Daily Archives: January 3, 2022

Gandhis politics is hollow and noisy, full of treachery and deceit: Read what Dr Ambedkar said about the Mahatma – OpIndia

Posted: January 3, 2022 at 1:38 am

A lot of noise is being made over criticism of MK Gandhi after Kalicharan Maharajs recent speech at the Raipur Dharma Sansad. The Chhattisgarh government headed by Congress Bhupesh Baghel has now arrested Kalicharan and many people are asking an important question. Is MK Gandhi beyond criticism? Why are some political leaders so touchy and indignant about Gandhi being criticised?

Author and scientist Dr Anand Ranganathan today shared some statements written by Dr BR Ambedkar wherein he had criticised MK Gandhi and his style of politics in a not so subtle manner.

Dr Ranganathan questioned those who are demanding the arrest of those criticising Gandhi if they would go after Dr Ambedkar too. While sharing an excerpt from an article Dr Ambedkar wrote about Gandhi, he said, What Kalicharan Maharaj has said on Gandhi is nothing compared to what Dr Ambedkar had said on Gandhi, a tiny fraction of which I attach as proof. Dear bhakts of Mahatma Gandhi, let me see if you have the guts to go after Babasaheb. Bloody hypocrites.

The excerpt Ranganathan shared was from the article Is Gandhi A Mahatma? Dr Ambedkar wrote for a Marathi Magazine Chittra. It was published in its Dipavali Special Number, J 938. It is also available on page 66 of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Writings and speeches volume 17 part II available on Ministry of External Affairs website.

In the article, Dr Ambedkar talked about how the politics of Gandhi was hollow and noisy. He said, The politics of Gandhi is hollow and noisy. It is the most dishonest politics in the history of Indian polity. Gandhi was the man responsible for eliminating morality from politics and instead introduced commercialism in Indian politics. Politics has been denuded of its virtue.

In the 1,800+ word article, Dr Ambedkar extensively talked about why he had a problem with Gandhi being referred to as Mahatma. He said he was sick of the question Is Gandhi a Mahatma. Explaining why the question annoyed him, he said, Firstly, I hate all the Mahatmas and firmly believe that they should be done away with. I am of the opinion that their existence is a curse to the nation in which they are born. The reason why I say so is because they try to perpetuate blind faith in place of intelligence and reason. Secondly, I do not know what exactly people understand by the word Mahatma.

Explaining how people were referred to as Mahatma in India at that time and how easy it was to become one, Dr Ambedkar said, It is very easy for anybody to become a Mahatma in India by merely changing his dress. If you are wearing an ordinary dress and leading an ordinary life, even if you perform extraordinary noble deeds, nobody takes any notice of you. But a person who does not behave in normal manner and shows some peculiar trends and abnormalities in his character, he becomes a saint or a Mahatma.

Dr Ambedkar said he was not surprised Gandhi became Mahatma in India because people had the tendency to worship those who discards his clothes, run about naked, grows long hair, abuses people and drinks dirty water from the gutters. He added, people fall at his feet and begin to worship him. In these circumstances if Gandhi becomes Mahatma in India there is nothing surprising. Hinting India was an uncivilised country, Dr Ambedkar said, Had these things been practised in any other civilised country, people would have laughed at him.

Dr Ambedkar expressed his confusion why people fussed over Gandhi over the teachings like Satya and Ahimsa that originally came from Lord Buddha. Nobody except an ignorant fool or congenital idiot would give credit to Gandhi for originality in this matter. There is nothing new in the pronouncement that Truth and Non-violence are necessary for the preservation of human civilisation. There is nothing new that Gandhi has added to the maxim, he said.

He added Gandhi did not provide answers to many questions regarding in what circumstances the world should uphold the noble principle of truth and consider violence a right action. He said Gandhis character leaned more towards cunningness than seriousness or sincerity. He has managed to keep himself in the forefront by means of cunning and inherent shrewdness. A person who has faith in his capacity and character faces the realities of life in a bold and manly manner, Dr Ambedkar added.

Treachery and deceit are the weapons of the weak. Gandhi has always used these weapons, said Dr Ambedkar. He mentioned how during the Round Table Conference, he promised not to raise any objection against the demands to be tabled by the Depressed Classes. However, as soon as they tabled their demands, he objected to the same. I call it a betrayal of the people belonging to the Depressed Classes, Dr Ambedkar said. He added, He went to the Moslems and told them that he would support their 14 demands if they in turn opposed the demands placed by the representatives of the Depressed Classes. Even a scoundrel would not have done this. This is only one instance of Gandhis treachery.

He further added how Gandhi, in order to humiliate Nehru, opposed the proposals made to amend the Nehru Committees Report during an open session of Congress. He said, The corrections which were proposed to be made in the Nehru Committee Report were suggested by Mr Jinnah for the benefit of his community. But, when Gandhi came to know about it, he thought a great deal more had been given to the Moslems by Pandit Motilal Nehru than what he wanted In order to humiliate Pt. Motilal Nehru he vehemently opposed these proposals.

Dr Ambedkar also blamed Gandhi for the hostile relation between Hindus and Muslims. He said, Hindu-Moslem hostility is the result of the deceitful action on the part of Gandhiji. This immensely pained me. There is an old saying which benefits the occasion (Bagal mein chhurri Munh mein Ram) : Gods name on the lips and dagger under the armpit. If such a person can be called a Mahatma, by all means call Gandhi a Mahatma.

He added, The politics of Agarkar and Tilak was based on honesty and truth. It was not hollow and noisy. But the politics of Gandhi is hollow and noisy. It is the most dishonest politics in the history of Indian polity. Gandhi was the man responsible for eliminating morality from politics and instead introduced commercialism in Indian politics. Politics has been denuded of its virtue.

