What about the fact that we survived the global recession with only a breeze coming our way at a time when there were countries declaring themselves bankrupt? What about the fact that Rs.6000 crore worth loans on farmers were nullified? And scams aren’t a new phenomenon today.. we have had some very spectacular ones with other governments too. Don’t just look at one side of the coin. But again, look at the inflation! A mobile recharge and a pen-drive has gone cheaper than food!

It is easy for us to sit in the front halls, follow the news (read: news!!??) and form opinions. But don’t just follow anything that the media is feeding you. When you have to decide something for your own.. like your dress,job, health etc.. don’t you get a second opinion? Then why not get a second opinion about this? Use your resources to find out what the government has been doing and where it has flopped. Media does not show good things coz that is boring.. does not turn on the TRP’s.. the flops are instant seducers.. Find out facts for your own instead of following the herd.

The UPA government has not been an out and out hit. It has had some major scams and controversies.. but let us not forget to first find the roots of these events and then decide if it all was really the fault of the UPA govt. or the NDA government before that? And most importantly, before jumping to a conclusion, let’s first weigh the good’s against the bad’s in order to decide logically.
We cannot forget the National Rural Health Mission or Rashtryiya Swastha Beema Yojna has been tremendous success. The AIDS control programme running directly under the PM and has registered considerable success. Education cess has been levied in all central taxes to help primary education. International Universities have been allowed in India. We have new IIM’s and IIT’s.

Expansion of seats to tap the adverse effects of Reservation has been executed in several leading institutitons. Rs.1500 Laptops being distributed in rural ares among the youth. Right to Education made a fundamental right. We have more FDI in education sector. The check on the “deemed” universities which followed by suspension of 44 universities has been an eye opener.

Check on the authentication of issued numbers all over the country which is still on the drive has been another effort by the UPA to correct the faults of the social make-up. Banks have been made to loosen their stand for educational loans and directed to open doors to all economic classes with no-balance accounts.

The Ayodhya verdict was peacefully delivered in this government’s time – something that had been stalled by various governments since nearly two decades. Thanks to the efforts of the PMO and MEA, India’s step towards permanent seat in UNSC has gained major momentum. India refused to take loans from other countries to minimise the dues and become more independent.

NCERT made to ensure uniformity in primary education being taught nationwide (this is relevant to the occassional uproar about “wrong” history being taught to students in certain parts of the country). The UID, NREGA and the grass-root insurance drive in rural areas have been major medals. So have the RTI act and the Indo-US Nuclear deal.

So what one must understand is that no government is all good or all bad. But before deciding on such a thing we must be aware of both ends of the rope.

As a friend of mine aptly put it, the UPA government is working. It has neither been a hit, nor a flop. Give it time to bloom. It is still an ongoing process.

The majority of voters are skeptical regarding the outcome of the elections and whether it will be able to bring about any resolve. Bangladesh is currently yearning for change but the people seemed to have lost their faith in the candidates that are running the elections.

Bangladesh experienced its last democratic elections back in 2001. The country has a history plagued with military rule and the coming elections are being taken as a positive step towards the restoration of democracy.

Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia are the two rivals fighting for the top spot. Sheikh Hasina has been in and out of power since the last fifteen years. Her political career is tainted with mismanagement, charges of corruption and numerous protests.

Throughout much of Bangladesh’s political history we can identify a pattern running through. While one party would win the elections and take over the ruling seat the other would stage protests in the streets in an attempt to overthrow the elected regime. This pattern has led the country ungovernable to quite an extent.

Both the candidates vying for the top spot were behind bars last year on charges of corruption. The candidates had accused the charges as being politically motivated scandals aimed at ruining their reputation and managed to get free on bail.

This past Saturday supporters of the two parties collided in violent clashes which left more than eighty five people injured across three districts. The Chairman of the National Election Observation Council said “There is lot of apprehension whether the [election] losers will accept the result.”

The last election attempts were made in January 2007 in Bangladesh. They were however cancelled and what followed was weeks of violent rioting between the supporters of the two parties. As a consequence a state of emergency was declared in the country and an interim government backed by the military was put in force. Now, moments away from the next democratic elections the Bangladeshi’s are concerned what consequences it may have on the prevailing situation of the country.

