Odisha Assembly passes women's reservation bill

     BHUBANESWAR: The bill providing 50 per cent reservation for women in urban local bodies in Odisha was passed by the state assembly today. 

     Opposition Congress and BJP raised a din and did not participate in the proceedings in the passage of the bill. 

      The house had debated the Odisha Right to Public Service Bill, 2012 last night but there was no discussion on two other bills - The Odisha Municipal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2012 which provides for women's reservation and Odisha Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes (Regulation of Issuance and Verification of Caste Certificates) Bill, 2011. 

     All three bills were passed during the day. Speaker Pradip Kumar Amat announced passage of the bills surrounded by marshals who prevented the angry Congress MLAs from capturing the podium. 

      "In the welfare state, providing services in time is the sine qua non of good giovernance. Thus, it is felt expedient to make law casting an obligation under every public functionary to render service to the citizens within a stipulated time," said Housing and Urban Development Minister Raghunath Mohanty on behalf of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. 

       Describing Odisha Municipal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2012 as historic, he said provisions would now be made for reserving 50 per cent seats reserved for women in urban local body polls. Earlier, the state had made provision of 50 per cent reservation for women in three tier panchayat bodies.

Times of India

Anna Hazare announces new action plan, not to form party

       MUMBAI: Following Team Anna's dissolution, anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare on Thursday announced a new action plan, which includes appealing people to vote for the "right" candidates, instead of forming a political party. In a statement issued on Thursday, Hazare also appealed the youth to ensure a 90-plus per cent voting in the elections. 

        In the appeal, aimed mainly at anti-corruption activists in Maharashtra, Hazare said, "There is no need to form any party or to contest elections, but to provide an alternative to the people. Only the people have the power to transform and we have to undertake the work of awakening them," Hazare said, adding that voters should elect right candidates in Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. 

          Around 4,000 activists from all over the country have come forward for this task, and from Maharashtra, activists with "national and social perspective" are needed, he said. "One thing that is being felt strongly is if the anti-corruption agitation continues in a limited manner of perusal of complaints and a few people getting justice, then there will be no difference between this movement and a complaint redressal centre," he said. 

          Hazare proposed action on six points: Voting for "clean" candidates, to press for right to reject, seek more powers for gram sabha, citizens charter, removing delays in official work and bringing police under "the control" of lokpal/lokayukta.

Times of India

Why 2013 will be a year of crisis

(CNN) -- Prediction: 2013 will be a year of serious global crisis. That crisis is predictable, and in fact has already begun. It will inescapably confront the next president of the United States. Yet this emerging crisis got not a mention at the Republican National Convention in Tampa. We'll see if the Democrats do better.

The crisis originates in this summer's extreme weather. Almost 80% of the continental United States experienced drought conditions. Russia and Australia experienced drought as well.

The drought has ruined key crops. The corn harvest is expected to drop to the lowest level since 1995. In just July, prices for corn and wheat jumped about 25% each, prices for soybeans about 17%.

David Frum

These higher grain prices will flow through to higher food prices. For consumers in developed countries, higher food prices are a burden -- but in almost all cases, a manageable burden.

Farmers 'can't wait' for Isaac

Drought to push food prices higher

Satire novel exposes hypocrisy in D.C.

Americans spend only about 10% of their after-tax incomes on food of all kinds, including restaurant meals and prepackaged foods. Surveys for Gallup find that the typical American family is spending one-third less on food today, adjusting for inflation, than in 1969.

But step outside the developed world, and the price of food suddenly becomes the single most important fact of human economic life. In poor countries, people typically spend half their incomes on food -- and by "food," they mean first and foremost bread.

When grain prices spiked in 2007-2008, bread riotsshook 30 countries across the developing world, from Haiti to Bangladesh, according to the Financial Times.   A drought in Russia in 2010 forced suspension of Russian grain exports that year and set in motion the so-called Arab spring.

Since the days of Gamal Abdel Nasser, the Egyptian government has provided subsidized bread to the population. A disk of round flat bread costs about a penny. In the later 2000s, however, the Mubarak government found it could not keep pace with surging grain costs.

As Egypt's population doubled from 20 million in 1950 to 40 million in 1980 and now more than 80 million, Egypt has gained first place as the world's largest wheat importer. The price rises of 2007-2010 exceeded the Mubarak government's resources. Cheap bread vanished from the stores. Discontent gathered. In the August 18 issue of the British magazine The Spectator, John R. Bradley, an Arabic-speaking journalist long resident in Egypt, described what happened next:

  "The conversations of tiny groups of Cairo's English-speaking elites, and their Western drinking companions, were a world apart from talk among the Egyptian masses. ... The main hope of those who poured into Tahrir Square was shared by the revolutionaries in Tunisia: that sudden and radical change would miraculously mean affordable food."

