-and-middle-east-expert-gregory-harms "

 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." 
~ Matthew 5:9 

             I understand why there is always a perennial chain of thought speculating and theorizing around the facts that visit this subject with time. One can only sincerely appeal to others that they never fail to consider and examine all of the many key multi-billion dollar industries that have vested interests and more subtle agendas. These are well and truly here to stay and are linked from both here in the West to much of the middle east. Off course, there are always serious concerns that need to be addressed with a multi faceted and multi-lateral approach, aside from this both Geo-politics and strategic military advances are merely manipulated fronts and manufactured cases that take care of several interests and self serving benefits. 

Always try to think critically while getting to the roots of why, when and how these destabilizing and volatile social upheavals and turbulence have come about. There is always an intrusive nose searching for opportunities to dominate and enter through the crack and commence with a clearly defined and demarcated cycle of exploitation. 

The big questions: Why Not? Who is to Stop? ~ We are not men we are advanced primates, slaves of our own habits... with a really long... long way to go before we become fully Human. I greatly admire some of the voices coming from the Left here in America, the only problem is they seem to be a little ahead of their time and out of place in world that promotes hate, manipulation and war. We can only prepare with prayers for peace and hope. It is sad indeed how some war mongering monsters can't even do that.

Thoughts & Prayers For Peace, Love and our higher needs as Humanity.

Sincerely,

Jai Krishna Ponnappan.

Taxes and Leadership ? It's Your Money ~ Demand Fiscal Responsibility and Transparency !

        
        
          This is a comment in response to an interesting statement by Angus King, a Maine independent for US senate.

The original message, 

"I will not sign any pledge that limits my ability to represent Maine. "

Image Ref. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=438060762898471&set=a.351838554854026.76499.344010372303511&type=1&relevant_count=1 

         This is a highly debatable and crucial subject of great concern and grave consequences for many of us and this Nation. Given national politics and the directions taken at the center, it's easy to understand why many might be inclined to follow suit and make such ill-conceived associations. I agree that it plays an essential role but taxes alone don't make or break leadership. 

Taxes factor into the economic climate and environment, and eventually impact/affect people, investors, enterprises, their sentiments and the decisions they make. 

Governments have a responsibility towards All people, they are answerable the most when it comes to hindering growth and progress in the pursuit of excessive governance, regulation, taxation and similar socialist agendas.


P.S ~ This is an educational and insightful video, but it still does not touch upon or factor in the Human component and volatility stated above,




Sincerely,

Jai Krishna Ponnappan

P.S ~ I hope others can learn from this, it can be understandably difficult to walk that thin line. I'd like to add that Angus has outlined his plans and intentions for a lowered tax rate here,

Ref.http://angus2012.com/issues/#TaxReform

" Implementing tax reform :

Federal tax law is too complex – it takes over 73,000 pages for the Standard Federal Tax Reporter to explain the federal tax code. 

The tax structure must be simplified and reformed to lower rates, close loopholes, and ensure that everyone is paying their fair share – this includes the wealthiest Americans. 

I was in favor of ending the Bush-era tax cuts immediately, but after continued poor employment numbers, we need a more nuanced approach. 

We should consider pegging the sunset of these tax cuts to something non-arbitrary, like a certain amount of GDP growth, or a lower level of unemployment. This would avoid the unproductive brinkmanship that Congress engages in over this issue – and could prevent our fragile recovery from being further slowed down."

Polar Bear S . O . S ~ A breakthrough for polar bears if we can mobilize today

            

Last Friday the Russian Federation sent a letter to the Obama Administration promising that Russia would support a resolution to ban the international polar bear fur trade if the U.S. government introduces it.

Now we must prevail on the Administration to seize this extraordinary opportunity -- and we must do it quickly. The deadline for our government to submit a resolution is this Thursday, October 4.

The White House needs to hear from you immediately.




       
             Please send a message urging President Obama to lead the way globally by proposing a ban on the commercial trade in polar bear parts at the next meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

This ban could help end one of the biggest threats to polar bear populations. Despite the growing threats of climate change, toxic pollution and oil development that jeopardize the very existence of polar bears, hunters continue to kill hundreds of them every year -- and are allowed to sell their body parts legally in the international market.

That madness must end -- for the sake of polar bear survival. But time runs out this Thursday.

Urge President Obama to champion global polar bear protection right now -- so that Russia and other nations will follow.

Unless we are ALL still living like.... 

We should all be against fur.

       There is NO way someone can justify the brutal treatment and then murder of animals JUST FOR FASHION! it's absolutely appalling  when we have made so many synthetic fibers that require no abuse of animals and look EXACTLY the same! I cannot wrap my mind around why someone would ever wear the fur of an animal that was hunted down or treated so terribly and then killed, and actually support all of this!

