Immune to music

Yesterday was The World Music day. And I dedicated my music of this day to a revolutionary lawyer – Kleiberth Mora. Kleiberth has designed a reformist model in Venezuela which helps hardened prisoners and wayward youth learn classical music through organized orchestra programs. The music is not only keeping them become real musicians but also helping them become fine human beings. Now, this is what I call – Music in action. Brilliant job Kleiberth. Unquestionably India also needs lawyers like Kleiberth; it’s just that I doubt if the same system will work there. The glut of musical programs on the Indian television has not helped bring the crime graph down. I think we have become immune to music. Or at least to its constructive upshots.

Point of no return

As Midnapur cries in pain, floods take their toll to 50. Now this is what is officially known. I personally maintain the number to be no less than 100. As our lives go on handling clients, watching soccer and so forth and so on, there are doctors, defense personnel and numerous other professionals who are busy helping the people of Midnapur fight the battle for survival. I count these people as the last and only hope for mankind. I wish they are able to reverse the global ecological cataclysm mans finds himself in. But as Bryan Adam says ‘can’t stop the thing we started’. Man has reached a point of no return…terrestrially speaking.

What a date!

A federal judge today has asked Microsoft to put down about $500 million to Alcatel in damages plus interest, supporting the jury’s verdict that the software maker infringed on two patents. The jury decided that it infringed on an Alcatel patent that is all about software users choosing a calendar DATE from a menu in some programs like Microsoft Outlook. Wow! I am sure today’s DATE will be marked in that calendar eternally. Let’s see what happens when the giant appeals the ruling.

What will happen to Michelob?

Anheuser-Busch, the brewers of Budweiser, yesterday announced that it will buy over the outstanding 50 per cent stake in Crown Beers India that is at present held by Crown Group. Does it mean that any hopes of Michelob being available in India are drowned? I’d follow the deal.

UN declares rape a war tactic

‘a tactic of war to humiliate, dominate, instill fear in, disperse and/or forcibly relocate civilian members of a community or ethnic group’. This is how the resolution by a 15 member council defined rape today. My problem is not with the definition. I am glad about it. Nor do I doubt the intentions of the resolution. My problem is with the UN as it has always been. What I am repulsed by is that why rape limited as ‘a crime against individual victims’ (in this case in the times and regions of war) not big enough an offense to jolt the UN to take extreme measures against it. Why do we need another rationale to take stricter actions against the perpetrators of this grisly sin? Chinese Deputy Ambassador Liu Zhenmin said to the council that “sexual violence should not be treated as a stand-alone issue, nor should attention be given to its symptoms only.” Is he corroborating that till now UN was giving attention to the symptoms of rape only, and not to its prevention? I hope not. In countries like Congo, no less than 50 women are raped every day. I hope this action from US brings this figure down to zero soon.