Ratan Tata, Chairman of the Tata Group had a vision. He had seen the struggle of the Indian middle-class, a family of four traveling on a two-wheeler. He wanted to provide succor to the millions of such families. He wanted to give them a car that would be affordable, safe, meet pollution norms and of course be fuel efficient. Tata’s brainchild, came to life, christened as “Nano.” Tata accredited this to the teamwork. I agree and look on in awe.
But it did not end there. Nano was confronted with many hurdles. From skeptics in the industry who questioned the feasibility of such a project to environmentalists who cried hoarse about the potential pollution boogey that would rear its ugly head. Tata and his team of young engineers and designers silenced all critics convincingly.
But, they were not prepared for the Singur hurdle. I guess they had shot themselves in their foot by completely depending upon the current West Bengal government.
Majority of the land acquired by the West Bengal government for the factory did not belong to the people who tilled the land. The land owners had rented out the land to laborers and sharecroppers. Hence, when the government acquired the land, the hardest hit were these laborers and sharecroppers. They had no-where else to go as the landowners got the moolah from the government, while these sharecroppers were left staring at the wrong end of the barrel. Their only means of livelihood taken away, they became prime targets for the opposing politicians in the state. These politicians played on their emotions and caused a civil rift in the small village of Singur and its surroundings.
I can understand the plight and anger of these people whose livelihood was stolen from them. I can understand their fight for their livelihood. But I also understand that these people would end up losing any way. It is the politicians who are playing this dirty game who are to gain from this.
And the biggest losers are the Tata’s. They are currently mulling to pull out of Singur and construct the plant elsewhere. Their initial move to set up the plant in West Bengal was a leap of faith and a sign of their confidence in the leadership in the state. I think they are paying dearly now. The delay would cost them dear. Spiraling steel prices and inflation would make it difficult to sell the Nano at Rs 1 lakh.
But if you would ask me, the real losers are we: Indians. Here was a vision by one man envied by the rest of the world. Yet we, Indians are the ones who are derailing this vision. As someone had rightly pointed out, it happens only in India.
Author 
Australia's captain Ricky Ponting believes it is only a matter of time before Twenty20 is part of the Olympics. Just days after the completion of the Beijing Games, Ponting said it was "inevitable" the new form would become an Olympic event, given its popularity in the subcontinent.
Ponting, who also called for a portion of the international calendar to be kept free for Twenty20 tournaments, was speaking at a dinner in Sydney to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Don Bradman.
"I actually think it's inevitable Twenty20 cricket will be an Olympic sport," Ponting said. "You think about the audiences in the subcontinent, 22 or 23% of the world's population is based in that area. The IOC could do a lot worse than put cricket in the Olympics."
Although he wanted Twenty20 to be part of the world's biggest sporting event, Ponting warned that the format had to be handled carefully by international cricket bosses. He has concerns about players chasing quick dollars rather than playing for their country.
"The critical issue with the game of Twenty20 cricket is how do we make it work," Ponting said. "We definitely need a carve-out period. The reason I say that is not because I want to go off and play, it's not about that.
"I want to play for Australia as much as I can, I want to play as many Tests for Australia as I can. I want the next generation of Australian players to have that dream to put on the baggy green cap and play 100 Test matches and 300 one-day games.
"I'm worried if there's not that period of time, be it in the IPL or the EPL, or whatever competition it might be, that this next generation's opinions might change. They might see the dollars and think, 'maybe it's more appealing to me that I go and play IPL instead of playing for my country'. That would be the saddest thing ever to happen to this great game."
By Arunava Das
India don't like being favourites, and being written off by many even before their young ODI side assembled in Colombo ultimately worked just fine. Defeat in the final Test at the P Sara Stadium was so comprehensive that it was difficult to see where the one-day recruits would turn for solace as they landed for five matches against Ajantha Mendis and Co. Now, after beating the hosts by 46 runs, India have sealed their first series win in Sri Lanka. And central to their success has been their captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
From the day he landed in Colombo, Dhoni stressed the past should be left alone and the focus should be on the task facing his side. He admitted Ajantha Mendis would be a threat but said it was up to the individual to handle him. He stressed on the importance of the batsmen to back themselves to score briskly, despite the setbacks. India's recent record in the subcontinent included losses in the finals of the Kitply and Asia Cup, which Dhoni termed as "crucial games", and he hoped to rectify that trend. This match was a final in itself, and India held their nerve to win it.
He is a very important cog in this wheel, and for the second game running he was at the centre for India, overcoming health issues - he had a a fever yesterday and evidently hadn't recovered fully. Dhoni and Suresh Raina showed how it should be done, scoring runs at a good clip after Sri Lanka left India 81 for 3 in the 18th over. He led the way in proving Mendis could be thwarted, even as he struggled to remain on his feet towards the end of his innings. Overall, Dhoni has top scored in the series with 192 runs at a strike-rate of 79.33, won four tosses in a row, made the right selection choices, and been proactive in the field.
Under lights, with Sanath Jayasuriya in a punishing mood, Dhoni tossed the ball to Harbhajan Singh in the 18th over. With pace taken off the ball, Jayasuriya edged the third ball to a smartly-placed wide slip. After that Dhoni added an extra cover, who was sharp to deny runs. Attempting to work Yuvraj Singh off his pads, Chamara Kapugedera was trapped lbw. These are minor moves Dhoni makes, but they often have a resounding resonance. Dhoni opted for four specialist bowlers in the last two games and he was rewarded with wickets from Yuvraj. Dhoni also won four successive tosses: some call that luck; with Dhoni, it's all part of the package.
