World at a Crossroads: Fighting for socialism in the 21st Century

World At A Crossroads is a conference that brings together hundreds of socialists, progressive activists and Marxist thinkers from around Australia, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and North America in dozens of panel presentations and workshops dealing with the urgent questions that confront us all: war, imperialism, food security, racism, workers' rights, sexism, the media and culture. Feature sessions and streams will include:

    * The capitalist economic crisis: Putting people and planet before corporate profits
    * Stopping global warming: Social change, not climate change
   * Emerging alternatives to capitalism and war: The Venezuelan revolution and anti-imperialist rebellion in Latin America
    * Organising to fight for a better world: Building mass movements, alliances and left parties

Most of all, however, this conference will be about creating solutions. The rising revolutionary movements in  Latin America, which are posing the most serious challenge to global capitalist destruction for decades, are full of inspiration and lessons for people fighting for justice everywhere. Those struggles, and the alternative social systems they are creating, will be a big feature of this conference with the participation of guest speakers from Latin America.

The many struggles of the people in the Asia-Pacific region against imperialist exploitation and state repression, and for genuine democracy and social justice will be addressed by guest speakers from left parties, trade unions and social movements in the Philippines, Malaysia, Pakistan, India, Indonesia and Timor Leste, amongst others.

For more info visit here

Capitalism,sport and IPL

The Indian Premier League was today shifted to another country with amid speculation that England or South Africa would be the venue for the second edition of the high-profile event. The decision to shift the Twenty20 tournament out of the country was taken at the BCCI's emergency Working Committee meeting here to take a final decision on the cash-rich event which had run into rough situation because of security apprehensions. In other way as Chief commissioner of IPL, Mr Lalit Modi  said that” IPL matches are seen more then 90% in TV”, so that whole extravaganza of IPL becomes merely a TV show to BCCI or IPL authority. And more then sports its all about a commodity sale for Indian buyers as it will broadcast at Indian 8 pm prime time. This is also another process of making peoples just a cluster of spectators, but not participant to active sports of any kinds.

"Because of the attitude of the government that they are not ready to spare security forces for the cricket tournament... We are forced to take the decision to move the event out of India," BCCI President Shashank Manohar told a press conference.

"So the Board has decided to take the tournament out of the country. We are in discussion with other Boards who are willing to host the event. I apologise to the people of India for moving the tournament out," Manohar said.

By the way these above excuses never worked enough.

Capitalism and sport: Sports for a few  By Vidyadhar Date

Excerpt from the article:

Ordinary people, however, are denied elementary sporting facilities and are reduced to couch potatoes, confined to being mere viewers of events on television. The excitement and spontaneity that comes out of actual participation in sports has been drained from people’s lives. Sachin Tendulkar and other stars learnt their cricket in the compounds of their buildings or in lanes and alleys. But even these spaces are now beyond the reach of the common people.

Children now spend more time on games on computer screens than outdoors. Exercise and play have to be a natural part of our lives like reading, talking or eating. But people are now reduced to a captive television audience, mere eyeballs to watch commercials of giant companies packaged with sports.

Showdown in South Aisa

Bhutan
The people of Bhutan, the tiny Buddhist nation once known as the hermit kingdom of the Himalayas, they undertook a sort of fire drill for democracy. The king's call for elections, along with a Constitution that is introduced multiparty democracy in Bhutan. For the moment at least, Bhutan does not resemble a democracy, particularly not compared with other countries in the region. Barely two political parties have been formed. It is far from having a fractious free press or an active civil society.

 

Nepal
Just before midnight on Wednesday May 28th, 2008 Nepal was declared a Federal Democratic Republic by the Constituent Assembly. The first meeting of newly elected Constituent Assembly ended 240-years long monarchy and for the first time in history of the nation, citizens have the power to decide Nepal’s destiny. Many welcomed the declaration and congratulated world’s youngest republic.

Pakistan
Mass resistance to the Zardari Peoples Party of Pakistan (PPP) government's attempt to suppress a massive people's movement for the restoration of deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudry appears to have triumphed after a massive showdown in the streets of Lahore yesterday. The Zardari government's backdown followed five days of mass protests, and vicious police repression, around the country which left it increasingly isolated.  Judiciary, media and civil society are acknowledged, placed their feet firmly.

India + Bangladesh + Sri lanka
All three countries are already practicing bourgeoisie democracy.




May be these all are not true social democracy at all, but recent situation in Bhutan , Nepal and Pakistan says some different story then usual and historically very significant for South Asian region. South Asia is moving toward to establish democracy with common characteristic categorically in the countries belong to it. This what mean as one step move forward in further struggles for socialist South Asia.

Premio Dardos award to "untouchable EARTH"

“The Premio Dardos Award is given for recognition of cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values transmitted in the form of creative and original writing. These stamps were created with the intention of promoting fraternization between bloggers, a way of showing affection and gratitude for work that adds value to the Web.”

I'd like to express my extreme gratitude to "a reader's words" for awarding me this prestigious accolade, Premio Dardos award, (“Premio Dardos” means “prize darts” in Italian) it truly is an honour.

(this is first award given to me in my one year long blogging period. Usually I have a phobia of awards, although this one is virtual,  so not difficult to accept)

As a recipient of this award, I must now choose 5 other blogs that I feel are worthy of this recognition. There are so many smart, funny, emotionally charged, awe-inspiring blogs out there, it is nearly impossible to choose only 5.

So also as a tribute to 8 march, I decide to go with "Ladies first" this time for my pick up.

Here are 5 wonderful, beautiful earthlings:

A Babe in the Universe: All about science, astronomy, universe, extraterrestrial life.

Emila’s Illustrated Blog: Emily’s wonderful design work,  art work, photography, insightful words. (I owned a RSS dolly created by her)

just a little something: Great photography, Anita's words from her post are like Pomegranate arils. Beautiful , concise and thoughtful. One of the first major blogger from India.

Terminal Moraine and One Blue Sky: Poetry, feature.  Great Bengali poet Jibanananda Das  once said, “Everybody can’t be a poet, only some can be”. I believe this when I read verses from aria and suchitra and often begun to doubt on what I have written as poems. Sad news is “Terminal Moraine” is on indefinite sabbatical and “One Blue Sky” has already stopped blogging.

The clamor of kalinga: A blog about Kalinga people, culture and dedicated to rights of kalinga people. Jena Isle is guarding one of the diverse beauty of this world.

Travel Tales from India: Not only usual information about places but wonderful insight about places, also adventure, food, words with its own flavor along with beautiful pictures varies with different geographical essence.



It looks like already more then 5, .......seems 6 .....OK can't help it......

A Failed System: an article by John Bellamy Foster

“A Failed System” I do not of course mean that capitalism as a system is in any sense at an end. Rather I mean by “failed system” a global economic and social order that increasingly exhibits a fatal contradiction between reality and reason—to the point, in our time, where it threatens not only human welfare but also the continuation of most sentient forms of life on the planet. Three critical contradictions make up the contemporary world crisis emanating from capitalist development:

(1) the current Great Financial Crisis and stagnation/depression;
(2) the growing threat of planetary ecological collapse;
(3) the emergence of global imperial instability associated with shifting world hegemony and the struggle for resources.

Such structural weaknesses of the system, as Joseph Schumpeter might have said, are the product of capitalism’s past successes, but they raise catastrophic problems and failures in the present nonetheless.1 How we choose to act today in response to this failed system is therefore the most critical question that humanity has ever faced.

                                                                                                 ----John Bellamy Foster 

read the full article on Monthly Review