Obama: Trump doesn't know much about nuclear policy, or the world – video

President Obama said on Friday that Donald Trump’s recent comments that South Korea and Japan should acquire nuclear weapons show the leading Republican presidential candidate is not well informed on international relations. ‘What the statements you mentioned tell us – they tell us that the person who made the statements doesn’t know much about foreign policy or nuclear policy or the Korean peninsula, or the world, generally,’ Obama told a news conference at the conclusion of a nuclear security summit

I do not mind practicing a bank patriotism as I practice an industrial patriotism, common indeed to all major Western countries. It would not occur to the mind of any American to question the nationality of Microsoft or General Motors....

Said : Bernard Esambert in an interview with Les-crises, a French blog intended to provide maximum information on the current crises - economic and social. The interview was conducted on January 14, 2013.

Born in 1934, Bernard Esambert was Industrial and scientific adviser to President of the French Republic Georges Pompidou from 1969 to 1974. He was also the President of the Institut Pasteur from 1994 to 1997. 

According to Bernard Esambert, French banks have been constantly increasing their cash flow for two reasons. The first, not to get eaten by a large British bank, German or American, and second, to eat the neighbor.

"Therefore, both to guard against a takeover bid from elsewhere, and in order to make a takeover bid for a domestic bank, these banks have sought to greatly increase their income so as to have a substantially increased market capitalization. But how can you massively increase earnings without attracting by making extra deposit accounts which requires enormous efforts," he added.

"We worship the bank size in France but it is not unjustified. To support our major industrial champions in the world requires a large bank and for my part, I do not mind practicing a bank patriotism as I practice an industrial patriotism, common indeed to all major Western countries. It would not occur to the mind of any American to question the nationality of Microsoft or General Motors ..."

Bernard also made it clear that in order to escape from a foreign predator and to become one domestically, banks needed to develop new business products, and not just any, risky product to achieve significantly improved results. But it wasn't easy to massively increase earnings without taking risks. Most large banks, therefore, started to introduce new original products - from low risk to very risky ones. 

Agreeing with the interviewer, Olivier Berruyer, Founder of Les-crises blog, Bernard said : "Yes, we have almost forgotten that it is difficult to have high profitability without having a high risk.."

Read full interview here : Part 1 - Part 2. 

Americans should be alert but not panicked about the threat of further terrorist attacks.

Said : FBI Director James B. Comey, as per a report in The Washington Post. The FBI is now investigating the San Bernardino, Calif., massacre as an act of terrorism.

FBI Director James Comey and Attorney General Loretta Lynch
speak to reporters about this week’s mass shooting in
San Bernardino, California during a press availability
held December 4, 2015 at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. 

In an official briefing on Dec 4, with respect to the San Bernardino shootings, Comey said the incident was "now a federal terrorism investigation led by the FBI and the reason for that is that the investigation so far has developed indications of radicalization by the killers and of a potential inspiration by foreign terrorist organizations." 

"We know that this is very unsettling for the people of the United States. What we hope you will do is not let fear become disabling but to instead try to channel it into an awareness of your surroundings."

According to the FBI officials, after the shooting, the Pakistani woman Tashfeen Malik, 29 - who teamed with her husband Chicago-born Syed Rizwan Farook, 29, in the mass murder - went on Facebook to pledge her allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State, the Post reported.

The Huffington Post has profiled the victims of the San Bernardino shooting in it's Dec 3 edition.

We have been contacted twice in recent weeks by private PR companies representing Indian govt. officials. Good use of govt funds?

Annie Gowen

Said : Annie Gowen, Delhi based India bureau chief for The Washington Post. Annie's twitter profile mentions her email ID :

annie.gowen@washpost.com

Annie's tweet goes as under :

Annie Gowen ‏@anniegowen 

We have been contacted twice in recent weeks by private PR companies representing Indian govt. officials. Good use of govt funds? @PMOIndia

Leaders of Congress party have taken up this matter seriously, specially on the social media, under the hashtag of modimediagate. The users have their own comments on this matter. One user's comment reads : "It seems Modiji has been misinformed that international news agencies work like Aaj Tak, Zee News and India TV."

Annie Gowen is The Post’s India bureau chief and has reported for the Post throughout South Asia and the Middle East. She spent the summer of 2011 in Iraq, examining the continued violence and ramifications of the U.S. troop withdrawal there. She is a graduate of the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas and lives in New Delhi.

how #gujaratmodel conceptualised & executed. Thanx Media doesn't always sell its soul @anniegowen #modimediagate pic.twitter.com/dqoVd5vLVp

— Shaktisinh Gohil MLA (@shaktisinhgohil) November 28, 2015

Lagta hai Modi ji ko kisine bewakoof bna diya ki international news agencies work like Aaj Tak, Zee News and India Tv . #ModiMediaGate

— Chinky Pandey (@LakdibaazLaunda) November 28, 2015

@shaktisinhgohil @DrunkVinodMehta @anniegowen This matter must be taken up in the Parliament. Pretty serious!

— OBSERVER (@gdjasuja) November 28, 2015

Think Before Shaming Someone on Social Media

Ask these questions :

The Four Questions You Should Ask Before Shaming Someone on Social Media: https://t.co/6u6VDDRW1Z pic.twitter.com/SWQRwfLuNd

— Knowledge@Wharton (@whartonknows) November 5, 2015

"This is the real reason why our history books are in tatters.."