        It is environmentally damaging, cruel, unsustainable and unnatural. Fur trappers  and hunters disrupt the ecosystems by trapping animals and create imbalances. Fur farmers raise the animals in such unclean conditions that feces and urine among other filth is dumped directly into the ground and water supply. Many species of animals have also gone extinct or become endangered due to the fur industry's practices. It's gross and insulting. Many people who wear fur are examples of people who are willing to spend thousands of dollars for all of the above to happen, just so they can show off their wealth.  Humans hunt down, kill and skin animals for fur.... for mere luxury. There is an end in sight to this madness. Choose an end before it's too late and you've slipped down enough to become unworthy of that choice.

PLEASE HELP STOP THE HUNTING OF POLAR BEARS FOR PROFIT!

      Polar bears are well and truly threatened.  Their lives are affected by any change in global climate.  Such a climate change may be caused by several factors including humans introducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.  Polar bears require the large amounts of ice present in the Arctic for survival.  Although most polar bears live far from heavily populated human areas, pollution still has adverse effects.  Chemical pollutants travel by wind and precipitation, eventually reaching even the most remote arctic regions.  These pollutants will then carry through the food chain and accumulate within predators like polar bears, resulting in disease and eventually death.  Drilling, mining, fishing, hunting and the broad spectra of other human interactions also threaten the lives of polar bears.

Cruelty for Profits and 

the Vanity of Ugly Hearts

          People who kill animals and make coats out of their skins make money out of it, and people who wear the coats think they look glamorous. The fur trade tries to advertise fur as ‘natural’ to hide the horrific and unnatural way that the animals are imprisoned on fur farms, hunted or trapped in the wild, and then killed.

It's Time for a ban on the Commercial Trade in Polar Bear
Put an end to this sickening Cruelty

        Despite the growing threats of climate change, toxic pollution and oil development that jeopardize the very existence of polar bears, hunters continue to kill hundreds of them every year -- and are allowed to sell their body parts legally in the international market.

Call on President Obama to lead the way globally by proposing an urgently-needed ban on the commercial trade in polar bear parts at the next meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Please add your signature to the petition available on the link below,

https://secure.nrdconline.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2887&autologin=true&JServSessionIdr004=af1l6w9kx9.app304a

Letter of appeal,


"Dear President Obama:

The Russian Federation recently promised that it would support a resolution to ban the international polar bear fur trade if your administration introduces it. I fervently hope you will seize this opportunity for global polar bear protection.

With polar bears gravely threatened by climate change, we must take all possible measures to limit other deadly pressures on them, including the international trade in their body parts. Scientists estimate that rising temperatures will cause two-thirds of the world's polar bear populations to go extinct by 2050. Their populations cannot afford to be hunted simply to meet the international demand for polar bear rugs.

At the last meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) two years ago, your administration sponsored an urgently-needed proposal to ban the global trade in polar bear parts. That initial effort failed to get enough votes and since then, the situation for polar bears has only gotten worse. 

In advance of the next meeting of CITES in March 2013, please lead the way again. With Russia now willing to vote for a ban, we are in striking distance of success if you move the issue. Please do so now for the sake of polar bear survival. "

Thank you for answering the polar bear’s SOS. 

Sincerely
Jai Krishna Ponnappan

P.S ~ JOIN US AND SAY NO TO THIS SICKENING, CRUEL, HEARTLESS AND BARBARIC TRADE

https://secure.nrdconline.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2887&autologin=true&JServSessionIdr004=af1l6w9kx9.app304a


UPDATE as of 9th October 2012: 

A copy of the letter I received, 

" Dear Jai Krishna,


VICTORY FOR POLAR BEARS! 



I have great news to share. 

The Obama Administration has just announced that it will support an upgrade in international protection for polar bears. 

If it passes, that increased protection under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) will help end trophy hunting and stop the global trade in polar bear body parts.

This breakthrough would not have happened without your activism. In recent weeks more than 100,000 of you wrote to the White House, asking President Obama to stand up for polar bears. 

And you were heard! 

I’m asking you to send a message to President Obama right now and thank him for doing the right thing for the sake of polar bear survival. 

But please know that this fight is far from over. 

Between now and March 2013, when the CITES treaty talks take place, we will have to expand our campaign to make sure that other key nations line up with America’s pro-polar-bear position. 

So much is at stake: each year hundreds of polar bears are still being hunted as trophies, with their pelts and body parts traded globally. Canada, which is home to two-thirds of the world’s polar bears and includes some of the world’s most important polar bear habitat, still allows both trophy hunting and commercial trade. 