In his book, What Sport Tells Us About Life, Ed Smith writes of the 19th-century historian Thomas Carlyle, who believed the bravery of heroes and leaders derived from their inspired and resourceful force. "The history of the world," Carlyle argued, "is but the biography of great men." Dhoni is no great, yet, but he has this amazing knack to inspire. And, since becoming captain and changing his approach to batting, he has played key roles with the bat. He averages 57.17 when in charge, with ten fifties and one century.
Many had criticised Dhoni's decision to skip the Test series, forgetting that he had to endure such a gruelling schedule this last 18 months (14 Tests, 56 ODIs, eight Twenty20 internationals, and the IPL). In the Test side Dhoni has yet to cement his place, as one century in 31 matches suggests; in fact, he was dispensable at the time he announced he was opting out. Dhoni is the most important member of a young one-day side and he realised that for the better.
Numerous television chat shows slammed Dhoni for the loss in the series opener and for reportedly influencing the selectors to pick young talent instead of ageing, vastly experienced heroes. Now Dhoni has led this group, with their struggles and pressures, to win a series few expected them to even contest.
The line-up India fielded resembled virtually that of the dismal Asia Cup final but, led by Dhoni and his sheer bullishness in believing Mendis could be overridden, they overcame the odds. Ignore the awful times, and concentrate on the good ones, seems to be Dhoni's mantra
Unlike in the second and third matches, where Zaheer and Dhoni were virtually one-man shows, this was a collective victory. "Contributive efforts are better because you are not relying on one individual," Dhoni said after the last game. "You will get individual performances brilliantly, but it's always better to win through a team effort. Everyone can enjoy it that way."
Consecutive fifties from Raina and Dhoni, Virat Kohli's maiden half-century to papered over the failures of Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj, Munaf's two-wicket burst, Zaheer Khan's accuracy, wickets for the spinners. This match had it all, and that will give Dhoni immense satisfaction.
Critics can argue that India were helped by a complete batting failure by the hosts, and off-key series for Chaminda Vaas and Muralitharan. Dhoni will tell you that his bowlers got the measure of the batsmen, and there is no denying how Dhoni and S Badrinath's approach towards the spinners in game two sparked a revival. Sri Lanka were poor in this series, very poor, but India were good.
This isn't in the same league as the ICC World Twenty20 or the CB Series, but it should be toasted. It came after Mendis - he who mauled India in the Asia Cup final - and Muttiah Muralitharan made a mockery of the best middle order in Test cricket. The line-up India fielded resembled virtually that of the dismal Asia Cup final but, led by Dhoni and his sheer bullishness in believing Mendis could be overridden, they overcame the odds. Ignore the awful times, and concentrate on the good ones, seems to be Dhoni's mantra.
Baseball, poets say, cannot be scripted. Neither can cricket. After the barrage of questions they faced before this series, Dhoni and his bunch of upstarts can sit back and smile. They've defied the odds and deserved to win, and Carlyle would certainly have toasted their success.
By Arunava Das
Though I have come across news articles on how people find it indispensable, consider it as an extension of themselves, how they couldn’t live without it; I have never felt anything like that, towards it. I still don’t even now. That’s the reason why I probably felt the pinch for the first time in my life.
For 24 years I resisted it. I did not want it. I felt free, no responsibilities. People around me couldn’t fathom why. They probably felt that I was missing out on the revolution, which I rather dismissed it as “Mass Hysteria”. They took it upon themselves to hammer the advantages of owning one into my head. I won. They gave up.
I have seen it all. The anxiety of not receiving a message, checking every other minute to see if any near or dear ones have messaged them. Some even couldn’t resist the urge to take it out every now and then to check the remaining balance. One probably felt that in order to look and feel important, one had to own one of those, taking it out of their pockets and follow the rituals mentioned above. I never understood, nor did I try.
But it happened. I was coerced into buying one, and people around me, with a wry smile acknowledged that I had finally entered into the world of “Mobile Phones.”
They looked at me as if I had been lost for a long time and finally made it back to the civilization. Does Rip Wan Winkle ring any bells? Some even chastised me for resisting the urge to buy the so called “god sent gift” to humanity. Some even took it upon themselves to educate me on the modalities, etiquettes, and what not…of owning a mobile phone. I listened, with my ears and not my mind. I hated it and I still do.
But I was slowly getting sucked into the quicksand, and weirdly I did not resist. What is that these little things possess? Slowly I felt enchanted by them. The bug had bitten me for good this time. So with the change in job and a higher salary beckoned me to satisfy the urge to own a classy, sexy high end model.
What the hell, I went ahead and blew my first two months salary on a Motorola Razr 2 V8. It cost me 15 grand. I had no regrets.
Eight months down the line, yesterday I had lost it. It was stolen. My colleagues surrounded me, trying to figure it out, how, who and all that. Time and again, they looked at me and somehow I got the feeling that they were trying to convey their sympathies at losing something precious, something that was an irreplaceable part of my life.
I tried to tell them that I felt all right. Its just a cell phone. But I could not. I felt the pinch for the first time in my life and even now I am not able to put that into words.
This was the first time in my life that I have been a victim of a robbery. This was the first time that I had been careless.
Though I could buy myself another one, probably a better one; I wish I could turn back time and get my Moto back. This was also the first time that I was happy to pay a bribe of 200 rupees to the cop, who registered my complaint, hoping that it would make the cops to do their duty promptly and that I would get my phone back. The cops also ensured that I got an earful from them on how careless people are and how the rising incidents of Mobile Phone thefts have made their life a living hell.
