UN independent probe implicates Russia for Crimes against Humanity

UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry report on Ukraine was presented to UNHCR few days back. It has concluded that Russia has explicitly committed crimes against humanity. There are well documented systematic and widespread brutalities against civilians. While the report doesn’t directly name Vladimir Putin (unlike ICC which has issued warrant against Putin) the implication is grievous, there are clear evidence of 'coordinated state policy'. Ideally the report should become basis for international community in dealing with Russia. A country accused of crime against humanity (with documented proof, hence cannot be dismissed as political manipulation) cannot be normalized and must be dealt severely. Hypocrisy of EU sanction on Russia is that they use intermediary to access Russian oil and gas (Russian LNG imports to Europe, particularly to countries like Spain, Belgium, and France, have remained significant, with EU data showing Russia still accounting for about 15-20% of LNG imports in 2024, often rerouted through third countries or exploiting legal ambiguities).

UN must impose sanctions against Russia. Any country siding with Russia must be isolated, and should loose voting rights on this issue. UN cannot be bystander when their own agency has submitted report of crime against humanity with explicit evidence. UN must take action. UNGA must convene emergency meeting.  

    

Time for truce in Ukraine

 

European Union was a stupendous achievement and a benchmark collective expression for humanity, of countries coming together into common frame, best of democratic expressions and institutionalizing egalitarian concerns. A progressive small step towards an awareness of earth as single geographical entity, and humans as inhabitants, as responsible citizen and guardian of all the species on fragile planet. A union like EU cannot really happen in any other part of the world, much of the world is in varying degrees of barbarism, border skirmishes, feudal control and poverty. Not that Europe epitomizes egalitarian values, there are remnants of feudal institutions that undermine liberty, and ofcourse all these progressive attempts trapped in neoliberal exploitative control that surely works effectively in neocolonial framework of greed. Take for instance the case of Nestle -a multinational company based in richer part of Europe. A report in 2024 revealed that Nestlé added sugar to its baby food products (Cerelac and Nido) sold in low- and middle-income countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, while offering sugar-free versions in wealthier markets like Europe (Cerelac sold in India reportedly contained nearly 3 grams of sugar per serving, despite WHO guidelines advising against added sugars for infants under two due to risks of obesity and chronic diseases). Nestlé exploited weaker regulations in developing nations and poorer societies to prioritize profit over child health.

Extreme complacency led to irrelevance of EU, arrogant leaders took common people for granted thus leading to severe backlash and rise of extreme right and xenophobic consolidations. Democratic institutions have weakened due to these complacency and arrogant incapacity of leaders to unequivocally assert values that are foundational to democracy and free society. Responsible citizenry is being compromised by systems of control, the extreme ones filling up the vacuum. Liberty and freedom are being bartered for juvenile claims of faith and spurious sensitivities that degrade sensibilities. Europe in many ways was benchmark for human progress. EU a collective triumph. Things have gone wrong too quickly. Not very ironically USA under Trump has exposed the hypocrisy, incapacitated by self-serving leaders/systems using common people as fodder for higher claims. NATO was a remnant of dangerous past that found itself dismantled under Trump, simultaneously exposing parasitic nature of European leadership and incapacity to face complexity of fast changing precariously placed world. They are incapacitated to present a strong purposeful united front nor have the moral authority to unite people. EU military force replacing NATO is a reactionary response. They need to push for reform of UN and a strong multilateral UN force. Putin undoubtedly is authoritarian leader with psychopathic tendencies but to blame him for all that is wrong is a limited view. Ukraine paid a heavy price for the arrogance and misplaced self-assured belligerence of European leaders. It is time to call for unconditional truce and stop civilian casualties. Russian attack on Ukraine led war cannot go on forever, nor can any side win. It can only be prolonged with increasing dire consequences for humanity (not the least of which is climate). It shouldn't be flash point that perils world. European leaders must actively engage to stop the war. Truce be called. Russia and Ukraine revert to pre-war position. NATO dismantled. UN reformed and strengthened for military intervention and peace keeping. Crime against humanity by Russia investigated in international court in a speedy manner and international warrant issued against war criminals so that they don't move freely around the world.

