From a recent issues of TIME Magazine:
..The Centers for Disease Control has been undercounting the number of new HIV cases in the U.S.
Revised figures put the number of newly infected Americans at 55,000 to 58,500 per year instead of 40,000.* (SOURCE: CDC, Issue dated August 18th, 2008)
Consider this against alarmist “news” about HIV-infections in India…In particular, please have a look at these posts:
HIV-positive patients *real* number may be 1/3rd of estimate
AIDS’ first casualty in India: “Truth”
AIDS’ first casualty in India: Part 2 

Apparently desperate not to be left behind in the increasing cacophony of voices demanding “azaadi” for Kashmir, DNA published this piece today as its contribution to the discussion.
This one though is “interesting” for more reasons than one. For one, it is penned by an “authentic” Kashmiri Pandit (although a Pandit who left Kashmir more than 50 years ago, soon after Partition). For another, it talks about – amongst other things – “…Sheikh Abdullah, a man whose commitment to India was unquestionable…”,  “The most unimaginable genocide…committed on the  people” and  ”Entire generations of …

Courtesy “Son of Devaki” by Tarun Vijay, this amazing table that provides a glimpse into how the populatoin in the Kahsmir valley has been rewarded at the expense of the citizens in Jammu.
Please read and circulate widely.
The step-motherly treatment of Jammu

Sr. no 

Jammu region 

Kashmir valley region 

Area

26293 sq kms 

15948 sq kms 

Total revenue generated

75 % 

20% 

Total voters

3059986 

2883950 

Assembly seats allotted

37 

46 

Voters per seat

66521   

49728

Area per assembly seat

710.6 sq kms 

346.6 sq. kms. 

Loksabha seats

2  

3

Cabinet ministers(till 7th July,08)

5 

14

Districts

10 

10

Area per district

2629 sq. …

Thanks to Krishen-ji for alerting me to this interview of Bill Warner, Director, Center for the Study of Political Islam (CSPI).  CSPI is devoted to the scientific study of the foundational texts of Islam, including the Koran and Hadith.
Its approach is unusual in that it relies on statistics to study the doctrines (e.g. see the discussion about “Jihad” below) and considers the Koran alongside the Sira and Hadiths as part of the Islamic Trilogy. Although published more than a year ago, large parts of it are still very relevant.
Excerpts:
…Our major intellectual breakthrough is to see that dualism …

Amidst the flurry of Op-Ed pieces in mainstream (English language) media, suggesting granting Kashmir “complete autonomy (Khushwant Singh) ” or holding a plebiscite (Swaminathan S Aiyar) or a referendum (Vir Sanghvi),  I failed to spot even one Op-Ed suggesting that the answer may lie in scraping Article 370 forthwith.
I believe it is time to say, “One Country, One Law”…and turn Jammu and Kashmir into a normal “State” in the “Union of India”.
This is my 3-point prescription to get out of this mess for good (I do need to think through the consequences in …