Dr Ambedkar urged Hindus to find a way to get rid of the pernicious saintly idiosyncracies of Gandhiji in Indian public life. He said, If the Hindu India does not realise it today, it will take a long time to retrace its steps. Majority of the Indian population is illiterate, ignorant and uncivilised. This may not be the fault of the people. The privileged few of the society have deliberately kept the masses ignorant and illiterate. As a matter of fact it is impossible to fight against the Mahatma on the strength purely of logic and rationalism.

Dr Ambedkar questioned the saints and mahatmas of that time and equated Gandhi to them. He said they had learned the ways to befool people. He questioned if Hindu would try to change the minds of mahatmas so that they try to serve India rather than themselves.

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Gandhis politics is hollow and noisy, full of treachery and deceit: Read what Dr Ambedkar said about the Mahatma - OpIndia

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From Balochistan to US, Armenia, Hindutva, threat of Big Tech and more: Here are the top 30 opinion pieces from 2021 handpicked by Editors – OpIndia

Posted: at 1:38 am

For us at OpIndia, the year 2021 has been tremendously productive. Its been a year of progress and possibilities. Its been a year in which weve bettered our own performance, leaving many well established and bigger websites behind in terms of traffic while maintaining unwavering support from our readers.

In the face of this devastating pandemic that left us all devoid of the fervour of life, we at OpIndia have attempted to be our readers eyes and ears as they were stuck in the four walls of their abode. Despite our limited resources, we managed to publish many excellent articles, which were extremely well received and appreciated. Alongside, there were some articles from our regular contributors which helped us go viral and made them the most read this year.

Yet another year has come to a close but our journey has just begun. We promise to continue busting propaganda and delivering the harsh truth and we thank you all for keeping us going.

Below is a list of those 30 opinion pieces, some written by our staff members while some by our contributors that were the most read this year. It may be noted that the list is in random order. You can click on the links provided to read the full article.

This article published on August 19, contributed by one of our guest authors, named Vahram Ayvazyan, spoke about the civilizational, cultural, socio-political and economic tiesArmenia and India have shared and how the time was apt for the two countries to collaborate given the ongoing capricious political climate.

In the article by R Sood published on our website on August 12, the author wrote about the looming controversy related to the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), an autonomous organisation of the Government of Indiathat prepares and publishes textbooks used by schools across India. He brought to the fore how NCERT has distorted Indian history by focusing primarily on Modern India i.e, the British and post-independence and Medieval India i.e the Sultanate and Mughal period and conveniently skipping the glorious rich ancient history of India that is Bharat.This article found a place in our 40 most read opinion pieces of 2021.

Tsewang Rigzin, a Fellow at Columbia Population Research Center and Social Policy analysis doctoral candidate at Columbia University, USA, wrote an article for OpIndia where he discussed why India should confer Dalai Lama with the Bharat Ratna award.

The author opined that His Holiness The Dalai Lama of Tibet brought back the Indian tradition of Ahimsa (nonviolence) in the arena of political struggle an idea that changed the world from civil rights movements in the US to the Solidarity movement in Poland and the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. He wrote how a number of Indian intellectuals and thinkers have opined that the Tibetan spiritual leader deserves the Bharat Ratna for spreading the message of peace and Karuna all his life. This excellent piece was amongst the 40 most read OpIndias articles of 2021.

Author Rajan Laad, who Tweets at@Sir_R_U_L, wrote on July 1, how Indian politics is being impacted by big tech companiesdue to its biases by drawing a parallel between the pattern of behaviour of big tech in the US and India. He explained how the interference of tech giants like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram facilitated the victory of Joe Biden over Donald Trump that too by a slim margin in key states.

Speaking in detail about the biases of these big social media giants, he suggested how the government through its Digital India and Make in India initiatives should commission local talent to either develop or improve upon Indian platforms and provide alternatives to Facebook, Twitter, Google, YouTube, and WhatsApp.

Another article that found its way to the top 40 of 2021, was that by our regular contributor named Suren. He wrote about how the Dravidian brand of rationalism is about attacking only Hindu beliefs and icons while being careful to never critique the beliefs and practices of any other religion. Giving the example of the renowned hatemonger EV Ramasamy, aka Periyar, the author recorded how in the past, the slightest resistance from the Indian Muslim population was sufficient to make the Dravidian movement capitulate, while the campaign of abuse and calumny against Hinduism has gone on for decades, in spite of widespread protests.

Another article that was amongst the most read articles of 2021 was that written by OpIndias former employee K Bhattacharya, where he discussed the biases of the leftist media. He wrote how time and against such mainstream media has resorted to peddling fake newsin order to peddle the political agenda of their masters. The article throws light on the biases of The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN). It reveals how IFCN has accredited fact-checkers like Boom Live and Alt News as such leftist outlets ideological orientations are similar to their while denying accreditation to websites like OpIndia and Facthuntdue to nothing more than a disagreement over politics.

In a report titled Suicides among the Clergy of the Catholic Church in India: A disturbing trend, Suren throws light on the emerging issue of suicides of young clergymen and women in India. Chronicling many incidents where the Clergy of the Catholic Church in India have committed suicide, the author discusses the plausible reasons why these priests are forced to take up such harsh steps and why over the years critical issues like this one have been swept under the carpet in the name of secularism.

As tensions mounted between Israel and Palestine, the Muslim community from across the globe had registered their strong protest against Israels retaliatory response. The Palestinian supporters in India had implied that the Indian supporters of Israel were nothing but communal and Islamophobic. In such a situation, this article by an author named Mrityunjay delved into the reasons why an average Hindu showed solidarity with Israel. This article was one of the most read articles of 2021.

This article was published on May 7. Writer Michael Tracey wrote how the CIA, USAs premier foreign intelligence agency, enthusiastically endorsed several key tenets of what has now indisputably become a hegemonic left/liberal ideological and rhetorical construct. This article again garnered a lot of appreciation from our readers, propelling it into the top 40 most popular articles of 2021.