If the polar bear is to survive, we must end these destructive practices by upgrading polar bear protection under CITES. 

Around the world, NRDC has played a leading role on this issue. Our team recently traveled to Geneva to advocate polar bear conservation with the CITES Standing Committee, and we partnered with allies in Norway and the European Union to build international momentum. 

Most importantly, our team helped secure the support of Russia -- a key player in polar bear conservation -- for the US proposal. 

Over the next few months I’ll be updating you as the CITES treaty talks approach -- and asking you to take more action to maximize our chances of success. 

In the meantime, please take a few minutes to savor this victory -- and please send your thanks to President Obama for leading the way internationally. 

Thank you again for helping to make this breakthrough possible. 


Sincerely,

Frances Beinecke
President  "

Women have the Right to Control their Fertility and Fate

             This is in response to a post on Capitalism Institute,

Here's the original post,

"Birth control isn't a right. Having sex whenever you want isn't a right. Putting a gun to a rich stranger's head so you can force him to give you money to buy birth control to have sex with another man also isn't a right.

If you can't afford to buy some birth control, you have no business risking a pregnancy. And you definitely have no business forcing me to pay for it all. Abstinence is free.

That I have to write this out is sad. That the man occupying the White House doesn't agree with me is just pathetic."

Ref.https://www.facebook.com/CapitalismInstitute/posts/412291775492631

My response,

             I agree that forcing others to pay for someone else's birth control isn't fair. I hope and wish this is made clear that efforts to assist birth control is not restricted to this Nation alone, there is a very urgent need all around the Globe to ensure that both men and women have access to these. 

I know it's not possible for any of us to argue with the rest of the world or reason with them as to why they should abstain or shouldn't concern themselves with reproduction. 

The big problem is even the most impoverished person in the poorest countries of the world seems to have needs and is also managing to reproduce to a certain extent. 

What comes after a child is born is even harder for any form of welfare to manage. Please make an effort to understand why   birth control is both beneficial and fundamentally essential.  

A video message all the way from down under,


Ref. http://www.engagemedia.org/Members/pc/videos/clinic-22aug09_transcoded.mpg/view

Cottingham et al. (2012) writing in The Lancet put forth seven measures required by the human rights standards of international law for governments to eliminate unmet need for family planning and achieve universal access to contraceptive information and services:
    
       Governments have a formal legal obligation to do all they reasonably can to put these measures in place as a matter of urgent priority, and failing to do so without a compelling reason places them in breach of binding international treaty obligations pertaining to health and human rights. 

Cottingham et al. recommend that governments, NGOs, health-care providers and citizen advocates act to compel enforcement of these obligations to secure the existence and support of effective and inclusive birth control policies, improve the quality of reproductive health services, and achieve universal access to reproductive health including family planning. Guidance and assistance are available to help meet these obligations. 

For example, a World Health Organization publication can help identify inconsistencies between national laws and international human rights obligations (e.g., denying unmarried women contraceptive services.) http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/88/7/09-063412.pdf 

       WHO staff can assist with removal of such barriers to access to and the provision of high quality sexual and reproductive health services, which can help meet the considerable remaining need for family planning.


Sincerely,

Jai Krishna Ponnappan

Is Japan another Tibet ? Why Thieving Senkaku from Japan isn't all that easy

            This is a comment in response to a well written but hopelessly one sided opinion on The New York Times,

An excerpt from the original entry,

"For months now the waters around Japan have been teeming with territorial disputes, first with South Korea and now with China and Taiwan. The virulence of this latest Chinese-Japanese spat is chilling, and there’s no end in sight.

Neither history nor geography are clear on the complicated ownership of the tiny islets called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. In this sensitive period of political transitions in both countries, wisdom would have dictated restraint. But in April, Shintaro Ishihara, the influential governor of Tokyo, threatened to buy the disputed islands from their private owners. His taunting forced the normally measured prime minister, Yoshihiko Noda, to take a hard stance by announcing the national government’s purchase of the isles."

Ref.http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/29/opinion/japan-is-flexing-the-wrong-muscles.html?ref=global-asia&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_ae_20120928&_r=0

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/29/world/asia/china-alters-its-strategy-in-dispute-with-japan.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_ae_20120928 "

Is Japan another Tibet ?

        I understand the geography seems quite clear but may be there has been some dust being deliberately kicked up to conveniently rewrite/repaint history. 

        It's really strange and troubling to understand why the author seems to entertain and blindly support the claims by China and Taiwan when the islands have historically been controlled by Japan. It's easy to manufacture a dispute by claiming what belongs to another, it is ridiculous to support, tolerate and promote people who resort to staging and engaging in such devious tactics.

