Start-ups are moving so fast that even paralysis in Washington won't get in their way.

Alan Patricof

Said : Alan Patricof, founder and managing director of Greycroft Partners as reported in Lydia DePillis's post in today's Washingtonpost. Alan is a longtime innovator and advocate for venture capital with more than 40 years of experience in this field.

Lydia, in her post, discusses "Why Silicon Valley has been silent on the shutdown" in spite of the fact that "Lobby shops for companies like Google and Facebook have ballooned, campaign contributions have started to flow, new organizations have formed, and high-profile advocacy campaigns have made headlines across the country."

Vivek Wadhwa writes in Washington Post that most of "Silicon Valley’s inhabitants aren't experiencing the misery that furloughed government employees are. But the Valley seems totally oblivious to what is happening in the nation’s capital." He noticed that the Valley’s “don’t care” attitude about government is strikingly visible.

The Valley’s "what, me worry?" attitude largely emanates from the fact that companies in the tech world are mostly funded by venture capitalists and angel investors and not by banks. Banks are much more cautious and their lending behaviors change with the prevailing macroeconomic conditions whereas VCs and angel investors enjoy much more freedom with their cash and are generally more liberal and willing to fund exciting new tech companies.

Vivek Wadhwa

Lydia DePilli

Wadhwa's observation that the Valley seems to have shrugged off the shutdown crisis entirely is, therefore, in sync with the Valley's ground realities. Alan's comment - in Lydia's post - quite appropriately describes this reality. "Frankly the start-up wave that's going on in this country is inexorable; nothing seems to be able to stop it. And most of our companies are at such an early high growth stage, they're growing 30, 40, 50 percent a year, so they're relatively isolated (from the D.C. impasse)."

Joe Green

However, there are people who feel that there is a need to create a voice for the knowledge community as America is already a major player and enjoys leadership position in the knowledge-based industry. They want this for the future and not for the short-term selfish motives. They are quite sure that an organized knowledge community in America can have a very powerful voice that can significantly influence politics, and hence, policy making. 

Facebook-affiliated FWD.us' director Joe Green - Mark Zuckerberg's Harvard roommate - is one such person, according to Lydia who feels that this (shutdown) is one of those times when such a voice could have an impact. FWD.us is an advocacy organization created to promote policies that will lead to a more advanced workforce and stronger knowledge economy in the U.S. The organization is backed by a diverse group of leading innovators, job creators, business owners and founders from Silicon Valley’s tech sector.

The notion that China will "rule the world,' is profoundly overstated and incorrect. China has a very long way to go before it becomes — if it ever becomes — a true global power. And it will never "rule the world." China remains a lonely power, lacking close friends and possessing no allies.

Prof. David Shambaugh

Said David Shambaugh, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs and Director, China Policy Program, in his book "China Goes Global: The Partial Power," published by Oxford University Press on April 29, 2013.

Concerned by the academic profession's tendency to "know more and more about less and less" and its increasing inability to generalize about China's development in all aspects, Prof. Shambaugh undertook the project of writing this book in 2007. As a scholar he felt it his obligation to explain the rise of China which is the big story of the present era. His book is intended to provide better understanding of the "forest" unlike most of the available China studies that give more information about the "trees."

Prof.  Shambaugh says that  the straightforward answer to big questions and speculations arising from China's rise lies in his book's subtitle: China is The Partial Power. His study reveals that the elements of China's global power are actually surprisingly weak and very uneven. He goes on to say that "China is not as important, and it is certainly not as influential, as conventional wisdom holds." Not impressed by China's rise, Prof. Shambaugh, claims that his book is not so much about China's rise as its spread. Most other 'China rise" books are usually based on economic and military studies and comparisons and focus on the conflict between the principal established power (the United States) and the challenging rising power (China).

He has dismissed the "China threat' as a hype. He also disagrees with observers who have already assumed that China will "rule the world.' His view is that such a scenario is not only very much overstated but totally incorrect. According to him China has a very long way to go before it becomes — if it ever becomes — a true global power. And it will never "rule the world." His book reveals that China does have an increasingly broad "footprint" across the globe but lacks the required depth. China's presence varies substantially by sector and region and the nation's strengths are not as strong as they seem on face value. He describes China's appeal, as a "model" for other nations to emulate, as 'weak to nonexistent.'