A familiar feeling which I had felt a long time ago coursed through me. It was the feeling of Freedom. I felt that I was free again.
Here’s to freedom, from mobile phones!
Author
Climate Change Can Triggers Wars, Warns Expert
An expert from the Washington State Intelligence department has warned that Climate change-induced damage to global ecosystems and resulting competition for natural resources may trigger wars and conflicts among nations in the future.
Jurgen Scheffran, a scientist at the University of Illinois, reviewing recently published research, concluded that 'the impact of climate change on human and global security could extend far beyond the limited scope the world has seen thus far.'
Scheffran is working with the Program in Arms Control, Disarmament and International Security and the Center for Advanced BioEnergy Research at the university. 'The associated socio-economic and political stress can undermine the functioning of communities, the effectiveness of institutions, and the stability of societal structures. These degraded conditions could contribute to civil strife, and, worse, armed conflict,' he wrote.
Reality Bites:
In fact, 'large areas of Africa are suffering from scarcity of food and fresh water resources, making them more vulnerable to conflict. An example is Sudan's Darfur province where an ongoing conflict was aggravated since droughts forced Arab herders to move into areas of African farmers.'
Other regions of the world - including the Middle East, Central Asia and South America - also are being affected, he said.
Scheffran's review included a critical analysis of four trends identified in a report by the German Advisory Council on Global Change as among those most possibly destabilizing populations and governments.
They include degradation of freshwater resources, food insecurity, natural disasters and environmental migration.
In his analysis, Scheffran noted that the number of world regions vulnerable to drought was expected to rise. Water supplies stored in glaciers and snow cover in major mountain ranges such as the Andes and Himalayas also are expected to decrease, he said. 'Most critical for human survival are water and food, which are sensitive to changing climatic conditions,' Scheffran said.
The degradation of these critical resources, combined with threats to populations caused by natural disasters, disease and crumbling economic and ecosystems”, he said, “could ultimately have 'cascading effects'.”
Response And Possible Steps In Ameliorating The Situation:
'Although climate change bears a significant conflict potential, it can also transform the international system toward more cooperation if it is seen as a common threat that requires joint action,' he said.
One of the more hopeful, recent signs on that front was the 2007 Bali Climate Summit that brought together more than 10,000 representatives from around the world to draft a climate plan.
In addition to global cooperation, Scheffran believes that those occupying the earth now can learn a lot about the future by studying the past. The great human civilizations began to flourish after the last ice age, and some disappeared due to droughts and other adverse shifts in the climate.
'The so-called 'Little Ice Age' in the northern hemisphere a few hundred years ago was caused by an average drop in temperature of less than a degree Celsius.
'The consequences were quite severe in parts of Europe, associated with loss of harvest and population decline,' Scheffran said. 'Riots and military conflicts became more likely, as a recent empirical study has suggested.'
This data point to an increasing dilemma that the world is going to face in wake of fast climate changes that are already affecting the seasonal patterns of the world leading to increased frequencies of flooding and cyclones that are rampaging different parts of the globe.
These staggering findings are a real threat to the very existence of mankind on earth and it’s high time that nations come together and try to solve this issue.
By Arunava Das, (Arunava----Saviour of Forests, Green Peace), Media Analyst
By Sowjanya Shankar
Deep underneath your feet is a hellish stone soup, kept hot by a torrent of radiation from poisonous isotopes of uranium, thorium and potassium in the earth's superheated mantle. This is the heat that helps cause volcanoes, geysers and
Engineers hope to tap the earth's heat by drilling as deep as 15,000 feet into the earth's crust. They pump water down an injection wells (the blue well), where it is heated by the rock. Pressure forces the hot water up the production wells (the red wells). The heat from the water is transferred to a working fluid, which boils at a low temperature, which spins a turbine to create electricity.
Forbes.com
I want to see, yet I can't;
Beautiful flowers, colourful birds,
Beauty of the woods, lush green trees.
Yellow sun, clear blue sky,
Bardwisikhla marching in March.
Calmness of the breeze,
Sound of pouring rain;
An old house beside the tree,
Butterflies in the garden.
The wind blowing at my face,
And I don't want, yet see;
Concrete jungle, dark clouds,
Smog on the roads, dust in the trees;
Murder in the skies,
Open dustbin and flies.
Clear day, rainy night,
Hunger and food fight;
Jam-packed roads, beggars on the street,
Use and abuse of Human Might!
By Deeksh
Whenever I look at you,
Wonder, if you were born with a smiling face..
It smiles when you smile.
It smiles when you are sad..
It smiles even when you are in daze.
Smile is contagious and,
You are infecting the world.
I do not know, what to do..
All I want to do is, smile back at you.
hE hEE…
Keep Smiling!!
I can do anything to fetch a smile
on your face..
By Shilz
From past few weeks, I was reading biography of Bhagat Singh. There was one incidence in that book, which yanked my heart. More over, I was astonished knowing the quest of Bhagat Singh for knowledge!
"The aim of life is no more to control the mind, but to develop it harmoniously; not to achieve salvation here after, but to make the best use of it here below; and not to realise truth, beauty and good only in contemplation, but also in the actual experience of daily life; social progress depends not upon the ennoblement of the few but on the enrichment of democracy; universal brotherhood can be achieved only when there is an equality of opportunity - of opportunity in the social, political and individual life."
“It is easy to kill individuals but you cannot kill the ideas. Great empires crumbled while the ideas survived. "
I got a shocker of news when I was browsing through Lifehacker, which said that Google is abandoning its “Page Creator” in favor of “Google Sites.”
