Going nuclear using 123 was a junk effort by India

Domestically, the 123 Agreement was meant to provide India with the means to produce clean energy in the form of nuclear power, a key constraint to economic growth. Efforts of the Congress party in India, which spearheads the UPA government and supported by the politically indomitable Left, to finalize the strategic agreement has gone to trash. The failure of the agreement means the power starved nation has to wait for alternatives or better deals to experience the flourish of electricity in homes.
The deal was in no way a win-win situation for the country, given the fact that India has the potential to produce nuclear energy on its own for civilian purposes, but the immediate benefits were very much palpable. The capability of India in this area has been acknowledged by many, and endorsed by the bigwigs of nuclear arena. The flop show means much more than a failure on the part of government. It means we have failed to recognize the imperative for a clean and efficient source of power, replacing the conventional resources that are going to elude us very soon.

"Made in China" no more!!

A watchful pair of eyes in Panama had unearthed the dangerous diethylene glycol listed in the ingredients of a toothpaste tube in a local store in Panama city. This discovery led to further investigations across the world and spurred "Made in China" toothpaste recalls on a large scale. Chinese manufacturers churned out toothpastes in huge quantities paying no heed to the quality standards of the Western markets. The corollary was unnerving as markets in the U.S as well as neighboring Canada and The Carribean were flooded with potentially lethal products. Meanwhile, federal investigators ran short of resources and intelligence to handle the menace and hectic parleying were on between the U.S. and the autocratic Chinese government. Several months hence, still the issue has not been resolved.

Is it the growing consumerism, the spirit of which ignores health hazards, or is it the ubiquity of "Made in China" label and consequent over-dependence of Americans on outsourced products? Consumers are the best judge and they must exercise caution while buying overseas manufactured products that come with the "low-cost" tag.