This article written by Suren talks comprehensively about Veda Pathashalas, the traditional Vedic schools in India. From its funding to courses available to the career options to the reforms and suggestions to balance the needs of modern society against demands of Vedic learning, this article is so extensive that it piqued our readers interest and made it to the top 40.

This article was co-authored by @aryasanghi and @Vedic_Revival speaks about the assassination of Mahashay Rajpal, the publisher of the satirical book Rangeela Rasool, which revealed details of Prophet Mohammads marriages and sex life as it is in the Quran and had a surface appearance of a lyrical and laudatory work on Muhammad and his teachings. Explaining how Mahatma Gandhi became instrumental in the killing of Mahashay Rajpal by inciting the Muslims against him, the article also hints at the double standards of the left cabal, who try to portray themselves as proponents of secularism and free speech in India while suppressing dissenting voices.

Towards the end of March this year, President Ram Nath Kovind had given his assent to the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2021. When the bill was passed by Parliament, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had termed it a sad day for Indian democracy. This article by S Sudhir Kumar delved into the unnecessary media outrage over the Government of NCT of Delhi (Amendment) Act. He explained how the biased media helped Kejriwal, by pinning the blame on Modi for a law bought by the Congress party. This article, which exposed leftist media bias, received a lot of attention from our readers and became one of the top 40 most viewed stories of 2021.

Bombay HC judge Justice Pushpa V Ganediwala had drawn flak for her controversial skin-to-skinorder on sexual assault at the beginning of the year. In his article, OpIndia contributor, Pranav Choudhury, analysed the controversial judgement given by the Bombay HC judge that trivialised the ghastly crime of sexual assault, opining how it is critical for the judiciary to intervene and protect the victims, rather than reading statutes in a way that allows the criminals to get away with their crimes.

The opposition parties in Andhra Pradesh, right-wing activists have long been accusing YS Jagan Reddy, a Christian, that ever since he became the Chief Minister of Andhra, he has spent a huge amount on the Christian community services, with an eye on encouraging conversion activities. Experts have raised their concerns regarding the spree of freebies doled out to the Christian communities by the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led Andhra Pradesh government.The freebies were not only causing a loss of public money but these appeasement schemes are also aimed at encouraging ordinary Andhra citizens to convert. This article by Sai Priya Chodavarapu, speaks about how ramping up of conversions, and their large-scale commercialization began under the Congress government of YSR.

There is a long history of dissonance between the indigenous ethnic Uyghur and Chinese authorities. The Chinese government refuses to categorize Uyghurs as an indigenous population and describe Uyghurs as a regional minority. Dr Burhan Uluyol (Uyghur), the articles author, spoke about Chinas unabashed atrocities against the countrys ethnic minorities, particularly the Uygurs, while also pointing to the stoic silence of other countries, especially Islamic countries, over the issue, which he believes have been bought by China.

Modi bashing has been the favourite sport of the opposition parties, the coterie of leftists and their friendly media ever since the former has taken up the reigns of the country in his hands. In this article published on February 15, 2021, writer S Sudhir Kumar spoke about all those climate activists who have invariably criticised Prime Minister Modi, that too for reasons outside of climate change.

This year, Twitters left bias has been a widely discussed topic. In the run-up to the US elections, Twitter played a significant role in censoring content that was inconvenient to now President-elect Joe Biden. In this article writer, T Waraich discussed how Twitters attempt to equate the Farmers Protest to the Arab Spring was its attempt to delegitimize the Indian Government in the eyes of the Indian people and the rest of the world. The author stated multiple facts to assert that Twitter had fanned an Arab Spring-like situation in India, hoping for it, by not withholding accounts that have either indulged in or fanned an insurrection in India. This article did exceptionally well with our readers safely securing a position in the top 40 most-read articles of 2021.

Carola Rackete, an ANTIFA activist and German woman infamous for captaining and docking a sea vessel with 53 illegal migrants, and her subsequent arrest in Italy, hadexpressedsupport to the farmers protest in India along with an endorsement for infamousHinduphobeRana Ayyub.She had also gone on to recommend following the Twitter account@standwithkashmir, a Twitter account that openly calls for the end of Indian Occupation in Kashmir. This article by T Waraich delved upon the global conspiracy of Kashmiri separatists to fan protests in India.

An article on Hindu Temples by Monidipa Bose Dey, which discussed Vastu Shashtra as a directional science and the various gods associated with it and also discussed the foundation rites and rituals followed while constructing a temple, also received tremendous response from our readers making it one of the most read articles of 2021.

Another article that made it to the top 40 was written by Devanshu Mittal, who detailed how incendiary Punjabi songs reinforced dangerous narratives surrounding the farmers protests. He documented a number of songs that were meticulously exploited to incite secessionism and promote the Khalistani narrative in order to further divide Punjab and India.

With the media playing such a significant part in Indian politics, a number of fact-checkers have sprung up that strive tirelessly to legitimise the ideology they believe in, even if it means falsifying facts. In his article, the author- Abhishek Banerjee talks about such fact-checkers and how they came in super handy for the liberals in the aftermath of the Republic Day violence.

Discussing how the fact-checkers went into overdrive in the aftermath of the R-Day violence in Delhi, the author defined the job of the fact-checker, who, according to him, work tirelessly to dismantle the narrative of the other side, by making people focus on marginal details instead of looking at what actually happened.

The recent spate of temple vandalism incidents in Andhra Pradesh has shocked and scared Hindus across the country. The unjustified, systematic attacks on Hindu temples across the state, which have grown in frequency and severity over the past year, are concerning, to say the least. This article by writer Sai Priya Chodavarupa gave an insight into this concerning issue that has only grown under the YS Jagan governmentin the state.

Author Saket Suryesh in this article discusses how the western media has always treated brown-skinned nations and their societies with brazen disrespectby discussing a report by New Yorkers published on 15thof January, 2021, where the writer, Bill Mckibben, has used the follies of his own political systems and societal prejudices as an excuse to attack India and Hinduism.

