With a Grain of Salt

A weekly essay on topics generally relating to international politics, history and terrorism, trying to see both ends of a story like a meerkat and hopefully suggesting a solution to rather knotty issues.

• The God Who Was Lost!
  A photo essay on Sanchi and a book review with a dash of history thrown in.
  Mar 3, 2009 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | NEWS | Culture, Culture: Religion, Culture: History, Politics: Empire, Politics: India
• How To Make A Small Fortune
  My frustration with people who inherit ill-gotten gains and then waste it all. The case of the Nizam of Hyderabad.
  Feb 21, 2009 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | REVIEW | Culture, Culture: Books - Fiction, Culture: History, Politics: India
• Innovation - That Strange Mythical Animal
  Everybody wants innovation, but managing innovation is very difficult. Some views on innovation in firms
  Feb 7, 2009 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | BizTech, BizTech: Companies, BizTech: Innovation, BizTech: Internet, BizTech: Web 2.0, BizTech: Recession, BizTech: Gadgets
• How Companies React To Major Crisis Events
  Managing geo-political and religious adverse events? Lessons for firms from the Mohammad cartoon crisis
  Jan 4, 2009 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | BizTech, BizTech: Companies, BizTech: Globalization, Culture: Religion
• Book Review: White Gold by Giles Milton
  The story of a slave
  Sep 28, 2008 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | REVIEW | Culture, Culture: Books - Non Fiction, Culture: History, Culture: Society
• The CFO-CIO Cross-over, Part I
  The first of a series of three essays talking about the relationship between a CIO and CFO
  Aug 17, 2008 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | BizTech, BizTech: Companies, BizTech: Web 2.0, BizTech: Software, BizTech: Programming, BizTech: Management, BizTech: Internet
• The Value of Sustainability to Business
  Why being sustainable simply makes very good business sense
  Aug 11, 2008 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | BizTech, BizTech: Development, BizTech: Environment, BizTech: Management
• Book Review: Who Speaks For Islam?
  why reading a book by Esposito and Mogadeh will not tell you who speaks for Islam.
  Jul 20, 2008 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | REVIEW | Culture, Culture: Books - Non Fiction, Culture: Religion, Politics: War on Terror, Politics: US, Politics: Middle East
• Children - We Can Make a Difference
  This is a story of the worst kind and at the same time the best human behaviour ladled on to the people who can least withstand it
  Jun 28, 2008 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Culture, Culture: Children, Culture: Urban, Culture: Social Issues, Culture: Society
• Malaysia – Truly Asia But Not Fully Asia
  A review of Malaysia based upon my first short trip to that delightful country.
  Jun 8, 2008 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Culture, Culture: History, Culture: City Life, Culture: Society, Politics: Asia
• Rats!
  How Rats and Humans interact - not that well, I am afraid.
  May 31, 2008 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Culture, Culture: Pets, Culture: Society, Culture: History, Culture: Desi
• Sisyphus And the Israeli-Palestinian Crisis
  Why we have to keep on trying to be calm and unemotional specially when dealing with such an emotive subject like Israel and Palestine?
  May 14, 2008 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Politics: Middle East, Politics: Terrorism, Politics: War, Politics: World
• Managing Discretionary Spending and Pensions
  Manage your internal investments as you would your pensions.
  May 5, 2008 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | BizTech, BizTech: Companies, BizTech: Development, BizTech: Economics, BizTech: Globalization, BizTech: Management
• The Angry American Generation
  The current American generation is the angry generation
  Apr 20, 2008 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Culture, Culture: Family, Culture: History, Culture: Men, Culture: Rituals, Culture: Society, Politics: War, Politics: War on Terror
• Recycling Ships
  I love ships, I adore their shapes and I love their behaviour.
  Apr 12, 2008 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | BizTech, BizTech: Globalization, BizTech: Environment, BizTech: Entrepreneurship, BizTech: Economics, BizTech: Development, Politics: Europe, Politics: Laws
• Just War - Theory and Practice
  There is another strand of human thought around the Just War theory, which goes back centuries and millennia.
  Apr 8, 2008 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Culture, Culture: Religion, Politics: War on Terror, Politics: War, Politics: Laws, Politics: India
• Islamophobia - Organisation of Islamic Countries Report
  Islamophobia exists but the OIC report is a very bad way to go about combating it
  Mar 30, 2008 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | REVIEW | Culture, Media: Journalism, Politics: War on Terror, Politics: Religion, Politics: Freedom, Politics: Censorship, Culture: Religion, Culture: History
• Paradigm-Changing Events and Legal Systems
  How the codified British legal system was born out of prosecutions of the Thugs in India
  Mar 24, 2008 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Culture, Culture: History, Culture: Crime, Politics: United Kingdom, Politics: India, Politics: Laws
• How To Control Drunken Behavior?
