10 Public Intellectuals

The Top 100 Public Intellectuals Poll was conducted in November 2005 and June 2008 by Prospect Magazine (UK) and Foreign Policy (US) on the basis of responding readers’ ballot.

Noam Chomsky : American linguist, philosopher,  libertarian socialist

Umberto Eco : Italian medievalist, semiotician, philosopher, literary critic

Richard Dawkins : English  evolutionary biologist  author Atheist

Václav Havel :  Czech playwright, essayist, former dissident and politician.

Christopher Hitchens : British author, journalist, and literary critic

Paul Krugman :  American economist, liberal columnist, and author (Nobel)

Jürgen Habermas : German philosopher and sociologist

Amartya Sen : economist,  Professor (Nobel)

Jared Diamond : merican scientist and nonfiction author Atheist

Salman Rushdie : British Indian novelist and essayist

Fethullah Gulen : Turkish preacher

Muhammad Yunus : Bangladeshi banker and economist (Nobel)

Yusuf al-Qaradawi : Egyptian scholar and preacher

Orhan Pamuk : Turkish novelist (Nobel)

Aitzaz Ahsan : Pakistani Advocate

Amr Khaled :  Egyptian activist and preacher

Abdolkarim Soroush :  Iranian thinker, philosopher, reformer

Tariq Ramadan : Swiss Muslim academic

Mahmood Mamdani : Uganda) is the Herbert Lehman Professor of Government in the Departments of Anthropology

Shirin Ebadi :  Iranian lawyer, human rights activist

A weird analyses on the results for  Top 100 Public Intellectuals Poll conducted by Prospect Magazine (UK) and Foreign Policy (US). Do you see any difference as I did?

People who voted think religious preachers are more impotent intellectuals to this world than atheists. The same crowd was mentally aright  in 2005 . Also , now there are more intellectuals in south Asia and gulf compared to west.

Looks like whole poll has intention of appeasement.

2005 list :

1. Noam Chomsky : American philosopher, libertarian socialist
2. Umberto Eco : Italian critic, philosopher
3. Richard Dawkins : English biologist , author, atheist
4. Václav Havel :  Czech playwright, essayist, politician.
5. Christopher Hitchens : British author, journalist, and atheist
6. Paul Krugman :  American economist, liberal columnist, and author (Nobel)
7. Jürgen Habermas : German philosopher and sociologist
8. Amartya Sen : Indian economist,  Professor (Nobel)
9. Jared Diamond : American scientist , author Atheist
10. Salman Rushdie : British Indian novelist,  Atheist

2008 list

1. Fethullah Gulen : Turkish preacher
2. Muhammad Yunus : Bangladeshi banker and economist
3. Yusuf al-Qaradawi : Egyptian scholar and preacher
4. Orhan Pamuk : Turkish novelist
5. Aitzaz Ahsan : Pakistani Advocate
6. Amr Khaled :  Egyptian activist and preacher
7. Abdolkarim Soroush :  Iranian thinker, philosopher, reformer
8. Tariq Ramadan : Swiss religous academic
9. Mahmood Mamdani : Ugandan Professor Government
10. Shirin Ebadi :  Iranian lawyer, human rights activist

Pseudo-secular silence

Here is one of the reasons “why you shouldn’t trust Indian media”:

The news was simple to understand “Taslima Nasrin heckled by God’s own warriors in one of the God’s own check post Hyderabad”. Just another event God wanted them to do.

I read all the news items in Google taking a cue from barberindian , for the same.

“Local politics behind attack on Taslima” – Hindustan Times
“Taslima Nasreen attacked in Hyderabad” – NDTV
“Taslima heckled in Hyderabad” – Economic Times
“Taslima heckled in Hyderabad” – The Statesman
“Taslima Nasreen, Poet, Attacked in India: Men Attack Her; Other …” – The Moderate Voice
“Assault on Taslima Nasreen” – Central Chronicle
“Taslima Attacked In Hyderabad, Journalists Protest” – Newspost
“Taslima Nasreen attacked in Hyderabad” – Zee news
“Andhra MLAs, 20 MIM activists manhandle Taslima Nasreen” – Daily news

and our own Desicritics:

“Taslima Nasreen Attacked by MLAs in Hyderabad” – Desicritics

If you want news items from international media

“Muslim Protesters Attack Bangladeshi Author in India” – Voice of America
“Muslim group in India threatens to behead Bangladeshi author” – EarthTimes

See any difference ?

on munnabhai

As expected there is already a campaign against sentence  (read Indian judicial system) on Sanjay Dutt. Campaign is purely based on all sentiments a normal movie lover can possess – Philosophy, religion, faith, sympathy, pity (read emotional blackmails)
For LOLing

And anyway who are we to punish some one for his mistakes … Just like Jesus Christ once said “Let He Who Is Without Sin Cast The First Stone”

I have heard he breaks down and starts crying many a times when he cant see some one’s pain/suffering …

Here is one more opinion by Soli Sorabjee which looks more logical.

