Sweet and Sour Diced

Why People Don't Care

2011-02-08T12:45:00.000-08:00

Why our political and societal leaders don’t do more for the environment is a question many of us green bloggers face every day. There are a number of reasons for it, but one big one is that there isn’t the societal demand for such action. People don’t care that much.

Sure, if you ask people “Is the environment important?” or “Do you care if endangered species such as tigers and polar bears go extinct?” they will say “Yes.” Or if you ask them “Should the government do more to protect the environment?” they will say “Yes.” But that doesn’t get into the depth of their caring.

How many people are going to vote their political representatives out of office because of their environmental record? How many people contact or communicate with their governmental officials even once a year to push for solutions to our environmental problems? How many people are even aware of the environmental issues their political leaders could be helping to address?

Continue reading here

The Responsible Manager by C.K Prahalad

2010-04-22T08:22:00.000-07:00

The article is pasted here for quick read and the original can be found here

The global financial crisis of the past two years has triggered an unprecedented debate about managers’ roles. While discussions about managerial performance, CEO pay, and the role of boards have been fierce, scant attention has been paid to managers’ responsibilities.

For the past 33 years, I have ended all my MBA and executive education courses by sharing with participants my perspective on how they can become responsible managers. I acknowledge that they will be successful in terms of income, social status, and influence, but caution that managers must remember that they are the custodians of society’s most powerful institutions. They must therefore hold themselves to a higher standard. Managers must strive to achieve success with responsibility.

My remarks are intended to serve as a spur for people to reexamine their values before they plunge into their daily work routines.

Take a minute to study them:

• Understand the importance of nonconformity. Leadership is about change, hope, and the future. Leaders have to venture into uncharted territory, so they must be able to handle intellectual solitude and ambiguity.

• Display a commitment to learning and developing yourself. Leaders must invest in themselves. If you aren’t educated, you can’t help the uneducated; if you are sick, you can’t minister to the sick; if you are poor, you can’t help the poor.

• Develop the ability to put personal performance in perspective. Over a long career, you will experience both success and failure. Humility in success and courage in failure are hallmarks of a good leader.

• Be ready to invest in developing other people. Be unstinting in helping your colleagues realize their full potential.

Learn to relate to those who are less fortunate. Good leaders are inclusive, even though that isn’t easy. Most societies have dealt with differences by avoiding or eliminating them; few assimilate those who aren’t like them.

• Be concerned about due process. People seek fairness—not favors. They want to be heard. They often don’t even mind if decisions don’t go their way as long as the process is fair and transparent.

• Realize the importance of loyalty to organization, profession, community, society, and, above all, family. Most of our achievements would be impossible without our families’ support.

• Assume responsibility for outcomes as well as for the processes and people you work with. How you achieve results will shape the kind of person you become.

• Remember that you are part of a very privileged few. That’s your strength, but it’s also a cross you carry. Balance achievement with compassion and learning with understanding.

• Expect to be judged by what you do and how well you do it—not by what you say you want to do. However, the bias toward action must be balanced by empathy and caring for other people.

• Be conscious of the part you play. Be concerned about the problems of the poor and the disabled, accept human weaknesses, laugh at yourself—and avoid the temptation to play God. Leadership is about self-awareness, recognizing your failings, and developing modesty, humility, and humanity.

Every year, I revisit my notes about the responsible manager, which I first jotted down in 1977. The world has changed a lot since then, but I haven’t found it necessary to change a word of my lecture. Indeed, the message is more relevant today than ever.

Willing to Risk failure for a sense of living

2010-04-22T08:15:00.000-07:00

We have to be willing to risk failure in return for a sense that we are living. And it's when we're really living that we really have a shot at changing the world.

http://blogs.hbr.org/pallotta/2010/04/discover-your-inner-entreprene.html

iPad Vs Netbook..Which one is right for me?

2010-04-03T09:39:00.001-07:00

I wanted to buy a Netbook early this year for use in school and also when I travelled. But decided to wait for iPad to come out, before I made a decision. I have to be really careful with this. iPad is a bit pricy. I don't want an expensive gadget that is of no use to me esp. when I already have - iMac, iPhone, Kindle , Sony laptop and not to mention two work laptops. Are you wondering, why I need a netbook? Well, so am I! In my defense, I really can't use my work laptop at school , Sony laptop is taking it's last breath, iMac is not portable, can't do my work with iPhone or the Kindle. So , I need a tablet. To decide which one, I sought cnet's help. They didn't disappoint. After reading the forum here (one of the post is pasted below), I decided. And the winner is ..NETBOOK! Well I like apple products in general but iPad ,hmmm.. i'm on the fence - What is it's value?

I have pasted the one I found helpful here for a quick read from the cnet forum. You can find a lot more information here

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iPad vs.Netbook
by waytron - 4/1/10 3:39 AM In reply to: Is the Apple iPad or Netbook right for me? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)

Making the choice between an iPad and a netbook is really more difficult than it would first appear and it really depends on exactly how you need to use the device. First, you should think of the iPad as simply a large version of the iTouch and think of the Netbook as simply a smaller version of a laptop with less power and no DVD/CD drive. You mentioned that you were interested in receiving emails and surfing the web while traveling or away on vacation. Well, in the most basic form, this can be accomplished on just about any device that you can purchase these days including most cell phones. However, there are several factors that can dictate as to whether or not a device such as an iPad, Netbook or even a smartphone is sufficient or pretty much worthless. The exact type of emails that you receive as well as the kind of responses that you need to write can often make using a small device or even a larger touch device like the iPad somewhat of a pain in the neck to use. If most of your incoming emails are brief and only require simple responses such as a YES or NO than just about any device will do just fine. But if you are receiving emails with 25 page attachments that need to be reviewed and your responses are written in paragraphs or even pages of text, than these devices can be close to useless. So, the questions you want to ask yourself are:

1. Do I ever need to print from this device? Since there are no USB ports and no print drivers that I know of (at least at the moment), you may not be able to connect your iPad up to a printer.

2. How much storage do I really need? The basic iPad comes with 16GB of storage and you can get up to 64GB, for a price. Most Netbooks come with a minimum 160GB hard drive. For those of you who use your laptop or netbook as a storage device to off-load photos from your camera while traveling, keep in mind the limited storage on the iPad as well as NO USB port.

3. Do I need a Built-in Camera? The iPad does not come with a camera and no USB port to add one so don't plan to use Skype or any other video chat to call back home to see the kids.

4. Do I need a USB port? The iPad does not have any USB ports so you will not be able to plug in any of your normal accessories such as a printer, Flash drive or other devices.

5. Do any of the Websites that I frequent require Adobe Flash? For some reason Apple has chosen to not include Adobe Flash player with the iPad so many website that require Flash will not display properly.

6. Do I need any specific software applications? Make sure that you do not need any specific software application that may not run on the iPad or a netbook.

7. Will I be accessing my company VPN? If you access your company network, you need to check with your company IT department to make sure the device can be used with there system.

8. Do I need a real Keyboard? I don't know about you, but I need a real keyboard. You can probably tell by the length of my posts here on this site that I am not going to be typing my responses on a virtual keyboard. All netbooks have a regular keyboard. You can get an external keyboard for the iPad but that kind of defeats the purpose and is just one more thing to carry.

9. How much do I really want to spend? The basic iPad starts at $499 with only 16GB of storage. If you want more storage and maybe 3G coverage you can expect to pay up to $800. Add to that the add-on keyboard, Carrying case and Apple Care and you are over $1000. You can get a decent netbook with 160GB hard drive for under $300.

10. Do I need to remote into my home or office computer? If you use Windows Remote Desktop to access your home or office computer, you will not be able to do this on the iPad. Double check other remote access methods such as gotomypc or logmein to make sure they will work on the device that you choose.

11. Do I need a stylus or a mouse or is my finger ok? The iPad can only be used with your finger, this can be a problem if you need to perform any detailed work that would normally be performed with a Stylus or mouse. Also, keep in mind that the iPad may not work if you are wearing gloves.

12. Do I need to transfer data between devices? Since there is no USB port on the iPad, you will not be able to use your flash drive to transfer data to or from your iPad. You could still email stuff to yourself to be picked up on another computer. You can purchase a SD card reader for the iPad.

13. Do I need a CD or DVD drive? Neither the iPad nor the Netbook comes with a CD/DVD drive built-in. You can purchase a separate External USB DVD/CD drive for a Netbook if you want to pay a video or need to install a program. Since there is no USB drive on the iPad, you will be out of luck, at least for the time being.

14. Battery Life – For me, battery life is a key feature. There is nothing worse that being on the road looking for a place to plug in your portable computer. Apple claims, I think 10 hours, as do some Netbooks. I know my ASUS netbook claims 9 ½ hours but if I have Bluetooth as well as Wireless turned ON, the battery life is greatly reduced. Most netbooks have a battery that is user replaceable so that you can carry a spare with you for those really long trips. The iPads battery is not user replaceable.

Don't get me wrong, there is no question the iPad is a COOL device and I will probably purchase one just for the fun of it. I do find it interesting that everyone seems to think that just because Apple is coming out with the iPad that this is a totally new concept. I have been working with Motion Touch Tablet PC's for over 6 years now. Would I take an iPad with me when I travel? Probably, but for the moment I will not leave without my netbook and blackberry too. One other note, if you end up purchasing a Netbook, spend the extra $30 to upgrade the memory from 1GB to 2GB.

Dana
Wayland Computer

Pasted from <http://forums.cnet.com/5208-19686_102-0.html?messageID=3279035&tag=forums06;posts>

Our responsibilities are straightforward - but hardly simple

2010-04-01T11:54:00.000-07:00

I came across this letter from Ken Cook, President and Co-Founder Environmental Working Group (ewg.org). This is exactly how I feel about my 3 year old! Well, the responsibilities are a tall order for any parent. You can find the letter in their 2008 annual report here. The same is pasted below

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Watching a toddler take command of his world is magical. And humbling. As I observe my 17-month-old scramble and squeal through his daily agenda, I realize Cal is teaching me a lot more than I’m ever going to teach him.

Yank pots and pans out of kitchen cabinet with a clamor: check!

Grab dirt out of houseplant and sprinkle over rug: on it!

Chase a panicked Bennie the Cat scampering down the hallway: done!

In tough times, our kids remind us to take stock, keep what matters and forget about the rest. They don’t need a lot of complicated or expensive stuff. Is there really anything better than leaping into a pile of leaves or watching a bug or making a cave out of a big box?

They expect us to take care of the basics. Clean air and water, healthy food, safe homes, schools and playgrounds and an unclouded future.

Our responsibilities are straightforward – but hardly simple. Only by working very hard and working together can we hope to rid our water and food of pesticides, pollutants and industrial chemicals, find household goods free of invisible synthetics and conserve our countryside, rivers and streams and energy sources.

I’m proud to say that with your support, despite political adversity and lean economic times, Environmental Working Group has made great strides towards those goals in 2008. In 2009 and the years to come, we’re compiling even more impressive accomplishments.

When you’re looking for a good value and some serious game-changing strategies, I hope you’ll think about EWG. We’re staying lean, playing smart and aim to do nothing less than amazing work in the public interest.

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Money and the Mind

2010-03-05T16:59:00.000-08:00

“The mere presence of money changes people” -- We all know that , right!

The feeling of self sufficiency that comes from money desensitizes people and disconnects them from civic participation. Why? Well.. they are so focused on their own goals.

Food for thought. You can find the article here

Salmon: Farmed or Wild!?

2010-01-25T15:54:00.001-08:00

My family loves Salmon! It used to be on our menu almost every day (Omega 3 fatty acids..good for heart!). Until recently, when salmon became scarce, the price went up and the quality degraded, it became a weekly thing. Now, it looks like it might be on our menu once a month or perhaps even less frequent. Why?

Anyone who reads or listens to news ( in the US , esp. California), would have heard about Persistence Organic Pollutants(POP) . A familiar POP is DDT, which is now banned in most countries. Long story short, POP are chemicals, (mostly) manmade and can cause cancer. They can also damage the nervous and immune system, cause reproductive disorders. Exposure to unborn child can cause irreversible reduction in IQ, reduced attention span, increased antisocial behavior, reduced immune system as indicated here.

POP are a problem because they are Persistent, Bioaccumulative and Toxic (PBT). So, even if it is banned, the concentration in the environment is not on the decline because of it persistence (the problem we face with DDT). See Wikipedia here for more information about POP.

How do salmon consumers get exposed to it?

The fish feed is concentrated fat and proteins extracted from fish trawled from the bottom of the ocean. The trawled fish absorbs POP from the contaminated sediments and food as indicated here, which is then stored in the body fat (POP are Lipophiliac). Since the fish feed is concentrated fat from trawled fish, the fattened farmed salmon contains more POP than a lean non-farmed salmon might contain by consuming food in the open waters.