We have extensively used Page Creator to upload images and other information displayed in our blogger templates. When one tries to login to the page creator, the following message is displayed at the login screen:
About Google Page Creator
We are no longer accepting new sign-ups for Page Creator because we have shifted our focus to developing Google Sites, which offers many of the capabilities of Page Creator along with new features like site-level navigation, site-level headers, control over who can see and edit your site, and rich embeddings like calendars, videos, and Google docs.
If you are currently a Page Creator user, you can continue to use Page Creator and your pages will automatically be transitioned to Google Sites later this year. We are committed to making this transition as smooth and easy as possible, and we will post more details as we get closer to the transition time. You can also manually move your web pages from Page Creator to Google Sites or other service providers at any time.
Existing users can continue using the page creator until it is stopped and Google says that the pages will be automatically transferred to the Google Sites. Yes, but what about the URL’s? Will they remain the same. I do not think so.
I guess we will be updating our hosting site very soon. So please bear with us, as some of the images or sections of the current template might not work for a day or two.
Author
By Deeksh
Many of us generally associate innovation with gizmos and gadgets. But these are just the more visible products of technical innovation and certainly not the most important innovations, which are related to the very foundational structures of an economy.
Institutional structures such as the constitution of the state, judiciary, the educational institutions, legislature, and the market, should be strong enough for any country to become INDEPENDENT!!
The ability to innovate and help evolve these institutions depends on the degree of freedom that individuals in society enjoy.
We can enjoy burly degree of freedom, if we can come-up with innovative ideas that permit us better tomorrow.
So what determines the degree of freedom? Ultimately it is the collective spirit of the society which grants to itself whatever freedoms it chooses. Another word for the phrase “collective spirit” could be culture.
How many of us value freedom?
Hey, not the political freedom that was obtained decades ago from British colonial rule. But the freedom that affects individuals in their day to day living and working.
So, now tell me – What is freedom for you?
The so called dot com boom, also known as the web revolution, gave us a new form of media which goes by its popular moniker “Social Media.” People all over the globe reveled in this new find, which gave them the freedom to express their thoughts and ideas to the world like never before.
This gave birth to a phenomenon called “Blogging.” The “freedom of expression” had found another champion promoting its cause. One could post anything under the sun on the net for all who cared, no restrictions. It seemed like the “Holy Grail” for budding writers and casual line droppers, or is it?
I came across an article on the TechCrunch written by Erick Schonfeld titled “Blogging Is Not A Crime.” Apparently he had come across data which said that the number of bloggers incarcerated has been on an increasing trend.
A majority of those bloggers were arrested by their respective governments. It seems that the certain governments couldn’t resist tracking and censoring blogs. Curbing the basic right to one’s freedom of expression seemed to be their favorite pastime.
But the following sentence from Eric’s article caught my eye:
“As blogging expands internationally, so do the risk of speaking one’s mind. (Something many of us take for granted).”
The comment in brackets “Something many of us take for granted” really jolted me out of my senses and I started to do some soul searching. I am lucky to have been born in a country wherein the right to freedom expression is considered as a birth right. Somehow it has been inoculated in my mind that freedom of expression is something we should take for granted.
Don’t we have the right to take the freedom of expression or speaking one’s mind, for granted? For another perspective, see my article on Mass Media And Its Responsibilities.
Yes. People living in countries governed by oppressive governments do not enjoy this valuable right to expression. Keeping that in mind, those who do take it for granted, should utilize it properly; try and become the voice of all those unknown voice-less people living in such countries. We should spread awareness and highlight the issues affecting them.
Social media along with mass media can reach out to mind blowing number of people in a very short amount of time. With this kind of power in hand, we can address a lot of issues. But then again will it really happen, especially in this age of monetization and every given opportunity on the web. Will people still be interested in reading the plight of less fortunate one’s suffering from oppressive regimes. Even if they do, can we bring about a change?
At least we can try. They say it’s foolish to live on hope and build on dreams. But I believe I can. But I can’t do it alone. I am willing to provide the spark. I need you to convert the spark into a raging fire.
Source: TechCrunch
Author
By Shilz
I recently read journalist-writer Mark Tully’s views with regard to Indian languages being swamped by English. It was worth reading or else I would have missed an opportunity to know such an astounding person!
During his 22-year tenure as the BBC's India Correspondent, Mark Tully became familiar to viewers and listeners throughout the world for his incisive and thought-provoking reports.
"
Of course taking this stance is not going to make him very popular among some people in both
Divya Kumar’s article titled : “Mark his word” published in The Hindu Metroplus on August 7, 2008 and BBC.co.uk
The competitive spirit has been taken so seriously in the world of sport, it really amazes me to see the extent to which any team or an individual would go to gain that precious little advantage which would ultimately result in a win. It’s about winning at all costs.
With the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games 2008 being conducted with all the glamour and jazz in China, I am writing this post trying to lull myself into false sense of security and hope that this edition of the Summer Olympics will turn out to be a clean one.
However, the lead up to the Olympic Games has been anything but rosy. Accusations flying thick and fast about incidents of doping being encouraged by none other than the host nation itself, possibly points to vested interests trying to sully Beijing’s image. I am not a big fan of Beijing’s approach of branding the Olympics as green. (See my earlier article on: Red Dragon Breathes Fire At The Summit Of Mount Everest)
WADA has already set alarm bells ringing by raising concern regarding the use of gene therapy to increase an athlete’s performance. This method of doping is popularly known as Gene Doping.