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AI created pic herein is of European leaders as Elois from HG Wells Time Machine. Eloi (and Morlock) are extreme evolutionary outcomes of social inequalities into distant future, simplistic but evocative conjecture. Seemingly utopian, Eloi, are childlike frail peaceful race as a product of centuries of complacency and self-indulgence who are fed upon by Morlocks. Eloi speak simple melodious language and lack curiosity or intellectual complexity, they live in perpetual ignorance, innocence and playful distractions while all their basic needs are met by physical effort and intelligence of burly Morlock. Time traveler mistakes Elois for masters of future world but learns the grim reality that they are just raised as food by Morlocks and are utterly incapable to survive without external aid.

Reporting happiness

 

Happiness is quite a subjective matter. What makes some people happy may be displeasing for others. What is a significant source for happiness for some may mean nothing for others. If the society has evolved core -quite complex and is achieved with much effort through various factors, percolated through benign culture and humanistic traditions and valued through institutions, then it will be reflected in all aspects of dealing including art, science and daily interactions. Crass is always a presence but varies in different societies. A primitive society will have crass as its core and will be reflected in every aspect of life (for instance societies that normalize caste cannibals, monster mullahs, or evil evangelicals will find misery percolating in proportionate to degree of influence of crass). Such spaces cannot be happy on any parameters except maybe those of the perverse kind that sustains the worst of sadistic possibilities – the benign sinister exist among those posing as civilized through feudal institutions, patriarchal concerns, systems of control so on, that wait for fertile grounds to wrench the world back into cave setting and jolly world of hunter gatherers.

Kahneman (in Thinking Fast and Slow) comes out with a unique take on happiness -essentially wellness, that of the experiencing self and the remembering self. Our recollection of an event is anchored on remembering self and not all that what we experience. It is difficult to study happiness and to quantify it. The bias in evaluation and narrow parameters of undertaking within geographical entity of a nation is problematic. There are, ofcourse, some basic parameters on basis of which you can attempt to approximate level of happiness in a society. World Happiness Report is such a venture that was released on March 20^th -the World Happiness Day, adopted by UNGA. Indians (increasingly proud citizens of Bharat), it seems, are not a happy lot. Placed at lowly 118 out of 147 countries (with barbarian ruled Afghanistan rightly at the bottom) sharing happiness with the likes of Chad and Burkina Faso. That 1.4 billion people, approximately 18% of world population, are not at all happy is a serious concern. And when you thought this is the worst possibility comes the expected revelation that Indians rank 128^th in ‘social support’, expected since a society that doesn’t even have a basic understanding of community is incapacitated to provide social support to its fellow citizens. Indeed, every misery is an opportunity to elucidate lessons of fate and blessing to herd, to demarcate normal days into auspicious times, to create crowds as illustration of power of control hence faith, which then falls into the fate of incompetence and characteristic apathy to orchestrate stampede thus ultimate fate of gruesome deaths while blessings for survivors. India also ranks 118^th in ‘inequality’ – which too is on expected lines, authenticated by happy squatters, consolidated by snarling self-obsessed politicians dividing herd with all kind of distractions for easy grab for power. Despite dubious claims of spiritual, and spiritual gurus in every street corner, Indians rank 117 for harboring ‘negative emotion’ -indeed the most literate state with high HDI index comparable to best in the world, Kerala, finds itself in worst of situation with high suicide rate and increasing violence among youngsters (conveniently blamed on drugs -as if these are not available anywhere else in the country) due to crass nature of society incapacitated to self-reflect. What is redeeming, atleast in relative sense, is the high sense of ‘freedom’ (ranked 21) that people enjoy compared to hellholes around the world as also ‘generosity’ (51) -at personal level people can be quite nice despite trapped in worst of society. Ranked 16 in ‘volunteering’ cannot be taken seriously since these are mostly for gaining blessing and generally within the putrid pit -the study seems to have failed to factor in unique nature of depravity. Incidentally, tribes are very few spaces in society that show some remnants of egalitarian value systems.

What is most despicable in the whole conversation is that instead of self-reflection and critical analysis there was blatant attempt by some in the media to manipulate (indeed disinformation) the discussion and try salvage ‘great Indian culture’ (I have a very low opinion on Indian media, and so follow lowest denominator to gather national news -they show no urgency to check facts, typos nor sensibilities to value what is important -it is one crass attempt at attention and greed -and this honesty without pretensions is better than pretentious mediocres). Check this to see how they work to create a narration that is just the opposite of the reality: “India ranked 118 out of 147 countries. While it ranked well for social support, thanks to its community-focused culture and family structures, it scored poorly on freedom, reflecting a lack of perceived choice in society. India's ranking has improved over the years; it was ranked 144 in 2012, and its highest ranking was 94 in 2022”. Such depravity.