In 2021, American society stands massively divided due to divisive politics followed by both sides of their two-party system perhaps, the most polarized it has been since the American Civil War. While President-elect Biden mouths cliched statements about unity and healing, his own party is undergoing a significant churn as progressives within the party want to move the Democratic Party more and more to the left of the political spectrum. This article by @brakoo analysis this churn.

Throughout 2021, when the opposition parties, especially the Congress, was crying foul at the central government three farm laws, a politicalthunderstormtook place in the state of Chhattisgarh where CM Bhupesh Baghel and ex-CM Dr Raman Singh were atloggerheadson the question of mismanagement in paddy procurement. BJP alleged that Congress had failed to deliver its promise of buying farmers produce at Rs. 2500/- quintal MSP while Congress has blamed BJP for creating confusion. This article by @anandwalu gave an insight into the political crisis over the crop procurement in Congress-run Chhattisgarh.

This article by Nivan helps bust the narrative created by the leftists that India under Modi has been recast as a Hindu Rashtra where non-Hindu communities would face brutal oppression, and be either suppressed or exiled. Though this notion is incorrect, the Left ecosystem has successfully manufactured this narrative in a bid to terrify non-Hindus living in Bharat, polarising them for political gains. This interesting article that busts this propaganda weaved by the leftist ecosystem, has successfully made its way to the top 40 opinion pieces of 2021.

After thearrestof comedian Munawar Faruqui in Indore, Indian liberals were asking their favourite question all over again. Why do Hindus these days have no chill? Why cant they just take a joke? And what about free speech? Read this article by our regular contributor Abhishek Banerjee in which he discussed the double standards of the so-called liberals, that has been out there in the open for decades.

A conference that took place in September this year, with sponsorship from Universities in the United States of America had attracted a lot of attention in India. Thethemeof the conference was Dismantling Global Hindutva and was attended by eminent intellectuals of the Indian liberal camp. Shockingly, the anti-Hindu lobby chose the anniversary of one of the worst ever Islamic terror attacks, which took place in New York on September 11, 2001 to hate on Hindus. Besides, the numerous ridiculous and asinine comments that were made at the conference the timing of the event was something far more ridiculous, as discussed in this article by Priyank.

Sanjay Manyal in his article explained how with the collective efforts of farmers, industry, agricultural scientists, state and central government, the sugar industry has had a turnaround from being a vulnerable Industry to a strong cash flow generating sector in Uttar Pradesh.

The Moplah genocide of Hindus is hardly taught in our history books and the Khilafat movement leading up to it are shamelessly whitewashed. In our history books, we are often told that the Khilafat movement was one where Hindus and Muslims fought together to oust the British.OpIndia has extensively covered the Moplah genocide of Hindus and brought to the fore the harsh truths about the heinous genocides in history, that was started as Malabar Muslims supporting the Caliphate in Turkey under the Khilafat movement and got widespread support from Congress leader, mostprominently, by MK Gandhi. This article by Shyam Sreekumar delves into the topic, which has widely garnered the interest of our readers.

In the early morning of October 10th 2021, frontier corps (FC) Balochistan, killed two Baloch minors and injured another by firing mortar shots in the Hoshab area of Turbat Balochistan. Two of the killed children were identified as Allah Baksh, his sister Sharatoon (Malee) aged 5 and 7 years old and wounded one identified as Muskan. All three kids were playing in the back of their home when FC personnel fired mortar shots, as a result of which two of the three victims were killed and one suffered serious injuries. This article by the President of Baloch National Movement UK Zone, Hakeem Baloch, wrote in detail about the atrocities meted out by the Pakistani forces.

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From Balochistan to US, Armenia, Hindutva, threat of Big Tech and more: Here are the top 30 opinion pieces from 2021 handpicked by Editors - OpIndia

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The World Keeps Turning by Columnist Allen Woods: Gambling, ganja, and girls in the dorms – The Recorder

Posted: at 1:36 am

Published: 12/31/2021 11:21:19 AM

Modified: 12/31/2021 11:20:51 AM

As I try to make sense of big bombshells and small tidbits of news with friends, I find myself regularly repeating one sentence, with a figurative shrug of my shoulders: Its a different world now. But what does that really mean? Although the multitude of large and small issues add up to a whole that is sometimes unrecognizable, I find specific issues more instructive than a generalized world.

Three unrelated changes quickly came to mind, all considered morally unacceptable by many just a few decades ago. Respected sports figures now talk about the betting odds on a game or various prop bets (over or under a predicted point total, who will score first, what color shoes a star will wear, etc.). As beloved Big Papi flamboyantly throws cash in the air to show how easy it is to win, I recall the time when gambling was strictly limited to illicit bookies, neighborhood numbers games, and the major, Mob-controlled casinos.

Today, 44 states have casinos, and a growing number allow sports betting and online gambling. Theres even one local radio ad that promotes the feeling of having skin in the game to fuel interest in a bad college football game (such as UConn or UMass vs. nearly anyone) when a person has no other rooting interest.

Marijuana laws have turned upside down as well. Smoking or ingesting weed or ganja was a risky activity for most of my life. Possession of even a small amount could bring a felony charge, prison sentence, reduced job prospects and more. At the same time, the risk factor enhanced the impulse to get high as a statement against ... our repressive culture? ... a multitude of authority figures? ... the reefer madness propaganda backed by church and government groups? Regardless, 91% of Americans now believe marijuana should be legal for medical or recreational use, or both.

Im unsure about the long-term effects of both of these changes. Im not passionate about either: I essentially have no skin in the game in either case. Certainly, its nice to be rid of the Draconian sentencing for marijuana use and the common racial inequality involved.

I try to stay away from what-aboutism, which relies on changing the subject of a debate and suggests that any criticism of an idea is unjust because no person or movement is perfect and blameless. (Its been a favorite rhetorical dodge used by Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in defending political assassinations, violations of civil rights, and more.)