The average level of PCBs (a POP, banned in the US since 1977) in farmed salmon is 0.027 ppm (parts per million) much higher than the non farmed salmon. According to a report by Environmental working group (EWG), farm raised salmon have 16 times the PCBs found in wild salmon. Per EPA recommendation, fish with PCB levels between 0.024 - 0.048 ppm should be eaten 8 oz a month. (see here )

More reasons to avoid farmed salmon from Monterey Bay Aquarium's sea food watch :

Waste from most salmon farms is released directly into the ocean.
Parasites and diseases from farmed salmon can spread to wild fish swimming near the farms.
Salmon farmers may use pesticides and antibiotics to control outbreaks of disease among the fish. When consumers eat this fish, the residues from the chemicals may affect their health or interfere with medicines they're taking.
It takes three pounds of wild fish to grow one pound of farmed salmon. As a result, farming salmon actually uses more fish than it produces, which puts more pressure on wild populations.

New study has found that POP in humans cause resistance to insulin, which is a precursor to diabetes.

Listen to this story on NPR's living on earth here

Ask whether the salmon is wild or farmed before buying. If farmed eat once a month or even less. Broil or grill the salmon, as it takes out the fat. If pregnant or of reproductive age, just stay away from farmed salmon. Eat walnuts for Omega 3 fatty acids.

If you are not convinced and have time on your hands to do a little research you can start here

Scientific Literature review can be found here
Watch BBC's documentary 'Warnings from the wild, The price of Salmon' (Unfortunately, it's not on Netflix)
Some info on Green peace website here

Goodguide.com - Empowering consumers

2009-12-24T18:45:00.000-08:00

If you are in the bay area and haven’t heard of goodguide.com, then you aren’t keeping up with the news. Goodguide.com is a tool that enables consumers to be responsible consumers! They provide ratings based on health, environmental and social impacts of a product.You can look up the product on the web or real time while shopping using their new, free iphone app (one more reason to get that iphone!)

The ingredients of products on the shelves have become increasing complex and obscure. We often hear about carcinogens found in toys, Nike using child labor, genetically modified foods, pesticide contamination, additives, preservatives, sodium, cholesterol, transfat, various chemicals.. Not to mention, all the green washing out there. It is quiet confusing , time consuming and frustrating to find the right product. Goodguide.com has eased that pain quite a bit, I have to say. I started looking up some of the cereals, frozen foods that I buy and for the most part, I was choosing the wrong product. If I picked the one with high fiber, it also comes with high sugar plus not to mention the environmental practices of the company, good lord!

I have a toddler..What snacks should I stay away from? Check here. My son regularly eats atleast 3 of them on the list. Well, Not anymore!

Did you know that many of the chemicals used in the personal care products have not been tested for their effects on human health? Read here

Is Santa bringing toxic toys this year? Read here

Find out the top ten chemicals to avoid in the baby care products here

If you use Google reader – this is one that you would want to subscribe to – closest thing there is – to protect your family and shop responsibly

Black soot responsible for rapid retreat of Tibetan glacier

2009-12-24T12:07:00.000-08:00

The Ganges, one of the most sacred (and dirtiest) river in India, originates from the Tibetan Glaciers. We all, now, know that the world's glaciers are retreating because of global warming. Jim Hansen , the NASA scientist, co-authored a paper here, with other Chinese scientists, say that they have found evidence that the decline of the Tibetan glaciers is accelerated by black soot aerosols. Asia is the largest source of black soot. If the rate of decline continues, many glaciers could say bye-bye to mother earth as early as 2050!

Now, What will that mean to the billion population (in East and South Asia) who depend on this glacier for fresh water?

Heavier Spring floods
Reduced water supplier in the dry season

The rate of decline is quiet alarming in the last decade says Jim Hansen However, V.K Raina a former Deputy Director General of the Geological Survey of India, disagrees. He finds no abnormal retreat as he says to the journalist here. That is not all- his report has been endorsed by the Ministry of Environment & Forestry. The minister Jairam Rakesh , has stated that there is no conclusive evidence that global warming or black soot is causing the glaciers to melt. Yup, they seem to be getting on the global warming skeptics train. A little late though! It baffles me , as to how people in such responsible positions say such things. Even if what he said were true (which is not as we can see by Jim's Hansen's paper) - Isn't it better to error on the side of caution?

Read on the article here as it presents evidence that declining glacier is indeed anthropogenic

Denmark - the model country

2009-12-24T10:07:00.000-08:00

Thomas Friedman’s OP-ED column – Copenhagen That Matters

Be sure to read the comments as well

Vehement passion - Infant India

2009-10-08T08:50:00.001-07:00

"When I grow up I want to be a doctor for Infant India ", says the 14 year old HIV positive . Read the story here. Ordinary people making positive impact. Putting social interest ahead of self interest. Ordinary, are they?....Perhaps NOT. Extraordinary..absolutely so!

India's water woes

2009-10-03T06:44:00.001-07:00

India has experienced the worst drought in 36 years. Long before these articles starting appearing in Wall street journal and Economist, I knew from conversations with my colleagues whose family members were agrarians in India, that this year was particularly bad and that there has been a rise in farmer suicides in Andhra Pradesh.

Monsoons to blame, for sure. But is that the only contributor? 1.2 billion people live on agriculture of which, 450 million depend on monsoons. If these numbers from WallStreet and Economist are right, then what about the other 750 million, who are also facing the same crisis? As mentioned in the Economist, the grim truth is 'India's
bad water management practices'.

Water wars between Karnataka and Tamil is as bitter as bitter gourd itself. Farmers are usually up in arms over the Kaveri water every year.(This might be an understatement) I'm not following that crisis this year, but I can very well imagine, having lived in Bangalore for some time. It seems like we are very much heading into a period where ' water is oil', at rocket speed.

I have been hearing about the woes of California farmers and I sympathize with them. California is in it's 12th year of drought. But when you read about farmers, close to home, I empathize. It makes my stomach churn.

It makes me think if there is something I can do to alleviate there pain.

"We are running out of time"

2009-09-29T13:34:00.000-07:00

This article in Yale e360 ,is an interesting read. It talks about safe operating zone for humans and how we have crossed them in three out nine instances

“..if we keep pushing the planet this way, we will cause sudden, irreversible damage to the systems that made human civilization possible in the first place. …..journal Nature, Rockstrom and 27 of his fellow environmental scientists argue that we have to conceive of many tipping points at once. They propose that humans must keep the planet in what they call a “safe operating space,” inside of which we can thrive. If we push past the boundaries of that space — by wiping out biodiversity, for example, or diverting too much of the world’s freshwater — we risk catastrophe”

Without GPS ..whew!!

“Unfortunately, the authors of the Nature paper maintain, we’ve already started pushing out beyond these boundaries…..“We’re sitting on top of a mesa right now, and we’re driving around, but we don’t have our lights on and we don’t even have a map,” says Jonathan Foley, a co-author of the new study and the director of the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment. “That’s a dangerous way to move around.”

Optimism!? Some people keep saying that. I’m no expert, but as I understand it, Chlorofluorocarbons was a mole while CO₂ is this big mountain of a problem! I personally cannot understand how people can be optimistic with the success of Montreal protocol. CO₂ is a whole other beast challenging international relationship management to the core! This is unlike any challenge mankind has seen before! I don’t feel optimistic at all. (We’ll see what happens in Copenhagen)

“While the paper makes for a sobering read, its authors think we should also find some cause for optimism in it. Humanity nearly crossed another threshold by destroying the ozone layer with chlorofluorocarbons. But we recognized the crisis in time and banned chlorofluorocarbons, allowing the ozone layer to slowly recover..”

In another article, Greenland ice sheet and the Antarctica are melting faster than expected, as published in Nature journal. As reported by e360, it is now clear to scientists that a self feeding phenomenon has begun

“confirm concerns among some climate scientists that the accelerating rate of ice sheet melting has become a self-feeding phenomenon — essentially, the more the ice melts, the more the water near the ice sheets causes more melting. “The question is how far will it run?” said Hamish Pritchard of the British Antarctic Survey and lead author of the study”

I wonder how close this gets us to the climate change threshold?

“It’s more widespread than we previously thought” says Hamish Pritchard. My thoughts exactly!

Newsweek: We are all Hindus

2009-08-17T09:59:00.001-07:00

The Newsweek article here says that a recent poll showed that conceptually, atleast, Americans are slowly becoming like Hindus.

It says ‘A Hindu believes there are many paths to God. Jesus is one way, the Qur'an is another, yoga practice is a third. None is better than any other; all are equal ‘. Hindu myself, I wonder why Hindus hate Muslims!? Well, I don’t believe the ‘many paths to god’ thing (I’m sure majority of the Hindus don’t either). The way I have been thought to live my life as a Hindu is ‘It is Bhagwan Krishna…or you are automatically en-route to Narak (hell)’

In my mind, the Americans are becoming like Hindus, NOT by believing that there are many paths to god or spirituality, but by having a common enemy ‘Muslims’

The day to day practices of a Hindu and the scripture is worlds apart! Instead of saying ‘A Hindu believes’, the author should have said ‘Hindus are supposed to believe (but majority of them don’t)….”

Aziz Premji Foundation's Aziz Premji University - First Private University filling the gap in education!

2009-06-26T06:28:00.000-07:00

NCERT (National council for education research and Training) came up with the National Curriculum framework (NCF) (The Framework PDF posted on the website in English, just has Table of contents!) in 2005. This student centered NCF framework which advocated new pedagogic methods has recognized the importance of ‘Quality’ teachers & makes suggestions on Teacher education & training. Recognition of importance of teachers is a step forward and NCF needs to do little more than making mere suggestions, say critics. NCF will NOT be a success until the teacher education and skill development is enabled. Read the ‘Few Chapters Short’ which talks about this

Looks like Aziz Premji has stepped in to fill the gap. The first private university’s focus is Teacher education and Training. The government in principle has given clearance say the article here

The Yodeler Article I authored!

2009-06-18T15:23:00.001-07:00

Finally, here it goes. This is the article I worked on in January/February for Sierra club’s yodeler. I attended the public meetings, collaborated with Jeff miller from Alameda Creek Alliance and Lech Naumovich of California Native Plant Society. It was a very good experience and a peek into how these organizations work! Some really dedicated individuals making a difference at the grass roots level.

Value of Human Life and US EPA

2009-05-01T16:21:00.001-07:00

What is the value of Human life?

Priceless!

Well, not in the real world!

Cost Benefit analysis (CBA) has become an essential analysis framework for setting environmental standards and regulations. It requires a dollar value be assigned to human life. The value of a life is usually the price that others put, on an individual’s life. For Eg, I would pay my entire income to save my own life or of my husband or my son. The practice of putting dollar value on life has been practiced in courts. Value of life estimates helps the juries to award compensations in death and injury cases.

Read this investigative article here on OMB watch from Associated Press (AP), on how EPA puts a price on human life and how it has shrunk.

Under the Clinton administration, human life was valued at $6.1 million/life, while Bush administration came up with a figure of $3.7 million for an individual younger than 70 yrs and $2.3 million for individuals older than 70 [Obtained From here]. Smaller the monetary value of human life, lesser is the chances of environmental protection.

Time ran an interesting article valuing human lives internationally at $50,000. Read the complete article here

Washington post says here :

‘This value is routinely calculated by several agencies, each putting its own dollar figure on the worth of life -- not any particular person's life, just that of a generic American. The figure is then used to judge whether potentially lifesaving policy measures are really worth the cost.’

What do you think is the value of human life?

All-electric cars about to be resurrected

2009-04-27T12:31:00.001-07:00

Check out this article in San Francisco Chronicle written by Micheal Taylor

“The all-electric car, which had a brief heyday less than a decade ago and then went the way of the dodo, killed off by the car companies, is about to make a comeback”. More

Part1 : Sexy electronic gadgets – Risk to Human life?

2009-04-25T07:42:00.001-07:00

Many of us here in the silicon valley, home of innovation and the tech industry, have little to no knowledge of the human risk the sexy gadgets like cell phones , PDAs, TVs, Computers, Printers etc pose. These gadgets do make our life much easier and convenient and are big part of our day to day activities. They are needed, absolutely needed, to keep pace with the rat race we have introduced our selves into.

I have numerous obsolete electronics in my garage – cell phones, cameras, batteries, printer, scanner, computer, speakers, entertainment set, and TVs, the list goes on. These occupy quiet a bit of space in my garage. How do I dispose these? I have known from the brochures of the local waste management, left at my front door - never to dispose these with the rest of the household waste, not even in the recycle bin. Why, I ask myself. Well, they contain hazardous materials (hazmat). In my mind, I think, Hazmat….in my house….sounds dangerous….why would I have hazmat in my house…you must be kiddin, right! I'm paying to get hazmat in my house….don't they have laws about it!?