  The standard answer is, throw them in jail, public shaming, castration, fines or wire up the genitals via the liquid stream to an electrified wall (god, the man who came up with that idea has an evil mind!) will simply
  Mar 19, 2008 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Culture, Culture: Urban, Culture: Rituals, Culture: Men, Culture: Food And Drink, Culture: Crime
• Mark to Market - Vital for Democracy & Western Civilisation?
  Why mark to market is as important to liberal democracy as is jury judging and democracy!
  Mar 17, 2008 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Culture, Culture: Society, Politics: Governance, Politics: Freedom, BizTech: Economics, BizTech: Companies
• Using Refugees for Strategic Purposes
  Governments and other parties use refugees for their own purposes, and not just for humanitarian reasons either
  Mar 9, 2008 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Politics: Immigration, Politics: War on Terror, Politics: World, Politics: US, Politics: Sri Lanka, Politics: India, Politics: Pakistan, Politics: Bangladesh
• The PayPal Challenge
  Ok, admit it, you smiled and thought, Herr Professor Dr. Bhaskar Dasgupta has gone around the bend.
  Mar 2, 2008 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | BizTech, BizTech: Web 2.0, BizTech: Globalization, BizTech: Entrepreneurship, BizTech: Economics
• Muhammad Abduh - A Reformer Who Died Too Soon
  When you look around the Muslim world today, his words and his ideals are still as valid as they were then.
  Feb 24, 2008 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Culture, Culture: Religion, Culture: Rituals, Culture: History, Politics: Middle East, Politics: United Kingdom
• Kosovo's Independence - The Emperor is Wearing Albanian Clothes
  If the ethnic Albanian Kosovars now oppress the ethnic Serbs as it will happen, will NATO bomb the ethnic Albanians?
  Feb 17, 2008 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Politics: Europe, Politics: US, Politics: United Kingdom, Politics: War, Politics: World, Politics: Freedom
• The House that Al Saud Built
  Saudi Arabia (like Pakistan),is one of the artesian wells of global Islamist terrorism and the rulers are frankly what can be politely described as robbers.
  Feb 9, 2008 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Politics: Terrorism, Politics: War on Terror, Culture: Education, Culture: History, Culture: Society
• Caesar Augustus - An August Personality
  Perhaps Augustus was a bigger Caesar than Julius Caesar
  Feb 3, 2008 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Culture, Culture: Books - Non Fiction, Culture: History, Culture: Holidays and Observances, Politics: Europe
• What Differentiates Journalists and Bloggers - Money?
  The only common thing that I can see in all these definitions is that they write for some medium with some expectation of being read.
  Jan 27, 2008 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Media, Media: Blogs, Media: Citizen Media, Media: Journalism, Media: Internet, Media: Magazines, Media: Newspapers, Media: News
• Satire: Suicide Bomber Falls Down Stairs
  I am a martyr, and I am here to claim my 72 virgins.
  Jan 26, 2008 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | SATIRE | Culture, Culture: Humor, Culture: Religion, Politics: War on Terror, Politics: Terrorism
• The Forgotten Bangladeshi Genocide
  When you treat your own people so cheaply, others will also treat YOU equally cheaply
  Jan 12, 2008 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Politics: Bangladesh, Politics: Pakistan, Politics: US, Politics: War on Terror
• Mckinsey's Eight Business Technology Trends to Watch
  I am afraid these trends are spotty at best.
  Jan 8, 2008 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | BizTech, BizTech: Entrepreneurship, BizTech: Economics, BizTech: Innovation
• Modern Piracy on The High Seas
  Piracy is still rampant in the world and the world needs to do much more about it.
  Dec 3, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Politics: Terrorism, Culture: Crime, Culture: History, Politics: World
• Learning From Mistakes
  Why doesn't the Pakistani Army learn from its mistakes?
  Nov 25, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Politics: Pakistan, Politics: India, Politics: War
• Book Review: A Military Guide to Terrorism...
  USA’s counter terrorism effort in the Global War against Terror is frankly creating more terrorists than it is stopping.
  Nov 18, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | REVIEW | Politics, Politics: Terrorism, Politics: US, Politics: War on Terror
• Who Is Your Daddy?