        Given the regime, its ambitions and some serious intelligence leaks, one can't help but make and permanently seal a defensive purchase. This is yet another case of more bullying by China. To much of the international community Tibet remains a forgotten story and a shamelessly neglected Human tragedy. Was is it the same sense of legitimacy that prevailed when they tried to lay claim to Taiwan as well? If it weren't for American intervention, it would have been just another Tibet. Which has led to the Taiwan coast being one of the most heavily fortified coast line in the world.

It's really amazing, amusing and pathetic at times to see just how many here in the West are busy su*king up to the leadership in China.

Sincerely,
Jai Krishna Ponnappan

Fight this Heartless Abomination ~ Stop Modern Day Slavery and Human Trafficking

 
        This is a comment in response to a post seen on the page Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. This is a remarkable and wonderful page I greatly admire, love and support.

Here is the original post,


" Nicholas Kristof writes about President Obama's speech on human trafficking today, and notes that pressure from the public makes a difference:
"On the India/Nepal border, I once chatted with an Indian policeman who was on the lookout for terrorists and smuggled DVDs but was uninterested in the streams of Nepali girls passing through, destined for the brothels in Bombay and Kolkata. The policeman explained that America was pressuring India on movie piracy, so let’s show India and the world that we’re also concerned with enslaved children."

Please help Nicholas and the Half the Sky Movement show the world that we will not tolerate modern slavery. Share this column, raise your voice, and tune in to the Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide documentary on PBS Oct. 1 and 2 at 9pm/8pm CT. "

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/27/opinion/kristof-in-obamas-speech-their-voices.html?ref=opinion

Link Review : These former sex slaves said the president gave the voiceless a voice in his landmark speech against Human trafficking. Let's hope this is a turning point.

My response,
                   I greatly commend and admire the president for making this statement and I hope that this sentiment can transform into affirmative actions, commitments and much needed efforts. Without taking anything away from this I'd also like to add these few words of caution and question.

         " Modern day slavery and trafficking is a sickening  organized crime perpetrated on most occasions with the full awareness, cooperation and consent of authority figures and the establishment. For anyone who has gone beyond just questioning a cop or repeatedly been severe enough in reprimanding him with a slap on his career, they can with absolute certainty state that it takes a whole lot more muscle than just a speech, the assertion of political will or even its good intentions. Think of those women and girls as your own sisters and mothers, would you let this happen to them in that case.... ? "

Here are a few other messages related to this painful subject that I had posted earlier in the past few days,

Please connect with them on facebook, Trade of Innocents - the movie producer Laurie Bolthouse along with Mira Sorvino and Mr. Yury Fedotov of UNODC - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime speaking at the Mashable Social Good Summit.

Here is the official trailer,

Please support this film and help bring to light and fight this heartless and cruel abomination,




      To conclude this entry I would like to add a brief message to caution you that as we approach these elections people here in America often tend to polarize and act in a rather needlessly hostile way while politicizing certain key social issues that have nothing to do with politics but rather are demons that plague our society as a whole at all times. 
     Please refrain from using these or taking advantage of such a sensitive subject in an attempt to leverage support or gain votes, however passionately you may otherwise at odd times feel about the struggle against this sick, cruel and heartless abomination.

Here is another example of a stranger intrusively going for it with a tinge of extremism in their tone after seeing that independent people, voters, commentators and thinkers, are in the habit of supporting conservatives and republicans when they are caught in the right side of morality among other things.

The original post along with the comments can be viewed at the link below,

https://www.facebook.com/Jai.Krishna.Ponnappan/posts/442397335799691

The petition I had signed and shared. Please review and sign it if you haven't already done so. Thanks
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/137/612/805/?cid=FB_TAF

Marisa: It hurts. But who can do anything to stop that? Pride and greed are taking over the souls and there are too many selfish and egotist people who don't care about anyone but themselves.

Me: It is not merely about selfishness or egotism, that is prevalent everywhere a man can cast his eyes around here with very few rare exceptions if any. The Truth about slavery and human trafficking has more to do with sadism, a lack of empathy, immorality and exploitation. It costs money, power and political muscle to really fight or challenge this. I am not fully aware of the situation in Canada. To my knowledge Human trafficking and slavery here in the North East of the U.S.A ranging from Virginia to the tri-state is fully linked with organized criminal rings that are extremely hard to encounter and prosecute. Collecting evidence in itself has been life threatening, a real nightmare for those who dare to care. And yes, you are reasonably right there is only so much that a cop, an investigation or a court can do but this is a tireless and ongoing fight. Unfortunately people in general are not very aware or concerned despite running several campaigns to try and enlighten and spread the message.