Prof. Shambaugh calls China a 'lonely power' without close friends and allies. China's closest state-to-state relationship with Russia, Pakistan, and North Korea, which appears harmonious, is fraught with hidden lack of trust. China, in spite of being a member of most international organizations, is not very active. It often stands aside or remains passive when issues concerning international security and global governance have to be dealt with. In such situations, China often makes known what it is against, but rarely what it is for. China never tries to resolve any global problem proactively and positively. Instead, it tries to influence events through nonaction or negative action and passive diplomacy as clear in its stand on issues related with North Korea, Iran, Syria, climate change etc. Prof. Shambaugh highlights China's role in perpetuating global problems by exercising vetoes in the UN Security Council or in supporting dictatorial regimes against Western will by teaming up with Russia and others what might be called as "coalitions of the unwilling."

The findings of Prof. Shambaugh demonstrate that China lacks real global power. Prof. Shambaugh is willing to accept China a global actor without (yet) being a true global power. Prof. Shambaugh follows Harvard Professor Joseph Nye's definition of power - Power is the ability of A to make B do what it would otherwise not do. Merely, resources do not constitute power unless they are used to try to influence the outcome of a situation. The essence of power lies in the conversion of resources into influence, which is the exercise of power. Prof. Shambaugh's study shows that China does not have any real influence on global events except in a very few limited areas of trade and commerce. China is quite active in various parts across the globe but its activities are mainly restricted to trade and commerce including, however, several sensitive sectors like energy, telecommunication, mining and infrastructure. But Prof. Shambaugh's findings indicate that China is not yet influencing or shaping actors or events.

China's global image remains mixed and the majority of the world is very ambivalent about China's rise. This is clear from two major studies carried out annually - one by the Pew (Pew Research Center) and another by BBC (BBC Poll : Attitude towards countries). The two studies when combined provide a clear view of China's global image. In his study, Prof. Shambaugh has quoted a prominent International Relations scholar saying: "There is a combination of insecurity and arrogance in China's behavior at present — insecure at home and arrogant abroad. The government is insecure about a lot of things, so there is an increase in domestic controls. Externally, there is a kind of overconfidence of China's position in the world and a strong reluctance to get involved in foreign entanglements." This perhaps explains China's present dilemma.

Professor Shambaugh is an internationally recognized authority and author on contemporary China and the international relations of Asia, with a strong interest in the European Union and transatlantic issues. He is a frequent commentator in international media, and has contributed to leading scholarly journals such as International Security, Foreign Affairs, The China Quarterly, and The China Journal. (Watch Prof. Shambaugh speaking on "China Goes Global: The Partial Power") 

Due to China’s rising economic power, many think it will eventually supersede and replace the US as the world’s dominant superpower. But overall, the U.S. enjoys a stronger global image than China

Said, Washington, DC based, Pew Research Center in its "2013 Spring Pew Global Attitudes Survey" report of July 18, 2013. 

The survey, carried out from March 2 to May 1, 2013, covered 37,653 respondents from 39 countries of six regions – North America, Europe, Middle East, Asia/Pacific, Latin America and Africa. The full report is available here.

Some of the major findings of the survey are :

• Just 37% of Americans express a positive view of China, down from 51% two years ago. Similarly, ratings for the U.S. have plummeted in China – in a 2010 poll conducted a few months after a visit to China by President Obama, 58% had a favorable impression of the U.S., compared with 40% today. However, young people in both countries express more positive attitudes about the other, a finding that is part of a broader pattern – in many countries, both the U.S. and China receive more favorable marks from people under age 30.
• Anti-Americanism was common throughout much of Europe during the presidency of George W. Bush but President Barack Obama has been enjoying consistently growing popularity among Europeans since 2009 which has given a big boost to America’s image in the region.
• Among the eight EU nations polled, China's ratings have declined significantly over the last two years in Britain, France, Poland and Spain. Greece was the only country in which a majority expressed a favorable view of China.
• America’s image was found to be the most negative in parts of the Muslim world, especially Pakistan (11% favorable), Jordan (14%), Egypt (16%), and the Palestinian territories (16%). Only 21% of Turks see the U.S. positively. America, however, received largely positive ratings in predominantly Muslim nations such as Senegal in West Africa and Indonesia and Malaysia in Southeast Asia.
• In the Asia/Pacific region - Philippines, South Korea and Japan - the U.S. received particularly favorable ratings. A majority in these countries said it was more important to have strong ties with the U.S. than with China. The worst ratings for China came from the Japanese – only 5% expressed a positive view. 82% of Japanese described territorial disputes - which have increased tensions between these two historic rivals over the past few years - as a big or very big problem.

Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.

In the first half of 2013, Twitter posted revenue of $253.6 million but had a loss of $69.3 million. The losses are a non-issue. It would have been a surprise if they had a profit.

Brian Wieser

Said Brian Wieser, analyst at Pivotal Research Group -  a New York City based registered investment advisory firm - in a statement quoted by Reuters in its news report today under the title "Twitter reveals rip-roaring growth, big losses ahead of IPO." Further, commenting on the H1 results of Twitter, he said : "Here's the number that really matters. It's the revenue per customer. The question is how much is the typical commitment they're getting from advertisers at this time," Reuters reported.

Twitter filed the required document with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on October 3, 2013 for its $ 1 billion IPO. The company has expressed its intention to list the common stock under the symbol "TWTR." Twitter, in its SEC filing says : "We have more than 215 million monthly active users, or MAUs, and more than 100 million daily active users, spanning nearly every country. Our users include millions of people from around the world, as well as influential individuals and organizations, such as world leaders, government officials, celebrities, athletes, journalists, sports teams, media outlets and brands. Our users create approximately 500 million Tweets every day.

(Photo source : Twitter)

When President Barack Obama (@barackobama) won the 2012 U.S. presidential election, he first declared victory publicly not on television or other public media, but on Twitter. The President's Tweet was viewed approximately 25 million times on Twitter and widely distributed offline in print and broadcast media.

Twitter has revealed that from 2011 to 2012, its revenue increased by 198% to $316.9 million, net loss decreased by 38% to $79.4 million and Adjusted EBITDA increased by 149% to $21.2 million. From the six months ended June 30, 2012 to the six months ended June 30, 2013, revenue increased by 107% to $253.6 million, net loss increased by 41% to $69.3 million and Adjusted EBITDA increased by $20.7 million to $21.4 million. 

The Twitter's SEC filing mentions numerous risks and uncertainties associated with their business. It says : "We generate the substantial majority of our revenue from advertising, and the loss of advertising revenue could harm our business. If we fail to grow our user base, or if user engagement or the number of paid engagements with our pay-for-performance Promoted Products, which we refer to as ad engagements, on our platform decline, our revenue, business and operating results may be harmed." The company also anticipates substantial expenditure arising from the tax liabilities it undertakes initial settlement of restricted stock units, or RSUs.

As per the company's valuation of August 5, 2013, the fair value of Twitter's common stock was $20.62 per share and based on this, RSUs granted through September 5, 2013 were also valued at $20.62 per share. The third-party valuation of Twitter's common stock undertaken first time on November 18, 2011, was $13.05 per share based on which the fair value of RSUs granted through March 9, 2012 was determined to be $13.05 per share. However, a non-marketability discount of 15% was applied. Since July 1, 2010, Twitter has granted options to purchase an aggregate of 32,651,260 common stock shares - under equity compensation plans - to company's directors, officers, employees, consultants and other service providers at exercise prices ranging from approximately $0.05 to $14.42 per share.

Illness and aging affect all our families. With some longer term, moonshot thinking around healthcare and biotechnology, I believe we can improve millions of lives.