  At this moment, there are few countries capable of intervening in situations which are either morally driven or large in magnitude.
  Nov 10, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Politics: US, Politics: World
• Improving the US Capital Markets
  The current capital markets structure where different regulators look after different bits of financial sectors is no longer appropriate.
  Nov 3, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | BizTech, BizTech: Globalization, Politics: US, BizTech: Economics, BizTech: Money
• Age Discrimination Laws - We Will Not Go Quietly Into The Night
  People of my generation seem to have got it bad.
  Oct 31, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | NEWS | BizTech, BizTech: Management, Culture: Family
• Is This How You Treat Your Gods?
  Visarjan remnants are nothing but earth, water, fire and air, do not ascribe emotions to them
  Oct 29, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Culture, Culture: Rituals, Culture: Desi, Culture: Religion
• When God is Replaced by a Terrorist!
  People do not learn and, I am afraid, religious houses are just too attractive a target.
  Oct 28, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Politics: Terrorism
• The Consistency of French Foreign Policy
  All elements of its intelligentsia subscribe to France’s foreign policy, so it does not alter, given changes of its president or prime minister.
  Oct 20, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Politics: Middle East, Politics: France, Politics: Energy, Politics: Empire
• What if Turkish Forces Went Into Northern Iraq?
  This is not going to be a good step for Turkey to take.
  Oct 15, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Politics: Terrorism, Politics: Middle East, Culture: Satire, Politics: War
• Book Review: Shashi Tharoor’s The Elephant, the Tiger, and the Cell Phone: The Emerging 21st- Century Power
  Brand India's Ambassador looks at Ganesh, Cellphones, and Tigers
  Oct 13, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | REVIEW | Culture, Culture: Books - Non Fiction
• Burma Needs To Fight For Its Own Freedom
  An internal revolution, which needs litres of blood to be shed and hundreds and thousands to die.
  Oct 9, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | NEWS | Politics, Politics: Freedom, Politics: South Asia, Politics: Asia, Culture: History
• War of Independence, the Great Mutiny, and The Last Mughal
  The final disappointment was that it was a savage little war/mutiny and nobody comes out of it with any good reputation.
  Sep 29, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | REVIEW | Politics, Politics: United Kingdom, Politics: Pakistan, Politics: India, Culture: Books
• Children's Health - Hope Springs Eternal
  I cannot imagine the pain and courage required for a parent to see their child go through this.
  Sep 22, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Culture, Culture: Health, Culture: Children, Culture: Family
• Lies, Like Beauty, Depend On the Eye of the Beholder – II
  An Indutva rather than Hindutva so to say, and one will see that many of the inconsistencies and incoherence dies away
  Sep 8, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | REVIEW | Culture, Culture: Books, Culture: Desi, Culture: History, Culture: Religion, Culture: Society, Politics: South Asia, Politics: Religion, Politics: India
• The Strange Case of Chinese Executions
  Are they objecting to the execution or the fact that it's happening in public?
  Sep 7, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | NEWS | Politics, Politics: Laws, Politics: China, Politics: Corruption, Politics: World, Politics: US, Culture: Crime
• Can Non-Christians Join Christian University Groups?
  Discrimination has to be fought but the legal system already provides that guarantee!
  Sep 6, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Culture, Culture: Hobbies, Culture: Religion, Culture: Education, Politics: Freedom
• Lies, Like Beauty, Depend On The Eye of the Beholder – Part I
  Secularism, like beauty, depends upon the eye of the beholding country.
  Sep 1, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | REVIEW | Politics, Culture: Books - Non Fiction, Culture: History, Culture: Desi, Culture: Religion, Politics: India, Politics: Religion
• A Tale of Three Farmers
  Long way to go yet, but you cannot stop progress and you cannot keep on violating the laws of economics.
  Aug 29, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | NEWS | Politics, Culture: Education, Culture: Social Issues, Politics: Freedom, Politics: Governance, Politics: India
• Rage Boys, Rent Boys, Lady Boys
  This rage is the fertiliser, the compost on which violence, terrorism and uncivilised behaviour breeds.
  Aug 27, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Politics: Freedom, Culture: Society, Media: Blogs
• The Idea of Scottish Independence - Work in Progress
  It is passionless, emotionally stunted and is as exciting to read as reading the wallpaper pasting instruction sheet.
  Aug 18, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Politics: Freedom, Politics: Governance, Politics: World
• Is The United States Near Roman-style Collapse?
  While one system of government collapsed, Rome, as Gibbons said, still lives on.