And if food prices surge again? China is especially vulnerable to food cost inflation. In just one month, July 2011, the cost of living jumped 6.5%. Inflation happily subsided over the course of 2012. Springtime hopes for a bumper U.S. grain crop in 2012 enabled the Chinese central bank to ease credit in the earlier part of the summer. Now the Chinese authorities will face some tough choices over what to do next.

The Arab Spring of 2011 is sometimes compared to the revolutions of 1848. That's apter than people realize: the "hungry '40s" were years of bad harvests across Europe. Hungry people are angry people, and angry people bring governments down.

Will 2013 bring us social turmoil in Brazil, strikes in China or revolution in Pakistan? The answer can probably be read in the price indexes of the commodities exchanges -- and it is anything but reassuring. 

10 Signs That You’re Fully Awake

           Isn’t it obvious that there is a significant global awakening happening? Just as the Mayans predicted so many years ago, the apocalypse would become apparent in 2012. But many misinterpret the apocalypse to be the end of the world, when in fact it actually means an “un-covering, a revelation of something hidden.”

         As many continue to argue the accuracy of the Mayan calendar, it can no longer be argued that a great many people are finally becoming aware of what has been hidden from them for so long. Of course this awakening is not an overnight process. It takes time to peel away the many layers of lies to get to the core of the ultimate truths.

        It would be beyond pretentious for us to claim to know all of the secrets of the universe. We don’t. Everyday we are humbled by what we don’t yet know.

       However, it is becoming clearer by the day what isn’t true. And by that measure alone, it is possible to determine if you’re one of the people beginning to wake up.

Here are ten signs you may be fully awake:

1. You know there’s no meaningful difference between major political parties (Democrats and Republicans): It’s so easy to get caught up the left-right debate and believe there’s a difference between the two major political parties. However, debate is one thing, while actions are another. By their deeds you shall know them, and it is indisputable that there is no significant difference between political parties when it comes to action on the most important issues. Even hardened ideologues likeJohn Cusack are beginning to wake up.

2. You understand that the Federal Reserve, or international central banking more broadly, is the engine of our economic problems: Debt slavery is the totalitarian force that threatens all of humanity, not some temporary political puppet or some greedy Wall Street trader. When a small group of people have the ability to create wealth out of nothing and charge interest on it, they have the ability to enslave the planet to their ownership despite what type of government a country claims to have.

3. You know that preemptive war is never necessary:  When we realize that self-defense is the only acceptable form of violence, then we become awakened human beings. To suggest war because someone is different from you, or they may pose a threat in the future is simply ludicrous. And when did the idea of bombing civilians become humanitarian? No one wants war except for the immoral creeps that benefit from it. 

4. You know that you’re being systematically poisoned, how, by whom, and why: Admittedly, there’s a lot to learn in terms of how we are secretly being poisoned. But the fact remains that we are being systematically poisoned, and it is likely for the deliberate purpose of dumbing us down and, ultimately, culling the population. Who could believe anyone is so evil to do that to innocent people, you may ask. Well, once you begin to seek the answer to that question, you’re one step closer to enlightenment.

5. You understand that government can never legislate morality, nor should they: When you realize the role of government is only to protect your liberty and work for the well being of the citizens, you’re awakened. There should be one simple law regulating morality: Do no harm. Thus, it’s impossible for the government to enforce morality with guns, cages, and taxes because those clearly cause severe harm to your liberty and our well-being.

6. You know that the mainstream media is wholly owned and manipulated by the ruling elite: Adwindling number of people still actually believe what they hear coming from the establishment media as if it’s gospel, even when they already accept that they are bought and paid for by the elite controllers. Yet, recognizing that they are nothing more than a propaganda machine and a form of mind control are the first steps in being able to critically think beyond the scientific messaging they broadcast.

7. You know that your neighbors are not your enemy even if you have fierce ideological disagreements: This is perhaps the most difficult thing to overcome in the awakening process. But it’s vital to understand that your neighbors have been indoctrinated and hypnotized like the rest of the us, until someone helps shine a light on inconsistencies in our thoughts and beliefs. Most of their ideas are not their own. They are suffering just like the rest of us. It’s okay to condemn their actions if they’re harmful, but those who are awake will not give up on spreading information that can enlighten those who might still be in the dark. None of us were born “awake” and all of us can learn even more.