Larry Page, Google CEO

Said Larry Page, Google CEO, on September 18, 2013, announcing the launch of a new company named 'Calico' that will focus on health and well-being, in particular the challenge of aging and associated diseases. As per the press release from Google HQ, Arthur D. Levinson, Chairman and former CEO of Genentech and Chairman of Apple, will be Chief Executive Officer and a founding investor. Arthur Levinson, one of the leading scientists, entrepreneurs and CEOs, has devoted much of his life to science and technology, with the goal of improving human health. The press release has quoted him saying : "Larry’s focus on out-sized improvements has inspired me, and I’m tremendously excited about what’s next.” (Larry Page on Calico)

Arthur D. Levinson

Born on March 31, 1950 in Seattle, WA, Levinson received his Bachelor of Science degree in molecular biology from the University of Washington (1972) and earned a doctorate in Biochemical Sciences from Princeton University (1977). He is also a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, San Francisco (source : CV). He is also a member of the Roche Board of Directors. 

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, commenting on Larry Page's new project and Levinson's appointment as the CEO, said: “For too many of our friends and family, life has been cut short or the quality of their life is too often lacking. Art is one of the crazy ones who thinks it doesn’t have to be this way. There is no one better suited to lead this mission and I am excited to see the results.”

It is a widely known fact that Larry does not think in terms of 10 percent improvement in a product or service. He expects his employees to create products and services that are 10 times better than the competition. This is because he feels that a 10 percent improvement means that you’re basically doing the same thing as everybody else. According to him, with this approach one probably won’t fail spectacularly, but certainly can't succeed wildly. Its not enough to discover a couple of hidden efficiencies or tweaking code to achieve modest gains. At the same time, Larry is of the view that thousand-percent improvement requires rethinking problems entirely, exploring the edges of what’s technically possible, and having a lot more fun in the process. It is said that Larry lives in a 10x world where working on moonshot projects is a way of life - a habit rather than a dream. Through Calico, Larry wants to pursue one of his radical ideas and proposals (also called 'Moonshots') aimed at achieving immortality.

Ray Kurzweil speaking on innovation
and the future of technology at
2013 Georgia Technology Summit

Ray Kurzweil - who joined Google as Director of Engineering in December last year - is a well known researcher in the field of Applied Intelligence (AI), a leading futurist and a successful author and entrepreneur.  He is described as a 'Singularitarian Immortalist' in media because he is confident that humans will soon develop technology advanced enough to keep us alive forever. In his lectures and writings he claims that within 15 years we’ll have technology that will let us add years to our lives at a pace that’s faster than the years we lose through natural aging. Speaking at the Global Future 2045 conference (GF2045), held in New York City in June 2013, Kurzweil said that 3-D molecular computing would provide the hardware for human-level ‘strong’ AI well before 2030. He hoped that as a result of achieving inconceivable heights of intelligence, material progress, computation, communication, biological technologies — DNA sequencing etc. human immortality could be achieved by 2045. The appointment of Kurzweil is now being seen as a part of Google's plan to execute its Moonshot Calico project aimed at achieving immortality.

Google co-founder and CEO Larry Page's detailed interview has been published in the Sept. 30 issue of TIME in which he talks at length about the Calico project. The Time has provided a content preview under the title "Google vs. Death".

There is a huge gulf between what Islam preaches and what its followers practice in almost all walks of life. The great faith insists on universal brotherhood and equality of all human beings before God.

Aijaz Zaka Syed

Said Aijaz Z. Syed - a Gulf based commentator and author - in his article published in Arab News under the title "Gulf between perception and reality of Muslims".

The article provides an insight into the thought process of those who are muslims in a true sense. Aijaz cites recent incidents of extremist violence, around the world, like — the Nairobi mall siege, the attack on a church in Pakistan and attack on college students in Nigeria — and emphasises that people behind such acts of violence have nothing to do with Islam. Further, he says that perpetrators of these shameful acts cannot be Muslims because Islam represents and stands for peace — in Arabic it literally means peace — and mercy. There is a huge gulf between what Islam preaches and what its followers practice in almost all walks of life. 

In a news item published in Arab News of September 30, 2013, it has been reported that increasing number of young students between the ages of 15-17 have been found, by their teachers, mocking Islam, spreading illicit ideas and expressing disrespectful views about Islamic laws at schools in Saudi Arabia. Students have been found laughing during prayers. Teachers feel that most of these children have been affected by globalization and are carried away by a desire to imitate what they deem as Western freedom expressing disrespectful views about Islamic laws. In order to curb this kind of illegal behavior, the education ministry of Saudi Arabia has warned students and contemplated penalties for violating the code of behavior including, among others, preventing a guilty student from pursuing studies for one academic year. The ministry has expressed concern about the harmful effect of such behavior on students and the community. The ministry's codes of conduct for students aim to build a generation committed to Islam and the country.