  Aug 14, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | NEWS | Politics, Culture: History, Politics: US, Politics: Governance, Culture: Society
• Of Mice and Men and their Wars and Businesses
  I have noticed an interesting lack of thought and preparation given to the staff functions within the financial institutions.
  Aug 12, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | BizTech, BizTech: Management, Politics: War
• Reliance Industries to Invest $10 Billion in Egypt
  Now this is a news item which you would not usually catch.
  Aug 10, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | NEWS | BizTech, BizTech: Economics, BizTech: Globalization, BizTech: Companies
• Dealing With Global Inequality As A Fact of Life
  There is absolutely no reason why everybody has to be equal, there is no physical, mental, sociological, economic or financial reason to be so.
  Aug 9, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, BizTech: Globalization, BizTech: Economics, Culture: Society
• Hamas and Kashmiri Militants Say Buzz Off to Al Queda
  Why are these two resistance movements telling Al Queda to go away and not bother them?
  Aug 9, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Politics: Terrorism, Media: News, Media: Events, Culture: Religion
• The Abandoned Iraqis - Shame on the UK
  This is a big blot on the British Government.
  Aug 8, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Media: Events, Media: News, Politics: Governance, Politics: War, Politics: War on Terror
• Mayor of London: Surely Eccentricity has its Limits?
  The powers enjoyed by the London Mayor are so little (compared to NY), it is more prestige rather than action.
  Aug 5, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Politics: Elections, Politics: Governance, Politics: World, Culture: City Life, Culture: Society, Culture: Urban
• Ancient Assyrians Alive!
  There are approximately 1.8 million Assyrians scattered around the globe, but mainly in Iraq, USA and Syria.
  Jul 29, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Culture, Culture: History, Culture: Society, Politics: Middle East
• The Future of Iraq - Will it Fly Apart or Will the Center Hold?
  Will Iraq fly apart at the seams or will the center hold?
  Jul 22, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Politics: Middle East, Politics: Governance, Politics: Freedom
• Doctors As Killers – God's Representatives on Earth?
  They violated every law, ethic, principle, moral, feeling, emotion and rule about doctors not causing pain and suffering.
  Jul 14, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics
• Why Israel Should Talk To Hamas
  What Israel wants to do is to string Fatah and Mamoud Abbas along, throw him some tax revenues, but do nothing at all to provide independence.
  Jul 8, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Politics: Freedom, Politics: Terrorism, Politics: Middle East
• How You Judge Reform Depends Upon Where You Are Standing
  The use of Islam as a terrorist ideology is causing governments, as well as liberal Muslims themselves, to push for reform.
  Jun 24, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Culture, Culture: Religion, Culture: Social Issues, Media: News, Politics: Terrorism
• A Critique of Tariq Ramadan's Advice on Islamist Ideology
  The fact that Muslims as a whole need to join in proving to this tiny violent minority within them that terrorism is bad is not correct.
  Jun 9, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | REVIEW | Politics, Politics: War on Terror, Politics: Religion, Culture: The Writing Life, Media: Journalism
• The Vulture Appreciation Society is Now in Session
  I used to hate them when I was a kid and when I first saw a big bald great Indian Vulture tearing at the carcass of a dead calf.
  May 28, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, BizTech: Economics, Culture: Philosophy, Culture: Social Issues, Culture: Society
• Stay Out of the Sudanese Bear Pit, Prime Minister
  Why is the situation in Darfur the responsibility of the UK to resolve?
  May 14, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics
• Does Everybody Love and Support Democratic Reform Revolutions?
  As Sherlock Holmes aficionados would remember, it is not who shouted, but rather who didn’t shout which is interesting.
  Apr 28, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Politics: Freedom, Politics: Governance, Politics: Middle East, Politics: Elections, Politics: World
• High Inflation – The Silent Killer
  Suddenly people are starting to wake up to the disaster happening in Zimbabwe.
  Apr 16, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, BizTech: Economics, Media: News, Politics: Governance, Politics: World
• Media: The Old vs. The New
  I'm reminded of Darwin’s quote: “the species which survived were not the biggest or fastest but the most adaptable to change”
  Apr 1, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Media, Media: Blogs, Media: Citizen Media, Media: Journalism, Media: Internet, Media: News, Media: Newspapers, Media: Radio, Media: Television
• With a Grain of Salt: The Future of The British Armed Forces
  What armed forces are we looking for in half a generation's time?
  Mar 26, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Politics: Governance, Politics: War, Politics: World
• With A Grain of Salt: Pakistan - Trapped, Surrounded, Quarantined?