Marisa: Please, read this article. I went to the premier of this documentary film and I interviewed Michael Cory, the producer for my webpage, some years ago. He has been helping organizations who are fighting sex trafficking for years. It's very frustrating and yes, it's about perverts that are besides full of greed. They buy people who are not perverts but they only care about money. That's why it's so difficult to find their hiding places. And what about the men who go there and pay for raping the minors?? Yes, I'll share.

http://artistinterviews.com/web/content.php?idE=261&pag=1

Marisa: I already shared and signed the petition. Do the same, please.

Me: Thank You so much Marisa and thanks for the reminder as well. As it is mentioned in the link review above " JaiKrishna just added signature #3,026 to the petition." Thank You for sharing. Have a nice day.

The true cause for the first initiating statement was a message posted a few minutes earlier in response to this post,

View it here,
https://www.facebook.com/CapitalismInstitute/posts/408673672521108

" .....This is why small businesses are disappearing in America. When you have high taxes, it makes it more difficult for people to keep their heads above water. "

My response : "Point well made. It's amazing how this country has changed, it feels like it's owned by another..... It has reached a point where it is very well a measurable risk and potential disadvantage staying here. From what I've seen it's only things like Family, personal bonds and these sentiments to keep on believing and having faith that keeps a lot of enterprising Americans hopeful and anchored. My sincere concern and thoughts for those keeping their heads above water."

Life is very fragile, sometimes short. There is no time to waste on such trivial matters brought out by small minded and self serving people who are looking to promote their own agenda by such means. Sometimes if not most times it is hopelessly easy to penetrate and see what is truly running through a person's mind and their hearts. It is easy to read it like a book. It is also just as easy to predict their next moves and what both their immediate and distant futures look like. Never entertain such people or such machinating agendas and thoughts when what hurts and plagues Humanity the most continues to do so unabated.

Sincerely,

Jai Krishna Ponnappan

P.S : And as for those Indian border police. Yes corruption is paying and paving the way for such things. There used to be a time when these men respected women a great deal. Now thanks to western media and films and the way they use, dismiss, portray and present women, even these men have started to take after such base habits and vile values. From payrolls to households there is gender disparity almost every where here. From ads to birth control there is exploitation and abuse of women being promoted from here to the rest of the world. Leadership comes with consequences and responsibilities. Do not lead when you are bold enough to ignore both.

   

Bitter Sweet Reforms | A Retail Foreign Direct Invasion in India ?

      
        This is a comment in response to an article on the Times of India The original post,


" How Sonia Gandhi was persuaded to back reforms. Read here: http://toi.in/lnWreZ "

Image Ref. http://tinyurl.com/9wv47se

My response,
                 And now, this is what the first surgical incision looks like ;)
Many of us who have followed the situation with reforms and FDI's for several years are fully aware of who exactly in terms of foreign groups and financial entities have been steadily lobbying, bribing and laying down the pressure to enter into the Indian market space and greatly gain out of it. It is important to note that it won't be easy for local players to even come close to tackling, competing or coexisting with the new competition, it won't be easy either to curb foreign investments from serving as instruments for parasitic economics that will over a period of time, perhaps less than a decade, drain capital permanently away from this country.

-----------------------------

Update as of 7th December 2012

          A comment in response to a post seen on cnn ibn,

" FDI now the law of the land, Opposition graceless in defeat: Anand Sharma http://ibnlive.in.com/news/fdi-now-the-law-of-the-land-oppn-graceless-in-defeat-anand-sharma/309386-37-64.html "

Find the original post here,

Image/Ref. http://tinyurl.com/atxxvtq

           

            Just give it 5-10 years; Parasitic economics and exploitation is nothing but an inevitable reality, it is the only tried and tested strategy that will make an entry with tapping into such a large, promising and unexplored market feasible and highly profitable. Over the last decade or so we have seen several examples of this across smaller markets and weaker economies in Europe. At an estimated $450 billion retail is large enough to guarantee a huge impact in India, especially for all those regional ethnic sub-economies that depend on it as a seasonal driver of growth and stability. I guess time will make it clear to all the naysayers that FDI stands for 'Foreign Direct Invasion' ( Represented by Agents of Economic Imperialism, Remember the East India Company? ) 

..as opposed to anything else.