If a nice hot cup of coffee says 'Caution – coffee is HOT', wouldn't they say on the electronics 'Caution – contains Hazmat' I turned the computer upside down to see if it said anything like that, in really small print. Nope, didn't find it (Surprise! Surprise!).

Many questions started popping in my head and I set to find out what is in these sexy gadgets, that we all tote about, think is cool to own, and cannot live without.

Searches on Google quickly lead to the realization that this is a bigger beast than I thought. Computers, stereos, TVs, printers , scanners, cell phones , PDA, electrical appliances like Fridge, Toaster, Telephone, washer dryer, air conditioners, fluorescent lamp bulbs all come under the 'E-waste' umbrella. Apparently 'E-waste' is emerging global environmental problem which could pose a serious risk to human health.

There was a time, when the electrical and electronic equipments were repaired and re-used. But now we are in, what I would like to call 'The disposable Era' where once the appliance malfunctions, we buy a new one. You don't call a technician if your toaster broke, you just get a new one. This is true for most electrical equipments. In the case of electronic gadgets I would like to say, we are in 'The upgrade era'. We are constantly upgrading our gadgets, even though the previous one functions just fine.

"Every year, 20 to 50 million tonnes of electrical and electronic equipment waste ("e-waste") are generated world-wide, which could bring serious risks to human health and the environment " (UNEP,2005)

Since there was so much to blog on the topic of e-waste, I decided to break it into parts and this is part 1.

More later!

Moral Obligations for Citizens

2009-04-13T19:17:00.001-07:00

'America thinks of itself as a generous country, but is actually not', says Peter Singer. 'It is a wonderful myth'. America is worst of all the industrial countries from the percentage of the income point of view. The countries that actually lead the way is Sweden and Norway

Peter Singer, Princeton university bioethicist appeared on Michael Krasny's Forum on NPR

He says

'Take the death of this small boy this morning, for example. The boy died of measles. We all know he could have been cured at the hospital. But the parents had no money and so the boy died a slow and painful death, not of measles but out of poverty'

People in developing and underdeveloped countries die of conditions that don't exist in the developed world. We have to make the people in the country real, put face on them.'

Go to lifeyoucansave.com and find out how much percentage of your income should you donate to make a difference. While you are there, take a pledge!

Although hard cash is good, donations don't have to always be hard cash. Some of the everyday decisions and conscious choices have impact on state of affairs. Shop ethically i.e buying organic – maybe pricey – consider that your contribution towards protecting mother earth. More you support the organic movement the less negative impact on the environment. Buy in the local farmers market. Buy fair trade, where possible. Recycle and Reuse.

It's time we reconsider our consumption, our values and think about the people in need!

Social Entrepreneur, ecopreneur, philanthropreneurs..What!?

2009-02-20T13:29:00.000-08:00

I came across the word ‘Triple bottom-line’ a couple years ago in the book ‘Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the way we make things’ , which piqued my interest. This is a conscience-led capitalism which seeks to synergize Environmental Restoration, Social Justice and financial Sustainability, the book said (Sentence that I have used several times both in conversation and writing). Businesses should recognize that yes, we need to make profit but not at the expense of people or the planet. We need to balance the 3 E’s i.e. Economy, Equity and Ecology. Besides making profit, we should be committed to using business as a tool for social change. And such businessmen are not just entrepreneurs but ‘social entrepreneurs’

I have heard ‘ecopreneur’ too! It is a portmanteau of ‘Ecological’ and ‘entrepreneur’. An Ecoprenuer is an entrepreneur focused on eco-friendly (i.e ecologically friendly) issues and causes, while making money.

Just when I think, that’s about it, I come across the word philanthropreneurs! Apparently this is the model that Buffet and gates follow. Accumulate as much wealth from the capitalistic market and apply the dollars and the model for social causes.

Read this interesting article here, which says

‘Social enterprise is not a solution. It is an identifier. It enables people to define themselves as having priorities around ‘We’ the society as well as ‘Me’ the individual. Any organization that wants to attract the best and brightest from Generation Y needs to engage seriously in this balancing act. The great challenges of our times; climate change, peak oil, extreme poverty…, WILL NOT be solved with the capitalist model functioning as it is. New, Generation Y, additions to the workforce understand this fact.’

Well, it calms my nerves that charity and making money can go hand in hand. This is something that I have struggled with in my mind and is one reason why I am not in the non profit sector yet. If you want to make a difference, you want to be able to feed yourself too!

I suspect this concept might take us one step further in understanding the ‘We’ and ‘Me’. Once we get that straight, it might be harder for us to be oblivious to the social issues around us.

Jim Hansen's Lecture in UC Berkeley

2008-12-20T15:51:00.000-08:00

I had a great opportunity to attend a lecture by Jim Hansen, Director of NASA Goddard institute of space sciences. He was the one who alerted the public in 1988 about global warming.

The lecture was on ‘Threats to planet: Implications for Inter-generational justice and energy policies’. Jim Hansen did lack the energy and inspiration, when compared of Al Gore, but did get the message across. I say this because Jim Hansen’s is the first lecture I attended after Al gore’s in OCT. I still have some inspiration going on in me from that speech! Anyways, I have not seen or know another environmentalist who is such a strong advocator of Coal moratorium.

Here is the link to the Jim Hansen’s page and this presentation is similar to one he gave us.

Mustard Oil ban in India – An understanding for a common man

2008-12-20T14:34:00.000-08:00

I have been influenced lately by Dr Vandhana Shiva’s Anti-globalization rhetoric. I came across ‘Mustard Oil ban in India’, while reading her ‘Stolen Harvest: Hijacking of the global food supply’ book. As the book just mentioned the incident without going into much detail, I ventured to do a little digging of my own.

India banned the sale of mustard oil in 1998 after deaths due to dropsy [contamination in the oil from argemone]. About 50+ people died and more than 2000 fell ill in Delhi. Read the clip here from down to earth, one of India’s leading environmental magazines.
India banned both loose and packed mustard oil and a month later raised the ban on PACKED mustard oil.

What was the impact of the ban, or a better question would be “Who won and who lost? “

Winners:

US agribusiness Corporation Monsanto who made money on the free GE Soybean imports

Entry of ITC into the mustard business in India

Losers:

Small mustard farmers

The domestic mustard oil industry

Indian Mustard oil consumers

The timing of the contamination has sparked of a conspiracy theory involving the multinationals. Click here for ‘The mustard oil conspiracy ‘by Vandana Shiva in the ecologist magazine. A must read to understand the incident full circle. The article did make me feel [and actually is the case] that the rich & powerful economies do treat developing economies as sink to the products [i.e GE soybeans] that nobody wants!

Finally, a piece if trivia, who do you think could possibly own the patent for mustard?
Hmmm…the answer is ‘Calgene’! Ooh..Not who you had in mind!
Yes, Calgene, owned by Mansanto, owns the patent for mustard. Unbelievable…believe it!

Also read this article from India Together on India’s edible oil imports and the WTO.

Part II - Hot Flat & Crowded -Thomas Freidman

2008-12-17T10:25:00.000-08:00

Part II (The parts are not based on the parts in the book but roughly based on my reading and review of the book)

I was unaware of the fact that things might be a lot worse and scarier than portrayed in the media or in the IPCC report. In the book Friedman says ‘ The scientists are punished for overstating and not punished for understating…..To make climate models scientists take little pieces of information of what we know happened in the past, check how it corresponds to how it actually happened and then try to project into the future from the earlier trend lines’

Bill Collins a senior scientists in the Earth Sciences division of the Lawrence berkely National Laboratory says ‘Nobody captured in their energy models the acceleration of emissions from china in the last five years. That is what is so scary. A lot of IPCC math was developed when emissions from China were going down in the 1990s and the Soviet Union was collapsing. What is happening now is worse than the worse case projections that went into the IPCC model’

IPCC builds a summary for policy makers, which is what we are all familiar with. The book talks about how the policy document is reviewed line by line by government representatives and they get to veto anything they don’t like. Click here for more information on how this is done. There is criticism that the summary doesn’t represent exact science and perhaps downplays the impact of global warming! What crazy weird world do we live in? The mankind itself is in danger and we lowball it! The policy makers should perhaps be tried for crimes against humanity. These people are no different than the perpetrators of genocide. If we cannot trust these reports to be accurate, what else can we not trust? I guess we know the answer to that question!

John Holdren who has spent much of his life studying the aspects of climate change Issue, has what he wryly calls “Holdren’s first principal “when it comes to climate change. It goes like this ‘The more aspects of the problem you know something about, the more pessimistic you are. Someone who studies atmospheric science is pessimistic. Some one who knows atmospheric science and oceans is more pessimistic and someone who knows atmospheric science, oceans and ice is even more pessimistic and someone who knows about atmospheric science, oceans , ice and biology is still more pessimistic and someone who knows about all those things , as well as engineering , economics , and politics is the most pessimistic of all – because then you know how long it takes to change all the systems that are driving the problem

Climate change discussion is not complete with out discussing the climate change deniers.
“If ninety eight doctors say my son is ill and needs medication and two say ‘No, he doesn’t need any medication. He’s fine’, I will go with the ninety-eight. It’s common sense - same with global warming we go with the majority, the large majority” says California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

Friedman says “I’m convinced that Climate change is real. But we not only need people to accept that it’s real, but also to accept just how real it could be…”

The book also talks about Dr Heidi Cullen, a Climatologist for the weather channel who says ‘Local meteorologist should give climate change science some mention in there daily weather reports’. Dr Cullen’s blog ‘Junk Controversy Not Junk Science’ did create a controversy. I have always wondered why the meteorologist don’t talk about this when it is so relevant and also has AMS (American Meteorological Society) seal. You know one would think meteorologist would know better, it turns out, they don’t.

To be continued in Part III

Part 1: Hot Flat & Crowded - Thomas Friedman

2008-12-17T10:21:00.001-08:00

Part 1: Hot Flat & Crowded - Thomas Friedman
(The parts are not based on the parts in the book but roughly based on my reading and review of the book)

It is a comprehensive book that covers aspects of climate change and the connections to US oil consumption, Terrorism, China, and India and back to the US. I had bits and pieces of information from the media. This book kind of connected the dots for me. A must read as an environment literacy for a common man.

He starts with where we are now, explains what he means by Hot, Flat and Crowded.
Hot – Not a brain teaser – global warming
Flat – Rise of the middle class. The rise of American carbon copies all over the world
Crowded - The growth of the world population

He dedicates an entire chapter on American lifestyles and how it is changing the world. The discussion on how America’s oil consumption feeds the terrorists and creating petro-dollars/dictatorship is fascinating. The graph on Freedom Vs crude oil prices is a new piece of information that caught my eye. A phenomenon diagnosed as ‘resource curse’ or the ‘Dutch disease’

Few Excerpts from the book with my comments embedded:

I was still living in the post 9/11 world until this book came along. ‘I don’t think we’re post anything anymore – I think we’re pre-something totally new “, said David Rothkopf, the energy consultant, in the book and I agree. I think we are pre to a staggering disaster the mankind has every encountered. I think we are pre to finding a way out of the monumental environmental challenge that lies ahead of us

Friedman talks about what happens if everybody lives like the materialistic, consumption based American lifestyle (calling them ‘carbon copies’ in the book). What happens if the current 1 billion population living the American lifestyle increase to 2 billion or 3 billion? Simple answer – the planet will get hot !

In a world that is hot – a world that is more and more affected by global warming – guess who among us is going to suffer the most? It will be the people who caused it the least – the poorest people in the world, who have no electricity, no cars and no power plants and virtually no factories to emit CO2 into the atmosphere. The developing and the underdeveloped will be hardest hit

An Egyptian Cabinet minister remarked ‘It is like the developed world ate all the hors d’oeuvres, all the entrees and all the desserts and then invited the developing world for a little coffee” and asked us to split the whole bill. With US being 5% of the world’s population emits 25% of world’s green house gas emissions. When the time comes (it is already here) all will have to spilt the bill and this will muddy the international waters further more.

‘We Americans are in no position to lecture anyone’ says Friedman ‘ But we are in a position to know better…..if we Americans do not redefine what an American middle class lifestyle is , we will need to colonize three more planets. Because we are going to make this planet so hot and strip it so bare of resources that, nobody including us will be able to live like Americans one day‘ America is on the driver’s seat of the environmental pollution bus. Will it be in the driver’s seat of the environmental solution bus? So far it doesn’t seem like it.

To be continued in Part II

Yeh, I’m a marathon runner!

2008-12-17T09:41:00.000-08:00

Sorry about the late posting! I didn’t realize that some of you were eagerly waiting for this

Here’s the race results and you can check out some pictures here

Yes, I took 7 hours 3 minutes & 60 seconds to complete the race!

