Opinions and Editorials

Usain Bolt and his fellow Jamaican sprinters set the world on fire at the Beijing Olympics. Their manner of winning was awesome. Usain seemed to have the speed of lightning in breaking the 100m and 200m world records. In the former, he broke into a celebration with 10m to go and yet beat the record by 0.03 seconds. In the latter, the runner-up was not even in the frame at the finish.

This is the voice of one of a hundred and twenty million Indians, literally from the wilderness, from the Indroda Natural Wildlife Park on the banks of the Sabarmati near Gandhinagar, where it is being thought through.

It is becoming increasingly clear that the Kosi floods reflect not just a one-off failure of the state, but deep disarray in our development paradigm for the region.

On Saturday, the Pakistani parliament will likely elect Asif Ali Zardari to be the next president of Pakistan - Mr.

Supreme Court Justice Markandey Katju has passionately lamented the criminal neglect of Urdu and Sanskrit languages.

1.The Participating Governments of the Nuclear Suppliers Group decided that they: a.Desire to contribute to the effectiveness and integrity of the global non-proliferation regime, and to the widest possible implementation of the provisions and objectives of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons; b.Seek to avert the further spread of nuclear weapons; c.

Is Google god? Probably yes, because it has answers to all we need to know. Okay may be not all, but certainly most. And if it fails to provide answers it causes discomgooglation - 'that feeling of distress or anxiety when one is unable to gain immediate information access'. Now God the Google has another new form, a browser called Chrome.

There is no better evidence of how close India is to ending 40 years of nuclear sanctions than the letter issued by US Congressman Howard Berman and the earlier criticism of the Indo-US nuclear deal in the People's Daily.

Forget it. In a star-ruled system, the species is as dead as a dodo in Bollywood today. Despite the time lag, today movie teachers are most widely associated with a fey, tallish figure stepping out of shallow waters. Or Simi Garewal in Mera Naam Joker.

The front-page item in the latest Organiser is devoted to the Kendriya Vidyalaya logo that recently underwent a change.

Be it Singur, Narmada or the various SEZ projects, activists are blocking them almost for activism's sake, holding up development which would benefit the larger community.

A transition to democracy from military rule is tougher than one from monarchical rule. Look at the cases of Pakistan and Nepal. Pakistan, which has been plagued by military rule, shook off the yoke of its former army chief, Pervez Musharraf, when the latter was forced to resign from the presidency.

Recent reports about the Swedish authorities allowing children to be named after Cola-Cola, McDonald's, Budweiser, or Metallica reminded me of similar incidents in the recent past.

Despite the long-running campaign for a 'polio-free India', the crippling disease shows few signs of releasing its hold over the country.

Mamata Banerjee's coalition of the unwilling in Singur is understandably getting all the headlines.

H.Y. Sharada Prasad, who died on Tuesday after prolonged illness patiently borne, was a thorough professional both as a journalist and a public servant, a perfect gentleman, a brilliant writer and a delightful raconteur, blessed with a prodigious memory.

All the world loves a winner and you can't quarrel with the rewards that are raining on Abhinav Bindra, Sushil Kumar and Vijender Singh. Quite likely, in their private moments, these winners would be rejoicing at having been able to get their own back at an uncaring sports establishment and a government that has thrown them crumbs during their dog-day slog to the top.

Revenge is always sweet, even in death. In fact, it is sweeter.

In a country in which nearly five out of 10 people live on less than Rs 55 (or $1.25) a day, the rising prices of essentials like food are bound to be uppermost on its mind. Unlike, say, in Latin America, where the inflation of 200 per cent or more is taken in its stride, the tolerance level of headline inflation in India rarely goes beyond the double-digit level.