Big Brother is Watching

Economic and Political Weekly

The suspicion among internet democracy and civil liberty activists that the behemoth databases and servers of Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple and Skype have for long been used by intelligence agencies in the United States (US) now stands confirmed. Edward Snowden, a contractor for the secretive US National Security Agency (NSA), bravely leaked confidential and classified documents to The Guardian in early June which confirmed the existence of an electronic surveillance programme code-named PRISM. Launched in 2007, PRISM enabled the NSA to perform in-depth surveillance on electronic communications and data by accessing servers of several “participating technology companies”.

Ship of Theseus

Ship of Theseus is a three part screenplay exploring questions of identity, justice, beauty, meaning and death through the stories of an experimental photographer, an ailing monk and a young stockbroker.

If the parts of a ship are replaced, bit-by-bit, is it still the same ship? An unusual photographer grapples with the loss of her intuitive brilliance as an aftermath of a clinical procedure; an erudite monk confronting an ethical dilemma with a long held ideology, has to choose between principle and death; and a young stockbroker, following the trail of a stolen kidney, learns how intricate morality could be.

This is the first feature length film by writer and director Anand Gandhi, and is screening at the 2013 Sydney Film Festival, where Anand is also a judge

Text: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/ship-of-theseus3a-anand-ghandi/4746594

Jawan, Jungle and Janata

Saumitra Bose,The Times of India          

Dantewada a house is checked for a suspected Maoist:Outlook

Despite his boyish look, Gadchiroli superintendent of police Mohd Suvez Haque, 35, led the force into the jungle against Naxalites.

A BE in chemical engineering from Raipur, Haque then went on become an officer of Indian Police Service of 2005 batch. He was SP in Gondia district, also a Naxal-affected district, before taking up the reins in Gadchiroli last year. Haque, who also holds a master's degree in police management, has been instrumental in the major comeback made by the security forces in Gadchiroli after the debacles of 2009 when 51 police personnel were eliminated by the rebels. This year, police eliminated 17 Naxals and Haque was instrumental in surrender of around 33 former guerrillas.

Change in Maoist strategy..

  Tracking cellphone towers has been one of the most effective means to zero in on the Maoists so far. The use of phones has spelled doom for top-notch Maoist leaders like Kishenji and Azad. Realising that cellphones are turning out to be their Achilles' heel, the rebels have now resorted to the ancient mode of communication - letters written in code words. The move has posed a major hurdle for the police since the cops are now finding it difficult to access the movement of the red brigade.

Though the security forces are not ready to divulge details of the words they have been successful in decoding, a top-level CIF ( Counter Insurgency Force) officer said the Maoist use words like 'ilish maach' (hisha fish) for human target and 'trainer awaz' (sound of the train) to indicate firing by the security forces.

"The use 'tiffin baksha' (tiffin box) is used to hint at landmines and 'dhulo' (dust) to identify gunpowder. After the death of Kishenji, the Maoists have become very cautious. They are not only lying low - avoiding any kind of interaction with the media - they are frequently changing their codes and strategy. 'Ilish maach' three months back meant 'human target'. But now the same word might stand for something else. These frequent changes are not letting the security forces gather enough information on the rebels," the officer said.

"Initially, the letters seemed very irrelevant but gradually we came to understand that all the letters are written in code languages. We could decode some of them," an officer involved in anti-Maoist operation said.

Speaking on the strategies adopted by the Maoists in recent times, he added: "They are evolving their tactics and every time they are coming out with surprise moves. It is really difficult to understand their tactics and by the time we get hold of any clue, they develop a new method."
When asked about recent position of the rebels in Bengal after the Chhattisgarh massacre, a senior officer said: "Undoubtedly, there are some movements in Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapore but the movements are not that strong. In fact, they are more into building organisation than countering the state force now. They are trying to avoid any kind of confrontation unless they are forced to do so.                                                                                                                                                         

Manto’s human psyche

Farooq Sulehria

Three years before his death,Saadat Hasan Manto “undertook to compile a book of his friends’ observations about his personality” so that his readers “know as much about him as possible through the eyes of those who knew him well”, says Ayesha Jalal. Manto, according to Ayesha Jalal, named the proposed book ‘Nakhun ka karz’ (A nail’s debt).

Venezuela Promotes Breastfeeding over Baby Food...

Tamara Pearson- Venezuelanalysis.com,

Venezuela’s national assembly is debating a reform to its breastfeeding law which could see baby food companies like Nestle fined in certain situations. The corporate media have reacted hysterically to the law, claiming that President Nicolas Maduro is “taking bottles from babies’ mouths”.

Though breastfeeding is widely promoted by the Venezuelan government, and public breastfeeding is relatively de-stigmatised, a study by Venezuela’s National Nutrition Institute (INN) between 2006 and 2008 showed that only 55% of mothers exclusively breastfed when their baby was born, going down to 20% when their baby was three months old, and 11% by six months.

Violence against women causes "global health epidemic"

(Reuters) - More than a third of all women worldwide are victims of physical or sexual violence, posing a global health problem of epidemic proportions, a World Health Organization report said on Thursday.