Yeh, I’m a marathon runner!

Initially I was worried about not being able to complete the race, as I needed to get to 18 ¾ mile marker by noon. It was a bit hard to do so as all the hills were in the first part of the race. If I didn’t get there by noon, I would not be allowed to complete the race. Also, I had to at least, keep 15-16 min/mile pace so as to complete the race.

I started of good and was going with 14min/mile pace and every mile I kept loosing few seconds. I got to the marker way before noon and after that it was just about completing the race. As far as I was concerned that 18 ¾ marker was my victory. Because I knew once I crossed that marker, I would finish the race even if there was, you know, a tsunami!

No matter how hard you train, the last few miles are the hardest. You give it all at this point! All I had to do was just put one foot in front of the other. The last four miles is on the great highway where the cold breeze from the ocean, hits right on your face. At that point, you hardly have any energy left; you are not running ( I mean trotting) fast enough to keep your body warm, as every muscle in your body hurts and you are burning whatever energy is left to keep yourself warm. It all adds up and makes you want to give up and that’s why at that point the coaches come looking for us and run with us to the finish line. If not for my coach Tim and another coach [whose name escapes my mind right now] ran the last few Kilometers with me, it would have been one loooooong run

As they announced my arrival at the finish line, it kinda felt weird. It was weird, because it felt like it was a dream. It was like, wait, did I juuust…complete a marathon…no way! I didn’t cry, but I could feel the warm water come down my cheeks. Guess this is what happens when a dream comes true-you think it’s a dream. While I was trying to get a grip on reality, I was handed the Tiffany co. neck lace and someone cut off the timing chip of my shoes, some one handed me a Nike T-shirt and then one the TNT volunteer ushered me to the LLS tent where some one checked in for me and I grabbed a sandwich and sat with the coaches for a little chat about how the race went for me. They were full of praise, of course. They told me not to underestimate what happened today, it is no ordinary accomplishment; it was a colossal achievement and deserved to be celebrated. I had set for myself an extremely tough goal and I had achieved!

I picked up my stuff and boarded the shuttle to AT & T Park. The girl sitting next to me in the bus asked how it all went for me and I proudly showed her the necklace. She then told me that, she couldn’t complete the race and was feeling very sad about it. That’s when I realized that I could have been her…… but I wasn’t, I was victorious!
Believe it or not, the victory has blocked the pain of my mind. I still couldn’t walk, I could drive well, I couldn’t climb stairs, but that didn’t matter to me. When I actually apologized for taking a long time (it seemed like eternity to me) to climb the bus, the lady behind me said ‘Don’t worry honey, we are all on the same boat’

On my drive back home, I slowly went thru the race in my mind and I kept saying to myself I’m going to do it again. That feeling of accomplishment, the euphoria, I tell you, is worth all the pain! I wish Nikki was there to cheer for me and share that historic moment with me that day.

So, next step is to first get some rest and second, to work on improving my marathon pace from 16 Min/mile to 15 min/mile so I can finish the race with in 6 ½ hours. Wish me luck!

Nike women’s marathon: Run like a girl!

2008-10-17T14:33:00.000-07:00

As an athlete, when you least expect it, you may find yourself standing on the threshold of an accomplishment so monumental that it strikes fear into your soul. You must stand ready, at any moment, to face the unknown. You must be ready to walk [or run] boldly through the wall of uncertainty.

I arrived at windmill in golden gate park at 6:30 AM on Sept 20. I was nervous, worried, scared and was unable to sleep the previous night. I was looking forward to that day all week. This was the Nike race preview! The target for full marathoners was to run 20 miles on the race course including that big hill we were training for all week. I knew I had to finish the 20 miles. It was my big confidence booster. My coach kept telling us “Train like your race, race like you train’ I kept saying to myself ‘This is the last big run before the race and I needed to ace it , period’

The five months of training was going to pay off now and it did! I ran, ran like a girl, for 20 miles, injured. I hurt my right knee while going downhill at mile 7 and then at 10 my right leg was out of order. I limped the next 10 miles exerting pressure on the left leg and ended with shin splint on my left leg. There was not a single muscle in my body that was not sore. I had a complete brain drain, total loss of motor skills & lack of coordination. The bagel in my hand would fall off before it got to my mouth.

I have endured the 18 weeks of intense training with Leukemia & Lymphoma’s Team In Training. I have constantly challenged my body & my mind. I have started to yearn for pain. I feel the emptiness when there is no pain. Seven years ago, I read on a billboard in New York, ‘Pain is weakness leaving your body’. And only now, have I come to know what it means.

I would return from training, in pain, unable to walk or make an intelligent conversation. Seeing my state of affairs, my hubby would go ‘Why put yourself through this?’ I asked myself the same question. Why? Why run 26.2 miles?

I run to celebrate the most precious thing I have, my son.
I run so I walk the talk, before I do the talk to my son.
I run so I can be a role model to my son.
I run to get a sense of accomplishment
I run to challenge myself to do something that I thought I was incapable off.
I run towards freedom
I run to get away from the life’s rat race
I run to be who I am.
I run to let out the stress and to be me again.
I run to keep my mind & body healthy, a priceless gift to my family & to the community

When I run I hear my son in my head cheering me on and saying he’s proud of me! There is my inspiration! Now, I dare to dream running with him and I can’t wait for him to grow up!

Nike women’s marathon is this weekend. I have been worry about it all week and am a wreck at this point. The big question in my head is, ‘Can I do 26.2 miles?’ I’m getting cold feet. I have been making frantic calls to my coach asking the same. I don’t remember the last time I was so nervous. Well, you know what; I have no other option than be victorious.

My race strategy is simple. Go slow, walk downhill and just FINISH the race. Wish me luck!

If you've never run a race, it's NOT impossible. If I can do it, anyone can. If you want to run and save lives while running, I would encourage you to join Leukemia & Lymphoma society’s ‘Team In Training’. Help find a cure. What better cause than to find a cure for leukemia! Yes, run every mile to save lives!

Run like a girl! Run every mile to save lives!
Go Team!

..More after the race

RV Camping

2008-04-24T19:15:00.000-07:00

We have always wanted to go on a RV trip. The want became a reality on the weekend of Apr 12th, 2008. We rented a 32 Feet, 8 Person RV and headed down south on Route 1, to camp in San Simeon State Park.

The main trigger for the trip, so early in the summer was because Sanju and Vaishalli were visiting the bay area with their 18 month old daughter Tanvi and Giri & Fiona were heading back to India first week of May. We all wanted to camp but then with two young children 11 & 18months, with the weather as low as 0 F at night, we took a break from our routine Tent camping and decided on RV camping. Unfortunately Sanju and Family couldn’t make it, as Tanvi was hit by the roseola virus

After a week’s planning and with one family out, the rest of us i.e. Vidya, Venkat, Fiona, Neetu, Giri, Ram & Us, started on Saturday Apr 12 at 7 A.M. Nikki was very excited to see all the activity so early in the morning

The Dosa Accident:
The RV was loaded with all the supplies we needed for two days (and more). We used up all the storage space and the fridge was completely packed, with all sorts of food. As soon as we pulled out of our driveway on to the main street, we heard a loud noise and then saw the Dosa batter strew all across the kitchen. The dosa batter was thrown out of the unlocked fridge when the RV turned. We were shocked! What a mess! Many other things came out of the Fridge too and the door was hanging open telling us that there will be more to come. Giri and Fiona quickly forced the fridge door close, locked it, and clean up the batter-mess on the floor, while the RV was moving, with the balancing act, trying to get a firm footing. We quickly checked all the cabinets to make sure they were fastened, so they were no flying objects. We all laughed at what happened and then we all moaned about the lost Dosa batter. No yummy dosas for breakfast on the RV!

Early Morning Stop at the Liquor Store:
Ram and Neetu, who were in charge of breakfast that day decided to chop some onions and veggies, on the road. That’s when I realized, I had forgotten to pack a knife. We needed a knife, period. Venu, under venkat’s guidance, took an exit hoping to find a convenience store. Our first stop was at seven-eleven, whose good neighbor was the Liquor Store.
While venkat went out to Seven Eleven, we girls decided head to Liquor Store -- to find a knife, of course. The person at the counter was this desi dude; he was ringing up a few drunkards…ooops..customers in the line, while on the phone. Everyone in the liquor store were pleasantly stunned when they saw four Asian girls charging into the liquor store so early in the morning. We made no efforts to hide the fact that we were looking for a knife. All of a sudden, we hear Fiona’s voice addressed to the desi dude at the counter who was already multitasking ( i.e on the phone and ringing up the inebriated customers) asking if they carried a knife. Her voice was kinda shrill and high pitched and it resounded in the small liquor store. I don’t know about others, but it was very unexpected and quiet shocking for me. It felt to me, like Fiona was holding the entire store hostage while pointing the gun at the desi dude. Desi dude’s both cell phone and the jaws dropped (or may be I thought it did), he immediately answered ‘No’ and his shocked expressed quickly turned into ‘Get the hell out of my store’ expression. We waltzed out of the store and declared to everyone that the store didn’t have knife. Venkat didn’t find one either.
Then someone reminded us of the GPS. We headed to the nearest Safeway which was about a mile. We girls warned the men not to use the god given brains to get to Safeway, but to rely solely on the GPS

Just missed:
We spotted Safeway, to our right, while waiting for green light at the traffic signal. A split second after we passed the traffic light, we heard a loud noise from the back of the RV. It felt like somebody hit the RV from behind. Venu pulled over to the curb. A car hit an SUV from the side, right behind our RV. We felt the impact in the RV. It could have easily been us. It was so close. We made sure there was no damage to the RV from the flying metal pieces. After ensuring all was okay, we boarded the RV, with our hearts still beating fast, relived, that we were not involved. The trip would have been such a fiasco, if we were hit instead of the SUV

We bought the knife from Safeway and were on our way

The Tea making:
Once back in the RV all safe, we realized that early morning caffeine was not in yet. Why go to Starbucks, when we could make coffee in our very own RV kitchen. Common sense told us, we shouldn’t be making Tea while RV is in Motion. Well, we let the caffeine sense override our common sense and decided to make Tea.
Let me summarize some (not all) of the challenges to making tea in a moving RV

1. Getting things out of the fridge or the cabinets is the hardest thing. You always run the risk of flying objects (--remember the dosa batter accident)
2. One didn’t have steady footing and upon that, try holding a pot full of tea on the stove.
3. Once the tea starts boiling, you run the risk of spilling hot liquid on either yourself or the fellow RVers.
4. Again , while drinking the hot tea, you run the risk of spilling hot liquid on either yourself or the fellow RVers.

Vidya volunteered. She was very determined to win the Tea making challenge. She successfully made awesome chai! Bravo Vidya! We all sat back in the dining area and enjoyed the tea.
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Ram chopped all the veggies for Upma on the highway. We pulled over to a dead end road for breakfast. Ram & Neeti made us yummy Upma. After hogging like pigs, we continued our trip. Rt 1 is the most beautiful highway, cutting through the hills, running alongside the pacific. All of us sat in dining area enjoying the scenery, chatting, drinking our tea or beer. Yes, Giri and company started working on beer immediately after breakfast

Nikki was having fun in the Car seat. His routine was off; he didn’t have enough sleep, no freedom of movement. Yet, he didn’t complain or whine. He just went with the flow.
Actually, I didn’t hear him cry the whole trip.

Water or Beer:
Vidya started using the empty beer bottles to hold drinking water as I had shopped for water cartons instead of bottles. Water or beer, it all looked the same in the beer bottle. Many of us accidentally drank water thinking it was beer. Once in the mouth, water or beer we gulped it down anyway. But not Giri. Giri , like the most of us, accidentally drank water instead of beer. He went around the RV, with the water in his mouth , saying ‘aghhhhhhhh………’ , like he had…hmm….phenoyle perhaps, before he spit it out in the kitchen sink. He won’t give up beer for water ..ever.

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After several stops at vista points, we pulled over for lunch. Fiona quickly whipped up delicious Vangibath. I’m not a big fan of Vangibath, but this was yummy! And again we hogged like pigs.

In the RV with your family & Friends, facing the extraordinarily beautiful clear blue waters of the pacific, with the beer slowly kicking in, eating the delicious Vangibath …hmmm…joie de vivre!