Gene Doping is defined by the World Anti-Doping Agency as "the non-therapeutic use of cells, genes, genetic elements, or of the modulation of gene expression, having the capacity to improve athletic performance."
Tinkering around with the genes, opens up an un-explored vista which might become an haven for cheats. There is an enormous potential here, wherein genes for increasing muscle mass, increasing oxygen carrying capacity of the red blood cells, energy production, reduction in muscle fatigue; can be taken out from an athlete’s body, duplicated and re-introduced into the athlete making him/her an super-athlete. Since the resulting effects are still natural, it becomes very difficult to distinguish cheats from honest athletes.
There are a lot of skeptics who say that Gene Doping will not work out as it is very risky and simply because no one has yet to set a precedent. But who knows? There might be athletes out there already who are using it.
WADA has established vigorous research programmes to develop new detection methods for Gene Doping.
When I was discussing this issue with one of my colleagues, I was left speechless when he pointed out that the latest molecular biological techniques such as DNA fingerprinting (or DNA Profiling) can be used to identify athletes with favorable genes which might give them an edge in a particular sports. The use of such techniques to screen out athletes might be in place already. “How are you going to stop them? Is it not unfair that an athlete participates in a sport, not because he is passionate about it, but he has a genetic profile which gives him a competitive edge in that particular sport?” I had no answer to these questions.
Funny, that this reminds me of one of the Harry Potter movies, where a hat is placed on the heads of new pupils, and the hat decides which house the pupil will belong to.
Image source: The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games
Author
By Shilz
HIV is a debilitating and deadly disease of the human immune system, and is one of the world's most serious health problems. The World Health Organization estimates that about 20 million people have died from AIDS since the infection was first described in 1981. Our 
The prevalence of HIV/AIDS is "high" in
In a bizarre incident, a couple infected with deadly HIVDefine virus killed their three children and then committed suicide. The
The police think that the parents allegedly fed sweets laced with poison to their two boys, and as the daughter survived eating the poisoned sweets, the parents then smothered her with a pillow before committing suicide. The couple had hanged themselves from the ceiling by a nylon rope.
It is really foolish that even most of the educated people decline to shake hand with HIV infected persons. People do not have proper knowledge about the modes of transmission of HIV.
Anasuya, a widow in her twenties, told a research team from the charity: “In villages people do not distinguish between HIV and AIDS, the last stage. They treat us as worse than Untouchables.”
Meghna Girish, the co-ordinator of a program for people living with HIV/AIDS in
In one incident in June two doctors were suspended from a hospital in the northern city of
Even the relatively rich suffer the effects of medical ignorance, according to a recent study conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO). It said that nearly 10,000 of the estimated 40,000 HIV-infected people being treated by private doctors in
The WHO also found that Indian drug companies are delivering powerful drugs directly to the homes of HIV patients — cutting out medical professionals — to overcome patients’ fears of discrimination.
References:
TimesOnline.co.uk, BBC News, Avert.org & The MedGuru
I woke up early this morning..
Feeling kinda weird…
What’s up with this morning.. I wondered
Scratching my sloppy beard
Now …they are a shade of cream
Am I really feeling all this??
Or is this ….just a dream??
N wash these feelings away..
But why do I need to do that? I thought
I kinda like it this way
From what it used to be???
Why do I feel the whole world
Is smiling back at me??
Will I feel the same??
It’d be sad to lose all this
It’d be such a shame
Lest it be a crime
Let me just live this life for now
This is… my time…
Niyad
Forest Love: Do You Love Your Children???? Then You Should Love The Forest
Tag: GreenPeaceBuzz
By: Arunava Das, Green Peace India
(A promotionary blog for GreenPeace Campaign: Forest Love highlighting the Illegal Timber Business in the European Continent)
The Request to “Saviour of Forests” Blogspot from Green Peace:
Blogger Alert
This is the first email of its kind for us. Remember that time you told us you have a blog or webpage where you can spread the word about Greenpeace campaigns? Well, this email is all about doing exactly that!
31 JULY 2008: Check out our latest campaign and video:
ForestLove video
Blog this within the next few hours - and help us get this video to the top of the video viral charts!
On September 10, the EU will be voting on a vital law against illegal logging. ForestLove is a controversial campaign to push the EU's vote in the right direction.
This summer we want people to take photos and video of themselves expressing love amongst the trees.
After the deadline of August 31, Greenpeace will edit this material into a collaborative video that will show the EU commissioners just how much everyone loves the forests...
So get blogging to stop the logging!
Read about our campaign
Grab the embedding code for the video page on YouTube
Spread the word on your blog or webpage!
(Do you tag your posts? Then please use this one today: greenpeacebuzz)
Get Social
Can you do more?
Share the campaign on facebook
Stumble Upon
Tell us your promotion ideas (Greenpeace Forum)
Thank you and good luck out there on the web!
Giona and the forests campaign!!
A link to the Forest Love Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AEZbWtELQI&eurl=http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/forests/eu-ban-illegal-timber/forest-love
The story behind the plot: The European Commission has delayed a vital vote on protecting forests from illegal logging till September. We want to make sure the commissioners don't forget about it during their summer holiday. We need you to help us make an extra impression before the September vote.
Forests are the lifeline for all activities on the planet. It supports a number of rare land ecosystems that balance the seasonal changes on the planet. The heavy the forests are, the denser and greener they are more will be the amount of rainfall in the areas covering the forests and more will be the flora and fauna type of these regions. Moreover, lost of forest cover results in ultimate climate change that can lead to varied types of after effects, like unseasonal and irregularities in rainfalls, rise in global temperature, rise in sea level and increase of intensities of cyclones that in turn cause huge losses in terms of economy and loss of lives and domestic livestocks. It also results in an onslaught on climate and the resultant change is known as Climate Change.