"The great faith insists on universal brotherhood and equality of all human beings before God. It says all human life is sacred and warns taking one innocent life is akin to killing entire humanity. But what does our conduct demonstrate? No matter what we say in our defense or that of Islam, ultimately we are judged by our actions, not by our words. We can go on claiming for all eternity that the Holy Qur’an, the last revealed divine testament according to our belief, preaches universal brotherhood and that this is the first universal charter of human rights. But do we really believe in and practice what we preach? More to the point, what message does this send out to the world? We may go on righteously protesting that this has nothing to do with faith. But like it or not, such reasoning doesn’t cut it. The world judges us by who we are, not by what we claim to be. If we stand for peace and salvation, our lives must attest to it and our actions must show it. It is as simple as that", writes Aijaj in his article.

Gandhi is a real hero of mine

Said President Barack Obama during his interaction with 9th Graders of Wakefield High School, Arlington, Virginia on September 8, 2009.

Today is 'Gandhi Jayanti' - the 144th birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (October 2, 1869 – January 30, 1948) popularly known as ‘Mahatma Gandhi’ or better still as ‘Father of the Nation’. In 2007, the United Nations declared 2nd October as the International Day of Non-Violence, as a mark of respectful tribute to a person who dedicated his life practicing the principles of non-violence, equality or oneness, and truthfulness.

President Barack Obama (White House)

President Barack Obama - also winner of the Nobel Peace prize (2009) - when asked, during his Interaction Meet, by a student of Wakefield High School "If you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be? The President replied : "Dinner with anyone dead or alive? Well, you know, dead or alive, that's a pretty big list. You know, I think that it might be Gandhi, who is a real hero of mine. Now, it would probably be a really small meal because -- (laughter) -- he didn't eat a lot. But he's somebody who I find a lot of inspiration in. He inspired Dr. King, so if it hadn't been for the non-violent movement in India, you might not have seen the same non-violent movement for civil rights here in the United States. He inspired César Chávez, and he -- and what was interesting was that he ended up doing so much and changing the world just by the power of his ethics, by his ability to change how people saw each other and saw themselves -- and help people who thought they had no power realize that they had power, and then help people who had a lot of power realize that if all they're doing is oppressing people, then that's not a really good exercise of power. So I'm always interested in people who are able to bring about change, not through violence, not through money, but through the force of their personality and their ethical and moral stances. And that's somebody that I'd love to sit down and talk to". (Source : White House Press Office)

Ban Ki-moon
UN Secretary-General

In his message on this occasion, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said : "Today we celebrate the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi and his resonant legacy of non-violence.  Gandhi showed the power of peacefully opposing oppression, injustice and hatred.  His example has inspired many other history-makers such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Václav Havel, Rigoberta Menchú Tum and Nelson Mandela.  Their message to each of us is to champion human dignity, reject intolerance and work for a world where people of all cultures and beliefs live together on the basis of respect and equality". 

He concluded his message by saying : :On this International Day of Non-Violence, I call on global citizens everywhere to be inspired by the courage of people like Mahatma Gandhi. Turn your back to division and hatred; stand up for what is right and just.  Work with your fellow women and men for a world of lasting justice, peace and prosperity for all".

“Non-Violence,” a sculpture by Karl Fredrik Reutersward,
sits permanently outside UN Headquarters in New York

Some links and pictorial illustrations of his personality are given below :

Rabindranth Tagore on Mahatma Gandhi

The Mind of Mahatma Gandhi

by R.K. Prabhu & U.R. Rao 

Neither Saint nor Sinner       

My Mahatmaship

Top world leaders and authors from different fields have said and written volumes about Mahatma Gandhi but his own "An Autobiography" Or "The story of my experiments with truth" provides the deepest insight into his philosophy and thought.