We stopped at Piedras Blancas to see the elephant seals. I put Nikki on the back carrier and headed out in the scorching heat to see the seals

Elephant seals Piedras Blancas :
Piedras Blancas is popular for elephant seals. From Nov to April, elephant seals come to Piedras Blancas (and to a few other beaches like Año Nuevo) to breed. The males can weight up to 11,000 pounds and the females can weigh up to 2000 pounds. I won’t say watching the big, filthy elephant seals vegging on the shore is a pretty sight but definitely is worth it.
Elephant seals were hunted to extinction for blubber (fat) oil. This oil is second only to sperm oil. What is this oil used for anyways? Well, blubber oil has many uses. It can used to illuminate lamps , wax and also as food.
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After driving on Rt 1 at snail’s pace, we arrived at San Simeon State park in the evening. As the Campground office was closed, we had to look for an unoccupied campground ourselves. There were plenty empty spots and we camped at the one which had ample shade. Campsite was also close to the rest rooms. But not so close to infringe on our privacy. We got our lawn chairs out and sat in the open air while Venu and Ram went out to get some wood.

The beach was just half a mile from the campsite. Right around sunset we went out to the beach. We strolled along the shore, watched the sun go down. It was a wonderful feeling. Cool ocean breeze made us feel fresh. We headed back to the camp with new a zest to enjoy the rest of the evening.

As the camp pit was not set properly for BBQ we decided to cook in the RV instead. All of us huddled over the Camp Fire chatting and singing the night away.

Giri is well know for his imitation songs (False lyrics sung in the original song tune) Here is one of those the false lyrics for the song Chalte Chalte . The humor is just not in the lyrics alone but also in singing.
---
Going Going…You remember the song of mine..
Never say good bye to me… Never say good bye to me…

Crying Laughing …just like that…YOU
Keep mur mur murring…
Never say good bye to me… Never say good bye to me…

In the middle middle of the road..
We both get lost away…and this world seems to be…
Jeevan ke yeah dagar..
I willllllllll come back…You keep call call calling….

Never say good bye to me… Never say good bye to me
--

Giri is a wonderful entertainer. Bottom line ‘The party is not a party without Giri.’

It was during one of those weekend meets that we all tried to answer the following question

‘If you had a chance to be someone, for a day, who would you be and why?

Not surprisingly, Giri said he would be clown. And I would bet anything, that he would be a fine one too. I see that when he’s around, we all laugh more than usual.

For the same question Venu said he wanted to be Mother Theresa’s mom. It became a controversy. Let me not get into that now
---

It’s true that babies get up in the wee hours. And when Nikki gets up early in the morning, usually Fiona cares for him. After confirming Fiona’s willingness to baby-sit, I hit the bed hoping to get up early so as I intended to stroll on the beach with Nikki. The rest of them played poker until the wee hours.

The next day:
The next day Nikki, Fiona, Neetu and I were up early and set out to stroll on the beach. Nikki was on the back carrier. Weather was cool with beautiful low tide waves. We met many beach combers looking for moonstones, one of whom gave Nikki a moonstone. Fiona also got a quick tutorial on ‘How to find a moonstone?’ from one of the combers and found some herself. We trekked for about 3 miles and took some pictures.

The boys made some eggs and toast. Cleaned up the site and the RV. We also emptied the sewage and filled up some water for our trip back. This time we took Highway 101 instead of route 1. The plan was to tour Hearst castle before heading home. Unfortunately we were unable to procure 8 tickets. While Neetu, Ram, Giri & Fiona went to see the IMAX, the rest of us headed to the RV. Vidya made us yummy masala bath while we dawdled time.

The journey back seemed long. Some of us napped, and then played poker and then the word games.

We reached Dublin at around 7 PM. As quickly gave Nikki a shower while the rest of them unloaded the RV and clean it up. After eating Kuttu Paratha (courtesy of Venkat & Vidya) everyone said adios.
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Nikki was wonderful camper. No Fuss. No high maintenance. I really don’t remember him doing anything, really. The camp night, I didn’t realize how tired he was. He just slept like that in Vidya’s arms. I finally made some milk ,woke him up and fed him. He drank the milk and went back to sleep. So cool!

Looking back, it was one hassle free trip. I had anticipated some fussiness, irritation & Clinginess from Nikki. I was mentally preparing my self all week. What do I do when he throws a fit? What if he doesn’t sleep? What if he doesn’t eat? I got so worked up. Then I took a deep breath and said to myself, he’ll eat when he wants, he’ll sleep when he wants. That’s exactly what he did. He just went with the flow. He would just sit in the car seat and watch us. He would talk when he was spoken to, he would laugh when we all laughed, he would shriek when Fiona shrieked… and so forth.

He was comfortable. He was home. He showed all signs of being a bon vivant!

The whole trip it didn’t even feel like we had a baby on-board. Nikki has given us hope and courage that we can do many more trips as such.

I also saw that he enjoyed nature. When we were strolling along the beach, he would constantly talk gibberish. He would shriek with excitement. Fiona and Nikki quiet frequently look turns shrieking. As matter of fact, it was Fiona who taught him to shriek. And he did that all thru the trip and after.

Venu did an awesome job of maneuvering/driving the RV. Thanks Venu for driving the RV and bring back us home safe. Thanks guys for all the good food and good company. It was a wonderful trip!

Nursing

2007-08-09T01:53:00.001-07:00

Nursing is the single most important thing and also the toughest. Accompanying the bliss of having a baby is the nursing anxiety. It’s a learning process for both mother and baby. To begin with, the baby has to latch on. I had read some horror stories about it on the World Wide Web and had doubts right from the start. But when the hour came, both Nikki and I were a real pro. He latched on effortlessly. I nursed him for the first time in the recovery room 20 minutes after the C-section. And right then I knew, I could abnegate all my worries about latching on.

With latching right on track, it was the colostrum supply that I started worrying about. After some panic calls to the lactation consultant I was assured that I was making enough colostrum for a baby whose stomach is the size of a marble. They also told me that the supply would increase if I kept nursing him frequently. I did know in theory, the demand and supply thing about breast milk. But it’s just scary when there is scarcity. Little did I know then that the fears would come back every now and then and that milk production would be my topic of conversation to everybody and anybody. I would just scour the Internet on how to increase milk supply. I consumed plenty of lactation agents like Fenugreek, Dill and Oatmeal to increase the supply. But, I have come to realize that when the supply seems to go downhill, all I have to do is nurse (and also rest) frequently and within a few days its back up.

I introduced bottle to my son when he was 3 weeks old. As much as I loved nursing him, it was just hard for two reasons. One, I had to be there all the time which hardly left me any time for anything. Two, my nipples were sore and it hurt. In my breastfeeding class, I was told that nipples wont be sore if the baby latched on correctly. That was total BS. It hurts either way. So, I started pumping and it made my life a lot easier. But one tricky thing here is, my milk supply would reduce if I constantly pumped with out nursing. In order to ensure good milk supply I worked out a routine with both nursing and pumping. I pump four times during the day, with each session lasting about 20 min and nurse during the night.

It’s easier to follow the routine now, as I am on maternity leave. Once I start working, it’s going to be a challenge. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Shantaram

2007-08-08T23:22:00.000-07:00

I picked up Shantaram, during the last month of my pregnancy. It was a very good pre-labor pregnancy stress reliever. It helped me relax and kept my anxiety at bay.

Well, Shantaram is an awe-inspiring novel of epic proportions. It’s an adventurous journey of an international fugitive, ignorantly seeking inner peace, after wronging his wife, daughter and the society. Semi-autobiographical in nature, one has to appreciate the perseverance of the author, Gregory Roberts, in writing this book. He first wrote the book in prison, which was destroyed. A subsequent one was also destroyed in jail. He wrote the book, once again, when he got out of prison

Most of the story is set in Bombay, India, thus showing Bombay in a new light. I promised myself to visit Bombay on my next Vacation. I’ll definitely drop by Leopold for a pint of beer. Who knows, I might bump into author himself. I read he still spends some time in Bombay and when he’s in Bombay he comes to Leopold.

The protagonist, Shataram, escapes from a maximum-security prison in New Zealand and comes to Bombay with a fake passport. He spends some time in a remote village, where he gets the name “Shantaram”. Running short of cash, he successfully procures some space in a slum, with the help of his friend Prabhakar. He treats the slum residents for minor illness with his first aid skills, while using the medical supplies obtained from the leper’s colony. He builds quiet a reputation in the slum,which kinda helps him stay in Bombay without proper Visa. He works day and night during the cholera outbreak which brings him closer to his girl friend. The cholera episode seems to me like an honest,but fruitless effort to redeem himself.

After a short stint in Arthur rd prison, he comes in close contact with bombay’s underground mafia don, Khader bhai, who he see’s as a father figure and eventually starts working for him. As the story unfolds he’s tricked by his American girlfriend and Khader bhai, to embark on a dangerous journey to war torn Afghanistan. It’s amazing how he comes out alive from that hell-hole.

It’s evident throughout the novel that Shataram has a flair for inviting trouble. Quiet a paradox to his given name “Shantaram”
The novel ,sometimes gets philosophical. It has lot of interesting quotes some of which are on Ashok Karnia’s blog.

The book is being made into a movie and is directed by Mira Nair with Johnny Depp playing the lead role and Amithab Bachan is cast as the Mafia Don.

Beginning of motherhood

2007-07-27T01:04:00.000-07:00

The first two weeks after delivery went like a breeze. The first few days in the hospital was filled with anxiety and elation. We would jump at every small whimper and cry. Sometimes he would cry incessantly and I just couldn’t figure out why. It would either be a wet diaper, gas or that he’s hungry again. It sounds simple, but trust me it’s hard to figure out which one. We eagerly waited for him to open his eyes. When he did, we talked to him, made sounds, smiled at him and we said we loved him very much. That ‘I love you’ was very different and had a new meaning with emotions hard to articulate (At least for me)

After I got home, all I remember doing was nursing Nikith. Venu would burp him and change the diapers. As I was drugged with painkillers and sleep deprived, it was impossible for me to be alert. Initially, the adrenaline kept me up. But as it weaned off, it was extremely hard to cope, being new mommy and all. Everything other than the baby seemed utterly insignificant except for our renewed relationship as husband and wife, which transcended overnight.

Our son was like this new toy, procured after 9 months of hard work. It was exhilarating! We dressed him up, we took plenty of pictures, we talked about him all the time to everybody and I would dream of all the things we could do together. Oh, Sweet dreams they are!

Venu’s paternity was over and panic took over for sometime. I had gotten used to Venu being around, burping, diapering, trying to keep me awake, and all of a sudden he wasn’t there anymore. This irked me and I would curse God for going so easy on men.

I would be locked in my bedroom all day and night nursing, burping, diapering and if my son showed some mercy, napping. This was my introduction to motherhood. I thought, all this is going to pass and I’m gonna get back to my normal life, except, that was my new normal life… and I’m getting used to it.

A tree grows in Brooklyn

2006-11-28T17:11:00.000-08:00

Our Book club met for the second time on 7th Nov in Sharon's house to discuss "A tree grows in Brooklyn". Sharon, Victoria, Elena & I were present. Sharon, the Tea connoisseur, served us pizza and some really good tea.

We started off discussing how different our book covers looked. All of us had different edition of the book. V’s book was the best as it contained images. So we started flipping her book. We pointed out the dickey, saw the big Christmas tree being thrown at Francie and Neely. The tree was way bigger than I had imagined. We were also able to lookup the “tree of heaven”. I did want to see how the spats looked on Neely, that made brooklynites laugh at him. But there were no pictures of the spats.

We discussed how strong the Rommely family women were. The author described them as “Made of invisible steel”. If not for Katie, that family would have fallen apart.

Johnny is a very charming person and an immaculate dresser. He tried hard to impress Katie, like when he took kids fishing, but luck was never on his side. Life seemed to fall apart after the arrival of Francie, made worse by Neely’s arrival. The news of Laurie just pushed him to the edge, resulting in his death. Betty doesn’t send a message to the reader anywhere that Johnny was an irresponsible father. He was not perfect like Katie, but he was no doubt a good father. There are numerous incidents that demonstrate that he’s good father. The most touching of all is the bouquet Francie receives from Sissy on the graduation night, as requested and paid by Johnny. What pushed Johnny to the edge? V pointed out the upbringing of Johnny, the death pillow, which in itself spoke volumes.

Then came the topic of why Katie and Johnny decided to ban Sissy from visiting them. I for one believed it might have been the cigarettes, where as Sharon and Victoria guessed it as condom. After reading out the passage aloud, we came to an agreement that it indeed was a condom.

The lighter part of the novel was when the author talks about Sissy and the Flittmans. The episode at school, when sissy learns that Francie was wetting her pants at school, just showed how comfortable and confident Sissy was about her sexuality. The horse episode where it falls in love with Eve is very comical.

Betty has skillfully laid out the beginnings of Francie’s writing. If not for Katie and the teacher, Francie could have grown up to be pathological liar.

V pointed out that the author was never offensive or opinionated about the Johnny’s alcoholism or Sissy’s promiscuity.

The night went on with great insights from V, which I don’t completely recall. All in all it was a good discussion and we were running out of time.

We are reading “Funny in Parsi” for our next meeting as suggested by S.