8. You know that the endgame is one-world control of planet Earth: Once you understand that the endgame for the ruling elite is to have complete control of all vital facets of society through a global government, one-world currency, international armed forces, and so on, it is simple to see through the lies and propaganda surrounding even the most confusing world events. You will never go back to sleep when you fully accept this reality.

9. You recognize that there are esoteric powers manipulating our physical world: Whether you’re a religious or spiritual person, scientific or just plain curious, there are many theories about an invisible force at play in all of this. Obviously it’s impossible to prove exactly what it is. You may not want to believe it, but the ruling elite takes their occult rituals deadly serious. And they likely know something we don’t. Just by keeping an open mind about this possibility, you’ll forever keep an open mind about the things we can actually see, hear, taste and touch. Current science has shown that we can only “see” what the visible light spectrum reveals, which amounts to the tiniest fraction of all that can theoretically be seen within the full spectrum of energy. Part of any awakening is realizing that there is much more that is possible than impossible.

10. The power to change the world rests with you and you alone: For too long people have believed themselves to be weak, or relied on others to change the world for them. You’ll know that you’re fully awake when you realize that you have infinite power to change the world by simply living the change you want to see. First, you have to identify the principles that you believe in and then go out and live by them. If just a small minority took steps to do this, it would shake the establishment to its core.

                             ...........................What kind of world do you want to live in???.........................

Obama Kicks Israel In The Nuts: Why This Could Be Really Bad.

           The message that the U.S. conveyed to Iran via the most sensitive secret channels is unequivocal: if Israel attacks, we won’t stand behind her and we won’t be drawn into war.

     In recent days, senior American administration officials turned to their Iranian counterparts via two countries in Europe which act as a back-channel during times of crisis. They made clear to the Iranians that the U.S. does not intend to be sucked into a campaign if Israel decides to strike unilaterally and without advance coordination [with the U.S.], and they said that they expect from Iran that it will not attack strategic American targets in the Persian Gulf.”

           Based on what we know of Obama’s childhood, coupled with his 57 states gaffe during the 2008 campaign (there are 50 states of the United States, but the commoly accepted number of Muslim states is 57), it’s clear Obama is, in fact, a Muslim despite any assurances to the contrary. (His 20 year span of listening to Rev. Wright doesn’t count as anything other than listening to “hate whitey” speeches)

          

          Obama has repeatedly delayed military equipment shipments to Israel. ( Interestingly, most American Jews support Obama since most are far left wingers, as is our Marxist Dear Leader.) This was done in an obvious effort to thwart an Israeli attack on Iran. It may be a surprise to know that Israel has a somewhat limited cache of conventional weapons, although an Israeli defector confirmed that Israel has over 300 atomic bombs.

          Israeli F-15 fighter aircraft number around 87, while there are in the neighborhood of 340 F-16′s. Israel has only five or so large refueling tankers. So, why no U.S. outrage over Israel’s 300 nukes, but a great cry over Iran’s nuclear program? The thinking, of course, is that Israel is run by a bunch of mature, level-headed conservatives chosen by God ( Interestingly, the book of Revelation states that the final Jewish remnant wil be 144,000–give that some thought in relation to the total number of people out there who claim to be Jewish), while Iran is led by a few insane Muslim clerics. Thus, Iran is a much greater threat. ( Um, yeah, OK )

            Now, let’s get to the meat of the problem. Israel feels it MUST hit Iran soon, but the U.S. has just made crystal clear its intention to not help Israel. ( You may be surprised to learn that there are no mutual assistance defense treaties between Israel and the U.S., but we have been their butt buddy since the 1950′s so Congress would likely authorize aid and assistance, but there is a wee problem with that.)

            The problem is that Obama has been replacing our regular military leaders with those who put politics above national interest and national survival.

           The assumption has been that we are building up a large military presence in the Gulf region to assist Israel. The hard truth may be that we will use those forces to help Iran against Israel. Romney will help Israel, but Israel may not be able to wait until election day to attack Iran. Without U.S. help, Israel would be forced to use at least a few small nukes to defeat Iran. At that point, various treaty obligations would kick in with countries such as China and Russia and we would have a real big issue that would result……………..WWIII.

          There is much chatter on the internet about something big happening soon. I believe those feelings are correct and the incident will involve millions of casualties.