Mediocrity seeks power: it is but natural that mediocre people in whatever field they are posing in, whether as artist, journalists, writers, scientists so on, will seek power and influence -social media has added to ease in attention seeking. Greed is never satiated by money, there is always existential crave for more in beggar minded society. Squatter value system has cleverly worked these depravities as successful signs of blessedness for the herd to emulate. As noted from above example writing is just another means to control narration while data points to serious truth deficit. Since the core is rotten it is also expressed through Indian writers (very rarely you have Indian writers -in whatever language, standing up to critical scrutiny; mediocre and insipid). The reason why word defecating vermin come in different shapes and sizes to fill up all the gaps in high end manipulation. More assured they are of their special place in universe prodigious is the output, thicker the feculence/books.   

So here I was at a shop waiting to get an electronic gadget repaired. At the waiting space was collection of books, and this one from a woman (who has worked her crave into RajyaSabha. Having observed the worst kind of people posing as artists into power circle, her PR is keenly manipulating for VP position). I seldom read Indian writers -unless strongly recommended which is quite rare considering overwhelming mediocrity. As I flipped through pages, as a keen reader I felt embarrassed at the quality of writing and very soon felt violated, so before placing it back -ideally thrown into dustbin, I thought of going through the last chapter. Not to strain the precious brains of herd it was appropriately titled “What matters in the end”! “Now Mukesh realized how much he missed his Amma. She knew him and loved him more than anyone else in the world. He was not a Jat or sardar. He was a Brahmin from south India. He knew who he was now. Mukesh took the next flight from Delhi to Bangalore and slept like a baby on the plane.” This trash is Indian writing! What motivates these embarrassing mediocres to write? (also, note complexity of putrefaction here sardar is purposely in small letters -a degraded mocking version of Sikh. Squatter ensconced pus minds have deep contempt for Buddhism and Sikhism as it exposes their depravities. You may also visit https://depalan.blogspot.com/2015/05/horrible-nature-of-poetry-and-degraded.html?zx=9f31a85f57e45972 written 10 years ago for more on depraved mindset). And this despicable woman poses as simple and down to earth while her knuckle headed millionaire husband, lacking any awareness of social reality or empathy, evaluates youngsters as slaves. What is more shocking is that this lump in human form is now full time into children’s writing, posing as moral arbitrator. No amount of manipulated backstory can hide soul clogged in putrefying pus. No wonder India is such a happy place! With little more manipulation it could be happiest place on earth with gaudy gods tacked on floating clouds showering petals on chosen people!                        

Will

In the waves of possibilities 

Sensations coalesce to create

Past, present, dreams

Memories interact for newer pathways

In unlikely crisscrosses and surprising tangles

This emergent complexity

A thought

An intent

Decoheres a reality

Collapsed from multitudes

Representing humanity

 

Democracy is representation of people’s voice through votes. Each person is assured a voice in the process of governance through his or her (or their) vote. Voting age in most democracies is fixed at 18years, it is assumed that a person becomes physically an adult hence mentally mature to decide. It is also assumed that all adults have understanding to weigh in myriad factors to decide what is best for society. This is an idealist version that hinges on wisdom of voters who may not have any such proclivities, far from it they are easily swayed by emotions or crass selfishness for immediate gain, lack basic faculties to comprehend enormity of the task, or else are controlled by insular group affiliation which has least concern for general good or personal wellbeing except as primal protection through herd cave member. The level of primitiveness gives lease to systems of control that undermine process and makes democracy a structure for exploitation. This is being celebrated as democracy across the world, all the while disparities increase, nepotism and corruption are common place, as society scrape lowest denominator of possibilities. Democracy is hardly the voice of people or approximation of their aspiration. It is an expression of control, of money -as guardian of neoliberal system and feudal power -assimilative patriarchal control of human and nature through systems of faith, regressive traditions and manipulation.