What nonsense .. bollywood should actually be boycotting this chap if they had any little feeling for the victims of the 1993 mumbai blasts. But given the fact that how these so called heroes of bollywood wag their tail in front of daewood’s shows, the way jokers like johny lever mimick Indian national anthem to please daewood, what else can we expect from them? – Sense vs Sensation

My Political compass

       Some time back Srik asked me “Whats the difference between a Kerala communist and other communists? Well, Kerala communism is a philosophy by itself. It is “take policies as time changes and completely forget where they started”. In my opinion it is a complete hypocrisy. Infact, communism in India has lost its meaning. If Karl Marks was alive today, he would have definitely taken rat poison.
      For example, there was “Anti Coke Pepsi” campaign few months back. Kerala assembly discussed it for length and finally decided to ban those products. Next day none of the college campuses had Coke and Pepsi but Sprite, Seven-up, Mirinda, Fanta …were available. A curious journalist asked one of the ministers “Why two products alone, why not ban all the products which are proved to have chemicals”. Minister happily said, “Oops … In assembly we did not discuss other drinks at all … he he”.
Another instance is where they have done blunder in their party name itself (my previous post).

My Daddy Stoongest!!

When was the last time you exclaimed “Oh my god” in public ? and which god was it ? You don’t now ?? well , you better know it. Some one might sit on your neck and prove your exclaim is very offensive to him. Also it would be politically and theologically incorrect and big time violation of his rule he has read.

Here is a guys who went on proving the same stuff all over again. To mention some:

1. God came and told me “I am god. If any other gods come and claim that they are also gods, its wrong. please note down there is no god other than me”. Now there if there are any , that is a violation.

2. God said that he doesn’t have a face , if any other gods claim to have face thats again violation, since my god said so.

so on , you ll find many such logical reasoning in this video.

Let Satyameva jayate….

For reasons for “NOT FOR PRESIDENT”,  follow the links in this post

I don’t want a President, who talks to ghosts and dead people.

I will be very irritated if she does not answer this :

She claims that she is talking to dead people. She claims to have been advised by her long-dead guru (Dada Lekhraj who founded Brahma Kumari sect) through the body of head of Brahma Kumaris World Spritual University, Hridaymohini, also popularly known as ‘dadiji.’ WTF! I know that this Brahmakumari sect is one huge scam and has seriously affected the lives of people. To find that our Presidential nominee is not just a mere follower of this cult but also claims to have supernatural conversations with the dead in the 21st century is astounding. -                  Patrix

My S*** is better than your s***

[via ]

To all Che Guerra fans

To all commi organizations who paint him in their pamphlets ,to all yo-young college kids wearing his T-shirts without knowing who is he ,

Che is dead , Get over it !!!!

Technorati Tags: Che, Guerra

India down to knees ..

I feel we have lost a definition of word “insult”. We are dying to find an insult in something and we are waiting for it to happen. Take our National anthem; you translate it – Insult! Instrumental? – Insult! Sung for more than 52 seconds? – Insult! Less? – Insult! Lower/higher pitch – Insult!

Most of the time I don’t get what exactly is an insult. If Mandira is wearing this is an insult, then why not those thousands tri-color clad fans acting crazy is an insult. Why those thousands of plastic tri-colors in dustbins on next day to Aug 15, is not an insult. I want to know very badly why it is insult if mandira does it, and why it is not when this woman does it.

she was in a saree — designed by Puneet Nanda of designer label Satya Paul — that had flags of all countries in the World Cup.

By the time the showers had done their two bits, Bedi was back on air with a different saree. But the damage was already done. Puneet Nanda had to apologise. “I didn’t think our flag would end up near Bedi’s foot. I am sorry,” he told

The controversy comes at a time when Akal Takht, the highest body of Sikh religious affairs, accepted the apology of Bedi pertaining to the use of a Sikh religious symbol on her body as a tattoo – DNA

Create your own cartoons

Toondoo is a very nice place where you can cartoon-ize your opinion. I did not spend much time there, yet. For now this is what I have for you. Click on the cartoon to view it properly.

I know it is not hilarious; it’s just my first try.

Technorati Tags: Rahul, sonia, Gandhi, family, Pakistan, Bangladesh, cartoon, toondoo