My Musings

 Musings....... Iran has elected its eighth president since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that ended the Pahlavi Dynasty.  As one may know Iran is a theocratic state with partial elective democracy.  At the top of the governance pyramid is the supreme leader - currently Ayatollah Ali Khaneneni who is in power since 1989 when his predecessor Ayatollah Khomeini died.  The Supreme Leader is the commander in chief of all armed forces and security services, appoints the heads of radio and TV networks and the Judiciary. He also elects half of 12 member Guardian Council.  The Guardian Council (GC) members vet candidature for all elected positions including the President, the 290 member Parliament and the 88 member Assembly of Experts.  The GC also ensures all legislation passed is in conformity with the Sharia laws.  In case there is difference of opinion, the matter is referred to a 45-member Expediency Council - which is again chosen by the Supreme Leader....

 Musings....... Global Minimum Tax  The recently concluded Group of Seven (G7) meeting of the worlds advanced economies gives hope.  The G7 has reached a landmark agreement to pursue higher global taxation on multinational companies such as Google, Facebook, Apple and Amazon.  So why do we need a Global Minimum Tax? The multinational companies have been shifting profits (and tax revenues) to low-tax countries. Income from drug patents, software and royalties on intellectual property have been migrated to tax havens- to avoid paying higher taxes in their traditional home countries.  Originally it was the OECD ( Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ) that has been coordinating tax negotiations of over 140 countries for years !  Rules for taxing cross- border digital services and curbing tax base erosion.  The OECD and G20 countries aim to reach a consensus on both these issues.  The Global Minimum Tax rate would apply to overseas p...

 Musings.......  June 5 is World Environment Day  Considered one of the biggest awareness campaigns of United Nations (UN) for Mother Nature, - Reimagine. Recreate. Restore is this years theme !  According to United Nations, the human population must resolve to bring about little changes in its lifestyle that can help restore the natural order of things.  This year we will see the UN launch the “ UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration”. It is a 10 year plan for the authorities to think on the path of stopping the degradation of ecosystem.  FORESTS -  It is said that the world loses a football pitch of forests every three seconds.  Trees are the common factor in any kind of forest.  Ecosystem services provided by forest that are gifted to humans include-  - [ ] Climate regulation  - [ ] Water and air purification - [ ] Precipitation reduction and  - [ ] Nutrient cycling  Here lies the importance of forests and the need to prese...

 Musings....... English language in the Covid era (2020- 2021) Covidiot- A someone who ignores health and safety guidelines intended to prevent spread of COVID19  Superspreader- A person or event responsible for transmitting an infectious disease to a large number of people  Quarantini- A day or nighttime cocktail used to unwind amid remote work and covid lockdowns  Social Distancing- set of measures to prevent the spread of Covid  Germpod/ Quaranteam/ Bubble- A small group of people who follow the same rules and standards for behaviour and can thereby spent time together. Eg. IPL bubble  Blursday- The fuzzy merging of time since the pandemic shut down so much of the world, making it difficult to determine what day of the week it is  On Mute- popularised by Zoom calls around the world, when a fellow video caller is speaking without microphone on.  Simp- Popularised on TikTok, for men overly accommodating or devoted to somebody ( usually a women ) ...