For example, there are certainly possible long-term problems with excessive gambling and marijuana use. A what-about argument asks But what about alcohol? Its responsible for more deaths, mental and physical health problems, etc. than gambling or marijuana. But adding another possible harm to our society doesnt address the harm of alcohol abuse or any possibilities connected with gambling or marijuana.

The better question for the two issues is Do the rewards outweigh the risks? I think they do, and Ive seen that repression didnt yield the desired resulteradication of a perceived vice. But its certain that these blobs of toothpaste arent going back in the tube now that theyve been squeezed out, especially since both are heavily-taxed, multi-billion-dollar industries that state and local governments depend on for needed revenue.

One change I find wonderfully positive is that 90% of college dorms are now coed, compared to the single-sex restrictions (and accompanying punishments and elaborate evasions) in colleges before the 1980s. (I apologize for choosing alliteration over the preferred form of address in the title, but I was a boy in a dorm and wished there were girls.) Today, I watch young men and women interact easily in situations that years ago might be fraught with sexual tension: they are comfortable hanging out together in their pajamas, accept sharing bathrooms, and reject the idea that every routine encounter must have sexual overtones. I believe they are much more capable of being pals, buddies, confidants, true friends with the opposite sex than we ever were, not to mention their ability to accept non-traditional gender roles and identifications.

Its a different world now, and I regularly wonder how it will turn out. Cultural change has given rise to dire predictions for centuries, from Aristotle to Bye Bye Birdie, which asked Whats wrong with kids today? in 1963. But Im happy to report that our resilient human spirit has prevailed, and we have an incredibly rich, creative, and complicated world around us.

Allen Woods is a freelance writer, author of the Revolutionary-era crime novel The Sword and Scabbard, and Greenfield resident. His column appears regularly on a Saturday. Comments are welcome here or at awoods2846@gmail.com.

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The World Keeps Turning by Columnist Allen Woods: Gambling, ganja, and girls in the dorms - The Recorder

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Paul Merson slipped back into gambling because he thought he would lose job on Sky Sports… – The US Sun

Posted: at 1:36 am

Former England star Paul Merson says he slipped back into gambling when he thought Covid rules had ended his TV pundit career.

The ex-Arsenal player, 53, said he was convinced he would lose his Sky Sports job when football matches were banned early in the pandemic.

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The dad of eight said: I got hooked on the news in lockdown.

"My brain was telling me, Im not going to work again. Theres not going to be another Soccer Saturday.

The addict in me was, What am I going to do for a job?. I got scared.

In October, the Sun told how wife Kate gives him only a cash allowance after he gambled away their house deposit in his lockdown relapse.

He says he has not placed a bet since.

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Paul Merson slipped back into gambling because he thought he would lose job on Sky Sports... - The US Sun

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Suit: Murray Hill townhouse home to gambling, prostitution – The Real Deal

Posted: at 1:36 am

(Google)

A nearly $7 million townhouse in Murray Hill has been turned into a members only club by squatters hosting prostitution, poker games and after-hours parties, according to published reports.

The New York Post says neighbors have been complaining about crowds, pot smoke and loud music emanating from the five-bedroom apartment in the East 36th Street building just off Park Avenue for more than a year.

And a man who lives in the buildings other apartment said he caught a half-naked stranger walking into his apartment on video.

Legal papers allege the problems started when tennant Patricia Taub sublet the $16,000-month, 3,000 square-foot apartment back in November of 2020.

Shortly thereafter, partiers started forming lines outside the building to get in, with one 311 call claiming two men were acting as bouncers to control the crowds.

Once inside, all bets are on, with complaints to the Department of Buildings alleging the premises are use to host illegal poker games to host sex trafficking and prostitution activities, and to hold illegal after-hours parties, the newspaper reports.

Videos on Instagream promoting parties at the home spotlight a poker table in the apartment along with black-painted walls.

Another social media post claimed a poker game held at the apartment would require a $1,000 minimum to play, with drinks and talent on site.

Legal papers allege Kenyatti Adams has lived in the apartment since April 2021. He admitted in court papers that he is a poker player but denied taking part in any illegal activities. The newspaper says he still lives in the Home, but is not paying rent due to a Covid-19 hardship.

A lawyer for Adams told the publication he was not a squatter, had paid rent in the past, and wasnt involved in any illgal activities.

But lawyer Victor Feraru, who represents the apartments owner, Mitch Spaiser, said Adams was taking advantage of the system.

This is a case of the most egregious abuse of New Yorks tenant protection laws being wrongfully used by bad actors to manipulate and take advantage of the system at the expense of the owners, he told the publication.

[New York Post] Vince DiMiceli

Contact Vince DiMiceli

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Suit: Murray Hill townhouse home to gambling, prostitution - The Real Deal

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End of year review: The ever-changing odds of sports gambling in Florida – Tampa Bay Times

Posted: at 1:36 am

ST. PETERSBURG We have casinos and we have betting apps. We have deals with the Seminole Tribe and we have ravenous parimutuel sites. We have tons of gambling commercials and we have expensive campaigns for constitutional amendments underway.

What we do not have checks for white smoke from the Florida Governors Mansion is legalized sports betting in the state.

Oh, it was here for a while. For a little more than three weeks in November, to be precise. The Seminole Tribe had agreed to pay the state $2.5 billion over five years in exchange for creating online sports betting, as well as introducing roulette and craps games in their casinos.

The federal government signed off on the pact and Florida joined about two dozen other states in the sports gambling business, following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that opened the door in 2018.

There was just one small problem. Two, actually.

The Seminole gambling operation is supposed to be limited to tribal land. While their computer servers may have been located on that land, the app obviously was available everywhere.

Also, the states constitution had been amended in 2018 to put the expansion of casinos in Florida in the hands of voters. Adding sports betting, craps and roulette sounded like a form of expansion.

Thats why a federal district court judge put a halt to the Seminole pact on Nov. 23, effectively ending sports betting less than a month after it was launched.

Judge Dabney L. Friedrich said using the idea of computer servers on tribal land as justification for a statewide app was fiction.