  One could argue that Pakistan is slowly getting trapped, surrounded, quarantined or perhaps the noose is drawing tighter.
  Mar 12, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Politics: Pakistan, Politics: World, Politics: War on Terror, Politics: US, Politics: Middle East, Politics: South Asia
• The Great Satan, The Wounded Snake - The U.S.-Iran Imbroglio
  To understand and appreciate the mental strength of your enemy, history is a very good starting point.
  Feb 27, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Politics: US, Politics: War, Politics: Middle East
• The Promised Land – As Promised in the Three Holy Books
  While it is clear that they did break the covenant, it is still not clear that the land grant was withdrawn.
  Feb 18, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Culture, Culture: Philosophy, Culture: Religion, Culture: Social Issues
• Israel and the Jews - Causes of Hatred, Or The Absence of Cause?
  Why use religion as a measure to assess achievement?
  Feb 10, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Culture, Culture: History, Culture: Society, Politics: World
• Bringing The Troops Back Home From Iraq: Brave Departure or Shameful Flight?
  Don't do it, President Bush and Prime Minister Blair. Do not withdraw the troops. Avoid what happened with British India.
  Jan 26, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Politics: Terrorism, Politics: US, Politics: War on Terror, Politics: World
• With a Grain of Salt: J'Accuse the British Mandarins and Politics of Corruption
  So can anybody explain why are we ready to accept bribery, look like total prats and lie through our teeth for British Aerospace?
  Jan 6, 2007 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics
• An Unqualified Apology to Every Untouchable
  I join Navya Shastra, in apologising to the other castes and promise I will raise my voice against this disgusting practice.
  Dec 19, 2006 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Culture, Culture: Desi, Culture: Religion, Culture: Social Issues, Culture: Society, Politics: India
• With a Grain of Salt: What Went Wrong?
  While we can clearly identify what went wrong, we can also identify what will happen in the immediate future - more of the same!
  Nov 28, 2006 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Politics: US, Culture: Society, Culture: Social Issues, Politics: World
• Milton Friedman: A Legacy That Will Overshadow Most Postwar U.S. Presidents
  Milton Friedman has done more for individual freedom than all the assorted presidents and Prime Ministers of the free world combined.
  Nov 18, 2006 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | BizTech, BizTech: Development, BizTech: Economics, Politics: World
• With a Grain of Salt: The Road to Hell is Paved With Good Intentions
  If we get these decisions wrong, they will not affect us overtly, but will contribute to the general diminution of what a state is all about.
  Nov 15, 2006 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, BizTech: Economics, Culture: Social Issues, Culture: Society, Politics: World
• With a Grain of Salt: Let Them Eat Cake? If They Can Afford It?
  Hunger has no demographics,no limits,does not obey any political philosophy and it cannot be held at bay indefinitely.
  Oct 25, 2006 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Politics: World, Politics: Laws, BizTech: Economics, BizTech: Development
• With a Grain of Salt: The US Mid-Term Elections: On Winners and Losers
  "The two real political parties in America are the Winners and the Losers."
  Oct 18, 2006 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Politics: US, Politics: World
• With a Grain of Salt: Children, Between Hope and Despair
  Killing, raping, ethnic cleansing, all the worst parts of human behaviour became ingrained in the minds and nature of the "child soldiers".
  Oct 16, 2006 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Culture, Culture: Social Issues
• With a Grain of Salt: The Political Impact of Terrorism
  The political aim that these terrorists are looking for is to overthrow the current political order and replace it with something of their own ideology.
  Oct 9, 2006 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Culture: Desi, Culture: Religion, Politics: South Asia, Politics: World
• With A Grain Of Salt: Muslim Reformers - A Peek Into The Past
  He went straight for the jugular and tried to re-interpret Islam.
  Sep 25, 2006 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Culture, Culture: Books, Culture: Books - Non Fiction, Culture: Desi, Culture: History, Culture: Religion, Culture: Society, Politics: India
• The Devil Is In The Details - President Chavez vs. President Bush
  Both are wrong, everybody knows that the only true religion is the Jedi religion.
  Sep 22, 2006 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | NEWS | Politics, Culture: Humor, Culture: Religion, Media: News, Politics: US, Politics: World
• With a Grain of Salt: Guess Who Is Staying for a Thai Dinner?
  The King is noted for his hands-off approach to Thai society and politics, which may be a reason why he is so revered.
