Gorki B

virtu` for Machiavelli was different from what we mean by virtue today, which has moral ascriptions attached to its meaning. Machiavelli's virtu` was the prowess or the skill necessary for a successful Prince or anyone desirious of success. So what do you think about fraud? Is it a virtu or a vice? or virtu in some sense and vice in other? please provide your answer in line with Machiavelli's views; was it a virtu or vice according to Machiavelli?

What if you need to pick up some and develop a project on them- who all would you choose?

Thanks for your time.

Looking at the present scenario, do you see any future of congress leading the central govt from 2014 to 2019?

The sudden surge of corruption allegations, rising inflation, unsteady growth et al accompanied by recent gross mishandling of Anna situation has left the Congress in peril. Will they be able to recover in a short span of 2 years?

The amateur moves of the govt in handling Anna shows their lack of political knack, ineffective administration, and most importantly, their personal ego which prevents them from obliging to the reasonable demands has left me disappointed. I thought very highly of Mr Pranab Mukherjee who was always a better candidate for prime ministership and the navigator of the cong ship whenever it was lost at sea; yet the present dictatorial approach aimed at dismantling the edifice of a progressive lok pal is quite disheartening. Had the govt accepted reasonable and plausible demands of Team Anna, our democratic structure would not be at threat!

I fear that the Congress might experience a similar fate as the communists of bengal. After a 3 decade rule, the communists were swept and ( even moped!) out by Mamata led alliance,of which cong was a member.

I would like to know more from the revered members of Y!Answers. Please share your elite views.

Thanks for your time.

Quoting Mr Ashwini Kumar on NDTV's the 9'o clock news,"Inclusion of PM under Lokpal Bill compromises national security."

Can the reverend members of Yahoo! explain how PM's inclusion causes security threat?

The rituals of many religions require animal sacrifice or "bali".Unlike Jains and buddhists, Hindus, christians and muslims do eat flesh. Is it true that obsolete religious practices are destroying the environment? Or does religion help to conserve the nature? Do attach references to your answers as much as possible. Also quote the holy books (Veda, Purana, quran etc) and scriptures to substantiate your response.

Thanks for your time.

I am talking about expletives, informal language as well as the abbreviated forms of words. Do you approve of the use of slang? Or do you believe in safeguarding, propagating and employing traditional English vocabulary? Is the usage of slang a form of psychological revolt by the younger generation? Will you prefer to write "you" instead of "u", "could" instead of "cud"?

How do you perceive the increased usage of slang in written and spoken English?

Do share your elite views.Thanks for your time.

A friend of mine mailed me and asked me to name two of the world's oldest religions. I answered Hinduism and Judaism. In another mail my friend wrote that Judaism has evolved from Islam and this fact has been overshadowed by political and religious factors.

I quote the mail--

"You'd be quite aware of the fact via Hinduism was never a religion, the Vedic traditions were given the name of a religion Hinduism when Buddhism and Jainism came, and it was only then that idol worship started. In the same way, the traditions followed in mid-east were given the name of a religion Islam only when other religions sprang up. The story of Feron marked the beginning of a new religion known today as Judaism. The Holy Quran houses all these facts. Though the populariSation of Islam can be credited to Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him), yet it has been all the way through. You know holy Bible contains info about Prophet Moses (peace be upon him), and also that Christanity has evolved from Judaism.

In fact you would be quite shocked to know that The descent of holy Quran upon earth dates back to the time when Christanity had not started and yet since then it has info about the birth of Jesus as a messenger of god. ""

I would like to know more on this issue from the elite members of Yahoo! Ans forum. Thanks for your time.

I have noticed that mostly christian colleges rank high in terms of academic performance, infrastructure, faculty et al as compared to their hindu counterparts. For your ready reference here is the list of india's top colleges in arts, commerce and science

Top arts colleges in india---

* Loyola College, Chennai.

* Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi

* St Stephens College, Delhi

* St Xavier's College, Mumbai

* St Xavier's College, Kolkata

* Presidency College, Kolkata

* St. Joseph's College Bangalore

* Christ College Bangalore

* Madras Christian College

* Presidency College, Chennai

Top commerce colleges in india---

1. Shri Ram College of Commerce – Delhi

2. St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai

3. Loyola College, Chennai

4. St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata

5. Narsee Monjee College, Mumbai

6. Symbiosis, Pune

7. LSR College for Women, Delhi

8. St.Joseph’s College, Bangalore

9. Presidency College, Chennai

10. BM College, Pune

Top colleges of science in india---

1. Loyola College – Chennai

2. St. Stephen’s College – Delhi

3. Presidency College – Kolkata

4. St. Xavier’s College – Mumbai

5. St. Xavier’s College – Kolkata

6. Presidency College – Chennai

7. Fergusson College – Pune

8. Christ College – Bangalore

9. Madras Christian College – Chennai

10. St. Joseph’s College – Bangalore

Top ten medical colleges in inida--

1.All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS),Delhi

2.Christian Medical College, Vellore

3.Armed Forces Medical College, Pune

4.JIPMER, Pondicherry

5.Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi

6.Madras Medical College, Chennai

7.Kasturba Medical College, Mumbai

8.King Edward Medical College, Mumbai

8.Lady Edward Medical College, Delhi

10.Bangalore Medical Collge, Bangalore

I exclude engineering and management because IITs and IIMs have reigned unchallenged as of now. The colleges run by missionaries have excelled while hindu colleges lag behind. What might be the plausible and ostensible reason according to you? What might be done to improve the situation of other colleges such that the christian students may not benefit from the quota they receive which is a mockery of merit? ( The cut off for christian students goes as low as 75% if the general cut off is 95%)

Please share your elite views.

""India is the only country in the world where people fight to be called backward.""

Reservation system ,on the basis of caste or religion, is a divide and rule policy and injustice to merit.

How do you feel about it dear members? Do share.

UPA's new policy to curb inflation:::

Make the whole nation fast together..:-))

Do share your elite views.

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Swami Nigamanand, whose fast against quarrying in the river Ganga could not generate the same publicity and political pitch that yoga guru Baba Ramdev did, died on Monday after an ordeal of 115 days. The swami, 36, was on a fast from February 19 to April 30, when he was admitted to hospital. Thereafter, forced feeding kept him alive till June 13.

The administration evicted him from the scene of the agitation on April 27 after his health deteriorated and later he had to be admitted to the Jollygrant Hospital, where Baba Ramdev too was sent after he fell sick.

Swami Nigamanand's struggle was against illegal mining in the river by stone crushers in Haridwar.

"Nigamanand has walked through the path of martyrdom. It is difficult to bear the loss. I pledge today to leave my body in a yogic way," said Swami Shivanand, the founder of Matri Sadan, a hermitage of the swamis.

Earlier, Matri Sadan had lodged a complaint with the police, accusing the administration, Himalayan Stone Crusher (a company) and doctors of the district hospital of Haridwar of attempting to kill Swami Nigamanand by poisoning him.

However, an Uttarakhand government spokesman has rubbished the allegations. "Baseless remarks are being made against the government," the spokesman said.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Activist-swami-dies-...

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It's worth noting that Uttarakhand is BJP ruled state and Swamiji was protesting against the uttarakhand govt's policies. While BJP is in open support to the Ramdev's campaign, it wasn't helping the other godman in any way whatsoever.

Himalayan Stone Crusher owner Gyanesh Agarwal told HT "Matri Sadan and Nigmanand were against government policies, which we are following."

Even Swamiji was fasting for a similar cause, then why did the UK govt show double standards? Is it legitimate and ethical on their part to do so?

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The BJP has labelled the draft Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence Bill, 2011 as a law fraught with dangerous consequences, saying the legislation would go against the federal rights of the states and hold only the majority community guilty of hate propaganda and targeted violence.

In an article put on the party's website, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley criticised the bill.

It was wrong to presume that the majority community was behind communal trouble and that no member of the majority community can ever be a victim, wrote Jaitley.

He also stated that this law makes only members of the majority community culpable.