So this was a victory for anti-gambling forces?

Well, yes and no.

Remember that constitutional amendment that put gambling expansion in the hands of voters? Now, there are several campaigns underway for a new amendment that would permit sports betting across the state. And when we say across the state, were not just talking about the Seminoles and their operation.

Online sports betting giants DraftKings and FanDuel are bankrolling the petition drives that are required to get the constitutional amendment on the ballot and in front of voters in 2022. (And they dont have a lot of time to get the nearly-900,000 verified signatures required, which is why they already have coughed up tens of millions on the campaign.)

If this venture succeeds, legalized sports betting will actually loom even larger in Florida, and the governor will need to redo the gambling compact with the Seminole Tribe because theyre not going to happily pay $500 million a year to the state if they no longer have exclusivity.

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Thats not complicated at all, is it?

Dont feel too guilty if your eyes began to glaze over a few paragraphs ago. Sports betting in Florida may have been one of the biggest stories of 2021, but it will remain firmly entrenched in the headlines throughout 2022.

Florida coach Dan Mullen seemed to think it was a good idea to deflect questions about his less-than-impressive record of recruiting. Were in the season right now, he said after losing to Georgia. Well do recruiting after the season. When it gets to recruiting time, we can talk about recruiting. Okay? Next question.

Turns out, UF administrators had questions of their own. A few weeks later, after losing to Missouri, Mullen was fired. People look at losses as a cause to get rid of a coach, athletic director Scott Stricklin said. But a lot of times the losses are symptoms of other issues. A week later, the Gators hired Billy Napier as their new coach.

While the Rays have rarely chased big-money free agents, they have not been shy about opening their wallets for homegrown talent. Evan Longoria, James Shields, Matt Moore, Brandon Lowe and Blake Snell are just some of the players signed to long-term deals in Tampa Bay.

The biggest signing of all came in November when the Rays inked 20-year-old Wander Franco to a deal that guarantees him $182 million over 11 years. It is the richest contract given to an athlete in any sport in Tampa Bay.

The Rowdies made their mark in 2021 with stellar defense. Then goaltender Evan Louro tore up his knee during a postgame celebration the week before the USL Championship title game. With Louro out of the lineup, the Rowdies gave up three first-half goals to Orange County on the way to a 3-1 loss.

Calvary Christian didnt have the lofty national ranking Miami Westminster had (No. 7 in the U.S.), but the Warriors had just as much heart and skill. And by the end of the night on Nov. 18, they had the Class 3A volleyball state title, too. Calvary Christian beat Westminster 25-21, 25-20, 25-21.

Plant, meanwhile, added to its impressive haul of state volleyball titles with a Class 7A championship victory against Windermere. Plant now has 11 state championships in volleyball, which is fourth best in Florida history.

Its not often you can triple bogey the 71st hole of a golf tournament and come back to win. But, then again, there arent a lot of golfers like Nelly Korda.

The Bradenton native birdied the final hole to reclaim a share of the lead, then won the Pelican Womens Championship on the first hole of a four-way playoff. It was her fourth victory of the season, the most by any American on the LPGA Tour in almost a decade.

As expected, Randy Arozarena was named the American League Rookie of the Year in November, making him the fourth Rays player to win the honor since 2008. Kevin Cash won his second straight Manager of the Year award, joining Hall of Famer Bobby Cox as the only back-to-back honorees.

With Ronald Jones spending most of his Sundays on the bench behind Leonard Fournette, everyone wanted to know if the Bucs would deal him to Tennessee before the November trade deadline.

It would have to be something really, really special, head coach Bruce Arians said of a trade possibility. Its just one nick on Leonard and RoJo is the guy again. Turns out, Arians was right. Fournette suffered a hamstring pull and Jones is back in the starting lineup.

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End of year review: The ever-changing odds of sports gambling in Florida - Tampa Bay Times

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Why Is Bitcoin The Future of Online Gambling? – Study Breaks

Posted: at 1:36 am

The number of bitcoin casinos has grown exponentially over the last few years, moving from a little-known but exciting proposition five years ago to something that many are now predicting will be the future of gambling. And if you go back just 10 years or so, these casinos were non-existent, and the entire idea of cryptocurrency gambling was the preserve of science fiction.

Its an exciting time for fans of crypto gambling, and its only going to get more exciting,

Both casinos and players can be charged fees. Usually, if the former are hit with a payment charge, it will be passed on to the latter.

Take credit cards as an example.

For a casino to accept credit cards, it must work with a merchant. That merchant will charge a fee ranging from around 1.4% to 3.5%. Incidentally, the reason that American Express is so rarely accepted is that it charges much higher fees than other providers and is usually near the top end of that scale.

To cover these costs, the casino will charge the player the same fee. But it doesnt end there.

Online casino payments are usually classed as cash payments, which means players will be charged the same as when they withdraw cash from an ATM. The exact cost can vary, but its usually a fixed price followed by an interest charge.

Its not just credit cards, either. Debit cards also come with merchant fees and if you have ever deposited into a PayPal account, converted the funds into a different currency, and then withdrawn, youll know that web wallets arent free (or cheap) either.

With bitcoin, there are no such fees because there are no centralized authorities/merchants to collect them.

The casino isnt charged, and so there are no payments to pass onto the players.

As a result, bitcoin payments offer benefits for both casinos and players its a win-win that is sure to bode well for the future of bitcoin gambling.

Despite the fees associated with them, debit cards and credit cards are some of the most popular payment methods among online gamblers. Its likely more about accessibility than anything else, as most legal age gamblers already have credit cards and debit cards, so its always the simplest option.

However, while it might be quick to reach into your purse/wallet and pull out a debit card, you wont benefit from the same speed when it comes time to withdraw.

Card payments can take anywhere from three to five days to process on average, and thats a long time for players to wait. If youve just scooped a big win, youll be eager to see those funds and put them to good use. If you then have to wait up to five days, youll be pretty annoyed.