-----------------------------

Update as of 9th December 2012

          A comment in response to a follow up on the story as seen on cnn ibn,

"Walmart spent Rs 125 crore on lobbying to enter India: Report http://ibnlive.in.com/news/walmart-spent-rs-125-crore-on-lobbying-to-enter-india-report/309563-7.html"

Image Ref. http://tinyurl.com/ajhy8v7

           Although it is safe not to know the Actual figures (vs. what can be disclosed), $25 million, even in relative terms to many Indians.. is still small change compared to the market space they hope to capture and dominate in the coming future. The big question concerns the impact it will have on 'All Things Local' when they employ their standards and practices out there. ( We've seen how well all the IBMs and Accenture's of the IT world have faired in India for a while now) Again, time will tell, but the interesting question that will remain unanswered and obscure is what exactly prevented them and made them take so long since 2008.  Sadly, I'm sure that for some time to come many of the affected and their families will have to dig deep to the very bottom of their hearts when they think of this large American Brand and those corrupt leaders, Both here and there, along with this rather cheap number, that makes all their miseries possible as their hardships come to life.


As a sincere and frank reminder, 

Dear friends (Concerned Citizens/ Journalists/ General Public), 

          Keep a close watch of this company's policies/ business practices, including discrimination, anti competitive practices, aggressive/predatory pricing, the corporation's foreign product sourcing, treatment of product suppliers, environmental practices, the use of public subsidies, low wages, poor working conditions, and the company's security policies. Do you know of retailers out there who would engage in product selection that promotes a new ideology/agenda or even subtly inject a propaganda into the masses. Here's a fine example of all this and a lot more in Walmart. Unfortunately over the years there has not been enough unity or fair democratic values or an essential sense of equality in opportunity among average Americans here to even conjure up or imagine a boycott, but I'd like to believe that this Spirit is still strong in a place like India.

Best Regards.

Sincerely,

Jai Krishna Ponnappan

Rich America ~ A Rich Idea Indeed. Does it Still Stand a Fighting Chance

This is a comment in response to a post on irishcentral.com.

The original message,
‎"Do you think the wealthy should pay more tax? Share your views

http://www.irishcentral.com/story/ent/manhattan_diary/mitt-romney-poster-boy-for-tax-havens---cayman-island-accounts-part-of-the-100-billion-lost-revenue-to-us-every-year-170958011.html "



My comment in response,

The Fruits of your Dreams Come Alive and Emerge Only through Toil and Labor

" We often hear of wealthy Americans investing overseas. Now, if we increase taxes for them we will start hearing of how they're either moving out altogether, forfeiting their citizenship or finding new loop holes and havens in ways the average person can never possibly fathom. Taxes hurt most of us, just think of what exactly are we paying for: Mismanaged funds? Wastage? Unwanted Excesses? Irrelevant policies and needless programs? Interventions that burn more of our hard earned money than anything else? If you cut taxes, you make it easier for the average enterprise, the smallest of contractors and subcontractors to breathe, stay alive and compete. By increasing the tax burden you put a weight on communities, businesses and the people of this Nation unlike anything they're used to bearing. This was never a Socialist Nation with a big government that needs loads of your money in taxes just to stay operational and then still manage to build these massive debts. It was a Nation where Free enterprises thrived and businesses supported other businesses and everyone else. Investors stop investing not because they started searching for tax havens and new and more promising opportunities overseas but because we fell behind at some point, all our fancy corporate upper management folks mismanaged and threw away the trust placed on them. Our education system has been dealt a sad and unfortunate blow that has necessitated the need for a highly skilled work force to be migrated in from abroad. There has been such poor planning and neglect when it comes to such things. We are seeing political deadlocks and even a needless crisis emerge like never before. To top it all of just observing and examining our health care system, some of its unethical practices that cater more to profiteering than saving lives explains just how many Americans chose to take and take without ever giving back or contributing to raising the bar for this Nation, its communities and people. Individuals and businesses ought to take pride in their work and strive to be the best of the best, there always has to be an ever ready and alive intent to compete. Only then will you get to see the fear disappear, the trust grow back and the funds flying in from every little tax haven that's out there. You can't fight with the choices the rich have but you can definitely work with them if you are sensible and open minded enough to understand how the global market place and economy functions.

Sincerely,
Jai Krishna Ponnappan

Always put Human Rights before Profits

                   The deeds done in good faith are never for approvals, gratitude, shallow and superficial vanity, vile self-glorification, thank-you's or recognition of any form whatsoever, but rather as a powerful means to impregnate what is good via duty and service. And to invoke our Higher collective Natures and our lost sense of Humanity, lost within our Hearts. It is a tireless effort meant solely to rescue, revive and rebirth  our true inner Natures and its many forgotten Truths that stand to be justified, redeemed and restored. 

       As long as people are persecuted for their political beliefs - like Aung San Suu Kyi, the members of Pussy Riot, and so many others - we know what we must do. We must act. 