The other Olympics

2006-10-17T11:53:00.000-07:00

I came across this interesting article by Ariel Dorfman, where he raises some concerns about the indifference & cold behavior of humans inhabiting the pitiless earth.

Is this what we ordinary citizens do?
“…..that colder and more perverse and dangerous form of death which settles in the soul when we witness something terrible and cruel and incredibly stupid being perpetrated upon our fellow humans and we prefer to forget those crimes, we prefer to switch the channel or go to sleep or walk the dog.”

“How can we possibly be so obsessed with the drama of who is the fastest man in the world, who can break the record for swimming butterfly style, who can outrace all the other women in the marathon, which team is better at handling a ball in space, how can we be glued to our screens to see these efforts of the body, and we show such scant interest in who is the bravest in confronting iniquity, which woman is the most tenacious in denouncing the causes of pollution, who is the most serene of our contemporaries in proclaiming that we cannot sleep well at night while so many billions are spent on guns and generals and so little is offered for schools and hospitals? “

Does this mean we have a serious shortage of socially responsible citizens?

2 weeks in France

2006-08-06T22:26:00.000-07:00

If you are a Food and wine connoisseur, then France is the place to be. The spectacular landscapes of St Emillion ,wine appellations in Bordeaux, Chateaus of Loire valley , notorious Marseilles and it fish bouillabaisse, high tides of Normandy, Cornices of Nice, food and culture of Provence, Louvre’s Mona Lisa , Paris,……the list goes on!

We backpacked in France for 15 days. Our itinerary was Paris->Normandy ->Paris->Loire->Bordeaux->St Emillion ->Avignon -> Arles -> Marseilles -> Nice -> Paris.
In spite of all the premeditation, we would be at sixes and sevens, if not for lonely planet. We carried it around like it was our baby!

Here's the blog of some of the places we visited in no particular order
St Chapell , Notredame

Bordeaux and St Emillion.

Avignon

Marseilles,

St remy - Les Baux - Arles

Louvre Museum, Musee D’orsay, Champs-Elysées‘

Catacombes, Montmarte and Cruise on Seine

Loire valley

Nice Monoco Corniches

Versailles

Just when Life seemed like a fairy tale, I was in London’s Luton airport, sleeping on the corridor, while trying to keep myself warm with a beach towel, waiting for the sun to come up. The next day, I flew out of Heathrow and V flew out Charles De Galle. We are back home in SF, living our mediocre lives.

St Chapell , Notredame

2006-08-06T22:24:00.000-07:00

After spending 5 weeks away, alone in UK, I was looking forward to this trip with V. His absence had made my heart grow fonder. Like planned, we met in Paris, at the Charles De Gaulle airport. Everything felt new and fresh for us. Delta airlines had misplaced Venu’s baggage, but that didn’t diminish our spirits. We took RER B from airport to Republique Station, from where we took Metro line 3 to the rented apartment in Oberkampf. We had no idea that owner of the apartment couldn’t speak English. With the help of our neighbors Frederick and Sara we settled our dues with the owner, who also gave us a tour of the apartment, in French, of course!

We kickstarted our vacation, with Tomasin whisky, I bought in Scotland. After lunch, we visited St Chappell and Notre Dame. St. Chappell was built to house Christ's crown of thorns and a piece of his cross. The stained glass in St Chappell is worth visiting once

Be wary of the homeless near Notre Dame. They don’t shy away from stealing your food while your eating it. It is worth taking an audio tour of the Cathedral as it explains the history and architecture of the Notre Dame

Versailles

2006-08-06T22:22:00.000-07:00

Versailles was the unofficial capital of the French throne. Chateau de Versailles is one of the largest palaces in the Europe. It magnificent gardens draws huge crowds.

We took a 40 min Train to Versailles from Paris on a very cloudy, rainy morning. We arrived at Versailles in the noon. We took a three hour organized tour of the palais and wandered aimlessy in the garden till it closed, after the not-so-great musical fountain show

Louvre Museum, Musee D’orsay, Champs-Elysées

2006-08-06T22:07:00.000-07:00

Louvre was the former seat of the French throne and now the grandest museum in the world. The colossal glass pyramid commissioned by president Francois Mitterrand and designed by Pei, is the main entrance to the museum. The pyramid has always been a controversial monument of Paris. In my view, the pyramid fails miserably to radiate the artistic energy of the museum, although some may disagree

We dreaded the long lines at the Louvre. To our surprise, we were inside the museum in no time. We spent all morning and most of the afternoon in the museum. We took an organized 2-hour tour of the museum, which covered all the famous pieces, like the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Headless Statue of Samothrace, Napoleon’s Apartments, and Coronation of Napoleon. I’m gonna talk about Mona Lisa in another post. The tour also covered the Sully gallery, with an introduction to the history of the Louvre.

After lunch, we wandered aimlessly in the vast museum, cursing every min as to why the Parisian’s wont put English placards, so we know what we are looking at.

The impressionist art fascinated me when I visited the Tate art museum in London. I watched some videos and did some homework before visiting the Musee D’orsay. This museum is world famous for its stunning Impressionist art. Here you’ll find the precious works of Monet, Von Gogh, Cezanne, Pissarro, Manet, Renoir… If you are an art connoisseur, this is the place to be!

We spent time in the museum until it closed and then sauntered on to Champs-Elysées, the most famous avenue in the world. Champs-Elysées is exactly like MG Road in Bangalore, India, but 10 times as big. We settled down in one of Champs-Elysées‘s Street side café. We started making plans for the next day, while devouring the rose wine. We had a delicious bowl of Moules(Mussels). I have never tasted moules like that in my entire life!

Catacombes, Montmarte and Cruise on Seine,abbey of Mont St michelle,Arc de Triomphe

2006-08-06T21:37:00.000-07:00

Catacombes is a disturbing attraction where millions and millions of bones are stacked up. Some of them have cross formations, heart formations.

Then we visited the lively Montmarte Basilica. After some promenading on Champs-Elysées,we took a midnight cruise on Siene,where we saw young tourists, partying on both sides of the bank. .

We also crossed paths with the wee Statue of Liberty

The abbey of Mont St michelle, perched on a rocky island, was founded by Benedictine monks,as a sanctuary,dedicated to archangel St.Michael.

The Arc de Triomphe ,at the western end of the Champs-Élysées, was commissioned, by Napoleon Bonaparte

Loire valley

2006-08-06T21:34:00.000-07:00

After dumping our backpack in one of the Château’s cloakroom, we began touring the castle in Loire. Loire was declared the world heritage site in 2000 for its Château, cultural landscape and pretty little villages. The history of the Château is a medley of murder, conspiracy, debauchery at the highest level, Splendor,……..!.We visited the Château in Blois, Cheverny and Chambord. Few other attractions in Cheverny, is the Tintin exhibition and Dog show.

Update : Vijay Mallaya bought a Vineyard in Loire to help bring French wine to Indian market. Read the news clip here

Bordeaux & St Emillion : Wine Country

2006-08-06T21:30:00.000-07:00

If you are a wine aficionado, then St Emillion is the place to be. We made a day trip to St Emillion, which was named as the World Heritage site in 1999,for its awe-inspiring vineyards (St Emillion appellation) and lime rock underground monuments. Saint-Emillion was also a stop on the pilgrimage path , that led from northern Europe to Spain’s Santiago de Compostela, the most popular pilgrimage destination for Christians.

Our tour began at Château Dauphine, owned by a businessman. The manager of the vineyard, who was very coy, gave us a tour of the facility, after which we tasted 6 different types of wine. The hangover still lingering, after consuming excessive wine in Bordeaux’s wine festival the previous night, we decided to use the spittoons during the wine tasting session. Almost all the wines were fruity, except for one vintage (I don’t remember which year) which was spicy, Clove probably, with a woody flavor.

We had duck confit, a local specialty, for lunch, in one of the restaurants, recommended by our tour guide, in St Emillion’s City Center. The salty flavor of the duck went perfectly well with the bland, potatoes baked with fat.

The tour guide took us to the underground lime rock monuments, explaining the history of St Emillion. Then we were on our way to the family owned Chateau Haut Veyrac. The owner is the guy in green Shirt (he has green eyes too!). He gave us a tour of his vineyard, with a sense of pride. The glow in his eyes and the zest, with which he gave the tour sold us! Even before drinking the wine, many of us had decided to buy the wine here.

The longevity of the vineyards was what amazed us. The vineyards were 70 yrs old!. They grew merlot and cabernet. The blending of wines is family tradition. He explained that, his grandfather, father and himself worked in concert to come up with a perfect recipe for blending the wine!
Then came the best part, Wine Tasting!. We couldn’t wait to taste the wine. We stepped into the modest home, where the living room also served as wine tasting room. It could fit around 25 people. We all sat down with glasses, and the owner gave a brief description of the wine while he poured wine for all. He loved to serve wine! He told us some inside secrets about wine tasting, most of which was not discussed in the wine tasting course we took the previous day in Bordeaux.

We tasted around 4 different types of wine and decided to buy 1997 vintage, which had complex aromas, called the “bouquet”. It was of common consensus that, the wine was under priced. When venu asked the proud owner about that, he goes “He is aware of the fact that he could sell his wine three times higher than the current price. Its not about money.” he says, “It’s about personal satisfaction”. Very seldom do people do what satisfies them

Avignon : Did V kiss the dude?

2006-08-06T21:24:00.000-07:00

Avignon is the cultural capital of France. The theater festival is world famous.

We signed up for “Daughters of Rhone”, organized by office de tourism. A French women who lived in Tibet’s French colony also signed up for this tour. The tour which was scheduled to begin at 10:30 AM, didn’t start until noon, as the whereabouts of the tour guide was unknown. We then found out that there was a disconnect b/n the tourism office and the tour guide on the tour’s starting location. “Daughters of Rhone” started at the St Benezet Bridge, outside the fort, where our tour guide was waiting. Apparently, some personnel in the tourism office were not updated. Finally, at noon we were dropped off to the starting location by an office de tourism personnel.

Our tour guide, Sophie, was absolutely amazing! She told us all kinds of fascinating stories, history, and facts. She had some documents on her to corroborate the stories. The 2 hour tour, exceeded the time limit and kept on going. There was no end in sight and we were starting to get restless. Venu was subtly sending her messages that we didn’t want the history lessons anymore. She coolly dismissed it saying it was men’s natural tendency to do so. OOPS!
When she expressed her intentions to give us a tour of Notre dame, we set our foot down and plainly declined it. While parting we asked her for recommendations on restaurants and the Provencal dishes. She walked with us to the restaurant, still giving us history lessons and explained to us the French menu.

She was very pleased, when we invited her to lunch with us. During the course of our conversation we found out that, dear Sophie didn’t have anything to do in the afternoon (and we were punished with history lessons for that). She said, for a girl like her Avignon was mind numbingly boring. All action is when the tourists start pouring in. She seemed be concerned about the fact that her boyfriend, who is in the French navy, was moving to the base in Tahiti for 2 yrs. She wanted to move with him, but then what would she do in Tahiti for 2 yrs , She questioned herself.

“Women in France usually don’t drink bear” She said, in response to my order of chilled Heineken. They drink Monaco (She didn’t know how it got the name), which is a concoction of beer, lime juice and fruit syrup. Unlike beer it is sweet and thus appealing to the women’s palate. After tasting Monaco, I decided to stick with beer. Well…I want beer to taste like beer , not like some fruit juice!.

We spent all afternoon chatting with Sophie. We talked about France, French people, food, wine, culture, Sophie’s Indian friend and his arranged marriage to a naïve girl in India! We parted after huggin & exchanging contact information

Tourism office gave us free tickets to the Pope Palais as they made us wait all morning.
After touring the Pope Palais, we headed to rent a motorbike for the next day. The shopkeeper at the rentals, told us proudly that he was in Madras, for a music festival 20 Fu**ing yrs ago!

Did V kiss the “DUDE”?
After taking a break at the hotel, we decide take a romantic walk on the bank of river Rhone before dinner. On our way, a big man dressed like a women whose name I don’t know, but would like to call him “The Dude”, stopped us. The carousal was running with loud music behind him. People had gathered to see “The Dude” and suddenly , we were put on the spot by him. He started blowing his whistle in front of us, making funny gestures. For reasons unknown (My best guess is the rhone valley wine we had earlier!) Venu started whistling with his mouth, louder than the “The Dude”. The crowd was cheering them on!. Then the “The Dude” stopped to ask Venu if he could hug and kiss him. To my surprise,Venu was like “yeah ,sure why not”. I was dumbfounded when they hugged , and kissed right on the mouth! I crowd burst out in laughter! Recovering quickly I joined the crowd in laughter with my face red! I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget this. Just hoping ,I wont get nightmares about this.