Prof Dilip Chakrabarti

Said : Prof Dilip Chakrabarti, Dean, Centre for Historical and Civilisational Studies, The Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) and Professor Emeritus, Department of Archaeology, Cambridge University to Rajiv Malhotra, Indian-American researcher, author, speaker : Current affairs, inter-civilization, science. This was revealed, in a tweet, by Rahul Singh @Rahul_aryanab

It is worth noting that, in March this year, HRD Minister Smriti Irani had appointed Prof Chakrabarti as member of Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR). As per the media reports Irani appointed  Prof Chakrabarti overruling the recommendation of its chairperson Y Sudershan Rao.

I just stumbled upon this tweet on my TL and found it quite interesting. I am no expert in history, or for that in any other field worth mentioning, but this piece highlighted with yellow colour drew my attention and I got an opportunity to read it carefully. I must confess, however, that a significant credit for my interest in reading this tweet about history goes to Chetan Bhagat's recent tweet about historians.

Chakrabarti's starting point dates back to "many years since Independence" when he observed that academically bright students hardly opted for History/Indology. This eventually resulted in "only mediocre and academically gutter" elements occupying the teaching jobs. According to Chakrabarti, mostly those who failed the IAS exam a number of times used to try for these teaching jobs. Those who were bright and ambitious never opted for research or teaching.

Chakrabarti terms 'mediocre' academicians (History/Indology) as Marxists and finds them far better than the 'gutter' category, which he calls non-Marxists. According to Chakrabarti : 'Mediocre' i.e. Marxists researchers, can read books and express themselves better in English language. They muck up some Western theories and consider themselves a better class of scholars than the other group (non-Marxists). 

Having described the 'mediocre' researchers he clarifies : "It is these people whom we call 'Marxists in our history set-up. Most of them have not seen a book written by Karl Marx."

Chakrabarti hits the 'non-Marxists' really very hard : "The less we think of the 'Non-Marxists' the better. They are blissfully ignorant of all academic norms and knowledge. Essentially country bumpkins who cannot read possibly a whole book in any language, they fill up space in the history departments of most of our universities and research organizations."

"History/Archaeology/Indology - they are all professional disciplines in their own rights. Expertise cannot be acquired except with some love and commitment. Most of the characters who adorn the top level of the Indian academia in History/Archaeology/Indology are virtually semi-literates in their subjects and unmindful of anything else except their own interest,"  Chakrabarti's says, as quoted in the tweet. His concludes with the following comment.

"As things change politically in the country, the dichotomy between Marxists and non-Marxists in historical research will hopefully go away; but the scenario dominated by the mediocres and the elements of the gutter will not go away unless the study of India's ancient past acquires some respectability in Indian education and society."

@Rahul_aryanab Bear in mind that Prof. Chakrabarti was working heuristically with provisional categories. He wasn't endorsing @RajivMessage!

— Richard Fox Young (@RichardFoxYoung) November 3, 2015

@Rahul_aryanab Prof. Chakrabarti offers a helpful corrective2 @RajivMessage's simplistic categories. Wld he crown him an INDOLOGIST? No way!

— Richard Fox Young (@RichardFoxYoung) November 3, 2015

Prof Dilip Chakrabarti to @RajivMessage. This is the real reason why our history books are in tatters.. pic.twitter.com/CFXoqP2Eae

— Rahul Singh (@Rahul_aryanab) November 3, 2015

@Rahul_aryanab @RajivMessage @bullwinkle108 @KapilZeroSibal Will force bright students4History/Archaeology/Indology? pic.twitter.com/Gy8O1cNm4m

— OBSERVER (@gdjasuja) November 3, 2015

A prime minister, who understands Gandhi would have trekked to Bisari this October 2. Modi, however, chose to chase power in Bihar.

Said : Amrith Lal, an eminent journalist, in his blog published in today's The Indian Express. 

Amrith Lal

The article, published under the title "Mahatma Gandhi, Narendra Modi and two interpretations of filth", describes how the mob lynching of Akhlaq and his son Danish - just after someone orchestrated a rumour that they had beef in their home - can be equated with the killing of Mahatma Gandhi by  Nathuram Godse who had been a member of the RSS and Hindu Mahasabha. 

The incident of communal clash, in which Akhlaq was killed and Danish critically injured, took place in Jarcha area of Dadri in Bisada village just 50 kms from national capital city of Delhi on the night of September 28. According to Lal, the incident is a painful reminder of how this nation has betrayed its father who firmly stood for the Hindu-Muslim unity, a crucial factor to his idea of Swaraj.

Lal noted that "Until recently, Godse’s men lived on the margins. Today, they seek to sanctify him in public. Bisara is a reminder of Godse and yet another murder of Gandhi’s idea of India," hinting at the heightened activism of the Sangh Parivar responsible for current incidences of communal clashes and violence in UP and Bihar.

Family members of Akhlaq, who was killed in a communal clash
in Jarcha area of Dadri, mourn the loss at his residence
in Bisada village. (Source: Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)

According to Lal, Modi, who has consistently invoked Gandhi in his governance programmes, should have visited Bisari today. "Modi, however, chose to chase power in Bihar," he concludes.