The main cause of this dilemma is however not the fact that America spends a lot. All countries are engaged in heavy spending but America made the crucial mistake of  not making any savings. Contrary to this the other nations are engaged in heavy savings. This is exactly why China is loaded with excess wealth which puts it in the position to give out generous loans to the United States and that too on remarkably low rates.

This unique change of events has been unprecedented to say the least. Economists are baffled as to how they could have overlooked this phenomenon. At the moment the Americans have little choice but to be patient and accept what they have available to them.

America is still quite heavily dependant on Chinese money which is being loaned out to them on highly generous terms. China has invested more than $ 1 trillion in America in the last ten years. The Chinese have invested in government bonds, manufacturing exports and mortgage debts. This has heavily helped the United States in a number of ways.

Many economists have clearly stated that the attitude of borrowing from China to save the local consumption deficit is not something that is going to bring America economic success. It may in the short term enable the country to sustain its present condition but in the long run if it is not complimented by other economic measures America is heading into a further economic ruin.

The United States however is still addicted to borrowing money from foreigners in order to finance its government spending in an attempt to bandage the broken economy. China is however making full use of the current situation and has managed to use it along with other economic measures to benefit itself.

Egypt’s Prime Minister had called upon the Israeli government to restraint from invading Gaza but the appeal was wholly discarded by the Israeli Foreign Minister. The Israeli Prime Minister had issued a warning to the people of Gaza to urge their leaders to stop the rocket fires or else face the consequences of Israeli invasion.
Despite the appeal of the Israeli Prime Minister there has been no slowing down of the rocket attacks. Three rockets and more than a dozen mortar shells made their way into Israel just last night.

The Israeli Prime Minister has made it clear that it will not hesitate to respond with force if the attacks are not halted. He said speaking to an Arabic language satellite channel “I am telling them now, it may be the last minute, I’m telling them stop it. We are stronger,”

The rocket firing was much lesser on Thursday as compared to the eighty rockets that were fired the day before. Israel has however said that the continued firing was wholly unacceptable and Israel was looking to respond with full force.

The militants from Gaza have blindly shot out rockets and mortar shells during the last two days. Some of them struck close to groups of Palestinian Christians making their way to Bethlehem for Christmas celebrations. Another rocket fell in the industrial park of Ashkelon.

Being the one who brokered the last cease fire deal between the two parties, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak contacted the Israeli Foreign Minister to discuss possibilities of renewing the truce. Livni was however in no mood to discuss a cease fire saying “Enough is enough, when there’s shooting, there’s a response. Any state would react that way.” With such strong words coming from the government of Israel an invasion into Gaza is just round the corner.

The theatrical legend has been operating the business for forty nine long years. At the moment his financial situation is so uncertain that the owner is worried whether he will be able to make it at fifty. 

The theater house that is situated in Los Angeles displays a unique environment which makes you travel back in time. It is almost like a never land construed on the suspension of disbelief. The theater is loaded with stringed puppets that are made to sing by their master in order to entertain the crowd.

The city has been enjoying the puppet performances from the theater house for forty nine years now. The owner of the popular puppet house said “There’s something magical about puppets,” Bob Baker, the man who has been behind the scene of countless puppet shows is now an eighty four year old kid who dwells in his very own Never Land. Uncertain about the future Bob Baker said “I want to make a 50th-year if everything goes well,” But the fact of the matter is that things are not going to well for the master of puppets who is having his strings pulled by the downward spiraling economy. 

Baker said “To do a show around here costs about $10,000 to $15, 000,” With the prices going up and the crowd shrinking in number there is little hope that the theater house will be able to survive as a profitable business. Bob Baker has been keen on talking his shows to various schools but the economic downturn has restricted the number of field trips entertained by schools thus further affecting his business. 

Baker is currently indebted to the Bank from where he drew a mortgage to save his business. This poses a risk to all the employees of the theater as well. The master of puppets has all his strings tied up and wishes he too could be given a bail out package by the government to save his business.