Courtesy--NDTV

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Do you share the views of BJP that the new bill would prove disastrous for the majority ( Hindus) and a good Samaritan for the actual perpetrators of violence? Or do you differ and feel that this bill is a positive sign in the direction of our fight against communalism?

Please share your elite views.

Consider a hypothetical situation where you are given an opportunity to interview PM of India ---Dr Manmohan Singh.

What would be the 10 questions that you would put forth to him?

It's a shocking revelation!

The country posted its worst child sex ratio since independence, as the ugly preference for the male child in many parts of the country zoomed alongside India's much-feted economic growth.

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According to the provisional census figures released on Thursday, the sex ratio (the number of females per 1,000 males) for the 0-6 age group, has dramatically dropped to 914 in 2011, from 927 in 2001. This means in a decade when the country enjoyed unprecedented economic growth, it also became a terrifyingly hostile place to be conceived or born as a girl.

It's extremely alarming and everybody should be worried and careful against this malaise," said Girija Vyas, chairperson of the National Commission for Women . Vyas said the PC & PNDT Act (Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques Act, 1994) needs to be bolstered. "Convictions under the Act are very low. Female foeticide is high even in states that have high education and are affluent. The government needs to step in and act urgently," she said.

Union home secretary GK Pillai acknowledged the meed for meaningful interventions to address the issue. "Whatever measures that have been put in over the last 40 years has not had any impact on child sex ratio and therefore that requires a complete review," Pillai said.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/...

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Isn't the very thought of killing a girl child ,considering she is a liability, revolting? The National commision for women, the women and child development ministry, various NGOs. haven't been able to sensatise people, why? The educated urban middle class , who with quiet aplomb claim to be civilized and superior are the ones most susceptible to the urge of a "male heir".

What are your thoughts on this? What is the future of Indian female who is unsafe and exploited? When will they encounter the much awaited "emancipation"? Please share your elite views! Thanks in advance!

"It is much more than energy saving. It is about making a statement for the cause of earth," says chief of WWF.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Earth-Hour--hit-in-c...

Is that so?

Is the earth hour truly ringing the alarm bells? Or is it just another hour to remember and then forget about your duty towards planet earth?

Nani Palkivala in one of his famous essays The Ailing Planet comments-- "“Creatures are not for the planet but a planet is for the creatures” is a famous saying and full of meaning. We have only one home and if our home is destroyed, we will be homeless. Mankind will go on living but the earth wouldn’t, at this present rate. We as such may not live to see the end of the Earth but our future generations certainly will, if proper care and precautions are not taken!"

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In the zoo at Lusaka, Zambia, there is a cage where the notice

reads, ‘The world’s most dangerous animal’. Inside the cage there

is no animal but a mirror where you see yourself. Thanks to the

efforts of a number of agencies in different countries, a new

awareness has now dawned upon the most dangerous animal in

the world. He has realised the wisdom of shifting from a system

based on domination to one based on partnership.

http://rajeduboard.nic.in/books/XI/11072/Chapter5....

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Please share your elite views!

Thanks in advance.

Here is an extract from the Economist---

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That would be wrong. The popular rejection of Mr Mubarak offers the Middle East’s best chance for reform in decades. If the West cannot back Egypt’s people in their quest to determine their own destiny, then its arguments for democracy and human rights elsewhere in the world stand for nothing. Change brings risks—how could it not after so long?—but fewer than the grim stagnation that is the alternative.

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Pessimists point out that Egypt has neither the institutions nor the political leadership to ensure a smooth transition. But if it did, the people would not have taken to the streets. No perfectly formed democracy is about to emerge from the detritus of Mr Mubarak’s regime. Disorder seems likely to reign for some time. But Egypt, though poor, has a sophisticated elite, a well-educated middle class and strong sense of national pride. These are good grounds for believing that Egyptians can pull order out of this chaos.

Fear of the Muslim Brotherhood is anyway overdone. It is true that the Brothers produced Ayman al-Zawahiri, now Osama bin Laden’s number two and chief ideologue; the writings of Sayyid Qutb, the Brothers’ leading thinker in the 1950s and 1960s, are certainly intolerant and hostile to the West. Any new Egyptian government, especially if it included the Brothers, would probably be harder on Israel and easier on Hamas, the Islamist offshoot that runs the Gaza Strip between Egypt and Israel, the very existence of which it in theory rejects.