Its why many players have been turning to Skrill, Neteller and PayPal, but these options also have their limitations, including verification processes and fees.

Bitcoin may be the better option for the majority of players. It can be just as quick and easy to set up, and once the payments are processed, they are instant. Theres no need to wait three to five days to get your funds, and they will be yours within seconds of the casino confirming the transaction.

Once you take away the centralized authority, you put more control in the hands of the casino, and that gives them more freedom to do what they want.

It means they are not servants to the merchants fees and regulations. They dont have to worry about the fees suddenly increasing, and they definitely dont need to worry that the payment provider will suddenly stop allowing its services to be used for online gambling.

This has happened several times in the past and it has made life difficult for casinos. They are forced to pivot at the last minute, creating chaos. With bitcoin, they are the ones in control and there is no centralized authority to govern their actions.

There are a few security risks with bitcoin, just as there are risks with all payment methods, but it is a safer option than most.

Security is really the final piece of the puzzle. If something is cheaper, faster and preferred by both the consumer and the provider, and its also safe and secure, there is no reason why it cant become the predominant product, and thats where we are with bitcoin in the online gambling sector.

With so much money being invested in bitcoin gambling and so many players backing these currencies, the future of bitcoin is both bright and promising. Of course, it could go either way and there are no guarantees, but if it continues in the same manner, we should see some very exciting innovations on the horizon.

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Sterling Higa: Leaving Behind The 9th Island And All It Stands For – Honolulu Civil Beat

Posted: at 1:36 am

What does it say about local culture that Las Vegas is considered the ninth island?

Yes, Nevadas lower cost of living attracts locals, and the state hosts one of the largest populations of Native Hawaiians outside Hawaii, but that does not fully account for the frequency with which locals head to the desert for vacation.

Instead, consider the attractions: Gambling, fine dining, night clubs, spectacles, music festivals and shows. Ready access to drugs and prostitution (prostitution is legal in Nevada, except in its major cities Las Vegas and Reno, but readily available nonetheless.)

Las Vegas, a sprawling testament to hedonism and decadence, is an appropriate vacation destination for a local culture that seems resigned to political apathy, increasing inequality and escapist fantasy.

For my money, Vegas gambling is synonymous with the slot machine. But that humble slot machine, the one-armed bandit, has evolved over time.

The modern video gambling machine is a technological marvel, carefully engineered to entrap and exploit a user, says Natasha Schull, a cultural anthropologist and author of the book Addiction by Design: Machine Gambling in Las Vegas, published in 2012.

In addition to surveying the science of addiction and the engineering behind gambling machines, Schulls book includes interviews with gambling addicts.

Schull says that many gamblers seek the zone, describing a dissociative, trancelike state in which daily worries and bodily awareness fade away, along with any sense of the passage of time. Game designers recognize the addicts desire, and they design their products to maintain a hypnotic flow of action and maximize the users time on the device.

At the extreme end of the spectrum, gamblers will spend whole weekends in this kind of trance, Schull said in a lecture delivered a few years after her books publication.

Schull says that gambling is not necessarily about winning money. Instead, its about an addiction to the flow state thats achieved when woman and machine become one. Thus, we cant fix problems by giving people lessons in probability that they missed in high school.

This understanding of gambling as a compulsion to escape from reality helps us make sense of the steady demand for gambling in paradise. During the pandemic, with travel to Vegas limited, illegal game rooms were busted regularly in Hawaii. Each time, thousands of dollars worth of machines were seized, often from bare, dingy rooms.

Why are people enduring these hellholes for hours at a time? Perhaps because the hell they escape to is better than the one theyre escaping from. Perhaps because local culture rewards and reinforces addictive behavior from cradle to grave.

At a recent family gathering, I noticed that my 3-year-old cousin was enthralled by his iPad. He was learning to read, and his iPad was helping him with three-letter words: C-A-T; H-A-T; etc.

Hed tap a button, and letters would spin on three slot reels. He was delighted each time theyd align, cueing up music or animation. For example, a cartoon cat would emerge from the machine and wink, reinforcing the link between word and referent, but also reinforcing the compulsive, screen-based behavior.

I imagined his future. In elementary school, well-meaning teachers assign educational software which gamifies learning by combining it with variable reinforcement. By middle school, hes paying for Fortnite skins and playing Roblox or Minecraft for hours at a time. In high school (if not sooner), hes on social media with his friends, introduced to the infinite scroll of Instagram or TikTok, craving the dopamine drip of notifications.

By the time he reaches adulthood, hes enmeshed in a world of addictive design. Social media companies optimize for time on a device, feeding him a steady stream of notifications and novelty. Advertisers know when hes prone to impulse buying, and they tailor their offerings appropriately. And more mundane addictions remain: sugar, coffee, alcohol, pornography, sex, drugs of all kinds.

This is the cultural milieu in which our children are raised. And the only thing thats changed is the technology.

After all, gambling is integral to local culture. From pogs to cockfighting, dollar-flipping to sports betting, pool to poker to mahjong. Somewhere, right now, someone is gambling in Hawaii probably someone you know.

Proposals to legalize gambling in Hawaii often start with this premise: Locals love to gamble, and its best for them to do it here, at home. Also, imagine all the money we can wring out of tourists.

Money fountains are tempting, and get-rich-quick-schemes are endemic to Hawaii at this point, especially among disaffected youth. Casino dreams take their place alongside cryptocurrency trading, NFT investment, multi-level marketing, drug dealing and, of course, real estate speculation.

Meanwhile, Hawaii languishes as the second-worst state for doing business, according to CNBC. Contributing to that overall ranking are dead-last rankings for the cost of living and for the cost of doing business. To be fair, our ranking includes one high point: Hawaii is the second-best state for quality of life (now called life, health and inclusion).

Somehow, I dont think addicts seeking the zone feel that their quality of life is high. But I could be wrong.