As the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) warns a warming of 0.2 degree Celsius can lead to a staggering rise of 8.6 degrees till the end of the century that can spell havoc as far as the Global Temperature is concerned. The scientific evidence is already evident in the fact that we are getting longer summers, rainfalls not at the right time, heavy rainfalls at unexpected quarters of the year resulting in flooding and loss of lives and government property, no rainfall in some dry parts of the country for a long time creating drought like situations, decreased irritability and poor production of soil, flooding in low lying areas due to increase in sea level. Already we have lost around 56 acres of Mangrove forests due to increase in sea level and also we are on the verge of loosing our cities on the coastal areas if this continues.
Forest also plays a crucial role to the village economy. Half of India’s population is in the villages and they solely depend upon the forest products. When there is forest loss, there will be loss of income for the scores of people who inhabit these villages.
Nearly 2,00,000 villages and 70 million tribals in India are dependent on the forests for their daily bread. As a result, people from the rural areas are forced to migrate to urban areas for feeding their families. In Economics, we call this as “Workforce Migration” that brings about a population burst to already overcrowded Indian cities that serve as lifeline to Indian Economy. Thus we can see that Climate Change is not only impacting the Forest Biodiversity hampering the crucial ecosystems (that serve as linkers between the food chain) but also affecting the economy of almost all countries including India.
Climate Change Projections:
Studies were carried out at the Indian Institute of Science (by Professors Ravindranath, Joshi and Sukumar), using the climate change projections from regional climate model of Hadley centre (HadRM3), obtained from Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, and a global vegetation response model called BIOME (Biogeochemical Information Ordering Management Environment).
The impacts were assessed for the period around 2085 for two (high and moderate) greenhouse gas emission scenarios, with projections of carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere at 740 and 575 parts per million by 2085.
An assessment of the impact of climate change projections on forest ecosystems for the two greenhouse gas emission scenarios for 2085 showed that 68 per cent and 77 per cent of forested grid are likely to experience shifts in forest vegetation type.
In other words, there may not be a total replacement of one forest type by another under the projected climate change scenarios, due to differing climate tolerance of the various plant species in a forest. For example researchers at the Forest Research Institute, Dehradun and Kerala, India have given an interesting example:
• If the Montane grasslands of the Western Ghats are invaded by woody plants, including exotic weeds, the endemic Nilgiri Tahr may be threatened.
• Similarly, upward altitudinal migration of plants in the Himalayas could reduce the Alpine meadows and related vegetation, adversely impacting the habitats of several high-altitude mammals including wild sheep, goat, antelope and cattle.
• Further, increased precipitation in Northeastern India may lead to severe flooding of the Brahmaputra and place the wildlife of the Kaziranga National Park at risk.
Biodiversity of the existing forest types will not be totally replaced by the new forest type or species-mix under the changed climate due to complexities of climate tolerance of different species in a forest and the barriers to species migration.
Forest ecosystems are highly vulnerable to climate change. According to IPCC reports, that the unprecedented warming observed in the past few decades has already made an impact on forest ecosystems, such as, pole-ward and upward shift in ranges of plant, insect, bird and fish species. Further, plant flowering, bird arrival, migratory bird patterns, seasonal breeding patterns of animals like tigers, panthers, olive ridley turtles, as well as flowering plants have been observed to be occurring earlier than expected.
See for yourself how much forest cover is deforested for Palm Plantations to feed the DOVE Soap Industries with palm oil, a major component of Dove soaps.
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odI7pQFyjso&feature=user
Efforts And Planning To Reduce The Onslaught:
Changing climate requires dynamic forest planning and management strategies. There is a need to incorporate climate change concern in the long-term forest planning and policy making process. The traditional Working Plan approach of managing forests adopted by the Forest Departments, which is not adequate even in a situation of no climate impacts, may need to be improved and made dynamic to incorporate the climate impacts.
The Ministry of Environment and Forests as well as State Forest Departments do not have the luxury of waiting for a perfect understanding of the climate projections or the impacts on forest biodiversity and biomass production at micro level, to plan and implement adaptation practices and strategies. Many of the precautionary and win-win practices and strategies mentioned above could be evaluated and considered for implementation. Forest and biodiversity conservation, prevention of forest fragmentation and multi-species based afforestation are examples of such strategies.
Examples of forest policies, which may reduce the vulnerability of forest ecosystems to climate change, include preventing fragmentation of forests, forest conservation, enhancing the coverage under protected areas and linking them, large afforestation with multiple species to reduce pressure on natural forests, and involvement of local communities in forest conservation and management. India has a large afforestation programme of over one million hectares annually and also has a plan to bring a third of the geographic area under forest cover. These newly planted forests, particularly the long-rotation species such as teak, will be subjected to changing climate parameters. Thus, it is important to consider and incorporate adaptation practices even in the afforestation programme.
Hi All,
Writing here for the first time, after lot of persuasion from friends (other bloggers).
I recently purchased my first vehicle (after lot of online research), that too an e-bike (Yo Speed 750W, misty grey) for Rs. 36,850/- (about $ 877.20) inclusive of all accesories. It has a top speed of about 45kms/hr and runs for about 70kms in one full charge. More detail about the bike can be found here:
Yo Speed.
This bike is being manufactured by Indus Elec-trans, a division of Electrotherm (ET), an Ahmedabad based company.