To be a human is a responsibility. A responsibility not defined by human controlled systems nor confined to personal aspirations -essentially expressions mediated by controlling systems to perpetuate itself. Responsibility arises through sense of individuality, awareness of self. A human has the arduous responsibility to nurture himself or herself (or themselves) as an individual. A state is duty bound to invest in inclusive systems that essentially is about valuing humans as individuals. Which means to negate controlling systems that foster extractive systems. Commonsense observation and study of basic facts indicates that this clearly is not happening. We live within an exploitative controlling system as the arbitrators posing as different persuasions of democratic debate occupy varying scale of opportunism. It is a mock fight to keep the control and rarely about asserting democratic institutions (severely dented in neoliberal exploitation, juvenile religions isolated from reality and feudal institutionalized traditions). So, people end up using democracy to bargain and barter for short term gain from the exploitative and corrupt system. While exploitative systems wanton greed encourages more voters, more followers, more consumers, more production…consequences are dire as untenable human population and increasing consumption has severely drained natural resources and is collapsing earth’s living systems (of many indicators one is Earth Overshoot Day -humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what earth can regenerate within that year, in 2024 it was August 1^st , meaning humanity used up 1.7times what earth could sustainably provide that year).      

If this is how the world is, then an adult having voting right doesn’t really suffice to be a democratic society, indeed it has become problematic as it incentivizes human population, nor does it propose any solution for immediate problems or existential crisis. System has to evolve and be responsive to reckon with emerging realities. Voting humans are incapacitated to take responsibility of wellbeing of society nor capable to represent other species or earth’s ecosystems. It is therefore important to disincentivize human population -burgeoning belligerence as voice of democracy. Evolved societies invest on quality of living and are acutely concerned and take responsibility for their surroundings, hence will naturally have low fertility rate, while each human strives as an individual to value complexities of life, empathy for other creatures and be abreast with emerging challenges as they strive to be better humans. It is but natural for technology to take the burden of human drudgery hence give value and dignity for life. Hence AI is expected to synergize such evolved societies that care of others as also for nature. Progressive societies cannot be seen as a failure, and so allowed to be negated by barbarianism under the garb of democracy. Neoliberal capitalistic vandal narration and herd churning religions cannot be valued as votes over humanity and all that is cherished. It is time that the concept of democracy is updated to be inclusive and vibrant to fragile contemporary reality.       

Country need be demarcated into equal regions to have equal representation. It is time to realize that area of land and not number of humans that matter and that habitat needs to be represented by human voice. Democracy needs to evolve from anthropocentric framework (ofcourse it brings new challenges but the complexities of solution can be worked for fairer world, or is tried for atleast a decade so as to stop climate catastrophe and biodiversity collapse). Humans are part of society, society is part of humanity, humanity includes all the concerns of earth and other species. This representation is what now matters.               

 

Euler's equation

Euler’s equation 

Transcendental suspends its pursuit

To coalesce into fundamental

Oscillate in wild flare of imaginary and nothing

Complex contracts to align a form from chaos

So fragile an expression

A delight of unexpected poise

Resonate its brilliance into every cell

A doorway for the mind

Drifting like a dandelion seed

Unaware but aware

In spiraling silence

Or a bee settling on a planet as if a flower

Is this wonder

A hint of consciousness 

A portal to merge in the mystery

Suggested reading: Euler’s Pioneering Equation (by Robin Wilson). Euler’s equation (a special case of Euler’s identity) is considered as most beautiful equation in mathematics (and rated second in physics after Maxwell’s equation). It is remarkable in combining five entities, each with deeper mathematical significance, 1, 0, pi, e (exponential growth) and i (imaginary number), as also three fundamental operation addition, multiplication and equality. Feynman calls it ‘our jewel’, others call it mathematical equivalent of Hamlet’s “To be, or not to be”, very short, very succinct. It finds quite a few references in popular culture. Stamps were issued on Euler’s identity. There is a nursery rhyme copied!