In my experience, the desire for risk-taking and the desire for negation commingle in the addict. And if we think it is natural or inevitable for the masses to seek the latter, that tells us only how limited our vision is, how fragile our hope.

We have engineered a world in which upward mobility has stalled and our local middle class feels increasingly insecure. Given that, gambling and speculation are an attractive escape. They dull our pain and numb our senses.

We cannot be naive about the hurt and dislocation that people feel. If we remove the narcotizing effects of gambling, Netflix, pornography, video games, and social media, we may well find a community wracked by cynicism and rage. The challenge is to create a world worth living in, one that we dont feel driven to escape from.

Civic renewal requires that we attend to our surroundings. We must reconsider our built and natural environment, our economic and social institutions. If they are not worth our time and attention, we must make them so.

Renewal means investing in the small but reliable acts that benefit our community. It means picking up litter at the beach; volunteering with a nonprofit to help the least of us; or joining a church, club or sports league.

These solutions may seem small when set against the problem outlined above, and they are deliberately so.

I have found that in the halls of power, most officials are unwilling to admit that problems are so severe, for that would compel them to act with urgency and purpose. And a call to action would expose the fact that many would-be leaders lack vision. They cannot imagine life other than as it is, so they cannot be trusted to steer us into the future.

Change will come from within the community. It will bubble up from spontaneous human association, as people wake up and realize that life can be better.

Civic renewal cannot be a product of central planning. There will be no glorious revolution, no single leader who can serve as the vessel for our dreams. Renewal is a project of many people, many generations working together.

Our first step is to shun Las Vegas, to leave the zone, to turn away from the screen and take responsibility for what comes next. We must not leave the future to chance.

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Sterling Higa: Leaving Behind The 9th Island And All It Stands For - Honolulu Civil Beat

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The Commish’s gambling picks are in for Week 17 of the NFL season – Courier & Press

Posted: at 1:36 am

Jason White| Special to the Courier & Press

Week 16 of the NFL season didnt do much to add any clarity to the playoff landscape. Only one AFC team has puncheditsticket to the playoffswhile five teams in the NFC have earned a playoff berth.

With 24 teams still alive to make the playoffs, these late-season games become more and more pressure-packed.Veteran quarterbacks always have an edge in these win-or-go-home scenarios.

COVID also continues towreak havoc in the world of player availability. Stay up to speed on all roster announcements and watch for subsequent line movement. Its monumentally important to hold off on placing your bets until as close to kickoff as possible.

Two-team teaser:

BUCCANEERS (-10) atPanthers:After being shutout in Week 15, Tampa Bay took out its frustrations on the Panthers. Buccaneers 32, Panthers 6 -(WIN)

RAVENS (+3) atBengals:COVID and injuries forced the Ravens to play a 35-year-old practice squad player at quarterback. Bengals 41, Ravens 21 -(LOSS)

COWBOYS (-10) vs. Washington:The Cowboys dominated both sides of the ball and recorded their largest margin of victory in the history of this storied rivalry. Cowboys 56, Washington 14 - (WIN)

Prop bet:

Five-team money line parlay:Buccaneers, Bills, Patriots, 49ers, Packers (+115)

COLTS (-6.5) vs. Raiders:The Colts played at a very high level in the crucial month of December. Even with the uncertainty of the status of quarterback Carson Wentz, the rushing attack led by Jonathan Taylor will tell the story. The Colts are 10-5 against the spread this year while the Raiders are 6-9.

OVER (41.5) Jaguars atPatriots:During their seven-game winning streak, the Patriots were averaging just over 32 points per game. Despite their offensive woes during the past two weeks, the Patriots will get back on track and light up the scoreboard. Look for the Jaguars to do their part late in the game to push this total over the top.

UNDER (46) Broncos atChargers:The Chargers are struggling and willbebattling for their playoff lives.They have the offensive weapons necessary to blow out the Broncos. Look for them to keep Denver at bayjustenough to keep this total below the number to gain. The Broncos are 3-12 against the point total this year.

VIKINGS (+6.5) atPackers:The Vikings need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive while the Packers will be looking to hold on to the #1 seed in the NFC. Its tough picking against Aaron Rodgers,but the Vikings are one of the few teams with ahistory of success against him. Minnesota is 6-3 in their last 9 games against the Packers.

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The Commish's gambling picks are in for Week 17 of the NFL season - Courier & Press

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Special teams formed to tackle menace of rooster fights, gambling in Chittoor – The Hindu

Posted: at 1:36 am

As Sankranti nears, Chittoor district witnesses a frenzied atmosphere with punters from other places coming here

As the rural side of Chittoor district gets ready to join the Sankranti festivities, the police officials have formed special teams to tackle the menace of rooster fights and gambling, focusing on the forest-fringe villages and known offenders.

Several hamlets and thandas in the mandals of KV Palle and Tamballapalle, bordering with Kadapa district, buzz with rooster fights between December and February during which punters from not only Chittoor and Kadapa districts but also from Karnataka come here.

Some families are known for grooming special breeds of roosters meant for the bloody and cruel completions, with betting running into crores of rupees during the season.

In addition to rooster fights, the gambling activity would also be in full swing in several forest-fringe villages. Fearing police raids, even the enthusiastic gamblers from the urban side would find their way to join the batches in fields and forests-fringe areas.

Deputy SP (Madanapalle) A. Ravi Manohar Achari told The Hindu that special teams were formed to curb the prohibited rooster fights and the gambling menace.

We have about 300 known offenders organising the rooster fights in Madanapalle sub-division. Based on the past records, we are going to bind over all of them and seize the roosters found to be groomed for the banned sports. Special teams would be posted at all vulnerable hamlets till the Sankranti festivities get over, the Deputy SP said.

Meanwhile, the police on Sunday morning took five punters into custody and seized two roosters, eight two-wheelers, and a cash of 19,000 at a remote locality near Devarajulapalle village of B.Kothakota mandal of Madanapalle division. A case was registered.

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