Ref. Image  

In July 2012, Secretary of State Clinton announced the suspension of some long-standing economic sanctions on Myanmar (Burma). This decision enables U.S. businesses to invest and enter into new business arrangements in the country for the first time in 20 years. In this context, Amnesty International USA would like to emphasize the responsibility of business enterprises, wherever they operate, to respect human rights.

Amnesty International USA has drawn together guidance (click to download full PDF document), based on international standards and best practices, to highlight some of the key measures that businesses must take to comply with their responsibility to respect human rights. These international standards include the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (the so-called "Ruggie Principles"), adopted by the UN Human Rights Council in March 2011. This guidance is a starting place, not the final word, for businesses to comply with their responsibilities.

This short paper discusses the current situation in Myanmar, including findings of Amnesty researchers who visited Myanmar in May 2012; the first formal human rights field assessment conducted by Amnesty International inside the country in nearly a decade.

http://www.amnestyusa.org/sites/default/files/revised_guidance_on_myanmar_final.pdf

We have also attached some recommendations for how the U.S. government can better ensure corporate human rights accountability, above and beyond enforcing existing laws, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the relevant transparency rules adopted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The U.S. government should put in place and enforce an adequate regulatory framework to ensure U.S. business enterprises respect human rights wherever in the world they operate.

Myanmar (Burma) is Open for Business. 

But Human Rights Must come before Profits.

           In July the Obama administration lifted sanctions on the country, where several positive reforms were initiated late last year after decades of appalling human rights abuses. Now companies in the US Chamber of Commerce are moving in to capture a potentially lucrative new market. 

           But human rights must come before profits. Burmese freedom fighter and Nobel Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has raised the caution flag for corporations doing business in Myanmar -- despite recent reforms, the country remains a hard place to do business ethically. Political prisoners, forced labor, and lack of accountability for past and ongoing human rights violations are just a few of the human rights challenges that businesses will encounter. 

Just this week, Amnesty International released a set of recommendations to help businesses wade these murky ethical waters. 

Keep the pressure on big business. Urge President Tom Donohue of the US Chamber of Commerce to make sure US companies take Amnesty’s recommendations seriously, putting human rights first and doing business the right way in Myanmar.


Please add your name to our petition to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce – and be another powerful voice demanding human rights in every corner of our world.

http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx?c=6oJCLQPAJiJUG&b=6645049&aid=518890&msource=W1209EASK2

           I am sharing with You All the original letter I received. Please join hands with us and lend your voice and support to this cause. 

"Dear Jai Krishna,

As I write this, I'm traveling to Washington, D.C. to see one of my personal heroes, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, accept the Congressional Gold Medal for her decades of work to promote democracy and freedom in Myanmar (Burma). Amnesty activists like you worked tirelessly on Daw Suu's case as she spent years under house arrest under a government with an appalling human rights record.

Daw Suu is now free, and is in the U.S. for the first time in over 20 years. The government of Myanmar is on a path to reform. 

But our fight for human rights in Myanmar isn't over yet. We still need your help.

Tell U.S. corporations that while Myanmar is now open for business, we expect them to put human rights before profits. 

Earlier this year, the U.S. government lifted some of the sanctions that barred U.S. corporations from doing business in Myanmar, after the government of Myanmar took some steps forward on human rights issues. 

Now, with U.S. companies moving in to do business in Myanmar, it’s our job to remind them that they have a responsibility to respect human rights.

Tomorrow, at Amnesty's historic Rights Generation town hall meeting with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, I’m going to call on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to instruct U.S. companies to follow our advice for doing business responsibly in Myanmar. Our recommendations are basic common sense: corporations need to ensure that their operations are not causing or contributing to human rights abuses. 

Please add your name to our petition to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce – and be another powerful voice demanding human rights in every corner of our world.

Thanks for everything you do,

Suzanne Nossel
Executive Director
Amnesty International USA

P.S. Watch tomorrow's town hall with Aung San Suu Kyi live on our website, starting at 11:30AM ET at amnestyusa.org/rightsgeneration. Hear Daw Suu answer questions from Amnesty supporters, and inspire the next generation of human rights activists!

P.P.S. Foreign Policy magazine just posted an article I wrote about Aung San Suu Kyi and prisoners of conscience around the world. I hope you’ll take a look and tell me what you think."

Stay Ever Vigilant and Present in the Truth. 

Never be blinded by greed or  the likes of it. 

             Do not let Myanmar become yet another planned and long awaited military outpost and a mere extension and image of the oppressive regime in China. Do not allow profiteering corporations and multi-national entities to utilize the present regime/military or setup and puppeteer a proxy presence as an effective instrument to control, regulate, oppress and exploit the forgotten people and Life that is Myanmar. Please help revive and reform this Nation in a manner that is respectful, fully transparent and considerate of the people of Myanmar and their pressing needs for Human rights, liberties, freedoms, protection and aid.