Yet the Brothers are a varied bunch, and more flexible than they were. Though some argue for rescinding Egypt’s peace treaty of 1979 with Israel, they probably would not risk another war. Nor would they obviously win elections. They are respected for their piety, discipline and resilience, but estimates of their popularity hover around 20% and have been falling. If they did better than that, perhaps even winning power at the ballot box, some fear they might never let go. But Islamists participate in elections in countries such as Turkey, Malaysia and Indonesia where democracy has taken hold.

If democracy is to flourish in Egypt, the Brothers must be allowed to compete for power; and the lesson of the past few weeks is that the alternative to democracy is a dead end. For several years now, unable to renew its institutions or find jobs for its youth, Egypt has been becoming more repressive. To leave 85m people to live under dictatorship—burdened by a corrupt and brutal police force, the suppression of the opposition, and the torture of political prisoners—would not just be morally wrong; it would also light the fuse for the next uprising. Some would wish to install a new strongman and wait for him to create the conditions for a secular democracy. But autocrats rarely plan for their own removal, as the sad state of the Middle East shows.

http://www.economist.com/node/18070190?story_id=18...

How do you percieve the response of west to this revolution for democracy?

Kindly share your elite views and enlighten us.

Thank u in advance!

It's new year time again!!! The world has gone through many ups and downs during this whole period..The year has been truly phenomenal for India as well[ both positively and in a negative sense]..The real characters behind the veneer of goodness have been exposed, unexpected events have come forth,a myriad of opportunities have arrived and gone, new paradigms have been created, fresh friendships, savoury relations and so on and so forth...

As the year ends which sweet and bitter experiences you move on with???

Do you see it as a Good Riddance???

How do you see India and the world in the year 2011??

Kindly share your views..

And wish you a progressive and prosperous new year ahead...:-)

The BJP asked the home minister to resign after the 26/11 attacks on Taj palace in Mumbai..Vilasrao Deshmukh had to resign on the same issue..All granted..It was their irresponsible behaviour that led to these attacks..

The BJP demanded the resignation of Ashok Chavan in the adarsh housing scam..A Raja resigned as well...

These are serious mistakes which call for punishment..

The 2001 Indian Parliament attack was a high-profile attack by Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists against the building housing the Parliament of India in New Delhi...

Indian Airlines Flight 814 (call sign IC-814) was an Indian Airlines Airbus A300 en route from Tribhuvan International Airport (Kathmandu, Nepal) to Indira Gandhi International Airport (Delhi, India) on December 24, 1999, when it was hijacked. Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, a Pakistan-based terrorist group, was accused for the hijacking...

Jaswant Singh's "Mission Kandahar" became the weakest point of the BJP's claim that the NDA government was tough on terror when it was in power earlier.

These too were high profile cases involving severe condemnation..

But none of the BJP leaders resigned inspite of keeping nation at stake..

WHY???

On what grounds it demands resignation from other pol parties when it itself never owed any responsibilty???

Indian politicians may have their own fault but they have generally observed a lakshman rekha which has never been crossed..In this context KS sudershan made charges on Sonia Gandhi which are reprehensible and lebellious..

The RSS has been accused of several diabolic things in the past..The bhartiya jan sangh co founder balraj madhok in his book clained that former jan sangh president Deendayal upadhayay was murdered at the behest of atal bihari vajpayee and nanaji deshmukh..But the cong refused to make it an election issue..Cong did not react balraj khanna's fall to death,which was alleged that he was pushed by RSS functionary..

The RSS must realise that to grow in 21st century,it must jettison such bigotry..

What are your views??

Is it fair on part of politicians to use invective words against opposition members...From Yedyrappa to lalu ,this mud slinging business goes unabated...What impact does it pose on the society,tout ensemble??? What advantage do they gain being blasphemous??? Where are the ethics and morals that should have guided India's politics as visioned by Mahatma Gandhi??

Views please...