The vehicle purchase was a cake-walk for me, since the store people did all of my paper works. I really liked the warmth and customer care that they showed. (Telling you this, since during my research, I called up another store that keeps products of a very famous company that assembles imported e-vehicle. AND that person was bit rude to talk too, not to mention the vehicle costs more and has less overall performance statistics)
Yo Speed comes with 1 year or 12000kms comprehensive warranty, 5 years of road-tax exemption and with 3 free-servicing! Not to mention the Juice blending-machine that the company gave as a complimentary gift. (Being excited about the whole process, I called up my friend to inform him about my purchase, and he suggested I start a Juice-center with the blender. How enterprising!)
Riding the bike gives a sense of Green-freedom and self-satisfaction, since it contributes neither air nor sound pollution. The only sound that it generates is of the motor that is attached to the rear-wheel, and believe me guys, that sound is simply BEAUTIFUL! I feel it as MUSIC to the EARS. Its good for city drive and the acceleration is better than 4-stroke petrol bikes (I happen to overtake 2-3 bikes). Ride is smooth and its more of a glider in the road (with proper road of course!).
My main purpose for the purchase (apart from going green) was to commute the 24 kms (to and fro) journey that I take everyday to my office and back home! AND Bangalore being notorious for its traffic woes; it takes me an hour and half to reach office (12 kms) in public transport.
I celebrated my purchase with colleagues by distributing Éclairs. (In India, it’s common to distribute sweets in any auspicious occasion!) Few good friends did the test drive while others have shown their willingness to purchase an e-vehicle.
Life has been a rollacosta ride ever since, and my bike is in trip to the service center already (after 2 days of purchase)! The reason being the front wheel. Apparently, the front wheel is not keeping air within itself and its releasing it in the atmosphere! ;) That's what the mechanic told me, when I went to fill the tires with the "FREE-air" available in one of the many fuel depots in Bangalore. He charged me Rs. 30/- for that that information! Thank you!!! Still he fills up the air and I somehow manage to reach my office.
I called up the vehicle store to inform about the issue, and they being so keen on the customer-support front, sends a person to fetch the vehicle from my office. I am waiting for it to come back from the service center.
Meanwhile, two major problems that I faced with the vehicle are:
a) Charging problem: Since the vehicle comes with non-detachable batteries (4 in number, 2 sets), it is difficult to charge (since I stay in a rented house at the 3rd floor). I have made arrangement with the owner, who also had the pleasure to test-drive it ;)
b) Lower ground distance: One set of the battery is placed under the foot mat, which reduces the ground distance of the vehicle at that part, hence I hit the speed-breaker (speed-dump) while carrying a pillion rider.
There are many other e-bikes to choose from, and India is fast becoming a very lucrative e-vehicle market.
Most of the vehicle that I came across while doing the research has a top speed of about 25kms/hr and can cost from Rs. 10,000 to 30,000 ($ 238 - 714).
I choose Yo Speed 750W since it has the maximum mileage and good top-speed in the higher range of e-bikes presently available in India. The basic 3-pin plug point is required for charging.
I hope that Yo Speed would have come with detachable batteries, as it is available in few entry level e-bike.
Meanwhile if you are interested in knowing more about e-vehicles in India, go through this link:
EVFuture
"With Green power comes green responsibility"
By Jeshal
Dear Sir,
Perhaps we all have seen glowing stars in the night sky illuminating others on their path. They are rare and they are regarded as “Pathfinders”. They are like light houses showing the way to a lost traveler in the endless sea of struggle. That’s how Sir has been to me all these three months that I spent at EmPower. It is also my end of Probation at EmPower and I am looking to go out there ready to bloom in full majesty, ready to be a bright star at EmPower. The two events, my confirmation this week and Sir’s last day at EmPower this week have coincided. Like a tigress bids goodbye to its cubs 8 months after they are born to face the jungle music, she is rest assured that her efforts in bringing up her dear will not go in vain. Similar, on the last day of Verghese Sir at EmPower, we, Team Green Horns will make sure EmPower Earth Campaign will go on as stealthily as it has done so far, barely 3 weeks since its inception and we are proud that you are leaving the firm on a winning note.
As of me, I will miss you as a person who rekindled my writing passions and will not be on his desk to see me blossom, but you will certainly hear from me as I owe my writing prowess to three beings, first my mom who has been there in all my hard times and who has sown the seeds of strong foundation in me, second you who have rekindled in me the lost art of writing and given me the exposure required to get noticed in the global corporate world and last but not the least, the Almighty for whom I have been on the planet against all odds. It is a matter of passion that you have shown in our upbringing of Green Horns Team and given courage to all who have shown great writing skills at 80 Feet Road and EmPower Blog and are glad enough that they can now freely express their ideas to the world.
Last we feel proud that you are still chasing your dreams and we look up to you as a legend who has changed us and our personality in a radical process. You have pushed us and your constant encouragement will remain as a solace in your absence at EmPower. I on the behalf of Team Green Horns wish you success in all your future endeavors.
Yours…
Gurunava!!
Arunava Das
Team Green Horns
Guru, Shilpa Sri, Sowjanya, Gunajit, Rakesh, Vijay Sir
The extent of reach which Mass Media in this digital age commands, is truly amazing and eye opening; both in terms of viewership and the ability to influence a person’s thinking. But why do I get the feeling that Mass Media is misusing this power, misleading people, creating unnecessary hype to increase circulation numbers. With absolute power comes great responsibility. Mass Media has acquired absolute power, but lacking in the responsibility department.
Let me explain, using an example, why do I have this grouse against Mass Media.
