The recently concluded General Elections are special in more ways than one. The emergence of the Aam Aadmi Party, the increasing participation of the common man and the shift of focus from casteism to development, are all welcome changes. Not only has the mood of the nation vis-a-vis the elections changed, but the medium has also changed drastically with the advent of the social media.
Come 11 November, 2013 and Google would implement some major changes in its Terms of Service. The moot question is how many people are actually aware of the current Terms of Service to bother about the updates? Well, there are a sizeable number of people like me who do care and actually go through the updates. So, here is a brief for the benefit of those who are so busy using Google and its myriad of services that, ironically, they do not have time to pay heed to what Google itself is trying to tell them.
Given the current political scenario, to ‘not’ say that Narendra Modi is likely to be the next Prime Minister of our country, is to risk being discarded as ignorant and naïve. So, having established this as a foregone conclusion, let us look at what Modi’s plans or focus areas could be and should be, if he actually becomes the head of the next government at the centre.
The recent passage of the bill for allowing FDI in Retail was marred by political bickering, parliament disruptions, walkouts, consideration of the no-confidence vote, numerous media debates, obvious backhand dealings, and public posturing by politicians. If all this mayhem wasn’t enough, a new dimension was recently added – lobbying.
Two significant events related to Facebook have occurred recently. First, the arrest of two Mumbai girls for their Facebook comments about Bal Thackeray. The second, related to an announcement by Facebook itself about the change in its Data Use Policy. Even though the second event is a big one and affects all users of Facebook directly, sadly, the event has not made big news.
A bunch of Indian think tanks recently came up with a comprehensive paper called Non Alignment 2.0 after over a year of deliberations. The objective of this paper is to provide guidance to India’s foreign and strategic policy over the next decade. This paper is a must read for anyone who wants a snapshot of India and its international relations.
Google recently announced its new privacy policy. Is it not a good thing that a company is giving a prior notice to its users about its changed privacy policy? Why are many people getting apprehensive about this soon to be implemented policy? Here’s a look at what the hype is all about.
There are some issues that stir public emotions and have the power to unite strangers. The recent Anna Hazare movement against corruption is one such example. Many people are supporting the Jan Lokpal Bill without even being aware of the consequences of the same just because it falls under the anti-corruption banner. Anna Hazare’s latest demand of constituting a Right to Recall also runs the danger of being yet another demand that can garner popular support without paying much heed to the adverse consequences.
The Congress party does not want to come back to power in 2014. At least so it seems. Otherwise, why else would it act the way it is acting right now? Why else would it turn complacent? Why else would it stay away from the ‘aam aadmi’ in whose very name it got elected? Why else would it sleep in its ivory tower?