St Remy,Les Baux,Arles

2006-08-06T21:13:00.000-07:00

Hopped on the rented 150 CC motorbike towards St Remy. Brushed past the Roman city of Glanum,toured the Mental Asylum where Van gogh was treated. The view of lavender fields and alps from Van gogh's room, are reflected in his paintings. Les Baux is perched on the rocky outcrop,has an extraordinary history. Bauxite was first discovered here and named after the village. Arles is 20 miles from Les baux.Van Gogh lived in Arles for about a year before volunteering to goto Saint remy's mental asylum. The Yellow painted house depicted in his drawings,was his residence in Arles. Photo expo was going on in Arles. After browsing thru some,we went to the arena. On our way back to Avignon,we made a quick stop at the sunflower fields,to take pictures. Provence is such a beautiful place on earth,it should not come as a surprise that this place inspired Van gogh.

Marseilles

2006-08-06T21:05:00.000-07:00

We began touring Marseilles by having a sumptuous traditional fish bouillabaisse lunch, in one of the street side cafe's of Vieux Port. Then we headed towards "lles de Frioul" on a ferry to view the ancient maritime site. In the evening we rode the bus to Notre Dame de La Garde and sauntered on JFK blvd (That's right,JFK blvd!). We Came back to Vieux port, only to see the center totally shut down and people (intoxicated, ofcourse) were gathering to watch world cup(France Vs Portugal) on the big screen TV, setup right in the center of the port. We were off to NICE like any unsuspecting tourist and reached NICE at 12:30 AM. The Railway station in NICE closes at 12:30. So we were kicked out of the Station on to the roadside Taxi Stand.
To our horror,we realized, it would be a long long night!. France had just won the game against Portugal,gliding into World Cup finals and was celebrating the Victory. As a result, there was no Taxi serving the Station. The crowd was drunk & wild. All the phone calls for the Taxi went unanswered. There was a small queue for the taxi, waiting for over an hour. There was this one taxi that showed up couple hrs later and that was the only one serving the station that night. And when our turn came it was early in the morning! Until then, ladies and gentlemen,it was wine time ,with some swearing thrown in,which made the sweet rose wine, bitter!

Nice Monoco,Corniches

2006-08-06T20:54:00.000-07:00

Vegged out on the nice pebbley beaches in NICE. Promenaded on Promenade Des Anglais. Biked on corniches from Nice towards Monaco/Mentone. Stopped at villefranche sur-mer,Eze sur-mer,Monaco and Menton (France-Italie border). On our way back ,we stopped at Mont Boron for a panaramic view of NICE. This is suppose be the absolute best place for a perfect picture. I'm told Elton John owns a villa up here!

Why am I agnostic?

2005-12-08T11:17:00.000-08:00

I grew up in a moderately conservative, god-fearing society. There are fewer chances of people being agnostic, in such a setting. So, how did I become agnostic? When did this process begin for me?

When the believers visit Tirupathy/Shabarimalai, (Any temple): They bribe the temple personnel to see the Statue, bedecked with jewels, which they call “GOD”, quicker than any other, so they can get out of that madness as early as possible. Then put incredibly amount of money/wealth to the temple’s Hundi (Temple Donation), wherein they wouldn’t give a penny to the needy. Worst of all, them believing that, by doing so, their sin is washed away and they can start working on a fresh batch, which can be gotten rid off, in their next visit. (Yes guys,God is watching how much money you donate to the temple. The more you donate, the less full your pot of sin,is gonna be) “
From my experience, “The most devout are the most presumptuous ” (Ring a bell!)

This put me on the road to atheism( I dont consider myself an atheist ,yet). I have explored many avenues since. During my exploration, I have met believers whose whole theory is just simply wrong. I don’t believe in God/Religion/Culture. I don’t celebrate any festivals or practice any rituals. It doesn’t make sense to me. What makes sense to me is to get involved in the community and work for the upliftment of the world we live in. What makes sense to me is to celebrate Diwali/Christmas/Ramdan by organizing a blood donation drive or cooking food for the homeless… What makes sense to me is to fight against, slavish obedience to a custom, culture or to the crowd” [Gora].

I believe in, as Douglas Adam says,” Justice and Fairplay”. (Read the interview, Link Via Arun). I have come to understand from my experience on this Earth so far, that I could lead a worthwhile life, without god/religion/caste/culture. Also read Madman's plight in dealing with these religious nuts.

Mukthar Mai : Pakistan's Gang Rape Victim

2005-12-05T09:46:00.000-08:00

Mukthar Mai is an inspiration to women,who are physically abused,all over the world,to come forward and fight for their rights. It takes a lot of courage to do what she did. She deserves every ounce of respect by all individuals. She is "ABC's Person of the week" and was awarded "Glamour's, Bravest Women".

Earth Quake Safety

2005-12-01T15:17:00.000-08:00

Earthquakes strike suddenly, violently and without warning. Identifying potential hazards ahead of time and advance planning can reduce the dangers of serious injury or loss of life from an earthquake.

At Home :

Fasten shelves securely to walls.
Place large or heavy objects on lower shelves.
Store breakable items such as bottled foods, glass, and china in a low, closed cabinets with latches.
Hang heavy items such as pictures and mirrors away from beds, couches, and anywhere people sit.
Brace overhead light fixtures.
Repair defective electrical wiring and leaky gas connections. These are potential fire risks.
Secure a water heater by strapping it to the wall studs and bolting it to the floor.
Repair any deep cracks in ceilings or foundations. Get expert advice if there are signs of structural defects.
Store weed killers, pesticides, and flammable products securely in closed cabinets with latches and on bottom shelves.
Locate safe places outdoors.In the open, away from buildings, trees, telephone and electrical lines, overpasses, or elevated expressways.
Make sure all family members know how to respond after an earthquake.Teach all family members how and when to turn off gas, electricity, and water. Teach children how and when to call 9-1-1, police, or fire department and which radio station to tune to for emergency information.
Have disaster supplies on hand. Flashlight,portable battery-operated radio and extra batteries. First aid kit and manual Emergency food and water. Nonelectric can opener. Essential medicines Cash and credit cards. Sturdy shoes. Develop an emergency communication plan. In case family members are separated from one another during an earthquake (a real possibility during the day when adults are at work and children are at school), develop a plan for reuniting after the disaster.
Ask an out-of-state relative or friend to serve as the "family contact". After a disaster, it's often easier to call long distance. Make sure everyone in the family knows the name, address, and phone number of the contact person.

During the quake:

If indoors,take cover under a sturdy furniture such as a heavy desk or table. Against an inside wall. Away from where glass could shatter around windows, mirrors, pictures, or where heavy bookcases or other heavy furniture could fall over. Stay inside. The most dangerous thing to do during the shaking of an earthquake is to try to leave the building because objects can fall on you.
If outdoors,move into the open, away from buildings, street lights, and utility wires. Once in the open, stay there until the shaking stops.
If in a moving vehicle,stop quickly and stay in the vehicle. Move to a clear area away from buildings, trees, overpasses, or utility wires. Once the shaking has stopped, proceed with caution. Avoid bridges or ramps that might have been damaged by the quake.

After the quake:

Be prepared for aftershocks.Although smaller than the main shock, aftershocks cause additional damage and maybring weakened structures down. Aftershocks can occur in the first hours, days, weeks, or even months after the quake.
Help injured or trapped persons.Give first aid where appropriate. Do not move seriously injured persons unless they are in immediate danger of further injury. Call for help.
Listen to a battery-operated radio or television for the latest emergency information. Remember to help your neighbors who may require special assistance like,infants, the elderly, and people with disabilities. Stay out of damaged buildings. Return home only when authorities say it is safe.
Clean up spilled medicines, bleaches or gasoline or other flammable liquids immediately.
Open closet and cupboard doors cautiously.
Inspect the entire length of chimneys carefully for damage. Unnoticed damage could lead to a fire. Check for gas leaks. If you smell gas or hear blowing or hissing noise, open a window and quickly leave the building. Turn off the gas at the outside main valve if you can and call the gas company from a neighbor's home. If you turn off the gas for any reason, it must be turned back on by a professional. Look for electrical system damage. If you see sparks or broken or frayed wires, or if you smell hot insulation, turn off the electricity at the main fuse box or circuit breaker. If you have to step in water to get to the fuse box or circuit breaker, call an electrician first for advice. Check for sewage and water line damage. If you suspect sewage lines are damaged, avoid using the toilets and call a plumber. If water pipes are damaged, contact the water company and avoid using water from the tap. You can obtain safe water by melting ice cubes.

Pets after the quake

The behavior of pets may change dramatically after an earthquake. Normally quiet and friendly cats and dogs may become aggressive or defensive. Watch animals closely. Leash dogs and place them in a fenced yard. Pets may not be allowed into shelters for health and space reasons. Prepare an emergency pen for pets in the home that includes a 3-day supply of dry food and a large container of water.

MITIGATION :

Mitigation includes any activities that prevent an emergency, reduce the chance of an emergency happening, or lessen the damaging effects of unavoidable emergencies. Investing in preventive mitigation steps now such as repairing deep plaster cracks in ceilings and foundations, anchoring overhead lighting fixtures to the ceiling and following local seismic building standards, will help reduce the impact of earthquakes in the future. For more information on mitigation, contact your local emergency management office.

Contact your local emergency management office or American Red Cross chapter for more information on earthquakes.

Funny Ambiguous English Signs Abroad

2005-12-01T11:29:00.000-08:00

In a Tokyo Hotel:
"Is forbidden to steal hotel towels please. If you are not a person to do
such thing is please not to read notis."

In a Belgrade hotel elevator:
"To move the cabin, push button for wishing floor. If the cabin should
enter more persons, each one should press a number of wishing floor.
Driving is then going alphabetically by national order".

In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox monastery:
"You are welcome to visit the cemetery where famous Russian and Soviet
composers, artists, and writers are buried daily except Thursday"

In a Budapest zoo:
"Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, give it to
the guard on duty"

In a Rhodes tailor shop:
"Order your summers suit. Because is big rush we will execute customers in
strict rotation"

In a Bucharest hotel lobby:
"The lift is being fixed for the next day. During that time we regret that
you will be unbearable"

In a Rome laundry:
"Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good
time"

Inspiration for the uninspired

2005-07-03T20:30:00.000-07:00

Here is a posting from bharatUdayMission yahoo group. This has been published here with the author's permission.

No claim of 100% authenticity,somewhat tentative

India's population would continue to increase till 2025-2030 when it
would become constant and is not expected to decline before 2050, if the
current trend continues. By then the number itself would be staggering...
..around 1.8 billion or so. Just imagine how many people stuffed up in
1sqkm and the amount of resources for each individual.Even if India
follows 2 child norm from now onwards India would surpass China in the
near future where 1 child norm has been already achieved.

Indians breed worse than most animals of comparable size and decent
intelligence level(shameful) : the current fertility rate is alarming,
between 3 and 4. Talking about religious distribution , it is the
highest among Muslims ,well above 5.(Fertility rate is the average number
of children per couple).

One percent of India is becoming,on an average,desert every year. Already
,south Delhi has used up its share of water and is reeling under water
crisis along with Chennai and other cities. It is not surprising that
the third World War might be fought for water when in one country itself
states are fighting for river water.

By 2010 there would be about 1 HIV+ in every 60 or 70 of us. And it
is but obvious that this figure rises exponentially.One,because of an
obvious fact and the other, because of frustrated HIV+ who put infected
needles in Cinema Halls and Autos leading to a second level of
frustrated people.Besides AIDS, cancer and impotency are also spreading
in the country like an epidemic.

In the qualitative aspect, we are a shame: we comprise of more than
16% of the world population but we earn only 2% of what the world
earns. The average productivity of the Indian famer is 30 times lower than a
German one and 20 times lower than an American one.Our urban
population is around 28% as compared to more than 70% of US or UK.
38% of ourselves are below the poverty line.We live on an average for
61 years whereas Americans, English or Canadians live more than 75 years.

Around 65% of us only eat and ask for resources(unproductive consumers
in demographic terms). An average Indian eats only 2400 calories whereas
developed countries eat more than 3500 calories per day. Only 65% of us
are literate, that too, in the demographic definition, is the ability to
write your name in a particular language ; compared to a threshold of time
where we stand and where according to world definitions, soon people not
having computer knowledge shall come under the definition of illiteracy. 67
% of us work in the primary sector whereas more than this percentage
of people work in the tertiary sectors in developed countries and that
is why our p.c.i. is $89 compared to $2893 of US or $1400-1800 of
Australia, UK or Canada .

But all this must not lead to shame,rather,it should lead to inspiration
for the uninspired and that is why we people are here.

Adding to all this, we have in India communal tension, caste politics,
regionalism, linguism,pseudo-secularism, baseless and blind opposition to
change(esp.UP,Bihar and Bengal), extreme level of selfishness in the
citizens and blind following of the religious texts all paving the road
for the complete rotting up of the country.