By “Mass Media” I am referring to the most common form of news outlet, the newspaper, which includes both print and online versions. Recently the G8 summit in Japan had concluded, with pledges on the food and oil crises and climate change among other things.
As usual, the summit received its usual share of media coverage. But a few publications such as The Daily Mail and The Washington Times had a completely different take on the proceedings. Food crisis was one of the major issues that was addressed at the summit. But these two publications took it upon themselves to bring it to the public notice that the leaders and the dignitaries gorged upon a 18-course banquet which they had apparently found it hard to swallow.
The headline from The Daily Mail screamed “Summit That's Hard To Swallow - World Leaders Enjoy 18-Course Banquet As They Discuss How To Solve Global Food Crisis.” The article has pictures of the leaders enjoying the extravagant banquet, the menu and a picture of malnourished group of people as a contrast. The article, written by James Chapman lambasts the G8 summit members for treating themselves to a lavish banquet while urging the world to stop wasting food and combat rising prices and a global shortage of provisions. The sarcasm was pretty obvious as you can perceive from the following quotes from the article:
“The world leaders sat down to an 18-course gastronomic extravaganza at a G8 summit in Japan, which is focusing on the food crisis.”
“G8 leaders discussing the world food crisis in Japan raise their glasses ahead of an 18-course dinner.”
Dominic Nutt, of the charity Save the Children is quoted saying, “It is deeply hypocritical that they should be lavishing course after course on world leaders when there is a food crisis and millions cannot afford a decent meal. If the G8 wants to betray the hopes of a generation of children, it is going the right way about it. The food crisis is an emergency and the G8 must treat it as that.”
Here are some excerpts from The Washington Times article:
Lentil soup and a crust of bread as the first, second and third course at a recent G8 summit in Japan might at least have conveyed the impression the leaders of the world's principal industrialized nations were focused on a fast-unfolding food shortage engulfing the entire planet.
Instead, the convivial summiteers feasted on a six-course lunch at a five-star lakeside hotel on the island of Hokkaido, followed that evening by an eight-course heartburning dinner, from Kyoto beef shabu-shabu, to dicey fatty tuna, to clams floating in Shiso, to broiled prawns in Tosazu, to salt-grilled rockfish, to milk-fed baby lamb to G8 "Fantasy Desert," all washed down by wine and champagne vintages from all over the world. To then make global food security a top priority was a tad Pecksniffian.
Year in and year out, the G8 meet in a bucolic setting pleasing on the eyes that tends to act as a soporific on the part of the brain that allows summiteers to anticipate global crises.
In Japan last month, the Eight Big Ones agreed to reconvene in 2009 on the Mediterranean island La Maddalena, nestled in the Straits of Bonifacio between Corsica and Northern Sardinia, one of the last untouched beautiful spots in the world. But they could save their taxpayers a bundle by canceling their reservations now and videoconferencing instead - twice a year.
My grouse is that why focus on trivial issues such as the food that was consumed and the location of the G8 summit. Why not focus on the critical issues such as food and oil crisis, climate change and so on. With the reach that these publications posses, they can put it to good use by spreading awareness on these issues. But instead they chose to focus on the food which the leaders consumed, the menu and gripe about the exotic locations in which the G8 summit would be held in the future.
What did they expect? The world leaders would assemble in a dingy hall and hammer out a solution to the crises that are afflicting the world, munching on plain bread. C’mon. It’s a three day summit where the Head’s of Nation’s assemble. Is Japan to blame for treating them to a “royal banquet?” I believe Japan just upheld its tradition by showcasing its culture and generosity by playing a perfect host to the G8 Summit.
Am I wrong in saying that these publications could have done better? Is my grouse un-justified? Am I biased? Are my views shortsighted?
Source: The Washington Times, The Daily Mail.
Author
I was flipping through the pages of my favorite magazine, Overdrive. There was plenty of coverage given to green initiatives this time round. One that caught my eye was a model of a futuristic looking city where the only mode of transportation would be electric vehicles with docking stations dotting the city.
This also coincided with one of my friend, who is also a blogger here on 80 Feet Road; buying an electric bike.
Again out of curiosity, I started digging for more on the internet. After all; we call ourselves “Crazy Media Analysts.” So here is what I have managed to cull out.
Ultra Motor is a company that develops emissions-free vehicles for the global market. It was founded in 2002 by the Russian inventor Vasily Shkondin and English businessman Ian Woodcock
Joe Bowman, CEO of Ultra Motor and the mayor of Stuttgart Dr. Wolfgang Schuster have announced their intention to make Stuttgart the global pilot city of the LEV City initiative that will see fleets of Light Electric Vehicles made available to commuters.
The LEV City initiative will provide a large fleet of electric bicycles through charging stations to commuters and urban travelers, providing a cost-effective, quick and clean alternative to traditional public and personal transport. Stuttgart would be the first partner of Ultra Motor and the international pilot city of the LEV City initiative.
One of the biggest effects the LEV City initiative by Ultra Motor will have on the City of Stuttgart will be a reduction in emissions caused by traditional public and personal transportation. The LEVs are emission-free and the charging station themselves will be carbon neutral ensuring a cleaner form of mobility around the city. Taking a 30 km trip across Stuttgart requires only 250 watt hours of electricity – the same amount of energy required to heat the water needed for a 2 minute shower.
Ultra Motor’s innovative approach will save commuters time as well as money as LEV City users will be able to navigate their way through heavily congested areas. Also, the electrically powered bikes by Ultra Motor represent an efficient, fast and clean form of individual mobility to prevent global warming.
Source: Ultra Motor
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