Sincerely,
Jai Krishna Ponnappan

Unchain the European Union

           
       I usually refrain from commenting or expressing my views about this. But as a personal principle I strongly oppose all forms of binding and depleting dependencies/ instruments of enslavement... The EU has had too much of this senseless incompetence. So here we go, this is in response to a post on Debating Europe ( via their Social Media Page )


The Original Post,

" State of the Union: President Barroso comes out in strong support of ECB President Mario Draghi’s move towards ‘unlimited’ bond buying and gets the biggest applause of the morning. What do YOU think?

ref. http://www.debatingeurope.eu/2012/09/12/liveblog-barrosos-state-of-the-union/"

~ The entire address is available in the video link at the bottom of their page.

The avoidable skepticism and crisis within the EU is owed primarily to the incompetence of some of its leaders and their inability to refrain from facilitating draining and parasitic economics.

Response,


 "They may say they are acting within the ECB's mandate but are they really acting to ensure the stability of the Euro? They are undermining and clearly exposing the capacity of member nations and their leaders to resolve the crisis at the earliest by doing what ever is necessary to initiate urgent reforms. This move is nothing but yet another incautious, conditional and risky leap of faith. It is really disappointing how they have exposed their inability to work with governments to ensure and guide an all crucial reform agenda.

P.S ~ Their cause for applause comes with strings attached. They are poised to enter into a vicious and self perpetuating addiction to the central bank while complacently stagnating their economies."

Sincerely,

Jai Krishna Ponnappan

P.S ~ I wish I had the time to debate this but yes this is just the beginning of what I really hope digging down to the root of this crisis should look like..... at least in the coming future.

The Fallen Warrioress will Rise Again

           
         This is a comment in response to yet another unique subject and personality that is a great deal different from what you'll hear within the spheres of mainstream Western feminism.

 Image Ref. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151024029712595&set=p.10151024029712595&type=1&relevant_count=1

The original post is an article and a movie review for the documentary film "Ozhimuri" written by my friend Dalton for the Deccan Chronicle in Southern India

Response,


         Really well written, Dalton. It is so true that very little has been publicly spoken, documented or portrayed about the very unique subjects and characters referred to as something comparable to any other everyday regular women from around the world we live in today. Commencing right from the beginning of repression in Colonial times, accompanied by instances of deliberated caste based communal hate and tensions, and during the period of post independence through to modern times, such pure and germane feminist strength inborn among many of Kerala's daughters has rarely on recent occasions shown signs of fully lighting and fighting its way back to its original lost glory. I am very proud of many of the matrilineal and matriarchal communties, particularly including the Nairs and several sections of the Ezhava diaspora. Equi-gender societies that honor and celebrate the rights, strengths and freedoms of both sexes are extremely rare pockets and islands of lost Humanity, very few if any comparable Martial traditions exist in today's world. Very few, not even as secrets. I have heard of many stories and lore from relatives, family texts and friends where a warrioress would have the right to choose(as in swayamvaram) or even discard a lover or fight him in a dual to settle disputes or all out wars. Such women capable of commanding whole armies and leading the charge  never die, they live on in us, their daughters and sons, there is strength in their flesh and their genes. Patriarchs in my opinion are false supremacists who have suppressed and impaired half of humanity for way too long with their baseless thinking and vile justifications. Yes, it is extremely hard to even begin to explain coming from a place where women were not only celebrated for their immense virtues, towering glories and beautiful and untainted feminism but are to this day worshiped as powerful divinities, entities and the Goddesses they truly have manifest and evolved to become. It would be shocking if you considered for a moment that even the Romans who enslaved Europe in chains honored and offered tributes and sacrifices to the likes of these along with their sailing vessels laden with gold.  A modern day divorce is like breaking free from the thick patriarchal ideas about marriage as enforced and prescribed by the West. These senseless chains and this burden is often too obvious to see but truly breaking free would require persistent, tireless and prolonged efforts along with a pinch of some much needed divine intervention and luck :)

Thank You, Dalton, for writing this wonderful review. I enjoy reading them all. And many thanks to the film making team who put it all together. I hope they continue making many more such films. These will surely serve us all in a great way, whilst nudging and encouraging us along in the right direction. Again, Yes it's very hard to describe or implore a servile Soul to imagine what it feels like growing up in an equi-gender lineage & family where women are both respected, greatly loved and also deeply revered.

Best Wishes & Regards,

Jai Krishna Ponnappan

The Fallen Warrioress will Rise Again