Another thing which has kept me wondering , besides this ultimate quest for development, is that we should also aim for attainment of the great Indian culture, which I am afraid is moving to gutter, a special thanks to the
high-class and upper middle class youth, television,page-3 culture by few
of the socially 'responsible' newspapers who ridicule traditions and customs.

For India to prosper as the US,be devoid of tradition and ethically
starving citizens!? Certainly not. We should take inspiration from the US
only in terms of properity and quest for knowledge and watch China and
Japan who have preserved their age-old culture to some extent. In Swades
the panch says that we are the greatest nation in the world because we
have 'sanskar' and 'parampara' (culture and tradition).Even though it is
a lame excuse to escape,yet I am afraid that even then the culture
which he talks about is corrupted and infected.

Some people then become too orthodox to revert from their scriptures. Even
that is an adamant course to take.....when God has given us the ability to
understand what is right and what is wrong, then why do we not realise
what is detrimental to scientific approach and what not and what is
moral/ethical and what not.

Why are we so blinded by irrationale not to see what is good for the
humankind?Does it suit man who has such a superior brain to consult his
scriptures and blame God for each and every single thing? Why can't we
take inspiration towards science from the west though it might be
morally starved and why can't we reject a scriptural text though it might be
great, if it is harmful to rational thinking? Buddha himself said, " Do
not follow something just because it is written in your scriptures." He
was hinting towards an intelligent balance between science and religion
and that is what I personally dream of for my beloved India.

Lastly,another thing crops up in my mind is that of secularism. Today
perhaps in India all apparent secular gestures conceal hidden political motives.....just wonder:

Why a hajj-subsidy,when no such subsidy is there for Amarnath or
Kailash Yatras? Why aren't Ashok Singhal and Togadia asked to keep
their mouth shut when they utter extreme nonsense,leading to communal
tension,when on one hand SIMI was banned?. I remember lately Singhal
made the statement that Hindus should produce 10 kids per family
(apprehending high fertility rates among muslims)....how can he be allowed
to speak such crap? Shiv Sena rewards those Hindus who produce x no. of
children. Perhaps all these religious leaders shall carry on Hindu-Muslim
politics and lead the country towards ruins.

Why do we have something called the 'Muslim Personal Law'? Why do we
have something called the 'Hindu Marriage Act'? Why isn't there a
uniform civil code for the entire Indian community? If it is not so , then
how the hell do we call ourselves secular? In the truly secular countries, these kind of things do not exist, and if they do, a personal law is
subordinate to national, but in India it is perhaps the reverse.

These things clearly show how polarised our community is and we
call ourselves 'secular' on top of that.

In the end I would like to hint at a last point. We are here to preach
others about our noble ideas and mission. But as it is said," Be the change
you wish to see in others", we ourselves should strive for strength of
character and an epitome of rational thinking. If amongst ourselves, we
acquire biased views, have 5 children , litter around ourselves in public,
indulge in corruption and do things derogatory to our own culture, then
perhaps we do not fit to be for this cause. Hence I plead the fellow
members to strive for discipline and stern characters and ideals in their
own lives.

Perhaps that is all,

Vande Mataram,

President's Hyderabad address

2005-06-30T22:10:00.000-07:00

I concede with our president’s argument when he addressed the crowd in Hyderabad. He says

“In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads..”
“YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington..”
“YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than
the garbage pile on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand “

When I get together with friends and family, we talk about corruption and everything else that's wrong with India. Of course, we know whom to blame at all times. THE GOVERNMENT. I hardly know a handful of people who would take responsibility and contribute to the society in his\her own individual ways.

Americans have no family bonding, but they have community emotions. In India, we have family values (which are deteriorating by the way),but lack the community feeling. Let me explain that a little bit

”You say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.”

Fine. It doesn’t. Does it mean we should live in filth?. Apparently we do. We only know, to clean our backyards. But we have no clue, whatsoever, on how to keep our surroundings litter-free. Oh, wait a minute! Why should we? That's municipality’s work. Weeeeeeee are not going to pick garbage. What are we scavengers now? But what we are going to do precisely is, contribute to the filth and make it more repulsive. Smoke and throw cigarette butts and the empty pack wherever you wish (We live in free country, you see). How about pan? What about water, noise pollution during festivals? I could go on.

What amazes me the most is, the highly educated people do it all the time. And it’s very hard to make them fathom. How many educated Indians realize the ramifications of sound and air pollution during Diwali? Even if they are aware, how many take action? How many impart it to their children? How many teachers inculcate this to our children at school?

I always thought we have to educate the uneducated. But time has come, to educate the educated. And it’s a tough job, mind you!

I truly believe that if every Indian is at his/her best international behavior in India, our journey towards progress would be a little less bumpy.

In addition to devising sophisticated plans to erase corruption at this juncture, we should work concertedly to create awareness among the masses.

Like our president said

"ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY"

His speech is really thought inductive. Don’t you think?

Prashant's Death

2005-01-19T14:09:00.000-08:00

My mother-in-law called, early evening, on January 6th, to inform us about the death of one of my husband’s cousin. It turns out that, my husband’s cousin, Prashant, who was working in Bombay, went out to seek medicine for his headache in the early morning hours. He took an auto and on his way back home got into an argument with the driver over the fare. The argument was over Rs 50,the fare, the driver wanted. A inebriated constable, patrolling the area, saw this and came towards them. As the story goes, for no reason, he started kicking Prashant. Prashant managed to escape, but the constable wouldn’t give up. He cornered him and kicked him again and again and again. When prashant was taken to the hospital, he was pronounced dead. Apparently, Prashant was dead long before he was brought to the hospital.Full Story

I sometimes wonder, what killed Prashant? The inebriated constable or the Rs 50. Would he have been spared, if he had paid the driver the fare he asked? Was Rs 50 the cost of his life? Maybe. But, considering the fact that the constable was drunk, he may have done the same, for the deceased, was on the streets, when rest of the world was sleeping. Would he have acted any different,if he was not under the influence of alcohol? After reading through the 3 articles below,your answer would be "Probably Not".
1. Police Brutality in Khanpur
2. Police Assault in Surat
3. Police Assault in Thrissur

We have already, established that police on duty, intoxicated, are extremely dangerous. I’m sure there are laws for this. But the question is,” How strictly is it enforced?” Well, if it were enforced strictly, Prashant would be alive today.

So, one can come to a conclusion, that, drunk or not, police have been consistently showing violent behavior and as a result, harm the very people, they are suppose to protect. I’m not sure what action has been taken against these people, as they seem to grow in numbers.

It is quite hard, to get rid of a government employee like this constable, unless they kill somebody. Please do read this article, as to how much of a battle this is. The circumstances are totally different. But it does give an insight.

UPDATE :
Amit varma of mumbai has blogged about this issue,in the post Guardian of the law.

Petition: I have created a petition. Please sign the petition and show your support. Please forward this to all your friends and have them sign it.

Tsunami : How you can help?

2004-12-30T22:47:00.000-08:00

The horror unfolding in Southeast Asia is of Biblical proportions. It is one of the worst and costliest disasters in history. The victims of the disaster are poor fishermen, who made two meals a day, from their nightly catch. These are people who have no financial reserves. Now, they have no home. They have lost their family and livelihoods. People, who survived the tsunami, have diseases to worry about. There has been warning from all major organizations about water borne diseases like, cholera, Dysentery.
Its been predicted that, more people could perish from diseases than from the disaster itself. My heart goes numb. I’m trying to do as much as possible to help. Below are some of the links that are helpful for people who are offering help and people who need help.

Prime minister's relief fund

More Resources

Tsunami help

It’s hard for the surviving victims to go on with their life. How would we console people, who are undergoing pain of such staggering proportions? Is it possible to do that?. How do you deal with them? How do we motivate these people to get on with their lives? I know time heals most of the wounds. But do they have so much time?

I’m going on vacation to India in Feb and I intend to spend a week in Nagapattinam(one of the worst hit in south India) to help the victims. Please help me find answers, so I’m better prepared to give comfort to these people and make my trip worthwhile.

My husband and me are also giving up our New Year plan of going to a dance club, and instead are channeling that money to help the Tsunami victims. We are going to motivate our friends to do the same.

We are all in shock and our hearts are heavy. Please feel free to share your feelings. To post, click “comment on this” on the right bottom corner of the post

Tsunami Help : GuideLines to prevent outbreak of diseases

2004-12-29T19:56:00.000-08:00

Here are some tips on how to prevent waterborne diseases. Please try and get this message across the disaster torn area. If you are a friend or family of a victim or a relief worker, please talk to them about this. They may or may not know. These tips help both the relief workers and the victims.

Water borne Illness is caused by viruses and bacteria, from inadequately treated drinking water. It’s one of the main sources. Water borne diseases could also spread through, clothes, hands, from things used for cooking/eating. They can also spread through open wounds, nose, eyes, but it’s rare. People are at a risk, from not only typhoid and cholera, but also skin diseases. In a situation like this, all contagious diseases are likely to spread faster.

In the aftermath of tsunami, the drinking water is contaminated. Drink water provided by the relief workers only. Boil water before drinking. The water tanks will be placed in affected villages to store treated water. Please do not drink/wash hands/wash clothes in the floodwater. Do not drink water from wells unless tested/treated. It could be contaminated by floodwater. CNN reported, that people were touching decomposing bodies with bare hands. Wash hands thoroughly after handling any flood-affected items.

Parents need to help children avoid water-borne illness. Children should not be allowed to play in floodwater areas, and parents should ensure that children's hands are washed frequently, especially before meals.

Do not Wash Wounds with floodwater. Do not use home remedies like turmeric powder/coffee powder for the open wounds. Make sure that there are no open wounds.
Personal hygiene should be promoted as the responsibility of the individual. Wash hands in soap and water immediately after going to the toilet and always before handling and/or eating food. Avoid the use of common or unclean eating utensils, toothbrushes, razors, drinking cups, towels, handkerchiefs, combs and hairbrushes. Avoid coughing and sneezing on others

Make sure that faeces is buried deeply, as it can contaminate water, cause odor, attract flies. Important of all, “use the waste disposal site identified in your area”. The same for the infant faeces. Disposing of organic and animal wastes properly to avoid flies. Dispose ashes, tin, old iron, rags, cardboard, animal wastes, kitchen waste, meat, discarded fruits to the sanitary landfill.

An unfortunate outcome of disasters, particularly those involving flooding, is the resultant death of animals both domestic and non-domestic. It is essential that the carcasses be disposed of quickly to prevent an outbreak of disease and fly infestation. The method of disposal selected is dependent on the type of carcasses. For low numbers of small animals such as chickens, cats, and dogs it would be acceptable to place them into the general waste stream. However for stock and larger native and feral animals it may be necessary to consider a special purpose disposal area, especially if the numbers of carcasses are high. Strict personal hygiene must be practiced in the handling of all dead animals. The wearing of appropriate boots, gloves, proper protective clothing and adequate person disinfection is essential.

Flooding may initially flush out or destroy mosquito breeding or harboring sites but can subsequently create additional habitats that may produce even greater mosquito numbers. Flooding can result in excessive breeding of mosquitoes, resulting in the possibility of diseases being carried by the insects. Swarms of mosquitoes may be seen in the affected regions several weeks after the storm. Mosquito eggs can lie dormant for years without water. Those eggs will now hatch increasing the potential for mosquito-borne disease until the first frost. State pest management officials will address this problem. Residents should remove excess water from flowerpots, tires, buckets and other containers to minimize the breeding of mosquitoes. I haven’t seen or heard about donation of mosquito nets or insect repellents. These are very important and should be collected and distributed by the aid workers, so as to prevent exposure to mosquitoes, ticks and other biting insects. Spray disinfectants and disinfect stagnant water with bleaching powder, which is easily available

Homes may have building materials containing asbestos, which has been associated with respiratory diseases. Building materials that may contain asbestos include flooring, siding, roofing, pipe insulation, fireproofing, or decorative ceiling treatments. If asbestos is suspected to be present in building materials, the materials should be carefully wetted to minimize dust production whenever they are being disturbed or moved from place to place.
All persons affected by the disaster need to be informed about and encouraged to practice personal hygiene to prevent the outbreak of disease.

Immunizations:Tetanus - A booster for tetanus should be given to anyone sustaining an injury (particularly lacerations and puncture wounds) that has not received a vaccination within the last 10 years, 5 years for particularly major or unclean wounds. Hepatitis A - Immune globulin is given only to those persons known to be in direct contact with a confirmed case of hepatitis A. Hepatitis A vaccines are not required.

Symptoms of Waterborne Diseases:Fever , Fatigue, Vomiting, Stomach cramps, Dehydration