  Sep 19, 2006 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | NEWS | Politics, Media: Journalism, Politics: Corruption, Politics: World
• With a Grain of Salt: The American Legal System: Legal Beagles Losing the Scent
  What ails the American legal system?
  Sep 18, 2006 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Politics: Laws, Politics: US
• With a Grain of Salt: India, A Food-donor? Shock! Awe! Horror! Consternation! Disbelief!
  All the moans are because people do not know the logistics of the food supply mechanism.
  Sep 15, 2006 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, BizTech: Development, BizTech: Economics, Culture: Desi, Culture: Food And Drink, Culture: Society, Politics: India, Politics: South Asia
• With a Grain of Salt: Pssst, Want to Buy the Tower of London?
  One of the fascinating characteristics of surfing the mailing lists is the significant presence of conspiracy theories.
  Sep 10, 2006 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Culture: History, Culture: Society, Media: Journalism, Politics: Corruption, Politics: US
• With a Grain of Salt: Can Conventional War Help With Counter Terrorism?
  The Indian army has sufficient firepower to break Pakistan into two or more pieces and really hammer the Pakistani Army.
  Sep 3, 2006 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Culture: Desi, Politics: Corruption, Politics: India, Politics: Pakistan, Politics: South Asia, Politics: US, Politics: World
• With a Grain of Salt: Arab Leadership: Footprints in the Sand
  And after they have tasted blood and power, it makes them drunk and addicted and they thirst for more of it at any cost.
  Aug 20, 2006 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Politics: World
• With a grain of salt: Children of a lesser God?
  What the BA-Iraqi administration can do is to publicize the rule of law and show that nobody is immune from crimes.
  Aug 12, 2006 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics
• How To Win Friends and Influence People: Not the Jan Egeland Way
  Egeland wants to care for the victims and make sure that their suffering is eased. But the way he goes about it is rather curious.
  Aug 5, 2006 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Politics: World
• With a grain of salt: Cannibalising Your own
  Give them education, give them jobs and show them a better path to the light.
  Jul 29, 2006 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics
• With A Grain of Salt: Terrorism - Do You Handle It As a Crime Or As a War Or Both?
  How to approach terrorism - as a crime or as a war?
  Jul 15, 2006 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Politics: World, Politics: US, Media: Journalism
• With a Grain of Salt: Poor Tariq Ramadan
  He is trying to balance a secular consumerist society with traditional Islamic thought.
  Jul 2, 2006 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Culture: Religion, Politics: Laws, Politics: World
• With a grain of salt: How Do You Define A Citizen’s Identity?
  Until and unless the state is committed to treating all its citizens equally, it will end failing all.
  Jun 25, 2006 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Culture: Society, Media: News, Politics: World
• What To Do With Unemployed Jehadi's?
  I estimate that there are, at this moment, anything between two and three thousand of these chaps
  Jun 18, 2006 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Politics: US, Politics: World
• With a Grain of Salt: The Influence of a Teacher Stops at Eternity or Does It?
  People think that it's the poor and uneducated who are the terrorists. No, they are not.
  Jun 10, 2006 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Culture: Social Issues, Politics: World
• With a Grain of Salt: State Terrorism – A Legal and Conceptual Impossibility
  State sponsored terrorism is a difficult one to prove and even more difficult to stop.
  May 27, 2006 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Culture: History, Culture: Society, Politics: World
• The State’s Response To Terrorism Against Its Citizens
  The state objective should be to (a) obliterate (b) destroy the ideology and (c) ensure that the terrorist group doesn’t retaliate.
  May 20, 2006 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Politics: India, Politics: South Asia, Politics: World
• With A Grain Of Salt: Public Opinion Is The Best Judge Of Who's Right And Who’s Wrong
  Ok, so we think globally, but the first question is, who are the people who Muslims think of as global opinion formers?
  May 6, 2006 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Culture: History, Culture: Social Issues, Politics: India, Politics: South Asia
• With a Grain of Salt: Boycotts are a Placebo Rather Than Medicine
  For them to work, they have to be hermetically sealed total boycotts.
  Apr 8, 2006 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics
• With A Grain Of Salt: When Minorities Rule Over Majorities
  The problem with power being concentrated in few hands is when they are chopped off the entire edifice crumbles quickly.
  Mar 25, 2006 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Politics, Culture: Social Issues, Media: News, Politics: Corruption, Politics: World
• An ode to Ramanujan
  The Michaelangelo of Mathematics, an ode to a genius who died too young,
  Mar 18, 2006 | Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta | OPINION | Culture, BizTech: Science, Culture: History