Old MacDonald had a farm

e, i, e, i, 0

And on that farm he had 1 pi-g

e, i, e, i, 0

This book traces each entity separately, its history and significance before bringing it all together. Quite an interesting read but only for people who have some understanding and interest for maths. I found reference of Irish astronomer mathematician William Hamilton in the discussion on imaginary numbers particularly interesting. He discovered quaternions (a way to represent rotations in three-dimensional space, which has massive implications for physics, computer graphics, and robotics), after struggling for fifteen years, it is described that one day he was walking along the canal in Dublin “I then and there felt the galvanic circuit of thought close; and the sparks which fell from it were the fundamental equations exactly as I have used them ever since. I pulled out on the spot a pocket book and made an entry…it is fair to say that this was because I felt a problem to have been at that moment solved – an intellectual want relieved which had haunted me for atleast fifteen years since”. Amazing man.    

 

    

The world as it is

 

World has become more transparent with percolation of empowering technology. This has put pressure on political representation to seek attention in newer ways. Posing as transparent and sincere is new device to gain credibility. Surely this seems like a better option. Under the garb of sophistication and behind the formal nefarious worked their deal. We all know what happened in front of camera at White House is something that happens behind (indeed much viciously in some cases, and they capitalize by writing revealing memoirs!). It is a tradition to appear decent and formal in front of camera to impress common people, or more appropriately to keep the herd fixated in their little lives (while we take care of the world). Trump has broken this tradition and introduced unpredictability in this accepted norm of interaction. It is played as transparent (and does impress audience for its ‘sincerity’ and ‘up yours’ to conventions that they don’t trust and know are made up) and pent-up schadenfreude moment. If the world was as it is then what they pose in public will be no different behind the curtains, atleast not dangerously disjointed -which is quite apparent (what was behind the scene discussion between US and Britain when they decided to attack Iraq?).    

The entrenched power (now ‘deep state’ in conspiratorial circles) created binary within extractive system and posed higher morals and showcased themselves as better people to negotiate for future of humanity. Meanwhile facts are clear. World has become seriously unequal and transactionally iniquitous. Natural systems are squeezed out, ecosystems are collapsing, biomass is reducing, species are vanishing and environment is firmly towards extreme. Obviously last 50years was a missed chance for investing in inclusive system for better world. International organizations remains frozen power structures, at the best patronizing or delay or neglect, woefully inadequate to deal with fast changing world despite best efforts by few sincere concerned people. There surely is a systemic problem. The system is out of sync. For instance, why didn’t they sincerely try to upgrade UN and reflect realities of a changed world? The urgency that has befallen lackadaisical self-assured EU (severely diminished by arrogance) is going to be a study on various stages of ineffectual (despite best intention to control narration. Lesson number one: in the age of social media narrations are what works the immediate realities of people, and not the bigger world and its problems that untrustworthy politicians propose to solve). People are now hinged on immediate, creatively judiciously work to bring in the world. Sincerity of purpose can bridge the gap.  

Transparency and openness, which is apparently progressive and empowers democratic values, has ironically pushed the world into serious problem. Since the world is primed in neoliberal extractive capitalism, hinged on opportunist juvenile morals of anachronistic faith systems and arbitrated by feudalistic values entrenched into democratic institutions the result is: crass is now transparent, bravado frank. Crude is easiest claim to primal attention unleashed on populace with susceptible discerning skills and very surely lacking aesthetics of sophisticated complexities. It surely is good for TV (ofcourse TV is now obsolete, what it really means: this is clickbait for the world in perpetual attention mode. Not that the world is devoid of any attention). From this frame you can impress the herd on your apparent sincerity (indeed for people increasingly loosing trust this is the glimmer they will latch on to) but will find woefully inadequate to face the complexities of the world. What is good in this chaos is exposing the hypocrisy of entrenched establishment that took common people for granted and an easy sink to dump the misery. Well, some may say isn’t the world a better place than a century back. Surely it is. Democratic institutions have spread, human rights are valued, and better part of the world have access to modest choices to uplift their lives. It cannot be denied that despite enormous grassroot effort most of the socioeconomic empowerment was facilitated by technology, enabled by inquisitive brilliance of few scientists nurtured in open societies with active state support by investing in effective enabling inclusive infrastructure like health, education, research so on. But somewhere the stagnation happened that assimilated all the progress into extractive systems. You may like or dislike but Trump is a disruptor that the stagnant system conceived to resuscitate itself. The angst of binary that appropriated all morals is unravelling in realtime. Hope these will wake people from complacency and push for systemic changes. Stop posturing (it will be easily dismantled) and show sincerity. Days of charming complacency is over.